Thursday, July 21, 2016

Country Quilt Footstool Caddy, Blackwork Chessboard, Bright Feathers, Hand Towel, Potholder

Finishing:

I finished the 1st binding strip of the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor and started on the 2nd.



Quilting:

I finished my potholder. This is the last of these pocket potholders made from wonky old blocks.




Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel.



Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.



Crochet:

Finally, I did some more work on the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom.


Friday, July 15, 2016

Hand Towels, Blackwork Chessboard, Old Mill Pond, Rose Cross, Dolphins' Domain, Potholders

Finishing:

I did some more work on the 1st binding strip of the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor.



Quilting:

I did some more work on the 6th block of Old Mill Pond by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts.



I finished the first binding strip on my potholder and started on the 2nd.




Knitting:

I finished my hand towel. You can really see that Dishie (grey) is not equivalent to a worsted weight (blue & purple, Sugar 'n Cream); it's a lot thinner.



I also started another towel. I used a smaller needle and cast on a few more stitches to accommodate Dishie's lighter weight, and it looks a lot better.



Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on The Dolphins' Domain designed by James Himsworth.



Finally, I also did some more work on the Rose Cross by Irene O. Thomas.


Thursday, July 7, 2016

Blackwork Chessboard, Old Mill Pond, Bright Feathers, Hand Towel, Potholder, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy

Finishing:

I did some more work on the 1st binding strip of the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor.


 
Quilting:

I sewed the sashing, cornerstones, and setting triangle to the 5th block of Old Mill Pond by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts and started on the 6th block.



I also did some more work on the first binding strip on my potholder.



Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.



Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel.



Crochet:

Finally, I did some more work on the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom.


Friday, July 1, 2016

Dolphins' Domain, Potholders, Plum Granny Ripple, Blackwork Chessboard, Bright Feathers, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy, Hand Towel, Old Mill Pond, Rose Cross

Before I show what I got done this past week, I want to offer a brief word of warning about Knit Picks' Dishie yarn. This is the first time I've used it (on the hand towel and footstool below), and so far it seems to be a good quality yarn. However, it's advertised as being worsted weight when it's actually a DK/sport weight.



In the photo above, the grey yarn is Dishie and the purple yarn is Sugar 'n Cream, a worsted weight cotton. As you can see, Dishie is a lot thinner than a typical worsted weight. I've found this to be the case with other Knit Picks yarns as well; they're high quality yarns, but the actual weight doesn't match the claimed weight. If you plan to use a Knit Picks yarn, I would advise ordering a small sample first to see what the yarn is actually like before ordering a whole project's worth.

Finishing:

I did some more work on the 1st binding strip of the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor



Quilting:

I finished piecing the 5th block of Old Mill Pond by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts.



I finally finished my potholder. Again, these potholders aren't my best work, but at least I've made something useful out of these wonky old blocks.




I also started the first binding strip on the last of these pocket potholders.



Cross Stitch:

I did some more work on my Bright Feathers design.



I did some more stitching on The Dolphins' Domain designed by James Himsworth.



I also did some more work on the Rose Cross by Irene O. Thomas.



Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel. When I finish this scrappy towel and do one entirely out of Dishie, I plan to switch to smaller needles.



Crochet:

I've started yet another new project. This one's the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom.  I couldn't find an image of this, but basically, you take a 5-gallon plastic bucket and cover it with padding and crochet. The lid has a pieced star pattern resembling a quilt block, and the bucket is covered in a ribbed fabric in a solid color. I'll be making some adjustments to the pattern so that the crochet pieces can be removed from the bucket and washed. The way the pattern's written, the padding and crochet pieces are glued to the bucket, so washing it would be difficult, and I will definitely want to wash any item that I put my feet on on a regular basis. I'll probably also need to make adjustments to fit my bucket; I seriously doubt that the things are standarized and this pattern is 15 years old.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to get my gauge with Dishie given that the pattern calls for worsted weight and Dishie's more of a DK, but I got it first try and the yarn seems to working well for this project.



Finally, I did a little more crocheting on the ripples on Plum Granny Ripple by Janie Herrin and wove in some ends.