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--