The Mystery of the Missing Sock - A Knitting Group Mysetery!

First of all I apologise for the length of this post. The truth is that everyone has been so busy that there are a lot of finishes here.

Lisa has been making and collecting blankets for Yorkhill hospital. One of the blankets which in the works is actually a group project. She took this granny square to Yarndale and had people adding stitches to it. It's only about half done and she has requested that any corchet people from the group add some stitches next Tuesday. As I won't be there Helen will be asking (harassing) you to contribute. I think it's a lovely idea.

Speaking of Helen, she's been busy herself. She finished this beautiful quilted cushion. The design is another of her beloved Sashiko and done in her favourite colours. I tried to run away with this but alas she caught me and then refused to let it out of her clutches.

She has also been making some cards. She was inspired by quilter Janette. I don't think many of you will know Janette but she is famous for taking an idea and running away with it. As soon as I saw these I guessed who inspired Helen. Janette's original idea was to make quilted postcards. Helen loved the idea and found a simple crazy quilting design that could be used to make cards. Very effective!

She's also finished the socks she has been working on. The person who requested the socks prefers dark colours. Helen compromised with this gorgeous striping yarn by Zauderball. Helen said it was lovely to knit with.

Margaret has also been busy. She finished this lovely baby blanket for her friend who is about to be a grandmother to a little boy. The lady had specifically requested the brick blanket after seeing someone else receive one.

Margaret is also responsible for bring some festive cheer to the group. She finished a third robin which is going to her youngest daughter. She also knitted a stocking and some Christmas bags. These were from one of the latest knitting magazines. The cards were actually little mini kits from Hobbycraft. I am sure most of you who visit the store will have seen them. Margaret's attaching them to cards makes those little designs really stand out. She's now finished making all her family Christmas cards.

I was lucky enough to buy some hand-dyed sock yarn from the lovely Lisa. These socks were the end result. I love the striping of the yarn. More importantly the yarn itself was gorgeous to knit with. I actually didn't want to get to the end of this project.

I also made a little skull broach for my sister. This was done with metallic thread and some plastic canvas.

Seeing me work on the skull broach Norma decided to have a go herself. Norma decided to use the colours suggested by the magazine. It's amazing how different a design can look just by changing the colours. Norma has decided to make more of these for her craft fair and she plans to play with the colours.

This beautiful baby blanket was also done by Norma in crochet. I love the fold-over at the top with the bow and button. This will also be sold on her craft stall.

Pamela knitted this beautiful preemie baby set. This is for a tiny baby born at just 26 weeks. The baby is doing well and will be the best dressed on the ward. Pamela said it felt like she was knitting for a doll it was so small. Beautifully done!

She also made more of her bootees which will decorate the baby's pram. I love these and this project seems to have become a group favourite.

Janice has been knitting baby clothes too. She knitted all of these baby jumpers. Everyone loved the stripes. Particularly in the blue cardigan. The dark blue stripe makes it all the more striking!

Janice also finished knitting a shawl. This is her first attempt at a shawl and her first project using circular needles. It's a gorgeous colour and looks impressive.

This is another baby set this time done by new member Libby. The photo can't convey just how delicate this little outfit is. The booties alone were beautifully done. Very sweet!

Baby sets aren't the only items that have been on her crochet hook. She has also done this lovely beret. Not only that but this stunning top. Libby hadn't done any crochet in years when her daughter asked if she would make this for her. It truly is beautiful work.

Jean has also been busy with the baby items. The baby cardigan is lovely. Love the detail in the sleeves. I also love these little booties. The little bows at the front really set them off.

Our Esther is fairly shy about her finishes and it's usually left to poor Noreen to snatch them from her and bring them up for a wee photo. To think, if it wasn't for Noreen we wouldn't have got the chance to see this lovely row of booties. These were all knitted by Esther for her great granddaughter. There is even a few pram decorations in there. All beautifully knitted.

Kathleen has also been knitting for her granddaughter. She is very much a girly girl and loves handbags. So thanks to Kathleen she now has a lovely new bag to play with and a gorgeous wee hat for the winter.

Kathleen is also a beeder and she made this beautiful bracelet. I love the colours. Always love a purple bracelet.

You may have seen on Magda's quilting facebook page that she has been busy with some sewing. She has also been working on a blanket for her son who picked the colours himself. This hasn't stopped her on getting some knitting in there. She finished this beautiful Hitch-hiker scarf. Purple seems to be the colour of choice just now and you can see why. Lovely purple stripes.

Helen had bought some lovely sock yarn from Lisa a few weeks ago and at the same time requested a crochet hook. This is her new crochet hook which will be Helen's pride and joy. Helen loves it because not only is it her colours but it also has some sparkle!

Tuesday was also the last day for the scarf charity. 76 raffle tickets were handed out but I know there were far more scarves than that handed in. A few people didn't come forward to get their tickets. There were a few prizes. One of which was for handing in the most scarves. This of course (in case anyone was in doubt) went to Isabel who had handed in 23 scarves in total. Isabel had the audacity to act surprised. She even made a speech as she was handed her prize. She thanked everyone and especially "Margaret for stopping". Of course Margaret was second at 21 scarves. Not to worry, Margaret won a raffle and was the lucky recipient of this beautiful crochet hook designed by Lisa specially for the event. There were also other winners in there too. Janice and Helen also received prizes.

I feel now that I should explain the title of this weeks post. This incident of course involves Isabel. She turned up on the night extremely upset. She had been working on her second pair of mosaic socks. This pair was in red and white and she had finished the first one the previous week. However, she had somehow managed to lose the completed sock. This isn't really surprising if you know Isabel (famous for losing her beloved scarves). As you can imagine she was very upset about it and refused to start the second one until she found it. Helen and I were even considering making a reward poster, 'have you seen this sock'. After everyone had arrived and no sock made an appearance Isabel finally settled down to do some sewing. Then Magdalena appears and sits on the other side of Isabel. She gets settled and then turns to Isabel, 'have you missed something?' There in her hand is Isabel's beloved sock. I have never seen someone move so fast. Isabel launched herself across the table and gripped poor Magda in a bear hug. I didn't think she was going to let her go. I would say this was one of the funnies things I have ever seen at the group but there have been a fair few funny moments and quite a few with Isabel at the centre. So there you have it. We had the mystery of the missing sock at the start of the night only to have it be solved at the end.

Just a reminder that I won't be along on Tuesday. I am working and so duty calls. However, the lovely Helen will be taking photo's in my place.

Stunning Work!

I can only apologise for how late this post is. I haven't been very well and while it's only been a cold it took the energy right out of me. It's a shame because I really wanted to make sure that this beautiful dress got the attention it deserved. Some of you will recognise the handy work as well as the beautiful model. This gorgeous dress was of course stitched by Magdalena. She once again challenged herself to make Zuzanna new dress for this years Irish dancing competitions. Magdalena said the sequences were a nightmare to work with as they caused the thread to constantly break. She persevered though and this stunning dress is the end result.

Magdalena also mentioned that the designs of the dresses have changed over the years since she has been making them and so she has had to keep up with that. For example the bodice now needs to be longer and the number of panels round the skirt have changed. Not only that Magda has to take the dress to the dance teachers so that it can be approved. If it doesn't follow the strict guidelines it can result in disqualification during the competitions. Thankfully it was approved and Zuzanna did the dress proud and won some medals. She is now qualified to start competing in championships which she is very excited about.

A wee look at the back as the detail there is just as stunning. Zuzanna also gave us a demonstration of her dancing which was very impressive. Never seen anyone kick so high.

Norma has been busy in her crafting workshop (I kid you not, she has a gorgeous little craft house to work in). You will have noticed that she has been working on a lot of baby items of late. That's because she has been asked to hold a stall at a craft fair in Ayre. Everything she is making is for that. Including this lovely pom pom baby blanket which is set off by the large pink bow. The hat used up some of the left over yarn and it was beautifully decorated with buttons (I do like buttons). The doll blanket and pillow set she actually finished on the night. Some little girl is going to love it.

Lesley has also been busy. She knitted these beautiful baby sets. Love the colours. They are perfect for the autumn which is here already. I like the lighter band of brown at the edge of the hat. On the night she was working on more baby items. I think it might have been another baby set but in the cream.

Pamela has been working on these lovely little decoration bootees. They seem to be a member favourite just now. I love the variegated yarn and how the lace ribbon matches. Very cute! She was seen working on more of these sets.

This beautiful baby blanket was crocheted by Maureen. It truly is stunning. I love the fold down detail at the top with the ribbon. Maureen was also working on more baby things. She also kindly handed in a wee extra for the monthly lucky dip raffle. Thank you Maureen!

Margaret is still preparing for Christmas. She knitted these two robins. One of them was a kit which came free with Let's Knit. The travelling yarn created a kind of feathered affect to his red breast. Although it looks quite effective Margaret wasn't happy with it and so adapted the pattern to prevent it. The result is the second little robin which she finished on the night. She is also continuing with her Christmas cards and finished this gorgeous snowman.

I don't know if any of you are aware but the last Saturday of each month some of the group spend the afternoon in Hobbycraft. A few members have joined the group that way. The other side is that the people who go usually end up trying another craft. One afternoon Lyn gave a demo on decopatch. Elaine really took to it and bought some supplies. These gorgeous leopard print elephants are the end result. Don't worry if you want to know how to do it. I have sweet talked Lyn into giving the group a demo at one of our craft days.

I also had a finish. This kit came with Cross Stitcher magazine. I do like Christmas designs but I very rarely finish them on time and they usually end up in a folder half finished. This one was easy to stitch and was finished very quickly.

Jean wasn't along on Tuesday but she did send someone in with a finish. This is her pattern that she adapted from the brick baby blanket. She decided not to turn it into a blanket and it is now this pretty tissue cover. She very kindly presented to Lyn as a gift.

Last but not least, Maureen had another finish. She very kindly crocheted this beautiful scarf for our charity. It is very delicate looking and the pom poms really give it that gorgeous wintery feel. Linda was delighted with it.

So I wasn't there on Tuesday but Helen was and she is going to update the blog. Lisa was also at an event at the weekend which she is kindly going to send me an email about with some photo's. So look out for that. Magdalena has an idea for a post. I have added her as an author. It's an interesting idea and something we have never done before. Will be interesting to see.

Next week is the last week for the scarf charity. We will be holding the prize raffle. So if you have any scarves to hand in please be sure to bring them along so you don't miss out!

Pretty Colours!

Over the last few months Magdalena has been patiently crocheting little squares. All in between other projects. This beautiful blanket is the end result of all that hard work. The colours in it are amazing and it has already been well loved. Magdalena assures me that this one is for herself for a change. I wonder how many people will be making themselves blankets after seeing this?

 These gorgeous jumpers were another labour of love by Magdalena. These are for her two older boys. Again the colours are amazing and they go very well with stripes. I love the fact that they match. If you look closely you will see that the share two colours.

I apologise now! Our resident Christmas fan is at it already. Margaret has started her Christmas cards. This lovely penguin was a freebie in a kit. I have no doubt that there will be more Christmas projects from Margaret to come as she is working on another festive cross stitch.

Caroline has been hard at work at the sewing machine again. She really has an eye for the fabric. This will be her holiday bag which is very apt. She has even  added little buttons the bottom of the handles and to some of the flip flops. It really sets the whole bag off. I have my doubts if she will do it again though going by her description of sewing the buttons on then trying to iron it. Looks fab though.

A while back I had also shown you Caroline working on a production line for Linda's shoebox charity. These gorgeous needle cases are the end results. I love the little motifs on the front.

Speaking of charity. Margaret had another four scarves to hand in. She says though that this will be her last four so Isabel's coveted prize is safe.

Stephanie also handed in a scarf for the charity and even included the rest of the box. This also came with matching hat and mitts. Every year Stephanie fills up a box for the charity and this one if for a baby girl. She has another at home almost ready.

Last but not least we also have Roberta's gorgeous baby hat and mitts. These are also for Linda's charity.

We have a busy few weeks ahead. The lovely Tracy will be back to do our nails. This time I will try to get some photo's. The following week Magdalena is going to show us how to set up a plastic bag so that it can be crocheted. For that everyone will need to bring plastic bags and scissors. The following week again we have our show and tell. That's also not mentioning the September member of the month. I have someone in mind for that but still to ask. So look out for the next few weeks.