If you're at all like me, when you start a new project, you just want to jump right in and get stitching. I don't want to spend the time knitting a tension square and piecing a test block to ensure that all is working properly. Heaven forbid that I have selected the wrong shade of fabric or picked up too small of a pair of needles.
You might feel that this is a huge inconvenience to knit a useless little square. Hands up, we all have that thought. However, should you need to make a change to perhaps a different size needle or a different piece of fabric, isn't it better to find out at the start then after you have spent hundreds of hours or dollars on your project.
If I had been making an entire project with Mr. Fox, I would have been sad to find out well into the quilt top that the reddish fabric was the wrong choice. What if I had cut twenty blocks with that fabric and then realized it was wrong. What a waste. Same goes with knitting. What if you knit the entire body of the sweater only to realize that you should have used a larger needle and now the sweater will be too tight at the hips.
Mr. Fox number one will not go to waste, he'll still be made into a pillow cover. I am going to try adding some black buttons to his 'sweater' to see if that helps. I much prefer Mr. Fox two with his brown spotted pelt. He is going to look so cool sitting on the sofa.
Mr. Fox won't be alone for long, I have started on a companion. At the cutting stage, I realized one fabric was too light and switched to the new fabric used in Mr. Fox two. Liking how this new fella is looking.
As you know, I can't stick to just one project, also knitting. This pair of grey and yellow fittens it looking great. I am so in love with this combination. I am at the decrease point. Next week I'll post a photo of them being modelled and a link to the pattern as requested by one of my regular readers Sherrie. She usually adds a linky to my post with an update on her latest quilt/embroidery project. Thanks for the reminder Sherrie.
Anyone have photos of test blocks that failed and changed the direction of the project or perhaps you knit tension squares and have found an innovative way of using them. Please share on your blog and link back, or send me the photo and I'll add it to this post.
Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress
of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the
encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their
blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute
little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a
comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.
Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework
post.
2 comments:
I make trial blocks, although sometimes out of scrap fabric, just to see if I can manage the technic. I do admitt to lauching into my knitting, but I do check my gauge when I have enough done to actually measure it. That usually works.
Hi Heather,
I usually just jump right in on a project. I'm not one for making samples. With crocheting it's easy to just rip it out. For quilting, I just use fabric I like and color coordinate. I haven't had a block I didn't like so far. Have a great day!
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