Snip.Sew.Send. ~ November for Gretchen

Gretchen, these are on the way to you. Gretchen had asked for 2". 3.5", 6.5" and 9.5" blocks to make her own quilt like these. Like everyone else in the bee has said these were addictively fun. My measuring sucks, apparently, because I tried to make a 9.5" block, but couldn't work it out. Also the bottom right one is only 6" (I didn't have strips long enough to go around to make it large enough). Maybe she can use it as a base for a 9.5" block? I also tried twice to make a 2" block. Disastrous.

Surprisingly I really liked how the fabrics worked together. Surprising because if Gretchen had just told me about the color palette I would have thought she was crazy. I think the brown, orange and teal look so cozy and inviting together. My favorite is the top left and the small brown and teal one. This will be an awesome quilt.

I have had my Snip.Sew.Send. quilt top and back finished for about two months but just haven't put aside the hours I'll need to baste it. It will be a full/queen sized. Yikes! =]

Socks and a cat...but not a cat named Socks

That title may not be true. I don't know what the cat's name is, but I saw this on the way home last week. I was stopped at a red light downtown and saw the cat watching traffic from the window. Amazingly I had the camera with me and was able to zoom enough to see it clearly.

{Kitty watching the traffic below}

I finished my Through the Loops Mystery Socks. Although they are far from perfect I *love* them. They are the first pair of socks I ever finished. I used an alpaca/wool blend yarn that is delicious feeling on my feet.

{Pair doesn't have to mean the look the same}

With these socks I learned how to properly make yarn overs and read from a chart (love that too). Since I hadn't learned to make yarn overs I took for granted that all knitting books would explain it correctly. Not so. That's why the legs look different. The right one (in the photo) was made with incorrect yarn overs and that's why the ribs don't line up. It just looked wrong and after seeing progress photos on Ravelry I found out it was. After more research I learned how to yarn over properly so the foot looked better. Since I don't wear socks and shorts, they will look good under my pants.

{Much better}

My project link on Ravelry.

Mystery Sock pattern as a free Ravelry download which is from Kirsten Kapur (her website).

Now to find cute shoes to show them off. =]

Better Than a Box aka my pattern in One Yard Wonders

Jeffery T. loves a box. As soon as he sees an open box he is in it without regard to whether or not the box is empty or about to be used for something other than holding a fat cat. Here are some examples.

{We call this the luxury box, notice the flap over lid for extra lounging space all of which is being utilized.}

{The creases is from Jeffery T. forcing himself in a too small box.}

In an effort to save our boxes I made Jeffery T. a comfy, cosy bed. It was a hit and better than a box.

{Perfect for watching lizards run around outside}

{A view with out T. He was most likely eating.}

{One day when I was leaving for work, I thought he looked all cute laying in his bed}

{And it is just were I found him 10 hours later when I got home from work}

Since T. likes it so much, I thought other kitties might like it too. I read about a new book looking for submissions for sewing patterns using only one yard of fabric on Sew, Mama, Sew! The pattern was submitted and, much to my surprise, Rebecca and Trish chose it as part of their book One Yard Wonders. Yea!

Flash forward about a year and the book has been printed and was shipped yesterday! I haven't seen it in the flesh yet, but I can't wait. Of course I want to see the Better Than a Box pet bed, but also the other projects. Just in time for Christmas gift making. Couldn't be better.

After the pattern was chosen, I was sent a yard of fabric to remake the pet bed for the photography in the book and the trunk show, etc. Jeffery T. approved of it, too.

{He tried to claim it for his own.}

{I say, "No, Jeffery T. This is not for you." Jeffery T. says "I can't hear you. I am sleeping."}

Apparently, dogs think it is Better Than a Box, too. Sure, small dogs will like it, but big dogs, too. Proof?

{Pea, thinking thin and jamming herself into the bed.}

{And Beeker called dibs on his friend's.}

Rebecca and Trish are having a release party on November 6 at Crafty Planet in Minneapolis. Click the link for more details. The Flickr group is up and ready for photos. Now, go get the book and start cutting that coveted yard of fabric you've saved for just the right project. You'll find it in there. =]

Snip.Sew.Send. ~ October for Nichole

First, the purple shot cotton Nichole of Indie House sent us for October's Snip.Sew.Send. is delicious. It is my favorite shade of purple (which is my favorite color). I think she said the color name is Thunder. The fabric has a deep purple base with threads of dark blue and almost a warm burgundy.

Nichole's instructions were to make a 16.5" square block pulling in 1-3 flowers from our stash. The final quilt will look like a field of flowers. Lovely idea.

I didn't think I had a lot of flowers in my stash, but I was able to find several. These three looked best in the Thunder field.

Amazingly, the block when smoothly and that scares me. I checked and double checked the instructions so I think I am good on that end. It was fun to arrange and rearrange the flower placement. I decided on this so that the flowers were further from the center, but still kind of balanced. I am really interested in seeing Nichole's finished quilt. The block should be in the mail tomorrow! =]

It's a Win-Win

Yea! The Steelers handed the Vikings their first loss of the season with a 27-17 win.

And...

Random.org chose Anne's number to win the Schwartzy pattern!

Yea for Anne and the Steelers! =]

Handmade and Giveaway Goodness

I've listed a few new handbags for sale in my Etsy shop. Here is a little peek:

{My classic trapezoid show bag stenciled with a hand cut stencil of (Dirty's) Single Cab}

{And a new take on the classic (the binding) with a hand cut stencil of a panel bus}

{New handbag design made from a tapestry. soft and textured}

{Handbag with velvety and embroidered outer fabric}

{Pretty tan paisley handbag with snap closures and decorative (not functional) buttons}

{And my favorite new bag}

It is a slightly larger version of the previous handbags that started out as this skirt:

{And I thought I was through with you...}

After all this Etsy talk, how about a giveaway? If you would like to win a PDF copy of the Schwartzy messenger bag pattern, just leave a comment and make sure there is a way for me to contact you. I will use a random method to choose the winner Sunday afternoon after the Steelers game. =]

I Like Having More Crafty Time

For anyone who cares: Later in this post I am going to show a picture of my cuff from the
Through the Loops 2009 Mystery Sock. It will be directly after the part about my Snip.Sew.Send. quilt. You've been warned. ;]

My work schedule has changed a bit and I now have more free time which means more time to sew and knit and clean our house. Oh, yes, it is usually in that order.

{Dirty's first sock}

I started this sock in January. It is the first sock I have tried to knit and I am glad that I finally finished it. Although I didn't work on it very consistently it did seem to take forever to get enough length in the foot. I did a little searching online and learned that I was not knitting properly. Instead of inserting the needle left to right in the front, I was going right to left in the back resulting in every stitch being twisted and tight.

{What you can't see is that my foot is turning purple}

Due to that, this sock has NO stretch and barely fit my foot and started to cut of circulation in my foot after wearing it for about 2 minutes. No way is it going to fit Dirty's foot.

{Sock 2 is going much better}

I cast on for the second sock with US 4 dpns instead of the 3s I was using before. I also adjusted my knitting technique which is making a huge difference. This one has stretch and potential. Not to mention I am using about half as much yarn and about a third of the time I spent on the first. I will frog the whole first sock and make a matching pair for him.

Ravelry info here and the pattern tutorial is great and is here.

{Rainbow Button Tab Hat}

OK, so it is 90 degrees today with 100% humidity and I really won't need a winter hat for about 4 months I couldn't help but cast on for the Button Tab hat by Marcie Nishioka. (Thanks for sharing yours, Heather.)

I am using gifted acrylic yarn for this so it won't be super fancy, but I am hard on my hats when I do get to wear them. It will be permanently fixed to my head for about 3 months and will no doubt get grass clippings, concrete dust and who knows what else on it. I prefer to just throw it in the washer rather than having to hand wash and air dry a hat. I think it will be OK. I am not much of a fabric or yarn snob. I just use what I have for the most part. My Ravelry info is here.

{The layout for a stacked books baby quilt}

Thank you for all your suggestions on how to showcase a fabric in a quilt. I really liked Anne's suggest of a coin quilt, but uniform straight lines scare me. And the fright makes me sew crooked. So I took Anne's suggestion and tweaked it a little with my style and decided to make a stacked book quilt. I took inspiration from this quilt and although I think there is a written pattern for this I am winging it.

{Left stack sewn and needing a good trim}

I am using a mix of new (Heather Ross VW buses on blue and Amy Butler Full Moon in the light blue/gray colorway), scraps and thrifted/flea market find fabrics. The white is from a twin-size sheet. I am loving how this is turning out. I construction is going smoothly and I get more and more happy with it as I go. Thankfully, the baby isn't due for a few more weeks and I may get this finished before the birth.

{My Snip. Sew. Send. Quilt: the front}

This new schedule also gave me a little time to work on my Snip. Sew. Send. quilt. I have the top finished (except for trimming it it size) and am working on the back.

{A closer view of the blocks}

I am very happy with this quilt so far. It will be the biggest quilt I have made so far and I really want to get it finished and start using it.

{Probably layout for the back}

The back will be something like this. Probably three strips breaking up the purple on the back. The strips will go all the way across, I think. Kris and Gretchen both sent back two blocks so they have one on the front and one in the strips on the back. So, so happy with this.

***SPOILER ALERT***

If you don't want to see my cuff for the Through The Loops 2009 Mystery Sock stop scrolling now.

{The mystery cuff}

I am so happy that I decided to participate in the Through The Loops 2009 Mystery Sock. Each Thursday Kirsten posts a portion of the sock pattern. First was the cuff, pictured above and last Thursday was the leg, which I am working on. I like having the pattern in sections. It makes it easy to manage and very exciting. When I was younger I loved grab bags and those games where you close your eyes and stick your hand into something that feels gross (like peeled grapes or cold pasta). I would have been horrible on Let's Make a Deal. But Mystery Socks are a win-win.

I am using Alpaca with a Twist yarn in a really pretty green/purple colorway that I did buy special for this project. I validate it because I did not have fingering weight yarn in my stash. My Ravelery info is here.

So far the sock looks pretty good to me. It is the first project where I have to do yarn overs and thanks to my trusty Stitch n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller I've got that technique in my knitting bag now.

So that was a couple of pretty productive weeks. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll get some things finished. =]