Cattywampus

Obsession

My obsession with finishing up these baby quilts continues.  This weekend I finished sewing up the top of the little boat quilt and the binding is ready to go on after I quilt it.  I sewed up the binding for the dick & jane quilt so that is ready to go on and sewed up the binding for a sampler quilt I finished eons ago that has just been waiting - it'll be about 7 years in the making by the time I finish it.  On top of all that I started a lazy 9 patch quilt, lazy because the 9 patches will be 12" square and I'm putting in some plain squares as alternate blocks.  

Hopefully next weekend I will finish sewing the top of that one, quilt the boats, and sew all the respective bindings on.  As always, time will tell.  I have two more weekends to get these done and start on the final baby quilt.  When those are done I will be free to sew whatever I want for whomever I want...but realistically I will probably take a decent break and avoid it all b/c I pushed myself so hard to finish these.

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We started getting a CSA share a few weeks ago, this week we got rhubarb, strawberries, kale, collard greens, bok choy, and eggs.

I haven't ever really used greens like this so I've been using recipes from 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone', I make this yummy dish with the kale, spices, and cannelini beans.

I also made a strawberry rhubarb crumble which is quite delish and because dh doesn't eat desserts with cooked fruit in them, it's all mine.  Which is both good and bad...

Today is the first day of summer and I'm supposed to be starting my big, giant lace project and I spent the day quilting...ah well.  Maybe after dinner...

Highlander & Lace

Anne has released the Highlander pattern that I test knit for her!  If you are looking for my test knit info or photos my original post is here.  I am looking forward to wearing it this fall!

I have been working on various lace projects so far this year, I guess that just seems like the thing to knit in the summer b/c there is no rush to finish the next sweater so I can hurry up and wear it.

I am working on the embrace the lace club kit, a shawl that I started and didn't get more than an inch into (even tho I still have every intent on finishing it eventually), test knitting the Fruit of the Vine scarf for Anne, and me and the women I knit with at lunch, Jennygirl and Suzygirl, decided that it would be fun to have a summer lace project.  A BIG lace project...something to cast on for on (around) the first day of summer and finish up by (around) the first day of fall.  Never one to be unambitious in my knitting projects I originally thought about knitting the Ice Fantasia Shawl in this purple & grey yarn that my hubby bought for me in Lancaster.  
The other thing I am considering knitting is the Desdemona Shawl in either this silk merino blend that I just got from Deb at Fearless Fibers

Or this Sundara silk

I have to admit I'm leaning towards the desdemona because I really like doing square shawls, I'm not sure why, maybe because you knit them in stages and it doesn't seem never ending?  But I'm torn - feel free to weigh in with your opinion!

The Fruit of the Vine test knit is in fearless fibers cashmere, her old base yarn, it's lovely.  I'm sure her new base yarn is just as lovely but I haven't tried it yet. 

Lace, lace, lace - it's all about the lace right now!

Enough is enough already

I know we had a drought over the last few years, and I know that the water table was down significantly, and I KNOW we needed the rain.  But really.  I am fairly sure that we haven't had sunshine for more than 24 hours at a time since the beginning of april. 

This week, that was about 6 hours on Friday, from about 2 until evening, and then it rained again.  And Saturday, which they had declared universally sunny and rain free, it rained sheets of rain.  Enough.  Is.  Enough.

If I wanted to live in The Land of Cloud Cover I would have stayed in Central New York or moved to Seattle.

When I was in elementary school I read a short story about a girl living on a distant planet on which the sun only came out for one hour every seven years (details recalled thanks to wikipedia) and the girl was from earth and was looking forward to the day so much, and something happened and the other kids locked her in the closet and then forgot about her when the sun came out so she never got to see it.  When I was a child that story traumatized me, it stuck in my head and whenever the weather is like this I start to think about that poor girl.  The story was called All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury.

I do love the internets.

Yesterday we went out to NJ to go to the yarn store and spend my birthday gift cert, but as fate would have it, the yarn store had SUMMER HOURS (!!) and was closed when we got there at 3:20.  Hmf.  No yarn for me.  So instead we went to the quilting shop and I picked up some fabric to make placemats,

a skinny jellyroll (apparently these are called 'honey buns)' to make a log cabin quilt for some unknown person at some unknown time,

and a 10" stack (layer cake) of Christmas fabrics - again, just because I liked them, I'll make something with them someday. 

I do blame the woman in front of us.  She was getting a million fabrics cut and I literally had about 45 minutes to kill while waiting for them to finish with her...I kept picking up MORE AND MORE things.  Now to just finish with the baby quilts so I can move onto projects I'm doing 'just because'. 

I made good progress on the Embrace the Lace scarf, the little repeats really are fun to knit. 

 

And a close up to see the color

This week I also started a test knit for Anne in Fearless Fibers cashmere, the Fruit of the Vine scarf, the colorway is Endless Night. (no pics yet)

I am working on the sailboat quilt and have a nice little armada built up.

 

Hopefully next weekend I will be able to finish the top of this quilt and start the quilting.  Then it's on to the next baby quilt.  IF I can finish this one next weekend I will be decently on my way to my goal of finishing the four small baby quilts by the second weekend in July.  I still have 3 weekends at home before we start traveling again - it's theoretically possible.  I would really like to get through these so I can start making whatever strikes my fancy again.  I'm tired of feeling like I can't work on something 'just because' because these baby blankets are on my 'have to' list.  Hence my forced productiveness.

Cuteness.

Little things

Here is the beginning of the scarf from the Embrace the Club kit, I took this pic with my phone, but it was at night with the flash so it's a bit washed out.  It's a pretty color, but it's not my color - it will make somebody a lovely gift.  It is fun to knit, I think I have 8 repeats done now, and it's really pretty.  I might have to make myself one in a color that works for me.  (it's so easy to say that, but then when you finish something the last thing you usually want to do is start another b/c there so many things *SHINY*  *PRETTY*  *NEW* that are ever so much more fun to knit than another one of what you just finished)

I finished quilting the dick & jane quilt over the weekend.  I did a diagonal pattern, I think it worked pretty well, with one exception.

I stitched some buckles into the fabric.  I hope this doesn't have any negative effects on the quilt long term.  There wasn't any way to fix it without trying to rip out multiple lines of quilting stitches and that just wasn't happening in my world.  I'm not entirely sure it would have even been possible!

I'm having fun taking pictures with my phone, aren't these roses gorgeous?  We passed them on the way to dinner last saturday, they were running over the top of somebody's brick wall.

And here's a random flower garden, we are the kind of people who stop and smell the roses, all the roses.  What's better than sniffing random roses when you are out walking the dogs or walking to dinner or walking in general?

Last week the day before my birthday I got an email from Fearless Fibers, she was introducing a new yarn, a silk/merino blend.  Well.  I decided that because it was my birthday the next day OBVIOUSLY it was a sign I should buy some, so I did.  It's a bit pinker than this in real life, a lovely subtle variegated color.

I HAVE to stop buying yarn, but then my dad & stepmom sent me a gift card to a yarn shop in jersey that I've never been to and she and I are going to go this weekend, she wants to go with me to spend it - cuz - y'know, she's cool like that (absolutely no sarcasm there, she really is, she will ooh and ahhh over everything in there).  So I will have yet MORE yarn to show you next week.  Since it's a gift I am thinking maybe something luxurious, something not at all budget friendly.  We shall see.

Another phone pic.  This is where Pixie sits when I am home and her person (DH) is not, right next to his chair in front of his desk.  Cute little thing - except for the devil eyes, those are a little creepy.  But I know she's not a robot dog, so it's all good.

And STILL I have yet to tell you about my trip to the mannings.  I will show you eventually, but dudes, in case I forget - let me just say this - it was worth it, so completely worth it.  If you have been thinking about it you should totally go.

Let me also say that if I usually read your blog and I haven't commented in a while it's b/c I am incredibly behind.  Work has gotten SO busy and while I know of ABSOLUTELY no reason why this would impact my ability to stay caught up with blogs  *AHEM*, I have still managed to get quite behind.  So, sorry, and hope to read you again soon.

Quickly

I got a new phone this weekend!  I am now mobile - woot!

Living in the city like we do, and with me working on a campus where I often spend a good deal of time not in my office, it will be good to have an updated phone that will allow me to email, facebook, google and oh yes, let's not forget RAVEL to my heart's content no matter where I am.

It's so cute, isn't it cute?  I think it's cute.  (and of course those are the adorable dogs on the background there, all you can see in the pic is their little paws b/c of the cards in the way)

It's a palm pre and so far I adore it.  It's a touch screen, I can't throw it in my bag like my old phone, so I was at a loss for how to carry it around.  I checked Keykalou's patterns on Etsy and lo and behold she had a pda/smartphone pattern.  

I added the key fob on the side b/c at work I must have my keys on me at all times.  It also has a little pocket in the back that is perfect for slipping some cash, a credit card, or some business cards in.

Upside down.  Sorry.  I am trying to do this quickly...

Lots to show from the weekend - soon I hope!

Another FO

So regarding the Caricia, after much more deliberation, we (Jennygirl and I) decided that the ONLY logical thing to do was to find another skein of the Rayon Vert Malabrigo sock and make another shawl that is EXACTLY the same.  It's the only fair thing to do, really. We will end up with matching shawls, but since she's moving, there is no danger of us showing up at the same party with them on, so it's all good.

This would be a bit less funny if I hadn't sold two skeins of the very same yarn a month or so ago.  Hmf.  Now I have to order one and pay shipping.

I finished Buttercup the other night.  It came out reasonably well.  

The pic is a little grainy, hmf.  I still completely lack understanding of photography.

This is in Frog Tree Pima Silk, this was super nice to work with.  It didn't make my hands hurt like some cottons do and it makes a really nice fabric with just a touch of shine.  (also, I got 6 st/in, not 5.5)

I did alter the neckline before she came out with the pattern alteration for a higher neckline, I basically just cast on for the feather & fan front 16 rows earlier and kept up with the same yoke increases, did two more feather & fan repeats than in the pattern & finished the yoke as soon as it reached the right place.  I couldn't repeat it if I tried, so I'm not sure that makes sense.

It didn't really come out as a bell shape on me, just sort of a loose fitting top.  That's okay, I think.  There's a weird line in it from sitting on the drying rack, I might try to steam that out later.  If nothing else I'll hang it near the shower.  It creates sort of a buckle in the fabric.

btw, for those of you who know what I'm talking about, THAT is the necklace.  Can't see it very well, I know - sorry.  Sorry for being a bit theatrical & vague for those of you who don't...long story.

My friend Heather rocks.  She sent me this gorgeous Brooks Farm yarn for my birthday (this saturday).

Here's the facts.  1. I missed MDSW, which was my only chance to find Brooks Farm yarn in person. 2. I wanted to make the yogini bolero but couldn't find the perfect yarn for it. 3. I wanted to knit it in lilac for some unknown reason.

Enter 800 yards worsted weight bamboo/wool mix in a gorgeous slightly variegated color called lilac.  Seriously.  How much does Heather rock?  Thank you Heather!

An actual FO

It seems like forever since I produced an FO.  I was beginning to think it would never happen.

Caricia, by Anne of Knitspot.

in Malabrigo Sock, Rayon Vert.  It looks pretty much just purple from any distance, but up close you can see the color variegation.

and a close up.

I started this with the vague intention to give it to a friend who is moving away, but I kind of like it...so I'm not sure.  The deadline is a ways off, so after much discussion today at lunch I decided to make another one and then decide which one to give and which one to keep.  That way I have no guilt and if it turns out I like this one better, I get to keep this one. 

I am SUCH a selfish knitter, it's horrible.

As it would turn out out, however, I got my next embrace the lace package today.

Such pretty packages.  This one is a Sivia Harding design.

The scarf is 63x9 at the widest point and 4" wide at the ends, it's truly a scarf.  The yarn is Mama Llama cashmere in a blue-green color with a tinge of beige in it.

It's all so gorgeous, and not at all me.  This is definitely a giftable item, but I think this is not my friend's color either.  So now I have to decide do I cast on for this with an unnamed recipient or do I cast on for a second Caricia.  

Decisions, decisions!!!  

Quilt addiction

I finished the next quilt top yesterday.  I love this Dick & Jane themed quilt.  This one will go to a friend's oldest boy b/c he will be learning to read soon & I think he will enjoy reading it.  Also b/c his parents will get a kick out of the fabric.

Newly armed with my quilting book I tried to whip out my batting so I could pin this up and prep it for quilting next weekend - only to find that I have the wrong size.  Hmf.  

Not to be deterred from my quilting path I chose a cute little quilt from a magazine and selected fabrics for it and set to cutting those out.  (the magazine pic, a bit blurry, sorry)

Here are the colors I picked out.

Yet another boy, this is for the brother of the aforementioned boy, the brother still being in utero.  My goal, and laugh if you will, I AM going to try, is to have both quilts done and ready for the birth in August.  I hate to send the baby a quilt without sending his big brother one as well, so hopefully I'll get them both done in time.  

We shall see.

There are two more boys who need quilts.  One who will be 5 this year (I got more than a little behind on that one), so his is a larger throw style - I'm putting that off b/c I know it will take longer - and my Goddaughter's baby brother.  I have ordered fabric for his, I wanted to theme it to match his bedroom b/c that will please his mother to no end.  

So that's what - just 4 more quilts to finish this summer.  Yeah...I guess it just depends on how long my quilting bug lasts.

In knitting news I am just a few rows from being done with Caricia, the lace shawl out of malabrigo sock -pics soon!  And I am also on the downhill side of buttercup, just a few more rows to finish off the body, then the neckline & body.  I should have an FO for that this week as well.  I feel like I have accomplished a great deal during my week off, now if I can just keep up the momentum!