Author: Marie Haigh

I started knitting 15 years ago right around the time of my marriage and the birth of my niece.

Ode to Quilting Afghan

Marie Haigh7 Comments

I finished the last seam this afternoon. I think I let out a hoot. Jake was excited for me until he realized that we weren’t going outside to play and I didn’t have any treats for him.

Since I finished this afghan before the deadline to enter Lion Brand Yarn Slideshow Contest, I entered it. Vote for me! There are 400+ entries already, so I have no illusions of winning. Yet, this contest provided good motivation to complete the afghan early. Now I can take 6 zillion pictures before I have to mail it off early next month. It’s headed to the International Fiber Collaborative.

Although, I had originally planned to add a border around the whole afghan, I hesitate to add one now. I think it would detract from the blocks. What do you think?

On a side note, I can now boldly proclaim that I am a Master of Seaming. This project has taught me much about seaming.

As mentioned to both Knitsy Bitsy Spider and Mr. Puffy, I plan to compile all 9 block patterns into one downloadable PDF pattern. Please don’t expect to find it listed on my blog by tomorrow morning. It is going to take me some time to compile everything together. Additionally, I will be adding schematics, charts, and a seaming tutorial. Hopefully, I can pass some of my tips to you before you attempt to seam the blocks together.

One of my tips will be to not wait until the end to seam everything together. Jumping off a bridge will seem like a better idea. Ditto for weaving in your ends; the back side should Not look like a shag carpet.

OK, I’m going to shut up now and let the pictures say the rest.

The Front

The Back

Want more pictures? You can find the whole pictorial story from beginning to end in my Flickr album.

Scarf Applique Block, 9th and Last in Ode to Quilting Series

Marie Haigh4 Comments
Although I said I would post this pattern yesterday, I didn’t. I have a good excuse though. Yesterday was my 8th anniversary. Dan and I were supposed to go out for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants, Spinnerstown Hotel. The weather had other plans for us. It insisted that we stay home.

So, we did. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner while watching a baseball documentary. Then, we toasted with a glass of port and played Parcheesi. It was a fun and relaxing evening.

Pattern for Scarf Applique Block

Recommended Knitting skill level: Easy

Yarn: Lion’s Wool by Lion Brand or substitute any wool yarn from your stash that meets the below gauge specifications.
1. Color A = Ebony, 1 skein
2. Color B = Scarlet, 1 skein
3. Color C = Winter White, 1 skein
4. Color D = Pumpkin, 1 skein
5. Color E = Purple, 1 skein
6. Color F = Goldenrod, 1 skein

Needles: Lion’s Wool recommends size 8 (I used size 5)

Materials: Large blunt sewing needle and safety pins

Gauge: 3.75 stitches and 7 rows is 1 inch/2.5 cm in Garter Stitch.
4 stitches and 6 rows is 1 inch/2.5 cm in Stocking Stitch.

Garter Stitch Pattern: Knit all stitches.

Stocking Stitch Pattern: Knit all the stitches on the right side of the work; Purl all the stitches on the wrong side of the work.

Knitting Instructions:
In Color A, cast on 34 stitches.
Knit in Stocking Stitch until piece measures 8 inches.
Bind off all stitches.

In Color B, cast on 32 stitches.
Knit in Garter Stitch for 14 rows or until piece measures 2 inches.
Bind off.
Repeat these instructions, making two long rectangles.

In Color B, cast on 10 stitches.
Knit in Garter Stitch until piece measures 12 inches.
Bind off.
Repeat these instructions, making two tall rectangles.

Finishing Instructions, Part 1:
Take one Color B Long rectangle and place it directly underneath the bottom edge of the Color A square. Line up the edges. Make sure both pieces are facing up. Secure in place with safety pins. Seam together.

Take the second Color B Long rectangle and place it directly above the top edge of the Color A square. Line up the edges. Secure in place. Seam together.

Take one Color B Tall rectangle and place it directly next to the right sided edge of the Color A square. Line up the edges with the top and bottom of Color B long rectangles. Secure in place. Seam together.

Take the last Color B Tall rectangle and place it on the left sided edge of the Color A square. Repeat the above instructions.

Weave in all seams.

Scarf Instructions:
With Color C, cast on 6 stitches.
Knit in Garter Stitch with Color C for 16 rows.
Then, join in a ball of Color D. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color E. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color F. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color B. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a new ball of Color C. Work 16 rows in Garter Stitch.
Repeat the last 5 rows of instructions once more.

Then, join in a ball of Color B. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color F. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color E. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a ball of Color D. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch.
Then, join in a new ball of Color C. Work 16 rows in Garter Stitch.
Repeat the last 5 rows of instructions once more.
Bind off all stitches.
Weave in all ends.
If desired, add fringe to the bottom of scarf.

Finishing Instructions, Part 2:
Position the scarf to your liking inside the Color A square. Secure in place with safety pins.

Hand tack the scarf down only in the Color C sections. Using a running stitch, tack down all four sides down of each Color C section.

Pull the ends of the Color C yarn to the back of the block.

Weave in all ends.

What is Wrong with this Picture?

Marie Haigh8 Comments
Can you find my mistake?

Even with the dark light (the weather consisted of cloudy skies, snow squalls and howling winds), I think my mistake is fairly obvious.

You see it, don’t you? At first, I thought I could leave it. Surely, nobody would notice. Who looks at a scarf to see if the pattern is the same on both sides? Then it occurred to me. I do that.

I never thought to invert the striped pattern at the halfway point. I was too busy patting my own back, giddy that the block was knitting up so quickly. What did the Yarn Harlot always quote in her first book? Pride goeth before a fall? Yes, that was it. Apparently, someone should sell those t-shirts.

Now that I am officially more humble than a week ago, allow me to present to you my final Ode to Quilting block.

Scarf Applique Block

I won’t tell you that I was so darn proud with the way this final block came out, because I am determined to stay humble. I will tell you that the free pattern will be published in tomorrow’s post.

After finishing this block, I pulled out the other 8 blocks and laid them on my dining room table. I shuffled and reshuffled the blocks. This was the final resting point for them.

What do you think?

Knitting it Again

Marie Haigh6 Comments
My last Ode to Quilting block:

It looks an awful lot like Jake, doesn’t it? Well, I thought I could fool you with his cuteness. It always works on me.

I made a stupid error while knitting the last block and didn’t notice it until I was piecing everything together. So, now I have to knit it over again. Since I wanted the block to be a surprise, I’m not even showing you a picture of my mistake. I’ll let you see Monday of next week what I did wrong. Dan noticed my error right away. I didn’t notice it until I had worked on it for over 2 days. I think I had my “I’m almost Finished” glasses on. They never see any errors.

Since Jake is now my Guest of Honor on the blog today, let me share with you his new trick that he learned. The past two times that Dan and I have poured ourselves a beer after dinner, I gave Jake a treat, thinking we’ll all have a treat. Yesterday, when we were pouring beers, Jake sat right in front of my feet, tail wagging, waiting for his treat. I laughed, patted him on the head and promptly went and got him his treat. Does that mean I trained him or he has trained me?

Roman Shades

Marie Haigh5 Comments

The Roman Shades are complete and hanging in my dining room.


I was originally making these shades for my bedroom windows. During the removal of the old curtains, I realized that one window was much larger than the other. The shades weren’t going to fit. Well one would and the other would look decidedly too small. Thankfully, I had only sewn the lining and the insulating flannel fabric together. (Yes, I triple layered the curtains to keep the glare down and the elements outside). I hadn’t even cut the curtain fabric.

So, then I went in search of another room that was in need of new curtains. There couldn’t have been an easier task. The only set of curtains in the entire house that I don’t hate is in the kitchen. Let us just say that the woman who lived here before me had a love of flower prints (I hate flower prints), dark colors (not a big fan of dark colors either) and ultra-traditional style. I love traditional decor, but she took it to the extreme. I suppose I should produce before and after pictures.

I found one. It’s not a picture of the dining room curtains, but the living room curtains were done in the exact same fabric and style. Ignore the quilt in the middle.

And now for the after picture:

The gold curtains match the fabric in the dining room set that we inherited from Dan’s great grandfather. The white matches all the trim and built-in corner hutches. It does seem a bit devoid of color, but I’ll make up for it in the accessories.

Can you tell that the fabrics match? Not color-wise, but they match in texture. I’m not sure if you can see that in the pictures. They both have woven lines running the length of them. I couldn’t believe my luck in finding the white fabric, since I purchased them after the gold ones were installed. First, I was giddy about the texture, and then I almost jumped at the $1/yard price.

Note: I did not make the gold curtains. I purchased them ready-made. Well, I purchased the two short ties and one long curtain. I then cut the long curtain in half to make two skinny curtains. You can’t see, but underneath the windows is a radiator. It was important to keep the curtains off to the sides and not block the heat. My dear friend Arecia, who hates to sew, recommended that I cut the curtains in half and hem them. She’s almost as bad as my sister, who also hates to sew. My sister will call me if anything needs to be sewn for the kids or her house. Which is to say, neither would think of sewing anything themselves, but love to call me and tell me what I ought to be sewing for them. Do you have friends or relatives like that?

Log Cabin Block, 8th Block in Ode to Quilting Series

Marie Haigh5 Comments

This block is perhaps the easiest of all the blocks in the Ode to Quilting series. Only Stocking Stitch is used to knit the squares and rectangles.

Pattern for Log Cabin Block:

Recommended Knitting skill level: Easy

Yarn: Lion’s Wool by Lion Brand or substitute any wool yarn from your stash that meets the below gauge specifications.
1. Color A = Oceans Blue, 1 skein
2. Color B = Winter White, 1 skein
3. Color C = Goldenrod, 1 skein
4. Color D = Cocoa, 1 skein
5. Color E = Ebony, 1 skein
6. Color F = Rose, 1 skein
7. Color G = Pumpkin, 1 skein
8. Color H = Purple, 1 skein
9. Color I = Midnight Blue, 1 skein
10. Color J = Sage, 1 skein
11. Color K = Flower Garden, 1 skein

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6 rows is 1 inch/2.5 cm in Stocking Stitch.

Needles: Lion’s Wool recommends size 8 (I used size 5) in straight needles.

Materials:Large blunt sewing needle and safety pins
Stocking Stitch Pattern: Knit all stitches on the right side of the work; Purl all stitches on the wrong side of the work.

Knitting Instructions:
In Color A, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color B, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color C, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch till piece measures 4 inches. Bind off.

In Color D, cast on 18 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color E, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch till piece measures 6 inches. Bind off.

In Color F, cast on 26 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color G, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch till piece measures 8 inches. Bind off.

In Color H, cast on 34 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color I, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch till piece measures 10 inches. Bind off.

In Color J, cast on 42 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch for 12 rows or 2 inches. Bind off.

In Color K, cast on 10 stitches. Work in Stocking Stitch till piece measures 12 inches. Bind off.

Finishing Instructions:
Note: Weave in any ends as you go.
Using safety pins, secure the top edge of the Color A square to the bottom edge of the Color B square. Seam together. (The AB squares will henceforth be referred to as the Log Cabin block.)

Then, secure the right side edge of the Log Cabin block to the left side edge of the Color C rectangle. Seam together.

Then, secure the top edge of the Log Cabin block to the bottom edge of the Color D rectangle. Seam together.

Then, secure the right side edge of the Log Cabin block to the left side edge of the Color E rectangle. Seam together.

Continue in this fashion, repeating the last two instructions until all rectangles have been seamed to the Log Cabin block.

Remove any remaining safety pins.

Weave in any loose ends.

Block according to measurements (12 inches by 12 inches).

You Make My Day and other blogs

Marie Haigh6 Comments
Mr. Puffy with the help of his owner nominated me for a You Make My Day award.

I’m thrilled to be given such an award (Thank you, Mr. Puffy!), despite my lolly gagging to announce it on my blog. I just didn’t know who to pass the award onto. I read so many great blogs these days (59 if they all posted on the same day – thankfully, they don’t). Can you tell I am in desperate need of updating my blog roll? So, with this award, I am going to shine a light on some of the new blogs I recently found and now love to read.

1. I don’t think it’s kosher to nominate the same blog that just nominated you, but I’m not great about following rules. So, I’m listing Mr. Puffy. It’s true; I think Jake is the best dog in the world. Mr. Puffy and his love of tea, willingness to try on various knitted items and encouragement to buy the best yarn on the market puts him in at a close 2nd.

2. Nannybird. You are just in time to learn how she was bestowed with such a nickname. Funny stories aside – of which she has many – she is an avid crafter and knitter. I am always fascinated by what she is doing next. I stumbled across her blog when she was hosting a Recycled Craft Contest.

3. Yarn~Knit~Read~Lit. She started me reading again! I had been stuck on a diet of strictly knitting books. It was good to take a break and read some fiction books. Plus, she has two great dogs. You don’t notice any trend in my blog reading, do you?

4. Yarn for Brains. Great title, isn’t it? Just to prove her point, she lost a pair of knitted socks last week and sent up a cry for help. I’m not sure how much the cry helped, since we can’t rightly go rooting through her house looking for the missing socks, but she found them all the same.

OK, that’s enough of knitting blogs. Onto other blogs.

5. EtsyGreetings. I have to have at least one blog to help temper my insatiable desire for cards, cards and more cards! This blog features the many greeting card sellers which make up the EtsyGreetings Street Team. Right now, they are running a contest. I love contests!

6. Smitten Kitchen. I know. It’s on my blog roll. But, I really love this blog. There are always pictures of yummy food and excellent recipes. I’ve even tried my hand at a few.

7. The rantings of a Mad Hatter wannabe. Glorious Hats turned me onto her. Now, true, I have no idea what she is making right now … I’m a bit too shy to ask for fear it might be rude. But, I am enamored all the same. I love me some hats.

8. Sherri Crochets. Sherri crochets and knits. So, I could have put her up above with the strictly knitting blogs, but, well, this is my blog post and I’ll put them in the order I want! =) From sock monkeys to knitted trolls to crocheted gnomes, she is always making something fun and cute.

9. Knitting Dragonflies. Sounds like another knitting blog, right? Well, right and wrong. She’s a woman after my own heart. She loves to make quilts too.

10. Insert your blog name here. If I commented on your blog, it means I loved reading it. Thank you for making my day!

And speaking of blogs, I volunteered to be the author of a new blog, EtsyKnitters. It is the blog for the EtsyKnitters Street Team and Yahoo Group. I feel so alone in Pottstown some days without a yarn store to stop by at. This is my virtual knitting circle.

Knitting news: I finished my Log Cabin Block. I already have an idea for my final block, but I’m not going to share with you its name. I want it to be a surprise.

No Quilted Blocks Today

Marie Haigh3 Comments
I feel like the last two weeks I have done nothing but talk about my Ode to Quilting blocks on this blog. So, today, I’m not going to mention them outside of this paragraph. Well, I have to tell someone that I am 75% done with my 8th block! It is titled Log Cabin block.

Instead, I’ll show off my latest sewing project.

Can you tell what it is?

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t a clue. Dan wanted to help me spread out the tablecloth. I can give you a hint: it’s not a tablecloth.

Rather, it is my roman shade for the dining room windows. One is already hung and mounted to the left window. It has been pulled all the way to the top to train it (allow the creases to form) and to not let onto the neighbors that we only have one window covering up. Goodness knows they already think we are a bit queer.

The shade in the pic is for the right window. I hope to finish it this week and have Dan mount it over the weekend. He is going to be working a lot of long hours this weeks as it is crunch time for the project he is on. So, the chances of him mounting the curtain during the work week are nil.

Spiral Applique Block, 7th in Ode to Quilting Series

Marie Haigh3 Comments

This block was inspired by a bias applique quilter’s block.

Pattern for Spiral Applique Block:
Recommended Knitting skill level: Easy

Yarn: Lion’s Wool by Lion Brand or substitute any wool yarn from your stash that meets the below gauge specifications.
1. Color A = Pearl Grey, 1 skein
2. Color B = Pumpkin, 1 skein
3. Color C = Scarlet, 1 skein
4. Color D = Purple, 1 skein
5. Color E = Midnight Blue, 1 skein

Needles: Lion’s Wool recommends size 8 (I used size 5) in both straight needles and double pointed needles.

Materials:
Large blunt sewing needle
Safety pins

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6 rows is 1 inch/2.5 cm in Stocking Stitch.

Stocking Stitch Pattern: Knit all stitches on the right side of the work; Purl all stitches on the wrong side of the work.

Knitting Instructions:
Make 4 strips, one in each color.

  • In Color B, cast on 10 stitches.
  • Work in Stocking Stitch till strip measures 8 inches.
  • Bind off all stitches.
  • Repeat instructions with color C, color D, and color E.

In color A, make 4 small corner squares.

  • With color A, cast on 10 stitches.
  • Row 1(right side of work): Purl all stitches.
  • Row 2: K1, P2, K4, P2, K1.
  • Row 3: P1, K2, P4, K2, P1.
  • Row 4: Knit all stitches.
  • Row 5: Purl all stitches.
  • Row 6: K4, P2, K4.
  • Row 7: P4, K2, P4.
  • Row 8: Knit all stitches.
  • Repeat rows 1-4.
  • Bind off all stitches.
  • Repeat instructions 3 more times.
With color A, make 1 large center square.

  • With color A, cast on 34 stitches.
  • Row 1(right side of work): Purl all stitches.
  • Row 2: K1, P2, (K4, P2) 5 times, K1.
  • Row 3: P1, (K2, P4) 5 times, K2, P1.
  • Row 4: Knit all stitches.
  • Row 5: Purl all stitches.
  • Row 6: K4, (P2, K4) 5 times.
  • Row 7: (P4, K2) 5 times, P4.
  • Row 8: Knit all stitches.
  • Repeat rows 1-8 five more times. (Total rows = 48)
  • Bind off all stitches.
  • Block to measurements (8 inches by 8 inches).

Finishing Instructions:

  • Place one color A corner square on either side of the color B strip.
  • Using safety pins, secure squares to strip.
  • Using a mattress stitch, seam the corner squares to either side of the strip.
  • Repeat instructions with the remaining two corner squares and color C strip.
  • Place the color E strip on the right side of the color A center square. Secure with safety pins. Seam together with a mattress stitch.
  • Place the final strip, color D, on the left side of the color A center square. Secure with safety pins. Seam together with a mattress stitch.

Make 1 i-cord.

  • With color B and two double pointed needles, cast on 2 stitches.
  • Knit these two stitches on row 1.
  • Do not turn the work.
  • Instead slide the work to the beginning of the left-hand needle. Wrap the yarn across the back of the work. Knit the two stitches of row 2.
  • Continue in this fashion until i-cord measures 10 inches.
  • Join in a ball of color E. (Note: When cutting the yarn from color B, leave a long string, measuring approximately 20 inches.
  • Work the i-cord in color E until it measures 10 inches from where color E was joined in.
  • Join in a ball of color C. (Again, leave a long 20-inch string of color E).
  • Work the i-cord in color C until it measures 10 inches from where color C was joined in.
  • Join in a ball of color D. (Again, leave a long 20-inch string of color C).
  • Work the i-cord in color D until it measures 10 inches from where color D was joined in.
  • Bind off all stitches.
  • Leave a long 20-inch string of color D.
  • Do not weave in the ends yet.

Placement of i-cord

  • Arrange i-cord in a spiral on top of the color A center square. Be sure to stay within the borders of the center square. Also, lay the i-cord down so that the right side faces up toward you at all times.
  • Secure the i -cord with safety pins.
  • Using a blunt sewing needle, thread in the long, unwoven string of color D.
  • Hand tack down the color D section with the unwoven end using a running stitch.
  • Once the color D section is fully tacked down, pull the remaining string to the back of the work. Weave in the color D ends.
  • Repeat the last three instructions for each colored section.

Flashing my Organized Stash

Marie Haigh9 Comments

It is finally done.

Two Sunday ago, I organized my yarn into separate bins labeled “All Wool”, “Wool Blends”, “Cotton and Cotton Blends” and “Acrylic”. I then wrote down all the pertinent information off the labels – on all the yarn that still had labels, that is. Last Sunday, I uploaded the last of the yarn information to Ravelry.

I should mention that I only organized the yarn that lives in the cedar closet. Yarn received as a Christmas present or yarn currently being used remains unorganized. Baby steps, People!

I even boxed some yarn up that I knew deep down I would never use. The yarn will be shipped to Jennifer Marsh for use in the International Fiber Collaborative. Now before you start singing my praises, let me mention that most of the yarn I am gifting is leftover from a previous project, purchased in one of my yard sale finds, or purchased in one skein amounts.

Yep, that’s right; I’m not as good as I seem. I still have lots of yarn that in my heart of hearts I know I will never use. However, this is yarn that is too beautiful or too soft or too sentimental to use or gift away.

Hopefully all of this organization will keep Dan from finding me in my pajamas, sitting on the basement floor, surrounded by boxes of yarn, rummaging frantically for the skein of yarn I just know I have!