Felt Like Knitting

A fairy tale

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a princess named Princess Beth.  Princess Beth was a bit slow on action when it came to castle-improvement projects.  Life just seemed too busy to get the castle upgraded very quickly.  And it was sometimes hard to make decisions.  Which rugs would look best in the great dining hall or the castle library?  What color should the castle walls be painted?  And so on...  Thus, things progressed rather slowly and two rooms of the castle stood empty for many months.  Finally, the princess and her husband spread plastic on the floors of the two rooms and painted the ceilings.  Things were progressing.

Unfortunately, Princess Beth also was under a curse from an evil fairy.  This curse wasn't to fall asleep for a million years or to have a nose like Pinocchio's, it was much worse.  This curse was that the princess would not be able to keep the castle clean.  Instead, she would want to fill her days with computer work, knitting, sewing, and so on.  There were days when the princess broke free of the curse and some rooms did get cleaned.  But much of the castle stood in disarray.  However, Princess Beth was not worried because she knew that with each room she cleaned, the curse weakened.  She would eventually shed the curse and everything would be okay.

Then one day, Princess Beth received a message from one of her princely brothers.  He and his family asked if they could visit in twelve days time!  This was joyous news for the princess and her family because they did not often see the prince and his family who ruled in a land even farther away.  The princess started to think about food and fun for the visit, then she stopped dead in her tracks.  Due to the dreaded curse, she had a big problem.  The princely brother's daughters could stay in the guest room and Princess Beth planned on giving the prince, his wife, and their young son the use of the royal master bedroom.  But said bedroom was very messy and had become a sort of depository for misplaced items and furniture from the two empty rooms.  Clearly it needed to be cleaned.  Panic set in.

And that brings us to where we are today.  We have a princess with a very messy royal master bedroom, two empty rooms spread with plastic but no decision for paint colors, misplaced furniture in the kitchen and the master bedroom, and a birthday party to plan for her royal daughter.  And school starts in a few weeks.  And she's working on a project at church that is taking a lot of time.  And...  But she knows it will work out and she'll have a great visit with her princely brother and his family.  She may just not be at the royal computer quite as much in the next few days.

Awards

Wow!  Thanks to Pooch and Kristen, I have an award!  Thank you, ladies!  That's very nice of you and I think you both rock, too.  :)

I'd like to give this award to Katie.  Katie was one of the first people I got to know when I started blogging.  She's so sweet and generous and does amazing work - whether it's sewing or knitting or baking or gardening or ...  And she's not just my "blog friend" anymore, she's a "real life friend," too.  Katie, you rock!

   

Pooch gave me another award!  This is the description from her blog:

Here's what the Power of Schmooze Award is all about: 'As it goes, schmoozing is the natural ability “to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.” Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.

Thank you, Pooch!  That's very sweet of you.  :)

I'd like to award this to Sheepish Annie.  Annie can talk about anything and make it entertaining.  She often has me laughing so hard that I'm crying and my family members are asking me what's so funny.  And Annie is so friendly - I see her blog comments all around and they are always very encouraging.  You're great, Annie!

I'd just like to say, too, that each of you deserves an award.  Everyone that I have met and I converse with are special, talented people.  I have really enjoyed getting to know you and "talking" with you.  You all rock!

Friday's flowers - Lantana

                        

One of my favorite annuals to plant each summer is lantana.  It comes in solid colors, but I like this variegated variety the best.  It always looks different and I love the combination of pink, yellow, and orange.  These two pictures are taken from the same plant (several weeks apart).  And like most of my flowers, I didn't plant these this year.  The winter was mild enough that they came back from last year.  Too bad I ripped out the ones closest to the house - I could have had lantana come back all around!

Edited to add:  I just looked it up and lantana is a perennial plant.  It's sold as an annual bedding plant around here, so assumed it was an annual.  Nope!

I just finished the i-cord for my Coco bag.  I'm looking forward to tossing it into the washing machine later today.  Right now I'm washing fabric and strapping to make some grocery bags.  I used to use cloth bags, but haven't in a while.  Then I read about this and felt alarmed.  The waste there is the size of Texas!  The plastic bags I use and recycle here in Georgia may not make it into this particular gyre, but reducing what I use is a good thing.

Finished

E and I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this morning.  We both really enjoyed it.  But I always end up crying when I read and this book was no exception.  I cried when it was sad, when it was happy, when something sentimental happened, and when it ended.  It's all done, you know?  No more HP books to look forward to.  Sigh...  We're going to buy the book on CD for S so he can listen on his way to and from work.

We got a cool package today.  Katie did some custom embroidery for me and sent some goodies along in the package.  I haven't taken a picture yet, but you can see something similar here.  Aren't they cute?!  I'll be sure to post a picture soon.  Thank you so much, Katie!  (And I can highly recommend Katie's embroidery skills.  I can't show you a picture of the project because it's a secret right now.  But it turned out beautifully!)

One last thing...we are finally fed up with AOL and plan to change our e-mail addresses.  So I now have a new blog e-mail address:  feltlikeknitting [at] gmail [dot] com.  I think having a separate e-mail for blogging will help me a lot.

Chatting

Well, I've no finished projects to share.  But, I can't hardly wait until I have something new to show, can I?  You would think I've gone off to join the circus or something.  So, here's a random list of what's going on IRL.  (Although, blogging is part of my real life, but I think you know what I mean.)

-  We painted our computer room and dining room ceilings this weekend.  I put down drop cloths and moved junk and S did the painting.  They're a brighter white now, which looks nice.  As soon as we find some rugs we like, we can choose paint colors for the walls.  Meanwhile, we'll work on the trim (the worst part!).

-  One of our air conditioners will be replaced tomorrow.  The first few years we lived here, all we did was replace the roof, water heater, HVAC upstairs, etc.  None of the fun stuff like painting got done.  I hope this is the last thing that needs replaced.

-  The new Harry Potter book is good.  I'm a little more than halfway done.  Unfortunately, I've been staying up a bit too late while I read it.  :)  "Just one more chapter..."

-  I'm working on the i-cord bind-off for the bag I'm knitting.  That's something I've never done before and it's pretty clever.  I also like the way the bottom of the bag is designed to be knit.  Two new things in one project!

Well, it's time to make some dinner.  I'm thinking I'll make homemade macaroni and cheese, salad, and maybe some baked beans.  Now to see if there is any macaroni in the pantry...

Friday's flowers - dahlias

                              

I don't really know much about dahlias.  My mom used to grow them when I was a teenager and I remember dried up dahlias hanging from our indoor clothes line in the basement.  These don't require the care that those did - I threw these in the ground once and they bloom every year.  (Is that because my mom's dahlias were growing in cold Ohio and these grow in warm Georgia?  Or am I really lucky that they're surviving at all?!)  I also have some beautiful red ones, but they're done blooming and I unfortunately deleted the pictures I had previously taken.  They look more like the pink one, but with wider petals.

I promised knitting in this post.

               

From left to right:

Shetland Triangle Shawl from Wrap Style - This lovely yarn was dyed by Kim of The Woolen Rabbit.  (This yarn is actually a different blend than the yarn listed on her site right now.  But, the color is the same.)  I know it's hard to visualize what this is going to look like since it's just a little wad of knitted yarn right now.  But look at this and you'll see how it's going to look.  Yes, I am copying Kim's choice of yarn and pattern.  :)

The Second Sock - Yes, I have cast on for the second sock!

The Little Coco Bag - I saw this bag recently on K's blog and decided to make one for my SIL for Christmas.  (I have not yet met my Christmas present goal for July, so this will keep me on track!)  I'm using Patons Classic Merino Wool and size 13 needles.  The bag is moving along quickly and I'm much farther than the picture shows.

Hats - Yes, I've finished something recently!  Hats 12 - 14 for my hat-knitting goal.  The two-colored hat is a Fake Isle.  If I want to meet my goal, I'll need to get busier with the hats, won't I?

As I was taking pictures of my last two WIPs (Ribby Shell and Surplice Lace Top), it started to rain.  So, I'll have to show those later.

I hope you all have a terrific weekend!  For those of you buying and reading the latest Harry Potter book, enjoy!  :) 

Quilted knitting tote

Today's pictures lean more toward quantity than quality!  :)  It's a rainy afternoon and photography is challenging.  But I just had to show you the bag I finished.  This knitting tote, plus a few goodies tucked into its slip pockets, will be going to Debby since she won my little contest a while back.  Thanks for your patience, Debby!

What I like:  I love helpful tutorials!  I like the rectangular shape of the bag.  I love the wavy piecing and quilting.  I like the flower.  I like the stiffness of the tote and the fact that it stands up by itself.  Even the handles stay up!  (My last two bags weren't stiff enough, so I tried some new products - Pellon Fusible Fleece and Pellon Peltex 70.)

What I don't like:  There's too much quilting and a little less would be more attractive.  The seams of the bag were too bulky so I couldn't complete the top stitching at the side seams.  The lining isn't quite how I'd like it.  I fused the fleece to it, but didn't quilt it.  So it doesn't look very polished. 

What I learned:  Fusible fleece is a great product, but it works best when quilted.  Two layers plus a layer of interfacing makes seams too bulky.  Peltex 70, a sew-in interfacing, is a great stiffener.  To me, it seems like Timtex.  Maybe I'll use Timtex on my next bag to compare.  There's another interfacing called Peltex 72 that is stiff but less bulky.  It's fusible on two sides.  I'll try that soon, too.

My next post should have some knitting in it.  I've cast on for my second sock and a shawl!

Friday's flowers - Black-eyed Susans

                                  

These black-eyed Susans are special to me because they were given to me by a sweet friend at church.  Several years ago we had a "time and talents" auction to benefit a local charity.  The items up for auction were things like homemade cakes, an hour of handyman time, and taxi service down to the airport.  I won the auction for the opportunity to dig up perennials from C's garden.   C and her husband have become our good friends since we visited their garden that first time.  So when I see these flowers bloom each year, I think of more than enduring blooms.  I also think of the enduring friendship and love of C and J.

Quilted tote

                                          

While I want to sew more bags, I don't really want to buy more supplies.  (Well, I do, but I'm trying to be good.)  Yesterday I discovered a bag of scraps from a quilt top I made several years ago.  (In fact, all the strips were already cut for me!)  I've learned a lot from making this bag:

* Using quilt batting helps make the project a little stiffer, but not a lot.  I do like the appearance of the outside with the batting in there.  My next project will include Timtex.

* Make a list of all the features you want to include in your bag.  Then check your list.  I had planned on making a flap with a magnetic closure, but I totally forgot about it until it was sewn and top stitched.

* Be aware of what the final project will look like.  I liked the rectangular shape of the pieces before sewing (16" wide and 15" tall), but the finished project is 12" x 12".  That's still a nice size for carrying magazines and knitting projects, but the bag looked nicer when more rectangular.  Also, the fabrics on the side contain some blue, which ties in with the blue of the bag.  You can't tell this now and the blue piece looks odd.

* Don't sew late at night.  I made plenty of mistakes.  Like, the other side of the bag has the pink polka dotted fabric strip on top and the floral on the bottom.  Oops!

* Don't make a quilted bag with a horizontal strip at the bottom unless it is pretty wide or more stabilized.  You can't see it in this picture, but there is a green strip at the bottom of the vertical strips.  The bag tends to sag there a bit.  Using Timtex or having a wider band may help this problem.

* Saving things, even scraps, is a good habit.  I know this doesn't sound smart considering I have clutter issues.  But, it was so great to have everything I needed to make this bag.  A couple of years ago I gave away all my rick rack and some buttons and now I'm kicking myself.

One of my next projects will be to finish a bag I started last fall.  It was going to be for a swap partner, but wasn't going together well.  I think it will work out better now that I've learned some things about bag making.

It's a good thing you're seated

...because I have a sock to show you!  That's a shock, isn't it?!  :)

                                        

Can you believe it?!  I finished a sock - and it fits!  This was fun to knit because I'm using Rachel's handspun, hand-dyed wool for this pair of socks.  Watching the color changes is so addicting.  I found myself saying "Just one more round.  I'll knit just one more round..."  The colors remind me of Monet's waterlily paintings.

                            

I haven't measured the leftover yarn, but it looks like I could have knit a couple more rows in the leg.  But, that's better than not having enough to graft the toe, right?  :)

Last night we went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  This may be my favorite HP movie yet.  Some of our favorite characters weren't in it very much, but there were some new characters that were fun to watch.  I'm being vague so I don't spoil it for those of you who will go to watch it.  :)

Now I'm going to go cast on for that second sock...