Short Days, Long Nights

We went to Run-A-Muk Dog Park twice this past week.

Dusty really needs to run and play with other young dogs. It's good to see Rocky running, too. He doesn't run as fast as Dusty, but he seems comfortable galloping along the trail, so I guess his joints are holding up all right. We had several sunny days this past week, but we also had a lot of snow, mostly Thursday afternoon and evening.

Thursday morning Vintage Stitchers met at Diane's. She had asked us to bring 2" strips for the Adopt A Native Elder program. They use the strips to tie up fabric pieces for the aging Native Americans in the program. Several of us brought stacks of strips or folded fabric for one of the volunteers to cut. Volunteers meet a couple of times a week to put together packages of food and other necessities to take with them during their periodic food runs.

Diane had finished this afghan. Several of the ladies in the group have made this or are making it. The pattern is from the Building Blocks pattern by Michelle Hunter. She used Swish Worsted by Knit Picks.

Rebecca, our appliqué queen, is working on some of the last blocks to go into her current quilt. It's supposed to have 24 blocks, but she says she thinks 20 is enough. She uses a freezer-paper method.

Here's another one:

Marilyn had finished her Falling Charms quilt. She planned to drop it off at the quilter after the meeting.

Here's the back:

Barbara had made this microwave bowl holder. It's designed to hold a bowl you put into the microwave, so it won't be hot when you take it out, but she likes it for holding her sewing supplies.

Here's a look from the side:

I took my "Peggy's Sistine Chapel" to show my friends. They remember when I was looking for the fabrics for it. I worked on my ZickZack scarf at the meeting.

I have been sewing, though.  I had made a pleated skirt for Vroni before we left on our Christmas trip, but I wasn't very happy with how it looked from the back. Also, I had to alter it to fit the skinnier Götz dolls. I thought I would "tweak" the pattern, but ended up redesigning it, modeled here by Lotte.

The grey skirt on the left was the first one. The pattern had you sew the top/yoke to the pleated skirt section, then add the elastic and sew up the back. The top/yoke was supposed to be cut on the bias, but I didn't have enough fabric to do that.

For the remake, I used homespun, which I think looks a little like thin wool flannel and comes in nice plaids. I cut the top/yoke on the bias using my rotary cutter and ruler to the size I ended up with for my altered version of the skirt (3 1/2" X 12"). I cut the skirt section on the crosswise straight-of-grain, making it 1/4" longer, because these dolls are 1" taller than the American Girl doll the original pattern was designed for (3 3/4 X 35"). I finished the top/yoke section, elastic and all, including the back seam. Then I hemmed the skirt and sewed the back seam. When I made the pleats, I made the pleats using the lines in the plaid, starting by folding the seam inside where it wouldn't show. It doesn't matter how big the pleats are as long as they just touch on the wrong side. Then I pinned the two sections together, easing in any fullness and using lots of pins. After sewing the two pieces together, I topstitched the way I did in the first skirt. Here you can see the difference:

Theoretically, you can piece the skirt part, as long as you have an equal number of what I would call "pattern repeats" in the plaid, so the seams can be hidden in the folded back part of the pleat. You can also make the pleats larger or smaller, as long as they just touch in the wrong side. Of course, this will change the number of pleats.

I finished the pattern testing for "Lotte's Lotta Colors." I found some mistakes and issued a revision. I had long thought a self-striping or multicolored yarn would work for this project and simplify the knitting, something people who have never worked a Faire Isle project before would appreciate. I used Palette in Black (25g) for the ribbing and darker color and On Line Supersocke 100 Living Color (24g) for the lighter color (color #1051). By using a multicolored or self-striping yarn you lose control over where the colors appear, but I like the effect, and you only work with two yarns throughout, eliminating the cutting and adding of new yarns at the center front and at the end of round for the sleeves.

Here it is as a cardigan, worn over my Wonderland Turtle turtleneck:

And as a pullover:

For comparison, here is the same sweater knit with the traditional changing yarn colors at the center front every few rounds:

Definitely a more structured look.

Late Thursday night, Dusty was barking incessantly. I went out to see what he was barking at. There was a young man standing at our gate, and two more out in the street with a vehicle. The young man said they were on a ski trip from Minnesota and were staying at the house up the hill (the one we call the "nightly rental house"). He said that even with 4X4 they couldn't get up the hill to park in their driveway and wanted to know if they could park in our drive. (We have a driveway wide enough for three vehicles, but only a 2-car garage.) I gave him permission. The next morning, they were out early, shoveling away the berm from our driveway, something produced when the snowplow comes by. I think they were planning on staying for a week, but they had no more problems, as of this writing.

I'm always looking for easy recipes for classic vegetarian dishes. With a little research online, I made a few adaptations and came up with this version of Huevos Rancheros.

Per person:

1 corn tortilla
1/2 C refried beans
2 T canned green chiles
1/2 small cooked potato, shredded
1 egg
1/4 C shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese

1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 green onion, chopped
Salsa to taste

Preheat oven to 350º
Line an ovenproof soup bowl with foil for each person. Spray inside with cooking spray. Place corn tortilla inside and top with beans, chiles and potato. Make a well in the center and break egg into it.
Bake for 25 min.
Top with avocado, chopped green onion, and salsa.

(If you're serving this to someone who can't chew tough tortilla, you can cover it with foil for cooking.)

What's on my needles: ZickZack Scarf, about 1" further than last week.

What's on my Featherweight: Slacks for Götz dolls.

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 Dean Koontz’ Midnight. Now listening to Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens. Seems very good so far. I'm about halfway through. Someone at Vintage Stitchers recommended The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. It was chosen as the book of the year by the libraries in Salt Lake City.

What's in my wine glass: Green Fin Red Table Wine, Vintage 2016. From organically grown grapes. Very, very nice!

What's my tip of the week: We shop for groceries at about four different stores. I made up a list of things we often buy at each store and saved it as a document in my word-processing program. I print off a copy and attach it to the fridge. We circle things as we find we need them and write in what isn't on the list. Then when one of us goes to the store, we just grab the list and go.

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.

Cozy, Comfortable Crafting

My long-term quilting project, "Peggy's Sistine Chapel," is done.

I bought this pattern, Delectable Pathways by Mary Sorensen, in 2004, when I took a class in needle-turn appliqué from the designer. I elected to use paper piecing for the "Delectable Mountain" blocks, so I would be prepared for my Pine Burr quilt, long hanging on my dining-room wall. I bought the background fabric (three shades of "cheddar") from my friend Julie when she was closing out her quilt shop. My plan was to put it on the wall over my stairs, with the lightest background the furthest away from the window.

I enjoyed the needleturn appliqué, and later the hand-quilting. However, during that time period I also took up hand spinning and then weaving.

When it became clear, however, that we would be leaving this house in a few months, I made it a goal to finish the quilting so I could see it on the wall where it was intended.

Now it's ready to put up on the wall, when we can figure out how to put something up that high over the stairs. (I'll post a photo when it's up.)

I was working on my "Sistine Chapel" on Thursday, when we met at Georgette's for Common Threads.

Georgette is a master needlepointer. She had finished several projects, including the pillow above. This seemed to be "needlepoint Thursday," as we were also treated to these:

Lynda had finished her brioche projects, the reversible scarf...

...and the hat.

She had also finished this shawl (not brioche, but still stunning).

Our part-timer, Susan, was working on this scarf, the ZickZack Scarf.

I had grown discontented with the shawl pattern I was working on (Frozen Skies) and had decided to frog it. Susan said this pattern was almost mindless, but still interesting. I decided that would be perfect for my special yarn, so I frogged the shawl and CO for the scarf.

So far, I'm enjoying it.

I also CO another Faire Isle doll sweater to try to perfect the pattern. (I'm finding mistakes.)

This time I'm using a solid and a self-striping yarn. It will eliminate changing colors every couple of rounds, but I had recommended it to people as an option, so I thought I would give it a try.

My adorable boys went to the groomer this past week....

...so of course it snowed!

Good weather to stay inside and knit or quilt.

What's on my needles: ZickZack Scarf, Fair Isle doll sweater.

What's on my Featherweight: Still waiting for more doll clothes.

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 The Sixth Window by Rachel Abbott, another of her creepy endings. Once I get into her books, I can’t stop listening. Now listening to Dean Koontz’ Midnight. I think I read it years ago, but it was a Deal of the Day from Audible, so I couldn’t resist. Still waiting for something on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Lindemann’s Cawarra Shiraz Cabernet 2015. Nice and smooth.

What's my tip of the week: If you’re going to hand-quilt your quilt, consider not prewashing your fabrics and using 100% cotton batting. When you’re finished with the quilting, wash it in hot water and run it through the dryer. The slight amount of shrinkage will be enough to make your stitches look smaller and more even. Sneaky!

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.

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.

Back to Work

We rang in the new year in Beaverton with our younger son's family. We celebrated at midnight Central time, because we knew the littles would be up before the sun.

It was a great idea, but the neighbors set off fireworks at midnight Pacific Time, so we didn't get much sleep that night. I thought about sending the boys over to their house to rouse them from their slumber. 

We brought some books with us for the boys, and we got to do some reading to them.

Dusty played with our granddog, Louis.

On Tuesday we drove back to Bend, because we had an appointment with our real estate agent to look at some houses. The fog had brought hoarfrost to the colder areas away from the coast.

We aren't ready to buy a house yet, but it was very educational to look, both for us and for our agent. One house we saw would have been perfect for us, with a study for DH tucked away next to the family room and a living room big enough to hold my loom in a spot designed for a dining room table. The only negative was the lack of adequate storage for our 5th wheel. The trailer may be our home after we move to Bend if we don't find a house right away.

On our last night in Bend, we took my BIL out to dinner. We went to Anthony's, a restaurant chain that specializes in fish. It overlooks the river in the Old Mill District. 

FootZone, a store that sells clothes and equipment for runners and walkers was having sort of a lose weight for New Year's event, where you could sign up to run or walk each day, with prizes awarded for people based on participation. While we were eating, we kept seeing people with headlamps running or walking by. There was a man pushing a twin stroller as he ran, and a lady with a lighted vest and a dog, who also wore a lighted vest.

We left the next day to drive home. We spent the night in Winnemucca again, at our favorite Super 8 motel (pet friendly). Rocky got some attention in the motel room from Vroni.

The next day, Vroni wanted to hand in the key card, but they kept her waiting at the desk.

During the return trip, I worked on her coat, trying to simplify the directions, for when I make it again. It's the Cabbagetown Jacket by Kristin Maw. The directions are fine, because she tells you exactly what you need to do for each row, but I get bored counting pattern repeats, so I've rewritten parts of the directions for myself so I can just work the sts as they appear up to the markers. 

Now Vroni won't have to borrow a coat next time she travels. She received an enthusiastic welcome from the other kids when we arrived home.

Then she doled out presents. (I really wish they would take off their shoes when they climb up on the kitchen counters.)

Finally, she gave Lotte her coat back, with thanks, and received her Tyrolean coat back.

Now I've started on the iPhone tote for our daughter. It was her birthday on Wednesday, but I had to order the yarn in the color she wanted.

What's on my needles: An iPhone tote for DD.

What's on my Featherweight: Waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished White Silence by Jodi Taylor and now listening to the audio version of that book everyone is talking about.

What's in my wine glass: Two Vines Merlot/Cabernet, 2015. Very nice, and much appreciated because we can't get it in Utah.

What's my tip of the week: When it's really cold out, a sandwich bag over the toes before putting on boots will keep your feet warmer. Just don't leave them on if your feet sweat.

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.