Latest Finish!

I had to blog today to show off my latest finishes! I was commissioned (in July) to make a quilt for a Christmas present to be done by Thanksgiving. Of course, I started around November 7th when I had to clear our of the farmhouse for hunting season (it was too cold to sew there anyway). I cut the pieces then so I would just have a small pile of fabric to sew. I did my piecing during the day while my husband was at work and knitted in the evenings. The top was done by November 17, shown to my quilt group on Monday when I bought the flannel backing. The quilting was done on Friday, November 22 when the temperature outside was barely 60 degrees ahead of a cold front. I still had to wear a heavy coat for most of the 3 hours it took to machine quilt. I added the binding by machine in 1 hour and did all the hand sewing that evening - about 5 hours. Now that the quilt is finished, I'll let Grandma know. It has to go to Scotland but that's not my problem.

Sorry - about the angle - don't know how to rotate :(

 

Fabric and Quilting Detail

 

It is about 65 by 85 inches - a throw size for a 6-foot college graduate. He asked for flannel backing - I washed and dried it once and have my fingers crossed that will be enough pre-shrinking. As far as the red fabric dye running when it gets washed, I'm crossing the rest of my fingers and toes.

 

In the meantime, I finished the Snowdrop Shawl, using a pattern by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and some acrylic yarn repurposed from an afghan kit I had bought in the 1980's. I had made one of the crocheted panels required (with bobbles!) that has a massive mistake in it so that needs to be frogged but I don't want to make that afghan anymore anyway. The shawl is about 60 inches wide and 45 inches tall. It took 2+ skeins (yardage unknown) to make the shawl and I think there are 5 skeins left. It is too thin for the Ultimate Sweater Machine unless I decide to double it up but I don't really like all that blandness. I wanted to try a shawl pattern without the expensive commitment but seriously, now what? I wet-blocked it on the guest-room carpet but it is still a little poufy so I will try steaming it in sections before wearing it in public where? A Christmas party? A cruise? Oh well, I can say I knit a shawl and it's sitting in the basket with the rest of my knitted stuff.

 

On to the next knitting adventure until Spring comes again!

 

 

 

Sock Knitting

Finally posting! I finished these socks last week then we had internet issues. I started them about two weeks before when the cold weather first confined me. They were knit with Kroy sock yarn (wool and nylon) and have not been blocked - why wash before wearing them? I'll wear them to a couple meetings this week and block them later.
      In the meantime, I have been packing dishcloths that were special ordered by my mom-in-law for her to give to her sis-in-law and nieces for the holidays. She's going to visit them Thanksgiving so she needs them ASAP.

I'm going to keep the weird ones (the last three at the bottom). They were knit in cotton - ecru and  speckled. They kept me busy during the odd evenings between my other projects. This many will fill the box I'm sending with some more purificators for her church.
      I was curious about how many hand-knit pairs of socks I had for myself (not counting gifted) and the fair-isle pair above brings the total to 45! I started making them about 2004 when I took up knitting for winter (too cold in the farmhouse- remember) I washed some in the washing machine (mostly for the volume of water and the spin cycle to remove said water) - there were 30 pair drying on the kitchen floor!

There are two pair made from the same yarn but they are different patterns. Can you find them?
There were 15 pairs left in my sock bin and I now recall  another storage area for the socks that felted accidentally. I'm thinking I need to do something else with the cute striping sock yarn - something with less washing required. I did find one pair with holes in the soles (acrylic) -  maybe I'm preserving the wool ones by having so many to wear :-) Sounds good to me.
      I have also been loom kitting - made a hat for me and a scarf for DH. I was also playing with an Ultimate Sweater Machine with the aid of "youtube" videos. Very interesting - I'll get pictures for the next posting...

Sew until later, Denise