Maple Leaf Forever Scarf and More

 

I introduced the Maple Leaf forever scarf back in November when it was almost finished (see post here). I finished it in the meantime and had sufficient yarn to make a matching toque, but I didn't want to make it using multiple double pointed needles. While I do own some, I have never used them to actually knit in the round and have no desire to, using them only when I need them for a cable or other fancy stitch. Especially when I also own knitting looms. While I can generally hand knit faster than I can "loom", I just didn't want the hassle. There's probably a way to make a toque with a circular needle instead of double pointed needles, but I would have had to find a pattern. And I had made loom-knit toques before. However, when it came down to it, I didn't remember which pattern I'd used. I think I finally found it, but now I don't honestly remember which pattern I used. I believe it was for a slouchy from LoomaHat, but she has a lot of different patterns and videos. I modified it anyway as I incorporated the maple leaf design from the scarf pattern and made it shorter, so it wouldn't be as slouchy. If I had to do it over again, I would move the maple leaf closer to the brim and made the toque even shorter as it's still slouchy, and I don't like slouchy hats. Yes, I know I was using a slouchy pattern, but my previous efforts didn't turn out slouchy at all... Perhaps it was a totally different pattern that I had used before. 
I finished both the scarf and the toque by the middle of November, but I've been so busy getting other projects finished before Christmas that I haven't blogged about it until now. One of the projects was Tartan Delight, another one of Fabric Cafe's 3-yard quilt patterns. 

This one is the It's a Snap pattern from the book Pretty Darn Quick. I had purchased the fabric on one of my quilt shop hops. I love tartan fabric and I think it turned out very nice. The recipient suggested blues and greens, and this was the best match I had in my 1 metre/yard collection. I used a royal blue minky dot for the backing. 

Anise is the pantograph I chose. It was one I received for a pantograph of the month program that I was in briefly, but I haven't used it as it didn't really appeal to me. However, now that I've stitched it out, I do find it rather pretty, though it will likely never be one of my favourites. 
I worked on this one at the Lutheran church sew days, but when I got it home and put it up on my design wall to measure for the borders, I thought, "What is wrong?" It definitely did not look right. I finally figured out that I had gotten all the blocks in the correct order in each row, but then I had stitched the rows together in the wrong order. I think I only ended up with two out of the 6 rows in the right place. I gave the stitch ripper a workout that day. 
Next up was Higher Ground, using the Stepping Up pattern. I had gotten the pattern as one of the freebies that Fabric Cafe shares. They switch out their freebies every couple of months, so it's a case of you snooze, you lose. But I try to keep up with their pattern giveaways, so I don't lose out. 

I was kind of loathe to part with this one because the colours and the fabrics are just really awesome, but the recipients loved it. I had to make a few design changes - a couple were deliberate, based on my fabric available (I didn't have quite enough of the navy blue, so had to rearrange fabric placements, and decided to make the mauve border wider). And I accidentally made one too many of one block and one too few of the other, so my rows are arranged slightly differently than the pattern. But it's still a beautiful quilt, in my opinion. 

I had some mauve minky dot in my stash that I used for the backing and Zoidberg Feathers for the quilting. This is a pantograph that I have used before, but I had to choose something that would work with minky - nothing too dense - and would look good on the quilt top. It's probably one of my favourite designs - it's very pretty and works up relatively quickly. 

As a matter of fact, I decided that it had the right qualities for stitching up fabrics for bag-making, and I used it for quilting the fabrics for a travel bag for my grandson, seen here on the longarm, and a backpack for my daughter. I was really hoping to get these bags finished, plus a couple more quilts, in time for Christmas, but I just ran out of time. As a matter of fact, I didn't even get all 3 of my Christmas trees up and decorated until Christmas Eve. And other Christmas decorating around the house was pretty sparse. Hopefully, I'll get the bags finished soon and you'll hear more about them then. 

We Will Remember Them

 

My father was a veteran of World War II, as were two of my uncles (one maternal and one paternal). Both of my grandfathers were veterans of World War I. So, Remembrance Day is significant for me. In choosing what to make for a November wallhanging, I wanted it to be special. When I saw this particular panel from the Stonehenge Oh Canada line, I felt that they had really "knocked it out of the park". I have liked most of the various Oh Canada lines, but this particular panel really spoke to my heart. 
I made it simple. It didn't really need much added to it because the panel itself speaks volumes. So, I just added some solid black and some of the poppy ombre fabric from the same line. 

It was quilted with the Poppy Feathers pantograph. 

I've kind of gotten sidetracked from my Tortoise Projects, so not really any progress to report there. 

I have completed 2 squares from block 2 of An Alchemy of Stitches. And I'm sorry, not sorry, but those loops on the second square make me think of teats on an udder. My daughter had the same reaction when I showed this square to her. 

I decided to start the Farmer's Wife quilt, since I got the book for my last birthday, using scraps from my stash. These are only 6" blocks, so some of the pieces are quite small. There is a website in the book where the templates for the blocks can be downloaded. The annoying thing, however, is that, no matter how small the template, there is only 1 per page. Not only that, but there is a template for every piece. And not every piece needs a template. Many of them are very easily measured with a ruler. And I'd much rather measure with a ruler than fuss with templates. 
I really didn't need to start another project, so I think I will be relegating this to the UFO pile and take it up later when I have more urgent projects finished. 

Gathering My Tribe of Makers

Most gifts I give are either wholly or partly handmade. They are labours of love and, for me, I would rather give the work of my own hands than something store-bought. Yes, there is a time and place for store-bought gifts, but I prefer to gift something that I've made myself as much as possible.

This year, there were hot pot holders, 

dishcloth bouquets, 

more dishcloths,

Easter baskets, 

a bowl cozy, 

a mug rug, 

a quilted postcard, 

more bowl cozies, 

a Christmas tree skirt, 

a quilted wallhanging to post the date and the weather, 

and a gift basket with hot pot holders and dishcloths. 

And that was, of course, in addition to the quilts that I give away.

I can't afford to give everything away, and this year I decided to see if I could sell some quilts. While considering this, I consulted with some maker friends: Lorilee of Ruff's Fashion, who makes dog bandanas, bowl cozies, masks, etc.; Alina of Design by Nature Pottery; and Barb of Purple Peony Emporium, who makes soap and other personal care products. In October, I decided to try selling some quilts and other projects at The Gallery in Holden, AB. (Lorilee and Barb also sell there).

So far, I haven't sold a thing. 😞  Alina said that she tried selling there, and didn't sell anything, but she thought maybe it was because she had her products there at the wrong time of year. I, on the other hand, had mine there in the run up to Christmas and still never sold anything. I added a couple more quilts, including a Christmas quilt, and a Christmas table runner with 6 matching placemats. I'll see how it goes. Barb told me that it took her about a year before her products started to really sell there, but I don't have the time and money to keep my products there on an ongoing basis if they're not going to sell. If nothing has sold by the time my introductory period has expired (January 24th), I will likely just bring all of my products home. I wasn't too keen on selling on Etsy because I'd have to be able to take better pictures with truer colours, and have to worry about shipping, insurance, etc. But I might have to give that a try. 

I have been exploring some other projects and made this for my hairstylist. 

It's a crocheted soap bag with a bar of Purple Peony Emporium soap in it. I was wondering what exactly a soap bag is used for, so I googled. You can put your bar of soap inside and use it to scrub with and then hang it up afterwards. Because your soap isn't sitting in a dish, it will last longer and will not be as much of a breeding ground for bacteria because the air can circulate around it. Made of cotton, it's also more environmentally friendly than a plastic bath pouf. I personally have not tried one yet, but I also gave one to my daughter and one to my grandson for Christmas (including more Purple Peony Emporium products as well).

Another gift I gave to my daughter was a yarn bowl. She asked if it was made by my friend that made the soap dish that I gave her on another occasion (Alina of Design by Nature Pottery). Unfortunately, Alina was not the creator, but I did pick it up at The Gallery. My daughter was wearing a shawl (which she made) when she came to my place for Christmas dinner and said that she would like to get a shawl pin to hold it closed. So then I mentioned that I have another friend (Carolyn of 2 Good Claymates) that makes things out of polymer clay and likely had some shawl pins for sale. I have to admit that I found it rather amusing that I had yet another maker friend that could provide something my daughter wanted. And then I got to thinking that I also have a friend that is an artist and a weaver, and another that is an artist. Well, ultimately we makers are all artists, but I'm using that term in the more commonly held, restrictive sense referring to painters, and not house painters. 😁 And that's in addition to all of the quilters and sewists that I know. 

Ultimately, what I'd like to say is: support your local craftspeople, artisans and artists. Their products may be more expensive than what you can buy at the big box stores, but you'll be buying quality, locally made goods and supporting your neighbours. 

Before I close, I want to share a few other "spa" projects that I tried that will make nice gifts or additions to gifts:

(clockwise from top left) Rosebud Scrubby, Floral Facecloth, Bath Mitt, scrubby mitt, exfoliator/scrubber, and washcloth.

And finally, the Christmas hand towels I made for some of my friends at work. 

Happy crafting to all my maker friends. 

Ranfurly Fair Entries

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Corinthians 9:24,25

Three months later, I finally realized that I hadn't blogged anything about the Ranfurly Fair back on August 8. It had been 5 years, I think, since the last time I had entered any of my craft projects in the local fairs. Last year, I considered it, but then we ended up with the Corona virus pandemic interfering with everything. This year, while I may not have agreed with the decision, the premier of Alberta decided that we were "open for the summer." Some events proceeded and others did not, and I determined to enter some items in the Ranfurly Fair. I also considered entering some in the Innisfree Fair, but then decided to take my daughter and grandson on a quick trip to Drumheller, and we set out on the day of the Innisfree Fair.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have probably commented before that I find the small local fairs quite generous with their ribbons, and often they will award more than one first, second or third place ribbon in each category. I wanted to explain that when I say that I won either a first or second place ribbon on each item I entered. 

In the Quilting Class, in the Table Runner category, I was awarded a 1st for On Guard For Thee, 

another first for Work Zone in the Baby Quilt category, 

a second for Fiesta in the Lap Quilt category, 

a first for Audacious in the large quilt category, 

and a second for Celtic Ballad in the wallhanging category. 

In the Knitting class, I won a first for Lavender Rhapsody in the afghan category. 

In the Crocheting class, I won a second for Mistletoe and Lace in the afghan category (Because I consider this a rather non-descript afghan, I was actually trying to finish the Circles Throw to enter it, but didn't quite make it. It will likely be entered next year). 

I won a first for the Daffodil dishcloth 

and a second for this bowl cozy in the Other Crocheted Item category. 

Finally, in the Christmas section, Christmas Tree Skirt class, I won a first for Blue Christmas, 

and another first for Country Christmas in the Table Runner class. (This is the centre runner of a set of three, so I can still enter one of the side runners in next year's fair, since they are not identical). 

An interesting note is that On Guard for Thee, Fiesta and Audacious have each been entered in other contests, without placing at all. And that's the difficulty of most contests - there is usually only one grand prize, one gold medal, one first place...

But that's not true in the game of life. While my quilts may never be good enough to even be entered in Quilt Canada's Juried Quilt Show, and I certainly will never be an Olympic athlete, everyone of us can strive for the "incorruptible prize" mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the Bible text at the beginning of this post. That prize is eternal life, and it's already been won for you and me by our Lord Jesus Christ. 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

John 3:16

You may never win a prize in a fair, contest or challenge, but none of us needs to be a loser in the game of life. 

My 2019 Crafting Year in Review

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's time to look back and see what I've accomplished in the past year, craft-wise.

First in my yarn arts, I made my grandson and I toques on knitting looms from the same skein of yarn. (I have since shipped my knitting looms to one of my sisters in Ontario as she will get more use out of them. Aside from toques, I find that I can knit most projects faster on needles. And they were taking up a lot of room for something that I seldom used). I've also done lots of dishcloths,

beginning with these for myself for St. Patrick's Day. But most of them were made to give away.

I gave every nurse on the home care team a dishcloth during Nursing Week, and every health care

aide a dishcloth on Health Care Aide Day. A lot more will need to be made in order to be ready for

those events again this year. I found a new Bernat Handicrafter yarn, Scrub Off, and bought a skein to try it out.

While I was in Ontario in late August/early September, I picked up the book, A Year of Dishcloths, by Maggie Weldon, and I've started working my way through the patterns.

I've also been trying to use up my dollar store cotton yarn.

And thrown in a few made with Bernat Handicrafter cotton and Red Heart Scrubby.

Dishcloths are a quick and easy take-along project and I have made them when I have been in inservices and workshops. And have sometimes gifted them to the presenters.

You would think I do nothing but make dishcloths. Not so. I also finished the Lilac Grove afghan.

I made some small progress on Sophie's Universe.

And I'm done 50 rounds of Rings of Change, which I think I will name Flamenco Rings.

I made this cover up for myself 

and began another afghan, this one made of Handicrafter cotton. 

The pattern calls for 14 motifs each of 3 different colours. My goal is to make all 42 motifs a different colour. I've made 22 so far without repeating a colour. 

As for quilting, I started the year with The Art and Science of Mathematics, 

followed by finally getting My Beloved's Vineyard quilted.

This was my first queen-sized quilt completed on the longarm. Next was another green quilt, Wintry Woods. 

Following that, I did a couple of baby quilts: Baby Blues (my first flannelette quilt)

and Moonstruck.

I then did my first signature quilt, Irene's Rubies.

Being frustrated with the performance of my longarm, I put together Neutral Territory to get more practice.

Go Broncos was made for a great nephew who had graduated from the University of Western Michigan. 

Getting back from Ontario, I had to start in on my Stonehenge Block Party project, but when the going got a little rough, I decided to take some less challenging quilting detours. (Is it really less challenging to draft your own blocks from a 2" square line drawing in a book?) I made my grandson the Odd Fellow's Treat Bag for his Hallowe'en treats.

With my niece's birthday coming up, I decided to make her a tote bag as well 

and added a table topper for Christmas.

After enough quilting detours, I finally finished Audacious, my Stonehenge Block Party quilt, and my first king-sized quilt. 

Coming close to year's end, I had a few projects I wanted to complete: Cat's Comfort,

the Country Christmas table runner set, 

My True Love Gave to Me,

and Licorice Allsorts.

I wanted to finish the year with a trio of hot pot holders to go with this trio of dishcloths, 

but I couldn't find the fabric I wanted to use. These will be gifts for neighbours. I have two new neighbours and a third will be a thank you gift for the cheerful Christmas display they set up in their yard. 

I suppose one of my New Year's Resolutions should be to find that fabric.