One Monthly Goal for February

No.  I did not complete my January’s One-Monthly-Goal.  Too many things are happening at the same time.  So I am setting the same goal for February and that is to complete my Jane Eyre shawl.  You can read about it here

Just before I wrote this post, I’d just realised I had made a mistake in one of the rows in this last section that I am knitting.  Sigh.  I will need to frog it.  The good thing is, this problem is solvable, unlike some of the other problems …

Linking up with One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

2018 Finish-Along Goals for Q1

Out of the 12 goals that I set for myself for 2017 Q4, I only managed to finish 3 of them.  Upon reviewing them I decided to port over a few of the goals to Q1 of 2018, drop a few and modify a few.  You will notice that my goals involved quite a bit of knitting and they are mainly Susan B Anderson’s pattern.  So here is my list.

Goal #1

To finish piecing and quilting the Spinning Quilt.  This pattern is by Cooking Up Quilts.  I am a slow stitcher and this pattern has a number of small pieces.

Goal #2

I started on another quilt which has a rather tight deadline.  It is to be gifted to a young couple.  Feeling rather stressed now.

Goal #3

To make a Tea Cozy.  This Tea Cozy is the request of my husband’s niece who is in UK.  I am really grateful to her for being such fantastic host to my daughter when she visited her in UK.  I am using scrap materials for this tea cozy.

Goal #4

I had wanted to knit another Opal sock bunny but did not manage to.  So for this quarter I have decided to make the smaller version of the Opal sock bunny.  Susan B Andersen, the designer of this Opal sock bunny, has a pattern for the smaller version and this is so good for using up leftover yarns from the various projects.

Goal #5

To knit A Bear and A Bunny Suit, pattern by Susan B Anderson.  I have pink and dark brown yarn, very similar to the one that Susan knitted.

Goal #6

To knit Baa, another pattern by Susan B Anderson.  I love the colour combination that Susan used so I bought similar coloured yarn, hoping to knit one like hers.

Goal #7

To knit Hedgie, another pattern by Susan B Anderson.  I am going to use the same brown yarn that I have for A Bear and A Bunny Suit.  I love knitting amigurumis as they are fast to complete.

Goal #8

To knit Squirrel and Acorn.  The grey used for the squirrel’s coat will also be used for Baa’s face.  Once again another pattern by Susan B Anderson.

Goal #9

To finish the applique, My Funny Valentine, and then quilt it.

Goal #10

Sunbonnet Sue purse.  Another WIP waiting to be completed into a small coin purse.

I realised I am very good at starting new projects but not very good at completing them.  This is definitely not good.  I must do something about this habit.

Linking up with 2018 FAL

 

One Monthly Goal for January

I started this shawl on a whim in November last year when I had a dozen UFOs/WIPs to complete.  I was trying to finish my goals for 2017 FAL Q4 and yet I just could not resist this Jane Eyre Shawl.  I found the pattern in a book by Nikol  Lohr in the school library.

The pattern is well written.  Before each section of the shawl, Nikol explained the ‘construction’ so it was very clear to me what I was knitting.  I would say it is suitable for a confident beginner like me.  However, in my anxiety to complete the shawl, I made mistakes along the way and that slowed down my progress.  I had to ‘unpick’ the stitches to back track.  As the saying goes, More Haste Less Speed.  After frogging for about the 5th time, I decided to slow down and enjoy the process rather than rush through it.

You can see in the picture below that it is a BIG shawl.

 

I am knitting the last section now and it should be finished by the end of January.  Wish me luck.

Linking up with One Monthly Goal 

and Can I get a Whoop Whoop

Goals of 2018

This should have been done earlier cos today is already 2018 (Singapore time) but better late than never.  I shall divide my goals for the new year into 2 main categories: Crafty goals and Personal goals.  The goals are listed below not by order of priority.

Crafty goals

1.  To knit more.

In 2017, I picked up crochet and knitting again after a span of about 20 years.  I realise I enjoy knitting very much but my repertoire of knitting stitches is very limited.  I would like to learn to knit more in this new year and to knit a pair of socks and a sweater.

2.  To do more machine embroidery

I have a stock of machine embroidery designs that I had purchased in the past.  Many of these designs are wall hanging designs.  I aim to stitch at least 2 of these wall hanging designs out this year.

3.  To piece more quilt tops using my  stash of specialty rulers

First I have to restrain myself from purchasing more rulers and instead to use them to piece more quilt tops.

Personal goals

1. To be more physically active in order to keep fit.  One of the reasons why I do not do much long arm quilting these past months is because my feet have been hurting.  I think if I keep myself more fit I will be more productive in my crafty pursuits.
2. To cherish my husband more.  I heard a broadcast on Focus on the Family and the speaker talked about cherishing your spouse.  I did not do that very well in 2017.  After more than 20 years of marriage it is quite easy to take my husband for granted.  I must make effort to show appreciation for him and for the things he does for the family.
3. To be more patient with my children.  Again I did not do this very well.  Juggling full time work with family and hobbies is not easy.  I need to prioritise.  Family must always come first.
4. To read the Bible regularly if not everyday.  There is a saying, A Day Hem in Prayer Is Less Likely to Unravel.

I have listed my goals.  We will see how I fare come end of this year.

I am linking up with 2018 planning party

Quilt completed – Finish-Along 2017

This was quilted and bound about a month ago but I did not get a chance to do a post on it until now.  It is a single size quilt.  Very muted colours as it is meant for a gentleman.  I quilted feathers on the stripes  It took me longer than I expected.

The gentleman who received it was very happy and that is all that matters. 🙂

This was Goal #4 of my Q4 FAL for 2017.

Linking up with 2017 Q4 FAL

 

Wristlet Pouch – Finish Along 2017 and Bag It

This was a relatively easy project to complete but I procrastinated.  However I still managed to finish the pouch in time for Bag It and also met my goal (Goal #6) for Q4 Finish-Along 2017.

The front of the pouch

The back of the pouch

The inside of the pouch

 

I added a store bought label on the lining.  I have been toying with the idea of purchasing customised labels, labels with my blog name, The Biasedge.  It is definitely easier to label my projects.  Well one of these days I might just go ahead and order some.

I used bright red zipper as accent as the whole pouch looks kind of dull.  The pattern called for 10″ zipper but I happened to have a 8″ one so to lengthen the zipper I added a fabric tab at the end of the zipper.  If you look closely at the picture above where the zipper pull is, you will see that there is an extension of the zipper made of dark blue fabric after the zipper pull.  I feel that this makes the installation of the zipper neater.  I have also added interfacing to the strap thus making it stiffer.  If you are making a stiffer strap, do remember to change your sewing machine needle to a bigger size (I use size 18) or else the needle might break as it has to go through many layers.

Coincidentally, Mary of The Daily Sew shared views similar to mine regarding stiffening of the strap and adding fabric tab at the end of the zipper.  She did a pattern review of this wristlet pouch 2 years ago.

I am linking up with Bag It  and Let’s Bee Social

Linking up with 2017FAL Q4.  My Goals for 2017 FAL Q4

November OMG accomplished

I completed my November OMG and the finished product is gifted away to a colleague who will be going to the States for a few years with her husband, who is sent there for work.  See the happy lady. 🙂  The pair of arms belong to yours truly.  I was helping her put on the hat.

The pattern for this hat came from Lion Brand yarn website.  It is meant for both men and women.  Most of the time when I start on a project, I do not know who exactly is my recipient.  So such unisex projects are good for me.

Before gifting it to my colleague, I asked my son to model the hat for me.  He was not very willing but after some persuasion, he gave in.

I am linking up with OMG at Elm Street Quilts and Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

 

Setting November One Monthly Goal

I saw that Spotlight Singapore was having a sale on yarns last month.  I got my daughter who happened to be near Spotlight Singapore to buy a skein home for me to try.  I wanted to try knitting a size 5 or 6 yarn (bulky yarn) as I had new chunky knitting needles.  So naturally I asked her to buy Heartland Thick and Quick as the yarn is machine washable and can be tumble dried.  I wasted no time to cast on enough stitches to knit a blanket and after knitting 3 rounds, I was satisfied that Thick and Quick was what I needed for the blanket.  With some quick Math I decided that I would need 14 skeins.

Next day, I made my way to Spotlight Singapore after work, solely with the intention to get my yarn.  To my utter disappointment, Heartland Thick and Quick was no more on sale!  What was I to do with 1 skein of bulky yarn?  I searched around the internet and found a few hat patterns that require 1 skein per hat.  I decided on a pattern by Lion Brand yarn called His or Her Hat.

I have started the hat with ribbing.  So far so good.  This is my November OMG.

On another note, if you remember I gave my mother-in-law a crocheted goldfish.  Well, she is now ‘keeping’ the goldfish in her fish tank.  LOL

It looks kind of lonely.  I will have to add more goldfishes into the tank.  🙂

I am linking up with ElmStreet Quilt One Monthly Goal

One Monthly Goal finish

My OMG for October is completed.  I set out to finish Spud and I did.  It required knitting in rounds.  The instructions called for the use of double pointed needles but I used Magic Loop Knitting instead.  It was an enjoyable knit.

Another look at Spud with a dark background.

 

Beth from Cooking Up Quilts posted an encouraging comment on my last post.  I told her I would post pics of my disastrous sock.  Here goes.

If you look at the cuff closely in the pic below you will see that I got mixed up between knit and purl stitches.

You will also notice laddering of stitches at the sole area of the sock in the pic below.

I am definitely revisiting socks again. I just need time.

I am linking up with One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts and Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts

 

1st Finish of Q4 FAL Goals

Goal #1 is completed.  I posted my completed Opal Sock Bunny on Instagram a few weeks ago.

I realised I enjoy knitting more than crocheting.  Maybe it’s because there are many more techniques to learn in knitting than in crocheting.  The pic below shows the picking up of stitches for the arm of the bunny.  I hope to use the techniques learnt here in sock knitting.  My first attempt at sock knitting was a disaster.

Next up I need to finish the quilt using the Spinning pattern by Cooking Up Quilts.

See my Q4 Goals here.

Linking up with Main Crush Monday.

Linking up with 2017FAL Q4