Livin' La Needle Loca

 ...it's been a good week. We have a late-blooming begonia in the backyard: And we harvested our one pomegranate and it's a big one: Here's a photo with a dollar bill for scale:

...and I'm still on a roll. This might be the last finish of the month, though. This is Joy to Ewe, a mini cross stitch project. Specs: Joy to Ewe Started 10/22/2020 Finished 10/28/2020 Chart plus button from Shepherd’s Bush

 ...and I'm trying to get back into a regular rotation. I'm working on another sheep pattern from Shepherd's Bush. This is Joy to Ewe: WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Pure Comfort Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry Knitting the first sleeve, about 75% complete Joy to Ewe sheep mini (cross stitch) Started on 10/22/2020 Marionberry Shawl [ Ravelry Almost done with first round of pattern rows Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Still working on the tail fins Works In Progress, Did Not Work On This Week: By the Sea needle roll (cross stitch) Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Malachite (needlepoint) Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch) Tucson Twilight (needlepoint) Waiting for Finishing: Deco Royale (quilting) Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) Hocus Pocus Sheep (cross stitch) Mermaid Songs (quilting) Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilting) UFOs/Hibernation: ...

...I'm on a roll! I finished the Gatitas quilt last night. This is the label: Specs: Started 9/15/2020 Top finished 9/17/2020 Completed 10/26/2020 2 Nine Lives fabric panel and stash fabrics Quilt for the kittens

 ...and the secret project can now be revealed! On Saturday, I attended a Zoom baby shower for a friend. I made sure to finish her present and get it mailed so it would arrive in time for her shower. This is my present, a Hooded Baby Cardigan [ Ravelry ]: And a look at the hood and i-cord ties: Specs: Started 8/8/2020 Finished 10/14/2020 Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Deep Seaflower and Summer Sky Pattern: Easy Baby Cardigan by Diane Soucy It was a challenge for me to knit because the recipient is an excellent knitter and I wanted it to be as good as I could possibly make it. I think it turned out very well and I'm pleased with my work. (I don't say that very often!) In other project news, I finished the machine quilting on the Gatitas quilt and attached the binding. I'm in the process of burying all of the threads on the back. I should be able to finish it in the next day or two. Yay!

 ...but first some eye candy. We finally saw some clouds this morning: I finished another cross stitch mini. This is Meadow Sheep: Specs: Started 10/17/2020 Finished 10/21/2020 Sheep Freebie chart plus button from Shepherd’s Bush This piece will go on the finishing pile. In the ongoing entertainment that is the kittens, they redecorated our bedroom this week.  First, I had to remove the cross stitch mermaid that have hung in our bedroom for several years. The beads were too attractive to the cats and they were trying to get the shiny things off of them. I'll rearrange things in my studio to hang the mermaids in there. Next, they decided that they hated the drapes. While I was doing yoga yesterday morning, they pulled the drapes down, poles and all! Sigh... We're ordering a roller shade to replace the drapes. Hopefully, the shade won't be as attractive as the drapes!

...and I'm still suffering from lack of sleep, but trying to keep moving forward. I'm working on the Gatitas quilt, but am frustrated with my small sewing machine. I end up doing one or two motifs and them stopping to work on something ore satisfying. I started a new sheep cross stitch. It's another chart-plus-button sheep thing from Shepherd's Bush. I'm calling it Meadow Sheep. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Gatitas quilt (quilting) Still working on detailed machine quilting. Meadow Sheep mini (cross stitch) Started on 10/17/2020 Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Working on the tail fins Works In Progress, Did Not Work On This Week: By the Sea needle roll (cross stitch) Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Malachite (needlepoint) Marionberry Shawl [ Ravelry ] Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch) Pure Comfort Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Tucson Twi...

 ...and starting to stack up the next set of cross stitch projects for finishing. This is Hocus Pocus, a freebie pattern with purchase of button. Specs: Started 10/4/2020 Finished 10/17/2020 Chart plus button from Shepherd’s Bush I like these mini projects because they stitch up pretty quickly. In other news, I finished knitting the secret project on Thursday and blocked it. I took photos of it yesterday and packaged it up to mail to the recipient. I'll post photos of the project when it arrives at it's destination.

 ...but I have little to show this week. The Husband hasn't planted anything new in the backyard and we've been so caught up in cat-proofing everything that we haven't done much else. On top of it all, we discovered pantry moths in the couscous last night. So this morning's task was cleaning out the cabinets and checking all of the grain products for infestation. I cleaned all of the shelves and threw away anything that was infested or old. I threw away the old moth trap and installed a new one. On the cat front, The Husband made another frame for the bedroom that I need to cover with fabric. Last night, one of the kittens decides that she could jump over the 32-inch TV and play with the cords behind it...at 2 in the morning! $%?!  I managed to cover it with cardboard to keep her out for the rest of the night. I hope the new frame will solve this problem. On the bright side, a monarch butterfly visited our backyard yesterday. It's ...

 ...and I'm still bouncing from one project to another. With more concentration, I could probably finish one or more of my WIPs in the next week. However, unless i catch up on sleep, that might not happen. At least the mermaid is back in rotation. Here's what Renaissance Mermaid looks like today: I do need to finish the secret project and get it mailed out. Maybe that's what today's project should be. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Gatitas quilt (quilting) Still working on detailed machine quilting. This is a challenge because I'm using my small sewing machine I really need to get my Pfaff in for servicing! Halloween Sheep mini (cross stitch) Finished the sheep  and working on the background. Pure Comfort Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ]   Found an error in the sleeve and frogged back to a good point and started knitting again. Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Working towards the t...

 ...mostly due to kitten antics. They are relentless in trying to open the cabinets and play with every cable and electric cord they find. And they do it all in the middle of the night! I'm a light sleeper, so I hear every sound. We never had to install childproof latches for our daughter or our other cats. We only had to move the dangerous items out of reach. With Cassia and Canela, we've had to install latches and build panels to hide all the cords under furniture. Every day, they discover something new that makes a lot of noise in the middle of the night. I hope I'll eventually get a full nights sleep! They are growing so fast! I can no longer carry one in each hand.  Cassia is the instigator in most of their adventures. Here she crashed hard after "helping" the Husband build a panel for the bedroom. Don't get me wrong, Canela gets right in there, but only after sitting back and watching Cassia before she engages. She is s...

 ...I'm spending more time with the kittens than working on projects in my studio. They're just so much fun! Finished: 9/6 Noche de los Muertos quilt top (quilting) 9/6 Pumpkin scissor fob (cross stitch) 9/9 Sparrow scissor fob (cross stitch) 9/14 Mermaid Sampler (cross stitch) 9/17 Gatitas quilt top (quilting) 9/17 Hunt mini pillow (cross stitch) 9/22 Frightful Halloween pin cushion  9/26 Mary and Joseph Christmas ornament (cross stitch) 9/30 Autumn Flame handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Merino-Bamboo-Silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 181.25 yds, 12 WPI Books Death in Rough Water, Francine Mathews Second Chance Pass, Robyn Carr Shadows in Death, JD Robb Death in a Mood Indigo, Francine Mathews A Bundt Instrument, Nancy Warren Unkindest Tide, Seanan McGuire Dragon Bones, Patricia Briggs Started: 9/6 Sparrow scissor fob (cross stitch) 9/9 Mermaid Sampler (cross stitch) 9/15 Gatitas quilt (quilting) 9/14 Hunt mini pillow (cross stitch) 9/18 ...

 ...no photos this week. I haven't worked on the needlepoint pictures, the cross stitch mermaid, or either large knitting project. I'm trying to finish the secret project so i can get it mailed. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Gatitas quilt (quilting) Working on detailed machine quilting Secret project (knitting) Frogged the edging because I wasn't happy with the way it looked. Started again. Halloween Sheep mini (cross stitch) Started 10/4/2020 Works In Progress, Did Not Work On This Week: By the Sea needle roll (cross stitch) Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Malachite (needlepoint) Marionberry Shawl [ Ravelry ] Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch) Pure Comfort Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ]  Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Tucson Twilight (needlepoint) Waiting for Finishing: Deco Royale (quilting) Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) Mermaid Songs (quilting) Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilti...

 ...I had built up quite a few things. The steps to the finishing are not hard, just time-consuming: Pick backing fabric, if necessary and press everything. Mark sewing lines and cut fronts and backs to size, using with a 1/4 to 1/2-inch seam. Trim corners and turn; stuff with fiberfill. Handsew the openings closed. Make cording and handsew to edges. It took me several hours to complete these pieces. Here's a collage of the finishing work I completed yesterday.: Row 1: Hunt mini pillow by Shepherd's Bush; Spooky Sheep mini pillow by Shepherd's Bush; Wee Seashore pillow by Heart in Hand; Pumpkin scissor fob by Ewe & Eye & Friends Row 2: Tiny Garden pin cushion; Mermaid Sampler (finished as a flat picture); Have Ewe Any Wool;  cushion; Frightful Halloween pin cushion - all by Shepherd's Bush. Row 3: 2007 Christmas Ornament by Shepherd's Bush; 2006 Christmas ornament by Shepherd's Bush; Ghosts Gather Scis...

 ...another one for the finishing pile. This is the Sweet Baby Christmas ornament from a Just Cross Stitch ornament issue: Specs: Started 9/27/2020 Finished 10/3/2020 Pattern: Shepherd's Bush from the 2007 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue Modifications: replaced words with year and vines

 ...sort of. I've been taking photos of the sunrise every morning since the original Shelter in Place order was issued in March. Many of the sunrises look the same, especially with the influx of smoke from the various fires in Northern California. Orange skies and orange tinged sunlight have become common. This morning, the moon appeared orange. I'm in the midst of doing the finishing work for the last batch of cross stitch pieces. And Im trying to quilt the cats' quilt. At some point, I'll post my recap.

 ...and it's spinning. This is Autumn Flame [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 9/20/2020 Finished 9/30/2020 Merino-Bamboo-Silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 181.25 yds, 12 WPI