Finishing Up a Year of Crafts

I took some vacation time and am off work this week and I'm really glad I am. We're in the middle of a severe cold spell, with the temperature going down to the -40s Monday night and Tuesday (and even colder with the wind chill factor). Very happy to not have to commute to work in that kind of cold. I've been mostly just hunkering down at home, catching up on some crafting. Initially, my goals were a little different, but then I switched to alternate WIPs/UFOs to complete. 

I started this table runner fairly early in my renewed quilting journey (2013-ish), 

but other projects took priority and it sat as just a top for several years. Earlier this year, I finally took it out again and quilted it on the longarm. Then, because it still wasn't a priority, and because I don't really like binding, it sat again. I finally bound it this week and put it on my dining room table. 

The next binding project was Baby Alter Ego II.

You may remember my other Baby Alter Ego. I actually started this one first and planned it for a baby girl, but again it got put on the back burner and disappeared for a few years during and post renovations to my studio. Meanwhile, I needed a boy's quilt and made the other one and gifted it. This one finally resurfaced and eventually I decided I needed to finish it. The borders were completed and it was quilted,  but joined the binding pile because I didn't have a recipient for it in mind. 

My goal is actually to assemble a small stash of baby quilts so that I will be somewhat prepared should my friends experience a baby boom again (was it 5 or 6 baby quilts that I completed in a year?). The next one for binding was Blast Off.

I made the quilt top earlier this year and had quilted it. But the binding is finally on and both Blast Off and Baby Alter Ego II joined Work Zone in my stash of baby quilts. 

I completed Work Zone earlier in the year, but I never got around to blogging about it. I think I might have mentioned before that I decided that I really don't like Baby Alter Ego. It's just too scrappy for my tastes, with no real rhythm to it. Both Work Zone and Blast Off are variations of my Quick and Easy Baby Quilt, and even though they are scrappy, also being made from layer cakes, they don't just look like fabric vomit, and I much prefer them over Baby Alter Ego. 

Now, before introducing the next project, I'm going to digress slightly to comment on pre-cuts. I might have mentioned this previously, but I have come to the conclusion that I'm really not that fond of pre-cuts. First of all, they're not cheap. Charm packs are $18, layer cakes and jelly rolls are $65, and fat quarters are running at least $5 each (all prices Canadian). The second point is that they are really not all that convenient. Pre-cuts, to me, are only really convenient if you are actually going to use that size and shape. Jelly rolls are probably the most convenient because you often use the full width and length, but having to cut down 10" squares to 9-1/2" (or whatever) is really not convenient. Or chopping up a fat quarter to use in a quilt, leaving huge scraps. Plus, what am I going to do with that 1/2" strip of fabric? Or those odd shaped scraps from a fat quarter. It's just going to waste. And I hate wasting fabric. And I've done enough pre-cut patterns now to know that using yardage for a lot of these patterns would be a lot more convenient and less wasteful. Yes, my Quick and Easy Baby Quilt is a good use of layer cakes, but most patterns for pre-cuts are not like that. I personally cut my fabric to size and seldom trim my blocks. They might not be perfect, but they're good enough. I'm not entering my quilts in a juried quilt show. So, I really don't choose to waste my time and fabric trimming down pre-cuts. I will share a couple of examples from my experience. Moonstruck was one which used 6" pre-cut strips. I don't even think those are available any more, and probably because they were so totally useless. I don't know if there was even a single pattern in the book that utilized the entire width of the strip. The second example is Exploring Space, where I ended up trimming 168 HSTs for one baby quilt! As I stated in that post, "I think I would have been much better off starting with the exact size squares I needed to make the Easy 8 HSTs and not have to trim each individual one. So, using a layer cake was kind of pointless. And that made this quilt tedious instead of quick and fun." Now I'd like to point out that my local quilt shop cuts up overstock, old stock, whatever, into metres and half-metres. And that is a pre-cut that I really do find useful. They sell the metres for $8 each and the half-metres for $4 each. And that's a price I can really get excited about because quilting fabric currently averages at least $20/metre. A half-metre of fabric for less than a fat quarter! And I have put many metres and half-metres to good use. Where the Charming Roses Bloom, for example, was made up mostly from these pre-cut metres. So, that brings me back to the next quilt. When I saw this MSQC tutorial, 

featuring 3-yard quilts, it got my attention. I could easily pick up 3 metres of fabric that would look good together from the pre-cut metres at my local quilt shop. And that's what I did. 

This is Plum Perfect, made from pre-cut metres from my local quilt shop. I had to alternate fabrics for the binding because there was not enough of one fabric left to do a full double fold binding. And, of course, I had to add backing and batting, and voilà, a quilt big enough for a small throw/lap/baby quilt, about 43" x 60". And over all, a much more coordinated look than the ones above made with layer cakes. Leah's Ladder, which you can see in this post, is also a 3-yard quilt, made with pre-cut metres from my LQS. I think I'm hooked and I want to get all of the 3-yard quilt books by Donna Robertson.

Anyway, I had the quilt top done for Plum Perfect earlier this year. The backing fabric was purchased, but that's as far as I got. Until this week. I stitched the backing together, and quilted and bound it. And I have one more quilt for my baby quilt stash. I think that's enough baby quilts for now and hopefully, I'll be ready for the next baby boom. 

And that's it for quilt finishes for 2021. I have, however been playing around with gift baskets. One of my friends suggested that the bowl cozy would make a good gift basket. So I made one up, using some fusible interfacing and regular batting instead of Wrap'n'Zap, and the fabric is leftovers from a layer cake. 

Yes, actually, it would make a nice gift basket, just not for this oversized bath pouf if I wanted to include anything else. I wanted to make a gift basket for my niece and include a floral facecloth and an exfoliating scrubby. 

And so this basket worked much better. 

Because I wanted to use some leftover backing fabric from Plum Perfect, and it was only 16" wide, I used 16" squares of fabric instead of 18", and made the darts 3", and it turned out a great size. I still want to squish a couple more items in there. It's just been too cold to go to the store to buy them. 

Did you notice how I've rolled up the facecloth to look like a flower. You can do that with just about any size or shape of facecloth/dishcloth if you squish it together right and stuff it in a cup or mug: square, 

or even heart-shaped. 

I have a super abundance of cotton yarn, much of it left over from the Circles Throw. So I have been thinking of making spa/bath gift baskets for Valentine's Day. 

This heart-shaped washcloth (from A Year of Dishcloths, by Maggie Weldon) and exfoliator are a much better fit for the "bowl cozy" basket. By the way, it took me two hours to make that washcloth, as it did the bath pouf in this picture below. I think I'm going to look for a different heart-shaped washcloth pattern that will be less labour-intensive. 

I do not find Red Heart Scrubby yarn or any of its derivatives easy to work with, and from now on I will stick to using it to edge dishcloths and making the small exfoliators in the previous picture. 

I only had part of a small skein of the yarn I used in the washcloth, so finished it with Bernat Handicrafter Holidays Sparkle. I love bling, but I don't think including a yarn with metallic content in a washcloth was a good idea. Wash and exfoliate at the same time... 

I guess that's it - those are my finishes for year end. It will be sundown soon and the Sabbath will commence - more important to me than New Year's Eve. So, I'm going to put my craft stuff away for now, and share with you a New Year's reading from a devotional book called Our High Calling by Ellen G. White. 

Catching Up on UFOs

 I swear I have ADCD (Attention Deficit Crafting Disorder). I see a project I want to make, so I gather/purchase the equipment and supplies and begin. But it's not long before I get bored or sidetracked by another project that appeals to me. And then I gather the supplies and begin again. And before I know it, I have multiple WIPs (Works in Progress) and UFOs (Unfinished Objects) all over the house. And that's got to stop. Not only does it make my house very cluttered with unfinished projects, but it's stressful feeling the pressure to finish and shows a lack of discipline. So, I've resolved to not start any new yarn projects (with the exception of the odd dischcloth, or perhaps projects with a specific purpose in mind) until all of my UFOs and WIPs are completed. Nor do I intend to purchase any more yarn unless needed to complete a project. 

And, honestly, it gives me such a sense of accomplishment to complete a project. The Savvy Ruana is one such project. I had finished the main part, but still had to do the "fur" collar. And now it's done. It really didn't take long to finish it either. Not sure why I put it off, except that it got buried in clutter. 

Previous to the ruana, I finished I Want That Bag. Again, it didn't take much time as all I had left to do was sew in the jute bag liner. 

This bag fits two good-sized towels for when I take my grandson swimming (which hasn't happened since before the pandemic).

I'm really pleased with how both of these projects turned out. Why did I wait so long?

More of a WIP than a UFO, I was also pleased to get the San Diego Sunset afghan finished. 

This one is from the book, Weekend Afghans, by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. 

Currently, I'm working on finishing a zippered cardigan. I'm not sure when I started it, but I got the book that the pattern is in for my birthday over 12 years ago... I know I got stalled because the sleeve instructions were so hard to interpret and the first time I completed a sleeve, it ended up about 6" long, and it's supposed to be full-length. I finally figured out the instructions, but then got distracted... And it's now upgraded from a UFO to a WIP. 

Onward and forward!

A Couple More UFOs Done

I really want to have fewer projects lying neglected around my house, so am attempting to get old projects finished (somewhat successful) before I start new ones (not so successful). I don't remember when I started this About Town Ruana for my daughter, but it is finally finished. Not soon enough for this past Christmas, but in plenty of time for her birthday in September. It's made with one colour of Red Heart Unforgettable (Dragonfly) and a couple of different colours of regular worsted weight (4) yarn (Bernat Premium green and purple). Unfortunately, as I mentioned in a previous post, I find that cell phone pictures don't always give true colours. I had to tweak these pictures with my picture editor, but they're still not totally accurate. I like the colours better in person. 

I also find that if too much time elaspses between the start and finish of a project, especially if I don't work on it for a year or two, my gauge can change, which is the case in this project. The second half is actually a little smaller than the first half. Another word of advice if you're making this project is when you're sewing the back seam, don't sew it all the way to the middle or you end up with the ruana too long in the back. See the first photo. I probably could have stopped 2 or 3 inches short of the centre. 

Once that was done, I needed to find another UFO or WIP to finish. While I was pondering this and looking in some of my books, I realized that I didn't have a current knitting WIP or UFO. Well, not exactly - I do have one project that is more of a sampler afghan, where some blocks are knitted and some are crocheted. But I had no strictly knitting projects on the go (at least I don't remember and haven't found one). So, I decided to start on the San Diego Sunset afghan, using Loops and Threads Kidding Around yarn instead of the mohair called for. I'm not sure why I opted for that, except that I think it was on sale at Michael's when I bought it. And the fact that mohair is not readily available. I probably could have used Red Heart Unforgettable, but it's a lot more expensive than what I likely paid for the Kidding Around. I'm not sure how well Kidding Around - a 6 weight - is going to work with knitting worsted (4 weight) in the same project, however. I guess I will see.

I still need to buy the knitting worsted for this project. So this was as far as I could go for now. So I looked for another UFO to work on. Earlier I had pulled out the Feileacan shawl and assembled the first butterfly I had made. It had been a lot of work and I really didn't like how it turned out. So I googled and found an alternate butterfly pattern and tried it. I liked it better than the one I made using the pattern, but it was still a lot of work. And because it was slightly smaller than the original one, I would have to make more. And I've kind of lost my motivation for crocheting butterflies.

Top is from the pattern, bottom is from a pattern I found online

I suppose I will finish this shawl eventually - another project for my daughter - but not right now. I also did a little half-hearted work on Sophie's Universe.

So I rummaged around in my rough totes and found this afghan.

I suppose I will likely never know this afghan's full story, but on one of my frequent trips to the thrift stores, I found what was probably a crafter's stash: yarn, patterns, etc. I concluded that, in all likelihood the crafter had either passed away or been admitted to a seniors' home and her stash ended up at the thrift store. I bought some patterns and some other crafting stuff and found this afghan, partially finished, plus the unused yarn in one of those zippered vinyl storage packages that afghan kits come in. 

No pattern and no picture, but I determined to take it home and finish it in honour of the anonymous crafter that had to relinquish her (or his) craft. The first thing I had to do was determine how to stitch this pattern. 

With help from the members of a crocheting group on Facebook, I was able to find directions online and start stitching this afghan. I also had to determine what size of hook to use in order to keep my stitching gauge consistent with that of the original crocheter. I ended up using a 3.75 mm. And then I had to decide how to alternate the colours. In the absence of a pattern to give me any direction, and since the first part of it didn't seem to have any consistent number of rows for each colour, I just more or less randomly chose. But then I ran out of the ivory yarn, other projects took precedence and this one ended up at the bottom of one of my rough totes. 

But last night, I finished it. I'm not sure how big the original project was supposed to have been. I ended up with an afghan approximately 46" x 67", a good size for an afghan, and still have 3 skeins of the red yarn left over. I wanted to finish the end with ivory, so used some from my stash. Even though it, too, is knitting worsted, it was substantially bulkier than the original yarn, so I didn't want to use too much of it in this afghan, so just did 3 rows to finish it off. 

Originally, I had thought this afghan had come as a kit, which is why it puzzled me how I ended up with 3 extra skeins of yarn. However, several of the labels had price tags on them, which is not generally done in a kit. Likely the original crafter just used the vinyl package to keep this project together. Even bed linens come in this kind of package, so it doesn't necessarily have to have originated from an afghan kit. I did a little research to determine how old this project might be. Canada became officially bilingual in 1969 (note the French on the label), but Simpsons Sears did not become just "Sears" until 1984. I thought maybe it was older because it seems like forever since yarn was called "sayelle." Evidently not. 

Two UFOs finished and a new project started. That's still progress, isn't it?

Horsefeathers

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of horsefeathers is nonsense, balderdash. And

I have to admit that this afghan is a bit of nonsense. First of all, this wasn't the best choice of yarn for this particular pattern. As a roving yarn, there was too much variation in the thickness of the yarn to work very well with the "loopy" part of the pattern. Secondly, yarn choice aside, the pattern itself is rather silly. All of those big loops of yarn can too readily get caught on someone's toe, a bedpost or whatever. By the time I'd come to that conclusion, however, I was too far into the project to want to start over with a different pattern. So I finished it off. 

Above, the afghan is on the blocking mat, and you can more clearly see the big loops. It's a lovely colour, and I think that's what drew me to this yarn. The pattern is actually called Peacock Feathers, and you can find it in this book,and, as far as I recall, this is the first afghan I've finished from "Weekend Afghans." The pattern is actually quite attractive, just not very practical for use. And with two cats in the house, decorative afghans can't just sit around on the back of a chair or sofa. As a matter of fact, while I had the afghan on the blocking mat, I ended up with two snags in it, thanks to the cats. Fortunately, I was able to pull them out, and after the second snag, I covered the afghan with a sheet to prevent further mishaps.  
I started it on a circular needle, but found that all of those YOs tightened up on the cable part of the needle and doubled over on themselves, making it very challenging to get them back onto the needle end to knit them off again. After the first try or two, I started switching to a regular needle for the YO rows. However, I didn't have the right size of regular needle (9 mm) and had to substitute an 8 mm. Eventually, I bought a pair of 9 mm needles and just used them to finish the afghan rather than the circular needle. I didn't add the fringe that the pattern called for. I'm not a big fan of fringe as it can get tangled and matted and I don't think this yarn would make good fringe anyway.
According to my Ravelry account, I started this project on January 16, 2016, though my Ravelry dates are not always 100% accurate. I tend to start a project without documenting it in Ravelry, and it's often not until later that I get around to adding the project. So some dates are just estimates. Nevertheless, it's taken over 2 years to complete this afghan. I'm really glad it's finished: another WIP to check off the list!
Once finished, I had to figure out how to get a decent picture of it. The branch on this pine tree is almost ideal for displaying quilts and afghans.

Note that I said "almost." Although it's a good height and more or less parallel to the ground, it's too easy to snag yarn on the rough bark and twig remnants along the branch. I had to exercise great care in placing and removing this afghan. 

Now I just have to figure out what to do with it. I can't imagine that anyone would want this silly thing, pretty though it is. I'll probably just hang it over a quilt rack or ladder when I get around to buying one. The colour does go well with my bathroom, so maybe I'll hang it over a towel bar... 😁