Livin' La Needle Loca

...a little busy at work today. I'll try and post later, but might not make it until tomorrow.

...as weekend forecasts go, it was pretty much spot on. When it's hot, I either get focused on one thing and work on it to the exclusion of everything else, or  I have the attention span of a gnat. I experienced both of these reactions over the weekend. Rather than do a blow-by-blow of each day (which would really show my attention span problems!), here's a list of what I did over the weekend: Paint it Red quilt Replaced a small section of the border Measured and cut a piece of batting for the back Pieced the backing fabric together Weaving: Wove one of the six coasters originally planned for this warping. I learned that I don't like weaving this small an object (5" x 5"), but I'll finish up at least four coasters so I don't waste the warp. Spinning: Finished a spindle-full of the Wisteria Angora and Merino top I have in progress and wound it off to a bobbin. I may move this over to the wheel to see if I can speed up the process. Knitting: W...

...cuz the next one is in October! I know, that month went by too fast! Today's Eye Candy Friday is brought to you by the letters P and T . P eppers—just two of the many we have on various plants... P omegranates—we have several ripening on the tree... T omatillos—we still have some on the vine... T ica—just because she's cute (and she knows it)... Up this weekend, your guess is as good as mine! Aside from the normal weekend chores, I really haven't planned anything for the weekend. Spinning is calling me, as it the weaving, but I've got the quilt to finish, too. And I'm on a roll with the cross stitch piece...too many projects to choose from! We'll see what catches my fancy!

...because Peacock Majesty is going back into hibernation. I'm just not into samplers right now. I still think this is a beautiful piece and I will eventually finish it, just not right now. The mermaid's tail continues to take shape. I'm still trying to decide what's worse...hundreds of singleton stitches or large sections of the same color. The singletons are challenging and take a great deal of concentration, but the large areas are BOR-ING! I still don't feel like knitting and now that Peacock Majesty is sleeping, I need a new travel project. Presenting "Spooky Wrap" by Pine Mountain. This will be a quick (and fun) stitch. I love Halloween...I think it's time to work through the small Halloween cross stitch projects I have in the stash. Witches and zombies and bats...oh, my!

...on multiple fronts. Before I go into that, here is today's picture: When I first took pictures of the tomatillos, I didn't realize that they were going to turn purple. They are ripe now and in different shades of purple. The Husband plans on making purple salsa...that should look interesting! This weekend, my highest priority was to clean the floors. Between the dirt tracking in from gardening and the normal wear-and-tear, they were looking pretty bad. The Husband took a long bike ride on Saturday, so I was able to mop (steam) them and let them dry. Did the vacuuming and a couple of other chores before the heat got too intense. Because it was hot on both days of the weekend, I put aside any thoughts of quilting or knitting. I did check out my quilt bating stash and found that I already have plenty of batting for the Paint It Red quilt (and probably for another quilt, too). I also took another look at the borders of the quilt and decided that there was one small secti...

...or just ready for Friday, period? Yeah, me too!  As promised, here is another sky picture: This one has been run through Picnik.com's Lomo-ish filter. The original photo is in my Flickr photostream . For my birthday, I received an anthurium plant that has lots of flowers. This one is just now opening: This flower was already open, but its color is deepening as it gets older: This plant is a nice addition to my office and I hope I can keep it alive...I have really bad luck with plants! Up this weekend: I really need to catch up on the housework that had been sadly neglected during my craft binges! I'd like to warp the loom and try out my new stand, too. I need to check my quilt batting stash and see if I have a piece big enough for the Paint It Red quilt. If not, I'll have to buy more batting. (Oh, no...I'd have to go to a quilt store. That could be dangerous!) It's supposed to be hot this weekend, so we'll see how much I get done...

...of course, she doesn't look much like a mermaid right now. I haven't added the tail fins and she doesn't have an upper body yet. At least there is progress since the last picture , which is more than I can say for the other cross stitch project! Peacock Majesty is going very slowly. I think it has to do with the fact that it is on dark teal linen. Stitching on dark fabric required really good lighting and magnification. On top of that, it's a sampler with rows and rows of fussy stitches—the fussier they are, the longer it takes to complete them. Now I remember why I put Peacock Majesty into hibernation for so long! I'm finding that I'm just not into samplers right now. I'm going to keep at it for another couple of days, but if I don't feel the love soon, it going back on hiatus! Still no knitting, spinning, or weaving, but I may get the loom warped soon. I am anxiously awaiting my birthday present, which is a stand for my Knitters Loom and a cone...

...a little quilting...a little cross stitch...thunder, lightening and rain...the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival on Sunday... and a True Blood marathon. What more could you ask for? The thunder and lightening at 4 am was cool...the lightening flashes lit up our bedroom and the thunder drove the cats under the bed! In the morning, the sky was gorgeous. You could see several types of clouds in one direction: I took other pictures, but I'm saving them for Eye Candy Friday. I spent a good deal of time finishing my quilt top. I ripped out a few blocks and reset them in new locations. I also sewed strips together to make the quilt borders. Because I was recording the True Blood marathon on HBO on my craft room TV, I was forced to watch it while I worked. LOL! By Sunday evening, I had finished sewing the top together, just in time to watch the season finale of True Blood. Here's what the top looks like: I had been calling it "Paint It Black" only because every ti...

...so you get another cat picture. Here is Miss Sombra, getting up close and personal with with the camera, again. See all the dirt on her fur...she's been outside, rolling around on the cement patio! Quilting and needlework take a lot longer to complete so there are fewer progress pictures. In the case of cross stitch, I work on linen that is 28 or 32 threads per inch—after two hours of stitching, it doesn't look like I've done a lot. We tracked how long it took me to complete the baby afghan that I made for my niece (hardanger, another type of needlework; finished size about 25x40 inches)...about 100 hours. I have no idea how long it takes me to stitch one of the mermaids. Up this weekend: do the housework that I ignored last weekend (oops). Rip out 3 stray squares from the quilt, put them in a better location, and call this quilt top "done." Work on my cross stitch mermaid. And maybe warp the loom to test a new technique. Knitting is still on hold until somet...

...here is the quilt top I've been working on: It's interesting—I couldn't see that one of the dark red squares was not in the right location until I saw the photo. Maybe it's the light in my craft room? Anyway, there's a little ripping out and swapping to do for a couple of squares to get them in a better spot. But, this top is close to being done! Next I am working on the borders, which will use up some of the red and black strips left-over from the blocks. Let's just say that I have more than enough...when I first envisioned this quilt, it was going to be much bigger! I have decided to take a short break from knitting and work on some cross stitch. I told you about the mermaid WIP last time. She's too big to travel, so I'm also resurrecting another cross stitch WIP that I can work on at lunch time. This is Peacock Majesty by Just Nan : This design was retired in 2004 and I've had it a lot longer than that! I'd love to take this off my UFO l...

...and the extra time to craft! So far, it's been very productive. Presenting...Under the Sea socks [ Ravelry ]: Specs: Finished 9/5/09 Loopy Ewe Sock Club March 2009 Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn, Casbah Sock in Ocean Current Pattern: Under the Sea pattern Needles: 2 US/2.75mm Things I learned with these socks: I confirmed that toe-up socks are not an enjoyable knit for me. However, I now know that I can complete a pair if I have to. I do not like wrap-and-turn short row heels; I'd rather do an unwrapped short row heel. I love Casbah yarn! So I am now down to one pair of socks on the needles, but look what arrived Saturday (picture behind Loopy): The Loopy Ewe September installment!! And it's a yarn I never thought I'd own...Wollmeise! The colors are gorgeous! I am tempted to start these socks, but I may just wait so I can enjoy petting the yarn a bit more. I've been working on my quilt, too. I've settled on a block layout, and while it might not be the optimal ...

...things are not quite normal and I'm feeling a little off-center. Virgos just aren't happy when things deviate from the routine! I'm still working on the Under the Sea socks, so no pictures of those yet. I have another 2.5 inches to go on the cuff and then I'm done. I have a weaving project in mind using some cotton yarn, but I think I might have to do some samples first before I warp for the main project. Today's Eye Candy Friday is brought to you by the letters C and T . C is for Chiles: Of course, I have no idea what varieties these are... T is for Tomatillos: They look like little paper lanterns, don't they? Here's a more mature tomatillo: Up this weekend: today is my birthday, so we'll probably do something over the weekend to celebrate it. I want to finish the layout of my black and red quilt top and get that sewn together. I also want to finish the Under the Sea socks because the next Loopy Ewe sock club installment is on its way and I haven...

Finished: 8/31 Fraggled Socks [ Ravelry ] 8/30 Deep Sea Flower Shawl (weaving) [ Ravelry ] 8/30 Nocturne yarn (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Falkland top from Yarn Wench Yield: 195.4 yards , Navajo-ply WPI: 13 8/20 Eleanor de Plume socks [ Ravelry ] 8/9 Tropical Fish yarn (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Falkland top from Yarn Wench Yield: 260 yds Navajo-ply WPI: 14 8/8 Apricot Cinder Merino-Silk yarn (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Merino-silk top from Yarn Wench Yield: 223 yds Navajo-ply WPI: 13 Started: 8/8 Nocturne yarn (spinning) 8/16 Deep Sea Flower Shawl (weaving) 8/2 8 Apricot Cinder Merino-Silk yarn (spinning) Worked on: Under the Sea socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spinning) Paint it Black quilt (quilting) Works In Progress, did not work on: Stranded Hearts socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ] February Lady Sweater (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Corrugator scarf (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] UFOs: Bla...

...than yesterday. I had to take the Daughter to the airport (my least favorite place to drive...it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't change the route around SJC every week). One of our cars decided that 3rd gear was the only gear to be in, rendering it pretty much useless. That meant that we had 3 people and one functioning car...not good! We rented a car for a few days to tide us over until the Daughter left yesterday. So now we are two people with one car until we decide what to do. I'd like transported technology now, please! Because of the transportation situation, I had plenty of time to work on projects. I finished the Deep Sea Flower Shawl [ Ravelry ]: At each end, I wove a little tighter for 5 or 6 inches and added a couple of pattern rows. Over all, it's a looser weave than my previous projects because the yarn is so stretchy, but it drapes beautifully. Specs: Started: 8/16/09 Finished: 8/30/09 Warp: Dream in Color; Baby in Deep Sea Flower; 10 epi Weft: Dr...