It's Done!

Gosh, I had no idea The Simple Thing scarf would take so long to knit, especially since I thought I was knitting pretty consistently on it. Granted, the yarn itself is a much thinner yarn than the worsted weight yarn used in the sweater, so yes, progress would be slower. Still, it took forever to get to the halfway point where I'd start decreasing stitches. I even started the decreases before I'd reached the length of the pattern's sample, both because I was concerned I wouldn't have enough yarn if I kept going and because I'd already exceeded the width at the center as suggested in the pattern example. The pattern does make suggestions for altering the pattern for narrower or wider finishes so I went for it.

I'd had some of this yarn left after knitting that first cowl that I ended up unraveling to make this scarf. I initially didn't think I'd need it but I sure did. You can just see in the upper left of the top photo how little of the "extra"" yarn is left. When you unravel yarn, its memory leaves kinks in the strands, and there are ways to relax the yarn back to straight, but I hoped just leaving it wound in a ball for awhile would be enough. It certainly was better than when first unraveled, but you can sure see the difference between the unraveled yarn and the unused yarn in the photo above. The knitting on the left is tight and flat while the knitting on the right is less defined and a bit fluffy. I will be soaking and blocking this so I'm hoping that helps make the two sides look more the same. If not, the join of the two is far enough off center that it won't show when it is worn.

And this is the coat I will be wearing it with - the colors such a perfect match.

What To Do With Orphan Blocks

Today I fired up the sewing machine and completed piecing a block I'd used for demonstration in a class I taught when I still lived in Wisconsin. This was not just to show the sequence of sewing pieces into sections but also which way to press seams for an easier and flatter joining of those sections into the finished block. I think I've put off sewing the block together because I really didn't know what to do with it. The quilt itself that was the sample for the class is done and on my bed. I don't need another patchwork pillow, which is a popular way to use up single blocks, not to mention the color doesn't fit any room decor except maybe the bedroom, but I no longer can wedge a chair into that room on which for it to sit. I'm not into table runners either, another way one sees lonely blocks fleshed out into something usable. I've added a single block onto a ready-made tote and also have a tote a friend made from a block I'd appliqued but didn't care for but suddenly looked good on that tote, but I have so many totes, I hardly need to make another. So what to do with this orphan block? I do have a printed panel (to the right of the block) that I bought from Angela Walters which I plan to use to practice her quilting designs (true confession - I was taken with the color as well as the design and also purchased a coordinating print) that is close in color but it doesn't feel quite right to pair them up into a wall hanging, for that is what it would be. I do have quite a bit of paisley and other fabrics leftover from making the top; surely I could come up with something. Any suggestions?

I found this little piece folded in the stack of that leftover fabric. This isn't exactly an orphan block but another result of a class I taught showing how to use ruler templates to cut pieces for Drunkard's Path blocks, then how to sew those curved seams. When arranging blocks, I was intrigued by this arrangement that looked a bit like Indian architecture. I did add a narrow border around the outside, thinking I could make a small wall hanging but it obviously has never happened. And look at how the blue fabric has faded. It must have happened when it was up in the shop where I taught - I had a sample quilt's back totally fade out where it was hung against wood paneling - or it might have been displayed in the shop's window. At any rate, it's hard to get excited about finishing it. What to do? 

This all got me thinking more about the orphan blocks I have stored away in a drawer, knowing that there were two problems with finding a way to finish them off (besides what I've mentioned above): 1) some are quite large, and 2) they are too diverse to be worked into a single quilt (although I do have a memory of making a rather wild charity quilt from different sizes of leftover blocks). The one above is one of the larger ones that if memory serves was from a block exchange where I ended up winning the blocks. Again, quilt made not needing this block, but I still really love it.

Now we're getting way back into my "origins" of quilting. I had a limited amount of the blue fabric but it reminded me of a shade of blue I'd seen in antique quilts and I made up these two blocks. No recollection of why I chose these patterns, but I'm pretty sure if I'd had more of that blue, I would have made more blocks to make a sampler quilt. Now that I have them out again, maybe I should reconsider making them into a tote bag for my knitting. Hmmmm . . . 

Nearing the end of single blocks, here are two that again, I have little recollection of. I used to cut up leftover scraps into what I then considered usable sizes and saved off-cut triangles as well. I'm pretty sure these were just me playing around with leftovers.

This one though is a real treasure in my book. After we moved to Wisconsin and I wasn't working anymore, I'd gotten serious about learning how to quilt. Quilting magazines at that time ran ads in the back for quilt shows and block contests you could enter. I got very into making blocks for various contests, even winning a few awards. This one came out so well that I took them up on the option to have it returned. It's a state block (Michigan Star) and I soon found myself dreaming of making a quilt with a block for every state in it. I went so far as to start researching and printing out patterns for state blocks (which is how I ran across my signature Idaho Beauty block) and collecting fabric in this same green, rust and peach palette, squirreling it away with this block in that same drawer where I started keeping the various orphan blocks. I find the palette a bit outdated now and I've lost interest in making a full state block quilt but I still love this block. And again, what to do with it?

This last one isn't exactly an orphan block but it IS a single small block that needs a home. I got the chance to see a lot of Hmong textile art when I lived in Wisconsin, so intricate and finely made that I knew I could never replicate it. So I bought a few small zippered bags with different types of applique and embroidery work on them and then this one 5 x 5 inch block. I'd totally forgotten about it, buried so deep in that drawer. It needs someplace special for sure. But I have no idea where that might be.

So help, my good friends! Any ideas?

Just Using Up Some Things

I finally got around to making the last coiled fabric basket I had in mind before putting all those supplies away. The picture above shows how the two I sent to my friend who winters in CA were quickly put into use to corral feet and thread spools under her acrylic sewing machine extension table. What a brilliant idea, I realized, as that area under my own extension table is where packets of needles are scattered.

I wanted mine to be oval though in order to stack the packets upright and not too big. I had the tail end of  the package of clothesline I'd been using that looked to be exactly the amount I'd need. And it was!

I surveyed the strips on my worktable and decided to see if I couldn't use up 3 or 4 short teal ones plus a single lighter teal print strip I hoped would cover the starting center line. Yup, worked pretty well. Then it was add the raindrop fabric strips as I worked up the sides and top it off with strips of the weird floral I'm not keen on.

I've made at least one oval version of these baskets and remember them being trickier than the round ones and this one was even trickier because of its narrow base. However, I persevered and it came out pretty well, nicely holding all my needles under the extension table. I still have quite a bit of the rain drop fabric strips and even the floral I don't care for but it's all going back into the big bag of coiled basket supplies. Time to move on to other things.

On a side note, we've been going through a bit of a warming trend which makes one wonder if spring is closer than one thinks (but the weatherman is quick to remind that this is March and we still could get some more snow). Could ducks along my walk paddling and feeding in a swale be a sure sign?

My camera couldn't catch it but that is a very bright green-headed mallard and his mate. She barely came up for air while he seemed more in protection mode, staying close and only occasionally ducking down to eat. They didn't seem to be too concerned about me pausing to watch. I haven't seen them since, although the swale is still full of water. Are you seeing any signs of spring in your area?

 

Finishing Touches

So that Valentine Palooza book with the heart stitching on the spine that I mentioned might need something more? Well, picking it up after I hadn't looked at it for awhile made clear I was right about adding a closure. I auditioned several buttons from my button jar and ways they might be attached with some kind of ribbon or thread wrap until I settled on this simple button and loop closure. That's another one of those silver metal buttons that I used on one of the Little Library Challenge books.

But before adding the closure, I added a printout of a gifted heart of flowers design by watercolor artist Ann Butera. She knows how this time of year it is easy to let the weather and lack of real greenery get us down so she shared this with her readers to be printed out and displayed wherever we might need cheering up. I was still a bit worried about the stability of the handmade paper cover even when doubled and I thought that heart would be a perfect addition inside to provide strength and continue the heart theme.

Yes, I cut it in half so that there would be a half heart on both the front and back inside covers. I had my final lunch yesterday with the friend who is moving out of town and presented it to her, hoping she will put it to good use and think fondly of me when she opens it. Hoo boy, we were both pretty unsettled as we parted even though we have every intention of keeping in touch through e-mail and maybe even zoom.

After I got home, I definitely needed a distraction and decided it was high time I block that lavender sweater. I'd ordered up a bottle of the Bath Fiber Wash recommended by OliveKnits in her blocking tutorial but was dragging my feet about actually using it. Even though you don't have to rinse it out after your sweater has soaked in it for 30 minutes, it's still a bit of an operation to squeeze out excess water after draining the sink, then get it laid out to dry - the sweater was pretty weighty even before getting wet. But I'd put it off too long with my usual worrying about an unfamiliar process and how it would go, so I got to it. Before draining the water, I pulled back the sweater to see if I could notice any change in the clarity of the water. Yup, it looked a bit murky.

I placed the sweater in a tub to take it upstairs where I would be laying it out to dry. I soon realized there was quite a bit of water still being held in that yarn so did some squeezing. Oh my, OliveKnits did not lie about what might be lurking in yarn you might otherwise think is clean. This looked part dirt/part dye to me and that part of me that questioned not having to do a rinse jumped to the fore. I ignored it and started the process of arranging the sweater on a large pressing pad I've had forever, checking the measurements given in the pattern and scrunching up those arms I think are too long. It's still pretty damp today and I've added a fan to help it dry a bit faster. Then it will be another case of holding my breath as I try it on, crossing fingers it still fits well and looks/feels more relaxed as OliveKnits suggests it will.

In Praise of Play

Austin Kleon is primarily a writer but he also has certain daily rituals that on the surface look like they have nothing to do with writing. He draws, he puts together mix tapes for himself, he collages. The above is his response to a reader who asked, “How do you balance making fun stuff with doing business? Do you allocate time to simpl[y] make ‘pointless’ things?” (See post here.) This caught my eye because you could say the majority of my creative journey has been being serious about what I was working on and resisting play that felt "pointless" or at least a bit of a waste of time. Yet I have had to admit a time or too when play resulted in something better when applied to a "serious" work. It's probably safe to say that very little play is wasted time.

With that in mind, I was compelled to run the above photo through a palette generator. It's been quite awhile since I've used this tool which can be revealing or frustrating. The photo is from a series taken by Jay Stotts who lives in my area and posts on Facebook. I was immediately drawn in by the palette, thinking it would make a wonderful quilt of peachy fabrics mixed with browns and greys featuring pops of red. 

Well, my eyes see differently from the palette generators; I tried half a dozen (eschewing any with AI) with varying results, most giving me a palette of colors I didn't recognize as being in the photo. Most did not pick up any of the yellow unless I upped the number of colors to the max. The two above are from colorkit.co and colordesigner.io

I tried a different photo and ran it through CSSdrive.com, which I'd used a long time ago. Where'd all the peach go? 

Another try with yet another photo and palette generator, coolors.com. This one works a bit differently from the others I tried in that you can move those circles superimposed over my photo to alter what is getting picked up for your palette. Still, I wasn't getting what I thought I was seeing. Might try working with this some more.

This palette provided by colorpalette.imageonline.co using the solo bird photo above finally gave me the peachiness I was craving and the pop of red but still missed the brighter yellow. Still, I like the first six colors as a possible palette for a quilt.

But for all the time I spent on this, I couldn't help thinking I might have spent the time better and more satisfyingly rooting around in my stash with photo in hand.

Valentine Palooza

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have experienced some love today, whether coming from a friend or loved one or coming from yourself. 💖 I've finished that book I previewed which was the structure offered by the Handmade Book Club I belong to. Twice a year, a workshop is offered to the public for a small fee to give people an idea of what the club has to offer, and us members join in as part of our membership fee. Since this workshop came at the end of January, the theme became Valentine Palooza featuring hearts stitched up the spine. I'm not much for putting hearts on things, but I have a quilting friend who is moving out of state at the end of March, and I thought this would be a perfect going away present for her. So what's going on in that photo up there? It's the start of the cover for my book.

I have a small stash of large pieces of handmade paper which was one of the options for the cover of this book. Directions required applying a sturdier piece over the spine to strengthen it and I wasn't sure what I might use for that. The workshop includes several zoom meetings where people can share their books and ask questions. It was there that I learned about making a four fold cover. It not only doubles up the front and back covers but triples up the spine. And it is so easy to make. The end folds are the same width as the spine, and folding over each side in turn to meet the edge of that fold marks where the spine folds go. One more fold in and you have your cover.

Double stick tape like Scor Tape placed along various edges holds it all together, ready to add signatures. 

Because the handmade paper has a slight purplish tinge to it, I chose lavender thread for sewing in the signatures. Tip your head to the left and see the hearts!

I'm really pleased that I had paper for the signatures that matched the handmade paper so well. It's a 24lb Southworth Granite specialty paper in gray with such a nice texture for writing on. Even doubled up, the handmade paper cover may lack some staying power, so I might use the trick of gluing the first and last pages of the first and last signatures to the inside of the covers. I'm going to go look through my button and bead collection as well for a possible closure. It's done, but may get a few tweaks before I give it away.

I know many of you are struggling to stay calm while so much seems to be blowing up around us, so I will share that one way I have managed to not let it steal my light so to speak, IS by getting in the studio and losing myself in my work. Once I get going, the world falls away and my focus stays steady. So I was pretty delighted to run across this quotation attributed to Picasso because it sure had been working for me; I think it will work for you if you let it:

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

New Projects For February

I was hoping to have a book to show you but life intervened a few times. Instead, here's a teaser: it will be a soft cover book with decorative stitch positions on the spine - can you see it? I was having trouble getting the camera and my software to capture the handmade paper I'll be using for the cover - it is fairly grey with flecks of color throughout and leaning a bit lavender overall. I found I had some grey specialty paper for the signatures that were a perfect match. I'll be using dark purple thread to sew in the signatures which are all ready to go. Prep of the cover will be an easy folding method once the paper is cut to size.

In the meantime, I've started a scarf from the unraveled yarn, getting past the tricky start to settle into the easy pattern. Perhaps you can see the knit stitches running up both sides? They are the result of a step in the pattern that forms what is called an I-cord edging that finishes the edges as you knit, no rolling or plain edge if it were not there. Very neat. The pattern increases a stitch every fourth row until the piece is about 12 inches wide, then decreases at the same rate until the end. It should work a bit like a cowl but with tails. You can see the pattern with pictures over on ravelry.com here. The bag it's sitting in is one my maid of honor made for me probably in the 1980's. I remember her taking me to a fabric store and telling me to pick out two fabrics so she could make this for me. Are we surprised that I chose fabrics in the brown range?

A couple of quick updates: Not sure why I think I can keep staring down my studio and expect things I can't find to magically appear, but that's pretty much what I'd been doing trying to figure out where my Posca pens went, so sure was I that they should be out in the open like so much of my painting supplies. But what if, in the last time I felt I had to "tidy up" the space including the adjoining bathroom where I often use paints, I actually put them away somewhere, like in the cabinet below the sink? And that is where I found them even though I don't keep other paints there, just stamp pads and various spray cans of fixatives and basting adhesives. I honestly have no recollection of putting them there, logical or not.

And remember my snapdragons so valiantly hanging on in spite of the cold weather? Not long ago I noticed the yellow bloom was gone from the plant in the separate pot. I assumed a deer had nibble it away. A few days later I took a closer look to see the deer had come back and nibbled the plant down to about an inch above the dirt. Another few days later, I opened the blinds to see that the ones in the long planter were gone - totally gone - eaten down to the ground! I have to admit, the forage along the edge of the lawn has been getting pretty slim, most leaves gone, even the white berries almost all gone. A little salad from my planters could not be resisted! Now we've had a good snow with temps below freezing to keep it there, so the snapdragons probably would have succumbed to that anyway.