Knitting Makes The World Go 'Round (but my dad holds it together with coat hangers)

This weekend a health issue cropped up - but because it was 6:30 on Saturday evening, my doctor had me go to the emergency room to get checked out.  While I was waiting for the results of my lab work and ultrasound, I pulled out my "train knitting" from my purse to pass the time (which, being an ER on a Saturday night, was considerable).  At one point, an older lady from the housekeeping staff came by to empty the trash and noticed that I was knitting.  In very broken English, she asked me what I was knitting and then told me about how, years ago, she used to knit for her children - hats, socks, sweaters, you name it.  Her entire face lit up when she started talking about her knitting days - it was literally like a switch had been flipped- and she left my little cubby area smiling to herself.  For me, lying there by myself waiting to find out if I had a blood clot -well, let's just say it was nice to have a friendly conversation.  And I love how knitting in public (there's nothing really PRIVATE about an ER...) allows you to stumble upon kindred spirits, people who know exactly the sort of joy that comes from creating something both artistic and serviceable with just ones own hands, a couple of sticks, and some string.  (It also gets you  really strange looks from some non-kindred spirit people, but that's for another day.)

I turned out to be perfectly fine, so the next day found me on my way to the movies with my niece and nephew.  We got to the end of the driveway when my car started making a horrible sound.  Luckily, my dad was still in town and at the house, and after 15 minutes of fiddling he had turned a metal coat hanger into a muffler clamp and we were on our way.  I swear, he's like MacGyver...except he looks a lot more like Alan Alda than Richard Dean Anderson.

Happiness Project: LOVE THIS

My friend Leigh posted this on Facebook and I literally had tears in my eyes at the end - all weddings should be so joyful!  This makes me wish I had gotten married and done this...

I Seem To Be On A Green Kick...

Ok, so remember a few weeks ago when I said I was working on finishing up old projects?  Well, it didn't last long, and here I am right smack in the middle of a new one.  I had forgotten that months ago I had signed up for a quilt class here, to make this quilt.  I went a bit more monochromatic with my color scheme, which I am honestly on the fence about.  Mostly I like it - this morning as I was walking to the train station the sun was dappling the trees in such a manner that it reminded me of this project - but: I have to confess that I am jealous of my classmates' more raucous, colorful creations.  I am already thinking about doing another one in more funky colors.

The hardest part of this project is lining up the blocks in a way that you don't have clusters of strips in the same color too near each other.  I think it may be more difficult in a colorway like this, because there's no obvious bright pink screaming "move me!".  It's harder for me to see any clumping of colors, particularly with the dark ones.  Currently, the blocks are pinned to a flannel sheet that is tacked to my living room wall (where, hopefully, the finished quilt will hang).  I find myself staring at the blocks, and then suddenly my eye will catch two leaf prints touching, or two bright greens too close.  At some point, though (as in, before next week's class!), I'm going to have to just suck it up and sew them together.  (Let me just add that last night, roughly around midnight as I was fussing about with block placement, it became clear to me that - much like everything else in my life - I am WAY overthinking this.)  And I'm also anticipating the quilting part - I'd like to find a nice leaf pattern...will I be brave and try to machine quilt it, or will I spend the next six months hand quilting it?  Decisions, decisions...

Finally, I must say that I'm surprised at how much I've enjoyed the class.  I've quilted for 15 years now, and never before took a formal class.  I learned by watching my grandmother and through my own trial-and-error using various books and magazines.  I'm a little shy about having people observe me - both my process and my output - but everyone seems very friendly, and I like the company (five other women, mostly my mom's age).  Since I don't have any "quilting" friends, it's nice to be around people who carry seam rippers in their pockets and know their way around a cutting board, not to mention people who completely understand having a monthly fabric budget.

Non-Train Knitting!

I am, at best, a mediocre knitter, and so I am always thrilled - and more than a little surprised - when I knit something that actually resembles the photo in the instructions.  This little sweater has, um, an issue or two...but it was a great "learning curve" project.  It's knit all in one piece, but there was enough sewing up to do that I was able to finally figure out mattress stitching.  I knit this in an oatmeal-colored alpaca, as it is incredibly soft (if impractical...), and  I added a shiny (and somewhat sparkly) organdy ribbon.  The sweater actually ties in the back, but I tied it on the side for photo purposes.  

Yarn = Frog Tree 100% Alpaca Wool

Pattern = "Wrap Top" from Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomerie

On a completely unrelated subject, everyone in the universe should go buy Ray La Montagne's new album.  Trust me.  He only looks scary.

Train Knitting

Rarely have I been so elated to finish a project.  This is the "Pink Aura" scarf from  One-Skein Wonders, for which I used TWO skeins of Manos del Uruguay's merino/silk blend in "Wildflowers".  I opted to use a size 6 needle, instead of a 10.5 as the pattern called for, because I wanted a more dense fabric.  Alas, that meant needing more yarn...and more time.  This was intended to be a spring scarf, but that didn't happen (although this crazy weather is much more spring-like than summer right now!).  This project has been my train knitting now for at least two solid months, and I must confess there have been several days where I couldn't even look at the thing, and either read or slept my way to and from work.  But it is DONE, DONE, DONE now, and I can finally work on something else without this nagging me from my purse. 

Experimenting: Wall Quilt #1

A few months ago, I started working on a scrap log cabin quilt using 1 1/2 inch strips.  I quickly discovered this was akin to plucking my bushy eyebrows one hair at a time, even though I was chain piecing - it was painfully slow going.  That project is still *ahem* in progress, but I did use some of the strips and make a small (9 x 12) wall quilt, which I then hand quilted.  I found some pre-cut flowers that I had bought for some long-forgotten scrapbook project, so I used a silver brad in the middle, then sewed them onto the quilt.  I bought a fairly inexpensive frame at the craft store, and voila:

This was a really simple way of using up some scraps while watching my Netflix videos; so simple that I was a little reticent about giving it as a gift.  It was, however, well-received by the recipient (my cousin, who is expecting a baby girl).  The plus side on this project is that if she doesn't want to hang it up (or even if she does want to hang it up for awhile), when the baby gets older the quilt can be removed and used as a doll blanket (obviously for a child over the age of 3, since it has small parts that could come off).

The downside on this of course (other than my less-than-stellar photography) is that it was obviously not professionally framed, and I read somewhere that one should frame quilts in a frame deep enough to keep the cloth away from direct contact with the glass.  In this case, as it was an experiment, I was fine with taking the inexpensive route and framing it myself.  

Upcoming:  another wall quilt experiment and an ACTUAL, FINISHED KNITTING PROJECT, hurray! 

From the "Archives" (Happiness Project)

In the process of moving out of my sister's house, I found a quilt I had made for my nephew several years ago (maybe 6 or 7 years ago? yikes!).  It is one of my favorite things I've ever made, even if the applique isn't perfect (Ernie's eyes are a little crossed, and Kermit looks like he's ascending to heaven...).  Still, it makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it, and so I borrowed it to hang in my office.  Luckily, I work at a place where hanging Muppets on your wall is encouraged.

This is not a great photo, I know.  First, the lighting in my office apparently stinks, and second of all my old digital camera is not the greatest when it comes to taking indoor pictures (I am still craving a Nikon and saving my pennies...).  But I wanted to share this anyway, because part of why it makes me ridiculously happy is that it makes me remember my nephew as the cutest, sweetest little boy that ever lived -- and frankly, he still is now that he is almost 11.  Best. Boy kid.  Ever.  This has been independently confirmed.  And, he and his sisters, along with my sister and brother-in-law, are here for the summer now (flew in last night!), and I am deliriously happy to have them close by, at least for the next 8 weeks.  

The Muppet blocks are from the book "Quilting With The Muppets", which I heartily recommend even if you don't sew; I thought it gave a really great look into the people at Sesame Workshop who have entertained us all for generations.  The book gives you basic Muppet block templates, and then you are free to design a quilt however you wish - I thought this was great, but probably not for a just-starting-out quilter.  There are many examples of quilts made by Sesame employees over the years that can provide inspiration.  (The patchwork blocks are a mishmash of me playing with fabric and using some plastic templates that I think came from my grandmother. )