Project Progress

 So my last post, I was asking for advice from the designer of the lace tee I'm making.  She's on vaca now so I decided to do my own fix...which is knitting the same pattern on both sides and it's working out well! 

This is the side/underarm area.  That little hole is my arm hole!  HA  The stitches are being held on by some waste yarn...I'll pick up # of stitches to make the sleeve when I finish the body.

I need about 12 inches for the body or there abouts!  Won't know until I try it on...then border on bottom, then start on the sleeves...which should be easy since the lace knitting is already there...just need to make them the length I want.

and I did finish the background free motion quilting on my horse #3 piece.  Not my best work but to be honest I just wanted to get it done.  I have some bright fabric I may use for the binding, then I can put it away and start something new!  

Which is going to be another class with Hilary!  It's her Language of Flowers online class which starts August 29th.  This technique is how I started to follow her blog years and years ago!!!!  I remember watching her put one of these pieces together but not all the stitching/designing.  I am anxious to get back to doing some design and quilting again.  Class is at your own speed, so I can carry it on through the winter if I want to!  Works for me.

Knitting right along....

 I'm actually doing this post as I have a question for the designer of the Miya Tee.  I didn't know how to send her pics through Ravelry so using my blog post link in a msg on that app.   I love, love her patterns as does my sister.  But this is the question I have...so for you who don't care..please feel free to move on to the next blog read you have!!  😀

This is the first section of the side stitching.  You can see where I have the black needle show the twisted knit stitches..stitches to the left are fine.

This is my sisters piece and it's the same way...right hand stitches don't look as nice as the left side.

This is the last underarm section and they look fine....

What are we doing wrong!?  

Thanks, valentina!!!

Where have I been? Right here!

 Yep, I honestly haven't been out of town or doing anything exciting!  I did start free motion quilting on my horse quilt piece but I haven't taken a picture yet!  And I'm too lazy to get up off the couch to take one...next post.  I do like keeping track on my blog of any of my projects.  

I've been working away at knitting the cotton Tee top my sister and I are both making.  It's coming out really well and so much easier knitting via a chart vs the written instructions.  

My sister and I both want to make another lace top, Reina de Picas (I made it for Easter this past spring) but will make with longer sleeves for winter.  

I make Gigi and Kalee their own turkey/veggie mix which only lasts about 2 weeks...today was the day to make a batch.  The girls always get a little spoonful in their dishes after I've filled up my containers to put in the freezer.

Bob always says this looks good enough to eat!  It really is as it's made up of 99% fat free ground turkey, frozen peas, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, rice and spinach!  The veggies are all steamed, mixed in with cooked turkey and rice and then I put in 7 different containers to freeze.  I just take out a container when needed and defrost in the frig.  Girls also get ID Hills' kibble mixed with the turkey twice a day.  I know it's helped Kalee with her pancreatitis attacks...plus, she doesn't get ANY people food at all.  Even if I'm playing games or lessons with the dogs, I just give them pieces of kibble or breast of chicken!

This is the view of our deck from my sink in the kitchen.  You can just about make out the two king posts on the left and right (just about under the light over the dining room table).  

And this is what I see in the a.m. and ALL day long!  We have two jelly feeders, half an orange and a container of water for our visitors!  

I can be at the sink doing dishes, cooking or just standing there!  I love seeing all the different birds and the activity!  Just makes me happy!

We have families of Orioles...it's so dang cute watching the mom's or dad's feed the babies.  So that's been my life for the last few weeks!!  Lovin the summer, especially when I can stay in the air conditioning!  HA

 

Etsy Vendor - Fiber Arts Bling

I've been thinking of looking for a beaded row counter chain to use in my knitting vs the little round counters that fit on your needles.  They just take up too much space or the ones with a circle on the end still get in my way.  Picky, I know!  So off I went to search for a beaded row counter. 

I found a vendor on Etsy called FiberArtsBling.  Patricia sells handmade knitting, crochet and embroidery accessories.  She had two of the chain row counters and I quickly purchased one. 

After my order I received an email asking which color I wanted since I didn't mark a particular color!  And this package arrived quickly in the mail!

I was impressed with her packaging as well as the nice note she sent!  This is class as far as I'm concerend.

The next package to open!  I know this is so much fun isn't it!

How classy is this!  Such a pretty little bag that contained my beaded row counter!!!

  How cool is this!  I know, I know....several of my friends will say "but you bead all the time!  Why not make one for yourself?"   I believe in helping small business' when possible.  I know my little beaded purchases won't make anyone a millionaire but I still want to support a small business when possible.  Besides,  that would take away from my knitting and other projects!  

And look what else Patricia added!  This lovely project bag!  Isn't it beautiful!  Perfect for my knitting project(s)!  

It looks really nice on my knitting too!  HA  I love this row counter!  Besides being very pretty! it lays out of my way and easy to move to the next bead for counting!  

I see where Patricia  (FiberArtsBling) is updating her items for sale so I'll try to keep an eye on her site and let folks know when she has new items to purchase.  Until then, stay cool my friends!  In the 90's again today!  Whew!

String Art Piece Finished!

 

This piece has been in the making for a year or two or three!  Bob stapled it to a wrap around canvas for me this past week!!!  

Bob working on getting the piece even on the canvas. 

We ended up using Textile Medium to glue the middle of the piece to the canvas, let dry then we could stretch the sides and bottom around for Bob to staple!   That's my beaded squirrel that Bob stapled to another canvas.  He wanted to see how he did the last one!

This was the original string art on layout paper.

I use soy wax and dyes to give it some color

Of course I had to make it brighter, so I added some Gelato crayons (by Faber-Castell).

Next the fun part picking out threads.  I used Madeira Lana and Sulky 12wt  threads, layered with batting and starting stitching!

Thread colors matched pretty good!

Slow progress since I made the original string art in 2019!

Tons of stitching!

Added border just to get it to fit a canvas.  I would have preferred to not have a border but unless I built my own canvas this had to do!

Quite a difference from the original.  HA

So now I can concentrate on my Horse #3 and knitting!  Until I get sidetracked with another project!  HA

Horse #3 progress or not?

 

Still working on this bugger...Actually, it hasn't been bad...I'm just at a standstill right now.  I've finished all the stamped embroidery on the quilt.  This is the stamp I made several years ago...it's just cardboard that is part of a box.  Works for me!

The rectangles are all stitched.

After stitching, I fused small strips of the paper leftover from the horse paper.

So this is the progress so far....

Now my dilemma is to decide how to quilt the piece!  Isn't that always the way!  Quilting our quilts!  HA  This is a busy enough top, so I need to keep the quilting simple.  Fingers crossed!

Knitting the Summer Tee

 

I am finally getting to do some knitting with baseball on at night!  I am usually too busy during the daytime to knit, plus I feel guilty  if I sit during the day (yes, it's because I was raised Catholic   HA)

Even though this is a summer tee, I'm making the sleeves a tad longer. The yarn is very light weight and the pattern is different.

This is the yarn I'm using and to my delight, my sister is also making the same top!  So much fun working together on a knitting project with 1000+ miles between us!  We do quite a bit of texting, calling, etc. when we run into a knitting problem!

I have to say, so far working from the chart for the lace, this has been an easy pattern for lace!  I'm so glad we both decided to go back to reading charts vs row by row instructions. 

So much easier to find where you made a mistake or extra stitch, etc. 

The lace is a pretty pattern and quite different from the last top I made.  The next picture shows the neckline...this picture the neck is at the bottom!  The tee is knitted from top to bottom.

This gives you a better idea and matches the pattern picture!  HA  Slowly progressing but I'm enjoying the process, so far!  

Another Horse - Part 4

 It's been a busy week....so what else is new, right!  It's not easy being a retiree!  But someone has to do it!  Earlier this week, Joan (left), Donna  and I went to see the movie, Downton Abby!  Bob said this picture looked like a scary movie!  HA

  I think there were about 7 people in the theater!    The movie was good and the dresses and lifestyle is really what I love to see!

Of course, we went to the first showing at 11:15 so we could go have lunch after!

That's always the best part isn't it!  HA  And, yes, I did have a glass of wine (& a glass of water!).  

Carol and I ate at this restaurant, The Grafted Root, a week or two before and the sandwiches were delicious so I thought Donna and Joan might enjoy.  And they did!

This is quite a small cafe but good food and they serve all types of wine and cocktails.  Works for me!  They are in a small mall in Grand Blanc and worthwhile to stop for breakfast or lunch.  I think they close at 3 so get there early!  The Grafted Root Eatery.

 

I have been working on my 3rd horse quilt!

I sandwiched with backing and batting, which I didn't mean to do!!! The batting, yes, but not the backing!  I machine stitched around each of the rectangle stamp areas.  

I intend(ed) to do hand stitching, which I'll usually do just through the front and batting because it's hard to stitch through all three layers...but I forgot!  DUH!  

I found it easier to not go through all 3 layers, which is working so far.  I fused tiny strips of the paper on top of the areas I stitched.

 

So far I've hand stitched three of the rectangles!  HA  Slow going but at least I am working on it in between lunch out, movies and knitting...oh yea, cooking, cleaning, dog walking, walking with my bud, etc.  I do keep busy!  HA