Sewing without sewing

Just a little update today - I ironed all of the squares I made last week, and then marked them up at 7 inches so I can assemble them next time. In doing that, I discovered one square that was too short (only 7 inches itself), so I took apart a couple of seams so I can lengthen it. There were ~2 more that don't have a lot of room (the seam allowance will be 1/8" or 1/16"); depending on how easy it is to fix those, I might do that as well. Or I can sew a second seam to stabilize them, though that mean it won't lie flat nicely. Hmm...

Anyway, no actual new stitches this time, but I was wary to dive in as my seam ripper is still elsewhere. Still, 1:15, so I'm up to 37:25 total.

Catherine

Four is the loveliest number...

Thanks in part to evil twin's encouragement, I got reinvigorated to work on the quilt yesterday. The extra challenge for the day is that my seam ripper was at another location, so any stitching that went awry would have to be fixed with scissors, pins, teeth, etc. I still haven't worked up my courage to go back to the seam that was defying me (connecting some of the blocks of 4 together), so I turned to the final pairs of blocks that needed to be sewed up into blocks of 4. Happily, during 12 seams, I only needed to redo one seam in full and two in part. I did also pull apart one seam within a block when I realized that the width of the block was way too short (almost 1/2 inch short, which is my seam allowance!), and would cause problems later. I need to iron those, but otherwise I'm ready to turn back to assembling them into larger pieces. Actually, there are only 18 seams left before I have a complete 12 x 12 grid. Very exciting! My new goal is to finish before my birthday (only 5 weeks away), so I'll have to keep moving.

The only other thing worth reporting is that I didn't have to change my bobbin thread the whole time, and as I was doing the last seam I thought, surely I will have to run out of luck and the thread will end at any moment. But, it held! However, I then noticed the thread on the spool is down to about 10 wraps around the spool, so I was certainly cutting it close. Phew!

Altogether a very satisfying day. 2.5 hours; 36:10 total.

Catherine

Finito!

Success!  I worked on the fluffy scarf some at Smallest's dance lessons a little bit ago, and then perhaps some more unrecorded time, but then I got in a good 30 minutes while waiting for my doctor's appointment (which I ended up rescheduling, because I was there on time at 3, and at 3:35, when they called me back, I reminded them that I had to leave near 3:45, and I didn't think there was time for my appointment, and I was right).  I worked on it more tonight while Smallest, and then Middle too, watched Mulan 2 (not bad for a sequel).  So now I am done.  Yay!

Here is Bear, the dog, modeling the scarf.  Doesn't he look handsome?

I like the new length much better.  I can wrap it around my neck and still have plenty dangling down to tuck into a jacket, or just look spiffy.  I think the six stitches instead of eight was the right call.

Anyhow, this is one of my few soccer-less weekends until the middle of May, so I'm trying to think of things that I need to get finished up.
I took the other baby log cabin quilt to be silent auctioned at church for Shrove Tuesday, but the only person bidding put in a bid $25, and I found that unacceptable so I bid on it myself.  I hope I won, I didn't go back to check.  I didn't have a chance to finish it before taking it in, so I need to get that back.

Middle and I need to finish a very cute bag that she started as a Christmas present for her terrific Aunt Catherine, so maybe that will be the plan for tomorrow, somewhere in the mix of art class, guitar class, girl scouts, 2 ballroom classes and a birthday party.  Oh, and delivering Girl Scout cookies too.  Good thing there's no soccer tomorrow!

I'm knitting a pig for Smallest, but now I can't find my book with the directions.  I hope it didn't get lost somewhere.  That would be no fun.

I'm off to bed.  I can sleep in tomorrow, what a treat!

1.5 hours for me, 11 hours total.
Margie

Knitting, Unknitting and Reknitting

Well then.
I think it would be gross to fill those bunny nuggets with salsa.  They would get all soggy.  Eew.

I finished the latest ruffly scarf, the one with the German directions.  I tried it on and it seems short.  I can't loop it around my neck and still have enough to hang down enough to look lovely.  There was no specification in the directions for how many stitches to make for the scarf, so I used eight, since that was what I had used for the girls' scarves.  Now I think eight was too many.  So I un-knit it.  Boo.

Using my wicked math skillz, I decided that if the scarf were 4 feet long (just an estimate, I didn't measure) with eight stitches, and I decreased to six stitches, then the length would increase by a quarter.  Whether it's really true or not, just go with me here.  It makes sense to me.  If it were eight and I went to four, wouldn't the scarf be twice as long?  That's my logic anyhow.

So I've started again with six stitches.  I'll take it with me when I go to my soccer coach class this week and see how much I can get done during our down time.  I may be too sore at the end of the day to do anything but take a hot bath and go to bed.  We have to play soccer all afternoon.  I'm not in shape for that.

I also started on a pig, but it's on double pointed needles, and was a little trickier to start than I expected.  We'll see how that one goes.  Pig is on hold until scarf is done.  Oh, and I promised to finish the second little log cabin quilt for a silent auction on the 12th, so I have to get that done soon!

1.75 hours for me Saturday and yesterday, 9.5 total.

Margie

5... 5 fabulous seams!

I had in mind that I would do 10 seams today, which would finish the third and fourth blocks of 12x2, and then sew up three of the big blocks to make half of the quilt. However, I had a really frustrating time with the 6th seam - sewing it three times and removing the stitches three times as the fabric moves a bit after pinning each time - and so decided to take a nap. I did finish the third 12x2 block, but the rest will have to wait. Grump.

2:40 today, 33:40 total
Catherine

Meeting adjourned!

And now I am back at home, to tackle the increasingly annoying quilt. Today I sewed up the two 8's and two 4's to make a single 12x2 block, then sewed up 6 squares of four to make another 12x2 block. I had grand plans to finish two more of those, and perhaps even sew three of the big blocks together (to make half of the quilt!), but I got stuck on a seam that refuses to obey the laws of physics. Here is a picture.

For reals - I measured the 7 inches from the middle seam on both pieces of fabric, and then stuck them together and sewed it just like I wanted, and then measured again (just for fun, you know) and suddenly the distances were 6 and 7/8". ?? So I took it out and remeasured and remarked everything and resewed it, sewing (again) just like I wanted, and then measured and suddenly everything is 7 and 1/16".

????

Clearly a sign to call it quits for the day.


4:45 today, so 31 hours total.

Catherine

P.S. Yes, the bright and colorful pants! Clown pants, almost. I loved them too, but they wore out.

I Love Scientific Meetings

Especially when Catherine is the one attending them!

Mwa-ha-ha!

I took advantage of time at the eye doctor, dance class and my doctor appointment yesterday and today to rack up a whole...90 minutes of knitting!  Wild and crazy, I know.

I'm getting close to finishing the last ruffly scarf.  Luckily for me, I ordered a set of double pointed needles that I can use to make Bunny Nuggets.  That's right, bunny nuggets.  Here's a picture:

I tell you what, they're pretty cute.  I may put catnip in some and give them to the kitties.

I also have some farm animals to make for Smallest, and a beaded scarf for Middle.  We bought yarn and beads, but I couldn't get the beads to go onto the yarn, which makes it rather hard to make a beaded scarf.  So I will have to go back to the Yarn Store.  Gee, what a shame!

Anyhow, that's all I have for now.

1.5 hours for me, 9.25 hours total (that 7.45 should have been 7.75, as in 7 and 3/4).

Margie