To Thine Own Self Be True

Well, I seem to be settling into 2009 just fine. And learning from past mistakes. If you've been reading my blog for a month or more, you may recall that I had to repin and iron a quilt (Cielo) because I pinned it and stored it before getting around to quilting it, making cause for quite a bit of whining. Well, yesterday I took my quilt to my quilt therapy group and pinned it. Then I took it home--carefully!--and laid it out so it would be ready to go. And it worked out just fine. Yay.
On the way home, I picked up the thread I wanted to use for quilting. I like it. Of course, chartreuse is a little wild, but come on, it's me we're talking about...
Next thing: I know that if I quilt this thing and then have to make up the binding, I will most like have a ginormous (that's a word now!) break between quilting and binding because I'll run out of steam, so I made up a roll o' binding, using the continuous binding technique, and put it away. That way, as soon as I finish quilting my Polka Dot Garden, I can just keep right on truckin'.
I needed some actual handwork today, so I pulled out what I've been calling "Baby Boy on Moon." Turns out the actual name is "Crescent Dreams." Now I wonder why I never finished it. It's not very complex. And the colors are pretty. I sewed on it while I watched the Chargers game with the Man of the Place. They won! Go Bolts!

Welcome to 2009!

You know what I love to hear? When a party hopper says, "I was having so much fun I stayed longer than I meant to." That's a very good sign. I like to run New Year's like an open house so party hoppers can come and go, regulars can stay all night, and those who barely made it out of the house at 11 pm are still comfortable to arrive late and stay late. Tiny has an annual sleepover to extend the party and that makes for buckets more fun.

We had a great crowd. Not too many and not too few. But there was still room for you.

Many games got a good airing out: I played Imaginiff (a Christmas present), Apples to Apples (Santa's surprise gift), and Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary--it was so hard we wound up helping each other to get the answers! That made for a very congenial group. And noisy.

And this morning, with God's help, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to watch to Rose Parade. Meanwhile, I cut out the fabric for Ben's quilt. I think the colors are toned-down enough for a fellah and I know he has a special affinity for dragonflies. Say a little prayer for Him will ya? He needs help getting a new start in a new place.This is the pattern I'm working on... from this book:I took a class from this teacher in the summer and she made this sooo do-able.

Oh, and Stashbuster Alert! I'm making it from fabrics in the stash! Can I hear a woot-woot?!

UFOs Spotted Circling Local Studio

We're getting ready for New Year's Eve here! Planning the menu, baking a cake, making little yummies for our dear friends and family. We do an open house and play games. It's fun! C'mon by!

Also, I have been going through and pulling out some of my UFOs. I thought I'd share a few pictures. BUT, just because I'm showing them to you does NOT mean I'm working on them. I thought that looking at them might inspire me. We'll see.

Nine Batik Stars

These blocks are lovely. I look forward to putting them together. I have more of the background color and I like this batik for a border.

Butterfly Garden Quilt Sampler

Barely started--I've probably only spent an hour on it--but likely to be very pretty.

Sleep, Baby, Sleep

I was planning to put this up in my daughter's nursury but, as she's fourteen, she probably wouldn't appreciate it now.

Crescent Dreams

This was a birth gift for a boy who is past toddler age. Again, probably not appropriate.

To Have and To Hold

It's not specific to anyone... yet. I don't remember having much fun sewing on it, so it may never get done.

New Love Blooms

This is our wedding sampler. We've only been married sixteen years, so it's still good. Right?

I Liked It So Much I Bought It Twice!

I was stuck. Really stuck. I used this fun Jacobean print with the polka dots, but I only had 1 measly yard and used it all up in the blocks. But I still had to make the final border. What would go with everything? I am against using white in the outside of a quilt because that's where hands mostly go. Hands aren't always clean. I think you can follow the logic. So I'm pulling out purple, pink, blue, yellow. Nothing looks right. I mean, really. This quilt is crazy (although it's not a Crazy Quilt). So, in a fit of what-the-blank, I pulled out the multicolored fabric boxes and guess what? I found a whole 'nother yard of the Jacobean! Ya-hoo!

Also, I'm starting two more quilts before year's end: this one will be simple. It's called "Late Bloomers" because it's floral on black. It's a great way to, what? That's right, use up stash fabric and use the pink fabric Santa brought me.The pink and the orchids will alternate, and this will be the border.Also, I pulled this puppy out. I've been wanting to work on it for a while, so it's going to get some attention!

The Magical Magic Loop

Bonnie said...
I've just started making socks. Used a pattern I didn't particularly like but the socks are done and are being worn. Does Adult Socks II teach the Magic Loop Method? I bought the book about knitting on two circular needles but haven't found both sets of circular needles. What is the magic about Magic Loop?

Nope. Adult Socks II has you using 4 DPNs (That's double pointed needles for you non-knitters. And before your imagination gets going all weird with some convoluted bent stick thing, you oughta know that a DPN is a straight stick with a point on both ends. That's all.)

Here's a pic I found on the net that shows Magic Loop pretty clearly.

Being a one-day veteran (bow in wonder!) of the Magic Loop method, I can tell you that the only magic I'm seeing is a lowered likelihood of dropping stitches, and a near impossibility of losing needles. Oh, also, it seems to go pretty fast and for a slowpoke like me, anything to speed me up is a good thing. Sock Diva (you know who you are) got me going yesterday morning and I cooked right along. I've already turned the heel (it's kinda square!) and am about halfway through the sole.

And I've been obsessed, as Tiny would say, with my Polka Dot Garden quilt. This is just plain fun for me! And if you think it's loud, well, all I can say is, "Duh!" I have found that it's really important to make stuff ASAP from gift materials. That way people know how happy you are with your gifties. I'm so happy that I already had this Jacobean-inspired fabric that picked up all the colors of the polka dot fabric that was in my stocking. (The pattern is called "Barbara's Antique" and is from Debbie Caffrey.) I'll probably sash it in white to calm it down a little.

Socks and Quilts Galore

I probably knitted about 25 stitches today, but that was putting it on my new needles! I'm going to switch over to Magic Loop Method. Oot-oot!

And speaking of socks....

tshquilts said...
love your quilts and socks. (Thanks, tsh!) What book or pattern would you recommend to someone who has not knitted for many years, but would like to make some socks?
Oh, that's easy! My "go-to" sock pattern is Ann Norling's Adult Socks II: Play on Ribs... funny, now that I look at it, I don't follow it to the letter. I stop the ribbing wherever I feel like it (usually after 2" of cuff) and just do plain knitting (stockinette to those in the know). I'm slow enough already without all that switching from purl to knit. But back to the topic: This pattern not only has sizes for tinies and grups (adults), but it has instructions that accomodate 3 different common yarn weights: worsted, sport, and fingering!

But let me open this up to you all: what's your favorite easy sock pattern?

One more piece of advice: if you have to start over a few times, Baby, know that you're not alone. I've made 18 socks. I've started probably 30 times. You do the math.

Here's the quilt that I had to be so cagey about:

I couldn't show the football fabric without giving it away. My beloved Uncle Don is a huge Buffalo Bills fan, so I found some appropriate Bills colored fabrics in my stash (Stashbuster Alert) and put it together with the football. I titled it, "Are You Ready for Some Football?" When I bought the Football fabric, I thought I'd only need a small amount, for the borders, so I was thinking a yard, to be on the safe side, then I thought maybe I'll just use it for the back, so I said, "Two yards, please." Then something made me say, "No, make that two and a half." Clearly, I was way overbuying and overbuying fabric that was so not me. Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, friends. Here's what's left over:

What's happening today, you ask? Ah, yes. Today I been quiltin' big-time! I finished Cielo: ta-da!

And I started a NEW QUILT. Yes, not one that I started a year ago and not one as a gift, but a genuine new quilt based on the fat quarters that graced my stocking! I had a lovely yard of fabric in the stash that goes very well! Here's what's going on so far:

I've chopped up all the fabric for the blocks--yay!

Today's Blog is Brought to You by the Word "Domestic"

The Gentle Art of Domesticity

I asked for this book for Christmas. I usually prefer to get my books at the library but this is a keeper! The author talks about domesticity vs. domestication. I think that I am quite domestic but not domesticated. I like to make lovely things that make the home a comfortable place, but the day-to-day cooking and keeping house don't ring my bell. The essays are like water to my spirit and the photos are energizing, too.

And speaking of domesticity...

Cielo is nearly finished. What's left to do?

1. Handsew down the rest of the binding.
2. Make a label
3. Handsew it down.

I think I'll be done before New Year's!

Other domestic joys:

1. Christmas Eve with my folks was absolutely lovely. A good, filling, but not overblown dinner of short ribs, baked potatoes, arugula-pear salad, green stuff, spinach, carrots, and pumpkin pie. The stress levels were way down. I didn't bother digging out the Christmas dishes and every single decoration. And everyone seemed to like their gifts.
2. The man of the place made panetone French Bread for breakfast--mmmmmmmmmmm!
3. My stocking was filled with stuff I need: fabric, rotary blades, thread, pins, and socks. (Also a Shakespeare pop!)
4. And my beloved family gave me the knitting needles I asked for! No diamonds, no pearls, just exactly what I wished for.

Oooh, Have I Been a Busy Girl!

I've had burble-gut for a few days so I have been barred from the kitchen, but pretty much stuck at home. Just as well, all I get to eat is the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. What this means is... I've had more time to make stuff!

Playtime at Azkaban socks are finished. When I told Tiny they only took 2 1/2 months to complete, she was noticeably unimpressed. Phooey. My last socks took well over a year! So, if my count is correct, this is the 9th pair of socks I have made!I started a new pair. I'm calling these Soy Toys because that's what the fiber is: Soy! It's in our burgers and our paper--why not our socks? The fiber is a woven kind and it's worsted weight, so the sock will be thicker and pillowy. (10th pair)
The TV show, Fringe, was recommended and recommended to me, so finally I watched the pilot on Hulu last night. It's pretty darn good. I had avoided it because it sounded really violent--it seemed no more so than Battlestar Galactica and Heroes... And, while watching it, I got some work done on the final Red Thread panel. Isn't it shaping up to be cute? Okay, the snowlady doesn't have eyes or a mouth, but her nose is quite distinctive, don't you think?
I'm part of a group that holds me accountable for finishing up quilts and expects at least one every quarter. Well, I haven't done that this quarter so I thought I'd get back to Cielo. Remember, I pinned it and put it away? Okay, maybe you don't, but I did. I put it inside a cupcake box and tucked it away, all ready to go.

So yesterday I pulled it out and started to pin the edges. Then I took a gander. A really good look. Then I went away and came back. It was still wrinkled. Pretty badly wrinkled. I asked myself, "Do I want it done or do I want it done right?" Then I sighed, because I knew I had to iron the thing. I pulled out all the pins in half of it and wrestled it, by layers, onto the ironing board. (You non-quilters may not know this, but you can't just iron a quilt. It may have polyester in the batting or something equally unfriendly to heat.) Then I repinned and unpinned the other side and ironed. After this arduous exercise, arduous because it involved folding down my table to expose floor space and pinning on the floor then putting the table back up to pin the edges and support the quilt for ironing (twice over!), I was finally back where I had started. Minus the wrinkles. Mostly.

Oh, gimme a break. I'm looking for good. Perfect is reserved for the heavenlies.

So I was ready to quilt. Yay! I had a reasonably large spool of blue Guterman so I got to work. I got about halfway done and ran out of thread. Yes. Out. Reasonable isn't good enough. (sigh) So I went out this morning and got more. In the rain. Will this saga never end? (eyes closed, back of hand to forehead)

Azkaban Faces Closure

Playtime at Azkaban socks: I've been working on it during TV time--although I just couldn't stand to finish 10,000 BC-- so I'm about 3/4 of the way through the second sock. Yay! So Sock one: 100% + Sock two: 75% = 175%, divide that by 2, and I'm 88% done with the project. Not bad. Not bad at all. Ooh. After I took the picture, I measured sock two against sock one and found that I can now start the toe. A light at the end of the tunnel! Okay, if the tunnel is the sock and the finishing is the end, then the hoped-for result is dark at the end of the tunnel... so much for that analogy.

Cool movie for Christ-followers: One Solitary Life. It's only 3 minutes. I got a drink of water and sat back and enjoyed it. If you're not interested, it's okay. Really. Oh, no. I just realized I could have knit for those three minutes!

Clear and PRESENT Danger

Bwa-ha-ha! I must be very cagey, because I'm still working on Christmas gifts.

Here's the story: I'm working on something for someone who likes those and requested that thing and I don't want that person to know I'm actually making it, especially because it might not get finished in time for this particular holiday. Because that person may or may not be a blog reader, I'll have to be cagey. So, I have some photos.




I may be using this.





Or this.



Or even this.








On the successful news front, I went to a ca-razy gift exchange last night. If you've never been to one, let me tell you the rules.

1. Bring something within the price limit. Wrap it so no one can tell what it is and put it in the pile.
2. Eat and laugh a lot.
3. Everyone is assigned a number. Duplicate numbers are then place in a bowl and drawn out randomly.
4. When your number is called, you have (usually) two choices: you may unwrap a gift or you may choose to take a gift someone else already chose. This is called "stealing." There are other names for it, but I'd prefer not to use them here.
5. A gift may be stolen twice, but the third owner gets to keep her gift. Dirty looks and tears make no difference.
6. If your gift is stolen, you have the same two choices again: unwrap a new gift or take someone else's.
7. You may not steal back something you already had.

Tips to Have More Fun

• Bring something you wouldn't mind taking home with you.
• Do not, by all means, fall in love with the item you have. Nothing is permanent in this game and if you play with me, no quarter will be given. Bwa-ha-ha.
• When it's your turn, skulk around the room. With menacing laughter, handle each item, lingering especially long if the player seems attached to it. Then snatch the thing you want and leave early.

This is what I brought. (Minus the fingers.) It got stolen. Yay!