Knitting, Car Trip Projects

On long car trips I like to knit. We typically drive a very long day to see my in-laws for our second Christmas, ie New Years. This year, my knitting project was the Rose Hill Hat.

I was so excited to find Malabrigo yarn at my local, favorite yarn shop. I bought the blue/brown colorway, chunky, georgous! I stopped on my way home from work, parked in a semi-legal spot and tried to be quick. Well, chunky was not the right weight. So I went back to get the right, worsted weight. It was a family outing to Fancy Tiger. My girls were so excited about the bright colors and neat textures! I let them pick some yarn for their own hat. They picked a deep, purple and a striking magenta.

The hat knitted up really well. I learned a new stitch, the bobble, and learned how to shape the top of the hat. The instructions on House on Hill Road were excellent, easy to follow. I modified the instruction slightly to make hats for the girls - they are 3.5 years old. I knit their hats on a single long needle (instead of round needles), decreased the number of stitches cast-on, and knit two at once. There is a seam but the look is almost the same as the hat I knit for myself. My niece's birthday is coming up soon. She watched me knit the girls hats and I think she needs one too.

Merry Christmas and trying new things

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We did!

I have been holding on to my African fabric for a long time now. The colors are bold and the patterns so distinctive that they do not blend easily into my usual quilt patterns and colorways. So, I held on to the fabric but have noticed some really clever ways to use prints like these. Kelli used some of her stash for a really cute blanket just recently. She encouraged me to get out the scissors!

The cloth I chose for this first experiment is called Homme Boubou (French: homme = man: boubou = a boubou is a traditional dress for muslim men in West Africa). I fussy cut the men either solo or with a pal. The shapes are rectangles. I used a solid black to make a border. On some I used 2 inch borders. On others I wonkified (a new word) the homme boubou. On yet others, I wonkified the black frame. I used a bright, multi-colored pattern for the outer border. I made one strip just to see how they might go together. I'm not yet sure how they will all go together but it will probably work out.

I find that cutting and sewing without a pattern is more stressful than using a pattern. I am conscious of wasting fabric and thinking a head to "what could I do with this little bit?" So far, I am saving all the little scraps just in case. I worry that the shapes will not come together nicely. I think I worry too much. I've been holding on to this cloth for 15+ years. It is time. It is time to try something new.

Tabitha Bag

I fell in love with the Tabitha Bag and ordered the pattern from Flossie Teacakes. I asked and received timely advice about fabric to use. The pattern was easy to follow and I am pleased with the result. I started another one right away with a neat red paisley pattern as the inset pleats.

In other crafty news I am hand quilting a quilt with prairie stars that I blogged about a while back. I am sewing some cute jumpers for my girls that I might possibly finish by Thanksgiving. Pictures to follow.

Recently I have really enjoyed House on Hill Road. She has great book recommendations, cool crafts, and a fun tradition for her girls' birthdays.

Inspiration All Around Me

I just finished these two doll blankets for my girls. I was totally inspired by Crazy Mom Quilts (http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com). AmandaJean had a quilt along earlier this summer making these cute 9-patch quilts. I loved the idea of making a special something for my kids to surprise them on vacation like Flossie Teacakes (http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.com/) (scroll back to when she was on holiday). The fun part was the girls watched me make the blankets and would say "that is so cute!" They don't know they are the intended recipients.

Another inspiration came from Tallgrass Prairie Studio (http://www.tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/). Jacquie posted about Iraqui Bundles of Love. She linked to the blog of a gal whose husband is serving in Iraq. He will return home soon but, like many inspired by Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, is striving to make a difference. He is collecting donations of fabric and yarn to provide to Iraqis who sew and knit. Follow the links from Tallgrass Prairie - she and he make it very easy! Time is of the essence, there is a 9-7-09 deadline to meet his departure and end of Ramadan. I mailed my box on Tuesday. While the thought of helping someone who may have killed an American soldier freaks me out, the thought that one small box of fabric might, in some small way, prevent an Iraqi from killing/hating/negative feelings about Americans in the future pushed me over the edge to send my box. After a lot of thought, I selected red, white and blue cloth from my stash.

Free Motion Quilting - still learning the basics

I bought a quilting foot and immediately used it on a baby blanket. I did a simple stipling pattern as this was my very first time using the new foot. On the back I noticed some oddities - the front side stitches were pulling through to the back creating a centipede sort of look. I emailed Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studio for help. She asked for a picture. My camera is not good at capturing closeup so I drew a hand sketch. She also suggested it might be a tension problem. Thanks for the suggestion Jacquie! I think she's right so I will try to figure out how to correct it. The top came out fine, BTW - (just don't look at the back, hee-hee-hee).

PS - here is the finished quilt. Thanks for the advice, Kim. I need to get better about making time to test new techniques instead of plowing ahead.

26 Aprons on the Wall

I made 26 aprons as gifts for the Board Members of my Twins Club. What an accomplishment! The color scheme deliberately coordinates with the Rockies colors: purple, black, and silver. I took some license with those colors and made sure the material was also cute. All 26 are unique.

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is the story of a man who found his purpose in life is to raise money and build schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afganistan. Not back in the day when Pakistan and Afganistan were unknown, romantic, vast spaces of beauty and interesting people - but right now in the midst of wars, terrorism, and politics.

He literally stumbled into a village in the mid-1990s after an attempt at K2 and spent some time there recovering. After regaining his health, he also learned the local language, was befriended by the village chief, and promised to build a school. The book tells the story of his journey and his drive to build schools for girls and boys in places that had none. I liked this book because it gives me hope that someday things might get better in corners of the world that I previously had not heard of. It is a good read.