16 September 2008

I'm still a quilter

but lately it doesn't seem like it does it? I have been just itching to work on a quilt, any quilt. But other things have been taking precedence. Things like getting the blouses finished for Auntie, and paperwork, garden cleanup and putting up produce. I did finish four out of five blouses for Auntie. The fifth? Let's just say that the slickery fabric got the better of me. I got to the stage of adding the buttons and realized that no way was it ever going to lay flat on her collar bone and that I did not like it and she probably would not like it. So I wadded it up in disgust and threw it into the trash. I would show you photos of the ones I did finish but they look terrible on the hangers because of the extra fabric across the shoulder blades the the disparate length of the front versus the back. But they look great on her!

You know my sewing room is in the basement, right? I have been trapping bugs and crickets using the duct tape method: a strip of the tape on the floor sticky side up with a dog food kibble in the center. It has been working very well. I've been lazy and have not replaced the bug filled tape rapidly enough. Now I notice that something is emptying it for me. It might be a mouse and that I can catch. What I think it is, is a garden snake. Much harder to catch. I am going to bait a duct tape trap again and then sprinkle some flour around it so I can at least see tracks. I am also going to stop at the hardware store for some mouse traps. I want a cat. But CarGuy is adamant about no more animals. Boo hoo. So for now, I am spooked when I go into my sewing room.

I've been knitting up a storm. Maybe I should stop. During my non-stop knit-athon we have had three hurricanes in the the south east. I bought some lace blocking wires and love 'em! The shawls and scarves I've been knitting look so much nicer now that I can block them correctly. A local hospital put out a call for baby hats so I am knitting up small hats. They are so cute and small they look like they would fit a dolly. For me, knitting is so highly portable.

The mosaic is of recently completed woolen knitted items. The purple is a Smoke Ring. Not quite like the pattern as I only had two 50gr balls of yarn. The mitts are the ever enduring Fetching from knitty.com. The green scarf is Column of Leaves. I love, love, love this and if you knit it, remember that blocking makes a world of difference. The hat is a sample I made for Woolen Treasures Yarn Shop. The owner supplied the yarn and I knitted up the hat using the Wavy Gravy pattern.

I hope to have quilt content next time I post. Promise.

8 comments:

  1. Crickets drive me crazy. So do mice and we get both in the house this time of year. Snakes...THat's even worse. Thank goodness we have none of those yet. How will you catch a snake????

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  2. You sewing room sounds like kind of a scary place to be right now. :~) Best stick to the knitting until you have gotten rid of all creepy pests!

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  3. And to think that the crickets weren't the worst of your problems. Hmmm...

    The knitting projects shown are beautiful, each and every one.

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  4. weather is turning here and I am thinking about knitting. finished a shawl which was a little shorter than I wanted but will do for the office. MUST remember to knit gauge,(i'm a lazy girl!).

    thinking about hats and mittens now.

    you are a real hunter!! can't wait to see what the flour reveals, hopefully nothing too scary!

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  5. Thanks for the info about the blocking wires, I was just looking at them today. I just read that the best natural way to get rid of crawlies is corn starch, but if it gets wet sweep it up and put dry down. They eat it and then can't digest it and die, or something along these lines.
    Mice, I have to go with the traps, but I tell my hubby that's why I got married, I don't want to know how he takes care of that.
    Good luck
    Vicki

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  6. Crickets are a nuisance but not terrible unless you step on one in the dark, barefoot....I have - yuck! Mice can be destructive and unclean, but a snake - oh, my.

    One little kitty would solve all your problems. Maybe CarGuy needs to take a look at Petfinder.com. Anyone's heart would open up to those photos.

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  7. An unknow critter in the sewing room - yikes! I think I would be doing a lot of knitting too until the mystery could be solved!

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  8. Awck! Snakes, mice and crickets? Sounds like you have a little food chain going on there, but the snake needs to get busy and hold up his end of the job, and then split!! Yikes! My cats eat mice and crickets. :) Snakes would be great fun for them too. Perhaps you could get a male, preferably an orange tabby...Car-Guy might go along with another guy in the house.

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