Looking back and looking forward!

Now it’s time for another lot of decisions over the patchwork.  If you look back here you’ll find the inspiration for my project - except, of course, that mine is mainly blue!!!

Now I have to start thinking about the length of my cloth as the width is ‘almost there’ and I’m hoping to add a border onto it too.  

The top picture shows the motifs that will go in and which will hopefully start making the cloth rectangular.  Playing with the motifs before I actually sew them on you’ll see from the other pictures that I’ve got a few choices to make and also need more of the ‘seven hexagon’ smaller motifs too.  Obviously these will be using other fabrics so choices on that will have to be made too!!!

Sock failure

A total failure on this sock has to be reported!!!

I was bumbling along doing pretty well but on Thursday evening I picked up the project and accidentally managed to pull off stitches from both ends of the circular needle.

As you will all know - undoing and re-doing things never phases my wonderful BC3 so I thought that would be easy to resolve.  

NO WAY.  I was halfway through doing the heel and there were wrapped and unwrapped and slipped stitches all over the place and some of the unravelling had gone down a few rows so the only way forward was to go backward.  I unravelled back to before the heel and have now started knitting it again.  Well almost on this picture!!!

Patchwork and another ‘round’ done.

Well this part is finished.  If you look back here you’ll see I’m still addicted to this particular project!!!  It was going to be my ‘winter project’ but I’m now doubting if it will last that long!!!  

Problems resolved

As I’ve mentioned before I am making another pair of socks but this time I decided to use a different pattern.  

After the last post about this new sock (here) I didn’t realise that the heel part would be so very different to the last pattern I used.  I had several days when I didn’t do anything because I didn’t understand the pattern!!!!  

Finally the ‘penny dropped’ and I finally got partway round the heel.  Here’s a picture of where I’m at now!!

Patchwork progression

I’m still plodding away on the patchwork cloth but still enjoying it.  This is going to be a loooong round of little motifs joined together with a darker colour.  

Two days of tatting!

Saturday and Sunday were spent in Lifeways at the Heritage Craft weekend.  

It was a great opportunity to catch up with other crafting friends.  Jane who I see at the Alcester group on a Friday and Sue who I haven’t seen for years.  We had a ‘two day gossip’ and found out that we had many mutual friends!!!

Here are some pictures taken soon after we had set up on the Sunday morning.  

Above - Spinning Jane!

An interested visitor modelling my tatted poncho

Our current town mayor (seated) learning to do braiding.

Anybody want a cupcake?

A change of scenery for today.  Believe me tatting is continuing but it has to be kept a secret at the moment.  I’ve not started on a TIAS yet and have doubts it will happen next year.  I’m doing too may other things at the moment!!  I do have an idea which I think is good but actually making a TIAS out of it is not yet happening.

Meanwhile a neighbour asked me to make a pair of earrings for another neighbour and she chose these cupcakes from the web page which is here.

A lovely diversion!!!

A new sock

It had to happen!!!  Liz decided on a lovely purple and white yarn for her next pair of socks but I couldn’t get it locally.  As she was going into the big city she said she’d pop in and buy it from the larger Hobbycraft there.  

Well this is what she got instead and I think it’s lovely.  I prefer it to her original choice!!!  Funnily enough Ruth (at Friday knitting) was knitting socks with the same yarn last Friday!!!

I’ve made a start on the new pair of socks as you can see.  I’m using a shortish circular needle and the magic loop idea which I find as good as dpn’s.  I like dpn’s (double pointed needles) but I think I’d confuse myself when it comes to working round the heel.  

Oh, this time I’m using this pattern from Ravelry as recommended by t’other Sue!!  I’m enjoying this pattern as Jo (the designer) tells you what and why you’re doing things as you go along.  

Patchwork - the centre is together.

Finally made good headway with my ‘so called’ winter project!!!  I was going to keep the patchwork to do over the winter months but sadly it’s called to me too loudly so I’ve got on with it!!!  

The top picture is the finalised middle of the cloth whereas below is just me playing with ideas for the next round of florets.  Of course I still need to decide on the centres of these two and there’s another ‘round’ to go onto the top picture but planning ahead is essential.

Finished - well almost!!

The first scarf is finished - almost.  I just need to sew in the two ends.  

This is the yarn I used and this is just a day or so into doing it.

Don’t forget - I have another ball of the same so be prepared for more!!!

Patchwork progress too.

You’ll see here that I’ve laid the pieces out to ‘play’ with positioning. I’m really enjoying this task but I do keep changing my mind over ‘what to put where’!!!

Sewing them together is going to take quite a bit of time!!!

A book you can’t afford to miss

There are very few tatting books that really appeal to me.  There’s the odd doily in the odd book but over the sixty plus years of collecting there aren’t many doilies that I’d care to tat twice!!  Must admit there are one or two that I’ve done several times but those were back in my teenage years when patterns were few and far between.

There are designers whom I respect beyond all measure like Dora Young, Mary Konior, Elgiva Nichols to name but a few but sadly these people have all died so there will be no more books from them. 

BUT we have a ‘very much alive’ designer whose every book is a ‘must have’.  Who and why I hear you ask.  

It’s Martha Ess and the ‘why’ is because she ALWAYS comes up with the BEST ideas/designs.  I’ve had the pleasure (and believe me - it is a pleasure) to have test tatted a lot of her patterns over the years and she not only comes up with fantastic designs but she also tests my BC3 too.  She has the knack of putting in little tricks that you thing ‘what is she doing that for’ and a bit later on find yourself saying - ‘oh, that’s WHY - what a great idea’.  Not necessarily a new technique but a new way of doing something.  Martha ROCKS.

So her latest book (Whimsical Tatting) is full of the most appealing designs and you can order directly from Martha herself which she’ll sign for you too.  Here’s the link.

I’d suggest you look at her other books on that page too.  You never know what you’ll find.  I’m not showing you the cover of my copy as you can see that on Martha’s blog but I am going to show off a picture from the book and Martha’s thank you too.

Finally finished

The second sock is done!!!  

I’m now looking forward to starting another pair but this time using a different pattern that Sue sent me.  

Progress on the yellow/grey scarf is going well but not quite finished yet.   I’ve also got on a bit further with the patchwork cloth too.  More about that in a few days!!!

Decisions decisions.

All I know about this new project is that it’s going to be a cloth to go over a very, very old table in my bedroom AND that it’s going to be blue to match my bed linen!!!  

Unlike Diane (Lacelovin’ Librarian) I’m not that fond of blue.  BUT I’m slowly beginning to really love it.  I actually didn’t realise how much ‘blue’ I’d got in my stash until I decided to do this cloth.  So it’s now time to consider how to put them all together.  

Remember - this is the pattern I’ve decided to try and replicate.

This is where poor old BC3 struggles with so many choices.  I’m the same about everything in my life - I’m a real prevaricator!!!

A tentative start!

Here are a few paper pieces cut out and ready before Rose Anne kindly sent me some printable ones.  I have used a catalogue for these as the paper is just right for me.  However the paper printed ones are a lot quicker to cut out!!!

As you can see I’ve abandoned pins and am using these small quilter’s clippy things.  I really like them as pins are such a fiddle.  They were in some fabric that I picked up from freecycle otherwise I’d never have known about them!!!

A whole alien!

I’m afraid I’ve not got a lot to show this week as I’ve been plodding away at the patchwork and have been tatting new designs. 

However thanks to Maureen and her timely reminder I have finally got the whole alien rescued from the TIAS and now I just one place.  The TIAS links are still there although some of the links at the bottom left of each page (they take you back to the previous day) may not work.

After the TIAS is over I move all the links into one folder on the server which makes it much easier to manage on the server.  This means changing all the links on the TIAS blog too.  Unfortunately it does require a lot of attention so I’m hoping I’ve got it right!!!

If you want to find the new Alien page - it’s here!

Now for another progress report!!

The third scarf is coming on nicely.  The picture doesn't show the sparkle very well but I assure you it's there.  This was where it had got to last time I showed you.

I took it to the knitting group a week or so ago and one of my lovely friends said that they find that if a scarf (or any other garment) has some metallic in it it seems to be warmer.  I'm sure she's right too.  

It's really cozy too and isn't scratchy - before anybody asks!!!  I love this as an 'end of the evening' project when BC3 is almost ready for bed.   A few rows of crochet after an evening sorting out a tatting pattern really gives a sense of achievement and relaxation.  

Patchwork progress!!

A rare, rare thing happened back here in Chez Jane a week or two ago.  I ventured into Pinterest!!!  I do NOT use that platform if I can ever help it but I wanted some inspiration for my patchwork adventure.  

This is what I found which really has got my creative juices flowing.  

Remember, though, this is for my bedroom table and I want it all in blue!!!   Let's see what happens next.

One and a half!

Socks, that is!!!  Now I'm at the stage (well, 1½" to go) when I'll soon need to start putting on stitches for the calf of the second one (lower picture).  Liz wants them knee length which is fine by me but takes a tad longer and also needs to be 'moulded' round the calf. 

I did the first one as you'll see and that's fits fine and I'm really chuffed with it.  Thankfully for the second calf all I have to do is follow my notes - IF I can understand them, that is!!!  

This is the joy of knitting from toe to cuff - you can try them on and see EXACTLY where these little foibles have to be addressed.  All I did is say 'hello calf' and it was a case of 'job done'.  Well, not really - i did need a tape measure to help me!!!

I'm going to make her another pair and I know exactly which yarn she wants but have resisted buying it until the 'end is nigh'!!!  

Katie V’s alien

Today I've had permission to share this wonderful little bag that Katie V made for her granddaughter.  I'm going to HAVE to have a go at this bag sometime.  This is what Katie says.

"Hi, Jane, 

My granddaughter is "into" Stranger Things" and asked for a bag of this fabric--so what could be stranger than for a red alien to find a new home there!

Thank you!!!

Katie V in NC"

I asked about the pattern and Katie gave me this link which I've saved in my 'notes' ready for when I've got time!!!!

While I'm showing an alien - are there anymore 'out there' ready to go on the TIAS blog?