Crochet Swap

Finished my swap and mailed everything. Here's examples of the two 8 inch squares that I made. The one on the right is slightly curled, but that goes away after a day or so letting the yarn settle down. I used the same flower pattern that I used in Mom's afghan for the second sans the leaves. This was fun. I hope to participate in another!


Here's the Potsticker (temporary name). As much as I wanted to call her Mittens, I have now bowed to family pressure to come up with a 'better' name. So, I'm working on it. I'm thinking something Russian or Celtic. She has very thick, but short fur. She loves her pot, but it's clear that she is going to outgrow it in a couple of months.

Now, before you think we have only one cat in a pot, here's Alice in a hanging pot. I thought that she leaped from the computer, but later saw her climb the palm tree and leap from that. Unfortunately, she is likely to be a smaller cat than out Potsticker, so will be able to do this for longer. We are still puzzled as to how she got on top of the Grandfather's clock. The shell hanging is supposed to be in the bathroom, but the kittens were trying to climb it (lower hook) so temporarily relocated in this area.


Finally, Cuddles takes over the top of the computer. Trying to keep her off is really hard although I keep trying. It's warm. It has a preinstalled toy (the leaves of the palm tree).

Finishing Up A Swap

I'm working like mad to finish squares for my crochet swap. Yes, I'm going to be late, but I want the squares right! I didn't realize until I put the squares together to mail (1 each of 2 different designs) that I had used 'soft white' on some and 'bright white' on others. So, I've been speedily recrocheting the soft white ones (since the instructions were to use a pure white). I've done many, many swaps and this is only the second time I've ever been late. I hate that.

Several reasons why I am not on the computer as often lately is that I hate to keep waking up sleeping cats. They all love to sleep in the computer chair including Cleo-Claudine (Mamacat). If I put them down, at least one hops on the back of the chair waiting for me to stand up to turn the computer on (so they can quickly take over the chair again). That's what Bart here did. He gets his photo taken for doing that.

Here's what I usually find. One or more cats sleeping on the rug on the chair. By the way, Allison (the little calico you see pictured here) hates getting her photo taken. When she hears me turning on the digital camera, she runs. I guess I flashy-flashed her too many times, ya think? Pictured here are Cuddles and Allison.

Wreath Wallhanging Done!

Yes, another project done! I completed this Wreath Wallhanging as a gift for my brother. It's about 28 inches square. The greens were purchased new, while the rest is from stash. The pattern is from a Mystery in Quiltmaker Magazine (2001?). I have actually made a 2nd top of the same pattern for me, but will have to quilt it after I've finished the crochet swap which I have to mail on Monday. What is nice about this small project is that it gave me an opportunity to try out some quilting motifs that I would like to use on larger bed quilts. Both were surprisingly easy to do by machine, although I may change the ribbons just a little bit. I have to check with my brother as to how he wants to hang this--I think he actually has decorative clips so no sleeve or tabs may be necessary.


The center motif came from a Helen Squire in Helen's Copy and Use Quilting Patterns

The ribbon motif comes from Quiltmaker Motifs volume 3.


[edited to add] This pattern is now separately published by Quiltmaker and is available at their website. The title of the pattern is Yuletide Wreath.
http://www.quiltmaker.com/special/patterns/

Baby Afghan Completed!

Even despite illness, I managed to finish the baby afghan! I need a better photo. No matter where I try to take a photo, I can see dirt from the potted plants (all due to the Potsticker who insists on sleeping in plant pots). I haven't washed this afghan yet, so it's not a problem.


Here's the details. The afghan is 32 x 32 inches. I knit loosely, so used a size 7 circular needles. The finished product used 2 skeins of Bernat Sweet Stripes in Candy. While the pattern is not new and unique, it's easier to print it off from the Bernat site, so I'm providing a link for the pattern details. It's free to join.
http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=1796

It's Getting Bigger!

Hi all! I'm still sick, but actually accomplishing a litte. Visited the doc and have drugs. Hopefully improvement will occur soon. I've been working on the baby afghan and that's coming along nicely. The edging comes out so nice! I have to take my brother to his medical appointment, so will get another 2 or 3 hours on it tomorrow. Nice, brainless knitting. I needed that.
Knitting notion organization can be a challenge. One of my current problems is that my storage solution for my circulars isn't working for me any longer. I have too much stuff and the container (a 4 inch ring binder with plastic see-through pencil cases) takes up too much room for what is stored inside (circulars). At the time, there were not really storage solutions for circulars, but a recent visit with the Patternworks catalog has brought up a few options for me to consider so that I can leave my bookshelf space up for books.

Here's what I'm considering that is premade. The least expensive is $18 and is this square, floppy holder. This is exactly what I do with the binder already. The problem is, I don't think it holds enough 'pages' to contain my variety of needles. My 32 inch circulars would have to be turned twice to fit. Patternworks does sell empty pages allowing you to use you own 'container.' Maybe I should adapt the cross-stitch zipper bag I bought that didn't work for me into something like this? Hmm. Still doesn't really help my 32 inchers.

This one has some cool design features I really like despite the expense ($39). There's no zippers to deal with, easy open/close, cool fabric covering. Will easily hold multiple needles (you know, 16, 22 and 32 inch). The quilting gives some stability to the 'pages' so they aren't flopping around. It's also something I could potentially make myself using some fabulous quilting fabric on the outside and being sure that I have enough space for the 32 inchers. It appears to take up a lot less space than my current storage system. Still has the problem of curling every time you take it out.

The final option ($20) that I'm considering is this one that hangs in the closet. Closet space I have. I don't have to have needles immediately at the ready; my closet is certainly close enough. I also like the fact that by not recurling the circulars into a pouch, I don't have to restraighten them for every project, thus they would last longer. However, I can help but think that it potentially could be easy to pull more than the needles I want out. Anybody ever try this? This is one that I can also make myself.


Ok..more kitty photos! Here's what I have to contend with while computing. We are forever cleaning up dirt as a result of visitors in the plants. This one prefers it as her personal sleeping space. She does however, prove that she will make an excellent computer cat. Also, she has shown a definite preference for afghans over quilts. It's that fluffy Homespun, I'm sure.


Finally, the naming issues. Look at this adorable kitten. My Mom named her Mittens. It took me a while to warm up to Mittens and now I like it. Now my sister wants to name her Julia. So, cast your comments folks! Should she be a Mittens or a Julia?

No Progress This Week

I haven't been working on anything since my last post. I've been fighting off a bug that everybody has been getting and yesterday finally gave up the ghost and went to bed. Still in bed most of today as well. Teaching kittens to nap is lots harder than I remembered. They want to keep bouncing and I can't keep them out of the darn closet. Anyway, I expect to be better later this week. Tonight is 24, so I have 2 hours of either knitting or crocheting. After that, most of the remainder of the week will be devoted to finishing a crochet swap. I'm halfway done, but didn't want to work on it when feeling out of sorts.

I do have a question. I already have no sense of smell. How can a cold make food taste worse? I can't even taste the chocolate in my chocolate chip ice cream cone.

More Kittens

OK.. more kitten photos. Monochromatic kitties (and black ones) are very difficult to photograph. Add to that is cooperation! Sylvester (right colors, but I don't think he has the same temperment as the TV cat), is very relaxed for this photo session. Look at those pretty eyes! He's the largest of the kittens.

On the other hand, Cuddles is the smallest of the kitties. She is named for her constant need for cuddles as well as providing lots of purring action. She also has pretty green eyes. She has been talking since birth. The only time she's quiet is when she's out cold for a nap or about to attack a sibling.

New Knitting Book

Hey, I bought a knitting book! Don't get too many of those since most of my knitting is sweaters. But this is handy no matter what you make. Now, many of you probably have the original Knitter's Companion. This is the new and revised edition and, for me, a big improvement. I particularly like the section on weaving/sewing finished sections. Anyway, it was certainly worth my cash this time around. Although it looks like it's been around since last year, it just showed up at our Borders today and I bought it! At this point, I think I have plenty of knitting reference books. No reference book has everything you need, alas.

I am still working on the baby afghan and I'm more than halfway done. When I have managed to decrease enough that my work stays on the needles better, I will provide a photo. It's going along slower, but I do try to do two rows daily as well as take it along to work on during dead time.

Some Kitty Photos

Somehow, I just can't get good photos of all 5, so I will give you what I've taken in the last week or so.

First, we have Bart. Yes, as in Black Bart. He has no white at all. Nice fuzzy fur. Very sturdy little guy but has too much adventure in him for his own good. He generally prefers to come up for pets, not be held, but I'm teaching him (Aquari-Yum treats help).


This is dark calico girl. My Mom has suggested the name Mittens. I kindof like that. Suggestions are welcome. Likes me to hold her. Purrs a lot. Is afraid of my mirror.

This is the pale calico (the black color is all broken up). She has a shy personality. Cute. Doesn't want to be held unless SHE wants to be held. My sister suggested Alice. My Dad suggested Mitzi (not a chance, I say).

I've Been Tagged (a few times)

I've been tagged by 3 others so far, so I thought I'd finally post something. I don't know who to tag, so I'm just a leak in the game. The question is....6 weird things about me.

Six Weird Things About Me

1. I talk to cats and my computer. Most of the time, it's polite.
2. I talk to myself too. Just have to remember not to do it in public ("Now, how did I miss that stitch?" or "What have we here?")
3. I am a neurotic map looker upper. Mapquest and I are buddies. If someone indicates they are from some hole-in-the-wall place, I gotta look it up. I just can't help myself.
4. I tend to spend money on fabric and yarn before buying needed clothing or footwear. There is 6 inches of snow and I still have no boots.
5. I hate shopping but I like errands. I avoid clothing shopping until I have nothing left in wearable condition. And then I still avoid it! I can do errands all day. Food shopping I tolerate.
6. The word "utilize" makes me totally crazy. The correct form is use, used, using or usage. People have enough trouble understanding each other without popularizing useless government speak. Family members say it to torment me.

Quilting Books

Given my large collection of quilting books (130 plus), you would probably guess that I'm not that selective. No, it's really because there is a quilt or two in each book that I really want to do! Except for applique, there are no reference books here because I use the internet for that. Everybody's list would vary, of course. For instance, some folks pay others to quilt their quilts, so may not want something that helps you quilt on your machine. If I had to cut back to only 20 quilting books, these are the ones I would keep. Most are chosen either for a technique or for a multitude of traditional patterns. Most of these books are currently in print or easily available via online used sources. I have not found an online source for Delightful Applique. In no particular order:

400 Quilt Blocks by Linda Causee (cutting directions for 6, 9 and 12 inch blocks)
Reversible Quilts by Sharon Pederson
101 Nine Patch Quilts by Judy Martin
The Border Workbook by Janet Kime (really, any good border book, there are several)
Fat Quarter Friendly by Mariann Fons
Thimbleberries Book of Quilts by Lynette Jensen
Divide and Conquer by Nancy Smith
Applique 12 Easy Ways by Elly Sienkiewicz
Show Me How To Machine Quilt by Kathy Sandbach
Quick and Easy Scrap Quilts by Leisure Arts
Our Best Seasonal Quilts by Fons and Porter
Quick Quilts from Your Scrap Bag by Leisure Arts
Hawaiian Applique by Vicki Fleming
Rotary Roundup by Judy Martin
Block Magic by Nancy Johnson-Srebro
505 Quilt Blocks by Better Homes & Gardens (resizable blocks, both pieced and applique)
Quick Rotary Cutter Quilts by Pam Bono
Wild Goose Chase Quilts by Eleanor Burns
Log Cabin Quilts by Eleanor Burns (her method is now widely demonstrated on the internet).
Delightful Applique (and I don't know author offhand - resizeable applique motifs).

For other crafts, I don't actually have all that many books.

Internet Housekeeping

I have spent a lot of the past couple of weeks doing a lot of housekeeping on my accounts. I get WAY too much Email and I just can't stand it any more. So, while some of my messages are now going to special folders, a lot of it just goes to the junk mail and I'll check it if I get to it. I have 2 email accounts--one for MSN and one that is my permanent email address at Yahoo.com. The filtering systems of both of these systems has been wonderful to eliminate most of the spam mail--it's mail that I've asked for that has gotten out of hand!

In addition, I've been adding more functionality to my blog here. Check out those side margins! After upgrading to the newer version, it's much easier for us non-HTLM literate folk to add links. I'm trying to put useful things there, so that even if I'm not a daily poster, you'll enjoy something new whenever you visit. Also on the bottom of this blog, you will see 18 of my most recent quilts. Eventually, I'll add other crafts, but I haven't figured out how to grab from other albums yet. I wish making a web page were this easy. Alas.

On the kitty side, yes, we still have them. All of them. They are very troublesome, but cute as anything. Leaping is one of their favorite pasttimes now. In fact, just the other night they leaped upon the fireplace, knocking over my grandmother's vase (it's about 60 years old). Fortunately, the vase didn't suffer too much damage. I'll paint the chip marks. What was funny was running into the livingroom and seeing 3 kittens next to each other, on the fireplace, looking down as though they had no idea how that vase landed on the ground. We're innocent! We don't know how it got there!

For crafts, I've been hard at work on a couple of quilting projects as well as half way done now with the knitted baby afghan. I'm also getting progress on the Rectangle Granny Afghan.

Doggie Baby Quilt

I finished the Dog Rail Fence Baby quilt today! Quilt is about 37 x 56 inches and straight stitch quilted using 100% poly fusible batting (June Taylor). Very simple design: alternating 6 inch finished blocks with rail fences. It took me 3 days from start to finish to complete. I'm so amazed! I've never done a rail fence pattern before! This is a totally non-traditional baby quilt. On the flip side, is a pretty rose pattern (it is, after all, for a little girl).

I like this quilt, but I wish I had more of the dog fabric. I added rails to each end to make it crib size, but I just think the additional dog blocks would have been better. When you fussy cut in large squares you need a LOT more fabric than you think. I had 1 1/4 yards and that still wasn't enough for this quilt. On the other hand, this is a great quilt to use a lot of novelty fabric.


Now, for an added comment. I really don't like the fusible batting. It doesn't stay stuck all that well on the edges. In addition, I really like that shrinkage to bring attention to the quilting, which adds to the coziness. I didn't prewash my fabrics, so those shrunk slightly, but I think 100% poly just isn't my thing. It was very fast to use instead of pinning, but it's one of those things where speed just doesn't make up for the lack of coziness.

Baby Quilt Progress

I continue to work on the baby afghan, but I'm not sure I will get it done before Saturday, so decided to devote today and tomorrow to finishing the baby quilt.

I finished the emergency baby quilt top today. I plan to try a fusible batting on this one, so will be fusing it tonight. This might seem a strange baby quilt, but the mom-to-be comes from a family who has had German Shorthair Pointers for longer than she's been alive. She has one also. I didn't have quite enough doggie blocks to go to the last two rows, so just used the rail fence blocks to finish. Sorry for the angle. I was up on a chair to take a photo and didn't realize it was upside down, so it has sortof a weird effect looking at it. The back will be pink. Not sure what I'm going to use for a binding. The pink I bought doesn't exactly work to my Mom's satisfaction, so we'll have to see. I fussy cut all of the doggie blocks, but my placement of the blocks in the quilt wasn't exactly the best, but we'll just go with that. The final quilt will be about 37 x 57 inches. I used 6 inch finished blocks.

Quilting Books

Given my large collection of quilting books (130 plus), you would probably guess that I'm not that selective. No, it's really because there is a quilt or two in each book that I really want to do! Except for applique, there are no reference books here because I use the internet for that. Everybody's list would vary, of course. For instance, some folks pay others to quilt their quilts, so may not want something that helps you quilt on your machine. If I had to cut back to only 20 quilting books, these are the ones I would keep. Most are chosen either for a technique or for a multitude of traditional patterns. Most of these books are currently in print or easily available via online used sources. I have not found an online source for Delightful Applique (Update: Here is a link: http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=802)

In no particular order:

• 400 Quilt Blocks by Linda Causee (cutting directions for 6, 9 and 12 inch blocks)
• Reversible Quilts by Sharon Pederson
• 101 Nine Patch Quilts by Judy Martin
• The Border Workbook by Janet Kime (really, any good border book, there are several)
• Fat Quarter Friendly by Mariann Fons
• Thimbleberries Book of Quilts by Lynette Jensen
• Divide and Conquer by Nancy Smith
• Applique 12 Easy Ways by Elly Sienkiewicz
• Show Me How To Machine Quilt by Kathy Sandbach
• Quick and Easy Scrap Quilts by Leisure Arts
• Our Best Seasonal Quilts by Fons and Porter
• Quick Quilts from Your Scrap Bag by Leisure Arts
• Hawaiian Applique by Vicki Fleming
• Rotary Roundup by Judy Martin
• Block Magic by Nancy Johnson-Srebro
• 505 Quilt Blocks by Better Homes & Gardens (resizable blocks, both pieced and applique)
• Quick Rotary Cutter Quilts by Pam Bono
• Wild Goose Chase Quilts by Eleanor Burns
• Log Cabin Quilts by Eleanor Burns (her method is now widely demonstrated on the internet).
• Delightful Applique (Piece O Cake Designs - resizeable applique motifs).

For other crafts, I don't actually have all that many books.

Block Progress

I am still knitting daily on the baby afghan. It progresses in length slower and slower as you add stitches, so doesn't really look much different that the photo a few days ago. Looks good though. Oh, and I got a new crochet book! If you like flower afghans, this one is worth it!! Includes some 3D flowers as well. It's called A Crocheter's Garden of Afghans put out by Leisure Arts. Bought it at Amazon.


As you know, I have a hard time finishing things because I start new things. Some of these things are long term projects that will all be done by the end of the year. These are the ones I've started so far. I have a couple of past BOMs that I want to work on as well, but haven't gotten that far.

First, the 2007 BOM at QATW has a 2nd block! As mentioned last time, I'm doing it in two different colorways both of which are from stash. The first shows colors pulled from the Debbie Mumm focus fabric. My border is going to be pieced with Flying Geese. The second is Christmas fabric left over from my Christmas Snowball quilt. I have enough for the blocks,but will have to come up with something interesting for the border.

A quilt-a-long I joined is based on the pattern in Debbie McCaffrey's book Open A Can of Worms. I have a ton of floral strips to use up, so that is what I am using. The hostess has provided different instructions for those without the book, but the results are already looking great! So, here's my first 2 blocks. Due to the baby afghan, I can't really work on this until later in the month, but at least I know this is working! If these fabrics look familiar, most of them are leftovers from the Floral Triple Irish Chain Quilt done last Spring. That quilt is mostly quilted. Just haven't figured out what to put in the white centers.


Finally, my focus project for 2007 is to finish my 1000 Pyramids quilt. I started collecting charms for this back in 1993 and started cutting them a few years ago while listening to audio books (specifically Harry Potter). I have about 600 charms cut and have now completed 40 of the estimated 118 blocks needed. A new Harry Potter book comes out this year, so if I check out the last one again for a refresher, and then the new one, I should get plenty of charm cutting in. If you like Harry Potter and have never heard one the audio books, go to your library and check out the first one. Jim Dale is fabulous and came out of retirement just to do these books. This is one of the very few audio books that I've enjoyed listening to multiple times.

I highly recommend using a one size template if you are doing a charm quilt. The one size is also great for plowing through odd-shaped scraps. I've been using the ones designed by Pepper Cory for several different shaped charm quilts and they are wonderful. The 1/4 inch is marked off so you can see exactly what you are cutting and center it accordingly. However, I believe EZQuilting has discontinued their manufacture. You can still find some on Ebay now and then. Joann's recently was selling individual shapes, at a higher price, but they may be a one time thing. Here's a link to what I bought.
http://www.ezquilt.com/products/acrylictools/classic.htm

Updated Blogger

I finally updated my background layout today, so I'm sure you will see a lot of changes in the sidebar. Let me know what you think of the layout. It will take me quite a while to add labels to all the prior posts, but I will try to do a few every time I post something and hopefully will finish that process in a month or so.

I also joined Library Thing as a means to share what sort of books I buy for my crafts. Despite selling over 30 quilting books in the past year, I still have more than 130 quilting books. Not all of my needlecraft books are listed yet and I've nearly reached the 200 book limit (for free account). Let me know if seeing any of these books inspired you to buy one. Just trying to figure out whether this is a useful feature to include or not.

Pattern Misdirections

I have a gripe today. I'm not complaining about mistakes in quilting patterns. They happen even with the most care taken. You have to follow the old adage (well, maybe not that old) of always doing one block before you cut all the rest of your fabric. Sortof like backing up your harddrive...you should, but how many of us do it regularly? Even after we have a major crash and lose everything, right?

What I'm complaining about is magazines not keeping the pattern corrections up past a year or two. It doesn't take that much space on a website to include cutting directions. It is extremely annoying when you know there had to have been corrections and they just delete them!

The subject of my ire today is Quiltmaker. I had cut the little fabric pieces for the blocks for Snowmen In The Woods in the November/December 2003 Quiltmaker Issue. I was willing to torment myself with a little paperpiecing (and you know how I hate that) because this was so darn cute and thankfully, a wall hanging. I needed to get this done before I started the baby quilt or lose the little pieces. So, I made all the little snowballs. When I started to attach background to the finished snowballs, I discovered that both snowball measurements were 1/4 inch too large. Now, I'm stuck. I don't have more of the White-on-White. So, it's either buy another fabric, or recut all the rest of the background, plus recalculate the sashings (which, I had not cut yet).

I went to the website to see if there were any other cutting misdirections only to find out that Quiltmaker only maintains corrections for 2 years. TWO years?? That's it?!? They still have this magazine for sale in their backissues dept. and they can't manage to keep them up for more than two years?

Magazines survive on resubscribers and I actually was thinking of subscribing again despite my distaste for paperpiecing (which is why I stopped my subscription after 9 years). I don't know if I have the incentive to do that now. But I do know that I'm going through my list of quilt patterns kept from various magazines to make certain I have any corrections.

Here's a photo from Quiltmaker of the final quilt.

Baby Afghan

I'm making progress on the baby afghan. I'm 25% done according to the pattern directions. I may make it a little bigger than pattern directions, but not a lot. This brand of circular needles always curls. It doesn't particularly bother me when knitting, but it's hard to straighten out for a photo! This yarn is VERY light, so it's perfect for a March baby. Had we been going into Winter instead of out of it, this would not have been a good choice for yarn. My intentions for working on my Banff sweater have been laid aside until I get this afghan done.

Here's a tired kitten. After an hour of pulling dirt out of plant pots, racing up and down this old chair, attacking fellow kittens and general mayhem, she had to take a nap. Usually the all black kitten is looking out the window (he loves to watch vehicles-typical male), but he was off doing something else.

Also, if you knit and own a cat (or are owned by one), there is a Ring of Knitting Kitties (knitters who own cats). It's a very large ring and I'm keeping a link in my "Other Blogs Read" section. There are 522 blogs there and I've already found several interesting knitting sites/patterns.

Baby Gifts

Well, my No-buy didn't last too long, but at least I didn't spend as much as is typical. I was surprised to find out that my Mom's neighbor's daughter's baby shower (got that? try again slowly) is Jan 20 instead of February. I need to finish an afghan and a quilt by then. She is having a girl and lists brown and pink as her colors.

I started on the afghan last night (photos when I find my camera). I'm knitting a traditional dishcloth afghan using that new self-striping yarn by Bernat called Sweet Stripes. I chose Candy Stripes. This photo shows the colors a little more intense than they are, but it is a lovely color combo.

In addition, I found the perfect dog fabric featuring their dog, a German Shorthair at Hancock Fabrics. It's by Robert May for Cranston.

I'm going to cut out 5 or 6 inch squares centering the dog and do alternate dog blocks that are somewhat babyish or comical. Not sure what yet. That's the thing about quilting. You can really specialize an item to fit a person's hobbies. It will include at least one Puppus Doggus block. This means, of course, I will be making 2 as the pattern was a donation to help provide money for two dog service organizations. Here's a link to the free block, but remember, if you use send a pup or a buck to Ami Simms.
http://www.amisimms.com/pupdogbloc.html
Also, there is a site that has most breeds of dogs individually on fabric. I have not ordered from this place before. A little pricey but probably due to small runs. They certainly have a lot of dog breeds here! http://www.hotdiggitydog.com/ Had I the time, I would have ordered fabric from here.