Mid November

And we have lift off!  I started on the quilting!  I don't have a table that I can sink the machine into, so I have some hokey way and boosting the quilt next to the machine to keep it from pulling away from the needle. Not pretty, but it does the job. Sorta.

Machine all set up

Machine quilting

I wound 4 bobbins. I think this project will need 7 or 8 bobbins of thread. I am not quilting that close, so it will go quicker. I hope. 

Mini Mittens

Close up

 I have been knitting these tiny mittens. I usually give them away as gifts. They make perfect ornaments. I ran out of people to give them to, so decided to make a strand of them to use for a winter decoration. I use the leftover bits of sock yarn. They are fun to knit and cute!

Pretty Photograph

At our family cabin we have some flowers planted. Mostly columbine. Years ago my parents had planted Holly Hocks.  They took over and eventually my Dad tried to get rid of them. This summer there was one lone Holly Hock trying to get a foot hold in the rocks. I chose to let it grow. It came late in the season, so this was the only blossom on the plant. I hope it tries to come back next year. I have always loved the Holly Hocks. But I will be careful not to let them spread.

Linking to:

Sarah

Nina-Marie

TGIFF

Beth

Judy

First Snow

It has been a crazy week.  So focused on the news that I didn't get much done until Sunday.  And Score! I finally got the wedding quilt basted. We had moved to a smaller home several years ago. Downsizing has been difficult, I am still working on that issue. One thing I miss most about the previous house was the large peninsula kitchen counter.  I used it to baste quilts. It was a good height, easy on my back.  In this house I have little counter space.  We also have a much smaller dining table and now it is an oval. I have used my white plastic folding table, but it is narrow and tricky to baste a large quilt. 

Basting on the bed

So my solution has been to put the cardboard cutting mat on my bed and baste on there. Not ideal. I don't have floor space to try that, so the bed it is. It is hard on my back. And I can kneel for the edges.

Adding the top

Instead of starting in the middle and working out I start on one side and work my way towards the other side.

The other side

And then I finish off the bottom of the quilt since it is longer than the cutting board.  Pretty much my procedure is to smooth the back, smooth the batting over it, smooth the top. Pin the area on the cardboard. Shift the pinned area off the edge of the bed. Peel back the batting and top. Smooth the backing, smooth the batting over it and then smooth the top. For the most part I get a good baste. It works well for an edge to edge quilting design. 

I hope to get the quilting done this week. I would really like to get this in the mail to the happy couple by Thanksgiving. 

Last week I had someone ask if I had knit anything with my handspun yarn. I knit a hat. It was supposed to be for me and I found I was running out of yarn. So I raveled it and knit it smaller as a gift for my granddaughter.  Note the hokey, no model available photograph below. Link to rav project page Dalki .

Dalki

 

And here is my pretty photograph for the post, snow this morning!

Snow in Kanab

Linking to:

Beth

Judy

Jen

Nina-Marie

Sarah

 

Best Laid Plans

Last week I made the goal of opening the tub with the lingering wedding quilt.  I did. Just now.  Sigh. It has been that kind of week. I did get a lot of other things accomplished. I cleaned out my closet and chest of drawers. Also the tubs of old/smaller clothes that were out in the workshop. It was a 4 day job. I have a large box to go to the hospital thrift shop, a large stack of t-shirts that I will make a t-shirt quilt for myself, and another tub full of clothing too tattered to give away which will become rags. 

Proof of the wedding quilt

1980's sweater

A main reason for doing that long delayed chore is that I have lost some weight this year. I am now able to fit into some of the smaller clothes that I had stored away. One of the items I found was this sweater. I started knitting in the mid 80's and my first sweater turned out with the stitches twisted. I don't have a photo of that one, but I do have the sweater and it fits! I then went to a knitting book and looked carefully at the illustrations on how to wrap the yarn properly. It worked, no more twisted stitches. This is the second sweater I knit for myself. I made Sweetie a matching sweater, but the colors are reversed. His main color is the dark brown. I am thrilled that I can fit into this favorite sweater again!

Mr. Kromski

I also rearranged the some furniture and was able to clear out a better space for my spinning wheel. It had been next to the loveseat and got bumped frequently. And knocked over a few times. I have been spinning this lovely Lavender Fields fiber, dyed by Dandelions and Daisies.

Lavender Fields

 The color in this photograph is not accurate. But it is closer to real life in the photograph below.

Almost done!

I am planning on chain plying this, I want to see how it will look with a multicolor dyed fiber. So far I have only chain plied natural fibers. I think I can fit the last of the fiber on this bobbin. 

Paria

Saturday Sweetie and I took a little outing to Paria Townsite. The turnoff is about 35 miles west of our town and then about 6 miles on a dirt road. The town is gone. The last of the buildings burned several years ago. The mountain is very unique and beautiful. This is my pretty photograph for the week.

Linking to:

Beth

Judy

Sarah

Nina-Marie

Sew Joy

Susan

Alysia