Socktoberfest Finish!

I did it! My Socktoberfest socks are finished and have already been gifted! Now, for the rest of the story...quite awhile ago, my friend, Anya, won a beautiful skein of hand dyed wool in a giveaway and because she does not knit she gave the yarn to me! (Who could ask for a better friend?) I offered to make her something with the yarn and she said that she would like a pair of socks, but I didn't have to rush to get them done. Then along came Socktoberfest and Anya's birthday just happens to fall on the last day of October, so it was the perfect time to get out the hand dyed yarn and start knitting a pair of boo-tiful birthday slipper socks for my friend! Happy birthday, Anya!

Skip Stitch Fleece Blanket Explained

Skip Stitch Madness!

I am crazy about my new skip stitch blade, but I feel it necessary to post a warning that making fleece blankies is highly addictive! Skip stitch madness has not only infected me, but it has spread to several of my friends as well. It's not a bad thing though because Project Linus and the local NICU are going to benefit greatly from our new obsession. The latest blankie that I have been working on is shown in the photo. It is made from the softest pink fleece and edged with baby yarn in a simple crocheted shell stitch (hdc, dc, hdc, sl st, repeat). This pattern works up quickly and will make a sweet blanket for a baby girl.

Quilting At The Library

Have your ever checked your local library for quilting books? We are fortunate to have a wide variety of quilting books, magazines and even DVD's at our local library. Now don't expect me to start a Kaffe Fassett or Paula Nadelstern quilt any time soon, but leafing through quilt books and dreaming about future projects is a great way to spend an evening!

Design Wall Monday

It seems like it has been weeks since I have sat down at my machine to piece something! After a little backtracking through my blog, I see that it has actually been over a month since I started these disappearing nine-patch blocks. No wonder my design wall has been noticeably empty for so long! I guess I was way overdue to spend a little time at my machine.

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Apple Squares

These apple squares are great all by themselves, but top them with a little warm apple pie filling and vanilla ice cream and you have a fantastic dessert!

Apple Squares

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon just until combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Bars should spring back when lightly touched when finished.

Another Kind Of Selvage

I think I need professional help. Last week I trimmed the selvage edges off of a yard of fleece and found that I just could not bring myself to throw them away...they are selvages after all! I have no idea how I would use these selvages. I would imagine that they could be stitched together just like cotton selvages for a neat effect. They could also be braided or crocheted into a rug. Fleece selvages also tend to roll a bit, so maybe they could be stitched into something like the wrapped fabric bowls only without the clothesline. It seems like there could be a lot of uses for fleece selvages! Do I really need another tote full of scraps taking up space? Do I really need another project? Should I call a therapist? Maybe I should just throw them away after all!

Maybe Someday...

Socktoberfest!

I'm late to the party, but better to show up late than not at all, right? Have you heard about Socktoberfest? It's a month long celebration of sock knitting! I love to knit socks, but I don't do a whole lot of knitting while the weather is nice (or when I have a new quilting machine). I don't know if I can get this pair finished by the end of the month or not, but that's my goal!