This one is based on a designe I posted earlier today – the first one had two different blocks in it this one has just one I like the secondary stars that formed.
The second one has a simple block I really like in it and I keep adding other blocks to see what sort of secondary designs they make. You never know when you might end up with a “keeper” design.
WordPress deleted the beginning of this post so it may start off a bit wierd if you get the feed from my blog.
Anyway, what I said was :
Ii don’t know why I procrastinate on getting the blocks set into rows so much – perhaps my mind is already moving on to the next project. but I didn’t want to take Cobbled Path off the design wall until it was a top so got it all sewn together this afternoon.
And now that the design wall is emptied, I’m going to clean up a bit of my mess and pull out the storage box with Christmas Town Sampler in it since tomorrow, being July 1, not only is the start of Camp Loopy, but it’s also the start of my Christmas in July push to get CTS done.
It looks like the last photo I took of it was October 15, 2012 and at some point after that I took it off the design wall. So here’s where I left it — I have two house blocks to make for the borders and then on to all the sashing.
I think there may have been some new developments in town – I may make either a different style house or building or more trees or may be a church — lots of choices — so feel free to stitch along with me if you need a bit of a push to get your CTS done too.
And one more photo – I’m enjoying Leftie – fun to see each color added as it grows. 
I was carrying the yarn along but didn’t really like that and since I’m going to be removing some color sections that are too dark or blend too much with the gray, I just breaking the yarn at the end of each leaf stem and knitting it in during the next row so I won’t have ends to bury when I’m done.
Now on to the CTS box and figuring out what I finally decided upon to use for sashing since I remember buying several options and rejecting some of them.
The remaining line up for this year’s Strictly for The Birds Projects will be: Songbirds and Birdbath. I removed the border from Songbirds I had originally drawn since it made the project larger than I wanted. The sizes of each project are in the caption below the photos. I haven’t decided on the actual date of release but one should be in August and the other October.
BIRDBATH – 30″ X 30″
Yes, I’ve been doing a bit of tweaking on designs in EQ this morning. It has been a good morning for finding things tho. There was an EQ file I have been searching for and I finally found the disk I had put it on (hoorah) and miracle of miracles, I have been looking off and on for a couple of weeks for some yarn I had lost. It was from one of the pooling socks I was making when Judy had her pooling sock challenge. It got set aside while I worked on other things and I’ve searched hi and low for it. However in searching hi and lo, I forgot to open the door to Granny’s treadle sewing cabinet (not used as an end table) and yes – during one of my cleaning sprees a basket of socks in progress had gotten stashed in there. Now I can finish that second sock!
And just as a little more eye candy — here’s a couple of the designs I was drawing on yesterday. I have lots off holiday fabrics that are larger prints and the one with the Hoffman Cardinals (I have those in several styles and colorways in my stash) would be a good layout for using those larger prints.
And the second one is just some blocks I was playing with – seeing what sort of design or secondary design I would get. I don’t think that one is done yet – I’ll go back and look at it another day. Now I think I’ll get to some real sewing – I’ve got blocks on the design wall to set together.
The stitches are of the knitting variety today – not the quilting variety. Did you think I quit quilting? 😉 No, but with Camp Loopy I get even less time to quilt and tho I’m working on things, there’s just nothing exciting to show you at the moment. I am hoping to get my cobbled path top sewn into rows so it’s assembled to that point and I can take it down to put my Christmas Town Sampler back up on the design wall.
I did spend some time scrolling through the EQ files this morning trying to figure out what patterns I want to use to finish off the Strictly for the Birds and the Stitchin with Justquiltin projects from now to the end of the year. Do you realize we’ve already passed the six month mark this month (okay it actually seems longer than that to me) LOL. Next month’s project is Bits and Bytes, and after that I think there will be at most just two more Strictly for the Birds projects and probably only one more Just Stitchin project since I don’t intend to post a project in December for sure and probably not one in November either. And since no one sang out when I asked as to which of the various patterns I had shown they might like to fill those final spots — well you missed your chance so now I’ll be picking the final ones. 🙂 Decisions decisions…. I’ve had several people email asking about yardage for Bits and Bytes –I’ll try to get it posted ahead of time but I haven’t started writing that one up yet.
So back to the “stitches” of today … (another raining dreary day I might add — pretty soon I may just mildew from lack of seeing any sunshine!). I only have a row or two left to finish of my second Wingspan (I’m adding a rolled edge to the neck edge rather than just straight garter stitch like the first one), and I had gone searching or some gray yarn I wanted to check out against the Mini Mochi I bought for my Dreambird. Well the gray was too dark (I think I have a better color coming in the mail) because it matched too closely some of the gray in the Mini Mochi, but as the gray was laying there next to some bright Zauberball yarn, I thought they might work well together in the Leftie shawl – another pattern that has been on my “want to make” list. I could have used sock yarn scraps but I didn’t want mess with all those ends to weave in.
So this afternoon cast on Leftie (cause there aren’t enough projects already on needles around here right?!) and here’s the first couple of repeats.
I’ll have little “leaves” that have the same color in several before they change to the next one but I think I’ll like it – sort of like a rainbow around the edge.
This one, like Wingspan, is really easy – after you make a leaf or two you’re on a roll. So I’ll see how much of this one I can get done before 12:01 a.m. on July 1 when I can start on the Camp Loopy 2 project. The yarn is wound, needles have been found so I’ll be all ready to start on that project.
And one other photo — the Hedgehog Fibres yarn I couldn’t get a good shot of last night…
This photo still does not do it total justice but it’s better. The one in the back is called Winter Thaw and that looks pretty true to color (and pretty true to the many colors in a melting snowbank) and the one in front is Poseidon which is still darker and richer looking in real line with really dark teal and almost a purple blue coming through.
What’s on my needles? Wingspan #2. As you can tell by that little ball of yarn, I’m nearing the end. I think I have enough to finish the “wing” I’m working on. I’ve got a second little ball — when I joined the second ball of yarn I took off some of the beginning color sections in order to match the one I was working on — so I have plenty in that one to do the neck edge and bind off. I think I may be able to finish this one off tonight.
Yesterday was a banner delivery day that the office. 🙂 I might have received a package of yarn… or two…. okay three of the four places I ordered from arrived yesterday! 🙂 I was shopping for yarn for Dreambird and I couldn’t find the things I wanted all in one place. And I was also shopping for some other long color change yarn since I found a couple other patterns I want to use them in, and there was one shop where I had a credit sitting waiting to be spent, and well, the Loopy Ewe had sent out an update with a yarn I was interested in trying. Soooo……
These are two zauberball which I have projects planned for. The red is far more gorgeous in person — super dark to brighter red not at all pinky like the photo shows.
The second photo (and now that I look at the rest of the photos none of them really do the gorgeous yarns justice – it’s dark and stormy outside yet again so maybe tomorrow I can get a daylight shot). Anyway second photo yarns– the back two are Numma Numma, The Usual. I love the Numma Numma and these are 550 yard hanks so you can do larger projects than socks with just one hank. The color at the back is Something Wicked and the one in the middle is Surprise Party – which is grayish looking but has undertones of pink and green. The one in front is also Numma Numma but its the Doppio line – 400 yards of 70/20/10 sw merino/cashmere/nylon. It’s called Pistaschio Sprinkle – I think you can see the little blue flecks throughout it. You can tell it has cashmere in it just but touching it – lovely feeling. In the upper left corner you can just see a bit of a gorgeous blue — those yarns would not take a good photo at all and that one in particular is the prettiest of all so will have to try in daylight to get a good photo o itt (and two other friends that were in that Box of Fun) . It’s one of the new ones at The Loopy Ewe I wanted to try – Hedgehog Fibers.
The last photo are all Crystal Palace Mini Mochi. (I bought the red ones on the left before finding the Zauberball which I really had been looking for but I’ll find a use or these. The rainbow colored ones for one of the other long color change projects. The ones on the right are called Rainbow Trout and those will be the ones I use for my Dreambird! I need to go dig in the stash — I have a dark gray in there that might work and I do still have one other package coming which, among other things, incudes a solid I also got to try with the Rainbow Trout — the palest of grays . 😉 I think I have my winter knitting all laid out.
Here’s my progress on my second Wingspan. I finished off the first hank of yarn and started the second where the light aqua section is farthest to the right.
This yarn is just not one I’d use again. After it not being the color as was shown on the website, I was disappointed but it’s yarn and I knew I’d find a use for it. In looking at several websites, that sell this color number of Zitron Unisono, it looks like they must get a image of the yarn from the company to use since most of them have the exact same image. So it’s likely the company’s fault their image does not match the actual shades/colors in the yarn. Anyway – I liked the way it was looking in Wingspan, and still like the colors but if you look at the area on the far left you can see little splotches — like the darker colors got accidentally splotched in the next color run. I could live with that (what the heck else am I going to do at this point?) and since I regularly slop coffee on whatever I’m wearing, well it would blend in well with those spots. But look at the aqua section farthest to the right — that’s the splotches on the second hank of yarn — looks like someone sprayed it with Hershey’s ice cream topping! I don’t care for that but I shall continue and finish this and wear it and I’m sure enjoy it What I won’t do is buy this yarn again for these reasons — this is my personal opinion and others may have had different result with this yarn, so take it for what it’s worth – if anything. 🙂
(1) It’s a weirdly stretchy yarn. I will not block this one because I think it would simply spring back. (The weirdly stretchy thing might work well if you’re one of those pencil thin people who can wear some cute little knit top with negative ease — I think the stretch would work well in something like that — suffice it to say – I am sooo not one of those people).
(2) The splotches of color – I think it looks like defective yarn since it is more prevalent in some places. If it’s supposed to look that way — well I think it would look better without.
(3) The second hank, which I’m barely into has one place where clearly the yarn got pulled somehow — snagged on something badly — so that when I get to that point I’m going to have to cut that section out. Plus it has two different places where it’s tied leaving some color runs significantly smaller than the average length of most.
So that’s my critique (which no one asked me for) LOL of this yarn. You never know until you try something new if it will be good or bad — this one I’ll pass on in the future.
But I think I should be able to get this one finished before July 1 when it’s time to start the 2nd Camp Loopy project.
There will be a whole bunch of yarny boxes of goodness coming to me this week – hopefully all before Friday. I couldn’t make up my mind of what to choose for the long color changing yarn for Dreambird so ended up getting several options. 🙂 Good thing I ordered before I saw a sweater pattern I just fell in love with and I think I will simply have to make, or there would have been more yarn ordered probably. The sweater will have to wait a bit — Camp Loopy, Dreambird, and a couple other projects I want to finish are on the front burners to get done first.
Ruffled Neckwrap Pattern by Mountain Colors – done Lange Jawoll Magic. UFO Finish 10
Last night I finally buried the ends on this project and then went digging into Granny’s button stash.
I found three buttons – the pink, a black and then the smallest is sort of a frosty pink with flecks of orange – stacked them and sewed them on so this Ruffled Neckwrap is done. This one I altered slightly from the pattern — making the ruffle about an inch or so wider and the upper part is also about an inch wider.
I just love this pattern – it’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s oh so cute. I’m thinking all the ladies in the family might need one.
I’ve updated the Sticks ‘n Strings page. Coincidentally if you look at the image on the button for that project, the yarn in this neckwrap is shown near the bottom of that photo. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn — I used two strands of fingering weight held together to make this one. Anyway I now have 10 UFO projects that are UFOs no more and 7 new projects started that were also finished. And on the button in the sidebar, I updated the yards knit so far this year –4,500 yards! I’m nearly at the 2-1/2 miles knit mark!
How are you doing on your Sticks ‘n Strings projects?
Yes it’s good or bad depending on how you look at it. LOL There’s a new header photo on the blog — all those batiks have come in new. Bad for stashbusting reporting, good for stash enhancing with such pretty fabrics! I finished sewing the main portion of my ladybug quilt together last night which is good since soon I’ll be able to count it finished; bad because if I finish it the way I picture it in my head I need to order more ladybug fabric to do so. The mini cupcake quilt top was finished this week – good that it’s finished to top status and is ready to quilt; bad that there are so many tops waiting to be quilted! Oh well, whether it’s good or bad, I’m having fun! 🙂
Wingspan No. 2 in Unisono — nearly finished with wedge 3.
Last weekend I think it was, I was cleaning out a hat box that had various bits of quilting projects in it. In there was a baggie of t appliqued cabbage rose blocks.
The blocks will end up being probably 8″ square (7.5″ finished) when I get them all trimmed up to the same size. They are on two different background fabrics – both from the same fabric line so they work well together. Here’ a close up of what they look like together.
And here’s my problem. What to do with these blocks (no I won’t mail them off to any of you) 😉 but I haven’t been able to decide how to set them together. Suggestions???
Here is what is holding me back at the moment:
(1) I don’t have any more of either background fabric and want to figure something out using what is in the stash
(2) I don’t think I want to set them together with just a simple sash between since I think that would be a bit dull looking.
(3) I don’t want to just set them together with nothing between the blocks.
(4) I don’t have any more of any of the other fabrics used in this project.
So — just how would you set these blocks together 🙂 UPDATED – Thanks for all your suggestions. I now have a plan of sorts but I think it will be put on hold – I like the Ric Rac idea and found some sites on line that sell the Jumbo Ric Rac but I’m going to have to think on this for a while. I’m not sure I really want to spend $30 for Jumbo Ric Rac even tho it would be very cute. And Ric Rac is normally polyester so makes me wonder how it would look after being tossed in the washer and dryer on a quilt with cotton fabric, cotton batting, etc. So since these blocks really aren’t talking to me much I think they’ll go back in the hat box for a while since there are many other projects around here that know exactly just what they should be. 🙂
It’s always hard to get a good photo at night in my sewing room cause the lamps throw the colors off so much but here are the ladybugs gathered and they are now all stitched together. I haven’t really decided where I go from here. Since this is such a simple design, I’d actually like to finish it up fairly simply – no pieced borders but with maybe a white border, a thin colored one and then a wider one of those ladybugs. But that means I need to order more ladybug fabric. I will have to think on that awhile. Now to get off the computer and unplug things in the sewing room — I can hear about the third round of thunderstorms for today approaching and they’ve all had some impressive lightning with them. I may need to start building the Ark.
Christmas Town Sampler – A Collaboration Among Friends
Re-edited to put back what WordPress mysterious ate when publishing this post…..
June is flying by and soon it will be that “Christmas in July” time of month. Did you make the Christmas Town Sampler – A Collaboration Among Friends when Susan, Sheryl, Judy and I presented it last year as a mystery/blog hop project? Did you get it finished?
Mine is not finished and it got packed up and set aside. So my plan is to get it out and work on it during the month of July. If you need to finish yours too, you’ll find moral support and encouragement here all during July. 🙂 I believe when I left off I still had two blocks for the border to make and then I can move on to the sashings and setting everything together. My goal – to have the top completed by the end of July. So that’s another reason why I need to stitch those blocks I currently have on the design walls into tops — I need to make room to put this one back up on the wall to figure out where I left off, and it takes up a lot of space.
Justquiltin with Denise Russart 