The wedding is over, the crafting can begin

The title says it, I am now married, I am now Mrs Grant, which means that I will (hopefully) have time to actually craft things other than for the wedding, and in theory my hours should be improving at work so I may be able to craft, and I may actually be able to show something on here, and actually post regularly again. If you have any interest in the wedding I will do a separate post,  so if you're not interested in it you no longer have to listen to me go one about it. So, in the spirit of not going on about it, here is something I worked on while Ben and I were away. It was a hot country and this is acrylic, so I couldn't do that much on it, but I started a new blanket (because that's what I need in my life, more projects), but I wanted something that was simple, repeating and that I didn't need to keep changing yarns on so didn't have to pack loads of balls, so this was perfect. The pattern is Blackberry Stripe, just without the colour changes, and the yarn is Ice Yarns.

Secondly, I've done a tiny bit on Dragon Rider, it doesn't look much different at the moment, but I'm just so excited to have him out and being worked on again. Every time I get this out to work on it I'm amazed by how metallic the parts of the bike look, it fascinates me every time.

Anyway, Dragon Rider its back, I do have some other projects to work on, and a couple of starts planned (only a couple, who am I kidding), but I am going to try and put a bit of a push on this, it's been a 'focus' piece for so long and it's not really progressing, so I need to start putting some serious effort in on it I think, besides, then I get the fun of choosing anew focus piece, and so on. In the mean time, I fall out with this quite regularly, but I always love it when I come back to it again, so I need to try and keep the love going this time. Wish me luck. I don't see a finish on this any time soon, but I hope that I'll at least be able to show some half decent progress by the end of the year and not miss my target quite as widely as I did last year. 

And finally, I can show off my Secret Project, as it's now been gifted and thankfully for his life and my sanity it seems to be appreciated as well.

This is the crochet blanket that I gave to Ben as a W present. It has been quite possibly the most difficult thing that I've made to date.There were about thirty balls of yarn attached to this at one point, and my sanity was seriously suffering because of it. There were times when I really wanted to throw it out of the window, but I am quite proud of the final result at least!

Just a wee bit this week

Just a quick update, firstly I think I've finally found a pattern that I like the variagated yarn in. I've was contemplating doing it as one big continuous square, but I think that lots of little squares will work better, especially if I use black for my joining. Plus it means I can make the blanket the shape I want rather than it having to be square. I've never actually tried a solid granny square before, and I have to say I like it a lot more than I expected, and it turns out it works really well with this yarn. Although I admit that this was my second attempt, I had to play a little but with the corners as I was starting to get a bit of a ripple in my square.

Also, I've done another couple of rounds on the sheep hat, which seeing as it needs to be finished by next weekend means I'm probably doomed, but it's grown, so I'll take that as a win. Other than these I've not really had much time this week, so a bit of crochet is all I have to show, the joy of the run up to Christmas.

It was going so much better

 I'm mourning my baby blanket this morning, I have much more progress than I had to show the last time I posted, but I had even more progress when I initially lay it out to take a picture of it, but then I noticed that it was starting to taper on the right hand side, so I've just ripped out 8 rows out back to where it was starting to taper. I'm having that problem with this blankets, and I don't know why. This is the second time that I've ripped some out since I've started it. Has anyone else done this, is Cosy by Attic 24, and had the same problem. When I redo it the problem seems to go away the second time, and I'm not aware that I'm doing anything different, so it's all a bit puzzling, and means that this blanket is taking me a lot longer than it should be. Very strange.!

Secondly, I only again have progress to show on the sheep. I've only actually got six colours plus back stitch left, but three of those colours take up a lot of space. But at the moment I'm just happy that my sheep are actually starting to look like sheep, and I might actually get this finished in time to get it framed as well. My own work is by the wayside at the moment, but I'm hoping that a couple more weeks of working on these might be able to bring my own work back into time again.

Look, stuff has happened!

I'm quite proud of myself that I'm actually having stuff to show at the moment, on a weekly basis you can see the difference, well, I can, but I'm not counting on the fact that you can. Either way, don't get used to it. However, I digress, and so early in the post. Here is the main body of the first baby blanket completed, I now just need to do a border on it, and decide what I want to do with that, I was thinking just a basic triple stitch (double for the US), but I can't decide whether I should do something else as well, I'm just not sure what. 

Secondly the wedding sampler continues, I know, it still doesn't look like much, but I am loving being back to my stitching, I've added a whole second colour now, and hopefully am on track, ideally I'm looking for it being finished by the end June, I think it's possible.

And finally I do have other news, I got engaged at the weekend. See how good I was, see how I posted about the crochet and stitching, the things that are meant to be about first before going all giddy about it! I am quite giddy I must admit. I tend not to post about my personal life on here, but I couldn't resist sharing that one.

Things are happening!

Just to prove that I have been doing things (of sorts) in my recent absence, I have tow things to show this week.

Firstly is the first on many baby gifts that I'm working on, a baby blanket. This is using the Blackberry Salad pattern, but I'm not changing colours just using variegated yarn. For those of you that want to know, this is Ice Yarns Magic light, and it has an almost fuzzy texture on the bobbles!  

Secondly, because it's been so missed, I've started a little stitching. This is a gift, so I'm still missing my own projects, but it's nice to be stitching again at any rate. I can't remember what this chart is called, judging by the kit it's a Russian company (although I bought it from Sew and So, so I'm happy that it's legit), and it's two sheep holding a lantern of sorts. It's very cute and will make a sweet little wedding present, which is the plan.

And we continue...

 The blanket continues, and I've actually got progress to show, I still think I'm being a little optimistic with when I want to have it finished by, (late May), but at least I can see actual progress, but look at all the ends that need darning in, it's so depressing. I was being really good to begin with, but as you can see that's sort of died off a bit. Oh well.







And Heroes and Heroines is growing, I've finally finished the frame on this page, and I have done a little bit of cream on the peacock, but it doesn't show up very well on the picture. But next week I hope to have new colours included, it's all fun and exciting.
And I've got all those new starts planned, so I really need to finish this page off at some point.

Progress!!! Actual progress!!!

 It feels like it's taken me a long time to get here, finally, a page finish on Dragon Rider, it seems like I've been promising this for ages, but I'm finally here. And it suddenly came together at the end. As is often the case when I was up close and stitching it I couldn't work out how all these blue and grey colours were going to look like anything other than a mess, but then I stepped back, took a picture and suddenly it's the shiny metal of his motorbike. He's gone away for a while but I'm sticking to (some) elements of my rotation (more on that later) faithfully this year, so it won't be long before he's back out to play again.

Next up, Heroes and Heroines has had some work as well, who knew there were so many shades of orange in the world. I had to go and do some of the green just for a bit of a change. It turns out that I don't really like orange, although that could just be when I've not my nose three inches from it, I haven't realised I had an aversion to it before this, but there's a white space where the peacock will one day be, and he's not orange, and there's green in there as well, and I am nearly done with the orange on this page now.

I could get used to having all this time off, it means that I actually have progress to show, don't get used to it, I'm back to work next week, so it'll be back to having nothing much to show.

And finally, the blanket reappears, I did promise that it would, and that it would have actually grown, which is has. It hasn't grown as much as I was planning for it to after my week off, but at least I've actually got some progress to show, and I will have more to show next week as well.

So rotation, cough cough. So, as I said, Dragon Rider will stand firm, every third page that I work on will be Dragon Rider, because I'm determined to finish it one of these days, but there may be some new starts sneaking into my future, in fact there may be quite a few, so much for no new starts, I'm so weak!

I will be a better blogger

 I'm determined to be a better blogger this year than I was towards the end of last year, both here and on harrogate craftwork group, and so far I'm managing it, although I admit that it is still early in the year. Here's my crochet blanket, it's definitely growing, I've done quite a chunk since last week so I'm quite proud of that. This is intended as a gift so I'm working hard.

Secondly Dragon Rider is slowing growing, although slowly is the operative phrase. I'm on holiday the last week in February, and I'm determined to be working on A Stitch in Time that week, which means that I've got three weeks to finish this page, and also the page that I was working on Heroes and Heroines. I suspect that I'm being a little optimistic, I usually am, but it's always fun to have something to aim for. This is a bit of a boring page if I'm honest, which isn't really helping. It's all green and brown, and there isn't really anything happening in it.

Needle and hook

I hoped to get loads of stitching done this week, and I've managed precisely none. However, I'm hoping to finally get needle and thread out this week, house stuff does keep getting in the way though. In the mean time I have managed a few more rows on the blanket, although I'm aware that it doesn't make for the most exciting photo updates.

Welcome to 2016

So I started 2016 well, after saying that I was going to be a better blogger than I have been recently in 2016 this is then my first post of the year, Bad blogger! Bad Kim! Anyway, I have an excuse, we moved house last weekend, so we've been a bit busy, and the new house is in utter chaos, but after such a stitching drought I've been able to get my stitching out again in the last couple of days, and my ripple blanket is finally back out as well. I'm back on to this one having not worked on it in some time, this is now my priority crochet please as this is the next deadline that I have. But that deadline is May, so I think I should be fine for a while yet. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed working on it, it's been quite relaxing sat under a blanket working on this this afternoon. I have ridiculously ambitious crochet plans for this year, I've never really been one for starting off small. I have this and my neon blanket to finish, both as gifts, planning for my graphgan, plus my beautiful wool that I need to choose a pattern for, and as we've just moved I'm debating something for the colour scheme in our new living room as well, well, who needs sleep :-) 

And ten this beauty has finally made it out as well. Dragon Rider, my priority piece (haha) finally gets a bit of attention, and again, I've rather enjoyed working on it, it's stitched up faster than I thought it would, although I now find myself getting a little frustrated by my projects that are full crosses, it just seems so slow compared to tent. Everything that I start new is now tented, but everything that I started in full crosses I will finish off that way (of course).

Talking of everything I start, oh dear, A Stitch in Time was planned as a new start for me this year, and it still is, as was Harley Quinn, which will also happen. But, I'm sure many of you have seen over the last few days we've suffered the deaths of two of my earliest crushes, David Bowie and Alan Rickman, (although having re-watched the Three Amigos this week, I've remembered that he was my other earliest crush, judging by which he probably needs to look after himself over the next couple of weeks, but I digress...) I loved David Bowie in Labyrinth (still one of my favourite films ever) and was lucky enough to meet him many years ago, although so many years ago that I was quite young, maybe six or seven, possibly even slightly younger, and so unfortunately have very little memory of it, but I do remember that he held a door open and bowed to me, and was apparently (according to my mum anyway) quite charming to me, which makes me happy, I'd be heart broken to hear that he was any other way. And I have loved Alan Rickman in everything that I've ever seen him, yes her often plays a villain and someone a bit slimey and creepy, but I didn't love him any less, be he Obidiah Slope in Barchester Chronicles, to Jamie in Truly Madly Deeply, his fantastic turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood and arguably his most famous role of Snape in Harry Potter. Anyway, as a lot of stitchers are also absolute geeks (as I'm sure many of you know) there has been talk of beautiful charts in commemoration of both. Daniel Kordek who is licensed to Tilton Crafts has released a lovely image of Jareth and Sarah and has been charted, it can be found here. There is also talk of a Snape chart being released as well. And Aimee Stewart is working on a Labyrinth inspired piece that will go to HAED when it's completed, so that is a possible three more new starts that weren't planned, as I would like to do something (possibly two) to both of them.

Anyway, this is a lot more rambly then my usual posts, as I've actually written and not just put up pictures.

Happy stitching all!

I've been a very bad blogger recently, I've also been a very bad stitcher, but I have been a much better crocheter recently. This is the start of a blanket that I'm making as a gift, world's simplest pattern, in the world's most garish yarn, I love it. I've also just discovered the Russian join, which is genius, it wouldn't work for colour changes, but for something like this where it's the same yarn over and over, it's great.

Secondly (and modelled by my rather chunky foot and shin)  is another gift that I'm working on (can you see a theme here?). These will be a pair of shark socks, so the shark is biting the ankle. They're fab, although I accept that this one doesn't look like much yet. But, considering that this pattern has been my absolute nemesis for the last 6 weeks, the fact that I've got this far is a miracle. I'm not wholly convinced that this is the right size for the intended person so I'm going to give them one with an IOU note for the second one.

Finally, I had a go with a pom pom maker for the first time today, it's easy, I like easy. This will be Rudolph's nose.

Hello blanket

I realised that it was a long time since I updated on my blanket, although it's also a while since I've had much time to work on it. However I've had the time to get back to it again and am loving it. I did all of the light green, finished the pink and started the dark green yesterday, so all in all it went well. 

And secondly, Heroes and Heroines appears as my HAED challenge on the Supersized page, I haven't managed much, but I have managed my 400 stitches, in fact I think this is about 800 (although once again I feel like 800 should look like more).