Annie Get Your Knitting Needles

It has NOT been a quiet week here. First, there were the Sundance shifts, but I had some knitting time during some of them, so here's my progress:


I'm on the first sleeve, but this photo was taken before the Super Bowl game, so it's a little further along now.

I had three shifts at the Sundance Film Festival, which is over, but I have one shift (today) left to work, "The Best of the Fest" for locals, to compensate them for having to put up with the Festival.

The piecing of the first quilt top of the new year, "Seeing Stars," is done.

The pattern is "Clara's Journey" from Connecting Threads.

As you can see, this quilt is too big for my design wall. The finished quilt is 91.5" square. Now I have to decide how I want to have it quilted.

The big news, though, is the addition to the family (at least those living in the house), DGD1, who has come to live with us. She made a great addition to the church choir, which was in need of altos. We sat where the altos and sopranos meet, and I took a selfie of us:

She went with me to Common Threads on Thursday, CO a scarf, and had several inches done by the time we left. We're going to have fun knitting together. I had to help her make room in the guest room for her clothes, which took some time. I think she's pretty well settled in, though. She's been here before, but just for a week at a time.

We watched the Annie Awards Saturday night online. For your weekly cuteness, here are DS2 and DDIL2, sitting in the audience:

DS2 and his team were nominated for "Animated Effects in an Animated Production." They didn't win, but the film he was nominated for, The Boxtrolls, won two awards. There are five people on his team, and they would each have won an award. Too bad they didn't win, but not bad for first time out, and it was exciting that they got to go to the awards. Their boys were staying with the other grandparents. The lucky ones who live near them.

What's on my needles: Brick Cardigan, first sleeve started.

What's on my Featherweight: "Seeing Stars" quilt top done.

What's on my loom: Some warp for another scarf, but still folded up.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to In the Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotsen. Finished And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander, paperback.  I've decided I want to read more by the same author. This was the first of the "Lady Emily" series. They are mysteries. I have several books from Book Bub on my iPad, but haven't started one yet.

What's my app of the week: iBooks, which allowed me to download and keep the Annies program.

What's in my wine glass: Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 vintage. Very nice.

What's my tip of the week: A quilt batt that stays together well (such as Warm & Natural) makes a great design wall. I sewed a hem at the top and bottom of time and ran a batten through each, to keep it flat. I have hooks at each side of the top of the closet in my fiber studio, so I can rest one of the battens on it. If I had to, I could roll up quilt blocks and all to store. I can put blocks and pieces on the design wall without using pins, but strips and bigger sections stay put better with pins. I think an old blanket would work, and I've heard of people using the back side of a plastic tablecloth, the kind with a flannel backing.


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.

Dancing in the Sun

I'm making use of the new LED light for my Featherweight, which is back out of its case and on the job.


The piecing of the first quilt top of the new year, "Seeing Stars," is almost done. Here's the photo I took of the first block, ready to put together.


The pattern is "Clara's Journey" from Connecting Threads.

The center nine-patches and the primary fabrics in the big stars are scrappy, but otherwise I've been consistent in the use of fabrics. All that's left to do is the borders, which will finish the outer small stars, with an outer border of the off-white background fabric.


The turquoise was sort of a daring feat for me. I'm branching out. (I still love traditional and vintage reproduction fabrics, though.)

The Sundance Film Festival has started again, and I've served one shift (on Saturday) of the four I have planned. I have another one this afternoon/evening.

I always take something to work on, in case I have some down time on the job. Saturday I was assigned "exit/re-entry, which gets pretty quiet after the film starts, so I got some knitting done. I've been making good progress on my Brick Cardigan. (The pattern is "Aleph" by Hannah Cuviello.)

We went to the opera yesterday, so I had the trip down to SLC and during the opera to work on it.



Our older granddaughter is coming for a visit and will be here when I get home from my shift. I see sushi and more knitting in my future....

What's on my needles: Brick Cardigan, good progress.

What's on my Featherweight: "Seeing Stars" quilt, center done, just the borders to go.

What's on my loom: Some warp for another scarf, but still folded up.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The President's Pilot by Robert Gandt, and Home from the Sea by Mercedes Lackey. Now listening to In the Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotsen. Still reading And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander, not on the iPad for once but a paperback version I picked up at a rummage sale.

What's my app of the week: Southwest, for flight information, etc.

What's in my wine glass: A Chianti this time, Livingston Cellars.

What's my tip of the week: There are a number of apps that let you make calls through the Internet without charge, which is handy if you live in the mountains and have poor or no cell service in your home or you're visiting a place where you have access to WiFi but don't have service. Some of these apps allow you to use your own cell phone number.


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.