Stitchin' in our blood

It seems the hands want to do more stitching; maybe because it is easy to carry along project and there are the lovely threads that are available for just those perfect little designs. Recently, on an Internet search, these wonderful designs were found. Classified as BOM (Block of Month), the patterns would appear around the fifth of each month. Not on the first, but the fifth--making it something to look forward to after the first of the month chores are out of the way. There will be a total of 9 blocks. You too can find these free (yes, free!) patterns on the website of Gail Pan Designs Gail is one of those talented Australian designers that keep us 'in stitches'!

In the mail box last week was the annual arrival of the International Quilt Festival catalogue. It is a ritual of the summer to peruse the pages and pages of this printed matter to find the perfect workshop/class/lecture/tour. This year the event will take place earlier than in years past. Well, that is just fine as later in the month of October the fest is always bumping right next to the mother-daughter trip. The Quilt Festival group has been branching out all over the US. Some of the Ex-pat gals are attending the festival in Long Beach, CA during late July. Check out the website at Quilts

Three Sisters Scarf #2

Finally! The first roving (Mother & Child) received from Roving Arts has been spun and plied. The roving was split and spun along the length. To finish the yarn, it was balled and then plied from the ball, taking yarn from center pull and outside of ball. This gives an interesting look to the finished yarn. To decide upon a pattern, a search was made through Ravelry . The pattern was from Smoking Hot Needles . There were three scarf patterns that would fit with the yarn. Each pattern was titled Three Sisters Scarves #1, #2 and #3. Okay, which one to knit? Each has a nice chart for the pattern design. Let's do #2 at this time and save the #1 and #3 for the other rovings that need to be spun.
The chart is up front with yarn overs and decreases, slating one way or the other. Pattern repeat was over 12 stitches--not a problem. Off to cast the yarn onto the lovely needles from Knit Picks .
Going okay until row 7 of the chart; not enough stitches. Count, recount, frog and start over again--how many times did this happen? No reason to do a true confession here--it was plenty. Disclaimer: There was just a little distraction going on in the house--the arrival of three teenage grandkids! We can handle this situation--think, think! Then, it was like a light bulb went off! Why not do as you should--separate each pattern repeat with a marker? Well, that worked very well and no stitches have been lost or miscounted. Now, there is no reason to make a mistake even though card games, loud music and dvds or interesting TV shows.

Birth of a Nation!

Happy Birthday to US! Let Freedom ring!

Day on the fiber trail!

What can be grander than a day roaming the town visiting different fiber shops and seeing some exciting fiber art? Nothing can beat that in my book so that is what transpired on hump day. The last thing DD said as my feet walked through the garage door--'don't buy anything that you don't need'.
First stop was a visit to a local quilt shop, Great American Quilt Factory .


In the front window was advertisement for upcoming quilt show, which sounded interesting.

In a later blog entry, there will be a posting of 'stuff' that was purchased and very much 'needed'!
Down the street is Tactile Arts which was hosting a wearable art exhibit: Inspirational Effects of Texture in Wearable Art. Weaving, quilting, felting, silk painting garments were featured in the gallery space. Too many lovely garments to photo.





Next stop was to west side of town to meet knitter friend, Judy, at Knit Nack



What a great place to 'hang out'--coffee bar, comfy sofas and lots of lovely yarns to browse through. The temptation was too much and a book just had to jump into my hands, recommended by friend Judy--Hand Knitting Collection, Book #2 by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton
After lunch at the next door bar and grill, we moved onto Posh, A Yarn Boutique , located in a little yellow house that once hosted a French restaurant. One really had to put their blinders on here as there was a small back room that was marked with Sale over the door frame: all the yarns were 25% off! As we sat in the enclosed sun porch, knitting and sharing thoughts, we noticed the clouds gathering in the west. So rain was approaching and the hands on the clock read it was close to traffic time and time for us to head in different directions to end my fiber trail day.

Another Roving Art Arrives!

The third and final edition of Roving Art from Taos Sunflower Too arrived via USPS the other day. The first selection (Mother and Child) is just now being spun and thought over as to its creation and now here is the last one to arrive at the doorsteps! Gee whiz, behind and not even begun to spin on any of the other rovings that were recently purchased! OH, well--fiber ages well! It is interesting to note that the dyer did the roving using blue, which is not her favorite color--now isn't that something? Someone else who has a least favorite color to work with! When the photo of the painting was pulled out of the envelope before the roving, the first thought that ran across my brain was "oh, bet there is lots of purple in this roving", so it was a pleasant surprise when the roving contained very little purple!

This roving is dyed around the painting by Henri Matisee and titled A Glimpse of Notre Dame in the Late Afternoon (1902). Henri Matisse was born in 1869 in NE France. He studied law in Paris in 1887 and in 1891 returned to Paris to study art at the Academie Julian. His work was influenced by works of many artists of his day; known for his use of color and fluid, brilliant and original draftsmanship, he is regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th centurey. He died in 1954.
This is a lovely painting and one that is well represented by the dyed roving. The next three selections will be available in the fall. Rovings will be spinners choice of either BFL or Falkland fiber. Wonder if all those other rovings will be spun by then?

TGIF!!!

Yes, it's Friday! and special things happen on Friday in blogland. Over at Alpaca Farm Girl there is a posting of Friday Arts each week. Another site for eye candy is yarnloopie.blogspot.com. Or Smoking Hot Needles--gotta love that! These are only two of the blogs that feature wonderful handcrafts. The Internet gives us the opportunity to have the whole world at our fingertips. Each of us can testify to the number of hours we have spent researching any given topic via WWW. Too many chances to take the wrong turn to another thought--'oh, let's just go to this page as it looks interesting!' One of those wrong turns took me to Charming Girls Quilt Club at Charming Chatter . This soul is definitely a 'sucker' for any fiber art and as they say "jack of all, but a master of none" is my motto. And to find that the Internet offers such riches of wealth for fiber arts warms the mind and body. Charming Chatter asked some questions that are difficult to answer:

1. Favorite Fabric: Choices, choices, choices-- There are just too many fabric lines out there to even pick a favorite.

2. The pattern most looking forward to sewing: There are numerous patterns that are on the agenda and each has that high anticipation level

3. Food weakness: Well, it's anything salty and sweet!

4. If I knew I couldn't fail, I'd: Try to do more than necessary--oh, wait that already happens!
5. The Best "Life" Advice is: Patience is a virtue.

It's a happening world and we are part of that WORLD WIDE WORLD and ain't it fun?!!

Oh, What a Tangled Web!

About three years back, while visiting in China at the silk painting factory, there was the opportunity to purchase silk threads, very fine threads, all dyed with lovely colors. The price was right--20 Yuan, about $2.40 for a small skein. Well, at least it looked like a skein all wound nicely in its neat little twist. Recently, as there were some embroidery pieces to be done, a thought crossed through the brain to use some of these fine threads. It would be simple to take the small twisted skein and wind around a bobbin for usage. Well, here's what happen: one tangled mess of thread!



Time was taken out for breakfast, lunch and afternoon movies (can't see in the dark to keep untangling); still alas, the threads will take some time to reel onto a bobbin before it can be stitched across the cloth.

And to think that the silk worm spun his little cocoon so systemically and smoothly into a neat little ball and it has taken one human a matter of minutes to mess it all up!

A good thing: Knits for Needs