Archie The Wonder Dog

  Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something I’ve finished two things this month, which was a considerable shock, albeit a very pleasant one. First finished was this little clock: Read about it here And then I glued more fabric onto a background, this time rectangular: Read about it here I’ve also finished knitting the sock I started in June but haven’t yet darned in the ends, hopefully I’ll have that done and the second sock cast on by the next Furtle. I love the way a contrast cuff, heel and toe look on socks but it quadruples the number of ends to deal with (from two (very manageable) to eight (feels like a mountain to climb at times!)) so I’ll need to make a large pot of tea and then force myself to tackle them. (My rule is that I can’t start the second sock until the first is finished and that includes the ends, unfortunately!) Yarn is from Yarn Unique Mini Archie is keen to get the next sock cast on: Chip chop, let’s get these ends sorted *chivvying fac

Back in 2011 when I changed my scrap storage from the ‘stuffed in freezer bags according to colour’ method to something a little better , I used sections from Dulux colour cards as the labels. Then, as the fabric collection expanded and I needed a second box for many colours, I went back but the cards had changed and the shades weren’t available so I ended up with Valspar cards instead which weren’t as good (thinner and smaller). This is what they looked like, you can see how poor the fit is of the newer cards: Where there are two boxes of each colour, the black boxes  contain FQs and the white boxes scraps Over the years, I’ve vowed to change them as the smaller cards kept falling out and being wonky, etc. but it never rose to the top of the list: I think you can see why I found them annoying! The plan had been to sew tiny scraps on the labels which came with the boxes (and which have been kept safe all these years) but that’s had to be adapted for something I can do mainly while sitt

One morning last week, I went into the workroom to open the blind and realised that the little clock which has been sitting on my Fettling List for far too long awaiting a makeover for its sun-faded face had stopped several hours before. I decided that I wouldn’t put a new battery in until it was off the Fettling List, put it in The Cupboard Of Possibilities and left the room. A few minutes later, I wandered back in and started looking at anything which could become its new face: I didn’t know whether I wanted paper or fabric which is partly what has held me up but that decision was made for me as I didn’t have any suitable paper. I did toy with the idea of using this really cute panda sticker but decided against it because it looked odd when the hands were over his face and given that that’s quite a few hours in the day, it felt like he’d spend more time looking odd than looking like the panda version of Hercule Poirot with his enormous (and magnificent) moustaches. Admittedly very c

  Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Progress has been made on the sock I’d just got started last month and it currently looks like this: Yarn is from  Yarn Unique But the most exciting thing to happen this month happened just this week: Can you see it? How about now? Now?! When I had a new side gate and fence built in 2022, I asked them to cut a hole in the bottom of the fence near the gate to create a hedgehog hole and this is proof that it’s working!    Mini Archie is hoping to get a presenting role on Spring Watch next year: This is where the hedgehog was Hiding yesterday afternoon; he isn’t here now but we hopes to see him this evening, obviously from a discreet distance so we doesn’t disturb him. Come back laterer for more updates. Now back to Chris and Michaela for an update about the blue tit chicks we has beed following.    Linking up to the July Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post,

It’s the halfway point (ish) of this year’s Fettle Those Finishes!  which means it’s time for our progress reports. (I think mine is going to be quite short.) So far this year, I’ve knitted six pairs of socks : And one hat: So not exactly covering myself in glory but it does work out at more than one finish a month, which is nice.  Verdict: slow progress, steady at times, consistency remains an issue. Fettling Points earned so far: 7 There have been some minor tweaks to my  Fettling List , so minor that I don’t need a part II list this year. How have you got on? Write your progress report and link it below, the party will remain open until 10th August because I forgot to mention it in the Furtling post on Sunday, knew I’d missed something! You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something You’ll never guess what: I’ve finished the socks I started in April! Here they are: Yarn is ‘Healing Hugs’ by  Pixie Yarn I’m thrilled to say that they fit perfectly, which is always a relief when you’re making for feet you haven’t seen in person and which can’t try on the first sock before you start on the second.  Not only have I finished the April socks, I’ve started another pair. I haven’t got very far yet: Mini Archie has decreed that it’s tuna shirt and yellow shorts season: Yes, I does look spiffing among the feverfew flowers, fanks for noticing *modest face* Linking up to the June Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next month's post you can reflect on that goal and s

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Hello! It has been a very sparse month of, well, anything so I have no photos, no secret socks finished and ready to share (they’ve barely been touched since the last furtle) and thus this is possibly my shortest post ever. It looks like it’s going to be a spiffing monf for Rose Archie. I hopes it’s going to be a spiffing monf for secret sock knitting too *hard stare* Linking up to the May Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next month's post you can reflect on that goal and set yourself another one - I find this particularly handy if I'm in the midst of a big project and finding the making of hundreds of blocks to be interminable), anything crafty you'd like to share

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Hello! Well I finished the socks I started in February:  Yarn is  West Yorkshire Spinners ‘Wood Pigeon’ (864) And then I knitted a hat! It was in a Christmas Eve box from  Lucy Locket Land  which a friend passed to me so I knitted the hat and sent it back to her as a surprise. I knitted it as per the pattern (for a medium head) but when I tried it on to check, it was like a pea on a drum and wasn’t convinced it would fit a teen let alone an adult so I pulled back the crown decreases and did another three pattern repeats. Fortunately, it fits my friend even though she has a smaller head than me. I have 45g of yarn left so there’s probably another hat like this but without the fold up brim in my future, which is nice because it was a lovely yarn and pattern to knit. Pattern is Taconite by Virginia Sattler-Reimer Design  and the yarn was Locket’s (hand dyed) merino dk yarn  ‘Berries, Books And Baubles’ And I’ve made a s

  Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Hello! March has been a very sparse month for progress. In fact, I haven’t even finished the pair of socks I started last month, so sparse has it been! This is how they look now: Yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Wood Pigeon (864) And after the dye wouldn’t stop leaking from the turquoise dot fabric I initially chose, I did what I was determined not to do and bought fabric for a tiny nine patch quilt  because, just like the turquoise dot was supposed to be, making from just two fabrics requires much less energy than making from scraps. Here’s what I chose: Fabric is Ruby Star Society ‘Sugar’ in navy and rose from Olive + Flo Handcraft I can’t wait to get started! They’ve been washed (without issue) and I just need to iron them/cut off a bit from each and iron those bits and I can get stamping and piecing.  Mini Archie is keeping a close eye on events: I finks these white flowers goes nicely wif mine white felt and s