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!

Cranberry Cravings

November was whirlwind of a month.  Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday with family, food and thankfulness all crammed into a day of celebration.  I haven't quite had my fill of cranberry sauce.  It’s just too good.  I bought another can this past weekend.  Project-wise I’ve been busy as well. 

Socks FINISHED

These socks are so bright and fun; they just make me smile.  I used Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Lagoon colorway and Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids in White for the heel.  The Hedgehog was terribly splitty.  I didn’t enjoy knitting with it, but the saturation of color is showstopping.   These lovelies have been getting lots of foot time.

Is a sock truly finished if the ends haven’t been woven in?  The fact that I’m asking is a testament to how badly I wanted to be done with this yarn.  So far those dangling ends haven’t been a problem. 

I’m always hesitant about purchasing yarn online, particularly if I’m not already familiar with the yarn.  But I’m glad I put aside those reservations and ordered from Hazel Knits.  The colorway in the sock above is called Stick o’ Butter and the yarn base is their Artisan Sock.  It’s fantastic and I’ll be ordering more soon.  Really, they have so many colors I want to try.  It’s hard to decide.

The stripe of color partway down the leg is knit with Misti Alpaca Handpaint Sock in the Enchanted Forest colorway.  I used a seed stitch there to add some texture.  The idea of using alpaca in socks gives me pause.  This yarn is left over from a pair of socks I knit for a good friend of mine.  Considering the many yarn stores she has patiently visited with me, I couldn't deny her socks when she handed me a skein of yarn one afternoon.  It's been a little over a year and she says they are holding up well.  I have another skein in a beautiful emerald green that I may cast on for myself.  Has anyone else knit socks with alpaca?  

A Girl’s Best Friend Shawl  WIP

In my last post, I was wavering between shawl patterns.  I decided on A Girl's Best Friend by Isabell Kramer.  From the small picture on the pattern printout, you can’t really tell that there is texture in the main color section, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it knitting up.

The colors I’m using are Knerd String 4-ply Fingering in the Tainted Love colorway, JulieSpins Glimmer in the Haystack colorway, and Into the Whirled Pakokkou Sock in the Pomegranate Blossom colorway.  My main color, Tainted Love, is a muted red that pairs well with the sparkle in Haystack and the bright gold in Blossom.  I'm knitting this up on US 4 needles and thus far, it has been a very satisfying knit. 

Take Flight Quilt  FINISHED

Finished dimensions are 69” x 73”.  I used fabrics bought from Craftsy and my local Joann Fabric. The pattern came from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I love their videos.  

I’d like to take a moment to talk about quilt batting.  When it comes to batting, I’ve always bought what’s on sale.  My focus was on the piecing and I didn’t give much thought to batting; as long as it was cotton, I was satisfied.  

Well, those days are over.  When I unrolled this batting, it was thinner than what I expected.  When I compared it to leftover batting, I could see that it was noticeably different; less substantial somehow.  Now that it’s finished, I can honestly say that it feels different than the other quilts I have in the house.  Unfortunately, I have no idea what brand of batting I purchased.  This means that I don’t know what to not to buy next time. Going forward I’ll be keeping detailed notes on my quilting projects.  Has anyone else found a big difference in batting quality?  If you have a favorite batting, I’d love to hear about it.

Project Bags  FINISHED

When I saw this fabric, I immediately knew I wanted to make a project bag. 

I love it.  Of course, now I want to make myself more bags to hold all kinds of stuff.  The tote bag below is high up on my list of favorite things right now.  

I might sew up a few more to give as gifts this year.  That thought has sent me diving into my fabric stash and coming up wide-eyed.  There is fabric in those bins that I had completely forgotten about!  I set a few pieces aside for bags, but I also got some inspiration for another quilt.

Right now, I have about 3 yards total of fabric in the above color scheme.  My aim is to make a queen size quilt, so I'll need a bit more than what I currently have on hand.  Nevertheless, it's a good start.

I’m taking a hard stance when it comes to stash acquisition in 2019.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve no problem stashing (obviously), and I have no plans to stop buying yarn.  But I want my stash to turn over regularly.  I’m trying to avoid having a stash full of yarn “too special” to knit or  "never quite right” for a project.  I need to put the yarn and fabric I buy to good use.  In short:  I’ve got to work the stash.  Lately, I’ve been looking at skeins that have been hanging out with me for years and thinking about how to incorporate them into new projects.  Stay tuned for that.

Thanks for stopping by!

Swirls and Cables

Take Flight WIP

Working free-motion on this quilt was unbelievably satisfying.  

I experimented with several motifs and found my groove with swirls.  Being worried about messing up the entire thing, I choose white thread on white background fabric.  In retrospect, I wish I’d been more confident about my quilting and chose either a cream or ecru colored thread, instead.  Not too much of a contrast, but just enough to make the quilting slightly more noticeable. 

I echoed around the sides of my flying geese triangles using my walking foot because, making straight lines in free-motion was not going so well.   Initially, I’d planned to quilt within the triangles too, but decided the quilt top didn’t need anything else.

I broke up the swirls by randomly quilting wishbones in some of the blocks.  All in all, I am very pleased with how it turned out. 

Still have the borders to quilt. 

Tavie  WIP

Tavie by Meiju K-P  is a beautiful cabled cardigan.  The yarn is Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Worsted in the Old Towne East colorway.  It falls somewhere between teal and royal blue with highlights of navy.  My pictures are simply not doing this color justice.  It is swoon worthy.  I like everything about this yarn.  The color is gorgeous, the yarn feels great in my hand and it knits up like a dream.

Tavie has a saddle sleeve construction, which is new to me.  It’s a little fiddly, but I’m confident that I worked it right.  And I can certainly see the benefit in having that extra bit of structure at the shoulder seam.  The pattern instructions are very clear and the charts are easy to follow.  I’m aiming for extra room in the finished product, so I’m knitting the XL.  Because it requires lots of concentration and switching between charts, Tavie is not conducive to carrying around.  This means I'm not working on it as much as I'd like.  Nevertheless, I am totally smitten with this project.  I can hardly wait to wear it.

I’ve been itching to cast on a new shawl.  The two that have really caught my attention are A Girl's Best Friend by Isabella Kramer and Thielenbruch by Assel Knits.  I’ve been pulling out skeins of yarn, playing with color combinations and doing a lot of “fantasy” knitting in my head.  But I’m resolved to finishing all socks currently on the needles before starting another project.  Restraint is hard.

Thanks for stopping by!

Knit, Tink, Rip

Lately, I feel like I’ve spent more time ripping yarn out than actual knitting with it.

RIP Loop

I cast on the Loop shawl and made it about halfway through with more frustration than enthusiasm.  The colors I’ve chosen are lovely together, the pattern is well written, and I like how the shawl looks knitted up.  Unfortunately, I don’t like knitting it.  Last week I pulled Loop out again and thought long and hard about why I wasn’t enjoying the knit.  From early on, I disliked the look of the yo’s forming at the edges.  These holes combined with carrying the yarn up the side of the shawl, look messy.  At the time I considered starting over and working a different type of increase.  But I convinced myself that it would turn out just fine, and I kept knitting.  Well, my edges are not fine, and it bugs me. 

A few months ago, I switched to a pointier needle to make knitting the “loop” rows easier.  The loop stitch involves k3TBL and each stitch is a struggle, even with the prior row knit more loosely.  I love the way that row looks, but I hate having to work it.  After only 2 rows with the new needle, I put the shawl away again.

Although I like my color combination, neither of these two colors (dusty silvery purple and muted rainbow) are in my usual color wheelhouse.  This has severely impacted my desire to see it finished.   Sure, the colors are pretty, but I don’t think they’re “oh my gosh” gorgeous.  A skein of yarn means that I’m going to spend hours not just knitting with it, but also looking at it.  If I’m not enjoying the yarn, I’m not enjoying the knit. 

Which brings me to the final reason this shawl is not working for me.   My main color is a single-ply yarn.  I know that singles are all the rage right now, but I don’t like knitting with them.  I’ve knit with them before, and considering it’s pretty much everywhere these days, I probably will again, but I’m not a fan.  Perhaps if this yarn was in a color I adored, I would power through my other issues and it wouldn’t be so bad.  But as it stands, I made the decision to rip this shawl.  My knitting time is just too precious to spend on projects that do not bring me joy.

Vintersol WIP

I was making beautiful progress on my Vintersol Sweater, only to realize that the trunks of the trees in my yoke were looking off-centered.  Somehow, somewhere, I had messed up.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out where the mistake was, but I knew it was several rows back.  Just thinking about undoing 5 rows comprised of 310 stitches/row made my head hurt.  But I did it.  

With so much trouble in Knit Land, I put down my needles and pulled out my sewing machine. 

Take Flight Quilt WIP

My quilt top is finished, my layers are all basted.   I ran out of white thread and and had to make a quick run.  The fantastic ladies at Stitch Central got me sorted with coordinating color threads as well.

I had practically no plan of how I wanted to quilt it, but I knew it would involve free-motion quilting.  With so much plain, white space, I figured now would be a good time to put some of my free-motion practice to real use.  I pulled out my books, brushed up on some of my favorite FMQ how-to videos, and got to quilting.  I still don’t have a real plan; just randomly working different motifs in the open spaces.  Not quite finished, but I’m very pleased with what I’ve done so far.

   

Recently someone asked me how I could spend so much of my free time making stuff.  She doesn’t understand why I do this.  I gave her the standard “satisfaction of knowing that I have created a thing” type of answer.  But really it goes so much deeper than that.  With every project I start, I gain something.  Sometimes it’s a new technique, skill, or a better way of doing something.  Very often it’s insight into my own creative process; what I like and don’t like, what I want and don’t want; what works for me and what doesn’t work.  And every now and again it’s the courage to scrap an entire thing and start over (or not!) and being okay with that decision.  With each success and with each fail, I gain confidence in my choices, in my own skills, and in my knowing. That confidence, in turn, makes me better at the next project.  In making, I’m also learning and growing, and it feels fantastic.  That is the reason why I do this.

Until next time!

Life Happens

Hello Friends.

Life has taken me down many different paths since my last update.  One of my personal goals for 2014 was to learn to knit.  Since this blog was originally set up to focus on my love of cross-stitch, I didn't share that experience with you.  Silly me, because knitting quickly became a passion.  Socks, sweaters, shawls, piles of yarn and fiber; be still my heart.  My life took a major detour from needle and thread.

Then in 2016, my mom wanted to make a quilt.  And I found myself dumped into a whole other world.  Fabric, measuring tools, rotary cutters, sewing machines????   Err... how did this happen?  Do I really need a 3rd stash in this house?  Do I even have space for a 3rd stash in this house?  It has been quite a challenge trying to find time to juggle the three crafts I love.  In 2018, my goal is to find balance.  I adore the quilting,  I relish the knitting, and I find peace in the stitching.  My return to this space is about documenting my stitch life, connecting with like minds, and holding myself to be productive, rotate projects, and FINISH the things I embark upon.  I hope you will continue to watch this space. 

 XStitch WIPs

Windswept HEAD
Chart by Michelle Sayetta
Artwork by Rebecca Sinz

88 colors.  Lots of blues, grays, creams and greens.  I think this chart uses just about every "blue" that DMC makes.  My fabric is a 25ct. Lugana, and I'm doing 2 over 1 tent stitches.  I worked on her for about 2 hours last night.  I really have to get a picture taken outside, so that you can see how vibrant these colors are.  I've named her Cleo and I've already picked out a spot on the wall for her.


French Country Kitchen
Chatelaine Designs

A true labor of love.  One of the things I love most about Martina Rosenberg's work is her amazing use of color and texture.  When you see a finished object designed by her, you are looking at a piece of art.  Of course this means learning a whole heap of new stitches and techniques when I start one of her patterns.  But it's so worth it.  Chatelaine designs have made me a better stitcher.  They are exacting, challenging, intriguing, and heart wrenchingly beautiful.  French Country Kitchen was a mystery project from years ago.  I am FAR from finished, but still in love with it.


Knit WIPs

Loop
by Casapinka

I'm knitting this shawl with Three Irish Girls (Cavan Fingering) in the Carey colorway.  The loops are knit with Malabrigo (Sock) in the Diana colorway.  It's my first time using Three Irish Girls.  The yarn is beautiful, but it's a single ply, which I'm not too crazy about.  I went through three different needles and finally settled on Chiaogoo Red Lace's, but it's not a perfect pairing.  I have to be super conscious not to split the yarn when knitting, which makes it difficult to get into a steady rhythm.  It's particularly frustrating because the pattern is easy to memorize.  I do like the way it's knitting up, though.


Tidal Comfort
by Debra Parcella

I saw a couple of these sweaters knit up in the Tidal Yarns booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year and they were gorgeous.  I was head over heels about their yarn, but too close to my self-imposed spending limit to buy a sweater quantity of it.  I did buy a pattern.  I'm using O-Wool (O-Wash Worsted) in the Appalachian Stone and Barn Owl colorways.  O-Wool has become my new favorite worsted weight.    It's a joy to knit with and I want it in ALL the colors.  Seriously, you've gotta try this yarn.

But back to the sweater.  This sweater is meant to to be an everyday, throw on when it's chilly kind of garment and it's knit up quickly.  After finishing the body and trying it on, it fell to short om my hips.  The sweater splits where the color change happens, and I want it the back half to hang slightly over my bum, with the front half hitting the top of my thighs.  I also decided to contrast the colors on one of the sleeves.  I ordered more yarn and then finished the sleeve.  I ripped the back half out, knit an additional 3 inches, knit the ribbing and bound off.  I tried it on. I was happy.  WHY DIDN'T I STOP THERE? It was after 10pm. I was tired, but riding that "job well done" wave.  I ripped back the front half and set it on the needles, all ready to pick up this morning, and I went to bed quite pleased with myself.  Yeah well, didn't I rip out the wrong side? Yup, sure did.  I'd ripped back the side I had JUST fixed.  There is no more tequila in this house, so the sweater is going into a time-out.     


Quilt WIP

Take Flight
by Missouri Star Quilt Co.

I don't have a written pattern for this quilt.  I came across a video by the Missouri Star Quilt Co. and was inspired.  All my geese are cut out, but I only have these 3 sets sewn together so far.  I love the colors.  Delicious pinks, ruby reds, sunshine yellows, golden oranges, chocolaty browns.  If I could just stop gazing at the color combos, maybe I could get this thing sewn up quicker.  Gotta make sure I don't lose my points when I assemble these.  See that bottom strip?  My seam is too wide.  I'm using Boundless Batiks by Craftsy from their Fireside and Sunrise collections.  I purchased the white fabric at Joann Fabrics.

That's what I have going on right now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stitching!