Miss M.'s Play

It's Friday and we went to Group 3's play, Bits and Bytes.  I took a few pics but not good ones.

Before the performance.  We had front row seats.

She is the "Angry Bird"; just what she wanted!

Getting ready to say her one line....

And "ACTION"  She got to run around with her game piece.

  She was happy and the children did a good job with minimal prompting.  They stood in a reception line after the performance and received congratulations from all the attendees and then had a cast party with good things to eat and drink.

Design Problem Solved

No, not the knitting one!  The Sunshine squares problem.  See, the solutions just come to me and I get to do something that was on my "todo" list.

Okay, let's back up.  I, several years too late, discovered April Cornell's Sunshine line and, as a lover of yellow and blue, was filled with disappointment that I was several years too late.  However, I found a source online for squares of this fabric line and, even though I tried very hard to talk myself out of buying them, bought 6 packages.  I then sewed them together in four patches.  If you know me, I love sewing squares and squares into four patches.  But then I didn't know what to do with them....

I had a day off from driving Miss M. to school and back because she had a field trip to the Chicago History Museum and her Mom was accompanying her.  And I made the decision to cut those four patches down to my favorite 2" squares-they were 2.5", and then inspiration hit.  About three years ago I was fooling around in EQ trying to do something with 16 patch blocks I had made as a "leader/ender" project and came up with this.

 I couldn't make it,  of course, since my blocks were sewn with no order.  But, I loved it.  So, following me here?  I could adapt this and quickly did.

I had considered using a yellow solid with the Sunshine squares and incorporated that into the design.

I was so pleased to be able to work on a design I have had in mind for three years, with fabrics and colors I love, that I immediately began work on the 16 patch blocks for my "Sunshine Quilt".  Others may scoff at the simplicity of it, but I love it....

More Research

Found this book on my shelf and spent some quality time examining appropriate patterns and thinking about design possibilities.  There definitely may be a solution in there.  But I get so tired of thinking about it all that I have to actually go and DO something.  So I just left it out as a hint to get back to it when my brain in clearer.  All the yarn went back into the closet.

I have my afghan to work on and the closet yarn won't deteriorate while I'm waiting for an idea.

Research of a sort

I got these books from the public library, ours is just a great resource, to learn a bit and to, possibly, find an answer to my two-sweaters design problem.  I did spend the better part of a week diligently studying them, but no answer was to be found there.  So disappointing-no eureka moment.

The Snowblower Started!! And knitting UFO's

Yes, it did!  After I remembered to adjust the choke correctly.  I was happy the snow wasn't too wet and that it blew nicely.  It only clogged up once and a day later the weather warmed up and the driveway totally cleared up and grass could be seen once again.

Yes, more UFO's out of the closet.  I guess I don't feel like sewing on binding...

I rummaged through my knitting things and pulled out the two unfinished sweater projects that have been languishing there for varied reasons.

The first one I really want to complete since it is using yarn from the last sweater my mother was knitting before her stroke.  The problems?  I am not sure of the gauge and, therefore, the size, so I have to re-swatch, block, get my gauge and redesign the pattern in Sweater Wizard.  Only the sleeves are completed.  They could possibly be salvaged, but not a big thing to reknit if I have to.  The other problem is the one that s..t..o..p..p..e..d my forward progress three years ago.  The dogs, puppies then, got into the yarn and chewed the grey skein, leaving anything but a nice long strand to work with.  Since I am not sure of the amount of good yarn remaining I am redesigning the pattern to, hopefully, use slightly less yarn.

I'm not finished with "balling" the grey yarn yet.

One ball salvaged; around five long strands

One ball of 17 short strands; will use in my new swatch

Junk remaining from the puppy mess....

I am re-swatching the other sweater UFO, haven't "frogged" it yet, but will when I am happy with the swatch and new design.

Snow and Two Completed UFO's

Okay, so it snowed today and is still snowing.  I shoveled a bit-not the whole driveway- and quit.  Tomorrow I will get out the snowblower and try again.  One must ease into these things.

I managed to get the binding on two tablerunners-so they are off my list.  Three more to go.  I am getting a better handle on how long it takes me to do things.

Someday I may sit down and estimate the rest of the sewing sitting around here.  Then hope, hope, hope I live long enough.  I'm afraid it may mean no new interesting projects for me for a while and I really want to do seasonal hexagon candle mats, a cathedral window pillow and a Christmas quilt.  On hand, still to complete, are my Leaders/Enders Quilt, Sunshine Scraps Quilt, Pink and Green Quilt (design undecided, but fabric ready to go), Autumn Wallhangings (large-may end up as a lap quilt-and smaller) and Kansas Troubles Quilt.

January Ninth and still no snow.

Well, we did have a very light snow early in December, BUT  I still have not had to start the snowblower.  Whoo, Hoo!!  This could be the start of a very dry winter and I wouldn't complain.

Cream Afghan Progress, Stitch from Jessica Tromp

This is what I have so far.  On skein #3-7 more to go.  Two objectives were accomplished.  The two patterns are easy to knit and it has interesting texture.

Here is a closeup.  The patterns are divided by a simple drop stitch.  It worked out with the stitch count I already had on the needle when I started over.  And, yes, I started over twice....

I found the pattern on Jessica Tromp's website and knit a dishcloth using it before deciding to use it in this afghan.  If you like to knit and have never been to her site, you are missing a treat.

Jessica didn't name this stitch, so I did.  I am calling it "Hidden Leaf".  Can you see the leaf?  It will be more apparent when the afghan is completed and blocked.

2012 Christmas Tablerunners OR 5 UFO's

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Here are five tablerunners sandwiched and ready to quilt.  One is a 2011 tablerunner project and the other four are recycled from the tree skirt project.  So, I had two UFO's and now I have five.  My list grows...

Table Runner 2011

I didn't want to go buy more fabric to back four tablerunners that were being rescued from a 2010 UFO, so I cut strips of what I had and started sewing them together.  Not sure at all if I will like this, but it is something I see other quilters do and I like to try things for myself.