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Pacific Northwest, United States

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I've been crafting things for myself and others since my teen years. Designing and creating is not just what I do.....it's Who I Am. Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, June 29, 2012

On The Needles - June 29, 2012

I wish my feet weren't so big! 

I have made a bit of progress in knitting these socks.  At this point I have another five or six rows to finish the foot section. 

When making two socks at once you don't see the sock take shape as fast as you do when you're knitting only one sock at a time.  But it's really satisfying when you bind off at the cuff and you have a pair of socks to wear right away. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Knitting!!!!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Design Wall Monday - June 25, 2012

I've made some more progress on the star wall hanging I'm making for a friend.  The color in the photo is a little off because the large house-shaped patches are a light yellow.  I'm having some problems with making this all go together and may have to hand-piece the outer sections to the interior part. 

Be sure to visit Judy's Patchwork Times blog to see what others have posted on their design walls this week.

Thanks for stopping by.....and.....Happy Sewing!


Friday, June 22, 2012

On The Needles - June 22, 2012

Here is the pair of toe-up socks that I've been working on.  I've only been able to add a inch or two this past week.  I'm almost at the point of the afterthought heel.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to follow the links on Judy's blog, Patchwork Times, to see what others have on their needles this week.



Monday, June 18, 2012

Design Wall Monday - June 18, 2012


Now that my test block is completed, I moved on to constructing the diamonds for the star wall hanging.

I'm starting to get the hang of sewing the diamonds together and matching the points.  I starched the fabric before cutting, but I'm finding that the bias edges still do some stretching. 

Making the diamonds for the center star took me a lot longer than I thought it would because I made a few cutting mistakes along the way.  Thank goodness I added extra into my fabric requirement calculations and had enough to make the fixes.  I also made all eight outer diamonds. 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit Judy's blog to see what others have on their design walls this week.

Happy Sewing, Quilting, and Knitting!!!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

On The Needles - June 15, 2012

My pair of pink and green toe-up socks are coming along.  I have another inch or so to knit before starting the heel.  I like the idea of the after-thought heel.  I plan to knit the stitches with scrap yarn so there will be no hole as I knit the remaining leg and cuff.  I've never tried this technique and look forward to seeing how well it works.  After I complete the rest of the sock, then I'll go back and remove the scrap yarn, pick up the live stitches and knit the heel shaping.

It's been another busy week, but I'm still plugging along.  Thanks for stopping by.   

Monday, June 11, 2012

Design Wall Monday–June 11, 2012

DWM-06-11-12
Recently I designed a star quilt that I’d like to make for a Native American friend of mine.  The trouble is that I’ve never made a star using diamonds, so I planned out to make a smaller version just to get the technique figured out.  This test block will be about 10 inches square and will most likely end up as a potholder. 


Before I started cutting, I ironed the fabric with spray starch so that the bias cuts would not stretch out of shape as much once I started sewing the seams.  I sewed strips together and then cut them diagonally into the diamond shapes.  I took my time and was able to get most of the points to match up (good enough for me).

StarDiamondsNow for the more difficult part of inserting the setting triangles and corner squares.  The first triangle went in o.k. and I hoping that by the time I get this one block done I’ll be friends with “Y” seams and I can move on to the larger project. 



To check out what others have on their design walls this week, stop by Judy’s blog, Patchwork Times.

Friday, June 8, 2012

On The Needles–June 8, 2012

Toe-upSock
With all the wind and rain here at the lake, I’ve been staying indoors a lot this past week.  I started a pair of toe-up socks using a new (to me) toe style. I am enrolled in the Crafty class “Knit Original Toe-Up Socks” with Donna Druchunas.  Check out Craftsy Knitting Classes web page for more information.  I chose this class because I’ve already made toe-up socks but have limited experience with some of the optional techniques for the toe, gusset and heel.
 
MoccasinToe-side
Moccasin Toe side view
I started out practicing the Horizontal Band (Moccasin) Toe and decided to continue and make a pair of socks.  This pair will be a combination of techniques I haven’t done before.  I think that I will try the Afterthought Heel on this pair.  

I’m using a pair of US size 1 circular needles.  I cast on using four double pointed needles and then switched to my preferred method of the circulars.  Even though I’m not doing any kind of pattern stitch on these, I like the fact that it’s easy to distinguish the instep stitches from the sole stitches.  I seem to have misplaced the label for the yarn so I can’t tell you what it is.  The colors are not really “me” and the stripping is a bit loud, but I think this will be a fun pair of socks to wear.  

What's your favorite sock pattern?  What kind of toe, gusset or heel do you prefer to make?  
 
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