Craftings November 2025

1. Cross stitch in all the high temperatures for October

2. Cross stitch all the high temperatures for November

3. Cross stitch all the high temperatures for September

4. Knit 30 squares on Domino Riot

Half Year Round Up of Crafting Projects

So far this year, I have made:

Two large gift bags

Five crocheted dishcloths

Two twiddle muffs and a fidget mitt

Two knitted facecloths

Two crocheted sun hats

A crocheted bag

A crocheted cardigan

A pair of knitted socks

That's 17 projects.

Another Crocheted Hat

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft 

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: French Navy

Pattern: Crocheted Sun Hat

Hook: 4.5mm

Amount used: 100g

My new hat is complete. The depth of the crown in a little bit smaller, but that's what I was able to achieve using just the one ball of yarn. I might need to use a hat pin. But we'll see.

The sun hat was finished yesterday, whilst the sky was grey and the heavens were crying!  Hopefully there will be clear days ahead when a sun hat will be able to be used.

And that's another project finished for my Me-Made 100 Days.

Face Cloths

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft 

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: Honey

Pattern: Spa Day Facecloth

Needles: 4mm

Amount used: 50g

When I made the dishcloths for Cat, the Offspring mentioned using them as facecloths. I discouraged this as the yarn, and the stitch I used were great for dishcloths, but a bit too rough for the face. 

I said I'd make some facecloths. Cat explained that if they were made in white cotton she would be unable to used, to sully them with makeup. A compromise was reached, and foundation-coloured facecloths were made.

After the knitting was done, they at in my sitting room, only needing the ends weaving in. They sat there far too long, all for 4 ends. Eventually, they were finished and handed over.

Figgy Socks

And done!

I shall admit it, I was a little worried that when I started the crocheted cardigan these socks would become yet another work in progress. 

To prevent this happening, I decided to do at least one round on knitting on each sock each evening. That was the aim, but I got a bit carried away, and then I realised they were had reached the point for shaping for the toe. The knitting was completed last night, and this morning the toes were grafted closed and the ends woven in.

Done.

Buttons!

Over the weekend, the Beloved and I have counted loads of buttons from the shop. Between us, it came in at 8 hours of work.  I've seen buttons I didn't know we had.  But I'm now a little sick of buttons.

My Little Octopus

A little while back I forgot to take my Temperature Blanket in to work, and needed a lunch time crafting distraction. The week before, a customer had brought in Women's Weekly; this had patterns for an octopus, knitted and crocheted. I saved the pattern for a colleague, and took a fancy to making an octopus myself. But the tentacles looked wrong. So, as per usual, I redesigned the whole thing.

Yarn: King Cole Giza Sorbet 4ply
Composition: 100% Cotton
Colour: Magical (white and lilac)
Size: baby
Hook: 2.5mm
Amount used: 50g
Started: 8th June 2020
Finished: 18th June 2020

Temperature Blanket 2020 - Jan & Feb

January and February have been completed.

Lavender is used for the days when the high temperature has been 6-8°C, aubergine for 9-11°C, and lapis for 12-14°C.

March will have seven lavender rows, 21 aubergine, and three lapis.

Chevron Quilt - Update

I have been making progress on the Chevron Quilt. All of the strip sets have been created, and six of the ten sets have been made into squares.

There is a problem though, I will be able to create 100 squares, but this will provide a square quilt measuring 45" (114cm). This is not going to be a useful size of quilt.

There are six other fabrics I could use to make additional strip sets.

A Little Bit of Love

This year  was meant to be the Island's first Pride, but Covid-19 came along and put paid to that idea. Instead, more effort is going to be put into Pride 2021. 

I've started doing a little stitching with that in mind. So, here's a little bit of love, well the first two letters.

One Old, One New

My aim just now is to finish projects by alternating between UFOs and brand new projects. 

After finishing Ducky Duck Duck Duck, I tried to make a crocheted hat. This was frogged a number of times, and an knitted one was made instead. The leafy design is from Arne and Carlos' Quarantine Knitting KAL. It is one band of "Golden Pothos".

Whilst looking for fabric to start a new project I came across a hat needing four ends to be sewn in. (Why do I do this?!) Anyway, it will be a very quick UFO to complete.

Ducky Duck Duck Duck

It's finished! IT'S FINISHED! The Duck quilt has been completed! Yippee!

The first time I blogged about this was back in June 2018. It's taken almost 2 years, and it's appeared in the 'Goals' numerous times, but no more. It is done. 

This is the first quilt I have made using applique (ducks), and also using a walking foot (quilted waves). I've learned a few other things. The most notable is 'Don't sew on embellishments until the quilting is done.' I had sewn the button eyes on before I had finished the hand quilting of the clouds. The thread kept getting tangled around the buttons. At one stage I thought of cutting the buttons off, and reattaching them after quilting.

I Did a Crochet!

I've been able to crochet for quite a number of years. My Mam taught me when I was little, but it didn't stick. I had to fiddle with yarn and a hook to remember how to do it, 'Fiddling' is a good description. I've been able to do it, but haven't attached names to the stitches, nor been able to follow a pattern. 

Bella Coco on youtube has proved to be very useful, as has this guide to Basic Stitches. Using these two sources, I have now learned slip stitch, double, half treble, treble, double treble, quatro treble and quin treble. And, I feel terribly clever.

First Completed Project of Self-Isolation

I have made a cleaning pad for my steam mop, and it is working really well. The original pad was a bit of towelling that was meant to attach to the base of the mop. It wasn't fantastic at staying on. My crocheted version covers the base (as can be seen from the photograph), but also comes up over the sides and is secured by a drawstring. It stays in place extremely well. 

When I've finished my self-isolation time I'm going to buy some more cotton to make a few more pads. The cotton in the picture is King Cole Cottonsoft in the colour Aquas. I must admit to having thoughts regarding buying more of this colour and making a top for myself. It's so pretty.

The cleaning pad has been used in the kitchen this morning. Perhaps I need to make many more cleaning accessories, just to help me want to clean. :o)

B*tchcraft

Yesterday after "Shut Up, and Write" had finished, we were talking about "Women in Mann" and their crafting group, "B*tchcraft". When I was at home I looked at the facebook page and saw there was a gathering this afternoon. A few messages were sent out, and four of us headed down to the session.

It was good. I finished the face cloth I'm making for the Geek, and also a few make up removed pads. We all enjoyed ourselves and decided to go along to the monthly sessions. The next couple of meetings will be able making things Pride related.

A Doing Day

For the first time in a great long time, I have had a doing day. 

Things done today include four loads of laundry, baking a carrot cake, helping the Geek to declutter, watching the American television's Dirk Gently, finishing the pink hat, and doing quite a lot of knitting on the Beloved's hat.  His hat is grey chunky alpaca. It's a hairy beast, and the front of my top and skirt are now also hairy! It's just as well I love the guy.

I am feeling content and accomplished. Not a bad state of being on a Friday afternoon.

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The Beloved and I went out on a date this evening, and I finished his hat for him to wear on the way home.

A Crown for the Beloved

The Beloved was in the shop the other day and spotted an alpaca hat. He was rather taken with it, and asked if I might be able to knit him a new hat. A good few years ago I knitted him a red woollen hat. It's great, it's warm, but when he gets hot the hat starts to make him itchy. The hope was the alpaca would not do the same thing.

The hat has been started. It's a bit unusual. Twenty four stitches were cast on, and a cabled strip will be knitted. When it's the right size to fit around his head I'll join the ends and then pick up 72sts  from one edge. This will form the main part of the hat.  

The yarn is King Cole Alpaca Chunky in grey. The balls are 50g, and I expect to use 2 balls.

New Techniques

This morning, I was telling Margaret about my Sigma 10 challenge. My Sigma 10 list is:

10 hats 

9 audiobooks listened to 

8 short stories written 

7 new techniques 

6 patterns written 

5 quilts 

4 blanket 

3 cardigans/sweaters 

2 skirts made 

1 guest bedroom created

I have made 13 hats this month, and as of yesterday, I had learned how to do loom knitting. Whilst talking with Margaret I explained I pick up a hook, twist and hook and do stuff. There were a few stitches I could already do, but had no idea what they were called. Margaret helped me put names and stitches together, and she also taught me to work 'corner to corner'. 

That was an interesting one as I was trying, and trying, and thing were looking weird, then suddenly I said "I know how to do it!", ripped things out and executed the stitch perfectly. I don't know what I was doing wrong, nor what clicked, but I can do it now.

February Hatathon

A standard hatathon is completed by finishing 26 hats in one month. This year, I'm going crazy, and I'm attempting a double hatathon. That's right, I'm planning to finish 52 hats this month.

Woolly Chewy

How best to keep warm on a cold winter's night? Snuggle up beside Chewbacca!

A good few years ago, I made a Cookie Monster hot water bottle cover for Stitch. It has served her well. Unforunately, her partner, Lilo has taken a liking for it, and regularly smuggles (or is that snuggles?) it.

The time has come for Lilo to have his own snuggly hot water bottle cover, and that's why I've just started knitting Chewbacca.