Yarn Demon-0, Cindy-1

 I'd given up on finding the pink yarn I needed to finish the second dishcloth 

but when I went back to Wal-Mart to buy the needed one more skein of blues-there was none!

I stood there incredulously but had a moment of madness and bought a skein of pink and blue.

When I got home, I used the blue section to finish the blue and the pink likewise--

Ha!  I nailed it!  There is no way you can see a difference or feel a difference either!!!!

Every once in a while, a moment of genius strikes and it sure succeeded this time!

 I organized all of the blocks I am calling 'Ribbon Candy'.

These blocks are 6 1/2' each.

And since so many of you agreed with the idea of a patriotic quilt, I dug through the stash

and cut blue strips to go with the left over red/white ones.

This will be sewn into a simple rail fence design.

But first, I will finish sewing the other quilt blocks together

and

load up one of the five quilts that are hanging over the frame just waiting for me!!!

Good plans for this last day of October!

Take Thisi!!!

 I had a good time sewing the strips together and then cutting them into 6 1/2" blocks.

I haven't organized the different colors into their final arrangement

but I did put them up to see how big I wanted to make the layout.

The sparkly doesn't show here but I will share a close-up when I have them all sewn.

 And on the knitting front, I am making dishcloths like a fiend.

I ran out of the blue , which is Peaches & Creme Stripey, so I will pick up another skein tomorrow.

I wish I could get two from a skein like I did from the new Lion Brand cotton, Re-Up.

(My Wal-Mart is not going to carry Peaches & Creme anymore so I need to get the

blue before they run out like they did the pink!

I found the right color, Energetic Pink, from Amazon and from Etsy, 

but I refuse to pay the price-$13 for two skeins!  Yikes!

I will finish the pink with white rather than pay that price!)

I thought I would share a warped kind of funny with you;  this came in the mail for me!!!!

(I don't disparage flu shots, only my body's reaction to it this time!)

Piecing FO's

 Before I began my sparkly piecing, I thought I'd finish up the pastels from last week!

I added the leftover strips around the outside for a border but then I was ONE piece short!

So I improvised with a bit of white for cornerstones and side interests!

Another top done! 

I then moved onto the other pastel quilt from the jelly roll and

put this one together, too.

I don't have any backing for these two quilts so I will have to put them

at the bottom of the pile of tops waiting to be loaded on the frame!

I need to get upright and stitch! 

 But at last I sewed three strips together and cut them up into 6 1/2' blocks.  

I am not committing to any pattern until all of the blocks are cut up for this one (two?) quilt.

I could add a dark pine green to make a lovely Christmas quilt

OR

a deep navy for a patriotic one....

It's nice to have some delicious choices!

I will be sewing several more strips together today---

in between bouts of ripping out and reknitting for that top down raglan sweater! lol

Off to Quilt

 Me and these two jelly rolls are off to quilting this afternoon.

I only hope the discrepancy in widths are from packaging...

it could get interesting!

Sweater Growth

 This is a new course I'm taking on machine knitting;
it is a top down sweater, a raglan. 
The neck band is knitted first and then the front and back are each knit
from the band down to their hems.
I'm knitting this on the LK-150 machine. 
So far, so good!

The new-to-me dishcloth yarn works nicely--it isn't all thick and stiff
-a nice weight to work with and the dishcloth feels like it will work out well, too!

Sweater's Seed

 I purchased enough yarn for a 3/4 length sleeve sweater,

Worked out my swatch and today I will be heading to the knitting machine to make a sweater today!

Beautiful Weather

 

 Signs of Autumn...maple trees know it is time to allow a color change!

 The fields are full of great hay bales and the grass still grows for the December cutting, too.

 And for a Friday Feline--Lena greets me by sitting and casting a shadow from the eastern window!

Another dishcloth has been knitted....in a basket weave this time.

I still can't find any of the Peaches n Cream pinks so I bought this instead--have any of you tried it?

Lion Brand has really done a push into several new lines of yarn.

Some Knitting

 This might not be a typical Autumn flower but it is Autumn and it is a flower! 

(hibiscus, 8" across)

I made one orange and brown dishcloth using the garterlac pattern

and then because I was mostly out of the orange cotton, 

I am making a brown in the basket weave pattern

 and I will crochet around the outside with the remaining orange.

 This is another bloom in the yard, a Roselle bloom, also in the hibiscus family.

(6" across)

 It is a milder color like the yarn I am using for the sock scraps blanket.

I decided to add another row to the side of the blanket--

I am stacking them right on top of each other along the right side!

Simple knitting for me right now.

Needle at Work

Yesterday,  I managed to do a bit of time at the quilting group;

while a shadow of my usual self, I did piece the woven blocks top.

It will have some narrow borders added as soon as I go to the fabric store.

 And I was able to piece this many of the illusions blocks.

Even in pain, it was nice to see all the others and their projects at work.

We meet only minutes from my home so I knew I could head out and be home, if needed.

 I only have three more of the printed center blocks and then I can seam this one.

It , too, will need some narrow borders to finish the top.  

What a nice, clean look these flour-sack-reproduction prints give these quilts!

School of Mermaids!

 When I said I did nothing but lay down in bed and do embroidery,

I wasn't kidding!  

I finished this mermaid 

(drawn and downloadable from daysfilledwithjoy.com)

which is one of my favorites because she is holding a kitty AND she is wearing a sweater!

I used some new embroidery floss that is variegated! 

 I enjoy watching the colors change under this needle

 as much as I enjoy watching it under the knitting needles!

 She has joined the school of mermaids that have congregated on my design wall!

Grateful

Unfortunately, I am down for the count

from the flu shot, I think.

I am grateful that I can lay almost flat and do the embroidery.

The pillow case I started when in NY with my Mom,

has been completed and pressed.

And it is even packaged to be mailed tomorrow!

Squares at Work!

 I was up for an hour yesterday so I puttered at cutting up some blocks.

 I pieced a few to see ho it worked out and it is just as it should be--

note the optical illusion about the size of the blocks-they are both 10 1/2".

The woven blocks in the top next to the new one,

are 8 1/2" though both tops will be about the same size.

I need to find borders for both.

I am working up to a long list for the fabric store!

But for today, I will build these two little tops and call it a day.

Don't Beat This Drum!

I struggle with Autumn allergies

which makes my favorite time of the year,

a real challenge.

When I flew to NY in August,

it really aggravated my right ear.

The flight home didn't help either.

The flight back up the end of September

really upped the ante

and the flight home has brought it to a head.

I finally went to the doctor's yesterday,

he gave me a steroid shot,

a prescription for antibiotics

and a scolding not to wait so long next time my ear is so painful!

He also added another allergy pill.

Oh, and a flu shot.

Needless to say, 

I have dozed and knitted while listening to a book.

I am hoping to get my health back on track;

when I add one more straw to the MS package,

it doesn't hold up and I come crashing down!

The third dog sweater is added to the pack,

a new yarn for another one is waiting for me.

and a garterlac dishcloth,

which has been ripped back way too often

because every time I wake up , I seem to knit in the wrong direction!

Full of Potential

 

 I have the blocks done for the lap quilt.
and enough done for another layout of a different design from this jelly roll.

 I also have a ton of cereus blooms about to burst into their twilight glory!

Two different plants are raring to go--tonight will be the night!

The plant is reallly mature now because the blooms are even full of potential during the day!

Coats and Heads

 I knit another dog sweater-this one in the same yarn 

with smaller needles so the fabric was tighter.

I like the fabric better on this one, especially since I know that RedHeart 

softens so much after washing.  

(I changed from #8 needles to #6)

 And as soon as I finished this one, I started another.

Help!  

I might have a problem.

Why is this knit bringing such pleasure?

Truth-I don't even like dogs.

I do like a good knit though, 

and I will give the ones that don't fit Millie's dog, 

to the local shelter.

 Look at what I saw;

a committee of vultures!

They had dragged road kill to a safer place to savor their meal.

They let us get quite close and when we did, 

I found that they are not the turkey vultures at all!

I thought all of our vultures were turkey vultures but I was wrong.

Truth-there is also another species of vulture called black vultures.

See, no red heads but rather they are black; what an original name, right?!

You can also see the white tipped wing in the  previous photo.

We learned something new together!

Don't you just love that?!

TNT

 Monday afternoon I worked on this quilt with the community ladies.
I am still making the blocks but couldn't wait to put some up on the design wall to see how it looks!

And the pillowcase is coming along;
I only have a few flowers left and then the ribbon and bow!
I already have the next pillowcase set ready-
and a table runner is being mailed to my Mom to finish up!
What's on your needle?

Unwilling Model!

 I made this dog sweater for my neighbor, Millie's, new pup;

a little dachshund that is very little!

While I was trying to set this up on my dresser, Nyki kept swiping things on the floor.

So I put her to work-she stood there frozen in shock long enough for a picture!

No, she didn't like it!

But I enjoyed the knit!

A very fast one for me-one evening and it was done!

I am going to try to figure out how to do it on the knitting machine, flat instead of in the round.

I hope it fits the dog--if so, I will post a pic of her in her new outfit!

Borders and Racing Stripes!

 I really dug deeply and found some vintage fabric in my stash for the borders on the corrected quilt.

I know it is vintage easily by the print and most importantly, the width-36"!

It matches perfectly, at any rate.

I'm building up quite a pile of quilts that need backings!

I need to plan a run to the fabric store soon!

And then I tried an idea one of the ladies at quilting group used to make a t-shirt fit better;

she added racing stripes down the side seams!

This is an easy fix to add width to a great shirt so it lays better-everywhere!

(open side seams, add the 2 1/2" strips to the sides-making sure the hem is opened 

and that you keep the sides even at the top and bottom so your fabric won't pull cattywampus.  

I used my serger for easy seaming but she just used a zig zag. so either will work.

  It pressed flat and lays great!)

What a better fit--I had bought them in the size I always buy....and they were way too form-fitting.

It irked me because they should've fit.  

Well, now they do!