a hat for a friend

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I wasn't sure what to finish this week....it seems like there is always so much to do and so little time. This hat, which was the closest project to being finished, was a good candidate. I have been procrastinating finishing the top because I was scared that I would mess it up. Turns out it took less than an hour, and it was pretty easy! Once again, I'm thankful for the accountability of finish it up Friday!

Last December, my friend and I went yarn shopping and we saw a knit sample of this hat in the yarn shop. My friend bought the yarn, I bought the pattern and knit it up. It was a delight to make! I'm excited to give it to her. I may even try to get some modeled shots eventually. :)

 

Pattern: Origami Top Hat
Yarn: Shasta Pretty in Pink (purchased from Amazing Threads)
Needle size: 6 and 7, as directed in the pattern
Hat size: I knit the larger size in the pattern

I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out! I would recommend the pattern and the yarn. It was a fun knit!

Oh, I wanted to say thanks for all your input on my binding dilemma! I have a lot to consider. Thanks for your thoughtful comments!

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Maine socks and stash organization

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week I managed to finish another pair of socks! I bought this yarn in August when my husband and I went to Maine to celebrate our 20th anniversary. As much as I LOVE colorful socks, this black and white self-striping yarn caught my eye because it's so practical. These socks will match 90% of my closet. :) I'm pretty pleased with how well those stripes lines up. Not exactly perfect, but pretty darn close. Hurray!

 

This is my 23rd pair of hand knit socks that I've made to date. You can find the free pattern here.

 

The other BIG project this week was to organize my stash. It was in quite a state of disarray, so I spent quite a bit of time folding, organizing and rearranging. It felt AMAZING to get this all in order.

I've used the same folding technique for my stash for years and I can't recommend it enough. (See this post.) If the fabric is not large enough to wrap around a 6" ruler, it goes into the scrap bin. Having a consistent folding technique helps maintain the organization long term.

Lest you think that everything is perfectly perfect over here, this is was hanging out just out of the frame of the previous photo. (See? I AM a normal quilter and a real person. Hahahaha!)

I shuffled the piles a little farther out so I could get a decent picture of the whole corner. I have a bunch of scraps that I need to get in order next, but one step at a time....right? It feels good to have the stash neat and tidy, at least.

 

Ok, that's it for me today! Now it's your turn to link up your finishes. Thanks, as always for joining me for finish it up Friday!

 

 

a little of everything

I've been walking around my house singing "it's the MOST wonderful time of the year", but in a slightly sarcastic manner. I just can't seem to keep up! I know I'm not alone, but I still don't care for the ridiculous pace of early to mid December. This post is a little random, so please bear with me! :)

Thank you so much for the sweet comments on my gingham quilt! I had a few requests to see the pillows a little better, so here you go. I made pillowcases with Lotta dots in Coral, the chenille pillow shams were made from an old bedspread and the kindness pillow was finished earlier this year. I love the simplicity of the whole ensemble. It makes me smile every time I walk into my room! It's wonderful to have new bedding to brighten up the dreary winter days.

I've been working on a lot of different things this week...

I started knitting an origami top hat for a friend. I LOVE this shockingly pink yarn. It's been a great project to work on while I'm on the go.

This panel of hexies is part of a larger project that I will share more of soon. I estimated that it's taken me between 12 and 16 hours JUST to sew the hexagons together. Sometimes it's better NOT to count the hours. Hahaha! It did force me to just sit down for awhile, AND they are super cute, so it was totally worth it!

My neighbor ordered a pincushion to give as a gift, so I made one for her as well. I had a blast making these from my teeny tiny scraps.

And, I had to make an extra one, just for good measure. It felt so good to finish SOMETHING! Playing with scraps and finishing a few small projects was just the boost I needed to keep going.

 

I hope you are able to find a few moments in this busy time of year to breathe and enjoy the little things, too!

brianne's socks and a tiny little zip pouch

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

My friend brianne had a birthday this week and I knit her a pair of socks! I totally guessed on the size and I'm so relieved that they fit her perfectly the first time around. Hurray!

I ventured out and used a new to me pattern which can be found here. The contrast toe and heel are pretty fun!! (Many thanks to my friend Suzanne for the pattern recommendation.) The main sock yarn is by Madelintosh and I'm fairly certain the colorway is called Cosmic Wonder Dust. The pink yarn is Baby Wool by Coats, which I found at my local quilt (and yarn!) shop.

This is my 21st pair of hand knit socks that I have finished to date! I have 3 more socks on the needles at this time, so hopefully I'll have a few more finished pairs to share soon. Many thanks to Brianne and her son for taking the wonderful photos for this post!

I also have one more little finish for the week....

Yesterday I made a tiny wide open pouch for my friend Kristin. (There is a tutorial here, although this one has been sized down considerably. hahaha!)

I squealed over this so much when I made it!!! Tiny is so much fun, but now I want to make a larger version. I have a feeling it would be much easier to make! And maybe just a touch more practical. Ha! :)

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks so much for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a GREAT weekend!

this quilt needs a name and Maine morning mitts

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Last evening my machine was humming because I was in a race to beat the sunset. I wanted to capture a decent photo of the quilt top before the light escaped. It's a tricky game to play, as my son says, but I'm thankful that I won. :)

You guys! I'm so happy with this quilt top! It needs a good name, so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

If you've been following along with the quilt along, you already know that this is a slightly smaller version of my June quilt from my book No Scrap Left Behind.

The top measures about 51" x 68" or so. I'm pleased that the top is done, just as June comes to a close. Hurray for finishing the top! Boo for June being done. (It's one of my favorite months!)

I had another finish this week....a pair of Maine Morning Mitts. Knitting hand warmers in June is totally reasonable, right? My daughter actually wore them for a few days. Silly girl!

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Iowa for my niece's graduation party, so this is one of the projects I took along to work on in the car. I have been stalled out on this project because they needed thumbs and I hate knitting thumbs! My motivation? I wanted to use the leftover yarn to make knit pincushions. Hahahaha!

I'm so glad I had the motivation to finish them!

They are for my daughter and she LOVES them. Also, she was a willing model and the last photo was her idea. It was a lot of fun to photograph them with her!

The pattern is Maine Morning Mitts, which can be found here.

Yarn is by The Yarns of Rhichard DeVrieze. The colorway is Kimberly. (Worsted weight, knit on size 7 needles.)

Tomorrow is July 1 and I decided that I am going to revisit my one a day pincushion challenge. I had so much fun with it last year and I'm super excited to try it again. I hope you enjoy following along!

Just a quick note....I've decided that from here on out, I will keep the link up open for two days rather than one, so you have a bit more time to share your finishes. I hope that's helpful!

Now, it's your turn. Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

pincushions!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Hey, did you know that I love pincushions? (Hahaha!) This week I finished a bunch of them! I love making them because they are so cute, fairly quick to finish and they make great gifts. I've been giving them away nearly as fast as I make them, which is actually a good thing!

I'm calling these "granny pincushions", which are knit from scrap yarn. I love them so much! I remember my own dear grandmother had a pincushion in this style, but it was rust, teal and gold, if I recall correctly. Personally, I like the updated colors much better. :)

My daughter selected this yarn color combo. It's spot on, isn't it? This one is made from worsted weight wool yarn. (Technically, I finished this one a few weeks ago, but I haven't shared it here yet...)

This is another one in worsted weight yarn...the outside band is leftover yarn from my sweater!

This one uses chunky weight wool and it is all leftovers from two previous projects, both for my daughter. The orange and pink were from a skirt that I knit for her and the cream was from a hat that I made for her when she was just a little one. It's fun to be using the leftovers! It's also nice to have a momento of those days.

The middle ring used all but a few short inches of the cream yarn I had left. I was pretty happy that I played yarn chicken and I won. Barely. Haha!

There is a pattern that is similar here for the worsted weight pincushion if you care to make one (or a hundred) of your own. I'm working on making some in other size yarns and I plan to share the instructions here on the blog after I do a bit more testing. :)

I was cleaning off my cutting table the other day and I came across a scrap of this cute strawberry fabric. It was begging to be turned into pincushions. It IS strawberry season, after all! Hahaha! I like quilting the front panel of my pincushions, almost always, for added texture. I love these three together, but they will be going to three different people. They are just so happy!

The last two pincushions were made from the scrap basket. (As if I only have ONE scrap basket, HAHAHA!) The top one is about 3" square and the bottom one measures about 2" x 6 1/2" or so. I love how they turned out! (All of the sewn pincushions shown in this post are filled with crushed walnut shells.)

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!

socks for Z

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Late last night I finished knitting my 20th pair of socks to date. That's a pretty exciting milestone! I loved knitting them, even though it seems like they took forever. These are for my 16 year old son, who loves gray as much as I do. Hurray! For my next pair of socks, I've decided that I'm going to try to knit two at a time. I don't have a problem with second sock syndrome (not wanting to make the second sock after the first one is finished), but my perfectionist side goes bonkers if the socks are not exactly the same. If anyone has great tips for knitting two socks at a time, I'd love to hear them!

(The quilt in the background is oh my stars!, which is one of my favorite ones that I've ever made.)

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. And thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend. xo

harvest sweater complete

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Last year, my one crafty goal was to knit myself a sweater. It's April, so I did not meet my timeline, but I am still very pleased that my harvest sweater is complete! I am over the moon with the results!!! After blocking the sweater, it has just the right amount of slouch and it feels so cozy. I don't know that I'm going to ever take it off. Hurray!

I am neither a photographer OR a model....so this photo was a huge stretch for me. (Thank goodness for cropping! Ha!) I'm also thankful for my tripod and a certain little girl who happened to be home from school that was happy to assist me. A big thank you to my friend, Suzanne, who suggested early on that I alternate skeins of yarn, which was a huge factor in the success of this piece. Another big thank you to my friend, Tara, who talked me into buying GOOD yarn for this project. It definitely was the right call. (I'm also thankful that my husband concurred and didn't gasp when I told him about how much it would cost. He's a keeper!)

The pattern is called harvest, by Tin Can Knits. I knit it on size 9 and 7 needles. (I had to go up a size to get the required gauge, because I tend to knit tightly.) The yarn is Madelintosh Vintage in the color Fog. This sweater is size Medium. I would highly recommend the pattern!

I didn't have a lot of time to sew this week, and when I did have time, I had a hard time settling into any one project. Don't you hate that? I guess that's all part of the process, as frustrating as that may be.

I did focus long enough to finish my daughter's placemat, which was designed by her and sewn by me. It was a fun project to work on together. I suggested a few times that we add two skinny strips to the top and bottom, to make it a bit more proportionate, but she declared it "just the right size". She's right, it looks just fine.

She picked a fun lime green print for the backing and we chose the navy polka dot binding together. I like how the navy binding ties in with the two navy squares in the middle. She has a good eye, that one! She also loves her Michael Miller Ta-dot fabrics. I can't imagine why.... (ha!)

This piece of patchwork has been floating around the sewing room for way too long. Years! It was high time it became a useful object, so I turned it into a skinny pinnie. It measures about 2" x 9.75", which is a great size to nicely fit in front of a sewing machine. I'm on a mission to fill up my "candy" bowl with pincushions again.... it's going to be so much fun!

 

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday. It wouldn't be the same without you! Have a great weekend! xo

an almost finished sweater

Last night I finished knitting my very first sweater! I'm so excited that this project is ALMOST done! I had to laugh, because after I cast off the second sleeve, I tried on the sweater and THEN I realized that one cuff was about 3 rows shorter than the other. I had measured, but apparently not carefully enough! Doh! I decided to shorten the first sleeve rather than try to splice in a new strand of yarn on the second sleeve. My kids told me to just leave it, and that no one would even notice, but apparently they don't know me at all. Hahaha! Of course I had to fix it!

I have heard about blocking sweaters, but I didn't know much about it, so I used this helpful tutorial from Tin Can Knits. This morning I soaked my sweater with Eucalan (which was purchased at my local quilt/yarn shop) and now it is blocking. I found it kind of odd to place it on cardboard, but I guess it works.

I can not wait until it dries so I can wear it! Thankfully (?!?) we still have plenty of chilly mornings ahead of us, so I should have an opportunity to wear it this season.

I will try to get some photos of me wearing it, eventually! (Although I'm not looking forward to modeling it. Ha!)

Pattern: Harvest by Tin Can Knits (it's free!)
Yarn: Madelintosh Vintage in the color Fog
Start Date: December 2016
End Date: April 2017 (5 months isn't bad!)

Since the sweater was successful, it looks like my entire family won't be wearing matching hats and gloves after all. I bet they are sooo relieved!

Happy Monday to you!

LOVE hoop art and a finished scarf

A few days ago, I attempted to make a pincushion with the word LOVE on it, but it turned out waaaay too big, so I turned it into hoop art instead! I've been kicking around the idea of making something like this for a long time, I just didn't realize that it would be this week! Ha! The letters were pieced improvisationally. I ran out of red fabric (ridiculous, but true!) so I made the L from a print rather than a solid. I love that it is a little bit scrappy!

The hoop was hanging up, empty, for a few years (!!!) so nice finally have it filled. I think it looks pretty cute on my wall next to the be positive one that I made awhile back. They are a bright and cheery part of my sewing room!  

I also finished my mistake stitch scarf this week! This project has quite a story behind it. Originally, I used this yarn to knit a honey cowl, which I had completed. Despite the fact that I knit the long version of the cowl, and added 20 stitches, the cowl didn't fit to my liking. It wasn't quite long enough to double up comfortably. I debated for a few days on what to do about it, and I decided to frog the cowl (rip it all out) and start all over. My husband gets a little bit freaked out about this, because he hates seeing all that time go down the drain, so I frogged it in secret. I figured he didn't need to worry about it. A few days later, I was knitting on the scarf at dinner with some friends, and my husband observed out loud (to our friend) that the yarn was all kinked up, so it must have been knit into some other object previously. I was flabbergasted. I had no idea he paid that much attention. (hahaha!) It was equal parts funny and surprising. In the end, I'm glad I reworked the yarn. I'd much rather have an object that will be worn and used than a project that isn't quite right. Besides, I got to enjoy the yarn twice! :)

Pattern: Mistake Stitch Scarf
Needle Size: 7 (I cast on 39 stitches)
Yarn: Madelintosh DK
Color: Button Jar Blue

I wanted to say a quick thank you for all the kind comments on my top 10 tips for successful scrap quilting post. I am glad that it was helpful to so many of you!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

WIP Wednesday

I started a 3rd version of my bright birch trees quilt. (You can see the first one here, the second one here. The pattern is available here.) I started the first two blocks at two different workshops that I taught in the past year. Rather than leave the blocks languish, I felt the need to turn them into a complete quilt top. The blocks are going to finish at just over 12" square. I love using up my tiniest scraps in this way! As you know, there is NO shortage of scraps at my house.

This time around, I think I'm sticking with a blue/green/gray color scheme. These are some background fabrics that I'm considering adding to the mix. It will be fun to see where this quilt ends up!

I'm also working on knitting another scarf. I haven't made one in awhile and it's a nice change of pace from knitting my sweater. It's a lot more portable than my sweater is at this point, too! The pattern is called the mistake stitch scarf. I cast on 39 stitches on size 7 needles and the yarn is Madelintosh in DK weight. It's been snowing here the past few days, which always gets me in the mood to knit. This a great project to take while I sit in the dentist office, during music lessons, in line at the grocery store.... (I'm only kidding about that last one! I don't think I've knit at the grocery store.... not yet! Haha!)

What project(s) are you working on this week? I'd love to hear about them!

happy new year!

Happy New Year! I always enjoy looking back at the past year and setting goals for the year ahead. It's a great time to take stock and evaluate things!

This mosaic features the top nine most popular pictures from my Instagram feed from 2016.

2016 was another scrappy year! I finished writing my book (which is available for pre-order!), I made a small mountain of pincushions, I worked on some long term scrap quilts and did some stash busting, too. I finished a total of 22 quilts! It was a good year!

In July, I did a one-a-day pincushion challenge, which was really fun, but also a great learning experience. During that challenge, I discovered that I really love working in a series. I enjoyed having definite parameters to work within and the focus that it brought was incredible. I also learned that it's good to make something, even when on the days that you don't feel like it....and that creativity never runs out!

In September, I started tracking how much fabric I used each month, compared to how much fabric I bought. I know a lot of people think that notion is crazy, but what a great eye-opener that was! It kept me on track and reeled in my fabric purchases several times. It's a very good thing! Starting to track it right as the kids went back to school was great timing, since that is my most productive sewing time in the entire year. :)

My one and only crafty goal was to knit a sweater for myself. While I didn't finish my sweater before the end of the year, I actually committed and bought the yarn, which was probably one of the hardest parts of the whole process so far! I am over half done with the body of the sweater. Of course, I still have to knit the arms, but it's coming along! I really do love the color and the pattern and it fits me, so those are all great things.

Looking ahead....

My book, No Scrap Left Behind, is scheduled to be released in February! Promoting the book will be at the top of my list this year. I have a bunch of dates scheduled in the upcoming year to speak and teach from the book, which I am very excited about.

If all goes according to plan, my new fabric line should be released this year, too!

I hope to do some designing and collaborating with my daughter. She's only 10, but I think it would be fun to start working with her and investing in her in a more focused manner. That girl has ideas and I think she probably loves color even more than I do!

I want to work in a series where I explore options, much like my pincushion challenge. I'm not sure what that looks like yet, but I hope to come up with a plan soon.

 

I'm starting off the year with only 9 works in progress, which feels incredible! I look forward to a great year of finishing ahead!

I also want to crochet a giant rag rug for my front entryway. I've been kicking around that idea for years, so I think it's finally time to do it! It will be the ultimate scrap buster. Ha!

Do you make crafty goals or resolutions for the year? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

I'd like to take the time to say a big THANK YOU for reading my blog. It wouldn't be the same without you! To those of you who take the time to leave comments, they are very much appreciated! Here's to a great New Year!

sweater progress and a few small projects

I've been knitting away on my sweater! Late last week, I realized I had knit a row incorrectly, so I had to knit back about 10 rows! That was super frustrating. I also learned (thanks to my friend Suzanne) why it is important to alternate skeins of yarn when working with hand dyed yarn. I will admit that I got kind of freaked out and I was frustrated that there is so much to knitting that I have absolutely no clue about. However, I am enjoying learning new things...even if it is a little painful. :) I'm knitting forward again, and I am pleased with my progress! I very carefully tried on the sweater this morning and the size is spot on. What a relief! I really love the color and how the yarn is knitting up.

To counter balance the huge knitting project, I am also working on quick finishes. This little cross pincushion was inspired by this pillow that Anna made awhile back. I loved it so. In fact, this fabric scrap came from Anna and I believe that it was actually leftover from her pillow. I absolutely love it in pincushion form! It measures 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". It is scrap project #189!

I also whipped up a few pillow cases. I love making these because they are good stash busters AND a great way to use cute novelty prints. This festive fox one is for me! I found the fabric at SR Harris about a week an a half ago and it was too cute to pass up. The main fabric is festive forest by TamaraKate for Michael Miller Fabrics. The cuff fabric is Picnic Pals by Alyssa Thomas of Penguin & Fish for Clothworks.

Since I won't want to share my new pillow case (how terrible is that?) I made this one for my cartwheel-loving daughter. The main fabric is Hello Petal by Aneela Hoey for Moda. The cuff fabric is Kiss Dot by Michael Miller. I have a feeling that she is going to love it!

I'm so thankful for quick projects that I can sew from the stash. Perfect for the week before Christmas!

Happy Monday to you!

a sweater to be

My one crafty goal this year was to knit a sweater. I've been dragging my feet on this project, probably due to fear of failure. Also, the expense of a hand knit sweater was a tough pill to swallow. On December 2nd, I ordered the yarn. Nothing like last minute! Fear of failure (and expense) aside, I'm jumping in with both feet. I didn't chicken out and go cheap on the yarn, although I was very close to doing so! (Yarn is Madelintosh Vintage in the color Fog.)

I will be attempting a beginner pattern called Harvest, by Tin Can Knits. (At least the pattern is free!)

This is what I've got so far! I'll be sure to let you know how the rest of it goes. Here's to learning something new!

If all else fails, my entire family can have matching hats and hand warmers. Everyone, especially my teenage boys, are hopeful the sweater is successful. Ha!