I'm going buggy with stars

Here's my design floor for today.  Sorry about the blurry pic.  The thing is now large enough so that I can't use my tripod.

I'm starting to get tired of it, but have enough fabric for about 20-25 more blocks, easily, and I might as well go for as big as it will get.  I'm so amazed at how people can make king-sized quilts; I can barely manage a lap one.

What I really want to do is sew on the machine.  I haven't touched Frau Pfaff for more than a month.  First I was totally involved with my EPP, then we had the Penny visit and had to move the sewing stuff out of the guest room.  The Alex visit is coming up in a couple of weeks, so it doesn't pay to move everything back.  So, no sewing.  And I really want to sew.  Maybe it's a good thing that I can't, because then the Starry Monster would be set aside.  "But I wanna sew", she whines.  I need to make at least 2 baby quilts.  And I need at least 2 new project bags for all the baby projects.  And I want to play with blocks.  Whine, complain, grouse. 

Beginnings

3 cute projects at their beginnings.  I have startitis.   Now I need to resist starting anything else.  Hah!

1. Crochet blankie for no-one-knows-the-sex baby

I'm using Berocco Vintage for this, and I really like it.  I know, acrylic is in there, but easy care is the order of the day.  Besides, it has a lovely hand and crochets well.

2. Sirdar baby sweater

The silly thing won't lie flat at this stage so I've anchored it with the needles.  I think I'll make a raglan out of it and use an occasional couple of garter stitch rows just to keep down the boredom factor.

3.  Mistake seed stitch rib baby sweater

This is out of some Seacoast yarn I bought before I started dyeing my own fingering wt yarns.  It's a merino/bamboo combination which makes it very soft.  I have about 20 skeins of Bambi yarn (my own merino/bamboo yarn)  which I'll start to dye up for more baby goodies.  This kid is going to get more sweaters than any no-one-knows-the-sex baby has ever received.  The MOJO is back!

Now if I would only finish my cardi for me that I started back in the winter.  Sigh.

Odds and Ends

 Our 2 week extravaganza with MN Grand is now over.  Flew into MSP on Fri, hung out with family, celebrated Miss P's birthday, and then flew home yesterday.  I think that certain active 10 year olds ought to share a little bit of her energy with her poor old tired zonked Gramma.  I suggested it to her a few times and she giggled.  Even at 10, she's never still.  Not fair.

We had a glorious time with her as usual.  10 year old kids are so self-sufficient; she even made her own scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Her mom has been teaching her knife skills since they both cut up veggies together, and I got to see this in action.  She peeled potatoes, and then cut them up so beautifully.  Whadda kid!

What did we do?  Well, this was a special birthday, and I only get to see her about 3 times/year what with such expensive air fares, so we did treats.  Zarkana with Cirque du Soliel at Radio City Music Hall, a trip to Mystic Aquarium, which was amazing, 2 beach visits, one to the Jersey shore and the Atlantic, and one to the CT shore on Long Island Sound.  A couple of movies, Museum of Natural History in NYC, hanging out, chatting, errands.  All in all, a wonderful trip.  It helps that she loves to go places and is open to so many new experiences.

So, now she's back home and I'm back to normal, or whatever passes for normal around here.

I managed to start a bunch of different projects while she was visiting, including the famous Baby Surprise Jacket.  I've knitted a gazillion of these, and still love to do them.  I need to sew this one up, decide on buttons, and probably do an idiot cord border around it.

Take a look at this!  Isn't it amazing?  I surprise myself at my ability to start new projects.  It's going to be yet another baby jacket.  What?  You couldn't tell? 

I"m even back to crocheting.  Every baby needs a crochet blankie, so here's the beginning of one.

I managed to make a serious goof on the purple rows, so I had to frog it all out to that point and then do it again.  Sort of normal for me with crochet. 

And now I need a nap.  Between my lack of sleep and the vertigo from flying, my brain is spinning around.  I did drag myself to the gym, but I have to tell you that exercising with exhaustion and vertigo just isn't fun.

Nap time for Grammy!

To the stars and beyond

 Just a quickie since Miss P is visiting and we are busy busy busy.  This is the only thing I can work on mostly because it's totally auto-pilot.  It's getting very big and will make a great lap quilt.

Books!

I, the retired librarian, rarely tell you about my latest books, but here they are.

 I won this from Sew, Mama, Sew!  Me, who never wins anything.  What I didn't realize is that this is sewing with knits, something, other than American Girl doll clothes, that I haven't done in 25 years!  It would be nice to pick it up again, and I think this may just be the perfect place to learn and play.  I would only sew for Little Lili, who is 3.  She won't be fussy at all. Thanks, Sew, Mama, Sew!  What a treat!



I've discovered home-made frozen yogurt.  Way back when in the Middle Ages, I owned a Donvier ice cream maker, and the kids and I would turn that handle as instructed, and we'd make pretty good ice cream.  So a couple of weeks ago, the Schmustermeister (aka the garage sale junkie) brought home a brand new Cuisinart ice cream maker that he got for 5 bucks.  Me, being me, then had to check out or put on reserve just about every frozen yogurt or ice cream book in the library system.  And this is my final selection.  The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.  

 

We are talking an amazing book here!  The frozen yogurt recipes are beyond wonderful.

Knitting:  I'm thinking about making a BSJ for the American Girl Doll.  I'm 3/4 finished with the baby one, and I really like knitting them.

Quilting:  Slogging along on that starry quilt.

Off to find a good recipe for dark chocolate frozen yogurt.  I think I'll combine the basic vanilla one with cocoa and melted chocolate.  Maybe even use some chocolate extract instead of or with the vanilla extract.  YUM!

Found on Facebook.

What every knitting eye doctor needs.

Darling!

The perfect fabric for a baby quilt, and I just ordered a layer cake of it.  I'm thinking plain 5" squares with a white border.  

This says it all.

Have a good weekend.  Just make sure that you have on a clean dress.

Baby Surprise Jacket

Here we go again, yet another BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket), designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann, my knitting guru.  I found it first in Knitting without tears, way way back when, and every time I need a baby present, out comes the pattern.

Usually I knit it in fingering wt yarn, but this time, I decided to go for sport-DK weight, with the idea that the baby will grow into this.  OK, a lot of growing in this case, but babies grow, and always need cuddly sweaters.

Not in wool, however.  I know, wool is the best fiber going, but let's face it, what mom of a little baby has time to either wash by hand (uh huh.  right.), or machine wash and then lay flat?  All the mommies in the family want to toss into the wash, put into the dryer and be done with it.  Soft acrylics are the way to go for drooling, pooping, peeing, cheesing and generally adorable bits of slobbiness.  I'm using Sirdar Crofter, 55/45 nylon/acrylic.  Seriously soft and cuddly. 

The picture on top is where the jacket stands at the moment.  Another 2 rows and then I'm ready for the back increase. 

Here's how the front will look.

And here's the back.

That slightly darker stripe is another colorway, 'cause I need a stripe.

Now, I'm thinking that maybe I ought to do one in skinny SW wool, and I have a very very soft yarn for that.  I could dye up a couple of skeins just for the fun of it.  Mom will toss in wash and dryer, and if it shrinks, which it shouldn't, I don't care.  Given that the future munchkin will live in the frozen northland, a very soft woolly BSJ just might be in order.  I tend to get obsessed over BSJ's. 

And after BJS happiness, I might have to make a Tomten jacket, and a couple of jacket's from Knit one, knit all.  Whatever would I do without EZ?

Of course, you can buy directly at the source:  Schoolhouse Press.  And then you can drool over more and more EZ books.

And the stars go on and on and on

But I clobbered my cranky wrist with too much starring, so I'll take a little break from them.  It's time I went back to the sewing machine anyhow.  Elder DD's quilt is languishing.