Saturday 21 November 2015

Five on Friday (on Saturday!)

Hello, thank you for popping in, especially if you have come here via Amy at Love Made My Home.  The temperatures have been so warm this autumn that it came as a shock when they dropped yesterday, but the bonus was that last night, there was snow.  Tipped off by Facebook, we opened the curtains at 10.40pm so that we could watch the white flakes swirling around in the air as we sat by the fire.  It looked and felt beautiful and it was ephemeral - by this morning it had gone, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue, a different kind of beautiful.
 
So, today I would like to share with you the WIPs which are sitting in my knitting bag and making me feel guilty.  Like most knitters, I love the knitting and can't stand the sewing up, especially the sewing in of ends, and so these Works In Progress accumulate as I move on to the next piece of knitting.  Naughty, I know.  I am hoping that by sharing them with you, I shall shame myself into finishing them off.
 
1.  Muffatees
 
 
A couple of winters ago I discovered the wonder of the muffatee - it's a knitted tube with a slit for your thumb and it keeps your wrist and hand warm when you need to use your fingers and thumb.  I have several pairs and wear them a lot.  Peter Rabbit's mother earned a living by knitting them from rabbit-wool but I knitted these from sheep's wool and I am really looking forward to wearing them once I have sewn in those pesky tails.
 
2.  A Gift Bag
 
 
At the moment it's a tube but once I have sewn in the tails and sewn up one end it will be transformed into a little bag to be tied with a ribbon.  Honestly.
 
3. A Mystery
 
 
I'm afraid I can't tell you what this is yet because it's a gift and I don't wish to spoil the surprise.  I was really keen to learn how to do stranded colourwork and this was my first attempt.  It may well turn out to have been my last - not only does it turn out that I don't hold the wool properly so it took ages to knit, but have you seen how many ends there are to be sew in??  And this is only about half of them!  That's why this beauty has been a WIP for two years.  I DEFINITELY need to grasp this nettle and finish it off.  (I hate to even think about this, but I am making this for The Teacher so I really should make another for her sister...)
 
4.  Baubles
 
 
These are little jackets for some rather plain and scruffy Christmas tree baubles.  I plan to make a string of them and hang them up, not necessarily during the festive season.  I know, it's a bit bonkers.
 
5.  Santa's Jumper
 
 
Well, only if Santa is very, very small!  These are Christmas tree decorations - I sold some in September to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and have been asked to make a few more.  Fancy that, people paying real, actual money for my handiwork!  It takes me about six hours to knit one, in the round on 3mm DPNs, and it's a labour of love, but they are very sweet and I promise to show you this one when it's finished.
 
So there you are, the contents of my Bag of Shame.  I'm off now to visit the other Five on Friday posts and then find a bodkin, and could I just point out that in my mother's knitting bag there are pieces of a jumper which has been on the needles since 1984?  Could I?
 
See you soon.
 
Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x

31 comments:

  1. Very fun to see all your works in progress. I'm a crocheter, not a knitter, and I need to get some yard for a winter project.

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    1. Thank you Linda. I am hoping to be able to show you the finished five soon! x

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  2. You have educated me, I'd never heard of muffatees before. Love Santa's sweater. I didn't make it to Five on Friday this week.

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    1. The sweater's almost finished now, Janet, so prepare yourself for a ta-dah. x

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  3. Some great projects, I am not a fan of sewing in the ends either. I have to force myself to sew them in as I go or it just sits in a bag for ever. Love the baubles and Santa's jumper. Take care.

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    1. The ends are such a chore, aren't they? I am hoping to show you the finished jumper soon. x

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  4. Wow, you have been busy. You've reminded me I have a muffatee pattern and some yarn here waiting to be started. The stranded colourwork looks amazing. I know what you mean about sewing in ends though.

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    1. I'm gad it's not just me, that's quite encouraging. x

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  5. Well, all your projects look great, lovely colours especially the blue bag. I don't like sewing in all the ends either. I like your idea of hanging up the baubles in jackets, sounds fab. Snow eeek! x

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    1. But the snow didn't hang around. I'd quite like it to come back again in about three weeks' time, though. x

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  6. These would all be so tempting for me to finish them off!! I don't mind weaving in ends, but I'm not great at sewing seams in knitting (weird, because I love sewing with fabric). Once you get one WIP finished up, you may find the inspiration to finish the rest. I love the little baubles, and I have little Christmas things that I keep up all year round too ... so not to bonkers ;)
    Take care!
    ~Wendy x

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    1. Thank you for reassuring me about my sanity, Wendy! The five are almost finished, just a wee bit of blocking to do before a ta-dah. x

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  7. I think that having a few projects on the go just makes you a great crafter and perfectly normal!!! You are making some great things all of which I look forward to seeing more of. Thank you for joining Five On Friday. I hope that you are having a great weekend! xx

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  8. Five lovely things - I love the muffatees and the baubles. Have a lovely weekend:)

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  9. Hello! What a beautiful and fun post! It's relieving to know I'm not the only one that doesn't enjoy sewing in the loose ends. :) I love multicoloured stripes though and that's why I adore the self-striping yarns.
    Beautiful WIPs, you will complete them in no time. Your muffatees (I learned a new word!) have a lovely colour and the Santa's Jumper looks really cute.
    Thank you for sharing! xx

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  10. Hello! What a beautiful and fun post! It's relieving to know I'm not the only one that doesn't enjoy sewing in the loose ends. :) I love multicoloured stripes though and that's why I adore the self-striping yarns.
    Beautiful WIPs, you will complete them in no time. Your muffatees (I learned a new word!) have a lovely colour and the Santa's Jumper looks really cute.
    Thank you for sharing! xx

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  11. I think it should be the bag of pride - such lovely items - and so intricate. I love the covers for the christmas balls and especially the tiny santa sweater - I think I might need to make some of those.

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    1. Oh thank you JoAnn, you are very kind. The pattern for the sweater is on Ravelry, I think, I'll try to post the link when I show it again. x

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  12. Santa's jumper has to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen, it is fab! My mum was a knitter too and had a couple of things on needles from before I was born ha! Five lovely things, hope you have had a good weekend xx

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  13. I'm in awe of your work. I've tried knitting and I truly struggled. These pieces are delightful and colourful.

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    1. Thank you Helena! I don't think anyone's ever been in awe of me before. x

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  14. Wonderful knitted items! What a lovely collection of things to give as gifts or just keep for yourself...knitting and crocheting is always such an awesome wintry activity! Yarns are so beautiful...soft and many-colored. I love looking at them , and embroidery floss too.

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    1. Thank you Marie. I agree, knitting is lovely in the winter - it sits on my lap and keeps me warm. x

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  15. What lovely WIPs! I agree with JoAnn above, it's a bag of pride. Your colour work is fabulous, worth weaving all those ends in. (I have to admit I have a few WIPs of my own lurking in Drawer 101).
    The Santa Jumper is so cute, perhaps you could get one of your cats to model it when it's finished? Oh go on! xx

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    1. Oh Alison, you are funny! And thank you for your kind words. The Santa jumper is far too small for a cat and I no longer have a hamster (those two things are not related!). x

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  16. A lovely lots of WIP's I have to confess I guitly of this too, I love the little baubles, I'm planning on making some crocheted ones
    Clare x

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    1. Thank you Clare - and it's lovely to see you here. x

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