Sock Club

I was so pleased with my last Vesper Sock Yarn Club from Knitterly Things that I decided to sign up for the fall club. I went with the 'Classic Sock', a 80/20 Superwash Merino & Nylon 2ply, and the Mini Skein Option. I love the little skeins of coordinating yarn to work the heels and toes.

I wound up the skeins into balls and I'm ready to get cranking. I may need to buy another Monster Socks Yarn Kit from Knitterly Things because I may need another pair of monster socks. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Stanwood Needlecraft Large Yarn Ball Winder

Stanwood Needlecraft Wooden Umbrella Swift

Assemble!

This quilt waited a silly amount of time for quilting. You can ready about the assembly of this quilt top in this post from April 2021. What isn't easy to see from this photo, is the quilting. Note: the quilt isn't crooked. My photography skills are crooked. 

I chose a light gray thread for the quilting. I chose the machine quilting design Gridlock from Longarm League. 

I love that the quilting shows up so well on the dark blue, outer border but is more subtle on the panel and flying geese border. I quilted this as an allover design. I haven't decided on a binding fabric yet. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Tucker Trimmer III
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Wrights 4.5" Easy Angle ruler

Monster Socks

Since last week I have accomplished exactly one thing. I made this pair of socks. Four different yarns (two solids and three self-striping) were used to make these Monster Socks. That is it. I guess I've been taking time to do other things. What have you been up to? 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Cranky Socks

Perhaps no one needs a pair of super colorful monster socks. Perhaps I need those socks. 

Every time I knit a pair of these I remember why I love making them so much. The colors are just such a delight. Yarn is thick sock from Knitterly Things. Check them out for self-striping yarns as well as kits to make your very own pair of monster socks. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Long Arm Quilting

This poor quilt kit spent forever wanting to become a quilt. This past week I got one step closer to fulfilling that dream. I loaded it up and got quilting. 

I used this great edge-to-edge design called variety from Anne Bright Designs. 

It had swirls and flowers much like the border fabric and I thought it was perfect. With so many options it is nice to find the perfect one for a quilt. Now to trim it and get the binding attached.  

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Charity Quilting

Pieced by Trudy for Annapolis Quilts for Kid. 

Pieced by Trudy for Annapolis Quilts for Kid. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 76

Fan Sewing

A friend introduced me to Spencer Ogg Sewing Patterns. I found a free tutorial for this cute little bag. You can find the details, and a link to a video on how to construct your own, on Spencer Ogg Sewing Patterns. I lined my bag using a hack shared on the Spencer Ogg Facebook Sewing Group. It is a little more challenging to get the lining in there but it is totally doable. It is a great size for short trips. Enough room for a water bottle, your hand sanitizer, phone, and wallet. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Creative Grids 6.5" x 6.5" Square Ruler
Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Odds and Ends

Don't let anyone tell you that craft doesn't have value. It has value just like other things that take time and dedication to learn and master. This is my very favorite tote. I use it to hold a current project because I'm crafty and proud. I bought this machine embroidery design from Urban Threads Embroidery.  

What is this? Evidently, something way more important than I could have imagined. This little wire tie was holding a bundle of cables on the back of my long arm. Evidently, it was stressed enough to give up. Most of the time it didn't make a difference. Until it did. It was causing the automation to complain. Once I figured out this might be part of the problem I promptly found a bigger, hopefully more trustworthy, wire tie to replace it. 

That yellow wire tie is the replacement. I hope it holds up to the stresses. Considering I had the system set up for a while it is nice to know I really only failed the set up with this small problem. Otherwise we're still stitching like champs. 

Tools and supplies (Amazon affiliate links):

Check out crafty supplies on Amazon

Charity Quilting

This delightful quilt was pieced by Mary for  Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

Trudy pieced this one. Both are ready to go to another member of  Annapolis Quilts for Kids for binding. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 74

Early Mid-Winter Surprise

For mid-winter my friends sent me a gift certificate for Knit Picks. Since it came in time to meet the Black Friday sale I used it right away. Yesterday, that box of wonder landed on my front porch. 

I bought the current colors of Felici in fingering weight. Because I love mixing up this self-striping yarn with other self-striping yarn and Stroll solids (which I also bought). I love how they rotate through the colors, always offering something new. You could buy new colors several times a year and have more socks than you would need in a rainbow of colors. 

When I placed my order Hawthorne fingering was also on sale. I picked up enough (I hope it is enough) to make a fade. I'm not sure If I'm aiming for knitted, or crocheted but I'm excited about it. Not all of these will be in that fade but I love these colors. Hawthorne comes in speckled, tonal, kettle dyed, and multi-colors, so a great choice if you want loads of color options on the same yarn base. 

As usual, here is a list of supplies for machine knitting, hand knitting, crochet, and hand-finishing. Check them out if you want to support me and the content on the blog. 

Tools and supplies (Amazon affiliate links):

Machine Knitting:

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Hand Knitting:

Needles: Knit Picks Options Wood Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set - US 4-11 (Sunstruck)

Stitch markers: CLOVER Lock Ring Markers 20/pkg  

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Large eye needles 

Clover Yarn Threader
Clear travel bag

24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (to hold all those little markers, needles, and so on)

Crochet:

Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Knitter's Pride Dreamz Tunisian Crochet Hook Set

Stitch markers: CLOVER Lock Ring Markers 20/pkg 

Charity Quilting

This one was pieced by Mary for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

I think this one was pieced by Trudy. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 72

Charity Quilting

This little cutie was pieced by Mary for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. I love these scrappy quilts. 

This one was pieced by Trudy. I added the borders to bring the size up to the average size of these quilts. Both of these will be headed to Annapolis Quilts for Kids next month for binding. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 70

Cranky Socks

I've been cranking out socks with my new yarn. This pink is so much fun. 

I'm trying some contrast toes. I think the next pair will have pink toes. 

This colorway is a nice change. 

Here is a contrast toe. It still amazes me how I can shape the toe on the machine. 

Now to Kitchener stitch the toes closed and get them ready for gifting. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Tool Tip Wednesday

On Saturday I broke my retractable holder for my snips. I slip the click onto the collar of my shirt so my scissors are always handy when I'm working with the long arm. This also ensures I don't leave them on the surface of the quilt. 

Thankfully, I had a back up clip in my desk. The scissors are Fiskars micro-tip. They are perfect for keeping next to your sewing machine or in your sewing bag. I'm pretty sure I have three pair: one in my hand sewing kit, one for my long arm, and a third pair with my embroidery machine. Those tips are indeed sharp. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat

Retractable Badge Holder

Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5 Inch

Charity Quilting

This fun little quilt was created with the use of at least three quilters. One pieced the blocks. 

A second assembled the blocks into a quilt top. 

And a third quilted the top, batting, and backing together. 

I'll hand it back to Rebecca (the second quilter) for the binding. Such a great community project that will find a home through Comfort Cases. What are Comfort Cases? From their website: Comfort Cases are backpacks filled with comfort and personal care items for youth entering the foster care system. Typically, children are given a trash bag to pack up their belongings when they are removed from their homes. We are working to end this practice while providing the essentials for a child’s first few days in foster care. Check them out if you want to make a difference in the life of a child in foster care. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one charity quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 68

Charity Quilting

I dropped off thirteen quilts at the last Annapolis Quilts for Kids meeting. The last of them I will drop off this year. 

These little quilts, pieced by other members of Annapolis Quilts for Kids were part of that drop off. 

This one included minkie type fabrics. I was more pleased with the result than I thought I would be. I hope it makes someone very happy. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2021 to see how I'm stacking up.

2021 Charity Quilt Count: 67

Cranky Socks

I recently ordered yarn from CSM Supplies. I like buying from Jamie because she always makes the transaction special. I didn't really need more sock yarn but I wanted more options for holiday sock giving. 

I ordered three new colorways and coordinating solids. I like making contrast toes so you can pair them up using the toe colors. 

First was this fun colorway paired with blue. 

Then this one that I had from a previous order paired with pink. 

I still transfer the live stitches onto a pair of short circular needles and finish each sock by hand using the Kitchener stitch. 

Turning a hell on the machine is pretty simple if you pay attention to what you are doing and keep moving the weight up. 

Another pair using the blue for the contrast toes. 

I hope you have a peaceful thankful holiday tomorrow (for those of you that enjoy Thanksgiving in the United States) and get a head start on your winter holiday shopping, if you haven't already. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook (picking up dropped stitches)
Cable Clamp PRO Cable Management 4 Pack (used in place of weight buckle)
Brightech Lightview Pro Flex - Hands Free, Magnifying Glass Desk Lamp for Close Work (lens removed)
Zibra PB100LZR Grip-n-Glide 1-Inch Round Trim Paint Brush (to clean lint/dust from machine)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold extra machine needles)
addi Express Hook (picking up dropped stitches, hanging setup bonnet, finishing missed stitches)
Do4U Drinking Home Office Table Desk Side Huge Clip (I use it to hold the ball/cake of yarn while I crank but it could hold your drink, too)
BLACK+DECKER WM225-A Portable Project Center and Vise (this is my machine stand, slightly modified for a larger work surface)

RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc)