On The Needles – Jan 30, 2015

Lots of sweater pieces on and off the needles and laying in curling piles.  From left to right – my CF luau vest: back done, right front done, and it sort of blends into the back because it’s laying on top of it – but I’ve got a few inches of the left front done.  Need to wind another ball of yarn for that one.

In the middle is my CF Deep Winter KAL sweater – Stonington – a cardigan.  Back is done and laying on top of that is the right front – I’m about a third done with the front.

And lastly only right, my CF Featherweight KAL sweater.  One side/underarm seam is done and I need to seam the other side (which takes a long time on that fingering weight yarn) and then add the ribbing bands that go on the front and neck area.

And, in addition to having three new sweaters, think of all that yarn yardage to add to my “used” tally. 🙂  It will be offset soon with a yarn purchase tho — the information for Loopy Academy Semester II came out today.  I was on the fence as to whether I’d continue since the first semester projects took me away from my sweater knitting.  But the second semester projects are all about different techniques  and the minimum yardage requirement for each of the three projects  is not huge so I decided I’d do second semester.  So I’ll at least get my Freshman year completed at the Academy!   Check out the link – you can join in at any time – do first semester now, or be an over achiever and do both semesters at the same time to graduate with the rest of the freshmen. 🙂   One good thing – even with purchasing yarn for the class projects I know they won’t linger in the stash because they have to be done by the deadline.    I ordered yarn for the first of the three required projects, which is a felting project.

I ordered some Lorna’s Laces Haymarket and this color is Huron.  I’m going to wait to decide what I want to make with it when I get it.  I want to see the colors in person and see how it looks when you start knitting it up.  I think the colors might go really well with my bedroom furniture (the palest blueish green looks to be the color of my furniture) and I’m thinking felted bowl for on the dresser or bookshelf – those places that serve as a catch all for change or jewelry that never seems to make it back in the jewelry box, or the collection of shawl pins.

The other projects are knitting stripes and making something with a slip stitch pattern in it – but they can be anything (no specific pattern like cowl or socks, etc.)   I have several patterns that would work in my Ravelry library so I’m planning to also use projects I have been wanting to make from my Ravelry library instead of search out new patterns.

Now to stick dinner in the oven and then wind another ball of yarn for my vest – I’m hoping to get the other front done tonight (which is probably not possible even if I do stay up all night LOL) but I’d definitely like to have it finished so I can get it blocking by Sunday.

A new bag

 Yep a new bag to tote all my stuff around and I so love it.  I seldom carry a regular purse because I’ve always got my knitting to tote along, maybe lunch, Nook and who knows what else.  So I usually just dump my wallet, a smaller bag with my knitting, etc. all in a larger tote bag.   I don’t want to have to carry multiple bags – like to grab one and go.  And with multiple bags, I might forget to grab one,- get on the bus and find I have forgotten my knitting!  So I happened upon this bag on sale while looking at yarns to make a Bugga bag but then decided forget making a bag – this one was exactly what I wanted and I couldn’t pass up the 60 percent off price.  Bargain!   It’s Hannah’s tote by Hadaki, and the print is called Cobalt Stars. 

It’s big, it’s roomy and it’s so well made.  Can’t say enough good things.  The outside is water repellant fabric which repelled the snow quite nicely as I was standing at the bus stop.  There’s divided pockets along the inside that have elastic at the top of some of them — I’m thinking it will work great for working on my Wiggle Wrap since I have two balls of yarn – put them in separate pockets and they won’t get tangled up.  And it’s the little touches – like the place to hook your keys on the inside of the bag so they aren’t rolling around and getting lost and nice long shoulder straps that make it a winner for me.

So you’re thinking – it’s just a bag who gets so excited over that?!  Heck, it’s the little things that make me happy.  🙂  Too bad I didn’t tell them just to fill it up with yarn before they shipped it off to me!

As for what I’ve accomplished so far this week — I’ve been busy knitting, knitting, knitting but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s on the needles report.

Sunday Morning Sewing – 1/25/15

I’ve been puttering in the sewing room this morning.  I did update the State of the Stash page (button in sidebar) with this weeks totals.  I did add all those lovely Kona fat quarters in.  So I’m doing better not buying yarn than I am not buying fabric but I don’t randomly buy fabric just because I like it.  I do only buy with a plan and those fat quarters will be used in several projects.  So if you check the Stash page you’ll see I’m still in the black (thank goodness for the backing on the wedding quilt which offset those 36 fat quarters!) 🙂

I already put part of those two fat quarters to use (how’s that for stashbusting!) LOL . This morning I quickly pieced two blocks of the Dr. Seuss quilt to see if I liked them as well in fabric as I do on paper/computer screen.  And I do.  These will be fairly quick and fun to make.

  I posted a photo of what the whole layout will look like yesterday.  It will be fun picking fqs to match up to the Seuss precuts.

 

Here’s the photo that appeared in Quiltmaker in addition to Emerald City (which I didn’t notice until later yesterday after posting the first one). They also give directions for a  wall hanging size project that they call Peridot — it looks like it was made in honor of St. Patty’s Day with all those various green and white fabrics.

The Seuss Plan

I think I’ve decided what to do with the Dr. Seuss precut fabrics I have.  The fabrics are cut 6.5″  square so they will be the center of these blocks.

The colors/fabrics I used in the image are just representational of what it might look like – I will not be using these exact colors or color placement but it is simple a general idea.  Each different square of Dr. Seuss fabric will have a different solid color framing around it – or maybe two blocks will be the same since I think doing two blocks surround by the same colors will let me strip set the pieced sections and cut enough for two blocks from one fat quarter width strip set.  Have to look a bit closer at the numbers but I think it will work.   Now I have to see if I have any background that I want to use for this one in the stash.  I  bought all those fat quarters of solid colors but no background. 😉

 

Emerald City

No – I’m not skipping down the yellow brick road with Toto in tow…. but that is the name QM gave to my latest design to be published in Quiltmaker Magazine – March/April issue.

 I really need to get my mail from the mailbox at the end of the parking lot more than once a week — I didn’t know the issue was out yet  until one of the TQP ladies said she saw it.  And lo and behold, the advance copies were in my mailbox.

It’s always fun (and a surprise) to see what QM does with the design I send them.  Quilts get renamed to fit the fabrics they use (or because I can’t come up with a name and ask them to name it), and the fabric colors get changed many times from what I had my EQ image colored in with.

I like the  shades of two colors theme going on in this quilt  — and it has given me an idea for some batik fabric I have in the stash since I actually haven’t stitched this quilt – but may just need to make my own for my bed. 🙂However to show you how different it started out in my image, here’s the quilt image I sent them.

Using a smaller segment of this quilt with the multicolors I drew, if sections are colored in differently, yield a bit different look…. as shown in the additional two drawings.

So, IF you live in the U.S., and IF you don’t have a subscription already to Quiltmaker Magazine (oh the horror), and would like to be included in the random drawing for a free issue of this magazine, leave a comment below.  Be sure to check back on this blog post next Saturday when I’ll update it with the winner(s) to see if you are the lucky one.  Updated: No response so had to pick some new winners.  Jan in Virginia – you are the winner. Please email me privately  (email address under my photo at top of blog) with your full name and mailing address.

On the Needles Update

 Lots happening this week on and off the needles.

 

First up – my CF Featherweight.  I finally started seaming last night.  Let me tell you, fingering weight sweater means not only lots of knitting but lots of stitches to seam too.  I got the shoulders done and the sleeves are set in and then since I was starting to go cross-eyed I stopped on that for the time being.

There’s just the two under arm/ side seams to finish and then I can pick up and knit the wide garter border around the front and neckline.  Because of the light weight and elbow length sleeves, this will be  a great spring/summer sweater.

 

The I was also working on my Luau Vest

The back is now finished – that piled up larger portion, and the smaller part is one of the front sections that I started earlier this week – so it’s progressing nicely and I need to wind another ball of yarn for that today since I’m nearly to the end of the one I’m on.

  And then there’s my CF Deep Winter KAL sweater – Stonington – which I just finished off second shoulder shaping last night.   One of the fronts is cast on but only about a half inch of the ribbing done.  The color in this photo is about the first one I’ve gotten that is actually pretty true to its dark purple color.  Back pieces just look like long blobs tho don’t they. LOL  The edges are curled under so you can’t really tell where armholes and sides meet and it does look really long (tho I’m tall) but that’s because that length will shrink up when it’s actually blocked and then worn.  But it’s a pretty blob nonetheless – I really like this color.

And, since all three of these projects were in sort of larger than I wanted to tote on the bus mode, or I needed to following the instructions more closely with decreases, etc.,  earlier this week I pulled out a pair of socks – not even sure when I started these but I had only finished the cuff ribbing on one of them.  Don’t know what my plan was and it really didn’t matter since only the top 1 x 1 rib was done so I decided I’d make some wide ribbing sections down the socks to add a little texture.

 It looks a bit odd in this photo with the big flare at the cuff but that’s because the leg is a 5 x 5 rib s it pulls in if there’s no leg inside it. 🙂  So I progress a few inches on this sock this week too.

I also did make some progress on my wiggle wrap — that one is definitely getting to long to drag along on the bus to knit.  I’d really like to get it finished off soon.

Whew!  Very busy knitting.

 

And as for the knitting from the stash — I’m hanging in there – a whole 24 days LOL  To me it seems like New Year’s was much longer ago than just 24 days.   Tho I was tempted to purchase yarn —  friend Judy mentioned Booga Bags and  we were emailing about them and I was thinking I needed to make another one since I had given all the largest ones I made away so didn’t keep one for me to use.  I actually had yarn in a cart – yarn on sale even! – but decided I have too many other things going right now so refrained from ordering.  I also found a sale on some Skein sock yarn – my two most favorite pairs of socks are the socks I’ve made out of Skein – but it was a sort of grab bag (they pick the color) so I refrained from that.  So far no new yarn in……

 

Colorful

  Look at all those colors!  Yes, it will have to get added into the fabric stash report but the are for several projects.  First some will get used with the  Cat in the Hat precuts and then I have plans for another project – actually two – using bits of them.

The Loopy Ewe (TLE) labels large orders of Kona solids – see the little stickers.  For my purposes I just randomly selected a bunch of colors with no particular plan.  But if you were making a quilt where you were copying exactly the colors in the original – those little labels would save your sanity trying to figure out which is which.  Just another reason to love TLE’s great customer service.

 

I still have to do yesterday’s on the needles report which I’ll do later – I was too busy knitting and seaming a sweater last night to turn on the computer.  Good progress on several items this week.

Errands to run, kitchen cupboards to restock, things to do first.

Free patterns update going on……….

 

If you’ve been reading my blog awhile,  you know that many free patterns I post to the blog – for special projects, BOM, mysteries, quilt alongs, etc., only remain live on the blog for a certain amount of time and  then the pattern is removed/retired.

I’ve decided to add some of these patterns back into the FREE PDF QUILT PATTERNS PAGES and I’ll continuing adding some others in as I have time.   One important reminder regarding these patterns — they are not to be shared in any way.  If your quilting friend wishes to make one too (after you’ve shown the gorgeous version you’ve made), please send  them to my blog to download their own copy.   If you have not read the “Copyright /Use of my Patterns” info which can be found at the top of my blog in the header listing, please do so.  It also contains important information regarding downloading of files from Box.net in case you’ve never downloaded any of my files.

Also, if the pattern was originally done as a mystery or instructions were given in separate steps posted to the blog, the instructions are still in that format.  I’m not going to waste time rewriting them into one continuous pattern so you’ll need to make sure to download all files listed for those types of projects.

Let’s see … so far I’ve added back in:

Bits ‘n Bytes

 

City Streets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let It Shine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mix ‘n Match

 

Sunday Shenanigans

We have a heat wave – and sunshine!  I just made a quick trip to the grocery store and it’s 40 degrees outside – pretty darn balmy for mid January.  It’s not going to last and snow is possible later in the week but it was nice to get out in the fresh air and not have wind chills below zero.

I’ve been busy in the sewing room today but not sewing.  The sweater pieces I was blocking were dry so took those off the blocking boards and put that stuff away.  Haven’t started seaming yet but rewatched part of the Craftsy Seaming class of Chris Bylsma (which I totally recommend – I think it is excellent) so I remember how to do stair step shoulders versus side seams, so I may get to some seaming later this afternoon.

As I had hoped, I was able to finish the back to my Luau vest (named for the color of the yarn – not because I’m planning a Luau anytime soon to wear it to. 🙂  I cast on the front and have the garter hem done so on to the stockinette.

Plus I just finished winding another hank of Miss Babs Yowza for my Winter KAL sweater.  I do love knitting sweaters with the Yowza since it has such great yardage on a hank (560 yards) so not as many ends to bury or as many color discrepancies among hanks.  The hanks I got all look very much the same so I’m not alternating hanks all the way through the project, but am alternating for several rows as I’m adding in the new hank.  Good thing there’s no more yardage than that or my yarn winder would not be able to handle it – it’s a big cake when it’s wound.

I also updated the Fabric Stash report – see the button in the sidebar for that page.  I’m going to update all info on that on one specific page.  But added in the fabric used for the wedding quilt top – so 15.5 yards used and none added to the stash this year.  Next week I should be able to add in the backing fabric – which I just tossed in the washer.  I normally don’t wash it first but this feels so stiff and I’m afraid it might bleed, so since it’s from a backing shop I haven’t purchased from before, I’ll give it a test run through the washer to see how color fast it is.  But good that I can get those “stash used” numbers up a little bit before next week’s report – yes I did order a little fabric this morning.

I finally decided what I wanted to do with the Cat in the Hat precut squares – some shown here – I have more of them but I think they are duplicates of these prints.

Anyway, I didn’t want to cut them up much for the baby quilt I want to make with them – and I have a plan –  but that plan needed plain colors to go with these.

So I have a whole bunch of Kona Solid FQs coming from TLE — you know how much I love TLE for their yarn but they are also a full service fabric store too and their customer service is great.  My LQS and other places I’ve ordered from on-line in the past do not cut FQs – so you always had to order a quarter yard cut or if that was the wrong shape, a half yard even if you only needed a fat quarter.  TLE cuts FQs.  Now I feel a little bad for the Loopy Elf who gets my order to fill on Monday – I had somewhere between 35 and 40 FQs for them to cut – not all for the baby quilt of course – I have a couple other projects in the works to use them in also.

It’s a wind tunnel

in my sewing room, that is.

  The fronts and sleeves are blocking so I’ve got two small fans blowing on hem to make them dry faster.  Tho fingering weight yarn slows down sweater knitting progress, it definitely speeds up blocking drying progress since these pieces are nearly dried.

But between the fact that it make it cold in the sewing room with the fans going, and they are a bit annoying to listen to, and I would have had to be stepping around those blocking boards on the floor, I did not get around to laying the wedding quilt which I wanted to do today.

I did manage to get many loads of laundry done and straightened up the sewing room a bit and cleared the table so maybe I can get to quilt layering tomorrow.

Sheri at The Loopy Ewe had asked the question on the blog about what Lil’ Loopy was doing while waiting for Loopy Academy to start second semester in February.  Well here’s what he’s doing at my house —

 He’s perched on the rack that holds the knit swatches and I’m thinking that since I’ve got a wind tunnel doing in that room right now, he just might be wrapped up in one of those swatches – perfect blanket size for him – next time I walk into that room.

If you’re doing the Knitter’s Gifts quilt – this months’ installment was uploaded this morning so be sure to get it.  The final border will be given next month.

Now to go fold all that laundry I washed while I wait for the pizza delivery guy — well you can’t expect me to do lots of laundry, clean the kitchen and sewing room AND cook dinner (since I forgot I was going to go to the grocery store today and never got around to it and there’s not much in my cupboards).  Another evening of knitting is in order I think after that.