Reflections

Soren's I-spy quilt is done and ready to send off:

Here's what it looked like after I got it back from Julie, who did the quilting.

The next quilting project will be BS2's baby quilt, with a horse appliqué in the middle, surrounded by pieced blocks. This will give you an idea:

The picture in the middle is the image I found on the internet. I'll be eliminating unnecessary shading and background. The pattern is Twin Stars from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott, but with fewer blocks to make it square and the appliqué replacing the middle block. I'll be cutting my own strips, to give it a scrappy look. The colors will be different.

The Mary Tudor's body is done, except for the collar and borders. I did the steeks on Saturday, washed it and let it dry on the wooly board. This photo shows cutting yarn ends before stay stitching with the sewing machine to keep the knitting from coming apart after cutting.

Sharp scissors and good light are mandatory! I sewed over the steeks with the sewing machine, one row of stitching just to one side of the middle of the steek, then another in the same direction on the other side. When all the steeks were done, I cut between the machine stitching. 

On the part that's folded back, you can see the stay stitching, which will keep the knitting from coming apart

Here it is Blocking on wooly board. I had to sew the front together. (I probably should have done the front body steek after blocking, to save this step.) Normally, I would wait until the sweater is finished to block it, but the wooly board is designed for sleeves that stick straight out, and this one has capped sleeves, so the sleeves will have to be blocked separately before sewing in.

Vintage Stitchers met on Thursday. Diane had her Bertie's summer block, ready to appliqué. 

Brenda learned at the Home Machine Quilting Show about a process that allows quilt shops to print fabric right in the shop. The company that does this is Modern Yardage. Here Barbara looks at Brenda's fabric and labels, which were printed at Pine Needles in West Jordan. She had them print layer cake squares from several fabric lines she wants to use. The company has an arrangement with fabric manufacturers to print their designs, but they will also print designs made up by individuals.

Friday a few of us dropped in on Joanie to keep her company and work on our projects. Janet brought her Dogwood Blossoms, which is looking beautiful! Joanie is working on a vest.

We haven't had any photos of the boys for a while, so here's Zachary in Texas with his great-grandmother, who just turned 100.

And weather has been nice in Oregon, so Soren has been enjoying some fun at the park.

Here's wishing everyone a great Memorial Day, with gratitude for those who have given everything they had for our protection. We should all take some time to reflect today.

What's on my needles: Mary Tudor cardigan, working on the sleeves.

What's on my Featherweight: Delectable Pathways, still waiting to finish hand appliqué, and ready to start BS2's horse baby quilt.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey, another one of the Elemental Masters series. Followed that with Venetia by Georgette Heyer. Very funny and entertaining. Now I'm listening to The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotsen. All of these were from Audible. Now I'm reading Debbie Macomber's Friends and Then Some in iBooks from Book Bub.

What's my app of the week: The Music App that comes with my iPhone and iPad. It's similar to Pandora.

What's in my wine glass: Fisheye Pinot Noir, 2012. Small bottle, but nice value.

What's my tip of the week: Quilting, whether hand or machine, shows off best in a photo when the light comes from the side. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

From Moose to Horses

Joanie finished the scarf and James Bond sweater for a friend expecting a baby. She dressed a moose in them and sent them off.

The pattern is the '50s Lounge Jacket from this book.

Common Threads met on Thursday. Julie brought some quilts for show-and-tell. 

This quilt "sports" a quilting designed for the 2002 Winter Olympics, showcasing all the winter sports that are part of the Winter Olympics. It's a pantograph. 

Here' a closeup of the quilting. 

She and some other people made this quilt for another friend. It has Minky on the back. 

Joanie and Margareth were knitting. 

Friday afternoon  Julie and I went to Joanie's to knit with her. We talked mostly about which books we were reading or listening to. Julie had just finished this cross stitch. It's Jardin Privé "Spirale"

Now she's working on a matching piece that's square. Joanie is knitting a vest, and I'm making good progress on my Mary Tudor cardigan. This photo shows the armhole shaping and the center front steek. There are steeks at the armholes, too, but it's hard to get them in the photo.

I have been looking at images for the appliqué for the new baby's welcoming quilt. I'm thinking of this one, but I'll have to redraw it to eliminate all the "noise" in the picture (things that can't be duplicated easily with appliqué). I may keep the eyelashes and do them either with a permanent archival pen or embroider them.

Hiking season has begun again, and we braved the muddy, sometimes snowy trails to see views like this:

We lost a neighbor last year in an avalanche. He was employed by the Utah Department of Transportation working to assess the danger of avalanche in a canyon above Salt Lake City, when he was hit by the very danger he was assessing. Friends and family erected this bench, a ski lift seat, at a spot where hikers and snowshoers could admire the view.

It was sad to think if how his family must be missing him, but the view made me smile.

On a brighter note, The doll beds made it to Wisconsin in time for Daphne's birthday. We Skyped on Tuesday afternoon, and she showed us how carefully she put her babies to bed and covered them with the blankets and quilts. They don't have to sleep in her bed anymore unless they wake up with a bad dream.

The last Utah Opera performance of the year was yesterday. It was Mozart's "Abduction From the Seraglio," great performances of beautiful music, and especially fun because I just finished listening to a book about a young woman who was writing of a novel full of abductions. She gets abducted herself and learns that it isn't all that much fun, so her novel goes into the fire. The opera was hilarious. Well done, Utah Opera! My knitting attracted attention during intermission. A lady came over and wanted to know how hard it was to knit with "all those colors." I explained that there were only two colors in a row/round, and showed her the chart I was using, explained the steeking process and showed her the original from Tudor Roses. I wonder if she'll give it a try.

And oh, yes! Franklin Habit "Liked" my Mary Tudor on Facebook! He's a national knitting teacher and author of It Itches, and he's very funny besides. His blog is a real kick, and his Craftsy class on lace edgings is fun and useful.

What's on my needles: Mary Tudor cardigan.

What's on my Featherweight: Delectable Pathways, still waiting to finish hand appliqué.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to La Danse de la Folie by Sherwood Smith from Audible. A fun and clean Regency story reminiscent of Jane Austen, artfully written and with a wonderful twist at the end. Now listening to The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey, another one of the Elemental Masters series. On the Kindle app, I've finished reading Hilda Hopkins, Murder, She Knit by Vivienne Fagan. Quirky and funny, if somewhat macabre. Ready to start something new.

What's my app of the week: Librivox. Audiobooks read by volunteers, books in the public domain, such as Jane Austen's novels, the Scarlet Pimpernel series and Anne of Green Gables series, available for free. Now they have an app for that!

What's in my wine glass: Fisheye Shiraz 2013. The big bottle. (I seem to say "big bottle" a lot, don't I?)

What's my tip of the week: According to my veterinarian, baby shampoo makes great dog shampoo. I've always used it on their heads and faces, but I didn't know you could use it all over. (It's also good for washing your knitting, although it has to be rinsed out, and there are some nice washes now for wool that don't need rinsing.)

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Off With Her Head!

Like many of the victims of Henry VIII, I seem to have misplaced my head. I'm having so much fun with the Mary Tudor cardigan, I can't put it down.

Mary Tudor was the sister of Henry VIII and did not lose her head but led an adventurous life and apparently died of natural causes.

The pattern is by Alice Starmore, considered by some to be the Queen of Fair Isle knitting. It's one of a number of beautiful knitting patterns found in her book Tudor Roses, which has been recently published in a new edition with all new photos and versions of the patterns. The Mary Tudor is a favorite. That checkerboard pattern that goes down the front is the steek, where I will cut it open when I get done knitting the body. First, I'll sew two rows of machine stitching down the center of the steek. I'll cut between the rows of stitching. It sounds pretty scary, but it works, and it allows you to knit with the right side facing you all the time.

We arrived back from our camping trip late Thursday, and Friday was spent doing laundry and putting stuff away. On Saturday it started to rain and snow, so no hiking over the weekend. This is what we woke up to Sunday morning.

It's still a winter wonderland here. I'm wistfully remembering the warm desert. It was nice to get away from the cold for a while.

I haven't posted any cuteness lately, so here's a photo of Miss Daphne in the car on the way to Texas for her paternal great-grandmother's 100th birthday party. 

DD says the iPad was a godsend on the trip. It kept her occupied and content during the long hours of travel. I'm so happy that my old Original iPad is having a new life of usefulness.

What's on my needles: Mary Tudor Cardigan, two pattern repeats done, 83 rounds done, 32 to go before the armhole.

What's on my Featherweight: Still waiting for Delectable Pathways to be ready to put together, although I’m itching to start one of the new quilts I have planned. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to Georgette Heyer's Sprig Muslin, a very funny and adventurous story, which put me in mind of Shakespeare's comedies. Now listening to A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick and reading Vivienne Fagan's Hilda Hopkins, Murder, She Knit on the Kindle app from Book Bub. Still watching "Stranded Colorwork, Basics and Beyond" from Craftsy.

What's my app of the week: FirePlace. I may have mentioned this app before, but it continues to be useful in helping me feel warm when DH is too lazy to light a fire and I'm in the middle of something. It's very realistic, and creates a nice ambience, even if it doesn't give off much warmth.

What's in my wine glass: Nathanson Creek Merlot, the big bottle. We also took this on our trip and found it to be very nice. The jumping frog on the label is a nice touch for knitters, too.

What's my tip of the week: When cutting vegetables that roll, like carrots, radishes zucchinis and cucumbers, if you slice them once lengthwise, they will lie flat for you while you slice crosswise. Of course, this gives you little semicircles, but in my opinion, those are just as pretty as circles, and it's much easier to control the slicing.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Better Late Than Never?

Apologies for the late post. I found myself with my blog post written and no internet when the time came.

 We left Tuesday of last week to head to Moab, parts south and lower elevations to spend more than a week in our little trailer. DH really enjoyed his Nook while we were traveling. We didn't watch a single movie! I used my iBooks app for bedtime reading and the Audible app for audiobooks, so I could knit.

I can cook in my little kitchen, but I had prepared and frozen most of our food, so the cooking was easy.

 The first four nights, we stayed in the RV campground Archview Resort outside of Moab. We had hookups and internet, and filled with noisy ATV enthusiasts. The first couple of days were cool, but warmer than at home, at least. Then it warmed up to beach weather. Thursday the pups and I took a hike near the campground, while DH went on a hike with his brother. We (the pups and I) had some great views.

The following day was much warmer, so DH and we took the pups to Mill Creek Trail just outside Moab. This trail has been chosen by GORP.com as one of the 10 best doggie hikes in the country. The pups would agree. They got some swimming in, and it was a nice hike for the two-leggeds, including lots of beautiful wildflowers and a couple or waterfalls. 

When we stopped at the gas station, we encountered this interesting doggie-centered vehicle.

I found out too late that Moab has a nice local yarn shop and a local quilt shop. Next time we go there, I plan on visiting both.

Saturday we moved the trailer to close to Goblin State Park and parked on BLM land for a couple of nights. Oh, the wind! I think we took half the desert with us when we left. I'm still knocking red sand out of my ears and blowing it out of my nose!

We had a nice hike on Sunday, one that required some scrambling, and I'm not talking about eggs. Fortunately, the pups are very agile and didn't require help. Besides the gorgeous flowers, we have seen some beautiful sunsets. 

Then we were off to Capitol Reef for a few days. Part of visiting Capitol Reef was a look at the early 20th Century community of Fruita. On the first morning we woke up to a herd of mule deer in our "backyard."

There was a school, a blacksmith's shop and several other original buildings with recorded messages on life in southern Utah in the early to mid 20th century.

I brought several projects along to work on, but my focus has been on getting a start to the Mary Tudor cardigan from Tudor Roses by Alice Starmore using Palette yarn in Brindle Heather, Indigo. Heather, Midnight Heather, Blue Note Heather, Toffee, Marine Heather, Suede, Clematis Heather and Regal. I made a lot of progress while I was without Internet.

(You can see the steek to the right, the sort of checkerboard stitches.) I also CO some socks, so I would have a small project to grab, using Cat Bordhi's Bavarian Twisted Stitch pattern and Stroll Tweed in Flagstone Heather.

What's on my needles: Mary Tudor Cardigan, a couple of inches of body done. Also Cat Bordhi's Bavarian Twisted Stitch socks using Stroll Tweed in Flagstone Heather.

What's on my Featherweight: Still waiting for Delectable Pathways to be ready to put together. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Just finished The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen and started Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey. We listened to The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz while traveling. Still watching "Stranded Colorwork, Basics and Beyond" from Craftsy.

What's my app of the week: Compass. It works even without internet. How is that possible?

What's in my wine glass: Gato Negro Malbec, again, the big bottle. What's not to like?

What's my tip of the week: Always schedule a blog post in case you lose Internet or find yourself without it.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.