Month: August 2007

My 1st Purse for the KAL-CAL

Marie Haigh3 Comments
If I had followed a pattern, my 1st purse would not have taken so long. Of course, it would have stolen all the fun away. I would not have learned how to knit a circle, to knit a drawstring, or to calculate the circumference of a circle.

Plus I have the satisfaction of designing my 1st purse. It’s a lucky one!

You can tell that they are horseshoes, right? Please tell me you can. Oh, please.

Apologies first

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I would like to apologize to all Geometry teachers.
  • No, no it is not completely useless information.
  • Yes, yes one can use the geometry skills in everyday life.
  • I should have paid more attention.
If I had paid more attention, this would not have happened.

The bottom tube was my 1st attempt at making the lining’s body.

I now know that the circumference of a circle is Diameter * Pi. I hope to never forget it.

A New Indie Community

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Have you heard? The indie (independent artists) community has a new website where artists can meet each other, meet prospective buyers, and meet prospective retailers. It is called IndiePublic. Of course, I have already set up my page on it.

Knitting news: After many attempts and a boatload of frustration, I have finally worked the kinks out of my Lucky Purse lining and drawstring. Hubby is home today so I may not have a chance to post pictures this afternoon, but I’ll have them up by Thursday for sure.

Have a wonderful day, All!

Weekend Work

Marie Haigh5 Comments

How was your weekend? I hope it was wonderful!

I spent the weekend quilting, gardening, cooking, and being followed around the house & yard by Jake. Hubby even took me out for lunch on Sunday. It was a lovely weekend.

The quilt is almost finished.

I completed the border and stitched it to the front. Then, I made the “quilt sandwich”, holding everything together with safety pins. (I’ve decided that I am never going to hand-baste the layers together. Why? Pure laziness.) Finally, I machine-quilted the piece together. The majority of the quilt is machine-quilted via the technique called “stitch in the ditch”. Only the diamond in the middle has a 1/4 inch stitch (a.k.a. I stitched 1/4 inch away from the seam).

Next on the list:

  1. Learn how to make a hanging sleeve
  2. Attach it to the quilt back
  3. Stitch on the binding.

So close! Which means I am all the closer to starting on my next quilt – a baby quilt.

Sunday was mostly dedicated to working in the garden and hanging out with Hubby. I am in the process of creating specific paths to mow between. If my husband mows down one more of my plants, I’m going to throw the mower out! He’s killed a Japanese Maple sapling (with Jake’s help who peed on the tree when it was trying to grow back), and injured my rose bush (again with Jake’s help … I think they are in cahoots!) and 2 hosta plants. So in an effort to ensure he doesn’t nick my rose bush again, I ripped up the grass under and around it, laying down mulch along the way.

Hopefully, next weekend I can “save” the other rose bush.

So, what knitting did I accomplish over the weekend? Um. Does knitting 2 rows this morning on my mystery project count?

Finished Knitting the Body of the Lucky Purse

Marie Haigh2 Comments

Well, obviously I have to do something about that cord, but I bound off all my stitches last night.

I am pleased with the way the drawstring holes came out. I made them extra large so that my thick cord (a.k.a. piping) could slide through.

There is the lining to stitch up: a project I will tackle after I piece together the border for my Chili Pepper quilt. I just realized that I only have 1 month to start and finish the baby quilt! I have been trying to be “good” and not start a new quilt until I have finished the one I am currently working on. I might have to cheat. Time’s a ticking.

Today’s goal, besides staying out of the brutal heat, is to finish writing the pattern for my mystery project and cast on. Hubby has agreed to be the model!

Here’s one more picture of the Lucky Drawstring Purse as modelled by Jake.

Progress made on my Lucky Purse

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Traditionally, horseshoes are to be hung over a doorway with the tips pointing up so as to keep the luck from running out.

The horseshoes on my purse are turned down because when they are turned upwards they look more like palm trees than their namesake. Thus, my first inclination was to call my purse “Luck Runs Out”. My husband, being the loving and support man that he can be when he puts his mind to it, told me that the purse can still be lucky. “The lucks spills out and flows into the horseshoe below it, like a fountain”, said he.

I’ve renamed my purse. It is now the “Lucky Drawstring Purse”.

It’s almost done. It might even have been finished by now if I hadn’t stared at it for so long. Knitting further up the purse, I realized that I had no idea how to insert a drawstring nor where to insert a drawstring. When this purse is finished, I can add two new skills to my repertoire: knitting a circle and making a drawstring …. assuming I am successful in adding a drawstring.

Chili Pepper Quilt Top

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The quilt top is completed!
(Here’s hoping my sister doesn’t read my blog as it is her xmas present).

Well … almost. It still needs a border. Since, I have several blocks leftover of both the 9-patch and the 2-triangle, I plan to use them in it. As giddy as I am to complete the border, I won’t be able to work on it until this weekend. I have too much knitting to do.

More quilting news: I went on a Quilt Blog search this morning. Apparently, they are sprouting up like weeds, similar to the knitting blog craze. I found 3 blogs that I added to my daily reading:

Be sure to check them out.