FNWFs August and Chookshed Challenge

 Many thanks to Cheryll for organising our Friday again - you can see who else took part here.

I spent Friday visiting Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham, a 3 1/4 hour coach trip which meant I spent more time on the coach than at the show, but it was worth it!

I have lots of photographs to share but will do that in a separate post.

On the way there, once on the motorway, I was able to get on with some knitting and did most of what you see here. Too tired to knit on the way back - I read instead.

The first sock was finished earlier in the week.

No Stitch Journal on Friday, I had to catch up on Saturday - here is my last week.

And the whole of July

This months Chookshed Challenge number is #7 which for me is to make a cover for this little sketchbook.

You can read about how I made this book back in 2017 here. Since then I have been working, on and off, into the pages with a mostly butterfly and middle eastern theme.

I plan to take some of the shapes and patterns from the pages and use them on the cover - but need to get my thinking cap on!

Finally some purchases from FOQ starting with some blue fabrics to use with the yellow hexies I worked on for the Chookshed Challenge back in January.

A Sue Hawkins kit - my thread cutter is always getting lost so hopefully this will help me keep track of it.

a selection of threads

some vintage bits

and some lovely eco dyed fabric.

If you are still with me then thank you! And I will see you soon with some FOQ pictures.

Chookshed Challenge #9

 It is nice to have this finished well before the end of the month. It went together well - I think because I was very careful with my cutting and machining.  The pages of this book were one per month for my Stitch Journal 2024 and each month followed the RSC colours - two birds etc. I used Karen Turner's stitch journal templates for 2023. It has made up into a nice zig zag book and will make a great stitch reference book.

The front cover opens out to reveal January and February

March and April

May and June

Back cover

July and August

September October

November and December

The front and back covers are stiffened with mountboard, but the pages are not stiffened.

Many thanks to Deana for organising the Chookshed Challenge - I will be linking up with her later in the month.

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Now to this weeks Stitch Journal.

Having completed the zig zag book I have had time to concentrate on my knitting and this sock is coming along a treat. Up to the toe now. The colour repeat is unusual and having had a pink cuff and a pink heel I was hoping for a pink toe but it looks like it is going to be mostly yellow.

I treated myself to another new start and purchased the Ryegrass sock pattern from Winwick Mum. I had this yarn left over from a previous pair of socks.

The pattern is a mosaic design which uses two colours but only one colour in each row. I am pleased with how it is knitting up.

Looking forward to getting more of this knitted up over the weekend. See you next week.

FNSI July

 Another week has passed and I have a few things to share.

Friday afternoon of course started with my Stitch Journal - here is how it has progressed in the last week.

The two lavender bushes were Fridays contribution. All plants based - roughly - on what we have in the garden at the moment.

After that I pulled my sewing machine out of it's hidey hole and put together the zig zag book using last years Stitch Journal pages.

I still need to add card to the two end panels and sew them up so full reveal next week.

Thanks to all the football (we won whopee!) and cricket I was able to finish off the socks. Here they are in all their glory.

These were made using King Cole Zig Zag, colourway Dragonfly. A new to me yarn which knitted up well and I am pleased with the result. Will have to hear from the recipient about how they wash up and, as they are a Christmas present, that will not be too soon!

Then because there was more cricket Friday evening, I started a new pair of socks!

Again, another 'new to me' yarn. This one is Funny Feetz (I think - some helpful person stuck the price label over what I think is etz) by James C Brett. Am wondering how this is going to work out colourwise as that looks like a lot of pink in one block. It's wool, polyamide and bamboo and is knitting nicely so far.

Otherwise I have been playing in my sketchbooks this week and looking at some art history. The weather has cooled somewhat and we have had a little rain - more on the way tonight and tomorrow which will be nice.

While I have been sitting in the garden this week I have noticed we have plenty of Peacock Butterflies, they do love our buddleia.  This one posed beautifully on our umbrella.

Many thanks to Wendy for organising our Friday and to everyone who joined it. Have a lovely week.

Saturday Catchup

 And we have another mini heatwave here in UK - clear blue skies and 30+ temperatures for a few days. I have been making good use of the extra time indoors and completed the stitching on the cover panels for my book. My Chookshed Challenge for the month.

I had an afternoon to myself and had planned to trim all the panels and get them stitched together.

But by the time I had them all trimmed I was too hot to think about lugging the machine out of it's hidyhole, so now that is a job for next week.

My Stitch Journal has progressed and I am taking inspiration from the garden at the moment.

I have completed my little stitchery roundel for the Christmas Tree skirt

and have been knitting my way through more cricket and football. Have now turned the heel on my second sock and am on the home straight!

I am off to find the fan again - hope you have a great week. xx

FNWFs July and Chookshed Challenge #9

 Many thanks to Cheryll for our get together last night - the link is here to see who took part.

I of course, worked first on my stitch journal and earlier this week I started on a new one. The fabric I am using is something I picked up from a charity shop and is probably cotton. It was a bag 18" wide and I am not sure of the other dimension however when I got it apart - it was very firmly stitched together -  it is over a yard long. I am wondering if it was a nightdress case. The flap is embroidered with thickish white thread which I plan to work with/over when I get to it. I purchased online another spool - not as nice as the previous one as it has been smartened up although it is old. This one holds a strip of 6" fabric which was convenient as I was able to cut my fabric neatly into three. Anyway, less waffle, more pictures!

and a close up of this week

Bottom right is todays stitching which was inspired by our visit earlier today to the kitchen garden at Knightshayes.

The rest of my Friday was spent watching cricket - test match followed by T20 - and so sock knitting was ideal and I am now making good progress on my second sock.

This months Chookshed Challenge no is #9 and on my list that is to make last years stitch journal pages into a book.

These are the pages

and the plan is a zigzag book. I have it in my mind, and hope it will work in practise! Anyway, I have made a start on the front and back panels. The first one will will have 2024 embroidered on it but so far all I have done is the border using Reversed Buttonhole Bar starting with a fairly random row of buttonhole.

This is as far as I have got with the back panel

I mentioned earlier that we visited Knightshayes today and I will leave you with a few pictures from the lovely kitchen gardens. Have a great weekend.