off the needles

Looks like a big goose egg!!

Pink Lovikka bulky yarn on size 6.5mm needles

Blue 2 strands fingerling on size 4.5mm needles

Purple single strand fingerling on size 3.25mm needles

before hot bath and dryer

After not much difference except little pills of cotton stuck to the eggs from the cotton batting scraps of which I have gobs. They may go through the wash a few more times.

Opal socks finished and toes-ty warm by the fire. Will spring ever come?!!?? --Ann--linking to Judy's on the needles where it looks like summer.

design wall

Blocks are finished. Step back access the distribution of the reds. Rearrange the reds. Scrutinize the placement of various prints and plaids, if there are three of the same too close together move a couple.  Start choosing fabrics for the next quilt. Get a cup of coffee and consider more possibilities for rearranging the blocks. Machine quilt for a while, glance up at design wall, jump up move a few blocks. Reheat coffee. Finish details on another coil basket, list on etsy. Realize that moving a block from here to there creates a new problem there.  Decide there will be two or three of the same fabrics in adjacent blocks and for anyone else looking at it on a bed at an angle it doesn't matter that there are two of the same fabrics next to each other. Go to computer to see whats happening at Judy's on the design wall. Get to work on the borders. --Ann--

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

For 'tis green, green, green, where the ruined towers are gray,
And it's green, green, green, all the happy night and day;
Green of leaf and green of sod, green of ivy on the wall,
And the blessed Irish shamrock with the fairest green of all.
~Mary Elizabeth Blake

Savoring last summer's trip to Ireland. --Ann--

on the needles

Our weather has changed again back to cold and windy prairie winter and a good day for knitting. I've made progress on the socks stuffing the sock with batting doesn't show off the pattern as I hoped. I started knitting Easter eggs each egg takes less than an hour. I'm using a bulky lovikka mitten weight yarn. thanks to Howdy (March 8, on the needles) for directing me to Ravelry to find Sara Hills felted egg pattern. I think I will knit eggs until my yarn is gone then throw them in the washer. check out on the needles at Judy's. --Ann--

the snow is melting

The snow is melting
the sun on my face
the wind not blowing
that almost sounds like and Irish blessing

I walked to the post office this afternoon then drank my coffee on the front steps the sun felt so good. Hope your snow is melting. --Ann-- link to good news at PatchworkTimes.

another one out of the cupboard

I seem to be on a theme of blue and yellow they are my school colors go Jackrabbits!
The pieced sashing between the churn dash blocks creates more churn dash blocks. I hand quilted inside the rectangles and triangles and stitched arcs from point to point in the background, I stitched a baptist fan in the border. I call this quilt SDSU Ice Cream because SDSU has a top notch dairy manufacturing program and they make the best ice cream in the world. In 1972 the created an ice cream with dark chocolate cream filled cookies now called cookies and cream for trademark reasons. The label on the back says I finished it in 1999.  Both the men and women won the summit conference yesterday!  Go Jacks--Ann--

on and off the needles

I finished my winter landscape socks see last Friday's post and started 2 more pairs of socks; my morning coffee socks and my watching tv in the evening socks. If the pair on the right look familiar I bought 2 skeins of the opal so have yarn for a second pair, darling daughter has the first pair I'm keeping these. Freezing rain is in our forecast for the weekend so good to stay home and knit or quilt or check out what is on the needles at Judy's.  --Ann--

out of the cupboard

 I haven't pulled quilts out of the cupboard lately to let them stretch and get the kinks out. The label says I made it in 1999.  Here's one of my favorite spring wall hanging quilts.
 The 6 inch baskets are made from 6 inch Merryvale squares, the piano key border was cut from 6" x 18" Merryvale bales. click for explanation of Merryvale. Those small bundles are so wonderful for scrap quilts. Spring still seems far away on the cold, snow covered windy plains, but it makes for a great day to quilt. --Ann--

On and off the needles

I finished my sweater last week and love it. It is soft and warm and the sleeve length is just right. I did not rip out the sleeves like I was tempted to do instead I tried it on with several different tops and decided the sleeves were ok because it was not for 4-H or Mr Monk. I am very pleased with it. The way it drapes reminds me of a sweater my great aunt Elsie knit for me when she came for a visit from Ireland when I was 11 or 12 years old. It was red with a blue design knit down the sleeves. I wore it with so many different outfits....wool skirts, wrap around skirts and slacks and jeans on Friday. She could knit so fast, she used long needles and tucked one under her arm and her fingers and yarn just flew. That sweater was like wearing a hug.                                                I also finished my purple socks number 4 for 2013 but they are not causing an emotional flood of memories.

I started a new pair of socks these are a cotton blend. The lady in the store wound the ball so I could knit from both ends but didn't put the label in my shopping bag.  My repeats will be reversed I thought I could deal with that even though Mr Monk might have a real problem with stripes that are opposite.  I thought the color was very springy but as I was driving home from yet another dentist appointment (a simple crown turned into a root canal).  I looked across the prairie and thought that looks just like my socks out there.
 

   It was late afternoon almost evening and the shadows were long and blue my favorite color of  snow and the way the sun was hitting the stubble in the fields it was very yellow.......just like my socks. Happy knitting--Ann-- Take a peek at on the needles at Judy's