Fibermania

Quilt Along with Melody Q&A

2012-01-28T09:28:00.001-06:00

Hi Melody:

    I am writing with some questions about the QAWM starting February 1st - I'm sure the answers are somewhere in your blog but I've not been able to find them, so apologies for asking to repeat.

O, no apologies needed, as I was waiting until the last minute, January 31, to post the plans, which are very sketchy plans so far...

A little preamble: This will be the third year of Quilt Along With Melody, and originally it was an effort on my part to use up the quilt fabric I have in my stash, and then maybe get others to come along for the ride and destash some too. I picked a simple block and variations and asked people to respond with their emails or blogsites and I posted those on the sidebar. The second year I got smarter and made a Flickr site where FO could be posted and I provided a link. It still exists at http://www.flickr.com/groups/qawm2011/pool/ where you can see people did their own projects and that seemed to work.
But this year will be different. I plan to do
1. Small art quilts
2. Quilt as you go bed/napquilts.

    How long does it run?
All of February.
    How much should one plan on doing every day, or is there a space of days over which to do work?
O it's not nearly that structured. I plan to do some demos/tutorials and post those and if you want to do them that day or the following weekend, that's just fine. Or next month, or whenever.
    How does the whole thing work anyway: via your blog or website or    email? or some other way?
It'll all be here on the blog.
    And how much does it cost?
Nothing, it's free to you and your friends. However you might want to spend a bit on solids for the art quilts, and Wonder-Under 805 too.
    Maybe I'll finally use some of the threads that I purchased from Artfabrik so long ago...........
It could happen.
    Many thanks!
If you don't have a lot of solids in your stash I have suggested Joann's Country Classics http://www.joann.com/country-classic-cotton-solids-assorted-colors/prd10005/ and you will only want 1/2 yards.

Early Works

2012-01-27T07:41:00.001-06:00

Way back in the late '80's, early 90's, I belonged to a small juried-in quilt group made up of Chicagoland art quilters. This included Caryl Fallert, Ann Fahl, Judy Walters, Jane Sassaman, Ellen Anne Eddy, and a few others whose names I have forgotten...duh.
I was a newbie and full of awe at being in the same room with these luminaries. I wanted to be one of them, art-wise and was hoping to impress them eventually. I worked in a factory full-time and only had the weekends to quilt. (and I sewed all day at the factory!) but, I had ideas. One of them was to make a logo for myself and my business cards that was a representation of my other art, painting, and of my new art of quilting. I made a 2" square painting of a very loose nine-patch and this black and white quilt was designed based on that. It's called Nonchalant Nine Patch. But I am getting ahead of the story. I had to make this design, so I did a 12" mockup, using Wonder-under and made a totebag as a start. I brought it to the meeting and discussed my desire to make a real quilt out of it with Caryl Fallert, while shivering in my boots. The only way I could figure I could do it was with fusing, but I was afraid that was CHEATING. (Imagine that...) I really couldn't imagine turning under all those wiggly edges and hand appliqueing them! Caryl thought fusing was the answer too, and gave me the nod. Seriously. What a relief. If it was OK with her, I was good to go. I had no idea this would be the start of all of my serious work.

Also at that time, I was trying to dye fabric with Rit and just couldn't get the vibrant colors that I saw in Caryl's and Judy Walters' quilts, which were dyed with Procion dyes. I was afraid of them because I read health warnings etc, and really, I had no place to dye anything in the house in which we lived. But Caryl told me what dyes I needed to use and what fabric to buy and shortly thereafter we moved to a house where I did have a laundry room and a sink and so I began to dye my own fabrics. This quilt, Emergence, is my first work using all my hand dyed fabrics, all of them in one quilt! It is pieced on a tearaway foundation and then cut into smaller squares and reassembled.
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So I am telling you this stuff because years later, I can see that giving permission and giving information can lead to something much bigger than it might have seemed at the moment.
Since we are going to be doing Quilt Along With Melody starting February 1st, I thought I would begin with fusing a small art quilt. This means that if you want to learn to do this, you'll need to fuse your fabrics ahead of time.
Normally I would insist on using only hand dyeds (not batiks either) but that may be too much to ask for beginners. So as suggested earlier, get some solids together in wide range of colors* and fuse half yard lengths. Please use only regular Wonder-under** and fuse, cool, peel. In fact, to be smart, fuse everything and then later peel off the paper, and try to keep the paper intact. We'll use the paper as our construction site.
Try not to be afraid. I'll be right there with you.

*Suggested colors? Red, orange,yellow-orange, yellow, lime, kelly green, aqua, turquoise, bright blue, light and deep purple, magenta, fuchsia, hot pink.
**A better deal for Wonder-Under can be had if you have a 40 or 50% off coupon from Joann's.

Fixing the Droop

2012-01-26T07:17:00.000-06:00

I got to wear my new sweater yesterday to knitting and by the time I got home the neckline had stretched way wide. It was almost falling off the shoulders. So I decided to crochet a chain and weave it between the ribbing and voila! a new look and a great fix. Yay knitting!
It's humbling to take one's picture mid diet, but we must have the before pics, mustn't we? Here's my knitting and Jazzercise pal Deidra, wearing my fuzzy pink poncho. Now that's my diet goal, to be as slim as she.

Off to Jazzercise now, to get the butt in gear.

Fitting the Knit

2012-01-25T06:49:00.000-06:00

One of the things I love about knitting is that I keep learning new things, even after all these years. When I decided to alter the raglan sweater pattern to fit my 'curves' I searched for help on Ravelry. I found a recipe for raglan shaping that made it all become clear to me. It involves math!
Simple math.
If your gauge is 4 stitches per inch, and your widest measurement is 40, then the largest number of stitches you will have on your needles is 4x40=160. Wow. That means that I can measure the hip for knitting bottom up or the neckline for knitting top down and know how many stitches to cast on.
For this sweater, I knit top down, and cast on as follows: The neck needed to be lower than crewneck, so I decided on 21 inches. 21x4=84. Simple!

Then after the ribbing I needed to divide my stitches for the body of the sweater. This is where the new knowledge sets in...For a raglan, one takes the number of stitches and divides by 3.
1/3 goes for the back, 1/3 goes to the front and 1/6 for each sleeve. Or in my case,starting at 84 stitches already on the needles for the neck ribbing, I counted 28 for the front and 28 for the back and 14 for each sleeve. When I begin increasing, I will make 8 new stitches at the dividing markers every other row until I reach the magic number 160, that is: 80 for the front and 80 for the back. (I am not counting the sleeve stitches, which get put on waste yarn and knit later.) That's when I know that I have the number of stitches needed for the body. No measuring needed, or trying on either. Sigh. That makes it so much less stressful to knit, knowing it is going to fit. So, if I wanted a looser fit, I might add an inch worth of stitches or 4 to give me some breathing room. Or if I were young and less busty I might stop short of 160 to make a tighter fit, to emphasize my good points, heh heh. But those days are long gone.

Here's another thing I learned, late in the game. Quality yarn produces a quality garment. It does the work for me. This yarn is merino and silk from Filatura di Crosa, and it has a tight twist, making it very springy and bouyant. It looks like a machine knit it. ha!
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Diet Update.
I am still not hungry. I don't miss the sweets, fats or the wine. But it is still early in the game. On the other hand, I have gone down one bra size and one pants size, which is the #1 goal. I have lots of clothes that used to fit and when I had to hike up my jeans several times yesterday I figured it was time to get out the old jeans, packed away under the bed, and try on a pair. This took courage. But I was happy to easily zip them up and now I suddenly have 7 pairs of wearable jeans. Woowoo! But not to get complacent, as these are still three sizes bigger than my target weight. But still...
My other goal is to be more flexible and Jazzercise is helping me there. I touched my toes yesterday!

Quilt Music

2012-01-24T06:46:00.000-06:00

Don Freund's Quilt Horizon, commissioned by Robert and Sara LeBien for the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, is the composer's response to a brilliant and deeply engaging quilt by Melody Johnson displayed in the LeBien's home. Complete program notes at http://db.tt/6WQua4q

I had nothing to blog today, since I have been non-stop knitting, but this morning I got an email notifying me of this video. Now that's somethin' that doesn't happen everyday.

A Knit Along

2012-01-22T08:16:00.000-06:00

My pals Judy, Sharon and I are going to make this sweater in a knit-along. Notice the slim figure on this model. Not exactly my shape, eh? But the pattern is a fun and simple style and will be quick to make.

The pattern calls for chunky yarn and we spent several hours searching for some to order and ended up with about 2 choices that fit the bill.
But, I found some in my stash at home which could work, maybe... I would have to alter the raglan shaping a bit to adjust the fit. Since I was doing that I decided to change the neckline like this:

Only not continue the rib as far and no cables. This is Baby Cocktails' Irish Coffee.
And I am not sure yet if I have enough to make it this long and so I will probably be changing the length of the body, and perhaps the sleeves. This makes the sweater come out completely different from the plan, but if I am to make it fit me, that's what has to happen.

Here's my start. Filatura di Crosa Empire, merino and silk. Yummy to knit. Size 10 needles.

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While I was looking through my photo files I came across this picture of a rejected quilt design. This fused top never got made, in fact, it got disassembled. But now I look at it and wish I had made the quilt! So when we get to February and start Quilting Along With me, I think I will add this design to the mix. What was I thinking when I rejected it? Who knows, but now I love it. Here's the associated blog post from last March.

Missing pictures...

2012-01-20T10:36:00.000-06:00

Some or all of these pictures may be missing from today's post. Sorry...

But then there's PRINTS

2012-01-20T07:44:00.001-06:00

Despite what I said in yesterday's post, I have a love for prints too. They carry a theme, a look, a personality that makes a quilt shine.

I love love love this quilt by Cathy Underhill and want to have one of my very own. Wouldn't be the same in solids. This is so girly and sweet, just what I want to grace my bed.

And I find this one irresistible too. Mamacjt's Fruit Basket in progress. I have collected a lot of those fabrics.

Not as many as you all have, I am sure, but enough for several bed size quilts.

And I have some vintage stuff that begs to be used. Some as old as my freshman quilting days. The 80's!
My collection of Japanese indigo, wax batik, and Java wax resists are finally reaching the light of day, having been stored for. ever. Doncha think I should use these NOW?
I have been collecting lime and lemony prints too, for a really summery quilt. So delicious, they make me pucker!
So fear not Print Lovers , I will be using these in February too. The quilt I plan to make will be (my) bed sized, and quilt as you go construction.
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Must give equal time to #1 Dawg.

Chumley wants a better view...

Mostly Solids

2012-01-19T06:45:00.000-06:00

Over the years I switched from busy prints to solids, and those were mostly my hand dyed fabrics. Now I get lazy and add to my stash from commericial cottons. Nothing wrong with those, and some are actually colors I just couldn't quite get with dyeing myself. Purples and dark greens, mostly. I just wasn't willing to use that much dye...call me cheap.
What I feel to be true is that solids offer something more personal in the finished product. I have to put more of myself into the design and that works out to be more original looking--to me. This is all opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.
When it comes to art quilts, I feel like I need to be as original as possible and therefore I choose fabric that has no identity, other than color.
I am tempted to try and define 'art quilt' but then I can just invision the furor in the comment section.
Some of the quilts pictured are pieced and some are fused. I found with fusing I could make art quilts with designs that couldn't be pieced or appliqued in any way, so I fused them. None of these pictures show that type. Any of these could be pieced. And vice versa. So why fuse them when I could piece them?
Several reasons...I already had the fabric fused since that was my focus all of my career. And I planned to use them for the wall so fusing was just fine. A wall quilt that is fused is smoother and easier to quilt without basting.
But you cannot use fusing for a functional quilt and then wash it. The fusing ripples and bubbles and if not stitched down, it will curl up.
Some of you know all of this already...but I am saying this now to avoid confusion when we do small art quilts in February's Quilt Along With Melody.

Recently I have been looking at the small works I have fused in the past and have decided to try making them (or something similar) by piecing. I will be showing how I do this and you can follow along or try your hand at it too. I look forward to the challenge!
O, by the way...#2 and #6 are fused. And this last one never existed...Photoshop!

Got Solids?

2012-01-18T06:56:00.000-06:00

In anticipation of our Quilt Along with Melody projects for February, I thought I might encourage you to beef up your solid stash. Joann Fabrics is having a sale ONLINE or at the store, and their premium Quilter's Only solids are on sale, as well as the Kona. Both are 40% off. Can you beat that?
You decide what and how much you want...and I am sure you will want to use it for little delicious arty quilts. Woowoo!
I'm off to the dentist now.

Finito

2012-01-17T07:14:00.001-06:00

My darling sister Brooke dropped in for a surprise visit so I had her take this pictures of the finished poncho. Afterwards I blocked it a bit to smooth out the ribs. This is an indoor poncho, and just right to keep the bod warm. So soft and cushy. And while she was watching TV and snoozing, I made this mock turtleneck tee. It goes together better in person than in this shot.
I'm not sure about this view, but it was worth taking a picture for future reference.

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I am getting excited about Quilt Along with Melody in February, and so I have been collecting ideas on my Pinterest Board.
See this board. And then the painting board which also has some very quilty designs.
I would like to focus more on making art quilts this time around and so we will start by making something small. I don't want to jump the gun, but I have IDEAS!

Pink Poncho and PJ Pants

2012-01-16T07:47:00.000-06:00

Oooh, I had such a nice day Sunday, plunked down in front of the TV and next to the fireplace with my knitting. I watched movies streamed on Netflix and knit away all day. I finished my pink poncho ALMOST, but ran out of yarn. I will have rip back a row or two to bind off.
Grrrr. This yarn is Dune by Trendsetter, and is partly mohair and does NOT rip out easily. I quit trying last night to avoid ruining everything. Despite this inconvenience, the poncho is the most luxurious feeling wrap ever. I paired this with Merino Cashmere and did two rows of each, using three balls of Dune, which I got half price or $7.75 (breaking my vow not to buy anymore yarn, which lasted like 9 days, geesh.) and three balls of the merino. I sorta used this pattern.

On Saturday I sewed three pairs of pj bottoms using another pattern from my old Stretch and Sew collection...and didn't have to make a new copy, since the last weight/size I had made. yay! It is available on Ebay here.

Last time I posted a pattern found on Ebay, the seller wrote to thank me, because a blog reader bought one. There are pages and pages of old S&S patterns on that site. Amazing. I only wish I had more garment fabric in my stash. These stirrup pants were all the rage, in 1985. ha! I just eliminated the stirrups and added ribbing. Very cozy to sleep in.

The Mel-Improvement Project

2012-01-14T08:07:00.000-06:00

It got really cold last night, but Chester was tucked close to me and we both stayed warm. Chumley was next door in the Snoreroom, keeping company with Dave. This tiny bit of snow is just enough for Dave to try out his toboggan down our hill. Every time he goes out I tell him how much I loved being married to him, in case he breaks his neck. Why do men need the thrill of speed?
I find knitting in my comfy chair in my BRIGHT studio, all the thrill I could possibly want. I am working on a pattern called Summer Poncho, but have diverged so much it doesn't resemble the original at all.

But getting to the point of this post, I have been on my diet for two weeks and it is working like a dream. I find talking about diets totally boring, but here is the link to the No Willpower Necessary diet plan, so I don't have to explain it. This time, and I mean by that that this is the second time I am using it, I am not weighing myself. I don't need to. My pants tell all. The weight falls off without effort, altho I am putting in some effort at Jazzercise...sweating! ick.
On this diet I am never hungry, but have to remind myself to eat at designated (by me) times. It is even easier than the first time (2002) because I am not traveling and having to eat at restaurants so much. Add to this that Dave is doing his own meals. Yes. This makes it all work great. He has to stay away from protein or his meds don't work correctly and he gets into trouble. So it's all starches for him. And for me, there is a minimum amount of carbs, so no starches or sugar. My diet requires only the occasional cooking, which then leads to less dishes to wash. It's all good.
The first time around I lost 63 pounds in 7 months. I probably will have to do nearly that amount this time around, but no pressure. I don't care about the numbers now, and won't be going near the scale. It's all about feeling healthier. I want to be able to move and be more flexible, without pain. The motivator is thinking about carrying around a huge bag of kitty litter wherever I go, and it is strapped around my middle. Picture this for a minute. Phew!
I spent a little time sewing my new tablecloths yesterday and now I have ideas for more clothes sewing. It's time for new pajamas.
I prefer to make mine, since mostly I want ribbing at the ankle so they won't ride up. I get pickier and pickier about things as I get older.
La dee dah.

Baktus Scarf #4

2012-01-13T07:17:00.002-06:00

I love love love these yarns knit together, Malabrigo Silky Merino (a handdyed in Piedras) and Mini Mochi Merino, a handspun multicolor. So soft and so wonderful to knit.

This time I added little nubs at the end of the bottom, of just the Mochi. Simple addition: cast on two, turn, bind off two. The scarf is about 65" wide and can be wrapped around the neck twice and knotted. The V is about 12" deep. OK I admit, I didn't measure it.

This photo shows it as reddish, but it is definitely not. You can knit this scarf from this pattern:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/norwayneedles/2963651011/in/photostream/
Or you can have this one for just the price of the yarn, $29. Email me. Sold

Quickie Cloths

2012-01-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

Since we exchanged our big dining room table for our smaller roundy one, I had plans to use it to enhance our decor. That meant ordering fabric to make tablecloths. First I needed a felt pad to go underneath, so while I awaited the arrival of the fabrics, I got my felt from Hobby Lobby after knitting yesterday. And when I got home, my new fabric had arrived, so why wait another minute?
I have this cool instant compass, made from screw on cylinders with a pencil tip at one end and a stylus at the other. This makes it easy to mark big circles.

The felt pad needs no finishing, but the cloth needed serging and a fold over hem.

The whole process took less than 30 minutes and voila!
I have three more to make later today.
But this morning I am joining several friends from knitting at a Jazzercise class. Woowoo. We are meeting in Soddy Daisy, about 45 minutes from home.
Knees, don't stop me now!

Outfits

2012-01-10T07:15:00.001-06:00

Now that my studio is all bright and cheery, I have been working until dark and loving every minute of it.
I set up my serger right next to my sewing machine and that led to thinking about sewing new clothes.
I have the same problem as lots of knitters. I fall in love with yarn, make it into something and then find I have nothing to wear with it.
And I have a load of knit fabrics, thanks to Kay Sorensen, who graciously unloaded her stash of interlock to me, about 5 or 6 years ago. It all came together yesterday in a flurry of cutting and sewing then matching up already made knits with new tees, and then finding the yarn to go with fabric to be sewn.
I always fall for Merino, like this Crystal Palace Merino 5, and I have more in solid cream, which matches this cream colored tee perfectly. But I already started in on the peachy tee's scarf using Malabrigo Rios, merino and silk. Only one skein of that but it will joined by Mini Mochi merino. The peachy color isn't my best shade, but I love it and the scarf will bridge the gap to make it work with my coloring.

This is the pattern I used, which is out of print but it is amazing what you can find on Ebay these days. Looking for this one online led me there, and bargains are rife. Of course you can make most of Stretch and Sew patterns from wovens, rather than knits, but I am sewing knits from this one.

Available on ebay here

I made this rosy top about 15 years ago, time flies, and I already have the perfect scarf for it. The tomato colored scarf now has a match, just right for warmer days.
Here's a fakey smile on my face, and the lumpy 'before' picture. Check back in 6 months for the 'after'.
I already regret posting this. Oy.

Swinging By

2012-01-09T06:57:00.000-06:00

My friend Tommy and her dh G and dawg Bella came for a visit on their way to Florida on Sunday. Did I take her picture while she was here? Duh, nope. So I swiped this one from her blog.

We ate and laffed and did the house tour, and tried to get the three dawgs to stop barking. All the noise! It was just like old times, only without the wine. because they were driving, of course.
I insisted that Tommy bring her newest quilt top in from the car.
Here it is on my design wall.

Each one of these blocks is a quilt in itself and so inspiring. Pieced, and some parts are pieced stripes. You know how I love stripes. O my, yes.

It kinda gets my juices flowing to do some small works. Can you see these in sets on a wall? I sure can.

The husbands got along swimmingly and if it hadn't been such a rainy miserable day, we might have let the dawgs run out some of their excitement.

By the end of the visit, Tommy and I were on the couch looking at Pinterest, like a couple of nerds, which we are.
She thanked me for inviting her to stop by and duh again, I asked, "you mean you came because I invited you?" Yup.
Why didn't I think of that before?
Well, that makes me think of inviting lots more people to pop in. Dawgs and all.

Saturday at Home

2012-01-08T07:02:00.000-06:00

I saw these potholders on Pinterest and LOVED them.
Here's the tutorial.
I have the same fabric in pink with white dots, so I dropped everything and ran to make them.

Now I can wash my other potholders! The new ones will stay clean much longer as I have put baking on hiatus, til the evidence of my previous baking has left my figure.
I decided to do concentric quilting, starting in the center. Fast and uneven, but hey, these are utilitarian objects... I used selvedge for the contrasting loops.
My kitchen has no color scheme, so these are perfect in there.

I recently had to denude my walls of quilts as I will be having nine of them in a show at the Anderson Art Center in Kenosha WI, later this month until March. I'll have the dates when the opening happens.

Bare walls don't stay bare long, so I raided the Closet of Unsold Art, and brought out these historic pieces to fill in the gaps.
Ringcycle #3 (I think).

At the end of the room we (meaning Dave got on the ladder) hung Sunrise Sky, made in 2003.
I was sure it was much older than nine years. I haven't seen this quilt in ages, and was amazed how nicely it goes with our wall color.

Here's a better view.

The Guest room had to have something limey, so I found Bradford Copse #2 and
Dancing Diamonds #3 to hang there.

And there was a quilt over the commode (doncha love that euphemism) and it was replaced by the chair painting.

Hurray! New Stairs!

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

I neglected to get a 'before' picture of the icky old stairs, so I had to crop this from another shot that focused on something else in the room. Notice the shredded corners? Dawgs love to chew, especially Chester. Then Chumley has to join in and then of course they eat the strings and have to throw up. Grrr.

But that's all over now! Yay! O how I love these new stairs. They will be painted, but for now they are walkable and I can get back into the studio without having to walk around ladders and saws, and extension cords. Everything has a thin film of sawdust on it, so I will be cleaning alot today.

In keeping with using what we have, we disassembled our big dining room table (out to the garage) and brought the IKEA pedestal table back to the dining room, where it takes up much less space. And really, we mostly used the big table as a place to pile up junk...so maybe now, will less surface, less will pile up. Am I dreaming or what?
I like the smaller table in front of the window for birdwatching, and will sew some colorful tablecloths to brighten this spot in the big room. 1.5 yards of 54" wide fabric makes it. I already looked to see if I had anything in the stash that would work...nope. I feel a little online shopping coming on!

Re-Making this as QAYG

2012-01-06T06:29:00.001-06:00

Part of my New Year's Resolutions included using what I already have made. So I got this top out of the closet and had a good look at it. Since it has been out of sight, and out of mind, I find myself totally in love with it again, even more than when I first made it.
And I want to use it on my bed.
I joked about having a quilt for every month of the year, and now I don't think this is such a silly idea, since I am already half way there after 2011's output.
So this piece, called Crayons is about 61 by 75" and I need it to be wider and longer. I don't want to just add borders on the top and bottom to get that length because that wouldn't be in keeping with the design. And I definitely don't want to quilt it whole, since I know I don't have to.

So my plan is to unsew the sections and insert elements, or add elements to the top or bottom, or both, until I reach the desired length. Then I will quilt the sections individually, and join them with narrow connector strips which will automatically increase the width. Yup. That's my plan.
However...now my studio is all torn up again. This is partly my fault because I asked the guys to remove the destroyed-by-chewing-dawgs carpeting on the stairs going down to the studio. Dave ended up ripping out the previous owner's homemade steps and exposing the untiled floor. Now they have decided to make real stairs, not like the ones we had. In the meantime the ceiling painting is on hold, until they return from the lumber yard... I really can't get in their way or even supervise. Grrr. I know you feel my pain.

and there was LIGHT !

2012-01-05T07:48:00.001-06:00

I am Ssssso HAPPY with the new light fixtures and the brightness that I now have in my studio.
Here the room is still messed up from the installation. I just couldn't wait to take photos of the glowing lights.
Of course this doesn't show how much brighter these are than the previous lights, which are being recycled into the garage, garage attic, and potting shed, which never had more than a bare lightbulb before. We are all moving into the light!

We also moved some of the track lights to better positions, including one right over my sewing machine.
The track lights are pretty much for that imagined cocktail party/gallery event in my studio that never happened.
Maybe someday it will.

One reason the original lights didn't cut it was that the ceiling and the width of the room overwhelmed the smaller fixtures, and of course they were placed down the center going parallel to the work areas instead of at right angles. Now these larger fixtures hold four bulbs instead of two and reach the full width of the room.
The ceiling was originally this darker beige and the lights got installed before we repainted. Now we have some patching and painting to do, as you can see.

Why would anyone want a dark beige ceiling?Ugh.

Besides being able to due surgery in this room, I am also now able to see the true colors of my fabrics, and yarns without having to walk to the window or flip on the halogen lamp.
And I can take photos of my quilts without extra lights or a flash.Sigh. So wonderful!

And even more important, I can work much later in the day and not feel as fatigued. I'm telling you, you cannot be depressed in this screaming bright room.
Now I am really excited about getting back to the fabric...

Wine Tote

2012-01-04T08:17:00.005-06:00

Last week at Knitting my friend Judy brought me a gift for my birthday. Her birthday is Monday of next week, so I decided to 'remember' her day early. What could I bring a gal who loves purses? A purse of sorts for wine!

There is a great in depth sewing tutorial here. Of course I had to do it my way. Anything that requires binding is not my idea of fun. This one was! I got out my nicely organized scraps (not kidding...I put them away nicely for once) and got right to it. It was good to get my hands on fabric and batting again. I quilted it in the morning and put on the handle after lunch.
Then I went right back to knitting, making sock #2 for another orphan pair.

I got an email asking if we are going to do another session of Quilt Along With Melody (QAWM) this year? I almost forgot about doing it, and was glad for the reminder. It will be for the whole month of February and I will be thinking about the project ideas for a couple of weeks and will announce it several times prior to February 1st.

You can bet I will be dreaming quilt designs tonight...

Cleaning out the Garage Visit

2012-01-03T07:15:00.000-06:00

My sister, her dh and dd came for a visit, and to get the stuff we have been storing for them for the last couple of years. They now have two storage lockers so there is someplace to put their stuff, making them officially moved in!
I took advantage of Glory's growth spurt and offered her my long parka, since she walks home from school and it might get cold this winter. (Her glasses are merely decor, and glass-less).
We had 60 degrees Sunday and today it is about 20 and the pond is frozen, so not a day too soon for the coat handoff. I haven't worn it once in 4 years, so now it is out of my closet, along with two pairs of shoes I never wear.
We had a homemade chicken soup for lunch and then mom and dad went out to the potting shed, preheated by the woodstove, and they searched through the bins to see what to take home and what to abandon to us.
Glory stayed inside and Dave brought out the ukelele and his acoustic and I got a serenade while I washed the dishes. So amazing how good they sounded. And no practice beforehand.

They went home around 1pm and Dave took a nap while I finished my socks.
Such a lovely visit and what a great time we had.

A Great Start

2012-01-02T07:42:00.000-06:00

Beginning on New Year's Eve, I found I might run out of the main color yarn for this sweater. Grrr. But I remembered that people upload their yarn stashes on Ravelry and some of them offer to sell or trade what they own. I decided to write to several people who had the yarn and dyelot I needed and one responded positively. Instead of selling it to me, she asked for small balls of sock yarn in trade.

Of course I had lots of that, so we made the deal and I sent her this bag of goodies. I felt good unloading my scraps and even better knowing I can finish that sweater.

The serendipity happened when I was looking for said scraps and came upon this one lone sock. I had made it back in March and then never started the second one. Here was just the project I needed to work on while I await the incoming skein. This falls into my proposed aim of using up what I own. Yay!

Then early on Sunday morning while I was just waking up, Dave decided he was going to the hardware store to get a vice grip and some caulk. Our Ace is closed on Sunday, especially New Year's Day, so he thought he'd try Lowe's and I decided I had to go too.

Since they had the lights we wanted, we got them and the bulbs to fit them too. Woowoo! We were the only customers at the store at that early hour and everyone wanted to wait on us. It was a very expensive shopping trip. But O, I am so happy to get these bigger and brighter fixtures.

Daylight 6500K. BRIGHTNESS! When I blogged about my light situation before, several commenters had suggestions like getting a bigger window in my studio. I already have a huge sliding glass patio door, but it doesn't work so well at night (ha!) and of course isn't over my work station or my design walls. I do believe I have the problem solved with these. After we finished at Lowe's we went grocery shopping for my new healthier eating plan.

Which in turn led me to my semi-annual Clean Out the Refrigerator.

How long after the Sell By date can you keep cocktail sauce?
Mine said 2009. It got tossed.
Part of my plan means not bringing in stuff that will tempt me, but alas I still have a ton of it here. Dave will help me with that.

The key to my future success is this Cuisinart scale. It measures in ounces or grams and has a tare feature, so you are not measuring the bowl or cup the food is in.

Portion control!

I sorta bought it for yarn measuring, but it works great for food too of course.

Today my sister is coming to visit and I am so looking forward to showing her my sewing table and design walls.

I'll be serving lunch, so adios Cool Whip and cheesecake! heehee.

Resolutions. . . Moi?

2011-12-31T08:25:00.002-06:00

I'm really not one to make resolutions, mostly because I feel I can't stick to them. But now my life has slowed to a pace that warrants a plan, or at the very least deserves one.
The year end cleaning frenzy has gotten me thinking that I really ought to use the stuff I have. Including the stuff I already made. That is why I got this quilt out of the drawer and onto my bed. Perhaps using this will make me want to make more, which I certainly don't need, but I do have all this fabric, so why not have a different quilt for every month, or something like that. I hate to commit.
It came up at knitting that if I knit up all the yarn I have, I could have a different garment for every day of the year. Think about that for a moment. Arghhh.
What it really says is, the famously repeated, Enough is Enough.

Add to that line of thought that I just had a birthday. It made me think about how long I have, and to figure out what I want to do with that time. If I am healthy, perhaps I have another good 20 years, which would bring me to 84. My mom, a smoker, died at 81, so it would be reasonable to assume I could outlast her three or more years... geesh. Well, anyway, I think I don't want to just go along the path of least resistance and come to the end and say
"If only I had realized time runs out, I might have done X with my life". Are we talking about a bucket list? Not quite. Something more of making small changes to what I already do, but with a focus on it adding up to something worthy.
I mentioned being healthy which is definitely an area I want to focus on improving. My baking binge has made me feel like a blob, and that has to stop. And lately, you won't believe this, but my beloved wine has been giving me heartburn and so I have more or less avoided it. To my surprise, I sleep better now. Having an apple or pear every day has greatly improved my digestion, so I will consciously keep fresh fruit in my routine. Part of my plan is to record my eating intake on a separate blog, which would be a drag to any reader but will be my gauge to find improvement.
Routines make me happier and I love knowing that I have a weekly day in town. So if I build in other routines that will increase my happiness and perhaps my creative output too. Looking at the calendar, I know there will be chunks of time devoted to gardening, knitting, quilting, reading and maybe painting. What if I had a goal for each of these endeavors?
I am very tempted to come up with a number of finished objects per month, but then that would infringe on my other goal for the new year, which is NO STRESS AND NO DREAD.
My friend Judy asked me how I could avoid those two items and I replied that I must say no to things that will induce them. I am already getting better at this, by not putting quantifiers on my goals.
So it will be little changes for me for 2012.
Eat healthier.
Use up the stash I have accumulated.
Wear the knits and use quilts I have made already. (easiest one of the list.)
Find a routine ( like daily blogging) that includes housework. I'm thinking like Monday for laundry, Tuesday for bathrooms, Thursday for sweeping, stuff like that.
On Pinterest I saw this great list for decluttering which uses 30 bags in 30 days. I could find 30 bags of useless stuff to remove in a heartbeat.
OK I am ready, and committed to a more focused purposeful life for 2012.

The Last Project of 2011

2011-12-30T07:36:00.000-06:00

A week or two ago, our man Mike came over looking for work. I thought we had nothing, but Dave came up with a project. It was putting a floor in the garage attic space for more storage. I thought that was a dopey idea, since we have a huge amount of storage at our fingertips already. But I was outvoted, and the sawing and hammering began. It was completed on Christmas Eve and since then Dave has been moving stuff off the shelves and up the ladder to the new attic space.

Some of the other things that I was outvoted on...a garage woodstove and the death trap and its junker brother. I am keeping track, doncha know.

The very narrow pull down ladder and the wide open space of the attic. At the far end are our dining room chairs, which might as well stay up there, as we never seem to have those formal dinners here.

I guess most of the stuff Dave moved up was my stuff. My dye equipment, and my larger canvases, which I am always gonna work on...not.
Imagine now for a moment that Dave alone bought all that stuff up that skinny ladder. Yipes!
I am convinced by the progress he is making that the garage will soon be a showplace, or at the very least, a really nice place to work on the remaining car and deathtrap. But if it makes him happy, I am happy.
In the meantime there has been a discussion of getting better lighting (read: hard wired lighting, not extension cords all over the place). So that part of the project may stretch into 2012.

this is an old picture.

This is where I come in. The lighting down the middle of my studio has always felt inadequate and so I volunteered my fluorescent light fixtures for the garage, and then I can get better, brighter fixtures for my studio. Now I am happy too!
This means that I have been sprucing up my studio over the last couple of days, and that has extended to the rest of the house too. Nice to have a clean house for the New Year.
I think I am finally done baking.

Birthday Report

2011-12-29T06:57:00.000-06:00

I knew it was going to be a great day when I woke up, because I missed stepping in the pile left next to my bed by dear Chumley... Several times.

The birthday cake I made turned out so well that I have to begin with this recipe. Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake.

I made it the day before and at 2:30am I lie awake thinking that it needed frosting. Hmm. What did I have that I could use for frosting? Then I remembered I had half a pound of cream cheese leftover from the blintzes, so I crept downstairs and got the cheese out of the refrigerator so it could come to room temperature before I woke up for the day. I would have little time to dink around with cooking before I had to leave for Knitting, so time was of the essence.
When I finished getting dressed I popped the cream cheese in the mixer, added vanilla and confectioner's sugar and began to whip. White frosting on dark chocolate? Not good enough. So I scrambled and found a big jar of the decadent Nutella, and added about a cup of it to the frosting. Oooohheey gooey yummyness. Perfectamundo.
OK, I gotta stop and tell you about this great quick release goo I found on Pinterest. 1 part shortening, 1 part veg oil, and 1 part flour, whipped together to make a pan coating that allows your cake to fall right out without sticking. I tried it and it is fantastic. The recipe I used was 1/2 cups of each and I have saved the rest in my refrigerator for future use. O, the pan is brushed with the goo, not added to the cake mix, silly.
Back to the birthday report.
I got to Knitting and only one other gal was there, so I began to think it was going to be a small crowd, but soon the rest of the usual suspects arrived and we began to get loud. It was a very fun time, and I got presents from my pals and that made me very happy. A cute Pug calendar from Judy and a shrug pattern from Ellen. So nice! Marbeth (the other birthday girl) brought the ice cream and fancy plates, napkins and green plastic forks and we sang the birthday song to each other. There was a bit of cake left to take with me at noon, and I left then to meet my sister for lunch.
Brooke wanted to take me to this special Italian restaurant that we ate at once before, but they weren't serving lunch during this holiday week. So instead we ate at Porter's Steak House, which was a pretty darn spiffy substitute. I was feeling like a queen all day!
Later when I got home, Dave played and sang Happy Birthday on his ukelele.
It was a new 'original' version of the tune, and I loved it.
Thank you all so much for your good wishes, which all came true on my day.

Party Planning

2011-12-27T07:31:00.000-06:00

This was the weather last year. This year it has been raining all night. The fish love it, but Dave is disappointed because he bought himself a toboggan and has been carving a trail from the top of the mountain, down a ravine and into the neighbor's creek. He insists it will be fun. I am not participating.
Instead I am inside, in the kitchen, again. This has been one big cooking season, and I have one more goodie to make.
Tomorrow is knitting and two of us knitters have birthdays to celebrate. I will be 64.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?

The other birthday girl is Marbeth. She is bringing the ice cream and I am bringing the cake. This works out great for us, no cleaning the house, and all our knitting pals will arrive and share our day. And it will be loud!
So I have been searching the online recipes for yummy cakes. I figure something chocolate would be best, and the addition of ice cream always hits the spot. Of course I am missing most of the ingredients, so I will be running off to the store early, then baking and figuring out what I can still fit into after this mega-eat-a-thon.
I am hoping my combined birthday/Christmas gift will finally arrive today. Don't you know, I ordered it myself, eleven days ago. Free shipping means slow shipping, but I am patient. It's (more) yarn and Harmony Wood Circular Needles. Sigh.
Woowoo!

The Christmas Report

2011-12-25T11:37:00.000-06:00

We are staying home for Christmas and having a film festival.
And Eating.
On Christmas Eve we watched The Black Swan, which was severely creepy, but so good.

As an antidote, we finished up the night with The Sound of Music which we have seen as many times as it has been aired. Dave can anticipate all the dialogue and recite it just before the actors have a chance to speak.

Despite ending the night getting away from the Nazis, all those anorexic ballerinas made Dave have nightmares. He woke himself up this morning by kicking his foot hard at the bedside wall, bruising his toes. No pas de deux for him today, poor darling.
We didn't exchange gifts as usual, since we pretty much have everything we want or need, and enough is enough.

But a couple came to the door last night and handed us two bags of oranges and apples, as their Christmas blessing to the neighbors. So nice. And they didn't ask for a house tour, luckily. We added those to our burgeoning fruit basket. Doncha just love the colors? I am reminded of my childhood Christmas stocking which always contained an orange, a piece of chocolate and an avocado. I am not kidding. We loved eating the avocado with just salt and a spoon.

In a previous blog I neglected to include the recipe for pierogis, and so here it is.

Christmas PIEROGIS!

I used this recipe, and filled them with mashed potatoes, or cooked ground pork (with onions and garlic). This recipe is a lotta work, but it makes enough for several meals meaning I don't have to cook much for a couple of days.
The thing about Pierogis is that they are a stickum to your ribs type of dish and one needs to be cognizant of that fact going in. And they should be light and delicate. Mine are more of the lumberjack variety. Big muthas.

After a careful boiling, they are 'sauteed' in butter (you wimp!) or if you walk on the wild side as I have done...bacon drippings*.

Then served with sour cream and applesauce. No one is going to feel unfestive and empty after a meal like that.

*Bacon in the oven...the best possible way to cook it.

I don't like the rigamarole of frying bacon (too messy) or microwaving it, or hauling out the George Forman and grilling it. It's the wash up I don't like. Instead I use a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. The bacon is lined up and baked at 350 for however long it takes to get crispy. When it is finished, I take the bacon off the sheet and toss out the parchment paper, leaving the cookie sheet immaculate, sorta.

Well, it is truly immaculate after the Dawgs have their way.
I remove most of the drippings and feed them only the essence, which I feel won't clog their arteries too much.
And since the oven is already on, here's a treat that works with almost any meal.

Lemon-Cinnamon Baked Apple Slices
Peel and core one or more apples, slice and line up on baking sheet. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the apples and sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon. Bake as long as the bacon takes to crisp up. So zingy and sweet.

For dessert I made cheese blintzes using this recipe for the crepes. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-crepes/

For the filling, I combined one 15oz container of ricotta cheese, and 3 oz of softened cream cheese, with two tablespoons confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and juice and zest of an orange.
For the topping, Rum Raisin sauce, using 1.5 cups of bourbon (we were out of rum, again), 1/2 cup of raisins, 1/2 cup of sugar, zest and juice of a lemon and 1/2 cup pecans. Top it all with whipped cream and pull the plug. That's enough eating for one day.
Merry Christmas Week!

'Twas the night before Christmas. . .

2011-12-24T07:36:00.000-06:00

and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung on the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The ~~children~~ dawggies were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar ~~plums~~ bones danc'd in their heads,

Chumley guards his bone

Were you a good dawggie this year?

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight —

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

From everyone here at the Mexican Chalet, may you all enjoy the feasting, family and friends at Christmas and have everything you want under the tree.

Merry Christmas!

Ripit Ripit. . .Frogging Again

2011-12-23T07:35:00.000-06:00

OK so Plan B is also a wash. I got to this point where I could try on the garment and found it to be lacking, in a big way. I would never be comfortable with this wide open neckline, and the shoulders won't stay put on my body, so I would always be tugging at them. Annoying. Plus the stripes were stretched to the nth degree across the bosom and believe me, it was not a pretty sight.
I was running out of yarn and had to break into another skein of the Malabrigo multicolor which I was saving for a different project. That didn't please me either. Add to that, I was unable to find a tee that coordinated with this color scheme.
Doomed, me thinks.

So it is back to the drawing board, and a new idea of how to use this beautiful yarn. That's the great thing about knitting. Yarn is the perfect creative material. It can be reknit into something more pleasing without a hint of the disaster it once was.
I still like the color scheme but think it needs a bit of pink to fill it out and then maybe I can wear it with all my pink tops. I am also facing the fact that I never had enough yarn to make a cardigan, so it will instead become something scarf-y or shawl-y and those are always a good bet. La dee dah!

PS. Dave and I have been watching The X Factor all season, never missing an episode, and we are so happy with the results. We loved Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik and were relieved to find that Rachel Crow is going with Disney and no doubt will be a big star. I love her!

Christmas Foods

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Usually at Christmastime I make a big batch of tamales and we have them for every meal. As kids, my family ate tea and tamales for breakfast and it was a great treat. But this year we decided to make something equally as time consuming and close to the same delicious experience. Pierogies.
We have no family tradition of pierogies, but years ago between husbands, I worked as a waitress in a tiny Polish restaurant. I learned all about a new set of great dishes, and really loved the possibilities inherent in these dumplings.
They can be filled with potatoes, sauerkraut, pork and onion, or cheese. I suppose they can even be filled with something fruity like plums or cherries, but I have never done those....until maybe this year.
I believe the attraction may be the bacon and sour cream toppings, but that is getting ahead of the story.
At this restaurant, named Europa, the staff was a set of Poles who had some English and lots of great cooking abilities, altho I am sure they had other professions before coming to the US. We all had lonliness in common, so making the best of the holidays meant cooking and serving the patrons with gusto.
One lady was employed to just make pierogis all day. I watched her roll out the dough, cut them in circles, add filling and then close and pinch each filled pocket. It took a long time to make them all for the nighttime crowds.
They were boiled and set aside to cool and per order they were fried in butter or bacon drippings and served with sour cream, or applesauce or both or my favorite, mushroom cream sauce. Nothing like calories were even considered.
The majority of our diners were single (or pretending to be) men who worked here and sent their families money back in Poland. They spoke very little English, but managed to flirt like mad anyway. Lots of vodka and Polish beer was consumed, and the resulting mood lightened immeasurably.

On Christmas Eve I got done serving at about 1am but the raucus party continued. I went downstairs and fell asleep on the cot in the restaurant basement. Later one of my customers drove me home and stayed the night. Imagine my surprise to wake up and find him next to me in my bed! What a Christmas memory, eh? The things we do when we are young and stupid.
Anyway...for some reason I had forgotten that event until just now, and it really has nothing to do with why I love Pierogis. Honest.
I mean really.

Recent Inspirations

2011-12-21T08:52:00.001-06:00

I spend way too much time browsing on Pinterest, but sometimes it is just the thing to get my juices flowing towards quilting or painting or cooking or decorating. Here is a lovely example of something quilted that made me gulp. It is no surprise that I love stripes and this beauty says it all for me.
Note to self: It doesn't have to be difficult or complicated to be fabulous.
This is a small piece, 18x24"-ish, but can't you see it as a larger work, like 60x80"?
http://www.contemporaryquiltart.com/ExhibitFiles/Beyond%20Convention/VanPattenJ_ForFred.htm

I am always attracted to the tilty look of Gee's Bend quilts. And the YELLOW. So happy and sunny. No fear in this work, right?
http://pinterest.com/pin/232146555761719688/
Paul Klee
A painting yes, but such a quilt design too. Dark and murky colors, but the layout is what gets to me. Just sew up some strips and join them to others and soon a masterpiece is made. Of course no one says you have to stay murky.
http://pinterest.com/pin/232146555761760518/

Another painting, which would be a great quilt. Notice the turquoise which jumps out of the orange? So warm and thrilling. Another simple construction, done in chunks of solid colors.
http://pinterest.com/pin/232146555761751813/
Diagonal stripes! Woo. I'm jazzed.
http://pinterest.com/pin/232146555761765094/

Best use of Kaffe Fassett striped fabric. Big sections of stripeyness, accented by HSTs. True love. Sigh.

http://pinterest.com/pin/232146555761723779/

But I am still knitting, so I will just collect inspirations until my arm gets too sore to knit for a while.

Weaving in ends

2011-12-20T10:24:00.000-06:00

Weaving in ends from Garnstudio Drops design on Vimeo.

I have been asked what in the world am I going to do with all the ends I have from adding different yarns on my current project. Mostly I weave them in as I go just like the video here. But I am not as consistent as I could be, so later I will use a crochet hook and pull the end through the purl bumps on the back. It never shows and works just great.

In this picture, the orange and yellow sections illustrate the afterthought weaving in. But at the bottom, right above the text, is an example of weaving in as I knit. Keep in mind that I knit Continental, just like the video, and it will be different for you who knit English/American or aka throw your yarn.

The whole time I am making this vest, I am trying to write down what I am doing so I can make a pattern, but I have ripped out and reknit so many times that it is hopeless. So I think I will do this vest again, right away, in a single color, and then make a pattern from that experience, which I am guessing will be WAY more popular than my crazy all color version anyway.

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By the way, I am late blogging today because last night some people dropped in on us, unannounced and wanted a tour of the house. This happens more than you'd think. Anyway, I had been rather neglectful of my housekeeping and was mortified at what a mess had built up over several days of focusing on knitting and nothing else. Shame on me. I vowed to attack the house first thing this morning, resulting in a delayed blog entry.

I just washed my floor and was waiting for it to dry and thought I would sneak in a post in a hurry, so here it is late.

Vestido Rios

2011-12-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

I was doing so well knitting with just a single colored yarn, and then I fell in love with this multicolored (arco iris) Malabrigo Rios. I should know better, but my real nature is "All colors, all the time" and I can't help myself. When you see it in the skein it looks so different than when it is knit up, which is why I went nuts and whipped out my credit card.

Irresistible no? (photo from Ravelry)

When it is knit up it loses its multiness and dissolves into...meh. Therefore I am forced to add a few more colors to bring the oomph.

Just the purl rows are the Malabrigo.
So because I have to add more colors, I must design a project that will fit them all in.

The resulting vest incorporates all the colors that I saw in the original ball of multicolored Rios, so in the end I am just using it as a theme yarn. Hrumpfh. I have added some hand dyed merino, some Rowan and Zara merinos too. This time I thought ahead and saved the bottom part of the vest for the darker colors.

It seems to me that I have to relearn this lesson over and over again. It is better to go for a multicolored yarn that is spun rather than hand dyed. Then the resulting knitting gets the long spaces of color I want to see.

I'll be adding a button band, something sleeve-y and a finishing rib to this vest today, and hopefully I will find shirt in my wardrobe that works to wear with it.

Cookie Day Two

2011-12-17T06:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, Chumley, there are cookies in the house.
Sorry they are not for doggies.
Last time I had a cookie day I neglected to check my ingredient list before I got all involved and discovered later that I was dangerously low on flour and brown sugar. I baked what I could with what I had and substituted stuff when necessary. The pantry was restocked and so this baking marathon could begin.

At last I got my desired biscotti and a much tastier version of peanut butter cookies (which this time got the missing brown sugar, just not the same with white). The traditional rum balls were made with bourbon instead of rum, by request from Dave who was saving his rum for eggnog.
O Christmas treats, how faire thou art.
This round I decided to double the recipe for the Lime Cheesecake Bars. These are just as decadent and yummy as a giant cheesecake, without the 32 oz of cream cheese usually required.
Here's the recipe:
Lime Cheesecake Bars

1 c. chopped walnuts
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 c. flour
1 c. butter
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, at room temp.

Juice and zest of one lime or lemon or orange or tangerine
1/2 c. sugar
4 tbsp. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix brown sugar, flour and walnuts together. With pastry blender or in mixer incorporate butter to form a crumbly mixture. Reserve 1 cup of mixture for crumbs on top. Put rest of mixture in a pan and gently pat it down. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. While crust is baking, beat cream cheese, lime zest and sugar until smooth. Add lime juice, milk, eggs, vanilla and pour over baked crust. Sprinkle the 1 cup of crumb mixture over top and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Cut into squares while warm. Refrigerate for best flavor.

Oodles of Stuff

2011-12-16T07:16:00.000-06:00

Nothing blogworthy happens all week and then suddenly I have something fun to share. This book arrived in the mail and I was relieved and happy to see how nice it turned out. I had not seen it anywhere locally, so getting a free copy made my day. Frieda Anderson and I are cover girls and I have a big full size page of my Leaf Light quilt which is so thrilling. And of course there are the articles. Most of the members of the Chicago School of Fusing are included in this collection of the BEST of QA. So for those who ~~nag~~ requested that I produce a book, here it is already done for you. Get a look inside here.
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I gave my lovely lime green sewing chair to Dave because it was small and matched his lime green room. This left me with my old sewing chair. Ick. It had been stored in the garage and was not so pretty anymore. The former black upholstery was dusty and full of deeply imbedded dog and cat hair. I tried to use sticky tape to remove it, but it didn't work all that well. My only hope was to just recover it.
A few screws, and then the cushion was off the frame.
Next I found the electric staple gun and leaving the old cover intact, I just stapled fresh new cotton batting over it and then decided to use this old freebie piece of fabric as the outer cover.

I liked it mainly because it was slippery, which makes sitting and moving on the seat easier. A bit of pulling and stapling and voila! the seat is covered.
Then the backing, which came off easily enough with just three screws, and I repeated the process. I adjusted the back to be low and centered on my back properly and now I have a new/old sewing chair. The whole process took less than 30 minutes and made me a happy girl. Now I can hem my new black jeans.

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On Wednesday I visited my sister at home since she had a sick day. She gave me a new to me pair of shoes and three stuffed IKEA mousies for my pups. Here is the white one in the mouth of the mouse conqueror Chester.

Chum and Chester love the mousies so much. I gave each one last night and they proceeded to love them to death, altho they do still remain in one piece. This is their favorite kind of toy, CHEWABLE. Chum brought his to bed with me last night. Gooey and spitty tho it was, I know he was happy to have a cuddle buddy to snooze with.
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We are having another one of those constantly rainy days, which I love, and will be making this another cookie baking day, as we seem to have totally run out of cookies again...How can this be? In between batches, I'll be knitting.
La dee dah!

Deborah Boschert

2011-12-15T07:23:00.001-06:00

Branches, Buds and Blossoms: A Botanical Fabric Collage

For those of you who come here looking for fabric art, and are dismayed that I am currently all about knitting, here is a lovely diversion presented for your enjoyment.
Deb Boschert, blogger, artist, former student o'mine, has become quite the online presence since we first met about 7 years ago in New Hampshire. Since then
Deb has been a faithful blogger and I have enjoyed her life stories and her art work as she moved from Maine, to Texas and now to Maryland. Her work can be seen on her website http://www.deborahsstudio.com/ and you can see more on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahhope
I am particularly happy to share that she is now participating in Stitched.

What is STITCHED ?! It's an online collection of 20 video workshops by 20 talented fabric artists. Students have access to all 20 workshops from January through June! Each workshop includes several video segments, pdf supplementary materials, a discussion board with the instructor and opportunity to share and interact with other students. And you can participate any time day or night any day of the week. It's a great deal at only $89! Full list of workshops and registration info is here.
Just for fun you might also want to visit her Purple and Green pinboard on Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/d_boschert/the-green-and-the-purple/
Hey why don't I have a pink board...hmmm.

Designing: Behind the Scenes

2011-12-13T07:11:00.001-06:00

It's one thing to sketch up an idea to knit, and a whole 'nother thing when you see the knit come to life. This looked like a good idea when I drew it out. But then I went nutso and over did it with too much variety stitchwise.
FYI, this would have been one of three panels which would be knit together to form the front or back of a pullover.
Things I don't like:
1. That turquoise is way too dominant and doesn't really work with the multicolor yarn.
2. The seed stitch is too jumbled and distracting, and ultimately an unnecessary element.
3. The small inserted contrasting dots of color are cute, but kind of on the subtle side...and carrying the yarn behind makes that area thicker and...eh, I am not convinced it should stay.
4. Seed, stockinette, garter... Pick ONE! And pick one variety of central decrease too.

And what I do like? The YARN. Malabrigo Rios, so yummy, and I added some other good stuff, like Rowan Cashsoft (that pink at the top). So I don't think this was a waste of time, because my fingers got to fondle delicious yarns, and see how they looked together. My decisions about how to precede are formed by this test knitting, and I know what to change to make the finished product better. So ripping out is next and less variety in stitches, while keeping the colors (fixing that turquoise choice) will make me happy.

Handspun Heaven

2011-12-12T06:59:00.001-06:00

I've had this gorgeous handspun yarn for two years and repeatedly tried to pair it with other yarns, even going so far as to dye yarn to add to it, but nothing could compare to this quality. Finally it dawned on me to use it alone, and of course that is when it worked out just right. Speaking of just right, when I came to the end, I had used all but eight inches.
It is merino and tencel, and light as a feather. All the colors in it make it work with anything in the wardrobe.

Is there someone on your gift list, like even you, that would treasure this all weather shawl/scarf? I am offering it just for the price of the yarn, $88. Email me. Sold

+++++
Dave and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend, with a great dinner at home, and a good movie on dvd, The Lincoln Lawyer. While I knit, he painted some of his bedroom furniture orange and then we rearranged and removed stuff until his room was the tidy and cozy bed-sitter it was meant to be. Then he enjoyed a group cuddle.

Everybody say Fromage!

33 Years Today

2011-12-09T07:48:00.000-06:00

Mr. Wonderful

Where does the time go? We have been at this marriage thing for 33 years and it seems like just yesterday that we were dating. It was a whirlwind romance set in the meat department at the Jewel food store. In less than six months and we were married. When you know what you want, why wait?

Our secrets to a happy marriage? We enjoy the same things, like furniture rearranging, tamale making, separate vacations, taking naps, and going to the dentist together.
Today, we are staying home, having a nice meal (with Mouton Cadet Bordeaux) and a dvd. Such bliss is unsurpassed.

Cookie Day

2011-12-08T08:33:00.000-06:00

It snowed like crazy yesterday and so I am inside and baking cookies today. I like a nice cookie with my morning cuppa, and nothing store bought is the same. When I bake, I figure I might as well make a day of it and make a boatload of varieties, since I use the same utensils, and will only have to clean up once.
Here's my planned bake-list
Oatmeal raisin chocolate chip walnut coconut cookies, or the Kitchen Sink cookie.
Peanut Butter cookies.
I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe and use crunchy peanut butter. Forget the three hour wait in the frig, just squash and bake. Yummo.

Russian Tea cakes or Mexican Wedding Cakes. Same recipe, just different names. So buttery and melt in your mouth.
Cherry Almond Biscotti, (OK, I am substituting ingredients, but the rest is the same) which are hard and crunchy and dunkable. These are a recent addition to my standard list, but the ones I most want to make.
After all this baking I will be wiped out but satisfied.

Pink Lemonade

2011-12-06T09:37:00.000-06:00

Pink Lemonade, made from Berroco's Weekend yarn, which was wonderful to knit, it has just the right amount of stretch and great stitch definition.
This original modular design was based on panels of some of my favorite stitches, Trinity, yarn over stripes, double moss, and moss. I used a size 7US circular needle for the body, knit flat, and a size 6US for the ribbing, knit in the round as the final section after the body was finished. I made the back first and knit to the right length, and knowing it would be too narrow, I planned to pick up stitches on the sides to knit the underarm sections.To facilitate this procedure, I slipped the first stitch of every row, which forms a nice chain edge. The front was made the same as the back with the exception of binding off the center 24 Trinity stitches for the neck opening.

After completing the front and back panels, I sewed the shoulder seams, and then picked up along the entire (chain) edge of both front and back. Since the amount of chains is 2/3 less than the correct amount of needed stitches I picked up one, then on the next chain I picked up one from the chain and also from the back loop of that chain. In other words, every other chain gave me two stitches, which was the correct number needed. Then I proceeded to knit in the new direction, that is, outward, keeping the shoulder area in Trinity (48 sts) and the rest of the side panel in moss stitch.
To determine the amount of width I needed I measured the center panel and using math (!) I knew I would have to knit at least 2 more inches to make it my size.
For example:
the needed width for the front or back was 20" and the center panel measured only 16" so 2" more on each side would have to be added to equal 20". This is a simple way for me to design a garment that fits. Even tho I made a swatch, when the panel is completely knitted, I can measure it more accurately. The finished length before ribbing was 20" also. The ribbing added another 3.5".
The picked up edge is emphasized by purling the first row (right side) to differentiate the double moss from the moss going in the other direction.
The armhole length was determined by trying on the garment and marking it with a stitch marker. Then I turned the garment to the wrong side and closed the side seam with a three needle bind off, up to the armhole. The armhole then was finished with ribbing. No shaping was needed for the armhole, or the shoulders. I repeated the process of picking up and knitting for the other side panel, and then finished the neck and bottom by picking up and knitting ribbing.

To make this modular design in different sizes, one could increase or decrease the amount of pattern stitches or switch to a smaller or larger needle.
And of course your choice of yarn is going to come into the mix. I always suggest trying out the pattern stitch in a small swatch, just to test the finished size.
Any questions? email me and I will gladly answer.
++++
Yarn over stripe pattern, over twelve stitches:
row 1: k
row 2: p
row 3: k
row 4: k (wrong side)
row 5: yo, k2tog to end of row
row 6: k (wrong side)
Repeat these six rows for pattern.

A Good Yarn

2011-12-05T07:15:00.000-06:00

A very young picture, about 1958 or so...

I learned how to crochet from my father when I was about 7 or 8. He had learned crochet in the sanatorium when he was recovering from TB. He made wonderful purses for my mother from dark brown rayon cording, and as I recall, they were lined in satin and had a zipper close.
He showed me how to make a chain, single, double and treble crochet, using white string, probably butcher's twine. I learned it all one afternoon, and then not having any idea what to make other than doilies or huge afghans, my fresh knowledge just got filed in my memory banks. At the time there wasn't any yarn in the house.

Mom at about 30 years old

When I was 15 I had the opportunity to visit a classmate for a week in far away Pennsylvania, and while I was there, I met a boy and fell in love for the first time, hard. I had to come home and spend the rest of the summer heartsick, crying and being miserable knowing I would never see him again. I drove my mother nuts, I imagine, and one day she announced I would now learn how to knit.
It was meant as a distraction but it worked like a miracle cure. My first sweater was knit on big needles with only 400 yards of yarn, and as I recall was an 'old lady' cardigan. It took only a couple of days to finish and I was immediately interested in trying a more challenging pattern.
There were so many interesting stitches one could make just by varying the two basics, knit and purl. I learn cables and popcorns and felt confident enough to make an Aran Isle (fisherman's) sweater for my second project.
It was made from peach colored wool and my mother taught me to wash my finished products to clean the grubbiness from my hands, I guess, so I scrubbed my new fisherman knit in hot sudsy water, resulting in a much smaller felted mess. Again with the heartbrokeness...but not for long. Next I learn top down raglan knitting and made a really great orlon sayelle pink and royal blue striped pullover. I could say honestly that I designed it myself, and wore it quite a bit. That summer I made 13 sweaters, and probably never went outside at all. Summers were much longer back then.
In those years my family would visit my cousins almost weekly, and my Aunt Lucille, and her mother and grandmother would knit and crochet, after dinner, while the boys played with trains. Lucille's Grannie was in her late 80's and made a zillion afghans which were all over their house. I got to be part of the women's conversation then, since now I was a knitter. The one inspirational magazine we had was the Ladies' Home Journal Needlework and Crafts, and the fashion was all about ski sweaters. I made a bunch of those too, and wore them to school, so proudly.

Some of my hand dyed thread and yarns I used to sell

My favorite Christmas/birthday present of all time was a length of plaid wool fabric, and coordinating yarn to knit a matching sweater. It signified I was capable of making both sewn and knit garments of quality.
I'm telling you, that kind of encouragement meant a lot to me.

The Results

2011-12-03T11:23:00.001-06:00

This is the 'before washout' shot, all wet and waiting.

I am very happy with the way the colors turned out, so pastel. Especially the yellows which are much sweeter and lighter than the garish wet version. As expected the reds went all pinky-watermelon and the purples leaned toward pink rather than blue. Speaking of blues, I already have loads of turquoise but not that cooler sky blue, robin's egg blue. Now I have some, but not enough. More blue dyeing in my future.
Those wimpy greens just about disappeared into yellow which is OK since I have loads of greens already. In fact, the amount of yellows in my stash, pre-dyeing, was minimal and now I feel closer to what I need for my palette. When yarn shopping next time, notice how few yellows are available.
My goal was dyeing for lighter colors, more summery and sherbety. Since I have so much wool which tend to be for winter garments, I felt a big gap in the value range. I may add some wools to this mix, and some silks, since there is also a big box of white wools in my closet too.
The difference in wool or acid dyeing is that a really great purple can be dyed, which never seems to come out right with cellulosics. When I see a great purple cotton yarn, I buy it right up.

To reply to some comments:
Mordant is not used with procion dyes, as it is fiber reactive and uses sodium cabonate at the fixer.
To get a true red, which I was not after, I could have used a bit more dye. But I was after a light warm pink and therefore I knew from experience that a teeny speck of Fire Red would give me the desired depth of shade. For the amount of yarn I was dyeing I used an unmeasureable amount of dye and continued to add specks of it until I saw the right results, knowing the wet yarn would wash out and dry much lighter.
It is not so much an unknowable result, but each yarn did take the dye differently and that was fun to see the differences in the washout.

Tutorial: Dyeing Cellulosics

2011-12-02T07:31:00.000-06:00

Cellulosics are plant fibers vs animal fibers. Nowadays yarns are made from all sorts of odd things, like milk, sugar, soy, corn and banana leaves. I am sure I left out something there. But I am working with cotton, rayon and a rayon/silk combo. Silk is a protein, but from experience I know that it will take procion dyes or acid dyes, so nothing to worry about here. I am only using procion for this batch.

Step 1: Wind yarns into skeins. These skeins were wound around the short side of my work table, which happens to be 36" wide, so if I wanted to keep track of how many yards I wound per skein, I could count them. Since I was more interested in skeining multiple yarns in small amounts, I just judged by eyeball. The skeins need to be loosely tied in a few places to keep them under control while soaking, dyeing and washout.
Step 2: Change into dyeing clothes, take a break and go to the post office, the bank, grocery shopping, and have a nice lunch. Now you are ready to start an afternoon of getting messy.
WEAR RUBBER GLOVES and have paper towels within easy reach.
Cover your work surface with plastic if can't resist the dyes. My table is plastic already, but a nice clean disposable plastic dropcloth insures I will have an easier cleanup.
Presoaking: Fill a dishpan about half full of hot water and dissolve 1/2 cup of soda ash (sodium carbonate) in the water. No salt is necessary.
Soak the yarns in small batches. Some of these cottons were spun without much prewashing and they had a lot of surface oils still in the fibers. A bit of dishwashing detergent helps to get the fibers thoroughly soaked. Or leave that out and expect a more mottled effect later (which is what I did).
Wring out the excess soda ash water.
Step 3. Mix the dye.
I used Dharma's Yellow #3, Fire Red #10, Cerulean Blue #26 and for the purples, I added a teeny bit of Fuchsia #13 to the Cerulean. These are not my usual primaries, but I was interested in matching the handspun yarn that was my theme colorway.
For my dyeing spree, I was going for pastel versions of all these colors, and while they look bright enough here, they are still wet and will dry much lighter, I hope. With dyeing, one must always concede that aiming for a specific amount of perfection is a fool's game, so I say 'Surrender to the dye', and just accept what you get. Later on you will love it anyway, so no matter.
This is especially true with all the different varieties of weights, thickness, and fibers I chose to dye. Each one takes the dye in a different amount, and with varying degrees of intensity.
This is all the same dye and the fibers dyed with red took it so differently. Whereas the golden yellow look practically the same on each fiber. Go figure.

Getting back to the actual dyeing process...
I use a small plastic container, filled with warm water and a teeny bit, a speck really, of dye. Once I see how the fiber takes it, I can add more dye to the water (lifting out the fibers while I mix in the additional dye powder), until it reaches the desired depth of shade. Experiment!
Soak the fibers in the dyebath, wring them out, resoak if necessary, wring them out again, and lay them out to admire. They will not be dry the next morning, but they can be washed out and dried anyway.
If I had chosen to dye multiple colors per skein (by spooning or pouring on different dyes, and working them through the fibers) I would want to wait til all the fibers were dry, just to avoid dyeback. In this case I had plenty of multicolored yarns for my project and just wanted solids of each color. I have mesh lingerie bags which I will use to wash out the yarns in the washing machine. Hot hot hot sudsy water will remove the excess dyes. To be safe, wash only one color at a time.

To make these other colors, lavender, orange and green, I just mixed
cerulean + a speck of fuchsia for the lavender
golden yellow + a drop or two of fire red for the orange
golden yellow + a drop or two of cerulean for the greens. More blue for a deeper green color.
Although this was a lot of yarn to dye in one batch (O my aching feet) I used a very very small amount of dye, water and space. My big box of white yarns is still full of undyed yarn, and some year, I will get it all done. And then there is the other big box of white wools. It never ends.

Dyeing Cellulosics

2011-12-01T07:50:00.018-06:00

These lovely knitted pieces are from Christina aka Yarnplenty on Ravelry. We are both inspired by the free wheeling knitting of Jane Thornley. For some time I have collected orphan balls of yarn from sales and leftovers from other projects which I would someday like to use up in luscious garments filled with color, texture and sparkle. My attempts are usually either too controlled or a mishmash. But after making my Purplemania Capelet, I am feeling like I am closer to the desired look. I have been studying the other Thornley-ites and think I understand the approach, which begins with a theme.

My theme begins with this hand spun yumminess from Lynne Vogel. These two balls of beauty are the most expensive yarn I have ever bought and nothing ever was the right use for it until now. I now realize it needs to be included in something rather than having the stage all to itself. I have gathered likely suspects from my stash and noticed a dearth of ribbon-y, shiny, silky in amongst the smooth and fuzzy. Hmmm. I do believe I need more of the former to go with the latter.

While I was in town yesterday, I made an attempt to find something appropriate and came up empty handed. Nuthin' was even close! So I sucked it up and admitted that I already had the necessary stuff in the BIG BOX OF WHITE YARN.

My dirty secret is that I have had these yarns in my closet for about 15 years. Horrifying I know. Unused because they were purchased originally to dye for sale when I was still with Artfabrik. Since they remind me of work, I have studiously avoided doing anything with them, until now.
In the first picture are viscose, aka rayon yarns, or rayon/cotton or rayon/silk combos. Nice and slinky and shiny. Just what I need.
The second photo is of all cotton yarns, with boucle, slub, thick and thin and chenille textures. O my. I really have all that I need...just have to dye them.

I don't mind dyeing wools which are pretty fast in the microwave (see tutorials on the sidebar). But all of these white yarns are cellulosics, or plant fibers and require using Procion Dye.
OK I have it. I can do this. But first I must wind off yardage into skeins.
Then presoak all of the skeins in soda ash +water and mix dyes and cover everything with plastic...
I have my work cut out for me. Stay tuned for the color filled results.

Fun Times

2011-11-30T07:07:00.000-06:00

Here's Chester with 'THE BALL' which is his big trick. He loves keep away games and brings us balls, hats, shoes, whatever, to show us he has the thing and we can't have it. His curly tail waves vigorously at the same time, and he prances away, knowing we can't possibly catch him. We ask ( over and over again) Who has the ball? which he loves. He circles back and forth between us, so proud that it is he that has the ball. Then he finds Chumley, usually snoring on the couch, and tempts him to play ball, sometimes allowing him to nip a tiny portion and then it's tug o' war, with loads of ferocious growling. We are amused for hours, and wonder how we ever lived without these characters.

When we were at my sister's for Thanksgiving our niece Glory brought out her ukelele and sang a few ditties. Dave was so eager to try her mini version and strummed a few chords, and I knew he was hooked. Yesterday this box arrived from Amazon.
An acoustic/electric uke! O my. It is the Les Paul version and to Dave this looks less like a toy and more like a real professional instrument. My 'all night shopper' also ordered a Ukelele Song a Day book, 365 songs to learn. I can't believe there is such a thing as an electric uke. But there you go.

Snowday!

2011-11-29T07:03:00.000-06:00

After days of constant rain, it finally got cold enough to turn to snow. Our pond is full to overflowing and the snow is sticking to everything but the streets. So pretty. I had to hurry to capture the beautiful whiteness before it all melts.

Not Shopping

2011-11-28T07:49:00.000-06:00

We have been enjoying a steady rain since Friday, and when I say steady, I mean UNCEASING. The pond is filling up quickly and we are O so happy to living up on a hill. Our driveway has puddles, as does Dave's Memorial Garden. I would show you pictures, but it is still so dark that nothing comes up on the camera.
Instead of running out to the mall to get all those Black Friday deals, we just hunkered down at home, eating leftovers and snoozing. I swear I slept at least 13 hours last night. And with that rain beating down on the metal roof, it coaxes me to return to my warm bed again. Yawn.

I saw this terrific idea for keeping earbud wires from tangling (on Pinterest, where I spent a good deal of time browsing). It was made with a friendship braid type of covering, which I am afraid I never learned to do. So I just did a knitted I-Cord version, and you know it works quite well. Explaining it takes longer than doing it. I also tried it with crochet, but it wasn't as neat, and used more yarn. I was so into just using this one tiny leftover ball...
I have renewed interest in using my mp3 player now that the tangling issue is solved. I downloaded 8 cds of classical music, Bach, Strauss, Wagner, Mozart, all the good stuff, in keeping with my laid back mood.

I worked on a matching hat for my Purplemania capelet. It is still in progress.

I recently met a new online friend, Sue Pinner, who is also on Ravelry, has several blogs, hangs out on Pinterest and loves IKEA and yarn. And to top it off, she's British. Soulmates. See her amazing color on Flickr. Looking at her creations makes me eager to improve my crochet skills.

Purplemania Capelet

2011-11-26T09:31:00.000-06:00

Having been inspired by Jane Thornley’s creations for years, I chose to improvise on her Cowled Capelet to see if I could knit something fun out of my purple leftovers. ( Not having the pattern, I guessed at everything and worked from the bottom up.)
To make a very stretchy start, I cast on using a crocheted chain. I didn’t count my stitches, but just made sure it would fit around the body at the elbows. Then later at the finish I undid the crochet and put the live stitches on the needle again. Using a larger crochet hook, I finished the edge with single crochet. It really, really stretches and is unconstricting, which of course is just wonderful.
As I was not following a pattern, I just kept trying the thing on the body to judge where to decrease and change to smaller needles.
I lightly blocked it with just a spritz of water and a good tug, hanging it on a towel covered hanger to shape it and to release the tubular ridges somewhat.
Now… if it would only get cold enough to wear it!

I believe this needs a coordinating hat. I am just now old enough to wear something like this out in public, not caring what anyone may think. Ha!
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I was changing my sheets yesterday and while I was putting the pillow in its case, Chumley secured his spot.

But this is where he really wanted to be.

18,000 Calories Later. . .

2011-11-25T09:52:00.001-06:00

We had a glorious day, full of sunshine and warm breezes, and a beautiful dining table was set by my sister Brooke. Her new apartment is so spacious and lovely and a perfect setting for a small family like ours to enjoy the holiday together.
It took three trips from our car to bring up all the food! We had BIG dinner plans.

Ahhh, the turkey breast, roasted to perfection. It was salted and cured in the refrigerator for 2.5 days and cooked in a roasting bag to just succulent perfection. Dave carved it for us, being the retired butcher and now there are just scraps left to gobble up today.
Two kinds of cranberries, two kinds of potatoes, sweet and white and the usual suspects, green bean casserole and sausage stuffing. Yum!

A new tradition may have begun. As we were waiting for the turkey to roast, we all gathered in front of the TV which my BIL Terry is using as a computer monitor. Of course we went online and first looked at both Terry's and my Flickr sites and those were spectacular to see so large.An example of the photos on Terry's photostream...just breathtaking.

And then we went to PINTEREST...!!!

We spent so much time laffing at the humor page and other silly stuff, and I can see crazy things growing from this experience. (Are we geeky or what?)

DUDE!!

Then we ate, got sleepy and made it home just at dusk.

Altho the Dawgs missed us, they had full bellies after two plates of leftovers.

Cooking Day

2011-11-23T08:56:00.001-06:00

I'll be making a cornbread stuffing (Pepperidge Farm) with Jimmy Dean hot sausage, apples, cranberries, walnuts, celery/onion/garlic and thyme and sage from the garden. I made the broth last night from the legs,thighs and wings that Dave cut while he was boning out the turkey breast.
We are roasting it butterflied, at my sister's tomorrow, and I salt and peppered it and put it back in the refrigerator uncovered to 'dry out' as per a recipe I heard on NPR on Sunday morning. It is supposedly like brining the meat, without all the brine. The rest of the turkey parts will be saved for some other dish, like tamales, later in the season.
I am also making the turkey gravy today, and bringing it tomorrow. Turkey and mashed potatoes always need a lot of gravy. Canned cranberry sauce...of course!
Brooke is making the potatoes, both white and sweet and corn casserole (yum!) and the whipping cream, not cool whip. Yes!!! Her DH is making homemade bread rolls. So good.
Of course there will be the green bean casserole, but my sis and DH don't like mushrooms, so I am using Cream of Onion, which is a pretty darn good substitute. I'll add sliced almonds too, in case the green beans end up uncrisp which they might.
Pecan Tassies or as I call them, tarts, are a requested treat, which was not a part of our childhood feast. I learned of them back in the late 60's from a friend. Once I had them, I barely need an excuse to make them again. Another reason to dollop on the Whipped Cream.

Here's my fave pie of all. Whipped Cream covered Pumpkin. So luxurious and delicious. I should make this more often. My recipe is ancient, and it is called the 'one bowl pumpkin pie' from the Women's Day recipe collection, which are in 24 volumes in the garage. My mom insisted I have the whole collection, back when I first got married (to #1) in 1967. I rarely look at them now, having stored the instructions for roasting meats, making hollandaise and baking breads in my memory banks. Such a good way to teach a young cook how to do the basics. Now I just look up stuff online.
From the looks of things, I will be wearing my expandomatics to dinner.
Here's hoping you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving day with family or friends, or if you're lucky, both! Stay safe and come home full.
Love to you all,

Tasty Bits

2011-11-22T06:57:00.001-06:00

I have been at this blogging business for seven years, this month. Yipes! What a lotta stuff I just had to say. And then today I had nothing. I spent all day knitting obsessively (is there any other way?) on a 'just gotta try this' project that I may never wear. We'll see. So when it comes to doing the blog this morning, I got nuttin'.
I had planned to make these Snicker Caramel Cheesecake cookies and share the flavor variation that I decided was better. I didn't get off my butt, but the variation is this: delete the caramel in the cheesecake batter and substitute either Nutella or Dark Chocolate Almond spread
and top with sliced almonds. It uses muffin top pans which I actually own, which is the #1 reason I wanted to do this recipe. #2 the jars of evil chocolaty stuff in my cabinet. But actually, with all the half priced Halloween candy I bought the day after Halloween, I am kinda sick of chocolate for a while.
And then....
In my email this morning, my dear blogging friend, organic gardener, artist and author, The Empress of Dirt has announced the completion of her Ebook on Fabric Dyeing 101: Simple Instructions For Beautiful Fabrics For Those Who Wish To Be Both Frugal and Gentle On The Earth
I dropped by the Empire to read all about it and I highly recommend you visit too, as she is 'all that' when it comes to writing. I am a mere dilettante and bad speller compared to her. Her back story is so inspiring and makes me wanna get off my butt and do something grand and long lasting.
Like the laundry.

'Tis the Season

2011-11-21T07:42:00.000-06:00

Despite the rain, our intrepid tree decorator is out there on the deck putting up the tinsel and ornaments. Our deck planter has been cleared out of all the frost-nipped plants and on the front of the table is one of the tubers from the sweet potato vines.

We might try and cook it to see how it tastes...or not.

Here's the nightime view from the porch. The twinkle lights still hanging from three years ago are working fine, and the tree came prelighted, which is just a great invention, making this a hassle free set up. None the less, Dave plans on decorating the real tree at the end of our driveway, and that means miles of extension cord and more lights and ornaments.

Personally, I think this one is just perfect, and all we need. But I have a touch of Scrooge when it comes to holiday ephemera. He decorates, I cook.
I am reminding you of my most requested recipe, Turkey Lasagna, which works for the those who cook ahead, or those who come home with loads of leftover turkey and dressing. http://fibermania.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-turkey-lasagna.html
Altho my sister is doing the cooking, mostly, I am bringing the boned out turkey, and a few side dishes and desserts. I hope to have this dish with the leftovers, if there are any.
I have found loads of fun recipes which I plan to start making this week, and so the blog subjects will be O so food centered. Hmm. Better start with some breakfast.

Winner Announcement

2011-11-19T08:18:00.000-06:00

Donna is the winner of the DVD drawing, Congratulations! Thanks to Candy Glendening of www.Candiedfabrics.com for making this available and thanks to all 127 who commented. Woowoo!

Dyeing To Stitch

2011-11-18T06:37:00.000-06:00

Here's my pal Candy Glendening who has just come out with a new DVD on Dyeing!!! I am so thrilled for her and for me, because this DVD has all the answers, and shows all the techniques that you may need to dye up gorgeous fabrics. Seriously.

It's a workshop in a disc, and I am loving it because it shows you everything I'd want you to know about dyeing, without me having to get off the couch. Now I can relax and just refer you to her dvd. Wonderful! Look at that page of color swatches. My goodness, that is a sensation. (I could never be that accurate and conscientious).
So to celebrate this new workshop dvd, Candy is giving one away. Just leave a comment, with your email and I will pick a winner by 8am (Central time) on Saturday 11/19/11.
And now your daily Dawg (and Dave) who have napping down to a science.

Radiant Orb

2011-11-16T18:38:00.003-06:00

Radiant Orb
Hand dyed cottons and silks, fused, machine quilted. 48x45" Sold

I love the detail shots, can you tell? I am often asked how I plan the quilting designs. I don't. I may have an idea of what I will do and then when I start stitching, I forget it all and just go with the flow.
Some lines are done with the feed dogs up and others are done free motion. I can't say which is better, or why I did either. When I am in the zone, the brain is off somewhere else.
With this design I was able to keep my interest up because each section could be stitched in a different pattern.

So now that it is finished I can focus on the holidays. Or just be lazy for a week or two. Yeah, that's the ticket.

My Inspiration

2011-11-16T08:01:00.001-06:00

I am a day away from finishing my split circle quilt and am staying home from knitting, so I can finish it today. In the meantime I thought I might show you the images that jump started my need to make the new piece.

This graphic design on a pillow cover from IKEA was the main kicker for me. Black and white drawings always ellicit a colorfilled response. Then I kept finding other images that drew me in and goaded my need to make my own.
http://randomactsofpiece.blogspot.com/2011/10/create-retreat-project-completed.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71309146@N00/5201838735/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71309146@N00/3102096119/

And then I thought I would dredge up some of my older work from the WayBack machine.

Dueces are Wild

Both of these Spider Web quilts were inspired by Sujata Shah, http://therootconnection.blogspot.com/

Gearing up for the Season

2011-11-15T07:56:00.000-06:00

Judging by the emails I have been getting recently, many of you are quilting and knitting gifts for friends and family. The most requested things from my archives are QAYG directions and the Miterrific Poncho pattern and its revisions, which I need to dig out each time. So instead of fooling around doing that I decided to collect them into 'Pages' which I will add to the top of the blog.
That way I can just point people to them.
And while I am doing that I will also add the link to the pdf of my quilting (stitching) designs.
That oughta make it easier for everyone.
As for me, gearing up for anything festive is so much easier these days. Since we have the dogs, winter holidays will be spent at my sister's apartment, as her DH is allergic. We are talking turkey alot lately. I know I am baking pecan tarts, and something fancy with sweet potatoes. Dave is boning out the turkey and Brooke is roasting it flat out or butterflied. So fancy.
I can't believe the season is starting already...Wake up and let's get going!

A Lotta White Stuff

2011-11-14T07:04:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning I got on the road early to be at my sister's apartment at 7:30. She was ready so we popped in the car and were in Atlanta at IKEA by 9:20, ten minutes before the doors opened! Breakfast in their cafeteria was first on our agenda and then it was a massive shopping spree. I had the empty van and everything we wanted to get would fit in it. And miracle of miracles, everything we wanted to buy was IN STOCK. Amazing.
We got five tall skinny bookcases and one regular sized one. Then a desk for my niece Glory and a bed and nightstand, not pictured. Not in the catalog and not online either. However, my sister dreamt it before we saw it, and altho we were planning on a white bed, when we saw the black curly iron daybed, it was kismet. Brooke will have pictures on her site soon.

My exciting purchases, not, were a new dishdrainer and replacement towels. Sigh. I wanted to buy lots more stuff, but I have no place to put any of it, so nevermind. I like living pared down, but I am still attracted to having shelves, tables and chairs that I don't need.
And then I saw these curtains, and while I did make my own, I was never happy with the resulting look and really had to have these, which are way more opaque and hang so much better, and I like them and that's that.

And then I fell dumbstruck at this kitchen display. O if only...
I love a white kitchen, and wish my house could include this great layout. All that counter space and all those drawers. O my. If I gave up my studio and made it into a kitchen I would have enough room. But what would I need a space this big for? It's not like I have people traipsing through all the time that I need to feed. Nevermind.

Dots Q&A

2011-11-13T07:32:00.001-06:00

Anonymous said...

Questions Melody:

How do you get those 'dots'/'circles' staying on those quilts you make. I figure you probably stitch through each but then with one line of stitching each, wouldn't they curl up if the quilt is washed?

Answers:
I fuse them on. I don't stitch through them ever, and the fused art quilts I make are never washed. Here is another example of little dots on a quilt. The strips are not stitched down either.

Turning the Tables

2011-11-11T07:07:00.001-06:00

The first several hours of quilting on the new piece were a struggle. Why? Because the quilt kept sliding off my table. Then suddenly it dawned on me to turn the table around and Voila! everything was instantly improved. Duh. I also moved my lamp and added a TV table along side to hold my threads and remotes (must have remotes). So much better, and so compact.
Since the design is divided into quarters, I am also quilting it that way, and so I am about 3/4 done. For this piece I decided to add a backing fabric that is very thin and similar to scrim. I will finish this quilting and then put a lining fabric on that covers all the stop and starts that this type of quilting makes: thread blobs.
Then I plan to face it rather than bind it. That will make a nice edge.
Everyone missed me out in the studio so they all came in for a visit and family portrait.

My Boys

PS:the sewing table and the lamp websites
http://www.tonyssewingmachine.com/sewing-machines/janome.shtml
http://www.firststreetonline.com/Home+Solutions/Lighting/

My thread catcher is one of those silverware caddies that magnetically sticks to the side of a sink. I stuck mine on with packing tape and use it to keep my suture scissors handy, as well as to stick in the loose threads.

In the Studio

2011-11-09T06:43:00.001-06:00

On Friday I will be entertaining another quilter in my studio for a bit of quilt photography, which means I need to clean up the place for presentation. It wasn't all that bad despite the fact that I have neglected entering the room for almost a month. I did manage to find a few minutes to get a backing on my quilt and sew a few stitches, but by that time I was tired and ready to make dinner. I'll go back to it again before Friday.
My loyal pups love to be in the studio with me, running in and out through the open sliding door onto the deck, bringing in 'favorite' rocks from the yard. Chummy looks like he needs the exercize, doncha think? He is garnering new sobriquets, like Jabba the Hut, Ton o'Bacon ( no relation to Kevin) and Rhino Boy.

After chewing that big rock behind them, they poop out on a towel.

November Roses

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Although the rest of the garden looks like an overgrown jungle, which it is, the roses are continuing to have summer, all on their own.

The red ones are Knockout Doubles and the yellow is Julia Child, which I bought just for the name. I pay absolutely no attention to them and shame on me, I should since they both could use some deadheading and some rose food. O well, next year.
The green field across the road showed signs of frost last week but nothing of it hit our plantings.

The ground everywhere is covered with fallen leaves. Our vistas have opened up and we can see our neighbor's house to the east. This house belongs to Matt, son of our neighbor to the west. He still hasn't quite finished building it, as he has had some water problems in his lower level, which discouraged him for a time. It looks as tho it is a straight walk to his place, but what you can't see is a deep ravine which is impassable.
Chesty is playing Rin Tin Tin up the hill. The dawgs love the crinkly leaves.

The Sentries

Pinkitude

2011-11-07T08:16:00.000-06:00

This was a quickie knit, starting on Wednesday and finishing just minutes ago. The back is just a square piece of knitting, on the diagonal, and the front is from the Heartbeat Sweater from justonemorerow.com
Since I have made that sweater twice before, I felt confident I could alter it to my needs. I am loving the adaptability of the design, as you might guess, since I keep repeating the shape. It works for me. And my new "discovery" of reverse stockinette for the neckline and armholes, is so snug, yet stretchy and compliments the body stitches, that I may never go back to dull old ribbing.

It has finally dawned on me that I can wear sleeveless low necked sweaters here, without dying of the heat. And that really goes for this yarn, Cascade Pastaza, an aran weight, 50% llama/50% wool. If you ask me it is verging on bulky.
I am going for a vest in every color of long sleeved T that I own (or can find to buy, heehee).
While the front and back were blocking (drying) my fingers got itchy (obsessive?) to cast on the next knit, and being in a pink frame of mind, I chose Berrocco Weekend, an acrylic and cotton blend. I am making up the design on this vest, and am so liking what is happening here i.e. the curve at the bottom. The openess of the stitch patterns means this wil be even more wearable year 'round.

And now your Daily Dawgs:

Got leaves?

Signing your quilts

2011-11-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

A knitting friend who also sews was telling me that she wanted to upgrade her sewing machine so she could take advantage of the knee lifter, the auto-thread cutter, and the alphabets for monogramming.
Hmmm. I agree that a new machine is worth getting for the knee lifter and the thread cutter, but the built in alphabets are so miniscule and don't look as good as your own handwriting, that I never use mine. But she said she was not so confident about doing free motion anything on the machine.
O boy....I immediately went into teacher mode, and then stopped myself. But here goes anyway.
Remember back when you were learning cursive, maybe back in second grade? And you practiced writing your name in the margins of your homework papers? Not to mention later on writing your boyfriend's name, with yours in a heart. What school girl didn't do that? The fancy penmanship usually included little hearts above the i's, and curliques on the y's. Memories. But that is how we learned isn't it. By just doodling again and again. Same with free motion work. Here's the easy way to break into free motion stitching. Make a quilt sandwich, at LEAST 12"x12", and put contrasting thread in the needle and any old thing in the bobbin. I like a machine quilting needle, size 12/80 to start. Then lower the feed dogs and apply your darning foot.

Begin by stitching in a circle, moving the fabric around and around. The needle usually is going pretty slow, if you are fearful about applying speed. But notice how jerky the stitches look in this picture. This is because the needle is going too slow for the movement of the fabric.

With a little more speed the stitches smooth out and look better, but are still a little to long for detailed lettering. The trick is to speed the needle and slow down the movement of the fabric. Seems hard to imagine, but doing it isn't that hard with practice. Everything takes practice.

The faster the needle is going up and down the easier it is to make smooth stitching.

Next write a short phrase or your name. Start with the needle down and stitch in place and end with needle down and stitch in place, locking the stitching. Clip threads and admire. To make a dot over the i, just move the fabric as the needle goes up and down. The crossed t is stitching to one direction and back again.

Find the right size for your needs by practicing different size writing. Simple Pimple.

A Story in Pictures

2011-11-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

Our Dawgs are wimps. They won't go out when it's cold or raining, and so I bought them really stylish warm fleece lined raincoats. The are stumped as to how to behave while wearing them. But the rain is pouring down, so it is time to test their valor.

Dave is in the garage calling, but the long walk in the rain will be the trial. Chester the elder takes the plunge as Dave calls and calls.

Chumley is reluctant.

Even tho Chester has led the way, Chum still is considering the challenge.

Beware of the Dog...ha!

Chester gets the beloved spot in the van!

Brave Chumley crosses No Dawg Land.

Their reward, breakfast!

Whattabuy!

2011-11-03T07:56:00.000-05:00

If you are a fuser, or hope one day to be a fuser, or just want to enjoy a bargain, run right over to Walmart and take advantage of this $5 Oven Liner. 23"x16.25" of teflon wonderfulness! Woowoo. Stuff like this made for quilters is usually more like $20. Even tho I have a bigger and much more costly one (like 36x44") I had to take advantage of this and may even go back for another one.
I use one this size in my kitchen for rolling out piecrust and kneading my no-knead bread dough right before I shape it into a loaf. It works great. No sticking ever. But in the studio it is just the right size (and has no slicing mistakes yet) for assembling fused parts.

This shot is from the Process Pledge blogposts (see my sidebar here) where I am showing fusing to the teflon sheet as I construct a part of the quilt. One can fuse over and over again on this sheet and not lose the stickability. So fabu.
Sigh. I couldn't wait to tell you about this great deal.
+++++
On the home front, We are ready for our closeup, Mr. Demille.

Everything is glowing with color and light. The trees are still holding onto the leaves and yet the driveway is coated with fallen ones, and walking through them is crinkly and musical. Autumn is just such a lovely time on the mountain.
Here we have a snorting pig...o wait. That's Chumley!

Red Diamonds Vest

2011-11-01T07:40:00.001-05:00

This was another design as I go knit, but it is based on the Diamond Patch Sweater from www.justonemorerow.com/
I just left out the middle diamonds in the front, and added side panels under the arms. The edge is rolled with the purl side out. Very simple and it fits perfectly (thank heaven!).
Anyone who has knit modular blocks knows by looking how to make this vest. But for specifics, I used a size 6US, DK weight wool, and my diamonds are 29 stitches. This is a size 40-42, after wet blocking. The side panels were picked up along the edge, and are 33 stitches and as many rows as needed for the width. Sides were closed with a three-needle bind off. I sewed (!) the shoulders and then picked up the neckline stitches (didn't count how many) and did the same with the armholes. I may add that rolled edge along the bottom today.

Depending on the lighting this red goes to rose or orangey red. It leans more toward the rusty red, but the variegation goes from dark to lighter.

Here's my knitting map. I kept changing my mind on how deep or wide the neckline would go. I am very happy with the final choice.
The modular way of working makes this possible, since one can easily calculate how wide and tall the finished product will be.

I got shot of my boys taking a nap, Zzzzzzz.

Thank you all for your lovely responses to my Motivations post. I love you all right back.

Motivation

2011-10-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

I hesitate to write this. Will it be too personal, or self serving? It is both of those I am sure.

But I have to tell you this, so here goes.

I am standing outside my self, looking at the changes that are happening in my behavior and my thinking.
The me I used to be is fading and then again, I am letting go of that old me and waving good bye without regret. It seems I have finally found peace or satisfaction or something intangible that makes all the struggles seem to be ending.
I have for so long been motivated by the need, desire, desperate striving for some kind of recognition, or fame, as an indicator of success. Look at me, look at what I made, look at how good I am, like a five year old wanting the attention of adults. I got what I thought I wanted by perseverance, hard work, single mindedness, and overall ambition. And then what?
I discovered it wasn't success that I wanted after all. It was a desire for acceptance. And that very success prevented acceptance, in my case. The need to attain it meant I had to be working to be outside of everything and everyone and eventually to try to top them. And that made me alone out there, which is no fun.
This pattern of ambition led to lots of applause, but no intimacy. Who wants to be close to someone who is so competitive?
I tried to quell my competitive nature. Sometimes it works, and other times it rises again, destroying relationships. I am telling you, it is a bad habit I just had to break.
This is one reason that I have recently been stepping back a bit from quilting. If I am not competing, then what drives me to make a quilt? You may think it would be because I enjoy it, but then you don't understand my motivations. Quilting isn't a hobby for me. It is a gauge of my competitive nature. Not pretty, I know.
If I could disengage my ambition from quilting, I might relax and enjoy doing it, but at the moment, I am at a loss as to how to do that, although I am trying. Really trying.

On the other hand, I am knitting. I am not competing to be the best knitter, only enjoying the process, figuring out the puzzle, and hopefully liking the finished product.
While I knit, I think. This thinking has led me to this realization: I am satisfied, no, thrilled to be just out of the race. My relationship with my dear husband is so precious and wonderful, and I have growing friendships with the gals at knitting, and my sister and I are closer than ever, which counts bigtime under the heading of having family. I won't even mention my love affair with the Dawgs. This is all leading to the fact that I am no longer so lonely.

Loneliness was my constant companion for so many, many years. I started the blog because I was lonely and kept it up because I was still lonely. And now I am so much less lonely than I have ever been.
The blog was my 'boss' to please, which was you Dear Reader, and I so longed to please you. And it gave me a deadline to complete projects to keep your interest. It gave me a place to showcase my work, and get feedback, and to squeeze drops of love from you. It was an outlet for sharing what I learned and passing that information on to those interested. I still get that from this effort.

But I fear that if I don't remain the productive artist I once was, I will lose all that I have here. And I know I am not cranking out art the way I once did. I just can't. I don't 'have to' anymore.
I am becoming more healthy and normal everyday. Not so driven, or competitive, or needy. I never thought I would feel this way.

I want to pass the torch, mostly to my sister, who is not so neurotic about quilting, but ever so talented at the same time. I would be truly thrilled to see her working as a full time quilt artist, and I can help her, if and when she needs my help. And applaud her triumphs, be her cheerleader, and smooth out the inevitable disappointments.

In conclusion, I have to be honest and say that I am breathing a sigh of relief at ending my fanatical race, and enjoying being in the moment, loving the people in my life and giving aid and comfort wherever I can.

I am not quitting anything. Not even quilting. I am just letting go of striving for some unattainable goal. It feels so good.

A Day Off

2011-10-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

As we say in the South, 'Ahm tarred.' Translation, I could stay in bed all day today. The steady rain makes a soothing background noise, and there really isn't anything pressing that needs to be done.

I have a good book, some knitting and a fresh pot of tea. Leftovers to warm up and enjoy and maybe, just maybe, I'll have soak in the hot tub later if it stops raining.
We moved my sister's kitchen and more books and stuff, including the washer and dryer. I am surprised I am not sore from all those stairs, something like four down and 16 up for each trip. Would that my thighs decreased in size for each stair. ha!
Brooke's new apartment is 5 minutes from her job, so I can see us meeting there for lunch in the future. We have already once. And I can also see Dave and me coming into town more, now that there is a place to visit. Glory, our niece, can walk to high school, downhill, but uphill on the way home. And these are not wimpy hills. And Terry is close to his work too. A very good move for them all.

Que Pasa?

2011-10-27T07:44:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned, my sister and her family have a new apartment and we have been helping them move. We have a trailer and our van has the back seats removed so there is plenty of room for boxes and clothes etc. Sunday we moved most of the furniture and then Tuesday we moved more, including my niece's stuff, and the beds. They have been sleeping at the new place since then.
Today we are returning to move the washer and dryer and all the kitchen stuff (china, serving dishes etc.) that remains. My sis and her dh have to work, and that is why we are pitching in, as if we were Mom and Dad.
It's hard work, but at the same time, satisfying. It's different when it isn't your own stuff, and I am a ruthless decider of what is good and what must be tossed.
This move is happening at just the right time. The place they were living in, while in a gorgeous spot, was imploding all at once in recent days. Ceiling leaks made the hall bath a mold haven, and the floor in the other bath fell through. I kid you not. Not to mention the mice. It was always a temporary home, courtesy of their church, but tiny and dark. The new apartment is huge, bright, clean and everything works!
I was looking for pics of the old place and found this outdoor shot of Brooke hold the baby Chumley.
And then this baby picture was in the same file. Wasn't the tiny Chum cute?

I've put down my knitting, and the quilt is still waiting to be finished in the studio....

but this move means a trip to IKEA is in our future. Woowoo!

Swatching

2011-10-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

Swatches? Swatches? We don't need no stinkin' swatches!
uh...yes we do. I came late to swatching but now I am a believer. It removes all the doubt and fear as one knits along, especially if it is a new pattern or an original design. Why live in fear when one can find out DEFINITIVELY if one is knitting the right size? Here is a an example of one diamond/square, before and after wet blocking. The first square is more condensed and springy due to the pattern stitch. It measures about 3" on a side. After being dunked in water, squeezed to damp dry and placed back on the rule, it is flatter and wider all around, measuring at 3 1/2".

But the really important measure in this case, is the width, which went from 4 1/4" to 5".

Knitting a pattern stitch draws in the yarn, which is already quite springy, and it is difficult to know if the width will be wide enough. The first picture measures at 18" wide, and after measuring the swatch at 5" wide, I know this piece will block out at least at 20" wide, much more of what I need it to be. Sigh. The length also matters, and I am confident about how long to keep knitting, because of the swatch. And notice how much less 'bumpy and lumpy' the blocked swatch is than the larger knitted piece. If the pattern stitch is new to you, it helps to swatch it to decide if the finished product is desirable.
And let me just say that the yarn I am using had been a fully knitted sweater that I did not swatch and ended up being horribly unwearable. Learn this lesson or live to frog.

And now your Daily Dawgs, not counting Dave.
Chumley and Chester got super duper flea meds yesterday and are soooo relieved not to be itching anymore. Chumley is so happy that he won't get out from under the covers, even with the flash going off.

Design Your Own Knits

2011-10-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

My friends at Knitting tease me because I can't stick to the directions for any pattern. I may like 80% of a design but then I want to change the neckline or sleeves or make it a pullover instead of a cardigan. I know what I like and in the words of the famed knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman, "You are in charge of your knitting". This means that I am allowed to modify a design and won't be struck by lightning if I do. To help me figure out how to do what I want, I refer to some great books. I offer them to you if you are ever looking for something 'exactly' the way you want to make it and can't find it. Make it up yourself!

Just as it says, this is a workshop in a book, showing how to make a sweater using your measurements, gauge and shapes. The colors are sensational, because Lynne is also a dyer and spinner and her yarns are delicious. OK I admit I know her, but still, I am sure this book will not disappoint.

http://www.amazon.com/Twisted-Sisters-Knit-Sweaters-Workshop/dp/1931499691

This book offers really simple shapes that are so flattering and fast to make. Simple is good when designing for the first time. And if you are a true beginner, then this is where to start. Following the directions is recommended...at least at first!

http://www.amazon.com/Gorgeous-Sweaters-Brand-New-Knitter-Sophisticated/dp/1579901727/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

It's no secret that I love modular knits and this book covers all the different modular shapes and shows how to work them into a garment or accessory. Very clear pictures and directions. Clever ideas abound.

http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Knits-Techniques-Wonderful-Accessories/dp/0764158929/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319457208&sr=1-1#_

OK I admit I don't actually own this book, yet, but I know the designs from seeing them on Ravelry and they are fabu. I want to make every one, and they are so contemporary which makes them even more attractive. I hate to seam, so that's a big clue to why I like these knits.

http://www.amazon.com/Seamless-Nearly-Knits-Andra-Knight-Bowman/dp/1604680288/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319457342&sr=1-1-spell

And when it comes to patterns, this is one pattern company that really teaches how to make a knit your own. The step by step diagrams solve the mysteries of construction and each design teaches a new and easy technique, in a modular way sometimes. Part of why I love this designer's work is the fit of the knits. Slimming lines, nice drapey fabric and again, very little seaming, ever!

http://www.justonemorerow.com/index.html

Why Rearrange?

2011-10-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

Some of you may wonder why we rearrange our furniture and our rooms so often. There are loads of reasons.
When we do, we clean out and under the places that are collecting dust and dog hair, and find all the stuff we 'lost'. Once the dusting starts, everything gets the treatment, washing floors and clearing out drawers, and it's a good feeling.
Then of course we want to try different rooms for other reasons, like more space or just a new ambiance.
I always like the new arrangement and at the time think it is going to be permanent. ha!
My room got rearranged yesterday and I swapped out one table for a smaller one, and even changed my quilt to the new one I made this summer, Elly Pastelly.
I moved the couch to the railing to block out the darn brightness from the fireplace when it comes on. I need to sleep in total darkness, and that light always woke me up in the previous arrangement.
I've got a remote for my stereo at my bedside, and a table for my books and one for my computer. Why didn't I think of this before?
Our house is like a little doll house in the woods and we love to play house.

Ta-Da Moments

2011-10-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

I am happy to reveal my newest design as you go knit. The Angled Modular Vest. I was planning on long sleeves but I tried this on with a Tee and it looked just right as a vest, and now I think I will be making a bunch of vests instead of long sleeve sweaters for this season. But after saying that, here is that finished long sleeved Pacific Grove pullover in cotton/acrylic that would work just fine in warmer weather, with cool nights.

For the last week we have been talking about moving the big queen sized bed out of Dave's loft bedroom and trading it for the twin guest bed. Yesterday was our moving day. It took some time to disassemble the fourposter, as Dave had painted it and reinforced it with screws that were painted in so well...it was a job, just let me say. Finally we got it into the guest room assembled it and noticed in the brighter light of that room that it needed another coat of paint, so out came the brush and paint. Phew. It was an all day project, but the results are so satisfying. I am sure our guest room has just turned into a family cuddle spot, with a TV at the other end of the bed.

Yes, it is exactly the same paint that is on the walls. The quilt that was on that wall came down and now I have a really big space to fill with new artwork. Ha!

I went out to the garage shelves and found a comforter and bedspread, and was happy to play house for a while. After shooting these pics, the Dawgs and Squeaky Duck jumped right up, showing their approval of this arrangement.

Dave got his heart's desire, more space for his guitars, speakers, and amplifiers etc. We are both getting the kind of bedrooms we always wanted. Mine is super girly and his is all boy. He will get one of the new quilts from this summer, a matching headboard recover (the pink will be retired) and maybe curtains.

Call Orkin! We have bed pugs!

Lunch at the New Apartment

2011-10-20T08:12:00.000-05:00

My sister Brooke has a new place and we jumped the gun and brought in lunch and chairs to view the wonderful emptiness. This is the dining room with a window and hardwood floors, sigh. I am so impressed with the size of everything.
There is a long hallway, also wood, new milk chocolate carpeting in the living room and all three bedrooms and tile for the rest of the floors. New paint on the walls too. And it comes with blinds on all the windows.
Her kitchen is big enough to eat in, or add shelving for more storage, altho I think she has plenty, including a pantry! The big surprise for us both is that she has an automatic icemaker in her refrigerator! I am jealous of the dishwasher of course.

There are two full baths, and this is the hall bath. I know my niece Glory will love this counterspace for all her stuff.

The master bedroom is huge, and has a walk-in closet big enough to accommodate the washer and dryer (hookups included). And built in shelving! O my.
The apartment is in North Chattanooga and Glory can walk to school and the commute for my sis and her dh is less than 15 minutes, and no highway driving (at 80MPH) which is majorly important.
Three bedrooms means Brooke gets one for her quilting studio. Yay!!

We were both going to be at the quilting retreat for the next three days but it got cancelled, and so now she is taking the days off to pack and prepare to move.

Scrap Storage

2011-10-19T07:37:00.001-05:00

I was asked to write about how I store my fused scraps.

This is how it really looks when I am working. A tornado passed through maybe? It all does clean up pretty well, but my system is far from perfect. I wish I could say that I keep my scraps (and rolls of fused fabric) in some sort of organized fashion, but alas, I don't. My scraps have grown to fill three Trofast containers (IKEA) and fit miraculously in my Craig's List armoire.

And I have two big Rubbermaids which hold cotton and silks, separately. That's it for my post on scrap storage. Surely someone has a better idea?

PS: And here's some Dawgs for you too....

Tutorial: Cutting Doo-Dads

2011-10-18T08:05:00.002-05:00

Shall we return to kindergarten where we first got to play with scissors? That may have been when I hit my artistic prime, and I have been working to get my mojo back ever since.

When I started fusing and discovered the fact that any leftover fused scrap was usable, I began to frugally slice and dice bits to add pattern and detail to my work. Over the years it became a recognizable attribute. Along the way I added hand embroidery now and then, as well some machine embroidery to emphasize the patterns. This is why I found it difficult to quilt using mostly prints, since to me it looked like anyone could have done it. Now with my own dyed fabric, in solids, blotches, stripey and watercolory effects + ALL the doo-dads, it looks to me like I did this.

I digress.
Anyway, here's how to make some of the doo-dads in this piece.

Begin with fused fabric, and a sharp pair of small scissors, a mat and your rotary cutter, small if you have one. Cut a wedge to make the mini ziz-zag strip.

Cut one wedge at a time and separate them from the whole. Save the triangles for decorating another area. ALWAYS CUT WITH THE FUSED SIDE DOWN.

To make the wedgie Vs cut a wedge and fold in half, fused side inside.

Cut the bottom off at an angle and continue to slice at the same angle to produce the V shapes. This photo shows the inside fused side. As you open the Vs you will note which side is which, or face trouble when you press them down.

To cut the tiny dots, or any size dots, cut, and turn the fabric as you cut. Practice.

This is the $7 iron I am using, teflon coated surface, so important.

When you fuse, you are working directly on the pressing table, whether it is an ironing board or like mine, a drafting table with padding and canvas top. (I made this surface myself). I use a small rotary mat and keep everything else off the quilt while I work. It helps keep the quilt nice and clean.

Weekend Play

2011-10-17T07:36:00.000-05:00

I finally got back into the studio on Saturday ( after a great weather delay) and for the first couple of hours I just organized scraps. I figured everything I wanted to do for the rest of this design could be made from bits of fabric and the best way to find what I wanted was to make piles of colors. I keep just about every little chunk of leftovers and then scoop them up into boxes and closet them. But opening them is always a mess. So I took one box at a time and just pulled yellows, then reds, then purples and then greens and made piles. Of course the pinks, oranges, blues and turquoises came along too. What was left was a bunch of too darks or too neutrals. Back into the closet they went and then I could work.
What kept me out of the studio so long was the loveliness of the season, and the company of Dave and the pups, who are just so entertaining, and I do mean Dave too. We are just enjoying being here and walking around the 'estate'. You can tell old farts live here as there are so many places to sit scattered about.
Back to the quilt. I think I have added just about all the doo-dads necessary, but then putting it up on the wall, I discovered a flat spot on the pink quadrant, which I am going to fix...today. The piece so far is about 44" square, but I expect it will be cropped a bit as I quilt it. I will not be straight line quilting, as has been my habit of late. I think this needs lots of curliques and fancy designs.

I am not going to rush...have I mentioned that before? I am trying to savor everything these days.

Design As You Go

2011-10-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

Both the front and back squares are now knitted and I have to decide how I am going to proceed. Since I have about 900 yards of yarn I can not make a decent size afghan, so this will become a sweater, probably with short sleeves or no sleeves...we'll see.

The basic module is a 90 degree triangle x four= the square. I cast on 40 stitches and decreased on one edge (every right side row) until I ran out of stitches. I always slip the first stitch of every row to facilitate the picking up of stitches later.
The long edge of the triangle is 15" at this point, but will grow when it is blocked. I am going to be adding height and width to make this a 40" wide garment, at least 25" long from shoulder to hip.

What I love about modules is that everything is based on very simple math. It has to be simple, or I wouldn't be doing it. In this first diagram I could pick up 20 stitches per triangle and make two wedges on the front and then two more on the back and join them at the shoulder points. From there I would be expanding sideways.
In the second diagram I am using individual mitered squares to construct a yoke. Again I am picking up my stitches along the edge of the square.
I know that I can add height to meet the necessary measurement by making modules in multiples of ten plus one center stitch. Of course I am always trying to avoid breaking the yarn or having to seam anything. And to make the fit nicer, I may round out the inside angles with smaller triangles...Square necklines aren't always so nice in knits, imho.

The third diagram is a top down view with the neckline yoke connecting both the front and back squares. The corners of the yoke are mitered just like the smaller mitered squares, only the sides are extended the full width of the square, and then long enough to cross over the top of the shoulder. I am guessing I will count out how long that should be and make my shoulder stitches to fill that length. Since I know I will be adding width from the shoulder and sides of the square, I think I might do a provisional crochet cast-on at the shoulder so I need not have ridge when I go for the sleeve. That is, if I do this design.

Or I could turn the square on point and build the shoulders and hip parts out from there. I have done this before and know how it looks. Here's the Heartbeat Sweater which makes the center 'heart' first and then adds the top and bottom sections. Easy peasy.

I have so many choices and now I'll have to decide which is most interesting to try. I should consider what the sides need to be before start, as there could be more knitting adventures ahead.

What's This?

2011-10-13T07:35:00.000-05:00

Good question. I don't know for sure yet what it is. Mostly it was a puzzle I had to solve, and now that I have, I am making a second one, so I guess it is going to become a garment. Or a pillow? Or a purse? Or the start of an afghan?
What I wanted to do was make/join these triangle modules without breaking the yarn. In other words, picking up the stitches from the previous piece and continuing to knit around. It was simple until the last triangle, where I had to join the three as I knit the fourth. After a false start I got the trick, which was to pick up a stitch from the front of the last triangle and slip it over the adjacent stitch. Only knitters would care about this. There will not be a test later.
I had this yarn and needed a project that would show off its gradual color changes, and I like that this square does this. This is wool and kinda warm, even for the four days of cold weather we will have this winter. But I think I could wear a shortie vest with sleeves, maybe short sleeves, and a long sleeve Tee underneath.
I'm thinking of a yoke at the top of the square, and then side panels/sleeves knit sideways out from that unit, with a bottom panel added somewhere along the way. Because the yarn is Aran weight and I am using a size 8 needle, it is flying along. I knit this patch in just a few hours, half of which was at knitting group, where you know I am only paying 1/2 attention.
We'll see what happens.

Wet Night

2011-10-12T07:31:00.000-05:00

I was already fast asleep when little Chester hopped into my bed and began to scratch and whimper. Fleas...stinkin' fleas.
He was in total misery and nothing but a good fleabath would relieve his itch.
I turned on the light and groaned. It was 12:01.
Nevertheless, sleep would not be returning anytime soon, so I got up and gave him a good scrubbing in the kitchen sink.
Earlier the same evening, while my sister and her family were out, the toilet broke and began to spray water everywhere, for the hours they were away. I cannot imagine the mess they had to clean up last night and continuing on to today. Oy. And it continues to rain. Water everywhere...Glad I have my knitting group to attend.

On a Mission to Finish

2011-10-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

At last this pullover is finished and being blocked. This is a great weight off my shoulders. Originally I agreed to join a knit-along with my friends from the knit group, but then I didn't like parts (or the directions) of the chosen pattern and decided to use a similar one with the same basic structure.
When I nearly was finished , I tried it on and hated it, so I frogged it. Rip it, rip it.
I dug out this pattern, The Pacific Grove Pullover and began anew.
The yarn, which I bought on Ebay is about 20 years old and is cotton/acrylic, worked up nicely, but all the way through I thought it might be a bit tight in the finished product. When I was finished knitting it, I was right, I looked like Tits O'Toole, so into the sink it went to be washed and blocked. The wash water revealed the 20 years of whatever in the yarn and I was so glad I decided to wash it out. Yuck.
Blocking it to larger dimensions was easily accomplished and I'm waiting for it to dry today, while it rains. I am a loose knitter and this pattern relaxed to just the right size. Phew!

Now here's the thing. Because I was way behind the rest of the knitalong group, I felt compelled to get this out of the way so I could return to other stuff I was planning to knit. Plus I couldn't really get into the studio and back to my quilt until I had gotten this project finished. I don't know when this habit began but I must concentrate on one thing until it is done and then do the next.
Exception: the laundry.

Autumn Color

2011-10-10T08:27:00.000-05:00

It's getting more and more difficult to get up early these days, what with the sun taking its sweet time rising. Even the dawgs aren't that interested in crawling out from under the covers for morning walkies. I decided to start without them but didn't get far before I heard that plaintive whimpering.

The sun was just starting to light up the clouds, and yet keep the lacy treeline in silhouette.

After a few minutes the line of trees becomes light enough to show some of its changing color.
Autumn is a very long season here on the mountain. It starts off slowly and produces shades that glow and then a month or two later they drop to the ground, blowing into drifts just like snow.

The garden produces some of it's best fruit; great fat peppers, tomatoes, and the huge stands of about to flower basil. They say it will get bitter when it goes to seed, but we haven't noticed
any change in flavor. Still, I really should harvest and freeze it. Basil garlic butter in silicone cupcake liners...delicious for winter pasta dinners.

The nights aren't quite cold enough to hasten the season, but we are not complaining.The daytime temperatures are perfection, enticing us to do all sorts of outdoor activities, such as sitting on the deck, listening to the NPR fundraiser, knitting and watching the dawgs chase each other, playing stick keep away.

We could get out and see other sights, or we could just turn our chairs around and look the other direction. I am really learning how to be in the moment.

The dawgs watch as the school bus goes by.

The sky is almost lavender blue, and Dave's Stonehenge grows more stones every time I look at it.

My interest in fish counting has resumed now that the fancy Shinbunkins from the defunct goldfish tub have joined the mass of hungry goldies. They are there waiting already when I walk down to the pond, swarming around eager for their pellets.
It gives me a thrill when I see the smaller fancy guys in amongst the great fat orange fish. A few have blue as part of their coloration, and it is such a nice contrast. The pond is low, and we are expecting rain to return this week. That makes everyone happy and calls for baking bread, having a cuppa tea, and watching a British mystery film on the tube. Ambition has left the building.

Undoing the Goldfish Pond

2011-10-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

This was an unfortunate siting for this tub o'fish. Placing it under the trees where the leaves can glom up the waterpump, and under the huge miscanthus where the shade prevented us from even seeing the fish, was the problem.
So finally we gave in to the mistake and I got on my pink boots and my yellow rubber gloves and pumped out as much water as I could before descending into the tub to retrieve the goldies and two froggies.
Let me just say that my boots have tiny holes in them somewhere and I knew this going in. The muck at the bottom was black and gooey and how the fish survived living in this attests to their perfect evolution. Yuckamundo!
But I fetched all seven of them, three white goldfish and four multicolored shinbunkins, and also found two babies, one black and one silver! They went into the big pond and will no doubt be the new kids on the block, just in time for winter.

Here's the big empty hole and then the filled in with dirt spot. I did nothing to get this out, other than supervising. Dave and Mike did the muscle work.
Since we had electricity installed for the pump, we can now find an above ground water feature to place here...next summer.

The Dawgs await their chance to get back outside...

Transplanting

2011-10-06T08:38:00.000-05:00

I came home from knitting group yesterday to find the front bed empty (except for one) of hostas! This was my plan, and I had started it last week, but thankfully Dave and our man Mike finished the job. I am sure my back and hips are ever so grateful. Next Spring I will be filling this spot with flowers, like I have in my deck planters, which continue to give me great color and no weeds. Pray that they do the same here.

Most of the hosta were planted here at the end of our driveway. This is Dave's idea, and I am really happy with the results. He built that little Stonehenge himself and it continues to evolve.

The other remaining hostas are behind our fallen telephone pole, and along the path of Dave's Memorial Garden/aka The Dawg Run. This is were we attempt to run off their energy, and this summer put up a short fence, which keeps us from worrying about them running into the road.
I am working like a madwoman on my current knit. I just have the sleeves to do and a bit around the neck. The weather is too nice to stay indoors in the studio, so I am going to finish this sweater out on the deck, while I still can. Then I will be back to finish the current quilt. I am so not good at multi-tasking.

Pug Party

2011-10-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

Dave's sister Carol found this birthday card and for some reason thought of us. Could there possibly be a more perfect illustration of our fave way of celebrating?

Previews

2011-10-04T07:12:00.000-05:00

I usually don't like to show unfinished work, but I am pretty darn excited about this start, so why not? It's about 4 feet square, which may be reduced as I go along. The design is not centered and that may become something I alter as I look at it. In fact, I really don't know for sure if this way is up at this point. And I might add, this is just the beginning. I have more to add... judiciously...

It is fused, and is silks and cottons, all hand dyed except for the aqua and lavender quad background. I purposely tried to blur the edges of the orb by matching the colors, but alas that aqua side was too multi to make that work.

I began with a limited palette, but lost my resolve along the way. Typical.
The other day a new idea of what to add, flashed into my head, and that will be tried out today.

Working Weekend

2011-10-03T06:33:00.000-05:00

I started out nice and organized, but then it all went kaffluey. My scrap boxes are overflowing again, and I decided I could use small pieces to build my design. Sorting out the specific colors, i.e. yellow, I built strips and while they look neat here, it is this sort of thing that makes the mess above.
I'm using both silks and cottons, and taking my sweet time, working a few hours and then taking a break to have lunch and a nap. It is going along briskly anyway, but I feel that not rushing it has made a big difference in the design. After taking a week or more to make each of the pieced quilts this summer, I don't feel as compelled to increase my speed with this fused work. I'm only showing details today, as I don't want to ruin the ta-da! moment.
Hurrying just doesn't seem necessary.

A New Month, A Fresh Start

2011-10-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

In order to get going again in the studio, I have to clear the decks, put everything away from the previous projects and then I am ready to begin something new. The bed quilts from this summer are all safely tucked into a chest of drawers and now I am back to making wall quilts. All the time I was piecing I was making notes and sketches for the other kind of work I usually do and so I have a zillion ideas to wade through and decide about.
There is an empty space in my living room that calls out for a colorful piece, so I might take aim at that. No sense planning too much, or the thrill of discovery is lost.

Out comes all the fused fabrics, cotton, silks, and even fused cheesecloth. I am armed and ready. I find the weekend is always a good time to start something new, a habit that extends from when I worked full time at non-art jobs and had only the weekend to make art.
Glad those days are long gone!
Funny thing about this summer and all the work I made...it was a learning experience but it also made me feel less of an artist because I was focused on technique, and just couldn't get past that aspect. It dug into my confidence and I felt 'less than' instead of my artist self. My sister reminded me of something so important, and it is that 'Only you can make what you make'. When I was making those other quilts, I felt that they could have been made by anyone else. Part of that was the print fabric, and part is the design, which I confess, I didn't pay ANY attention to. I will now.
In the spirit of starting fresh, I unknit the sweater I was diddling with all summer and got going on a new and better version. Now that's me!
And funny, it gave me just the bump in confidence that was needed. This is the Pacific Grove Pullover from www.justonemorerow.com
My studio mates, snoring away.

Corita Kent's Art Rules

2011-09-30T08:02:00.000-05:00

Sister Corita Kent wrote a set of rules to open up the creative spirit within. The very opposite of the kind of rules that allows fear to stop us.

Rule I
FIND A PLACE YOU TRUST AND THEN TRY TRUSTING IT FOR A WHILE.

Rule 2

GENERAL DUTIES OF A STUDENT:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR TEACHER.
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS.

Rule 3

GENERAL DUTIES OF A TEACHER:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR STUDENTS.

Rule 4

CONSIDER EVERYTHING AN EXPERIMENT.

Rule 5

BE SELF DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS
FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND
CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.
TO BE SELF DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.

Rule 6

NOTHING IS A MISTAKE. THERE’S NO WIN AND
NO FAIL. THERE’S ONLY MAKE.

Rule 7

The only rule is WORK.
IF YOU WORK IT WILL LEAD TO SOMETHING.
IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO DO ALL OF THE WORK ALL THE TIME
WHO EVENTUALLY CATCH ON TO THINGS.

Rule 8

DON’T TRY TO CREATE AND ANALYZE AT THE
SAME TIME. THEY’RE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

Rule 9

BE HAPPY WHENEVER YOU CAN MANAGE IT.
ENJOY YOURSELF. IT’S LIGHTER THAN YOU
THINK.

Rule 10

"WE’RE BREAKING ALL OF THE RULES. EVEN
OUR OWN RULES. AND HOW DO WE DO THAT?
BY LEAVING PLENTY OF ROOM FOR X QUANTITIES." JOHN CAGE
HELPFUL HINTS: ALWAYS BE AROUND. COME OR GO TO EVERY- THING. ALWAYS GO TO CLASSES. READ ANYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON. LOOK AT MOVIES CAREFULLY, OFTEN. SAVE EVERYTHING, IT MIGHT COME IN HANDY LATER. THERE SHOULD BE NEW RULES NEXT WEEK.

Birthday Party!

2011-09-29T07:36:00.000-05:00

Exhibits A and B
Exhibit C. Heart attack on a plate, but it's only once a year, and truthfully we both only ate half and the rest is all ready for breakfast this morning, after my second cup of coffee.
The Perp. Mr. 57, while he still can focus at the camera. I sang H.B. to him several times on his big day, and made the dinner. No presents to open, since we both have all we can handle and none of it is put away where it belongs... No pics of the cheesecake with blueberry topping which was his choice for BD cake, since it was gone in a blink.
The Dawgs enjoyed the two ribs from the roast for hours, in my bed! Those bad dawggies!

Keeping Cozy Inside

2011-09-27T07:58:00.000-05:00

Over the last week or two we have been having trouble with the internet, our TV reception and the phone. The repair guy Rick has been here twice and we thought everything was fixed. Yesterday he went under the house and found that the wiring for everything had been chewed up by mice! They love plastic coated wires.

It's that time of year when the wildlife is looking for shelter from the constant wet and chilly temps and we are no different. Even the pups are not interested in staying out for longer than necessary. Thank heaven.
I am back to making bread and that warms up our tummys and the house, and now that all the communication devices are working fine again, we are rearranging furniture and watching Netflix streaming. Since Madmen garnered so many Emmys and 52 episodes are available we are set. It is soooo good!

I am getting some knitting done too, and thinking about what to do for Dave's birthday Wednesday. I am sure it will be spent at home...after I get back from knitting and shopping a bit for provisions, like champagne. He'll be 57.
I can't even remember what 57 was like...geesh.
+++
On another note: I got an email asking about microwave dyeing wool fabric. I have never tried this but I suggested experimenting and here is result.

The wool fabric in the microwave worked great! I squirted dye on each piece. I put each 6” x 60” strip in a ziplock bag, squished them around, and heated them in the microwave on your 1 min.on/ 1 min. rest schedule. It was great, because I could do 4 colors at the same time. I have a ton more experimenting to do. I want to getnmore high and low values on each piece. I want to get more intense colors, too. Jan.

Is that cool or what?

+++++
My sister has her blog up now, www.bethanystudios.blogspot.com and is finding time to work in her studio space. Yay!!!

And one more reminder about our retreat in October. The dates are 20-23 and the place is Snowbird Retreat. We are the Fibermaniacs and you can register for a mere $25 at this page. I used paypal which made it so simple. C'mon down!