Heddles and Puddles

Well, I'm finally, finally, back to weaving. On Tuesday I rethreaded the heddles on my floor loom, using the warp that was already on the loom left over from a previous project.


I had to change the tie-up, too, to weave what I wanted, but it was easier than I thought it would be. I'm using various scraps of yarn and some hand-spun that wasn't up to knitting standards to make a scarf using a 2X2 twill. I had a yarn that was basically a skinny thread with periodic ribbons, which I'm adding in from time to time for some interest. (I can't imagine knitting with the stuff!)

The weaving goes fast, and I prefer to do it when DGD1 isn't watching TV in my fiber studio, and she's off work right now, so I got some knitting done this week as well. Ta-da! The Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks for DH are finished.


I also made some progress on the Kai-Mei socks.

When you work on more than one project at a time, sometimes several things get finished all in the same week. It's really fun to see stuff come together.

Common Threads met at my house on Thursday. I was able to clean quickly after the spring cleaning I did before our company arrived a couple of weeks ago. Almost everyone was knitting.

Thursday evening was the Park City Quilt Guild meeting at Davidene's. We had a demonstration of a method for making small circles for appliqué. Of course, we also had a nice show-and-tell.

This quilt was made by members of Silver Queen Quilters (the previous local quilt guild, now defunct) to commemorate the 2002 Winter Olympics. There are paper-pieced houses that are representative of the houses in Old Town. The children in snow suits appliquéd around the outside border represent all the different countries that participated. (I made some of the children in snow suits.) Of course, our beautiful mountains are depicted. Carol, a fellow member of the Silver Queen Quilt Guild at the time, has had custody of it since it was last displayed. She's trying to find a new site for it. Davidene has offered to display it until a more public location is found.



Among other show-and-tell was this appliqué quilt top, ready to go to the quilter. I especially love the acorn house.



This quilt looks as if it could have been made a couple of centuries ago, except that it's in such great condition.



Jill had some circles left over from a previous quilt, so she made this. (She still has some circles.)



Jill and her sister, Lynn, made this quilt together. The seam allowances were...interesting. That's the hardest part about making a quilt together with other people. They managed to overcome the problem, though, and the result was great!


We have been getting a lot of rain lately, so it has been difficult to get the pups out for a walk or a hike, but we've managed, thanks to our weather apps. Saturday, for instance, we saw it was mostly likely not going to be raining until at least 3:00 PM, so we did a walk around the block before that. Sunny is usually off-leash on our street, because cars are sparse and she comes reliably to the side when I tell her. She has had a muscle strain caused by an awkward exit from the tub after her bath, but she has recovered well and was feeling well enough to chase a running Vizsla. This dog is as fast as a greyhound, so I was impressed. (I wonder what she planned to do with him if she caught him.) I've never seen her move so fast. Rocky and I were headed in the opposite direction, though, so she turned around and ran back to Rocky and me when I called her.

Here's some cuteness for this week:


I can't believe these beautiful creatures are my grandchildren! It's so nice to see them enjoying the out-of-doors at the park. At least it isn't rain, rain, rain, where they live.


What's on my needles: The Kai-Mei socks, working down the foot of the second sock. Still planning to CO the "March of the Fibres" cardi when I get a chance. Also planning to CO the Snow Crystals Socks.

What's on my Featherweight: Ready to start next month's blocks from First Ladies.

What's on my wheel: Still Full Circle spinning fiber in "Pigeon." No progress there.

What's on my loom: The Multi Scrap scarf.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson from Audible. Then listened to Our Lady of Pain, a mystery by M. C. Beaton using the nom de plume of Marion Chesney. Now listening to The Back Road by Rachel Abbott, also from Audible. Reading Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum in iBooks. 

What's in my wine glass: Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot by Concha y Toro of Chile, 2013.

What's my tip of the week: If you're making socks with a pattern section that has rounds where the number of stitches in the pattern decrease or increase, when you count your stitches to see where you are, you can start by using the base number of stitches in the pattern section and then count all the other stitches. This is most common in lace patterns. For instance, the Kai-Mei socks have a lace panel. The number of stitches starts and ends up as 15, but the stitch count varies. I start with 15 sts., then count all the other stitches in the round to find out how many stitches I have.


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.

Spinning My Wheel or Spinning My Wheels?

My mother had an expression she used when she felt like she had worked all day and hadn't accomplished anything. She said she felt as if she were spinning her wheels (and not the kind of wheels that produce yarn. That's how my week has been.


However, I did get some work done on my First Ladies Quilt. The class at Davidene's was on Wednesday. I had missed the class in April because we were in Moab, and I wanted to have that lesson's blocks done before the next class, which was on Wednesday. Tuesday I cut out the pieces for both classes' blocks. (We make two of the same block each time, so it was a total of four blocks.) Then I pieced the blocks from the class I missed. Wednesday the pups went to the groomer and I had the next class. Some ladies were having a quilt retreat near us, and a bunch of them came in for a shopping spree. I was already pretty well along on my blocks when they arrived, so I didn't mind when my teacher left me to ring up their purchases. Some of them noticed that I was using the Bloc-Loc ruler (see below) to square up my quarter-square triangles and started asking about it. I did a little demo, showing them how to use it for half-square triangle units (for which it was designed) and quarter-square triangle units (for which it works just as well). Two of the ladies bought the ruler from Davidene's.

Thursday I had my annual eye exam. Everything is fine, and I don't need new glasses, but I couldn't do anything much for the rest of the day because my eyes were dilated. I knew that would be the case, so I had dinner ready/planned for, and I had DGD1 drive me there, wait for me and drive me home.

Friday the pups went to the vet for their annual exam and shots. Like their "parents," DH and me, they are in good shape for their ages. Our vet is happy with them, and their only health issues are minor and under control.

I had planned to rethread the heddles on my loom and get it set up to weave, but while I had it folded up next to the wall, one of the bolts became bent. I couldn't fix it by myself or get it out to replace it. I had to wait for DH to help me. He worked on Saturday, when I was trying to fix it, and Sunday we had the opera (Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress," excellent), but he managed to get it unbent after we got home.

I managed to make some progress on my socks, though. Both the second Diagonal Cross-Rib sock (for DH; it really is bigger than it looks) and the second Kai-Mei sock are coming along.

Two more pattern repeats on DH's socks before starting the heel, and about an inch of the 3X3 ribbing on my socks before the heel.

For this week's cuteness, here are the two younger grandsons having their first trip to the farmers' market for the year, and Johan's first trip in the wagon.

I hope to have more time to work on my fun stuff this week, including "spinning my wheel."

What's on my needles: The Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks for DH, second sock moving along. Ready to CO his "March of the Fibres" cardi when I get a chance. (It didn't happen this week.) Also the Kai-Mei socks, progress on second sock.

What's on my Featherweight: Ready to start next month's blocks from First Ladies.

What's on my wheel: Still Full Circle spinning fiber in "Pigeon." No progress there.

What's on my loom: Dust! But I hope to get it up and running this week, now that the problem has (maybe) been fixed.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished A Hidden Witch by Debra Geary from Audible. Now listening to Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson, also from Audible. Just finished reading Lady Fiasco by Kathleen Baldwin on the Kindle app. Entertaining story. NowI want to read the rest of this author's books. Now I'm reading Charming the Duke by Holly Bush. I like the story (mostly), but the typos keep interfering with my involvement. It's as if they used spell check or autocorrect, but no one proofread the book. Things like "woman" when they mean "women," and short words left out of sentences. Publishers: Please hire proofreaders!

What's in my wine glass: Lindeman's Cawarra Shiraz-Cabernet 2014. The big bottle, which I needed after a week of spinning my wheels.

What's my tip of the week: The Bloc-Loc ruler is a great quilting notion. It was a little more expensive than most rulers its size, but I suspect that's because of the added expense of making the groove that runs diagonally from one corner to the other. This groove is wide enough to fit over the seam allowance on a half-square triangle (HST), from the seam line to 1/4" away. Here's how the ruler works: You place the diagonal of the ruler on the seam. If he seam is pressed to the right, the groove will be to the right of the diagonal. If it goes to the left, you turn the Bloc-Loc ruler around so the width of the groove is to the left. You have to make sure the lines indicating the size you want your finished HST to be are all on top of fabric, not outside the fabric. Then you cut the two edges on each side of the corner. Next, you turn the ruler and the square around, line up the groove on the seam line, adjust so the lines indicating the size you want are right along the edges you have just cut, and then trim the other two edges. (If I have a bunch to trim, I stack them with the seam allowance all going the same way, trim the top edges of each one, then turn around the stack of HSTs and the ruler and trim the other edges.)


Note that in the photo, the arrow indicates the diagonal seam with he seam allowance pressed to the left.

This ruler does two things: First, it helps you find the exact location of the the seam before you trim, and second, the ruler stays put as you trim, because it can't slide around on the seam the way a flat ruler would tend to do, so you don't have to put as much pressure on the ruler.

To use it to trim quarter-square triangles (QSTs), turn the unit so the vertical seam allowance and the groove are on the same side, as with HSTs. Then adjust the position of the ruler so the horizontal seam meets the line that indicates the size you want your finished unit to be on each side. (In the photos below, the ruler is set to trim to 4".)


The arrow points to the 4" mark on one side of the horizontal seam. You will need to adjust the ruler so the other 4" mark is in the right position on the other end of the horizontal seam. (There's some distortion in this closeup due to the thickness of the ruler, but you will want the 4" line to come out right at the ends of the horizontal seam.)

When you have the ruler in position, trim the top two edges, rotate the unit 180° and make sure your finished size lines up before cutting again. (You may have to turn the ruler around for the second cut, depending on which side the seam allowance is on after you rotate your block.)

(Note: I don't receive any kind of remuneration for advocating this product.)


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.

Old and New, Shake and Twirl

Joanie and I went to the Acorn Antique Show in Ogden, Saturday, with her companion, Ana.


We had lunch at the Union train station, as usual, at the Union Grill. Joanie presented me with a boy sheep and a girl sheep for Mothers' Day. I took this selfie with my two new friends.

There's always a quilt or two, but this time there were loads of them. I can't remember when I've seen so many quilts at the fair. Here's a little antique quilt show for you:












While we were at the antique show, DH and an old college friend were going over photos and slides from field work they did in Mexico in the '60s, putting names to faces, dating the photos and scanning them. They finished on Saturday, and he left Sunday.
I knew on Monday that we would be having company staying in my fiber studio, so I cleaned the place up (again). Here's what it looked like before I cleaned this time.



And after—



We saw "The Music Man" at Pioneer Theater Wednesday night. Great show, one of my favorites, and this cast was outstanding.


Common Threads met at Ginny's on Thursday. Kay brought this afghan to work on.



Kay had just returned from a four-month cruise. She had lots of photos, a whole iPad full. We only got through February, so we will have to see the rest of her photos next time.

While we looked at the photos, I worked on DH's Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks. I got more done in the back seat of Joanie's car on the way to and from Ogden, while Ana drove.




Details of pattern and yarn are here.


This week also saw progress on the Kai-Mei socks. The first sock is done.



Kai-Mei details here. I had a hard time getting a good photo. The navy yarn is almost black, and so you need lots of light, but the flash turns it into a regular dark blue.

The other big event this week was the earthquake. This is the first earthquake you could feel from our home since we moved into it in 2003. It happened on Saturday, so I missed it because I was on my way to Ogden. It wasn't a big earthquake, but it was exciting, because they are pretty rare where we live. DH and our visitor both grew up in California, so they knew what it was.

For this week's cuteness, Miss Daphne got decked out for her dance recital dress rehearsal.

What's on my needles: The Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks for DH, second sock moving along. Ready to CO his "March of the Fibres" cardi when I get a chance. Also the Kai-Mei socks, first sock done.

What's on my Featherweight: Still the third block for the First Ladies Quilt. The next class is this week, so I'll be back at it.

What's on my wheel: Still Full Circle spinning fiber in "Pigeon."

What's on my loom: Still some warp for another scarf. Watch for some progress this week.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Listened to While Drowning in the Desert by Don Winslow on the Overdrive app. It was hilarious, but with suspense. Just finished reading Marie Astor's To Catch a Bad Guy from iBooks. It was well worth the read.

What's in my wine glass: Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel, 2012. A favorite, but not because it has the same name as my favorite yarn shop in Portland.

What's my tip of the week: While knitting, I find I often need to work a row/round with some change to the pattern along the way, such as decreases or increases, followed by a row/round of working straight in pattern. When working back and forth, there may be a noticeable right (or public) side and a wrong (or nonpublic) side, with all of the pattern maneuvers done on the right side. If so, it's pretty easy to know when to work the decreases.
Sometimes, however, you can't tell which side is the side where you work the pattern, or you're always on the right side, as is the case when working in the round. Take sock toes. You might work a round with some decreases, then work a round straight knit. (You really should learn to read your work, of course, so you can tell which round you're on.)
However, if you're sitting in one spot, working away, you might try this little trick I use, which saves me from having to squint at my dark navy sock toe. I get my tape measure, stitch-marker box or some other item that has a right side and a wrong side. (Even the TV remote will do.) Lay it on the table or couch near you, right-side up, as you start the first decrease round. When you get to the end of that round, flip it over so it's upside-down. If your mind wanders (as mine often does) or you get interrupted, you can tell at a glance which row or round you're on. Right now I'm using my little sheep measuring tape. If I can see his face, I know I'm working the decrease round of my sock toe. If his butt is in the air, I'm working the round straight without decreases.



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.

Basking in the Sun

We were getting ready to leave for a camping trip, when I received this in the mail:


Stroll Sock yarn in White, Dogwood Heather and Dandelion, and Stroll Brights in Pucker for our trip this summer. Kookaburra Wool Wash and the 2 oz bottle of the same to take on our flight for washing clothes out, so we don't need to carry as much. Also the book Classic Color Pattern Collection, Fair Isle patterns. I was afraid this order would come while we were gone, so it was a pleasant surprise. I needed the white for these socks. I want to take the white ones and the navy ones (Kai-Mei, see below) with me this summer, so they are a priority.

Our trip to Moab was great, although I didn't get much knitting done. Between the hiking and cleaning the trailer, which I had to do because it was the first time out for the season, my time was pretty much taken up. We had some great hikes, though, enjoyed the lovely scenery of southern Utah and got to spend some quality time with DGD1 when no one was working or busy with normal activities.

DGD1 took this photo of me during our Mill Creek Trail hike on Monday. (Notice the camera in my hands.)

I got this one of DH playing with the pups. It was a bit cold for them to swim for long.

It was too bad the water was cold. It would have been fun to play in the waterfall.

I snapped this picture of DGD1 during our four-mile hike at Dead Horse Point State Park on Wednesday.

There were some lovely windflowers. My favorite was this cactus flower.

It snowed the night before we left home. It was great to leave it behind, even though the snow was very light this year.

I did get some knitting done in the back seat of our tow vehicle as we drove down there and back, and we all got to listen to the audiobook together. Here's a photo of the first of DH's Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks, finished except for weaving in the ends the night before we left:



Details of pattern and yarn are here.

And progress on the first Kai-Mei sock:



Details here. In the photo, you can see the beginnings of the panel that wraps around the foot.

For this week's cuteness, I thought you would appreciate how Zachary looks after his first haircut (other than Dad snipping curls from his head while Mom cried).



What's on my needles: The Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks for DH, second sock started and moving along. Ready to CO his March of the Fibres cardi when I get a chance. Also the Kai-Mei socks, first sock at the gusset.

What's on my Featherweight: The third block for the First Ladies Quilt. I missed the class while we were camping, so I didn't get very far with it.

What's on my wheel: Still Full Circle spinning fiber in Pigeon.

What's on my loom: Still some warp for another scarf.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Listened to Mars Rover Curiosity, an Inside Account From Curiosity's Chief Engineer, by Rob Manning and William L. Simon from Audible, the story of the development and deployment of the Mars Rover. I then went on to Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer (one of her mysteries) from the library on the Overdrive app. Finished Rediculous by D. L. Carter on the Kindle app. I don't know when I've laughed so much over a book I couldn't put down. (Caution: some explicit sex, but it wasn't excessive, fit the story and lacked the corny euphemisms I find so silly.) Now reading Marie Astor's To Catch a Bad Guy from iBooks.

What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake Malbec, 2013, always good value.

What's my tip of the week: Remember the finger lights I talked about in my blog post of last June 16th? During our trip back from Moab, it came in handy. I was sitting with the pups in the back seat of the pickup, trying to knit on my dark navy Kai-Mei sock, but not able to see the K3P3 ribbing, because there wasn't enough light. I dug this out of my knitting notions box, and voilà!



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.