Tropical Fever

I had so much fun piecing that tiny quilt that I decided to try out another pattern. In my quilting stash I have lots of different types of paper pieces so I pulled out the Double Wedding Ring. With all the weddings going on around here in the next few weeks, it just seemed the thing to do.



I also have a pretty collection of batik charm squares from Connecting Threads. I liked the idea of making a traditional pattern with non-traditional fabric. It has been so dark and gloomy here that the idea of winter is already depressing the hell out of me. Maybe these bright tropical prints will be the antidote for my premature case of cabin fever.

A Giant Leap of Faith

I have knitted enough lace to know it looks pretty awful before you block it but I am really starting to wonder if this new project is going to work out at all.



I am on the 3rd center pattern repeat and by now I am usually breathing a sigh of relief and knitting on. That's not happening for me quite yet. Maybe it's the wonky nupps or maybe it's the too thin yarn with too big needles. Whatever it is, it is making me nervous. Very nervous.

Another New Trick

No it's not me and no it's not mine. I wish. It's from the book.

It is 2 o'clock in the morning and I am sitting in bed working on a brand new gift to be. All was going well on the Peacock and Leaf scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush until I came to the 7 stitch nupps. I was feeling very cocky about them until one exploded on me. I remembered seeing a clever method on You Tube so here it is so I won't forget it again:

A New Trick

The days have been dark and gloomy. We had only one sunny day in all of September and now October is being equally miserable. I've been locked inside working my way through the last of Daughter's wedding projects.



The mini quilt for her guest book display is done and I learned something new while finishing it. On someone's blog-I wish I could remember whose-I saw this little gadget for drawing lines on material.



It's a Hera Marking Tool and it is really handy for making straight lines when you don't want any marks. I've also been using it to put creases in things before I cut them.



The mini quilt is a bit wonky but it was fast and fun-two things you can't usually say about quilting projects around here.

Charlie's Welcome Set

I really stretched my knitting knowledge getting all these cute little things done for Daughter's friend's baby to be. The shawl collar on the Baby Sophisticate has wrap and turn short rows which I am terrible at. It was a good refresher course. Now that I have conquered the fearsome part, I can say it was a very nice pattern and nice patterns for baby boys are hard to come by.



The Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat and Christine's Booties have i-cord which I am also pretty terrible at. The hat is adorable-I love the umbilical cord top- but I am not so sure about sizing. It's been a long time since I have seen an actual baby. I was using a grapefruit as my size guide.



I am happy to report I am a much better i-corder now because of the 19 inches of 3 stitch cord I made (and remade) for each bootie. Thanks Charlie, for all the fun. Here's wishing you a safe landing in the not too distant future!

Rubber Sole

Just in case you might want to see what 20 pairs of flip flops look like, here they are.



Happily, this pile is missing the four pair I have already made. Four down and sixteen to go.



Each pair take only about a half hour to make. That's a lot of cute for very little work.
I am using a free handout I found at AC Moore: Flower Flip Flops by Lion Brand Yarn. You can find it online here.
I modified the patten a bit by crocheting the yarn onto the straps with a slip stitch instead of wrapping and gluing it as in the pattern. I also am tying on the flower instead of gluing it. I am not a big fan of glue. In my experience, things always fall off.

Never A Dull Moment

Daughter's wedding is two weeks away now and there is no end to the little projects that need to be done.



Instead of a guest book, she is having people sign a square of calico that will be used to make a quilt. She wants the display table to look vintage/rustic so I am putting together some banners and a miniature quilt for this table stand I just bought from Connecting Threads.



I am having a lot of fun with these tiny pieces. I can see a few more teeny weeny quilts in my future.