tadada done

against a polar vortex is what I named this quilt as the temps are dropping here.  I think all the schools in eastern South Dakota are closed; there are constant PSAs to call before going anywhere to be sure wherever you want to go is open.  I went to the grocery store yesterday I have everything I need.  I'm staying home and curling up with this quilt and pretend I'm a cat.  Even the post office is taking the day off.  What do you do on a snow day?  Quilt, knit, read, drink coffee, tea?  --Ann--

alternating projects

 Its been cold here and windy and more snow.  Oh its winter its supposed to be that way. Then its a good day to sew!   A quilt top I finished last year was nudging me to be finished,  reminding me that it is pieced with scraps of wool from past garments and would be very cozy to use this winter.  Important words being use this winter.  Piecing the wool was fun but machine quilting is not so much fun because some of the seam intersections are thick and don't go under the foot easily like cotton piecing.  I'm making progress on it and keep reminding myself its not for 4-H  because some of these circles are not very round and my stitching in the ditch sometimes goes up on the road.  Between working on that I have been sewing more half square triangles since I had so many large triangles left from last weeks quilt top.  Exact same pieces and slightly different look.  Staying warm on the wintery plains.  --Ann--

Quilt top

 Another cold windy snowy week here on the plains.  Great days to quilt.  Add this to the stack before I baste quilt tops.  I forgot to rip the corner that is turned the wrong way.  There is a second wrong HST in there somewhere.   Humility.  --Ann--

Broken Resolutions

 I didn't even get through January without breaking my resolution to not buy more creative resources and products.  NO! the resolution was to work from the stash!! which I have been doing!  The opportunity was there, weekend trip to visit niece and her hubby and go to a college hockey game and hubbys went to a pro game so niece and I had to entertain ourselves by going shopping.  What else could we do???  The yarn shop still had the exact same yarn that I bought last year for a scarf and cap but the cap is a little short on the ears so I'm knitting a longer one.  This winter looks to be a long one and it is easier to endure with warm ears.  The red and gray is for gloves for niece and the Zauberball well it was there.  The quilt shop moved to just a block down from the yarn shop so who could resist.  She had these gorgeous brights and my stash of brights had been depleted.  Justified.  --Ann--

Still scrap happy

 The first round of the border segments are sewn and oops I turned a couple triangles the wrong way.  Those thing happen.

 Change things around and have all dark segments next to the center blocks and light on the outside on the left or the other way on the right with light and dark on the outside.

 I need to go around the corner to really see how it will look.  After a couple cups of coffee and much deliberation in my head..........

 I like the dark triangles on the outside  they say the quilt ends here. Now to sew all those segments together and maybe move a couple parts for a little more contrast.
Lovin' my stash and scraps --Ann--

On the kneedles

 New Year new socks on the needles they need to be done for son with the birthday in February which is coming fast.  And I started a simple sweater for me after the disappointment with the Gansey sweater.  I knit this pattern a couple years ago and was very pleased with it.  Top down and knitting in the round. The yarn is really yellow, good thing I really like yellow.  The neck ribbing is  the linen stitch which is a slip stitch pattern with the yarn in front as you slip the stitch. I knit the neck with a size 5 needle then switched to a 7 for the body and as I was knitting to the larger needle I noticed how much easier and faster it was to knit with a smaller needle on the left so I continued knitting that way. I may do that with all my knitting with interchangeable needles.  
Stay warm, wear wool, wear hand knits --Ann--

Scrap Happy

The center block segments are done now to sew 32 more triangle segments for the border and I have a bunch of extra large triangles so I may be making a second quilt of the same pattern.   I love scrap quilts and the scrappier the better and entirely from the stash.  --Ann--

speed sewing

In my search last week for missing blocks I found some bags with cut strips for this quilt.  Half my work was already done so just cut the strips into triangles using the easy angle and the companion angle my two favorite cutting rulers.  Then cut a few more strips from fabrics in the stash and start sewing.  The pattern is in The Quilter's Kitchen by Darlene Zimmerman and Joy Hoffman and probably out of print because I think I made this quilt the first time in 1999.  The strips were 2 1/2 inches and 4 3/4 inches wide.

 
The orientation of the half square triangle is important so line them up and sew a strip of 4 and a strip of 3 and add the end triangle.  Easy enough  well for the directionally challenged like me not always so easy  some times the long strip was for the right side and sometimes for the left side and then the end triangle was at the wrong angle.






























Then I had an aha moment!!!!!

sew them in sets of three and the sets of three are reversible for the light and dark orientation
then sew to the large triangle with a HST at the top point of the triangle

See how I need a right side and a left
kinda like the candy bar even though there is no difference in the candy bar

To sew the end triangles I pair up the sets to make light or dark geese in the center and sew accordingly

Now I'm speed sewing !!!
 try and stop me
--Ann--

first old project of the year

 I thought I was so smart getting these old blocks sewn together last week then when I was looking for some other blocks that I hadn't seen for 3 years I found a box of parts for more 4 patches and 40 more squares for snow ball blocks.  My original plan must have been to make a queen size quilt.  Well that is not going to happen the 56 inch square top will be just right on my patio table.  But what shall I do with all these other pieces??  The quilt could have a twin or a slightly larger sibling. Or I could do something totally different because I cut the red fabrics for other projects and don't have corners for the snowballs anymore so there won't be a twin.
A new challenge for the new year.  --Ann--

stitch detail

 Thanks to a comment by a reader I took some close ups of the stitch patterns in this Gansey sweater.  The stitch patterns are all knit and purl combinations.  Nothing difficult.  The patterns repeat across 8 stitches and the same stitch repeats are used in the sleeves.  The variations of the stitches make it interesting to knit and easy to count rows.  The black dots on the chart are the purl stitches.  The hip sections is plain stockinette traditional sweaters have the wearers initials knitted in the lower left but I didn't knit my initials,  this has a garter stitch band at the bottom and a 3 yarn cast on that has a picot edge. I just wish I had made it a size larger.  I'm still thinking of ripping and making something that is more comfortable to wear its still too tight and itchy.  I have some other yarns to play with while I decide.    --Ann--

Gansey Sweater finish

The sweater is finished except for weaving in the ends and blocking.  The fit is snug, more snug than I thought it would be I want to use the word snugger but it doesn't sound right in my head like funner which is common usage now.  The yarn is also a little itchy in the arms and neck because it fits so snug.  The garter stitch band at the bottom flips up every time I sit so I have to flip it down when I stand.  The yarn is 100% peruvian wool from Cascade yarn 220 sport.  The pattern was in Beth Brown-Reinsel's book knitting ganseys. The book and instructions were very good I'm just not sure I like it or if I should rip and start again with something a little roomier and then I probably don't have enough yarn.
Things I learned since starting this sweater:

• Yarn is easier to pack and move than fabric and books
• no matter how much I sort and toss I still have too much stuff  but its really good stuff!!!
• I can adjust if I want too  I don't always want too.
• I learned how to knit a sleeve gusset and a neck gusset 
• and a saddle shoulder even though this sweater did not have a saddle shoulder
• It’s easier to knit sleeves that match if I don’t knit a bunch of other stuff between finishing the first sleeve and starting the second. And there was Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years in-between.
• according to the insurance ad on TV the average person moves 11 times in a lifetime, I've moved 12 and thats not counting all the college moves.  I'm above average!
• I like knitting top down sweaters more than bottom up because I can try it on and make adjustments.

The rest of the Christmas decorations come down today.  --Ann--

New Year Resolutions or To Do List

A day to myself what fun to catch up on reading blogs and updating mine.  I hope I didn't offend anyone by deleting their blog from my sidebar but if you haven't posted in over a year...................      I also added some new blogs.  One check off the to do list for 2019.
I have been reading lots of lists on social media of resolutions or goals or good intentions whatever you chose to call them:
-A common one is to break a bad habit.  I don't have any bad habits no really I don't smoke or drink in excess or bite my nails.  I'm sure I have annoying habits but they annoy others not me.  If they annoyed me or were bad for my health I wouldn't do them.  I read a really good book about habits a couple years ago by Charles Duhigg.  He looks at why it is a habit and specific things to change the habits.
-Another frequent resolution is to learn a new skill.  I have lots of skills and each one involves  a bunch of crap as in creative resources and products.  I don't need another stash of crap in my life so no new skills here.
-Visit a new place....thats on schedule for later this winter.
-Try a new food  looking forward to that, what new flavor of ice cream is out there?
-Taking a risk is another common resolution.  I do that every time it snows here with the way some people drive or can't put the cell phone down while they drive they should resolve to be safe.
My to do list for 2019 which is so much less serious and more forgiving and flexible than easily forgotten and rigid resolutions

1. Finish and old project or two or three
2. Work from the stash  fabric and yarn
3. Use less disposable stuff
4. Use the good dishes
5. Eat more vegetables 
6. Eat less sugar less and refined grains
7. Drink more water especially before meals
8. Be grateful
9. Be kind
10. Say a prayer

Best wishes for 2019 and may all your lists be doable --Ann--

Clean Slate and New Year

Clean slate / design wall is up and in need of something.
These snowy windy and now very cold days I have spent time in my new sewing room, I'm still getting organized but I need to start something new.  But so many decisions, which pile of fabrics to use?  what pattern to sew?  There was a book laying on the shelf with some fabrics in the pages this little scrap quilt will be easy and fun...........then I start going through some bags of scraps for the 4 patches and I come across a couple other projects.............and I'm kinda like the little mouse that has a cookie and one thing leads to another so this is what I am working on...........the snowball blocks were done all I had to do was to finish the double 4 patches.

 Border or no border? it might be just the right size for my patio table that sits in front of the big window in the office / library / study because it has 2 walls of shelves.  More decisions to make.
Happy New Year  --Ann--