Caribbean Gatefold Album

 After a long hiatus, I am back working on my Caribbean album.  I've always wanted to try a gate fold album, but I'm realizing a few TRICKY BITS about it that I hadn't considered before.

As you can see from the pictures, the idea was to have 2 pages that open up "gate style", with photos and a post card on the front (top photo), with my journaling on the back (bottom photo).  Once these pages open, a full page underneath would be visible.  The full pages would alternate as right turning or left turning pages, so the bound spines would be equal in size.

This is great in theory, but I am finding that as the album gets bigger, it is a bit of a PUZZLE to get it closed again.  Maybe it will be better once I get it bound, which is tricky bit #2.

I'm doing the pages first, and then binding them, as I think it will be easier to work on.  I will have to be really, really careful when I bind, or I may have pages going the wrong way. 

I'm trying to keep this album as flat as I can, I've had some trying times with past albums getting way to thick.  So I'm back to cutting out the backs of the mats, and keeping embellishments as thin as possible. 

The paper I'm using is Webster's Pages and Bo Bunny.  There is a little Theresa Collins in there as well.  And that butterfly is G45.  I'm playing with large stamps and Perfect Pearls (the grass and crab in the top photo), and the odd Memory Box die cut is finding its way onto the pages. 

On the UFO front, I have dragged out an old afghan I have been knitting for years.  I have been procrastinating because once I started, I realized I didn't really like knitting the pattern ("moss stitch" sounded so innocent!), and I wasn't thrilled with the colour palette I had chosen.  So I'm taking things into my own hands and switching it up.  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time.....

Mitts in July

I have completed another UFO!  Never mind that it's mitts in July, it's one more thing off my "guilt radar", and I'm sure you know what that is, unless you are one of those people who never start a new project until they have finished the last one.  I started these about 2 years ago, intending to give them to my daughter for Christmas.  As you can see, I have added a couple of those cute flowers I've been making with some leftover yarn!

This pattern came out of a magazine.  The article gushed that they were simple to make, but I can tell you it has not been an easy road to completion.  The first problem was the pattern, and the fact that there was a mistake in it.  "Oops!" said the magazine's website.  Yeah, oops is right.

Once I got the correct pattern, I discovered that I could only do the knitting  in solitary confinement.  There was a vast amount of counting, and following not only the pattern, but the pattern of the pattern.

Alone with my stitch counter and four double pointed needles, I had quite of bit of trouble transitioning from needle to needle without a bit of a gap or "ladder" forming.  I went to a local knitting shop, where they were very helpful and sympathic, telling me I must keep the stitches tight when going from one needle to the next.  Seems like the only thing that got tight were the muscles in my hands!

But now they are finished, and I think I am going to keep them.  There are a few mistakes, I but I can overlook those. 

Next on my radar is my Caribbean album.   No pattern to follow, no stitches to drop.  Sounds like heaven!
Until next time...