Finished this weekend

I did get 2 projects finished and 1 quilt top ready for borders.
Newfie mitts finished:

Baby quilt binding finished:
And Gorby helped with the quilt top,

And even with her help I did get the top ready for the borders

So there are a few things off my to do list.

Weekend get it done list

Well, here is the list, let us see how much I get done on it:
Finish Newfie mitts (I am about 2/3's done with the 1st of the pair)
Handsew binding on Jim's great grandmother's quilt
Handsew binding on quilt for niece for Christmas
Handsew binding on baby quilt
Finish quilt top I started last weekend
Finish spinning brown wool and then next weekend I can ply it all
I think that's it. So now that I have posted this, hopefully that will be pressure to actually get something done!
And I am hoping the fabric gets here to finish the quilt top, I had to order it!

Time flies!

We had another busy weekend, 2 hockey games and I had a quilt class on Saturday. Not my normal colors, more "Jim" colors. Really like the way it is turning out though, and I ordered fabric last night for borders so I can make the quilt large enough for our bed, will be our fall quilt for next year. Eventually we will probably have a quilt for every month of the year! It is nice to change things up though.
Have another project underway. When I went to the quilt show I saw Newfie mittens for sale. I have been doing a little digging, and have found patterns for traditional Maine mittens also, but none for Michigan mittens. I am going to design my own and the pattern will then be available for free, my hope is that people will use the pattern to make mitts for charity, as well as for family. I have certain criteria in mind, at this point I am in the learning stage. I have just cast on a pair of Newfie mitts, I am going to knit a few pair of mitts from existing patterns and figure out what I like. And I do think the mitts will have directions for 2 needle and 4 needle....
But for now it's time to get ready for work.

Finished last weekend

I finished a few things last weekend. This week I finished the vest I was knitting for a commission, and now today I am taking a quilt class with Paige. Should be a great time. Can't believe that time is flying by so fast. Pretty soon it will be Christmas! Woke up thinking about what I needed to get done for Christmas this morning. The weather here has turned cold and we had to turn on the heat. I wanted to make it to October 1, missed it by one day. Maybe next year. Our new back door is on order and then we have to get it painted and then installed before the snow flies. Should help with the heating bill. (The baby hats were for a tiny little guy who needed a hat that fit, and the Halloween pillowcases were for our friends' children)

How cute is this?

The other night these two were snoozing on the couch, and no, I didn't pose them this way. It was adorable.

I guess they do like each other. At least when they are sleeping.
On another note I finished an afghan I was crocheting for a lady. It turned out really well, at first the edges didn't seem to be working out but as the afghan got heavier they evened out.

Misc....

Worked on an afghan this weekend, haven't crocheted this much in quite awhile and it's turning out very nice.
Went to Diva club on Saturday but only stayed a few hours. Sat in computer training all last week and can't wait to get to the chiro tomorrow. I have an office job but am certainly not used to sitting still that long, we are always up and down. Sitting still killed me, my back hurts like never before.
Had a nice long walk today with Jen, 4.2 miles. I google mapped it when I got home. Feels good to get out and stretch my legs and get fresh air. Soon it will be winter and we won't be able to walk like that, we'll have to find somewhere to walk inside. In Ohio people walked inside the mall which was nice. We'll figure something out.
Jim finished the siding on the garage, now he just has to put up a couple pieces of lattice on the front deck. The plants we ordered for the front bed should be shipped tomorrow, then we can get those in the ground before winter.

What a great weekend!

I had a 3 day weekend. Friday was Lakerpalooza and breakfast at the Lockview. Saturday was spent knitting on the deck and Jim worked on the garage, which is almost all done. The new siding looks great and it matches the house. Our plants are on order for the front flower bed and will be here the first part of September in time to be planted for the long winter. We're getting there, slow but sure. Oh, and the new gravel drive is gorgeous when it rains with the river stone they used.

Diva club ugly fabric challenge

So last year for Diva club we had an ugly fabric challenge. We eached rec'd a half yard of this:

I cut mine into strips and made it into a purse and lined it with some pretty peach fabric that showed through to the outside:

Paige, on the other hand, took a totally different route and it was fabulous and totally shocking to me that she did this. Paige is very direction oriented, and she pushed her limits. She saw a picture and was inspired.

Inspired by this picture:

And the best part? Paige's daugther Heather helped. Now that's cool.

The Brown Blob

There it is. In all it's glory. The brown blob of wool I have been spinning on for years. Literally. It moved with us from Ohio. It has sat in the bongo bag here without being touched for years. It's time that it transforms itself from the brown blob that it is into the beautiful yarn it can be. I know it can be beautiful yarn, because I have finished some of it in to a beautiful 2 ply.
I have pulled the brown blob out of the bongo bag. It is now living in a corner of the dining room where I can watch it. I just have this suspicion that left to it's own devices it will keep reproducing so I will never finish spinning it. So now it is being watched, and every day I get up and sit at the wheel and spin for a bit. And slowly, the brown blob will transformed. Just watch.

2 baby sweaters down, 2 to go

I have 2 baby sweaters finished and I have 2 more to go. It is nice to finish up some projects.I also have 2 pair of socks started for me and a sweater. So I need to get moving on those. And I need to work on my writing too, never enough hours in the day!
It's been hot here, but we got the brush cleared out around garage. Now we are waiting on the estimate for the drive (grade it and put in fresh gravel) and put in a front sidewalk (cement),and prep a nice big flower bed. It will be so nice to get this stuff done. We'll get there, one project at a time.

Daniel Silva holds my sock in progress!!!!

Ok, so I had Steve Hamilton, and now Daniel Silva! I find it funny that neither of them even questioned the fact they were holding my sock knitting, they just went with it.


I have to say I highly recommend reading Daniel Silva. And it's not just because he held my knitting. Jim and I drove down to see him at the Traverse City Opera House, and we would definitely do it again. We had a great time, the opera house is beautiful. It was 3 hours one way, and then we had to drive back that same night because I had to work the next day, but totally worth it.
Read his books in order, so you can see the character develop!

Writing

I fully intend to pursue my writing career. And the more I talk about it and the more I tell people, the more excited I get. I know I might fail, but I really don't want to be one of those people who looks back and thinks "What if". I want to surround myself with creative people, people who like to discuss and think and debate. I find myself more and more stuck in a routine which feels like a rut and that has to change. I'll be a happier person for it. I want to be creative and go sit on the beach or at the locks and knit and write. I want to be able to stay home when it's freezing out and curl up with the cats and my laptop. I want to work my ass off for something that will be "mine". And if I fail, I fail. And that will be mine also.

Steve Hamilton and my sock!!!

Here you go:

Published author Steve Hamilton holding my sock in progress. :-)
http://www.authorstevehamilton.com/ I love his books, they make me want to curl up with a bowl of popcorn under a quilt while I read. And he's very nice in person. So if you get a chance, check out his books!

So far, so good

I have started journaling everyday. Just a few lines, or more, depending on how tired I am and my mood. I am trying to make it a habit and so far I am doing well, I have only missed 1 day in the last couple of weeks. I think that's pretty good. And it is now starting to be part of my bedtime routine.
It's going to be muggy here again today. We put in central a/c when we moved here 4 years ago and we don't regret that decision at all. Nice to be able to flip a switch and cool off the whole house.
Today is a knitting day. And a napping day, and a grilling brats day and laughing with my husband day. :-) I love these days.

Weekend is over.

Back to work today. I worked on the baby sweaters this weekend. Both backs are done and the first front is to the armholes. Not bad. Sorted through some more magazines, it's nice to get all organized. Of course I am a long way from organized. :-) I work 5 days and then have a 3 day weekend, I want to get the baby sweaters done this week so I don't have to work on them this coming weekend. I would like to work on the sweater for me. Beautiful yarn, turquoise color and very soft.

Shade Cards

I received the yarn yesterday for two baby sweaters I have been commissioned to knit. I just wish that Berroco would put out shade cards for sale because the green I got isn't exactly a sage green, it's an olive and I have to see if that's ok today because the customer wanted sage. Oh well. I did start the first one last night and the back is almost completed. I decided this morning I would knit both sweaters at the same time, the back of the first, the back of the second, then both fronts. That way I get in a groove and I don't have to worry about starting all over to knit that 2nd sweater when the first one is done. I know, I know, it's psychological, but that's how I will do it. :-)
Off to work I go, 2 more days to get up early and I am free for the weekend.

Finished baby sweater

I finished a baby sweater, it's for a co-worker's grandbaby who isn't quite here yet. For once I am ahead of the game!


Today I am going to finish up a scarf, I need to put the fringe on and I need to sew the leg back on a turtle that I knit. He's had a bit of an accident.

Cabled Baby Sweater

I finished a cabled baby sweater the other day. It came out very cute. http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/baby_poonan/baby_poonan.html was the patter I used, and here are the pics:


I actually had to break out my peg counter, I got it years ago. It's a Susan Bates product and it helped me successfully keep track of the cable pattern on the front of the sweater. There are three different stitch patterns, one is a 4 row repeat, one an 8 row and one a 16 row. The board was wonderful!

I don't know if this product is still available, but it would certainly be worth picking up if you saw one, just to have it on hand just in case...

My weekend, from back to front

I am starting with today, and showing you the wonderful yarn I got. Much of it will be knitting into warm baby things for charity. The yarn shop in Mackinac City has closed it's doors, the owner has opened a new shop in Petoskey which is further away. She had a huge sale today, and I stocked up.





And all of it together.

Clue #2 finished

I finished clue #2. I really am enjoying knitting this shawl. The pattern is being posted clue by clue here:
http://wendyknits.net/