This is how my WIP numbers soar over 100... or 200

In a fit of I'm-not-sure-what, I started a set of Margaret Sherry kitty coasters that I bought over a decade ago and just found again. I'll be following the pattern on four of them (and then doing heaven only knows what for the other two coasters).

Starting to Quilt Again

Last month, I discovered a new quilt store in Fairfax: The Quilter's Studio on Main Street. I went a few times, just to look at the pretty, then fell prey to a Moda charm pack, "April Showers":


I managed to lose all my templates in my house (naturally), so I made a 60-degree diamond. Hooray for protractors! More yay that I was actually able to find my protractor!



So, I had a template, so I cut out all the pieces. (All of them.)


Then I started piecing by hand. As I have a hate/hate relationship with my sewing machine, I tend to hand piece and hand quilt unless forced to do otherwise. (Yes, that happens.) I was able to eyeball my seams darned well, thankyouverymuch.



And then the ironing.


Now it's a case of assembling all the blocks into one giant thing. And then figuring out how to attach the batting and backing to something with really weird edges. And then I get to quilt it all...

... or stuff it in the bin with my other two finished quilt tops and hope they somehow transform into quilts on their own.

Yeah, that last option is probably closer to what will actually happen. But maybe not, we'll see!

Still Knitting

Still knitting. This


is in the process of becoming an Ink Heart Shawl. More on this later...

(Yeah, I know, it's being one of Those Weeks. Really, there will be more. Just, you know, later.)

Okay, fine, I bought more.

Okay, fine, there were actually TWO trips to In Stitches. Since my two bffs couldn't go to the Woodlawn Needlework Show on the same day, I went twice. (Well, fine, thrice, I also went with my mom.) So, perforated paper, three canvases... and this stuff.




That was the first trip. The second trip, I was relatively well behaved (for me) and just got JBW Design's French Country Owl sampler (and some floss and fabric). That, I started right away one evening last week at around 2:30 a.m.:


There was a lot more done, but I had to rip it out because it was either incorrect placement... or... well, pretty much, I had the entire word "Whooooooo" at the bottom in a very, very wrong place. So it's in time out this week.

But they were On Sale!

Along with the perforated paper from In Stitches, I also got three little canvases.

They were on sale, OK?


They go with my "Boo" and "Eeek" that I've already done. (I've lost them somewhere in my house, but they're done.)


My actual finished canvas!

I'll be using the same fibers as before, with the bonus Ooomph of using Very Velvet in black for the background. I really like the totally matte finish it gives - and it really makes the shiny threads pop! I'll be using pearl cotton instead of the white Very Velvet this time, though - the white picks up every other fiber if you breathe on it wrong!


More on these when I actually start them....

Maybe I'll stick to cross stitch.

I tried to make an Art Deco-ish bracelet/cuff.

I failed.


I really should look into getting some sort of how-to book for this stuff. Winging it will just get me so far...

At least I can finally finish my second Halloween beaded pin, as I managed to get some perforated paper at In Stitches!



I swear I've already done the black cat pin - but the perforated paper isn't in the kit, but all the threads and beads are. Just one of those mysteries that manage to attach itself to kits/projects I've had around for more than a decade, I guess!

Please pretend this post happened yesterday.

Okay, Monday, take two.

Sunday before last, I went to the Homespun Yarn Party up in Savage Mill, Maryland. IT WAS AWESOME. I wanted to do this whole thing with "here's what it looked like; here's a booth... and look, I bought THAT skein of yarn!" but I got so "omg, I have to edit & mark all these pictures and make sure I credit them properly and stuff"... and I totally missed my Monday post deadline. (Which, in case you were wondering, is 6am or so.)

So, instead, a non-fancy bunch of photos I took!

First, getting to Savage Mill was a snap; getting parking was NOT. My husband eventually dropped me near the front gate and took off for Parts Unknown. I went inside... and OMG PEOPLE. There was a line that went the entire length of the building!!


Seriously, couldn't even see the DOOR to the greatroom from where I came in. OTOH, there was a great jazz band in the open restaraunt, so at least there was good music for the wait. And wait we did - even though the line was moving quickly, it took about half an hour to get down the hallway. Luckily, the end was soon in sight:


Much to my delight and surprise, there were House Cuppers (HPKCHC) all over the place, so I got to see people about six weeks before I'd expected to do so at MDSW. Then - HUGE CROWDED ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE AND YARN!! Eeeeeeeee! So exciting, really it was. The energy was great! My first stop (as planned) was Natasha, aka Unplanned Peacock Studio.


I got a skein of Tabby, but in a different weight than I had for my hat and cowl before (see this post). You can see the skein I got in the photo... it's in the middle cube on the right, on the left side of the cube but one column to the right... um... two down from the top there's a kinda orangey-black skein poking out? That's Mine!!

I then hit Snallygaster Fibers and got two Monster Skeins of ACTUAL FLOURESCENT YARN. This will turn into the most eyeblinding Nordic sweater EVER. I'm debating whether to offset the flourescents with black, which would make it easier to look at... but I probably won't.

I also got a rainbow skein from Wandering Wool:


See the rainbow one in the back row, second from left, with the red on the outside? Also Mine!!

I also picked up some pins (because PINS), and added them to my Cup Cozy of Pins:


And then, on the way out, there was a giant chair.


Really, really, giant chair. I added the ball of North Country Sock from Wandering Wool for scale:


That wee little ball on that there chair is my new shawl, seen here on LAST Monday.

Anyway, it was really cool, and I'm sorry you didn't get the really cool adventure in yarn I had planned in my head, but here are the photos, and you kinda get the idea that Hey, There Was Yarn And It Was Cool.

OWLfail

In a nutshell: Stayed up insanely late Monday Night/Tuesday Morning trying to finish my Detention OWL. Did not do so, but managed to squirrel my sleep cycle badly, which has carried into today. Today, I'm attempting to do little things that don't require thought as I attempt to shift back to a day schedule. So far, it's not going well - ie, it's bad enough that I don't dare knit or cross stitch or crochet, as if I mess up I will likely not notice, and have to rip and do everything all over again. I am actually working on stuff (when not about to keel over), pics next week, I promise!