Waste Not, Want Not

It was nice to get back to Vintage Stitchers.

One of the highlights was Carol's Falling Charms Quilt. As often happens, the back is almost as interesting.

Carol has been playing (for more than 15 minutes) with 15 Minutes of Play by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. She's using tiny scraps of fabric most people would throw away to make larger pieces of fabric for quilts and other projects.

She had made some hot pads and mats to go under hot dishes and appliances, such as her blender. She says it makes it easier to slide toward her when she needs to use it.

Barbara has been busy, too.

She used the Missouri Star Half-Hexi Ruler to make this hexagon quilt. 

She also showed us this amazing cross-stitch project she has finished.

I worked on my "Sistine Chapel" appliqué quilt and am making some progress. It's from Mary Sorensen's "Delectable Pathways" pattern. I'm quilting the third panel. When I finish that, I need to quilt the last border of Delectable Mountain blocks, then put on the binding.

Now that I'm home from our trip, I can block projects, like Vroni's cardigan.

DD's birthday was while we were gone. I made her one of my iPhone pouches. (She wanted it without the logo.)

I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted and lined it with a batik fabric (I think from Connecting Threads).

I started on my Frozen Skies Shawl using my birthday yarn. I'm not completely happy with the border, though, so I may frog it and start over.

We had a bit of sunshine on Saturday, so we took the pups to Run-A-Muk Dog Park. (They should rename it "Run-A-Muck," because there were a lot of muddy places.) They had a great time, though, and Dusty especially likes it, because there are always other dogs there, sometimes even young ones like him.

We used the Walk for a Dog app. I really should attach my iPhone to Dusty, because he covers a lot more ground than I do.

What's on my needles: Frozen Skies Shawl.

What's on my Featherweight: Waiting for possibly more doll clothes.

What's on my hoop: Peggy's Sistine Chapel from Mary Sorensen's "Delectable Pathways."

What's on my loom: Scarf to use up last of the warp.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to the book everyone is talking about, then finished Between Black and White by Robert Bailey (if you like Grisham, you’ll like this author). Then listened to A Bachelor’s Establishment by Jodi Taylor, not her usual, but very enjoyable. Now I'm listening to The Sixth Window by Rachel Abbott. Still waiting for something on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Liberty Creek Pinot Noir. Not fantasic, but acceptable..

What's my tip of the week: This week's tip is for hand-quilters. When you come to a stopping place in your quilting, you can turn the needle around, insert it in line with the quilting just past where the needle came out and run it through the batting in the opposite direction past several stitches. You can "slalom" between the stitches if you like, or go around the last one and head back in the other direction. This can be accomplished by pushing on the tip end of the needle so the eye end moves through the batting and out through the fabric. 

Pull to the outside and snip off close to the surface. No knots to make or to pop through to the surface if someone sits on your quilt.

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 or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Bats, Beethoven and Booty

Now that I have your attention….not done with doll clothes. Here is Dolly wearing the jeans that are part of her western attire:

The hat and boots came from The Doll Clothes Store. The pattern for the jeans was from Pixie Faire, not as hard as I expected. The shirt was from The Best Doll Clothes Book. Here's a closeup from the front:

And from the back:

We met at Joanie’s on Thursday for Vintage Stitchers. We were a small group, but sometimes that’s nice. Janet was working on her Washington Park Shawl, which will be glorious when it’s done. She was wearing this lovely dropped-stitch cowl she made. She’s getting to be a fantastic knitter.

Joanie had started a new project and needed help. (Difficult yarn, stitch count off. Story short: we frogged it, and I started it over and got her back to where she was.) Joanie is a talented knitter. She had this fruit bat from Knit Your Own Zoo.

Here is the fruit bat awake:

…and asleep.

OK, we covered the bats. Now for the Beethoven. I’ve been practicing my part in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. We only sing the final movement after sitting and listening to all the earlier movements, but it’s a humdinger when we get to sing. Most of the soprano part is in the rafters, long and high.

As for the booty. (No, not that kind of booty.) I received this in the mail:

It was an unsolicited package from a friend in the new Ravelry group, The Frog Prince and his Knitting Community Orphans, as a “Random Act of Kindness,” or “RAK.” We filled out a survey of our likes and interests if we wanted to participate. When we feel the urge to do so, we can choose a subject from among those who filled out surveys and send them something we think they would like. I found this in my mailbox.

Knowing I love knitting AND red wine, she thought it prudent to include this pin on the bag.

If you have to get RAKed, this is the way to do it. Then the next day, this appeared at my door:

All kinds of goodies from Knit Picks. I CO the Vicenza Shawl with the Hawthorne “Lovejoy” that arrived in the box (shown at the bottom of the photo)…once I ascertained that I had enough for the project. Not much to show yet, but I think it’s going to be a fun knit. The pouch now holds my favorite knitting notions, including my new favorite scissors.

I’ve also been taking part in the Spin-in that started Saturday in the The Frog Prince and the Knitting Community Orphans group. Here’s what I have so far:

The fiber is Knit Picks Full Circle 100% wool roving in "Fawn." It will be a blanket someday, when I get my weaving studio back.

I also knit and felted a new iPhone pouch, something I’ve been meaning to do since I got my new iPhone, which is a little taller than the old one and thus a bit too big for the pouch I made before we left on our trip last summer. Here it is with the fabric I used to line it. I don't know if the colors are showing up as they are, but the magenta background is a perfect match. The lining fabric is Connecting Threads batik “Nebula-Ultraviolet.”

I decided that, now that I know how to post a pattern on Ravelry, I would polish this pattern up a bit and publish it, so…if you really want to make one just like mine, you can find the pattern here.

While I was at it, I knit a little purse for Gabi (until she has to give it up for Daphne Jr., when the birthday package gets shipped). That way I could felt them both at the same time and save water.

Just in case you think spring has arrived, we got lots of snow this past week. Most of the snow is now gone, but it’s still pretty cold out, but I woke up one morning to this.

What's on my needles: Still hand-quilting the “Delectable Pathways” quilt. Working on the Aran sweater for Daphne Jr. and socks. Just CO (I admit I have a problem) the Vicenza Lace Shawl. 

What's on my Featherweight: Ready to start on Dolly’s Regency outfit when I get a chance.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Saint Odd by Dean Koontz. Listing to the Beethoven’s Ninth choral practice recording is cutting into my audiobook time. Reading A Love That Never Tires by Allyson Jeleyne on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Gato Negro Malbec, a red, of course. 2014 vintage. Drink it while it’s fresh. :-}

What's my tip of the week: White vinegar and salt will remove tarnish from copper and brass. Cheap fix.

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.