Hey, are you still out there?

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

Hello, yeah, it’s been awhile.

Not much, how ’bout you?*

We’re into Day Five of rainy weather. If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic area of the USA, you probably have the same weather. We had a bit of a reprieve yesterday with just dampness but the clouds just couldn’t hold it in all day and night. At least we don’t have to water the vegetables and flowers! How did Noah do it with forty days and nights of rain?

You’re not here for a weather report but where to start?

Let’s begin with January.

Last year ended and this year started with cold/flu/the bat-poop virus. After ten days of dealing with it, I finally got in to see the doctor. He wasn’t sure what I had but started me on the road to recovery with medicine. I lost eight pounds when everyone else was gaining from all the holiday goodies. I lost my sense of taste, so why eat when I couldn’t taste anything?

I finished a sweater for Pepper with odds and ends of acrylic yarn. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft and it is super, super soft and stretchy. I knit it twice as it kept growing and growing. Ripped it out and got a better fit the second time. She still hates anything that goes over her head but we managed.

Coats from old/new quilts has been a “thing” for a few winters. I bought a pattern (from See Kate Sew) to make one and finally decided to give it a try using one my my M-I-L’s quilts. When she died, Mr. Aitch and his two brothers found her quilt stash and started tossing them into three piles without looking at any of them. Ten made it to our house. Some beautiful, some not so much. I used a not-so-much pretty quilt to test out the pattern.

I made the large and it fit perfectly!

Even though it is not much to look at, I did manage to match the seams and finish it, though these pictures are not of the completed coat. I used snaps for closures but one kept falling off so I made a buttonhole and sewed on a button. It’s warm enough to take Pepper outside. That’s about as far as I’ll go in wearing it.

With that success, I was ready to make the “real” coat to actually wear in public!

My first idea was a total patchwork quilted coat. After I got the back pieced and quilted, I threw that idea out the window. The back was perfect for the patchwork and the rest would be a solid. Red.

See my inspiration to the right.

iPad Aunt loved reds and purples. I used fabric scraps from her, my mother-in-law, my BFF, and me. Plus I had enough solid red for the front and sleeves. I wanted the inside to look just as nice so I pieced one large quilt block from some of the reds and grey from my stash for the back panel.

I quilted each piece before assembling it all together.

I LOVE it! I get lots of compliments on the coat.

Fabric from stash = $0
Batting, leftover from another quilt = $0
Buttons, from a top I made in college = $0
Thread from stash = $0
TOTAL COST : FREE (except for my time and electricity)

I will definitely make another one of these coats…Not sure if I will use pre-quilted fabric, a quilt, or start from scratch.

On another note – Today is Memorial Day in the US. A day we honor and remember our fallen soldiers. We must remember that our freedoms are not free. They were bought with people’s lives. Thank you and God Bless America! 🇺🇸🪦

*England Dan and John Ford Coley

Socks, KAL, Snow, Door, Bread

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

First: The Socks I am on track to finish the second Broken Seed Stitch sock by the end of next week.

I just finished the heel flap on sock #2 and am ready to turn the heel. Then the gusset (which I detest), the rest of the foot, and finally the toe!

This picture is the side where the colors change. You can really see the jog in the stitches on sock #1 on the right. I tried to tighten the yarn at the color change point a bit on sock #2 so it isn’t as noticeable.

Second: KAL Winwick Mum is having a Winter Haven KAL. (That’s code for Knit-A-Long) One doesn’t have to knit the same thing as everyone else but she’s included a free sock pattern if desired. She has other patterns as well. The requirements are easy to join the KAL: knit one of her patterns or use one of her yarns from West Yorkshire Spinners. The Easy Mosaic socks I recently finished is one of her free patterns.

I’ve never done a KAL before but I’m going to try this one and use her free pattern called Trailblazer socks. I have to finish the BSS socks before I start on these as I need the short circular needle from those socks. Plus I need to shop my stash for the right yarn.

Third: Snow Mother Nature dropped 6-7 inches of snow on us Sunday night and Monday. We weren’t surprised that schools were closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday. But Wednesday and Thursday?? The roads were clear by Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Aitch emailed a teacher friend about no school. Evidently the wind chill factor was so low, the powers-that-be decided it was too cold for the kids to wait for the bus. 99.99% of the kids ride a bus and sit in their parent’s warm car/truck/SUV when waiting for the bus. Whatever. We don’t have kids in school and we’re both retired so it shouldn’t concern me.

Pepper loves the snow but hates getting her sweater on. Is it because it goes over her head? It’s a struggle but I put it on her if it’s below 25^oF.

Fourth: Door Our front door was bare after I took down the Christmas decorations on Monday. I thought this was perfect.

Fifth: Bread I took advantage of the below freezing temperatures this week and baked bread to help heat the house. Two beautiful loaves of bread warmed us inside and out.

In fact this was lunch the day I baked it along with a glass of wine. I still haven’t found the perfect “sandwich” type bread recipe as mine always seem to have a course crumb. Any help would be appreciated.

I had a home improvement hack and some other things to talk about but this post was long enough.

Thanksgiving week – Part 1

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

I know I’m late posting about our American Thanksgiving week. What’s new?

First up: I finally finished a puppy sized quilt for our Mini-schnauzer Pepper. I used leftover scraps of fabric in reds, blacks, and whites. I tried to go with an animal theme so I had some paw-prints, cows, and one flamingo fabrics along with flowers, some kites, polka dots, and miscellaneous red, black, and white prints.

I framed it with solid white and charcoal. The back consists of two different pieces of grey flannel that I had to piece together to get the right size. Boring so no picture.

I didn’t bind the edges but simply sewed the front and back together leaving a 4-5 inch open section to turn it right-side out. Then I machine quilted about a 1/4-inch inside each block.

I keep it on the ottoman that Pepper likes to sit/lay/jump on to try to keep it cleaner.

I spent the night with a friend (who lives an hour and a half away) so we could get a jump start on a craft show in her city on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. She used to always bring a plate of homemade cookies or her delicious buckeyes to me whenever she was in the area, so I thought I’d make something edible as a hostess gift for the weekend.

With one decorated sugar cookie success under my belt, I made and decorated some autumn inspired leaf cookies.

I forgot I had these leaf shaped cookie cutters that must have been a gift with purchase or something similar from Nutella some years ago. (Confession: I am not a huge fan of Nutella, so that means more for you!) Perfect for the season.

I think these turned out pretty nice. I’m still learning how to use Royal Icing and practice makes perfect. I plan on making more cookies this week for our church Christmas Party next Sunday.

Stay tuned for a sock update!

Guess what…

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

Yesterday was my BIRTHDAY!

I’m TWO!

I don’t know exactly what that means but Mom and Dad sang a song to me.

I got some really cool presents. Three new squeaky balls. I love squeaky balls. Some treats that help keep my breath sweet and teeth clean. A retractable leash (not that cool as I like to run around) but it’s my favorite color – red. Mom said my other present will be late as it’s personalized. That’s OK because it’s also red!