Friday, May 29, 2015

F.O. Friday...

...and some eye candy, too!

Here is the completed Wild Turquoise handspun [Ravelry]:

Wild Turquoise handspun

and a close up:

Wild Turquoise handsoun, close up

Specs:
Started 5/10/15, finished 5/25/15
Turquoise art rolags from the Yarn Wench;
188 yds auto-plied with turquoise thread, 10 WPI

In today's eye candy, we have Belleza Dark Pink Gaura:

Belleza Dark Pink Gaura

Red Kangaroo Paws:

Red Kangaroo Paws

And almost ripe Blenheim apricots:

Blenheim apricots, almost ripe

Up this weekend: more of the same.

One thing I need to do is take some photos of completed projects, specifically the needlerolls and scissor fobs. I've made tons of them and the photos that I do have worked for the original version of my website. In the earlier version, I was hosting the photos and I didn't want large photos sucking up disk space.

Now that I'm using Flickr for my photos, I need to retake some of the shots. I'm able to use a few the photos, but many of the originals are either misplaced or just not good enough. I'll be adding a bunch of photos to my Flickr photostream in the next few weeks.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

WIP-it Wednesday...

...sorry, no photos today and nothing new to report. I still need to take photos of the art yarn I finished on Monday.

WIP Roll Call

Worked on:

  1. Stealth Commission Project (quilting)
    Still working on the layout of the top. Cycled out two more supplemental fabrics.
  2. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Very little progress, maybe a row or two.
  3. Sochi handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Finished spinning the singles; ready to ply.
  4. Santa Fe #5 (needlepoint)
    Started stitching the pottery, which is done in standard continental stitch.
Works In Progress, did not work on:
  • Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Beyond Antares, aka Equatorial Nights (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  4. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  6. Tuscon Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...wishing that it had been a 4-day weekend instead of 3. I was on a roll!
  • I continue to make progress on the commission piece. I swapped out a couple of fabrics that were just too bright. I'm now in the final layout mode.
     
  • I scoped out the fabrics at my local quilt store for border candidates. There are some batik options and some marbled options that could work.
     
  • I did not work on any knitting.
     
  • I packed up Tucson Twilight and put it on hiatus.
     
  • I started the Santa Fe #5 needlepoint project that I showed in this post. I'm using the stitch guides that I kept for my previous Tish projects (Santa Fe #2, Santa Fe #3, and Hopi Horizon) and a photo of the completed project as rough guidelines on how to stitch it. Fortunately, this series uses the same instructions for the border and the pottery, so those will be easy to stitch.
     
  • While looking for the Tish stitch guides, I took a hard look at my binders full of free charts and decided that I really didn't need to keep that many hard copies of the knitted, needlepoint, and cross stitch freebies. I recycled 80% of them. I was able to free up a large binder that I can now use for my completed projects overflow—I'm into 3 binders now.
     
  • Next, I emptied the 4-drawer filing cabinet that contained all of my cross stitch charts. Now the Husband can use the cabinet for his work files.
     
  • Since I had all of the charts out, I decided that it was time to let some of them go. I'm never going to stitch them all and my tastes have changed. The charts filled 5 banker's boxes. When I was done with my purge, I had 1.5 banker's boxes of "keepers"—not a bad result. Plus I found 4 small painted canvases by Tish that had somehow been filed with the charts instead of with the other needlepoint canvases.
     
  • The Husband and I bought a new barbecue. Our old one didn't cook very well. We tested out the new one on Sunday and it works great! I had a wonderfully grilled steak for the first time in 2 years. No more pan-frying for me!
The biggest problem I have now is what to do with 3.5 banker's boxes full of cross stitch charts and a box full of cross stitch kits. There are so many...I don't want to do the eBay thing because I don't want to deal with mailing things out. I want them to go somewhere useful and not have to recycle them.

Go any ideas?
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Friday, May 22, 2015

Eye Candy Friday and a long weekend ahead...

...hooray!

In the continuing series of flowers from our garden, here is Siberian squill (scilla):

Scilla

This kangaroo paw plant is just getting started:

Harmony Kangaroo Paws, just starting up

and the nasturtiums are going nuts:

Nasturtiums

This is a new flowers for the garden, a Parry's Hybrid Crowea:

Parry's Hybrid Crowea

Up this weekend: a little housecleaning and a lot of crafting!

I want to take a quick trip to the quilting store to scope out border fabric for the commission quilt. I have an idea of what I want, but I want to see the options.

I want to stash dive in my charts file cabinet to see whether I can find the cross stitch version of the Santa Fe #5 needlepoint canvas. I know I bought one, but I don't know if I still have it, given that it was at least 10 years ago if not longer. Regardless of whether I find it, I plan on starting the canvas this weekend.

I'm going to pack up Tucson Twilight and put it away for a while. I just can't look at it right now.

And then there are the two handspuns I have in process. I should be able to finish at least one of them this weekend.

So looking forward to that extra day off!
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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WIP-it Wednesday...

...halfway to a 3-day weekend. Hooray!

The latest WIP is the handspun that I started at Spin-On. This is Sochi [Ravelry], a camel-silk from Greenwood Fiberarts:

Sochi handspun, in progress

I'm spinning it end-to-end and love the resulting long color-runs.

I mentioned that I went through my needlepoint projects to look for an alternative to Tucson Twilight. Here's a look at the project that I want to start:

Santa Fe #5 canvas

This is Santa Fe #5, a painted canvas by Tish Holland. I'm not sure when I bought this, but the shop is long gone, so at least 10 years ago. I had pulled all the threads for this project before filing it away in the stash. However, I don't have the stitch guide for it. When I bought the canvas, it did not come with the guide, unlike some of the other Tish canvases I purchased.

I have stitched two other pieces in the series, so I can use their instructions for the border, pottery, and character's hair. The best I can do for the rest of it is use a photo of the finished piece and wing it. It will be challenge!

WIP Roll Call

Worked on:
  1. Stealth Commission Project (quilting)
    Did a preliminary layout of the top. Cycled out a supplemental fabric that was too bright
  2. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Frogged about 16 rows because I didn't like the way that the increases looked. Trying to decide whether to try adding increases again or just forgetting about it.
  3. Sochi handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Spun about 40% of the singles
  4. Santa Fe #5 (needlepoint)
    Adding to the rotation. Will start on the border first while I figure out what to do with the rest of it.
Works In Progress, did not work on:
  • Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  • Wild Turquoise handspin (spinning) [Ravelry]
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Beyond Antares, aka Equatorial Nights (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  4. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  6. Tuscon Twilight (needlepoint)
    Started a different section because I was bored with the other one. This project contains way too much brown.
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...randomness of the day.

  • I really dislike stitching brown, especially when I wanted it to be copper. Tucson Twilight is going into hibernation because I just can't handle the brown.
     
  • I have a lot of needlepoint projects in the queue, but only one is completely kitted--the canvas, all the fibers, and all of the instructions--and it's by the same designer as Tucson Twilight. The rest are chart only, canvas and instructions but no threads, threads and instructions but no canvas, or some other less than useful combination. I really wanted to work on a Susan Portra design, but I need to order canvas and/or fibers before I can start. Sigh...
     
  • Be My Baby for My Baby [Ravelry]is coming along. I really don't like knitting linen stitch. I'm always getting lost in the middle and having to tink back to figure out where I went wrong. This project is going to take a while!
     
  • We had a small group at Spin-In, but it was good, as always. I started a camel-silk top that I bought from Greenwood Fiber at last year's Stitches West. I love the feel of the camel-silk fiber!
     
  • I did a little work on the commission quilt. I have a couple of ideas on how to use up all the fabric, but I haven't quite landed on one yet.
     
  • I usually take a two-mile walk on Sunday as my exercise. I didn't have any great motivation to take the walk on Sunday, but I turned it into a camera walk to make it more palatable. I took a ton of photos of flowers and interesting plants during the walk, some of which will show up on an eye-candy Friday. :)
     
  • I would love to start another knitting project to swap off with the Be My Baby project.
     
  • And, OMG! Both the Outlander and Game of Thrones episodes were incredibly intense! I didn't get a lot done during the episodes as they both grabbed my attention. I'll be sad when they are both done for the season!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Eye Candy Friday...

...and this month just keeps rolling along!

For Mother's Day, The Husband got a bunch of flowering plants. For the courtyard outside my studio, he hung a basket filled with striped petunias:

Petunias

The rest of the plants are going in the backyard. This Gypsophila Gypsy is very nice:

Gypsophila Gypsy

and I like the these delicate Godetia:

Godetia in our backyard

I love the color and intensity of these Gilia Tricolor flowers:

Gilia tricolor, top view

Up this weekend: Spin-In tomorrow! Since it's going to be a small groups, I'm baking some cookies rather that making any thing big. I'm trying to decide whether to take the Wild Turquoise handspun that is on the wheel or take something new. I'm leaning towards the something new as it might be difficult to transport the fiber and auto-wrapping thread without breaking either, or both.

I need to do a few household chores before I can get back to my WIPs. I need to decide what to do about Tucson Twilight. My choices are
  • Try to work through the brown and just finish it. Given that I had to force myself to finish the last needlepoint piece, this option does not thrill me.
  • Put it into hibernation and worry about it in a few months. Maybe I'll like the brown by then (yeah, right).
  • Find Alternate colors to use in place of the brown. Assuming that they still make the two threads in question, this could work.
I have an idea for a companion piece for the commission quilt. I want to explore that a bit and see if it's workable.

And then there's the knitting and stitching projects that are on hold...

...Yes, another busy weekend!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

WIP-it Wednesday...

...it's that time again.

I managed to snap a quick picture of the handspun in progress. This is Wild Turquoise [Ravelry]:

Wild Turquoise handspun, in progress

I intended to spin this as a bulky yarn, but the rolags had another thing in mind. I'm getting a little thick-thin action with certain rolags, but I'm just letting it spin the way it wants to.

I'm still having some issues with the reading portion of my life. I'm now 2 books behind on my goal to read 105 books this year. Normally, I'm 4 or 5 books ahead, a necessity because it makes up for December when I don't have a lot of time to read. I'm just not having a lot of luck with my reading choices. I finished a book on Monday by one of my favorite authors and it took me 11 days. :(

WIP Roll Call
 
Worked on:
  1. Stealth Commission Project (quilting)
    Did a preliminary layout of the top. Cycled out a supplemental fabric that was too bright
  2. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Frogged about 16 rows because I didn't like the way that the increases looked. Trying to decide whether to try adding increases again or just forgetting about it.
  3. Tuscon Twilight (needlepoint)
    Started a different section because I was bored with the other one. This project contains way too much brown.
  4. Wild Turquoise [Ravelry]
    Started on 5/10; spun about one third of the rolags
Works In Progress, did not work on:
  • Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Beyond Antares, aka Equatorial Nights (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  4. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Finished Object and some randomness...

...I finished my last Loopy Academy project! Hooray!!

I'm really glad to be done with it. Here is the Irisa Scarf [Ravelry]:

Irisa scarf

and a close up:

Irisa scarf, close up

Specs:
Started 2/19/15;
Finished 5/11/15;
Pattern: Irisa Cowl by knittedblissJC
Yarn: Socks That Rock Heavyweight (Blue Moon Fiber Arts) in Dip-It-Us;
Mods: Made it a short scarf instead of a cowl, added fringe

I had second thoughts about turning it into a scarf, so I tried seaming it. Nope...the seam was too bulky and I hated it. So, I stuck with the scarf. At 36-inches long, it's a short scarf, but it might be good for a small person (read: kid).
  • I did a little work on the Tuscon Twilight needlepoint piece. I'm really not into the colors on this project—it's just too brown. As a result, it's going very slowly. I might have to put this one in hibernation for a while.
  • To compensate for the brownness, I started spinning the Turquoise rolags [Ravelry] that I bought from the Yarn Wench last month. I'm spinning it as a single and auto-plying it with turquoise thread.
  • I resurrected Be My Baby for My Baby [Ravelry]. It took me a bit to figure out where I left off, but I'm back on track.
  • We celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday because the Daughter had to travel on Sunday. We went to the Alameda Spring festival in the afternoon and had an early dinner at La Penca Azul.
  • I did the preliminary layout for the commission quilt. I cycled out one of the supplemental fabrics as it was just too bright. I replaced it with more squares from another fabric already in use and the balance is a bit better. I'm letting it sit for a bit while I decide if any adjustments are necessary.

Friday, May 08, 2015

Eye Candy Friday...

...and not a moment too soon!  This week has been a bit slow, so I'm looking forward to getting something done this weekend.

We're in an in-between period where we're waiting for the next things to bloom. In looking at the archives, I haven't shown you these photos yet.

A purple tulip:

Tulip 1

Purple salvia in a neighbor's yard:

Purple salvia

and a pink ranunculus:

Pink and cream ranunculus

Up this weekend:  It's Mother's Day on Sunday. The daughter has already been spoiling me. On Wednesday, she had an iced latte from Starbucks delivered to my office. Yesterday, she had 4 Sprinkles cupcakes (Red Velvet!!) delivered to the office.

We'll get together sometime over the weekend depending on her work schedule.

Aside from that, I want to start working on the layout of the commission project now that I have all of the squares cutout.  I suspect that it will take me several days to get the layout to a pleasing look, so this will just be the beginning.

I'm itching to finish the last Loopy Academy project. I'm pretty bored with it even though the yarn is nice and it looks good in the pattern.  I'm trying not to start anything new until I finish it, which is very difficult. :)

Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate it!
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Wednesday, May 06, 2015

WIP-it Wednesday...

...on the heels of the recap and not all that different, but it is Wednesday. :)

Worked on:

  1. Stealth Commission Project (quilting)
    Finished cutting the fabric squares and now it's time to do the layout. Purchasing the  backing, binding and main border fabric is on hold until I get the main layout sewn together.
  2. Irisa Cowl/Scarf (knitting for Loopy Academy) [Ravelry]
    It's now 18 inches long, just past the halfway point.
Works In Progress, did not work on:
  • Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  • Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  • Tuscon Twilight (needlepoint)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Beyond Antares, aka Equatorial Nights (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  4. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, May 05, 2015

April 2015 recap...

...started a few things that I actually finished in the same month! And I'm still trying to get back on track with my rading.

Finished:
  • 4/4 Gypsy handspun [Ravelry]
    Wild Card Bling Batt (3.7 oz) from the Yarn Wench ;
    48.4 yards auto-plied with copper thread, 7 WPI
  • 4/15 Dreams of Amethyst shawl (weaving) [Ravelry]
  • 4/25 Mermaid  Bling art yarn (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Wild Card Bling Batt from the Yarn Wench
    106.1 yards thread-plied plus 4.5 yards beaded; bulky weight
  • 4/26 Parritch Bonnet [Ravelry]
  • 4/26  Lilac handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Lilac Merino-Bamboo-Tussah Silk top (4oz) from Miss Babs;
    124.5 yards, 13 WPI
  • Books:
    1. The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henriquez
    2. Wormwood Echoes, Laken Cane
    3. Last One Home, Debbie Macomber
    4. NYPD Red 3, James Patterson
    5. Sisters of Heart and Snow, Margaret Dilloway
    6. Choose Your Own Biography, Neil Patrick Harris
    7. Darned If You Do, Monica Ferris
    8. Dark Heir, Faith Hunter
Started:
  • 4/4 Gypsy handspun [Ravelry]
  • 4/4 Mermaid  Bling art yarn (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • 4/4 Parritch Bonnet [Ravelry]
  • 4/11 Lilac handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • 4/21 Serpiente (knitting) [Ravelry]
Worked on:
  • Irisa Cowl/Scarf (knitting for Loopy Academy) [Ravelry
  • Stealth Commission project (quilting)
  • Tuscon Twilight (needlepoint)
Works In Progress, did not work on:
  • Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  • Halloween Phat Fiber samples (spinning) [Ravelry]
  • Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Beyond Antares, aka Equatorial Nights (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  3. Going Snow Global quilt (quilting)
  4. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Monday, May 04, 2015

F.O. Monday...

...and May the 4th be with you!

A quick post to show the latest finished object because it's too cute not to share. Here is Serpiente [Ravelry]:

Serpiente, complete

and another view:

Serpiente, another view

Specs:
Started 4/21/15;
Finished 5/4/15;
Pattern: Striped Stockinette Snake by Purl Soho
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in Indigo Frost and Liberty
Loopy Academy, Semester 2
Variations: Increased the spacing of the stripe at about 45 inches; knit an additional 5 inches in length

I did a stash dive in my button box to find suitable eyes. I love the rounded green eyes. No snake is complete without a forked tongue--I used a scrap of red felt and used a large tapestry needle to thread it through the mouth. It was a really fun knit!

Friday, May 01, 2015

F.O. 'n Eye Candy Friday...

...Happy May!

First, here is the completed Parritch Bonnet [Ravelry:

Parritch Bonnet, complete

and a view of the top:

Parritch Bonnet, top view of fulling

Specs: 
Started 4/4/15;
Finished 4/26/15
Oatmeal Bonnet pattern by Carolyn Macpherson;
Lightly fulled
Loopy Academy Semester 2 assignment

I'm happy with the way it turned out, I'm glad it wasn't completely felted because I like seeing the swirl created by the decreases on the top.


Things continue to bloom in the backyard. The hydrangeas are starting:

Hydrangeas are starting to bloom

The yellow ranunculus opened:

Yellow ranunculus

This purple umbrella flower is new. I like how the dark stems look against the purple of the flowers; the white tips add even more interest.

Purple umbrella flower

And the feijoa is going nuts again:

Feijoa flower, close up

Up this weekend:  More work on the commission piece. I'm going to try finishing the Striped Stockinette Snake [Ravelry] so I can get back to the Irisa Cowl/Scarf [Ravelry]. I love how Irisa looks, but I'm tired of knitting the drop stitch pattern.

I'm also itching to start spinning the turquoise wild card rolags [Ravelry] that  I bought from The Yarn Wench. I should finish the Halloween Phat Fiber samples [Ravelry] that are sitting in my WIP pile...we'll see if I can restrain myself!
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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...