First Furtle of 2024

 My blog has been a bit quiet this month, but I have managed to keep busy.  I have a finish, which you have to take my word for, because it’s been gifted and I never took a photo!  This a a cardigan for my daughter Sarah.  She wanted the same pink as the cardigan I made for Flo, my granddaughter, last year.  It’s also the similar pink as the picture of the pattern below (pattern by Stylecraft) but the yarn is King Cole Pricewise yarn.

Another knit that’s taking shape is a pair of socks for my friend.  The first one fits well and as at today I’ve reached the heel flap of the second sock (which was after I took the photo earlier today) . Plain vanilla socks using yarn by Kosy Kitchen Fibres. 

Next for the knitted projects is the clown, Mr Fortywinks .  If you look at my last post, here, I’ve finished the body and now onto the fiddly bits - hat brim, hands (2 parts for each hand) .

I’ve also been enjoying the evenings crocheting a blanket.  I’ve nearly reached the end point for the lap sized blanket and will continue on the second blanket.  There will be instructions on the CAL later for the borders. The picture below shows the beginning of the second blanket on top of the first.

This shows the blanket at colour 49.

The pattern is by Lucy of Attic 24 and is called the Sungold blanket.  The second blanket is using the same colour changes but using the Dahlia blanket stitch pattern, also designed by Lucy.  I’ve made several of her blanket designs around the house and given to others.

I almost had a neglected sewing machine, which I’ve not used since well before Christmas, but it got an airing last week.  I found a patchwork pattern in Love Patchwork and Quilting on my Readly app.  It’s called Simply Scrappy, to make these L-shaped blocks and before I knew it I made several of these.

I used coloured scraps, but had to raid my stash of low volume fabrics for the white/cream fabrics. 

And I’ve also done some hand stitching this month.  I started stitching this butterfly after tuition from Fay Maxwell at Dorset Creative Embroiderers. (I have progress this following this picture.

And I’ve also made a start on my my stitch book.  This page is dedicated to running stitch, back stitch and variations of outline stitches.

One of the sources for the stitch book is an old book from way back in the 1970’s and it only cost 6p which I’ve had since new.  I’ve been dipping in and out of embroidery for many years and it seems like almost 50 years! 

Coming up for February is more crochet, more embroidery with just a chance of clowning around! 

Joining in with Little Archie’s January Furtle Around the Blogosphere 

The New Year So Far…Startitis

 I thought January would be a sorting out month, but so far I’ve been starting new stuff without finishing off the old. Above is the collection of yarn for the Sungold blanket, a CAL which started last Friday, of which I’ve done a gauge swatch. All worked out nicely, pulled back and to start soon.

Since then I have started on the blanket and worked through weeks 1 and 2 and now progressing through week 3 (as at 26 January).  

But not content with that I had a go with another stitch pattern from the Dahlia blanket with the colour order from the Sungold blanket.

I tried a few rows but putting on hold until I’ve gold the Sungold blanket done, but I think it will look good in the spike stitched version.  Both blankets will be lap size rather than single bed size so there will be plenty of yarn to make both.

I’ve started to knit a clown for my youngest granddaughter’s birthday at the end of March. This is Mr Fortywinks, a pattern in a book of clowns by the late Jean Greenhowe.  My Mum made one for my daughter Sarah when she was young that lives in the spare bedroom. I’ve made 3 clowns so far and this is the fourth.  Flo chose the colours for her cousin’s clown, who insisted should include pink and purple. but he has got a turquoise blue hat. The body so far…

I’ve still got a long way to go.

I also started some socks, I could not resist.  They are a small project that I can pick up and put down and apart from some shaping it’s mainly knitting round and round.  The yarn was a hand dyed I’d bought at Craft 4 Crafters last year and it’s the recipient’s favourite colour. I asked her to try on for size and it fits perfectly so second sock is under way.

I also dusted off the sewing machine and made a few quilt blocks after seeing a simple pattern in Love Patchwork and Quilting (issue 132, December 2023, on Readly) called Simply Scrappy.  The colours are easy to source as scraps, but I had to cut into the low volume background fabrics from stash, but I have plenty. Here are a couple of photos that I’d put on my Instagram.

Not sure how many I’ll make but so long as it’s enough to make a decent sized quilt, but the scraps don’t go down much 😕. 

At Dorset Creative Embroiderers I started on this butterfly. This was designed and Tutored by Fay Maxwell. This is how far I’ve got. Stitches used are backstitch, blanket stitch and bullion stitch. 

So a lot of things started and not a lot finished, so the UFO’s are building up a bit, but never mind they will be done (not saying when, though!  ;o)) ).