TUSAL – January 2012

January 23, 2012

It’s that time again: the new moon and time for a picture of my bits and pieces as part of the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL). If you are interested in joining, check out this post on DaffyCat’s blog for more information.

This month, I took a picture of my(very few) orts sitting in my Lateran Moon ort catcher. There is hardly enough to bother moving the over to my glass jar (which I emptied at the start of the year).

TUSAL - January 2012

This new moon also marks Chinese New Year. Gung hay fat choy!

Don’t worry. I always check with my husband before I post pictures with Chinese characters. I’m pretty sure I’m not saying anything rude to you. ;)

So, best wishes for your health and continued prosperity. And, hopefully someone surprises you with a little red envelope!

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Theme-a-licious – Mid-January 2012

January 18, 2012

Phew, midway through January and we’ve only just started to get snow (and rain). It isn’t exactly the kind of weather to make one think of gardens, but this month’s Theme-a-licious theme is bringing flowers and gardens into my life just the same.

One of my focus pieces for January is Egypt Garden by Chatelaine. (I really want to call it Egyptian Garden as that sounds so much nicer to my ears, but Egypt Garden is the name on the chart and on Martina’s website.)

Egypt Garden bu Chatelaine

As you can see, I have finally  made some progress. The lotuses are starting to come together. Hopefully they will be complete by the end of the month.

And, as much as I would love to finish the centre, I’ve decided to leave all of that beading to the end. I will probably do some of the other beading as I go along, but I’m worried about beads become loose if I do all that beading in the centre.

Next month’s theme is Fan Girl, which of course means I will be working on a TW piece. In the meantime, it’s back to work on Egypt Garden and Gingerbread House.

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WIPocalypse Check-In – January 2012

January 13, 2012

The first month of WIPocalypse! I’m excited, because if I keep on track, I should have one big design done by the end of the year, and another with a fair bit more progress.

As I mentioned earlier, this month’s focus project is Egypt Garden by Chatelaine. As of today, it looks like this:

Egypt Garden by Chatelaine (WIP)

Yep, exactly the same as it looked on January 1st. :/ I haven’t had much stitching time so far this year.

My other WIP for this month is Gingerbread House by Teresa Wentzler. I’m stitching it on fabric from Enchanting Lair. (I think it is Tourmaline, but I don’t remember.) As Geeky Heather pointed out in a comment on my last post, the colours are brighter than the model picture on TW’s website. And, I think it pops nicely against the green fabric. (Surprisingly, the picture is pretty close to true colours.)

Gingerbread House by Teresa Wentzler (WIP)

I’m going to also admit that I’ve already had a bit of a breakdown. I bought a kit. I know, no one is surprised. But, it’s worse then that. It is a lovely kit; a pansey needle keeper from Riolis. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the package before buying it, and so I assumed it came with cotton floss. Well, it comes with acrylic/wool blend thread. It is probably a 75%/25% blend, but it is enough to make my hands itch and my eyes burn. Once I started reacting, I read the package, and I was so disappointed. One should never assume, right? Especially when buying from a company for the first time.

It wasn’t a total loss since I also got a Mill Hill kit and the new Jim Shore Monograms book. Someone please stop me!!

 

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Knitting WIPs

January 8, 2012

A week gone?! Actually, this past week has gone by every slowly for me. Sadly, little Mr. C has been waking up in the middle of the night every night since Christmas. I don’t know if it is bad dreams, growing pains, or what, but it is really wearing me down. Unlike my husband, when I wake up it takes me a very long time to fall back asleep, so most days I’ve been like a sleep zombie, barely holding it together until bed time. And this, as we all know, isn’t very conducive to crafting.

I do have a few knitting projects on the needles though, since knitting is easier than needlework when one is sleeping walking through the days.

Narnia Shawl by Lily Go

My lovely Narnia Shawl by Lily Go is coming along nicely. Although, when I tried to knit it last night, I made mistake after mistake. I’m using Classic Elite’s Classic Silk in colour Old Lilac, and it looks just perfect. (It’s even better because my husband bought the yarn for me, of his own free will, as a surprise!)

I’ve also knit one sock of a pair:

Tardis Socks Tribute by Ellen Botilda

Dr. Who fans will recognize these. I’m knitting these as a commissioned project (sorry guys, I’m not a Dr. Who fan). The yarn is Berroco Comfort Sock, and the pattern is Tardis Socks Tribute. (I will be duplicate stitching on the little sign later.)

And my first finish of the year is an afghan square:

Never Ending Love Afghan Block

The pattern is Never Ending Love by Aurora S. I added an extra row of double crochet to make it 12″ (I crochet very tightly). It is made from Bernat Satin in colourway Flamingo. And, sadly, I made it as part of a comfort shawl for a lovely lady I know who’s mother passed away right at the start of the year.

I’m also working on a wrap kit from Mary Maxim that is just plain stocking stitch squares. Surprising, this is the project that I’m having the most trouble with. I think the suggested gauge in the pattern is wrong. (It says 17 stitches for 4 inches using US10 needles, when the suggested gauge on the band is 18 stitches for 4 inches using US8. So, if I wanted the flowing fabric in the finished model, like one would get using US10 needles, I think the gauge would be closer to 14 stitches for 4 inches. And that is what I am going with. The fabric is so much nicer and more suitable for a wrap!)

So, that’s the state of my projects right now. Soon I’ll be adding some more sewing projects. I’m just waiting for some fabric to arrive. The project I’m most excited about is the Craftsy Block of the Month class. It teaches twenty beginner quilt blocks, assembly and basic machine quilting all for free. Check it out here.

 

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2012 – More SAL Than You Can Shake a Stick At

January 1, 2012

Well, my title may be a bit of hyperbole, but it sure feels like I’ll be taking part in a lot of SAL that start today.

First up is Geeky Heather’s Theme-a-licious.

This month’s theme is Jardin, which is garden for those of you who might be French impaired. My project of choice is Egypt Garden by Chatelaine. (Terrible pictures today since it has been raining and grey all day.)

Egypt Garden by Chatelaine (WIP)

Egypt Garden will also be one of my focus pieces for Measi’s WIPocalypse for this month. I’ll also be working on my WIPs of TW’s Gingerbread House and Bargello Basics as part of WIPocalypse. And, they will be doing double duty as part of my personal project of a small TW finish a month.

Gingerbread House by Teresa Wentzler (WIP)

 

Bargello Basics by Teresa Wentzler (WIP)

I’m a little unsure of Bargello Basics. I am using DMC cotton instead of wool (because of my allergy) on 18 count canvas. I don’t really like the coverage I’m getting. So, this, along with her crewel piece, may be a TW I miss out on.

Lastly, I’ll be taking part in a KAL of the lovely Narnia Shawl by Lily Go. And the yarn I use for it will count as part of my Pre-Process-Stashdown goals. So, I may be busy and have lots planned, but nearly everything is doing double duty. And, it will all help me use up some of my stash and get me some lovely finished projects.

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Happy 2012!

December 31, 2011

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A Knitted Christmas

December 30, 2011

I really enjoy making gifts. I do know, though, that not everyone likes to get handmade gifts. Thankfully, my mom and dad both appreciate it when I make them something. Some years I cross stitch them gifts, but for the past few years I’ve been knitting gifts.

This year I made my dad a Dublin Cap by Wooly Bear Hand Knits (Rav link) using Mary Maxim Starlette Tweed.

Dublin Cap

 

My mom got a Molly Stark Scarf by Beth Leggiere of handknits.net (pattern no longer available) and a Graduated Ribs Hat by Mary Keenan, both knit from Kraemer Tatamy Tweed Worsted.

Molly Stark Scarf

 

Graduated Ribs Hat

 

And, to keep her hands warms, I made her a pair of Commuter Fingerless Mittens by Stephanie Sun (from the First Fall 2011 issue of Knitty). I used a lovely pink shade of Mary Maxim Starlette. The buttons I picked are very cute; they have a snowflake etched into them.

Commuter Fingerless Mittens

 

And to house her new Kobo, I knit her a Kobi Kobi Case, just like mine. Again, I used plain old kitchen cotton (Lily Sugar ‘n Cream), which will hold up quite well in her purse.

Kobi Kobo Case

 

My yarn stash saw a small increase thanks to a couple of wonderful gifts from my parents. I got yet another skein of On Your Toes Bamboo, one of my favourite sock yarns, as well as a kit to knit a wrap. I’ve been wanting the kit since it was released in 2010(?), so I am super excited to be able to finally make it.

I hope all your handmade holiday gifts were met with excitement and gratitude, and I also hope that your stash is a little bigger now than it was at the start of the month. ;)

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