The Impatient Knitter

                    

Last year around this time I got the itch to learn how to knit. I blame it on this blog. Her knitting is so inspiring! I'm a devoted blog follower of hers, and if you don't already follow her, then you should! Anyways, I am especially inspired by her socks (and envious of them!) and have wanted so badly to learn HOW to knit. Not sjut go through the motions, but really GET it. Last year I didn't have much luck and gave up and the knitting needles and yarn I had purchased were hidden away. But it seems like every year when we get a taste of fall I start getting that itch again. So I did some reading, and I knitted two Honey Cowls, and although the first one presented some problems the second was easy! I had been nervous about knitting in the round because I couldn't really knit at ALL. But knitting in the round makes more sense to me, I don't know why, but it does! It just CLICKS in my brain for some reason. So I did some more research, and coveted some more hand knit socks and started drooling over beautiful sock yarn, and then I decided to try it. And although there have been a few bumps (more like mountains!) I am pushing through, and it is actually making sense! I bought Socks From The Toe Up by Wendy Johnson and read it and read it, and read it some more, and watched some videos on Youtube, and tada! I cast on for a sock. I am going to try two at a time next, but I wanted to focus on getting one RIGHT before I attempt two. I just started the gusset last night. Its not perfect, FAR from it. I am still learning a lot about knitting in general, but I am getting MUCH better.

I ordered some yarn and some new needles and I'm hoping to try casting on for two at a time this weekend sometime. For curious minds, I used the Turkish cast on on a size 1 circular needle for this sock and I am doing a gusset heel. 

If anyone has any other good references for knitting then please let me know! I still have so much to learn! I want to try lace knitting next, I would LOVE to make a shawl for this fall/winter!

Never Enough Time

I'm sure that is what everyone says, but lately, for me, it has been normal and not the exception. There are SO many things I want to do and share and places I want to go and there is just no way I can get it all done. I have been feeling VERY overwhelmed lately. So please forgive me for being so absent lately. 

I have been doing lots of different things lately, so I will update you as best I can with what pictures I have (I haven't had much time to take good pictures either!)

I've been learning to knit. I have finished two Honey Cowls and a hat. I have LOTS to learn, and it doesn't come easily to me. I struggle with it A LOT. But I am so inspired by this blog. I even bought a book about sock knitting, because I am DYING to knit socks. (Not that I needed another hobby to take up even more time) It's the time of the year when the air is finally starting to cool off and the sunshine just feels different, and it reminds me of fall and I wanted to learn to knit. I am probably going to end up taking a sock knitting class because even with the book I doubt I am able to pick it up. Knitting just isn't something that CLICKS in my brain.

                                     

I've also been working on my Halloween sewing. I managed to get this pillow done last weekend (I LOVE it!) and I finished stitiching the binding on a table runner this evening.

                         

And here is my Halloween Sampler cross stitch (I finished the Jack O Lantern square over the weekend, but didn't have a picture of it yet) I also started the frames for my Autumn Sampler cross stitch as well.

                                      

And today I stitched up some zipper pouches. The back one is Noodle heads Open Wide pouch (I made the medium this time) and is made using Juliana Horner's Rosette fabric and Robert Kaufman yarn dyed linen in black. The front on is just a generic zipper pouch with Martha Negley's Farmington Feathers and some wood grain fabric from Joanns. I don't recall what line it was for, but it was one of their Designer Quilting Cottons. The Open Wide pouch has my circular knitting needles and a few other of my knitting things, and the smaller pouch is holding my floss bobbins for my Halloween and Autumn Samplers

                                       

I have also finished a couple quilts in the last several weeks. I finished my Square in a Square quilt made with the Dream On fabrics, and I got my Scrappy Trip Along quilt done as well. I was hoping to take pictures of both of them today but it didn't play out that way. And the weather isn't supposed to be very good this week, so I'm not sure WHEN I will be able to get good pictures, but I am really going to try my hardest to get them up this week. My assistant quilt photographer is under the weather so I will probably be taking pictures of them by myself.

My goals this week include finishing up a bag for a woman I work with and maybe (possibly) finishing my Modern Maples quilt blocks. We will see!

Busy As A Bee

Maybe even busier than a bee. Sorry for the long absence things have been beyond hectic lately. We have been busy doing a little bit of everything to enjoy the last bit of summer. 

The last few days have felt like fall and hopefully with the colder weather coming soon, we will also have a little breathing room. I don't have a lot to share right now, but I will have a couple finishes coming up very soon! So stayed tuned for that. For now enjoy a few snapshots from my phone!

Here is a sneak peek of the progress on my Modern Maples quilt blocks.

Here is a picture of my Dream On quilt before I hand sewed the binding down. I should have good pics of this soon!

I've been working on my Halloween Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin.

And I picked out binding (on the left) and backing (right) for my Scrappy Trip Along quilt. I'm hoping to have this quilt DONE this weekend!

Hope everyone had a wonderful summer, but I'm excited for fall! It's my absolute favorite time of year!

St Louis 16 Patch

I stayed up extra late (for me anyway) last night to finish my St Louis 16 patch quilt top. It started out 5 more blocks to go, so I decided to go ahead and cut the strip sets, then I decided to go ahead and piece the blocks. Then I decided to lay it out, then I figured since I was that far I might as well finish it. So I did. I already know how I am going to quilt it, and what fabric I am going to use for the binding. I just need to figure out a backing.

I love all the different colors mixed together. I used mostly DS Quilts fabrics from Joann's mixed in with some other prints. I didn't stick with a certain color palette either. I really went outside of my comfort zone (to a certain extent) but you can tell I love aqua and blue and red.

The quilt finishes at about 60 by 72 and the blocks come together so quickly. I will definitely be using this pattern again. This quilt really blew up all over the Internet and Instagram. I am a little behind the trend and finished mine a lot later than most everyone else, but that's just how I roll. I am always a little behind.

This is my third completed quilt top in the last month or so and its time for me to really get cracking on the quilting part. I am going to be honest here, I HATE basting. If I could avoid it I would. It would make quilting so much more fun. My plan is to get my Dream On quilt done first, hopefully this weekend, or at least get the backing done and get it basted. Hopefully I will have some pictures of a completed quilt very soon. Then hopefully I will be able to move on to my Scrappy Trip Along quilt. My goal is to have both of those DONE by the end of the month. Then I will aim to finish this quilt and my Modern Maples quilt next month. (That is my tentative plan for now, we will see how that plays out)

Has anyone else made a St Louis 16 Patch quilt? I'd love to see them!

Modern Maples

Not that I needed another project to take up my time, but I guess I did. You know how much I love fall, and I am beyond excited waiting for it get here. The other day I was looking through Instagram and I saw a couple posts about the Modern Maples quilt from Quilt Dads book. Of course, I'd seen it before and loved it, but something about seeing it this time made me fall head over heels in love. Probably because I have fall fever right now. So the other day I went through my stash, pulling out fabrics and pairing them together. I am going for a scrappy, low volume background, similar to my In The Wild Starburst quilt. The Comma Period print in Chalk scraps I had left are making an appearance. 

           

I am going for a fall-ish palette, mostly browns some burgundies and purplish-reds, oranges, golds and yellows. I think for the solid background blocks I am going to use some linen for texture. I've also been pulling fabrics for another quilt I hope to start in a few months. Or I may not. Sometimes I pull fabrics with ideas in my head, excited about what I want to make, and then the excitement is replaced by something else, and those fabrics get turned into something else. We will see. 

                

For now I am super excited about this quilt, and my Dream On quilt. I am hoping to start the quilting this week. I picked up batting over the weekend and I need to figure out how I am going to do the backing. Oh, and my St Louis 16 Patch and Scrappy Trip along. I am trying to find backing and binding for my Scrappy Trip Along quilt. It's hard to find something that works with such a scrappy quilt without competing with it too much. I am pretty sure I am doing a black and white stripe for the binding, but the backing has me stumped.

So I've told you what my favorite season is, what is yours, and why? And what projects are you excited about right now?

Birdie Sling(s)

I started the year out with a lot of goals in mind, and of course there is no way I am going to get to all of them. But I sat down the other day and thought about the things I really want to do before the year is over. So I made a list that I can refer back to in the next few months (and hopefully cross a few things off!) One of the things on the list was Christmas presents. Specifically for my boyfriend's mother and sisters.

I love my boyfriend's family. They are all amazing. And his two sisters are wonderful. His mother is so amazingly sweet. I want to make them something for Christmas, and I think a Birdie Sling is just the ticket. I want to make them all the same bag but in different fabrics. I told my boyfriend to find out their favorite colors, but I have my doubts that he will so I have a feeling that I will end up trusting my gut. Here are my initial fabric selections. I just love the colors from Gypsy Caravan! But I have several other choices on hand in case he DOES find out what colors they all like.

I also have plans to make something for my sister, but she is fairly likely to read my blog and that would spoil the surprise ;)



OH! And I almost forgot to mention, I opened an Etsy shop! You can check it out here! I have my Sidebraid quilt listed for sale and some zipper pouches. I plan on posting a few other things next week too, I'd love for you to check it out!

Remember When I Started a Scrappy Trip?

I've been working on this project on and off for months now. Sometimes I loved and other times I didn't. I was torn on even finishing it. But I decided to put what I had together and leave it at that. I originally had planned on 6 more blocks. 

My cocker spaniel decided he wanted to help while I was laying it out. That delayed things a bit.

But the top is done, and I once again love it. I love it so much that now I am reconsidering those last 6 blocks on the right side that would bring the quilt to roughly 72 by 72.

What do you think?