Collar Kit and a salutory lesson!

A friend went to Yarndale 2014 (lucky thing) but came back with a little gift for me. It was a small brown gift bag with two skeins of pink wool, a pattern, a circular needle and of course a pattern. It was called a Cassi Collar Kit from The Old Piggery, but what was so useful was that it did not take up room in my luggage over Christmas and the New Year, so I finished it quite quickly. 

It is splendid because i do like a warm neck and scarves can get in the way when I am indoors and I am so pleased with it. Thanks L.

However taking a photo of it and a recent crocheted cardigan, took me back years.

How many of you remember these which were so popular in the late 60s, early 70s?

Look at the price 7½p!!

I learnt to crochet from my mother, but she had passed away and so the only garment I thought I could make used Granny Squares. I made the longer version in navy blue, turquoise and white and thought I was the "Bees knees"!!!!  For my overseas readers this is a slang expression - look at the link. Well shortly after this my life became too busy and so I stopped all crochet.

I finally re-started again three years ago and decided to make a cardigan, BUT I couldn't remember all the stitches so I bought a book called the Crotchet Bible. I did know that there were UK and American differences in stitches, but the book was printed in the UK so that was OK!!  I bought inexpensive wool just in case the whole thing went pear shaped and off I went. I did get a little concerned when the back, which should have finished at waist level covered my backside, but when someone said "are you using UK trebles or American trebles as it will make a difference" I airily replied that the book was English!! I pressed on with the two fronts and then I started the sleeves and that is when everything went wrong and I was forced to admit that it was wrong and I had been using American trebles - UK double trebles - in other words bigger stitches!! I spent the whole of one Saturday evening unraveling everything and started again. This was the finished result and I had learnt a valuable lesson!!  Do not assume that just because a book is printed in the UK that it is English terminology. There is a difference.

Well here is the finished article:-

I love it but it needed brightening up so I made a flower.

As I liked it so much I decided to crochet another one but this time I used variegated wool and in a larger size:-

Sorry, a coat hanger doesn't do it justice!!

It is really warm and I love this one as well so I may have to start doing other crocheted garments but no granny squares!!

Today was smocking class at Poppy Patch, now under new management. Unfortunately their new web link is not ready but I have promised that when it is up and running I will let you see it. I am finishing a smocked Christmas bauble (no, it wasn't meant for 2014!) and have a new project to start and I am really excited about it, so more about that in a few weeks time.

My embroidery is progressing and I will show you a little more soon. I am actually enjoying this more than I thought and even the single strand satin stitch has worked out quite well, so I shall sew more over the weekend.

However not everything is going so well and my Higham Piecemakers Christmas Challenge picture is causing me problems. I am sure I have told you what we have to make but I cannot find it in my blog. Anyway we have to reproduce a well known artist's picture to go in a standard picture frame. I know what I want to try and do but I am having a struggle to make it, so the air gets a little ripe, but I will persevere because I rarely give up!!

Finally, I have been writing this blog for a year on 1 February, and I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement during my first year. Please keep commenting as it helps me so much.