More cake, horizontal chains & a February frog

The second layer of the Mandarin Petit wedding cake pin cushion got the full implementation of the horizontal chain technique that came about as a result of not being able to travel my stitches as much as I'd like or work a horizontal icord band.

I used a slip stitch stitch pattern for interest and to sort of mock up a basket weave/lattice icing technique.

The first photo shows the horizontal chain, the stitches formed and the next row of knitting -- note no elongated distortion.

The only down side on this is the potential for twisted stitches. That can corrected if the twisted stitches are not acceptable for the application.

Here's another shot showing the same state of knitting but with the already completed centre out circle bottom at the top.

Colour variation owing to difference in lighting.

Clearly this is not going to give me a place to hide a wire but I think I could mutate it to do just that and I also like it as a way to change colours.

The frog reference isn't a failed tale of knitting but rather another happy but unexpected discovery.

In digging out my sewing stuff to try to find a lining solution to the pin cushion problems, I happened upon a stash of marbles.

Apparently, back when we were choosing eyes for Señor Frog, I separated the "suitable for eyes" marbles from the others and put them, for some strange reason, in with the sewing stuff.

Since I don't sew often not only is it hard for me to remember that I used to be really good at it, it is also rare that I get into that corner of the closet. I wonder if this means the missing sewing machine needles and other machine accessories are mixed in with some other craft supplies -- perhaps beading?

But here they are and maybe, just maybe, one or more will be on their way to Scotland for transplant.