On The Needles 11/22/13

I actually have off the needles this week, for a change. I finished my niece's hat. Not I just have to make some mittens to go with it and I am good. I did stop to work on another project, no surprises there. I decided I didn't like it and I messed up somewhere so I ripped that out and started over. I just finished the ribbing so hopefully I can get that done by next week.

Great way to use up some more of my stash yarn for sure.

 

 

 

On a side note. Remember those mukluks I said I would never make again. Well, it looks like that is gonna change. She loves them so much Auntie is just gonna have to make her another pair for when the ones she has are worn out. Oh well....all for love right.

 

 

For more eye candy head on over to Judy's.

 

Michelle who is going to spend all day in the house because it is cold and snowy outside.



On The Needles 11/15/2013

On the needles Friday or in my case the story of the Mukluks.

Last Sunday I decided to start a new project, because I didn't have enough on the needles as it was. Of course I had no needles in the size I needed. How that happens I do not know.

1. Run to Joann's on Sunday afternoon to pick up a quick set of cheap needles. Do you know how many crazy people are in there in the afternoon? Of course they do not have the size I need.

2. Run to Michael's (it's on the way home). You know how many crazy people are there in the afternoon? Of course they don't have the needles I need either.

3. Get home and figure out to use a smaller needle on the top section and a larger needle on the bottom section. Of course that could be backwards because I don't remember exactly what I did.

4. Realize the yarn I bought for this project sucks is not to my liking. It was a lambs pride variegated pink and split to much for me and was not allowing for a smooth knit. Of course I didn't figure this out until the third time I cast on. I figured it was me the first couple of times and I was just not knitting loose enough to get the stinking stitches to work right. Doing 4 increases in 4 stitches has a way of making my stitches tighter than a buffalo's..well we won't go there.  And by the way why does it take 3 attempts before I figure out it ain't gonna work.

5. Find a skein of chunky down in my inexpensive yarn tote. I ended up with a Deborah Norville chunky variegated yarn that feels a lot better. Again cast on 2 times and get to row 6 (each and every time including the lambs pride yarn) and still have my stitches tighter than tight. I finally cast on a third time and am a little looser, now mind you that is a play on words and I am glad I ended up using some inexpensive needles because I swear the tips of each needle have left and impression in the other needle the size of the Grand Canyon.

6. Realize that I am just gonna have to fight with the tightness of this yarn because that is just the way the pattern is and I am not going to cave in at this point. Finally finished the foot part of the Mukluk on Sunday night. I ended up having to fight and stretch and squeeze and scream (well not out loud anyway) and fuss and pretty much send my whole family out of the room but I got it done. I have also increased the muscle mass on my arms ten-fold with the fighting increase but that is ok. I don't have anymore increases and the legs of these puppies are going to be a piece of cake. Ok...a really hard, left out for weeks piece of cake, but a piece of cake none the less. Oh snap! I still have another stinking one to do, unless I want my poor little niece to only keep one foot warm at a time.

7. By Tuesday night they are both done and whip stitched close. Oh yeah I would rather knit in the round the whip stitch anything closed again. Yep, that is why right now I am working on a hat for the same precious little niece that is also knit on straights and whip stitched close. What was I thinking?

So I now have a beautiful pair of mukluks that are a little snug at the top because I apparently can't not knit loose enough with this stinking yarn and this stinking pattern so I obviously can not bind off loosely either. Yeah, didn't dawn on me until I was done with the second one to actually switch to a pair of needles that were maybe three times larger to get a loose bind off. If they at least last her through this winter I will be happy.

I can say that I will not be Mukluking again anytime soon.

Until I took this picture I didn't even realize that toes looked so different on each foot.

They don't look like they are the same size but they are exactly.

I love the colors. It is actually a blue/aqua/yellow/lime green. I need to get better at pictures for sure.

 

 

For more On The Needles head on over to Judy's and see what other projects to start.

 

 

Michelle

Loyal Union Progress

I have been making a little progress on my next BOM class for work. The Loyal Union Sampler. We will be starting this one in April, right at the end of Sylvia's. So every once in a while I will make a block just to get a head start. Today I finished off row 1. I only had to make 3 more blocks so between sneezing and sniffing I finished them up.

The first four blocks. The colors don't look to great but they are all scrappy from my reproductions. Funny that this will be my first big quilt out of those. Guess I was collecting them for a reason.

 

Blocks 5-8. I didn't realize the far right looked so much like Christmas. oh well.

Blocks 9-11. Far left looks really bright and like a taxi cab while the last one looks really washed out.

Tried to get a picture of the complete row but didn't work out to well. I enjoy picking different fabrics for every block but I do admit it is kind of difficult. Not something I do often especially with the backgrounds. I have tons to choose from so hopefully it will get a little bit easier as time goes on.

 

Off to do some knitting and sneezing before getting middle son at school and starting dinner.

 

Have a great day everyone.

 

Michelle

Design Wall Monday 11/11/2013

I have been on a hexie kick lately. I am teaching a couple of classes next year and am trying to get the sample done. The second class is on machine piecing the hexagons. I decided to use a Honeycomb from Moda since they were pre-cut.

My original intention was to make this large. After sewing on it for awhile I decided that it will not be happening. Of course this would have probably be easier if I had sewn rows first but of course I didn't.

After thinking some more I have come up with an easier plan of action. I am going to sew another sections of prints on the left side then another row of background but a row on the bottom and top and call it done. I may come out a weird size but it can be a wall hanging, table topper or something. I figure this was way I have a sample and I can use the other hexagons to make something easier. I have seen a few patterns that will work. I can say with honesty that I love English Paper Piecing the hexies a whole bunch better and I love the smaller sizes as well.

A lesson learned for sure.

For more eye candy head on over to Judy's.

Michelle

Sometimes

Sometimes you just have to take a break. A break from the have-to quilts and spend sometime on the I want to things. Ironically for me at one time the have-to projects were the I want to projects, go figure.

I was up early this morning and had a shower, quick trip to Wal-Mart, bathroom clean and the hallway and living room carpets steam cleaned by 1000. What is a girl to do when the boys are at Men's Fellowship for the morning? Sew of course...

I went down to the sewing room and decided I was going to sew on something that did not have to do with y-seams (hexagons), or block of the months (Sylvia's or Loyal Union Sampler).

I decided to sew on my Mad City Mama that I have been working on as leaders and enders. So that is what I am doing.

Of course, that is after I remove the Zeus from my 1.5 inch string bucket. I asked him why he was in there but or course no response just a raised eyebrow. Boys I tell ya.

 

It really isn't as wonky as it looks.

 

Sub-cut into 5.5 inch sections. I only need 30 more.

 

And of course the leaders and enders. I wasn't going to do them but they kept calling my name. So the thimbles will be piling up. I have 34 now. Who knows how many I will need.

 

 

I am off to rotate another load of laundry then back to sewing before the "have-tos" need to be done.

Michelle

Design Wall Monday 11/4/2013

I have got a lot of little things I'm working on so it seems like I have nothing done.

I finished up my strips for the swap at work. They are 1.5 in strips. It will be nice when it is all done and put together. It will most definitely be scrappy.

I also have been working on my hexie project. This will be a class next year and I am trying hard to have it done before After Market Party at work on Dec. 8th. Don't know if that will happen though since my fingers are not working with me but against me. I am only able to do a little bit of hand sewing at a time before my thumbs go numb. Guess after I get this project done I will take a break for awhile and see if that helps.

I am almost finished attaching row 4 then I will be half way done. It will eventually be 8 rows of 7 and will be a pillow about 16.5 square. I used all of the fabric from my stash. It was kind of nice to pull my squares out and start using them on something.

 

 

I am now off to work on Sylvia's. I only have 54 blocks left and I set a goal for myself to do one block a day 'til it is done. Today, I will do two since I work tomorrow and know I won't want to sew when I get home. I rarely ever do.

 

For more inspiration head on over to Judy's.

 

 

Michelle

On The Needles - Nov 1, 2013

Let me just say that when you give up on procrastination you actually get something done. I have been working on 4 projects every night. I may only do a little bit of each one but I do something. Normally it is hand sewing, then knitting, then hand sewing, then knitting. This way I rest my hands and I actually am making a lot more progress than I figured I would.

This is a block of the month I started awhile ago. I am no hurry to finish the complete afghan anytime soon but I wanted this block done. I only worked a repeat a day and it only took a little while but it is done. The second picture shows the true color a little bit better.

 

I like the idea behind this BOM because it has things I have never done in various blocks, bobbles, cables, chart reading to just name a few. But, I did tell myself that before I did another block I need to finish the back of the cardigan for my mother. So that will now become my 15 minutes of knitting, the rest of the knitting time is on my socks. I am just finishing up the heel now.

 

 

For more needle candy head on over to Judy's.

 

 

Have a blessed day,

Michelle