Monday, February 11, 2013

High Fiber—Many Kinds of Fiber Fun!

This week I decided to work on my "Delectable Pathways" quilt for a bit.
The quilt was designed by Mary Sorensen, and I started it several years ago. Then the babies started coming...but that's another story.
I recently found another quilt I want to make, and that one might be best made using paper foundations, so I thought I would practice my paper piecing techniques on this quilt that has been hibernating. This is what the finished quilt should look like. Sort of...well, my fabrics are different, and my background fabrics are various shades of pumpkin, as you can see in the first panel of appliqué:
The pattern may be purchased here.

I now have 12 of the delectable mountain blocks (the pointy blocks in the first photo) finished. It's going faster, so I think I'll be ready for the new quilt when I finish this one. Wondering about the quilt that inspired me to finish this one? I was looking at some of my recent quilting magazines and came across the "Pine Burr Made Modern" in the May/June 2012 issue of McCall's Quilting. I'm not crazy about the fabrics, so maybe mine will be "Pine Burr Made Antique." 

Common Threads met at my house on Thursday. Margareth was finishing up this doll skirt...
...and this sweater to go with it. 
Both are for a friend's daughter, who has an American Girl doll. I discovered that Ravelry has an American Girl Knitters group, so I joined it. I will be making more doll clothes for Daphne. Maybe Margareth will join, too!

Janet has started her Dogwood Blossoms sweater. Here's her first sleeve:
She purchased the green colorway back when the pattern first became available. True to form, she has substituted a slightly different green in hers. (Janet and I each have a tremendous stash of Palette! We just can't seem to get enough of it!)
Lynda is working on the body of her Dogwood Blossoms sweater now. She says it's so much easier than the sleeves. She suggested that everyone who hasn't started yet should start with the body, and those who have started should stop the sleeve when they have gauge (sleeves make great swatches) and start the body. She also suggested that if you're using two circs for the body, you should start out with one circ and switch to two after you have an inch or so of ribbing done. She had to start over twice because she twisted the sts when she put it down. You still have to be careful with one circ, but it's easier to keep the sts straight without the extra two needle tips flopping around.

Karan's hat is finished. She knitted a lining inside the part that goes around the head and ears for extra warmth, using acrylic yarn to prevent itching.
Georgette brought her scarf from the silk scarf dyeing class with our friend Susan:
The scarves were dyed using silk ties.

Before I started working on my quilt, I finished up this bed skirt I've been planning for a couple of years. The fabric is sewn to a flat sheet and placed over the box spring.
Not my favorite kind of sewing project, and I was so nervous I would make a mistake, but it turned out OK, and it hides the boxes under the bed.

We have hardly managed to get out of the house this week, but Thursday afternoon, Sunny and I went to the University of Utah School of Social Work to help with a class a couple of Therapy Animals of Utah members are teaching in animal-assisted therapy. I talked to the class for a couple of minutes about visiting the nursing home with Sunny, and Sunny visited with each of the students. Sunny attracted a lot of attention at the university, of course. These two young women work in the office at the School of Social Work:

I haven't forgotten DH's Christmas Waffle Cardi! It's coming along. I'm on the raglan decreases. I have it on one l-o-n-g circular needle. It's like working on an afghan!

Here's a closeup of the raglan decreases:

The waste yarn is wrapped around the "K1" in the "K2tog, K1, SSK." It makes three K sts together, a detail I decided would work the best.
I managed to get a little spinning in. We're picking up the loom on Wednesday, unless snow prevents us, so I should have lots more uses for the products from my wheel soon.
What's on my needles: Dogwood Blossoms Cardigan, Christmas Waffle Cardigan.
What's on my wheel: Full Circle Roving in "Pigeon."
What's on my iPad: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Very interesting book. There are some passages that aren't really suitable for vegetarians or animal lovers, and life anywhere during wartime isn't often fun, but it's a great book and hard to put down. It really gives a close look at what life was like for the people who remained on the Channel Islands during WWII. It's told through letters between the principal characters.
What's my app of the week: I had to reset my iPad to get it to download new apps or update the ones I have. It worked, so itt was some kind of glitch, I guess. Anyway, I'm up and running again. I'm torn between the Audible app and the QuiltCalc app for this week. I've been listening to more audiobooks since the holidays, but the QuiltCalc app is really handy to figure out how much fabric you have to buy for your quilt. Good thing I don't have to choose!
What's in my wine glass: Foxhorn Vinyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. "It's so Aussie!" Nice, BIG bottle!

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook, using the iPad for photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.


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