Monday, February 25, 2019

Knitting Plans for 2019 - brought to you from Dallas, TX

SO, I mentioned in my last post that I had taken a new job, which has a lot of travel, and by a lot, I mean basically daily travel. I leave on Sunday night, and I return on Friday. Many of you know that I teach every Saturday in Southern California. As a result, my sewing machine time has been greatly reduced, and I have had to find other ways to get my sewing fix. Initially, I didn't attempt to take sewing projects, because I just couldn't figure out what to take. Yes, I have done EPP (English Paper Piecing) before, and I don't hate it. Yes, I have done dozens (yes, dozens) of stitching projects. that are fairly portable. But I didn't want to try to cross stitch in low light on planes or in hotel rooms, it's just too hard on the eyes. So, I chose to spend most of my time knitting while on the road....and so far, I haven't finished a single thing for me!!! That's right, in 6 months I haven't made a single thing for me. I've made a half dozen hats, started some socks, made Christmas scarves, and picked 3 major projects for myself, but knitted absolutely nothing for me. There is just something incredibly satisfying to give a knitted or quilted gift...so I am always putting projects for me off. I'm always making samples for classes or gifts for friends. And while I will continue to make samples for classes, I am committed to knitting for myself this year. I have some pretty big knitting goals for the year, and I decided I better list them so that I can look back and hold myself accountable.

First up : Learn to make socks........eventually I want to make some fancy cable socks, but I'm starting with some simple vanilla socks.....like these.....

   

Second : make a sweater....starting with this one by TinCan Knits. It is called Mountain Mist, and hopefully will be a good choice for a first sweater.....basic, but with a little bit of personality.

Third: the perfect shawl. With all of the traveling and temperature fluctuations, a huge shawl is a must on the plane. And this one is the one I want before the fall travel season starts. This one is Ley Lines by Joji Locatelli, simple, basic, and amazing. I am going to do a faded version, and let the yarn slowly gradate through a series of turquoise and navy verigated yarns.

So, that's my knitting plan for the year.....

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Holy Smokes It's Been a While

Well, I've been feeling the itch to blog for  a while now, and I knew that it had been a while since I had last blogged, but I had no idea how long it had been.

Life has been a little crazy. I got a new job last August that has been totally crazy. I've been traveling 100% of the time since mid-September, and I must admit the quilting production has gone down exponentially. And the less I have sewn, the more I want to!!! Isn't that just the way it goes!!! I am still working through how to quilt on the road. I know lots of people do it. And do it successfully. I however, have not figured that all out yet. I do enjoy EPP (English Paper Piecing) so I could do that, or appliqué (which I don't hate), or binding (which I did for the last 3 months, and have now run out of). I am sure there are a million other things I could do.....but I'm still trying to figure it out. The honest truth is, I've just now finally figured out the briefcase packing requirements and the suitcase packing requirements, so I can now really figure out the sewing piece.

As a result, I've taken the easy route lately, binding if available, and otherwise, some knitting. SO, I've made lots of hats and scarves and cowls this past fall, and I even started a pair of mittens (which remain unfinished). And as much as I love knitting, I really miss quilting and just sitting at the machine and sewing my heart out. So this week, I am taking some appliqué on the road and I'll see how it goes. I likely won't be blogging because I still haven't moved the blog from the MAC to the PC (which I need for work). I haven't figured out a way to take both computers successfully, with the limited amount of space that I have for carryon and the number of things I NEED while on a trip.  Oh the drama of full time travel.

Well I really must go, as it is time to get the packing finished and head to the airport. Hoping every one has a great week, and I'll se you soon.