Life is Good

Indeed!  And moving right along these days.  It's been a full and rich time around here for the last couple of weeks -- on all fronts!

The baby socks are *all* finished.  I played "yarn chicken" with the Patons stretch from the first pair -- managed a 3rd sock but not a fourth, so will send along the extra one "in case one gets lost".  With that, I cast on a second full pair out of a cotton-wool-nylon blend (no 'stretch' feature), and finished those today. 

Pattern: "Baby Socks"
Designer: Kate Atherly
Free pattern on Ravelry
Yarn: Meilenweit "Cotton Fondo"
Colour #6507

Pattern: Baby Socks
Designer: Kate Atherly
Yarn: Patons Stretch 
in the "Kelp" colour-way

Both pair need to be washed, and then will go into the mail on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday here in Alberta).  And yes, the ends have been sewn in on both pair now! 

The Art in the Park 2022 pieces have all been shipped to the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre in B.C.  Canada Post Tracking says a Notice was left -- for pick up (2 boxes) on Feb. 14 -- so I can only hope they've been picked up and are safely at their destination!  (If you want to see what the pieces look like, check my post from January 28. 😊)

Or...you could just check out the "Up-coming Exhibits" page from the Gallery itself...where you'll find THIS!!!

"Meadow Impressions" is in the upper left corner!!!

As if that weren't enough...I had a phone meeting with Christina, who's in charge of the Lacombe Art Show & Sale this year.  All is in readiness, as I sent her several photos for publicity, as well as an outline of my Artist's Talk for the Show.  She's been under the weather (hence the phone meeting instead of in person) but we hope to meet soon to do a short publicity video too.

All of this activity had me thinking that maybe I really am an artist -- still -- so I bit the bullet and took out a 1-year 'Basic Membership' in Artists in Canada -- you can see my slot HERE.

As for more utilitarian quilting...I finished the comfort quilt for my neighbour in hospital:

And I finally finished the flimsy of "Rhododendron Trail" -- Bonnie Hunter's 2021 Mystery quilt.  I made it 3/4 size (or so) and it's still a twin-sized 70" x 85"!  

For the outer border, I made a decision: I was not going to use a template in the centre of each border, to allow the "geese" to change direction.  That was okay but...I ran out of geese -- so the decision became irrelevant! LOL!  I got the long sides done -- but on the shorter top and bottom I had to "cope" and add orphan blocks from who-knows-where -- just ones that had suitable colours.  It's okay.  It looks fine and I'm happy with it, and that's all that matters!  It'll go to my local favourite long-armer later this spring, when I find enough backing fabric and $$ to pay for her work!

With one finished bed quilt top, it's time to clear out more stash with another -- so I'm working on Bonnie's "Triple Treat" -- the "leaders and enders" project for 2022-23.  Each 'block' is made up of 4 smaller blocks, so I made test blocks this week (the dark brown in the corners is all the same fabric; it's the photo that's wonky):

I've lots of 4-patch supplies; it's finding fabrics for the larger sections in the corners that is a bit of a challenge -- but I'm working on it!  Each group of 4 smaller units makes a 12" finished block, so I should be able to make a throw-sized quilt without too much problem,     quilting it myself...and it will be to give away.

In stitchy news...not a lot I can show.  I'm working on another birthday gift for a friend; it's tiny, so I'm almost half-finished.  I decided to follow Sarah of 'Sarah's Stitchy Spot' on FlossTube, and designated Thursdays as 'red sampler' days, so I can finish "Ruth Gibb" and move on to others I want to do.  And this week, the chart and Roxy Floss Co. floss arrived from Evertote.ca so that I can start a new piece for my son's 38th birthday in June:

Pattern: "Here Be Dragons"
Designer: Jakob DeGraaf of Modern Folk Embroidery

My son's a long-time dragon afficionado (even has a tattoo of one on one arm) so...I'm hoping he'll like this!  The fabric is from my stash -- a 28-count white Lugana.  I got enough floss to do 2-over-2, but will change to 1-over-2 if I don't like the look.  It's a pretty good-sized stitch...so I'm starting now!

That's all the news that's fit to print -- for now.  I'll leave you with wishes for a happy, cozy, stitchy, quilty, knitty, artsy weekend -- and with the usual link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday where, this week, she has multiple projects on the go too!  Proof positive that creative action keeps us young, imaginative, and vital!

Blessings, everyone -- all for now!

Existential Examen (Day 12)

 I was up early this morning -- 4:45 a.m. or thereabouts -- so I got dressed, brewed some fresh coffee and went straight to my studio.  Before I knew it, two hours had gone by!  It was time for breakfast...basking in the glow of the "flow" that had absorbed me as I worked with fabric and thread.

Hour-glass blocks for R.T.

During that creative time, I assembled two more corner triangles for the "Rhododendron Trail" quilt I'm making -- Bonnie Hunter's 2021 Mystery project, now available for purchase as a PDF download.

I finished a seventh crumb block for a charity quilt -- part of my "Keep It Out of the Landfill" project.  Each one is 12 1/2" (unfinished); in the process, I continued putting crumbs together for more blocks, of course! 😉

I figured out how I wanted to finish a tiny line sampler, "'Q' is for Quilter", so I can have it ready for giving: I'm going to wrap it around stretched canvas!  So, I ironed it, applied fusible woven stablilizer, then fused a narrow batting to it. With the edges finished against fraying, it's ready for me to do the final mounting to the 4" x 12" canvas:

'Q' is for Quilter
Designer: Thea Dueck, The Victoria Sampler

And...

I zig-zagged a piece of linen for a new cross-stitch sampler.  It's a new month, so it's time for a new start!

In keeping with my focus in this "Examen" series, when I saw it, I couldn't resist purchasing it -- and I was delighted to discover this morning that I have all the "fancy" floss (hand-dyed cotton) called for -- but one, for which I found the perfect hand-dyed substitute.  All from stash!

Betty Sumner 1822
Reproduced by Red Barn Samplers

Can you figure out why this one speaks to me this month? 💗

 

Today, I am grateful for my cozy in-home studio, and all of the supplies it holds, just waiting for me to get to work.  I'm grateful, too, for talented quilt and stitch designers, whose creativity inspires mine.

Just Nan, Jeannette and a Few Good Friends...

I've been doing quite a bit of hand-stitching lately, though not of the free-hand variety.  No; I've returned to an old favourite -- perhaps the second craft I learned as a child: cross-stitch.  It's almost as soothing as knitting, and definitely as colourful!

Completely smitten by a couple of "Floss Tubes" during these blustery winter days -- especially the banter and total acquisition madness of "Brenda and the Serial Starter" -- I've dug out pieces I collected long ago -- some that I've kitted up but not started, and others in progress that have been languishing far too long.

One designer I collected for a while is Just Nan Designs.  I'm not great at making 'smalls' -- however sweet and cute they may be -- but I love her esthetic and the pieces have been fairly straight-forward to stitch.

I have one hanging in my bedroom: "Summer Night", which I finished in 2005:

Summer Night (c) Just Nan Designs 2004

I recently finished a second one -- "Purple Heart" -- no longer available except, perhaps, on e-Bay or Etsy; it dates to the early 2000s. I made it into a small stuffed heart, and sent it to a friend whose husband died recently.  I hope it brings her comfort.  She used to be a Red Hat Lady, and this little piece was part of that series Just Nan created back in the day.  I forgot to photograph it, but you can see it in this internet photo from Pinterest:

What's not shown on the piece (front and centre) is that in real life the kit included a tiny hummingbird bead, mounted in the top right of the heart, just on the edge of the rose.  I love the colours in this series, and have one other "Red Hat Stitcher" pattern kitted up as well -- "on my radar", as Laura, "The Serial Starter", would say.  This one is "Marching Orders" (another Pinterest photo):

I'm not fond of 'fiddly', but having made a passable stuffed heart and tiny pillow ("Humbug", a couple of months ago), I just might actually make that piece into a needle book!

The second Just Nan piece I've been working on is yet another that I've had for years (the pattern is dated 2004), but began to stitch three or four years ago, when I visited the friends who gave me that sweet little kitty needle-minder pictured above.  It's called "Schoolgirl Basics", and when I got it out of the bag I kept it in, I was surprised how much I'd completed.  See the wee magnet and needle on the left (below)?  That's where I'd stopped stitching.  Since then, I've worked on the rest, and now there's only one row at the bottom to do -- plus all the beads, of course.  And yes; there are a lot of beads!

Here's a close up of the top few rows:

And another of that bottom section:

In addition to the "Red Hat Stitcher" series, I have one from the "RetroPrint" series -- kitted up with threads and 28-count white Lugana; it's called "Creativity" (Photo source: Pinterest).  The text reads "In the midst of life's activity, find time for creativity."

Given my current life, I'd best make stitching this one a priority!

Aside from these finished pieces and the series mentioned, I have a fistful of Just Nan patterns that have embellishments attached but no threads or fabric added (yet): "Barnabee's Quest" Parts I, II and III (2001); "Freedom Flowers" (2003); "Wings" (2004); "Royal Blossoms" -- dated 2007 but a complimentary black-and-white reprint of a 1997 design; and "Gilded Dragonfly", a scissors fob kit (2008).  I think I got most of these from Traditional Stitches, which remains my go-to needlework shop. (Located just west of Calgary, Alberta, the shop does a roaring online business and they're wonderful to work with.  They have many US customers too, including the afore-mentioned Brenda and Laura -- the Serial Starter.)

Another of my favourite designers is Canada's Jeannette Douglas.  A few posts ago, I mentioned I was participating in her free stitch-a-month project for 2022, the "Mini Bouquet Sampler".  I finished January's design and have made a small start on the one for February:

First, a close-up

Next, in context.  It's placed just to the right

of the January motif. (The darling kitty

needle-minder was a gift from 

stitching friends at Christmas 2021.)

I also mentioned I was working on Jeannette's wee piece, 'Mon Coeur'; it's well past just the border now...

This is a teeny-tiny piece -- that hoop is only 5" in diameter! -- and I fudged the white heart a bit because I was challenged to line up the stitches with that slippery thread!  I'm determined not to allow perfection to stand in the way of finishing some of these projects!

You've probably gathered from these photos that I've focused my stitching on contemporary designs, including band samplers, and haven't made many (any?) more traditional pieces, including reproduction samplers.  That's true.  I've not fallen under the spell of alphabets and numerals, of small houses, and Adam-and-Eve-and-serpent designs.

Then last year Traditional Stitches announced the second of two samplers in the traditional style, celebrating their 20th anniversary.  This one was commissioned in a limited edition from Blackbird Designs.  I took one look at the pattern in the shop's newsletter last summer, and though I was late to the party, I bought it and began to work on it in August -- it's mentioned in THIS POST from August 22.  I got the supplies and began it shortly after what would have been my 46th wedding anniversary.

I set it aside a while back, when outdoor stitching came to a halt as cold weather moved in...and I went back to more knitting and quilting.

Montreal, summer 1975

But 47 years ago today my late husband and I announced our   engagement, so when I finish this post I'll be returning to that design --  "What Remains is Love"  -- and will work on it for the rest of   the afternoon, and perhaps through the weekend.*  It's only fitting to stitch on this, remembering that day so long ago when we startled our parents and friends with the news.  That memory always makes me smile!

Aside from all that stitching, I've continued to work on pieced quilts.  One is a free pattern from stitch-and-quilt designer, Lori Holt; it's called "Spare Squares" and uses up small and not so small squares in a simple four-patch/nine-patch pattern, which she demonstrates in a YouTube tutorial.  Using Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System (she of the 'bonus triangles' I've been using up in art pieces recently!), I've amassed a gazillion 1 1/2" squares which I turned into four-patches and combined with 'spare squares' to make this top to give away.  I've got to put a border on it to bring it to the size I want, but here's the top at present, draped over a chair in my living room; it's currently 42 1/2" x 54 1/2" and needs to be about 6" larger all the way 'round:

Here's a close-up of the blocks:

I love scrappy quilts!!

I'd taken the photo and turned away to do something at my desk.  When I turned back a short while later, I found that the top was being tested for comfort and quality by my Studio Assistant... 😆

Miss Pookie approves!

Speaking of Bonnie Hunter...I continue to plug away at her 2020 Mystery, "Rhododendron Trail".  I'm now assembling the first set of blocks.  There are two sets -- each with a different pattern.  This is 'Block A', which will finish at 10" square in the quilt (the photo is taken from an odd angle; these really are square! LOL!)  The centre square has more red in it than shown in the photo, and it's surrounded by butter-yellow squares...then the white back-ground fabric.  It's more visible in person!

For 'leaders and enders', and in keeping with my Keep It Out of the Landfill Project, I'm now up to 83 in my collection of Wonky Log Blocks (no pattern; just improvise).  I'm aiming for 110 blocks -- they'll finish at 5" each -- for 11 rows of 10 blocks, or 50" W x 55" L -- and then a border to calm the eyes, as this will be a very scrappy quilt!

Leaning tower of "Wonky Logs"

Believe it or not, I can see a bit of daylight on the table next to my sewing machine, meaning that the string pile is declining...but don't look at the full box of scraps on the floor under the cutting table, or the pile of odds and sods waiting to be cut into usable SUS units, or at the basket of bits on the back of the sewing surface, or...well...you get the idea!

I'm not without knitting, of course.  I'm making progress on my Turtle Dove II pullover; the photo shows only the split for the sleeves, but I've finished the body and am working on a split hem in a one-one twisted rib.  The back of that hem is finished and front hem is half-finished.  After that -- only the sleeves remain.  I continue to love this project!

Pattern: Turtle Dove II - Espace Tricot
Yarn: Haynes Creek Heathers - Gathering Yarn

When one of my friends spied the headbands I made for my daughter's birthday, she wanted one too -- and has commissioned me to make it for her.  I'm using more of that Red Heart "Heat Wave" yarn because it's soft and cushy, and appears to be cozy too.  I'm just over half-way along the line of cables now and should have it in the mail to her in the next week:

Pattern: "Braided Cable Ear-warmer"
Designer: Jessika Kalwei

Last on the knitting front...a pair of socks for February, trying to master stranded knitting in fingering-weight yarn.  It took me 3 tries (you can see photos on my Ravelry post), but I finally managed to get the tension to a satisfactory level (not perfect, but good enough):

Pattern: Unelma Onnesta (Dream of Happiness)
Designer: Tiina Kuu
Yarns: Regia 4-ply in cream, Tanis Fiber Arts
Blue Label Fingering in teal.
2.75 and 3 mm needles

Well, Gentle Readers...that's all the news that's fit to print from my little prairie hamlet. I'm linking this up with Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and I'm leaving you to take her advice (via Picasso).  You can check that out HERE.  So long for now! 😊

*Good news   for stitchers who may want it when you follow that link and   see it: though it was limited, it will now be available to shops at Nashville Needlework Market in early March -- as in next month!

In Perspective, Comfort

 On and off over the years, I've chosen a 'word for the year'.  This year it was 'purpose'; in 2020, hope (how significant needing that turned out to be, eh?!)  In 2019, a word chose me; "more" (you can read more about that here).

In between 'hope' and 'purpose' was 'comfort'.  I thought about that one on its own for 2022, because it's what I've been seeking for myself and for others over this past year...and hope to practice going forward, with comfort quilts, words, notes, knits and stitches.

But...I realized that there's been much discomfort this past year too: estrangements and isolation due not only to the COVID pandemic but also to the politicization of public health measures and vaccinations.  Fires and floods and unseasonal tornadoes due to accelerating climate change.  There's a great deal of angst, anger, frustration and just plain suffering going on.  It's enough to make a body join with Ebenezer Scrooge in his pre-conversion view of Christmas -- and probably life in general:

Designer: Bent Creek
Wee pillow idea: Lori Holt (YouTube tutorial)*

*I've owned this wee kit for eons, but just put it all together this week during the Deep Freeze.  It finishes at about 4 1/2" square.

What's one single soul to do?  

Some of you may recall that I finished a couple of cross-stitch pieces, mounted in my living room, to remind me to be positive -- both by Lizzie Kate (now retired, but you might be able to find her designs here and there):

These remind me that I'm a) blessed with a cozy home, sufficient income, wonderful family, a clutch of very close friends, and a sizeable stash of fabric, fibre and floss with which I can create -- I can do something to promote comfort in my little corner of the globe.

And that's the key: "my little corner". 

My recent reading has been encouraging too.  I've recently finished Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee, and The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, a compilation of a weeks' worth of interviews with the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his good friend, his Holiness, the Dalai Lama.  On reflection, both of these speak about the importance of keeping things in perspective.

That's IT!

That's my word for 2022.  Looking around me, close up, to find joy in even the smallest thing -- and looking 'way beyond me, to realize that in the grand scheme of things, I may be only one, but I am one, and while I'm blessed with life, sight and skill, I can't do everything but I can do something -- as long as I don't allow myself to be discouraged by the scope of The Mess the World is In.  As long as I try to emulate God's eye-view of the world S/He created, loves and lives in.

Perspective!

With that in mind I'm filling my days with a routine that I hope will help me be more joyful, and to feel more useful, more purposeful, more creative and more compassionate -- with myself and those around me -- without being overwhelmed and exhausted.

So I'll laugh at the "Humbug" in one of my yarn baskets, and keep on truckin'!  

So...what's on the needles and under 'em now?   I'm so glad you asked!

Bonnie Hunter's moving right along with her 2021 Mystery, Rhododendron Trail, and I'm moving along with it, to whit:

Clue #2 - units finished!

Clue #3 - Units under construction

That wild pink fabric just keeps going and going and going! LOL!

Making the Clue #2 units produced a pile of what Bonnie calls "bonus triangles".  In the past, I've mainly stuck these in bags -- along with Good Intentions! 😊😉  This time, though, I thought I should make-up-as-I-go, so I've made a start. 

First, I didn't separate them when I cut them off the Flying Geese; I kept them in pairs, and then used them as 'leaders and enders' while I'm sewing up the units.  These ones have produced a mountain of tiny Half-Square Triangles (HSTs) -- from which I'm slowly assembling pinwheels, each measuring 3" square (before set into blocks):

It's hard to tell from the photo, but so far I've assembled 2 pink-and-white pinwheels and 2 butter-yellow-and-white ones.  Now, I can't do much with them at 3" square, so expect to eventually put them into some sort of star block for a comfort quilt.  What I can tell you is, that with each star taking 4 HSTs, I'll end up with 15 pinwheels in each colour combination, and a couple of HSTs left over.  Potentially 30 pinwheel star blocks...

As I began to collect that mountain of HSTs, I thought about what I'd done with earlier "bonus triangles"...and looked at my stash.  Well!  I have them in baggies, I have them in baskets...some still just triangles, some already sewn into HSTs.  I found a batch of them all in a very light tan/dark brown combination, and was inspired.  I woke early one morning about 10 days ago with an idea, and produced a diptych:

Scattered I, II (c) 2021
9 3/4" W x 30 1/4" L
Commercial cotton, fused applique,
free-motion quilted

Quilting Detail 1

Quilting Detail 2

Some of the HSTs stand out, and others have sections that meld with the fabric -- especially after quilting.  I don't quilt free-motion very often, but these pieces called for it, and so I used a loose pattern of random squares all over the pieces, and came away liking the result.  I've bound each piece with fabric that matches the background.  Again, I usually face my art pieces these days, but these pieces wanted binding, given their long and very narrow design, so that's what I've done.  

And how many tiny HSTs did I use up in this bold endeavour?  Sixty-two -- 31 on each.  Not much of a dent in the stash, but at this rate, I figure every little bit helps!  😆

All of this -- as well as providing comfort for some and visual art for others -- is in aid of the Keep it Out of the Landfill Project which, of course, is ongoing, and never-ending (or so it seems).

In this endeavour, YouTube is unfailingly helpful -- not only for entertainment, but also for tutorials and ideas.  A new-to-me 'Floss Tube' podcast is one example.  In addition to The Quilt Show, to which I subscribe, I already enjoy Karen at "Just Get it Done Quilts", Lisa Walton's "Quilt Stories" interviews with art quilters, The Woolly Thistle's "Shopcast" and "Little Big Knits" with Selma, an Ottawa knitter.  And this past week I tripped over a new-to-me pod-caster: Lori Holt.  Her name rang a bell and well it should -- as she's a quilt and fabric designer and, as it turns out, a skilled cross-stitcher as well.  Her style in either genre isn't mine per se, and I don't have bolts of fabric in matching lines to draw upon for what she calls "scrappy" quilts (mine are from the "where the heck did this come from?" source of fabric scraps, the ones that breed in the night)...but she's entertaining and I love some of her ideas.

She inspired me to dig out the wee "Humbug" and turn it into something fun.  And she's inspired a new use for some of my scraps from my Scrap Savers System (so named by Bonnie Hunter): tiny squares made into 4-patches, plus plain squares in assorted neutrals and colours.  These I'm starting to assemble in to what Lori refers to as her "Spare Squares" block (a YouTube tutorial). These can be made in assorted sizes, depending on the size of the squares you use; mine are 6 1/2" unfinished...and as of yesterday afternoon, there are a dozen of them:

Again, I created these as 'leaders & enders' while working on the Mystery quilt units.  They'll eventually end up in a comfort quilt...or two or six.  Trust me, there's more where they came from!

Lest the knitters out there think that all I've been doing is quilting and cross-stitch...well, now!  You know that chez moi there is always some knitting!  I finished the "Countdown" socks on Christmas Eve (the last day of Advent); they're now washed and in the charity box:

Pattern: Countdown
Free on Ravelry from EdithABDesigns

My friend Mary W. has a young couple in her life who were expecting their first child any moment, so I offered a couple of pair of baby socks, which I enjoy knitting from left-overs.  Baby Girl arrived last night -- so I'm glad the first pair is finished:

Pattern: Baby Socks - River City Yarns
Yarn: unlabelled leftovers - wool/nylon
Size: 0-3 months

The second pair will be in a 6-month size, I think, perhaps a cotton/wool blend for spring.

And my daughter's birthday is mid-January.  This year she's requested a headband to wear when she's out and about in nature, photographing birds and wee critters -- when we're not in the throes of a Polar Vortex!  So last night I cast on this one in her chosen pattern and colour:

Pattern: DROPS 114-4a - Alpine Twist Ear-warmer
Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in "Cracked Pepper"
-- a left-over from mittens made a year or two ago

It calls for straight needles, but because there are only 28 stitches, I'm using two double-points that are 9" long, rather than my shortest straights.  The yarn splits a bit more than I remember, but I still like working with it, and love the colour.

Aside from these smaller projects, I've decided to make fewer socks this year, and to focus on finishing at least 3 of the sweaters I've started.  The first of these is the Ranunculus -- on which I've finished one sleeve and am working on the body:

Pattern: "Ranunculus" from Midori Hirose
Yarn: BC Garn Bio Shetland GOTS

I'm told the pattern is addictive; indeed over 10,600 of them have been at least started -- some folks having made half dozen for themselves, friends and family.  I'm not sure I'll go that far, but time will tell.  It's an interesting top-down construction without seams, which is a real plus!

So...what's ahead for 2022?

• 
  Calls for Entry (maybe).  This week I entered a second piece into the call for Sacred Threads for 2022; notification will come at the end of March;
• The Lacombe Art Show & Sale?  Being Featured Artist at last?  Only time (and COVID) will tell!
  
• More cross-stitch!  
• My friend and former client, Jeannette Douglas of Calgary, is launching a 'motif of the month' style piece, the "Mini Bouquet Sampler" composed of a dozen tiny floral motifs, one per month -- FREE!  She's already posted the thread selections (with DMC conversion for those who don't want over-dyes or silks), and a chart with the borders for those who want to do them all-of-a-piece.    I've started a bit of the border, using some fabric I've had for several years collected...28-count Platinum Cashel Linen from Traditional Stitches near Calgary, and DMC cotton floss #712:

• Inspired by Lori Holt, who has a habit of starting new projects based on holidays through the year, I'm planning to return to What Remains is Love, created by Blackbird Designs for Traditional Stitches' 20th anniversary.  I'll be working on it through the month of February because not only is Valentine's Day mid-month, but also my late DH and I announced our engagement February 11, 1975.  I'll do what I can in the month, and then come back to it in August, which is the month we were married in '75.  
• On Valentine's Day itself, I'll focus on a tiny piece (another wee pillow, I think!) that Jeannette designed -- again, a little kit I've had for over a decade: Mon Coeur. If it interests you, click on the link on the page for the free PDF of the pattern.  It's very tiny -- 1" x 2" on 32 count linen -- though it'll be a bit larger when I make it on 28 count!
• Then there's spinning, in which I've decided to make a larger investment of time in 2022.  I bought (on sale!!) a Craftsy class in the basics, in hopes of a) being motivated to spin more; b) to improve my spinning techniques and learn more than one or two ways to draft and ply; and c) use up fleece, roving and top so it doesn't end up in the landfill. Focus!
• Last but not least: when spring comes, there will be The Yard and Garden.  I'm hoping to plant a sugar maple (hardy to Zone 3, of course!), to plant more wild flowers (ones that didn't need to be over-wintered in the ground), to preserve with dandelion blossoms, raspberries and rhubarb in season, and to reconfigure the veggies I put in my two raised beds.  And yes...my Outdoor Studio will continue to be the perfect place to read, knit and/or stitch, helping me keep a sound mind -- and a comforting perspective.

And so, Gentle Readers...thanks for reading this epistle.  May your New Year be safe and healthy, full of the comforts you find in home and hearth, family and friends, the work of your hands.  May you bloom wherever you've been planted.

I'm linking this up to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, where this week she too is pondering a Word for 2022.  

Happy New Year!  

😊💓💖

Everything Old is New Again

 That's what it's felt like over the past couple of weeks, because I've been doing such a variety of things.  Every day I try to stick to a routine, and for the most part it's working, but some days I'm more distracted than others and have to take myself in hand to get anything done!  I don't know if that's a sign of the times, or my age...or what.  Anyone else out there feel the same? 

There have been at least two (count 'em!) consistencies in my life during this time: the "Keep It Out of the Landfill" project, and the last of my Christmas knitting.

I'll start with a finish: the 'Basket-weave Strings' top is done!  It's now folded away in my cat-free guest room, awaiting the time when I send it out for quilting (too big to do myself without injury!)  This photo was taken last week, before the snow arrived and the temps plummeted!

Pattern: Basket-Weave Strings
Designer: Bonnie Hunter

At the risk of making it look like a Christmas quilt, I went with a dark red border.  I was going to use the same green as the set-in triangles, but it just fell flat.  Bright red would have been too much, but I think the dark red works fine.

You can probably sense from my comment about the red/green fabric for "Basket-weave" that I'm not a seasonal decorator, though I do put a few festive things out for Christmas -- and I always put out my creche.  Well, Kate, who's one of you Gentle Readers, invited me to drop by her group's "Virtual Show & Tell" to see all the Christmassy things being made, and I was inspired!

I routed out a kit I'd bought long ago and far away, and set to work.  Within a few hours I had it all together; all it needs now is for me to finish attaching the hanging sleeve.

Pattern: "The Reason for the Season"
Designer: Sew Be It (can't find a link)

Underneath the fabrics I'd stored away for that nativity scene (far more fabric than the small version actually required!) there was this wild piece -- almost two metres worth!

It's called "Bubble Blast" and was "Designed for Red Rooster Patterns 10475 - (c) 2003 (see the selvedge below).  I've no recollection of buying it -- or what I thought I would do with it.  All I know is that it's not part of my "inheritance", as it's been buried under other fabric in the bottom of a dresser in my studio for the last 13 years (where I stored it before that, I've no clue!) 

Selvedge...

Here's a close-up:

"Wild" is an understatement, don't you think?  Still, Bonnie Hunter's theory is that "there's no fabric so ugly that it won't look good if you cut it small enough" -- and she's right!  

In my last post  I mentioned I'd printed off the first part of Bonnie's "Rhododendron Trail" 2021 Mystery quilt; pink is one of the fabric suggestions -- including 'raspberry'.  With this yardage -- and the change in the weather from 'confused' to 'actual winter' -- I decided The Time Had Come.  

Between yesterday and today, I've made the units for Clue #1 and started them for Clue #2.  See how nice that pink looks when it's cut up?

Clue #1, "in progress" photo (finished now)

Clue #2 - some units cut out

As for my strings, which continue to multiply, I've been using them -- with crumbs to start -- to make wonky log cabin blocks -- 5 1/2" square -- as 'leaders and enders' for whatever else I'm working on, trying to use up crumbs and strings.  I've assembled almost 30 of them now, and am aiming for several dozen more, so they can become something more substantial than a lap quilt, but in the Lap Quilt Department...

And there's yet another find: a baggie of small blocks I made a good 20+ years ago, when I was a very new quilter.  They were from a set of printed patterns (long gone) for a beginner's quilt.  I gave it up when I was invited by a friend to accompany her to a local quilt shop for a block-of-the-month, which was much more fun than trying to figure this stuff out on my own.  The baggie was stuffed with a batch of nine-patch and Rail Fence blocks, each about 3 1/2" square.  I say "about" because...well...I wasn't the world's best piecer back then!  (I'm still not, but I've come a loooong way!)

I decided to make them up into lap quilts, and started with the nine-patches, thus:

Yes, it's funky, but I don't care!
It's also too small.

I dug out some 2 1/2" squares and made borders.
Still too small.

I added more borders (there's that same dark red
fabric!) and finished up the nine-patches.
Now it's just right -- about 35" x 42".
It'll make a lap quilt or tummy time blanket.

Next up: the nine-patches, some of which had already been assembled into larger blocks:

Rail Fence blocks laid out.  What to do?

My initial plan - on the design wall.
Not very big.  Thought about sashing but...

Then I woke in the wee hours with an idea...and got to it first thing after my morning coffee:

Rail Fence (c) 2021 - 16" square, once it's faced.

Detail of the quilting, the fence
and the thread painting.

I love it!  I hope it'll make a quilter smile.  All it needs is its facing, a label and a sleeve, and it'll be ready for the (God willing) Lacombe Art Show/Sale in the spring!

On the knitting front, my Advent socks are languishing a bit.  I did get the first one finished:

It's still hard to photograph that purple!

The second one is cast on, and I'm 2/3 through the ribbing, but that's all.  The reason?  

THIS!  The knit that kept on knitting...

Pattern (on label): 1 Ball Throw
Yarn: "Kasha" from Sirdar
78% acrylic, 12% mohair, 10% polyester

Finally finished!

It's a one-ball (300 grams, 600 metres!) throw -- plain stockinette with garter stitch borders -- on 7 mm needles, and I finished it this morning after knitting what seemed like forever!  It finished at 36" x 45" after washing and hanging to dry.

I really liked the colour, so bought 2 balls of the stuff, but after making this one, I'm going to give the second away (probably to the local thrift shop).  I don't want to make another!

I've just had my COVID booster (Pfizer) and with the Deep Freeze in full force, it's going to be a pretty quiet weekend.  I'm going back to my "Countdown" socks, maybe even finishing them before Christmas Day.

And I've two new books (bought with an Xmas gift card) waiting...as well as the Winter Issue of "Quilting Arts" magazine.  What's not to like? 

I'm linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Friday"; as she says in this week's edition, sometimes we need to slow down our days and take it easy -- savouring the time with friends and family (whether in person or on the phone or online).  Given the pace and the lapses into distraction that have filled my days in the last while, I think that's good advice indeed.

Wishing all my Gentle Readers a safe, happy, peaceful Christmas, however you mark the season.  Till later...