Starts and Finishes

Never quite sure where time goes but it does go quickly. Anyhooo there's finally a few finishes .. yea for completing a couple littles that had been hanging around here WAY too long. Once I finally made up my mind to get them done, they took less than an hour each to finish. I'm not really thrilled with turning the back to the front for the binding, not the neatest edge in the world, but it does make for a cozy edge.

B 1

Wish I'd had my camera along when these were delivered ~ B1~ carried his around most of the afternoon and then curled up with it and fell asleep on the living room floor. Just warms a gramma's heart!

B 2

This one wasn't received quite as enthusiastically, but after one of his siblings claimed it, he decided he really didn't want to give it up either. Kids are so much fun!

Socks finished:

These were a bit tedious to knit, took longer than expected because the legs were made longer than usual, I'm so happy to have them done! Probably won't get worn for awhile ~ it's gotten way to warm for wool socks but you never know. Photography leaves much to be desired.

So what else is in the works? How about a couple more quilts, a couple littles needing quilting and binding, a couple sweaters, and a sock needing a mate:

Pattern: Gemini (Ravelry)
Yarn: Rowan creative linen (50% Linen 50% Cotton)

Hope to finish this before too many more weeks of summer go by ~ it is an easy knit. The other sweater started had a booboo about 6" up on the back so some frogging has been done. Easy pattern but does require good light and concentration to make sure I'm picking up the stitch but not creating extras.

Pattern: Summer Lovin Socks (Ravelry)
Yarn: Fingering Colorway: Light Pink Roses
from one of my favorite indie dyers

This sock reminds me of Sue ~ I pictured her knitting something like this once upon a time. I'm really going to miss her! Needs a mate to keep it company.

Started one more pair of socks and a shawl ~ think there's a serious case of startitis here ~ simply not enough hours in a day. 

Pieces are all cut for #13 grad quilt and I'm anxious to get started on that but I really need to finish two littles and the other one I started earlier this spring. If anyone ever figures out how to keep on working while they are asleep ~ I'd love to learn =).

Okay one more:

Grad Quilt #12
Pattern: Fractions 

Whoops, I lied, that's four more photos. It did get completed a short while before Grad #12 left for N.D. Doubt he'll use it for awhile, but if he stays out there, it gets pretty cold in the winter. Tough to photo blacks and grays at night. Someday I'll figure out how to get outdoor shots without a clothesline.

Til next time, I'm still

InStitches

Today's thoughts and some stitches

Again it's been way too long since anything's been recorded. Time really does have a way of just slipping through my fingers. 

Pictures of all 24 days of my scarf have been taken but that would make a heavy picture post. Rather than try to show them all right now, here's one of the finished scarf. Someday the rest of them will show up.

2012 Advent Scarf

 Another pair of socks in the works:

Hedgerow Sock Pattern by Jane Cochran ~ Ravelry

Some progress on this year's graduation quilt ~ actually about 25 blocks are done but the only picture taken so far was before I started stitching blocks together. I'm liking this one, too.

#12

One last thing. Has anybody seen my wandering socks? They left home awhile ago and must have lost their way back.  If you spot them would you kindly point them in the right direction so they can come back where they belong.

Lost

Silly socks ~ they actually won me a skein of yarn in a KAL but maybe I didn't show them enough love and they needed more attention than they were getting. I am completely baffled and missing them. 

Enough rambling for one day

'Til next time, I'm still

InStitches

2013?

Happy 2013! How did it get to be 2013 so quickly? Always have good intentions of getting more stuff done but somehow the days slip past way faster than they should. Finished a couple Christmas stockings ~ one delivered and the other not yet. Good thing that recipient is too little to know the difference! Other than that, not much happening here.

There are blocks sewn in strips waiting for between rows sashing, units cut and waiting to be pieced together for the one grad quilt due this year, one sock patiently waiting for the second to be completed, and another sock still in beginning stages, a couple quilts still needing binding and a couple more tops in need of quilting and binding. So instead of finishing up all these ufos, i starting knitting along with the Advent Scarf KAL on Ravelry in December. Never before worked with lace yarn and lace patterns or used beads, so this has been an adventure!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Days 1-6 including lifelines

So there you have it. There were almost 100 ladies who completed all 24 days before the end of the year, but at the rate i'm knitting, it'll be 2014 before it gets done. Fun tho' and what's the rush ~ as long as my eyes don't fail me. It's being knit with a lace weight wool/silk yarn on size 2 needles. The beads are applied in the spacer sections only using Oral-B Superfloss. Tried a size 13 crochet hook initially, but find the floss easier to work with. The original design calls for 91 stitches cast on, but i've opted for the 3/4 width size (20 less stitches) that one of the knitters kindly figured out and am liking that size a lot.

It probably goes without saying that my home is sadly in need of cleaning, but we did get Christmas put away.

Til next time, i'm still

InStitches

'bout time!

What can I say ~ oh I know:  my computer took a road trip and was gone along with all my pictures so posting was not going to happen while it was missing. That's as good as it gets around here. Been trying to keep myself busy while keeping this foot of mine out of action and keeping my fingers crossed that this boot will come off in another three weeks. i hope i hope i hope i hope!!! Here's the second quilt finished for last year's graduate #10:

And the back:

Along with the pillow case:

This was a way different design than I'd ever done before but I had all kinds of fun once I started. The original pattern was taken from www.modabakeshop.com called "Gift Box Quilt" by Angela Pingel. Once all the blocks were done I decided that they needed to be rearranged into complete and incomplete boxes signifying completion of one segment of his education and work still in progress. The back is "Where the Boys Are" by Benartex and that idea tickled my funny bone. If they're not snuggled under grann's quilts then who knows where they are. It was quilted with the pantograph "Square Spiral" by Keryn Emmerson. The quilting was pretty wonky but the whole thing quilted the same so I decided that must have been intended. Obviously there's a whole lot more practice on that machine needed before I'll ever be halfway good. But that's okay.

Other than that there's been a whole lot of knitting going on, projects started and on needles, one pair of socks completed:

These were fun to knit and the results made me smile! Hope the recipient likes them as much as I do.
Still trying to figure how to knit in my sleep ~ there's no telling what could be done.

'Til next time, I'm still
InStitches

Ok then

it's about long enough since those grad quilts were completed and I'd better get them recorded. Can't even remember what was posted about grad #11's quilt so here's a quick recap. This baby was started way back before I'd done a whole lot of quilting and had yet to realize how very critical accurate seams were for setting blocks together properly. Another issue was that all of the 12" finished quarter square triangle blocks and the smaller half-square triangle blocks were cut with the bias edges on the outside of the blocks. That made for some necessary frogging, resizing, and restitching many of those blocks. Lesson learned: I don't get along too well with biased edges (hehe). At any rate I was glad when all was said and done that those blocks were resized ~ it made stitching them together sew much easier!

#11

Pillowcase

1 of 17 of these blocks

Backing

For a while I was pretty good about keeping a file card with snippets of each fabric including the manufacturer, collection, any additional selvage info, how much I had, where it came from, when I bought it and what I intended to do with it. For some odd reason, I have no record of these fabrics at all ~ how did that happen? Anyway, the quilt was gifted and by now, hopefully, it's being used. She said she loved it. =)

Other than that there are socks on needles, one sweater finished, quilts running around in my head ~ only one next year and I think I've decided on a pattern for it, two that still need binding stitched down, two that need quilting and binding both and a serious lack of motivation at the moment. If only I could figure out why it's so easy to start new projects and so tough to see them through to completion. Gotta' seriously work on that!

Saving the second one for next time.

Still InStitches

Hmmm

Should be about finishing quilts ~ not quite there yet but there's still hope =).  I got the most fun package in the mail the other day.

There was a giveaway by Carol at www.mamacjt.blogspot.com and my name was chosen as one of her winners. This pincushion, front and back, was created with labels that she purchased with that idea in mind. She does the most interesting work ~ colorful and very creative. My new pincushion is enjoying a place atop my sewing machine where she helps me piece peacefully.

Instead of finishing quilts that need to be completed in about two weeks, I worked on something else:

Another little munchkin joined the family a short while back and this will be his quilt when it's complete. Blocks were easy to construct, but getting the layout correct took way more brainpower than I expected. Still amazes me how easy it is for me to lay one block down the wrong way, mess up the entire layout, and spend hours trying to figure out what went wrong, including making another unneeded block. Finally got it fixed and I'm happy with the end result. This one still needs quilting.

In other stitches:

Ouch, this hurts the poor eyes. Didn't get a very good picture of this pair, but they are comfortable, have been worn and washed many times already. Found this pattern on Ravelry called Mockery Socks, designed by Katie Grady, and located on her Wired for Fibre website. Fun to knit and I'll probably use this pattern again.

This is also from Ravelry, final stitches still need to be grafted together, and the other sock has not yet been started. This pattern is Paraphernalia by Taina @ http://kasillaan.blogspot.com. Another really fun to knit project.

What can I say ~ there simply are not enough hours in a day. 'Til next time, I'm still

InStitches

One Step Forward

and several back is the way it seems to be going at the moment. Been awhile since anything's been added sewing or otherwise. Sew here goes:

Top #10

is now complete. Need backing to be figured out and quilting to be decided on. This is way different than any top I've done before, but I love the end result.

Next up:

Top #11

has been in the making for more years than I care to admit! This was started before I knew enough about quilting to know I was tackling a pattern way beyond my capabilities at the time. Back then I got all excited about the idea of making half square triangles by sewing two long strips of fabric together on both edges and then cutting the triangles by flipping the fabric over and back with each cut. Works great except for one glaring fact: you end up with cut edges on the diagonal/stretchiest part of the fabric and then have to stitch those diagonals together without stretching them. The 12.5" unfinished quarter square triangle blocks are complete ~ all 18 of them. All but five of the pinwheel units centering the sawtooth star blocks are done as well as three completed sawtooth star blocks . I'm thinking these blocks will have to be starched like crazy to prevent as much stretching as possible ~ in the hopes that the blocks are not all stretched out of shape during the pressing process. W.i.s.h. m.e. g.o.o.d. l.u.c.k! Graduation is June 2. Ignorance truly is bliss!

Other stitches:

worked on while we were traveling during March. One more pattern and the toe need completion on the first sock ~ second one not started. First glove needs first finger and thumb completion ~ not sure I'm liking the stripe going on in that glove. Thinking I'd prefer a solid color. The turquoise will someday be a sweater if I live long enough ~ it's an easy knit but rather boring and I don't do good with boring! 

Other than that ~ save it for another day.

Still

In Stitches