Some Sewing

I would like to do some sewing every week but I don't often manage to achieve that. So I am excited when I actually finish a sewing project.

A while ago I had purchased a jelly roll from Jo-Anns but had no plans until I saw a video from The Missouri Quilt Co. She used a jelly roll for this quilt based on a design by the 3 Dudes. A sewing day with my friend Jenny, got all the strips sewn together. Although I was disappointed with the quality of the jelly roll. It had been cut with the fabric folded in half and was not cut straight at the fold line. One of the reasons for buying pre-cut fabric is that it will be precisely cut.

I don't have any photos of the strips sewn together or cut into squares but here is a picture of a square after it has been cut on the diagonal.



The quilt needed backing and binding and this is where The Missouri Quilt Company came in again and I used self-binding baby quilt. You have to e careful to follow her instructions so that the mitered corners lie flat. After adding the backing, I inserted some batting and then sewed all round the seam.

I really love this quilt; it looks complicated but was simple. It is on its way to my nephew for his upcoming baby.

Yes I Cast On New Projects But I Also Finished Them

Insert smiley face.

Last time I wrote how happy I was to have finished five projects and not to have started five new ones. That didn't last long as there was a report of cold heads in Calgary. So over the course of four days I made three hats - two knitted, one crocheted - baby, toddler and adult. And they have been mailed.

I used Red Heart Soft that was already in my stash; the hardest part was choosing three patterns.

First off was Kiddie Cadet for the baby.



I didn't work the purl round just before the increases as I wanted a rounded shape.

For the toddler I crocheted a pattern that was already in my queue - Olivia's Butterfly. I started this with a size I hook as recommended on the yarn label but the hat came out too small so I restarted with a J hook and added three more rows of double crochet before working the butterfly chains.



For Mama I had a few patterns saved from when I had been asked to make her a slouchy hat and I chose Small Hills Hat. There were plenty of comments about that hat coming out small so I added 12 stitches - a complete pattern repeat. This pattern has instructions for a regular hat or slouchy.

Finishing Frenzy

This week I have finished five items. And when I say finished I mean completely finished, ready to wear, ends sewn in, blocked, buttons sewn on. I feel so good to have these off the needles and not to start five new projects to replace them.

Here they are all piled up waiting for the photo shoot.



Let's go through them in order of starting.



It's a Clapotis. This was the project I mentioned at the beginning of May that I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. Obviously I did - after much thought. It is an easy pattern and I like one of those on the needles; I had had a hard time coming up with a pattern for this yarn. I am pleased with the end result so glad I decided to continue. The yarn is handspun by a friend given to me when I left Calgary. I started it on 17 April while on holiday and finished it on 8 October. When I give finishing dates that is the date when the item is ready to wear not when the knitting is finished. For example with this project I finished the knitting on 2 October, sewed in the ends on 4 October and blocked it on the 8th. This is the second Clapotis I have made. I made my first one in 2009 and you can see it here.



This was started on 1 July as 3 of us were going to do a CAL. I was very slow with mine but finally finished it on the 9th. Luckily I had bought the buttons a while ago otherwise this still might not be finished. The pattern is Eloise Baby Sweater and I used Red Heart Soft that was in my stash because my intention was to make two of these. The first one I finished a year ago but I just didn't feel like making another one straight away. In fact if it hadn't been for doing a CAL with friends I doubt I would have made this.



I started this in July and deliberately made it a slow project working a few rows a day. I need a photo shoot with my husband to show off all my lovely shawls that I have finished this year. The yarn for this one is Regal Silk by Artyarns and it is sooo soft.



In August I started a top for my expected baby great-niece. A local yarn shop was having a sale and I was looking at patterns in my queue on Ravelry to get some ideas. In my queue was Super Simple Baby Tunic and Ravelry told me that it had been made with yarn in my stash - Sirdar Snuggly Baby Speckle which I had bought on the yarn crawl in 2013 and used to make this jacket. I had one complete ball left over but had no idea what to do with it. This little top was ideal. I converted the pattern to top down and knitted in the round as I wanted to use all the yarn. I added some white sparkly baby yarn I had in stash and the buttons were in stash also.

I don't have a photo of the last finished item as it really needs to be worn to show well. But it is Starshower, a shawl-cowl hybrid. This was a project started on vacation and also a KAL with a friend who was working a worsted weight version. I used sock yarn that had been in my stash since December 2011.

I was really happy to finish all these items as now my WIPs are at a low level. I need to make something for charity but will aim for something easy and quick.