Purls Beyond Price

Tuesdays Are For Quilting

It's been a long time since I've blogged about the quilt I've been planning for our living room. It's called Black Magic and is comprised of two different blocks combined for spectacular effect. This quilt has been more than a year and a half in the making and I'm so happy to be quilting again. Now that my setup is working, I am dedicating Tuesdays, which I always have off, to the art of my quilting. I won't guarantee that I will always have great pictures, because much of the process is that assembly line I talked about a few posts ago. Yesterday, for instance, I spent much of my quilting time pressing pieces that had already been assembled, and sewing together small units. The top block contains 45 individual pieces of fabric, all of which need to be assembled into smaller bits to work together in the block. The bottom block is somewhat easier, comprising only 19 pieces. So while I only completed one full block (one of the easier ones) yesterday, I made some major progress in the piecing of the smaller units, meaning that the next time I sit down to sew I can probably finish another few blocks easily. All in all there will be 13 of the top block and 12 of the bottom block. Knowing that winter is fast approaching and that the temperature will soon drop, we need a cozy quilt for curling up under while knitting and watching TV.

I did, however, make more than major progress on Boo's Quilt. I finished the top! I cut the borders and applied them. I was a bit worried about the mitered corners of the inner border, but I am very pleased with the way they turned out.

Here's the whole thing laid out on my bed. I love the way the framing around the focal squares really jumps out in contrast to the background. I need to find a nice strong pink fabric for the binding and I'll probably choose a soft pink flannel for the backing. So close! Now I just need to decide if I'm going to quilt it myself or send it off to someone else to do it. Decisions, decisions.

Despite the excitement of the earthquake last night, Rob, Kevin C., Robin, Britta, Juanita, my Kevin, and I converged on Homestead Lanes for $2 Tuesday Night Bowling. We had a fabulous time. Britta and I bowl erratically, but we laughed as our balls rolled down the gutter and we each bowled the occasional spare. Robin was on fire, especially in the last game. Kevin and Rob were consistent. Kevin C. and Juanita were the cheerleading squad, both benched due to injury. Next time, guys! I never pictured myself as a bowler, but this is a lot of fun, our monthly bowling madness.

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

We just had an earthquake. Kevin and I were watching The Daily Show when suddenly Bud began barking. We thought it was just at noise from the TV, so I called him up to lie beside me. Moments later the whole house started to quiver and rock. 5.6 according to the USGS. We're ok, nothing broke. We're just a little freaked. We haven't had an earthquake this big in a while. Living in California is always an adventure.

Grieving

I love my friends, and when one of them is suffering, I suffer along with them. Yesterday afternoon I got two very sad bits of news.

First, I heard from Britta. After watching Kylie's condition worsen Sunday night, she made the incredibly difficult decision to put her to sleep. When I read Britta's blog post I cried and cried. I spent some time with Britta and Kylie late Saturday night after the party and Britta confessed that watching Kylie in pain was killing her. We just sat and petted Kylie, giving her as much love and comfort as we could. By Sunday night, Kylie didn't even want to cuddle with Britta any more. She was clearly in a lot of pain.

I didn't realize until I got home last night that I had missed a call from Britta on my cell phone in the morning. I had offered to go with her to the vet if she wanted company. I felt really badly that I missed it and didn't know what to do to help. Kylie was more than just a pet, she was Britta's constant companion and confidante for nearly twelve years. It's always a fine line when you watch someone you love grieving. You don't want to intrude, but you want to be available when they need you. Kevin and I decided the best thing was to leave some flowers at her door last night. We'll see her tonight and hope to help cheer her.

In the evening I got a call from my friend Kelli. Her good friend George, who has battled multiple myeloma for the past eight years and for whom she walks with Team In Training, lost his fight yesterday afternoon. He passed quietly and Kelli was glad that she had gotten to spend a lot of time with him and his wife Chris in the last couple of weeks of his life. We're sending lots of love and prayers to Chris and Kelli as they grieve for George.

There has been a lot of pain and sorrow in this year. In the pagan tradition, Samhain, which falls on Halloween marks the end of the year. We'll be celebrating with friends tomorrow night and bidding this challenging year of illness and tragedy farewell. Bring on the joy, universe. We all really need it.

Happy Birthday, Binty!

Today is my dear friend Ben's 30th birthday. What better day to tell you about this incredible person who means so much to me and Kevin. I met Ben (aka Binty) through The Choral Project and rejoiced to find a fellow Minnesotan and kindred spirit in him. He is one of the most generous, funny, charming guys you'll ever meet. Always ready to lend a hand or a hug when you need it most. He can be kind of shy and I think that sometimes he really doesn't know how important and wonderful he really is. Over the past couple of years I have watched him really come into himself. He lost a tremendous amount of weight and started taking good care of himself, eating right and exercising. His confidence has grown and he seems so much happier than when I first knew him. I am proud to call him my friend. I love you, Binty!

A bunch of us gathered last night to celebrate with Ben. We met at The Loft in downtown San Jose and had a spectacular dinner (the scampi was delicious) and then trouped around the corner to Jack and Johnathon's place for cake and presents. Britta outdid herself with Ben's cake. It's a chocolate iced chocolate cake, covered with 30 Twinkies. The idea for the cake was born out of a commercial that played before The Simpsons Movie. Britta sculpted the Diving Ben out of modeling chocolate. The look on Ben's face when she presented it was priceless!

I didn't quite get Ben's present finished, so I Tuppered it completely and wrapped it up, needles and all to present for him. The My So Called Scarf is a great pattern, spectacular to show off the beauty of variegated yarns. This one is Schaefer Yarns Miss Priss in the Elena Piscopia colorway.

The rest of the weekend was busy as well. Saturday was Britta's annual Halloween party. I taught Saturday morning and worked all day, so I was tired by the time evening rolled around. I was at a loss for a costume. Nothing really fits at this stage and Debbie Lyn's closet had nothing that caught my eye. I finally just rolled into some pjs and declared my costume "Cranky Pregnant Lady." As always, the decor and food were fabulous, with so many tiny details it would take a week to describe. Britta always does a smashing job with her parties and this one was no exception, despite the fact that she is very worried about the health of her kitty, Kylie. We're all praying that Kylie will be ok.

There have been goodies in the mail. I received a terrific Boo-ty Swap package from Rosana. Inside was the cutest crocheted pumpkin you've ever seen (with clever use of snaps for eyes), a sock kitty in colors that make my heart sing, a quilting pattern, a skein of Tofuttsies, a tiny skein of baby yarn, a pencil and eraser set, stickers for the girls and Callebaut dark chocolate (oh, I have a sinful lust for Callebaut chocolate!). Thank you for being a wonderful pal, Rosana! And my pal got her package too!

And to top it all off, my October Rockin' Sock Club package arrived. You cannot imagine my delight. This is absolutely the most perfect color. It could not possibly suit me better. Tina and co., you have really outdone yourselves this time. I could just dive into the depths of those luscious shades and die happy. Along with the to-die-for STR is a beautiful pattern designed by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. This is the most excited I've been about a sock pattern yet this year.

Recently I've lost my sock mojo. I still haven't finished my Winter's Eve socks from last year's club, or my Nodding Violet socks. I don't even have any others on the needles (well, except my long lost Pomatomus, but that's been shoved in the UFO bag). I've not even cast on any of the Sock Club socks from this year yet. This shipment may just be the jump start I needed. Just yesterday I had a really cool idea for a pattern....

Almost a Quilt

My Friday evening plans were canceled and Kevin had been asked to play percussion for The Choral Project's performance, so I headed home for a nice quiet evening alone. Some days it's the most blissful feeling to just be by oneself. I don't do it nearly enough. I decided that I would spend most of the night in bed with a movie and some knitting, but I really wanted to get Boo's quilt a little closer to finished. I took 45 minutes and sewed the 12 blocks together. Now I only have to cut out and attach the borders and it will be ready to layer with backing and batting. I prefer not to chose the backing until I have the quilt top assembled. I like to get the big picture first. Some time this week I'll make a run to The Granary to find some flannel in the right color. By next weekend I'll have finished my second major project for the little one.

All this makes me realize how much I miss quilting. I have a couple other lingering projects that I'd like to make some progress on before the baby comes, and another beautiful quilt that is all cut out and just waiting for assembly that will be a very special gift for someone I love dearly. Nita mentioned recently that there hasn't been a lot of quilting on the blog since she's known me. I think it's time to change that. Expect more soon.

Box Full of Blocks

The blocks for Boo's quilt are done! Having my sewing machine set up so I can sit down and piece a few bits at a time is really working well. Over the past 3 mornings, I managed to assemble all 12 blocks for the quilt. They're nestled safely in a lovely box that I found at The Container Store (thanks to a fabulous tip from Kaye), designed to hold 12x12 scrapbooking paper. It's the right size to hold quilt squares too and it prevents them from getting wrinkled or dirty when they're in storage. It's the perfect solution and less expensive than similar boxes I've seen at the quilting store. I bought one for each of the quilts I have in progress. I'm pleased with the blocks and can't wait to get them assembled into a complete top, add the borders and get this quilt finished for the little Boo girl.

While I've spent most of my knitting time in the past two days plying, plying and plying some more, I got enough knitting in to complete the yoke of Mr. Greenjeans. I took all the stitches off onto waste yarn once I completed the raglan increases, to discover that the armholes weren't quite deep enough. I did another couple of sets to accommodate my broad shoulders and I'll adjust the stitch count on the body before I get to the cable rib section. The Chasing Rainbows Kid Merino is lovely to knit with, with the exception of a bit of veg matter that needs to be picked out every so often. I'm thrilled with the color and I am certain that this will be a sweater I will wear a great deal. I need cardigans in my wardrobe. I see great potential for Mr. Greenjeans. Thank you, Amy for another great design!

Spinning Battles

I've been working on spinning my first Sheep 2 Shoe kit for a while now. I picked it up from Blue Moon at Stitches and started it on my Ashford Traditional wheel. Since then, my spinning has vastly improved and I've upgraded to a Louet Victoria wheel. The bobbin spun on the Ashford is in the center, the bobbin on the right was spun on the Victoria, and my final bobbin is a thing of beauty, clearly evincing my growing skill and control. Yesterday I set about plying. I'm pretty much a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants spinner, with no formal training. I learn a lot by trial and error. This was my first go at a three ply yarn and it's a good deal more difficult than the two ply I did in my last spinning project. The addition of a third element made for some interesting juggling, especially when the Victoria began acting all out of sorts.

About a third of the way into the bobbin, the flyer began to spontaneously unseat itself from the housing in the whorl. Normally the flyer clicks into place with a little magnet inside the whorl and holds fast. I'd reseat it, start to spin, spin along for a ways and then it would wiggle its way out again. It was frustrating to no end, especially as I was trying to hold the three plies under tension every time I had to stop, so the flyer needed to be juggled with one hand.

I gave up after a single bobbin. Sandi and I will take a look at the wheel today to see if there's an adjustment that needs to be made or if I have a faulty whorl or flyer. Meanwhile, I'm happy with the result. It's not as evenly plied as I'd like, but not bad for my first attempt. I'll wind it off onto the niddy noddy at work and then you'll be able to see the full spectrum of the pink, cream and grey. The barber pole effect is quite lovely and I think they'll knit up into fantastic socks.

Making good progress on Mr. Greenjeans. Should divide the sleeves from the body later today. I put the Jitterbug sweater on hold just for a couple of days in favor of spinning and quilting. More quilt squares to show you soon!

Why I Wasn't at Rhinebeck

Well, apart from the obvious, that traveling far away from home really doesn't seem like a good or even appealing thing right now. This weekend was horse show weekend and one when Kevin and I had the girls. The girls and I were up well before the crack of dawn this morning and on our way to the stable before the stars had winked out of the sky. In fact, we saw a magnificent shooting star as we sped up the freeway.

The recent rainy weather meant that the show reverted to the Rainy Day Schedule, compressing many of the classes and taking place all within the covered arena.  RDS always makes for a very, very long day, and today was no exception. We arrived about 6 am, so the girls could groom and prepare their horses for the 6:45 practice rounds. Competition started at 8:30.

Both the girls had good shows. Kaelyn ribboned in several events, and though Karin didn't come home with any ribbons, she and Ubu did quite well, considering that this was the first show in which she rode solely in jumping classes and in most cases was the youngest competitor in the ring.

The best part of the day was the special Costume Class that happens only at the October show. Kaelyn commissioned Grandma to make a matching vest and saddle pad and walked away with Most Original Costume for her Vegas Pals concept. Karin and Ubu received an Honorable Mention for their interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood.

Since I'm not at Rhinebeck, I decided to invoke a bit of that special Rhinebeck magic by finally knitting some of the spectacular yarn that I picked up there two years ago. I absolutely fell in love with Chasing Rainbows' Kid Merino when I fondled Julia's cardigan and then saw it in person in Nancy Finn's booth. I ordered a sweater's worth and Nancy dyed it up specially for me as soon as she was home. This is the Reds colorway and it is very quickly becoming a Mr. Greenjeans. A fast, easy, and totally fun knit.

And in FO Land, I have another project to show you. Robin requested some fingerless mitts to keep her hands warm on cold mornings while she's keyboarding at the office. I whipped up a pair of Fetching last week for her birthday (we're not quite birthday twins, but with only about 4 and a half days separating us, we might as well be). I chose Dream in Color Classy in Blue Lagoon and knit them up in a flash on 4mm dpns. They were gifted at her almost-surprise party on Friday night, a gathering of good friends that we don't get to hang out with nearly often enough. I've promised (and started) a hat to go along with the mitts and complete the set. Happy Birthday, Robin!

Taking the day off from blogging tomorrow so Kevin and I can celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. He already brought me roses. What a guy!

A Blanket for Baby

FO! I finished the Pinwheel Blanket for Boo last night. The last wedge was knit at the shop in between bouts of spinning (so close to finishing that last bobbin of my Sheep 2 Shoe kit in Pink Granite!) and shop responsibilities. I sewed the seam between the first and last wedges while Kevin and I watched Grey's Anatomy on the DVR. This morning I pressed the whole thing and now it's done, added to the pile of darling things just waiting for Boo to arrive.

Now that my belly is really starting to pook out, her arrival is becoming more real. We're starting to have those alien moments when all of a sudden a big wave moves across my belly. Pregnancy is such an amazing and exhausting process!

Of course finishing something gives one leave to cast on something new. I've been lusting after Swing, the cover sweater of the Colinette Jitterbug book. It's a boxy, open cardigan. When this batch of Jitterbug came in, I knew that the Castagna colorway was meant to be mine. Olive, dusky pink, chocolate and bits of burgundy combine into a gorgeous fabric when knit in the double moss stitch. The whole thing is knit on 3.25mm needles, but I'm not daunted. This is my progress on the sleeve in just one day.

Amy asked in the comments about the pattern for Boo's quilt. It's from Threads on the Floor. The pattern is "Framed." I picked up the pattern, the focal fabric and borders at The Granary the day after we found out that Boo is a girl. So far as I know, the Granary is the only retail shop currently carrying the pattern, and I highly recommend them for both their beautiful selection of fabrics and their wonderful customer service (tell Paula or Susan that I sent you).

We're off for a busy weekend. The shop is hosting a PartyLite party to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness tomorrow evening at 5pm (feel free to drop by for some early holiday shopping).  We'll be at the stable all day Sunday for a horse show. Hope that your weekend is warm and wonderful.

Assembly Line

Quilting, unlike most of my knitting, is a modular affair. As I'm sort of a big picture kind of gal, I can find this a bit frustrating, so usually when embarking upon a new quilting project, I cut out all the pieces and assemble one full block, just so I can see how everything is going to come together. This also helps me identify any problem spots where I need to be particularly careful in my piecing. After that first block is finished, I use an assembly line technique to put together the smaller modules that make up the block. This morning I pieced all the background and frame point pieces. They still need to be trimmed and pressed. This is a relatively simple block and it all should go together very quickly. My machine is happily humming along and I'm very pleased to be back to the quilting again.

Meanwhile, a longer than usual orthodontist appointment for Kaelyn yesterday gave me some concentrated time to work on Boo's Pinwheel Blankie. I've got one more wedge to finish, a little seaming, and a steam blocking to go and then that will be done. This is going to be one cozy baby!