Tummy time quilt

 My girlfriend finished arranging the stars on the wall early last week. She was so excited, she has a good eye for color. She has always been a classy stylish dresser. Everything we learned from dress revue in 4-H has stuck with her. Next to practice that quarter inch seam………

and start sewing the 2 inch strips for the 4 patches….. Every step gets her more excited about the quilt. She has sewn about half of the half square triangles. We are both loving the results.

Working on this has been like bringing s little sunshine into the house.

Now she is off an a little trip and I took a tumble on the ice. No broken bones just sore joints and muscles lots of reading and knitting time for me so I don’t aggravate my elbow and shoulder more. I wish it would stay cold here. The snow melts from the roof drips on the sidewalk in the shade and promptly freezes. Boom I’m on the ground.  Slowly getting better.  —Ann—

A sunny day

 

A sunny day after a week of grey, damp,  gloomy days. This picture was taken after Christmas of the fresh snow then coated with freezing rain; looking across the Missouri River in north central South Dakota. Everywhere was sparkly like millions of tiny Christmas lights. Earlier this week was warm enough the snow was melting from the rooftops a symphony of dripping water followed by a gravelly swoosh and a whump as snow slid off the roof. I went for a walk everyone I greeted was so happy to be out, the sun felt so good on my jeans. Water meandered down the gutters, the snow has a nice crust on top now no more blowing snow. The landscape looks like a giant glazed donut.

Ann

OTN

 Progress on my sweater, the yarn is thicker and stiffer than I thought it would be but when I blocked the swatch it was much softer and when I soaked it again with hair conditioner it was really soft and cuddly.  The yarn is Tahki Donegal tweed homespun  100% wool. The color is teal but might have been called something different on the website.  I only have a few more rows before I start the bottom ribbing.  The weather has turned warm here the snow is melting there are bare spots in the yard but we still have February, March and April before the woolens get tucked away.

Some socks I have been knitting with my morning coffee. I love the way the colors are pooling. After I knit the toes I started a knit purl (seed stitch)pattern in the red stretch of dye and plain stockinette in the navy/purple section just for fun. Must have been influenced by the navy and gold cowl I finished in November.  The yarn is Schoppel wolle. It was loosely wound like a spool of thread. The first time I bought this yarn it was on a big cardboard spool but no longer then I jabbed a straight knitting needle through the cardboard and unwound it that way. With this I inserted an empty spool in the center of the yarn hen the straight knitting needle. The color section get shorter as the ball gets smaller. Stay warm —Ann—

Design wall

 Over the weekend I put a few of these log cabin blocks on the design wall to audition fabrics for corner triangles. I’m going with the bright gold on upper left mostly because I have enough fabric.

A girlfriend is making a baby quilt at my house, I’m letting her pick fabrics from my stash because it’s been enchanted by some magical force and never seems to get any smaller no matter how many quilts I sew.  We are both having fun as she chooses and cuts the squares and triangles and arranges them on the wall. Maybe she will start sewing this week.

While she cuts I have been sewing triangles on the hexagons for eye spy quilts for my little granddaughters. I think I have doubled the number of hexagons since November when I started putting them on the design wall.  These will wait until her quilt top is together. I’ve got gold triangles to sew to the log cabin blocks this week.  Thankfully not as many meetings and activities ahead.

Staying warm in the sewing room. Ann

It was a cold and windy weekend……

 

It was a cold and windy weekend…..when I looked at the temperature -16, -21, -13…..blizzard warning, in town it didn’t look so bad but on the open prairie near white out conditions and we weren’t getting any new snow. It was snow relocating from the counties north and west. DD and I had tickets for the Saturday matinee the way the weather was she decided not to make to 2 1/2 hour drive, she suggested I call the box office first thing Saturday and see if I could exchange tickets for Sunday when the weather might be better. I did they were very gracious and I got tickets for the Sunday matinee two seats away from my original seats high in the center of the balcony. I called my SIL lo and behold they already had tickets to the Sunday matinee! So I rode with them and met my son there.  Everything worked out, my brother drove,  the interstate was clear no ice no packed snow no problems. The play was wonderful Richard Thomas played Atticus.  I need to read the book again. Mrs. Dubose, the cranky old lady who Jem read to in the book was played by Mary Badam who played Scout in the movie.

 Sometimes you have to get the big coat out and the thick stocking cap and brave the weather. —Ann—

In the zone

 I was in the zone sewing yesterday……I glanced at my watch a couple times while I was sewing, not really registering the time but thinking I don’t have to make lunch yet……then hubby holler’s soup’s hot!  He took the initiative to make lunch—just soup—but made lunch!!

Back to sewing I finished these log cabin blocks, next to sew corner triangles to make a four point star at the intersection of each block.  After the new year I needed an instant gratification project just fast and simple sewing. I pulled out a box of 1 1/2 inch strips, a bunch were leftover from Christmas quilts from a few years ago. Fresh snow here, looks all Christmasy here now. The white everywhere is so pretty and fresh like a clean sheet of paper…..happy sewing…..Ann

New Yarn, New Year, New Project

New yarn, new year, new project, old pattern, tried and true, maybe I will knit it right the first time.     New blade in the rotary cutter, old stash, new ideas, maybe some old ideas but new ambition. New mess on the table. Creativity is not a neat process.

New challenge: sketch something everyday, just one five minute sketch.  I didn’t say it was going to be a good sketch but I would like sketching everyday to become a habit and maybe they will improve. No major life altering resolutions for me. Happy New Year  Ann