Lots of Needles

This is a picture of my temporary failure.  I have been unable to figure out how to mattress stitch the sleeves onto the body of the sweater I had hoped to have done by the end of October.  I have tried several times but pulled the yarn out when the sides didn’t come together right.

I am now on a hunt for a good video that will show how to attach the sleeves for an almost seamless seam.  Know of one?




Meanwhile I have started a new sweater. It’s a free pattern from from Lion Brand Yarns and called a Cropped Raglan Sweater.  I saw it in a video tutorial by VeryPink.com.  This is a top down sweater with the sleeves built in.  Like Staci and Very Pink Knits, I plan to lengthen the body and sleeves, crop tops do not look good on me.









 This is the yarn I am using.  I bought it last summer and wound all the balls today so I am ready to get this one completed. I hope! 













On Monday I will be sharing what I have been doing other than knitting, and it isn’t even quilting.  But I have been busy and I have been using my time wisely. 


Meanwhile I am linking with Judy’s On the Needles post on Friday.  And after you check out the creations linked to her post, have a great weekend!  Gari

Progress (?)

My design wall is pretty much the same today as it was last week.  I have sewn a couple more sets for blocks and have even sewn one block together.


















I decided I needed to begin cutting up the chenille.














And that led me to decide that I needed to sew one block together to get a true measurement and then began cutting.  I only have a few of the chenille blocks cut but we are well on our way to seeing a quilt top.

I have been really slow on the quilting front both because I have been knitting a lot and I have ALL of my fabric on the cutting table, chairs, and the floor waiting for the new shelves to be built.  We did buy two sets of shelving, I already had one almost ready to move into the studio, so I hope that sometime next week I will be able to get at least some of the fabric off the cutting table and clear some work space.

I did spend some time collecting fabrics for the Bonnie Hunter New Year’s mystery.  I changed the colors a bit and next week I will share what I am planning to use: I can’t get a picture until I can lay it out on the cutting table. 

Monday I will be without a car as mine has to go to the “car hospital.”  One day last week I got in the car and there were lights on the dash I had not seen before.  As we were going down the road, and discussing what those lights might mean, I tried to engage the cruise and nothing happened.  I figured a fuse had blown but it turned out a “sensor” had died and needed to be replaced.  It also had to be shipped to the parts department.  It arrived late Friday and will be installed tomorrow.  I will be glad to get it fixed as I really like having the cruise working and I love having the car available.

Meanwhile Monday morning will be spent cleaning and maybe even taking some time to watch one of the Craftsy classes I have purchased.

As usual I will be linking with Patchwork Times and I expect you to check in there to see what everyone there has been working on.   Then have a great, fun and creative week.  Gari

A Finish, An Almost Finish, and a Beginning

I almost have a sweater: the sleeves are done and ready to be put on.  And, like with almost everything I do, I am stalling because I am afraid it won’t look good.  But I know I can’t just have two sleeves lying around like loose body parts so I guess I will be sewing them on the body this weekend.

And also there in the picture is the yarn for my next socks.




I guess this is a pretty small start but you have to start somewhere and here I have the cast-on and the set-up row for the toes.  I have been using larger needles for the last couple of weeks so my hands are having to adjust to how small these are.  Always a challenge.









I started working on the pockets and have them almost ready, also.  You know, I may just have a sweater before the end of the month.








But while I wait on that finish I must show today’s finish.  These are the softest socks I have made.  They are the only reason I am looking forward to cooler weather. 















Now, if anyone is looking for good help around the house I can recommend these two.  This was the scene when I got out of the shower earlier this week.  I guess they got tired of waiting for me.  And they didn’t even make up the bed!
























My plans for the weekend are to finish my pockets and begin mattress stitching the sweater parts together.  I also plan on buying two bookcases as part of my new wall of fabric:  I must get all that fabric off of the cutting table so I can get going on quilting projects.

And I hope your plans are to check out other people’s knitting projects over at Patchwork Times.    Gari

Creativity is Happening

My Design Wall continues to grow at a slow pace but grow it does.  These are still now sewn together: they are sewn in sets of two only.  I decided to not sew the full blocks together until I have as many as I need and I have them moved around as much as needed to be balanced. 













I still have these to sew together and I will be cutting more black on white and, as I start refolding my stash to put it in it’s new shelves, I may cut more of the brighter fabrics as I think I am going to need more of these blocks.




























I have decided that I am going to pair the above blocks with this chenille.  I bought this bedspread several months ago to use in a quilt but right now I am thinking “jacket.”  That means that I have to make at least three to four yards of “fabric” for jacket pieces.  I may be at this for quite some time. 
























I am also working on an embroidery project.  This is my test piece but the real one (1 of 10) will be red work. 

I am also hoping to do a couple of new embroidered t-shirts.  I sometimes forget how much I enjoy embroidery but right now I am kind of wanting something new to wear. 























  This afternoon we had RAIN.  I posted on Facebook that it looked like we were living in a rain forest.  And right now we are waiting for a really big storm to come through.  It should get here later tonight, after we go to bed, so I am hoping that I will sleep right through it. 

Of course I am still knitting but I will report on my progress (and there has been some) on Friday. 

Have a great week and be sure to drop in on Judy to see all the beautiful work others have been doing.   
Gari

Almost Off the Needles

Here we have the progress I have made this week.  And we can see that I am about to stop making progress.  The loose yarn on the top is all that is left: and I still had at least 20 more rows to go.

So off to the internet I went to see if Webs had more of the closeout yarn I had ordered.  And, no, they did not. 


So, after much thought and creative thinking, I decided on this gold heather.  It will be a band at the top of the sleeve and also will be the color of the patch pockets.  I am also thinking of doing a little duplicate stitching to help reinforce the idea that I planned to use the gold all the time.









This picture is a true representation of the colors.



















And I am almost done with these socks.  I like the upper part to be pretty short so it will only go about 2” more and then a very elastic bind off.



I also wound yarn for a new pair of socks so I should have them on needles this weekend.



















And in between knitting bouts I was moving fabric.  I have emptied one bookcase and have started on the second.  I also emptied several small bins of “quilting junque” so I could put them and the shelves that came with them into a yard sale for dog rescue.  All of this activity is so I can change everything around in the studio.  What fun we are going to have !?!     Gari

Linking to Patchwork Times.

It’s Beginning to Look Like a Sweater

I finished the fronts this week and then I joined them with the mattress stitch.  I went to Very Pink Knits to watch her video on how to do the mattress stitch before I began.  I have to say that internet education has been great. 




























Here you can see it from the sides.  I don’t have to stitch the sides until I have the sleeves knit and sewn onto the shoulder area. 






When DH came in to see what I was doing all he said was “then you still have to tuck in those strings, huh?”  Guess my work is not as impressive as I think it is. 













I started the sleeves as soon as I got the other parts put together.  They will be about 18”, eventually.  I had hoped to get this sweater done by the end of October and now it appears I will make it without a problem.  So I slowed down a little and have begun cleaning out some of the furniture in the studio so I can move those things out and make room for the rearrangement.





I kind of ignored these socks but have now started the heel.  With any luck they should be done next week and a new pair be on the needles.

In September I also took breaks by knitting dish/wash cloths.  I use several of them and have backups for when I wear the other’s out.  Aren’t they colorful.  I have two more balls of yarn and then I will be on the lookout for new ones.





I am amazed at how knitting has taken up so much of my time.  Just a little over a year ago I was unable to knit at all and just look at me know.  And after looking at me check out the other knitters at Patchwork Times.  Then get ready for a fun filled weekend.   Gari