Too Much Hopping

Per usual, I have been madly project hopping. Here's a recap of where things stand. 

Ignite, my single hue quilt is done except for facing.

My latest enhancement was to big stitch a large asterisk at the end of all 16 points/rays of the design. Then I stitched roving yarn at the tip of each point, felting and fluffing it into a small puff. I learned this technique from Laura Loewen @quiltfortco in a 2023 QuiltCon workshop.

I have been unable to capture any good pictures of this quilt because, as I've learned, yellow is a very difficult color to capture with an IPhone 14 camera. I will face this quilt today.

My affection for working with yarn has not begun to wane. So I find myself working on three different projects. Of course, making round loom knitted Tiny Dolls never ends. In fact, friends are donating excess yarn to me to use to make dolls! I guess that's a good thing. 

It's knitting that remains my focus. I am determined to learn to do it well! 

I've been knitting a prayer shawl, thinking to give it away when I'm finished. I found numerous free prayer shawl patterns here, and I'm making Easy Triangle Shawl Pattern. Unfortunately, I bought only four skeins of yarn, so when I reached the end of skein four with nine more rows remaining to be knitted, I had to make a special trip to Hobby Lobby for one more skein. I was surprised to find the same dye lot number! 

As for my own Summer Soul Top, the one I've been working on forever... I completely took it apart. It was looking lumpy and I was lost, so I unwound the whole thing and restarted from the beginning. I'm much more pleased with the smoothness of my knitted rows, so I guess that means I am improving. 

When I restarted, I picked up a fresh ball of yarn. Sadly, the already-knitted yarn ball looks wavy and unkempt. Do any of you knitters know... will it look okay if I reknit with this yarn? Or do I need to steam it or something to remove waves (it's 100 percent cotton) before knitting it again? 

Hoping to enhance my knowledge and perhaps improve my skills, I've registered for another "summit" that's this coming week. This summit focuses on garments - knitted and crocheted. I'm doing the free version as I've learned I can watch most of the videos by increasing the playback speed - like to 1.5 X or more - and take notes. This is sponsored by Hortense (Amsterdam) of Knitting With Chopsticks. 

Sewing-wise, I've continued to piece my littlest shoebox scraps using the "leftovers" technique taught by Debra Jalbert. The largest piece is 8" squarish with smaller pieces 6" or so.

I have an abundance of small pieces to work with. To the aqua bits, I'm adding an occasional piece of green.

Each Friday, I continue to attend diamond painting club for several hours. Being there is mostly about socializing; I've gotten to know many people. For ease in transportation, and to not take up too much table space, I've been painting Christmas cards. Early, I know, but I'll be ready to mail them. 

I can paint two cards during club time. For the time being, I'm keeping my big projects at home. 

It's nice when diamond painters share their finished pieces because that gives all of us ideas about how to finish larger designs.

I just had to take a picture of this one because the painter finished it so perfectly. She bought a small, thin piece of board and painted it black. Then she glued the diamond piece to the board. Around the border she glued a strip of stretchy black sequined trim that she found in her stash. The sequined fabric is like dance costume edging. Doesn't it suits her design perfectly? Everyone was admiring it, include me who isn't fond of Halloween.

Also, here's a picture of the quilt our 4-H club leader, Barb, recently finished. It turned out so good, and will be offered as a fundraiser for the club. 

Have a great week! Linda