It's Dead, Jim

Dateline: August 9th Desiree plops a small duffel on the table at SDCentral Knitting Group. "I want your honest opinion, girls," she says as she unzips the bag, "don't spare my feelings. I really need to know what you think." With that, she reaches in and begins to remove an amorphous blob of red and purple yarns. The expectation is that she is finished. Ah, if only. She reaches in again, pulling out more and more and more of it. Six feet, eight feet, where will it end? The unwieldy mass threatens to take over the room as knitters and non-knitters alike stare in fascination. Finally the last of it is laid upon the altar of knitting. Silky yarns, slubby yarns, eyelash, ribbon, fuzzy, shiny gold thread sticking out all over.

Silence. Dead silence. Finally someone ventures, "What is it?"

Ahh, yes. That's the question, isn't it? Started years ago, it was supposed to be a simple stole, but somehow refused to lengthen, staying at a stubborn sixteen inches no matter how much yarn it was fed.

The pattern for the Isis Stole was printed in here

And is supposed to look like this

But wound up like this

Much of yesterday was dedicated to taking it into its component parts. I was afraid I'd have to trash some of it, but patience and gentleness (traits which I tend only to show to fibers) won out. This morning I decided to have a little fun photographing the many many balls of yarns.

I just had to share this with you. If you seriously respect the dignity of the olympic dream, though, you might want to skip it.

Finishing Season

Today marks "Go to Your Studio and Make Stuff's" 13-month anniversary! Woo-hoo! Nope, I just can't do thing the way normal folks do. Not a year, but 13 months...

It seems that I'm spending a lot of time finishing objects but, what with Christmas on it's merry way, finishing stuff is a good idea! And I always love the idea of handmade gifts. At least for the women-folk. Men just don't seem to enjoy anything handmade unless it's edible.

To that idea: "Serenity" is completed. I really like the soft colors in this one.

Also completed (but in need of "finishing"): Guardian Angels Birth Sampler. The alphabet that came with it was too large for a long-ish name so I had to unsew what I had started, re-chart, and re-sew. But at least I remembered to sign it! (Yes, the last name is covered. It seems only fair.)
And I've started a little something for myself... which means I'll have to back-burner it soon. Presenting the Red Herring Purse!
I really like this sumptuous cotton yarn: it almost feels like velvet!

I Finished My Socks!

That's right, they're done, wearable. What a relief to be finished with something started at least a year ago... and I'm already looking for a new sock pattern. Is this some kind of sickness?

Butterflies on Nine-Patches

(Just another cross-stitch UFO) I seem to recall starting this one on vacation in Hawaii... but I don't really know. I'd like to say I've been in a coma since and that's why I don't remember stuff, but I've always been that way. Note to daughter: don't put me in the home for that!

And these are Scrap Trick blocks. I'm putting 'em together for a prayer quilt. Nope, don't know who it's for yet.

How to Look Busy, Part 2

This darling sampler was begun three years ago, but the woman whose child it was to be for had the audacity to give birth to a boy. (A boy, can you believe it?) So, it went into the drawer. Now, little Celia Rose is gracing the planet so I have a happy reason to complete it!

So I spent most of yesterday organizing my cross-stitch stuff. I have a large storage bin where I keep my patterns, kits, and fabric. My needles and floss go into a smaller bin that sits atop it. I keep an inventory sheet inside and a duplicate in a file in my desk. When things change, I change the paper. You can see a portion of it in the picture below that features a stack of patterns. I put most of the patterns in page protectors and into two binders: one for used patterns, one for unused.

As I was going through stuff, making notes on my inventory sheet, I found 10 more cross-stitch pieces in progress. Whoa! Some have been barely started, some are near completion, but haven't been worked on during sixteen years of wedded bliss!

Oh, that reminds me of our wedding sampler (unfinished) I have stashed away in an entirely different place. (sigh.) 11.So that's how I organize my projects. I'm curious. How do YOU do it? Are you like Jan, that only ever has one piece in progress? Are you like Cathy, who can't even buy supplies for a new project until the old one is done? Or are you like me: way too many ideas for one person?

And here you will see "Dream Dancer." I started this in 2003 and I got a pretty good start but now Tiny prefers Asian characters. Huh. Well, I like it. Maybe I'll pick it back up.

UFO Population Control:

New rule when I've got 13 (ack!) cross-stitch UFOs (Unfinished Fabric Objects): finish two, then it's okay to start a fresh one. In this way, I'll whittle down the stack without feeling deprived.

Unfortunate development: The updated Inventory sheet did NOT get saved. Fortunately, I printed out two copies so I can go back and put it all in again. (sigh)

Making Stitching into a Quilt!

I finally finished Liberty Bears and when I say finished, I mean FINISHED. I decided not to frame it, but to make it into a mini-wall quilt. Since the fabric is a muted tone, I think it can handle not being protected by glass. Also, there's the cost of framing that I have saved. Yay, me. AND, everything I used was from stuff I already had. Stashbuster Alert!

So, I'll take you through the process.
I found a backing large enough and laid it out. (It had to have these additional features: not clashing with the binding fabric I'd already chosen and not being so dark it could stain the wall.)
Then I added some batting. (Leftovers from Cielo). Then I laid out Liberty Bears on top.I used a square ruler to shift the fabric over. As it was a loose weave, it complied without blocking: yay!
I cut the whole thing--top, batting, and back 1.5" from the edge of the stitching. No question that this was the scariest part!
I pinned around the whole thing every inch, as Theres recommends.
I machine-sewed down the binding, like these instructions at About.com.
I flipped it over and sewed down the binding by hand, using the invisible stitch.
I sewed down two large and otherwise useless stitch markers on the back for hanging it up.

Stuck in My Head: "Topaz" by the B-52's

Okay. So that last post looked like something I would delete from my inbox. But really, can you believe that the only things I wouldn't try again are salted lassi and Krispie Kreme doughnuts?
I finished up "On the Riverbank." Yay! Now I can put that project to bed. (har!) You see, it's a quilt and I punned on the... never mind.
And here is "Cielo." It's another double 4-patch swap quilt. I made about 4 of the blocks in it. Pictured here it is laid out for pinning. The medium blue back is peeking out around the top. In other words, please don't think I'm putting 3 borders on this!
And here is "Liberty Bears" in progress. I've decided to leave the checked border with just the navy. You can see where I've started in on white, but I'll pull that out shortly.
Gotta big day. I'm going to a moving party, playing mah jongg, and participating in an interview about funny women. If it's as cool as it sounds, I'll tell you all about it.

Okay, it ain't handwork, but I'm hungry!

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

My never consider eating's will be italics... And the Never Try Again will be bold and italics

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (But it wasn't on purpose--it was dark)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (oh, come on, it wasn't on purpose!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (but I've fed them!)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (I just don't like doughnuts)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer (every Tuesday!)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (hmm, not together, but are you offering?)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (Really it was garlic and butter with a little snail on the side!)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Listening to: "On the Sunny Side of the Street"

Whoa. I begin to realize that I'm not just blogging for me. I love being part of the online crafting community! Valerie asked that my "Way Too Many Projects" section be converted to something clickable. I put it off because it seemed like a real time commitment. It wasn't. But I had to think it through. So feel free to click away, kids!

I sat in the window this morning and sewed on the binding for "On the Riverbank," below. You can see I'm almost halfway done. I provided a pic of the front, because it's honestly more interesting. And during another "Escape From the House," I went to see "House Bunny." As the socks are doable without any attention (PLEASE don't say boring--I'm trying not to think it... Oh, now you've done it), I knitted through the flicker. It was just what I had hoped: innocently crass and even a little charming. So I've completed the gusset on sock #2. (Click for the definition of a gusset) So I'll call 'em 60% done on my ravelry page.

And here's the first pic of Sleeves Without a Sweater. Okay, Sleeve Without a Sweater. It's pretty basic: stockinette in the round until the last six rows where I'll put some ribbing.

Liberty Bears got a little attention, too. I added some backstitching to the bears. All that's left is the numbers and finishing. I think I may finish it soft. What I mean is that I'll make it into a mini-quilt for the wall. Border, back, binding, and some kind of stiff batting to help it keep its shape. I'm thinking of sewing two little rings on the back for hanging it up. Has anyone done that? I'd appreciate any tips on the subject.

The Mystery is Revealed!

It occurs to me that the item at the top of my Too Many Projects List has never been pictured here. Does that seem fair? So here is the Goofy Bear Button bracelet in progress. No, I'm not working on it today. But I'm looking at it. With you. Heck, that might even inspire me to add to it's regal magnificence. Someday.

Rabbithole Thoughts

Today I HAD to get out of the house. You know how it is: three people, summer heat, not enough sleep between them... So I was sitting in Daily's, a little "healthy" fast food restaurant in La Jolla, with my Big Bag of Activities*. I chose the Girl Scout vest and got to work. That made what could have been a difficult morning into a pleasantly amusing one. (I got to people-watch at the same time!)
This is my take-along sewing kit. I made it from a Ver-Mints box (ginger variety) and some scraps from current projects. I just glued the docorations on and a magnet to the inside lid. The scrap of fabric inside is stored on top of the scissors to keep it away from the magnet.
I've been quilting like a fiend (note to self: find out if fiends really quilt) and finding out that it's really a good bicep workout. All three quilts now have the binding attached and ready to be sewn down.
Here's a close-up of my deliberate meander quilting style.
And I've taken to making Continuous Bias Binding, following the instructions from buzzville. I've heard that bias binding is preferable to non-bias because it wears better. Whatever. Once I have it ironed in half, I don't want to have to iron it again later or get it tangled, so I roll it up on a TP tube. Works great. I still have one roll left to go.
Then it stays neat as I sew it down. See how it works as I'm attaching the binding to "Home Sweet Home".
*Current inventory of the Big Bag of Activities: one quilt that needs binding sewn down, multicolored sock project, the Red Thread sampler, snacks, hand wipes, one copy of Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, and one pink Bible. It's kinda like a toddler's busy bag.