Another sock?

I have been learning how to knit socks. The first time I cast on the cuff, I found that the sock was WAY too large, so I unraveled it and went down to fewer stitches to cast on. The cuff was knitted and looked too large again, but I kept working on the rest of the sock in stockinette stitch. It was still too large, so I decided I had better check my gauge. Since I was using knitting worsted in wool (washable), I found that I had about 6 stitches per inch after I had knitted a sample. I changed to a smaller needle size and a lot fewer stitches. It looks about right. Yeah! I hope it will work out because those socks are for my DH whose feet get really cold when he sleeps. Nothing more miserable than having cold feet when you sleep. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a photo of the second and third try. You'll see the difference. At least I can say that I am getting good at working with four needles and knitting the cuff and body of the sock. How will I do on the heel????

Burgoyne Surrounded by Boxy Stars

Yes, I have finished the block portion of the Burgoyne Surrounded quilt made with unbleached muslin and all scrappy browns, but I will wait until tomorrow sometime to start adding the borders. However, in the meantime, I have been cutting out Boxy Stars so that I will know if I want to make the quilt. Of course, I'll want to make it since I already have 4 blocks out of 12 completed. And I hope that Bonnie Hunter will give us a new pattern to use those 2-inch half-square triangle blocks that are the waste pieces from Boxy Stars. I love those kind of triangles. This summer I made a Picket Fences quilt out of all colors of scraps - just divided into darks and lights. Two pieces out of the block had those waste triangles, but I sewed them together before cutting them from the original pieces. A triangle that would have otherwise been thrown in the trash! After getting the quilt completed I didn't know what to do with all of the triangles. So...I took them and stitched them all with the dark triangles in the bottom right-hand corner. Added two borders and then handquilted it. Even though it was just a mini-quilt or table-topper, it looked very vintage. It was used on a table in October with another small quilt that I made and hand-quilted. The table was lovely! I will try to add some photos when I can get my camera and the quilts out. I know everyone loves to look at quilts! Here's hoping I can do this soon so that you all can see what I have been up to.

Boxy Stars

Because I have had so much to do today - help with my mother's physical therapy, eat lunch, go to art class, eat supper - that now I have a little time to myself to quilt, i.e., before I go to a library trustees meeting. What to get into? Of course, it will need to be something that I can put down in a hurry. Boxy Stars to the rescue! Love the look and so scrappy. Off to the sewing machine I go.

Near the finish line with the brown Burgoyne Surrounded quilt top

Yes, I am near the finish of my brown scrappy Burgoyne Surrounded quilt top for my son. It has unbleached muslin for the background and all brown pieces (variety of browns) for the other pieces. It will have to be quilted by machine as soon as I can get it finished. But before that I will need to add the dark brown inner border and the medium brown outside border. Of course, I'll use the dark brown binding. It is really lovely! It is to be a Christmas present to my middle son. The oldest will be getting a brown (variety of brown fabrics) Snail's Trail with unbleached muslin for the background. It has two borders of brown. Sounds like a twin to the other one I am finishing? Yes, my middle son said that he liked the top and would like one in browns but he wanted the Burgoyne Surrounded because it was such a different pattern. Now, my youngest son will be getting a double pinwheel in all checks, stripes, and plaids except for the tea-dyed background. Even the two borders are plaids; I just need to put on the black and cream plaid binding. All three sons will be surprised at Christmas. Naturally, my little granddaughter Sarah will be receiving a zig-zag top with brights in pink, blue, green, yellow, purple and red. It has a background of white tone-on-tone and a border of blue. The scrappy binding is made of the same fabrics as the zig-zags. It will definitely keep her warm this winter. But what do you think I was doing this evening? I was cutting 4-inch squares for an exchange with my stitching group. We should all be able to get some really different fabrics. What will I make from them? Maybe a scrappy Irish chain? And then after I had cut out several squares, I started cutting pieced for the Boxy Stars blocks from Bonnie K. Hunter. Love it already! It goes together perfectly! Tomorrow is a busy day - helping my mother with her physical therapy and then to art class in the afternoon to work on a watercolor of a section of trees at our farm. That will also be a gift for one of our sons. Keeping busy is important to me. Now, I think I'll go out and read a little on CONFEDERATE ROSE.

String X with yellow and red

I finished the String X quilt top with a lot of red and then yellow triangles. I have four borders: 1.5 inch red, 1.5 inch scrappy strips, 1.5 inch red again, and then 6 inch yellow. The yellow is all solid dark yellow. My husband says it makes him think of an old-fashioned yellow. The red and yellow just make the quilt top sing! So bright but yet not loud. It will probably go off to the machine quilter in about a month. I really need to get the Burgoyne Surrounded quilt top made for my son. He wants it in brown. So, I'll make it with scrappy browns and then use unbleached muslin for the background. I think I'll like it since I have made a quilt for my oldest son that is done with scrappy browns and unblecahed muslin in the pattern of Snail's Trail. My other son is getting a pinwheel set on point; it is done in all plaids, checks, and stripes. I love all of them; they are so different. Isn't that like it is with our children? We love them all the same but they are all different. Next week will be the week for cutting and sewing on the brown Burgoyne Surrounded. Until then, I'll just keep working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden. It is so lonely there in my chair in the living room. Everytime I see it, I feel like I should be working on it. Progress is slow, but I can really see that the little time I have spent each evening on it has really paid off. Just a few more flowers!