Monday, August 29, 2016

More Max!

With the end of summer in sight (sadly!) and the humidity returning to a level that's not too uncomfortable to be outside, I have been trying to catch up with all the chores in  the garden.....the weeds are taking over! 

With all this work in the garden, it means that I haven't had as much time to stitch as I would like to (again!) this week. Max was picked up and dusted off.....



I really want to get him finished off quickly as I have so many things on my "I-want-to-stitch-this" list and I know that if I put him aside he probably won't get picked up and finished for, well.....who knows how long! :)

I was also working on some crochet this week. We have a new baby arriving in our family soon and there's no better excuse to get the old crochet hook out!

I found this adorably soft chunky wool in a colour combo that I thought would be just a tad different for a baby. The pattern that I had seen called for three balls of a chunky baby yarn, but when I saw this one I fell in love with it. 


It crocheted up beautifully. Unfortunately in my haste to get on with the blanket, I didn't check the length of yarn in each skein.....BIG mistake. Yeah, I ran out of the yarn. Thank heaven for online ordering!


Since we don't know if baby is a boy or a girl, my plan was to pick one of the bright colours, maybe the orange or the green and do a couple of rows of the solid colour as an edging all the way round.

Buuuuttt.......you knew there was a 'but' coming there, didn't you? :) The new yarn that arrived was a totally different colour! I know that you can expect a slight shade variation, but this was awful, as you can see.....


I have emailed Lion Brand about the significant colour variation, but as yet (a whole week later!) I still haven't had a response from them. Needless to say, I'm so disappointed and kind of at a loss as what to do. I don't want to risk buying any more yarn as I can't be sure what colour I'll get. 

I guess the moral of the story is to buy more than you think you'll need.

Think I'll use that motto for cross stitch supplies too!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

17 comments:

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

Lesson learnt always always buy extra yarn! Always I hate not having enough and quickly learnt to buy extra. Die lot is so finicky.

Von said...

I'm afraid the weeds have taken over much of my garden as I've just wanted to stitch! The last few years the garden has taken precedence, so I'm going with it, lol!

Preeti said...

Lovely stitching and crochet!! If you have the label of previous yarn and the online website mentions the dye-lot number, then you can order that. Usually, most website do not mention the Lot number. Even while in store, the dye-lots vary. I always buy more quantity and I crochet a lot so the left overs get used up eventually.

Smily-Света said...

This yarn looks so nice and soft!

Justine said...

What a pity about that yarn. You found a great motto however!
I'm running a SAL this month...Solo September where we work on one project for the whole month. Might help you get your teeth back into Max?!

Brigitte said...

Good to see that Max got some attention again.
It's weird that dye lots can change so much. I often see this with stitching threads and always order an extra skein.

butterfly said...


Oh I am so sorry , how can it be so different !
Your cat design is coming out lovely.

Mini said...

Loving the color of the yarn. Sorry that the dye lot didn't match.

Just Another Old Geezer said...

Such a lovely kitty!! Thanks so much for sharing...
http://allcrossstitchpatterns.yolasite.com/

gominam said...

Love seeing Max again. I feel your pain, if only we don't have to keep guessing how much we need to get a project done.

Katie said...

Max is looking great. So sorry about the thread problem. So frustrating. I think we all like your motto though haha.

StitchyDragon Creates said...

Max is looking great & so is your baby blanket! How frustrating about the variation & disappointing that Lion Brands' customer service is so slow :( you mentioned doing a border in a solid color, do you think the pattern would work if you picked 2 of the solid colors & added 2 panels one each side of your beautiful multicoloured section? Then worked a border round the whole lot? Just a thought... wishing you extra stitchy hours for Max! Helen

Helen Philipps said...

Max is coming along so nicely...and your crochet is looking lovely too...but what a shame about the colour difference in the yarn re order!! That is quite a significant difference, when usually they are hardly noticeable. I hope the company will be helpful about it....Enjoy your stitching and your gardening Rhona...lots of weeding to do here too!
Helen xox

Le trame della Galaverna said...

Great progress
Many compliments
Colors are vibrant
Very beautiful

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Great work on Max but how annoying about the dyelots. You can't even blend two lengths like you could with cross stitch threads! Hope you find a solution.

Stitching Noni said...

Love Max!! :o)
The colour of the yarn is gorgeous... what a shame about the dyelots being so different ;O(
I too agree with your new motto - buy way more than you need especially when it comes to cross stitch supplies! :o)
Hugs xx

Heather said...

Oh no! Could you make it twice as long so it looks like it was intentional? Or order more and try to return the other if it matches and if not send it all back. Max looks great though I hope you get it all sorted soon!