Charity Quilting

I picked up another stack of fun charity quilts from Annapolis Quilts for Kids on Saturday. I spent some time quilting some up during the long weekend. 

This one was quilted with the humble meander. 

I moved into the flower motif for the second quilt of the day. I love these big petals!

These will be joined by a few more over the next few weeks.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 32

Toe Up Socks

For some crazy reason I was compelled to start knitting a pair of socks. I wanted to try a toe up version so I did some poking around and found the Trusty Toe Up Socks pattern (free) over on Ravelry from Tanis Fiber Arts.

Casting on for a toe up sock is always an adventure. I was on YouTube for a little while until I could get my stitches cast on correctly. As for going toe-up, I'm not afraid to Kitchener, and even have the directions printed up for my travel knitting kit, but I wanted to try something new.  I carry the Kitchener Stitch cheat card from the Tricksy Knitter. I printed four to a page (you do this when you print from adobe) so I could slip them into different project bags.

I knit socks two at a time on two 16" fixed circular needles in the appropriate size for the work. I'm not going to have a second sock problem. I bought these needles from Knit Picks. Two at a time isn't for everyone, but I really like it. I've knit socks one at a time and they never seem to be the same size. This fixes that problem. And, when I finish, I'm finished with the pair.

There were some questionable increases going on, but I don't think it really matters in the end. I have the correct number of stitches now.

I'll be working on these for a while. A great take-along project for summer, though. The yarn is Knit Picks Felici. They regularly come up with new color options. This colorway is called Time Traveler and is no longer available. I bought some a couple years ago when they were getting ready for the new colorway.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Knit Picks Fixed Circular Sock Knitting Needle Set (appropriate for magic loop sock knitting)

Black Cat Cowl

I picked up this fun yarn about a year ago (who is counting these things?) and finally found a pattern that I thought would be perfect. I don't often buy DK or sport weight yarn because I just don't know what to do with it. I mostly buy fingering yarn. I also mostly make shawls, which can be knit with as little as 100 grams of fingering yarn, though a 200 gram shawl is an amazing thing. The yarn is the colorway Black Cat and I bought it from Brediculous Yarns. You can find her great yarns on Etsy. You can also find Brea on Instagram. If I spend too much time looking at her sock kits I'll end buying a couple. 

The pattern is the Cottage Faded Linen Cowl, a free pattern on Ravelry. It is a very simple and straightforward design. If you have a single skein of DK and want something warm that isn't a hat, I recommend you give it a try.

I finished in a little over a week. 

I worked on it while riding in the car on the way to the supermarket, or out to dinner.

At some point I tightened up my gauge and ended up with some pooling. I relaxed a little and got back to the more random look. I would like to try this one in another variegated and play with color pooling. 

Finished yesterday. I didn't block it because as a cowl it should be more squishy than flat. I'm really pleased with this finish.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Charity Quilting

I've been working through the quilt tops I picked up at the last Quilts for Kids meeting. Everything from fun string-pieced blocks to log cabin blocks. 

Both of these were pieced by other members of the group. I trimmed them so they will be ready for binding when I drop them off. 

I'll be dropping off this stack of nine quilts at Annapolis Quilts for Kids tomorrow.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 30

Maker Bracelet

During one of the great Designs by Little Bee sales I picked up a blank bracelet design in a stack of sizes.

I had a little bit of time on Sunday, so I designed a label and got stitching. I didn't put a bunch of planning into this one. I grabbed a piece of vinyl I had on my cutting table, picked a contrasting thread color already on the machine, and started stitching.

Machine embroiderers can pick up their own copy of the Blank ITH Bracelet Set. The KAM snaps and tool like is at the bottom of the post.

I picked a size that I thought would work. While it fits, it is just a little more snug than I prefer. I may have to find a smaller wrist to put it on. Until then, I can stitch up some more because it was quick and surprisingly pleasing finish. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

KAM snaps

Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors

Magna-Glide bobbins

Yarn Caking

I have so much yarn. Some I picked up earlier this month during the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This is Yarn Hero Fiber Arts.

The blue is called video games and the pink is called bikini. I love self-striping yarn, and this combines the marled look with self-striping. 

These fun self-striping yarns are going to become something amazing. Not that I know what that is right now, but when I figure it out, the yarn is ready to go!

This is some fingering I painted using Easter egg coloring kits. If you're interested in experimental yarn coloring, I highly recommend you check out ChemKnits. Rebecca makes experimental fiber painting fun! She also has loads of videos on YouTube.

It really came out (blurry) as soft colors. 

This is another fun fingering I painted. I fancy this as poison ivy.

The base is Bare Stroll Glimmer from Knit Picks. That means it has that strand of stellina to give it that sparkle. 

I caked up my newest Avalon Springs Farm yarn from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. When I bought it, I didn't realize it was an ombre until I caked it and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm going to pair it with the darker cake from a couple years ago. 

Now I have to sit down with either my stack of knit and crochet books, or Ravelry to decide what I'm going to make. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Stanwood Needlecraft large ball winder
Knit Picks yarn swift

Charity Quilting

Quilted up this fun little quit top mad by Trudy.

The backing was too small, so I pieced in a little more to get it done. Trimmed and ready for binding. I'll be dropping off a stack tomorrow at Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 27

Machine Embroidery

Some days you need an easy finish.

This is one of the many fun snaptab machine embroidery designs from Designs by Little Bee. A friend requested this little Shiba Inu snaptab and I finally got around to stitching it out. Such a cutie!

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors
Dritz Large Seam Ripper (because sometimes there are mistakes)
Magna-Glide bobbins
KAM snaps

Hello Internet!

I'm back on the net!

Okay, I never really left, but there was a short period (a couple hours) while I realized I couldn't get to the internet, did some troubleshooting (if you can't see any connections, and you usually see several, chances are the adapter is bad), and got some hardware to hold me over until the part would arrive. You can read all about that fun time in this post from a couple weeks ago.

Last week, my WiFi adapter arrived from Dell. It came as quite a shock that I couldn't buy the part on Amazon.

Yesterday, I popped open the case, removed the fan shroud, and replaced the tiny offender. 

I reconnected everything, pushed the all-important on/off switch and was pleased to find a cornucopia of connections available. I've since removed the USB WiFi adapter and am happily back on the internal card. Now, I can surf the net in style. Okay, not really.

Almost Instant Quilt

During the last meeting of the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild I grabbed a label for a charity quilt. Every year the guild makes quilts for charity. This year the theme is animals, but I'm a rebel when it comes to themes, or prompts.

I decided this was a great opportunity to use this fun panel I picked while shopping at Spring Water Designs. A coordinating dotted print from my stash, some backing and I was ready to go.

Quilted and bound, start to finish in a couple hours. Overall, a great Friday morning project.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
Pilot Frixion Erasable Marker (mark on the back of fabric, or where it will be hidden in seams)
Omnigrid R1 1-Inch by 6-Inch Ruler

2019 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

I promised to share the details about my recent trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. First, if you go to this event and have never seen the working dogs, you are totally missing out on some great work. The Sheepdog Demonstrations are great every year. I didn't get many photos but I think this one was the best.

I stopped buying yarn when my bag was full. That still took most of the day. There is so much to see at the festival. I want to try so many new yarns. Some shops are so crowded you can't even get into them. 

I want to share with you what I picked up. Some of these vendors have online shops, so if something sparks your interest, please check them out. Five skeins of fingering yarn and one set of needles is what I brought home. 

Avalon Springs Farm creates these bright and fun colorways. The cake on the top is yarn from the Sheep and Wool a couple years ago. I bought two cakes, then finished a shawl using a single skein. That gave me an excuse to buy another skein and hope it matched. I think these will work together quite nicely. Now to figure out what to make.

New to me this year is Yarn Hero Fiber Arts. I have been searching for something like this for a while and here it is. And local to Maryland! I think I know the perfect pattern to combine these two yarns.

I cannot resist a colorful skein of sock yarn from into the whirled. I envision this yarn becoming a pair of socks or some fun arm warmers.

To show you how much I can't resist this yarn, here is my collection, spanning three years of Sheep and Wool Festival. I need to get knitting!

Last on the list was Knitter's Pride 5/3.75mm Marblz Fixed Circular Needles, 47" and some fun yarn from Bitsy Knits.

I hope to work through some of this yarn before the festival comes around again next year. Not that having yarn will stop me from buying more.

It's a Cinch Bag

I've been meaning to make the It's a Cinch Bag from Patterns for Pirates since it was released. It is a free pattern and there is even a video tutorial if you're more of a visual learner. I pulled three fabrics from my stash and got cutting.

I made the strap using a bias binding tool instead of sewing then turning that much tubing. I did use my favorite bodkin to get it threaded into the channel.

I added some lightweight fusible interfacing to the outer bag panels to give the bag a little more structure. The pattern doesn't call for it, but I am glad I decided to try it.

Seeing it finished, gives me so many ideas for ways to personalize this fun little bag.

What will fit inside this fun little bag? Well, five skeins of yarn fit quite nicely. I took it with me to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. More about that trip, and the yarn, in my next post.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
Clover Bodkin
Bias Tape Maker
Heat'n Bond Non-Woven Lightweight Fusible Interfacing

Charity Quilts

I quilted up a couple more charity quilts for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. Isn't this string quilt made by Mary fun!

Even panels are fun!

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 26