Purls Beyond Price

Setting Options

All the mis-sewn pieces have been frogged and set to rights. It didn't take long, but it was a dratted inconvenience. At any rate, now that I have a few blocks to play with, I've started playing with setting options. When working with a single block design there are generally lots of options and I won't make a decision until I have all the blocks finished and can lay the whole thing out, but here, with only 4 blocks I began my exploration. This first is a classic setting, the Pinwheel. This is a visually interesting, but rather busy setting.

The second is called the Medallion. This setting would allow for a large quilted motif in the large fields of color. My free motion quilting isn't fantastic, but I'm willing to try my hand at it again. It's a pretty setting and really shows off the shading of the small triangles. I chose two blue batiks that coordinate with the colors in the one print, a monochrome berry motif batik. This is probably the simplest setting, but I won't be sure if I like it until I see all the blocks set this way.

This one reminds me of flying geese. It would give the quilt a very strong, directional feel, and I think I'm more partial to balanced, symmetrical settings. Yes, I have symmetry issues. I'm a Libra after all. Still, it's interesting and deserving of a bit more consideration. It occurs to me that using this setting, but changing the direction of the setting in each of the four corners might make for an interesting overall design. Again, I'll ponder when all the blocks are finished.

This is the final setting I played with this morning. Not at all sure that I even like it, but it is a very different setting for this block.

Soon all of the blocks will be finished and I will have finished the third quilt top in two months. Perhaps I'll even have the whole thing ready to send off to Sammo and Katie in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Christmas knitting continues. I've finished a pair of fingerless mitts, I have two lace repeats left on a shawl and half a very large sock knit. I expect the shawl to be done this weekend and soon I'll have boxes packed to send to folks far away. It's a good thing too, we're starting a Twist knitalong at the shop this weekend and I just picked out some gorgeous Plymouth Royal Silk Merino for it. Can't wait to cast on!

We Frog in Quilting Too

I got a little overzealous last week. I had three days off in a row and I threw myself at my quilting like a woman possessed. Unfortunately I apparently wasn't in possession of all my faculties, because I managed to sew almost all of the set up pieces for the blocks of Sammo's quilt incorrectly. I'm not usually so geometrically challenged, but all of them were off by 90º. I was most displeased. I was even more so when I realized that I could not locate a seam ripper anywhere. I finally borrowed one from my mom and frogged out hours of piecing. Ack!

I spent most of yesterday repiecing and hoping that the pieces weren't too skewed from being ripped and pressed. I made up all the lost work and this morning started to complete the blocks. I had sewn half a dozen or so when I walked over to the ironing board to press them, only to find that I had sewn the pieces to the opposite ends of where they belonged. I almost smacked my head against the wall! More frogging has commenced and soon all the blocks will be finished - correctly, I hope! Then it's time to decide on a setting. That's one of my favorite parts of quilting. I get to lay all the blocks out and arrange them in multitudes of ways. It's sort of like Colorforms™ for quilters. I'll post pictures later in the week, I promise.

Thankful Beyond Measure

It's natural on Thanksgiving to reflect on all the things one has to be thankful for. I find this year that I am incredibly blessed and more thankful for the beauty in my life than I have words to express. Here's a short list:

1. Family. I am rich in family, both the one I was born into and the one I have chosen. I have aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, siblings, parents, grandparents, a loving husband, beautiful daughters, and more that give me a place to be from. Their unconditional love and support have sustained me through triumph, tragedy, and trauma. I also have a growing family of friends, real, honest-to-god friends who bring love and laughter to my days, who remind me to remain true to myself and share my joys and sorrows. When I count the numbers of people in my family, I am truly stunned.
2. My work. I have a unique opportunity in my life to work at something that I love and that brings me joy and satisfaction on a daily basis. I am constantly expanding my creative horizons and meeting people who inspire that creativity in me. I have the great good fortune to make that daily journey with two talented and amazing partners, as well as their families.
3. My home and environs. I live in one of the most diverse suburban areas in the world. I have the opportunity to hear many languages, taste many cuisines, and explore many cultures all within my own neighborhood. I live in a comfortable home, surrounded by people and things that I love.
4. Music. There is music all around me in my life, whether I'm making it or listening to it. That I share a love of music with Kevin and with our friends and family is truly a gift.
5. Creativity. Whether it's knitting, quilting, papercrafts, or baking, I have the luxury of indulging my creativity every single day. My life is tailored to allow this and I have the means to express it in so many varied ways.

As you count your blessings today, know that you are included in mine. I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.

The Knitting Can't Come to the Blog Right Now

I'm afraid the knitting fodder for the blog is a little bit on the scarce side these days. It's not that I'm not knitting, but nearly all the projects in the current rotation are Christmas gifts. Friday night we had a special guest at Late Night Knits. Father Christmas arrived to tell us all about "It." If you don't know what "It" is, you must grab a copy of Yarn Harlot and read the essay all about "It." I'm determined that "It" will not get me this year, even though most of the gifts I'm giving will be handmade. Kevin has jumped in to help with some of the items, so I am not totally alone in my quest this year. There are socks, fingerless mitts, shawls and more on my list, and I am quietly plugging away at them. Making significant progress too! I just can't show them to you, since you never know who might be reading the blog.

What I can show you is the latest quilting project. With the tops for Boo's Quilt and the Black Magic quilt completed (with borders even!), I'm turning my attention to a quilt meant for my little brother Sam and his wonderful girlfriend Katie. It's been a hell of a year for them, but things appear to be turning a corner toward the better, and they have just bought and moved into their very own house in our home town.

I chose the North Wind block in four shades of blue. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the very light fabric is actually a very pale sky blue. The other three fabrics are batiks, my absolute favorite to work with. I'll build all the blocks first and then decide on the setting. I'm chain piecing all the units in hopes of improving my accuracy and I'm already seeing results just in the sample block. More piecing to commence!

Most of yesterday was spent at the new stable where the girls have leased a horse. She's an off white Arabian named Evie, seen here ridden by Kaelyn. Karin often rides another pony at the stable, a little guy named Toby. They're having an awful lot of fun being responsible for the care and riding of "their own horse." They're hoping to take Evie to show back at Springdown in March.

Hopefully we're in for a relatively quiet week. The girls and Kevin only have school today and tomorrow, so we'll have some nice family time. Sandi, Chloe and I decided to close the shop Tuesday through Thursday for the holiday. We'll open again at 6am on Friday with our annual Pajama Jammie Jam, our biggest sale of the year. We had a lot of fun last year, and we hope a lot of folks will join us in the early morning hours for the best deals!

A Scarf for Binty

FO Report! Binty's So Called Scarf is finally finished and in his hands, just in time for his trip to Boston. I had plenty of yarn, so I also whipped out a pair of fingerless mitts (pattern completely improvised) to match. Doesn't it all work perfectly with his chocolate brown suede jacket?

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Schaeffer Miss Priss, 1.5 skeins for the scarf, Rosa Parks colorway
Needles: Addi Turbos Size 9
Length: Approx. 6'

This is a fantastically easy pattern, just perfect for a guy. The fabric lies nice and flat and the merino wool is squishy and cozy. I hope he gets a lot of wear out of it. Love you, Binty!

No Knitting Content Here

The urge to create takes many forms in my life. Unfortunately, there aren't enough hours in the day to be able to do all the things I am called to do. Every once in a while, though, I manage to make time for things other than knitting and quilting. Witness: on Sunday evening I hosted a Stampin' Up party, with a demonstration by one of my very favorite people, Emy. We had lots of fun making cards and browsing the catalog. I ordered all the stuff I need to make hand-stamped birth announcements for a select few. Monday morning I was so inspired that I got up and began making thank you cards! I need to take more time for this hobby. It feeds a different creative need and I enjoy it so much. What other hobbies do you enjoy?

I have been so loving the small moments when I sit down to my sewing machine to work on the Black Magic quilt. With just a few minutes here and there I've managed to finish all twenty-five of the blocks and this morning I assembled them all into the quilt top. It's always a big moment when it all comes together and you can finally see the fruits of your labors: the cutting, the piecing, the pressing. I'm very pleased with my color choices and how it all forms a unified whole.

Quilting is a bit like knitting, in that exactitude is required. Just as a sweater that is knit in the wrong gauge won't fit, a quilt pieced without precision won't fit together. I notice that I have a ways to go in my technique. Not all the points match up perfectly and my squares were definitely not a perfect 12.5". I need to read up a bit on both cutting and seaming techniques to make sure that the next quilt is even better, but I know that I improve with each project.

Now I have to cut and attach the borders, seen here just for reference. It's a pretty simple process, and I'll probably have that part finished tomorrow. I already have the flannel backing for this quilt. I found the perfect fabric when I was selecting choices for the quilt top, and though I usually wait until a quilt top is completed before choosing a backing, I knew that this was not only the perfect backing, but that it might not be there when I returned. It's a beautiful plum that matches the darkest squares (at the corners of the Hourglass blocks) with just a faint hint of the paler plum shades. I don't think I'll do any fancy quilting on this one. It's going to be a hard working quilt, the kind you grab to snuggle up in while watching TV or reading a book or knitting. I expect it will be used a lot, so a bit of outline quilting should do the trick. I can't believe it's almost finished!

Blatant Plug for a Friend

  Y'all know how I love my girl Juanita. She is one of the kindest, most generous, big-hearted women I know and I am so proud to call her my friend. What you may not know is that my girl is also a jazz singer extraordinaire. She is not a mere vocalist. Oh no. She's got a smooth, powerful voice that will absolutely blow you away. Juanita is the vocalist for my favorite local jazz combo, The Jack Conway Trio, and they have recently released their first CD ever! Kevin and I have given it a good listen and we like what we hear. You should hear it too.

P.S. Makes a great gift. Buy it for all your friends too!

Wednesday Morning Update

I found the missing pieces - most of them at least. I wound up 4 short, but had just enough fabric to recut them. I did a happy dance and this morning sewed a few simple seams and voilá! I have finished the Hourglass blocks. That means that over half the squares for the quilt are finished. A little more perseverance and it will be complete. Just in time for the colder weather.

Of course, we're headed into deep autumn now and the nights are getting colder. This also means the return of the flu season. All of the members of our family have been advised to get a flu shot this year. I had mine at my last doctor appointment. The girls both had theirs yesterday and are battling various side effects. Karin is achy and sore. Kaelyn seems to be having some sort of allergic reaction, with hives and everything. We can't tell if it's actually related to the shot, but she's kind of miserable. They're hunkered down at home working on feeling better. A day like today would be a perfect day to curl up under that new quilt. Gives me even more motivation to get it finished.

In other health news, we got some not fantastic news about Sushi the rat yesterday. She probably has a uterine tumor of some sort. No way to know if it's cancerous or not. The vet gives her weeks to months to live. Meanwhile we're spoiling her rotten and giving her special treats to help keep her energy up. Sigh..... Here we go again.

Quilter's Block

My goal of finishing all the Hourglass squares (upper right and lower left corners) for the Black Magic quilt were foiled today when I discovered that several of the units that I cut out have gone somehow astray. I was able to finish over half of them, however, then I turned to the World's Fair blocks, the labor intensive ones. I finished four of those. All in all, I am very pleased with the progress and can finally see how the whole thing will eventually come together. I won't start assembling the top until all the blocks are finished, so I have to find those missing pieces, since I'm running short on that particular fabric and I'm not sure I have enough to cut all the triangles I need from it. Cross your fingers. Meanwhile, I've been dreaming up a quilted wallhanging for a special someone. Wonder if I can get it finished in time for Christmas?

Another 9 1/2 Weeks

You may remember that I first posted about the new baby way back in June. Since then it's been a rollercoaster of symptoms, joy, anxiety and anticipation. Now there are only 9 1/2 weeks until she's due to arrive. We're at the acrobatics in the tummy stage as she flips, kicks and turns, making my belly look like something out of a sci-fi movie. We're preparing for her arrival in earnest now, assessing the baby clothes situation, figuring out what kinds of equipment we need to purchase, I'm even going to pack my hospital bag in the next couple of weeks and keep it in the car so it's ready at a moment's notice. The Boy Scouts say, "Be prepared." I intend to be.

Yesterday I enjoyed a couple of hours of spinning and camaraderie at Spinnity's. I brought out my Victoria for a while and started a new Sheep 2 Shoe kit, this one in the Chapman Springs colorway. It's gorgeous and I was so craving more color after I finished my Pink Granite (still waiting to be soaked and set). I'm attempting to spin this a bit thicker than I did the first one. My tendency is to spin my singles super thin and the Pink Granite came out a bit more like laceweight than sock weight. My goal with this one is true sock weight yarn. Cross your fingers!

Friday night I finished the right sleeve of my Mr. Greenjeans. It fits like a dream. Yesterday I got the second sleeve going and I expect that I'll have the better part of that one finished today, now that I know what alterations to make. Then there's only the rest of the body to finish, a neckband and then I'll have another new sweater to wear!

Today I'm off to the stable with the girls and then to lunch with my aunt who's in town from Hong Kong. I've already baked pumpkin bread this morning. Loving my extra hour!