fun yarn

New project started and fairly mindless knitting after I got the stitch count and gauge right. The pattern is Geode by Jane Vanselous, click on the link and watch her video on how to make the colors in the yarn stack up.  She explains it so well.  A new scarf or in this case a cowl is a great pick me up for a long winter. 

  —Ann—

One Done

 

The easy one is done.  I just quilted from point to point on the pinwheels and setting triangles and a diagonal line through the 9 patch and 4 patch chain, pretty easy and quick, I found two 4 patches that I turned the wrong way when I was piecing the blocks. Oops. Then I found 3 bright pieces of binding in the box and they were more than enough for this quilt.  As I worked I thought about how to quilt the splats and as inspiration struck I pinned another sheet of tracing paper to the quilt with a few possible designs.  Still not sure how to quilt it.

--Ann--

Quilt basting

 

Four quilts basted and added to the stack on top of one I basted last summer.  It snowed all day Saturday, I get so much done on snowy days. I finished sewing blocks and sashing then pieced 4 quilt backs. The snow just fell without making a sound and then it just lay there not moving.  That doesn't happen often here. Monday there was just enough wind to blow the snow from the rooftops making it look like a blizzard outside.  I had another quilt top to  baste but decided to measure it before I started pinning it to the frame and I need a king size batting which I do not have.  It will still be there the next time I baste quilts.  I'm ready for some free motion power sewing. --Ann--

off the needles

 

Just finished this sweater after knitting the left sleeve 3 times and the neck 3 times also.  But the second sleeve was knit and off the needles without a hitch.  The sleeve was to wide, the sleeve was too wide and the sleeve was too wide.  Its perfect now.  As for the neck I usually knit that too loose so I wear it once then re do the neck this time I wasn't going to do that so I knit the ribbing on much smaller needles and decreased more than a few stitches.  Bad move the neck was too tight.  Do over still too tight, I could get both over my head but would have been very snug with a shirt underneath.  Do it again this time picking up the patterns suggestion for stitch numbers and only decreasing to a multiple of 4 for the ribbing still on the smaller needles.  Perfect. When I spend 80 - 100 $ on yarn for a sweater I want to be able to wear it with pride.  Oh I have spent much less on sweater yarn but after one season of wear they looked like something the cat drug in,  good yarn is worth every penny.  Planning the next one.  --Ann--

Divide and conquer

Decisions decisions for how to arrange these blocks.  I always sew the sashing and cornerstone to 2 sides of the block so I can rearrange the blocks before I add the sashing to the left and top.  I wish I could have put these pics side by side so you can see the differences more easily. The origional plan was for 20 blocks which would have been a rather large throw quilt these blocks are 14 inches square.  I made 4 more blocks  so I could have 2 quilts that will be 48 or so by 60 some.  Better size for snuggling up on the couch and there are twins in the family now, I would hate to have them fighting over a quilt.  The top and bottom pics are the positive and negative mixed together color splat, black splat, color splat.  The center 2 pics are the positive all in one and the negative blocks in the other.  Tough decision which way to go??  --Ann--

finish this

 

DD picked out the sashing fabric for these splats, starbursts, asterisk or whatever you want to call them.  What do you think black corner stones or colors? They are all hand dyed from a decade or two ago. I think the eye needs to rest on the black cornerstones.          --Ann--

just a quick little quilt

 

I needed some instant gratification after clearing the table.  I pulled out some little bags of leftovers from previous quilts, there were just enough of these little flying geese units to make a little table topper.  Cut some border fabric find a backing and it was done.  Next to deal with the project that has been on the design wall since..............

A long time --Ann--

Mess assessed

 I started this little project before Christmas.  I saw them on Ramona's blog and upon further perusal of the internet and the designers site Isobel Moore I  clicked the button to take the on line class and I'm really glad I did because I would have done them differently.  Her videos were clear and concise and at my leisure.  I need to stop and ask myself how many of these do I need.  Darling daughter is claiming a bunch so we will make more in the future but I can see my kids opening crates of them someday and asking what was she thinking??? She did like to sew!!!

The mess is now contained to this box and on a day when I am at a loss for what to do with the project on the wall I can sew a few strips and when DD comes home for a weekend she can play with the stitches on the machine and embellish  and embellish and embellish.

--Ann--

Assessing the Mess

It’s the middle of January time to assess the mess in my sewing room so I can start something new.  The falling/blowing snowflakes outside my window seem as disorganized as my thoughts. Christmas decorations have been taken down but not entirely put away. New projects are in my head but the table needs to be cleared then I look at the stash.......piles need to be refolded and restacked, boxes need to be closed and placed on the shelf; instead I knit a few rows, new socks and gloves. My sock yarn gloves are going through the wash weekly in this era of sanitize everything. Extra gloves is a good thing. Look at the boxes and baskets of yarn, what do I want to work on next? Should I wind these skeins into balls so they are ready? Slap my hands get organized at least to the point where I can use the table. There is a quilt ready to machine quilt, there are tops to be basted..... Just one corner of the table today  —Ann—

Small finish

 I got to hold the babies earlier in the week. When son or daughter-in-law calls me grandma  I’m still “oh that’s me”.

I finished these socks on the drive up and made progress on the sweater, then I tried it on again, I still don’t like the sleeve, still to wide. It’s a good thing ripping is quick and easy.  I will have all the kinks worked out when I get to the second sleeve. Ha I better write some notes.

We had to wait for a rancher moving his cattled down the road.  Always a fun site and a pleasant change of pace.  They needed to cross a bridge so had to get them all out of the ditch and onto the road then down in the ditch again and we were on our way.  All the cowboys were in pickups or on 4 wheelers.

Missing those babies--Ann--