A visit from the Queen

Margie, you have been doing so much! I am so proud of you.

I did finish the bug - here is a picture! It's so cute. :D

I have also been doing some mending, as I have recently moved and discovered there are many clothes I like that were stuck in my fabric bin, waiting for just a few stitches or the cuff sewn back on, etc. I also fixed one shirt only to discover it's much to small for me (even though I'm at my smallest size in about 5 years) - what a mystery?! Anyway, off to Goodwill.

The new project I'm cooking on is to make quilts for refugees. I'll tell you more about that another day. For now, some actual cooking - we're celebrating early Thanksgiving in just 9 hours!

Catherine

Christmas!

I think Christmas is both more fun and more stressful now that I have become enamored with knitting.  I want to make everyone something, and there's just not enough time.

I have plans for things, and I admit that I am going to suck up to MyFriend's daughters by making them things this year and not make so much for my kids.  Bad mom.  Oh well.

I'm going to make boot cuffs for the older daughter, who is in college, and for the younger daughter
I'm going to make these slippers:

They are just about the cutest thing ever.  I'll make some for Middle and Smallest too, because how can I not?  I started on my test pair (for Middle) last night and I think they'll go really quickly.  They're felted, and I've never felted anything before, so it could be an adventure.

I will document the progress.  And I probably won't have time to make the Link gauntlets for Darren this year, Catherine.  Or some other cool things I wanted to make for you.
I did manage to lose a really nice cowl I made last year.  I don't know if I gave it to Mom, or Put It Somewhere in the house?  I am baffled.  It was really soft and warm and I'd sure like to wear it at work sometimes.  Ah well.  Maybe it will turn up in the sleeve of a coat!  I'll have to go check.

Margie

One down

For some reason, I believe that if I am a knitter, then I muse make a pair of socks.  I bought my first sock yarn probably 15 years ago and messed around with the yarn and the double-pointed needles.  I had a book with some sock patterns, but I never ventured into the Land of Socks.

Finally, I bought some nice sock yarn from a local dyer (at my LYS that is now closed) and after only nine months or so, I made a bunch of swatches to test needle size and then I just decided to go for it.  It if turned out just right, they would fit me.  Too big?  Middle can wear them.  Too small?  Smallest is the winner.

I finished the first sock about two weeks ago and while it fits me, I think it fits Middle better.  I have cast on the second and am about 2/3 of the way through with the leg portion of the sock.  It goes fast, but I didn't take full advantage of my six hours of airplane time this past weekend, so I'm not to the heel yet.  The heel was easier than I expected.

At any rate, I think for the next pair, I will indeed go down a needle size.  Maybe then Smallest will get the socks!  Who knows.  I have some other sock yarn stashed away.  But Xmas gifts for MyFriend's daughters will have to come next.

Here's Sock #1

Subversive Cross Stitch

Many years ago, a friend gave me this book called Subversive Cross Stitch. (http://www.amazon.com/Subversive-Cross-Stitch-Julie-Jackson/dp/0811853470/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1443572552&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=subversive+cross+stitch)  It has cute designs with snarky sayings and I loved it.

I finally got to use it to make MyFriend a birthday present.  I wanted to do something a little more elaborate than just the words and a little border, so I adapted a sampler I found in an old cross stitch magazine I had.

Here is the final result, presented to MyFriend on Sunday evening at one of his many birthday celebrations this weekend.  He loves it.

We will frame it, and he can display it somewhere in his house.  He can't wait to show it to his mom, as he thinks she will find it amusing as well.  They are good people.

Now I have to figure out what to do next.  The sweater?  Finish the socks I started?  I need to finish the bee I started for our brother.  I've almost finished all the stitching, then it's just the backstitching to do.  Maybe that's the one to do first.

Yay for finishing!  Even better, I had all the supplies for this except for two colors of floss.  That was nice.

Margie

Too many projects!

I finished my swatch of the sweater for MyFriend.  I think I need to go back and measure and plan a little bit.  I should probably use the actual yarn this time, instead of the test yarn I was using.  I do now know that the pattern works best when making actual cables rather than do the stitch as explained in the pattern.  I need to figure out how to do it without a cable needle to save time.

While waiting to decide what to do with the sweater, I forged ahead with the sock, hoping for the best with the gauge.  If they are small, then Smallest can wear them.  If they are big, then Middle can wear them.  If they are just right, then I will wear them!  So many choices in feet!
I thought I had a sock picture and a swatch picture, but apparently not.  Oh well.

So...now I am working on a project for MyFriend's birthday.  He will be 50 on September 28th.  We had been looking a while back at a silly book I have called Subversive Cross Stitch and he said he would hang one up if I gave him one.  I've taken a very sweet sampler thingie and I'm swapping out the nice words about friendship for "Be my bitch".  I think he will like it.  Here is the beginning.  I had to take out a row of fancy stitches as I used two threads instead of one.

I'll post more pictures as it progresses.  Or maybe just one when it is done.  I'd like to get it framed before his birthday, so I need to finish it quickly!

I am also having a bad case of startitis.  I have a bunch of yarn sitting around and I'm wanting to start all the projects that I've been saving the yarn for.  Part of this has been brought on by finding moths in my closet.  I don't know what they're eating - old sweaters or new yarn - but they're munching on something and I need to go through and clean stuff out!  When I pull things out, I will think about what it's for and want to start on the project, so this will be tough.  Fortunately for me, Ex-Darling is in town this weekend and will have the kids, so MyFriend has some other things to work on while I sort through the stash, plus piles of paper that have accumulated.

Good times!

For me!

Well, with the baby sweater done, and the gauge on the socks being completely discouraging, I had nothing prepared to work on except my cool stripey shawl.  I was pretty close about color changes in my last post.  There were fewer left than I thought, so now it is done!  I haven't blocked it yet, but I am wearing it as I am sitting in my chilly office at work.  Good stuff.  Here are pictures.  Smallest is modeling it for me.

So now I am knitting up a practice swatch for My Friend's sweater.  I'm testing the pattern as well as gauge.  I have to say, I don't really care for the pattern that much.  The main design stitch isn't coming out clearly and it's a big pain as well.  I've told My Friend about my discovery and we will take a look at it together and see what we think.  He is currently out of town visiting his girls.  He is a good dad.

Middle and The Boy are with my parents in Colorado this week, and Smallest is at camp so I am home all alone.  I am finally getting to some projects from when we moved into the house.  I painted my kitchen window.  The frame was new and gleaming white, but the window was not white.  So now it is.  Much better.  I'm painting some bookshelves we put in the girls' rooms not quite two years ago, and I'll be painting the trim in their rooms as well.  Fun times.  Lots of painting.  I need to paint the trim all around the house.  I need to replace the trim all around the house too.  Sigh.

At some point in the next couple of weeks, work will begin on re-doing my downstairs bathroom.  This is the one I share with The Boy.  It is not so nice now.  It will be very nice when we're done.  I am not doing the work, and that is okay with me.  It will get done a lot faster that way!

Margie

Still not counting hours.

Wee Babies

I have made a rather happy discovery - My Friend likes to drive on long trips.  This came in really handy when we drove to New Orleans for a belated 50th Wedding Anniversary for my parents.  My brother, Catherine and her beau were there as well and we had a wonderful weekend of eating and playing games.

On the way there and back, I worked on a baby sweater for a friend at work.  I don't know many people having babies anymore, so it was fun to get to make something cute.  I saw the sweater on the Yarn Harlot blog and it looked super easy and in fact, it was!  My friend is having a girl, so I wanted it to be pink, but not Too Pink.  I found a great cotton yarn that can go in the washer and dryer (!!) at Knit Picks and the pink is just right (Flamingo).  I got a darker pink to put on the edges and it looks very cute.  The picture is before sewing in all the ends, but I gave it to my friend this morning without taking a picture of the finished product.

So... now I am still trying to get gauge on some socks that I want to make (my first pair) and in the meantime I'm making a shawl with Caterpillar Green self striping shawl yarn in the Boneyard shawl patter from Ravelry.  I think I only have about six color changes to go, and this one is for me (in theory), so I'll get a picture of the finished product for sure.

The next projects include a sweater for me and a sweater for My Friend.  I have decided that it is okay to tempt the boyfriend sweater superstition because I consulted with him on the pattern, the yarn and the color.  We'll work on the fit together as well.  No nasty surprises!  I also want to make his younger daughter a hat and some mittens.  She and her mother have moved to Germany for a year so I think she'll need something to keep her warm and cosy.  I might use the same yarn as I did for the fingerless mittens I made her last Christmas.  I'll get Middle to help me pick a hat pattern that is appropriately cool.  I don't want to give a teenaged girl an uncool hat!

I also need to finish the bug cross stitch for our brother.  That is overdue!  I don't know if Catherine finished her bug or not, or how far our mother is.

Oh, and last but not least, The Boy took his driving test with a third-party tester here in Houston and he passed!  Now we have to get some paperwork corrected and we can go get his license.  Whew!  That will be SO nice.

I've stopped keeping track of hours.
Margie

Bee in your bonnet?

I have been hoarding, apologies!

The bug continues to grow, almost like a larvae forming its cocoon and emerging as a beautiful butterf... wait, wrong insect. Anyway, I have at least been taking photos along the way, so you can see how it's been coming along. The most dramatic thing was that I was trying to do the border in a car, and got about halfway done before realizing I had forgotten two stitches ~100 stitches earlier. Whoops!! 50 minutes 3/12, 30 min 3/14, 2.5 hours 3/15, 2 hours 3/21, 4 hours 3/22 = 9:50.

I also found two partially done friendship bracelets in my stash of old projects (must be really old! I don't think I've made a friendship bracelet in 2 decades or more?!), and decided to finish them. Then I decided they would make good belated presents for some little girls I know (the ones who might have gotten a felt bear if not for an even littler girl that I don't yet know), but there are three girls and only two bracelets. And the two I had were kind of little and the same colors, so I made two more so that there would be more choices. 1.5 hours 3/8, 35 min 3/11, 3.5 hours 3/12 = 5:35 hours.

---
Note: at the time I originally wrote this (in March), my computer wasn't cooperating and I thought this whole post got eaten. My lovely seester just told me it was alive and well in the draft folder. Yay! So, my total for last quarter was 84:05 hours. Amazing! I have worked on the bug since then, but without doing a good job of recording my hours; will get back onto it and post a photo soon.

Catherine

Puppy 1 Margie 0

Turns out that puppies like wooden knitting needles.  Lucky for the puppy, he didn't chew on the knitting, just the needles, pulling them out of the knitting for best results.

I have nice new metal needles now, to finish the baby sweater for tomorrow.  Pictures soon.

This is one of the reasons I didn't want to get a puppy.  Ah well.

Goodbye LYS!

I received an email a couple of months ago from my local yarn shop, Knitting in the Loop.

Apparently they had come to their senses and would be closing up shop as of May 20th.  I am sad, for now the closest shops I have to choose from is the disorganized crazy lady shop (that is actually open on Monday) where apparently she decides how much you pay for yarn based on her opinion of you, or the one that's 45 minutes away in a cute shop with lovely people that is closed on Monday (my day off) and not open late ever.  Boo.

So I am off to drop off some forms for the doctor to sign to send Middle to camp this summer, and then I will go by and see if there's any yarn left to buy.  Or maybe some books.  Or more needles!  Gadgets!  Hopefully for me, I will like nothing.

I finished Smallest's leg warmers (surprise project!) while she was having a coaching session yesterday with a much respected dancer.  She had a blast.  I am glad I have leftover yarn for these (originally two pairs were planned) because Smallest is getting ready to grow.  She won't pass Middle, who is officially now 5 ft, 7 3/4 in, but she may catch up to me.  We will see!
I have to crochet a little on them, and tuck in the ends and then I'll post a picture.  Smallest loves them already.

I'm going to guess they were about four or five hours to make?  Just spread out over a while.

Oh, but we're in a new quarter, so we have to restart the count?

5 hours total for me then.  Probably more from working on the bug, but who knows.
Margie

Mutant No More!

I have cured my X-sweater of its mutant-ness.
In the previous post, I showed the before picture, and here is after:

And here is The Boy with his sweater for an 18 month old child:

I don't think it will fit.  I decided that it would be creepy of me to save the sweater for my grandchildren, so I decided to give it to some friends who have a super-cute little girl who is about the right size, maybe a little small even, which is good as sweater weather is pretty much done here.  

As I was finishing, I did realize that I forgot to switch to smaller needles for the ribbing at the bottom, but I also realized that I don't like sweaters for little kids pinching in like that, so the looser edge actually pleases me.  Better mobility for small people.  The yarn is 75% acrylic/25% wool.

So now I'm on to my bug cross stitch.  I have resolved not to start knitting anything else until I make progress on other things I'm working on.  

2 hours since Friday,

32 hours total.

Margie

Catching up

Well, I'm probably behind in total hours for the quarter, but I have some project pictures to share.

I have the scarf for My Friend, and the mittens I made to go along with it.  The mittens were a late Valentine's present, and I finished them just in time for him to wear them up to Dallas last weekend when they were still being hit by cold weather so he was very happy to have them!  I modified a pattern for plain mittens, and I would add another cable if making them again, but I was surprised to find that they fit him perfectly.  Less surprised that he loves them, but still happy that he does.

I've also been working on another cowl that would have been for our mother if she didn't like the first one I made.  That one is getting closer to completion.  No picture of that one yet.  I am getting very close to completing the Mutant Sweater.  This is what it looked like before -

Between the first and second pictures I sewed up the seams and put the collar on.  The ladies at my local yarn shop (LYS) reassured me that the short torso wouldn't be a problem, the sweater owner could just roll up the sleeves.  After looking at it for long enough, and reading through too many Yarn Harlot blog postings, I decided I couldn't let the sweater remain a cropped top and unravelled it from the bottom.  I've picked up the stitches (you can see the needle in the picture on the right) and have knit at least three or four inches on the bottom.  The proportions look correct to me now, so I have started on the ribbing at the bottom and have five rows to go before completion.  This means that The Boy's sweater will finally be complete!  Only... 15 years late!

When the sweater is done, I too have a cross stitch project to do that is tiny but has eleventh-billion colors in it in single stitches, and I've already made a mistake within the first 20 stitches.  Sigh.  There  are plenty of other things waiting to be completed as well, and I confess to buying more yarn for specific projects in the last couple of months, so I guess I'll just have to knit more.

Middle is making a crochet sloth for a friend.  I'll see if I can get a picture of it.  It is very cute.

Tallying up the rest of January through today - 29 hours.
30 hours total.

Margie

Quiltastic!

I have finished the quilt! I had to repair one part of the backing fabric that was a little bit damaged, quilt 51 more little circles, and I put my initials on for good measure (see photo 4). I didn't do a perfect job of laying the quilt flat before quilting, apparently, because some sections are a little warped between front and back, and there are many other errors that I could point out to anyone interested, but overall it's super cute and I'm delighted to have finished it on the time scale I intended. And the quilt circles do give just the effect I was hoping - they don't distract from the front (can you find all six in photo 2?) but they do add to the back (see photo 5); photo 3 is a closeup. And it was lovely to have entertainment/company during my sewing - evil twin and his brother playing video games that are silly and not too loud or violent. Yay!

Hopefully I will keep this momentum going to finish the cross-stitch I started, and then think about what comes next!

1:20 hours Friday, 5:10 hours Sat, 4:30 hours today = 11 hours this weekend; 68:40 total.
Catherine

Keepin' on keepin' on

The end is in sight: I have started quilting!

I have discovered why it would have been better to quilt before edging, since now the borders are nicely sewn up and it's a pain to tie things off. Things to remember for next time. Anyway, some of the quilting is right in the middle, so it would be a pain either way.

My plan was to make little circles in some of the blocks to match the circle pattern on the back. In my first circle, I used a chain stitch, which was really pretty but REALLY slow for some reason (25 minutes!) perhaps now that I am getting more used to working with 4 pieces of fabric, I will try again). So I've done 6 others with a more simple backstitch (1:25 min), and I'm reasonably happy with it. See? (front and back)

I've also picked 6 squares within each mod block (plus the four central black v. black intersections) that I intend to quilt, and then maybe that will be enough. After all, my original goal was to have the quilt done by the end of this month, as the recipient was coming to visit; the trip has been put off due to snowpocalypse but I don't want the quilt to suffer a similar fate.

I also decided that my most recent felt bear would be a fun addition to the quilt, so I put his arms on (20 min), and he's all done. See how cute?

So, 2:10 for me this weekend. Total = 57:40.

Catherine

A quiltmaker on the edge

A double meaning: I spent 6 hours and 20 minutes hand-sewing the edges of the quilt yesterday (see? It's done!), and I am on the edge of being totally finished! I had originally planned to start doing the interior quilting as well (I think those are in the wrong order, too bad) but 6 hours of poking myself with pins and needles was enough. And I couldn't find the thread that I bought, humph. For now, I will enjoy my success!

Total = 55:30 this quarter
Catherine

The quilt(wo)man cometh

So exciting! Yesterday I sewed together the fabric for the back of the quilt, which was all I had planned to do. But, with the back all ready, it was so easy to keep going, sewing the quilt top, batting, and quilt back together around the edges, about ~1/4 inch from the edge of the quilt top. Today I'm going to fold over the quilt back onto the quilt front and stitch it in place. I have one edge already pinned in place (see? here it is hanging from the ironing board; the pinned side is on the right), and it's really starting to look like a finished product. I spent 4:40 hours doing that.

I also worked another 2:10 hours on the cross-stitch. It's already starting to be rewarding, as the shape of the creature comes into focus... see?

Total = 6:50; 49:10 this quarter.
Catherine

Something old, something new

Yesterday was an adventure in black borders - I ended up using three different black fabrics to complete the box around my 9 squares (I could have used only two, but it would have necessitated more of the stretchy fabric, which was not as annoying as I expected but still annoying). I also finished undoing some seams on the fabric for the back, which I am ready to sew up today! So exciting. All of that took 3.5 hours, as I am slow with a seam ripper (especially when the fabric is thick and a bit stretchy).

For a bit of a change, I also started a cross-stitch that I was supposed to have finished by now (a family project). It is cute, and I think it will go quickly as I get back into the cross-stitching groove. It is on linen rather than dedicated cross-stitch fabric, which will make it look much nicer but also means it takes longer counting all the threads. I spent an hour on that before I turned in for the night.

I have the next two days off and will mostly be inside due to epic snowfall, so I'm hoping to have some good quilt pictures by the end of it!

4.5 hours, 42:20 hours overall.
Catherine

Borders and bears

Big and small news! The big news is: I have sewn together the 9 squares of the baby quilt (see? From this far away, you can't see all the mistakes, hooray!). I am so happy. I also tried sewing on a scrap of the black fabric that I thought would be too stretchy to work with, and it may not be as bad as I thought. Anyway, worth a try. This coming weekend I hope to get black borders around this whole block, sew the back of the quilt together (from ~4 pieces, I hope it won't be a big chore), and start quilting! It'll actually be my first foray into real hand quilting. I have an idea I am excited about; will share pictures.

The small news is: due to a variety of circumstances, I ended up staying at a friend's house for three nights earlier this week. I was feeling so inspired by my quilt that I wanted to keep the sewing momentum going, and had recently rediscovered some pieces of felt bears that I must have cut >2 decades ago. So, I took the pieces, stuffing, and beads for eyes to my friend's house and worked on those Sunday, Monday, and again today. I finished the 2" green bear on Monday (actually, I realized since I left her house that I forgot to give him a nose! Must fix), and have been working on the 3" black bear since then. You can see that he just needs his arms sewn on, and he'll be all finished too. I left the green bear with my friend, as she seemed to like him a lot. I think I'll give black bear (and peach and grey bears, to be made) to some lovely little girls I'm not officially related to, since their Christmas presents are way overdue.

 
Overall, I worked 45 minutes on the quilt, and then 30 (Sunday) + 30 (Monday) + 90 (today) minutes on the bears = 3:15 hours.

Total so far in 2015 = 37:50 hours.
Catherine

Black fabric, I shake my fist at you

I am making excellent progress on the quilt! I spent Wednesday and Saturday finishing the last squares and taking apart the dress my mom and I made in 1994 for a high school performance that's going to be repurposed as the back of the quilt - lots of fun swirly colors. Also, Friday I stopped by the fabric store to get batting and more thread. Sunday I worked on the black strips that will bind the 9 color blocks together. Now I've got 6 squares sewn together and the other 3 are together, and I have the black strip ready to go that will made one giant block... and then I lost the will to pin things. However, I've also made the painful discovery that I don't have enough black fabric, unless I want to use this super-stretchy stuff that will cause me to go insane. So, back to the fabric store...

In good news, I've discovered that the recipient of the quilt is coming to Boston in 3 weeks, so that gives me both strong motivation to finish but also a decent window in which to wrap things up. Yay!

Wednesday, 1 hr, 20 min

Saturday, 2 hrs, 45 min

Sunday, 6 hrs, 40 min

Total this week: 10 hrs, 45 min. 

Total this quarter: 34 hrs, 35 min

Catherine

The return of the quilter

Can you believe it? I'm posting on the blog.

First, let me say that I do like the cowl you made me, so much! It is a gorgeous color, and so soft, and so perfectly made. I like to wear cowls with big coats, which doesn't match with Houston. But, I have been wearing it here! :D PS, the red scarf was Aunt Nina's, which is part of why it's my favorite.

Second, your other comment makes me realize that I haven't done housekeeping in a long time; I didn't post a photo of the finished quilt (which has actually become a comforter cover with cute buttons) or claim it as a finished project (fixed). I had some baby presents on my 'to-do' list for children who are now ~6 (deleted). I went through my stash the other day and found all kinds of beautiful fabric and yarns that I had forgotten all about, so I need to brainstorm some new projects. And we haven't been keeping stats in nearly two years, though I think we agreed over Christmas that the salsa-sending has lost its urgency?

Third, I have a new project, and I have made lots of progress on it already (sorry for hoarding). In fact, I'm nearly done. My college roommate has a new baby, and I am making a quilt for them. She picked the pattern (11x11 blocks, but it looks like 10x10 because the 11th row and column is all black, so that's how I'm treating it to make it easier) and colors (in general terms; I picked the fabric, mostly out of things I had in the house). I'm feeling clever because I first made long strips of the blocks in one direction:

and then cut them up

  

 and sewed them back together the other way
















so it went quickly. And, because I have decided that getting it done in a timely manner is more important than it being perfect (and anyway, that's how they'll know it's from me and not a store), I'm letting little imperfections go. So, I have 7 of 9 10x10 blocks done (here are 6) and only 9 seams left to go to complete the last two blocks; then I'll sew them together with the black, get some batting and wrap it up! Very exciting.

Time spent:
Sat, Jan 17th: 5 hours
Sun, Jan 18th: 7 hours
Mon, Jan 19th: 5:15 hours
Mon, Jan 26th: 3:50 hours
today: 2:45 hours

Total thus far (and thus the total for this quarter): 23:50 hours.
Catherine

What month? Already?

Well, Christmas has come and gone and now we're into the bleak winter months of January in Houston.  Sigh.  It only got up into the low 70s last weekend, and might barely make into the 60s this weekend.  It's a challenge.  We have had lots of rain and overcast days so we are all missing the sun here.  Should be nice this weekend.

A quick project summary - Our mom liked the cowl I made for her, so now I am almost halfway through the one I was making instead and I find it has no owner.  Maybe I will give it to our mom anyhow, maybe I will keep it, maybe I will give it to our friends who are moving to Calgary this summer.

MyFriend loves his scarf.  I am pleased with it.  Now I am going to make mittens to go with it.  The yarn, although the same source, seems less squishy than last time and I'm not liking it as much.  Curious.  I'm trying to use a pattern from The Knitters Handy Pattern Book (or something like that) and I've ripped back the cuff three times already.  I think I've got it now.  Hopefully the rest will go smoothly.  I'm going to try to put the little cables on it to match the scarf.  Is it good for men to have matchy scarves and mittens?  Hmmm.  I'll have to think about that.  Quickly.  Maybe just ribbed is enough?

I think Catherine likes the cowl I made her.  She likes the colors, but I didn't see her wear it much over Christmas.  She wore this long red scarf all the time.  (sob, you don't like it!)

So now I'm making progress on fixing the Mutant Sweater, I'm working on the mittens and the cowl and I've got a bunch of other things lined up.  I probably should be good and go back to the list of Unfinished Things when I finish one of the knitted projects.  I do have a cross stitch to work on that I think is due soon.  Plus all those other things.

Pictures next time.  Hopefully a before and after of Mutant Sweater!

Margie

January tally (from orthodontist appointments and M's ballroom classes): 11 hours so far.  I'll keep better track going forward.