FO: Granny Square Blanket

Blankets seem to be my go-to projects these days - I think it's because they are something lovely and quick to work on. I can see progress quickly, which is particularly nice at the moment!

I'm pleased with this one - so simple, but very cozy, and quite effective I think!
(Yes, those are sheep stuffed animals on the bed... consequences of being a knitter - lots of sheep gifts!)

The greens, golds and coppers don't show up very well in the photograph, but the marbled yarn changing colours whilst working on it was very comforting...

Yarn: James C Brett Marble DK
Hook: 6.5mm
Pattern: Just a simple granny square...

Just under 2 weeks to go until my last ever assignments are in! I can't believe it, but am very much looking forward to having some time to work on personal projects - I have another blanket on the go, as well as a growing reading list, and I have a trip to plan and learn the language for! Lots of exciting things to look forward to!

What have you been working on recently? I'd love to hear!

FO: Pinks and Blues...

Look! I have something to show you! Something more exciting than links! Can you guess what it is?

 
The finished blanket! I'm so pleased with how it turned out - I almost didn't want to give it away!

 
And it has the bonus use of being a cape! (Thank you to my boyfriend for being such a good model and humouring me taking all these photos!)

Pattern: TinyTinBird's Granny Square method for the granny squares, and Attic24's for the Join-As-You-Go method...
Yarn: Scraps from the Knit-A-Soc stash...
Hook Size: 4mm

Hopefully this will provide someone at the hospice with lots of happiness!

Friday Link Love...

Hello? Is anybody there?
Seems this whole blogging thing kind of goes in waves for me - sometimes I'm really good at it, and other times I get busy and it falls to the wayside. (Although I'm still very active on Instagram!)
Between essay reading and assignment writing, I have still managed to find some fun Friday links for you though!

These slippers are the CUTEST! Definitely will have to make a pair...

Yep! I can totally relate to this list.

Ever wondered what someone would do with 9000 post-it notes?

I have set myself the challenge to read 30 books in 2015... So far I've read 10, and am always looking for new books! Are there any you would recommend?

I'm really into doing my nails at the moment, as they are a little bit of colour to cheer me up, and Grace's nails are a wonderful source of inspiration!

I couldn't not include this video in the links - mom dancing is the best!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bekah Learns to Sew (Part 2)

And so the story continues... a girl with a dream of patchwork jeans, attempting to face the big scary sewing machine... part one to this story was pretty dramatic - brace yourselves for part two!

Aren't those colours pretty? Yesterday afternoon was declared sewing time - tunes were on, had some trusty snacks on hand (because Jelly Beans make everything better!)

Everything was pinned into place, and off I went! :-D Sewing the strips onto the foundation fabric proved to not be that difficult (remembering to iron in between seams)... especially since everything was pinned within an inch of it's life - the pile of pins after half a seam to prove it...

After sewing, pressing, and squaring up, I ended up with two rather lovely cuffs for my jeans, and ended the day very happy with what I had managed to accomplish :-)

The drama all began this morning... I woke up feeling very positive, thinking I had but 4 little seams to go, and then I would be done! Little did I know...

I joined each cuff in the round, and then began to pin it to the jean leg... but alas, disaster! It was too small! I knew it would be a tight fit (the rotary cutter, ruler and I were not very good friends - I had to battle them all the way through!), but not as much as this... I just knew I would end up with puckers and so many issues, that I decided that there was only one solution - add more fabric! Out came the seam ripper, and they once again reverted to how they were in the above photo... I figured out what size piece I needed (including seam allowances), and cut it out using a template I made. I was so stressed out with the rotary cutter and ruler by this point that doing it the old fashioned way seemed to be my only hope...

The additions...

I only realised after I joined them that lime green may not be the most co-ordinating of fabrics, but left them, thinking they were a quirky reminder of all the work put into these cuffs!

It was only now that I could truly enjoy the feeling of having 4 seams to go! I joined them in the round, pressed them into place, and sewed them to the jeans... 3 years after first starting to piece the cuffs, I am quite pleased with them!

And because I like to make more work for myself, I also did a bit of hand-stitching around the top of the cuffs and the pockets...

As much as this project has been stressful, and taken a few years to truly complete, I am quite pleased with the result, and have learnt a few things about myself too:

- Whereas hand-piecing makes me feel like I am in a Jane Austen novel, I feel more like something from a Stephen King novel when machine sewing!
- Never have I ever talked to myself (or my project) more than when working on this - "Please work, please work, please work!"
- I think I better leave sewing to my mom... yarn and I have a better relationship than I do with fabric!

Hope you've enjoyed reading about my sewing adventures!

Little Knits...

In my previous post, I mentioned that I had been working on another few bits and pieces for charity...

First are these Innocent Smoothie Hats for their Big Knit... I know I'm far too late for this year's campaign, but I'm sure they will run it again, so I'm thinking I've just got a super head start for next time!!

They are so quick to knit, so adorable, and quite addictive! I never realised how fun pompoms were to make until I did these!

Also on the needles are a few ADAPT triangles... I was sent some pastel yarns, so I am thinking they will be split between the triangles and some preemie knits for the local hospital.

It has been mostly charity knitting recently... not much for myself. I'm finding charity knits are smaller and so easier to work on in between other things - they are portable too, which is a bonus!

WIP: Charity Blanket

Between assignment deadlines and having a horrendous cold, I haven't had the chance to work on all that much recently - just a few bits and pieces for charity. Some of which I will post in a few days, but first I wanted to show you that there has been progress on the blanket!

It had started to be put together in this post, and now it looks like this!

I've not been putting many together, but I have been churning out the coloured centres, and they are all finished... I just love the colours!

Aren't they pretty?

Another afternoon of Netflix and joining these squares and I should make good progress :-)

What have you been working on?

Friday Link Love

Happy Friday!
Seems like I've not stopped moving all week - this weekend is my last busy one before work deadlines, after that things should hopefully slow down to a nicer pace.
I've still managed to find some cool links for you though!

I love this room - so beautiful.

We can solve everything with a bit of knitted love.

You know I'm a fan of charity knitting - this project is a little different, but still for a good cause!

Looking forward to this book - I'm still a kid at heart!

Big Knitting.

Are you getting a lot of snow at the moment? Here's what you could do with it.

This video is mesmerizing - so cool!

Finally, why don't you treat yourselves to these cookies? I made some last week and they were great!

Have a great weekend!