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wendyslotboom@gmail.com
www.inthebeginningfabrics.com
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I was doing an informal inventory of my works-in-progress this weekend when I came across my experiment in felting. I looked it over…felted pieces…unfelted pieces…and thought: this is how UFOs are born.
It’s not that I lost interest. It’s that our washing machine broke down, and it broke down in the spectacular kind of way that fills a basement with smoke, and keeps one of us (me) up until 2 in the morning, just to make sure that the house doesn’t burst into flames and burn to the ground, even though Tom is sure that that is not going to happen and has unconcernedly gone to bed. Someone, I figure, has to stay awake and save the cats.
In the end the washing machine (but nothing else, thank goodness) was toast, and needed to be replaced. We now have a brand-new energy-efficient machine that I’m afraid to use for felting projects. I always used a zippered pillowcase for felting (to protect the washing machine), but I still have this nagging fear that felting will bring the new machine to its knees. Nagging Fears ‘R’ Us.
Maybe when the new machine is no longer so brand-spanking-new, I will get my felting courage back. Until then, felting is officially on hold.
Wednesdays Are UFO and Dog Days
It looks almost exactly the same as it did last week but, really, progress has been made on the Icarus Shawl.
It might not be visible progress, but…that’s the way it goes with lace shawls. You knit for days/weeks/months with no discernible advancement being made, then suddenly(!) it’s done.
Next week: another picture of the Icarus Shawl, probably looking just like this week’s.
Am I trying to bore everyone to death? No. Does anyone remember when Wednesdays used to be Dog Days? Well, I’ve decided that, as long as the Icarus Shawl is the current UFO, Wednesdays will be UFO and Dog Days.
Which kind of conjures up images of dogs being abducted by aliens…but that can’t be helped.
Here’s a dog at the library.
This is seeming more and more like a knitting and/or cat blog. I keep telling myself that it’s neither, but somehow the knitting and the cats just keep showing up.
BUT. Once the Icarus Shawl is done, sewing will be making a reappearance here. I’ve even been preparing for the day. Look at all of these patterns.
Purses! (And a wallet.) I haven’t decided which to make first, but I don’t think I can go wrong with any of these choices. Starting in a week or two, chances are good that this will become a purse blog. With cats. And knitting.
Free Pattern! For anyone interested in the Frolic quilt that I was frantically making for Quilt Market…if you’d like to (less frantically) make one of your own, the pattern (PDF version) is now available at In The Beginning Fabric’s website. FREE! Right here!
Narrative arc, that’s what. I am a huge fan of the narrative arc and often, in real life, you’re too close to events to see the arc. I’m always wondering: where is this going? If I knew that, I’d know whether I should spend my time working on Thing A or Thing B.
Since I can’t figure it out, maybe I’ll ignore Things A and B, and just spend the next four hours watching “North & South.” (Again.) Because I know where it’s going, and…well, you can have your Edward and your Jacob, all of you “New Moon” fans. I’ll take Mr. Thornton of Marlborough Mills.
Speaking of narrative arc, sometimes a story is developing right in front of your eyes, but you don’t realize it, so you don’t take pictures until the last scene.
This particular story started with a big tree that I’ve been passing by, every day, for years.
Then one day, the tree was cut down, except for a curiously long stump.
Not too long after that, there was this.
The End
Wednesdays Are UFO Days
I’m feeling a nice sense of accomplishment about my knitting UFOs. Phoebe and two felted clutches? Done. Kaffe socks? Done. Lace Ribbon Scarf? Done. That leaves just one knitting UFO. ONE!
I’m almost giddy thinking about what this means. It means that, when I finish this project, I get to start something shiny and new which will probably require shopping for yarn. So exciting!
But before that can happen, there’s the Icarus Shawl.
It’s been over a year since I last worked on this and it took a while to get reoriented. I had to figure out where I was in the pattern and…even worse…how to hold the circular needles. I couldn’t remember. It was embarrassing.
Luckily, I got that figured out and, better still, I discovered that I’d kept pretty good notes back when I was actively working on this project. So all in all, I was able to get back on track after about 10 minutes of head-scratching and talking to myself.
Why did I put this aside in the first place? Well. I buy multi-color yarns because I love how they look in their cute little skeins…but then I start knitting with them and doubt creeps in. Early on with the Icarus Shawl, I realized that all the shifts in yarn color were obscuring the lace pattern. But the colors were so pretty. But I couldn’t see the lace pattern. But the colors… But the lace… Back and forth I went, in this debate with myself, until the project finally went into an extended time-out.
It doesn’t help that you never really know what you’ve got with a lace project until you’ve blocked it. Until then, it pretty much looks like a giant scrunchy mess…no matter how perfect your choice of pattern and yarn might be.
Anyway, I’ve decided to forge ahead with this project. My goal is to knit at least two rows on this shawl every day until it’s done. Two rows? I know it sounds like nothing, but each row currently has over 300 stitches, with more stitches being added all the time. Those two rows are substantial rows.
There will be a progress report and another picture of a giant scrunchy mess next week.
“42? Are you sure?”
So. I had this all ready to go, and then I started thinking: 42? 42? Isn’t there something significant about the number 42? (Toby had help from random.org in generating the number.) And then it came to me. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!
According to which, 42 is “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.”
And, it turns out, also the winning number in my “100 Blocks” giveaway! Susan G. of Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the winner, and Susan, I’ve sent you an email. Congratulations!
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by during the blog tour, and who took the time to send such nice emails. It was great to hear from you all. I did the blog tour myself and discovered all sorts of terrific blogs. The tour is over now, but if you missed it, you can still go to quiltypleasures.com and follow their links to all the participating blogs. It’s a lot of fun!
There has been a blog tour going on all week celebrating the publication of this:
There’s a terrific sampling of techniques and styles among these 100 blocks, and I’m thrilled that a block of mine was included! I think there really is something for every quilter here…whether you like applique, piecing, contemporary, traditional, folk art, embroidery…they’re all represented. I’ve looked through the magazine several times, and am still discovering new things.
My block, “Jewel in the Pond” is made from my Lily Pond collection, and features a few of my favorite things: vintage rickrack, a yo-yo, and a hot-pink button. A quilt made with this block design could showcase a rainbow of rickrack colors, and a treasure trove of buttons. Fun!
Giveaway! If you would like to win a copy of this magazine, email me at: wendyslotboom@gmail.com before midnight on Saturday. Put something descriptive in the subject line, like “Giveaway,” or “100 Blocks,” or “Your Block is My Favorite!”
I’ll post the winner (randomly selected) on Monday. If you don’t win the free copy, you can purchase 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers at quiltmaker.com/100blocks. Or look for it at your local quilt shop!
You can check out the entire blog tour at quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures, where they have inspiration, ideas, and giveaways galore. (Hurry! November 13 is the last day of the tour.)
Wednesdays Are UFO Days
This scarf was supposed to be 10″ x 80″. Mine turned out to be 10″ by 114″. As I was blocking it, I said to Tom, “This seems to be a really long scarf.”
“It looks like OCD,” Tom said. “Like you just could not stop knitting.”
And I said, “OCD? I believe you’re confusing me with someone else.”
Here are Toby and Emma with the scarf. They are astonished that the far end of the scarf is three towel lengths away. (My first attempt at using blocking wires was a failure. I returned to my tried-and-true T pins.)
Emma was gratifyingly well-behaved throughout the blocking process. The trouble came from a different source. Here’s Toby in a clear breach of scarf-blocking etiquette.
And he was just getting started. He moved further onto the scarf. Claws became involved, and a time-out was necessary. There was further bad behavior, more time-outs, and many loud protests (Toby’s and mine). Blocking is a surprisingly arduous process.
In the end, I sat cross-legged on the floor, with Toby curled up on my lap, and we both watched the knitting dry. One of us was purring. There are worse ways to spend an evening.
Here is the finished scarf: blocked and folded.
And here is the finished scarf in a somewhat decorative heap.
Project details: The scarf pattern is “Lace Ribbon Scarf”, designed by Veronik Avery, available free at knitty.com. I used three skeins of Louet Gems 100% Merino Wool, Fine/Sport weight yarn. Color: Robin. It’s quite possible that two skeins would have been enough.
