Exams are over, and I have the summer to do what I want

Well guys, after a (very) long hiatus, I’m back and raring to go. I haven’t exactly been idle on the crafting front either, even if most of my time was taken up with my (successful! yay!) application to York. So this September/October I will be moving all my things from Plymouth to York to start studying for a PhD in pure mathematics. Go me!

Anyway, I doubt you’re all here for that. I finished a pair of socks, on apparently the 18th January. They were lots of fun, mostly since I was trying to get to grips with 2-at-a-time magic loop. Which is great fun, and could well get sued again at some-point. Right now I’m practicing double knitting, so stay tuned for some extreme 2-pairs-at-a-time knitting later this summer(which will hopefully stop me getting bored to plain boring socks. Here’s a photo of them, in all their worn glory:

They don’t quite match, but I really prefer them this way. Not to say I don’t like my perfectly matching patterned socks, but the not-quite-matching-ness takes away from the fact they are so, well, boring. I don’t like boring yarns, and evidently I don’t like boring patterns. But colourful yarns in exotic patterns really don’t work. *sighs*. Anyone got any patterns which do work with stripy yarns?

I’ve also been cross stitching a lot, firstly there’s Spirit, which has now gone over half a page!!!

Here she is at half a page, I think I’ve mostly done another column after this

What I think it’s amazing about this pattern is that the S for Spirit takes up more space than the rest of the word! One more column puts me half-way, and the S is pretty much done there, with just the beginning of the p, and there’s more blank space on the right of Spirit than there is on the left! Pretty awesome, huh?

I also found a giant cross stitch pattern of all the first gen Pokemon. Now I know I’m not the first to stitch this, but I’ve only seen of one other person, and I think they’ve only done the one (there are patterns for 5(?) gens), and I’d like to get them all done eventually! Here’s my start:

So far it’s very yellow! That should stop soon, but after that red/yellow one underneath the first yellow one, I’m going sideways and doing a (yep, you guessed it!) yellow flaming bird! Ahh well, after that it gets a bit more interesting.

Well, now this has finally been written, I can get back to my crafting! Got to squeeze as much in as possible before October, when I start ay York! Squeeee!

Normal transmission will resume when I’ve gotten my head around the fact that I’m back at Uni and so have to work! See you all soon

gone gone gone, Smeagol is free!!!!!

Yes, I survived the first term of Uni . Now just to hope I manage that50 page essay I need to write (the 50 pages may be an issue, I want to write so much!).

So, since that deadline’s out of the way, I’ve been spending the last few days being crafty. Wanna see? Of course you do.

Yesterday was supposed to be spent knitting… but. *sigh*. The yarn I want to use (that I got in Holland, remember?) is sport weight. After moaning lots about not having sport-weight when I wanted to make a cowl (I used DK in the end ), now I want 4ply, it has to go be sport-weight. And I couldn’t figure how to cast on loose enough, so I gave up on the handwarmers (I will try again, going up a needle-size, I just got irritated ). Then I tried making up my own pattern for a pair of socks, toe-up, stocking stitch. Pretty basic. BUT. I started them, then while I was increasing for the toe, read some articles about ad-hoc sock knitting, and there was this one article talking about how cuff-down socks were so much easier because you could still try them on before the heel, and then you only knit to 2 inches (for example) before the toe to start decreasing. And me, immediately seeing the logic in this ripped back my socks, only to remember that the reason I was doing toe-up in the first place was because I didn’t like the way to cast on loosely enough . So that yarn got thrown across the room in a petty fit and I started playing minesweeper again. So unfortunately no knitting picture to show you

But, there is stitching goodness. After the last Wednesday post (I think it was the day after) , I received the floss to stitch Spirit. So I started. Very basic gridding got done (literally, just around the edges ), and I set to. So unfortunately you can’t see the yummy floss before I sorted it all, but you can see lots of progress on Spirit And the floss box.

Here ya go:

Lots of lovely purples

Not entirely sure where the green is supposed to go…have to wait and see, I suppose

I’ve nearly finished the first column!!!

Yeah, in the beginning, I had this brilliant idea to make sure I was working in blocks of 100- as you can see in columns 2-4 I staggered the number of blocks I’d done, which meant it was easy to see how many rows away from the next 100, as you just had to look at the column on the left. Then I realised how many threads that involved, and decided to work till the end of the page . Given that I haven’t really gridded enough, this may cause issues, however, I think it’ll be ok. After all, I am the girl who didn’t put in lifelines for the first lace pattern I knitted. Didn’t have to rip it either. So I think I’ll be alright I’m also thinking of saving all the sparkly Kreinik threads till the end… at least, that was the plan before I saw how many there are coming up right now in the first column. Anyone have any idea of how I could store it on the needle between areas being stitched? I’m kinda toying with the idea of putting the needle somewhere out of the way so nothing with irritate it in between using it???? How have other people done it? Just park it with other threads???

Well, I’m getting back to my cross stitch, it’s calling my name loudly

 

December Aims

A quick recap of November’s Aims:

1) Finish Grandpa’s bookmark (as in finish the sewing and back it) Nope. I’ve started sewing the back together, but I’m really not happy about it. May do him a keyring instead- I can get that done in a evening, and send it off. Or give him my one (Yes. That is exactly how stressed I am about it right now :/ )

2) Finish the elephant for the cushion (it will be made up when I go home for Christmas, so that doesn’t need doing now) Nope. *sighs* I’m hopefulyl about half way there, it’s just as tedious as fuck and I’m starting to feel snowed under by Uni work again. I’m phoning home to see if it has to be sent home to be finished, or if it can be done when I go home for Christmas

3) Finish the handwarmers. Guess what? Nope . This doesn’t have to be done until I go home for Christmas, which is good

4) Cross stitch 2 keyrings for my (now ex) next door neighbours and one of my aunts. YES! And I even did another one for another aunt I forgot about (oops!)

 

So, December’s Aims?

1) Send off everyone’s Christmas presents that have to be sent. That should be do-able, even if it doesn’t happen until Uni finishes. As long as it’s before about the 14th, I think I’ll be ok.

2) Finish that damn beading. I know it’ll look awesome when it’s done, I just really don’t like doing the beading. Although, I have simplified it, just to speed things up. It’ll still look awesome

3) Finish the handwarmers by the time I go home.

4) Get caught up with Uni . Not exactly a crafting aim, but it needs to happen. Soon.

All the crafting things (with the exception of maybe the elephant) can wait until Uni is over, which is a Very Good Thing, since I’m getting snowed under again. Although, I only have one more week, so hopefully I won’t have (another) breakdown…

There may not be another update until after Uni finishes, so keep yourself busy crafting

How are we still in November?

Does anyone else think that November has gone on quite long enough, thank you very much? I feel like we should be about half way through December already, maybe it’s just because I’ve been concentrating on Christmas presents?

But, at any rate, this week has been much more productive, with the result that I don’t feel quite so overwhelmed by all the Uni work. Must remember to always set aside time for me, no matter how busy I feel I am. First off, I finished several keyrings:

Made a couple of Oops!, but altogether, I like it

Ended up using two shades of grey for the ‘dark grey’, as I lost the first lot, and then the second lot didn’t quite match, but I still want it!

Loved stitching this one as much as I did the first time round

Would it be really bad of me to keep the black and white one and the tortoise shell I already have? Even though it’s supposed to go to someone for a Christmas present…hmm, I wonder if I can get some more keyrings quickly…although having just added to my stash rather a lot, I really shouldn’t…oh well, I’ll just have to make myself one after Christmas, I guess. *sigh* Along with a hundred and other things I have planned…

I also finally got around to starting the beading on the elephant (go me!)

I can’t decide if I like beading or not…I think I’ve got a healthy love/hate relationship going on…

But I am sure that the effect will be worth it, it’s gonna look amazing . Especially as I managed to get the sequins for the tassels on the edges. (Note to self- remove the gridding BEFORE stitching over it! It’s now a right pain in the arse to remove….*sigh* A few bits I’ve picked up about beading- every fifth bead, sew it in place twice. I’m also thinking that I should have starting doing them the other way around, so they lie on the same slant as the top of the cross stitch…ahh well, it look good anyway, and I’m not going to undo it all! Just something to think about in future. I’m using invisible thread to stitch them all in place, which is, imho much better than changing colour for different colour beads! Did I mention it’s gonna look awesome?

I also started work on a Celtic knot, which was going to be the front cover of a needle keep (which I really kinda need here…) but…

This looks nice. So I figured it would look ever better filled in…

But of course, I’m not really thrilled with it. This is as far as I’ve gotten with it so far

and I’m really not thrilled with it. And I don’t know why. I’ll finish it, but it’ll probably get turned into something and given away, maybe a box top? Any suggestions?

So, that’s what I’ve been up to this last week. I’ve also been doing maths, but I doubt anyone’s interested in that I did think about starting a maths blog, but I figured that really, no-one would be that interested in it…

I did, however get some more stash No piccies, because it’s all relatively boring stuff. I went to the LNS (one of them- I’ve got three!) and got another floss storage box, the sequins I need to finish the elephant tassels, and a small kit, which I’ll probably turn into a Christmas tree ornament for next year( I needed to spend more than £5, and that was the closest thing to hand!)

Yes, you twigged it- the storage box is because I ordered a load of threads for Spirit . They haven’t arrived yet, but it should be soon…

However, I did get another parcel of loveliness that I ordered. I got a fat quarter of 25 count (again, for Spirit), so I’ll start gridding that, probably this weekend . I also got the Kreinik to do it(I’m using blending filament rather than the #4 they suggest), some tiny needles which were advised to me since 2 over 1 on 25 count apparently fills up the holes a lot . I also got some beads to finish the elephant, since apparently I lost a pack But at least the elephant can now be finished Hopefully it’ll be finished before December, as per my November aims…

Well, that’s all from me for now, hope you’re all having a good time stitching. Any tips on gridding would be appreciated…looking forward to it

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well fuck.

Well this week has been thoroughly crap. Absolutely no craftiness has been going on, and it looks set to stay that way, until the Christmas holidays where I might(if I’m very very lucky) get to start a fairly large project. Fingers crossed I have the time to .

So, what have I been up to? Reading blogs and wishing I could craft myself, for some of the time. I’ve also been snowed under by more coursework . Deadlines: tomorrow(handed in already), tomorrow(someone else is writing that up) and Friday(giving me kittens because I cannot, for the life of me, figure out this stuff). Then I have a test on Tuesday I need to revise for, and two tests in the week beginning the 10th of December, coursework due in next term, but I really could do with finishing it before I go home for Christmas, because I’ll be busy writing up my report. And I have a presentation to give in that last week of term too. I know, this is really rather moany of me, but the lack of crafting is really getting to me. I’m kindof looking at my cross stitch, and wanting to, and feeling guilty that I’m not getting on with my work but it’s all so much that I don’t really have any motivation to start! Completely different to starting a big cross stitch project!

And I also need to pull my head out of my arse about applying for some graduate jobs! There are a couple that look interesting, but applying for only three jobs is probably a bit silly…if only I could find anything else that interests me!

Well, rant over! Now to get back to this quantum physics malarky!

Hope you’re all having more crafting time than I am

Sit down, calm down and think things through… :P

Yeah, life is just a little bit hectic here at the moment. Deadlines are still falling down around me, my computer seems to be playing up( I’m getting a new one for Christmas, so it’s not as bad as it could be…).

Very little cross stitch has been happening. Seriously, since about two weeks ago (when I finished the cross stitching on my granddad’s bookmark, no stitching has been happening (until earlier this evening, at any rate), and the only knitting I was doing was for a couple of hours on Sunday (and that’s in danger of vanishing if my workload increases any more).

But, I have finished stitching my granddad’s bookmark

No, I don’t know how those brownish spots appeared. I do have a feeling that they might be dinner, though…

Now all I need to do (since the beginning of November…) is wash it and back it. Not entirely sure when that’s going to happen, maybe this Saturday? I don’t think that’s taken up by anything specific yet (other than maths, and that always needs doing…)

However, this evening I was really irritated by my maths. Some of it wasn’t working properly, and the rest of it was just plain wrong. I’m blaming the laptop, (well, a program I installed on it, and I get an error message whenever I try using it, so the idea isn’t that daft ) rather than my programming skills, because I’ve gone through the code with a fine toothed comb, and it seems fine. So ?I started looking through some blogs, and found this gorgeous sock pattern. It’s supposed to be knitted cuff-down, which is why I didn’t see it when I looked for more sock patterns (the only socks I’ve succeeded at were toe-up), but having looked at the pictures, I think I should be able to do them toe-up.

I saw the post on Tanis Fibre Arts(the link is here), and I think they look awesome . Not that I need any more sock ideas at the moment, since I have yarn for 4(?) pairs, and I’m half-way through another pair. It wasn’t second sock syndrome that stopped me either, it was my butterfly bag . Still love that . No-one’s commented on the skulls through :/.

So I started on some more cross stitch. Yeah, I know that’s crazy- see some socks I like the look of, have some yarn here that I could use really well for it, don’t start them. I thought I’d be good. After all, I still have Christmas stitching to do. But did I carry on with the elephant? Nope, that would be too good of me (it’s still waiting for me to cut off the knots I’ve got…). So I started another keyring, this time a ginger cat. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

Going really rather well, but it’s now too dark to see

I mentioned in my (very) brief post last Saturday that I’d bought a HAED. Yes, during the 50% sale I decided to buy one. I know, I’m very good. I even intend on finishing my first one before buying another….we’ll see how well that one goes

I bought the Spirit Storykeep. I don’t know how to do that nifty thing of inserting pictures with links into here yet, so here’s a link

I did finish off one of the handwarmers on…I think it was the Sunday before last, but it’s kindof gone missing (my room here is rather a tip), so unfortunately there’s no picture of this either. Maybe next week, if I get a move on with the other one…

On the subject of HAEDs by the way- the pattern calls for using 2 strands of floss over 1 stitch on 25 count material. This seems like it would be a bit thick to me- I use two strands for 14 count, and that gives sensible coverage. What do other people do? One strand or two??? What do people mean when they say things like 1 over 2?

I think I vaguely remember seeing a chart of how many strands to use for different counts of material. Am I making this up? I know there’s no hard and fast rule, you use whatever gives you the best coverage, I just want to know what other people do???

Thanks for all your help solving this conundrum. Until next time, happy crafting . And I’m off to cast on some socks

 

Heys Guys

Well, I’m now over that cold, I’ve finished stitching my granddad’s bookmark (it just needs washing and finishing now), and I’ve finished the entirety of one handwarmer. Oh, and I bought my very first HAED . I feel so proud of myself

Although I am so completely and utterly exhausted after all the maths that currently needs doing, so I really can’t be faffed with taking photos of everything. Things should quieten down soon(as in, most deadlines are this week, lol!), so normal service will resume next week (hopefully). Although I am probably going to start updating on Wednesdays rather than Saturdays now, we shall have to wait and see.

Well, until I’m more awake, have fun amusing yourself with all your lovely craftiness. Have fun

Updated November Aims

Okay, so I forgot about one of my aunts! I guess she’ll need a keyring too, so my updated aims are:

1) Finish Grandpa’s bookmark (as in finish the sewing and back it)

2) Finish the elephant for the cushion (it will be made up when I go home for Christmas, so that doesn’t need doing now)

3) Finish the handwarmers

4) Cross stitch 2 keyrings for my (now ex) next door neighbours and one of my aunts.

I suppose it wasn’t too bad forgetting, as it means I have my November Aims in a post by themselves. May try to carry this on, so it’s easier to find them!

Hope you’re all happily crafting, I’ve caught myself a bad cold

Annnnnnd crash

It seems so long ago that I had any free time! (Well, the summer holidays did finish about a month ago for me, so I suppose it has been a while!) I feel as though I’m going to bed too late, and getting up too early! But I must be doing something right- I’m managing to do a semi-decent amount of crafting (I’d like to be doing more, but then, who wouldn’t?).

I did manage to get some crafting done last week, but by the time Saturday came around, I was too exhausted to write about it all, so I just pootled off to bed. So, what’s been happening?

I did try to do a bit more on my aunt’s elephant, but I got a knot in the floss which I have to cut out, and I don’t really want to get around to it :/ So no photos there, I’m afraid.

I have, however, sorted out my grandpa’s bookmark problem. Well, I found another bookmark kit I thought he’d like, and have started on that (since the elephant isn’t getting worked on, I figured I might as well be doing something!).

Here’s what I’ve done so far on it:

The bottom bit is going to be a fox. A rather childish one, but a fox

You can’t really see it in this picture (and if you get any closer it’s too blurry to see anything), but the mushroom on the left looks as though it’s got a really evil expression! Hopefully my granddad won’t notice. This seems like it’s really slow going, but I expect that’s just because I haven’t been working on it much…maybe? Anyway, it’s coming along.

I’m amazing myself with the bookmark, by actually backstitching as I go! This may be part of why it’s coming along so slowly- I’m not that great a fan of backstitch (although I don’t hate it as much as I did!), so I generally can’t be bothered to pick it up if it’s for just a few minutes! but I’m getting on with it

I also finished the cowl I was knitting. I haven’t blocked it yet (not sure that I will…it seems ok like this, and I don’t have any blocking supplies…something to ask for for Christmas, maybe?).

I think it looks alright like this, what does everyone else think?

That’s a close-up of the edging, which was great fun to do. And guess what- I get to do it all again (twice) for the handwarmers . Yay! I have done some work on one of them already, too

All that needs doing now is the edging and thumb. And all the loose strands need sewing in too, I suppose

Well, that’s everything I’ve been up to. Not much really, especially for 2 weeks work (especially with Christmas starting to loom rather impressively less than 2 months in front of us all…).

Having read several blogs which have a monthly list of aims, I thought it would be a good idea to start, just so I have more of an idea how much I can feasibly get done in a month in between everything else happening

So, this month(it’s essentially finishing the Christmas stuff, but broken down):

1) Finish Grandpa’s bookmark (as in finish the sewing and back it)

2) Finish the elephant for the cushion (it will be made up when I go home for Christmas, so that doesn’t need doing now)

3) Finish the handwarmers

4) Cross stitch another keyring for my (now ex) next door neighbours.

I suppose that at the start of December, I need to start thinking about posting everything to everyone… especially the over-seas things. *sighs*.
On the other hand, next week is consolidations week at Uni, so I may get slightly more crafting done! (Who’m I kidding here, I’m going in more than usual…)

Hope that everyone is well and happily crafting