Ugly Purple Socks

I have such mixed feelings about this pair of socks...

Pros
They fit well.
The yarn, Knit Picks Sock Landscape in Rocky Mountain Dusk,  is warm and thick.
The pattern, Express Lane, was fun to knit.
If the colors had to do something obnoxious, at least they did the same thing on both socks.

Cons
The yarn flashed and pooled and did obnoxious things.
All of that flashing and pooling  completely hides the pretty stitch pattern (which says that it's good for multicolored yarns and has plenty of pretty pictures on Ravelry to prove that it's true.)
There were three badly spliced spots in the  first skein and one in the second.

 

My 2017 Planner

When it was time to find a new planner for 2016, I couldn't  find the style I'd been using for the previous four years. The one I finally did settle on was awful, to the point that I was ready to ditch it mid-year and start over with almost anything else.

Then I started seeing things about planners and bullet journals. Remember how in last year's planner post I said that there was never going to be a planner with spaces for tracking everything I need to track? It turns out that the solution is making up my own trackers as I go along...and as a bonus, I can make the weekly pages fit my husband's eight-day work cycle and have exactly as many pages in between as I wind up needing for project notes and shopping lists.

A bit before Halloween, I grabbed an empty notebook and drew out the days for the next couple of weeks. This is working so much better than anything I've done in previous years! I'm not terribly consistent and my handwriting isn't pretty, but it's working well so far.

I've got a nicer journal to start using as soon as I work up the nerve, along with some washi tape I found on sale at Hobby Lobby and some I'd bought a few years back and then forgotten in a desk drawer.

When I write down what we had for dinner every night, it keeps me from cooking spaghetti twice in the same week and also keeps me from killing the kids by feeding them leftovers that are past their prime.

How about you? Do you have a fancy pre-printed planner? A cheap notebook like I'm currently using? Something in between? More importantly, does it work for you?

A Little Bit of Busy Work

I had plans for the sewing I wanted to get done over the weekend, then the low grade migraine started...and the nausea... As I type this, I'm on day three and I've already taken more Advil (2 doses) than I technically should have. That stuff works great...and then it wears off and somehow that's worse, knowing that I've used up my eight or so hours of pain free time. 

So that pretty zipper bag didn't get cut out and the straight line quilting didn't get done and neither did my next Be My Neighbor block. Before my quilting time ran out, I was feeling just better enough to cut and trim the half square triangles that I've done as leaders and enders with the other house blocks. 

Something is better than nothing, right? 

This Might Be Better Than Christmas Presents...

I am absolutely giddy! A little over a week ago, Ila left a comment that she had some zippers that would like to come stay at my house. Of course I accepted her wonderful offer and when the box got here it was absolutely stuffed with zippers and other vintage sewing notions. 

There are a ton of zippers in all sorts of lengths and colors, with metal teeth and plastic teeth. If I ever decide to replace the zipper in a backpack, I've probably got the kind to do it with. (But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen!)  Along with the zippers came bias tape and lace seam binding and all sorts of other goodies. That Holly Hobby looks like she's from the same fabric as my childhood bedspread.

I came up with so many ideas while sorting through all of this!



 Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 7 1/4 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 30 1/4 yards (+4 sheets)
Net added for 2016: 23 yards

Yarn used this Week:  400  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 7550 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9518 yards
Net added for 2016: 1968 yards

The Future Architect's Tool Kit

Quinn and I were both excited to get our hands on The Future Architect's Tool Kit by Barbara Breck. It looked like it might be something fun for the boys and it definitely delivers!

The book explains how to create plans and a model for a house, including site plans and floor plans and elevation. (It builds on the information presented in The Future Architect's Handbook, which I haven't seen yet.) I like the way the author presented so much solid information without overwhelming the reader. The imaginary clients at the end seem a bit too silly, but when I handed the book over to my future wildlife rehabilitator, he happily designed a dream home with rooms for possums. And a craft room, because in his mind all houses should have one.

Along with the book is a scale ruler, eraser, pencil, and sharpener. The box that holds it all is sturdy and has a velcro closure, perfect for keeping everything contained on a bookshelf.

I definitely recommend this one for creative kids.

Disclosure -- I was provided with an advance review copy by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Let's Make Baby Quilts! {12/9/16}

Let's Make Baby Quilts Linky Party Rules: 
Link directly to your post or specific Flickr photo. Your post can be about a baby quilt that's finished, or in progress, or you can be writing about what you have planned,  as long as it's about baby quilts. You're welcome to link to baby quilt posts that aren't brand new, but please don't submit the same post or picture more than once. I'd love it if you linked back to my site, either with a text link or the Let's Make Baby Quilts! button.

Now My Pens Are Safely Hidden

I'd forgotten that non-Crayola felt tip pens were a thing. Now that Pinterest has reminded me, I'm absolutely in love. Those little white stars at the top of the cap make me happy and conjure up vague hazy memories of red pens in my dad's desk at work.

To keep my pens mine, I needed a little bag to keep them contained in my bigger bag. The fabric choice kept stopping me in my tracks. I've got all kinds of cute novelty prints, but they're all sewing themed and that didn't seem right for office supplies. I'd finally settled on the American Jane ruler print and has the pieces cut before it registered that these are not rulers...

I'd say "oops" if  this print wasn't an even better choice for a pen bag. Measure twice, cut once, and actually look at the fabric you're using!

I'm Loving This Yarn

Have I mentioned how much I love Drops Fabel? The colors are gorgeous and the price can't be beat.

As for the purple socks, at least the yarn is misbehaving the same way on the second sock. I'll settle for that.

Deepwood and Bush House

A while back, one of the bloggers I read posted pictures from her visit to Deepwood in Salem, Oregon. There were so many amazing details that I'd never seen on my own visits to the house, but at my wedding twenty-five years ago I was preoccupied with getting down that gorgeous stairway in one piece. I've been wanting to go back for years, but I never quite got around to it.

On Sunday, admission to Deepwood and nearby Bush House were both free, so I packed up the boys and headed to town. Deepwood was too crowded to get pictures without strangers in them, but I did come away with lots of inspiration for future dollhouse projects.

We roamed the grounds and got plenty of pictures outside.

And found a stolen shopping cart on on of the trails. Isn't that just a stupid waste? I was barely tempted to rescue it, mostly because there was no way to manage that without looking really stupid. But it really doesn't belong there!

I'd never been in Bush House before. Compared to Deepwood, it's even more impressive. I think part of that is the twelve foot ceilings and part is because, unlike Deepwood which has an oddly mid-century bathroom, it was only used as a residence until the 1950s.

It was easier to get pictures in Bush House since visitors aren't allowed in many of the rooms. Look at that gorgeous velvet quilt...

And this signature quilt! I've never seen one made from hexagons before...and I think that's metallic thread that the names are embroidered with.

Just a glimpse of this quilt because the rest of the room is so gorgeous. All of those windows and that great light!  And that bedroom is so huge...

The houses are free again next Sunday (December 11, 2016.) If you're in the area, you really should check them out.

Be My Neighbor - Two More Houses

I'm piecing more houses and, yes, I'm going out of order and picking easy ones first. Because that's the kind of day it was. Block 11 has far too much small scale floral there, but I'm leaving it as is unless I finish all of the houses and decide that I should redo it.

Have I mentioned that these blocks are ridiculously big? And how much fabric you lose piecing those rooftops? I'm saving bonus triangles in case I can incorporate them in the backing.

Weekly Stash Report

I've been drooling over this cross-stitch ornament kit for years!  Back when I ate breathed and slept cross-stitch (that was before I learned to knit or quilt and my creative time was split in quite so many different directions)  my favorite projects were the large ornate houses and landscapes with every last bit of fabric covered in stitches. These are exactly that, except smaller and -- maybe -- more manageable.

The kit is finally in my sewing room, but I doubt that I'll get even one of the ornaments done in time to hang on this year's tree. There are too many other projects calling out for my attention. I seem to be falling in love with every free Christmas pattern out there. The same way I fall in love with every Halloween pattern starting October 15th or so.

Do you start seasons projects just before the holiday and work on them a month later? Start them and abandon them after the special day? Work on them a few months ahead of time like a reasonable person who isn't me probably would?

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 7 1/4 yards
Fabric added this week:  0 yards
Fabric added year  to date: 30 1/4 yards (+4 sheets)
Net added for 2016: 23 yards

Yarn used this Week:  0  yards
Yarn used year to Date: 7150 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9518 yards
Net added for 2016: 2368 yards

This post is linked to Patchwork Times.

Little and Littler Churn Dash Ornament Tutorial

Earlier this week, I was in the mood to piece itty-bitty quilt block ornaments. They go together quickly and use up small scraps of batting and I'm going to need prettier stuff to hang on the tree once we get around to setting it up.

The first Churn Dash ornament I made  finished at 3 1/2".  I knew I could go smaller, and the tinier one finishes at 2" square. At that size, any little innacuracy is glaring, but I don't mine my ornaments a bit wonky.

2" Churn Dash Instructions 

Using the Easy Angle ruler, cut four light and four dark half square triangles from 1" strips. Cut one light and one dark 3/4" x 4" strip and one light 1" square (not shown.)

Sew the 3/4" strips lengthwise to form a 1" x 4" rectangle. Press and cut rectangle into four 1" squares.

Assemble the light and dark half square triangle units, press, and trim. Arrange the pieces into a churn dash block as shown. Assemble and press.

Layer backing, batting, and your pieced ornament, then use rotary cutter and ruler to trim them all to the same size. Edge stitch the layers together with a narrow zig-zag stitch and matching thread. I used narrow binding for the Dutchman's Puzzle Ornament tutorial, but it was clunky and has bugged me ever since.

Let's Make Baby Quilts! {12/2/16}

Let's Make Baby Quilts Linky Party Rules: 
Link directly to your post or specific Flickr photo. Your post can be about a baby quilt that's finished, or in progress, or you can be writing about what you have planned,  as long as it's about baby quilts. You're welcome to link to baby quilt posts that aren't brand new, but please don't submit the same post or picture more than once. I'd love it if you linked back to my site, either with a text link or the Let's Make Baby Quilts! button.

{Thrift Shop Temptations} Shiny Metal Things

I had a plan when we visited the thrift shop for the second time this week, but the shiny things distracted me. 

First it was this little doggie. He either needs to live in the sewing room to hold patterns or maybe in the house to hold mail. One way or the other, I'll use him. 

Then there was this!

A couple of years ago, I found a full size shopping cart at a barn sale for five bucks. And my husband was wonderful enough to load it into the back of our SUV.  Now it lives in my barn, at least until I make a good space for it in the sewing room and convince the boys to maneuver it up the stairs for me.

This one is the perfect size to sit on a table top and fill with yarn or pretty fabric scraps. They had them at Craft Warehouse a few years back and I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't really need an adorable little shopping cart and that one was definitely not in the budget. At the thrift shop, for $2.99, the budget argument no longer applied.

This fella, as wonderful as he is, didn't come home with us. He appeared handmade and wriggled from side to side as he rolled. But I don't have kids the right age to appreciate pull toys.

I also don't have a place to put a table like this one. I keep seeing them and swooning, though. They're just neat.

This was labeled "Play Kitchen." It's not one yet, but it's the perfect candidate. I need a play kitchen even less than I need a wriggly alligator.

This Yarn is NOT Behaving

Maybe my projects are all conspiring against me... 

The yarn is pooling and striping and you can't see  the stitch pattern much at all. But the yarn is also thick and will keep my toes warm and at this point it makes just as much sense to keep going in the simple stitch pattern as it does to rip them out and start over again in stockinette.

There's a pair of socks on Ravelry that uses the same exact pattern and yarn. It's what convinced me to cast on for this pattern in the first place. That pair, unlike mine, doesn't have any of this ridiculous pooling and flashing.



I didn't get very caught up in Haunted is Always in Fashion, the latest Haunted Vintage Mystery by Rose Pressey. The situation with Cookie's psychic cat is getting more interesting and I think I'll read the next book to find out what happens with that, but the mystery itself wasn't particularly exciting.


Disclosure -- I was provided with an advance review copy by the publishers. All opinions are my own. This post is linked to Patchwork Times, Yarn Along

Straight Lines

Is it too much to ask that my sewing machine work properly when I finally have time to get some free motion quilting done? Apparently it is. My Janome and I have been through this before. 

Whenever I try to round a curve, it seems like the needle tip is snagging in the fabric. My feed dogs are down. I've re-threaded....and re-threaded again...and tried a different bobbin....and changed the needle...and cleaned the machine... and tried two different free motion feet.... And after an hour of trying this that and the other thing it still wasn't working any better.  

So straight lines it is. Maybe the machine will let me quilt tomorrow. 

Making Small Blocks Smaller

I spent last night playing around with little Christmas ornaments. When I did the tutorial for the Dutchman's Puzzle ornament a couple of years back, I sewed binding around the edges. It added a lot of bulk and I was never really happy with the results. This time, I trimmed the edges and zig-zagged around the whole thing, which I like a lot better.

The block would finish at 2" square, but because there's no place for the seam allowances to go it winds up being 2 1/2"  The  churn dash is 3 1/2" I'm leaving the seam allowances because they give it a nice border effect, but I'd like to get the block a bit smaller without making myself completely insane in the process.  That's when the math starts to get scary, when the seam allowances take up more space than the actual block pieces.

Black Friday at the Thrift Shop

This week I'm trying somethig a bit different with my stash report.  It didn't seem like still pictures would do these finds justice.



Have you ever been to the thrift shop on Black Friday? I wasn't even sure they'd be open, but I'd had to drive to Target to get a prescription refilled. Never EVER do that! I had to park at the opposite end of the mall in the farthest reaches of the lot -- and then a woman cut in front of me at the pharmacy counter because she was parked illegally. I think we were supposed to feel sorry for her. But honestly I was too busy appreciating the fact that these days I can park way out in the lot and walk quickly to where I need to be without regretting it for the next week. I'm a lot faster than I used to be.

Parking at the thrift shop was just as bad and the shop was more crowded than I've ever seen it. Is Black Friday thrift shopping an actual thing that people do? I was just taking advantage of the fact that I was in town alone. For eight bucks, I wound up with an unopened cross stitch kit, an unopened quilt kit, and two dozen skeins of matching embroidery floss -- enough for whatever big project I decide to tackle next, as long as brown is the right color choice.

There were also plenty of goodies that didn't come home with me, including some pretty nice yarn at good prices.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 7 1/4 yards
Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added year to date: 30 1/4 yards (+4 sheets)
Net added for 2016: 23 yards

Yarn used this Week: 400 yards
Yarn used year to Date: 7150 yards
Yarn added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn added Year to Date: 9518 yards
Net added for 2016: 2368 yards

Even Faster Socks

I can't think of a name for this pair. In the skein it looked like Halloween colors, but as  socks they're just bright and fun and kind of indescribable. I can't find the yarn tag, which didn't have a descriptive color name anyway.

They were fun to knit and I like the way they look -- and do normal people name their socks at all, let alone worry about naming one particular pair?

This post is linked to Patchwork Times, Crazy Mom Quilts, Wrap up Friday  

Let's Make Baby Quilts! {11/25/16}

Let's Make Baby Quilts Linky Party Rules: 
Link directly to your post or specific Flickr photo. Your post can be about a baby quilt that's finished, or in progress, or you can be writing about what you have planned,  as long as it's about baby quilts. You're welcome to link to baby quilt posts that aren't brand new, but please don't submit the same post or picture more than once. I'd love it if you linked back to my site, either with a text link or the Let's Make Baby Quilts! button.