Crazy quilt

I’m on to quilt #2. This is one I had started some time ago. The friend I’m making it for likes red + hearts, so the overall inspiration is clear, and theoretically the top is finished (see? The blue border is just a rug). However... I might hate it. That internal bright red color just doesn’t go. And the fact that the red squares are uneven on the two sides is… unsatisfying. And even if I cover the bright red in the photo with my finger, then the four outer layers look so bizarre. I am so boggled as to what I was thinking when I put this together. I would hate to have to take it apart, but I would also hate giving someone a present that I think is crummy. Boo. Will ponder next steps.

To cleanse your mind of that horrible image, I will also offer a photo of my lovely kitty. This window seat gets beautiful light in the morning & afternoon, and is his special spot to curl up and watch us, so he is frequently photogenic. This is a morning shot. The little blanket is actually a shawl that Margie made for me, but he co-opted, and I couldn't bear to take it back.

In good news, as I was looking through my quilting fabric, I found the thread I need to finish a different project (Margie also sent me some, but I may need both spools?), and worked on it for about an hour last Tuesday. Based on my progress that day, I think I need about 5 more hours to be totally done. So close!

- Catherine

Chaussette c'est fini!

Well, at least the current pair of socks are fini.

I finished Jeff's socks last week.  They still need a bath to relax them a bit.  I used up every bit of the grey, and got the yellow almost the same on both socks.  My plan was successful.

I also made another tiny sock for Cannoli the Cat, who belongs to Marjorie's roommate and likes to play with wool socks.  I think that Cannoli is coming to stay with us for a couple of months this summer, which will be very fun.  She is a cute cat.

Our neighbor told us in February that they are expecting Baby #2, so I thought I should make something for them.  I didn't make anything for Baby #1, so I'm hoping to be able to make two things before May, when the little one is expected.  I am a sucker for these huge gradient yarn things, and I happened to see some at the fabric store when I was getting fabric for new pants.  So now I'm working away on a blanket.  I have a trip coming up next week to go see Smallest perform (or at least I'm hoping she'll perform, she's in the second cast, so we'll see...) so that should get me plenty of knitting time.  I'm working it from the center out, and I'm going to do a different pattern with the yarn for each color band.  It will provide amusement!

Other than that, I've got fabric cluttering up the table at home.  I need to find some time to make stuff.  

The Fish quilt is great!  You've done a wonderful job with the quilting.  I am not so accurate.  I don't have any Mom napkins (or maybe just one set?) but I do have some placemats woven by Middle and those are pretty cool.

That's all I know!

Margie

Year of quilts: 1 down

I have finished my first quilt of the year! I took Friday off for no particular reason and the thing I decided I most wanted to do was wrap up the fish quilt. 

On Friday I made the quilt sandwich, put in some basting and safety pins to hold it in place, and then quilted the fish. I decided that was enough "quilting" given that the quilt is actually pretty small and the batting is not very poofy. I also picked the border fabric and cut out strips.

On Saturday I sewed the border strips together, and with some help from the internet, made some lovely mitered corners. My sewing machine went on a brief strike (I discovered I had loosened the wheel that connects the foot pedal to the needle somehow; all better now) which worked out in my favor because I had forgotten to put a little signature in ("CG23", in case that's not obvious from the photo); after completing that, I finished the front seam. It took me a surprisingly long time to do the final seam, in part because I was too lazy to iron the border fabric on the front.

Anyway, it's done! See?

As I was busy sewing, I also figured out how I want to quilt the second quilt I'm working on - for that one, the quilt top is finished and I just need to sew it together, but I was stuck on what seemed like a very manual process for the original idea I had. So I have regained some mental momentum there and hope to move that along asap. Yay for quilts!

- Catherine

 

Achievement unlocked: Napkins!

Ta-da! I have finished the napkins.

One nice thing about completing this project is, of course, getting to put these in the mail to a good friend, whose family I know will enjoy and use them (which will save some paper towels from going in the garbage, yay!). 

The other nice thing is that, having now gone through the process myself, I realize that this is a surprising amount of work to just cut squares and sew up the edges. I'm sure others (likely including my mom) can do it a bit faster, but it's still an investment of time and energy, both very precious resources. My mom has made me 2? 3? 4? different sets of cloth napkins, so I will use them going forward with more appreciation for the time she took to create them for me. 

The third nice thing, or maybe a generalization of the second thing, is that it's nice to have handmade things, whether made by yourself or by others. It's nice that someone took the time to create the thing, and were thinking about you and hoping you would like the thing, and then you get to think about them in return whenever see or use the thing. That is a nice connection to have. :)

There are my deep thoughts on a Saturday night!

- Catherine

Still socky over here!

Yay for napkins!  I always worry about the cute fabric being too thin to be a good napkin.  Perhaps I need to find better cute fabric!   

Sock progress has been made!  I have about two more inches of the foot before I start the toe.  Yay!  Jeff asked me what I would work on next.  I should probably finish the sweater I started last summer so that I can wear it this summer?  I also have the socks for Smallest and the hat for Middle to think about.

I was able to spend a fair bit of time knitting yesterday because I spent a lot of time at one of the hospitals here.  My college roommate's daughter is here as a freshman and she got very sick and went to the ER.  I went to keep her company and provide parental support.  Initially, it was suspected appendicitis, but it turned out to be a kidney stone!  Nice to have a non-surgical problem.  There were some errors along the way, but it all worked out, and she got to go back to her dorm and sleep in her own bed last night.  I think I got about 3 inches done on the foot, so that's pretty good.

We had a great visit with Sarah and the Madrid contingent.  They are lovely people.  We went to NASA, ate lots of tasty food, and unfortunately did not play any games!  We got too tired at night.

The Boy did his group presentation for the Connor Challenge yesterday.  He said it went well, and they were told they should think about patenting the program.  I think it's been a great opportunity for him, and definitely a motivating and engaging program.

I don't know much else.  I think we have a free Saturday for the first time in a while!  Many things to think about doing...

Naps and napkins

 I'm so pleased to have found the napkin squares! They are my last 2022 Christmas present, so once these are sent, I will get to start thinking about 2023 presents. I'm also glad to have a good audiobook to entertain me during the pinning. I would have made it further over the weekend but apparently I needed a big ol' nap - I didn't even have trouble sleeping that night, so I guess I am tired.

Anyway, I have finished hemming 6 of the napkins (of 12) and am partly done with two more. Soon!

In other news, I did finish the first of the flowers of my cross-stitch (see?), but I have forced myself to put that project aside while I work on things that are less suitable for planes. Next up: John's belated birthday present!

- Catherine

All I've got is a sock.

Thank goodness for Catherine rejoining the blog and keeping up with posting!  I have been a bad poster.  There is not a lot going on other than sock knitting and that's going slowly because my time has been consumed by other things.

We've worked the past two Saturdays at our church with landscaping and Powerwashing projects.  Fun, but then we've had projects at home because Jeff's daughter's husband and in-laws are visiting Texas and apparently we need to spruce up the house before they visit us.  It's great to get things done, but also tiring.  There have been social things as well.  And I've been reading as well.  I finished a book recommended by Smallest called, They're Going to Love You, which was wonderful and made me cry and cry.  Before that there was the penultimate John Rebus book, which didn't make me cry (ha ha).  Now I've just finished Hell Bent, which is the sequel to Ninth House, written by Leigh Bardugo (of Grishaverse fame - Shadow and Bone is the first).  It's set at Yale, and it would be fun to be a Yale person and read the books.  Unfortunately, I don't think Rice has enough history to set this sort of story there.  Alas.  I picked up the final (so far) John Rebus book from the library yesterday so I can start on that next.  I'm still working through the Wheel of Time series, and am on book four in that series.

I think I need to start taking the bus again so that I can fit more knitting time into my day.

I'm finishing up the second sock for Jeff.  These are boring grey socks in a fun pattern, but since I don't have enough yarn for both socks, the toe of the first is yellow, and I suspect more than the toe of the second will be yellow.  We'll see how far I can get.  After that, I have some socks for Smallest to make, and a Musslebergh hat to make for Middle.  There are so many projects waiting, and not enough time.  Alas.  

Catherine, when you are here in June, I will take you shopping in the Bin of Cross-stitch!  I have a bunch of things that I had planned to make.  If you like them, you can take them!  Fabric, patterns, kits, so many things!

I am going to see Smallest perform in May, so perhaps that will give me some good knitting time.  Trips are good for crafting!  We also have the Annual Meeting for my program coming up in August.  That's a week of sitting in seminars that I don't have to pay attention to and free evenings, so prime knitting time!

Margie

A triumphant trifecta!

I have exciting news this week: First, I have corrected the corners of the quilt, so now the top is totally done and I’m ready for quilting! (one corner shown; there wasn't a good place to lay the whole thing down) Second, while looking for the quilt, which was hidden at the top of my closet so as not to get cat hair on it (one of the relatives of the recipient is a bit allergic), I found the napkins! Third, I am nearly done with the first of the twelve flowers - just two more colors to go. Whee!!

I’m so grateful to my mom for having passed off these various projects to me. It had been a very long time since I did any needlework, and it is very soothing to get back into it. It’s lovely to see something grow before your eyes, and you can’t be mad while you’re stitching, and everything needs to be clean and tidy to avoid knots and such. I am also grateful that I know people who can point me to new patterns - I would like to keep doing it after I finish the ones I have! Will be interesting to see what I find.

- Catherine