As I mentioned the other day, Sam has commissioned me to make another quilt. This one is for a young lady in her circle who loves the colour blue.

We picked out this lovely collection of jewel-tones, and paired it with with a soft, warm grey for contrast.

Both Sam and I love star blocks, so we settled on Big Sky for the pattern. It’s another easier-than-it looks pattern, and in the two colours it has a stunning result.

Once you get the hang of them, they go quite quick. I can now complete two in just over an hour.

I have 12 more to make.

I’m going to see Sam on December 14th, and I’m hoping to have this finished by then. To do that, I need to have the top completed by December 6. It’s doable, as long as work doesn’t get too crazy.

Here’s hoping…

With Skullduggery done and out of the way, I’ve turned my attention back to the never-ending poncho…

Or at least I tried. I had to do a bit of an extraction first… I wouldn’t mind so much except our snow has melted and led to a rise in dirty paws…

When Relic has been letting me work on it, I’ve made some decent  headway.

It’s definitely growing, but I still have quite a way to go.

The front needs to be at least 25″ long, and I am tempted to make it longer. So I’m keeping to my original plan… at least 4 rows a night (more if I can manage it)

After that, Rupert gets to keep it warm for me.

Christmas is getting closer, and I have to say, I’m really getting into the spirit this year. I’m not sure why, but I’m rolling with it.

It started with this little guy…

A couple of weeks ago, he popped up in my facebook feed, the creation of the crafty lady who made my adorable couch sloth. After I bought the sloth, I started following her on FB because her creations are just so darn adorable.  And as soon as I saw this little Grinch, I just had to have him. Luckily, she had a craft show not far from Mom’s, so he now lives with me!

Then this week, I met up with the lovely Aneesha for dinner

And afterwards we did a little shopping. Since I have all my Christmas gifts taken care of, it was mostly shopping for me!

And that means plants!

It’s just another Christmas cactus, but have you ever seen a colour like it? All pinky-peachy-yellow? It reminds me of my Chicago Peace rose.

And last… before we left the mall, we stopped in at the Lego store, just to marvel at all the amazing creations. But right in the middle of the store, they have bins filled with body parts (sounds terrible, I know), so you can make your own lego men. I just HAD to make me and Dave.

I was going to wrap them up and give them to him for Christmas… but I just couldn’t wait!

What little things are making you smile?

 

 

Okay… while I was hoping to finish Pinkerville by the end of the month, I was expecting it to be MUCH closer to the end. But here we are.

Part of that is because Sam has commissioned me for another quilt, so I needed and empty project box.

Pinkerville was the one closest to being done, so I got to it. It was also a relatively nice day outside, so I was able to do without any interference from Relic. It was nice to be able to use the bed as a staging ground completely cat-fr…

Okay… well not completely. But at least Burton waited to the end to get in my business.

That’s better. As you can see, it’s a good size – about 78″ square.

I still had some of the green dotty fabric cut from the cornerstones on Forest Stroll and they made good cornerstones for this one too.

Happily, I have a back for it already – that lovely chevron-like fabric was snatched up when Lens was doing a big clear out about a month ago. I bought it with Pinkerville Parade in mind. The purple is leftover from the back of Kitty in the Sky with Diamonds, and will make excellent binding for this one! I love it when a fabric plan comes together!

Mercury has finally moved out of retrograde, but not before inflicting some last humiliations on Chez Wandering Cat.

It started Saturday.  Both Rupert and Burton had their annual check up at the vet bright and early Saturday morning. Our vet is fantastic, but she’s also a 30 minute drive away in the same town Mom lives in. But she’s so fantastic, it’s totally worth the drive.

And since she’s just around the corner from Mom’s, I asked Dave to drive us up, then drop me off at Mom’s so I could do some quilting. This was a big ask. Dave has been a daily commuter  (min. 1.5 hours each way) for the last decade, so he doesn’t like drive if he doesn’t have to. Having two wailing cats in the car just makes driving that much more fun. The appointment was also first thing in the morning, so it meant no sleeping in for him either. But he dutifully agreed.

We were up with the sun, got the boys all packed and off we went without too much hassle (other than the caterwauling from the back seat.). We finally arrive at the vet, and go to sign in with the receptionist… except our appointment isn’t on Saturday… it’s TUESDAY!!!

I got both a reminder phone call and email, so how I managed to screw that up, I don’t know… except to say that is classic Mercury in retrograde. Unfortunately, they were booked right up with no room to sneak the boys in. And since it was most definitely MY mistake, I wasn’t going to insist.

I hung my head in shame and apologized both to Dave and the cats for the unnecessary car ride. Dave dropped me off at Mom’s as planned (if a little early), and headed home with the boys.

About an hour later, I texted him to check on them all.

Me: “How was the drive home?”

Him: “Not great. Burton dropped a bomb about half-way there. Stank me right out of the car. I was gagging the rest of the way home.”

Me: “Oh no… I’m so sorry. I hope it wasn’t too messy to clean up.”

Him: “It was solid enough… but he sat in it. I just finished cleaning him up. I think I got it all, but it’s hard to tell with all that fur.”

Now for those who don’t know Dave, that is a HUGE thing for him. He’s one of those people who do not do well with bodily fluids of any sort. I.E., he’s been known to throw a pile of paper towels on an accident and leave it for me because he just can’t stand to clean it up.

Anyway, when I got home,  Burton still needed a little clean-up (though Dave did a pretty decent job). It was pretty dry, so I figured a bath would be the easiest route to go. Burton did NOT agree, and I have a few new holes to prove it. So I gave up, and got the scissors…

Poor Burt.

Finally, Tuesday comes. I wrangled the boys by myself (Dave was working), and we arrived at the vet on time, on the right day, with NO problems! (and nary a caterwaul either).

Their check-ups went well thought Burton is too “robust” and needs to lose a little weight. I told the vet all about his poopy adventure the Saturday before, and said I was thinking of keeping his pantaloons trimmed, as it’s not the first time we’ve had to clean up his posterior. She offered to give him a trim with the clippers, thinking it would be easier than with my scissors…

Once again Burton did not agree. No holes this time but….

There wasn’t much pantaloon trimming… and now he looks a little like a baboon from behind! Lol.

At least fur grows back…

“Oh the indignity… I hate you all…”

 

Earlier this summer, Dave got a text from a friend who was visiting P.E.I at the time. The text read: “How much yarn do you need to knit a sweater?”

Now all the knitters I know out there are groaning. Because that’s not an easy answer. It depends on weight of the yarn, the style of the sweater, and the size of the sweater. Which is pretty much what we texted the friend. Then we heard no more. I foolishly assumed they’d realize they shouldn’t be buying yarn without a knitter present (or at least a little more information under their belt.)

Silly me…

We recently went to visit said friend (first time we’ve seen them since the summer) and while chatting he dropped the bomb. “I have a big ask. I know it’s a big ask, so if the answer is no, that’s totally cool… but….. could you knit me a cardigan?”

And then he brought out this:

A giant bag of the sheepiest yarn I have ever seen in my life. Like this stuff is right off the sheep’s back. The lanolin is so thick, you can feel it immediately. As soon as you open the bag, the aroma is instantly barnyard. And lets not talk about veggie matter… I think I’ll have enough to feed a sheep by the time I’m done knitting.

I felt up the yarn and said to him “You know this is going to be itchy? Like REALLY itchy???”

Yep… he’s cool with that.

I took a closer look at the bag – there’s not a yarn label in site.

Me: “Any chance you know the weight of the yarn?”

Him: “Ummm. I think we bought three pounds”

Me: “No I mean like, thickness of the strand… like-”

Him: “Oh – it’s three plies, I think they said!”

Me: “Yeah… unfortunately, not helpful…”

Me: “Do you happen to know yardage… the length of yarn in each skein?”

Him: “No… sorry…. but it looks like enough, right?”

Me: “Possibly…?”

Then we started talking about the style of sweater he wanted. Slim sleeves, mostly plain… just a basic grandpa-like cardigan.

So, I toted the bag home with me and the adventure began. Luckily, because of Mom and her gadget collecting ways, she had all the things needed to determine how much yarn there was (a yardage counter, swift, winder, and scale). It turns out there more than 3,000 yards – more than enough most likely (The friend is not a huge guy). We’re pretty sure it’s a chunky weight, though a swatch will tell me that.

Right now, I’m waiting to hear back from said friend on his measurements, and pattern choice:

And despite that fact that it is not the nicest yarn, I am kind of looking forward to it. Dave is not even a sweater guy (he gets too warm), let alone cardigan guy (he wouldn’t be caught dead in a cardigan). All I can make him are socks and hats (and he has too many of both).

So once I get the specifics from our friend, I’ll be embarking on a very sheepy adventure!

 

 

Okay… well this was a surprise, but that last Skullduggery sock just flew off the needles. (Ok, I’ve totally been neglecting the poncho…)

Aren’t they just the cutest????

And here they are with Dave’s big boy pair!

Awww they look so great together!

And, as promised…. here’s the pattern! Until Friday, it’s on sale for 50% off (After Friday, the regular price is $4 USD).

Thanks for checking it out!

 

I finally found some time to finish up the last few Pinkerville blocks. I only had three left, and they go pretty quick, but carving out time for them has been a challenge.

While I was working on them, I had the previously completed blocks laid out on the bed, awaiting final layout.

Big mistake…

And it didn’t matter how many times I shooed them off. They just kept coming back

Especially this one…

And I mean, I feel bad disturbing him when he’s obviously so comfortable… but a girl’s got a quilt to work on, you know!?!

Eventually, I found a cat-free moment to get everything set in a layout I can live with.

I’ve decided that this layout (blocks butting up against each other), with these prints is just a touch too busy for my taste. The starts get lost a little in all the other things going on. So, I’m going to add sashing and cornerstones. It’s already a good size, and that will make it just a little bit bigger. I’ve got lots of backing fabric though so that’s just fine with me.

I’m definitely on track to complete this top by the end of the month. (Quilting is another matter).

Okay – I’ve been neglecting the poncho a little to work on these…

… But aren’t they just the cutest????

Yep. That’s the first Skullduggery sock complete. As you can see, I reversed the colours so they are matchy, but not too matchy with Dave’s pair. We’ve never been matchy-matchy people, so I’m doing a bit of a gamble here… but I think he’ll like it.

They are also anklets, because that’s just how I prefer my socks. And, well, also because the black wasn’t a full ball, so it’s probably all I have enough for. I’m probably playing a serious game of yarn chicken, to be honest.

I’ve already got a good start on the second one. I’m hoping to release the pattern at the same time I do an FO post, so keep your eyes peeled!

The other day, I noticed a trend where me (and others) seemed to be having a particularly hard time with things the last few weeks. And it got me wondering…. is Mercury in Retrograde again? Whenever Mercury goes into Retrograde, I’ve had some truly spectacular problems (mostly involving cars, but not always.) And sure enough… that rat-bastard has been retro since October 31 and will squat there like a toad until November 20th.

He’s mostly caused minor, but frustration miscommunications with work (and of course, my iPhone going down), but had thankfully left my crafting alone. That is until the other day.

The Milky Way blocks have been fun to put together, especially as I have all the pieces cut and I can whip out a pair in about an hour.

The original quilt was made with non-directional fabrics. Sadly, mine are mostly directions, but when putting the kitty prints together, it didn’t really bother me if they went all willy-nilly.

But when I got to the diagonal stripe fabric…. well having it go different directions just drove me nuts. I took a little more care in layout, but I was able to get it all going the same way….

Except for…. well you can see it. Somehow, I don’t know how… I started piecing and completely missed that this one block was backwards! There was no leaving it like that. But there was one big problem. The pieces for these blocks are cut in such a way that it uses almost all of the fat quarter. I had scraps big enough for the green paw star points… but the stripes. Nope.

I was so frustrated, so I set it aside for a few days. Finally it came to me. The FQ pack came with 18 fabrics, but I’m only using 16 of them for the quilt. One of the leftovers was a stripe VERY similar to this one. The only difference? It had a grey stripe instead of a yellow… but how noticable would it be??

A lot less noticeable than a stripe going the wrong way.  And I’m betting, once the whole quilt is together, it’s not going to be noticeable at all.

I have one more block to make that has striped fabric…. but I think I’m going to wait until AFTER the 20th to do it.

In the meantime, here’s where all my other projects are at:

• Meow-lky Way – As you see above. Six blocks down, 10 to go!
• Pinkerville quilt – I haven’t touched this one in a bit… I’m going to try to finish the top by the end of the month
• Royal Stars – Buildings stars, two at a time
• Pins and Paws – Kitty by kitty, this one is growing
• Leader and Ender quilt – Stacking up those geese like there’s no tomorrow!