Sunday Sevens 2019 #25

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Sunday Sevens4 Comments

Welcome to my Sunday Sevens – a post where I share seven (or so) photos of my week away from the blog. A little late this week, because I did a Scrap Happy post Yesterday and didn’t have time to write a second post.

There was a huge sense of Deja Vu last week…

More ivy clearing…

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More damson picking…

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More Jam making…

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But it wasn’t all a repeat of the week before….

I had a big order for kits – so a fair bit of work to do…

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In between I managed to escape for lunch at Okehampton Station…

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And, of course, there were lots of walks with Harry…

 

Saturday this week was also the anniversary of Mr Hick’s passing, so we lit a candle for him…

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Until next time,

Bekki x

Scrap Happy Christmas – Santa Sacks

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Christmas, christmas knitting, Christmas knitting patterns, Knitting, Knitting patterns, Scrap Happy30 Comments

I hate to mention the C word so early, but when you’re crafting, I’m afraid it has to be done…

Those of you who’ve been reading my blog for quite a while might remember back in 2016 I challenged myself to design and knit one Santa sack a day from December 1st to the 24th and post each pattern daily.

Snowman Santa Sack

Not only did I (just about) keep up with the challenge, I tidied up my patterns after Christmas and published them as an ‘advent calendar’ pattern of 27 Santa sacks.

27 Knitted Santa Sacks

Every year since I’ve found myself knitting a few Santa sacks using scraps of yarn.

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These little Santa sack patterns have proved themselves extra usable, because  knitting with different plys of yarn gives different size Santa sacks with different uses.

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4ply

Approx 7g wool needed per sack

  • Advent calendar
  • Tree ornaments*
  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas bunting/garland*
  • Dolls house Santa sacks

Double knitting

Approx 10g wool needed per sack

  • Advent calendar
  • Hanging from mantel piece at Christmas*
  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas bunting/garland*
  • Filled with a few chocolate coins for school fund raising.

*If used decoratively, the Santa sacks will look best if they are stuffed lightly with toy stuffing. They can also be filled with herbs and spices to add a delightful Christmas scent to a room or popped inside a parcel.

Aran

Approx 20g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Hand warmer covers

Chunky and Super Chunky probably use more than you have in scrap amounts, but I confess I do have balls of yarn I’ve only used a small amount of, so maybe you do too. Plus most sacks use more than one colour and the amounts I’m quoting are total weight used for each sack.

Chunky

Approx 36g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Party favour bags

Super Chunky

Approx 65g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas ‘stockings’
  • Small hot water bottle cover

Right now I’m setting off knitting nearly a whole set – challenging myself again to knit one a day. I’ll be posting them on Instagram. And while I’m thinking about Instagram if you don’t and you’d like to follow me on IG, you can find me @dartmooryarns.

Fair isle group

If you like the idea of using your scraps, click on Kate or Gun(first two names in the list  below) and join us on the 15th of every month – or just those months you feel like joining in.  Here’s a list of both frequent and occasional Scraphappiers (?) if you want to see what everybody else is doing.

Kate,  Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn , Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan, Karen,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Johanna,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline and Sue L.

Prescription Crochet #3 WIP

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Having posted a lot of catch up finishes, I thought it was high time I showed you something I was actually working on. This is my third crochet project since I was told by the physio to crochet to make my thumb better.

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When I learnt to crochet – several years ago – I went straight to working on garments and have never crochet a granny square before, so feeling very cuffed I’ve finally made some.

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These are the centre of the Charlotte square. It’s quite a big square and I only liked the centre, so have only done the first 18 rows. As you can see, so far I have six squares completed. I’m aiming for 20.

I may be a while yet.

Until next time,

Bekki x

 

The Curtain Rail Mystery

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Uncategorized18 Comments

Several weeks ago I asked the question, can anyone offer an explanation why the curtain at the physiotherapist is hung like this?

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Having unavoidably cancelled my next physio appoint a couple of times, I finally went back a couple of weeks ago and plucked up the courage to ask. I’m afraid its a very dull answer…

Apparently it’s a bit of an optical illusion: the room has a flat roof that slopes, downward, so the rail is parallel with the floor. Presumably the window is therefore parallel with the roof. Although it looked like it was parallel with the floor to me!

Anyway, if you were wondering – and you probably weren’t – that’s the answer.

Until next time,

Bekki

 

Sunday Sevens #24 2109

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Sunday Sevens13 Comments

Welcome to my Sunday Sevens – a post where I share seven (or so) photos of my week away from the blog.

I didn’t mention it last week, because I don’t like to advertise that my friends are on holiday, but we’ve had the best sort of guest staying with us for a ten day vacation that ended on Tuesday this week.

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We had a wonderful time with an extra fur baby in the house. And in the woods…

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And on the beach…

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The beach trip above was also a day out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Which included a trip to the cracking crab for a celebratory crab baggette…

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There was more celebration this week when I met up with a friend for late birthday cuppa and cake at Lifton Farm Shop. I just love their dancing chickens…

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This week, of course, was the beginning of September. Autumn really seems to have arrived in the UK. There’s a distinct autumnal feel to the air and fungi springing up in the woods…

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I also spotted lots off these. Not sure what they’re called, but I distinctly remember my mum  having to cut a heap of them out of my hair when we were kids, because my brother threw them at me…

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The autumn fruits are also ripening early. I’ve been picking blackberries in the woods…

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Harvesting lots of damsons from our damson tree…

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But our haul of plums wasn’t quite so good…

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I used the damsons to make jam…

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But, not being a fan of blackberry jam, simply ate the blackberries with yogurt…

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And finally I’ll leave you with a pic of Harry watching Ashley and Sully on Britain’s got talent.. He does love his dogs on TV…

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Hope you’ve had a great week.

Until next time,

Bekki x

Heartfelt Cardigan Ta Da!

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Aran Knitting, Dartmoor wool, Knitting14 Comments

Still catching up with the makes I finished while I wasn’t blogging in June/July. I finished this as I went on holiday. It was a bit of a mad rush, because I realised I only needed to take one cardigan if I finished it. After all you can wear a cream cardigan with anything – can’t you?

Here it is…

TA DA!

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And the back…

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Nothing else to say really.

Apart from I’m never never, never, NEVER going to write up the pattern – far to complicated to calculate it for other sizes.

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Until next time.

Bekki x

Kwik Sew 3614

On By Dartmoor YarnsIn Sewing19 Comments

As some of you know, I’ve just started knocking the rust off my clothes sewing skills. Although this is the third garment I’m posting, it was my second finish. Yes, this is another catch up post from June/July.

Back in June I saw a pair of shorts in Long Tall Sally made from black and white ticking and I’m very partial to a bit of ticking.

The shorts cost £55. But before I could even think about the price tag, I remembered a black and white ticking remnant I bought a couple of years ago for £3 or £4. It felt like fate.

I chose Kwik Sew pattern 3164.

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I took out the pieces, measured them and measured several pairs of my existing shorts. The measurements seamed to coincide, so I held my breath and cut into my ticking.

 

I decided to add the optional pockets and am pleased to say the stripes line up pretty well…

20190828_115719I did stray a little from the pattern; leaving off the belt loops and adding a button and button hole at the top, instead if hooks and an overlap…

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For my second garment in 30 years I’m very pleased to say they fit perfectly…

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And they only cost me about a fiver.

Until next time,

Bekki x