Rhubarb Patch

Wow

2007-06-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 4 months? I have to admit, it was a really nice break.

And I've moved. Bloomin' Workshop Come visit me sometime. :-)

Caio

2007-02-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

Rhubarb Patch is done for now. Life is a little crazy at the moment. I may start blogging again... someday. Or I may not. We'll see. For those of you who have emailed me in the past, I'll let you know if I start blogging again. I have your email addy. Thanks for the all the fun. Keep on making stuff!

Even though the blog is gone, there's always my flickr account to browse...

- - - - -

So long farewell, auf weidersehen good-bye
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long farewell, auf weidersehen adieu
Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you

So long farewell, au revior auf weidersehen
Goodbye...

The Great Humongous Re-Knit

2007-02-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have been wondering how can I possibly re-knit the Great Humongous Fairisle Sweater once it had already been steeked. Here is what the inside looks like. I washed all of the yarn. Then at the junction from front to back, I have loosely tied a knot. This will eventually be discarded when the steeks are sewn down each side of this line where the sleeves will be attached. I had enough leftover yarn that I was able to knit continuously until I reached the point where the sleeves will be attached. Capisce?

I have been trying to knit a couple of rows every day because I am dying to be done with this and desperately want to start a new project.

But this week I have a ton of computer work to do so it's likely that there won't be much creative craftiness going on. To ease the pain of sitting at my computer all day, I bought a new office chair at Ikea. The cats like the chair too and we are having a fight about who gets to sit it in.

Chain Piecing

2007-02-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

This is quilting at its best. One piece after the other while the mind can wander off to other things. And before long, there is a pile of finished squares being spit out behind the sewing machine. Simple. Relaxing. Productive.

Noodle Yarn

2007-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

I've used up all the long pieces of yarn for Gary's fairisle sweater and now I must dig into the short bits. He mentioned to me this morning that the pile of yarn yet to be washed sure looks like a bowl of ramen noodles. Well, yes, I think it does. Now I must go wash this yarn so that I can finish that darn sweater.

Yours & Mine

2007-02-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

Gary made me a Valentine. And I'm trying to make something yummy for dinner.

Spring is Near

2007-02-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

The tulips are starting to make their appearances. [photoshopped for grainy effect]

Things I Learned

2007-02-12T07:37:00.001-08:00

... from the February Foto Challenge.

1) Sometimes the photos just don't turn out that good. Fact of life.
2) People who always post good photos have way more equipment and talent than I have.
3) I've really enjoyed posting photos with very little wordage... more than posting lots of words.
4) It's making me stop and think about changing the format of my blog.
5) I like the idea of getting a snippet of everyday life from photos.

Fingerless Mitts

2007-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of nights last week I took a break from my other knitting and made these fingerless mitts for Gary. He was complaining that his new office is really cold. I knew just what he needed! The yarn is some old stuff that I've been toting around since my college days. I have no idea what it is except that it is 100% wool and that is it's natural color. You can't see it in this photo but they have real thumb gussets.

Project Details:
Yarn - really old 100% wool from stash
Needles - US size 5
Pattern - generic glove pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

I Got Nothin'

2007-02-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

... for the February Foto Challenge today. Thank goodness the challenge was only for one week. I might have something to share tomorrow. It's hard to come up with a photo every day!

Thread

2007-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Worked all day. Take-out for dinner. Out the door again. Crashing in bed.

Tossing Fabric

2007-02-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

The trash can in my sewing room. Still sewing like a crazy woman.

Cupcakes

2007-02-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

Baked yesterday. Frosted today. Devoured tonight. (and given to neighbors - it made a lot of cupcakes) Recipes = Devil's Food Cake + Peanut Butter Frosting from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour.

A Portrait Moment

2007-02-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Kiska had a relaxing day. While I quilted, exercised, did 2 loads of laundry, shopped for groceries, made dinner, baked 2 pans of cupcakes, answered email and then crashed on the sofa in the evening.

Szechuan Noodles

2007-02-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

A recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook... to share with others tonight. Halve the dressing or you will have to eat this again another night. Some of our variations include adding grilled chicken or pea pods. Serve hot... or room temperature... or even cold.

Composting

2007-02-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

We collect vegetable scraps and coffee grounds each week and then throw them into a compost bin in the back yard.

February Foto Challenge

2007-02-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

To chase away the February blues, Soule Mama is challenging herself (and anyone else who wants to play along) to post a photo every day this week illustrating something about the day. Sounds like a good challenge for me too. Let's see if I can do it.

Give Me Five

2007-02-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

I've been half-heartedly trying to teach Eli to "give me five". This all started because when he stretches out from a long nap, his paws start to look like lion paws. They're huge! Almost freakishly huge. The vet says he's probably part Maine Coon. Last time we weighed him he was 15 pounds. Kiska our other female cat weighs 9 pounds.

Where I've Been

2007-01-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sewing like a crazy woman on a project for the shop where I work. Getting frustrated with EQ6. Wasting fabric. Worrying. Fretting. Can't get my head around foundation paper piecing with freezer paper. Resorting to traditional method. The house is messy. Need to exercise. Wanting chocolate. Aaaah.

Windowsill

2007-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

The sun coming in the morning window quickly turned to the usual Pacific Northwest drizzle in the afternoon.

Finished Bow Ties

2007-01-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

The month of January this year seems to be egging me on to finishing projects that are piled up all around me in my sewing room. I'm tired of the piles. I long to sit in a pile-less room and play with scraps of fabric. But there is no space with all the piles.

This is my Bow Tie quilt from the Kaffe Fassett class Linda and I attended last October. It feels good to have the top finished. It joins another pile of at least 4-5 other quilts that need to be quilted... someday.

Peer Pressure

2007-01-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing these afghans everywhere. I have the feeling that I'm going to cave in and join the trend one day soon. If Knit Picks brought back their sampler box (one skein of every color) it would just be too easy for me. It's a good thing I can't find it anywhere on their web site. I can't afford to start another project. My sewing room looks like a hurricane hit with all the unfinished crafty goodness piling up in there.

A Real Live Finished Knitting Project

2007-01-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the "weather" that we have been having (and my best friend loaning us their Lost dvd's), this sweater is finito. I've knit with Noro Kureyon before, but never a sweater. All of it has previously been felted into a totebag or something. I love this colorway! But, I really like the back of this sweater better than the front.

See what I mean? Because the whole body is knit as a long rectangle, the piece wraps around the sides from back to front. So, all the dark colors pooled into the front chest area. Hmmm, I'm not sure I like that feature.

And, it would have been nice if it could have been just a tad bit longer. But, overall, it came out better than Gary's poor fair isle sweater. I really MUST work on that project. It is mocking me from the depths of it's unraveled pile o' yarn... and I don't like the sound of it.

Project details:
Yarn - Noro Kureyon - discontinued color 115, found on sale at LYS
Needles - U.S. size 9
Pattern - Dibs on Ribs, by Colleen Davis, Interweave Knits, Summer 2005

Wacky Weather

2007-01-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Our Sunday Stroll. We keep having wacky weather for this neck of the woods. I hear there is supposed to be more of this on Tuesday. I'm confused... where do I live?

Magazine Clips

2007-01-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

I love old houses. Unfortunately, the house we live in is not that old. Well, at least by my standards and most other people who live in countries that have been around for thousands of years instead of hundreds.

So, I'm always clipping photos and trying to make our 1976 Rambler look cooler than it really is. The February issue of Country Home Magazine appeared in my mailbox today and I was excited to see this use of Metro racks in their kitchen. It's precisely what we are trying to do in our own kitchen. The reasoning? It's cheaper than gutting the entire kitchen and starting over.

You see, our kitchen... I think... was designed for microwave cooking and frozen TV dinners. There is very little room for baking sheets, bread kneading, and fruit & veggie dehydrating. The kitchen table was long ago sent to the computer room. And I'm dreaming of metro racks and a maple baker's table. Actually, a maple table top and then I think we are going to use pumbling pipe for the legs - like we did for the pot rack. It's cheaper. And I saw that idea in another home magazine a long time ago.

Lost in Noro

2007-01-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

A small glimpse at what I've been knitting while watching Season 1 of Lost which we've borrowed from my Best Friend. The yarn is Noro Kureyon.

Bag Ladies Unite!

2007-01-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine in college and I used to joke about what we might be doing after we graduated. We all had dreams of designing great clothing for amazing companies - which I have never done, I might add. At one point in time we both worked for the long-gone fabric retail chain, House of Fabrics. But the joke was that some day we might be designing Barbie clothing or maybe even be Bag Ladies. I haven't yet officially designed any bags, but I sure love to make them. How many bags is appropriate for one person to own? Maybe I don't want to know the answer to that!

This is the first finished project of 2007. It's Amy Butler's High Street Messenger Bag in some Robert Kaufman corduroy for a sample at a local quilt shop.

Let me just warn you... this pattern is not for the faint of heart! It is totally cute finished. But it was a challenge to make. Some parts of the instructions I had to read, re-read, and read again before it started making sense. I don't think it was just me... but then again, there's always the chance that it was.

A close-up of the snap closure. I opted to put the tab under the flap rather than on top as the pattern instructed. It just seemed to make more sense to me. And the pattern recommended velcro or a magnetic purse closure. But this big-o-snap was on hand and it looked like a good idea.

My best friend has us hooked on Lost, so no other finished projects have appeared yet. But there is the possibility of something soon as the only thing one can do while trying NOT to watch the gory bits in some Lost episodes is KNIT.

January One

2007-01-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

The bread is rising, the Christmas cookies have been wrapped up for the neighbors, and I must get those pesky Christmas Cards sent. I just never did get caught up. But it feels good to have some fresh bread rising.

As Emily said... today is just another day. Even if it is January 1. I could use some change in my life. I feel stuck in a suburban rut.

Gary's sweater is not done as I had hoped it would be by now. But I do have about 12 inches done. Only 4 more or so inches to go until I start knitting the yoke - again. I've finished another pair of socks. And I've frogged and knit, and frogged and knit a sweater in some sale Noro yarn. I think this one I might keep. Pict's to come.

May the start of your new year be as calm and relaxing as the rising of dough. For some reason, fresh bread makes everything better.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

I feel guilty saying, "I'm glad it's over." I don't know why I was having such a hard time with Christmas this year. I just did. And the power outage a week before just pushed me over the edge. But, all-in-all, it was a good Christmas. It was quiet. It was spent with friends. And for that I am thankful!

Here's Christmas in a nutshell...

Of course, Diane requested another pair of socks. I knit these the week we spent over Thanksgiving visiting my family. Yes, you can knit a pair of socks in one week. And, actually, I knit another 1/2 pair - 1 sock. What else is there to do on the farm in November? *grin* The yarn is Opal Rainforest Collection, color Flamingo. I always knit socks from the top down and do the s1, k1 heel.

These were a last minute brainstorm. I never did finish all my Christmas shopping and crafting. So 2 little boys were given bean bags - for tossing, juggling, or tagging You're IT! The idea came from the rice bags I have made in the past. These are 3-inch squares sewn together into a cube and filled with 122 grams of rice. Yup, I weighed them so they could all be exactly the same. Geeky, I know.

This was one of the best parts of Christmas for me. Call me weird, everyone else does. I don't mind. Every year Diane hosts a White Elephant Gift Exchange party. The rules include creative wrapping that has nothing to do with Christmas. This was the gift I received... 3 children's books wrapped in a nighty and tied with a pantyhose bow. Surprisingly, the nightgown was just my size and fit perfectly! I love it when stuff like that happens. I took it home, washed it, and have been wearing it ever since.

And on that note... I wish you all a Happy and Refreshing New Year.

Husband Attempts to Knit a Washcloth

2006-12-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Remember the kid's knitting class that I agreed to teach? Well, Gary agreed to be my guinea pig for testing out the instructions. Just before the power went out last Thursday, we were working on learning to cast on and knit to make a washcloth.

Gary says these faces reflect what he's feeling inside while trying to negotiate the yarn and the needles at the same time. But, despite everything, he does want to finish the washcloth... and possibly learn to purl! While the power was out we were wearing fingerless gloves and we were talking about all the manly things that men could knit.

And I learned a few things too. 1) It's easier to learn to throw than pick. 2) These needles with curved points DO make a difference and are easier to use for beginners. 3) Go slowly when demonstrating and be prepared to repeat frequently. 4) And lots of praise helps too!

After the Storm

2006-12-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

According to our neighbors, our power came back on Monday night around 11pm. That put us at 4 days and 1 hour without electricity. By Monday I was certainly starting to feel a bit cranky about the whole situation, even though we were staying with friends to keep warm. So, as a diversion, we went skiing on Tuesday. It was sure nice to come home to a house with lights and heat!

Here are a few photos from the last 4 days.

This is a one of the trees that went down in our neighborhood. It was the first one we saw when we started walking around. Most of the trees were like this one, laying on the ground in front or beside the house. Only a couple landed on top of houses.

Life cannot grind to a halt just because we have no electricity. This is Gary grinding the coffee beans. A couple of years ago we had bought a converter to plug in our notebook computer into the car. But it sure came in handy for making coffee too!

And... this is how we sipped our coffee when it started getting really cold in the house. I think this was on Sunday and it was then that we decided we had had enough of the cold and migrated to our friend's house.

We are thankful that our house wasn't damaged. And we are so thankful for good neighbors and good friends!

I'm Dreaming of a Warm Christmas

2006-12-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

As I type this right now, we are going on 88 hours of no electricity since the wind storm hit us Thursday night. I keep thinking of that song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" and changing the words to "all I want for Christmas is electricity." Does that date me? I'm sure it does!

Thanks to the generosity and benevolence* of good friends we are staying warm at their house. When I checked on our house this morning, the temperature inside was 42 degrees F. and the outside temperature was 36. The forecast is calling for warmer weather so I can imagine that eventually the indoor and outdoor temperatures are going to be the same. That weirds me out in a strange kind of way.

Last Thursday began with heavy, heavy rain. I don't think I remember ever experiencing such heavy rain in the 19 years that I've lived in this area. But then again, maybe I just have a bad memory. Who knows? All I know is that Gary and I went to bed at 10:00pm Thursday night with the wind howling around the corners of our house. The power had just gone out. What else can you do but go to bed? It was so noisy that we just laid in bed listening to all of the noise. At about 1:30 we heard a soft, but firm thud. It sounded like a tree had gone down but when we looked out the windows we couldn't see anything.

Little did we realize! Friday morning we walked around the neighborhood. In approximately a 2 block radius, there were at least 10 trees down**, the soft thud from last night being our next door neighbor's tree! I am so thankful that ALL of our trees are still standing! AND, that NONE of the neighboring trees fell on our house!

Friday and Saturday felt like camping. The inside temperature kept dropping a few degrees every day. We dug out the camp stove to make coffee, grinding the beans*** on an adapter for the Jeep that plugs into the cigarette lighter. We kept laughing at the desperate measures to just make coffee. Our cul-de-sac came together with a potluck dinner that night. The neighbor on the other side of us has a gas stove, so we all warmed up soup, beans, and whatever we had in our fridges, sipping on wine and reminiscing about past storms, camping and anything else that caught our fancy. It was warm and cozy despite the dark and cold outside.

By Sunday night, the charm of the camping experience had worn off and we've been staying with friends ever since. Some adventurer I am! I'm just glad to have good friends, Internet access, some Christmas cards to make and a knitting project or two to keep me busy.

* You'll have to watch the movie, The Bells of St. Mary - "thanks to the genorosity and benevolence of Horace P. Bogartus. It's one of our favorites!

** I'll have to post the picture of one neighborhood tree later. It is laying sideways in front of the neighbor's house with a massive diameter of sod stuck to the roots. Underneath it, lies the bank of mailboxes for that block.

***Another picturesque moment that I'll have to post later.

Christmas Spirit

2006-12-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

While I'm recovering from my Grinchy attitude towards blogger, here's proof that not all is Grinchy at our house. Gary put lights on the house earlier this month.

And December 13th marks the anniversary of the day Gary asked me to marry him. Sometimes we celebrate this as our anniversary and sometimes we don't. I guess it depends on if we did any sort of celebrating on our actual wedding anniversary. We were married in July - not the most enjoyable month to celebrate a major life event, but what can you do. That's the way the life events happened.

So, this year, we did decide to celebrate. We went to see an afternoon matinee of The Nativity Story, ate pizza for dinner, and then decorated our Christmas tree. 14 years ago we were decorating the Christmas tree together in my apartment when the proposal of marriage came up.

I used to buy the 5 dollar bargain, Charlie Brown look-a-like trees back then. Their scrawny little branches would come fresh out of the mountains, sometimes even with snow still clinging to them. I invited Gary over to my apartment to help me decorate. The conversation turned serious. And before I knew it - and before he even knew what was happening, the words, "will you marry me" were popping out of his mouth. I said "yes" with an "of course" sort of tone in my voice. He thought it was funny that I would be so sure about it since he hadn't even planned on asking. I just knew that some day we would be married. And that is a story for another day.

For me, the Christmas season doesn't really begin until we pass December 13th on the calendar. And by the way, whether you believe the Nativity story or not, it's a beautifully artistic movie in itself. And even more so if it is a part of what you believe.

I Give Up

2006-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Blogger has taken over... I give up. Send life-support systems immediately.

My apologies that the look and layout of this blog keep changing. It may never be fixed and ready for public viewing. *sigh*

Oat Scones

2006-12-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we made the Oat and Current Scones from Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour. Ours should aptly be called Oat and Raisin Scones since we were out of currants. But you could just as easily make them Oat and Craisin Scones as well. Or Oat and Any-Other-Dried-Fruit-In-The-House scones.

Our verdict? Delicious! There is something about mixing a variety of grains together into a baked item. Any item made with unbleached white flour alone just does not have that depth of character like baked items that include wheat, rye, oat or any other whole grain flour.

The good news? This little baking stint has inspired me to give baked items for Christmas this year. I've been in a scrooge mood lately and I just can't bring myself to go shopping for any gifty items. I'm thinking there will be scones, and bread, and cookies, and all sorts of baked goodies in stockings this year. I'm much more partial to being elbow deep in a variety of flours than standing in line at some foo foo shop in the mall. Bah Humbug.

Holiday Treats or Sweets

2006-12-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

Because I am a lazy blogger and have NOTHING to show you, I thought we could discuss favorite Holiday recipes.

I have a short list of things I start craving around this time of the year. Chex Party Mix, Lefse, and Kringle were part of my formative years. My husband starts talking about rum balls and fudge. And one year my husband had to work in Germany between Christmas and New Years and we experienced the best Stollen. I wish I knew how to make that!

So... What's your favorite, can't-celebrate-the-holidays-without-it, recipe? This Kringle recipe comes from a church cookbook that I grew up with and was originally published in 1968. There are at least 9 recipes for Kringle in it. Here's one of them.

Kringle
1 cup sugar
butter the size of an egg (2 tbsp?)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
a dash of nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Put the soda in the sour milk and sour cream. Add to the egg mixture. Add the sifted dry ingredients. Chill well. Roll in long rolls and form into bows or figure 8 shapes. Bake in a hot oven 450 degrees F. till light brown or paler if you like.

Kids & Knitting

2006-12-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Has anyone taught a group of kids, ages 5-10, how to knit?

A friend of mine wants me to teach a class for mom's & kids at the elementary school where her son attends. I think it would be cool, but.... a really big B-U-T, I have never taught any kids how to do anything! Am I insane?

I'm thinking... Sugar and Cream wash cloths - for both the moms and the kids. They can learn together. And the supplies are fairly inexpensive.

Anyone have some wise words to pass on to me? Bamboo or plastic knitting needles? Goofy little rhymes like this one I found on the Internet to help them remember how to form a knit stitch?

"In through the front door,
Run around the back,
Hop through the window,
Off jumps Jack."

For the Love of Books

2006-12-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here are two of my newest book aquisitions thanks to the receiving of belated birthday bucks.

I was really excited when I discovered this recently published book by King Arthur Flour, Whole Grain Baking. I have been adapting traditional recipes alot lately by adding whole wheat, rye, buckwheat and other flours to my baking, so this book was a pleasant discovery.

After skimming the book, I could hardly wait to start trying out recipes. The only recipe I've made so far is the Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread and it was awesome! A lot of the bread recipes call for orange juice and this ingredient surprised me. I haven't heard of anyone talking about juice being used in bread. I'm anxious to try out those recipes too. There are also recipes for the usual quick breads, yeast breads, cookies and also crackers, pies, and pancakes. I'm really impressed with this baking book!

This knitting book, Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman & yarn shop owner Mel Clark, was an impulse buy. The cover looked fun. And when I started flipping pages I couldn't resist. I've already started knitting the Tutu Tea Cozy and there are at least another half dozen other patterns I'm dying to make. It's quite unusual to find a knitting book with more than a couple of patterns that interest me. Definitely go check this one out. There are great ideas for knitters of all ages.

Feeding the Feed Reader

2006-11-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog in a feed reader, you may be seeing some old posts over the next few days and weeks. I am attempting to redistribute my photos across various Internet sources in order to solve my bandwith problem. My apologies for flooding you with old posts!

Good Morning

2006-11-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to this morning. I love the snow in our neck of the woods. It's soft and sticky, perfect snowman making snow. It hangs on the trees and makes the world oh so much more interesting.

Where I grew up, the snow only fell sideways - because of the wind. It never stuck to the trees. Rarely could we build a snowman. We built ice forts instead. And we still had to do whatever was planned for the day. People were used to the snow.

This snow is so much better. We rarely see snow and when we do, it doesn't stay around very long. The city folk here don't know how to drive in it. The city officials don't remove it from the roads. And the whole city shuts down. It will be a perfect day for putzing around the house doing this and that, breaking away from normally scheduled life.

Let's Talk Blogging

2006-11-27T14:15:00.001-08:00

[Socks knit at my Dad's house and his really big tractor]

Yup! I actually finished them!

My thoughts keep running around in circles when it comes to blogging. Blogger is making me crazy. The templates don't work in all the browsers. Then I try to fix it and it gets a little bit worse. And I don't like that Blogger usually DOES NOT send me an email when a comment is made. It makes me wonder how many comments are hanging out in the archives that I know nothing about.

Then, when I start looking at the other free options there are other issues. For instance, Wordpress also has a free blogging program. And they always send email when a comment gets posted. But, there are other issues. Although their templates are easy to use, they can't be customized without paying money. And Sitemeter doesn't work in Wordpress. Nor does the Flickr banner.

And I'm having photo storage issues. I'm running out of space. I thought Picasa might be a nice alternative. But the pictures seem to work in Blogger but not Wordpress. And I can't figure out how to blog more than one photo at a time from Flickr. Argh.

Blogging is just a hobby for me. Am I willing to pay money for this silly hobby? I don't know. I enjoy connecting with other creative and crafty folks out there. But I'm spending way more time than I want on trying to find software that will work together. I'd rather be making something than sitting at the computer. Some days it just makes me want to quite blogging altogether.

I think I'm going to go sit at my sewing machine for awhile. My sewing machine likes me better than my computer does.

Home Again

2006-11-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

While visiting my mother I just had to try quilting something on her longarm machine. It was pretty cool. But there sure are a lot of tips and tricks that one needs to learn. Here I am following a pantograph design with the laser. The machine can also be controlled from the other end for freehand quilting.

We're so glad to be home again. I'll have to tell ya later how much sock knitting can be accomplished out on my dad's farm. Socks for everyone for Christmas!

And... I'm investigating other blog hosts. If anyone has any wise words, please pass them along!

Let the festivities of the holidays begin!

Giving Thanks

2006-11-15T04:16:00.000-08:00

Next week is the arrival of that time of year when most people pause and give thanks for something. So, I'm taking an extended pause to give thanks for all the good things in my life (and maybe some of the not-so-good too, they make a person grow!). Be back in a week or so.

My Best Friend's Quilt is finished and it was a success. She loves it! And she's probably sleeping under it with her hubby and cute dog at this moment. I, however, am stressing about finishing up my list-o-things-to-do before heading out to visit the family, hence, no sleeping here and blogging instead.

I'm so thankful for my Best Friend. We met when I was about 25, I think. She was newly married and I was very much single. My life was a crazy, chaotic adventure (ahem, mess) at the time. I think we've done it all together - camping, crazy small business ideas, childlessness, crafts, vacations, and so much more. May there be many more years of Best Friend Adventures and Best Friend Quilts.

Quilt Details:
Pattern - An adaptation from the book Successful Scrap Quilts by Judy Turn & Margaret Rolfe. I increased the block size to 12" x 12" and added a 3" border.
Size - 90" x 90"
Batting - 100% cotton
Made in her favorite colors - blue and purple

Start Shopping

2006-11-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

My Best Friend's Holiday Bazaar is over and I still have a few things left to sell. So send me an email (pinsorneedles@gmail.com) if you would like to purchase anything.

View all items for sale HERE.

Here's the need-to-know info:

Sleepy Head Pillowcases are made of quality 100% cotton. They will fit either a standard or queen size pillow. $15.00 USD each.

Hot or Cold Rice Bags are made of quality 100% cotton and filled with white rice and no scent (for those who may not like that). Each one comes with instructions on how to use hot or cold. The dimensions are approximately 7" x 21" and weigh about 2 pounds 9 ounces. $10.00 USD each.

And... if you want to make your own version of any of my quilts, Quilt Patterns are $8.00 USD each. View the patterns HERE.

I'll start shipping all orders on November 29th.

Free shipping on the Quilt Patterns.
$2.00 USD shipping on Pillowcases.
$7.00 USD shipping on Ricebags. They weigh almost 3 pounds each!

If you are purchasing more than one item, shipping can be recalculated as a whole. US addresses only. International orders, please email for shipping charges.

All payments received by PayPal only. I'll send you a PayPal invoice.

Bazaar Weekend

2006-11-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

... at my Best Friend's house. And whatever is leftover after today... You all will have a chance to purchase, right here, starting on Monday. Get started on your Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. *cheeky grin*

Bye Bye Humongous Sweater

2006-11-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Remember Gary's "Honey I Shrunk the Husband" Fairisle Sweater? I frogged it ALL while we were at the beach. Yup, you read right. I tore the whole thing apart. The thought of no one ever being able to wear it was too much for me.

And I've started re-knitting it. The goal is to finish it by the end of the year. Wish me luck. I'm not sure that I can do it.

BTW, I really despise blogger and it's templates. I'm thinking of moving over to Wordpress. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Quilting with Kaffe

2006-11-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

[ Kaffe's quilt spread out for student inspection. ]

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in the KF/BM workshop you just did ... I wish I were a better quilter! (Of course, that would entail getting out the sewing machine ...)

This comment left on my blog has been distracting me every since I saw it. So, I want respond to this comment specifically, and anyone else who might feel the same way. Please don't feel intimidated to take a Kaffe Fassett / Brandon Mably class! (although, I have to admit I would feel a bit intimidated in one of their knitting classes). Their quilt classes are not at all about quilting, but about color and design. They are artists, not quilters. They help and encourage everyone in the class and hold a critique at the end where they provide feedback on everyone's quilts individually. There is no sewing in class, just cutting of fabric and designing. It doesn't matter what level of quilting skill you have, you would enjoy the class!

My first Kaffe class was about 5 years ago and frankly, I still haven't finished that quilt. Their approach is such a different method from everything I had learned up to that point that I just couldn't get my head around it. This recent class was different for me because I knew what to expect.

So... this is how my bow tie idea was developed. Weeks before the class we were given a supply list.

The complexity and fun comes in the arrangement of the collection of fabrics. All dots, or all stripes, or all Hawaiian shirt florals are good choices for making "Dickie Bows". The class time will be spent in arranging the pattern on a design wall until the quilt has a cohesiveness and an exciting color harmony. Decide on your theme and collect at least 25 different fabrics in that theme.

The Bow Tie quilt is not in any of Kaffe Fassett's quilt books. But he did bring the actual quilt to class so that we could see his version. He did make the comment that he felt his quilt should have had a bit more contrast between the bow ties and the background fabrics.

I had a hard time deciding on a theme. I don't really collect dots or stripes and not even one hawaiian shirt print. When I heard that his quilt was centered around a paisley theme, I decided that that was something I could do. I did have a few paisleys and just needed to collect a few more.

Working in a quilt shop I often reccommend that beginners choose one fabric that they absolutely love and then work off of that. I LOVE this brown paisley-type print and worked off of it for my bow tie quilt.

After collecting a bunch of paisley or paisley-like fabrics, I arranged them by color family. I like to do this because it gives me an idea of how many colors I have and if I need more of one color or another. After looking at them all I decided that I wanted to keep to mainly pinks and browns and greens. So the blues had to go. In fact, do you see the little bit of blue peeking out in the second from the top, left-hand column? I really liked the purple and red aspect of that fabric but the blue didn't work. So I selectively fussy-cut squares that don't have any blue.

Then I arranged them by value to make sure that I have enough of lights, mediums, and darks and that they all worked together. I almost didn't use the lightest pink paisley on the left side. But, I think it works so I left it in. And I didn't use it very many times. Where as the initial brown inspiration fabric I have used quite a lot.

The night before class I still hadn't decided what my background fabric should be. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't have anything. First I called Linda to give me some moral support. Then I went digging around in my stash to see what I could find. Viola! I had just picked up this polka dot print the week before just because I loved it so much. I didn't have any idea that I would be using it in this quilt. The colors of the dots seemed to work really well with my other fabrics.

And because I only had 1 yard of it, I knew I would need more to make a whole quilt. So I dug around in my stash to find a few more background fabrics that might work. I like how the star background is essentially the same colors as the polka dot, but more muted. It adds interest. And I tried to do the same with the paisleys... some bright intense prints and some grey muted prints. It keeps the eye moving from one fabric to the next.

Now, in class, Kaffe and Brandon explain that the objective is to work quickly. Don't over-think or over-analyze your fabric choices. Slap a square up on your design wall and keep going until one doesn't feel right. If it feels wrong, pull it down and replace it with a different fabric. But keep going. If any of us gets stuck, they come around and give suggestions, moving fabrics around to help us get back on track.

The thing I love the best about the class is the their choice of descriptive words. As they are walking around helping each student, and especially during the critique time, they would say things like... "the color of that quilt makes me think of a rich tomato soup." Or, "That reminds me of burnt wood. It's rich and rugged. Their descriptive words are really inspiring. It makes me work outside of the usual color names - oh, that's pink - or I really like green. It forces me to really look and create a theme - rich mossy-ness of an old tree, or warm macaroni & cheese orange. I would encourage everyone to give it a shot and make your own bow tie quilt.

Well... if anyone is still reading here at the end... if you would like a tutorial on how to sew these blocks together... let me know. It's really very easy and a beginner could do it.

UFO Swapping

2006-11-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

You are all going to be sorry that you didn't participate in this swap! This is what I received from Marianne (who doesn't have a web site, but she should! I know, time is an issue. Maybe someday.) in the Sewing/Quilting UFO (Un-Finished Objects) Swap.

There was an adorable yellow apron and bird pincushion. Even though I love them, I don't really have a collection of aprons. This is a great place to start! And the pincushion is awesome.

And then there was a quilt top that needs to be finished. Marianne thought about donating it to Project Linus, which I just might do. But it would also be a great throw-in-your-car-and-take-to-the-beach quilt too. It has all of the character of on old, use-what-you-have kind of quilt. And then there were a few fat quarters and what looks like some scraps from a previous quilt project. Marianne bought the scraps at a silent auction just because she loved the colors. And the colors are great. I'll have to think about what to do with those. I've always wanted to do a string quilt in the Gees Bend style and this just might be the push that I need. We'll see.

Thanks Marianne for wonderful swap package! I am putting together a package for my swap partner, but I'll have to show that to you later.

Hot Socks Swapping

2006-10-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

While Gary and I were beachcombing, my Hot Socks Swap partner was dyeing some yarn and getting me ready for Christmas. She dyed the yarn herself! (I would like to learn how to do that someday.) And I still don't know for sure who sent me these goodies. She lives in Colorado - there was a return address on the package, but no name! I must have been a good girl this year because look what Santa brought me. Thanks secret swap pal!

Trapped Under Piles

2006-10-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

5 days, a pile of laundry, a heap of junk mail, 2 packages, 47 emails, and 355 blog posts later we are home. How does everyone blog so much while I'm gone?!? I've said this before, but I'll say it again... the best thing about coming home is clean clothes. The second best is finding packages of yarn and fabric waiting for me. The rest? Well, I'd just as soon continue vacationing somewhere. More to follow over the next few days. It will take me awhile to dig my way out.

Ci Vediamo*

2006-10-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Knitting, books, slippers and cozy blankets are packed in anticipation of some rest and relaxation. If you are looking for something to keep you busy while I'm gone, may I recommend baking some bread, making some pillowcases or hot & cold rice bags, or maybe even joining the Modern Quilt Along. Sorry, I don't have any knitting suggestions except for socks. Check out all of the sock patterns at Knitty.com.

Be back next week. *See ya later.

Why My Blog is Boring

2006-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

What is it that makes some blogs better than others? I think it is because they are quite good at story telling. Me? Not so much. I wish I could tell a good story, but I am a get-to-the-facts kind of a gal. It's hard for me to weave a wandering path of peripheral information for the sake of a good story.

So I try to make up for my lacking abilities in story telling by posting photos. A picture is worth a thousand words... right? *cheeky grin*

To enjoy the last bits of sun before the rains come, we went in search of brilliantly colored leaves to shuffle our feet through today. There is nothing like the sound of shuffling leaves or the smell of autumn in the air.

School Days

2006-10-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably stormed into town this week to teach a couple of quilting classes. Of course, Linda and I had to take a class together. It was a good day and fun was had by all. This quilt might be one that will get finished sooner than later.. Kaffe mentioned that he is currently designing some self-patterning sock yarn. I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for that next year!

My Bow Ties.

Linda and Carol's Bow Ties.

No Project Progress

2006-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little bit like Eli. I need to hide my face in embarrassment. I can't seem to get anything finished around here unless I have a hard deadline to meet.

I did finish these red socks a couple of weeks ago. It only took about 5 months to knit these. But, I always have a pair of socks that I'm working on. The current pair in progress are for the hubby.

Sock Details:

yarn - Land Yarns JaWoll, purchased in Colorado Springs while on vacation. This yarn has a weird texture because it's 75% wool, 18% polyamide, and 7% acrylique. Hmmm, not sure I'd use it again.

needles - size US 1 using the magic loop method.

pattern - basic top down method, lace pattern is on the bottom of pg. 62 from the book Beautiful Knitting Patterns by Gisela Klopper.

Quilts, Quilts Quilts

2006-10-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Someone asked... yes, I did have a trunk show in September. How did it go? Well, I didn't sell as many patterns as I had hoped. I'm not sure why. Maybe a) the shop clientele are more artistic quilters and these are too traditional, or b) experienced quilters don't really need patterns to make these. But it was a good experience. And I learned a ton about writing patterns!

You can see all of the quilts at BloominWorkshop.com/patterns.htm.

Sewing Patterns

2006-10-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that this web site existed until I went searching for a coat pattern. If you sew clothing, SewingPatterns.com lists nearly every pattern company I have ever heard of and then some.

No more searching multiple web sites!

Update: After looking at patterns today, I think either Vogue 8123 or Burda 8004 are close enough that my version might look fairly similar to the Anthropologie coat after some alterations.

The Peanut Butter Tree

2006-10-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Update: These are actually the fruit. The flowers are white. I forgot about that because they are small and unnoticeable in the summer.

These funny little flowers are on my Peanut Butter Tree. A friend of mine calls it that because if you lightly rub the leaves they smell like peanut butter.

But the common name for this tree is Glorybower. And the scientific name is clerodendrum. According to my Sunset Western Garden book these vary a lot by species. Some are outdoor plants and some are for indoors. I have no idea which species this. My friend wrote down the name for me and I went to the nursery and asked specifically for it. They scrounged around and found this unmarked one out back somewhere.

I thought it would be a fun novelty tree to have planted near our house because my husband likes peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Now... if I could find a honey smelling shrub to plant nearby...

Saturday Night

2006-10-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

I've finally discovered the real, bottom-of-the-barrel, underlying, no denying reason we all like to blog...

There is nothing good to watch on T.V.

Yup. It's true. I'd rather be knittin', sewin', bloggin', maybe even cleanin' the toilet... than watching what is on T.V. tonight.

How about you?

Also... I saw this coat at Anthropologie and want to make one - as I can't bring myself to part with the Green Backs it would take to buy it.

Autumn

2006-10-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

I wish I had something to show for the last week, but I don't. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I wish it was raining. Everything looks so dry. But I am enjoying the cool, sunny autumn days.

I've been gardening... digging up flower beds, composting and mulching, and planting.

And, I've been celebrating. Another anniversary of my 29th birthday.

And, I've been doing laundry, reading library books, baking bread (from recipes in the library books), burning scones (boy was it smoky!), and a plethora of other things that cannot be documented in pictures.

Happy Fall!

A Questionnaire

2006-10-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

... for the Hot Socks swap. I know that emails are supposed to be sent out for our swap pals... but if you are like me, I'm dying to know what to shop for. So, here are my answers to the Hot Socks swap questionnaire:

1) What do you prefer - solid, variegated or self striping?
I like all of them.

2) Favourite colours?
My favorites are greens, browns, and reds. I'm not really into the pastels.

3) Are you a beginner, intermediate or experienced sock knitter?
I'd say I'm an intermediate sock knitter.

4) Tea, Coffee, or hot chocolate - what's your favourite? If coffee, what do you use to make it?
Coffee is my favorite. We use a french press / push pot to make coffee. But I am learning to like tea. And hot chocolate is good once in a while too. :-)

5) Do you have a fibre preference? (i.e. Are you a yarn snob like me?)
Yes, unfortunately I am a yarn snob. I love wool for socks.

A Dozen Pillow Cases

2006-09-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

These pillow cases are so easy to make that I whipped up a dozen of them for a friend's craft bazaar coming up in November. They are addictive and it makes me want to make a few more.

In case you are wondering... Here's a pattern of what I do. (.pdf file - 1.4 MB)

Veggie Chips

2006-09-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

In an effort to find healthier snacks, I found a couple of books on creating healthy & tasty meals for backpackers at the library. One of the items in the books was dehydrated zucchini and tomatoes. These are actually quite tasty!

How to do it:
Slice the zucchini and tomatoes 1/8-inch thick ( I think it's a bit thin for the tomatoes and will try slicing them a bit thicker next time)
Lightly spray the dehydrator screens with olive oil
Lay a single layer of veggies on each screen
Sprinkle with seasoning (I used a garlic herb blend)
Dehydrate at 145 degrees - for me, the zucchini took about 4 hours and the tomatoes about 5 hours.

Go ahead and snack! But be careful, they won't last long!

Junk or Treasure?

2006-09-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

You know the old saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure."

Well, you just may be storing someone else's treasure in your sewing room! Come join the Quilting and Sewing UFO Swap and send away that unfinished project you're sick of looking at in exchange for another project that will be new to you.

This could be fun... (or funny!)

The sign-up deadline is October 15.

Charming Inspiration

2006-09-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I need another project like I need a hole in my head! But I'm not going to start this one until I finish at least one other project. We won't talk about the other 999 that aren't finished.

Awhile back I purchase a Denyse Schmidt charm pack from The Fat Quarter Shop. It's been sitting there, looking all pretty, but I hadn't decided what to do with it. Now I know what I want to do with it! I picked up the dark brown fabric over the weekend and think I'm going to make a sort of modern-log-cabin-type square. The charm will be in the middle and other tone-on-tone brights will be the outside logs with the brown inbetween. Something like this:

Syndromes

2006-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Previously, there was Flat Surface Syndrome. It's where every flat surface needs to have something on it. If there is a flat surface without something on it, you must find something to put on it.

Now there's Suburban House Syndrome. This is where you collect so much stuff that your garage, spare bedroom and any other non-central living space turns into storage and can no longer be used for it's original intent. Ah! This disease has crept into my house!

Must. Eliminate. Junk. Now.

Since I woke up to this today, it's just the kind of day to tackle the Suburban House Syndrome... and... bake some butternut squash for future pumpkin pies. It's autumn!

Year of Color - Wisteria

2006-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

This is not a color that readily resides in this house. Wanna see the whole room where the thread lives?

Patchwork & Math Work

2006-09-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

If the urge to design your own quilts suddenly overtakes you, you may just end up using your math skills... or learning a few new ones. Or you may just want to use quilting as a vehicle to teach your children some common math concepts and equations.

These triangles in a sawtooth border sure gave me a mental math workout. Math has never been my strong suit. But at least in quilting, I can see the usefulness of such knowledge.

Do you know about adding 7/8 of an inch to the finished size of a half-square triangle to calculate what size square, and then triangle, you need to cut? I was aware of that little trick. Did you also know about this formula? If you want to cut quarter-square triangles, take the finished size of a half-square triangle x 1.414 + 1.25. Yeah, I didn't either. That's one way to calculate the cutting size for this sawtooth border. Or you could just use the ever handy Companion Angle.

Oh, and here's a link for other patchwork related math. Flex those math brain cells!

Veste Knitting

2006-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

Remember that orange yarn? I'm thinking maybe this vest in the Fall 2005 issue of Interweave Knits. Orange is strange color to wear. It's interesting but I'm not sure how much of it I want to look at. I originally purchased the yarn for Jo Sharp's Chaise Blouse. Now I'm not so sure.

Year of Color - Inchworm

2006-09-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

It feels like autumn. The night-time temperatures are dipping into the high 40's and the day-time tempeartures are in the 70's. You can see just the tiny bit of color change beginning to happen in the leaves. And it smells like autumn. The air is crisp. The sunlight is more shadowy. And the squirrels are digging in my pots looking for a place to bury their winter's feasts. Autumn is the favored time of year in our house.

Hiking Break

2006-08-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Before I make a mad dash to the end of my deadlines this week, we took a little time to go on a hike yesterday. This would have been a much better Year of Color photo for Orange. Somehow I have the whole Orange Theme going on... the pants, the boots and the backpack. In an effort to avoid baby blue and light pink (why oh why are all women's athletic clothing pastel colors?) the orange has taken over.

Orange you glad I'm not wearing pink? *smirk*

Year of Color - Orange

2006-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Remember telling this silly joke as a kid?

Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Banana...

Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Banana...

Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Orange!
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?

Sometimes repetition is good... and sometimes not. Maybe this orange yarn should be a sooner than later future project. I just need some inspiration! Any suggestions?

Car Knitting & Reunions

2006-08-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my husband's 20 year (gasp) high school reunion. How did we get to be this old? Soon I'll only be blogging about dentures, bm's, and obituaries. It's just around the corner. I can feel it.

Well, what's a better way to spend 5 agonizing hours in the car, but to do some easy, mindless knitting. After all the quilting I've been doing, this was a great project to bring back the knitting love. Sorry Linda! I was supposed to wait and knit this with you. But it was the perfect car knitting project. Now, it just needs a really cool button.

Project details:

Yarn - Noro Kureyon disc. color no. 126 & Cascade 220 Heather color 9408 (I think, I tossed the label before looking)
Needle size - US 11
Pattern - Fiber Trends Gelato Bag
Time to knit - 5 hours in a very long car ride

Year of Color - Hot Magenta

2006-08-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Quilting like a crazy woman... This one is nearly finished, sans the binding.

Crafter's Manifesto

2006-08-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Not such a bad idea, eh?

H/T: Red Instead via Quilter's Buzz

Stash Management

2006-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why I decided to undertake such a project as this at a time when I am so busy that I shouldn't be doing anything else but what needs to get done... but I did. I can't take it back now!

My fabric stash has been getting more unwieldy to handle. Something had to be done. Previously, most of my quilting fabric was being stored in one of those wire basket carts on wheels. The drawers were getting so heavy that they wouldn't stay on the tracks. Ikea to the rescue!

I went from this:

To this:

CLOSED

OPEN

Now, rummaging through the stash is like a breath of fresh air. A popular book Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space recommends folding all your fabric the same size by using an 8" ruler and wrapping the fabric around it. Well, this cabinet doesn't really accommodate that size. So, I've folded all 1/2 yard pieces and larger into thirds (the wider piles) and the 1/4 yard pieces in fourths ( the skinnier piles). Works pretty good, I think.

Jam Hands

2006-08-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's berry season. And I like a man who will go blackberry pickin' with me! Behind our house there are loads of wild blackberry brambles. So, our after dinner entertainment was berry pickin'. These and many more became blackberry jam - a variation of this recipe. You should have seen the kitchen afterwards. Berry juice everywhere!

Many Rooms of Versailles

2006-08-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, the agony of writing patterns*. Between this and another one I have been working on, I am glad to say that they are FINISHED. Let's celebrate! Tomorrow, I can do some guilt-free knitting with Linda. The yarn stash, it is feeling hurt and neglected.

This one was inspired by a trip to Versailles. There is a long length of rooms in one wing of Versailles where each room is a different color - red, green, blue... and as you walk through from one room to the next you can see the color of the last room peeking through the doorway. As you get to the end of all the rooms, you can see a half-dozen or so different colors through each doorway. It really struck me - all the color. I tried to find a photo on the web somewhere, but didn't have any luck. You'll just have to imagine it.

*This pattern is available at local quilt shops in the Seattle area.

Quilt Scraps

2006-07-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's a beautifully grey, cloudy, cool day and I'm loving it. It's something that us Pacific Northwesterners start to miss when there are too many sunny hot days in a row. The sun and the hot tend to make us cranky.

Before today, I couldn't even really look at any color. All the sun and the heat just didn't leave any room for reds and yellows and greens. But, today... today I have the urge to dig into my stash of fabric and play with all of the color.

One thing that has been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time is this crazy collection of strippy scraps that I've been collecting from every project ever made. I feel the need to semi-randomly pull out strips one at a time and sew them together haphazardly and make them into a quilt. Sort of Gees Bend meets Denyse Schmidt in a slightly more organized meeting over coffee.

Too. Hot.

2006-07-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Must. Find. Air-conditioning.

Sunglasses? What are those? I can recognize an umbrella and a rain cloud on any other grey day. But what's that big, huge, blistering, yellow thing in the sky that we've been seeing the last few days? Being the weather whimps that we are here in the Pacific Northwest, it's too hot and sunny to do anything but knit white cotton tank tops, sip anything that is wet and on ice, and pray for cooler days.

Well, there is that huge pile of laundry, those quilts that need to be done for my trunk show, and all other matters of daily life. Rats.

In the Garden

2006-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Don't let the photos fool you. At a glance our yard (as American's say) or our garden (as my friend Fiona says) looks a bit scrappy. But a closer look reveals all of this! I guess I tend to buy the pink and purple varieties of perennials. *cheeky grin*

Echinacea

Lace Cap Hydrangea

Lavendar

Rock Rose

Oregano

The Need to Knead

2006-07-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah! The stove is finally installed and the smell of fresh bread can begin wafting through the house again. But the process of buying and installing a stove - and not even the one I REALLY wanted, but the one that would fit in the space in our kitchen! - was not without it's devilish glitches.

-- We ordered said stove from one of those gianormous home improvement stores, only to find out on the day it was to be delivered that it is not available and on back order.

-- With the help of the "no service" customer service we cancel our order and order a different color of the same stove from somewhere else.

-- We have already ordered the trim kit (to cover up the gaps in the countertop) for the canceled stove which is in a different color. Their "no service" customer service gives us the run around about returning it. We still have it by the way. Hopefully their call tag for returning it will arrive this week.

-- New stove from second place of business arrives Friday afternoon. We opt to install it ourselves. How hard can it be to plug in an electric stove? Plenty! Let me tell you!

-- Correct color trim kit is missing pieces so we scavenge those pieces from the wrong color trim kit. Thank goodness we still had it!

-- Electrical outlet needs to be moved because the stove can't be pushed all the way into the cutout. Outlet breaks because it is PLASTIC! A quick jaunt to the local hardware store for a METAL outlet results. Stove is finally installed. But, when door of oven is opened, stove promptly shifts and pulls away from cabinet. Isn't it supposed to be attached to the cabinet somewhere? You would think. But there are no instructions or accommodations for this in the installation manual. We beg some wood scraps off of our neighbor and finally screw the frame of the stove to the wood scraps and then to the cabinet. It mostly works. Okay, not to disparage the installer (good ol' hubby) it really does work. But one would think that stove designers would plan for this!

Now, the bread mixing, rising and baking can commence. This is the recipe for Squaw Bread from Beth Hensperger's The Bread Bible. I almost always start the mixing process in my pajamas and then while it is rising, shower or change clothes or whatever. It makes me feel like I'm multi-tasking.

Whew, now I can proceed with the rest of my day.
.

Latest Acquisition

2006-07-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Remember my post about a new sew-along called Sew Retro? Well, it had me poking around on ebay. And suddenly these 2 patterns jumped up and down begging to find a new home.

I never seem to have any attractive summer tops. Hence the need to sew a couple. *grin*

For some reason, I was completely ignorant of the fact that sizing was oh so different before the anorexic era we live in. (I should have known this, but somehow it escaped me)

Don't let the sizing numbers scare you! It's not about size, it's about fit! If your garments fit, they will make you look pounds lighter than if they were of a poor fit. Trust me, it's true!

Now the real question is, how am I to make time for one more project? This hobby thing is completely out of control. *smirk*

Knitting Dilemma

2006-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

How does one go about grafting an i-cord strap to an i-cord armhole? Even books with "Solutions to every problem you'll ever face" in the title don't have the answer! I guess the authors hadn't yet been faced with this dilemma at the time of printing. *snort*

Let Sleeping Cats Lie

2006-06-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Look what I found when I came home this afternoon. Trying to find a nice shady, quiet, private spot for a nap is a difficult task indeed. If this was my kid instead of my cat, I would save this picture and embarrass him by showing it to all his girlfriends when he is sixteen. But since he's our furry kid instead, I may just blow it up and show it to guests when they come over for a coffee or tea on our patio.

Naps are a priority around our house. On a dark and cold and rainy winter day, the sofa is always a good place to catch up on a few z-z-z-z's.

And showing a little more discretion than Eli, on a warm, lazy, sunny afternoon, one could retire to the hammock.

Kiska prefers the quilts in the bookshelf.

Either way, napping is always a good thing.

Retro Sewing

2006-06-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

There is a new group blog called Sew Retro that I have been keeping my eye on. Everyone who joins is interested sewing retro patterns or sewing with retro fabric.

With that in mind, I just had to share a couple of patterns that have survived from my past. Both of these my mother had made for me at some point in time. If I had a little girl, I would have made these for her and bribed her to wear them. I'm sure she wouldn't have been too happy to wear either of them. *smirk*

I don't know that I'll actually sew anything retro. But it did inspire me to go check out the current patterns at JoAnn Fabrics. And may I just say... blech. There is a reason I don't sew much clothing anymore.

I do have a pair of ready-made capri's and a ready-made blouse that I really like and I may just have to draft a pattern off of them someday.

... (can I just rant a minute? Blogger's paragraph spacing does NOT work! Publish, republish, publish again, and still... Arrrh.)

Quilt Shop Hopping

2006-06-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

While all of Western Washington is hopping from quilt shop to quilt shop this week, I am working my bumm off. This is the theme fabric this year and In The Beginning will do another printing of the fabric this fall. If you need some, call any of the quilt shops on the Shop Hop list and they will gladly preorder some for you. I've seen a lot of tourists buying it up because it's such great momento fabric.

And, I've been trying to decide on a business logo in preparation for my quilt trunk show in September. Here's one idea.
.
.

Numbering Things

2006-06-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

After making the activity bags, I couldn't help myself. I just had to applique a number onto this sweatshirt. It was too much fun.

Burger Mania

2006-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a Father's Day BBQ with our church, we mass produced a variety of burgers last night. Bleu Cheese burgers, plain hamburgers, and Asian chicken burgers. I found this handy burger press at the local restaurant supply store. And after quite a few burgers were already made, we discovered that a small sheet of wax paper on the bottom and a piece of plastic wrap on the top (with the ball of burger in the middle) made the process SO much quicker and SO much less messy. Bon Appetit!

This is for you, Diane

2006-06-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

The product of a few hours in front of my sewing machine. 38 more blocks to go.

Pitiful Piles of Projects

2006-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Help! I've fallen under one of my many piles of projects in my sewing room and I can't get up!

The North Wall

2 unfinished scarves, leftover batting from past quilts, fabric for Diane's quilt hiding in the pink basket, fabric that needs to be put away from previous quilt projects, my Olympic Sweater still sleeveless.

The East Wall

red fabric for my red star quilt, 2 baby quilts to quilt, blouse that needs repair, pants that need hemming, red star quilt pieces, serger foot pedal from Activity Bags that needs to be put away, fabric strips for Kaffe's Nona quilt.

The South Wall

blocks for Block of the Month quilt I'm doing with a friend, finished blocks for Kaffe's Nona quilt, finished blocks for red star quilt, felted Carpet Bag waiting for handles and a possible lining, new quilting magazine.

The West Wall

fabric stash, serger that needs to be put away, sewing machine ready to go, books, books and books.

1 Activity Bag for You, 2 For Me

2006-06-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

The better part of yesterday was spent making these Activity Bags for the kids at church. They were a blast to make and I'm tempted to make one for myself with a number on the front! The inspiration was from this Whip Up post. Another woman in our church donated the fabric and I stitched them together. The numbers on the front are the font called Rockwell Extra Bold in Word, sized to 400. I printed them out on paper and then traced them onto Steam-a-Seam. (Remember that when using this kind of product, you have to trace them in reverse so that they come out in the right orientation in the end.) Then I used the Steam-a-Seam to adhere the fabric numbers to the bags and satin stitched around the edges. Whew! All that sewing has made me tired. I need a coffee.

Using What I Have

2006-06-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Using What I Have, I couldn't contain myself and started knitting the Medium-Sized Felted Carpet Bag from the Noni pattern I picked up over the weekend. The Cascade 220 yarn was originally going to be a vest. But the vest pattern was intarsia. Ugh! I am not good at knitting intarsia. So I ripped out the 2 existing inches and it's now on it's way to becoming a Medium-Sized Carpet Bag. Can you tell I've been knitting like a crazy woman the last 2 days? The quilting can wait for a moment.

Casper, Socks & 60 Years

2006-06-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we visited Casper, the friendly dog and Jacqui, my sister-in-law. We usually do copious amounts of yarn shopping when we get together, but not this time. I think we were all shopped out and overloaded with all of our current projects. All we came home with are a couple of new felted tote patterns and decided to sit in the back yard and knit. Casper decided that our knitting was putting him to sleep and what a better place to nap then under the shrubs!

And... the Blue-Like-His-Truck father-in-law socks were well received. I was knitting up the last toe in the drive over and blocking them at my sister-in-law's house.

The whole point of the trip was the celebration of their 60th Wedding Anniversary. Wow! 60 years!

Happy Anniversary to my parents-in-law.

.

My Best Friend's Quilt

2006-05-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

While we are having a day of respite from the rain, I shopped for my best friend's quilt. She wants a blue and purple quilt for their bedroom. I love shopping for other people!

...On the other hand, my knitting has fallen by the wayside. Poor little knitting projects. They must feel oh so neglected. Maybe the month of July will be more friendly towards yarn. The quilting has "dibs" on June.

A Tree Grows in Redmond

2006-05-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Titled: "Man In His Natural Habitat"

I just finished reading the very poignant book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". I thought I had read it in high school, but it's not at all what I thought I remembered it to be. Someday there should be a memoir "A Tree Grows in Redmond". It was one of those days today that should be written down in a book.... for both of us.

We had to resort to watching some non-reality TV - Stars Hollow style. The cool thing about non-reality TV is that problems always get worked out, the characters always look good, the coffee is always great and the conversation is always entertaining.

The Rise and Fall of Another Week

2006-05-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Last week the daily temperatures were approaching record highs. It was unseasonally warm and sunny for May in this neck of the woods. Today it's the typical drizzling rain again.

Over the week there were also new fabric purchases... It started with an old Amy Butler fabric and another new line of fabric from Free Spirit called Bohemian.

And a new quilt project that went from this:

to this:

And last but not least, the lettuce is sprouting. I want to plant zucchini and brussel sprouts too. I hope it's not too late for our cool growing season. But, I haven't cleared out a nice patch of lawn yet. There's a corner of the yard that needs to have the mostly weeds with a little bit of grass dug up. Eventually, I think we may want to plant azaleas, but for now, it might be just the perfect spot for some zucchini.

Honey, I Shrunk the Husband

2006-05-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ok... really.... I'm not kidding! Huge. Bigger than huge. Absolutely not wearable huge. Gary's asking where can he find one of those oversized chairs like they have at the fair that you get your picture taken in and it makes you look like a kid - huge.

I'm Crying in my Coffee

2006-05-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Gary's sweater is finished, but I'm too sad, embarrassed, frustrated, to show a picture of it. It's HUGE. Really huge. I think it grew even more during blocking. The sleeves hang over his hands, the neckline makes his head look really small, and it's just plain too big around.

If you were me, what would you do?

A. Chalk it up to an expensive learning experience and give it away to someone who is much bigger.

B. Completely frog it and knit it again in hopes of being able to wear it in another 2 years.

C. Remove the sleeves and neckband, cut the body apart and make it smaller with side seams, reknit the neckband.

D. Splice the middle of the sleeves and body and reknit to make them shorter, remove the neckband and knit smaller. But it will still be very wide.

Sigh....

I'm Swamped

2006-05-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Three Little Socks in varying degrees of completion make good traveling projects - at work, in the car, or anywhere really.

Most of yesterday was spent finishing Gary's Fairisle sweater. Yeah! Let's throw a par-tay. Photos coming as soon as it has dried from blocking.

I've also got more sweater's to finish, quilt's to make, housework to do... "my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I'm swamped!"*

*Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride

The Week in Review

2006-05-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

Blogging, shmogging. There's no room in my head for anything else today. I spent the better part of the day in a color theory class. It was a good refresher, but I don't know how to pace myself. I started out strong and then crashed near the end. All the brain drain required an iced mocha on the way home. I can't even figure out what to make for dinner. Thank goodness it is Friday and I don't have to work this weekend.

Everybody posts photos of their kids, right? So, here are my babies... Kiska is queen of the tuffet. It finally has legs. Don't look too closely, because I didn't do as nice of a job as I would have liked. I turned the bad spots on the legs to the inside so you couldn't see them. Ha!

And look where I found Eli napping when I got home today? He got up and started moving just as I went to snap the photo. He's got some nerve sleeping between my flowers!

And here's my latest project. Another sample quilt. I am hopelessly slow at hand applique, so I used the fusible machine applique method. When it is finished it almost looks hand appliqued. And it is SO much faster.