on the needles

My daughter was home for the weekend, the guys were off fishing so we watched movies without interruption. I started a new pair of mittens knitting mittens when it is 95 outside. I wanted to knit larger stitches so I could watch the movies. We watched The Help,  We Bought a Zoo,  Larry Crowne, and  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Dirty Dancing again. We didn't eat a lot of junk good for us. Son's dog gave us a few really good laughs. When the wind went down Sunday night we had a fire in the chimniria and watched the moon rise and the stars come out and not a marshmallow in the house so we just had a piece of chocolate. Enjoying our mother daughter time.
The socks are getting longer and they fit so nice. Link to on the needles at Patchwork Times. --Ann--

Turtle Pond Quilt

 This was an unfinished project for a very long time. Sewing the quilt top was easy, the curved piecing takes less time than sewing a nine patch. But after it was done it sat for a long time as in a couple years because I knew the quilting would enhance it or ruin it. I took a machine quilting class and bought lots more books and it still sat. I finally traced around one of the turtles and photo copied the turtle onto a couple dozen sheets of paper and got busy with my pen and just drew and drew turtle shell designs. Then I picked out the most "do"able and free motion machine quilted to my hearts content. No two turtles are alike in either fabric or quilting.  The fabrics used in this quilt are also from Merryvale bales of 6" x 18" strips of fabric from several collections. I machine quilt on my Bernina Artista 170.
Have enjoyed this forum and am learning lots from Leah's blog.  I also recently sold this quilt on etsy. two quilts in two weeks I'm on a roll so better do some sewing today. Happy quilting--Ann--

On the Needles

I didn't think I would make enough progress on these socks to post anything today but I finished the first heel turn!!!!! and it was easy!!!!! Need to do some work in the garden while it is still cool this morning then my reward will be to do the other heel this afternoon when it gets hot out. But first a quick peek at what everyone is knitting at Patchwork Times.  ~~Ann~~

August Color Challenge

August Color Challenge is finished!! Ready to send to the new baby boy! Had it not been for Vicki's August color palette I probably wouldn't have put the dark brown in the quilt. I do like it. The red feather fabric is completely gone. Yippeeeee! And my cow dogs are gone too. Boohoo. I free motion quilted it with stars and loops and a red, white and blue thread.  --Ann--  just linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times

Color challenge finish

This quilt was inspired by the  May Color palette challenge by Vicki. My fabrics are muted compared to Vicki's inspiration. I think mine looks like a summer salad with tomatoes and lettuce and carrots. It is just tri rec stars with nine patches and a double nine patch in the alternating blocks. I free motion quilted it using a varigated  thread. I mostly swung an arc from point to point with some loops. I used a bamboo quilt bat, it quilted really nice, its heavier than the cotton batting I usually use. It was cozy to sit under while I sewed the binding by hand. 95 outside but Hubby had the ac blasting. Ready for cooler days.  --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

Design wall photo op. I sold this quilt on etsy and just wanted to be sure I had photos of it since all were lost when my hard drive crashed last spring. The block is called northwind but it is also called corn and beans, because I chose cool blues I call the quilt Northwind. I used 6" x 18" strips of fabrics from bales that I purchased at quilt guild several years ago, it was a fundraiser through a company called Merryvale, they would buy a complete line of fabrics and quilt guilds could order packages of 6 inch squares or 6" x 18" bales of the collections, there was a new collection each month and the guild got a portion of the cost. I sorted out the blues, purples, greens, pinks and a few greens and yellows from my many bales. I paired them then cut the large triangles and smaller triangles, each pair made 2 blocks with a few HST leftover for the borders, I did have to cut a couple strips just for the borders. To make order out of the chaos I grouped the colors together which created a very pleasing movement of light and dark across the quilt. So I say good bye to this quilt as I ship it to its new home. --Ann--  Check and see what everyone else is doing at Patchwork Times.

on the needles toe up socks

 I'm trying toe up socks. They are both from skeins of yarn with the same dye lot even though they don't look it. One I am pulling from the inside the other I couldn't find the inside end so I'm unwinding from the outside of that ball.  My gradation of color will be opposite.  Good thing they aren't for Mr. Monk he would have a hard time with socks that are not symmetrical. Ready to turn the heel and watching lots of  u tube videos. Any advice on the heel would be welcome and greatly appreciated. ~~Ann~~ P.S.  One year ago today I started my blog. Happy Blog Day to  me! See what else is on the needles at Patchwork Times.