WIP Wednesday 12.08.20

Current WIP count: 7

The Changing Tides blanket has been languishing for a while because I wasn’t sure what to do about the border.

Of course Eleonora designed a lovely border for it, but it involves these big bobbles that look like bouys and I’m really iffy about appendages on my yarny makes. It’s far too easy for them to snag or get caught, and I had visions of one of the bobbles tearing off and unravelling the whole border.

So I didn’t want to do that, but I had no idea what to do instead. Until Monday, when I came across this video for a wavy shell border.

Waves and shells fit nicely into the seaside theme of the blanket, and it looks good – win win!  Plus it’s a bit of a yarn-muncher so that’s helping with stash mountain as well. Now I know what I’m doing it’s whizzing along and I should be able to cross this off the WIP list by the end of this week. Hooray!

Hannah

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Thursday WIP-ing

Current WIP count: 9

Aside from socks I’m mainly working on my Beachcombing CAL blanket at the moment.

I frogged and redid those top and bottom wavy rows so. many. times. That’s how I got a couple of weeks behind, but I’m catching up now. The hope is that I can fly through these simpler rows and be ready to do the final week on time.

We shall see!

Hannah

xXx

May review 2020

Stash used this month: 6.25

Total stash used this year: 23.75

Stash remaining: 334.75

Woo I’m on a roll! I do love making socks, but what with my glacier-like knitting speed and the teeny tiny yarn, they really don’t use up much stash. It’s the Beachcombing CAL that’s gobbling up all those skeins, getting me closer and closer to the 300 target.

This month I’m using some chunkier yarn to make thick socks so that should really help with the count.

As for last month:

Charity makes

None this time. It’s hard to be motivated when I know I’m not going to the post office for a while so can’t send them off.

Makes for myself

I finished my socks! So proud.

And there’s been a lot of progress on the Beachcombing blanket.

This one might not end up being for me, but as it has no destination at the moment I’m making it purely for my own enjoyment.

Makes for others

I’ve almost finished the boyfriend’s socks. Just in time for the weather to turn more stereotypically Scottish, so they might actually be needed. Yay (ish)!

There was also a lot of baking, mainly sourdough crumpets, but that doesn’t help much with stash mountain, does it?

So onwards with the yarnery!

Hannah

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Not really moving that WIP list along, am I?

Current WIP count: 8

I’m a bit behind with my CAL blanket, since the squares took foreverrrrr to dry. At the weekend I’d had enough and got the hairdryer out to finish them off so I could finally get on with it.

After that the boyfriend and I spent about twenty minutes shuffling the squares around until I was happy that the randomly bright-looking squares balanced each other out. It was…interesting trying to make sure the colours all worked while keeping the squares with the same pattern apart, but we got there in the end.

So now I’m joining, joining, joining and looking forward to starting the next crochet part; the border.

I’m pretty excited about it!

Hannah

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Well that didn’t last long

I’m up to date with my CAL squares, ready for the last two to be released tomorrow.

Except, as you may be able to see, I did not keep up with sewing the ends in as I went.

I never learn.

Now, opinions please – I feel like the top left square doesn’t quite fit with the rest. Even though I used the same palette as the other squares, the way the colours sit together looks soooo different to me. Any thoughts? Did you notice it? Or am I just over thinking this? Please let me know!

Hannah

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WIP-ing on a Thursday

Yesterday was bad, but today will be better.

The blanket CAL calls for another 2 squares this week, and it’s a bit of a challenging pattern. I’ve finished one:

And started the second, mixing up the colours again:

I can’t say I’m entirely sold on the colours for the second square, but then I wasn’t too sure about the first one and that turned out pretty in the end so I might just carry on. Orrrrr I might frog and start again. Who knows.

These squares are so fiddly that I haven’t had much chance to work on anything else. But I’m determined to finish the ribbing on Flax this week. It’s virtual knit night tomorrow, which always helps me focus, so it’s totally doable.

Hannah

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Blogville Knitters Challenge: My favourite make

This challenge is from Karen at Nothingbutknit – feel free to join in!

I’m pretty certain my favourites are going to change over time, as I (hopefully) have many years of makes to come, and I’m constantly improving and developing.

But as of right this very second, I am still most proud of my first Lego blanket.

That is definitely my crowning crochet achievement. I never get tired of showing people photos of it! I made it for my Dad’s birthday, because Lego always reminds me of him, I designed the bricks, the layout, and the border all by myself, and I used up a hell of a lot of stash to make it. I’m happy every time I see it again.

Another particular favourite of mine is the needle felted bunny rabbit I made at an I Sew 2 workshop last year.

I had never needle felted before and it surprised me how well it turned out – it actually looks how I pictured it in my head!

So they’re my favourites, what are yours?

Hannah

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A froggy finish for a Friday

Behold – a flattened froggy bookmark!

The boyfriend wanted the tongue and the arms to stay wiggly, but I blocked out the legs and body, as they’ll actually be in the books.

I made a few minor mistakes when putting froggy together, but I’m trying very hard to ignore them and focus on the fact that I made a thing! And he’s really pleased with it, and it’s exactly what he asked for, so yeah I’m calling that a win.

Hannah

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Ends and ribbing

Current WIP count: 8

I’m still working away at my Beachcombing CAL

I’m even being a grown up and working the ends in (almost) as I go, instead of leaving them all to the end. That’s my task for today.

Turns out the only thing I like less than sewing in ends is doing ribbing on 2mm needles. This is as far as I’ve got:

But in my defence, I did accidentally pull out a needle yesterday and had to start again.

I will get there eventually!

Hannah

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A sort-of finish

I finished my square!

So it is an FO, but obviously I haven’t finished the blanket what with the next part of the CAL not being released yet.

This is another stash busting exercise, still trying to use up the ridiculous amount of cotton yarn I bought however many years ago. I probably could have matched the pattern colours, but I have a looooot of blue shades so I started there and chose a few colours that worked with them.

I rather like it!

Hannah

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My annual birthday CAL

I mean it’s only the second year I’ve done a Coastal Crochet CAL for my birthday, but I would love it to become an actual tradition.

This year we’re working in squares, which I’m excited about.

This is as much as I’ve done because of course I got mixed up and read the UK terms, even after double checking that I was using the US ones, so my first attempt was twice the size it should’ve been. Ugh.

One day I’m going to get a project right first time. Maybe…

Hannah

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WIP Wednesdayyyyyy

Current WIP count: 8

Oh look, another WIP crept on there. It looks a bit creepy at the moment, but this is going to be a frog bookmark for the boyfriend.

It’s probably darker than it should be, but it was the closest yarn to me and he’s happy with it so on we go.

I’m still on the bottom ribbing of his Flax. Not too much left to go though, and then it’ll be sleeve island for me.

I now have a heel on my sock again, and I’m away down the foot.

It was soooo much easier the second time round – I’m almost looking forward to the next one. It is quite addictive, isn’t it?

Hannah

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