Frustrating Week

 If you’ve read one of my posts from January you will know that I have a new phone.  It worked well with the mobile network I was on, but now out of contract I could move to another provider and save a bit of money (it helps these days) and get some points which helps with going out and about.  The new provider works off the same network that I was contracted to so there shouldn’t be a problem, or so I thought.

I transferred my phone number but my phone number could not be verified, which meant that although I could make and receive calls I couldn’t receive or send texts, which a lot of organisations now send for confirmation or authorisation.  Backwards and forwards to the mobile shop they couldn’t rectify the problem and although they highlighted the problem with their technical support it wasn’t resolved. This had gone on for 3 weeks and trying various things, even replacing SIM cards, we gave up and cancelled the contract and now looking at a new provider.  It’s been frustrating having half a service.

ANYWAY you are not here for my mobile woes.  Things can only get better. On a brighter note on Tuesday (Valentines Day) the Amaryllis flowered. One flower

By Friday, there was a second flower

It look beautiful and worth the wait.  There is a third flower bud lurking under these two, but will have to see if it makes and appearance.

I have a start

Here’s an arm of a cat.  This pattern is from a book I’ve had for a while called Cute Crocheted Animals by Emma Varnam. This will be a girl cat called Henrietta.  I have since completed another arm, two legs and starting on the body. I bought Hobbycraft’s WI double knit yarn, but it seems a lot denser than the Stylecraft yarn I’ve used for part of the body, so I’ve doubled the Stylecraft and that seems to work well.

 

I have a finish too.  The colourwork hat that I started last month, has now been blocked and ends sewn in and it looks good.  I did have to sew down the cast of row as it curled up in spite of blocking and heavy pinning out.  I really pleased with this.  It’s the  Lombard Tam. By Virginia Sattler-Reiner. 

Going well and less frustrating is my Harvest cardigan, the body is going well and comparing it with my original cardigan it is definitely the right size - yay! This is the photo taken this morning.

And, with David’s help as due the problems with verifying (as credit organisations like to do to stop fraud)  I took advantage of Toft’s free postage last weekend and earlier this week I ordered two small kits.

The lime green and yellow are for a mini daffodil and the dark green and magenta are for a mini chrysanthemum flower.  The yarn is of course sent by post and the patterns as PDF documents so I can keep them on my iPad and I’ve printed out too. Who could resist a daffodil at this time of year and I can have a mini daffodil when their time has finished! 

Once I get a working phone all will be well in my world! 

Spring Colours

 Weekend before last saw us at Kingston Lacy, our local National Trust location.  It’s well known in the area this time of year for snowdrops and they just seemed to be growing everywhere. So I thought I’d share some pics.  In the Fernery snowdrops we’re growing alongside cyclamen. Daffodil leaves are peeping through too but won’t flower for a couple of weeks.

Winter Aconites and small irises were also making appearances in the gardens

Walking through the woodland to the kitchen garden, were some other plants looking forward to spring, like these witch hazels

And we saw the odd camellia flower, this one was held by David so I could take a photo

It’s always lovely to see signs of spring coming, full of hope.

Deconstruct, Reconstruct, Arrggh!

 Its now February

I loved the texture of last month's dishcloth that it had to be February's marker.

I edited my last post to add that I had to unravel my blue cardigan, so here's the story.

I was pleased that I got to finishing one sleeve and was set to pick up stitches for the second sleeve and tried on the cardigan. The sleeve felt really tight which seemed odd as the sleeves on my brown cardigan were roomy.  I used King Cole Fashion Aran for both.  I compared both and found the sleeve with on the blue one narrower.

I looked at the circular needles, which are plain grey Pony circulars and put the needle through the needle gauge and found to my horror that I knitted with 4.5mm not 5mm needles.  Below is the difference in stitches from the neckband downwards.  

The construction of the cardigan is that its started with a garter neckband, knit the top row,  then pick up stitches along one side of the neckband and bottom row from the provisional cast on.  From there the increases are done for the raglan shaping.

So there was only one this for it to unravel the yarn, which I did yesterday afternoon. I watched You Tube which kept me amused while doing this job, so below is a deconstructed cardigan body.

A couple of evenings ago I started another neckband and last night I started re-knitting the cardigan with the correct size needles and I checked my tension and its correct!

Moral of the story is to double check needle size and keep checking the tension.  I shouldn't have taken this for granted!  I may not have a cardigan by the end of February, but it will be well on the way.

Reaching the End of January

 It seemed a long month, but here we are the end of January and it’s now February. There’s been a bit of sorting out, a little bit of sewing, a lot of knitting, but not much finished.

It was my daughter’s birthday last weekend and she asked for fingerless gloves, which were finished in time and really pleased with. She wanted a dark colour and I had some dark ruby red hand dye yarn which fitted the bill.

Coincidentally another present she received was a new handbag in a similar colour. As before I used the Fingerless or Not pattern by Snapper Knits. As she has smaller hands I kept with with 2.25mm needles throughout, with a smaller stitch count for the rib and increasing to the correct number after. Having made all these gloves, 5 pairs in total now I think I ought to make a pair for myself! 

Also on the needles is a Harvest cardigan, which was started the end of last month and not only is the body done, but it’s gained a sleeve. One more sleeve to go and it should be finished soon.

I’ve made a washcloth/dishcloth this month as part of the Year of Dishcloths by Garlene of the Kitchen Sink Shop.  I receive a newsletter from her each month and January’s pattern is called Speculaas, after the Dutch spiced cookie (there was even a recipe too). I made this from Sirdar Cotton Rich Aran yarn in a green.

So having finished the gloves and making good progress on the cardigan I have allowed myself a new cast on.  This the Lombard Tam, a kit and instructions from Lucy Locket Land at last year’s Yarndale (not in stock in her shop). The yarn used is Jamieson and Smith Spindrift wool, which is really grippy and just the thing for a FairIsle design.  I have found the first row after cast on has curled up, so I’m wondering whether to block that little bit of knitting or to sew down that cast on to the back.  I will block the hat when it’s finished anyhow so maybe it might settle after that…

As for sewing I’ve got back into the groove of making blocks for Siblings Together, though one didn’t go right (which I did correct) so recipient Kerry will get 3 blocks of log cabin hearts. It’s difficult to be random in fabric choices and rather than cut out the strip pieces it might have been better to cut out strips as I went, but it’s done and sent off.

And progress has been made on the quilt as you go quilt, 3 rows joined together but I have sewn at all in the past week. there’s enough purple fabric for the binding at the end.  The pic below shows some of the blocks joined into rows earlier this month.

And this is how it looks today

Quilt as you go is not the easiest of options as you can’t see the back when sewing up the strips, which have to be folded down and caught by the machine stitching on the front side.  I’ve tried to keep the back strip down by using the glue pen used for English paper piecing.

I’m back to doing ATCs and this month was My Favourite Place and it’s more about what happens in my favourite place, which recently has been my craft room.  So it features patchwork (from painted paper) which is also ‘quilted’ by putting the paper through an embossing plate on my Sizziz machine), a sewing machine, hexagons a button and a piece of cotton yarn. The one I’ve sent is on the right, but I usually make two so I have a visual record of what and how it’s made.  I did hesitate to send this for the swap, but just went for it.

So that’s my makes for this month.

3/2/23

Edit to this post:  I"ve had to unravel the cardigan - more in my next post - so here's a pic of my deconstructed cardi.

Joining in with Mini Archie's January Furtle Around the Blogosphere.