Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 2

 Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 2

This project started badly and my luck hasn’t got any better!

Colour Problem

 

I have to be honest I have dropped a right Clanger. What I intended to do was Knit Plain Stitch around and around. For those that do not know this would give the same effect as Stocking Stitch.

The plan was great apart from one tiny detail. I had forgotten that I would be Changing Colours constantly. By Knitting in a Circle all the Tails would be at the wrong end.

Twisted Stitches

 

I therefore changed to Stocking Stitch. When I got to the end I noticed yet another Clanger. At one point I had dropped the Knitting and got it all Tangled.

I hadn’t noticed that when I started Knitting again that I had Twisted the Wool. Therefore I had created another Problem. After already Restarted once I was reluctant to do so again especially as this time I would have to undo all the Colours.

Time to Grow

Having Bit the Bullet I decided to deal with that particular Problem later with a bit of ingenious Sewing. I carried on Knitting until it got a bit longer. Then I needed to have a break before anything else went wrong.

Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 1

 Autumn Cape Bag 2022 Part 1

I have had a break from Knitting for a good while. Now I am getting back into it and I know Exactly what I want to make.

Wool and Needle Selection

 

I want to make a Bag to match my Autumn Cape. This is partly due to the numerous Balls of left over Wool. It was Knit Nottingham’s 12^th Anniversary so I bundled up what I had and went to get advice.

3.25mm Circular Needle

 

Eleanor was her fabulous self. Since the Bag would have to hold weight I wanted to discuss what size Needle I needed. We settled on my 3.25mm Circular Needle.

This is so when I Knitted and Joined I would only have to do a Plain Stitch but the Resulting Pattern would be Stocking Stitch.

Split Wool

 

Trying to decide how many Stitches to Cast on was tricky. I thought I would put an even number on to make life easier. I cannot remember exactly but I think it was about 200.

The way I Knit it doesn’t make much difference because I can guarantee that I will end up either Dropping a Stitch or Making New ones. Probably both knowing me.

Piles of Split Wool

 

Disaster! As soon as I had got to the End of the first Row I found the Wool had Split. I decided not to continue until I got home. I got back and unpicked everything.

I decided to be on the safe side and completely Unravel the Ball of Wool. It is a good job I did. I found that the Wool was Split in several places.

Joining the Round

 

Eventually I found a Small Ball that was long enough to Cast on and Knit the first Row. I could now begin to Join and Knit in the Round.

https://knitnottingham.co.uk/

Footy Fun 2022 Part 4

 Footy Fun 2022 Part 4

The Outside is completed so I am moving on to the Inside. For those that follow Football it will not be a surprise to know that Nottingham has two main Football Clubs in the City. Therefore I am making this a Tale of Two Footies.

Black Out

 

I am fortunate in the fact that both Clubs have White as one Colour. So I only had to Cut Out, Glue and place two pieces of Black Felt on the Inside.

Wrong Way

 

Speaking of Football I could have Kicked myself for not spotting this. I had been so concerned about getting the Letters even that I hadn’t noticed that I had picked them up in the Wrong Order.

It should have been N.C.F.C which stands for Nottingham County Football Club which are affectionately known locally as ‘The Magpies’. This is not to be confused with Newcastle United.

Own Goal

Not only had I Glued the Letters in the Wrong Order I didn’t notice this until uploading the photographs. This was AFTER I had wrapped the darn Box.

So I had to carefully Unwrap the Box so I could reuse the paper as was getting low. I tried valiantly to remove the Letters without causing damage but to no avail. This was a real Own Goal.

N.C.F.C

In the end I had to Glue another piece of Black Felt on Top of the Original. This time I was extra careful about the Position of the Letters. Thankfully no harm done and I could Wrap it back up ready for the Solstice.

Footy Fun 2022 Part 3

 Footy Fun 2022 Part 3

The paint has dried and I can move on to the next part.

All Change

 

Looking at the above photograph I believe I made a mistake in a previous blog. I had used Fabric Glue just not for the Paper Covering.

Red Top

I Measured, Cut, and Glued a piece of Red Felt to both the Top and the Bottom of the Box.

Trimming Time

 

After the Red had dried I trimmed off any Excess White Felt. I think this is when I corrected the White Overlap on the Front of the Box. This recent illness has fogged my brain up.

 Template Time

Remember the small Scraps of Felt I had Ironed at the beginning of the project. I used these to make the Letters that I needed.

This was far more difficult than I anticipated. For some reason I couldn’t get the Letter N right. I ended up doing several before I was happy and could move on to the other Letters that I needed.

N.F.F.C

 

Eventually I managed to get all my Letters Cut Out. Next I had to place them. This was a little nerve wracking as if they were not spot on they would stick out like a sore Thumb.

Once placed I Glued the Backs and gently lowered them into position. I think since they were all drawn by eye rather than being measured I did rather well.

So there you have it one Covered Nottingham Forest Football Club Box for the use of.

Footy Fun 2022 Part 2

 Footy Fun 2022 Part 2

Short blog this week as not well.

Ironing Felt

I am going to use Felt to Cover the Box. However before I can do so I am going to have to Iron it. I have quite a pile to do and am also Ironing some scraps which I will use later.

Add Glue

 

I am going to use ordinary PVA Glue rather than fabric as I am a little low. Unfortunately the photograph of the Side didn’t come out so using a different one. The important thing is to make sure that the whole area is Covered or it will lift in the corners.

Overlap

 

I am putting White Felt all the way around the Sides of the Box. I have left a slight Overlap on the Front. This is so I can Trim the exact Shape.

Paint Edges

 

I could have Cut the Felt long enough to go over the Edge and down the other side. However I felt that this would impede the Lid from shutting. Therefore I decided to Paint the Edges White. I now need everything to dry before I carry on.

Footy Fun 2022 Part 1

Footy Fun 2022 Part 1

In case you have been living under a rock you cannot have failed to notice that there has been a lot of Footy about. Well it’s not over yet.

La Vega Coyrol

 

My boyfriend knowing that I like to do various craft projects presented me with this La Vega Coyrol Cigar Box. They were selling the Boxes off cheap and this was one of them.

Inside Cigar Box

 

As you can see in the above photographs the Box is covered with Stickers. It took me a good while to get all those off.

Paper Cover

 

What I hadn’t realised was that the Paper was holding the Lid on to the Box. This meant that I would have to Re-cover.

Cover Side

 

First of all I covered the Side of the Box and Glued the Paper on to the Front as well.

Cover Inner

 

I repeated the process with the Inside of the Cigar Box so it was Secured both Sides.

Oops Re-cover

Oops all that turning the Box has led to a weakness. I will need to Re-cover to Strengthen it.

Butterfly Banquet 2022 Part 3

 Butterfly Banquet 2022 Part 3

On to the next stage

Make a Hole

 

I had to add some Holes so I could put Thread through to hang it. I needed it equal so I decided to put the first one through near the Top or North North East if you prefer.

 

Thread and Knot

 

I cut a piece of String and Thread it through from the Back of the Dish. I then Tied a Knot to stop it coming through.

All Tied up

 

I then proceeded to repeat this process 3 more times. To strength I added extra Knots at the edges. Once done I Tied them altogether with a Central Knot. It would now be ready for use.

*****

As I stated previously the above Dish is just for show. This is because I neglected to take photographs when making the original. Here are some photographs of the Original in use.

Blueberries

 

Before you can Feed the Butterflies you need to add something to the Dish. Have you ever seen the expression of a Market Vendor when asking if they have any Rotten Fruit? 

This is because Butterflies are attracted to the decaying juices. I obtained some Blueberries and my Boyfriend kindly Hung up the Feeder for me. We had to hang it up High because of the Cats in the area.

 

Gone Windy

Just one thing. Don’t do it on a Windy day because this is what happens!

Butterfly Banquet 2022 Part 2

 Butterfly Banquet 2022 Part 2

After my nautical exploits I am returning to Terra Firma. Time to do the Colouring.

Yellow Centre

 This was the simplest part. I just got a Non Toxic Yellow Pen and Coloured in the Centre.

Gala Show

 

I then proceeded to colour in the Petals. The sponge had come off a Bingo Pen so I decided waste not want not and used that. I applied it using a Brush. It doesn’t matter if it was toxic or not as this is a display only creation.

Speckled Centre

 As a neat way to get some of the Ink of the Brush I added a few Speckles to the Centre of the Bloom. I now need to let the whole thing dry.

Green Background

 I could have Drawn Leaves but I decided just too completely fill in the Background with Green.