LACE CAST OFF... finishing up the Moebius Cowl

This is a quickie-post. Just want to share the progress on the Moebius Cowl/Scarf I began eight days ago. Considering I have only been working on it off-n-on it has gone rather quickly. I'm surprised. It's already time to cast off! Instead of the I-Cord castoff that I had originally planned, I'm doing a Lace Cast Off instead.

The lace pattern is 5 stitches and 8 rows worked back and forth perpendicular to edge of garment/project. One stitch is gobbled off every other row which means working 10 stitches [more on the increase rows] plus two rows to cast off one stitch. This is not a fast way to cast off, but it will create a very soft edge to this cowl and who doesn't like a little bit of lace?

Count 7 stitches up and that is the next stitch to be cast off

If there is interest in how to do this lace cast off, I can write a post about the method, pattern, etc..  It makes a wonderful edging on caps, sleeves, and of course looks fabulous around a neckline. I've even put it on the flap of a knitted purse. It's fun to play around with.

Sorry I haven't posted in several days. I've needed time to recoup from all the activity and long drive to attend the Road2Calif quilt show this past week. And, I think I may have caught a bug because the wind is definitely out of my sails!

I have several nice pics to share from the Road2California quilt show and will try to get them up tomorrow or Wednesday. Also, I hope to share a little about the two-day class I took and the great teacher we had!  Meanwhile . . . until next time I am going to heat up some broth and go to bed! lol. What are you up to?

Linking to: Connie at FreeMotion by the River.
Quilty Hugs,

SEWING ROOM RE-DO and Moebius progress

The sewing room re-do is finally under way! Yippee. The trundle twin bed set has been donated to someone who needs two beds. Removing those beds opened up a ton of room in here! Love it. Shelves to go up soon, but it's a start.

View from doorway

The "board" leaning up against the back of my sewing machine cabinet needs mounting on its hinges. I'm saving that task for one of the guys in the family. *g*. It will be wonderful to use this flip up space when I am FMQ a large quilt.

Moebius cowl in process - knitting

Some progress has been made on the Moebius scarf/cowl. It is about 1/2 complete. Can you see the needles in the pic above? These are from KnitPicks and come with different length cables. I really like how they feel in my hands and especially the fine tips -- so helpful when working with fingering weight yarn. Oh the yarn in from KP also: 100% Merino wool. So so soft!  The really fun part that I am looking forward to is the I-Cord bind-off. I love the way it looks and it is fun to do.

That's all for today. Sew, until next time. . . I am off to the Road2California Quilt Show to learn more about EQ7 and PPing. What are YOU up to?

Quilty Hugs,

MOEBIUS. . . A beginning

Tonight after a long day of house-re-arranging, I decided to knit while I was checking email. I watched Cat Bordhi's vid on YouTube to see her version of the Moebius cast on. I have four rows done. Now trying to decide if I will insert a pattern, or just keep it simple. Who knows?! I tend to make these things up as I go along. Do you do that, too?

Wow... look at this nasty keyboard! No, please don't!  Photos always show everything! lol

Missy... who is almost always firmly planted in my lap was having a lot of fun swatting at the yarn as I was knitting. Just love this cute kitty. Missy has so much personality.

Missy is a little camera shy tonight

This is just a quickie... sew, until next time. . . I'm going to hit the hay and take my knitting with me. What are YOU up to? Thank you for popping in to visit... please come back again.

Quilty Hugs,

FRILL, FRILLS, FRILLY... it's all in the yarn

Today saw another finish. Yippee Skippee, love that! I had some Sashay yarn by Red Heart that was calling my name.  I had already made one frill scarf by crocheting it [sorry no pic], but I wanted to try a knitted version.



So fun to throw around the neck and over the shoulder



Lay across neck front [ends will be in back]; bring ends to front... see pic below for the final twist



... now just flip the ends together and voila! a nice jabow [probably didn't spell that right]



The frills on this scarf are more plentiful and pleasing to me than the crocheted version I made previously

I used my metal, size 9, 'square-shaft' straight needles. These needles are fun and so easy to hold!  So, I knitted and knitted and... well, I worked on it off.n.on for just over a week. Whew. Finished today. Result? I prefer the knitted version b/c it is so soft and the frills are really frilly! But if I needed one fast, I would crochet it!

Oh, please do not mind the old, droopy and wrinkly neck in these photos. I had to use myself b/c my gorgeous DD wasn't available. And, btw, that's what happened to the other scarf... she modeled it for me and then it went to live with her! lol. I never even got a picture of it. The pic is in her phone! *big sigh*

Until next time. . . what are YOU working on?

Quilty Hugs,

Surprise Gifts from Germany... & Photo u/l problem solved!!

Friends are so wonderful! Not too long ago a surprise package arrived from Germany. Brigitte had knitted a beautiful shawl for me- see below - and our mutual friend Katrin made me a Pouch and hand crocheted Key Cover to tuck inside the package! Big surprise!
The darling pouch holds my new iPhone perfectly and safely - the front pocket holds the 'ear buds' or the charging cord.  I just love the fabric Katrin used!

See my iPhone - the black, just barely peeking out the back pocket??

I just love the darling lime green closure snap. Not sure what it is made of... plastic maybe? Never seen them before. Because it is soft, there are no worries the phone screen will get scratched.

Hand crocheted KeyCover - created by: Katrin /Cattinka

The beautiful shawl below, was knitted by Brigitte. Isn't it gorgeous?!! Thank you so much. This lovely shawl is the pefect size to wear draped over one's shoulders, or looped and secured with a shawl pin [like a scarf]. I've worn it both ways and absolutely love it!

A big hug to my DD Laura who agreed to model the shawl so I could get some pictures. Thank you, Laura!

This great pic really shows off the beautiful yarn Brigitte used.

Thank you again, Brigitte and Katrin. I'm overwhelmed by your generosity and I will always treasure these lovely gifts.

Blog photo u/l problem solved: A HUGE Thank You to Cath, Mary and Tina who offered excellent advice in their comments regarding the photo uploading problems many of us have been dealing with lately. Today's fix turned out to be a very simple one: I tweeked Tina's suggestion and just toggeled between "compose" and "html" in the post editor. Select 'html' to u/l pics, then toggle back to 'compose' to move pics around, add captions, edit/write the text, etc.. Worked like a charm!  One note: b/c I am a novice with HTML, I found it easier to select/copy/paste and move the text around... NOT the photos. Was pretty easy.  Thank you again, ladies... aren't bloggers wonderful?!

Until next time. . .

Quilty Hugs,

A FEW MORE LITTLE THINGS. . .

Sometimes it is fun to just make little things. That's what I have been doing. I do have a larger bed quilt swimming in my head -- a scrappy thingie -- but won't start on it right away. Meanwhile, please enjoy the 'little quilt show'. . . more to follow soon. [edit: Ooops, Blogger and IE seem to be hiccupping and won't let me u/l any photos... I'll post them as soon as this problem is fixed.]

Until next time. . . I hope we can all sew more in 2013 than we did in 2012! I need a new quilt for my bed -- how about YOU? What are you up to?

Quilty Hugs,

A NEW BEGINNING - a baby orchid

Look at the pic closely. . . do you see it? A tiny orchid is just beginning. It will be quite a while before it opens at the top of a long willowy stem and shows off its beauty. We will all just have to wait. I'll try to post a pic every 4 weeks so you can enjoy the process right along with me. Orchids are so facinating!

Orchid bud just beginning

One of my darling kidlets recently went to Germany and Austria for a couple weeks of vacay. They had a grand time and brought some goodies back to share with me... CHOCOLATE!  And it was all in a darling wooden box.

 

So... let me tell you... this chocolate was [notice the past tense here...lol] sensational! Totally yummy! Too bad there were only 9 pieces in the box. Or maybe that's a good thing... good for my hips anyway.

 

All gone! :( ... but the box is great! If i don't store bobbins in it, perhaps it will be a good place to keep my zipper fobs.

Until next time. . . I'm sewing mug rugs and sorting UFOs... what are YOU up to??

Quilty Hugs,