Tag: Work in Progress

Catching Up on 2020: How am I doing on my goals?

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What weird times we are now living in! When I first wrote my list of goals back in January, I never would have suspected a global pandemic to turn up – although who would have done? One of the few positives to come out of it is I have the opportunity to look at what I’ve achieved so far this year and work out what progress I can make on my goals during this extended lockdown. One thing I’ve been really struggling with so far (as I’m sure many others have as well) is trying to remain motivated to do things without a structure around my day. So I’m hoping that taking this moment to remind myself of my goals will help me come up with lots of plans for the next few weeks! Click below to keep reading about my 2020 so far.

Here’s a reminder of my goals for 2020!
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Bank Holiday Project Monday: ‘Reyna’ Knitted Shawl

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What did you do this Bank Holiday?

This time last year, a Bank Holiday meant another day at work for a little bit more pay. Now I’m  working and studying, they are a welcome reprise in an otherwise busy life. I have been looking forward to this for several weeks, literally counting down the days until it came along – since I spent my Easter bank holidays travelling to and from my parents!

Taking full advantage of this rest day, I spent my morning deep cleaning my flat – something that has needed to be done for quite some time! I then took Roxy for a little walk and got some work done, before diving back into one of my craft projects that has been pushed to the side for a while.

I’ve been working on this shawl since before Christmas, hoping that it would be done for the cold winter – and obviously failed! The pattern is by Noora Laivola and I found it over on Ravelry. (If you’re not familiar with Ravelry but love knitting and/or crochet, you need to check it out!) I’m using some gorgeous yarn from Sirdar (Sylvan, Broadleaf Colourway) that I fell in love with when I saw it. However, I failed to take into account the texture of this yarn’s impact on the outcome. As the yarn varies in width, some holes have come out bigger than others, and it’s looking a bit weird. I really love the colours though, so I’m willing to overlook the problems with it. It’s definitely taught me a lesson to remember in the future though.

How about you? How did you spend your bank holiday? Or for those across the seas, what would you do if you had a day off work right now? Join the conversation below!

Project Monday: The Secret Project

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AKA. Finally, A Wedding Present

When you’re invited to the wedding of two special people, you need a special wedding present. Traditionally, this is given, you know, at the wedding, But when you decide it needs to be handmade, even though you have zero time, sometimes the timeline…slips a little. Still, that makes it more of a surprise! After many months of work, I finally sent off a wedding present to my dear friends Emma and Jonny last week, and that means I can finally share it with you all!

Project Details

When I started on this project, I wasn’t sure who or what it was going to be for. As I flicked through CrossStitcher I came across the pattern and immediately fell in love. Then, just after I started working on it I found out that Jonny was planning to propose to Emma. Emma is one of the best bakers I’ve ever met, so the sentiment seemed perfect.

Who knows? If they’re really lucky, I might manage the matching cake band one day! Think I might need to tackle a few other works in progress first though.

Project Monday: Kitten & Puppy Bookmark

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Introducing Project Monday

Project Monday is the very exciting name I have given my posts about current projects. When do you get them? You guessed it, Mondays.

I have been experimenting with a range of crafts, from card making to cross stitch, which means there will hopefully be something for everyone in this segment! Soon, I’ll be announcing the craft challenges I have set myself, so you can have a go at them at home! If you want to get a sneak peak at what I’m working on, I post to my Instagram fairly regularly (check out the cat photos too!) Now, on to today’s post:

Puppy and Kitten Bookmarks

This week, we’re starting off with a very overdue birthday present for my two youngest sisters. Like me, they both love animals; Amy is studying to be a vet and Jessie is studying animal behaviour. They’re also avid readers, so when I spotted this pair of cross stitch bookmarks on holiday in Brugges, it seemed like perfect presents for them! I swapped out the colours of the paw prints on the pattern for their favourite colours to make them a little bit more personal.

A sephia tone puppy cross stitch bookmark posted as part of my Project Monday
Puppy getting started
A nearly finished puppy cross stitch bookmark in sephia tones
And the Puppy nearly finished

The kit has taken a little bit longer than expected – work always gets in the way! I’m hoping to get the second one finished today, before backing them in felt and giving them to my sisters.

A partly finished cross stitch kitten in sephia tones
Kitten Bookmark in Progress
A partly finished kitten bookmark posted as part of my Project Monday series
And the kitty again – nearly finished!

 

The kit is made by Vervaco. It proved a little difficult to find online, but I finally tracked it down for sale here.