Orange Bell Pull by William Morris

Hi, I'm back with a finished object that I have had sitting around for about 2.5 months.  I finished the cross stitching about 2-3 weeks ago and just left it hanging up clipped to a skirt clothes hanger that has grips.   It was hanging on the front of my wardrobe, just looking at it and thinking about how I am going to finish it.

I had ordered some cotton fabric and wadding and today, after I had finished the ironing pile, I decided to just get on with it and finish it.  

The method I used to finish it was to iron some fusible interfacing onto the back of the cross stitch, cut some wadding and backing to size and then once stitched around 3 sides, I turned it into the right way out and then hand stitched the hem bit at the top.  

I had purchased a wooden and magnet brackets with string and it has gripped the top of the Bell Pull and is now hanging in my living room on the wall, above my head, where I sit and craft.

I got the pattern from a book that I had purchased from a charity shop.

The book is called 'The Art of William Morris in Cross Stitch" by Barbara Hammet.

There are such a lot of great patterns in the book and I fell in love with this one.  The design is originally stitched on a blue even weave but I didn't like it.  

I stitched it on 32 count even weave in a beige/cream colour and also  used DMC threads and once I had finished kitting it up, I started  stitching "in hand" at first.

I did use a hoop at one point but didn't like the marks it was leaving so I changed to a rectangle scroll frame which, although felt a bit uncomfortable, I did persevere with it.  

My partner bought me a Lowry Stand which is metal.  It has a plate at the bottom which fits under your sofa and then an adjustable rod that twists round.  It then has an adjustable bar that you clip your cross stitch frame to and you can swing the work near you or away from you.  

The stand helped so much with completing the cross stitching.  I do suffer with vertigo so having my head downwards all the time, does make me dizzy and this frame has helped with keeping my head up a little. 

So, there you have it, a completed project that I hope will be around longer than I am.  I have tagged it at the bottom with my name and the year.

I will be back in a few days time to show off my completed crochet blanket.  I just have ends to sew in and then take a good photo of it.  I was thinking of posting a picture on my Instagram account but the blanket's recipient is on there and I don't want to spoil the surprise.  It is there Christmas present.

I will be back soon, hope everyone is keeping safe. 

Covid or no Covid

 I just don't know what to actually say about this flipping pandemic that's taking so many lives and affecting so many.  Even though I work at my local hospital, I do not see the real stress, anxieties and sheer determination through exhaustion that some of my colleagues go through.  I did not want to write about Covid on here but whilst thinking about seeing it on the news every day and the conversations I have with family, patients and colleagues, I feel that I should log it here.  I am not going to go on about it for long, I am sure a lot of us want to push it aside when we walk in the door at home or step out of work.  

The effect it has had on me has been very minimal compared to others.  At beginning of March my partner and I self isolated for 2 weeks because we thought that he had it, still don't know if he did but never mind.  His taste buds have not been the same for months, even now.  I have had to work from home for about 3 months with the odd day in the office printing off letters and doing admin tasks that you just can't do at home.  I have used public transport the whole time, still do and am strict with hand sanitiser and not touching handles etc on the bus.  We do a lot of our shopping on line but also used our local shops too which to be honest, caused less anxiety.  The only thing that was really upsetting was I was not allowed to see my grandchildren for 3 months.  That was hard, I tried ringing them every few days but not having a good relationship with their Mum, it was hard.  

We are seeing them regularly now which brings us great joy and even the last few times, my Grand-daughter wanted to do some crochet so we had a go at it together and it brought a bit smile to my face.

Today, is Monday 23.11.20 and I am just writing this with a little update of my crafts I have been doing.  To be honest I just want to start loads of things but there is just not enough hours in the day and I wanted to start some different crafts.  So far, I have cross stitch Christmas stocking on the go, a crochet blanket for  a Christmas present and am knitting garter stitch with scraps of sock yarn together with a fluffy grey yarn. I am kind of thinking it might be my idea of trying to make a cardigan for me (without a pattern).  Not saying no more about that in case I jinx it.  

Here are a few pictures of my finished projects...

This, I am ever so proud of.  It is all handspun from fibre by me using either Blue Faced Leicester, Coriedale, Gotland or Norweigan fibre.  Knitted in garter stitch like a log cabin but in blocks and then sewing together using hand spun. 

It has been a labour of love.  My grandkids helped to mix colours on a blending board and if you see if in real life it has a few dashes of shiny stellina.  I spun the fibre on my E-spinner 3 and it was a chore to have to keep getting the spinner out.  It would have been done quicker if I had the space in my house to have the E-spinner out all the time but alas, I don't.

It is very heavy, very warm and I will probably not make another one because of the work that goes into it.

However, it is certainly my unique blanket that is going to last longer than I will.

This next photo is of a Purse kit that I bought from Amazon a few weeks ago.  

The embroidery is finished and it was so quick to do.  My idea is to turn it into the purse the you can see in the photo but I have been waiting for some items to arrive in the post. 

The kit came with all the things you need, even the clasp, but I have just not had time to finish it yet.  

I hope I can get it done soon so that I can put it into a Christmas gift bag for my Mother in Law.  She will love it.

If I remember rightly, the kit only cost about £8 which was a bargain however, if you do decide to buy one, be warned.  The writing is mainly in Chinese but the diagrams are very clear.

This next photo is of scrap socks that I knitted using 2.5 mm needles.

My Grand-daughter wanted a green pair so I kind of guessed how many stitches to cast on and they turned out perfect.

I wanted them both to have a cozy pair of socks just like me and Pop, after we have had a wash and in our PJ's and all wearing our hand knit socks and settling down for the evening.

They wash up lovely, are not itchy and they both seem to like wearing them.

My Grandson wanted a blue pair and he loves them.

I decided to not show the crochet blanket because it is not completed, it is a gift for a family member and I don't want to jinx the process of it.  I am hoping that if I can get it done, I hope to be able to make it into a pattern.

Youtube is my tv watching.  In fact, I think I am addicted to craft podcasts.  Here is a list of a few of them that I watch regularly.

Fruityknitting, The Lefty Knitter, Ciaspod, Sandy by The Lakeside, Tales from Cuckoo Land, Dizzy Stitcher, Colorado Stitcher to name but a few...

So, that is my little update for you and I hope that I can get back again soon.  Keep safe and please, listen to what the government are saying,  Wear your mask, keep a safe distance and wash, wash, wash your hands.

Take care..