The Sunday Yarn - 6 Jan 2013

And here, at last, we proudly display the last word on the lemon baby cardy.  I carefully pressed it (from the reverse, through a tea towel and onto a terry one), then attached the buttons.

Here's a close-up of the pretty buttons I got.  The contrast doesn't show up as well as I'd hoped it would (despite photo editing), as the buttons are a nice white colour.  Here they look lemon to match the knitting.

At times I found the knitting of this piece a bit relentless as it had no whole rows of any one stitch - everything was in pattern and, of course, being only 4-ply yarn, it took more stitches and a few more rows to knit than the other two have, being DK.  Having said that, I love the colour, the pattern and the texture and would seriously consider making a larger one for myself one day.  It would make a nice spring and summer cardy.=)

Today I can also show you the complete finish of the green set.  As you can see, I've finished it with light green buttons and matching ribbon in the mittens.

I thought the lemon knitted 'fabric' was fancy enough without stitchery and the buttons just added the finishing touch, but this one needed something, so I did this small embroidery on the cardigan front.  I didn't want to do as much stitchery as last time, so tried something a little different with the ribbon rose.  I don't like the effect as much, but it's given the eye a bit more of a focal point than just plain knitting.

As you can see, there wasn't any too much yarn left at the end!!  However, as the lemon pattern said I needed 3 balls to make the 6-12 months size and this is what was left of the 2nd, I'm not complaining!=)

I'm well on with the next piece already and will show you that next Sunday.

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Work in Progress Wednesday - 2 Jan 2013

The first WIPW of the year and I have a few photos to share with you!  I resisted the temptation to include any of these on yesterday's year review posting, although it certainly was there for the 'completing current WIPs' section of the 2013 goals list.

As you can see here, I've been pressing on with the shading on the rabbit's body.  I drew in some lines in pencil on the felt and fabric and then started by putting a few key guidelines in using the darkest shade.

In this shot you can see the second darkest shade starting to make an appearance and you can also see that I took the photo in different light from the first two shots!!  It's hard, when you're stitching at different times of day and at a time of year when some whole days never seem to get fully light, to keep the lighting standard.  No matter how much editing one does, there's still a clear difference.

This last shows the third darkest colour making it's debut.  Of course, against the two very darkest, it looks rather pale!

I still have rather a long way to go with it - almost half the body is untouched and the bit that is done is not done completely - you can see the padding and backing through it, so I need to go over it in good light and stop up some gaps.

The sampler looks like this at present, with one of the long satin stitch panels done.  I haven't put in the few stitches across the bottom as I want to re-count and check that the number of stitches, (173, I think), is correct.  It will matter as this section is to be filled every so many threads with a decoration, so getting it right is definitely the best way to go.  I left it for another time as I was quite tired by the time I'd got to that point and was packing up for the night.

It looks rather pulled to one side at the moment...=(

Hope I'll have more to show off on both of these and, if some miracle happens, on the feather as well.  I'd dearly love to get that finished and OFF my desk and 'to do' list, but I can never seem to find the motivation to make it so.

Sigh!

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

2012 Accomplishments and 2013 Goals

Well, here we are in another year already!  Time today to do the usual review of the previous year's accomplishments - in the textiles field, anyway.=)

This is the needlework part of the goals list I've had posted on my Fluffy Little Idiot blog since March 2011 (it was an almost 2 year list).  The projects I finished off in 2011 I've greyed out so it's easier to distinguish which relate to this year just finished.  I've also removed the strikethrough on 2012 completed projects for those who would find that hard to read.=)

Here goes:

Finish all needlework WIPs, including long-term ones and stuff that I'm dragging my heels on:
*1 Water violets cushion cover  Done!
*2 Goldwork viola  Done!
*3 Rose's dogrose manicure pouch  Done!
*4 Narrowboat cross stitch  Done!
*5 Giraffe needlepoint  Done!  Stitchery was finished in 2011, but the cushion was made up in 2012
*6 Birds needlepoint -  Done! 
*7 Cat in basket cross stitch UFO  Done!  
*8 Peacock feather sample from C&G days  50% done - ready to restart in WIPW

New Projects
*9 Mum's Cross'N'Patch garden sampler  maybe 35% or so done 
*10 Make keyring for Martin for 12th anniversary Done!
*11 Stitch stumpwork bunny  35% complete - shading restarted and going well=)
*12 Gifts (2 - 1 tie, 1 card) Martin for 13th anniversary  Done!
*13 25th wedding card for Milnes'  Done!
*14 Card for Howletts' Golden Wedding  Done, although a pastel painted one.
*15 Bookmark for Silvia  Done!
*16 Something for the Lindleys - cushion  Not yet started, on 2013 list
*17 DMC Dragonfly stumpwork kit  Not yet started, on 2013 list
*18 DMC Butterfly stumpwork kit  Not yet started, on 2013 list
*19 Rolled Rose Brazilian embroidery kit (17/11)  Done!
*20 Do most TAST 2012 stitch 'doodles'  Done!  (I did 30 of the 48, which is 62.5% = 'most') 
*21 Make up my camera case  Not yet started, on 2013 list
*22 Hardanger cushion cover & card for Caleb's wedding (17/8) present  Done!
*23 Card for Kirstin's wedding (31/8)  Done!
*24 Ribbon embroidery card for Tingles' new home  Done and got a tute out of it
*25 Hardanger card for Charles' 5th wedding  Done!

Also stitched were a stumpwork poppy and beetle piece out of which I got three tutorials (although I confess to having started this one the previous year), and a collection of stumpwork bugs - variations on a theme - that was also done as a tute.

So, 6 cards in 4 different techniques - cross stitch, hardanger, drawn thread and ribbon embroidery, 5 practical items - 2 cushions, a manicure set, a tie and a bookmark, two pictures and a bunch of TAST samples.  In addition to that, I also knitted a white baby layette with red and green embroidered trims, a light green baby cardy and matching mittens and a light yellow baby cardy, both of which latter need buttons that I hope to get tomorrow, and an external hard-drive cover.  I'm content with that - up to 20 items in total.

What about this coming year?  Here's the 2013 Goals List needlework section:

Embroidery

Finish any current WIPs:

* 'Sunshine and Flowers' sampler  about 35% complete
* Stumpwork rabbit  about 35% complete
* Peacock feather  about 50% done

New projects - Work at least 6 of these 10 kits: 

* 'The Farewell' blackwork
* 'The Embroideress' blackwork
* Ribbon embroidery
* Coleshill stumpwork butterfly
* Anchor stumpwork face card
* DMC stumpwork butterfly

* DMC stumpwork dragonfly

* Liina tablemat
* Crown cross stitch (Sir's 14th anniv card)
* Shoe cross stitch/craft card

Book/magazine projects (aim to complete 2):

* Tudor Lady cross stitch
* Medieval Lady cross stitch
* Helen M Stevens' butterflies piece (cushion for Lindleys)

Sewing

* Red skirt
* Skirt with patchwork panels
* Trial some fancy purses
* Find a use for old bedding
* Camera Case
* Try some dolls house textiles

Knitting

* Salmon Pink baby jumper  5% complete

* Chunky jumper for me
* Learn cabling

There are no item numbers this time as I don't have '100 things to do' list this year - although I could easily make it up to that!  As you can see, I've also added in progress so far and am planning to get the feather and rabbit pieces done this month. I had wanted to complete them last month, but two very heavy colds in a row reduced my working ability somewhat!!  You can see the WIP status tomorrow in the first Work in Progress Wednesday of the year.  I'll also be able to show off the knitted pieces in this week's Sunday Yarn.

What about you?  Have you set out your goals for the year already?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Work in Progress Wednesday - 19 Dec 2012

I nearly didn't have anything to report, but I've just finished re-stitching the head section on the rabbit piece and also added in the eye.  I think it looks a little odd at the mo, but feel sure that it'll look much better when all the rest of the shading is done.

Probably the main plus is that I actually got it going again!=)

I also finished off the mittens for my green baby layette this afternoon and just need to get ribbon and buttons for that and the matching jacket, which won't happen before Sunday, but I'll be able to show off something anyway.=)

Feels good to get things moving forward, esp. as both of the above mentioned projects are on my to complete in 2012 list and there are only 12 days and 6 hours left of the year....  That's also part of the reason why I haven't been doing as much textile work - I've been trying to complete some of the study tasks too!

Of course, next year's list is already done and ready to go live in 1 January and contains a few things that won't get done, or finished, this year.

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2012

The Sunday Yarn - 16 December 2012

Today we proudly announce:

THE COMPLETION OF THE YELLOW CARDIGAN!

OK, not 100% finished, as I've yet to buy and attach some buttons and it could use a press etc too.  I'm hoping to get some slightly novel ones, maybe flower shaped, but it's getting something both small enough and without any sharp edges that little Vivienne (I don't know yet how they're spelling it, but this will do as a guess for now!) could hurt herself on.

Here's the process of picking up and knitting all the borders.  First I'd to part assemble all 5 pieces and then pick up along the cast (bound) off edges.  Here's a terrific video on picking up and knitting stitches on YouTube.

When that was done, the right hand border came next including the buttonholes.

Then, finally, the plain left hand border. I don't know why, but I struggled to pick up as many stitches on this side and actually ended up with six fewer than on the right hand border.  I doubt it matters though.  I do wish I'd got one or two lower down though as it looks a little bit 'pulled' up to the border from the edge of the front pieces.  You can see the 2mm crochet hook I used to pick up the stitches in this shot.  The yarn is quite fine (4 ply) and the stitches quite small, so I really couldn't put the knitting needle through to pick them up that way.

There's nothing like enough yarn left for me to attempt any of the other things on the pattern (mittens etc).  In fact, I was quite tense to see if it would even stretch to finishing the cardy itself as I only had two balls and I did a size that said it needed three.

The green cardy is also now complete, but I'll save that to show you next week.=)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2012

Work In Progress Wednesday - 5 Dec 2012

I've done a couple more rows on the centre part of the 'Sunshine and Flowers' sampler over the last day or so.  Oh, and I also added in some cream beads that I'd missed before - 4 of them!  There were actually 2 missing on the chart, but I missed two myself, so equal blame share!!!  Things are progressing fairly well with this piece now, although it takes a while to get the hang of each row.  Next will be 2 long satin stitch rows, or rather boxes, down the sides of the middle and that's a bit of a concern as there's quite some potential for miscounting there...

This afternoon I've also been trying to make some progress with the shading on the stumpwork rabbit, but I really need to come back to this in daylight and have a thorough review of the brown shades.  Two are far too close together to be of any real use in differentiating between shades (and the project isn't meant to be so realistic that it needs such gentle changes), and two are much too far apart.  I'm actually using the prescribed thread brand (it was designed in Anchor, for a wonder!), so I can't blame thread conversion problems.  Anyway, that's something I want to get a look at in the morning, when there's good light where I'm working.  I've already picked out a shade between the two far apart ones, but that now seems too dark....

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2012

The Sunday Yarn - 2 Dec 2012

As you can see in the photo above, I messed up the shaping of the cardigan's left front!  I'd sewn it in place and pinned the right front on before I realised that I must have read the pattern wrong at some point and ended up with the shaping the wrong way around at the top.  Duh!

Thankfully, there were only a few, short rows to pull out (once I'd detached it from the sleeve again, that is) and it's now back on the needles waiting for me to feel up to tackling getting it the right way around.  I can't think how I managed to do this, (must have missed a row somewhere and there was also at least one error in the pattern - a rogue purl row - that someone else had spotted and warned me of), but I did think it looked a rather odd shape and wondered how it would sew together....

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2012