Taming The Scraps

Yes, I know that scraps can't be tamed, but I'm still gonna try! I've been making some string blocks to add to the pile, and I also completed a crocheted scrappy afghan.

This morning I started to sandwich together my Easy Street quilt. The top has been done for several years, but I've been putting off finishing it because it's so big. Today I bit the bullet and started the process. It's still only about half pinned, and I ran out of safety pins, but come Monday it will be ready to be quilted. Here's a picture of the top.

I made a couple of blocks for the March Stash Bee queen. She requested any kind of star block in her colors of blue and yellow/gold.

I finished a couple of charity hats, and my sock yarn blanket is ready for the triangles on the edges. I am edging it in black.

Winter Wonderland

It's finally starting to look like winter! Every time it's snowed this winter, it's been followed by rain, and it's supposed to rain again later on today, so I had to get some pictures this morning before the snow disappears again.

A Few More Finishes

Winter means knitting, crocheting, and sewing. I have a few finishes. My Fair Isle Flower Socks are finished, as are my Circle Socks.

I also finished my Cozy Stripe Scrappy Blanket. It measures 42" x 58". I was hoping to use up lots of leftovers, but the leftover bag seems to be just as full as when I started! I'm hoping to make several blankets this winter and donate them to a nursing home.

I am also working on another scrap blanket, using a pattern called Willow Square. Here's my progress so far. I will be doing a white border around each square.

I'm always working on my sock yarn blanket. I only have one more row of squares to do, then the finishing triangles around the edges. The end is near!

In the sewing/quilting department, just a few small accomplishments. I made a couple of bowl cozies. These are great when you have a hot bowl of soup.

It is my turn this month to be queen in the Stash Bee. This means that everyone in my hive makes me a block of my choosing. I have a Sister's Choice quilt started, so I chose for them to make these blocks so I can hopefully finish up my quilt. Here are a few of my blocks.

I don't have to make any blocks this month, but I chose to crash a few other hives and make blocks for them voluntarily.

Before I go, I thought you might enjoy a kitty picture. This is Abby, and she spends her evenings on my husband's lap, belly up so she can get her belly rubs. I sometimes think that she thinks she's a dog!

What I've been working on

January is such a boring month! It's hard to get motivated to do anything but sit around, which means lots of knitting time. I have been spending some time each day trying to organize my knitting/sewing room. My yarn and knitting patterns are all organized, next up is fabric organization. I belong to the STASH BEE, which is a monthly commitment to making a quilt block. How it works is you are part of a hive of 11 (one person for each month except Dec.). Each month a different person is hive queen and they get to pick a block and all the other members of the hive must make that block and send to them. For January the hive queen picked a library block. I made mine with a Canadian theme.

As far as knitting goes, I am trying to tame the scrap bag. I have a couple of scrap blankets on the go. One is called Cosy Stripe Blanket https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cosy-stripe-blanket

The other is just made up of crochet squares, using the Willow Square

Then there is another blanket I'm working on, not using scraps, but knit in Bernat Pop in the color "Lipstick on your collar". The pattern is Chevron Baby Blanket

Lastly, but certainly not least, are the socks. A pair of scrappy socks for Amanda, for her birthday (I'm feeling generous and she's getting 2 pairs!), and one sock (so far) for me. Pattern is Fair Isle Flower Socks

First Finishes for 2018

Last year, on January first, I decided to make a temperature blanket. Then, because I am a little nuts, I decided that I would make two! For those of you who don't know what a temperature blanket is, it is a blanket that records the temperature each day of the year. I made mine by picking out a different color for every five degrees celsius (I live in Canada). I crocheted one row a day in moss stitch, every day for the entire year. Here are the finished blankets. Left side of the pictures is the start of the blankets in Jan. 2017. Right side of the pictures is Dec. 2017

I'm a bad, bad blogger

Another year has gone by with no blogging. I don't really have any excuses, but tomorrow is a new year and I really hope to be more consistent. For now, I am going to make a goal of blogging at least once a month. I have been thinking of my knitting and quilting goals for 2018 and here is what I've come up with so far.
Knitting - finish my sock yarn blanket
               - work on UFO's
               - knit from stash (my goal is NOT to buy any yarn in 2018)
               - knit at least 12 pairs of socks

Quilting - finish Allietare ( all blocks are made, just need to be sewn together and quilted)
               - finish Sister's Choice ( need about a dozen more blocks)

I'll leave you for now with a few pictures of my 2017 finishes.

My Sock Yarn Blanket, 90% Finished

 Mom's Christmas Socks

 Dale's Christmas Socks

Amanda's Birthday Socks

Socks for Me!

And last but certainly not least, the I Spy quilt that I made for my dad.

Snowstorm Sewing!

The weather outside is frightful, so it's definitely a stay at home and sew kinda day. All 50 blocks for Allietare are finished. Just need to do the setting triangles and then I can start putting it together. I think that will be a job for after Christmas.

I'm all caught up on my blocks for the 101 Canadian Women quilt. The next 3 blocks will be released tomorrow afternoon.

All the blocks so far

There was also time today to get the tree decorated.

Now, if I could just get motivated to finish my baking. Who am I kidding, other than a few meat pies I haven't even started baking yet!