April/May 2023: Lost in Time

Wow! Has it been this long since I posted? I thought I did one in March but it is nowhere to be found. 😑

So what have I been doing? 

Crocheting Project Linus blankets

Knitting Fur Lined Reversible Cowls

I’ve also been quilting but I can’t get a photo because it’s been raining  A LOT!  Here it is only mid-May and we have more than our normal moisture. So the quilts will have to wait for a later time  

February 2023

 

I got another hat for the homeless finished. This is made with Lion Brand Landscapes yarn. 1 skein.

I started a blanket for Project Linus twice before realizing that this yarn was telling me it wanted to be a shawl. Isn't it cute with that ruffle?

The yarn is Lion Brand Landscapes yarn worsted. This shawl used 3 skeins of 100gr each.

And two more blankets for Project Linus. One incorporates a shell stitch and the other is a corner to corner crochet pattern the yarn is a single ply acrylic from Turkey and I am glad to get it out of the stash.

I've been pin basting quilts in prep for quilting. Can you believe that I had 9 in the queue? The vintage top was given to me and is requiring a lot of work before the basting can commence. Along the line, someone washed it and the back was a snarl of ravels. Some places need reinforcing or new stitching along the seams. There aren't enough problems to set it aside, however, so I am continuing.

January 2023

The final Christmas for this tree. I really like the shape and height (7') but it was all I could do to get it up the basement stairs. I told DH that we need to get a new, shorter (and therefore lighter) tree for me to get up the stairs. Thank goodness, my daughter-in-law said that she would like it. My son wasn't too happy because now they have two trees. But they have a big enough house for them!
 

I’ve been doing a lot of knitting and crocheting for donations. Mainly blankets for Project Linus. This was a nice change. The pattern is Fur Lined Reversible Cowl and it allowed me to use up some of the specialty yarn on hand. I did a provisional cast-on so I could graft the lining and outer portion together. 

 

At this month's Project Linus meeting the regional leader asked me to hem this trash bag full of  'fleece' on my serger. It turns out that the 'fleece' was actually double sided fake fur. Ugh. Fake fur sheds all over when it is cut. So I MacGyvered something similar to what wood workers use to suck up the sawdust they generate. This is a serger sewing machine with the tube from a shop vac duct taped to it. The suction from the shop vac was so good that I didn't even have to guide the cut off to it. This took care of the majority of the shedding. 

And I made pizza! I finally found a wonder yeast pizza dough recipe for the bread machine. The husband said it was the best pizza I have made!

A blogging friend in Maine mentioned that she was cold in the house, so I knitted these for her.

And another Project Linus blanket using 3 of the Lionbrand Mandela yarn cakes and the blanket stitch.

Last but not least, a hat for the homeless.

December 2022

 Last post of the year! We had a wonderful, if late, Christmas celebration. DH and I were both ill with that dreadful head/chest cold and felt it better to postpone until Dec 30. It was a wise decision. It was great to see the kids and grands and exchange gifts.

I've been using my old, faithful serger. I used it so much it had to go into the shop not only for a tuneup but repair on the upper looper post. I found an addition use for a child's car seat. It is great to transport my serger.

Do you save your empty spools? I don't know why I do, but it is satisfying to look at how many are used up. I can now throw them away.

And another Project Linus blanket is ready to go. We have a bit of snow and it was difficult to get a good picture of it. But here you go.

November 2022

It has been a wonderful, busy month. I've been taking care of a grandson twice a week. I pick him up from pre-school and then we do art and crafty things or we go to a park. Our goal is to hit every park with a playground in our town. He is a delight to have around!

I finished this afghan for Project Linus. It used up a skein of 4 different colors of blue. This is crocheted.
 

 

And here is another crocheted afghan. This is an old fashioned pattern of zigzag that I modernized by using only black and white. It used 2 skeins of each color.

The family came for Thanksgiving and we all had a good time. But the grand-kids (like all kids) were saying "I'm bored". But they didn't want to go outside on a lovely day. What I think they were angling for were electronics. But they were able to make it for a couple of hours without their electronics or friends.

October 2022

We have had a spectacularly long fall! The leaves have been so vibrant and have stayed on the trees much longer than usual. I took this picture this morning and right now the wind has come up and the majority of them are now on the ground. Timing is everything.

I've been doing some garment sewing. To use up the shorter lengths of tshirt fabric in the fabric stash, I've been sewing tshirts for the Grandkids. I've made 6 so far. Here are the latest 3:

Last year, the 4 year old used to through his hands in the air and say "It's a MYSTERY!" whenever he didn't know something. Too funny.

Still working on Project Linus blankets. 

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft; 945 yardsNeedles: US size 8
Size: 30x36"
Pattern: Sunny Blanket by Lucie Sinkler (from Ravelry.com)
Size: 30x36"

I really like this pattern. I must since I've made 7 of them!

 Do you listen to audiobooks? I do when I'm sewing or doing something boring. I recently finished "Where The Crawdads Sing". Here is the blurb from Goodreads: 

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.

Me: What a good book!

September 2022

Covid has left the building around here. I just have a lingering cough. And that, I found out, is due to a sinus infection. Talking around to friends, it seems that there is a secondary infection after Covid. Be careful out there.

The crocheted baby blankets are piling up because I haven't had the energy to go to a meeting. Also, I didn't want to expose anyone else.

 

This is a simple fan stitch that works up quickly.

I had two different skeins of Lionbrand Mandala yarn that were similar in colors: Brownie and Warlock. Using a linen stitch (1sc, ch) makes a softer, drapey blanket.  

At my Friday group, I was given some ugly green/gold upholstery fabric. I brought it home and made 10 grocery bags from it. I have a pattern that I drew up that I really like. It's not too big so the bagger can't stuff it too full for our old people shoulders. LOL!

At the same time I was given a length of double-sided prequilted fabric. I cut it in half for 2 Project Linus quilts. I found the perfect binding fabric in my stash! As I was working on it, I realized how musty it smelt. When I washed it, I added a cup of baking soda to the wash and voila! the smell was gone.