Eggcellent

First off, thank you guys for any and all comments you've left! I've discovered that since I switched to the new blogger, every comment I've received says "no reply" for email. Aaack! I usually try to email anyone who comments, but this has added just enough of an extra step to the process that I've really failed with the email lately.

I did a little test, and discovered that my profile also was producing "no reply" for email. I had to change my profile so that "show my email address" was checked, and now I think I've fixed this issue for myself. So, if you're leaving comments on folks blogs and not getting email, check out your own profile and see what it says.

I wish I could say I've finished umpteen fabulous things to show you, but alas this is not the case. Things like cub scout stuff, helping children with (insert anything here), having a sick child etc. have lowered my productivity. However, today I won a whole wack of Swarovski crystal flatback rhinestones. Go to Jerry's Beads to enter and win some yourself. There is irony here! At Monday night's Knit Knight some classy folks were discussing/questioning the whole bedazzling thing after I (jokingly) suggested that Jody's skull bag and needle case could benefit from red rhinestones in some of those eye sockets. I'm not one to put crystals on quilts, but they are kind of fun to put (sparingly) on note cards, Christmas ornaments, little boxes etc. (Or even needle cases.)

So what's so eggcellent about this post? There's no school today, so we've had a little egg dyeing, and I've thrown in some crocuses.

Springing Forward

Sunday I went over to Frederick to check out the Rose Hill Manor Quilt Show. Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when I realized that I'd won Best of Show with Grotto. I'm still pinching myself!

The crocuses started blooming on Tuesday. Then it snowed on Wednesday (yesterday). Oh well, I've always wanted to take pictures of crocuses blooming in the snow.

Tuesday

Wednesday

School was cancelled (???). I won't question the wisdom of the School Board as I'm sure they had good intentions. It did afford me the opportunity to make some eggs ala Martha with the able assistance of at least one of my children. My workspace looked a little messier than Martha's but I'm pleased with the end result. Note that I haven't applied a coat of Mod Podge to the outside yet to seal them.

Origami covered eggs

As you might guess we have a little more fabric lying around here than fancy origami paper, so I tried out some of that as well.

Fabric covered egg - ostracized by the other eggs because it isn't as smooth as them

The fabric egg looks OK, but I prefer the origami ones. It was harder to get the fabric to lie flat. This particular fabric was hand painted and I think that helped to keep it from fraying during the gluing process.

I made a very cute tote bag last week to give to a 7 year old girl for her birthday. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it as the camera was already with Team Doran Racing (at the Pinewood Derby) by the time I finished up the tote. (Aside: I'm finally hip and cool enough to have a camera on my phone, but not hip and cool enough to remember I have it.) Anyway, it was so fun and fast that I'll probably be making another one for an upcoming little girl's birthday and I'll be sure to take a picture of that one.

Happy Spring!

Raspberry Vest

Here's a better picture of my raspberry vest. (No qualified photographers were in house, so I had to do it myself.)

We're still on First Crocus Watch. The neighbors across the street (on the sunny side) have lots blooming, so I'm hoping we'll have one soon with this balmy 56 degree weather.

Have a great weekend!

Lorelei

My neurotic point matching on my quilt means I need a stress buster. Lorelei is it! Here's an in progress pic.

I'm using Gedifra Korfu (discontinued) and love it - it has a lovely sheen. Lorelei is from Lisa Shobhana Mason's book Yarnplay. The great thing about this knit is I can pick it up and knit a row while waiting for a child to put on his shoe or do his homework, and I'm seeing real progress on it. I'm about a third of the way through the bottom section and I haven't really sat down and knit on it for any extensive periods of time.

We're officially on First Crocus Watch here now that it's March 1. I'll be sure to alert the media when it's found.

Tempus Fugit

February - nearly gone! How did that happen?

We've had quite a few snow days and delayed openings in the last few weeks, and that certainly accounts for some of it.

Yesterday's pretty snow on branches out front

It's just seemed like a very busy month. Back in November I started a vest that I wasn't sure I'd follow through on. And yet it's done! It's a combination of Winter 2004 Vogue Knitting's Striped V-Neck Vest (obviously I didn't do stripes) and ChicKnits MondoCable.

It's the best I've ever done at making a knitted garment that fits, so I'll have to get another shot of me modeling it before too long. I made it using Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool in raspberry. It took almost exactly 500 yards.

I've been matching points. Lots of points. The deadline of the IQA show is earlier this year, and I'm not sure I'm going to make it because of the time it's taking to match the points - but it will be worth it in the end whenever it is complete.

The Rose Hill quilt show is coming up so I dropped a quilt off in Frederick on Saturday. It's an enjoyable show so stop on by either March 2-4 or 9-11. More details are in the link.

Bee Mine

A few years ago I challenged myself to make Valentine's cards for my husband using non-traditional Valentine's imagery. I made several Valentines, all small squares, and custom made envelopes to fit. Here are pictures of two of the cards.

Inside this one just says "Mine".

This one says "You are Simply Delicious".

Here's an example of one of the envelopes. Each was labeled differently. I think I placed them around the house where he'd find them when he was getting ready for work.

Recognize the background in the photos? I finished My So Called Scarf.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Greenbelt Courthouse Quilt Exhibit

A quilt exhibit at a courthouse? It might sound a little unusual, but it's a wonderful venue.

My friends Ann Kelsall and Hilke Reid Hoefer, along with a group of volunteers, have once again organized and hung a wonderful exhibit at the Greenbelt Federal Courthouse. There are 74 quilts, at least 18 of which are art quilts. The show is already up and will hang until the first week of April. The courthouse is open from 10:00 to 5:00 daily, and the guards are accustomed to folks stopping by to check out the quilts.

This is the 5th year for this exhibit and the largest group of quilts yet. The courthouse has beautiful architecture that really lends itself to a quilt exhibit. I have two quilts in the show this year - Tangle and Luna. No photography is allowed so I can't show you the exhibit - you'll just have to check it out for yourself!

Road to California

And Other Stuff

So, what have I been doing?

I won a blue ribbon in the Abstract Art Quilt category at Road to California for Grotto - yippeee!

(Always hard to believe I've really won until I see the ribbon.)

I read two books - Darcy's Story and The Other Boleyn Girl. Darcy's Story was OK. I read The Other Boleyn Girl for book club. (If anyone in my book club sees that I hope they haven't fallen over from shock. My rep is that I wait until 24 hours before the meeting, scramble to find the book, then read really fast. It works for me.) Normally I don't have much opportunity to spend large chunks of time reading, but I enjoyed the book enough to carve out some time for this one.

I've walked or used the elliptical trainer for 30 miles worth of exercise. I'm unofficially tagging along with the runagogo along.

I went on a big date with my husband to see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin at the Kennedy Center. My sister-in-law gave me tickets for Christmas and the seats were great. I haven't been to a grown up theater production in ages, and the performance was absolutely wonderful. Another enchanting part of the day was driving through Rock Creek Park on the way to the play just as the snow started to fall. The woods were stunning, and I wish I'd had my camera and time to take some pictures.


Knitting - almost none. Apparently knitting nearly non stop for over six hours in a hospital waiting room can dampen my enthusiasm. We did, however, have the photo shoot for my completed Ribby Cardi.


Specs:
Ribby Cardi designed by the lovely Bonne Marie Burns

Size 36/37 - I really should have gone with the next smaller size - the sweater is slightly boxy on me (but I still love it). This is the first sweater I started, nearly two years ago, and I didn't realize that if I knit the smaller size the ribbing would accommodate the difference between my waist and hips.

Yarn Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool . I found the yarn easy to work with, and slightly itchy when the sweater was complete. Washing the sweater with some (hair) conditioner in the water softened it right up, and I wear it all the time.

Started about February, 2005, knitting completed February, 2006 (with very long breaks), finishing done in December, 2006 with zipper inserted over Christmas. If I had knit continuously on it I'm sure I could've finished it within a month or so. Major props to Sarah - if I hadn't seen her seaming up her sister's Ribby I don't know that I would've gotten around to the finishing yet.

I think this is a great first sweater project, and, as everyone knows, Bonne Marie does a great job writing an easy to follow and accurate pattern. I wouldn't hesitate to make it again!

All's Well

... that ends well. My husband is doing great (well, he's a little sore). He had a radiofrequency ablation for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias that had become increasingly stressful. We're knocking on wood that they're all gone, and we can start the New Year right. Thanks for the notes of concern!

During the 6.5 hour procedure I had lots of time to knit. I must say that I was very thankful to have a meditative and relaxing pursuit to pass the time. I dabbled with some socks, worked on a scarf, and started and finished a Calorimetry.



I used Patons SWS, inspired by Coleen and Laura (though I haven't seen their creations in person, I trust their judgment).

The other thing that kept me occupied was listening to Cast On. I unexpectedly received an Ipod Nano for Christmas, but didn't have time to load it up before our travels. I hurriedly downloaded two episodes of Cast On and wished I'd loaded more - it was simply wonderful and made the wait time pass much more quickly.

Christmas on the Bayou

Choo Choo Bayou (I'm not making that name up).

After first having Santa arrive early (on the 23rd), then going over to my sister's house, we traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana via Houston on Christmas Eve. My mother-in-law's house, which flooded and had extensive tree damage during hurricane Rita, is still being repaired, so we stayed at a house next to Choo Choo Bayou (I just like to type that). The bayou is just beyond the palmetto in the picture below (you'll need to click on it to actually see the palmetto).


I've been to Lake Charles, my husband's hometown, dozens of times, but there are still aspects of it that charm me every time. One is the drive through daiquiri places, another is the possibility of seeing alligators.
If you're from Florida, South Texas, or Louisiana you're probably laughing at me, but for a girl from Maryland they never lose their exotic flair.
We visited my mother-in-law's house to check out the progress of the repairs. They're almost complete! I was concerned that all the trees behind her house were knocked down, but some small ones were still standing. The dead cypresses that I photographed many times in the past (and were the design source for Bayou Reflections) were knocked over, but still looked interesting to me in repose.

Obviously, no quilting got done, but I did manage to put a zipper in my Ribby Cardi and knit on My So Called Scarf. I'll have to wait until this weekend to get good photos of the Cardi.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments after my last post - things were terribly hectic before the trip so I haven't gotten to email all of you, but I really appreciated it.

On a very personal note, tomorrow my husband is having a "procedure" at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We're hoping and assuming that everything will go well and he'll be feeling much more himself afterwards, but any positive thoughts and prayers are welcome!

Next time hopefully I'll have some actual fiber content. Happy New Year!

Wrap It Up

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I've been sick twice, and we have other family health issues going on, so blogging just hasn't happened.

It's been unseasonably warm, and last week we had several very foggy mornings.
Then the sun started to come out.

What decorating we're doing is finished.

And we're trying to relax and enjoy the season.
I've baked a little, but strangely a troop of elves has appeared as soon as I finish, and the baked goods simply disappear.

I've tried to limit the number of hand made Christmas gifts this year to two cabled knit hats (nearly complete), so what's left is to finish up the wrapping, get those cards out the door, and pack for a trip to Louisiana.

I'll most likely be without internet access (say it ain't so!) between Christmas and New Year's, so I hope all of you have a blessed and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Scattershot

I'd hoped to finish a UFO of long standing this week, but I couldn't because the zipper I ordered from New York didn't arrive until Saturday. Instead I made this.

Oops! You can't see it because of the ornaments. Here it is.

Lamb's Pride Bulky, less than one skein. Based on the directions here but I added additional ribbing and didn't do as many decreases. It's a little snug, I'd use size 11's next time.

On an historical note, we bid a fond but very long overdue farewell to the Jeep. The Jeep was my husband's "signature" ride for many years.

You always knew which one was his by the bumper sticker.

My contribution to the blogsphere in terms of Christmas crafting: a Lutradur tree. Cut two identical trees, slit one down the center from the bottom to about an inch or two from the top, slit the other from the top down (an inch if you used an inch on the other, two if you choose that), put together and voila. If you click on the photo you'll see it's nice and shiny and transparent.


Finally, Mr. Fox returned, and was just outside the window - a screened window. I Photoshopped the picture up so you could see him better.

And yes, I'm still paper piecing at a slow but steady rate. I hope it's worth it in the end.

Interlude

The past several months have been fast paced to say the least. The last few days have been a lovely interlude - no soccer, cub scouts, parties, homework, etc. etc. Thanksgiving was at my sister's house so I only had to make some dishes to take there. It's been a time of much needed relaxation.

I finished my other Meathead hat the other day (Flickr group here). Here it is in all its lime green glory.

And here's a close up of the embellishment. It's a berry cluster with some peacock feathers.
Why do I have peacock feathers lying around in my house? Excellent question - discuss!

Thank you Paula for the suggestion of Opal sock yarn. The first pair of socks I made is also wool and nylon and doesn't itch me so I haven't given up hope.

I would love to hear any and everyone's opinion of the updated Blogger (beta). Should I change to it? What are the good and bad points? Thanks for any feedback.

I've been on a finishing spree so look for a finished object hopefully later this week!

Finishing Up

After all that party prep I was sure I'd just kick back and quilt last week. Wrongo! I've been just enough under the weather with sinus issues that I couldn't get into gear. Also, my unblogged broken toe (on my sewing foot) kept me from wanting to sew tooo badly. (No cast or anything - just bruising, swelling, and discomfort. It's mostly better now.) The bonus is that I've finished up some knits.

First up, socks for me in Elann Sock It To Me. Regrettably they make my ankles and legs itch. I'm hoping I can either get used to it, or maybe some 100% merino socks will work for me. Luckily I've got several of those on the needles.

Fetching, left and right. I added several more rows of cables at the wrist and used Karabella Aurora 8 (after seeing how nice Lauren's looked). Please forgive those photos - my in house photographers were too busy watching Scooby Doo to help me.

A Meathead hat. More of them can be seen on the Flickr group here. I also made a green one but haven't finished the embellishment yet. They use one skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky (doubled) and are a fun quick knit.

The felt flower is a felt (obviously) version of a paper poinsettia found in Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas (2006).

Finally, Coleen and Jenn both blogged about our stormy weather last week, and showed beautiful cloud pictures. I spent much of that day running around getting supplies to make another sand castle cake for someone else (finished on Saturday). Somehow I missed the clouds, but I did notice when the sun came out. Here's a picture I took through a screen window on the sunporch - the sparkles are raindrops on the screening.
I have countless things to be thankful for today and everyday. I hope all of you have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving Day no matter how you spend it.

End of the Season

The party's over - literally. My last birthday party post until next year! (You can breathe a sigh of relief now as we move forward to more quilt related content after today. Maybe some of my quilting friends will come back.)

The birthday boy had trouble settling on a theme, so 9 days pre-party I decided on dinosaurs and rushed the invitations out the door. I over invited a little, thinking some folks couldn't make it on short notice - instead we had twelve little attendees (including my three). In the end there were 27 people in my house - for me, this is quite the undertaking.

After some intensive googling, I came up with a few activities. One was to have small toy dinosaurs and "fossils" buried in sand for the little paleontologists to find and keep. Here the birthday boy is helping me make the fossils last week.

Recipe: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water. This was a little sticky, but adding too much flour will make them puff up. What worked for us was to put little piles of dough on the cookie sheet, make impressions with dinosaur feet, then bake at 325 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Some of the finished product.

This was so successful for us that we made additional fossils at the party (that I forgot to dole out to the guests after baking - oh well.)

Of course it rained the whole day of the party, so this was an indoor activity. We buried the dinosaurs and fossils in bins of sand. The aftermath is below. The fossils were more popular than the dinosaurs.

What's a party without a little science? I used the old baking soda/vinegar trick in tiny volcanoes made from film canisters with playdough around them. Each guest had their own volcano. We also went on an (indoor) dinosaur egg hunt. We put little dinosaurs in Easter eggs, then paraded around until the eggs were found. Bear in mind that 7 of the guests were three years old.

Since T-Rex's are the king of the dinosaurs (as I've been informed daily for several weeks) we had a sand castle cake. I found this idea at some cake site last year. The "sand" is brownulated sugar. You can put it on the frosting but then the frosting is sort of crunchy- bad mouth feel. The sea shells are melt and pour candy. I mixed white with just a touch of chocolate, then "painted" them with luster powder.

Fini!

Here's evidence that I still quilt. Look closely, and you'll see that the lights are on on the Bernina.

Stitches East

...And Other Knitting Related Content

I've done some piecing in the last week, but mostly it's been about the knitting and the kid related Halloween and school events.

I finished the pink sock for Socktober, but the other sock languished, in need of having the gusset stitches picked up. Instead I cast on for a lovely Koigu sock, and got almost to the heel flap. (Pictures later.)

I cast on for My So Called Scarf on Thursday and I've knit about 17" so far.



I also cast on a vest in Elann Peruvian Highland Wool, but I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it.

On Saturday I went to Stitches East with a large group of knitters. (There must be some term that's been coined for a group of knit bloggers, but I don't know what it is.)

Here are Coleen and Jen modeling their lovely scarves at Panera before we left for Baltimore.

Here's a group shot (sorry some faces are turned away). There's Jolene, Coleen, Jen, Suzanne, Jenna, Lolly, and Laura.
No photography was permitted in the show itself, so you'll have to take my word for it that we met up with Eunny, DNA Stacey, Cheryl and Erin.

I also met Saun who was very nice and looked great in her Susy Tunic. There was a Kaffe Fassett sighting, but I knew I wouldn't say anything coherent to him, so I nonchalantly strolled by.

I was so glad to be able to go with this group. I enjoyed being able to relax with a group of like minded friends (who knew exactly which booth had the best price on everything)! What fun it was to see Erin's hand dyed yarn and roving on sale, Jolene talking to Phoenix Bess (for whom Jolene knits samples), and see Eunny next to her gorgeous sweater from the IK Winter Issue in the Interweave Knits booth. Thanks so much for including me, guys.

Here's my haul, mostly sock yarn. Left to right Ellen's Half Pint Farm, Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Evergreen, and Socks That Rock in Midsummers Night.
Also Trekking XXL in 71 (Navy) and Mama E's Superwash Sock Yarn in "Ocean Mist".


I also bought four balls of Karabella Aurora 8, two black and two pink, and I've already used some of it for this:

I know it's hard to see the cables here, but it's Fetching from the Summer 2006 issue of Knitty. The first one is complete except for the thumb. I added two extra cable repeats to make it a little longer in the wrist. I think it's my fastest knitting yet.

I'm always disappointed when I don't get to go to Houston for the big IQA show, but I'm counting on next year. I'll have to get in gear on those quilts!