Wednesday, January 30, 2013

WIP-it Wednesday...

...a  Celestarium [Ravelry]. shawl picture as promised! 

Velvet Celstarium Shawl, as of 1/30/13

I have finished the Ursa Minor constellation (on the left).

This pattern has several charts for the placement of YOs and beads. Other that making sure they are in the proper place, this is a pretty simple pattern. I am on the "D" charts, round 31 of 157 total (not counting the edging). I know each round will take longer the bigger the shawl grows. For right now, I am totally enjoying this project!

As for my other WIPs, here's the latest list of the WIPs I'm thinking about while I knit Celestarium.
  1. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch) - Started February 2007
    I worked on this over the weekend.I remembered why I put this one aside: I really hate the linen that was included in this kit. the edges unravel easily and it's very thin. If I didn't already have a lot of stitching time invested in it, I'd IDJ (It's Dead, Jim) it.
  2. Inkle training project [Ravelry] (weaving) - This project might stay on the WIPs list for a while. I'm using it to test different techniques, not for any specific finished object. Once I'm comfortable with the techniques, then I will warp for a "real" inkle project.
  3. Navajo Turquoise top (Merino) from Yarn Wench - started 1/12/13
    I think my toe has healed enough so I can start spinning again. Yay!
  4. Royale top, 2 oz (Merino-Yak-Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry
  5. Pilgrim top, 2 oz (Merino-Tussah Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry]
  6. Anasazi by Susan Portra (needlepoint) - Need to remove the kinks from the Neon Rays ribbon so I can make progress on this picture.
  7. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch) - Need to figure out where I cleverly stored this project.
One thing that I did IDJ was the Midnight Rose Mitts [Ravelry]. I just lost all motivation to do them. By frogging the mitts, I relieved some of my guilt for starting the Celestarium shawl. :)

Riiiiiight.
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Random Tuesday...

...or Catch-up Tuesday, if you prefer. The short story: dinner was great and the weekend was productive.

First, our dinner at Cascal om Friday was yummy!! The sangria was a good as I remembered and the flan was extraordinary. The rest of the meal (black bean soup with sherry, mushroom empanadas, chile relleno, Spanish flatbreads, tacquitos) was great, too, and the company even better.  We discussed going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in a couple of weeks, so I have that trip to look forward. I should be able to walk better by then.

The Husband had a few activities that kept him out of the house for a good part of the weekend. After doing a few chores, I spend most of my weekend in the studio.  Saturday was devoted to laundry and finishing a couple of stitching projects.

Originally, I just wanted to finish the small embroidery project I'd started last Mother's Day. I knew there was just a little stitching to do. When I finished the stitching, I searched for the framing materials that came with the kit and found another cross-stitch project that was about 75% done. Hmmm. I didn't even remember stitching on it.

First I framed the embroidery piece:

Oriental Dragonfly

Then I finished stitching the cross stitch piece and framed it, modifying the framing materials that came with the kit. The only saving grace to finishing this UFO was that it was small!

A Captured Moment

Next I photographed these finished projects and some fiber and yarn stash so I could upload it to Ravelry.
I also made a quick trip to Jo-Ann to buy the beads for Celestarium ( Twist Collective [Ravelry]).

After doing my grocery run on Sunday, I wound the yarn for Celestarium. I found the needles and a crochet hook that I needed for the project and placed the beads in a shallow, screw-top container. I read through the instructions and admired the project pictures one more time.

I attempted to do the circular beaded cast-on using the tutorial in the instructions. Fail.

After trying a couple of more times, I searched for a video that showed how to do the cast-on. That was more of a success, but the video was designed for an even number of cast-on stitches, not an odd number, which the pattern needs. After messing with it a bit more, I finally got a decent cast-on and started knitting the project.

LOVE. IT.

I had to go up a size in with the crochet hook because the 0.75mm size shreds my yarn when it pulls through the bead. I still have a slight shredding problem with the 0.85mm hook, but I can't go much larger with the hook size and still get it through the bead. But I love the way the shawl is shaping up and I'm very happy with the color I chose. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Oh, and here's the picture of the anniversary flowers that the Husband gave me:

Anniversary flowers

That's a pretty neat vase, right?
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Friday, January 25, 2013

Anniversary Eye Candy Friday...

...it's our 27th wedding anniversary and our 32nd year together.  The Husband brought flowers to my office this morning, which was very sweet.  Unfortunately, I can't get a decent picture of the complete arrangement in here so I'll try to to that at home tomorrow. I did get a few macro pictures though.

The vase is very cool--it looks like 3 bud vases that were melded together. in the left container are two gerbera daisies:

Gerbera Daisies

In the center is some heather with a red bow:

Heather and a rose

and on the right are two red roses:

Rose

It's a very unique vase that I'll probably keep in my studio because it looks artistic. (LOL!)

Up this weekend: We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary. We are going to Cascal, a tapas restaurant in downtown Mountain View. There will be sangria and flan involved...

Other than that, I have no specific plans. We wanted to go to Monterey Bay Aquarium to see the jellies, but my toe is still very unhappy. The Daughter has been coaching me on how to tape my toe and treat it while it heals. Unfortunately, the tape is making the toe even more cranky and wearing shoes makes it even more so. My foot seems happiest when I'm in stocking feet, which is not really acceptable in public venues. We'll have to wait a bit.

I am very behind on photographing fiber and yarn acquisitions, so that's something I should put on my list for the weekend. That's not to say that I bought a lot of yarn or fiber, but I know I have at least 2 Cookie A sock club yarns and at least 2 ProVerbial club fibers that need pictures. And I did buy some yearn the other day that needs pictures.  I had to use a gift certificate to Purlescence Yarns and I showed great restraint by only buying yarn and needles for a new project.

Which new project, you might ask?  Celestarium from the Twist Collective site [Ravelry]. I love that it reflects an accurate view of the night sky using yarn-overs and beads. During my first 2 years of high school, we lived on the California coast (Gorda, CA).  I used to spend hours looking at the stars and trying to identify all of the constellations I saw. There was something soothing about the night sky. This shawl reminds me of those night skies. Of course, the colors I picked are more blue than the night skies of my memories, but I really didn't want to knit this in black.

I'm checking my bead stash to see if I already have the correct size beads for the project. Until I have the beads in hand, I won't even think about starting this project. Once I start, I know it's going to be hard to work on anything else!

Must.keep.working.on.WIPs...
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

no-WIP Wednesday...

...but I have an F.O.!

I finished Recipe for Summer. I know, I know, I said I wasn't in a summer mood. However, when I compared this project to the Violet needle roll, I decided to finish the summer one. Here it is:

Recipe for Summer cross stitch pillow

Specs:
Started 6/19/12;
Finished 1/20/13;
Kit from Pine Mountain Designs
No  modifications.

I haven't made much progress on my other WIPs. I did move a knitting project into the rotation: the Sea Foam Wrap that I started in 2008 [public Ravelry link]. It's slow going only because there are so many yarn-overs in the pattern. It's very pretty, though, and I love the yarn color I picked.

I'm really itching to spin, but I stubbed my little toe a week ago and I think I broke it. I am still hobbling around and I'm having trouble wearing regular shoes. The thought of treadling does not thrill me. I should probably pull out one of my spindle spinning projects and work on that.

If it's not one thing, it's another...
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Friday, January 18, 2013

Contest winner for Eye Candy Friday...

....and the winner is (drum roll...):



Congrats, ScienceJock!! You have won a project bag and a set of stitch markers.

Blogiversary prizes

Please email your bag selection—abstract (on the left) or birds (on the right)—and your snail-mail name and address to: marie_novicki@yahoo.com    I'll send your prize to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

FYI: things are a little scattered today. If things settle out, I'll do a regular Eye Candy Friday post. If not, have a good weekend!
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Thursday, January 17, 2013

WIP-it Thursday...

...because Wednesday got away from me!

As promised, here is the current state of Violet Needleroll (by Shepherd's Bush), one of my cross stitch WIPs:

Violet needleroll as of 01/16/13

I'm having a heck of a time getting into this WIP, or any WIP for that matter. When it's cold, all I want to do is curl up in several blankets and watch TV. No way am I putting my hands out in the cold air! It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't I freeze all day in my office. All I want to do when I get home is get warm! There's a reason I live in California...I don't do cold.

Here are the top 10 WIPs that I should be working on instead of watching TV:
  1. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch) - Started February 2007 (see picture above).
  2. Midnight Rose Mitts [Ravelry](knitting) - I’m debating whether to complete this project. Originally I started it to use up the yarn leftover from the Midnight Botanical Cowl that I made for a friend. Now that Christmas is over, I can’t seem to get back into knitting them.
  3. Inkle training project [Ravelry] (weaving) - This project might stay on the WIPs list for a while. I'm using it to test different techniques, not for any specific finished object. Once I'm comfortable with the techniques, then I will warp for a "real" inkle project.
  4. Navajo Turquoise top (Merino) from Yarn Wench - started 1/12/13
  5. Royale top, 2 oz (Merino-Yak-Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry
  6. Oriental Dragonfly, Dimensions kit (embroidery) - very little left to do on this small picture. I should just finish it already!
  7. Pilgrim top, 2 oz (Merino-Tussah Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry]
  8. Recipe for Summer by Pine Mountain Designs (cross stitch) - It's hard to feel like summer when it's cold.
  9. Anasazi by Susan Portra (needlepoint) - Need to remove the kinks from the Neon Rays ribbon so I can make progress on this picture.
  10. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch) - Need to figure out where I cleverly stored this project.
The Blogiversary contest is closed for entries. Come back tomorrow to see who won the prize!
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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

last chance to enter the Blogiversary contest!!!

Leave a comment on my 1/7/13 post by midnight TONIGHT 1/16 to enter the contest. The winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

The prize: One of these project bags and the set of 5 stitch markers.

Blogiversary prizes Blogiversary stitch markers prize

Good luck!
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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

top-of-the-waves Tuesday and the contest prize reveal...

...it was a somewhat productive weekend.  So here we go in no particular order.

I baked Mexican Chocolate Brownies to take to Spin-In on Saturday and for a get-together on Sunday. They turned out very well and I'll be making them again sometime.

Mexican Chocolate Brownies 2


I finished the 10 project bags that I started a week ago. I shared some of them with the spinners at Spin-In, which was my original intention. (Another hide-in-plain-sight project!) Here are the 10 bags I finished:

10 project bags

I worked on a cross stitch project that has been hibernating since 2007. I'll post a progress picture tomorrow.

I made the stitch markers for the Blogiversary prize (see below).

I started spinning Navajo Turquoise, a merino top from the Yarn Wench.  I just realized that I don't have it logged into Ravelry yet. (oops!)  You can see it on her etsy site here. It's a lovely combination of turquoise, brown, and a bit or rose.


***7th Blogiversary Contest Reminder***

Leave a comment on my 1/7/13 post by the end of the day Wednesday 1/16 to enter the contest. The winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

The prize: One of these project bags and the set of 5 stitch markers.

Blogiversary prizes Blogiversary stitch markers prize

Good luck!
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Friday, January 11, 2013

A chilly Eye Candy Friday and a contest reminder...

...at least for us. It's 43°F outside, way too cold for me; There's frost on all the plants and cars, and many plats are dead or dying.

The only plant that seems to be happy are the paperwhite narcissus. They are still blooming away. This picture is from a couple of days ago:

Paperwhite narcissus at sunrise

I like how the dew drops are highlighted at this angle.

Up this weekend: Spin-In tomorrow! I need to survey my left-over Christmas baking supplies and make something to take. Also, I need to go through my 2012 fiber-y accomplishments and select some items for show-and-tell.

I'm taking the project bags to Spin-In and have my fellow spinners select which bag to offer as the Blogiversary prize. I love all of the bags and can't make up my mind! I'm not quite finished with the project bags, but they will be close enough to done by tomorrow.

I'm in the top-stitching phase and am really enjoying how they are all coming together. I love fast and easy projects! Yes, I'm ignoring my other WIPs right now, but I'm having fun!


***7th Blogiversary Contest Reminder***

Leave a comment on my 1/7/13 post by the end of the day Wednesday 1/16 to enter the contest.  The winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

The prize: A project bag and a set of 5 stitch markers. The bag construction will be similar to this bag and the stitch markers similar to these. As soon as I have finished them, I'll post a picture.

Good luck!!
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Wednesday, January 09, 2013

WIP-it Wednesday and a contest reminder...

...in which we talk about the new WIP I added to my already-long list of WIPs.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm making a bunch of project bags, one of which will be a Blogiversary contest prize.

I'm using a bag pattern that I got from the Happy Things blog, which is no longer active (very sad as she had some great tutorials). You can find the pattern archived at The Quilting Bees of Murfreesboro site. (PDF).

I finished sewing together all of the bags. I need to sew the opening closed and then push the linings into the bags. From there, I need to top-stitch to make the casings and thread the ribbon ties. Here's a picture of the bags ready for hand-sewing. The fabrics at the top of the picture are the linings; those at the bottom are the outside of the bags.

Project bags in process

I bought some coordinating ribbons at Jo-Ann yesterday, but I may use cording for some of them.

I'm also working on:
  1. Midnight Rose Mitts [Ravelry] (knitting)
  2. Inkle training project [Ravelry] (weaving) - I warped the loom to its full length of 134 inches and have woven about 12 inches. I am now trying different pick-up patterns to see how they affect the appearance. I probably won’t weave the entire warp length, but I wanted to have enough space to try out different things.
I want to work on a stitching project after I've finished the bags and stitch markers. I just can't decide whether to do a cross stitch project or a needlepoint project. I do have a few to choose from...LOL!

Who knows what will draw my attention!

***7th Blogiversary Contest Reminder***

Leave a comment on my 1/7/13 post by the end of the day Wednesday 1/16 to enter the contest.  The winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

The prize: A project bag and a set of 5 stitch markers. The bag construction will be similar to this bag and the stitch markers similar to these. As soon as I have finished them, I'll post a picture.

Good luck!!
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Monday, January 07, 2013

My 7th Blogiversary...

...technically it was Saturday, but I don't often post on the weekends.  I'm usually too busy running errands and trying to get in some quality crafting time.

Before I dive into the weekend report, here's a late entry in the Christmas cookie display. I had to wait until these cookies arrived at their final destination before I could show them. Yes, they are for the same couple for whom I made the marzipan bees!

Beehive and bees cookie

I need a little practice decorating the bees, but I think they turned out OK.

Moving on... I was essentially housebound on Saturday while I waited for a delivery (which never came!). I took advantage of the time deconstruct Christmas. I packed 95% of the Christmas decorations and put them back into the storage closet. The remaining 5% are the chile pepper lights and garland that hang from the loft railing. After going up and down the stairs multiple times to get the boxes for the decorations and then put them away, I just couldn't face going up the stairs again!

That left me with Sunday. In addition to my standard grocery run, I did a little shopping. I'm looking for a new pair of shoes to wear to the gym and made a stop at Sports Authority since it's close to the grocery store. I didn't find anything that said "Buy me!" so I'm still looking.

I also went to the fabric store. I know...I really don't need any more!  I was in the hunt for fabric to make project bags and to see whether there was any more of the yummy Plume peacock-themed fabric (Timeless Treasures) left.  I found some bag fabrics, but no Plume fabric. I did find some Shimmer butterfly-themed fabric (also Timeless Treasures) that uses the same colors of teal, blue, black and gold metallic.

After getting dinner set up in the crock pot, I spent the afternoon cutting out project bags and starting the assembly. It took me quite a while to decide how big to make them and then pairing coordinating fabrics using the new fabrics and stash fabrics. The bags are about 12-inches high and 10-inches wide, with.

So what does this have to do with my Blogiversary? Well, one of those bags has been designated as a Blogiversary contest prize!
  

***7th Blogiversary Contest***

Leave a comment on this post by the end of the day Wednesday 1/16 to enter the contest.  The winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

The prize: A project bag and a set of 5 stitch markers. The bag construction will be similar to this bag and the stitch markers similar to these. As soon as I have finished them, I'll post a picture.

Good luck!!
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Friday, January 04, 2013

first Eye Candy Friday for 2013...

...and there are few things blooming at the moment. My default is the sunrise:

Sunrise 1/4/13

There is one silly rose bush that thinks these chilly mornings are perfect to bloom in, but even it's giving up the ghost. Frost is not its friend! The paperwhite narcissus are going strong, but they are hard to photograph in the early morning light.

The lavender seems to be doing well:

Lavender morning

Up this weekend: Finish deconstructing Christmas. I want to get the tree out of the living room and put the furniture back where it belongs before the Husband takes off for a mini-vacation. While I can move it by myself, it's faster with the two of us.

The other big thing I want to do is get my kitchen back to its normal configuration. I still have it partially in Christmas baking mode. I need to put all the leftover supplies away and remove the remaining extra table.

After that, it's craft time! I want to go through my WIPs and pick the top three to work on. the three will probably include the fingerless mitts that I've been knitting (halfheartedly) and a cross stitch UFO that has been ignored for a few years.

Tomorrow is my 7th Blogiversary. I'm trying to decide whether I should host a contest or not...guess you'll find out in a day or so!
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Thursday, January 03, 2013

2012 End of the Year Recap...

Those not on Ravelry can see pictures of these items in my Flickr photostream and sets: Knitting, Spinning, Quilting/Sewing, Needlework, and Weaving.

Short Story: It was the year that my dream of a studio came true. I did mostly spinning and reading because of my vision issues.

Finished:

Christmas Baking, etc.
  1. 540 biscotti; 845 cookies
  2. 12.6 pounds of chocolate (fudge and chocolate bark)
  3. 10 lbs of flavored nuts
  4. 24 mini-fruitcakes; 19 pumpkin bread mini-loaves; 12 lemon mini-loaves; 5 gingerbread mini-loaves
Knitting
  1. Midnight Botanical Cowl [Ravelry]
  2. Nefertem Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Jane's Mini Mochi Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
Quilting/Sewing/Beading/Other
  • Jungle Songs quilt
Reading
  • Read 98 books (list at the end of the post)
Spinning
  1. Adele Stackhouse; Arcadia 1 from The Yarn Wench; 124.7 yds. chain-ply; 11 WPI [Ravelry]
  2. Avila Beach from Wolf Creek Wools; 275.4 yds 2-ply, DK [Ravelry]
  3. Bill Compton; Smoke and Mirrors from The Yarn Wench; 115.4 yds chain-ply, 10 WPI [Ravelry]
  4. Black Alpaca-Silk from Ashland Bay; 113.5 yards chain-ply, 12 WPI [Ravelry]
  5. Brown Yak-Merino; Part of a 3 oz Yak Survey sampler from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio; 39 yards [Ravelry]
  6. Brown Yak; part of a 3 oz Yak Survey sampler from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio; 33.5 yards [Ravelry]
  7. Cafe Mocha from Knitifacts; 152 yards, chain-plied [Ravelry]
  8. Chocolate-covered Raspberries from Creatively Dyed, skein #2 217.75 yd, 13 WPI chain-plied [Ravelry]
  9. Cream Yak-Silk; part of a 3 oz Yak Survey sampler from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio; 52 yards [Ravelry]
  10. Eric Northman; Garnet 1 from The Yarn Wench; 167.5 yds. chain-ply; 12 WPI  [Ravelry]
  11. Godric; Sunglow from The Yarn Wench; 221.5 yds. 2-ply; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
  12. Heather from Chasing Rainbows; Skein #1: 320.1 yards, 2-ply, 15 WPI; Skein #2: 46 yds singles, about 13 WPI; [Ravelry]
  13. Isonzo from Creatively Dyed; Chain-plied; #1 180.5 yds, 13 WPI; #2 178.7 yds, 14 WPI [Ravelry]
  14. Jessica Hamby; Goth Chick Duo from The Dyeing Arts; 195.4 yards, chain-plied; 13 WPI; [Ravelry]
  15. Lupines and Poppies from the Yarn Wench; 128.42 yds chain-ply, 12 WPI [Ravelry]
  16. Muir Woods Moss from Royale Hare; 245.6 yds 2-ply, WPI 13 ) [Ravelry]
  17. Natural Dyes Wild Card from the Yarn Wench; 169.3 yds single, Bulky [Ravelry]
  18. Occidental Orchids from Royale Hare; 156.3 yds chain-ply, WPI 11 [Ravelry]
  19. Peacock from Spunky Eclectic; 308.94 yds chain-ply, 17 WPI [Ravelry]
  20. Plum Sauce from Schoppel-Wolle; 308.9 yds, 2-ply, 13 WPI [Ravelry]
  21. Sam Merlotte; Newly Minted 1 from The Yarn Wench;  124.7 yds. chain-ply; 11 WPI [Ravelry]
  22. Sedona Zen from Lisa Souza; 200+ yards, 12WPI [Ravelry]
  23. Sierra Sunrise from Judy's Novelty Wool; 176.8 yards; DK [Ravelry]
  24. Sookie handspun; Mother of Pearl from The Dyeing Arts; 150.75 yds, chain-plied; 12 WPI; [Ravelry]
  25. Tidal Pool from AVFKW; 180 yards, fingering [Ravelry]
  26. Tiffany from the Yarn Wench; 147.0 yds chain-ply, 11 WPI  [Ravelry]
Stitching
  • none
Studio!
  1. The Great Fabric Refolding Project
  2. Organized of all tools and supplies
  3. Purged unwanted items: books, CDs VHS tapes, clothes, towels, yarn, stash
  4. Made studio bench cushions
  5. Decoupage project - covered all of boxes and containers with the same paper
Weaving
  1. Baby Blanket for Colin (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. Blueberry Thrill shawl (weaving) [Ravelry]
  3. Color and Weave Mini-tote Bag, Stitches West class (weaving) [Ravelry]
IDJ (It's Dead, Jim):
  1. Carousel Socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami: Did not/could not finish (reading)
Works in Progress:
  1. Anasazi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
  4. Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  5. Mediterranean Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)
  6. Oriental Dragonfly, Dimensions kit (embroidery)
  7. Pilgrim top, 2 oz (Merino-Tussah Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry]
  8. Recipe for Summer by Pine Mountain Designs (cross stitch)
  9. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]
UFOs:
  1. Peacock Pomatomus socks(knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  3. Seaweed Cardigan (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)
Reading (Too long to put under Finished):
  1. 11th Hour, James Patterson
  2. A Local Habitation, Seanan McGuire
  3. A Perfect Blood, Kim Harrison
  4. Adam, Jacquelyn Frank
  5. An Artificial Night, Seanan McGuire
  6. Angel's Blood, Nalini Singh
  7. Angels Flight, Nalini Singh]
  8. Archangel Rafe, Lisa Hughey
  9. Archangel's Blade, Nalini Singh
  10. Archangel's Consort, Nalini Singh
  11. Archangel's Kiss, Nalini Singh 
  12. Archangel's Storm, Nalini Singh
  13. Ashes of Honor, Seanan McGuire
  14. At Graves End, Jeaniene Frost
  15. Biting Cold, Chloe Neill
  16. Blood and Mistletoe, EJ Stevens
  17. Blood Cross, Faith Hunter
  18. Blood of the Demon, Diana Rowland
  19. Blue-Blooded Vamp, Jaye Wells
  20. By a Thread, Jennifer Estep
  21. Cast On, Kill Off, Maggie Sefton
  22. Cat Tales, Faith Hunter
  23. Celebrity in Death, JD Robb
  24. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch...,  Alison Arngrim
  25. Damian's Immortal, Lizzy Ford
  26. Dark Lover, JR Ward
  27. Darker After Midnight, Lara Adrian
  28. Deadlocked, Charlaine Harris
  29. Death's Rival, Faith Hunter
  30. Deeper Than Midnight, Lara Adrian
  31. Delusion in Death, JD Robb
  32. Destined for an Early Grave, Jeaniene Frost
  33. Drink Deep, Chloe Neill
  34. Eternal Kiss of Darkness, Jeaniene Frost
  35. Fair Game, Patricia Briggs
  36. Falling for Rachel, Nora Roberts
  37. Firewalker, Allyson James
  38. First Drop of Crimson, Jeaniene Frost
  39. Friday Night Bites, Chloe Neill
  40. Fury's Kiss, Karen Chance
  41. Green-Eyed Demon, Jaye Wells
  42. Hard Bitten, Chloe Neill
  43. Have Stakes Will Travel, Faith Hunter
  44. Hunters of the Moon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
  45. Into the Woods, Kim Harrison
  46. Jewels of Tessa Kent, Judith Krantz
  47. Katie's Hellion, Lizzy Ford
  48. Katie's Hope, Lizzy Ford
  49. Kindling the Moon, Jenn Bennett
  50. Last to Die, Tess Gerritsen
  51. Late Eclipses, Seanan McGuire
  52. Lessons Learned, Nora Roberts
  53. Mark of the Demon, Diana Rowland
  54. Mercy Blade, Faith Hunter
  55. Minding Frankie, Maeve Binchey
  56. Murder Spins a Tail, Veryl Ann Grace
  57. My Mother Was Nuts, Penny Marshall
  58. Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors. Molly Harper
  59. Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men, Molly Harper
  60. Nice Girls Don't Live Forever, Molly Harper
  61. Nightwalker, Allyson James
  62. On the Prowl, Patricia Briggs
  63. Once Bitten, Kalayna Price
  64. One Foot in the Grave, Jeaniene Frost
  65. One Grave at a Time, Jeaniene Frost
  66. One Salt Sea, Seanan McGuire
  67. Raven Cursed, Faith Hunter
  68. Red-Headed Step-Child, Jaye Wells
  69. Rhyn's Redemption, Lizzy Ford
  70. Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire
  71. Secrets of the Demon, Diana Rowland
  72. Seduce Me in Dreams, Jacquelyn Frank
  73. Seduce Me in Flames, Jacquelyn Frank
  74. Shadow Sight, EJ Stevens
  75. Shadow Walker, Allyson James
  76. Silver-Tongued Devil, Jaye Wells
  77. Sins of the Demon, Diana Rowland
  78. Skinwalker, Faith Hunter
  79. Some Girls Bite, Chloe Neill
  80. Spider's Bite, Jennifer Estep
  81. Spider's Revenge, Jennifer Estep
  82. Stormwalker, Allyson James
  83. Summer Desserts, Nora Roberts
  84. Tangled Threads, Jennifer Estep
  85. The Care and Feeding of a Stray Vampire, Molly Harper
  86. The Grey God, Lizzy Ford
  87. The Keepsake (re-read), Tess Gerritson
  88. The Mage in Black, Jaye Wells
  89. The Perfect Christmas, Debbie Macomber
  90. This Side of the Grave, Jeaniene Frost
  91. Twice Bitten, Chloe Neill
  92. Twice Dead, Kalayna Price
  93. Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
  94. Venom, Jennifer Estep
  95. Web of Lies, Jennifer Estep
  96. Widow's Web, Jennifer Estep
  97. Witchfire, Anya Bast
  98. Yseult: A Tale of Love in the Age of King Arthur, Ruth Nestvold
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December 2012 recap...

Finished:
  • Baking:
    • Biscotti (7 kinds): 540
    • Cookies (13 kinds): 845
    • Fruitcakes: 24 mini-bundt
    • Pumpkin bread: 19 mini-loaves
    • Lemon bread: 12 mini-loaves
    • Gingerbread: 5 mini-loaves
    • Marbled peppermint bark: 2.75 lbs
    • Rocky Road bark: 3.25 lbs
    • Pistachio-Cranberry bark: 3.6 lbs
    • Macadamia Lime Fudge: 1 lb
    • Grand Marnier Orange fudge: 1 lb
    • Amaretto Nuts: 14 cups
    • Grand Marnier Nuts: 12 cups
    • Chile-Lime Nuts: 16 cups
  • 12/29 Jungle Songs quilt (quilting)
  • 12/31 Natural Dyes Wild Card handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Natural Dyes Wild Card #4968 batts from Yarn Wench
    169.3 yds single, energized
  • Books:
    1. Archangel Rafe, Lisa Hughey
    2. Ashes of Honor, Seanan McGuire
    3. One Salt Sea, Seanan McGuire
    4. Late Eclipses, Seanan McGuire
    5. An Artificial Night, Seanan McGuire
    6. A Local Habitation, Seanan McGuire
    7. Blood and Mistletoe, EJ Stevens
    8. Shadow Sight, EJ Stevens
Started:
  • 12/4 Midnight Rose mitts (knitting) [Ravelry]
  • 12/27 Inkle strap training project (weaving) [Ravelry]

Worked on:
  • Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  • Royale top, 2 oz (Merino-Yak-Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry]

Works In Progress, did not work on:
  1. Anasazi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
  4. Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  5. Mediterranean Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)
  6. Oriental Dragonfly, Dimensions kit (embroidery) 
  7. Pilgrim top, 2 oz (Merino-Tussah Silk) top from A Verb for Keeping Warm (spinning) [Ravelry]
  8. Recipe for Summer by Pine Mountain Designs (cross stitch)
  9. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]

UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  3. Seaweed Cardigan (knitting)  [Ravelry]
  4. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Happy 2013 and WIP-it Wednesday,..

...first post of the year and first day of work for the year.  I wasn't ready to go back to work yet, but what can you do? I have to earn the $$ for more craft stuff somehow!

I finally got a somewhat decent picture of the Going Snow Global top:

Going Snow Global quilt top

I also pieced the backing fabric for it. All that is left is to make the quilt sandwich and machine quilt it....later. I'm out of quilting mode for now, so I've put this away.

I managed to squeeze in a final finished object by the end of 2012. Here is Natural Dyes Wild Card handspun:

Natural Dyes Wild Card Handspun

and a close up:

Natural Dyes Wild Card handspun, close up

Specs:
Started: 6/5/10;
Finished: 12/31/12;
Natural Dyes Wild Card #4968 batts from The Yarn Wench
169.3 yds singles (energized); bulky

I found this to be a difficult spin on my hands, which is why I went with a single. I don't know if it's because my hands were way overworked from all the baking or what, but I just wanted to get this one done quickly. I will probably use this in a weaving I plan on doing of all the natural colored handspun I've done recently.

My biggest current WIP is deconstructing Christmas. I'm in the process of packing up the decorations so we can get the tree out of the house. When I've finished that, I'll survey my WIPs and decide which ones will bubble to the surface.

Oh, and I owe you a December recap and a 2012 recap. The year-end recap should be interesting. I'm not sure whether the extra spinning I did during the summer made up for the time when I couldn't knit or stitch because my sight was so bad.
.

 

Another Finished Object...

 ...yay! I finished the first yarn on my new Lendrum DT. I tried a 2-ply and it turned out OK. Using the plying head was not as smooth...