Tag Archives: finished object

Hey, are you still out there?

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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!

Shannon Fraser Designs

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! 🇺🇸🪦

Patti nona

*England Dan and John Ford Coley

four things | thirty-one

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As you probably noticed I didn’t post last Saturday. I was on vacation with my BFF in Hocking Hills, Ohio. I’ll talk about that another time.

This past week has been so comfortable with lower temperatures and less humidity. Mr. Aitch and I could actually work outside without melting into a puddle.

The tomato harvest is slowing down. I think we got over 500 Super Sweet 100 tomatoes this year on the two plants I grew in pots. I’m going to find bigger, heavier pots for next year so they don’t tip over in the windy rain storms we had this summer. Our soil, or lack of it, is the reason I use pots for my veggies. Our property is mostly shale and we are lucky to have grass growing let alone anything that has a deep root system.

My latest harvest — —- —- —- — —- — — — —>

This week is about book club, sewing video, awesomeness, and a finished object!

what I’m reading

Our August book club book was The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. I read the book a few years ago but reread it or rather listen to it while traveling. It’s a fun read with the story line going back and forth between two different times but coming together in the end.

At age 59 Sarah Jane aka Sookie Poole discovers she was adopted. Her mother is a very strong-will, domineering woman and has ruled Sookie’s life as much as possible. Sookie has always felt she was a disappointment to her mother, Lenore. We learn about Sookie’s birth mother and her family and how that helps Sookie grow as a person.

“Here is Solvang, she wasn’t Lenore Simmons’s daughter. For the first time, she was just herself.’

“She learned that being a successful person in not necessarily defined by what you achieved, but by what you have overcome.”

what I’m watching

I’ve spent more time sewing than knitting this year and finished a Catch-All Caddy by Patterns by Annie. I want to make one out of canvas, denim, or other heavy fabric to use a a tool bag. I bought a cordless hammer drill and need a way to carry the drill, bits, battery, gloves, etc. when drilling into some of the tree stumps in our back yard. I’m “helping” the stump disintegrate by drilling large, deep holes and filling them with Epsom salts to speed up the decay.

I’ll use this one for some sewing or knitting supplies. I followed the pattern as written so I can make the necessary changes to fit my needs. Annie has Add-on videos for lots of her patterns and since I’m more of a visual learner, her videos have really helped with the tricky parts.

Check out her website if you find yourself needing a sewing project.

what I’m working on

I finally finished my Trailblazer Socks!!!

I lost my knitting mojo (how many times have I lost it?!) but needed to get these socks off my WIP list.

I played yarn chicken, meaning I didn’t know if I would have enough yarn to complete the project. And I didn’t. Of course, I didn’t realize that until I looked at the dwindling yarn ball the eighteen unfinished rows of the pattern. Enter yarn #2. Click here for more details.

I alternated about 3-4 rows of the original yarn and the new yarn so it would blend in better. If you look for the difference, you should see it*.

*It’s the sock on the right. But it’s close enough. For my feet.

Broken Seed Stitch pair

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I finally finished the Broken Seed Stitch socks last week. I love how the dark green of the Knit Picks Stroll in Aurora Heather toned down the bright green, aqua, and yellow hand-dyed yarn.

The broken seed stitch looks like fish or mermaid scales that illuminate and glimmer.

The yarn color pooled a bit on the first sock (below left) that is more noticeable on the sole.

My tension changed with the second sock (below right) as I tried to tighten the stitches where the color changes. The seam isn’t as visible even if I can see it. Will it make a difference when worn? I doubt it.

I prefer the Eye of Partridge heel flap as I think it is more durable. (I must say that I’ve never had to reinforce or repair any of the heels on the socks I’ve knit whether it’s the standard slipped-stitch or Eye of Partridge heel flap so it’s just my personal preference.)

I found this sock “recipe” by Hanna Levämiemi to be a great stash buster for an ugly-duckling ball of yarn as it can be transformed into a swan with the right contrast color.

I’ve already got another sock on my needles.

Patti

Thanksgiving week – Part 2

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Monday of Thanksgiving week (November 26) Mr. Aitch made coffee. Not a rare occurrence but since he retired, he doesn’t make coffee everyday. I’m not much of a coffee drinker but I do like a cup of hot chocolate made with half mike and half coffee. Plus a generous mound of whipped cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrups. If you are familiar with Bob Evans Restaurants, I copied this Caramel Mocha recipe from them.

(C) Bob Evanshttps://www.bobevans.com/menu/beverages/caramel-mocha

I’m not exactly sure how they make it but my version is just as good. And I can have it any time I want in the comfort of my own home.

I carried my cup of deliciousness to my “knitting chair” and drank more than half of it when I had to get up to do something. Pepper decided to try it. Fortunately she couldn’t her snout down to the mocha part but she did get to lick some of the chocolate syrup on the inside of the cup. The rest of the drink went down the drain.

Gratuitous turkey dinner picture.

All of the side dishes are gone now and only some turkey remains. I froze it in small 2-cup portions for turkey pot pies later in the winter.

Drum roll, please……

I finally finished my Easy Mosaic Socks by Winwick Mum!

I started these socks way back in February, hit some snags of my own doing, but managed to finish these beauties within the year! Click here, here, here, and here for the snags/snafus.

This pattern looks difficult but only one color of yarn is used on each row.

The socks turned out beautifully and even with all my issues, I’d knit another pair The soles are striped and fun!

The Regia 4-ply tweed yarn in charcoal is a workhorse yarn and Knit Picks Chroma Twist in Surf’s Up (discontinued yarn) has a subtle color change that is had to see though one sock has a more greenish tint than the other.

I love these socks!

Finish anything lately? Knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting?

Patti nona