Archie The Wonder Dog

I've yet to find the balance between blogging, reading blogs, replying to emails, and sewing and it seems that I can do one of the three but not all of them.  To that end, I thought I'd post a recap of all the things which were on my Q3 FAL list  and which I made progress on but didn't finish (and so haven't blogged about in the rush of trying to link up with Adrianne before the linky party ended), just so I don't suddenly (and I use that word very loosely!) produce a finish when the last time I blogged about the project it was a series of unfinished blocks.  (Blimey, that's a long sentence!) First up is 'that bl**dy blue and white quilt' (that's what it's called in my head but I'll have to think of a better name for it, if only because it's for Mam and she'll tell me off for swearing!).  This project was my main focus for the last quarter and, I'm pleased to say, I finally have a finished quilt top! It's so big that th...

The only other thing I've finished from this quarter's FAL list is the Sakura shawl that Lynz and I did as a (very informal) KAL.  I've got to say that it was a lot of fun knitting alongside someone else (albeit via email!) and I hope we do it again soon!  ( You can see her gorgeous green shawl here .) This is how the shawl looked at the start of the quarter: And this is how it looked straight off the needles: You can't really see the lace pattern and, to be honest, it looks a bit like a heap of knitting at this stage! I put off blocking it for a while (I always do as I always overestimate how hard it's going to be and how long it's going to take!) but finally got it done last week.  First I pinned it to the carpet, using lots of pins!  It's the first shawl I've blocked which has made me think that it would be easier with blocking wires.  I can't see me buying any, though, as I'm managing with pins even if it does take a litt...

One of the (many) items on my Q3 FAL list was this tidy trug, which I started at a workshop in July of this year but was languishing on the 'it doesn't need much doing to it for it to be finished' pile in my sewing room.  Adding it to my FAL list was just the impetus I needed to get it finished, it's just a pity that I didn't manage to keep the impetus going and blog about it.  Or finish much else on the list... This is how it looked at the start of the quarter: I think the thing which slowed me down was, quite disgracefully, buying some fray check for the buttonholes on the handle!  The original pattern had an attached handle of quite a different (and stylish) shape but I decided that I wanted my handle to swivel down so that it would be easy to get things in and out of the trug. After some stitching (closing the gap in the lining, top stitching round the trug and again in the ditch between the lining and the outer fabric), some fabric ripping (the bu...