Another Month Passes

It's May already. I've posted already about my crochet blanket and there will be another on the way.  Crochet Now Magazine have a new Crochet A Long (CAL).  I managed to get a pack of yarn, Scheepjes Colour Crafter acrylic before they were sold out and the pack is ready and waiting for the first set of instructions in the next magazine.

Meanwhile the magazine has Tea Party design challenge and I've been crocheting a tea cosy from the pattern in he magazine.  This cosy is in two halves to begin with, then joined at the top. Here's one half of this.

On Saturday I went to a workshop at Pauline's Patchworks in Dorchester.  After a busy month at work. I could only go to a workshop held on a Saturday and felt in need of a bit of social sewing. I liked the look of this 'mystery' workshop subject of which was announced earlier this month. I should have bought a layer cake pack, but instead opted for cutting out 10" squares from stash.

This was called Ups and Downs and (I thank) a variation on Delectable Mountains block.  I sewed some of the blocks by the end of the workshop and more were done when I got home and then on Sunday afternoon. After ironing this afternoon I laid them out of the bed.  It's effective when strips of the same colours (not the same fabrics ) merge together, so it looks ok but will have to juggle the arrangement of the blocks.

There is always something to learn at a workshop and as well as the technique I learned about a product called On The Dot which are repositionable markers.

These marked out the correct width of the strips to cut on the ruler, which takes out the guesswork of measuring and making the incorrect cut. It was handy on the square ruler, which has half inch measurements on 2 sides and it is so easy to pick up the wrong side and cut the incorrect size of square.

Being a Bank Holiday today I had a sort out of my fabrics having pulled out and cut up a lot before the workshop and to also give my room a good tidy up.  Looking a lot neater by this afternoon I then had some time to do some embrodery, which I don't do that often.  This is the second of 2 mini hoops with  a cactus picture. This was for my colleague, who bought the magazine, Molly Makes, which had the kits. The hoops are tiny, just 2" across.

It'll go with the one I made a few months ago.

Weekend before last I went to Brockenhurst Needlework Fiesta with my Mum. I didn't buy a lot there but I did see a felt making kit to make a couple of brooches.  Wet felting was quicker than I thought and made 3 small pieces of felt and cut out the pieces today to make one flower brooch. It's joined with a bead in the middle.

Now armed with a bit more knowledge about wet felting and having had the sort out, this'll be something I may do a bit more of the the future. I've still got a fair bit of wool roving from when I used to have the needlefelting machine which I could use.

So that was my weekend, but at least a short working week this week as I won't be working on Friday.