House of Steph

Coming along...

I've been working on the Mason-Dixon mitered square blankie for what seems like FOREVER.  I decided recently that I'm going to finish it as a house-warming gift to myself when I get the hell out of this apartment - hopefully, early this summer.

We had a photo shoot tonight:

Babs thinks it's coming along nicely.  I don't know if somewhere in that doggie brain of his if he knows that this is going to be a blanket or something... He always comes around to snuggle when I'm knitting these squares.  Not to mention -  he SITS ON MY YARN a lot.  I started this project when I was in Hilton Head almost two years ago.  Time to get it DONE.  I've decided that I'm not going to weave the ends.  I'm going to crochet over them when I crochet the blocks together.  Yeah, that's the ticket!  No weaving ends.  Sounds like a plan!  

Slowly but surely...  I will get this done.

Looking through photos

...and decided I really like this tissue holder...

Mom mentioned it the other day, too, and I just happened across it tonight.  

I probably need to make a few more of these.  :)

Weaving is good.

I learned my first lesson in yarn choice on the loom recently.  I was all jazzed up about using the J.knits superwash sock yarn (warped) and the Queensland Kathmandu (woven) to make a nice little scarf.  My original plan was to weave it slightly looser than my previous scarf so that the colors would peek through to make it vertically striped.  That didn't work out.  It looked like a kindergartener wove it.  I started packing the weave a little tighter, and even though it didn't look exactly like I wanted it, the scarf looked a lot better. 

Wow.  When I took it off the loom...  WHAT A MESS.  Half was kindergartener and half was carpet.  Yuck.  I was ready to trash it, but I realized one good thing about weaving:  It makes FABRIC.   And fabric, friends, can be cut and sewn into something else!!  So that's just what I did:

Everyone who knows me knows that I love zipper pouches!  And I love love love to make them.   I often challenge myself to get the corners just right and the zipper exactly straight (because nobody likes wonky zippers) and the lining just right so it doesn't bunch up inside the pouch.  I am excited to say that this one was almost 100% there.  

I have been itching to put something else on the loom--perhaps some cotton yarns to make a pillow cover?  Maybe a scarf for mom?  (Remi said she wants a scarf, too!)  One thing's for sure:  I love my loom!  :)  I hope Remi starts carrying them soon....  I might need to get a stand.  Happy weaving.

Daisy Chain Quilt Coming Soon

I don't think I've mentioned that I found the legendary Mary Jo's Cloth Store a few months back.  In fact, I've known it was there for the entire time I've lived in Charlotte, and when visiting Tennessee, people used to always ask me if I've been there.  Now I can say yes.  And boy am I spoiled!  I don't think I can ever go back to spending $12+ per yard on Amy Butler fabric again!  Everything is very reasonably priced there, with most of the name brand stuff not exceeding $7 or 8.  Wow.  I think I got the daisy chain fabric for $6.95 per yard, in fact.  YES!  (The knits are a little high, though.  Not sure why.  I got some recently to try out some of the projects in Sew U Home Stretch--what a great book.)  Mary Jo's is a warehouse of wall-to-wall fabrics, ranging from cottons, to knits, to flannels, to bridal, to decorator fabric, then add in the WALL of buttons, and the trim section, and the notions section, and the thread section, and the pattern section.  

One can find ANYthing at Mary Jo's, and it makes me very happy. 

I got this Daisy Chain fabric at Mary Jo's a few months back when Aimee, Dani and I went.  What a fun day!  I thought I would like this to be a log cabin piece, but I couldn't bear to break up the awesome pattern of the fabric.  This is what I got done in about three hours of concentrated time alone with the room, the machine, some shears, some music and some wine.  I plan to put more of the white kona cotton on the edge, then back it with gray solid fabric.  Can't wait until it's done.  I love it already.  We need a new quilt around the house.

I just got back from pillaging the Peace of Yarn's 75% off store closing sale...  I didn't think there would be that much left, and I was RIGHT!  Lots of mohair and other frou-frou stuff, which I don't like.  The middle section was completely empty, and there was only one section of shelving in the front room that had anything left.  But I managed to find some good baby blanket yarn, some accessories and notions, and a couple of patterns for 50c each!  

I am happy with my purchase, but with a side of guilt...  I really did like Cindy's shop, and it's one of the first shops I found in town when I first started knitting.  (My first yarn shop experience was with Ma at the place called The Courtyard in Matthews when she visited one time...  Remember that, Ma?  How could we forget?  Imagine if we could do THAT again... Sigh...)  However, I definitely found myself going there less because of my loyalty and favoritism toward Charlotte Yarn.  I feel almost like I'm cheating on Remi if I shop anywhere else!  Oh how I love my Charlotte Yarn!

Pictured here is:  6 balls of Crystal Palace Bamboozle in gray-blue, 6 balls of Bamboozle in baby blue variegated, 9 pink Bamboozle (can you tell I liked it? Might be good for blankies, etc.), one Arucania Pomaire (yummy!), 4 skeins of Cascade Sierra, one Berocco Linen Jeans, one Rowan all-season cotton, one random cotton sock yarn for practicing, buttons for a couple of cardigans I'm planning, a couple of closures, some suspender clips that will be purse handle attachments, and some more buttons.  Wow.  All for $65.  They had to give it to me in a kitchen-sized trash bag!!  HAHAHA!  The comedy.  

In the midst of my spree, I called Aimee to tell her about the Plymouth Royal Cashmere for 75% off.  She of course had to get the pink. :)  

Today has proven to be a good start to the birthday hiatus.