Monthly Archives: January 2014
“Pretty in Pink” is a pattern I tested for the Quilt Pattern Magazine, which is an on-line magazine. It is a great quilt for learning to miter and I love the way it turned out. It is 53.5″ square and yes, it does have the artist’s signature.
I loved putting the signature on with the embroidery machine because one would have to destroy the binding to get it off. However there are permanent markers one could use. I would suggest that you test the one you would use before using it. And when you test, be sure to wash the piece as well to know that it won’t ruin the quilt later.
2014
01/14
Category:
Life
COMMENTS:
Comments Closed
Today my plan was to do some embroidery. I may yet, but in the meantime, I had a lesson in patience. It went this way: Yesterday, my keyboard had several letters that would not type, noticeable the “h” and “k. Now the “k” I might be able to get around, but do you realize how many words have an “h”. So I popped some of the letters off the board to remove an incredible amount of dust and possibly food crumbs, put the keys back on and I was in business for the rest of yesterday. Today, however, the keyboard refused to give me several of the letters I wanted. So I gave up trying to fix it and went to Office Depot. By now, I have used up the morning.
I brought the dogs into the house as they are real escape artist – at least until we can get the pasture fence repaired. Then I went to the store, bought the new keyboard and came home. Unfortunately, dogs had been let out of the house and Lacey zoomed out of the gate right behind my coming in. So I retrieved her and went to plug in my new keyboard. Guess what! The “h” didn’t work. Back to the store and had them check it. It worked just fine for them. Home again, I used a different USB port and YEAH!
A good deal of time can be spent acquiring good food so that the fiber coming off the animals has quality. We use organically grown feeds when our pasture is not adequate which is about 4.5 months of the year. Our pasture starts returning in March.
Half of this feed is for chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys (no, I don’t use them for fiber, but hey, they are excellent at bug control. And did you know that ducks are also great at worm control. The alpacas goat and sheep get the other half. Then Sunday I’ll get the feed for the angora rabbits.
2014
01/13
Category:
Life
COMMENTS:
Comments Closed
The Pyrenees love to be combed and compete for the attention. This time of year, the combings give rough and thin hair, so I don’t save them. The undercoat in the spring is wonderfully soft. My plan is to spin some of this past year’s fiber later this month. I think I’ll spin it alone and then decide whether to ply with another fiber.
I started this quilt for my mother-in-law a few years ago, but she passed before I got it quilted, so it went into a ufo pile where it lived until just before Christmas, when I finally quilted it. Then it went back to wait until now. Today I squared it up and put the binding on. It is finished! Tomorrow it will get washed and laid out to dry so the binding will be straight.
This is called the BQ pattern and I love it for large pieces that I don’t want to cut up.
Now I’ll go work on supper and then knit for awhile on the socks.
I decided on “sock it to me” yarn, color:puzzle, by Elann Co. It is a superwash wool with 25% nylon so they will be able to go through the regular laundry. I really enjoy my all wool socks, but it is nice to have a few pair of these for around the farm. I’m wearing out the first pairs I made about 10 years ago, so need to make 3 or 4 pair to replace them.
Here are the started socks. I am working both socks at the same time on two needles. That way, when I’m done, they are both the same size. and ready to be worn.
Today is a beautiful sunny day, but froze last night, which means bunnies need water dishes instead of bottles The dogs must think spring is coming as we will be expecting Great Pyrenees pups in about 9 weeks. It also means fence repair as they have been getting out of different pastures.
Happily for the last two days I’ve reached the 10,000 step mark on the fitbit and looks like I will again today.
As for the blogging, this is a real process!. One that has consumed to much of the last days. So for now, we’ll move on to projects. Eventually you will find a button to see yarn in and yarn out as well as the same for fabric. For now I’ll send you over to Judy’s blog where you can see what others are doing in those departments. And soon I will put up a list of BOMS that I’m following, though it seems I get myself on overload there as well.
Fortunately the ufos are all in the quilt list. January’s goals are here.
Today I am working on Bonnie Hunter’s Celtic Solstice quilt top in a baby size.
I’m also trying to learn a cast on for toe up socks.
I’d love to hear how your are doing with your goals. Are you working ufos, leaning new techniques or ?