Afternoon Tea Blanket

I cast on this blanket back on 2010. It never really grabbed me, I think it bored me to be honest. Now with being in self isolation and working remotely from home, it is the perfect project to pick up between calls. So far I have completed 25/81 squares. The blanket is worked using four colours and the cream is used in most squares.

I am knitting this the Debbie Abrahams way, knitting a square, casting off and then picking up stitches from the cast off square to knit the next one until the strip is completed. To save sewing in too many ends I have found a way to ease this. This works on most strips but in particular the even number strips.

Strip four use the pink and a full ball of the cream for the first square, then cast off in pink but leave the cream attached and pick up stitches for square 2 using the same cream. Once this square is cast off pick up stitches for the third square and carry on using the cream. If you wish to you can thread beads for the fourth square at the start and push them to to middle of the ball and continue until end of square 5 using the same cream ball. I didn’t do this, however I used the cream yarn from square 6 of strip four to complete the strip.

When knitting the 19a and 19B squares I left the cream attached after the first one and when it came to the next cream row and the yarn was at the other end I just slipped all the stitches across until I was at the cream end and purled the row.

This means less weaving in and using less yarn. I hope this helps, Stay Safe everyone

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Year of blankets continues

As I’ve previously mentioned, I had sworn off Debbie ABRAHAMS mystery blankets as I have far too many in progress or not even started. Last year I relented and signed up to her mystery baby blanket club. My reasoning was that I could knit one and have it ready for when some one close to me has a baby and I could use my stash and the patterns to knit another.

Debbie Abrahams Mystery Baby Blanket 2019

This was lovely to knit, using the gorgeous Rowan Baby Cashsoft. When knitting it again I will omit the bobbles and the Swiss darning on the blocks. The border is my favourite of all the borders I have knit . It has inspired me and in my head I am designing a pram blanket. Watch this space. #staysafe

Catching UP

Not done as much as I had planned on the crafting front, but, I have made good headway on my Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket from 2016. Out of the seven strips and 4 borders , I have managed to complete, 4 strips, 1 border and a few squares. To save my arms from the weight of the completed blanket when doing the borders I am knitting the side borders on the strip before I sew them together.

So far I have sewn two sets of strips together and am feeling a sense of completion. What I like about Debbies Blankets are the range of techniques , colours and yarn choices. The 2016 one has beading, bobbles, cables, lace, intarsia, swiss darning and stranded knitting. Each square feels like one has actually completed an item, which I guess one has. I am on track to complete this by the end of June.

Strips so far

2016 The Year of the Clubs

For me this year seems to be the year of clubs and knit a longs -KAL. I signed up to a mystery mitten KAL but never got around to starting it. I signed up to Fiddlesticks mystery shawl which I am not sure if I will be actually knitting but we are only on clue one. As usual I am knitting Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket, not that I need anything to sell it to me but it was the lace knitting that sold it. I am on track so far but it’s only been one month. I love this years colours and theme so far.

Late last year I discover Erin Lane Bags, they are doing a Year of Winter ending in Christmas club. Alternate months you get a kit and a project bag based around the Narnia characters. I am knitting the Peter hat already and have to say the yarn included with it (Holiday yarn) is gorgeous to knit with. The project bag is very good quality and I would buy one from them.  It is a nice easy design and I will be using this as my travel and hospital project.Peters hat

 

The Kindred Spirit Shawl is still in progress but as it is such a pleasant easy knit, this is my mindless knitting so is being picked up between projects.

Working on a PHD or two

In this case my PHD stands for Projects Half Done! I still have a number of sewing projects to be done but I am working slowly but surely on the vibrant sweater by Marie Wallin’s from an issue of Vogue Knitting. I only have the body to knit and am aiming to knit a minimum of two rounds per week. Cosy by Kim Hargeaves is going well and I only have the front to knit. This years Mystery Blanket by Debbie Abrahams has made progress but I started to get a little bored so I have shelved this for the moment and have decided not to knit next years even though I know I will regret it at some point. Although I still have a number of projects on the go I have decided to cast on a pair of socks so that I can knit them at work. That has to be mindless knitting.
The gorgeous Liberty Alice In Wonderland fabric has been made in to a summer dress/tunic ( well some of it ), unfortunately the to do list from my previous list is unchanged. I also have to sew some bunting for my cousins gorgeous son Jacob Oliver . I also need to sew some for my adorable grandaughter,
The craft culling is going well although I am getting into my card making again so I need to be careful I don’t splash out on card stuff. I really need a good day so I can pull out everything from the workshop and sort out my notions.
When my grandson was born I made him some taggies which he never used. They just never appealed to him, his younger sister on the other hand cannot sleep with out one. She only likes one of them, it is in a Rowan fabric nd it is the fabric that she likes. Luckily I still had some of the fabric so for her birthday I made another 5. One for each grandparents house and car and a spare phew

August

I can’t believe it’s September already. August has passed in a blur. I have been working fulltime and getting into a new sleep routine and doing lots of crafting. There are a lot of swap groups on Ravelry and I enjoy doing lots of swaps. One of the groups I am in decided to have a WIP finishing month and this proved to be the kick up the backside I needed.

I am desperate to start a new project but used some self control to not start one until I finished three WIPs I had. Although I didn’t start anything new I did start looking at new projects and putting the yarn together for a few. There is an endless stream of exciting and beautiful new patterns to inspire me and no matter how often I say , that’s it I’m not buying anymore books or magazines there is always another gorgeous design that entices me.

In August I finally finished my daughters neon socks from my own pattern

Knitted a shawl We are Stardust which I had a few issues with , definitely user error what did I expect knitting at 2am.

And I finally finished my mystery cushion 2012. I really enjoyed getting these finished. The only problem is that I now have a long list of projects to knit, mainly jumpers, when I really need a cardigan!

 

It’s finished

It’s been another busy month and I didn’t get as much sewing done as I wanted but I did manage a fair bit of knitting. I knitted a cotton vest top and vintage dress for the new baby and the big news is that I completed Eldora. I really like the patterns and love the colours I have chosen, although I wasn’t such a fan of the sewing in of the ends. For once I have a top whose length is perfect for skirts. I really like the Cotton Glace and will be using it again when I try and finish Debbie Abrahams Mystery cushion from 2012.

 

 

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A change of scene

If this period of waking up in the middle of the night keeps up I may have to think about finding a night job instead of a day job. The only good thing about being wide awake in the wee hours is that I get to catch on on my knitting , television and maybe read a book. On the needles at the moment is still the Building Blocks blanket for baby Jones. I have just finished the fourth of seven strips and am really pleased with the way it looks. However, I am becoming a tad bored with it. I have managed to knit a couple of sets of bootees inbetween sqaures. I must get it finished then I can relax a bit.

I still have the quilt to finish for baby Jones but I have been inspired by a friend to add strips of plain fabric inbeween the patterned squares. This will not only look very effective but will also cut down on the quilting time. I have managed to make a pair of maternity PJ bottoms, shorten some maternity trousers into shorts, insert a jersey baby bump into a pair of skinny jeans (did I mention my daughters pregnant) and three vintage aprons. The PJ bottoms were made from stash and the aprons were from the new Amy Butler for Rowan Lark range fabric.

I am trying to get in the habit of spending at least three hours every weekend sewing to catch up on some bits. Whereas my knitting WIPs are under control with only the blankets, my sewing WIPs are getting a little out of control. It happens when I think I’m being organised by cutting all the fabric and pattern out so it is ready to sew, all this means in reality is that I have lots of bags with projects ready to go.

Next weekend I am going to unearth them all, make one of my lists of what I have, prioritise them and make a time frame for sewing them. I remember a famous seamstress saying once that you should make appointments for your sewing and treat it almost like  a job, You set aside a timeslot and use that time for your sewing and because it’s in your diary there’s not need to feel guilty about not doing other bits. I have to confess I generally put my crafting time ahead of housework etc. The housework will always be there but my sanity without my crafting won’t.

Mystery Cushion 2011

I recieved my mystery cushion parcel at the beginning of June and it has an interesting mix of colours. All the yarn is from Rowan, most of it is Belle by Amy Butler Organic Wool Cotton DK. All the previous mystery blankets I have knitted, I have given away as gifts but this cushion is a keepeer. As soon as I finished the  first square I knew I had to keep it. The swiss darning has yet to be sewn on the first square but it still looks good. Debbie Abrahams is such a great designer. I would never have thought to put those colours together. I am also knitting this years Mystery Blanket but have only knitted the first square. My plan is to stay on top of the cushion squares and then knit as many of the blanket squares as possible before the new Rowan magazine is realeased. Hopefully I’ll be up to date by then. Unlikely but as ever optomistic

Yarn Package for mystery cushion 2011

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