Winter is Coming -- Knit Faster!

Although meteorologically, it's still Autumn, Zero degrees Fahrenheit sure feels like Winter to me!

Yesterday's low of zero, and high of nine degrees, means some colors in my Year in Temperature scarf I haven't used for, well, months!

I'm looking forward to unwinding the entire 10 feet of knitting to see how the colors flow through the year's knitting.

I'm frantically trying to finish this sweater to send to My Little Sailor for Christmas. Now that he's on a shore billet, I don't have to send everything priority mail. But will the box make it to Japan in time if I don't?

I think this Abuelita Worsted in "Mermaid Song" looks like the Navy's camouflage uniform. Some people call that uniform "blueberries." I hope MLS doesn't think this is too "bright!"

The Knitting Bee in Portland offered a free hat pattern with the purchase of Rowan Pure Wool Worsted. I picked the grey-brown for a Hats for Sailors hat, and the turquoise for me. Then I realized I had just bought several skeins of this yarn -- same color! -- at Ewe and Me here in Colorado Springs!

Pure Wool Worsted is an especially good yarn because it's washable -- needed for Hats for Sailors.

Here's the hat pattern -- isn't it a great one? I love how the cables cross at different places on different rows.

(Images from Knitting Bee)

Now I need to ask a favor. A friend is undergoing chemotherapy, and needs hats to withstand this cold Colorado weather. I found a terrific Chemo Cap pattern that calls for Cascade Fixation. I thought I had several skeins of that yarn, but must have given it away in a fit of "de-stashing."  Might one of you have some Fixation that you'd be willing to swap for another yarn? You know with my stash, you could pretty much name your price! If so, please send me a private message and maybe we can work something out.

Keep knitting and keep warm!


From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: Block Parties

The end of the year is nearly upon us, and the completion of 2014 Block Parties at Ruth's Stitchery looms large.

I've completed two block party quilts (Sample This, both will be shown on TGIF Friday). I'm making progress on two more. First, "Five is Fabulous" from Marti Michell.

The two blocks with green checks are my setting blocks. I only have two more sampler blocks and four setting blocks to go!

My other "near finish" is "Quilty Fun" from Lori Holt. This row-by-row quilt is fun, but some of those blocks have a lot of pieces!

I still have two rows: the row of houses and the row of baskets. Plus 42 border blocks!

How are YOUR WIPs coming along?

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash: 2015 Jelly Roll Party Choices

I always have so many strip patterns, it's hard to choose which 12 to make for the next year! So I get help from the Jelly Roll partiers!

2015 Jelly Roll Party Patterns

Month                  Pattern                                      Designer                           Publisher

January                Strip to Shore                           Gudrun Earle                    GE Designs

February              Solar Eclipse                            Elisabeth Hartman            ohfransson.com

March                   Twirl                                       Joanna Figueroa                Fig Tree & Co.

April                     Drop Diamonds                      Daniela Stout                     Cozy Quilts

May                      Zig Zag Gets Me Everytime   Zen Chic

June                      TBD

July                       Strip Twist                              Gudrun Earle                    GE Designs

August                  County Fair                             Sherri McConnell             A Quilting Life

September            Birch Bark                               Sam Hunter                       Hunter’s Design Studio

October                Olympia                                   Daniela Stout                    Cozy Quilts

November            A Pretty Package                     Susan Marth                      www.SusnQuilts.com

December            No-Measure Bargello              Wendy Mathson               Cozy Quilts

If you aren't close to Colorado Springs, it would be fun to have you party along with us long-distance! If you can't find the pattern at your LQS, contact Ruth's Stitchery and one of the lovely ladies will be happy to do a mail-order  for you.

Patriotic fabrics are always in demand here in Colorado. So when Ruth's got these two jelly rolls in, I lapped them up in a hurry. Both are from Moda. First is "Red, White & Free" by Sandy Gervais:

And one I've designated for the July Jelly Roll Party (and a Quilts of Valor quilt), "Because of the Brave."

My special treat this week is the new "Downton Abbey" collection from Andover. Around the Block Quilts in Cheyenne, Wyoming hosted a Downton Retreat last Winter. When Barb announced she was ordering fat quarter collections of the entire line, I called her with my credit card number the very next day.

Don't those colors look yummy? I'll open the ribbon and play with the fabrics sometime soon -- and I promise to share more photos when I do.

Tomorrow is BOM (Block of the Month) day. As you can see from my checklist, I need to sew like the wind if I'm to have all my BOMs Away by the end of the year!

From the desk of your