Tag Archives: knitting

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-six

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It’s been a few weeks… Mr. Aitch and I were on two mini vacations. The first weekend was with his brother and wife, and the next week was with my brother, his wife, and our sister.

I had every intension of posting about those times as well as about the week my BFF and I spent at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.

I’ve been busy. Our patio project is finally finished and I’m waiting to take some new pictures of that as soon as some grass grows back from the construction. Quality work takes time and we are so pleased with the outcome.

Last week was a week from, well, it wasn’t good. Mr. Aitch was outside with Pepper doing some yard work. I was ready to leave for a church meeting when we c realized she had wandered off. Forty-five minutes late we found her down the street at our neighbor’s house. i missed my meeting.

The next day our email wasn’t working. “Your credentials do not match our system records.” Ummmm. Several friends were also without their email access as well so it wasn’t just us. So many services we use are tied to our email address. Mr. Aitch has his pretty much back to normal with a new email address but I’m still working on some of mine.

Thursday, I got some expected but still distressing news about my hearing. On Saturday the printer decided it didn’t like the paper I was using and kept jamming. Sunday morning I was teaching a craft with our Women’s Ministry group which was more suited for a one-on-one session rather than a group session. Everyone still had a good time and at least 3/4 of the women were successful with their project. I texted each one individually on Monday to let them know I was available for a refresher course at their convenience.

So I was stressed last week that spilled over into this week. That was all in the past so lets see what I’m reading, watching, loving, and working on this week.

what I’m reading

Our Book Club met this past Monday. The book was The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. The events took place in 1975-76 and Ora, the narrator, is recounting the tale 25-years later. After reading the brief summary of the book, I didn’t think I’d like it. I was wrong. It was very moving and and about doing the right thing when it’s the most difficult to do so.

what I’m watching

Mr. Aitch and I just started watching The Last Detective on Brit Box. The main character, Dangerous Davies, get handed the detective cases no one else wants. He’s good at solving them with little or no recognition.

what I’m loving

One of the shops at Bemus Point on Lake Chautauqua has the BEST cards. When I saw this quilling card, I knew it would be the perfect thank you note card to send to my brother and his wife for their hospitality during our stay at their cottage.

what I’m working on

Mr. Aitch has misplaced his hand-dyed, hand-knit 1898 hat I knit for him several years ago. I wanted this to be in the blue range as that’s his favorite color. I didn’t have the right worsted-weight yarn so I’m holding a DK weight together with a fingering weight yarn to get the right thickness. I’m also using a US# 8 needle instead of the #7 called for in the pattern as it should be a better fit for him.

I’m really liking the marled look of the yarns held together. And the knit-in ear coverings really keep the chill out.

Have a good week.

Patti nona

four things | thirty-four

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I finally figured out what happened to my knitting mojo. The last two patterns I knit required thinking—following a chart with no repeats for 16-24 rows. And that is all fine and good; however, sometimes I just don’t want to have to think. I like to listen to or read books, watch a movie or program on my iPad, and sit and knit on the front porch while knitting on autopilot.

I have one WIP (work in progress) that I should finish. It’s a sweater for Pepper that’s been a WIP for almost two years! She’ll be three years old next month and has most likely reached her adult size, barring any girth spurt. I hope to have a progress report or a finished sweater by next weekend!

This week is all about orphans, bobcats, men, and yarn.

what I’m reading

Our Book Club book this month is The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate. The story takes place in 1957 England with two childhood friends reconnecting after twenty or so years. Margery moves back from London to take over her recently deceased uncle’s store and turn his huge home into a boarding house. Olive needs to find a job and a place to live after her mother also recently passed away. The two boarders and Margery’s 11-year old polio-stricken ward complete the main cast of characters.

The characters were likable and the story was sweet and somewhat predictable. I prefer a bit more action and surprises but this was a pleasant, feel-good read.

what I’m watching

I love watching a plan take place. After living in our house for thirty+ years, we are finally having a sidewalk connecting from the driveway out front to the deck out back. Finding a reliable person was the major hold-up. The construction began on Tuesday and will continue for another week or two.

This is much larger than I anticipated but we are going to love the extra outdoor space under some shade trees.

what I saw on my walk

This little wooden man brought a smile to my face. He’s about two-feet tall from his feet to the top of his hat.

what I’m working on

Since Joann’s closed, I have very limited stores close by to shop for fabric, yarn, or crafting supplies. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are at least an hour away. I happened to come across this yarn yesterday at Walmart.

Lion Brand 100% Nylon Stitch Soak Scrub is a worsted-weight, chain structured yarn that comes in 19 different colors. I was so caught up with making scrubbies with Red Heart Sparkle a few years ago that I wanted to try this out. Of the two colors available at my store, red was the winner.

I quickly cast-on 27 stitches per the Sparkle pattern and love how this is knitting up. I think I’ll look for a round KNIT scrubbie pattern to try out next!

Take care and enjoy your weekend.

four things | thirty-three

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Happy Birthday, Mr. Aitch!

Friends invited us for drinks and a mini birthday celebration for Mr. Aitch Thursday evening. We sat around their firepit sipping wine. We also had some snacks and a homemade cherry pie.

what I’m reading

I had a few pieces of Dove chocolates after dinner this week and liked this one saying on the inside wrapper.

what I’m loving

I forgot to include this one last week…

what I saw on my walk

Since the weather is changing and not so hot, Pepper and I started walking around our neighborhood again this week. Several of my neighbors walk in the evenings but I prefer the cooler mornings. We used to walk two miles before it got too hot and humid. It’s almost like starting over since both of us are a bit out of shape so we’re only walking a little over a mile.

I saw this “tree” in a wooded area and had to find out what it was. I had never seen such broad leaves that were almost 2-feet across! The plant ID app on my phone identified it as a Foxglove Tree. I’ll have to keep an eye on it next spring to see if it blooms

what I’m working on

I made a Carry-All Caddy last month as a prototype for a tool bag. Why I never bought/made a tool bag before is a mystery to me. Mr. Aitch and I just make several trips to the basement when we need various tools and can’t carry them all at the same time.

I’m almost finished with this one. I just have to hand sew the binding around the edges to cover the exposed seams. I’m afraid it’s too thick for my sewing machine and I don’t want to damage/destroy it!

That’s all for this week. Take care.