Accidental Art

phew!

First of all, my cold is gone!!  Well, 99%.  So, there are no more excuses this week for not getting on with things.  Especially since I found my cord to download the pictures for today (only 15 minutes doing that), AND I figured out why my insert buttons for photos wasn't working, all by myself, since nothing on the help page really helped (isn't that the way?).  Dan's computer got upgraded at work, so now he can work at home (is that a plot?), but in order to respond to his email, he has to disable the pop-up blocker.  Well, something he did messed with my buttons and so .......
So, now that I've disabled the pop-up button on here, we can get on with things.

Bunnies, I've got bunnies:

I love the little hopping away guy, and the one lying (laying?) on his back.  I've got about 6 more ready to start appliqueing.  Fun.  But can I just focus on the bunnies?  No, I can't.  I'd been seeing a number of punchneedle patterns in differ magazines and catalogs, and got to thinking about the one that I'd started about 2 years before we closed the shop (can it be that long ago?), dug it out, and finished it in 3 nites.  The needle punching goes fast, it's the thread separation and blending that takes so long.  And for something that's only 4"x4" when it's done, it seems like too much work, but, oh, my, the richness of the colors and depth of the finished piece.  I wish the photo did it justice, but it doesn't:   The pattern was from Hooked on Rugs in Mason, MI ( www.hooked-on-rugs.com ) the Wylie Primitive Collection, "4 Stars in Square" .  I used strands of Weeks Dyeworks, Crescent Colors Hand Dyed Floss, and Sampler Threads from The Gentle Art, all blended together, one strand at a time, in no particular order.  I wish you could see it.  I'd love a rug done this way!
Then, because I can, (yes, I know, even though you can doesn't mean you should) I'm still working on my Classic Elite Vest.  Photo included today. It's Classic Elite pattern 661, Mahatma Ghandi.  I'm doing the vest on the left.  Let's try for a closer photo: Well, a little bit better.  There are two cute little pockets just below the ribbing that's halfway up the front of the vest.  I'm almost to the armhole shaping on the back. I don't know who would have this pattern, it's from '96, but I'm sure there's a shop somewhere that has it in a folder.  Classic Elite might possibly be willing to send out a xerox of it from their files.  Especially if you found one of their cuttent yarns that knits up at 4sts/" in stockinette. 
Okay, that's what I've been up to.  I must admit that having to post something on here has at least made me do stuff.  I may be hopping all around, but I'm doing stuff!!

Which cold?

Which cold is worse, the one outside or the one in my head?  Give ya one guess.  Yup.  Dan didn't say it would be different with me (read: worse) when he gave it to me.  He just let it happen.  Fine.  See what he gets for Valentine's Day.  Well, actually I am gonna bake a wacky cake later this afternoon, but that's cause I want some. 

Anyway, the only thing I've been able to accomplish between the tissues are these blocks:  Aren't they cute as all get out?  Maybe it's the button hole stitch, maybe it's the fabrics,  maybe it's just the bunnies, but I've got 3 more ready to get embroidered and another one or two ready to bet appliqued.  And, yes, I forgot to get pictures Sunday of Jen's new "apron!!!"  that I finished and pictures of the "fichu" from Victorian Lace Today. (Look under books. I'll get better at this linking pretty soon. )  Hopefully, Jen will get a picture of her apron and email it to me. (hint hint)  Other than these few things, all I do is eat, watch some TV, read and blow my nose.  Oh, did I say, Nap.  I even missed my Saturday knitting get together. 

Back to the good stuff.  I've been looking through some of my old books looking for some setting ideas for this quilt, but haven't been too inspired, so I guess I'll have to hit the old magazines down in the basement.  And I've got a goodly bunch of those, so it may take a while. 

Winter finally hit central Ohio and it's all white out there, lots of stuff has been canceled and between the cold and the weather I've got a bit of cabin fever, so I guess I'll go stir up some sh-- with the dogs and cats.  Do I know how to have fun, or what?

here we go again....

I spent some time last week finishing the other project I made for Jen's birthday, this Wednesday.  I'll post a picture after she gets it.  Then, I started another machine knitted scarf.  Not quite half way there.  All this time I was working on getting Dan's lovely little 10 day cold.  Sure enough, I was successful!  It came as advertised with a scratchy sore throat on Saturday.  Sunday, the scratchy part of the sore throat turned to pain and I went into vegetative state.  Sort of.  When not sitting on the couch in a catatonic state, I wanted to do something.  I'd been bitten by the applique bug.  I had finished the "ugly mini heart quilt top"  applique part (yes, it still needs to be assembled with the other layers and quilted and bound, but the really mindless fun part is done, see: 

And, yes, I told you it was really ugly.  But there's gonna be a kicker to save it from itself, so there ya go. More on this later, when I get it done.)  And this is where I get in trouble.  I want something to do. I'm in the mood to applique, not knit. I'd been looking at a book in my stash , Grandma's Bunnies by Darcy Ashton (dashton4@hotmail.com), and not only would I get to applique the bunnies, I'd get to sit there and buttonhole stitch all around them!! I'll probably change the setting cause that's more complicated than I want to get, and I may flip some of the images and make more blocks, so I can get it up to king bed size.  But I had this stack of 30's and 40's type fabrics sitting around and so .........   I'm doing it in increments of 4, so that if the mood passes, I'll have finished blocks that I can put into a baby quilt or wall hanging or something, rather than 40+ pieces of fabric cut and marked and only 2 blocks done. 

Yes, it's this focusing thing.  You'd think that my started Baltimore Album blocks would be enough applique to keep me busy and focused, but alas, the block I'm working on now is too fussy for my congested head and blurred vision. 

I'll keep you posted, and if you want to applique along, I'll be your little cheerleader!