Finished Something!

Really! See? I have been stash busting on yarn along with the fabric. I have been knitting a lot of sox. This pair was made with Lion Brand Superwash. Ugly colored soxs. But in the winter they will be inside shoes/boots so who cares? Sadly, I still have a lot more sock yarn. In fact after I finish the pair I'm currently working on (more Lion Brand) I will switch to a cotton. When I use the cotton I was thinking of working it up with a wooly nylon as a second strand. Anyone tried this? Does it help the 100% cotton sock hold its shape?

On a quilting note. About a year ago Auntie gave me her old sewing machine. It hadn't been cleaned or tuned-up in a long, long while. I took it into my favorite sewing repair shop and had it cleaned and now it runs right along. Quite loud, though. I'm not really used to all the noise. So I'm trying to set this machine up to use for FMQ. It has a dial for regulating the pressure on the foot: good. The feed dogs don't lower but there is a plate the covers them: good. It has a darning capability: good. Pressure foot -- darning, spring, anything? : nope not good. I checked the book (yes. The book is in pristine condition. Thanks Auntie!). The book has an example of darning using the regular pressure foot. Hmmm. There is also an illustration for free-motion embroidery showing the fabric in a hoop with no darning foot. I made a quilt sandwich to practice on and I was able to quilt about 3" without a foot and hoop. But then the thread broke. On the second try it started to skip. I tried with the regular foot -- in fact I tried all the feet that came with the machine -- but none of the feet allowed the quilt sandwich to glide. I came to the conclusion that I really need a darning pressure foot or spring to keep the fabric from raising up with the needle. I suppose it's time to check eBay. I wish my local sewing machine dealer were open today. *sigh* This machine is a Singer Creative Touch 1036. Did I mention how loud it is? I am just trying to save some wear and tear on Bernina by setting this up. I'll keep you informed on my progress.

On another note, I have a new (to me) car. I was driving a 1995 Ford Windstar, that I really hated. The thing was a piece of junk (to put it mildly) and was starting to cost a lost of money in repairs. So the CarGuy and I found a 2003 Grand Prix to replace it. It fits the bill nicely. Can you tell that to me a car is just transportation? In fact, my other mode of transportation is my bicycle that I ride back and forth to work everyday. 10 miles round trip. But as much as I would like to ride my bike everywhere, it is not feasible to go to Denver-town on it and I need to go there about 2-3 times per month to assist Auntie. My vehicle really doesn't get a lot of driving other than that. CarGuy just shakes his head. He doesn't understand why I don't feel the attachment to a vehicle like he does. Guess it's a Venus/Mars thing.