Playing catchup!

I thought that I'd done quite a good job at blogging over the Easter holidays and keeping you up to date with the various projects I've been working on. But it would appear not to be the case! Just award me a big fat 'F' for fail!  I'm not quite sure how I managed to miss out so many things, I'm putting down to being so over the moon about getting all those blanket squares blocked!  Here's a quick trip back in time to show you what else I've been working on recently.

On the very last day of March, I squeezed in sewing my March Sugar Block Club block. I misread the pattern and cut the centre square too small, so added the pink border as I'd already appliqued on the flower petals. Despite this, I think it looks ok! 

I decided to strike while the iron was still hot (quite literally!) and sew the April block almost as soon as it was released! I think that this one is my most accurate one so far. The tutorials are so clear, it's a lot of fun making each block. And by the end of the year, I'll have enough to piece together for a quilt! 

Here are all four blocks that I've made so far. Putting them together like this is good as it's shown me that I need some red in the next block. Do any other colours leap out at you as missing so far?

I also rediscovered the fabric strips that I'd started sewing together with the vague idea of making a quilt! I'd seen my blogging friend Gilly's quilt and admired it last year. She explained to me how it was made, so I bought some fabric and got started. I hadn't got very far when it got put to one side, so I spent a morning sewing the remainder of the fabric together and then cutting strips. I laid them out on our bed (yes, it's king size, nothing like aiming big for your first quilt, eh?!) to make sure that I didn't have the same fabrics next to each other. 

Since then, I've made a start on sewing the blocks together and have three strips out of ???? (who knows?!) done so far. Once they are joined, I will have to do some online research as I have no idea how to actually turn it into a quilt!

Of course, throughout my sewing, I have been under the eyes of the ever watchful Flo, who wanted a fuss made of her at the most inopportune moments! Having a cat try to nudge you for a stroke while you're wielding a rotary cutter is not to be recommended. I'm surprised she didn't end up with trimmed whiskers!

Remember Mr JK's Zebra Head hat? The one without a pompom?! I finished mine and made a spectacular pompom which I then needed to trim - with some trepidation I might add. It's like when you cut your fringe as a child and it's not level, so you keep cutting off more until you're left with no fringe whatsoever, just a few sad  wisps and tufts where your fringe used to be! Anyway, I did stop while the going was good and I still had a nicely rounded and plump pompom left. The only thing is, now I've made it, I can't help thinking that I'm too old for pompoms!! The pompom's days may well be numbered!

I've started a shawl using some handspun yarn. Entries for this year's spinning and weaving competitions at Fibre-East have to be in by the end of May. I'm not entering so many classes this year, but am entering a shawl knit from handspun yarn. The pattern is Brickless and I like the shape. I don't wear traditional shawl shapes, but this asymmetric shape works well for me. This was the yarn, spun during the Tour de Fleece in 2014. 

I've almost finished knitting up the most green skein of yarn and am looking forward to more purple in the next section I knit. The colours are gorgeous, it is BFL fibre that I won from BriarRoseFibers - Chris is a bit of a magician at the dye pot! Here's a photo to show the progress so far and then a close up so you can see just how beautiful those colours are.

I have a number of new knitting projects underway too, but I will save those for another blog post. I'll leave you with a little tease though - a photo of the yarn I've picked out for a new sock design. It's a skein I bought last year when Mr JK and I were in Dublin, from an Irish dyer, Life in the Long Grass. I just love the colours, they sing of 'spring' to me! It's been a lovely spring day here, I hope the sun's shining where you are too. xxx