Summer Smitten Blanket and other crafts

I started this in the middle of June thinking it would make a great summer project. Well I was right.  It went with me to my mom's chemo appointments, on the train to Portland last month, and any time there was a road trip.  In fact this thing has been practically living in the car.   Since it was one color,  and you crochet one square at a time, it was quite portable and there weren't many ends to weave in!
I used Knit Picks organic cotton worsted which was amazingly soft, not anything like the kitchen twine I've struggled with when making dishcloths.  The pattern was free over on byHaafner, and there's a handy little chart you can print off if you like that sort of thing.  I found it helpful, although it was easy enough to memorize once you made a few squares.  All the details are on my Ravelry page.

   There hasn't been much sewing going on around here.   I broke down and bought a quilting hoop and a nimble thimble and am trying my best to hand quilt, but it's slow. The leather nimble thimbles are a great idea, but I seem to be in between sizes.  The medium was too big and kept slipping off.  When it finally flew across the couch and hit the dog, I decided to order a small.  Now that one is too tight.  This is a bit like Goldilocks testing out the beds.

I bought some goodies in Portland at Knit Purl and have started knitting the Farmhouse shawl, and it's so fun!  Probably another reason why the quilting has taken a back seat.

 

Anyway that's my summer so far. Hope you're enjoying yours. Seems to be wrapping up doesn't it? Bring on the Fall.   Can't. Wait.

Heating up slowly

geranium in "watermelon"

repairing the binding on an old quilt

American Robin

new quilt pattern

We've had the nicest rain showers this last week, with thunder rumbling in the distance for dramatic effect.  I haven't had to water the garden as often, which is nice, but the weeds love the rain too, so the battle continues. We are slowly moving out of our nice Enjoy It While You Can spring weather phase and will soon be entering into the blistering hot, Kill All the Plants summer phase, which I endure for about one month, then by July I'm in the house with the air conditioner on drinking buckets of iced tea.  I really want to try and embrace summer this year (I say this every year), take part in more outdoor/summer activities, but it's hard for me.  I inevitably melt into a sweaty limp puddle at backyard barbecues and theme parks, clutching a cold drink in a death grip, crazed eyes darting about for a seat in the shade, my hair plastered around my head like a wet dish cloth.
So attractive.  Meanwhile everyone else continues to party on, seemingly unfazed by the heat. Sigh.
Must buy more pool floaty toys. And cold beer.  And a short haircut.

On the sewing front, I haven't been very diligent lately.  I made a few scrap improv blocks and will probably make some kind of quilt with them, but for now they're just hanging out on the design wall patiently waiting their turn.  Instead of sewing I've been obsessed with listening to knitting pod casts and really learning a lot.  However the patterns I'm drawn to are made with fingering weight yarn and toothpicks, and I'm struggling. Maybe for now I'm better off learning with worsted or dk weight and bigger needles?  I'm both impressed and intimidated by people who jump right in there and whip up a pair of socks a week after they learn to cast on. Knitting feels painfully slow to me, and you have to really pay attention.  Example : K2, yo, knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, knit to last 2 stitches, yo, k2 stitches, touch your nose with your tongue, and scratch your belly with your big toe.  Repeat rows two through nineteen, 175,678 times or until your eyes cross, the phone rings or the dog jumps in your lap in which case you're basically screwed. If your lucky the damn markers will stay where you put them and you can find your place and start over.
 Possibly I have some kind of knitting attention deficit disorder. Or knitting commitment disorder. Whatever it is, it makes me doubt myself.  I run back to the comfort of my crochet hook and think "do I really need another craft, maybe I will just stick with crochet and quilting?"
Again, must buy more cold beer.
Anyway last week I had a give away for a quilt pattern and a stack of 5" squares from my stash.  Pam at CreativeCrazyGirl won, and I hope she can use the extra scraps in her stash, and maybe try out that pattern!  Thanks to everyone who took time to leave a comment.  It's nice to have so many lovely blogging friends out there. Hope you all have time to make something fun this weekend :)

Life in the jungle

My mind is a jungle of ideas.  My garden is, well, a jungle. I'm still running back and forth between inside and out, trying to accomplish everything at once.  Though Easter Sunday forced me to slow down.  A quiet brunch with my tribe and an afternoon nap. Some knitting on the back porch.
Those little snowball blocks up there are slowing me down as well.  I started out sewing them on the machine, but they were pulling and bunching up at the seams, so I tried a few by hand and I was really pleased with how they turned out.  I highly recommend gathering your supplies in a little basket and hand piecing out in the spring air and sunshine.
In case you want to make some, here's what I'm doing.

From an assortment of dark/medium and light squares cut some 3" blocks

Now cut 1 3/8" blocks, 4 of the same color (light or dark) I know it makes my eyeballs hurt just typing that number, never mind cutting them to that size.

Place 4  matching tiny light blocks on the corners of a 3" dark/medium block
Place 4 matching tiny dark/medium blocks on the corners of the 3" light blocks.
Here's a tutorial on how to sew them.
I didn't mark my little squares first before sewing.  Instead, I folded them in half diagonally and pressed across the fold with my fingernail.  This leaves a faint press line that you can follow when sewing.
Arrange the finished blocks alternating light corners against dark corners (I have 4 sewn together in the bottom right side of the picture)
I have no idea what I'm going to make.  I feel like if I give this project a name or commit to a specific size, it will spoil the magic of making them.

The yarn is from Quince & Co.   I've been wanting to try out the color Carrie's Yellow, and finally went ahead and ordered some. When it won't get out of your head, you might as well give in to it.
I'm thinking maybe a very long 1x1 rib scarf to go with all those neutrals hanging in my closet. A simple scarf from beautiful yarn.

Here's a few links of things I've been into this last week, in case your bored:

"Cooked" on Netflicks
"In Defense of Food" on PBS
This U-Tube video is a typical day at my house, but replace the cat with a small dog and me saying "All I want to do is crochet" EDIT: Looks like the video was removed. Too bad, it was funny!
 
I bought this pattern, and this one, and this one too.  Haven't made any of them yet.
 I REALLY want to go to Squam for my birthday in September.  Anyone going???
The jungle grows.

Happy place

Off the hook is Southbay Shawlette in Malabrigo sock.  The color is Impressionist sky.  Those people sure know how to name their yarn.  This shawl took one whole skein using a 7 (4.5) hook with a few yards to spare.  There have been about a bazillion of these made on Ravelry, with all types of yarns.
In my cupboard are 2 balls of Cascade alpaca lace in a pretty apricot color that may just turn into another one.  They say this is called a potato chip pattern.  You can't make just one.

I'm building a baby quilt using blue/green scraps and my old white standby Kona snow (here is a tutorial for the X block).  This one needs to be shipped off to Canada sometime in April.  That means I have to get to it and not start anything else.  And of course there are so many quilts I want to make right now!  The sun is out, the birds are singing, the garden is calling and all of it is fueling a creative furnace in my head. There are clothes hanging on the line, seedlings ready to plant, and patio furniture to be re-painted. There is a dress pattern on the way, a pile of soft cotton on the shelf waiting for a chance to become a new frock and a delicate crocheted wrap about half way done. I'm bursting with ideas and am not able to corral them fast enough. Every morning I stand in the hallway, holding my coffee cup, trying to decide whether to go outside or into the sewing room. Amazing what a few days of sunshine can do for the soul.
Spring is a short season around here.  But when it arrives, it surely knocks your socks off.
Well, the socks are officially off.

P.S.  Thank you for all your comments.  I appreciate each and every one.  However some of you are no-reply bloggers and I can't respond back, so I'm not ignoring you! If you need help changing that up let me know.

Stash busting and repeat performers

I started a few crochet projects back in October while I was visiting my Mom in the hospital.  They were one skein/color, repetitive and easy to carry around.  This half granny shawl was made with a ball of Madtosh Pashmina that I bought about 3 years ago and has been in the cupboard ever since. 
I suppose I was waiting for the right pattern, but I ended up going back to this shawl pattern.  I made it in a sport weight in the color Graphite, and I used an N hook so the drape is quite significant.  I added a tassel to each end, including the back point.
 I've worn this twice already and got compliments from strangers both times!  And they were younger women, so maybe I'm onto something here.  The yarn is delicious, and worth every penny.  I'm eyeing another skein in Daffodil, or maybe Silver Fox.

This one is made from 2 skeins of Noro IHaveNoClue.  I think it is Kureyon.  I will probably gift this one, because the colors are not me.  The yarn was bought online, on sale. When it arrived I was dissapointed and tossed it into the same cupboard next to the Pashmina. 
The pattern is One Skein Chevron Scarf, that I've made several times already, and despite the name, I always use 2 skeins.  I'm on the lookout now for more yarn de-stashing patterns.  Any ideas?

Now that it's getting dark earlier, I find myself on the couch in the evenings scrunching sideways under the closest table lamp, straining to see my yarn or needle.  I bought an Ott lamp at Joann's with a coupon, but it honestly seems like overkill.  Never mind the family comments regarding burning eyeballs and needing to break out the sunglasses while they're trying to watch T.V.  I might need to rethink where I sit, and set up a work space in the corner of the living room. 
After all, it isn't enough that I have a whole room dedicated to fabric and yarn, and usually have to clear my projects off the table so we can eat dinner.
Do you guys have your own little space?  What works for you?

Summer baskets

This basket block has been on my bucket list for a while now.  It's from Liberated Quiltmaking II by Gwen Marston.   She shows you how to make a block and attach the handle, then you just kind of wing it from there.  The border fabric from Joann's dictated my color scheme, and the addition of some linen in the background of 3 of the blocks neutralized it a bit.
I only made nine of them, enough to satisfy my need to try it out.  This one measures  40x34 inches, perfect for a wall hanging or baby girl quilt.

There's a lot going on here at Pieceful, so I may be absent for a while.  Enjoy what's left of this summer and I hope to keep up with my visits to your blogs!

Stuck in the middle

Oh I'm in the middle of too many projects at once and it's getting to me. I work on something for a bit, put it down because I just saw the pile of blocks for another quilt and need to move that one along, and then remember to add a few rows to my crochet scarf, and sew the last 2 blocks of the Hillside houses quilt.  Gaaah!  It's like the wheels are spinning but I'm not getting anywhere.  Time to bear down and focus on one thing.  The top priority is the blue May scrap quilt.  Just have to sew on the binding.  Okay that's easy.  

Then the green June scrap quilt.  I'm sewing the last 5 blocks together before I cut and piece the sashing (by the way sashing is a real thing you stupid computer.  Quit underlining it and making me doubt myself and repeatedly put it through spell check.)  Doable by the end of the month (fingers crossed).

Then I have to stop and make some muffins..

These are Banana Crunch Muffins from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  The crunch part comes from the addition of granola in the batter and sprinkled on the top.  They're also really sweet, and I cut the 2 cups of sugar back to 1 1/2 cups and it didn't affect the taste.  The bananas make it sweet as well. Great for breakfast with coffee or tea.
And just as I get all organized and prioritized this happens...

Basket blocks from Liberated Quiltmaking II by Gwen Marston.  Somebody slap me.

House blocks and a scarf

Only 3 more blocks to go on my Hillside Houses quilt.  I  like the way it's turning out, especially with the little bits of Liberty prints added to the windows. It's been really fun piecing it together.
I finished my infinity scarf just as the weather reached a scorching 104 degrees.  I guess I won't be wearing it any time soon.  I ripped back the pattern I started here and switched to this one instead.
It's was so easy to crochet, you know the meditative kind where you repeat row 2 and 3 until you run out of yarn or fall asleep with the hook in your hand.  Now I'm looking around for the next crochet project.
The last picture is a female Bullock's Oriole getting ready to take a dip. Can you see her on the edge of the bowl?   She was just sitting there looking cute, while two young males were practically knocking themselves silly trying to get her attention.  It's the first time I ever spotted them in my backyard, and it was quite entertaining.
My son comes home from Australia this week, and I can't wait to hug him and hear all about his trip. I'm told he has a full beard.  He ended up staying a few extra days and went over to New Zealand by himself to visit the Shire.  His sisters are beyond jealous.  Of the Shire, not the beard.
So I'm going to make his favorite sweet and sour chicken for dinner and stock the bathroom with razors.  Hurry up son, your mama's waiting.
Have fun making stuff this week.

Hillside Houses and Tulips

There's a new QAL over at Pretty Little Quilts, and I just jumped right in, because I had all the stuff,  the pdf's were right there for free, it was something different because I hardly ever work with solids and the blocks kind of go together like a fabric jigsaw puzzle.  And besides, I saw that Carla was making one and her blocks were calling out to me as they always do, inspiring me to try something new.

I'm making the wall hanging size using a combination of Kaffe Fassett shot cottons, American Made, and a sprinkle of Liberty scraps for the doors and windows.  Christina has the first 5 blocks posted, and it's not too late (never too late) to join in.

Now, do you remember my tulips?

Finally finished the applique, and decided on a layout.  I have to square up all those little hst's and hand piece more drunkards path blocks.  This is a slow one, and I don't mind. I like to think it's simmering in the background while I'm working away on other projects.

I heard from my son in Australia last night.  He hasn't had a shower in about a week (bathing in the river when they get a chance).  He is learning a lot and enjoying every minute.  He did say everything there bites or is poisonous. Why would you tell your mother that!  I have visions and a wild imagination. I wanted to ask him how the girls in his group are doing on the trip.  Of course I'm focusing on shaving legs, washing hair and having your period.  Ugh. They should be back at the youth hostel (showers and beds!) next week. Then at least I will feel better :)

Baseball and Yarn

At Scottsdale stadium

Buster Posey (catcher) and Tim Hudson (pitcher)

Brandon Belt signing autographs before the game

We're back from Spring Training in Arizona.  The weather was beautiful, the hot dogs plentiful and we had a great time (even though the Giants lost all 3 games. Pooh).
The hotel was amazing too!

We rented one of those cabanas for the day and hung out by the pool...

Every evening between 6 and 7 the bagpipes were played on the golf course.

There was shopping and restaurants all within walking distance, and if you ever find yourself in Scottsdale, I highly recommend you splurge on a dinner at Mastro's Ocean Club. At first I thought how can you dare call yourself "Ocean Club" in the middle of Arizona?  I should not have doubted.
 I had a delicious piece of blackened Halibut and they serve a decadent side dish of lobster mashed potatoes that will make you weep, it's that good. I wish I had some right now.
On the way out of town, the family was kind enough to indulge me in a brief stop at Jessica Knits, where I picked up some souvenirs.

These two skeins are produced by local Arizona artist Mary Gavan.  On the top is a lace weight raw silk, in the color Pewter and was made up in the store into this shawl.  The drape was beautiful. The bottom skein, which is actually more of a pink than it looks here, is a sport weight rayon/cotton in Sandcastle.
I'm also in a Ravelry group which is making a scarf using the colors of your favorite baseball team. The pattern is called Crackerjack, and these are the colors I bought for the San Francisco Giants.
The idea is to knit 2 rows using the color assigned to wins or losses.  For example a home win could be orange, and a road loss, white. There are 4 possibilities, therefore 4 colors are chosen.  The striping would be determined by the wins/losses of the season and you never know how it's going to turn out. Sounds like a fun project to work on all year long doesn't it?
I'm unpacking, washing clothes, grocery shopping, and cutting the grass this week.  Next time around I'll show you the hand pieced quilt blocks that are making me jump out of bed in the morning.
Until then, here's a little crochet and Charlie.  The dogs were very happy to see us come home.