Knitting Classes and a Dish Cloth

Purple yarn projects are stitches learned in the first three knitting classes. Love the bamboo needles. Adding, decreasing and eyelets were taught in the last class on Monday morning and I'm very fuzzy on those. Made a couple small pink squares for practice.
Instead of practicing the new Monday morning stitches, which I can't remember anyway, I just had to MAKE something. So I pulled out some old cotton pink variegated yard and some number 8 metal knitting needles and knitted a simple dish cloth. Note the triangles in the design. I planned ahead to make that happen. NOT! Ha Ha.
I'm putting that little pink dish cloth to work today on some dishes.
See me smile : )

D9P QAL

I bought a couple Terrain charm packs and some Terrain yardage on sale last year in hopes that I would find time to make a D9P quilt. Just my luck that my buddy Freda would host a D9P QAL this year. She gave me the nudge I needed to start cutting 5" squares to mix with the charm packs and start piecing some 9 patch blocks.
Looking good so far. Thanks Freda : )

2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge, January, Pink, Week 4

I LOVE, love, love pink and hate to see this month end as I have lots of pink scraps. Mother and I have bought small pieces of pink fabrics forever. When we go to fabric stores, we linger at the shelves with pink bolts of fabrics.
During this last week of pink fun, I covered a little note pad. Because it looked like a rectangle pieced block in a photo, I placed an uncovered note pad below the covered one as a before and after shot. They make nice little gifts.
The large heart block is make using a quilt pattern I bought last year from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. It was a Daily Deal. I may or may not make the entire quilt, but I don't mind having some orphan blocks around. They usually end up pieced into the backing of some of my quilts or made into hot pads. Some become donation blocks for charity quilts. I think I'll be making more of these heart blocks for fun. They were easy.
Connie posted instructions for a "Crossroads" block this week and I had to piece one. They are fun.
I made three more 8.5" blocks.
Made a pink house block to go in my row of houses for the Bee In My Bonnet Row Along : )
I didn't cut any more pink 2/5" squares or 5" tumblers this week.
To see what others made with their pink scraps this week, go here.

Bee In My Bonnet Row Along, Row 10, Houses

They were a lot of fun to make. After the picture, I finished sewing the house blocks together and added a 1.5" sashing along the top and the bottom of the row. All the houses are occupied. No Vacancy. Haha.

Easy Street Quilt Top Finished

This evening I finished sewing on the outer 4" border of my Easy Street Mystery Quilt top, a pattern by Bonnie Hunter. It's a big square quilt, about 95"x 95". I don't have enough floor space to smooth it out in the sewing/computer room. The second picture is a close up of a corner. Now I'll piece the back.

New Tapered Rolling Pin and Pumpkins Pies

I'm showing off my new tapered rolling pin. Beautiful, isn't it. My friend Cathy asked her husband, Alvin, to make one for me. His hobby is working with wood.
My pie crust recipe is simple. For two pies crusts I use a couple cups flour, a third to half cup of Crisco and some cold water.
The pumpkin pie filling is the recipe on the back of the Libby Pumpkin can. 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves, 2 eggs, can pumpkin, can evaporated milk. 424 degrees for 15 minutes, 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.
They are in the oven now. Yum. They smell so good.

2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge, January, Pink, Week 3

This week I pieced three more 8 1/2" blocks and a pink house using Bonnie Hunter's "Scrappy Happy House" block pattern found on her web page. Many things can be made with those blocks during the year. Hot pads, pot holders, table runners, etc.  I cut more 2 1/2" squares and 5" tumblers for my square and tumbler collections. To see what others have been making with their pink scraps, go here.
This week I've worked on my "Easy Street Mystery Quilt" by Bonnie Hunter. I hope to finish the quilt top this weekend. And I've been practicing my knitting a little every day.
To find Bonnie's web site, click on the Easy Street button on the side of my blog.

Bee In My Bonnet Row Along, Row 9

A row of 3 1/2" winter twinkle stars : )

First Knitting Class

Cast on 20, undo, cast on 20, knit some rows, undo, cast on 20, knit some rows, purl some rows, undo, cast on 20, garter some rows, stockinette some rows .... Gain a stitch. Oops. Undo. Gain 2 stitches. Oops. Undo. Okay. Gain a stitch. Oops.

More Progress on Easy Street

I've finished piecing my Easy Street blocks. Now I'm sewing them together. I believe this is the largest quilt I have attempted. Seems like I heard Bonnie Hunter say that she likes to make large quilts : )

2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge, January, Pink, Week 2

This week I made four more 8 1/2" blocks. As long as I make at least four a week, I'll be able to make a big rainbow bed quilt in December. I also made a couple pot holders, one from pink crumbs, and I cut 10 more 5" tumblers to add to my scrappy rainbow tumbler collection.
While I was straightening up my pink stash, I found a few more pink strips and some scraps. I have a lot more pink crumbs that are telling me they want to be future pot holders : D
To see what others have made with their pink scraps this week go here Saturday morning.
I pieced all my Easy Street blocks this week. Took me forever to make them as I had to use my seam ripper on several of them to correct piecing mistakes. Now I'm sewing the blocks together. I'll post a picture later.
It has been a sad week. One of my blogging, quilting friends lost her daughter Monday. Maybe you could visit her blog. She could use some cyber hugs.

2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge, January, Pink

It's a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge year and January is pink. I had a lot of fun last year! I made some pretty scrappy rainbow quilts and some cute pot holders. This year I plan to make a large rainbow scrap quilt, some scrappy rainbow pot holders and some small Christmas gifts.
If I piece a dozen assorted 8 1/2" unfinished blocks each month, I think I can make a 88"x 88" or larger quilt in December. Some months I want to make a few extra blocks so I can piece a row of rainbow blocks into the backing. Maybe make the quilt a row longer. Each month I will make all kinds of 8 1/2" unfinished blocks because I'll let my scraps decide what kind of blocks I can piece. I want to piece some blocks I have never tried before, for example the pink spool block in the picture. The center is a 4 1/2" square cut from a scrap of colorful striped fabric.
While I'm going through my scraps, I'm going to cut 5" tumblers with my Missouri Star tumbler template, a Daily Deal bargain. The tumbler quilt is a future quilt, probably not this year. I'm also cutting some 2 1/2" squares for a future postage stamp quilt. Again, probably not a quilt I will make this year. But, when I'm ready to make a scrappy tumbler quilt or a postage stamp quilt, I'll have a good start on the cutting.
To see what others have made this week with their pink scraps, go here. Thank you, Angela, for hosting another Rainbow Scrap Challenge year : )

Easy Street Part 8 Progress

Slow going on Part 8. Had three 3 1/2" blocks turned the wrong way. Seam ripper to the rescue. I'll press and sew these blocks together later. I'm ready to play with some of my PINK scraps. It's Rainbow Scrap Challenge link up time in the morning : )

Easy Street Part 7 Finished

I finished Easy Street's Part 7. We started piecing triangle blocks on page 2. Yah!
Instructions in the very last part, "The Finish", has us piecing more blocks, sewing everything together and adding a border. Something to do tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

I pieced sixty-four 3 1/2" blocks per the instructions on page 1 of Easy Street's Mystery Quilt's Part 7. Before I can start building large Easy Street blocks, I need to finish Part 4. Maybe tomorrow.
We are having a rainy New Year's Day. Better than snow :D 
Happy New Year.