August Knit Along

Cute!!! This is the dishcloth from Rachel's Knitting Corner August Knit A Long. Each day she posts 6 rows ...it was fun watching the project evolve. I love these dishcloths ...so much nicer than anything bought in the store.


I can't wait to see what she has in store for September!

Oh Happy Day!!!

I did it ...I did it ...I did it!!! Can you tell that I'm excited about finishing Amy's Simple Sampler (see her link on the right sidebar)? Amy, my dear, you ROCK!!!



I learned a lot and saw quite a bit of improvement in my cutting and sewing. I also learned ...be careful of stripes and that they might not be the best choice for corner blocks :) No matter, I love it!

Another thing that I feel made a big difference was starching my fabrics before I started cutting.

Amy presses her seams open, while I didn't do it on this quilt ...I might give it a try in the future so I'm not going nuts at the end trying to have opposing seam allowances.

One other thing ...I don't have a design wall and think it would have been helpful with the layout, I see a couple blocks that would have looked better in a different spot. I'll have to add that to the list of things to do ;)

Now to think about a backing and quilting this baby!

Again Amy, a big huge thank you for this wonderful project and your great instructions!!

Rachel's Knit Along

Since I finished knitting my socks I thought it would be fun to do a small project and Rachel's Mystery Dishcloth sounded perfect.

I'm pretty new to knitting so reading the instructions, following them, not dropping stitches and keeping the tension on my yarn are all challenges for me.

What I like most about this project is not knowing what the pattern is ...I look forward to getting home and sitting down and watching this project appear before my eyes.

Simple Sampler Week 8

I can't believe that it's week 8 ...our last week of making blocks. And that I stayed current with this project!! I'm really looking forward to sashing the blocks and seeing everything all together.

Although all my points didn't match up I am very happy with how much better my HSTs turn out now ...thank you Amy :)

Block #1 is Aunt Eliza's Star.




Block #2 is another mosaic ..all I see is crab claws. I enjoyed playing around with these HSTs ...I was so surprised at how many different looking blocks I could create.



Here are all my blocks together and in no specific order. I see that a couple of them are pointing in the wrong direction but I was hurrying to get the picture.



I think it's going to be a lot of fun laying these blocks out. Yippee for me, completing these blocks on time!!

Last of the OR bonnets ...for a while :)

Today I finished the last of the bonnets for my daughter. She bought these fabrics at City Quilter in NYC when we were there last Spring. They had such a nice selection of fabrics ...which reminds me, I haven't used mine yet!!


Tomorrow I hope to make the last two blocks for Amy's Simple Sampler.

So Socksy ...

Part of my knitting journey was making a pair of socks. The first pair were very fun to make ...I liked watching the heel form and knowing that I'm actually learning how to read the instructions. They are nice and soft but one is a bit bigger than the other ...no problem since I didn't plan on wearing them out but inside snuggled up on the couch in my jammies.

The second pair are simple tube socks ...no heel, just straight tubes. I gave them to my daughter and she loves them.




Now I have to think about what I want to make next. I love having a project going that I can knit while watching tv.

OR Bonnets

My daughter is a nurse in the OR and today I tried my hand at making her some OR bonnets. I took apart one that she had and used it to make a pattern ...she now has a weeks worth, all fabrics she picked out. I have four more cut out and ready to sew ...one is a Vincent van Gogh print that I love.



Here is the front view ...




And the back view ...



The hats take 1/2 yard ...I think I'll tell her to buy 1 yard for future hats. That way I get a 1/2 yard for my fabric pile :)

Simple Sampler Week 7

Gosh, this project has gone so quickly ...I can't believe it's been 7 weeks already. This weeks blocks turned out 12.5" which makes me so happy ...I think I've become better at cutting and sewing my blocks.

The first block is a Mosaic block which I really like. HST's aren't the dreaded thing for me anymore ...thanks Amy!


Block 2 is Practical Orchard. What I enjoyed about this block was learning a different method for the hour glass ...this was much easier for me. I have to also thank Lindsay from Me, Quilting for the idea of using 3 fabrics and stripes for this block ...thanks Lindsay.

Here are my blocks so far:


One more week of blocks and we'll be putting things together ...I'm so excited!!

Simple Sampler Quilt Along Week 6

Wow ...here we are with only 2 more weeks of blocks ...and I haven't gotten behind ...yet! I'm loving this project and have really seen my quilting improve.

The first block is a Cross ...I've seen these blocks all over the Internet but have yet to make one.


Block 2 is called New Album. I wasn't too sure about those triangles but they turned out fine. I think that starching the fabric really makes a difference.

Lancaster, Pa

Last week I got home from spending 5 days in Lancaster, PA. It is easily one of my favorite places ...I love the scenery, the quilt shops but I did not like the HEAT!! Every day it was 95 or higher which sapped my energy and made it so hard to do anything.

I had promised myself that I was going to take a ton of pictures ...but I hardly too any and those I did aren't very good quality. I really have to spend some time practicing taking photos.

This first quilt was my favorite. It was made with various Christmas fabrics ...I bought a fat quarter bundle of them and hope to do something like this. I was hoping I could find the pattern but I don't think it's anything that has been published.