Wrapping Up 2012 ~ ~ ~

Here it is, the very last day of 2012, a year that zipped by with uncanny speed.  We just got back from a couple of relaxing days on the Oregon Coast.  The weather was chilly and grey, but we had fun anyway.

That water looked really cold!

We stayed warm and cozy though, and I finished this project and got a good start on another one which can't be mentioned just yet.

I also finished my last Sunbonnet Sue block and will spend the month of January making all of them into a quilt.

It tickles me that this last block shows Sue with an umbrella. Actually it's probably a parasol, but for Seattle Sue, it's has to be an umbrella! Well, gotta get to work. Some time soon I will post the few Christmas projects that couldn't be shown. Till then, have a fun and safe New Year's Eve.

PS: We found a great yarn shop in Newport, OR, near the Aquarium. (Yarn for All Seasons)

On and Off the Needles

DD#2 requested an Infinity Scarf for her birthday which comes a few days after Christmas. Wish me luck!

Ginger looks like she is trying to decide which one of these little socks she wants, but doesn't she know she needs four?

And Princess  Mocha could care less.  Do you think she's dreaming of sugarplums or tuna?

~~~

Merry Christmas everyone!  I'm off to do some serious gift wrapping!

Off the Needles~ Phew!

Lots of elf work happening at this house lately....and some can't be shown till after Christmas. Something I finally finished this week included this little guy. (And a whole lot of ends to secure!)

I do have a pair of brown socks on the needles but no photo. Two more ruffled scarves are done, and the rest of the time has been spent at the sewing machine. Will that project get finished? I sure hope so!

If you've not tried the ruffle "yarn," it's a fun and quick project.

Now, back to work.......

Winter's Coming!

How do I know?  For starters, it is only 4:40 PM and it's pitch dark. Sunset is at 4:18 PM today, and the sun doesn't rise until 7:48 AM tomorrow! And our days will keep getting shorter for at least another week.....

Many mornings are very foggy. Sometimes the fog burns off, and the temperature drops. Today's fog stuck around all day long.

All of the leaves are pretty much gone; the big leaf maples and the ginkos are among the first to fall.

Rabbits are seldom seen, but there are lots more places to hide.

Last minute road projects are everywhere. This mess is just around the corner; they are doing something to the cell towner that has required tearing up these folks' frontyard.

The two-colored Christmas Cactus is blooming right on schedule. And I have projects everywhere! Which one first? Oh my! How's your week going?

Off the Hook and 2 Curious Kitties

One of the things I finished this week was a crocheted scarf that I started quite a while ago. It's done with Noro Silk Garden yarn which makes for interesting colors.

Mocha just had to inspect another project which was quite fun because it combined knitting and crocheting. It's a headband in Berroco Flicker which is really soft and has a bit of sparkle.

Not  to be outdone in the inspecting department, Ginger is studying my newest and last Sunbonnet Sue block.  This is the Seattle block because she's holding, you guessed it, an umbrella.

~~~

Dick just got home from volunteering, so I have to run.  We have choir tonight and Saturday morning to rehearse for Sunday's Worship through Music service.  Catch you later.....

Scarves and Other Things

Another glitzy scarf is on the needles, this time in a yarn called Tinseltown.  Isn't that a fun name?

Ruffled Scarves are kind of addicting! They are quick to make also.

The yarn in this one is Starbella Flash from JoAnns.

The other thing I worked on this week was the 11th block of Sunbonnet Sue for TAST. One more to go, and I can start making them into a quilt. Yeah!

Before November finishes. I wanted to show a couple more quilts from the show. Red and white is one of my favorite color combinations, so I was immediately attracted to this quilt. And it also had lots of redwork embroidery, another favorite of mine.

Here's a closer look at some of the handwork.

I loved this holiday quilt with all of its applique.  It must have taken hours. Isn't that a great border?

This closeup of the snowmen block also shows a bit of the wonderful quilting.  There are lots more quilt photos to share, but it's time to go for a walk before the sun sets.  Can you believe that is happening today by 4:20 PM?  It's rainy though, so it seems even darker, but as we approach the Winter Solstice our days will be even shorter!

Off the Needles

No Sock  knitting for me this week.  Instead, I finished this beaded bracelet.  It's knit with Kreinik metallic braid and was a fun project.  The kit was from Earthfaire.

I also had fun finishing this sparkly ruffled scarf.    When I saw this yarn (Starbella Flash) at Joann's, it just said Happy New Year to me.  Ruffle yarns are interesting to knit and offer lots of choices.

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  We sure did, celebrating Max's first and so thankful to have him as part of our Seattle family.  (We had to be content with just talking with our Chicago family.)

Off the Needles Mostly!

This past week most of my knitting has been of the secret variety as the holidays are approaching way too quickly. Thanksgiving really IS next week, right? However, I did get part way down the heel flap of the mate to this sock, very unusual for me as I usually procrastinate doing sock #2.

One of the things I did this past week though that was fun and inspiring was to attend the Block Party Quilters' annual quilt show with my friend Becca. There were lots of quilts to admire and many vendors to visit but just a tiny bit of stash enhancement.

It was really fun to see quilts made by friends, like this one by Linda Hunnell, who is in my quilt group.

A number of quilts were made to donate to our local Ronald McDonald house including this one. It was a group project; my strip is the hearts. We have several embroiderers in our group as you can see in a couple of the strips.

This was the only crazy quilt I found, and it only featured a small amount of hand embroidery, mostly done by machine.

The featured artist was Linda Hadden who uses a very interesting technique. Her quilts are made of lots, and I mean lots, of tiny colored pieces that are carefully placed, covered with tulle, and then quilted. Becca has more photos of Linda's work on this post. (It's interesting how we were each attracted to different quilts throughout the show.)

This was one of my favorite quilts. It made me smile.

All the tiny pieces sewn together by hand;on this one were amazing. I also thought the border was very interesting.

Can you even imagine how long this must have taken?

The details in this eagle were beautiful. The explanation said it was made separately and then attached.

I have a few more photos to share in another post, but right now I need to quit and go make some apple crisp to take to a friend's house this evening. Bye for now.

On the Needles and Off (to a quilt show!)

Today was the first day of the Block Party Quilters quilt show, and I just got back in time to show you what I've been working on this week. (It's a great show, by the way, and I hope to post some photos soon.)

This is my very first, well second, toe-up sock. Actually this is the mate of the first one which was finished quite some time ago during a  KAL hosted by the Knitters Brewing Company. It might even get finished soon!  (In addition to being toe-up, which is challenging in itself, at least for me, it's also  one of those patterns where you can't talk to anyone while you are knitting.Instead,  you actually have to really concentrate or pay the price: FROGGING.)

After more frogging, I'm finally headed to the toe of my first Weeping Angel sock. The pattern has a very interesting way of making the heel and gusset, and it took me a couple of tries to figure it out. Now that I understand the pattern, I'd better not put off finishing Sock # 2 in my usual fashion, lest I forget!

This is my first Opal finish using the Dragonfly pattern. I love the yarn and pattern. Sock 2 will soon be cast on, I promise!

Meanwhile, during the rest of this week's spare time, I was working on a different kind of sock. Our quilt group makes Christmas stockings for the local Ronald McDonald house and these two are my small contribution. This is the third year we have done this project.

And,  here's David, dressed as Mario. I don't know what happened to the Lego costume, but this is what Jill sent me. That's some mustache, isn't it?

Knitting and Stitching and Then Some~~~

No knit finishes this week although I did work a little bit on this Sock which is a maroon colored Opal yarn and a little bit on Weeping Angel after a lot of frogging on it. Sigh.  Don't you just love negative progress?

Much of my spare stitching time this week was done on this Sunbonnet Sue Block.  Ten are finished with two left to complete before I can start piecing the quilt.  I have, however, chosen the sashing and border fabric and will try to remember to include a photo in my next post.

And of course, this was Halloween week.  Would you believe not one trick or treater stopped at our house?  I'll bet these two Cats had fun in their neighborhood though.  Rumor has it that big brother dressed up in a Lego costume.  Hope to get a picture of that, Mama Jill!

Super Max looks like he enjoyed his very first Halloween, doesn't he?  His helmet is to correct a flat spot on his head, but I think it looks like a good idea for folks trying to imitate Super Man, don't you?   I don't know about you all, but I'm having a hard time getting it through my head that this really is November.  Where did this year go???

On the Needles~and Off

Precious little work was done on this pair of Weeping Angel socks thanks to a couple of other things that were keeping my needles busy. I do love the pattern, however, and it has the most intriguing heel, in case you want to try it. (See Ravelry)

Two other pairs of socks came off the needles however!

Brown Sugar 

and Dragonfly!

This is one of the projects that  captured my attention.  A "hairy" chemo cap for my choir friend who will be donating her beautiful hair to Locks of Love just prior to her treatment.

The Anenome hat was hand deliverd to Miss Sophia.  What a fun project that was!  Her brothers liked their hats too, but it's getting harder to capture them long enough for photo ops.......