Can This Be Done??

Well, I may have bitten off more than I can chew.  Friend Jackie and I are going to make this quilt.  It is a Block of the Month quilt from The Quilt Show.  We've printed off the instructions and templates for month 1 and 2.  Friday we gathered fabric and today I will begin with month one.  I don't normally like to make BOMs because it TAKES SOOO LONG.  But, this is a stunning quilt and I would NEVER attempt this on my own, so here goes!  Wish me luck!

How True!!

Finally!  A great idea for those pesky UFOs.  This was in the Sunday comics this morning.  I'll see if there is a pattern available...

Snow...Finally!

Here's the view from my kitchen window early this morning.  It was a winter wonderland!!  Too bad I had places to get to this morning, because it looked like the perfect day to curl up with some knitting.  Next time...

Knitting In Dubuque

Jackie and I were in Dubuque yesterday.  We visited Dayna at her newly remodeled house.  Her mother Jeannie joined us. Everyone was knitting something. Her house remodel is fabulous!  Loved it all, especially the sewing/ quilting space.
We also visited the local knit shop, Yarn Soup. I got some sumptuous sock yarn from Cascade, Heritage Silk Paints.  ( More sock yarn!?!  Never enough, I guess.) Its a nice shop with a good selection.  The owner is quite accommodating.
We also visited one of the best kitchen shops I've visited in a long time.  Cookin' Something Up was worth the trip! Besides a fabulous selection of anything 'kitchen' or 'cooking', they had an olive oil and balsamic vinegar bar. You can sample the different oils and vinegars before you buy them. I hope we go back soon!

Here is Jeannie with her adorable yorkie, Chloe, on the right and Dayna's yorkie, Oliver, on the left.  What sweet doggies! They are actually brother and sister.
We look forward to seeing Dayna and Jeannie again in April for a quilt retreat at the Shalom Center. Happy knitting until then, girls!

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One More Change

Here's one more change.  I found these on a Pinterest board (Sally's, I think).  So now we can throw those extra keys in the bags!

I made them  in  a couple of hours.  Two fat quarters, interfacing, 2-6" embroidery hoops. Looks like I need to make some adjustments, but not bad.  Adds a little color and a little storage.

Small Changes

It is the small changes that seem to make me happy.  Those things that are in the house, but you are tired of looking at them so you change it up a little. Thus, it is with three spots in my home.  I didn't take a 'before', so you won't see the change but, trust me, it is better.

It all started with the laundry 'space'. ( I can't call it a room, because it isn't.  But I won't call it a 'closet' even though it is.) There is a large wall in the area that has bugged me since we moved.  I never knew what to do with it. The space is too narrow to make it functional, but it needed to feel more like a space with a purpose.

One day I got a Ballard Designs catalog in the mail.  In it were some adorable wall art things for the laundry room.  So, I told Santa that's what I wanted for Christmas.  Lauren, I mean Santa, ordered the items plus a picture.  I had the pictures framed at Hudson River Gallery and hung them yesterday. I love it!!  I also have an antique pair of sock stretchers I found at the Rug Cottage.

Last weekend I changed a spot in the dinning area.  It is a corner off by itself and is a catchall for everyone to deposit whatever they want as they come in from the garage. For Bob it is keys, watch, phone, etc., plus he deposits everything that he might take with him as he exits the house.  What a mess!  So this picture is as I hope it will always look, but i realize its just a dream....

The third area is my own little nightmare.  It is the table next to my 'knitting' spot.  Its also my computer spot and tv spot. It accumulates A LOT of STUFF, and its mostly mine.  I had a lamp on it that I thought I broke last weekend, but it just needed to be adjusted.  But in the mean time, I purchased an Ott Light floor lamp that has been a God-send for my knitting.  Problem is, the table had no lamp, no focal point.  So, today I decided to embrace the knitting-ness of the area.

Oh, ok, it is still a work in progress.  But it has direction, now....

Quilts In Kalona

A friend and I went to the Kalona Village Museum today.  They had a display of quilts made by  Thuy Nguyen. She came to this country from Viet Nam in the 1970s. She made these exquisite quilts after moving to Iowa.  They are hand appliqued and hand quilted.  Absolutely stunning!

I'm afraid the pictures don't really do them justice.  The tiny stitching, quilting  and embroidery are amazing!

On our way back into town we stopped at JoAnn Fabrics.  I got a new Ott Light.  I knocked over the lamp that I always use, when I knit in the 4 season room, and it broke.  Saw this and I hope its as good as my Ott lamps in my sewing room. Took 5 minutes to put together!

They Are Back...

My daughter thinks I"m nuts when I get excited about eagles.  She doesn't realize that, in my lifetime, they have been brought back from the edge of extinction.  So, its  always a thrill when I get to see one!  Now I can get a daily 'fix' by going to this eaglecam.  Its located in West Virginia.  There are some really spectacular views of these magnificent creatures.

Finished Socks

These socks were made with  Ty Dye Sock Yarn that I got from The Knit Shoppe in Iowa City.  I knit them on #1 40" circular needles.  I've GOT to learn to do 2 socks together!  Notice the difference in the length and toe?  Geesh....

Finished Project

Just wanted to add a picture of my finished cardinal quilt.  I started this project last weekend at the Common Threads Sew-In. I was sewing on the binding as I tried to ignore the Super Bowl. I finished the edges with a satin stitch and added a small red piping with the binding.

Here is the picture of the original pattern.  I made a few changes and I like it much better.

Its Been Confirmed...

Well, there you go!  There IS royalty on Bob's side of the family.  This really makes the genealogy search sooo much easier!  Actually, this was on Lauren's FB page.  Thanks for finding it, Sarah!!

It is so easy to get lost on these computers!  I start looking at Ravelry, and the next thing I know, an hour has just flown out the window!  Or it leads me to other blogs and there goes another hour.  Or, as in last evening, I went to Less Is More and joined the sock club and I am now several dollars poorer! Thanks, Sally! ( Actually, I've wanted to join a sock club for a while but always find out about them after the fact, so, really, thanks!)  BTW, I have now spent an hour doing this blog... I have to stop!!  And here's the kicker...I'm still waiting to hear from Pinterest... you have to ask to join!  I guess I've done this to myself!!