My 6th Picture

Julie from I Wonder What Would Happen If and Tammy from Hot Flashes in the Desert both tagged me for the 6th picture meme. I had to go to my 6th folder and post the 6th picture and tell you the story behind it. Since I got tagged twice I picked one picture from my computer files and one from my 6th flickr set.

The picture above is for a pair of socks I knit for my mom. They're called Watermelon Tootsies. They were the 2nd or 3rd pair of socks I knit and were a lot of fun. I gave them to my mom at Christmas. Guess what?! They were too small so I get to rip them out and do them over. Good thing it's a project I enjoyed! If you're on Ravelry you can find the pattern and other details here.

The picture below is something I was planning on blogging about but just hadn't gotten around to it. Last weekend I took a binding class at the Olde Green Cupboard. As most of you know, I'm a new quilter. I'm trying to take classes to learn as many techniques as I can. I've heard a lot about binding and if you're a quilter, it's a necessary skill. I read a lot of blogs and it seems that there are a lot of different techniques out there and some people just don't like binding. So I was a bit nervous. There was no need. Carolyn (seated in the dark top) is a fantastic teacher! I loved it! I didn't finish the hand sewing in class but later that night (while curled up with G watching the worlds 2 worst movies) I finished it up. Nothing scary at all! I haven't taken pictures of my final "project" but will later.

One thing I've found with both knitting and quilting is that classes are a must for me. It takes all the frustration out of trying to figure out something new. I've been knitting for a year and I don't think I'd be as far as I am skill wise on my own. I believe I'm going to have the same level of progress with quilting. My next quilt class is a technique class where I'll learn a lot of things I haven't done before - triangles, curved pieces, one block has applique, curved border, etc. I'm very excited and hope there is the required level of participation so the class won't get cancelled!

Oh! I'm supposed to tag 6 people too! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Happy Friday!

KIP Winter Edition

Today in North Florida, we had a Knit In Public Event organized by Kim. The event was held at Memorial Park which is located on the beautiful St. Johns River. The park is full of old oak trees that have Spanish Moss hanging from them. It's such a beautiful location and I forsee that we'll be taking the pups there for a walk along the river soon.

The event also included a raffle for wonderful yarny things. All funds raised are going to Hubbard House, which is an organization that provides safe shelter for abused women and their families. Kim and Corrina worked the raffle table.
Jennifer is an amazing spinner and a knitter who truly loves to share what she knows about knitting, spinning, yarns, etc. I'm very fortunate to know her.
About 50 people attended. Unfortunately, I was very remiss in getting a shot of the whole group. But here's a few of us.

I Don't Know How You Do It

I love looking at winter scenes on the blogs I visit. The snow always seems so pristine and crisp. I especially love pictures of evergreens laden with snow. Something about the deep green and sharp white that just makes me want to see it in person.

I live in Florida though. It's been cold for us this past week. My heat has been on overdrive. It's been windy. My skin is so dry that I applied moisturizer twice this morning before putting on my makeup for work. I've taken to using my electric blanket to get warm - even though it's not bedtime. I'm drinking sugar free hot cocoa. I wear my fleece jacket most of the day at work - and I don't work outside. I'm wearing socks and closed toe shoes!

I have a new respect for those of you who battle snow and extreme cold while going about your daily routines. I don't know how you do it.

Just one week of what most people would consider extremely mild winter weather. And I'm over it. Early spring anyone?

Down the Road Finished!

We're having a sunny windy day but I managed to get G and C outside to hold my finished quilt top so I could take a picture! This is my 2nd quilt top and the first one to have borders. I actually enjoyed them! I'm much happier with this one (it looks a little wonky but it's not). My Ravelry friends from the Quilters Knitting group said that big blocks are more difficult than small ones and I believe them! They also gave me some excellent tips that I was able to apply from the beginning of this process. Every single tip was valuable. Thank you all!

Down the Road

My second quilt is done! It's called Down the Road. I wasn't planning on finishing it today but once I unpacked all my sewing stuff, I couldn't seem to stop. My first project didn't have a border. This one has 2! It was easier than I thought it would be. It was SO nice to be back in my sewing studio (snort) also known as my dining room! It's late and I don't have a picture of the complete quilt but I'll try and post one next weekend.

I fell in love with this fabric. I have no idea why as it really isn't something I would normally like. It's Kansas Troubles Wildflower Serenade. I have a 1/2 yard left over. I bought everything my LQS had left. I had wanted to use it for the backing but there wasn't enough so I used it for the inner border.

Now it's on to scrap management!