Strawberries

Last month, I planted some strawberries  in styrofoam coolers. I wasn't sure if the location was sunny enough for fruit. The plant is doing well. There are a number of runners that I've been directing back into the planter. I don't know how I missed it but there must have been flowers on the plant at some point because there are three berries. Maybe I should have waited until it ripened, so you can actually find them in the photo... Strawberries and a pineapple, we're having a good year!

pineapple

I haven't been taking pictures of the pineapple because change is slow. Recently, it's starting to look like a miniature version of what you find the stores. Maybe if I changed the angle of the photo, you would get a feel of how small this pineapple is. The purple flowers have dried up and it's about 5 inches from the bottom of the fruit to the tip of the crown. I really don't think it will be much bigger when it is ready to pick. Probably just enough for a taste.

More blocks

This has been my only project on the weekends. Cutting, pinning and sewing. Oh, my! A twin sized quilt, my largest project ever. The piecing seems to be never ending. At least the name block is finished. My applique skills need some work, don't look to closely. I'm leaning towards finishing it up with a blanket stitch.

The original plan did not include sashing, but the more I thought about it, I realized it would look better with the sashing. I decided to use the mottled brown fabric that was chosen for the binding and name block. I had hoped to have all of the blocks finished and spend this weekend assembling, but between my tempermental machine and the sashing, I'm about a week behind. Cutting, pinning, sewing... that's the plan for the weekend!

Simple socks - DONE!

When I mentioned that most of my projects would be put aside to work on a quilt, I didn't realize how true that statement would be. Just a row here and there knit during the week...and slowly but surely these socks have been turned and grafted. May I present... simple socks in Sockotta.

A durable pair of washable socks for sure, not exactly soft and cozy. I really like the way the colors changed and I almost got the two sides to match up.

Nine patch - halfway

This project is for a twin size blanket. And I have about half the blocks assembled. The pieces are cut for the second half. I don't quite like the way the brown blocks look next to each other. The plan is to pin the blocks this week, finish assembling the blocks over the weekend, then decide on the sashing. Oh and work on the applique name in between all of that. If only I can get my tempermental sewing machine to cooperate...

Socks

A while back I purchased a skein of sock yarn with cool colors. The promise of the yarn is that it is dyed in such a way that stripes would magically appear as you knit. It's not new and I have seen other knitter's finished projects, so I know that it works. You can see the colors in the skein, but, it really just looks random. But I am still amazed to see it happen before my eyes as I knit these socks. I'm using a basic sock top-down pattern, found here, since you don't want to lose any stitch patterns in the color changes. One skein should be enough to finish a pair of socks.

The yarn is a blend of cotton, superwash wool and nylon. It's not the softest yarn to work with, but I'm sure that it will make a durable pair of socks.

Wrist Warmers - DONE

These took longer than I thought it would, because I just didn't make time to sit and finish them. The pattern is simple and easy to memorize after a few repeats. And the edging just seems more complicated than it actually is. I'm a little disappointed that the dark blue doesn't show off the lace pattern, but they'll keep my wrists warm!

Dragonfly - DONE!

Finished stitching the second dragonfly piece. This is the design for the needlecase. It is just a little different from the scissors fob. Both needs to be washed and pressed before I start the assembly. I hope I can get that crease out. I also need to make maching tassels for them, since I lost one of them that came with the kit.  

gathering supplies

I was asked to sew a blanket for a friend. A simple project with just a size requirement. It will be for a twin bed. I haven't pieced anything that large... ever... I like small portable projects. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn't see any reason to turn down the request. The request was for a simple project, I suggested a 9-patch. The lead time is more than generous. I just haven't done much sewing lately. Granted, I am no expert, but I can manage to sew a straight line, most of the time. So here's a sneak peek at the fabric I will be using. I washed the fabric, it just needs to ironed and I'll start the task of cutting this weekend. So until this is done, most of my other projects will be put aside. Wish me luck!

Wrist Warmers WIP

As we waited out the Tsunami warning, I started a new project. I've been wanting to stitch these wrist warmers since they came out last year. Even casted on at one point, but just didn't have the patience to read through the instructions. After we made sure we had our emergency supplies ready, we sat around with in front of the tv waiting for updates. That gave me some time to read over the instructions and work on these wrist warmers with left over yarn from the Candleflame Shawl. 

The pattern is from the Piecework - July/Aug 2009 magazine. The cover photo caught my eye. The pattern calls for cashmere yarn, but I don't have any and I don't plan on picking it up just for these, as luxurious as they would be. So with some leftover Knitpicks Shadow, I casted on. The photo above shows how far I got when the warning was cancelled. I finished up the first side the next day. I started the second side and hope to complete it sometime this week. Then, as usual, I'll add this the pile of projects that need to be blocked. I guess you could say that I'm a process knitter and, while the end result is magical, blocking is not part of the process that I enjoy.

Multnomah -DONE

Last week, I bound off the Multnomah scarf. I love the colors,  Since I switched to a larger needle, I was running low on yarn and decided not to do the full 10 repeats of the feather and fan. I'm surprised at how fast this knit up. The simple garter stitch, just flew off the needles. And while I had to rip back a few rows, while doing the feather and fan, it still was a fast project. Kudos to HelloKnitty for a great project!

This is a photo of it unblocked. It has been added to the growing pile of "things to be blocked". Once blocked, it will be just the right size to keep the draft off my shoulders.

The Pineapple

I haven't posted an update of the pineapple, because, frankly, there hasn't been much change. It's still there and it has gotten just a tad bit larger, but nothing you would notice in a photo. Today, you can see purple and pink blooms emerging from the bottom of the fruit.