Sunshine and thrifting

Yesterday was snowy but fortunately the roads were just wet for my trip to town.  It snowed more after I got home, but today there is sunshine! 

I recently broke my replacement glass for my milk frother.  I have a backup, spare frother, but still wanted to find a glass that would fit my favorite frother.

That necessitated a trip to the thrift store where I was able to score a glass that works for the milk frother.

I also scored this amazing vintage thread stash.  There is Belding Corticelli Pure Silk (an American company with an Italian name to compete with Italian silk threads, Holland Company, Belding Corticelli Silcora--polyamide machine twist. The colors are wonderful earth tones.

I also got a skein of a nice, rust colored wool yarn.  I really don't need more yarn,but I'm a sucker for a good deal, and so my yarn stash just keeps growing.   

Knitting, knitting and a little snow

Wow, another year since I posted anything.  No reason in particular.  I've been knitting more than anything else.  I have quilted several quilts.  

For some reason I seem to wear out socks on the bottom center heel.  Commercially bought socks start getting really thin there and then finally wear out.  I got a Katrinkles darning loom, and have begun to darn my socks before a hole wears through.  As with most things, it takes practice.  

Rebecca had a pair of hand knit socks that she had worn out the toes on.  They were beyond darning.  I decided to try taking out knitting, picking up the stitches at a point where they were all solid, and knitted new toes.  It worked!  As one YouTube knitter I follow says, much faster than knitting a new pair of socks.  

I finally finished my vest which I had nearly finished and then just put it down.  When I picked it up again, it didn't take long to finish.  I usually have a number of projects going, and just get bored with some.  

I knitted a hat with leftover yarn from the vest.  

 

I must have gotten bored with working on these socks.  When I picked them up again I decided to try to make a more reinforced heel so that hopefully I'll avoid wearing a hole on the bottom of the heel.  

We got a wonderful rain that turned into snow today and was a heavy, slushy snow all day long.  Lots of much needed moisture.  

 

More knitting

I've been hooked on knitting lately.  Although this afternoon I just finished quilting another donation quilt.

Still enjoying Arne and Carlos Youtube channel.  I made one Christmas ball.  I'm not thrilled with how it turned out.  The red yarn would get so thin at times that it would be like thread.  I'm just using yarn that I was given. 

Yesterday I bought a pattern online for a vest by Cat Bordhi.  It's available on Ravelry.  Included in the instructions is a tiny vest for my little wooden artist mannequin.  I really enjoyed making it and it gives me confidence to now try to make one for me.  I just need to decide on what yarns I'm going to use and if I have enough of what I decide on.  

Today I made an Easter egg from Arne and Carlos pattern.  They are going to do a knit along starting on March 17th-28th.  I had a small amount of this lovely yarn and decided to  just knit the plain egg pattern, letting the colors in the yarn be the focus.  

I've never knitted a garment before...just socks.  If you guessed that I'm procrastinating starting on a vest for me...you'd be right.  I've started a second egg, and I think I have enough yarn for possibly three eggs.  I'll see when I finish the second one.  

Other than that, I have a baby quilt that needs to be made, and I signed up to make fabric postcards for a swap...I think that's not due until April.  I should check on that.  The baby isn't due until May. 







 

Quilt repair and rulers...

 I'm typically not much of a piecer, when it comes to quilting.  I prefer the quilting part and binding to piecing blocks.  Fortunately I have friends that piece and so I'm well stocked with quilt tops.  

This couch quilt was one I put together.  Most of the blocks were from a quilter's estate, and I had to add a few to make it big enough.  I recently noticed that one of the fabrics in a block had completely disintegrated.  I repaired it.  

Then I discovered another block which had the same fabric.  I repaired that today, along with a third block that featured the fabric which was also in shreds.  I appliqued a replacement strip over the shredded fabric.  

When my friend Rosie mentioned she had scored an old ruler at a yard sale...I shared that I had a ruler collection.  One of the many things I collect!  She sent it along with Meyer lemons from AZ which arrived today.  

I thought it interesting that someone had sewn some zig-zag stitches over the wooden ruler!  Was it to advertise the strength of the Pfaff?  

When laying out the rulers in my collection, I noticed I have a meter stick...39 inches besides the yard sticks.  I also have a couple up on the wall, folding rulers, that didn't make it to the
photo shoot.

Speaking of photo shoots, I was able to capture the early moon rise the other night.  So much easier to photograph when it's still light out. 

Still playing with the new camera

I'm trying to limit my time spent watching Arne and Carlos videos!  I do knit while I'm watching, but it's very addictive and before I realize it, the day is gone and I don't have much to show for it!  

Yesterday was a day spent out.  I went birding with friends to Bosque del Apache.  We got to see a lot of wildlife including a bald eagle, that stayed put while we ate our lunch!  The longest time I've been able to watch and photograph an eagle.  I figured it would fly away at the moment I got the got the camera out and ready to shoot, but it never left its spot.  We were all wondering if there was something wrong with it. 

 

It was a perfect day, calm and warm yesterday.  The winds didn't kick up until later in the afternoon when we were ready to head home. Tuesday evening provided a beautiful sunset to end the cold and windy day.  

  

Camera inspiration

 The new camera is inspiring me to post more.  I keep checking it out, and all of a sudden everything is photographic inspiration.

How lose track of a day?  I started Sunday looking for a way to knit more of a reinforced heel.  For some reason beyond my  comprehension, I wear out socks at the bottom of the heel.  Doesn't matter if they are commercially made or hand knit socks, a worn spot develops and then invariably becomes a hole.  

So I happened on Arne & Carlos, a couple of Norwegian knitwear designers that have a multitude of Youtube videos.  I was hooked.  I got out some yarn and learned Norwegian style knitting which only differs from continental knitting in the purling.  After some trial and error (my hands want to go to their comfortable known way) I was able to get it.  Then there was a video on brioche knitting.  I had tried it once before, but their way was so simple.  That was for a one color brioche.  Before I knew it I had spent the whole day going from one video to another, traveling, cooking, and knitting with Arne & Carlos.

I started looking for patterns on Ravelry for brioche, but realized I should probably learn two color brioche.  I didn't find a video from Arne & Carlos.  I did find another knitter's tutorial, but I've discovered I do better with written directions.  I could do four rows of the two color and then I would mess up.  I took it out and restarted a number of times.  I then found written instructions on Ravelry which I could easily follow  and knit a little swatch.  

 

My hibiscus opened another blossom.  They are short lasting flowers, but so spectacular.  This plant belonged to my mother-in-law.  It really needs a good pruning but I can't bear to chop off branches when they are flowering.  

I've been cooking Hello Fresh meals, but skipped this week.  Instead I made a shrimp fried rice.  Another opportunity to get out the camera.  

I also managed to finish a quilt I had loaded a while back and then load another and get it quilted.  I had enough backing leftover that I decided I would quilt some decorator fabric I wanted to make into placemats.  That's been on my radar for some time. 


 

Finally finished!

This little project took over a week to complete.  There was a lot of frustrated "tink" (undoing knitting) which was finally resolved when I resorted to coloring and penciling the pattern.  My printer printed a very washed out image because it is running out of colored ink.  

Lesson learned, it's almost impossible for me to accurately follow a graph on the computer!  I did learn a new way to do colorwork, doubleknit.  

I got a new camera and what an upgrade.  I had a couple of cooperative woodpeckers, a downy and northern flicker this morning.  

Cameras have improved a great deal since my previous digital! 

Another Hat

 Thanks to Melody Johnson posting about a different way to do colorwork, I went in search on Ravelry and tried another hat.  

 

I found this technique much easier than Fair Isle knitting.  

I made a set of Russian nesting dolls for Dr. K's granddaughter.  I used another pattern from Ravelry.  I found them easier to do using crochet thread instead of yarn.  It gave them a little more body, but if I ever make them again, I would use a thicker crochet thread.

I did finally load a quilt on my longarm.  Need to get back into turning out quilts again.    

Over two years!

Well, I could go on about how long it's been since I posted anything...over two years.  Lots of quilts finished.

Lately I've been crocheting and knitting.  I started first with making kitty toys for Pat and Lindsay.  My own semi-ferals aren't interested in toys, although Smoky couldn't take his eyes off a bouncing ball of yarn that I was winding.  

Then I had to try a baby Yoda (Grogu) for Lindsay.

 

I've also been knitting a lot.  Made several hats.  Tried Fair Isle knitting and found it not as difficult or overwhelming as I had imagined.  

Second Fair Isle hat, and now I'm going to do one more with a more complex pattern. 

Most (maybe all) these patterns were on Ravelry.  I just finished the Hive Hat (upper right)  this evening using leftover yarns.  I really like how it fits and feels.  Finished the the scarves and headband this week. 

Who knows maybe I'll be inspired to blog again...

 

Procrastination

I'm really good at procrastination, but then when I can't put things off any longer, I get busy.  And busy I've been!

Jackie asked if I could make some "ugly" sweatshirts for her and her co-worker.  She found a design she wanted online.  Here's my interpretation...

Then I found some snowmen using salt and pepper shakers.  I had quite a collection of salt and pepper shakers, and made a family of snowmen, three for each daughter, and two for me. 

I haven't decorated or put up a tree, but I need to get out my advent calendar and at least do that!  

 Today I got busy sewing microwave bowl cozies for Lindsay's co-workers.  Have to have them done by Friday.  I guess I work best under pressure.