It's All About the Scraps

It has been such a finishing kind of week. You get those sometimes, where knuckling down and getting things to the very end seems woeful in your mind but then it doesn't really take very long.

I think I have falsely shown you this as a finish in the past but really I knew after 'finishing' it that the large grey border swallowed up the patchwork centre and needed more work. I started to machine stitch it but it just made a huge pucker at the end of each row. This is when I might have shoved it in a bin bag for a day when I felt more motivated/less sweary.

I got it out again earlier this year and began hand quilting it. I really made some progress and then, as any hand quilter will know, I got a touch of RSI in my hands. Away it went, for a second time, back in the black bin bag.

Things started to get a bit more crucial of late because this quilt is for my friend's son on his 18th birthday which is a week away! Out is came for the third time however, to my surprise, it took me one more evening of stitching to finish it. The back features some of his old shirts which he doesn't know his mum gave me for the quilt. It will either feel like a big surprise or that I have been stalking him by stealing shirts off the washing line! All wrapped up and ready to go now.

Finishing something arduous always makes me believe I can do anything. On Saturday afternoon the girls had a friend to play so I had couple of hours thinking about how to join these scrappy strips together which the girls and I made in January 2021 school lockdown. 

I hope some of the followers here can spot some of their gifted fabrics. These are the long strips which I collect from sewing;anything rectangular gets sorted into the 'strips' box. At the end of the afternoon I had sewn the ready-made long strips together and assessed that I need about four more to make a single quilt. A long way off yet but a very satisfying afternoon of enjoying the quilting process rather than the eventual outcome.

Another scrappy Ski hat (Free pattern) flew off the needles this week. One more for the present box. Making the pom pom even used up the last of some balls completely without a scrap of waste.

Finally, for myself, I have completed a crocheted sock yarn shawl. The pattern is on my sidebar if you have scraps of sock yarn or 4 ply to use up but it would work for any yarn. It has been a year long project (from last Christmas I think) to use up all of the sock yarn ball ends. Between larger projects, I would add a row here and there to use the yarn up to the very end. Recently, I have added some of the 4ply wool from Heidi's fair isle jumper and leftovers of leftovers from the socks. It is finished with some bought pom pom trim. Well why not?

Honestly, I think I love creating with the leftovers more than the initial product choice! Are you making for Christmas?

Jo xxxx

Knitting Heaven

 Knitting socks has been my evening activity of choice for the last two weeks. I am using up some of the 4ply 50% wool 50% acrylic which was used for my last fair isle knit. They won't be the most hard-wearing of socks but I am not sure if the recipient will actually wear them in boots or just use them for drinking wine in on the sofa.

The pattern is from The Knitter issue 170 or you can find it here. It has a twisted pattern which is made without using a cable needle but by doing a knit2tog stitch. Very easy to do after you have done it a few times. It is called 'Repose'.

I have had to estimate the foot length because it is bigger than my size. In reality they are not exactly the same, rather perfectly imperfect and made by me for my friend.

Strike one on the Christmas present list. The sock wrap says 'not too brag, but I made these' Which sums me up completely and will make my mate smile.

You know you have hit the dizzy heights of knitting heaven when your twelve year old asks for, "another hat like the old one that that you made which is too small for me" Bingo!

It is truly one of the most satisfying things to make in terms of speed, versatility, boys or girls, scrapbusting potential and final lovely outcome. It is a free hat pattern on ravelry called the Scrappy Ski Hat. It does have one disadvantage, and that is the amount of ends to sew in!

She chose the colours from my aran scrap bag to go with her camo coat. She wasn't so keen on the peach but it was the only aran I had that was not wool for her forehead however, once it was knit up she thought it was a good harmony of colours. I offered a peachy or grey fur bobble salvaged from old hats and she went straight for the grey one.

On a final knitting note, I popped over to Ravelry to get the links for you folks and I had a message from the designer Outi Kater!!!! She sent me a message to say how much she liked the Jory fair Isle sweater I made for Heidi and could she use the photo for her feature page. Well what a knitting triumph. 

On to some quilting this week for a birthday deadline.

Are you making for Christmas?

No Waste Sewing

 I try not to waste anything, it is part of my DNA I think. I especially try to use up my craft materials the best way I can. Today I have a few things to share that use up my purchased fabrics to the very end.

My fourteen year old has been struggling to find T-shirts that are slim enough but old enough in design for her size. She needs a child size but they have unicorns/fairies/princess slogans on - you get the idea right? So I made a pattern purchase that was rather an investment - The Rio Ringer T-shirt by True Bias. It is not a massively versatile pattern but it does come in a range of smaller sizes which was what I was after. It was eye wateringly expensive but I knew it would work for two of us. The fact that it worked out for all three females in our house made it even better value.

I ordered three colours of jersey from Minerva which I thought would work well together: a red stripe, blue and yellow.

Firstly, I made a size 2 blue T-shirt with a join down the back. It saves on fabric and my girls like it because you can see which way round it goes without the need for labels. It was a touch small for Heidi so Megan snaffled that one. Next up I made size 4 in the pink stripe and this was a good fit for Heidi. She liked the high neckline, the slightly curved waist and the contrast bands. Finally using up the last sizeable pieces I made a size 12 which was a good fit on me.

To cut multi sizes from one pattern without going out of my head with tedium tracing off each size, I simply roughly cut out the front, back and sleeve pieces then used dressmakers carbon paper and a serrated wheel to trace through the paper straight onto the fabric. The wheel has been a new purchase for me and it has been a game changer piece of kit for transferring darts and markings. It was the perfect way to trace multi sizes from one pattern. 

 We found the neckband to be a little tight causing some ripples around the neck but I will just add another centimetre next time, that's all it will need.

Heidi liked the T-shirt shape so much, I found some other jersey pieces and got creative. There was a small piece of blue striped and chocolate brown for a front paired with a yellow back which I trimmed with the yellow and brown. That one had a 1970's vibe about it.

I spent a mindful hour listening to the radio the other evening while cutting out all of the last little pieces into underwear parts. Both of my girls love these knickers which is a size up from the largest Speedy Pants pattern by Waves and Wild (free pattern). Essentially, I made my own sized pattern based on my girls leg and waist size from the speedy pants pattern shapes then used picot elastic. 

And if that wasn't enough for you, I pulled all the thin pieces tightly to roll the jersey strips into garden ties. Jersey makes fab garden ties for tomatoes etc. because they are snugly allow the stems to grow without cutting into the stalk.

All done jersey but not all done with the Rio ringer T-shirt pattern. There is a T-shirt dress which my big girl would like for next summer - without unicorns!

Jo XXXXX

All done #34 Colour Lab Yarn

 Anyone knitting? This is the post where I show you how I have used up a craft material to the very end. I have reached this heady position 34 times since writing these posts - hence All Done #34

 I had a bit of a break over summer while I was gardening a lot but enjoyed making the owl sweater on the odd few rainy days but then I fancied some quick projects for late summer.

There were two balls a grey left from my crochet blanket. I made this newborn cardigan from a vintage pattern and really enjoyed making it for my pregnant friend.

As ever, I just about made it yarnwise watching the yarn wind down on the last sleeve. One of my most satisfying All done moments.

The chain effect was really easy to do but so effective for both boy and girl cardigans I thought.

 

I would also like to try the one on the top another day in a gender neutral colour because I think it is a lovely design on the front.

Before I made the cardigan I made this little vest top called Like Sleeves. I forget how many of these I have made now but it is an easy no- brainer make which can be lengthened to make a tunic dress or can be made short like this one. All done Colour Lab DK. Thank you for being so kind to me.

Next I spotted this amazingly soft bamboo yarn in a sale bin the other day and bought two. I wanted to make a little girl sweater for my pregnant friend's second girl. I made one for Heidi when she was small but it was a sublime cashmerino yarn, then she wore it for one day and I shrunk it! This yarn has more favourable washing temperatures. I also remember that Heidi's curled up at the front and on the cuffs so on this one I added four rows of rib which worked a treat.

I remember how much I liked knitting it all over again. Repeating my usual self induced stress, I was running short of yarn. I just made it. I knit this on bamboo needles which I seem to get a better tension on than metal ones. It is a bit large for said girl but I will keep it for her birthday next year. Another satisfying make without leftovers.

Autumn Knitting plans.

Anyway enough of this selfless knitting, back to me. I saw this rather lovely tank in The Knitter this month and bought a soft rose cotton yarn to make one for myself. I don't know if I will wear it as the photo or over a white shirt but I am enjoying a few rows a night so as not to make mistakes on the cables which are made up with a 16 row set pattern. I have marked each set of 15 stitches with markers too to make sure the cable repeats are correct. There is a lot of meticulous crossing off with a pen to make sure I don't go wrong because it is virtually impossible to rip this back part way and know what row you are on.

This top should take me to my Christmas knitting frenzy which I do every year. I have a few ideas up my sleeve for presents.

Thanks for dropping in. Jo xx