What Are You Making Now?

Post photos of your current WIPs or your finished creations.

Here's my latest: a mage's coat for Charlie's Halloween costume:

wow! impressive!

>3 al.vick: Thanks! I'm pretty proud of it, since he handed me a sketch and I cobbled this together from several different patterns. You can see it in this photo, but it has godets in the back and on each side, which make it really full. I kind of love it.

I've been doing a large book purge (at least 100) and catching up with the gardens but I still have more of the charity quilts to finish. So no pic yet....

>2 scaifea: That is very nice and l love the color.

Charlie in costume this morning for school:



I'm pretty proud of the godets in the coat:

very nice!

That looks terrific! It's a great costume even without the hat.

>9 rosalita: Aw, thanks!

Wow that's amazing, Amber! Nice work.

I have finished my first of the space cross stitch patterns. I don't know if this will come through, there seemed to be some wonkiness in rendering the picture once it was uploaded:



The colors are a little wonky too. The fabric is all white, the dark parts are just shadows I guess.

>12 al.vick: Oh, I like that a lot!

Thanks! I thought it came out nicely. I wasn't sure what to do with the diffraction spikes, the stitches were kind of long, but I wanted them to look straight, not like a line of smaller stitches. I was going to try framing it in a wooden hoop, but have not investigated about how to go about that.

Oooh, very cool!!

I've been working on xmas projects lately; here's the most recent finished product, a Feathers McGraw (from Wallace & Gromit fame) for my husband (he's a big fan):

I love that, Amber!

cute.

Thanks, folks!

>16 scaifea: Super cute.

>16 scaifea: Adoreable!

>20 MickyFine: >21 beehappy: Thank you! He was pretty fun to make, too.

Trying to finish several more children's quilts before the holiday, but other things seem to get in the way. I'll deliver what I have done so they have it for the holiday and deliver any others after the holiday.

>23 avaland: I understand that; I'm feeling my annual Holiday Project Panic. So much to get done and so many other pesky non-crafting obligations.

Another xmas gift finished: an Ahsoka (a Star Wars character, apparently) amigurumi for one of our nieces:

She's so cute!

ooh! I love that!

Thanks! The niece loved it, so I'm happy.

>28 scaifea: - Yeah!

I've been encouraged to share what I'm working on. but as I struggle to maintain multiple threads, I'm likely going to just post in here. I mostly cross stitch, usually in front of the TV. I will also have a go at quilting and other sewing. I've also started french knitting again, but cannot knit or crochet for love nor money.
I've had this kit of The Great Wave by Hokusai on the go for ages, bought it in lockdown with birthday money from my MiL. I finished the 3rd page of 4 and had to move the hoop, so it seemed like a good time for a progress picture.

>30 Helenliz: Beautiful work!

Welcome Helen! I'm so glad you joined us.

I love that Hokusai piece. One more page to go! I'm curious, what is the finished size?

>31 MickyFine: thanks. Just don't look too closely >;-)

>32 lauralkeet: I love it too, it will be going in my bathroom when finished, and the bathroom will be furnished to match.
14 inches by 10, approx.

Thanks Helen. It's going to be lovely.

oh wow! Very nice!

>30 Helenliz: I adore that painting and have that pattern somewhere or other...

My latest finished project:

so cute! I love these.

My first finished project for this group ever...



This is a scarf I started as a present for my daughter's college graduation. The problem, though, was that she graduated fifteen years ago, and I just finished this project tonight. I sent her a picture of her finished scarf which she thinks is amazing. I'll give it to her next time I see her. She now wants me to crochet a coat for her whippet! LOL! She said her dog cannot wait 15 years for her coat, though. :D

>39 SqueakyChu: Cute!!

>40 scaifea: Thanks.

Boba Fett is done, and that'll be all I'll make for the Star Wars display. On to other projects now!

>42 scaifea: Cute!

>42 scaifea: He turned out great. I bet all those color changes were a bit of a nuisance to do.

>42 scaifea: Nice!

>39 SqueakyChu: Wonderful that it got finished!

I have taken on a project that I might regret.
We've been clearing his parents' house. He's come home with a captain's chair that was his father's. It needs a cushion. In the house were a lot of kneelers that his mother had been involved in making and were no longer needed after the reorganisation of the church. I said I thought I could try and make a cushion of a couple of them. I have started unpicking the first kneeler. I was relieved to see that the corner fabric is present. It needs a wash before going any further. I fear it might involve a lot of unpicking, I'll never match that red.

>47 Helenliz: Not sure what the dimensions are on this, but what if you made it into a stool cover instead? No unpicking required, just sew up the corners and tug it down over the stool cushion.

My daughter saw a crochted Peeps bunny pattern so I started one yesterday.

Trying to finish several quits so I can retire.

I've finished the blanket I was working on and am now making a baby hat to use up leftover yarn. Will make a pair of socks too.

I've finished the front and back of another Christmas quilt and I'm going to see if I have enough batting to sandwich it and start quilting.

I crocheted 5 Easter Bunny Peeps. They turned out cute.

I just updated what I've finished on my thread (as well as inserting haul photos). Besides those, I'm stitching on 3 larger pieces: Pandemic by Long Dog Samplers, The Lord's Prayer by Lila's Studio, and The Lord Bless You by My Big Toe Designs. I've also got one more sled nearly done. I just don't have the 4 seed beads I need to complete it. I'll pick those up next weekend at the cross stitch shop.

I'm working on a cross-stitch piece to go on the wall in our guest room.

3 squares in on a cross stitch afghan baby blanket, 25 more to go...


It will have numbers 1 to 12, with a square of the same number of items. 9 teddies is next up.
The across the middle, baby's name, date & something to fill the last 2 squares in the blanket.

I finished the baby things for my friend. Blanket, hat and socks. Details and photo on my thread.

>56 Helenliz: That is cute!

>57 PawsforThought: Nice.
I found out yesterday, my granddaughter will have a girl.

And we're done. The baby's name & birth details have been obscured as it's a surprise for the parents, I was commissioned by the grandparents.

Just needs a wash & fringing and it can be sent.

That is so cute, Helen! What a lovely gift.

Mentioned on your other thread but will say it here too - that's adorable.

nice!

>60 Helenliz: That's really lovely!

>60 Helenliz: That's a cute sampler.

I have a grandniece on the way in November. Her mom is pretty picky. She had a definite idea of what she wanted. She wanted it to be round and to use an embroidery hoop as the frame--and she wants the design to match the wallpaper. I had her look at 1-2-3 stitch and Etsy at birth announcement designs. She found one on Etsy she likes, but we are changing all the colors out and changing the words so it has more information. We picked a color palette to match the wallpaper, but I'm going to send her thread samples because I think we picked the wrong color for the blue. I think the one we picked is in between in the same color group but that the actual shades match one number lower and higher that are in the design. I want her to hold the three shades up to the wallpaper itself. I don't think it will take a huge amount of time to stitch, and I'll mainly stitch the design part, the monogram, and the birth name in advance. The weight and date can wait until she arrives.

As far as what I'm making now, my WIPGO calls for August are Erin Elizabeth's Winter Freebie and Summer House Stitche Workes Spring Refreshes designs. I continue to work on Pandemic by Long Dog Samplers. I have finished pages 1-3 of 20 and am working on the 4th. I'm also working on some ornaments for co-workers and family members. Most of these are small and on perforated paper. I'll use either a sled or a wooden ornament tag for them.

>60 Helenliz: That is a wonderful gift.

My daughter and I were at Walmart to get some cotton yarn and she decided I need to crochet a blanket for my granddaughter's husband. I started one yesterday for him for a Christmas gift. I have crocheted blankets for everyone so far.

Working on the blanket for my granddaughter's husband. I checked the time and it takes 20 minutes for each row.

I am embroidering dishtowels with gnomes on them for Christmas' gifts. Still working on the blanket.

I'm waiting for my machine to come back from the "spa" so I can continue working on the Christmas quilts.

I started knitting a sweater, worked 3" of bottom ribbing, and then realized it was going to be too small. Ripped it out and started over. Blerg.

>71 lauralkeet: Argh, that’s so annoying!

>72 PawsforThought: Sometimes gauge swatches lie!!

>73 lauralkeet: For me, they almost always lie, which is why I’ve mostly given up on them and just start knitting right away. I’ll most likely have to unravel at some point anyway. But some projects just don’t seem to ever get the right gauge - one of my projects have been unraveled three times.

>71 lauralkeet: So frustrating! Gauge swatches are usually for the body of the sweater though, not the ribbing, which I usually monitor separately.

>73 lauralkeet: >73 lauralkeet: Sometimes it's not the gauge swatches at fault, but the finished measurements given in the pattern. A quick check at the start will sometimes reveal this, when dividing the 4" stitch count for the swatch into the finished size, and working out the number of stitches there should be for that size, you may find discrepancies. This occurs too between different sizes in the same pattern, so that the gauge worked for the size in which the test pattern was knitted, but the adaptations for other sizes don't work.

The measurement that always kills me is the one where the instructions say "designed with n - nn inches of positive ease."

My problem is that my gauge never works out right in both directions at the same time. If I've got the right number of stitches per inch, my rows are off, and vice versa. That's usually not a big deal when I'm making blankets and afghans, but it means a lot of extra work for sweaters. I have to match the gauge swatch in one direction (usually stitiches) then do a lot of math to get the right numbers in the other direction. I wind up making an entire test sweater, slowly checking each piece of it to be sure it's going to be the right size. Thank heavens for a ridiculously large stash of scraps and leftover skeins of yarn that can be wasted on the test version!

>76 KeithChaffee: I’ve never had that problem because over here, most patterns use gauge on the width of clothes, but primarily use cms for the length, so you just keep knitting until you reach the right length. There are exceptions, of course.

>75 SassyLassy: I understand, I just wasn't clear in my post. The pattern specifies gauge for the body, which is a 6-row repeating slip-stitch pattern using 3 different yarns. I swatched that pattern, and my gauge swatch was significantly different from the pattern. So then I dove into stitch counts and decided to knit using the stitch counts for a smaller size. Then I knit the 3" of ribbing I mentioned, plus 6 rows of the body pattern, and I laid it out flat and measured. I expected the ribbing to be smaller than the body, but it was nowhere close to what I needed, and the body rows were also a tighter gauge, even with a bit of stretch.

>77 PawsforThought: Yes, a lot of patterns do work that way, but if there's any sort of intricate cabling or color work, the number of rows makes more of a difference. And if the sleeves aren't crocheted in, getting them to fit properly at the shoulder seams can be a nightmare. But as problems go, "I have to think really hard to make my handmade sweater fit!" is a pretty small one, I suppose.

>78 lauralkeet: How frustrating after all your prep work. Noted too, as I have been eyeing a PomPom pattern which sounds very similar.

What are you going to do with it all?

>80 SassyLassy: I started over, this time with stitch counts for my size instead of one size smaller. Either I'm in denial, or my gauge swatch was wrong. When I get to the same point as before, I'll measure again.

I have embroidered dishtowels for all the family and decided to do a couple for my weekend neighbors who love to fish. They bring some to me already cleaned. We are in Minnesota so I found a pattern with loons and will do that one for sure. I love to hear the loons in the evening with their calls.

>12 al.vick: Each time I see these, I am so impressed.

>82 mnleona: Oh, what a lovely thing to do! And loons are such pretty birds - I'm sure that would look great on dishtowels.

First project I've finished in a long time! I have a friend whose birthday is next week, and she loves sunflowers. So I made this little 12" pillow for her.

>85 dudes22: That's so cute!!

>86 norabelle414: - Thanks!

>85 dudes22: How special. She will love it.

>88 mnleona: - She did - I gave it to her a couple of days ago.