There’s been a lot going on around here, y’know? A bathroom remodel, birthdays, a couple weeks of dog sitting, “longer” days… sometimes (quite often, actually) we don’t sit down for supper until 8! So, I’ve been knitting, but it’s slow…
I didn’t measure, but I’d say I’m a bit past half-way on the back of my Farfalle Cardigan. That big Noro egg is deflating but I don’t think I’ll be cracking the second until I’m working the fronts — there’ll likely be quite a bit left over.
I don’t knit in the Garden Room very often — Knitting HQ is at my chair in the living room — but it’s a great spot for photos (and morning coffee/meetings/chats/word games).
QUILTING
I’ve looked at it a few times, gathered fabric, played around in Excel with border ideas. So far, the borders seem to compete too much with the blocks. I’ve considered adding more blocks instead to get the desired size, but I feel that would throw things off in a way that I don’t think I could live with, so I’m back to the borders & trying to simplify! Wish me luck.
READING:
Last night, I finished The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. It took a month, but it’s a well known fact that I read at a snail’s pace… haha.
I was delighted to learn this morning that my copy of John of John is on its way!! That’ll be up next, and I cannot wait.
We’re experiencing epic rainfall here in NE Wisconsin. We have a little water in our basement for the first time in my memory (which, arguably, tends to be selective, especially regarding unpleasant stuff). There are SO MANY people with water in their basements… so much water! The entire Village of Shiocton, 20 miles NW of us, has been ordered to evacuate today, with no determined return date, as have portions of other cities & towns near us. There’s a small creek that flows a little ways from our house & the sound of rushing water woke up Rusty early yesterday morning — he was compelled to get dressed & go down to check it out! We’ve seen record rainfall for April — and we’re only half-way. Crazy spring!
Then I cast on & got started on the ribbing for the back. 1×1 Ribbing is a slog.
I’ve been otherwise occupied this week with the upstairs bathroom. Rusty finished the surround — a few little things to do yet, such as installing grab bars & a new shower curtain rod. Now my part has begun…
I’ve started stripping the wallpaper. The first (plastic-y) layer has been peeled off, and now I’ll go at it with a steamer to scrape off the paper/glue. It’s been ages since I’ve done this, but every single room in our house had ONE WALLPAPERED WALL when we moved in… all of it different — this bathroom had flocked foil wallpaper. Anyway, no more wallpaper. With assistance, everything in this room will be repainted except for the floor (I hope). I’m waiting to hear from the tub refinisher about scheduling, but have to get everything in the tub area finished before he arrives (no stools or ladders will be allowed IN the shower after refinishing).
READING:
It’s a short book, but y’know… I’ve been busy! I’m still reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey and still enjoying it.
We hit 64F yesterday afternoon! For the second or third time already, I cracked a window & the sunroof on the way home from work.
And took my knitting outside for photos on the sidewalk. I knit the rest of that second motif last night & am ready to start the third. I’m considering throwing a random fourth-row farfalle in there, too.
The color progression of the Noro Ito is similar on both sleeves, but not identical. Just going with the flow…
READING:
I finally finished No Time on My Handsby Grace Snyder. There was a bit more about her quilting toward the end, but not as much throughout as I expected… or wanted. I rarely had any sense that it was happening, some vague references to bits of fabric here & there, and all of a sudden there are hundreds of hand-stitched quilts & she’s winning awards. It was an autobiography with her daughter assisting & it was interesting in many ways, if not a literary masterwork.
I’ve started reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey — recently mentioned by both Bonnie & Kym. It’s hard to describe, but I’m really enjoying it.
There are several more inches to go on this, the first sleeve. I already did the ribbing for the second sleeve, though, so I’ll just be carrying on. It’s been AGES since I knit with Noro, and it’s just as fun as ever. It’s hard to see, but there’s some very bright pink in the recently completed rows, and I can’t wait to hit that gold section!
Now for fun little follow-up. You may recall that three years ago, I Made It With Atlas… and knit a 5 Point Bomber for the kids using MDK’s lovely Atlas yarn. How’s it fitting/holding up?
Well, first, it doesn’t fit Junah at all. He’s only about a half-inch shorter than me & will probably be two inches taller next week.
It’s getting a little snug on Ginny!
It fits Malina quite nicely and she really loves wearing my knits. The sleeves are a little long — always have been. (FYI: that top tooth is barely hanging on.)
Davy! Look at how much he’s grown in the past three years! The sweater was like a full-length coat on him.
The sweater has been washed a few times & is holding up pretty well overall. It’s still one of my favorite projects ever!
QUILTING:
I finished the last quilt block on Sunday morning. (I’m pretty sure it’s the last one.)
Scrappy triangles in a loose “flying geese” arrangement. Sometimes the lights are light, and sometimes they’re dark — and vice versa. I had a different order but messed it up on the way to the sewing machine, so this is what it is.
On one of the snow days, I photographed all of the blocks so I could play around with layout & maybe even audition some colors for sashing & cornerstones… and, eventually, border(s).
Here’s v.1. This is utilizing an Excel spreadsheet, which is one of my favorite things. There will be changes, but it’s a start! I might stop by the quilt shop later today to scout some other color possibilities. I’m considering using all scraps for cornerstones, or using a variety of the polka dot fabrics for those… or using polka dot for one of the borders, and maybe a stripe for the other… or more flying geese (bigger). So many possibilities…
THE BEST WAY TO GET THROUGH A BLIZZARD…
…is together!
Ann & Brian came up on Saturday morning & we all convened for the girls’ afternoon dance recital at the high school. The weather was quite nice/okay, but the storm was looming. We planned meals & did a big grocery shop on Friday afternoon, knowing that Saturday morning would be crazy! I made lasagna on Saturday & Chili All Day on Sunday, and between us, Ann & I came up with enough for a really good chicken soup on Monday. I knew it was going to be snowy/stormy (we even had thundersnow), but I did not anticipate that almost everything would be closed on Monday, and many places still closed on Tuesday, too, so yay for a pretty well stocked pantry.
And we had a party! One of the things we bought at the store was a big birthday cake on which we had written, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE! Maddy is rarely here for birthday parties, so we decided to have one. We sang & blew out candles, and it was really fun.
My house was the hub, but there was plenty of movement between Ann’s & Ali’s, too. Between shoveling stints (at all locations), hanging out, and cooking/eating, we watched some movies/shows & played games. Brian taught us how to play Euchre, which taxed our brains a bit; Kate & I taught Maddy how to play Azul (it had been a while for us); Skip-bo & Sequence, sometimes with a kid or two; Nerts & Liverpool Rummy (a new-to-us game that Maddy taught us). There was some crafting here & there; and Junah worked on a big school project. I stayed up late to watch the Oscars (which I recorded).
It was the most fun we’ve ever had during a blizzard. 10/10. Highly recommend.
My knitting time has been limited, but I have been plugging away on my Farfalle Cardigan! Unfortunately, with the changing of the clocks, I didn’t have an opportunity for a picture in daylight. I’m just about to the third increase on the first sleeve, and then it’s straight mosaic garter stitch until I reach the specified measurement. I’d be a bit further if I hadn’t sailed right past the second increase… I had to rip out & redo about a half-dozen rows. Così è la vita!
QUILTING:
The quilting has been a bit slower, too, but somehow I’m only one block away from the required number. Here are the latest two:
This is a block I found online called Sunset Trail (the sample looks more like a sunset).
This is the one I showed last week as a concept of a block. It’s made from all of the corners that I cut off (and saved) while making previous blocks. I sewed the cut-off triangles together to make half square triangles & then arranged them in a way that I liked (it reminds me of the Economy block). The squares are small, so I had to do some math to add a border to make the finished block the correct size… and I did it wrong, so there are two borders. Quilter’s Math is different than Knitter’s Math, but my biggest mistake was thinking I could do it all in my head!
The last block will also be made up of half-square triangles — some of these & some others — I’m using scraps! I sewed & pressed a bunch of them at class last night, now I need to trim them. I’m sure I have enough for three blocks… choices, choices! Most everyone else in class had their quilt tops assembled with sashing & cornerstones, and were working on the border — it was so fun to see them all coming together! Soon… I’ll be there soon!!
READING:
No change… (bedtime pages): No Time on My Handsby Grace Snyder. I think I’m at the point in the book when she really starts getting into quilting… she just got a sewing machine!
. That big Noro egg is deflating but I don’t think I’ll be cracking the second until I’m working the fronts — there’ll likely be quite a bit left over.
