Merry Christmas ...

I'm still without any Christmas Spirit. But, I'm ready for Santa!

I've got my favorite PJ pants on ... compliment of a dear friend ... who not only sews, she quilt too ... and knows how much I just love Thomas the Tank Engine.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Bah humbug! 

Looking for some Christmas Spirit ....

Have you any? I seem to have lost mine. I love this time of year and yet ... I'm blazé about it. 

Last weekend, in search of some Christmas Spirit, I went into New York City with Pumpkin. Every movie I've ever watched mentioned how there's nothing like Christmas in New York City. Heck, Rob Thomas even wrote a song called A New York Christmas. I thought it would be a great place to find some Christmas Spirit. Off we went!

Pumpkin knows how I absolutely love trains ... so she booked Amtrak into NYC ... I was so excited to be on a train. I was the kid and Pumpkin was the adult! LOL

Once in New York City, we did what every tourist should do, get a New York pizza. We ate at this small joint and the pizza was amazing.

Stomach full, we walked to all of the holiday places recommended to us. We did the Winter Village in Bryant Park and off to Rockefeller Center we went. I even saw Santa and an Elf skating.

Everyone talks about roasted chestnuts ... I did buy a bag at a street corner vendor (which seem to be owned by this chain). Anyway, don't try the roasted chestnuts, they were awful ... and expensive. They weren't even warm. 

We continued walking around, going to some personal favourites ... American Girl Doll, Lego, Barnes & Nobles etc ... Saw Macy's Holiday window displays .... so many people .... people everywhere ... you couldn't avoid bumping into people. We did over 22,000 steps! 

By the time we had to catch our train back home, we were pooped. I think we were also overwhelmed with the number of people. I figured New York City would be busy, but this was overly busy. It was like a dance floor at a busy bar! No room to move! It was quite the experience. 

After being in New York City during the Christmas season .... I'm still without Christmas Spirit. Not sure what is going on here ... I haven't done any shopping either ... Sigh!

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you all later!

Another knit finish

I've been thinking a lot about covid and it's devastating effect on our society. Many people have lost so much and it really doesn't seem to want to let up. We seem to be getting into this routine of staying home ... ordering online as opposed to supporting local business ... the mom and paps stores.  

I'm guilty of being comfortable at home .... I have so much to do, so many project ... so many books to read .... so little time. I know I have to force myself to get out. I mean, I was never a social butterfly but it was getting a bit much! Thankfully, we can travel ... that's a bonus. 

I'm enjoying some down time. It's been a busy four months ... but it was fruitful and I am pleased with the results. 

In between busyness I manage to knit a few rows here and there. It just seems that picking up the needles is easier than sitting at the sewing machine. Not that I don't have a few quilting projects that needs finishing .... There's this quilt on Penelope that's been loaded for the past six (6) months ... that's a first! Oh well ...

I finished the kept and I just love how it turned out. 

I love the top!

I'm pretty please with my colourwork. It's getting better and better with every project.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Down to the crunch!

Three more weeks to go on this life changing project and I get a small break ... before I'm back at it again! So looking forward to not having any deadlines! Come on Carole ... you've got this!

FaceTime my mum yesterday!

I love her so much. She gets an A+ for being open to using new technology! 

Finished another pair of socks. The pattern is called Shepard Socks by Patricia Anne Fortune of Knitography Designs. I used Rauma Garn 2-Trads Gammelserie.

Love how they turned out however, I feel they are too big. I'll be unraveling and reducing the amount of stitches for the foot so they are not too wide. I don't mind frogging, but it will have to wait because ...

I cast on another projects ... The pattern is called Katie's Kep by Wilma Malcolmson. I'm using Jamieson & Smith 2 ply Jumper weight.

I'm liking how my colour work is improving with each project. 

Well, that's pretty much it for now. I try to pick up my knitting needles every chance I can ... in between the busyness of life. 

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Just insanely busy .... Sigh!

That's all ... Not much time to do anything worth blogging about. However, I have been picking up my knitting needles every now and again. 

I've been working on colour work socks. Colour work on a large project is challenging enough in itself... you should try it on a pair of socks ... using double pointed needles!

I was having difficulties dragging my yarn across four needles. My yarn dragging tension was not consistent, causing loose stitches. I decided to invest in some Addi Flexiflips to see if it would solve my issue. 

They come in a set of three needles housed in a lovely tube.

It took getting used to them. I started out using size 2mm (US 0) and found that I couldn't get a grip on the needle. When a row is done, my little pinky tends to grip the working needle, as I move to another section to stitch. The needle would slip out of my hands. I even lost one, which fell in between the cracks of my mother's wooden back porch. Costing more than your typical double pointed needles, I was ready to write them off! Thanks to two extremely persevering men in my family, they managed to fish it out from between the cracks of the wood planks. Note to self, do not use in places where the needle can get lost between the cracks.

I found that using Addi Flexiflips improved my tension and lead to better stitches. Instead of four gaps that you need to cross the yarn, I only had two.

I am getting more and more comfortable with colour work socks to the point where I was no longer frogging my attempt. I lost count of the number of times I took it all apart. I decided that I had to stop and just knit. 

The pattern is called Forest Path Socks by Patricia Anne Fortune of Knitography Farm Designs. It is available on Ravelry here. I used Rauma Yarn 2-Trads Gammelserie, a wonderful yarn from Norway.

I do like how they turned out. Pumpkin fell in love with them .... Can you guess who now owns these socks? LOL I don't mind. It's just a joy when my daughter loves what I create. I can knit another pair for myself. My colour work will only get better! 

The pattern is easy to follow with clear instructions. I do love how Patricia does the back of the heel. It's a stitch sequence I can see myself incorporating in other sock patterns. 

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later! Cheers!

Got sheep?! ....

Most of us have a bucket list and I'm no exception. I've always wanted to attend a Sheep and & Wool festival and this year, I had the opportunity to check that off that long bucket list!

Pumpkin, Goofball and I met up in Tunbridge, Vermont for the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival. It was a gorgeous fall day ... the weather was warmish and the leaves were starting to show their autumn colours. 

It was my first time attending a sheep & wool festival. I'm hooked! I just loved it! It is somewhat of a small festival but a great introduction. I would definitely attend again! There were lamas

Their fleece is so soft. They make gorgeous yarn! Just saying

And of course, the sheep!

Love how she stuck her tongue out at me! lol Love that fleece! 

A couple of weeks ago, Pumpkin and I attended the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. It is the Mecca of the yarn and fleece world, a much talked about festival amongst knitters. So many wonderful creative people walking around ... so many designers. It's huge, so much to see ... I actually found it overwhelming! It was such a gorgeous autumn day, we did a lot of walking around and enjoying the beauty of the season.

There were so much beautiful unique yarns/fleece from small farmers. I love that ... I want to know where my yarn/fleece comes from, the sheep ... it's important to me. 

I did not purchase any yarn, however I did buy a book I had been eyeing for quite some time. I had the opportunity to chat with the author, Hannah Thiessen.

Great book with some lovely patterns. 

I love agriculture fairs and would encourage you all to support them. Small farms need our support. There's something about knowing where our goods comes from that appeals to me. There's a connection and it speaks to my heart. 

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you all later!

Hello there ... do you remember me?

Wow, it's been a while. So much has occurred since my last post.  It's been a busy couple of months.

My churn dash sew-a-long is going. All of my fabrics are cut!

Everything is set up by the machine, background matched, ready for me to tackle it.

I try to find little pockets of sewing time when ever I can in between my busy schedule. They are rare these days.

When I do find a little pocket, the next thing I know, my pile of blocks higher.

I do like the scrapiness of it. Although I cut over 50 blocks for this quilt, it didn't seem to make much of a dent in my fabric craps. I'm starting to think it reproduces when I'm not looking! Oh well!

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

To frog or not to frog that is the question ...

 I started a new, what I call, mindless, knitting project ... another Hap. The pattern is by Kate Davies Designs and is called Dunyvaig. It's a gorgeous design and I was able to use some left over yarn from a prior project. Bonus!

I'm knitting along, enjoying the mindless process, thinking, "I should blog about this" ... take a picture of my progress.

OMG, don't I see a mistake! 

Do I frog it or do I let it be? It's really all about whether you can live with the mistake. Oh, but it's so far down .... Sigh!

The challenging part in this pattern, if you want to call it that, is when working on the Wrong Side (WS) ... Knit becomes Purl and Purl becomes Knit. If you're not paying attention ... well, mistakes happen. Can you spot the mistake? 

Let me help you ...

I knit when I should have purled. And for the record, I decided to frog it. Rippit!

I've since caught up and went beyond! So far, no mistake ... I think! lol

I still have quite a ways to go. It will be perfect for those cold winter days!

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later! Cheers!

Summer days and the Churn Dash SAL

 Wow, July has blown by ... I've been busy enjoy the summer. We've had some wonderful weather ... a tad hot but still wonderful. 

I finally cleaned the dumping ground clutter on my cutting table. Somehow, I always managed to put something on it ... creating more clutter.

Time to get to work! I cut the last 10 fabrics I needed to complete the required number of blocks for my quilt. You know ... I looked at the scrap bins and it sure doesn't look like I made a dent in them. Sigh!

Now, it's piecing time .... Yes ... I powered my machine and got to work. Voila! First set of blocks done! I'm a tad late to the game but ... I'm getting there.

Thanks for dropping by ... Hope you are enjoy the season! Catch you all later. Cheers!

ZOOM ZOOM .... Chookyblue shed meet!

 Thank you ladies for a wonderful and inspiring time.

Always a treat to meet like minded quilters. 

Thank you Donna for hosting these.

M.I.A.

It's been a challenging couple of weeks. I apologize for not replying to your emails and comments. I do want to thank all that sent their heartfelt thoughts regarding Stella. I miss her so much. She was such a huge part of my life. The house feels empty. Sigh!

I have not been quilting ... haven't even given it a thought. When things are challenging, one of my methods of coping is ... cleaning/purging. And purging I have been. I have so much stuff! I don't think I'll live that long to use it all. Off it goes.

If I want to get back to the S.A.L. I do need to clean my cutting table. It has become a dumpling ground.

I guess now it's not about purging but cleaning up the dumping station! 

Off to get some tidying up done so that I can get motivated to work on the Churn Dash blocks. I still have ten (10) prints to cut up and then it's piecing time!

Cheers   !

R.I.P Stella

 You were an amazing companion. Always there for me. 

Ready to offer a helping paw.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

You are greatly missed.

I made up my mind ...

 I've been thinking about the Churn Dash SAL and what size quilt/blocks I wanted to make. One thing I was certain, I wanted to use up some of my scraps. 

I've decided on the 9 inch block and a bed size quilt.

I pulled out my scrap bins and got to work sorting and cutting ... my goal? To reduce my scrap stash!

Since it's a scrappy look, I didn't think about the fabrics, placing myself in a 1850's frame of mind ... use what you have.

Then, I came upon this fabric ....

And I'm thinking ... "it's my last piece, I can't cut into it" ... "I can't get this fabric anymore" ... What is it about fabric that makes me one want to hang on to it? I seriously started to think about this ... "why do I want to save this last piece?" ... finally reasoned with myself ... instead of having a large piece of it, I'll have it safe in a quilt ... chop ... chop ... LOL

This is what I have cut up so far ... all the backgrounds for the 50 blocks ... I'm still missing a few prints for the blocks.

Now, I'm just making sure the colours are balanced out. Do like what I have so far ... and I didn't even think about the colour choices ... just cut! ;)

Are you participating in Chookyblues Churn Dash SAL? If so, how are you coming along?

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later?

Zoom ... Zoom ... Chookshed party

 It was a hectic work night ... short staffed, busy as all heck ... I didn't think I was going to make it to Chookyblue's zoom party. But after a way too long work night, I finally said enough is enough .... 2:00 am (ET) I turned off my work computer.

Went downstairs, made myself a drink and joined the party ... Chookshed's 10th Anniversary Celebration!

It was great catching up with everyone. I so enjoy these zoom gatherings. I find them inspiring. 

Thank you Donna for hosting these ... Happy Anniversary!

UFO reduction mode

 After the "Next Door Neighbor" semi completion/flimsy stage, I decided to pull out another project to work on. Many many many moons ago (May 2010) I started Trick or Treat by Blackbird Designs. I just love that quilt.  It's from the book When the Cold Wind Blows

I must have been in a block prep mood before I put the project way because I have lots and lots of basket prepped and ready to machine appliqué ... Bonus!

I quickly got to work and started machine appliquéing

I will admit, it gets a tad tedious machine appliquéing baskets after baskets, which is probably why I put it away. After a while, I tend to get sloppy, which is an indication that I need to pull away. In the space of a couple of days, did manage to complete this pile.

It is a gorgeous quilt and I do intend to finish it. It's just going to take some time.

For those curious to see the finished quilt ....

Now I need to get busy on the Churn Dash SAL. 

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Channelling my inner Martha Stewart

Quite a few years ago, I had purchased some beeswax blocks at a rummage sale. They were a bargain ... four (4) blocks for a song. 

Given how hard these bees worked to make the wax, I wasn't about to throw them out ... I love the smell of bees wax .... so I thought of candles.

I didn't want to invest in another hobby so I started to keep my empty tea light containers; bought some wicks and a wax melting container ... I was ready to melt.  

The thing about bees wax, it's not as easy to clean off. It's best to have it's own container and I used freezer paper to protect the counter. 

I read up a bit on the subject, didn't want to blow up my house lol ... and voila ... a lot of tea light candles.

 

I still have 2 1/2 blocks left for the the next batch.  Hum ... I could make small shapes to use as thread conditioner ... but hat would involve investing in a mold.

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later ... Cheers!

Churn Dash Sew A long

Donna from Chookyblue blogspot is hosting a Sew-A-Long and I thought I would join in. Heck, you must have read yesterday's BREAKING NEWS! lol

I decided to open EQ8 to work out the layout. I am not that fond of EQ8 but it is what it is. Sometimes updates are not always a good thing. I've owned EQ for numerous years, since EQ2 ... let's just say I had to update due to Apple's recent change in their system ... we'll leave it at that.

Back to the quilt. The suggested block size is 9 inches ...

I love small blocks and have been thinking about doing a 6 inch block. I'm going for the crappy look. This is what the layout would look like. 

That's a lot of blocks to piece ... but so pretty. I do like small blocks, they require smaller pieces. It would certainly put a dent in the scrap fabric stash. My bins are overflowing!

Now, this is what the quilt would look like with a 9 inch block ... less blocks to piece!

A different look, but pretty none the same.

Well, I guess I have some thinking to do. 

Catch you all later! Cheers!

BREAKING NEWS!

 Are you sitting down? Last weekend I turned on my sewing machine and actually worked on a quilt. That's right ... You heard it here first! LOL

Back in the Fibre Junction days, I hosted historical clubs. It was a gathering about The History of Women via the Needle and Thread and used Pam Buda's Prairie Women Sewing Circle (PWSC) club packets for the projects. 

There was a project in PWSC 2 Gathering 5 that I loved and had actually started cutting on August 25, 2012. The only piecing that was done were the flying geese and they still needed trimming. I love that quilt/pattern and had been meaning to finish it.

It's quite a challenge to pick up a project where you left off after so many years and more so if it has a gazillion pieces. I started by organizing the pieces. I needed to figure out what I had and perhaps what was needed to construct the block.

Once I figured it all out ... I started piecing and of course .... I was missing one block! lol Thank goodness for my stash!

After hours and hours of piecing, I finally I had a finish .... Voila!

Hum ... The photograph really doesn't do it justice. It's a pretty pink and brown quilt. The pattern is called Next Door Neighbor and measures 27 1/2 x 34 1/2.

I even have a Make-do in that quilt. I do love to make-do ... it gets me thinking outside of the box ... why run to the store or cut a large piece of fabric just for a few pieces. I enjoy using my scraps and I had just enough of a scrap piece for this block. Besides, it just adds to the story of the quilt .... I love stories don't you?

Now .... if I can only get Penelope turned on .....

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later! Cheers!

Blocking a scarf or a shawl

 As I've mentioned in a prior post, blocking a knitting project is my least favourite thing to do. I was not looking forward to blocking my Hap. 

To assist me with this task, I had recently bought a pack of Premium Lace weight wires by Friendly Products. (Made in the USA)

They are 3 feet in length and come in a lovely tube. If in your youth you were a baton twirler/majorette, this tube will bring back lots of memories ... asked my friends when I showed them the tube! LOL

You interfile the wire on the border edge of your work and I used T pins to hold/arrange to the size desired.

They work like a charm. Certainly reducing the number of pins you would need to straighten the edge of the scarf/shawl.

Full view of the blocking.

The pattern for this asymmetrical shawl/scarf is called La Bise designed by Espace Tricot. It is available on Ravelry as a free pattern. The yarn I used is Sunday Morning DK by wonder yarn co. It consists of 75 % BFL (Bluelace Leicester) and 25% Masham sheep. It is soft to the touch.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!