Stashbusting Report

7 yards used this week.  Yeah! finally a bit more progress.  It was all for backings and bindings on the quilts I finished from the Crate.

So grand totals YTD are 92 yards used, 34.25 purchased and net busted 57.75.  And even better, four projects are quilted and bound that would have otherwise been lingering and waiting to be finished.

My multicolored scarf that I have been working on mostly during the bus ride to work is nearly finished.  I just have to bind off the ends.  I have to remember to bring home the blocking wires I had shipped to the office so I can try them out on the scarf.

Now I have a very important mission — just what knitting projects will I take on vacation.  I’ve got a pile of patterns to dig through and pick a couple out and then go see what yarns I have to go with them.  For sure I have to take my Camp Loopy 2 project – cabled mittens – along but those shouldn’t take long to make.

One of the things I’m thinking about taking along to work on (which I might actually start on this evening since I’m anxious to see how it works) is this scarf. 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holding-hands-feeding-ducks  

Very unusual stitich but the trick will be finding the right yarn in the stash to use for it.  I’m not sure I have anything heavier than sock yarn so wil probably use that — maybe two colors together again like the last scarf.  I like the mystery of not really knowing how the two color yarn ones (one multicolor and one plainer to coordinate) will turn out.  So far, I’ve loved them all.

Denise

Sweater is done!

My “Feburary Lady Sweater” – seach Ravelry for the pattern – is done.  I finished burying ends tonight so I can block it this weekend and then I just have to find the right buttons for it.  Just in time since I want to see if it fits Mom and they will be arriving on Wednesday.  I like the way it turned out even if the left and right side top look a bit different because of the way the yarn stripes.  I want to make another one for me in a solid yarn which will make the lacy design on the bottom show much better but need to make some notes now so I don’t forget where I want to make changes to the original pattern.

My multicolored scarf is getting near the end too – just need to decide who much longer I want to make it but it’s close to done.

So now I just have to figure out what projects I want to take on vacation with me to the cabin.  My yarn for the second Camp Loopy project is here, just need to wind it and pull the needles I need for that project – cabled mittens.  Then look though the yarn and see what other projects I might want to take along.  My Nook Book is loaded with some new books to read so I’ll be all set to sit and relax.  I was going to take my featherweight along and a quilt to work on but don’t feel like packing all the stuff I’ll need so will stick to the knitting, reading, and take the lap top along and see what new pattern Ideas I can dream up in the woods.  Plus I may have a new Hoffman design to work on by then too so plenty to keep me busy.. if I want to be busy. 🙂

The bathroom is the one room that hasn’t gotten it’s belated spring cleaning yet so tomorrow I’ll empty the cabinets and clean them out, wash the fabric shower curtain since I have a new plastic liner to put up – boring stuff like that.  And start my list of stuff to remember to pack for vacation.  The weather is supposed to be nice most of the weekend so I might squeeze in some sipping coffee on the patio time as well.

Denise

Quilt from the Crate #4

Another Quilt from the Crate completed.  This one will go to a women’s shelter also.  I won’t keep up this quilting pace long but it’s nice to see some of them completed.

Denise

Design Wall Monday

 Here’s what is on the design wall this Monday – on the left, the next Quilt from the Crate I plan to layer and quilt and on the right, the stained glass runner I need to applique the cirlces on yet.

Denise

Kats completed

 

Number 3 from the Quilts from the Crate completed.  Got the binding sewn down last night.  I just did an overall meander with bright variegated thread.  This one is made up of batik Kats left from a block swap, The batik bricks and triangles are left over from two other proejcts.

Three down – a bunch more to go. 🙂

I was going to quilt the tops in the order piled in the crate but will be digging through the pile today to find one to fit the leftover pieces of batting I still have on hand.  Need to go lay in a new supply of batting soon.

I’m headed out for a late lunch with a friend so may coerce her into stopping at the fabric store for more batting.  I’d like to get another one layered so I have it ready to start quilting on this week in the evenings — anything to avoid finishing my cleaning around here but then it’s a holiday so should be doing fun things instead of cleaning — at least that’s what I’m telling myself! 🙂

Denise

Happy 4th of July!

 

A safe holiday to you all.  And to those in the service and in harms way, a prayer for safety for you all and your families and for those who have sacrificed to protect our freedom.

I’ve been busy working on some designs in EQ and just realized it IS actully the 4th now (after 1 a.m.) and in the neighborhood here was some early celebration going on a few hours ago as I could hear fireworks being shot off.

And what was I working on – not this one,  This is one I drew a while ago but haven’t done anything with yet but I like the way it sort of resembles the flag.

I was busy working on the July Granny’s Hankie block and also the July Year of Wallhanging project which have taken several hours to finalize and load. 

I made a few changes to the July Year of Wallhanging from the blog post yesterday – I like this one much better.

I call it “Fudgsicle Please!” – my favorite ice cream treat.  I added in another tasty treat compared to the prior image and rearranged the salt water taffy border.  I’m going to be busy and on vacation for a while in July so both this design and the new Granny’s Hankie block have already been loaded to box.net (with a minimum of swearing) and are now available for download.  The June designs are still up and will be removed the end of the month, and the July designs will remain up until the August ones are loaded.

Now to go put my feet up and knit for a while before I finally head off to bed.

Denise

Quilts from the Crate — No. 3 quilted

I pulled this quilt from the Crate, got it layered and quilted it this afternoon.  It will go in the MOH (Mission of Hope) pile — quilts that go to Battered Women and Children shelters.  This one I actually used the spray adhesive on too tho it’s a bit larger than ones I usually spray.  But not bad to work with if I use the design wall to do it.   Put the backing up on the design wall, spray it, smooth the batting in place, spray again, and smooth the top.  All out of spray now so I’ll have to resort to pin basting on the next one.  This one I did use poly batting in since I didn’t have any cotton left that was big enough and I can say, using the spray is on cotton is much easier than poly. The binding is attached – but still flipped backward onto the front of the quilt.  Tonight I’ll get it pinned in place and start stitching.  The binding was just some I had premade left over from another project since I was too lazy to cut new stuff for this one.  But with all the bright colors in the quilt – it will work.

I also was drawing up the July Year of Wallhanging design.  I decided to use some blocks similar to my frozen treats quilt I had been previously drawn.  So here’s your sneak peak so you can start planning what fabrics to use.  This is another one where scraps from your stash will come in handy.

 I haven’t decided which layout I like best but you could easily do either one since they both contain the same style blocks – just different numbers of them.  The salt water taffy blocks in the border definitely remind me of summer vacations – which seems to be the only time I really ate it – when we found it in some little touristy place along our travels.  I must confess tho, the fudgesicle in the upper corner is my favorite frozen treat and always has been.

Denise

Stashbusting report

Now a huge amount but 4 yards used this week – backing and bindings and sashing for another  project.   85 yards used YTD, 34.25 purchased for a net busted of 50.75.  At least I’m a head of the game, using more than I’ve purchased.  Hope to have slightly better numbers next weekend if I get the sewing done I plan to do this weekend.

On my quest to quilt the Quilts from the Crate , project #2 is done.  I can’t show you the center of this one yet — you’ll just have to wonder what it is for the time being. 🙂

 My sewing machine and it’s tension were cooperating nicely last night  when I was quilting it so I really like the way it turned out. I used a couple different threads – a King Tut variegated one in the long pointy triangles, Bottom Line yellow in the yellow pieces, and Prym-Dritz nylon in the rest with the Bottom line for the bobbin of all.  Of the various invisible threads I’ve used I really like the Prym-Dritz – its a softer feel and not as shiney as some when quilted and with the Bottom Line on the bobbin – no little peek throughs of the bobbin thread on the top.  I also forgot about how easy it is to get something quilted when you don’t have to remove pins as you go along.  I used Dritz Spray Adhesive to layer this one — works great and no odor or sticky residue as you’re quilting.  I’ve tried several spray adhesives but this is the best I’ve come across so far.

Got most of the cleaning in the kitchen and living room done yesterday except for some final dusting and sorting the knitting projects basket.  But today I’m taking the day off  “work”.  Spent the moring sitting on the patio sipping coffee and handstitching the binding on this wallhanging.  So now to pull out another top to layer.

    Denise

Another hot one

Not was bad as yesterday – the humidity has gone down slightly – but still another roasty, toasty day outside.  I went out long enough to dump some water in the birdbath for the birds but that was about it.  Just as well it’s yucky out since I’ve got a bunch of indoor stuff I need to get done.  I did snap this photo when I was out there tho.

  These tiger lillys were transplanted from somewhere else in the apartment complex last year to this spot – where only scrubby grass and weeds grew. I didn’t know that they would survive there since so much snow and salt gets piled on them in the winter when the sidewalks are snowblown but apparently they like it there.  They were all closed yesterday and with the heat and humidity they are popping open like crazy.  There’s tons of closed buds on them.

On another note, I just have to say, if you’ve never shopped the Loopy Ewe for yarn – their customer service is outstanding.  Yesterday when I placed my order for the Camp Loopy project 2, I goofed and didn’t turn off the option apparently to stop it from using my credit (you earn towards a gift card credit sort of like places that have punch cards).  Well, I didn’t want to use the credit since I can earn extra towards the next credit  as part of Camp Loopy and I wouldn’t have been eligible for the prize if I complete all three Camp Loopy projects.  So I added a note to the order afterward telling them of my goof and today had an email correcting it all to the way it should be.  Doesn’t get much better than that!  Thanks Sheri and the Loopy elves!  I also listed the wrong color of yarn I bought yesterday — not Verde (greenish) – that was one I liked too and am thinking bout for a future project, but I ended up ordering Garden Gate – must have bought the last once since I don’t see an image of it anymore and it’s now out of stock.  But its’ a pretty gray shade that will go well with my purply and gray winter coat, the solid gray winter coat and even my pumpkin colored one. 🙂  And I’ll have a new pair of mittens when the snow starts to fly – which despite the latest heat wave I hope is a long, long time off!

Time to get off the computer and back to work.  I have accomplished quite a bit so far today.  Laundry done, rewrite for Hoffman pattern  which I worked on last night and finished off this morning is done and I just need to email that yet, and the living room furniture is finally rearranged so just have to finish off the cleaning in there — part of which is sorting through and straightening out a large basket that has caught all the knitting projects in progress that I haven’t finished off yet and gathering up all the knitting needles scattered about.  I’m hoping (tho am losing momentum) to get most of the cleaning finished today so I can sew the next two days. 🙂  Perhaps one of those rice krispie bars on my kitchen counter will give a bit of a sugar rush to keep going!

Denise

I’m melting…melting….

It’s way too hot for Wisconsin. Heat index was over 100. It’s so humid it’s like walking into a sauna.  A friend picked me up from work (whew! didn’t have to stand out in the heat and wait for the bus) but even walking in and out of the restaurant, then the books store, and then the grocery store made me glad to come hibernate back inside. 

I totally forgot until yesterday it was  three day weekend! So extra bonus.  The living room will finally get cleaned along with the kitchen. And hopefully everything will then be back in its rightful place.

The next Camp Loopy project was posted today.  We can choose either socks or mittens or gloves and they must have a cable design in them.  I ordered this yarn, Malabrigdo in Verdes, a worsted weight to make the Ramble On mittens.  I little bit different than a plain cable.   You can never have too many warm mittens for winters here.  It should arrive in time for me to take up up to the cabin when I go on vacation and knit them up there.  

 I also ordered this pattern – a very pretty cable and feather design made from sock yarn.  Tho I doubt I’ll bead it, it’s still a pretty design even without the beads.

In the meantime, my scarf is coming along nicely

 although a bit curly looking in this photo.  But a bit of blocking will fix that I can finally try out my blocking wires.

This weekend, other than the final cleaning to be done, I hope to get the last of the sleeve finished on the sweater I’m making so I can block it next week – ready for my Mom to try on when I see her.  And here’s another quilt (wallhanging actually) wating to be quilted.    But first I’ve got to do a bit of a rewrite on a Hoffman pattern.  They ended up not printing the full line that I had used in the desing so need to adjust the directions to take out the fabrics not used and substitute in the others.  Found the disk so that’s half the battle so shouldn’t take too long to make the adjustments and I can get back to other projects.  But for the rest of tonight I may just go sit and knit and plan my attack of how I want to rearrange the living room.

Denise