Earthdancer Comes Home

After literally years of waiting to be framed, Earthdancer is done up right and on the wall. She is spectacular!

Close-ups of the piece and framing:

And on the wall.

She's perfect, and has been well worth the wait. I had her framed at the Framing and Art Center on Merivale, and I am well pleased with their services. Now that Cross-Stitch Cupboard is closed, it's nice to know there's a good option for needlework framing.

(I've since pulled off that ridiculous light-switch cover (who puts a switch in the freakin' middle of a feature wall, anyhow?) and painted it to match the wall so it won't be so obtrusive.)

FO: Earthdancer

I'm not going to tell you how long this has been waiting to be finished, or the insignificant amount of time that it took me to complete, once I put it up on the frame. You'd gasp in disbelief and think me a moron. The point to concentrate on is that it's done! :)



And although I have my sewing machine back, I've started another cross-stitch project. DH just laughs as he suspects the recipient will be long dead by the time I finish this, but I may prove him wrong.



You'll keep me honest and ask for progress reports, won't you? :)

Wolf, Hat and Cake

I don't think anyone in this house ever expected to see this done.



As it happens, I took my sewing machine to Arnprior for servicing about three weeks ago, and it's been out of the house for three weeks. What's a girl to do but cross-stitch and knit her fool face off? This project was promised to DH some years ago. Who knows, I might actually have it in a frame by year's end.

Expect another cross-stitch FO soon (!). I feel compelled to do sewing room spring cleaning, as it were, and finish up projects that have been lingering for some time. I want a fresh start with my projects, as I begin my fresh start with my career.

On the other end of the quickness scale. Also finished (in a day or two) is my "Tea Cosy" hat. I am totally loving this. It's alpaca, it's warm, and it's super practical.



From the back:



Yes, it has a pony-tail port! :)

I also did massive amounts of baking.



These are fruitcake... I make a mean cake and have converted several former fruitcake haters with my kitchen mojo.

Quilting, Knitting, Painting and Stitching, Too.

I've been no slouch in the crafting department, either; it's just that nothing is near completion or terribly photogenic. All the same, here's what's going on in the sewing room.

These are so boring they make me want to weep, but in a few short months, I will be grateful I took the time to knit these knee-high, worsted weight ribbed socks. They're nothing fancy, for sure, but an essential all the same.



This is a whole lot fancier. Pretty much opposite from the socks, actually. It's Askew, done in Berroco Suede Deluxe for a lovely sparkle. This top also has so much negative ease planned in that it might actually be unwearable, but I'll keep plunking away. I have never finished a top before, so too small or not, this one's getting done. I hope it fits, it will be sexy as hell if so.



On to quilting. I'm still wading through the quilt I'm making for my niece. It's quite the work of art, if I do say so myself; reversible and quilted-as-I-go. Here's what I have so far, the "A" side.



A close-up of my quilting:



And with a square flipped over so you can see the "B" side:



I also painted the bed-side tables I talked about oh, a year ago. These were a dark emerald green that didn't go with anything. The decorator who chose our paint colours made me swear we'd get rid of the furniture before we painted... a little late, but the problem is being taken care of (complete with gratuitous cat tail.)



I've also done some cross-stitch. I used to be an avid stitcher, but quilting and knitting has taken over because I enjoy the added dimensions- cross-stitch is just so flat and ornamental. However, I have a lovely stash of fabric and patterns and I am determined not to ignore my first love. No pictures of that, because the progress is so small, but I'll keep plunking away and maybe one day you'll see a finished work.

Fuzzy Bunnies, Socks, and Sheep

Sure, I've been quiet... but that doesn't mean I've been idle. Far from it. I've been knitting up a storm! I've even been quilting and stitching, too... it's been a productive time.

First off... admire these for a second.



Are they not divine? Are they not the best pair of mittens I've ever knit? (Disregard the fact that they're the only pair. Move along.)

They have a secret, too. Here's a taste.



Do you see that? Do you know just what that means?
Here. Let me spell it out.



Each adorable, yummy mitten has an even more adorable 100% angora liner knit into it. It's like having your hands snuggled by baby rabbits. (And since they're mittens, the impaired dexterity is equivalent to wearing rabbits on your hands, as well, but this was about form, not function.)

ohmygod I love these mittens. Even better? You see that mulberry-coloured goodness that they are reposing on? Yeah. That's my new parka. It's almost as if I bought the parka to match, but I swear it isn't so.

My mom has requested a pair of these, so I get to make another pair for her, in a slightly different size and colour. I can't wait! I loved knitting these.

Other knitting goodness? Okay. Two pairs of socks in the making.


Lang Yarns Super Soxx, the Harlot's Basic Sock recipe

The first, and possibly last, socks I have knit for my husband. GODDAMN he has large feet. never realized exactly how large until the kazzilionth row came and went. The gentle variegations of the yarn is perhaps the only reason I can bear to go on.


OnLine SuperSocke 100 Cotton, Blueberry Waffle pattern

Organic crunchy happy sunny waffle-y goodness. As you may have guessed by the colour, these ones are for me. Another half a sock to go on these.

Kate and I took a "Socks from the Toes Up" class last weekend at Wool-Tyme. It was a little confusing, and our sample socks looked like ass... well, at least mine did. However, when we met for our min-S&B on Tuesday, we figured it all out together. I've cast on for another pair of socks using the new techniques...


KnitPicks Memories (discontinued), Rocky Mountain Dusk. Toes up, Mock-Smock stitch.

All that knitting! I have also put in a few hours on my wolf cross-stitch, which is a gift for DH whenever it actually gets done. I have also nearly completed another panel of the StoryBook Farm quilt... the Wooly Good Friends. Those sheep are adorable.

So now you know I haven't been lazy! (Craft-wise. Blog-wise... another story!)

Knowledge to be Gained

I've made a lot of progress on a number of projects, but nothing that is interesting, photographically.

I stitched for a couple of hours on Wolfie, while Lisa was over, using my sewing machine to learn paper foundation quilting. I finished machine quilting all the blocks on my duvet cover, and even was brave enough for a little free-motion goodness... I actually went over the blocks I quilted by hand. Let's pretend that was a design feature added as a nod to the way things use to be done. Let us never speak of hand quilting again... :)

I am now faced with quilting the border of the duvet cover. I'll free-motion it, too, but have been in a quandary as to what pattern to use. Finally I came to the realization that it is, after all, a sampler quilt... I learned two types of appliqué, paper piecing, using templates... there's a lot of new knowledge represented in the blocks. So, appropriately, there will be knowledge gained throughout the quilting process, too. I'll try a little stippling, maybe some floral patterns, some happy vines and leaves... I'll doodle all over the border and call it art and education and fun. I think my OCD soul can stomach having the quilting different all over, and now that the decision is made, I have gone from dreading the process to looking forward to playing. No matter how the quilting turns out, this has to be a good thing.

I'm mid-heel in the Wintery Blues, and have swatched and cast on a few rows on the two-coloured brioche-stitch alpaca scarf. Wait a minute... maybe that deserves a picture. Here's the swatch... done in cottons just so I can understand the mechanics of the stitch.




And the actual beginnings of the scarf.



(This reminds me of Charlie Brown's shirt...)

The ribbing isn't coming up clearly but I intend to keep going for a few more rows. I am also not sure about this needle size; the fabric is very dense. I'll play a bit more and then decide. I am loving the stitch, though... it is soft and cushy and perfect for a scarf.

I'll bend over. You know what to do.

Yesterday was a very flavourful day. Lisa and I went to the Carp Garlic Festival and Farmer's Market first thing in the morning... it's just as well DH isn't around 'cause I sampled more raw garlic than is socially acceptable. Who knew there was that many varieties? I feel kind of ripped off, now that I know that the stuff sold in the stores isn't the best. I think I'll have to plant my own this September because the fresh stuff is amazing.

We detoured on the way home to Nicastro's, an Italian grocery store on Merivale. Amazing. I have never seen that many varieties of olive oil, even in Greece. It's not just Italian stuff, either... they have a great selection of Greek delicacies including some of the harder-to-find cheeses, and a great sour cherry juice concentrate that I OD'd on in Slovenia in June. Sweet to know there's a local spot for the good stuff. I am loving that store.

This morning I spent in contemplation of the meaning of life. No kidding. I'm taking a philosophy course. I've spent the last 30-some odd years trying to figure out what it's all about, and now I have to suddenly lock it in and write three pages on what has had me puzzled for all that time. I took this course 'cause I thought it would be an easy credit... and although it's been really interesting, it has been anything but easy. I've gone some very strange places in my mind over the last month.

When my head was about to explode, I took myself up to the sewing room and worked on the duvet cover. I finished the quilting of the borders and sashing, and got two blocks quilted... nothing fancy, just a little stitch-in-the-ditch. I figured a serviceable and plain quilting job beat the hell out of a fancy job that never got done. And I do very much need this duvet cover in action... none of our old linens match our bedroom since I painted.



I figured I'd also take the opportunity to introduce you to Project Six of the 10. I'll bend over right now so you can kick me on the butt. I'm sure you'll want to. I am so close to finishing her. I believe all I have left to do is some more faux-suede fringing on her dress in the lower left. Don't ask me why she's been so close to being done for so long, especially when I love her so much.

Mother's Day Project

I read a wide range of fabric arts blogs. Some days I'll just randomly follow links on a site and see where it will take me.
A few weeks ago, my random surfing took me here. The Mother's Day Project - one woman's attempt to help us all put a face to the losses of war; specifically, the female deaths.

This project has immediate meaning for me. I currently serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, my DH is deployed overseas, and I have lost friends in Afghanistan. Although we as Canadians fight in a different theatre, the human losses are not diminished by the lines between countries and causes. Our administrations and their justifications may be different, but the tragedies represented by these deaths go far beyond government policy.

The name I received belonged to a 19 year-old British medic, Eleanor Dlugosz. She of the bright blue eyes and infectious smile fell to a roadside bomb with four others on 5 April 2007. She loved her job and serving her country.

Eleanor, or Ella, or DZ to some, feels like a friend of mine after this project. Her happy smile, her hopes, her aspirations, her short life and meaningless death have left their mark on me as I stitch her name in remembrance.



We remember, Ella.

And for Some Variety...

This heat, although I love it, is kicking me to the curb and it seems all I really want to do is sleep. I had a nap when I got home from work and then fell asleep in the rocking chair with the cat on my lap. I didn't feel like wading into anything too elaborate in the sewing room last night, but I knew I couldn't just curl up in bed at 8 PM and call it a night... that is *so* not me.

So I did something I haven't done for a while... worked on Project 4. Whaddya mean you don't know what that is??? Here, let me introduce you.



(Project 4 is a rather old Dimensions chart called "Something in the Air", by wildlife artist Al Agnew. This is my second go at this one... the original was done (~12 years ago) on black Aida and graces my mom Janet's living room... this one is on linen and is for my husband.)

Yes, that's right... I spent last evening doing cross-stitch. Once my hobby of choice, it got a little lost in the fray when I learned quilting and then knitting. I have many beautiful stitching pieces I'd like to get finished, including one that's been 95% done for so long now you'll think I'm nuts when you see her later in 10 Projects.