Winter Woe

I am not a fan of Winter.   The world is cold and gloomy, the threat of snow and ice and freezing rain looms on the horizon.  I’m doing my best to stay cheerful, but it’s hard. 

My little house decided to stage a winter protest last week. The radiators went cold, the water heater decided that lukewarm was the new hot, and the circuit breakers kept tripping.  My stress levels were pretty high, and none of my projects were making me happy.   I needed to switch gears in a major way.  So, I went looking for something new, bright, fun, and slightly challenging.     

Summer Fruit 2 – Apples  WIP

Apples is the 2nd pattern in a 4-part series titled Summer Fruit by Chatelaine Designs.  The series features Pears, Apples, Cherries, and Pineapples.  I stitched Cherries a few years ago, and it has always been my intention to eventually make them all.   To my delight, I had all but two colors in stash.   

I’m stitching on 30ct. linen fabric from Weeks Dye Works in their Cornsilk color.  The rice stitches at the top of the design call for 1 strand of Gloriana silk thread.  Well, I plowed right through with 2 strands.  After they were done, I could tell they were too plump, and that's when I realized my error.  What good are pattern instructions if you don't take the time to read them?  Oh well.  They’re staying as is for now.  If it really starts to bug me, I'll rip them out.  Can I just take a moment to swoon over Gloriana silk thread? It's so soft, the colors are beautiful, and stitching with it is a dream.  I love how the silk catches the light.  I stopped by Rittenhouse Needlework to pick up the Peacock Blue colorway that I was missing, and became entranced by their wall of Gloriana.  They carry the entire line and it's a sight to behold.  I had to force myself away.  When I hit Powerball, I'm going Gloriana crazy.  Needless to say, this little project has brought a lot of joy my way. 

Sweet Cables WIP
This sweater by Joji Locatelli is on my Make Nine list.  I’m using Madeline Tosh Farm Twist in the charcoal colorway.  So far, I’m really enjoying this project. The yarn is exquisite and I already want to make a few more sweaters with it.  I'm knitting on US 7 needles.

Storm at Sea Quilt WIP

Another project on my Make Nine list. These are the fabrics that sparked the idea for this quilt.  

It's being made to fit a King sized bed, so more fabric was necessary.  Craftsy (now called Bluprint) is usually my first stop when shopping for fabric online. There I found the Majestic Flight collection by Boundless.  Perfect for what I had in mind.  There was even a kit in the Storm at Sea motif.  Its’ final dimensions are smaller than I want to make, but together with the fabric I already have, I should be able to double the size easily. 

  

These fabrics are gorgeous.  The picture above simply does not do them justice. The kit came with a FQ bundle and a couple of yard cuts.  Many of them are shot through with silver.  I wasn't quite expecting that, but it's very pretty.  The Storm at Sea block is a bit more complicated that I imagined.  After laying out a few rows, I noticed that some of my corner squares are too small.  I believe the square in the very center of the block is off size.  Unfortunately, the pattern doesn't specify the exact size of that center square piece.  Rather, the instructions has you cut rectangles from a strip.  When it came time to sew, it was obvious that the rectangles should be squares.  So, I just cut them in half.  

I’m not going to sew any more of that block until I figure out exactly what's wrong.  Right now, I have little fabric pieces in marked piles all over my dining room.  I need to get moving on this quilt, if only to get my space back. 

Originally, I'd planned to make this entire quilt with repeating Storm at Sea blocks, but now I've decided to modify the design a bit.  Even within the small portion laid out above, I can see movement in the blocks, and I want to explore concept that a bit further.  

We're a few weeks into the new year and I've decided that my word to describe 2019 is Fulfillment.  Specifically, I want to focus on fulfilling my goals, tasks, lists, projects etc... .  That means I need to improve my follow-through.  I’ve invested valuable time, energy, and brainpower on projects (and people) across multiple areas in my life.  But I haven’t truly put forth effort towards getting stuff done.  Looking back, I can even see this lack of follow-through reflected in my stitch life.  I worked on a lot of projects last year, but didn’t actually finish much.  2018 ended with too many things in my life left undone and/or incomplete.  No wonder that I closed out the year feeling empty and dissatisfied.  This year will be different.  

Thanks for stopping by!

2019 Make Nine Challenge

This year I’m joining the Make 9 challenge.  

1.       Tavie by Meiju K-P

I’ve got a good start on Tavie, but haven’t picked it up in a few weeks.  I've got to get it back into rotation.

2.       Three Colors Sweater by Amy Gunderson

This sweater has a whole lot of colorwork and steeking.  Am I nervous?  Just a little bit.  Every time I think about cutting into my knitting I shudder.  But I saw a sample at Vogue Knitting Live a few years back and it was stunning.  I want this sweater.    

3.       Socks for me 

Because you can never have too many. 

4.       Waxed canvas bag

I saw a woman with a gorgeous handbag made from waxed canvas.  As soon as I find the right pattern, I’m planning to make myself one in red. 

5.       Majestic Flight Quilt by Laura Piland

I've been looking at storm at sea quilts on Pinterest a lot lately.  When I saw this pattern offered on Craftsy, I immediately put it in my cart.

6.       Quilt Idea

The guest bedroom needs a quilt.  I pulled fabric for it from stash, but the pattern stuck in my head wants softer colors than what I’ve picked.  This one is going to take some thought.

7.       The Aline Dress by the Avid Seamstress

My first attempt a making a dress.  Fingers crossed.

8.       Vintersol by Jennifer Steinglass

They say “third time's a charm”.  My first attempt was twisted at the join.  On the second attempt, I somehow got off count and the tree trunks ended up crooked.  I couldn't find my mistake and had to rip.   I am determined to make this sweater, so I’ll be casting it on… AGAIN.

9.       Sweet Cables by Joji Locattelli

The name is so fitting, because it is such a sweet sweater.  I love the curved hem on this one.  My goal is to have it done by late Spring/early Summer. The short sleeves will be perfect for that time of the year.

This list was easier to put together than I first thought.  With the exception of waxed canvas, I already have yarn and/or fabric for all of these projects.  Wow!

Do you have any project goals for 2019? 

Thanks for stopping by!