Knit Two

I was pretty anxious to read Knit Two after I finished The Friday Night Knitting Club. I did enjoy it, but honestly, I didn't think it was nearly as good as the first book. I found it a bit disconnected. The ladies have lost the tie that bound them together - the club. sure, they still meet, but, it is no longer binding them.

The ending was all tied up in a neat little bow, which I think a lot of the readers were disappointed in the first book. I prefer an ending that keps me thinking about the book - and talking about it.

The part that lost me was when Darwin went into the restroom to breastfeed her babies. Seriously??? A feminist. A professor of women's studies. and she is feeding her babies in a public bathroom??? I realize that she became far more "domestic" following the birth of her babies, but, that is SO far out of charachter - not to mention nasty and just plain wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. It was a good read, but not as good as the first.

Ode to My Brother

It was his sisters he liked to harass
That is how he earned the nickname Tom-ass

To lofty goals in school he did aspire
That was until he set his pants on fire!

Kid sister grew up and get her degree
Now, guess who works for me?

A passer-by inquired "are you drilling for oil?"
I laughed as his blood began to boil!

He is son, brother friend, husband and dad
For him we all are glad

Most of all I'm glad you're older than me
Especially now that you are turning 40!

Happy Birthday Tom!

Yes, I still knit.

Remember Tubey? Well, it's done!

Check out the cuff/hem detail. I did a single crochet BO in the lighter Rose color then another round of reverse single crochet. I really like the finish of the edge - and it is a nice streachy BO.


If you've been keeping track, then you know how I feel about having a stash of yarn. I also like wearing this sweater with a grey skirt. So, I am making a matching pair of socks.



I've actually turned the heels and started the cuff. soon, I'll add the stripes. I'm thinking of doing the same BO on the socks as well. More on those soon, but they are on the back burner as I finish the anniversary stole (more on that when it's done).

Something for Me

This another Town Purse with a Wonder Wallet to match. The purse pattern includes the eye glass case. All three patterns are fun and very simple. I've made them before and I'm sure I'll do it again.

The fabrics came from a Fat Quarter bundle. I lined it in muslin - I find it easier to find things inside my purse than with a patterned print.

I did modify the WW a bit. I omited the inner coin pocket and made an outer zippered coin pocket. I added a box pleat since I always seem to have about $5 in pennies.

TGIF- 3/13

• FAITH
• patience
• new "friends"
• needle and thread
• yarn and sticks
• things to hit
• friends to hit them with
• books
• sanity

Fiber Engineering

What happens when an engineer gets laid off and takes up quilting?




It is a schematic site plan drafted in fabric and thread. The site is completely ficticious. The Plan is highly schematic - no real details or measurements. The quilting serves as the "hatching" in the plan.

I was inspired by the old (and I do mean OLD) linnen drawings. They are worna nd frayed on the edges, rumpled and worn - but still quite readable! I just love the marriage of engineering and fabric.

The color scheme is borrowed from the more modern (but still obsolete) blue prints. The entire quilt is in shades of blues and white.

The style of the "drawing" is a modern one - like I may do in AutoCAD. Complete with project notes, north arrow and graphic scale.

The quilters I've showed it to scratch thier heads adn critique my poor applique skills - which was actually a deliberate design decision. Contractors, engineers and others in the biz have had quite a different "that is so effin cool!" reaction.

For now it hangs in my sewing room - soon it'll be in my new office.

More sewing and some knitting still to come!

Doing not Blogging

Now I suppose I need to blog about what I've done. I'll spread it out over a couple posts for suspense. You're welcome!

One of the "upsides" of being unemployed is that I actually get to attend the meetings for the quilt guild I belong to. I have to say that living in a house full of men (big and small) then sitting in a room with 200 women is more than a little culture shock! They are a great bunch of ladies though. So kind and a wealth of information. I also got roped into (OK - I volunteered) handling the raffle tickets for a quilt the guild is putting together. the drawing is to be at the show (4/2010) and the two are our biggest fundraisers. Mom is chairing the committee putting the quilt together - so there is cerainly more to come on that one!

We donate a lot of the money from the raffle and the show to local charities and we use a bit to buy supplies to make "comfort quilts". A few years back, one of our members got a call from Paul Newman. He asked if ther guild would be interested in making some quilts for his Hole in the Wall Camp here in CT. When the kids need to go to the infirmary, they are wrapped in hand made quilts and if they should need to go to the hospital, then their quilt will go too. Would you say no to Paul Newman? Neither did she or the guild.

To that end, we had a workshop/sew-in last month. we brought our machines to a church basement and grabbed our kits and went to work. I got my entire top pieced that day and it was completely done, bound and ready to go in three days!

Derby Days!

Pinewood Derby time! Ryan placed 3rd in the Tigers' Den.

He was quite proud of himself! He should be! He made his car by himself! Well, one of the dads carved the blocks into car shapes that the kids picked.

Andy didn't place in his Den, but you know what? He is very proud of his vampire car - which he also made himself!