A Job Half Done

Not so different from the most recent cradle quilts that I have made, because it is the last in a batch of quilt tops that I made using floral prints.  I am halfway through quilting it.  The stripes with tiny stars, despite being pretty, make the whole job of quilting a bit tricky because the design camouflages the quilting and I can't see where I've been.  Sometimes you just have to leave a job half done and come back refreshed in a day or two.

Free Motion Mavericks this week is at Andrée's blog Quilting and Learning and I'm linking up!

Green and Orange Cardigan for a Baby

One of my most frustrating knitting projects ever, so I am delighted it is all over and done with.

This is the round neck version of the Little Miss Marple cardigan that I finished last month.    I have used the same salmon pink yarn for the ribbing, but this time it looks overwhelmingly orange because that is the colour that predominates around the neck.

The main part of the cardigan is in fisherman's rib, knitted in two random yarns in two-row stripes - a neutral yarn in shades of white, cream and pale grey, alternating with a pastel shaded yarn in a variety of shades of green, blue, grey, yellow and pink. 

I love the finished effect of the shaded stripes.

What I didn't love was the amount of undoing and re-knitting I had to do.  It was all entirely my own fault, but that is half the fun of not using a pattern.  I thought I was making it exactly the same as the previous cardigan, but just changing the neckline, but for some reason I seemed to end up with more stitches at the top of the sleeves.

I started the shaping for the neckline too soon, and ended up unravelling about a dozen rows and doing it again.

Once I had done that I managed to get the decreasing for the raglan on the front left hand side shifted over a stitch out of place.  Served me right for getting too interested in the video I was watching.  I had to drop the stitches down several rows and pick them up with the decreasing in the right place - no mean feat when dealing with fisherman's rib.  It took almost an hour.

The next error was having too many stitches on the collar when it came to casting off.  It didn't lie flat.  This time I undid about six rows, and resolved the problem by carrying on the raglan shaping into the collar.
 

Eventually I worked out why I had kept getting things wrong.  Fisherman's rib compresses the knitting, meaning you need more rows per inch for the number of stitches than for straightforward stocking stitch.  This is why the line of decreasing at the shoulders runs at a 45 degree angle, giving a right angled yoke effect when a band of colour is worked across the chest.  I am more used to stitches that give a wider angle, so I was slightly thrown with the shaping for the shoulders and neck.

Despite the frustration, I was pleased with the result.  So much so that I decided to make another.

I have already started.

This time, however, I shall keep a record of what I am doing.

If I blog it, is anyone up for a knit along?

A Picture for Sunday - Lines

Crossing this field often takes me half an hour instead of ten minutes because the lines in the landscape are so fascinating.  Usually I don't want vapour trails intruding on photos, but this one totally got the idea.

The path on the right is where the cyclists were riding in the snow a few weeks ago.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 221 - Between Projects

You might recognise this picture of my hundred year old machine year old machine.  Time has flown, so it is now 103 years old, and I have been using it constantly since I hauled it out of the cupboard at New Year three years ago.  It hasn't missed a stitch.  The only mishaps have been a couple of broken needles, for which I take the entire blame.

I have been doing under the radar sewing this last couple of weeks, doing a project for someone who has set aside some curtain material waiting for the day a seamstress comes along to help.  So I have been busy with this little machine, which happily tackles seams through thick layers - curtain material, blackout lining and curtain tape.  So no photos, I'm afraid, just a round of applause for the machine.

At the moment I have no quilting related project on the go, but I am mulling over plans for a stitched landscape.  Somehow I can't tackle them in the winter because the daylight is so poor, but now that we have reached the equinox and the sun is setting after six o'clock, the subtleties in my variegated threads are much more easily seen and I ready to start planning.  This year I will be prepared for the annual 12 x 12 exhibition in December at Midsomer Quilting.

Here goes for week 221:-

Many thanks to Gail for showing her progress with her UFO.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Clasps for Book Covers

Really fiddly, but worth it.  After deliberating over how to fasten the book covers, I finally settled on Norwegian metal clasps of the sort usually seen on expensive hand knitted jackets.  Fortunately I found some in a local shop at the weekend.  The bible cover needed three, and I decided that these fleur de lys style clasps in an antique brass colour looked perfect.

It was hard work getting the needle through the binding, and particularly tricky working the hook half of the clasp as I was having to get the needle inside the enclosed flap for the front cover.

The little prayer book case has two much smaller clasps in a pewter colour.

I had the same problem sewing through the binding, and took the precaution of putting  a small piece of iron-on interfacing on the inside to thicken up the fabric for the other half of the clasp.  The prayer book is a very snug fit in this case, and I was worried that the clasps might strain on the stitching, but as it turned out they work really well.

Free Motion Mavericks this week is at Andrée's blog Quilting and Learning and I'm linking up!

A Picture for Sunday - St David's Day

A rare treat - fine weather on the 1st March for a day trip to Wales.  The clouds cleared for the short time we spent at Llanthony Priory.

Baby Cardigan in Brioche Rib

My fiddliest knitting project ever!  I can't tell you how pleased I am that I have finally finished.

When I started this little cardigan I knew I was in for a mind bending adventure.  Brioche rib isn't for the faint-hearted.  Using two colours and double ended needles was bound to be fun.  So much fun, in fact, that I abandoned this cardigan for a few months and tackled easier projects.

Earlier this week I decided I had to finish it, which meant weaving in twice as many ends of yarn than I thought possible...

… undoing about three rows around the neck because I had knitted too many...

… and sewing up the last unfinished seam.

The seams all seem determined on bending themselves inwards, which is extremely irritating.  I shall have to rethink how to work the ends of the rows so that the next time I use this stitch I have an easier edge to sew up.  

To avoid shoulder seams I put all the pieces onto a circular needle, and am really pleased at how the raglan shaping turned out.

What I am most chuffed about is how soft and warm this stitch is, with the softer yarn on the inside.  This is a really cosy little cardy.  One of these days I shall have to knit another.  

Not just yet, though.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 219 - A Bible Cover

On the third try, I think I can claim success in making a book cover.  It isn't quite finished, because I haven't yet put on any fastenings, so pins had to do for the photo.

Instead of winging it and trying to make it by eye, I did the job properly and actually measured the book.  The width of the panel wasn't crucial, as long as I had a good overlap. However, the measurement from top to bottom had to be a good fit.  The book covers measure eight and a half inches, so I cut the panel at nine and a half inches, and then cut the binding strip a little narrower than I would cut quilt binding.

On the inside I inserted a flap for the front cover to slot into, and a ribbon for the back cover to slide under.

The bible has soft covers, which makes it easier to handle, but nevertheless I wanted to make a snug fitting cover that I could put on without bending the covers back.

The back cover slides under the ribbon first...

… so it can then be pushed across so the ribbon is as near to the spine of the book as possible, and the edge of the front cover can be tucked into the flap...

… and pushed right inside as far as it will go.

It is a very snug fit.  Another sixteenth of an inch and it would have been too tight.

I am still deliberating about fastenings.  However I resolve it, I can guarantee it won't be velcro.

Here goes for week 219:-

Many thanks to Angie for linking up with her beautiful soupçon quiltalong quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.