Floral Triple Irish Chain completed!

Yep. My goal was the end of the month and I made it, barely. Here's a photo of the completed quilt. The final quilt is 73x87 inches. I used Warm and Natural batting. Most of the fabric came from stash including the back! Woo hoo!! I meander quilted amongst all the floral fabrics and used an enlarged motif from Quiltmaker's Motif Book #1 for the center white squares. I echo quilted around them and finished off with meanders and leaves.

I completed the top right after the swap at QATW in April 2005. Pinned it in 2007. Yep. Takes me awhile, doesn't it?


Will update with better photo when the sun comes out again.

This is a very easy quilt to do. The directions at Quilter Cache are very good, but she is doing 2 inch strips and I did 2.5 inch.
http://www.quilterscache.com/T/TripleIrishChainBlock.html
This link has instructions closer to what I did using the 2.5 inch strips.
http://www.quilt.com/Blocks/IrishChain/IrishChain.html

Jan Mid-month mystery washcloth

Jan Mid-month mystery washcloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Can you tell that I got the camera back!? Here is my completed 'loopy' washcloth. I love this pattern! It looks great with variegated yarn! I used Sugar and Creme in Oriental. My washcloth was coming out rectangular (I have no idea why), so I added an additional section of pattern to square it up. My Mom is keeping this one. She actually likes using these thick washcloths for hotpads to take things out of the oven by folding them in half.

Here's a link to the pattern which is known as "I'm Loopy".
http://gimpykatkpatterns.blogspot.com/2010/01/im-loopy.html

Oak Leaf Wash Cloth

Leaf Wash Cloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Yes, these things are just addictive. Here's a Oak leaf washcloth in Lion kitchen cotton. It's a wonky 6.5x8.5 using 5 circs. The original pattern indicates a square, so I don't know why I have a rectangle. Sis is getting this one too (she said she needed washcloths).

Originally, I listed this as a Maple Leaf washcloth. My mistake. Here's the pattern.

Ode to Crew Member Number 6

Crew Member Number 6
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Yes, I've seen Galaxy Quest too often. I saw this little washcloth and said, yes, my sister would want that. I plan to make this again for myself - maybe out of a premium cotton along with a hand towel.

This particular washcloth was made using Lion brand kitchen cotton in red using size 5 circs and is about 8 inches square - a good washcloth size. I am a loose knitter, so keep that in mind when estimating size.

Pattern can be found here.
http://milotis.wordpress.com/2006/05/08/baby-trekkie-washcloth/

More Quilting!!

I finished the quilting, trimmed and added the binding to the front of the Floral Irish Chain. I only need to sew the binding to the back and done! In addition, I've completed removing all the quilting from the Tall Ships wallhanging. I'm ready to start quilting that as well. It's a UFO dating from 1993 or 94.

Floral Irish chain top and Tall Ships Wallhanging - Unfinished tops

During the Olympics, I just want to machine sew, no cutting or handwork, to save my hands for lots of knitting and crocheting. These are some of the projects I'm considering. The first, Courthouse Steps, is actually 3 large pieces. It's a modified quilt-as-you-go. Way easier to quilt such a large quilt! Just needs to be sandwiched in 3 sections to be ready to go since I have all those pins from the Irish Chain. The second is the fishbowl quilt. All pinned, ready to go. Finally, is the waterfall quilt (I photographed it upside down!). Just need to decide in advance how I want to quilt it. At one time, I wanted to do freehand leaves (a leaf waterfall), but I realize that it is beyond my skills at this point. ALL of these are UFOs: Courthouse steps was completed in 2007, Fishbowl quilt top done in 2004 and PINNED in 2007 (blush), and finally, the waterfall quilt was a mystery quilt completed in 2006. Finishing any of these will complete one part of my New Year's resolutions (finishing at least 2 bed sized UFOs)!!


Courthouse Steps, Fishbowl and Waterfall (upside down) - All Unfinished tops

Searches for yarn and stuff for the Ravelympics continues. Team BuffyStakedEdward will have an appropriately themed potholder. Team TrueBlood will have blood red socks (Woolease) with black eyelash yarn trim. Team MN will be the Robot. I'll have to figure out where to put the rest. I really should be a member of the Team Overcommitted, don't you think? :)

Quilting and More Project Scrounging

On the quilting front, I continue to complete motifs on the Floral Irish Chain. I would post a photo but it seems Windows 7 has no photo editing software to allow me to shrink the size of the file. Until I can find something, I can't upload any more photos because it's taking up all my space! Not to mention, it makes it harder for people without DSL to see the photos. Yesterday, I bought fabric for the binding. A lovely floral pattern that looks nice with the back as well. I still hope to finish the quilting by Saturday. Tomorrow or Saturday morning, I plan to work on prepping the binding. I also have to work out what I plan to work on during the Olympics and still maintain my 1 hour a day of quilting.

On the Ravelympics front, I'm having some problems about the cat bed. Seems the yarn I bought for this project a year ago was the wrong type of yarn and insufficient yardage for the updated Pi Cat Bed. I thought of using yarn from an old sweater kit. Still an option, but I have no clue how well it felts. Still doesn't solve the lack of mohair. My checking balances says that I can't complete my order to Knitpicks for new yarn until I get paid - 2 days before the Opening Ceremonies. So, I can choose to HOPE the yarn will arrive in time to work on the project, or pay a lot more and buy yarn locally. Either way, it likely won't be my first project. Darn it.

On the plus side, I found more Homespun. Just need to find the 2 black ones and that will become a Ravelypmics afghan project!

More Planning for Ravelympics

I joined another team!! I am now also a member of Team True Blood. Haven't figured out what is going where and I need to do a little swatching. Obviously, I can't do ALL of the projects in bold below, but I am making a list of those things where I have everything. In order to also participate in Crochetville's Ancient Crochet Games, I also need to pick a crochet project. If I can't find the homespun, I'm going to do the felted bear and I hope I have the yarn to do that. I'm really trying to avoid buying anything.

Aerial Unwind - reclaim the yarn from an unloved project.
Bag Jump - tote bag
Felting Freestyle - crocheted & felted bear
Free Dance - anything that doesn't fit other categories
Giant Slalom-ghan - Homespun granny square - found 4 skeins
Hat Halfpipe - hats - Snowboarder Hat
Single Skein Speed Skate -Ripple Pillow
Sock Hockey - Wendy's basic socks in Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Yarn (red/pink)
Stash Compulsory Dance - use of long neglected stash. I'll have to check. Most of these skeins are more complicated projects.
WIPs-Dancing - Second sock or Fuzzy socks (Knitty pattern)

Here are the MUST entries.
Bobsled - Pet projects - Wendy's Pi bed
Platter Lift - Buffy hotpad (Official entry for Team BuffyStakedEdward)
Skelegurumi - Robot

Ravelympics Preparations

If you knit or crochet, you probably know that the Ravelympics 2010 is soon to begin. I am a member of two teams: Team Minnesota and Team Buffy Staked Edward. See the cool logo? Team MN doesn't have one yet. You Twilight fans - don't get too upset. I am also thinking of joining Team TrueBlood. Buffy will likely stake Eric and Bill as well.

I have only seen a smattering of Buffy shows, so purchased, used, the entire Buffy and Angel series. I plan to marathon watch during the Olympics as they only cover my favorite skiing events at odd times. I really like watching the skiing and fancy skating.

I plan to do multiple SMALL projects this time around. I don't have to buy any yarn and I have all the tools. Nothing to buy. The only project I'm concerned about is the kitty Pi bed. I want to use Wendy Johnson's NEW pi bed pattern. I copied it from a book at the library and now can't find the pattern and the book has been checked out by someone else!! I made the old pattern (Huff and Spitty, my sister's cats, are featured on her gallery pages). If I can't find the pattern instructions, I'll just have to pass on this project until I can get the book again.

Here are the potential events I will be participating in. Obviously, I will ultimately only participate in 3 or 4, but it gives me a basis to figure out where I have the patterns, yarn and tools. For instance, my search for Homespun yarn last night produced only 3 skeins. I'm thinking that I may have sold that stuff in last year's garage sale. Hmm.. I'll have to check the pictures to see if it was on the tables (photos taken for scrapbook included the crafts table). The items in BOLD I've already decided to do and have everything in the Olympics bag (from the Atlanta Games).

Aerial Unwind - reclaim the yarn from an unloved project.
Bag Jump - tote bag
Bobsled - Pet projects - Wendy's Pi bed
Felting Freestyle - crocheted & felted bear
Free Dance - anything that doesn't fit other categories
Giant Slalom-ghan - afghan - Crocheted granny square lapsized afghan in Homespun yarn
Hat Halfpipe - hats - I have kit I bought last year. I could maybe finish it while there is still snow?
Platter Lift - home decor. I wonder if this includes washcloths?
Single Skein Speed Skate - uses one skein. I have a pillow to make! Or a washcloth.
Skelegurumi - toys - my robot fits here.
Sock Hockey - socks - a simple sock from Wendy's sock book
Stash Compulsory Dance - use of long neglected stash. I'll have to check. Most of these skeins are more complicated projects.
WIPs-Dancing - any WIPs/UFOs I will have socks in this category. I have several second socks I can make.

Progress on Projects

I'm happy to report that I'm typing to you from a brand new computer!! Seems many of the problems I was having were do to a failing motherboard. So, I now have a spiffy new computer. Alas, not everything is loaded up yet (especially Itunes). Since I was mostly deprived of computer time this week, I made up for it in progress on projects.

Quilting: I'm working on 2 UFOs and a new project. I have done about 80% of the quilting on my Floral Triple Irish Chain from last Spring. Mostly meander quilting, but I'm putting a nice motif in the white centers. I am also working on my 2nd oldest UFO. I believe I started it in 1994. This was a ship wallhanging that had really bad quilting on it due to a failing sewing machine. I've spent just tons of time removing all that quilting and finished tonight. This week, I hope to complete the quilting on both of these items. My new project is Grandma's Bunnies. I have cut all 27 bunnies from freezer paper and am in the process of making kits to work on when watching TV. The pattern is from Darcy Ashton. You can still get it from her site at http://www.ashtonpub.com/patterns.htm#GB.


Grandma's Bunnies by Darcy Ashton (an applique quilt)

Knitting: Trying to finish a complete pair of socks! Am too easily distracted by washcloths.

Crochet: Have 4 more ladybug black bodies to attach. I discovered that I failed to crochet around the wings, so am fixing that as well as making spots and attaching them. This week's goal is to complete the ladybug blocks. Then I can work the flowers.

Cross-stitch: Not a darn thing. Gotta get my act together on this!

Winter Fun Quilt Done!

Finished the Winter Fun wallhanging yesterday. The final piece is just shy of 52x52 inches. The blocks are from the Winter Fun block exchange at QuiltingAroundTheWorld.com last year. The only thing missing from this is a button for the door. Mom says she has one, so it will be added later. I did a lot of different freeform quilting on this and learned that I need to do them much larger or prewash the batting if I want it to show up as intended. Still, my goal for different textures did work nicely.



Closeup of quilting. Used a lot of feathers and a sun center. I left some of the dark blue areas unquilted so that they would pop after washing and yes, they do.


Closeup of quilting and open space. Quilted snowflakes and more areas, such as flying geese, left unquilted to pop. This was a fun project to practice on. Hope the Spring one comes out as good!

Snowman Washcloth

Snowman Washcloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Did this for a KAL in December. Cute but too big and awkward for a washcloth. Mom will use it for a decoration. This is the first time I ever made baubles in knitting. As you can see, I need practice to get some consistency.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year my fellow blog readers!

Yes, I have some resolutions this year. I hope they are not overly ambitious, but they do give some direction:

Quilting Resolutions:

1. Use up all Halloween fabric.
2. Finish 2 bed sized UFOs.
3. Finish 5 PIGS (tops only)
4. Use up 100 yards of stash fabric (quilts, curtains, pillowcases, etc)
5. Find a better source than Joann's for 45 mm blades.
6. Work on something quilt related for 1 hour each day.

I hope this isn't too ambitious, but of course, if I finish item 1, item 4 is a shoe in. I'm also kindof fed up with Joann's. Maybe it's not their fault but they never seem to have 45mm blades in stock, even for non-sale weeks. When they do, they are only the individual blades, not the 5 pack. This year, I need more than one 5 pack of blades, so the goal is to find some for my Olfa that aren't $5 a piece.

Knitting & Crocheting:

Complete all UFOs

Now, my knitting and crocheting UFO listing is not that out of line. I only really acquired UFOs there in the last few years based on a suggestion of having more than one project going when you seem to be flagging. Just doesn't work for me. So, I'm going to focus on finishing.

Cross-Stitching

Finish one project

I have done so little cross-stitching in the last year. I'm going to designate one day a week to doing cross-stitching. Once my knitting UFOs (mostly socks) are completed, I will be doing this a lot more. This is another area where multiple projects just wasn't working for me.

Apple Washcloth

Apple Washcloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Here's another cute washcloth completed earlier this week just in time to send off to my sister. I'm sure I'll make this pattern again. I used Lion Brand cotton and size 6 circs. Forgot to measure but roughly 8-9 inches square.

Link to pattern used:
http://www.knittingknonsense.com/applecloth.html

Turkey Washcloth (Improved photo)

Turkey Washcloth (Improved photo)
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Same washcloth as before. Turkey shows up much better using the portable Ott light. Definite keeper pattern. I'll be doing this one again.

Here's a link to the pattern.
http://www.knittingknonsense.com/turkeycloth.html

Thundersnow!!

We have our first blizzard of the year now. There's a good 4 inches of fluffy snow in the back yard. Tonight, we will have thundersnow, so Rudolph is going to have to duck. Apparently, we have Texas to blame. They are sending their warm, moist air this way.

I don't have to go anywhere. I don't have to shovel. I am just sitting hear looking at gentle little flakes falling to the ground. I do have to make some candied nuts today, otherwise, I hope to be continuing work on that quilt and figuring out what went wrong with my latest washcloth. It was coming out all wonky shaped, but since it was a mystery, I can't be sure if that was deliberate or not. In any case, I have to practice a few knitted bobbles before redoing them on the washcloth. Mine came out more like tight little knots and that was probably not what was intended.

Coughing and I'm SICK of IT!

Whine ahead....
This coughing just never comes to an end. I knew this would happen again. I know it's going to last 5-6 months. I just hate it though because it makes quilting and even sock knitting, really, really hard. Ok..
End of whine.

I've been quilting away on the Winter Fun quilt. Made another mistake that I need to take out, but it looks like I will finally be finished with one side and can move on to the other. I am doing the border last. I seem to have some wavy issues there, so decided to wait until I was complete and work those out before I quilt them. It's a lovely all-over pattern, so any fix will pretty much disappear with the quilting. What is different on this wallhanging than other quilts, is that I'm doing a lot more quilting on it and more patterns. I'm trying out stuff I hadn't done before as well as perfecting that really small stippling.

The Ladybug Afghan is still not done, but close. I have finished all the wings and about 2/3rds of the bodies. I made the bodies in the wrong size, so had to do those over. Still have the flowers and all the wing spots to do. Maybe I'll focus on wing spots tonight as I find them impossible to do as a take-a-long. After that, it's really just a lot of hand sewing. My goal is to finish by the end of the year so that I can start something new.

Already joined Team Minnesota for the Ravolympics in February on Ravelry. I may join more than one group, but this will be the official one. My plans, at this time, are all small knitted projects. I will have a UFO (any pair of unfinished socks), a new toy (robot), and a pet project (a new felted Pi bed using Wendy Johnson's newer pattern). I'm putting all the patterns, tools and yarn into a bright red, zippered tote. Not only will I be able to find it come February, but Polly has not yet figured out how to open this particular tote, so the yarn will remain there. I really do get a lot done during this periods een if I'm not watching it on TV. I get VERY frustrated with the coverage. I missed a major upset the last time in skiing because they cutaway before the event was finished. Arrgggh... I have never skiied (I'm too clumsy and know better), but I love to watch it.

Cat Wash Cloth

Cat Wash Cloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

Used Lion's kitchen cotton on size 6 circulars. Seed stitch border. OK.. I think it is time to get rid of the sticks. The circs were SO much easier on my arthritic thumbs! I liked this particular cat. It reminded me somewhat of a Siamese and we have been owned by 2 of those in childhood. I plan to do this one again, but in a 2 tone as a hot pad. In any case, this one will also be going to my sister as a test washcloth.

I really, really need to add better lighting. For all 3 of these projects, I plan to add links to the free directions as well as a link to the KAL. You can also access the KAL via Ravelry. Just type in knitdishcloths in the search for Group.

Santa Hat Washcloth

Santa Hat Washcloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

The first of 2 KALs for December. This is a Santa hat made from Sugar and Creme using size 7 needles. Garter stitch border. Cute, cute, cute. This will be going to my sister, who has requested knitted washcloths, as a test item. I previously made her just an ordinary garter stitch diagonal dishcloth and she loved that.

My photo isn't so good, but better than the one I did before. I need to figure out how to get the lighting just right.

Turkey Washcloth

Turkey Washcloth
Originally uploaded by Tarana5

I rejoined a washcloth group and I made a turkey for the first project! This was part 1 of 2 washcloths for a November KAL. Made with Lion's kitchen cotton and size 6 needles. Cute, cute, cute. I had given up on picture washcloths before because, well, the picture didn't come out. I am a loose knitter and by going down a couple of sizes, it's coming out perfect.

Continuing Quilting Projects

Some new purchases and continued slow work on projects.

I am on No Buy for a year at Stashbusters and this includes books. I can buy B's - backing, background and Batting. I'm also on No Buy for books, but for every 2 quilting books I part with, I can get one. I traded off 2 quilting books at PaperbackSwap this week, so I was able to include a new quilting book in my Amazon order. Honestly, I SHOULD get rid of half my quilting books, but that is too painful of a process. I'll go in bits and pieces.

Butterfly Album: Monarchs & More by Bea Oglesby is the only book I've seen that focuses on appliqueing monarchs. Lots of details to add extra pizzaz to even a plain butterfly block, which is what I was looking for. I'm really taking to applique. I just need to spend more time doing it.

For fabric buys, I got some gold background for doing Bonnie's current mystery. I have plenty of Christmas fabrics in red and green, some solids in tan, but I had no gold background. So, now that I have that, I will be able to start cutting by Monday. If you want to participate, here's the link: http://quiltville.com/carolinachristmas1.shtml. Just go at your own pace, she will keep the instructions up until June. To keep the mystery, just don't click on the next step until you are done with the current one.

Mill End still has the 60% coupon thing going on, so my gold background wasn't very expensive at all. My Mom wants me to make her some cotton jammies, so I have to go back next week and select something for her. Of course, since I get the scraps that will likely bias me as to which fabric I will select. :) Hmm...pink, blue, jungle animals? We shall see. Someone emailed me about Mill End Textiles. No, this is not quilt shop fabric. It compares very favorably with the better quality cottons at both Joann's and Hancock's and I don't hesitate to use it, but I wouldn't use it with primarily quilt shop fabrics just because the feel is different.

I'm still working on socks. I hope to get ONE pair done by the end of the year and that will be the pair I just started last week! There is no design to follow. Just straight sock knitting reusing yarn from an earlier project start. Then I will stop trying to participate in the sock KAL and finish all the ones I have started. After all, I really want to wear them while it is cold! I'm beginning to understand why some people now ONLY do the two-at-a-time method! I'm in!