It's not a cheat...

It's not that I've been working on a project other than Celara before I got my page finish, it's more that this project is much more portable and so it goes to craft group with me, or comes out when I don't want to pull my frame out with boxes of thread. And as I've got a room (staircase?) finish, I figured now was a good time to post an update on it. I really need to go back to the throne room, I don't know why I seem to be avoiding it, so, hopefully by next (distant) post on this project will be the throne room finish!

A small spiral

Due to very little free time this week, unfortunately Dragon Rider has had no love, I promise it's a time thing and not that I'm getting annoyed with him. As I don't have anything to show for Dragon Rider, I thought I'd show what little progress I have to show on Cut Thru Castle from craft group a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll get a bit of Dragon Rider done this week and I'll have some actual progress to show again.

Shock horror!

Two posts in as many weeks, could this be a new leaf for me? And even more shocking, there's stitching involved as well... it's quite sad just how excited I am about this!

And, there's almost recognisable progress as well, the smallest room is now completed, well, the cross stitch is, I accept that there is still back stitch to do.

Anyway, hopefully I'll actually manage to keep this up for at least another couple of weeks, you never know, stranger things have happened!

A stitch or two...

My little castle is progressing... not much I admit, but a bit. A lot of my time this week has gone on the blanket, as the little dude that it was being made for has now been born. But as I'm so close to finishing that I don't really want to post another pic until it's done. So instead you get the couple of hours stitching that I managed to do earlier in the week. Soon other projects will be out.

Oh, and it's Yarndale this weekend, so there will almost certainly be yarn porn pics next weekend as well :-)

Lots of Wee Bits

As per usual, the title says it all... This week (month? - I honestly am trying to get better at that) I have a little bit of progress on lots of little things. First is my Cut Thru Castle, if you want a clue it's some additions to the room on the right that have been added this week. It did only get about an hour and half in craft group this week, so the fact that I've got anything to show is actually a miracle. 

Secondly I have some bunts, which I've decided is the singular of bunting before they're strung together to make bunting, and there is a chance that I've already made that joke three times today. These are the first things that I've made with my own dyed yarns, and I intend to make lots of little bunts from different dyes so that I can show them all off together. I got the train to Manchester and back to meet friends today, and these were made on the journey, much to the fascination of the teenager sat across the aisle from me, I kept catching her watching me. 

And here is the blanket of doom, the baby is due this weekend, there is absolutely no hope for that, and look at all the ends to darn in, this upsets me so much. I know full well that I should have done it as I went along, and I didn't, because I'm an idiot, so now I've got them all to do at the end, I'm such a fool! 

And finally, ooops, new start. can you guest what it is yet? To be fair, I know what it is, and I wouldn't have been able to guess, the colours aren't quite what I was expecting!

I suspect that next weeks progress will be similar to this week, lots of little bits. I'm hoping to have quite a crafting day on Thursday, but am then working all of the bank holiday weekend, so boo to that!

Hello my dears, sorry I've been so poor at posting again just recently, work continues to be manic. I think it is slowing up slightly, but not so much that I actually have free time, and what free time I do have has exciting new challenges in it, but more of that later... I have managed a little bit more stitching, Cut Thru Castle continues, as does my sense of impending doom as to how my friend will react when I present her with a gift for her daughter which definitely contains a man on the toilet. 

Second, the continuing crochet, this is not as much as should be done, and I have no real excuse (other than the exciting new challenges), this is portable, I should be able to do another one whenever I have ten minutes free, but I'm lazy, and quite tired at the moment, see earlier manic-ness, and all I really want to do when I get some is lie on the sofa. But I need to start thinking about that deadline pretty soon, so I have started to be a bit more dedicated again this week.

 And this is the excitingness, I've started experimenting with yarn dyeing. I'm quite enjoying it and have many ambitious plans, but it is rather time consuming. This was my first attempt, when all I had was some primary colours to play with and my attempt at mixing purple did not go well.

This is my second attempt after I'd gone out and got some new colours... yes, there are mistakes, yes, I don't think I'd be able to replicate it, but this was a second attempt and when you consider that I'm pretty proud of these.

The one second from the left has potential, I wanted the pink to be more vibrant, and I think I know why it isn't, so I'll try that again. The same with the one in the middle, that and the fact that it came out lighter than I intended.

The one on the right was also meant to be more vibrant, again, I think I know what I did wrong and I think a different technique would work better, so I'll try that again. The one on the left was just dunked into an un-exhausted dye bath and actually turned out kinda pretty. The one second from the left was the last one I did and pretty much playing with what I had left, and I love it, and will have to try and find a way of perfecting it.

There will come a point when my yarn dyeing lives on another blog, but at the moment, sorry guys, you're stuck with it.

Pottering along

This is amazing, second time in as many weeks that I have actual progress to show, I'm so proud. Cut Thru Castle is progressing, you can even see the beginning of what this room is starting to look like, and the shape of the next room. I meant to do this one room at a time, but I wasn't concentrating properly when I started highlighting the chart for the yellow, and then realised that I was flowing in to the next room, so I went with it. And the next room is only a wee room (literally) so it'll give me something to work towards and have two rooms done before you know it (hahaha! Got to love the optimism). 

And the blanket is progressing as well. I finished my target of all the green (again, so proud), and have started on the purples as well. I intended to get a big chunk done today, but we've got my family staying next weekend, so it occurred to us that we probably ought to do some housework, so that's how today was spent instead. Now I remember why I hate cleaning the kitchen, especially the oven... my hands feel horrible now because they've been submerged in water and cleaning chemicals for half the day.

I'm not sure how mum time I'll have this week and so I may not have much progress to show next week, but I'll give it a shot. Happy crafting all!

Stitching, actual stitching!

And here it is, there has been actual progress on Dragon Rider, I'm so happy! I meant to have the tail and above done, but didn't take in to account just how much those colours appeared further down the page as well, if it hadn't been for that I would have managed it. I had meant to have this page finished by the end of the month (there's a chance that I have a new start planned for July, ooops), but I don't think I'm going to manage that... however after several months of not stitching at all I'll take this much as something!

It's probably quite sad just how happy being able to do this made me my week... I forgot just how much stitching is my relaxation until I did some and was suddenly just so much happier again!

Second up, my Granny Starbursts, I wasn't going to post on this this week as I didn't really have much progress to show, however I went round to a friends to watch a film tonight and she was very understanding about me turning up with my crochet so I managed to get another 21 greens done and suddenly made my showing for this week much more respectable. My target for next week is to have all of the greens done and to be moving on to the purple, then before long I'll be trying to work out whether I'm doing the final rounds and then sewing together or if I'm going to try and master the join as I go method. 

And finally, I may have had another new start (and have another another new start planned), but I can justify this one and my another another one as well, these are both intended as presents for people, and I don't quite know what my deadline is on either of those so, wish me luck basically. I will still try and get some time in on my rotation pieces (as I am loving actually being able to stitch again), but these two and the blanket at the main focus pieces for a while, just because they are all time based gifts.

In other news, I'm planning on trying my hand at yarn dying in the next few weeks... I'm quite excited and quite nervous all at the same time... it'll probably be in a couple of weeks time, but I promise I'll put some pics up, no matter how successful or unsuccessful it is so that you can cheer me on or laugh hysterically!