Liberty print roses, vintage style sweater and honey cake

After becoming completely bored with the ZigZag crochet skirt that I was working on last week I decided to dig out a project that I abandoned a while ago.  Yes, the Jan Sweater is back! I don't know why I got tired of making this as I am now finding it quite enjoyable.  There are just a couple of inches of the back to finish and then the tiny cap sleeves to knit so it could be completed fairly soon.  I am hoping that this will be a really wearable jumper. The Drops Baby Alpaca Silk yarn is lovely to work with and I think the colour is perfect for this cute vintage style. I am undecided about whether or not to frog the crochet skirt - I feel it is turning out too short and a little too small. It may be best not to waste any more time on it. I can think of other projects that the yarn could be used for.
 
I did finally get around to blocking my cotton crochet shawl. The lace has opened out a bit and it lies a little flatter.  I hope to get a chance to wear this at some point - at the moment is is just too cold outside.
 
I have recently decided to start sewing again after a long break. I found this beautiful piece of Liberty Tana Lawn in my long neglected sewing box and downloaded the perfect pattern for it.  After carefully sticking together the pattern pieces and then cutting the fabric, I was keen to get sewing. Unfortunately I hadn't considered that my sewing machine might not want to cooperate!  After "resting" for about 7 years it was unwilling to get back into active service. Also, a couple of small parts such as the bobbin cover seem to have got lost. After consideration, I decided that it would be cheaper to buy a new basic machine than to get my old Brother Super Ace II serviced and repaired. However, I think I may have just made a mistake in ordering a machine from a company with the worst customer service reviews that I have ever read. It would have been better to research the company as well as the machine. After I had paid, I started reading about terrible customer experiences, dodgy practices and even verbal abuse from the shop manager all over the internet. Now I have very little confidence in receiving my new sewing machine in satisfactory condition or in the 2 working days as promised on the website. I really hope they prove the reviews to be wrong.  Meanwhile, my gorgeous Liberty print top is waiting for some stitching up...
 
Later today I am off to a local Jubilee Celebration Party and have spent this morning baking cakes. This is my first attempt at a lemon and honey cake in a fancy new cake pan. It looks ok but we'll have to see how it tastes.