1) Knitting: The first sleeve of my La Boheme cardigan (new name) is about 3/4 finished. The new name is because I worked on the lower body while watching La Boheme at Utah Opera. The cardi isn't likely to die of consumption, but it is for Mimi (me, me)! It is so nice to have a project you don't have to pay attention to, but just K around and around while enjoying wonderful music, great sets and great performances! I have a couple of inches more done on the sleeve since this photo was taken.
2) Spinning: Finished the singles for Daphne's new jacket. It will probably be a BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket), but it depends on the WPI (wraps per inch, measure of thickness). I just need to ply it. Also I did some spinning with the KP drop spindle. This photo shows that I have three (count them!), three WooLee Winder bobbins full of singles, ready to ply, with I will do with the fourth bobbin, recently purchased. The lazy kate on my wheel only holds two bobbins, so I will have to make a makeshift kate out of a shoebox and a straight knitting needle to hold the third bobbin while I ply. Watch for updates on the plying....
3) Quilting: The quilt top I have been making for a Christmas gift is finished. I used 1930s reproduction fabrics in blue, red and yellow, and white for background. It is a fox-and-geese block, with mock flying geese around the outside.
Here's the quilt on my design wall:
...and here is a sample of the border. I'll try to post photos of the completed top next week.
The border triangles point toward the center of the quilt. My friend Julie will quilt it for me, and then I'll put on a binding using the same fabric as the dark blue inner border. She provides the 100% cotton batting I like to use for most quilts--thus the "batty." I'll bet you thought it was a reference to Halloween!
My order from Connecting Threads arrived with the fabrics for another Christmas gift quilt:
The 1930s fabrics are on the cover of a magazine, not part of the collection. The fabrics I'm using are mostly batiks. The one in the foreground that looks like a slab of rock will be the outer border. The design is tricky, but I have about a week and a half to get it done in time for quilting.
In other news, I received a WPI gauge from Spin Out, a company in the UK that makes really neat spinning and knitting tools, including spindles and knitting needles.
He even included some chocolates! The gauge was my reward for sending in photos of myself spinning while camping and hiking (extreme spinning). You can see the website and my photos here.
Vintage Stitchers met again on Thursday, and Diane showed off her applique...
...and Barbara had an "I Spy" quilt for her grandson:
She says he loves pickles!
We have had moose visits:
(Note: We don't have this much snow now.) The moose come and hang out after the snowplow has been by. They like to lick the salt on the road.
I have been lax in providing gratuitous baby photos, so this is about as gratuitous as it gets! Eat your hearts out, fellow grandmothers!
In the meantime, the Spin Along hit 100 members, and we have been having a party here. If you spin or have thought about spinning and haven't joined yet, feel free to visit. We would love to have you, and if you join, we would love to read your thoughts and experiences. It gets chatty sometimes, but there is a lot of spinning expertise dispensed! We have some participants with a lot of experience, so you can get help with spinning problems and get product reviews, too!
We took a hike on Saturday. I have no photos to show because it was all I could do to stay on my feet in the snow. We could have used snowshoes or YakTrax just for the traction. I was really sore the next day! It was good exercise, though, and the pups got worn out. I didn't take my spindle this time. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and I had to watch where I was going.
While quilting and knitting, I have been enjoying a new (to me) podcast: The Knit Wits Podcast. This couple is hilarious! I don't know when I've laughed so hard! They talk about knitting, spinning and their lives, and it's very entertaining. I'm almost caught up. That is a nice addition to the Knit Picks Podcast, Sticks and String, Yarnspinners Tales and the Spin Doctor, all mentioned in previous blogs, along with other great podcasts!
I see I have new credits from Audible, so I'm rubbing my hands with glee...and a little hand creme never hurts...in anticipation of my next audiobook!
Happy spinning/quilting/knitting everyone!
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