Jacques Cousteau Hat

I found this pattern on Ravelry. This is made with a dk hand-dyed wool. I think I'll make more of these. In fact I have another one started in a multi-colored yarn.

Technicolor Yawn aka Scrap Vomit

Mittens finished

After probably 2 years, I have finally knit the thumbs into these wool mittens. Why do I just leave a project for something new? I made myself finish these before I allow myself to start another project. It's going to be a Jacques Cousteau hat with some green hand-dyed (not by me) dk yarn I bought in a kit at the Fiber Frolic in 2009.

UFO Challenge 2011

OK, here's my list:

1. Purple & green Mary's Half Log Cabin (not cut out, but fabrics are together)
2. Group of 3 Mary's Strippies for Linus - just need batts and quilting only
3. Scrappity do dah - white centers
4. Mary's flannel strippie and one with random flannel strips
5. Mystery from Erik Homemade - needs border, back, batt, and quilting
6. Patriotic Rail Fence-y - needs batt and quilting
7. Green 6x8 HeartStrings - b,b,q
8. Bargello - b,b,q
9. Bricks and Stepping Stones (black) - b,b,q
10. Jungle Cats - b,b,q
11. Tumbler - b,b,q
12. 4 Scrappy 4-patches - b,b,q

1A - Scrappity do-dah - b,b,q
2A - Scrap Vomit - b,b,q
3A - Bricks/black borders - b,b,q
4A - Bricks and Stepping Stones (brown) - b,b,q
5A - Twister - b,b,q
6A - Joann's Block of the Month
7A - Disappearing 9 patch
8A - Brown Bag Quilt
9A - Sister's Choice (Quiltville) - needs 8 more blocks
10A - Scrappy Block Party
11A - Twister, partially made
12A - Shakespeare in the Park, red/white

100+ hats

Some are hand knit, some are machine knit. And I am some darned sick of making hats. It'll be awhile before I do another one.
These are going to Country Knitting of Maine in Madison. She will distribute them to schools, homeless shelters and wherever there may be a need.

Twined Rug #3

This is my summer outside project. Early morning until 11 or so, I can sit in the doorway of the garden shed and work on these rugs.

And................don't forget. Each rug uses 15 yards of fabric. What a stashbuster!

Jungle Cats (embroidered blocks from Ann/PA)

I think this one came out really nice. I've had the top done for a long time - just finished the back.
I will be keeping this one for myself. I love it.

Triplets finished - Scrappy 4 patch

These 3 quilts are from a set of 4. Fourth one yet to be quilted. It's pinned into the frame.
I think now I will get as many quilted as I can and leave the binding to do at the Maine Sew-In in late September.

Latest HeartStrings Quilt

I just put the binding on this today. This one will probably go to the Maine Sew In next month in Yarmouth for distribution.
I'm going to try to get all the tops I have stacked up around here quilted by then. They're all kid's quilts and I think there are 12 or 13 of them.

New Purse

This new purse is Lazy Girl Design #127 - Margo Handbag. I bought the pattern at the Vermont Quilt Show. Actually it was the entire kit. I'm liking it very much. It went together just great and the zipper was a snap to insert.
With the leftover fabric I made the clutch purse with a gathered front. Very quick and easy to do. This would be a good idea for multiple gifts - you could get set up assembly line style and really crank these out.
I think I'll make some for gifts. I know I have a piece of Kaffe Fassett fabric left over from 'the quilt' that would make a nice one.

PL#8

This machine knit baby blanket for Project Linus is my basic Aran tuck. Made with some TLC yarn in lilac heather that I had bought some time ago for another project. Hooray, some stash reduction.

Twined Rug

This is rug #2 for the summer. I'm trying to spend more time outside this summer because you know what it's going to be like come next February. This is my outside project - I keep the rug frame hung up in the garden shed and the box of strips sitting in the garden cart so when the spirit hits it's no problem to get working.

This one I did 'hit or miss' and I think I like it better than the more 'planned' ones. It just looks more old-timey.

AND, the good news is: each rug uses 15 yards of fabric. If I make 5 rugs, that's 75 yards of fabric.

PL #6 and #7

Darn. I can't figure how to delete one of the pictures. 2 quilts finished. One is crumb blocks sashed and bordered with black. The other is something called Bricks and Stepping Stones. (I have enough bricks cut probably to make 10 more of these. I tell you - I LOVE to cut and sometimes I get carried away.)

Garden Friend

I'm reallly not sure he spends much time in the garden. I haven't seen a whole lot of damage. We did blame him for the missing leaves on the first three green pepper plants but later found that tomato horn worms had probably been the culprit.

Westport Knitters

I'm sending a box today for the Rankin Inlet Birthing Center located in Nunavut, Canada. Items were made by the Westport Knitters and include 6 hats, 7 sweaters, 2 sleep sacks, 1 pr. mittens, 14 pr. socks and 1 blanket.

PL#5 (Project Linus #5)

This one is a machine knit. Done on the bulky with some rescued knitting worsted yarn in a frosty looking green. I think this is my favorite pattern for ease of knitting and the final result is really nice.

I'd really like to do more but with bright kiddy colors which I don't have. And..............I am NOT going to buy any new yarn until I lower my yarn stash somewhat.

The above also applies to the fabric stash. It would be interesting to keep a record of just how many quilts I can make before I HAVE to go shopping. Interesting, but would I keep it up? Probably not, so I don't think I'll even try. Besides I just might have to go shopping for more bright kid's colors.

PL#4 (Project Linus #4)

Knots on Front afghan/blanket. Machine knit on bulky using small balls of leftover knitting worsted. I have adapted the pattern to include hems at the top, bottom and sides eliminating hand crocheting to keep the roll in check. The hems are nice and flat.

What I'm working on.......................

Project Linus - machine knit
baby blanket using white and baby pastels knitting worsted
aran tuck stitch - 6 or 7 panels
Quilts - Have 5 cut of Mary's strippie
Enough 4 1/2" and 8 1/2" strips for at least 10 quilts from pattern at AZ blankets for kids

100 Hats
trying to get 100 hats made and delivered to Linda at Country Knitting of Maine by first of November

Orgainize my fabrics - big pieces for uneven 4 patch backs or big enough for 1 color back

Kids/brights together - need to cut some 5" strips for a baby quilt

Working on a twined rug - outdoor project

HeartStrings/yellow centers

Here is the 2nd of 2 HeartStrings quilts I will be sending to Deanna tomorrow for her charity project.

What is it about this pattern? I have 2 tops waiting for backs to be made and today I cut some foundations and center strips in dark green. I also cut up a small bag of scraps I was given at the last Clamshell meeting. I only made 3 blocks but I'm ready to go when the spirit hits.

Recycled Books

Seems I don't have anything better to do than sit around cutting up trash and making books of it. I'll admit, I have been choosing my crackers and cereal by the graphics and colors on the packaging.

These were fun to do - I have several more in the works. I have now found out how to make book cloth so they should go quicker now that I won't have to re-glue the bindings.

The pages were cut from special (vellum, yellow lined, recipe cards, graph paper - things I've been collecting) and recycled printer paper.

Beet Greens and Green Peppers

Here's a picture of some green peppers I picked yesterday. I should be putting on more pictures of the garden and its bounty. It's doing great! I spotted some Japanese beetles on the pole beans today. Hope they don't clean out the whole crop of beans.

We've had a woodchuck (or maybe a gopher. I'm not sure what the difference is. This animal seems quite small compared to other woodchucks I've seen.) We haven't seen any damage done by him.

Oh yes, there was a picture of the first beet greens in the camera. We've had MANY, MANY more since that picture was taken.

Embroidered Towels

I've machine embroidered 9 towels with cats and dogs to have on the table at the Pets on Parade.

Collaged Bookmarks

Here are a couple of bookmarks I made to sell at our (Crescent Chapter#54) table at Pets on Parade

PL#3 (Project Linus #3)

Here is #3 - a machine knit on the bulky using 3/15 (fingering) yarn using the rib tuck technique.

Heartstrings Quilt Finished

Here is a HeartStrings quilt with white center strip and the rest in plaids and stripes. I made this top before Mary announced that the next HeartStrings project would be homespuns with a black center. I made most of the blocks for this one in my 'Outside Studio'. I bought an outside table at a yard sale and have it under the trees with my hand-crank sewing machine on it.

I have a black top done and I like it much better that the white center strings. I'll be sending it (along with another one yet to be quilted) to Deanna to donate to her oncology department.

I HATE the batting I have. And I have a lot of it. It's polyester and it's too poufy for my liking. I'd give it to someone if I thought they wouldn't be insulted. I have precut 27 pieces 60" x 80". I've used 1 piece in this quilt and I'm ready for some Warm and Natural. I have to wait for Joann to have it on sale and I'm on my way to get some.

Project Linus Project

The Worthy Grand Matron of the Grand Chapter of Maine, Order of the Eastern Star, has chosen as her project for this year blankets for Project Linus.

Starting in July, I intend to make a minimum of one per week. They can be knit, crocheted, or sewn - any size from baby to adult. With that in mind, I should have 40 done by the 1st of May, 2011. Here are the first 2 that I've finished.

#1 is machine knit on the bulky machine using sport yarn. It's mint green but doesn't look like it here. It's done in double bed tuck rib. Thank goodness I have a motor on that machine as the sport weight yarn was a little heavy and made the carriage difficult to push by hand.

#2 is a blue fleece blanket with a crocheted edge in black Simply Soft yarn. I have a 'skip blade' for the rotary cutter that cuts small holes in the fleece. It sure makes it easier to crochet around - that fleece is tough stuff and it's impossible to make holes with the crochet hook.

Twined Rug

This has been my 'outdoor' project this summer. I am planning to donate this rug to the YMCA silent auction fundraiser to be held later this month.

I have another bunch of strips ready for the next one which will be 'hit or miss' and use up leftovers from other rugs.

Kaffe Fassett quilt finished. Yes!

HeartString Quilt

Well, I missed the entire month of March and darned near all of April. I don't see how some people do it daily.

I didn't even get all the pictures in of the 'one woman quilt show'. I'll be taking them down on Tuesday and will get pictures then.

Above is a picture of the HeartStrings quilt top I sent to the sew-in at Ann's in Pennsylvania and a picture of Mary working at tying it.

This is quilt #2 of 6 for the 'One Woman Quilt Show'. Green centers and all the strings (well, nearly all) have flowers on them. While I was quilting it I came up with a catchy name - of course I can't think of it now.

At yesterday's Stitch & Bitch at my friend Edie's, I worked on blue and yellow string blocks. These will be made into a star design I stole from Darlene in ME. The last one I plan to do will be hearts made from strings. I still have a bit of time left before I need to panic.