OTN - Friday 2/25/16

These last two weeks have found me busy trying to finish a quilt for our upcoming guild show in March, so I have not been getting much done on my knitting projects.  However, I did finish my Cloud Cowl.  It was fun and I would love to make another one in the future.

The pattern that came with the yarn said to cast on 100 stitches with Size 11 needles and it would finish at 9" wide x 32" long.  Recently I saw on Ravelry another pattern that was very similar which suggested casting on 110 stitiches on Size 10 needles.  I would like to make this again in a different colorway using the new sizes.    For now, this is finished and I'm back to working on my red, self striping socks.

Take a look at Patchwork Times to see more knitty things.

Another Leader-Ender Project

This has become my new leader/ender project so that it will get finished quicker. It's "My Blue Heaven" started in a workshop with Bonnie Hunter last September. You can find the pattern free HERE on her website with all the instructions on how to make it.  Putting the blocks on my design wall helps remind me to keep working on it so I can start something new.  It is coming along slowly.

I'm linking up with A Quilting Chick where there is a leader/ender party going on.  Go check it out.

On The Needles - Feb. 12, 2016

I've been a little under the weather with a sinus infection and haven't done much knitting lately. It's hard when you find it difficult to breathe and are coughing all the time. My constant companion was a box of kleenex, a quilt to wrap up in and a cup of hot tea.  I think it's allergy related, but it's hard to concentrate or focus for any length of time. However, one day I felt a little better and decided to start something new. I bought this yarn at the quilt show in Paducah last year and they gave a free pattern with it.  The pattern is called Cloud Cowl and uses 1 skein of Bamboo Bloom Yarn.You knit the smooth yarn and purl the slubs. Even with my stuffed up head and on meds, it was a piece of cake.  And it goes fast!! The hardest part was casting on 100 stitches.  I kept losing my count and had to keep going back to the beginning to see what number I was on.

After knitting on size 10 1/2"needles with such an easy pattern, I'm not sure I want to go back to my tiny dpn sock needles.  The quick gratification of seeing something grow so quickly is motivating.  I love this yarn! The pattern says it will finish at 9" wide and 32" long..

My other project is another pair of socks that were started a few weeks back.  For some reason, I just can't seem to get these going correctly.  I think the color of the yarn is too similar to the needle colors and the stitches are hard to see. Somewhere I made a major mistake and had to rip back and then things were fine for a bit and before I knew it I had too many stitches on the needles. Now I am back to the right number of stitches on each needle, but I'd rather work on the cowl, so they will just have to wait a bit longer.
.

I'm going to Patchwork Times to see what others are doing this week with their knitting.

Stash Report #5

This was a busy week which found me sewing with a friend all day Monday, attending two of my quilt guilds for some great programs and quilt inspirations, volunteering with QOV sewing bindings on finished quilts and a yarn/fiber garage sale, so not too much time was spent in the quilting room using my stash. I did make the binding ( 5/8 yd) and hanging sleeve (1/2 yd) for the Rainbow Soul Searching quilt, so now I need to get busy quilting it.  I'm still at a roadblock as to quilt it.  Any thoughts??

Stash Report -Week #5

Fabric Added this week - 0

Fabric Added YTD - 0

Fabric Used this week - 1.25 yds

Fabric Used YTD - 24.53  yds

Net used in 2016 -  24.53 yds

To see more reports, check with Judy at Patchwork Times. 

Stash Report -#4 and More

This was a great week in the sewing room for me.  I finished piecing the Soul Searching top and pieced the backing to it as well.  That was almost like piecing a top, but it was so much fun using up all that leftover fabric from the top.  I also made two pillowcases to match the Retro Tulips quilt that I finished earlier.

Soul Searching - 72" x 84"

 I used up lots of my leftover black and whites for the back.  I even threw in a couple blocks that I found hiding in a box from Not So Easy Street too.  That makes me feel good to use orphan blocks that way.

Soul Searching backing

Stash Report -Week #4

Fabric Added this week - 0

Fabric Added YTD - 0

Fabric Used this week - 16.5 yds

Fabric Used YTD - 23.41 yds

Net used in 2016 - 23.41

Check out more fabric reports at Judy's Patchwork Times. 

Stash Report - Week#3-2016

This week I finished making a colorful rod sleeve for the back of "Not So Easy Street" in preparation for our upcoming quilt show in March.  I just need to make the label and apply it and it will be all done. There are still 2 more labels to make and one more quilt to finish quilting and binding and I should be ready.

I decided to use more of my leftover scraps to piece together the sleeve.  It took a little more time, but since the backing was all pieced from scraps too, I though it was fitting.  Here's what it looks like laying on the edge of my dining room table.  It doesn't look like almost 100 inches does it, but I assure you it seemed like 300 inches. This brought my totals up a tiny bit in the used column.

Stash Report  - Week 3

Fabric Used - .,875 yds  

Fabric Added - 0 yds

YTD Used  - 6.917 yds

YTD Added -  0 yds   

Net Stash Used - 6.917 yds

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times report today. 

On The Needles - Jan. 15, 2016

I finished the first pair of socks for 2016 and even wore them today!!  They felt really good and don't look half bad, IMHO.  

I looked back to see when they were started (way back in October) and if the yarn information was there.  You can find it HERE   I also noticed on that post that I had started a cowl, which had totally forgotten about. Maybe I'd better finish that too before starting something else ...or maybe not. !

I've been wanting to try this new yarn that is lumpy and bumpy that I picked up in Paducah last April. We'll see which one wins or if I can stick to finishing up what I started.

I'm going to Judy's OTN to see what everyone else is working on.  Join me there. 

Stash Report and A Finish

It's been a good week for finishing some projects this week.  First up was getting the 9-patch baby quilt  quilted and bound.  This took 6 yards total of my stash.  Now if I can keep the momentum going, I'll be happy.

And because of a gentle nudging by my friend Kevin, (or was it incessantly pestering me), I finished the last block for my Soul Searching UFO that was started in 2014.  Now all the blocks are ready to be put into rows. That will happen this week for sure, since I need the design wall space for another UFO.  I haven't calculated the yardage yet since most of it was scraps from my stash, but I did buy some FQs and was gifted some black and whites (thank you again Kevin) to add to the backgrounds.

Stash Report  - Week 2

Fabric Used - 6 yds  

Fabric Added - 0 yds

YTD Used  - 6 yds

YTD Added -  0 yds   

Net Stash Used - 6 yds

I'm linking up with Patchwork Times and seeing what others have done this week.   

Final Stash Report for 2015

First, let me wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR.  I've been very quiet on the blog, but still kicking.
I took the liberty of using all the final days in 2015 to enhance my stash report.  You can get a lot done from Sunday to Thursday trying to make every minute count in the final days of the year.  The weather has been pretty crummy here with lots and lots of rain, so I made good use of staying indoors a lot. Also Christmas was very slow at our house and both my DH and I stayed in pj's all day, which allowed me lots of sewing time!

Some of my finishes include - two scrap quilt backings and bindings that were given as gifts to a friends' sons.

Another for a young lady.

The backing is the same stripped fabric as is on the binding.  I didn't have much time for staging these gifts since I was finishing them up hours before they had to be delivered!

Then I got busy and put together a couple more 9-patch baby quilt tops from the many leader/ender blocks that have been accumulating over the last couple years.  I think these make sweet little gifts with simple quilting on them.  These will get finished in 2016, but the tops are counted in 2015.

This is the smaller size of approximately 36" x 42".

This one became a bit larger so I could use up the rest of the 9-patches.

It will finish approx. 50" square.

So this brings me up to the totals for 2015 Stash

Fabric Added  in 2015-   11.5 yards

Fabric Used in 2015-    145.16

Net Used in 2015         133.66

I was a little shy of my goals, but am very pleased that I held my purchases to a minimum throughout the year.  One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that I managed to finish 11 of my UFO's this year. That is 1 short of one a month, but I'm down on my big list of 75 UFOs when the year started.  I only added 6 new ones for the new year, and 3 of those are the 9 patch baby quilts.  I hope to double my efforts in 2016 on the UFO front.

I am linking up with Patchwork Times even though it's a bit late. (Oops, she closed it so no link up).   Here's hoping everyone has a Happy New Year and that you get lots of sewing done in 2016.

Stash Report - Week 51

My posting of the stash report has been non-existent for a while, but today I am bringing it up-to-date to catch up.  Since returning from the International Quilt Show in Houston in November, I have not added to my stash, but I have finished a couple quilts that have not been counted.   I mailed 4 quilts this week as Christmas gifts, and put on a binding and hanging sleeves on two that were finished earlier in the year, so they will be ready for our guild quilt show in March, 2016. That helped my usage for the year a little bit more.  I may not reach my goal of 200 yards used in 2015, but at least my stash has not grown by leaps and bounds this year. I soon may be able to organize it better to use it more quickly--then I'll have room for more new fabric!

This was one of the small baby quilts that was sent to a friend's first granddaughter in Colorado.

Stash Report 

Fabric Used - 4.5 yds  

Fabric Added - 0 yds

YTD Used  - 119.33 yds

YTD Added -  6.5 yds   

Net Stash Used - 112.58 yds

This brings me up-to-date so far, but I hope to use a few more yards before the end of the year. I'm still working on a few small Christmas gifts.

Stop on by Judy's Patchwork Times to see what others have finished up this week.

On The Needles - Dec. 17, 2015

With all the Christmas parties and activities going on, I have not done much in the knitting arena.  I am still working on my stripped socks from way back in October. At the rate I'm gong, I'll be doing well to get them finished by the end of the year!  Where did the time go?? All those beautiful yarns in my stash are calling to me, and I do want to knit up more things before Spring comes, which will be right around the corner with the way the days fly by.  I can't believe it is almost the end of 2015.

I'm linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.  Check there to see more wonderful knitted things.

Stash Report - November 15, 2015

It's been so long since I've posted a Stash Report and I hope you all didn't forget me. The reason was and still is-- computer issues.  But that hasn't kept me from keeping busy with quilting, knitting and retreats.  I recently attended the International Quilt Show in Houston and stopped at many cute and wonderful quilt shops along the way.  Hoping my computer issues get resolved soon, because going to the library takes more time.  Since I'm here again using the library computer,  I'll keep this short with no pictures.

I did breakdown and bought fabric while on the Houston trip, so my perfect "0" in the fabric bought column was broken.  Not by a lot, but I was trying hard to end the year with no purchases at all.  It was fabric needed to finish a quilt, so I hope to have it used before the end of the year.

Since October 4th,  I have added  6.5 yards to the stash  and used  11.58 yards

Fabric report since last posted (10/4/15)

Fabric Used - 11.58 yds

Fabric Added - 6.5 yds

YTD Used  - 114.83 yds

YTD Added -  6.5 yds - 

Net Stash Used - 108.33 yds

Here's hoping things will be fixed soon and I can use my computer from the comfort of my sewing room in my jammies!!

Linking up with Judy's Patchwork Times.