Flowers!
Today I have a squee! My dad brought me a present from my aunt and uncle when we had coffee today. My wedding bouquet was dried and I have it back framed nicely. There’s less flowers than my original bouquet of course, otherwise it would be huge! It’s more the essence of my bouquet. It has trailing ivy, some steel grass loops, white roses, carnations, freesias and more that I can’t remember the name of! I’m really happy to have it back and it’s up on the wall in the spare room now. I had to find somewhere I could hang it out of direct daylight.
Year of Projects: Week 13 Summary
This has been a busy week for me. I spent three days in Rotterdam seeing one of the FPSO’s I work with in drydock. I spent a couple of days climbing over, under and through the vessel, doing 12 hour days and starting at 6.30 am, so I didn’t take any knitting or crochet with me! Since I got back, I’ve only been working on things that are fun! I haven’t been having fun working on the make up bags, so I might just skip doing them. At the moment the bags feel like a chore, so I haven’t been working on them.
So this week, I’ve finished my purple test bunny, and I think he’s come out pretty well. The photo was taken on his better side. For the gift ones, I’m probably going to make them in more rabbitish colours. If I can find some mohair or angora yarn at the shops I might make a few fluffy long haired bunnies. I’m going to get some craft pompoms for tails and I’ll sew some eyes for them. My Happy Lavender Scarf has grown quite a lot since I last posted it. I’m really enjoying working on it, and I’m finding knooking really relaxing.
I’m slightly alarmed by the number of WIPs I have on the go! Last night I picked up my polo neck bag to start working on it again. This is an old photo, but really it hasn’t changed much. I’ve just finished the first skein of yarn so I’m over halfway through the fabric for the bag. I seemed to tighten my stitches a lot. I don’t know it this was before I put it down last time, but I definitely did a few tight rows last night. I’ve slackened off though and I think I’ve got it back to where I was before, so hopefully it’ll all block out evenly once I’m done. If not, I’ll have a bit of a kink in my bag, but I can live with that.
The Revised List
Scarves and Shawls
Amigurumi
Other Things
FO Friday 12
Today is Friday and I’m home! Getting up at 7.30 today felt like a lie in after getting up at 5.30 the last three days. I got home just after lunch time yesterday and went straight to bed for a nap until my husband came home. I’ve never done so much walking, climbing and wriggling through small spaces before, and I’ve never seen such a big ship. We managed to get over most of the boat in the three days we were away, and I’ll see if I can get hold of some pictures to show you the scale next week.
After my nap, I finished off my purple test rabbit! He’s not the best, but he’s very cute and I’m happy with him. I fudged the instructions a bit. I couldn’t pull the material round to his neck, so I just sewed it up at the back. I need to get some little craft pompoms to make tails for the new ones. This one was made from a 4” square. I think I’ll make the next ones a little bit bigger - probably 5” square. I also made the division for the head about halfway through the square. Next time I think I’ll make the head a little bit smaller, and stuff the body with some lentils or small beans, so that he sits a bit better! I’m also going to make my running stitches smaller next time, so I can get a neater neck line. I’m tempted to get some mohair yarn for fluffy bunnies, but I don’t think I can get any from my LYS.
For more FO’s check out Tami’s Amis!
WIP Wednesday 13
This week I’ve just been working on one thing, since I couldn’t take anything to Rotterdam with me. I’ve been working on my first practice Knit Bunny. I’m doing a test one, to try out the pattern and check out the yarn/needle size I need for the rest, and then I’m going to get some proper brown and white coloured yarn. The square I need is almost finished, so hopefully I’ll have an FO for you on Friday, even if it’s a strangely purple rabbit!
Not very exciting from me this week, so check out everyone else at Tami’s.
Busy, Busy, Busy
These are a very busy couple of days for me. Today I’ve spent most of the evening packing ear protectors, workbooks and overalls. In the morning I’m off to Rotterdam to see one of my FPSO’s that’s in drydock there. FPSO stands for Floating Production Storage Offloading. It’s basically a boat that’s an oil rig. This one in particular is an oil tanker that’s been converted into an FPSO and it’s older than me! It had some problems earlier this year, so they’re taking advantage of it being in drydock to do life extension. I’m not really going out to do anything, I’m just along to see what one really looks like, since I’ve been working on it for two years and all I’ve seen are photos and drawings.
So tomorrow morning I have a 6.15 am check in at the airport, then straight to the dockyard and work until 6.30 pm. On Wednesday, we’re going to the dockyard at 6.15 Rotterdam time (which is 5.15 UK time) and then I’m spending the whole day looking around the FPSO till 6.30 again and Thursday is another 6.15 am morning, then the plane home at lunchtime and thankfully I can go home! I’m not a morning person so this is going to be tough! No post for Tuesday, but I’ll get my WIP post queued for Wednesday! I’m not taking any crochet or knitting with me, because I only have my offshore bag to take with me and I don’t want to worry about things getting dirty, and I’m never sure what can go in hand luggage these days. See you on Thursday everyone.
Year of Projects: Week 12 Summary
Today has been a very lazy Sunday. I think I stayed up too late last night, then I was still tired this morning when I got, and I haven’t had any energy for doing anything since. However, yesterday we were good and tidied, and we have some apple drying out downstairs, for healthy snacks, since I’ve banned myself from crisps! And what has this meant for Year of Projects? Well the last couple of days I haven’t done much of anything! Today I keep picking things up and putting them down again and I have no focus, but judging from the number of “in progress” things on my list, it’s pretty much normal for me! I really need to start clearing some of my in progress things and start finishing them!
I’ve just started the second make up bag (the first is still in time out!). I’m using basket weave stitch this time and I really like how it’s going so far. This time I think I’ll do the whole thing in blue and just seam it up and go round all the edges in the black.
I’m really enjoying my scarf. I finally got to the lime stripe and I love it. The pattern says to make the scarf in two halves, then seam them together so that the chevrons are going the same way at each side. I’ve decided though, that I don’t really care if the chevrons are going different ways, so I’m just going to keep going until the end.
I’ve also made another change to my list! I know this isn’t a surprise to anyone at this point! I had the amigurumi penguin on my list for the Christmas presents and I need to make seven of them, but browsing Ravelry for quick and easy patterns for an emergency FO Friday, I found these adorable knit bunnies! Seven squares that need a small amount of sewing to shape them is much easier and quicker than making 7 heads, bodies and beaks, and 14 wings and feet, then sewing them all together. Since I’m slightly worried about time, and these are so cute that this swap seems like the best option. Here’s the list again!
The Revised List
Scarves and Shawls
Amigurumi
Other Things
Hopefully soon I’ll get myself down to 1 knitting project, 1 crochet project and the blanket (which I’m not in a hurry to finish). Have a great week everyone!
FO Friday 11
Today is a total cheat! I made you a little heart to make up for the fact that I’m actually mostly going to talk about my WIP’s again. The heart was really quick, but it’s a really nice little pattern and I really enjoyed it - I think I might make some more to use as tags on Christmas presents, because it’s really cute. It only took me about twenty minutes to work it up and I’ll post the link to the pattern as soon as I get home, because I forgot to add it to my queue or favourites on Ravelry last night!
What I’m actually going to talk about today is the first bag. The colours still aren’t coming true, but the contrast is almost as bad as the photo! I’m not sure what it is, but I’m just not really happy with it. I think it’s partly the bright scarlet against the black that I don’t like, but I’m not really sure. I think what I’m going to do, is make one in a different colour, or maybe two, and with a different stitch, and see if I like that one any better. I might just have to get another colour to replace the red. It’s just not making me happy just now at all! Anyone have any suggestions for it? I’m sure I can do better than this.
And just as a freebee, here’s my scarf, which is making me happy, with another stripe. A few people were asking about the yarn on Wednesday - it’s a self striping yarn called Wendy Happy in the Lavender colourway, and it’s a bamboo/nylon mix. I love it. I definately think bamboo is becoming one of my faourite fibres to work with, along with alpaca and merino wool. I’ve very nearly reached the lime stripe, I think I’m just a row off now, and I can’t wait to see how it looks!
For more, less cheaty FO Fridays, check out Tami’s!
Knooking
I was going to talk more about knooking today, but I’m not really sure what I’ve got left to say about it. I learnt some new things this week, methods of decreasing mostly to give me nice chevrons for my scarf. I’ve really been enjoying my knooking and I love the feel of the knitted fabric - so smooth and thin. I also find it interesting how different yarn can feel when it’s knitted or crocheted. I’ve used Debbie Bliss Prima twice now, once for my Urban Shells Scarf (crocheted) and once for my Hearts on Her Sleeve fingerless gloves (knitted) and although they’re both smooth, they feel completely different.
Since I’m enjoying knooking so much, I’ve decided to buy myself a set for it as a reward since I got promoted recently. I’m considering Knit Pro Symphonie Tunisian Crochet Hooks. They have detachable cords, which woud make life much easier, as then I could swap cord on each round, without having to faff around with sellotape or use two hooks, and using a proper cord would be much better than the yarn I’m using just now. They also don’t have thumb rests, which do occassionally make things awkward for me just now. There are some sizes they don’t do - like the 3.75mm hook I’m using for the scarf above, but they do have the majority so it shouldn’t be too big a problem. The hooks are wood, which is something I haven’t tried before - I normally use aluminium hooks, I have plastic ones that I don’t like, and I recently got bamboo ones, which seem nice, although I haven’t used them much. They have had pretty good reviews though as far as I can see.
Looks like I found some knooking stuff to talk about after all!
WIP Wednesday 12
Wednesday is here again and I’ve been pretty busy. First the second Hearts on her Sleeve glove has had a disaster. Some how the yarn I was working with got chopped, so I’ve frogged it and I’ll start again with the big ball. I should still have more than enough in one ball to finish it off, and I’d rather not join yarn unless I absolutely have to. I’d only done five our six rows, so it’s not the disaster it could have been.
I’ve also been working on my Happy Lavender Scarf. I’m finding it really relaxing to do. The pattern is really easy to remember, and I’m loving the colours. I can’t wait till I reach the lime stripe. I really want to see how it looks. I’ve been doing around two colour stripes every night, which is just about enough for me to get sleepy at bedtime. I think if this goes well I’ll get some more of the Happy Cinders colourway for a second. The fingerless glove I’ve been working on in the Cinders colourway hasn’t really had any progress this week, but it has recovered from it’s bath and the yarn has all dried out again so I’ll try to do some more soon.
The other thing I’ve been working on this week, is the first of the clutch/makeup bags I’m making as Christmas presents. I have about three more inches of tulip stitch to do, then I’ll fold it in half, crochet up the sides, and add a flap to the top. I’ll probably give it a button closure, so I’ll have to remember to leave a button hole. I can’t decide if I’m going to line the bag or not, I’ll have to decide soon though. Hopefully it’ll be an FO for Friday. The colour has come out really badly (it’s a nice scarlet really) but since it’s practically winter here, and I won’t see daylight from Monday to Friday after the clocks go back, I’m afraid the rest of the photos for the next few months aren’t going to be much better.
Check out Tami’s for more Work in Progress Wednesdays!
Yarn has Arrived
My husband went to the post office yesterday and picked up our parcels resulting in happy birds with new toys, treats and food, and a happy wife with new yarn! These are the colours for the clutch/make up bags. The bags are going to be in one or two colours, with the seams and flap in black. I might need to get more yarn - especially since I’m now making seven bags, instead of six. I’m loving the colours I got, although they haven’t photographed very well. The purple and blue are both darker, the pink is brighter and the red is more of a scarlet. The first one I’ve already started in red, in tulip stitch from the Crochet Stitch Book I was talking about last week. The yarn is aran thickness and I’m making them up with a 5mm hook, so hopefully they’ll work up pretty quickly. You’ll get to see my progress so far tomorrow, so don’t forget to come back!
From pressing flowers and plastic canvas embroidery as a child and cross stitch when I was teenager to chain mail and wire jewellery and crochet now, I've always loved crafting, and this is my crafting blog.
