My Weekend: WIP Baby blankets, pasta and good ol' Harry Potter!

I had a most relaxing weekend! After having saturday off I was able to sit down and have a good knitting session, considering I don't have much time for it anymore it was nice to put a few hours aside to knit.

So here's a project I haven't actually announced on here yet, its a very simple knitted blanket in a soft baby pink yarn. It's taken much longer than I thought as I started it last year when my baby sister was due in November. I hadn't finished it then and I still havent now and its the 10th of February! Hopefully she won't have outgrown it by the time its finished. 

I've delved into crochet a little and I'm thinking about adding a simple white crochet edging just to make it a bit fancy. Otherwise it will look a bit plain! This will increase the finish time but perhaps only by a few days to a week!

The needles are 4mm Signatures with the stiletto tips and 100cm cable. (I highly recommend these needles, the stilettos are perfect for lace and anything else, and the cables don't kink and are super flexible!)

I can't quite remember the brand of yarn but I think its James C Brett Baby soft something or other. Either way its lovely and soft and everything you'd expect baby yarn to be.

I took this picture with little Muffin sniffing my freshly made tuna pasta, I hadn't realised he'd had a sneaky lick!

Started reading this gem today, my mum dropped off a massive crate of books from my old house and of course held my entire collection of Harry Potter books. I've started to re read them and they're just as brilliant as I remember them. Anyway, I'm up to number four now!

Til' Next time!

W.I.P Honey Cowl

 

Did another hour or so of knitting on this lovely honey cowl yesterday. It's knitting up rather quickly which is nice. I'm wondering whether it was a better idea to have knitted the larger version as I did buy two balls of Monsoon, but perhaps I could make another one to give to a friend of a giveaway?

Yesterday I tried my hand at a little bit of baking, I didn't manage to take any pictures, but me and my other half fancied something sweet after dinner. I had a look at what we had in the cupboard and my ingredients consisted of flour, milk, butter, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup and eggs. I didn't even have any sugar! Luckily enough I was able to whip up some sugar free cookies with maple syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon. It did the job although the recipe was a little floury, I'll make some adjustments and post it here!

'Til next time!

Jess x

Quick wedding WIP update 11th Oct

Got really true to life colours on this shot!

Wedding WIP September Update #2

Hello again! I have been stitching like a mad woman and tonight I present to you this washed out night-time image of my stitching! I forgot to get a picture in daylight but have tried to edit to show the colours correctly. I'm so happy I've gotten to the point where you can see my Mums face, its a little more motivating to show it coming together now!

Also, I have done a terrible silly thing. Notice that torn edge on the right side? I decided to "trim" the edges so I didn't have so much fabric hanging off the edge of my frame and instead sheared off most of it. I completely forgot to leave some for the frame and stretching!

So guys, have I ruined it? Could a professional printing place frame it with that much fabric there? I was planning on just the stitched area showing anyway. Oh well, thats a mistake I won't be making again!

I'll post some more progress in a couple of weeks :) I've been so busy working and doing other hobbies (drawing/video games etc.) I don't think I'll be updating this more than bi-monthly, but I will be updating and thats all that matters!

See you next time ladies and gents.

Wedding cross stitch WIP Update!

Hello ladies and gents! It's been a few weeks, but I thought I'd try and leave enough time to show a substantial update - and here it is!

So I've done the entire top 3 rows! I've parked my threads for the next (massive) page and will start it tomorrow when I have more natural light. I'm really pleased with how its going so far although it is slow! Should be able to see my dear mothers face soon :)

Also got these beautiful things in the post today from sewandso! (I highly recommend this company if you are from the UK like me!)

I adore these scissors, reminds me of one of those big black vintage sewing machines! They're nice and sharp and I don't have to 'saw' at the threads to cut them anymore.

This neat little thing is called a Needle Minder, it has a magnet attached to it, with another magnet that sits on the otherside of your fabric and holds it in place. When you're not using your needle you pop it on the needle minder and it'll keep it nice and safe for you! I have two kittens so making sure that a stray needle doesn't fall on the floor is my top priority, this helps a little for my anxieties!

So thats it for this update, hope to get a little more done soon as my due time is looming!
Thanks for looking!

What I've been busy doing these past few weeks...

So, me being the type of person to run before I can walk, I embarked on my first proper cross stitch project of my own!

This is the design, all ready to stitch with DMC threads:

Its my Mother and my Step-Dad on their wedding day last year! I adore this picture and their entire wedding was vintage themed, with vinyl and cupcakes and a rock 'n' roll band. I thought what better than to cross-stitch their photo to enjoy for years to come?

So a few weeks have passed and I've been trying to do a 10x10 square a day. I'm not doing so well, but after learning the "parking method", my stitching has sped up tenfold! As you can see from the pattern, in 100 crossstitch squares, there can be 30 or 40 colour changes! So parking has suited me very well.

Here is some progress pictures, and how my "cross stitch caddy" is set up!

I have approximately 27 colours, and many more skiens in storage just in case I run out! My caddy has removeable sections which is really useful, as I've made a little bin for my waste threads, and a section for my pens, needles and scissors!

This is the first (and smallest!) page I'm doing, as it starts in the top left. I didn't like the idea of starting in the middle and spending months rubbing my wrists over finished needlework and making it tatty!

I do try to wind my bobbins neatly but sometimes it just doesn't happen!

I used a thin sharpie to write the symbols and numbers on the bobbins, this helps for quick selection. As I'm using at least 10-12 colours at a time, I like being able to quickly find a colour bobbin and check it against the thread to make sure I'm using the right one!

1500 stitches so far (I think!) if you compare it to the picture above you can see it coming together! I gridded with a wash away marker, that will disappear when I wash it (or I hope so, otherwise tears will be shed and tantrums had!)

I'm using an R&R Frame, which is a plastic snap frame to hold your embroidery. In the US a similar brand is Q-Snap! I really recommend these as you can keep them in the frames for long periods of time, and unlike embroidery hoops, doesn't leave harsh line marks!

I'm using the largest size available, 17" x 17" which is quite unwieldy to be honest, but I've gotten used to it, and I like being able to eventually see the entire cross stitch on it! My local needlework shop has ordered in some smaller sizes for me for future projects, as I can't see myself going back to hoops after this!

Thankyou for looking!

New Project! WIP Candle Flame Scarf

Finally managed to put some photos together for a new WIP I've been working on recently! My older project Susette is currently stalled at the stage where I'm joining the sleeves and body together, I'ts become above my skill level and I've ripped back several times. So it looks like its sitting in the bottom of my knitting drawer, and I'd rather start on new projects to keep my blog nice and active.

So here we go! I've done around a foot or so now, a lovely 24 row lace pattern, the yarn is James C Brett Cotton on and is loooovely and soft. Although I didn't think about how it would block, being part acrylic. I just hope it does!

The pattern, I can't wait to see how the lace blocks out, I love it how it is but I hope it will look even better afterwards!

My beloved Signature Needles. By far the best I've ever used. If you like using magic loop this will give you the most stress free experience!

More Signature Needle love

Only around 12" long currently, much more to go.

Lovely easy pattern consisting of a few YOs and KTOGS, otherwise it's standard Knit and Purl. I recommend this to everyone including beginners who are trying out lace for the first time.

As always, thankyou for reading, I really appreciate it! I'll hopefully start having some more projects to blog about soon, and maybe introducing a few new topics.

WIP: Susette arms.

Its taken a little longer than I thought to finish the arms, but they are done. It was relatively easy too, just a couple of increases every 10 rounds 9 times, after the fair isle chart!

I've tried to edit the photos to show the actual colours but most of them have come out more red whereas the main colour is more of a deep wine/maroon.

The best match for the colours I've captured.

Looking forward to blocking and straightening it all out!

I adore the little halo this alpaca yarn leaves.

 So from now I just have to start on the body, will be posting an update when I can, but its safe to say I'm getting excited now!

W.I.P - The first few hours of Holden Shawlette

So far so good, the first stage of stockinette always was the easiest part for me, I'm now moving onto the lace and I'm a bit terrified, but I've put a life line in (hot pink thread) so I can rip back to it safely if I mess up.

Hoping to get this done as soon as possible for my Mum, as I've wanted to knit her something for the longest time! 

Here are some progress pictures, trying not to give too much away!

Garter st. border.

The pink lifeline, and first few rows of lace.

Quite proud of my neat knitting!

I've really been enjoying using the Signature needles I got for Christmas, I think they have attributed to how neat my knitting has become. Will post a few more progress shots in a few days.