Starting Over

One of the best things about knitting or crocheting is that if you aren't happy with what you have made with your yarn, it's easy to rip it all out and start over!  No harm done and the only thing you have lost is your time.  I got as far as the heel/gusset with the sock I was working on and decided that the pattern just wasn't working up the way I wanted, so I ripped it all out and started with a different pattern.  I'm off to a good start with a new sock pattern (Susan B. Anderson: How I Make My Socks) so I'll just call the last sock good practice with size 1 needles and leave it at that.

Silent Sunday

Warmer Weather IS Coming

Oh, you have to love spring in Pennsylvania!  One day it's sunny and 70 degrees and then the next day it's 30 degrees and spitting sleet and snow!  I am sure that nice weather will soon be here to stay (at least for more than a day or two at a time) so I've been working on a new bag for the warmer months.  I like a larger bag for the summer and this one is just the right size for my camera, Kindle, and just about anything else I might need while out enjoying the nice weather!

Old Dog Learned A New Trick!

In the past I've always made socks using worsted weight yarn and larger size needles, mainly because I wasn't too keen on the idea of fumbling around with the teeny tiny needles that sock yarn requires.  I've been on a mission to knit out of my yarn stash and next up on the list is this beautiful skein of sock yarn that my daughter-in-law gave to me some years back.  It was a little tricky getting used to the size 1 needles and at first it felt like I was knitting with toothpicks, but it wasn't long and they started to feel perfectly natural in my hands and I've been knitting right along with them without any trouble!  I guess an old dog can learn a new trick now and then!     

Silent Sunday

For The Boys

For the last couple of weeks I have been knitting pink preemie hats to donate to the NICU.  I made five baby girl hats from the pink skein of yarn and thought that I should make some hats for the boys too.  I'm using the same Basic Baby Hat pattern (which I can just about knit in my sleep now) and a super soft Anne Geddes baby yarn by Red Heart in the Sailboat colorway.  I love how it has worked up in an almost baby blue camo pattern!  They will be the perfect little hats for some tiny baby boys!

Meandering Along

I used to feel guilty for not doing a lot of fancy quilting on my quilts, but not anymore.  To be honest, I don't particularly enjoy the quilting process. I would much rather just piece tops and stitch bindings, but if I only piece tops, I end up with a mountain of unfinished quilts and I don't get a chance to do many bindings. Most of my quilts are made to be used and aren't show pieces, so I've given myself permission to meander when I can!  I'm pretty sure that one day I'll be remembered as the lady who meandered all of her quilts, but at least they are all going to be finished quilts and that's what is important, right? 

Quilted, Bound, And FINISHED!

Here's my Shoo-fly quilt from Pat Sloan's Scrap Happy Sew Along all quilted, bound, and FINISHED!  I really am trying to change my ways and finish one project before starting another, so it's a real accomplishment for me not to have added this one to the quilt top mountain.  Pat's challenge for April is to finish a UFO, so an easy challenge for me...I just happen to have a UFO that needs to be quilted and bound.

Silent Sunday

Adventures With Aurifil

See that bit of "fuzz" in the center of the red circle?  It's not really fuzz, it is a knot.  A knot that came off the spool of Aurifil thread that I have been trying out for the last couple of weeks.  I understand that factory knots happen and I've found plenty of knots in skeins of yarn (much to my dismay), but I can't say that I have ever found a knot in a spool of thread.  Now the reason for my not noticing other knots could be that they caught up in the needle and broke the thread without me actually seeing the knot.  You know, one of those times when the machine just acts up for no reason, so you rethread and everything is fine after that?  This knot just happened to be in the bobbin and showed up as I was about to snip the threads which is when I noticed it.  This certainly isn't going to ruin my new relationship with Aurifil thread, but I'll definitely be keeping a look out for knots from now on. 

On And Off The Needles

Sometimes you just need something quick and mindless to knit, so I've been working on preemie hats to send to the NICU.  The Basic Baby Hat pattern in the preemie size uses just 60 stitches and size 6 needles so I can just about knit a hat in one evening...depending on how good the TV show is that I'm watching.

Silent Sunday

All Together!

It's April 4th and I have my March Scrap Happy Sew Along quilt top all together!  Not a March finish like I had planned, but still not bad all things considered.  Now to get it right on the quilt frame, rather than adding it to the "to quilt someday" pile!

Teeny Tiny 9-Patches

My latest project involves some pretty small 9-patch blocks...30+ 3 1/2" unfinished blocks to be exact!  Stay tuned to see where these blocks go from here.