Sock Fail

I sat down to have a cup of tea and work on my Tidepool Socks.  I've been totally uninterested in them, they just weren't knitting up into something I liked. I fought it hard, I tried to like them, really I did, but there was just something about them. So now they look like this:

Yep, I did it again.  Back in December I ripped out a sock I had started for the boss...right about the time I got to the heel flap, which is where I was on this one.  Now I'm wondering if I'll ever finish a pair of socks...or even one sock!

19 March

Daisy was right, a walk was exactly what I needed before my class tonight. Smart pup!

Sonoma Rose Winner!

Using the random number generator, and leaving out the one comment that didn't want to be entered, comment number 7 was the winner.  So that means Maggie from Maggie's Crafting Adventure is the winner!  Congratulations Maggie!  I was doubly excited when Maggie's number came up...you see, a few years ago (okay, more than a few!), Maggie and I met through a mutual friend when we were marching in different color guards in high school.  We lost touch and found each other in the last year or so on Facebook.  Isn't Facebook a wonderful thing?  

Maggie, send me your address and I'll get your book off to you!

Don't Forget the Giveaway!

Leave a comment on the Giveaway post before Saturday to win a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's new book Sonoma Rose!

New Projects

I do have a few new projects in the works here at Lakeside Quilting!  The first is an Old Shale scarf (Ravelry Link) made of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in this gorgeous blue, which the boss brought home from one of his business trips for me.

Next up is a Tidepool sock made from Fleece Artist Somoco yarn.  I got this as part of a sock club a few years ago and I'm finally knitting it up! This picture does not do the color justice, it's a beautiful blend of aqua blues and greens.

Next is an applique which I'm doing with a friend as a block of the month.  The pattern is Piece O Cake designs "Cinnamon Stitches" which was their 1998 BOM.  I plan to do the entire quilt with Bonnie and Camille's Ruby fabric.

Now the question is, will any of them be done by the end of 2012???

Giveaway!

I was recently asked to preview a book that is coming out on February 21st.  When I realized it was the latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilters books by Jennifer Chiaverini, I was delighted to do so!  As soon as the book arrived in the mail and I started reading, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  The book picks up the story of Rosa Diaz Barclay, who we met in The Quilters Homecoming.  She's had a very difficult life...she's married to a man who abuses her, and 4 of her children have died from a mysterious disease (one that has touched my daughter, thank goodness for advances in medicine!). She manages to run away with her first love to look for medical care for her children and a new life for herself and her children.  I don't want to give anything away and I haven't finished the book yet, so you'll just have to read it yourself!

Once I finish reading this, I've been asked to give it away to another reader so they can enjoy it too!  If you'd like to win my copy of Sonoma Rose, just leave a comment.  I'll use the random number generator next Saturday, February 25th to choose a winner.  Good luck!

Quilt Top Finish

I've finally finished the quilt top for my Block of the Month Quilt that I did in 2010 through the Fat Quarter Shop and I can't believe I waited so long to finish. I love how it all came together! I've already made the binding...just need to load it on the machine and decide how to quilt it. Any suggestions?

Catching Up...

I haven't been very good about keeping my blog updated lately.  Looking through my past few posts, I realized that I never even mentioned a few things...

Mary

1.  I was lucky enough to go to Houston for Festival this year!  My dear friend Mary and I had a wonderful time.  We took a full day class with Elly Sienkiewicz.  One of my life goals was to go to her Applique Academy.  Not anymore.  I feel like it's almost sacrilegious to say this, but she was not a good teacher.  She constantly got lost in what she was telling us and seemed very confused.  If someone questioned how she did something, she changed her mind and tried to explain another way, but couldn't quite do that either.  It was hugely disappointing and I felt that I wasted my time and money in taking the class.  She didn't bring enough supplies for everyone in the class, all in all it was a complete disappointment.  It's a good thing I had Mary with me...she's a great teacher and I learned a lot from her!  We did have fun walking around the show and it was so relaxing, spending time with her and her wonderful DH.

2. We really enjoyed the holidays this year.  We loved having the kids all home for opening gifts on Christmas Eve and for dinner on Christmas day.

Ellen, Andrew, Dayna & Grace

3.   I did finish a few small gifts for Christmas.  Grace and Dayna each got a crocheted, slouchy beret.  Here is Dayna's beret...I don't think I took a picture of Grace's, but hers was the same pattern in burgundy.

Ellen was the recipient of this year's "Unfinished Project"...a slouchy hat in a different pattern.  But hers didn't take nearly as long to finish as Dayna's quilt did last year!  I finished it this past weekend, and here it is...

My sister also received a knitted gift this year...a scarf that I started in a class last spring and finished a few weeks before Christmas.  This was my knitting project on the plane coming home from Houston.  It appears I didn't take a picture of it...or if I did I can't find it.  You'll just have to believe me, it was very pretty and so soft!

Since the "Unfinished Gift" has become a family joke, I'll have to figure out who will get it next year!

The boss and I were looking back over 2011 and decided it was a very challenging year.  We learned a lot from some of the experiences we had (like not to take in our kids' stray friends), I have some ongoing health challenges which have followed me into 2012 (do any of you have experience with shingles?  If so, please share your story with me.  I've had them for about a month and a half and never anticipated how debilitating the pain would be.  I'm at the point where I feel kind of stupid saying that I have shingles since it's been so long, but that's what it is.).

I'm looking forward to a very productive 2012, because heaven knows I wasn't very productive in 2011!  More on what I'll be working on in the next post!

Cleaning Out...

I'm cleaning up my sewing room and dug into the closet. Way, way back I found this tablecloth, which my parents bought me when I graduated high school in 1979. Yes, this is what I wanted as my graduation present!

I remember working on the napkins when I worked at a craft store in college, and working on the tablecloth here and there at night. I swore I would finish it before I got married and had my first house.

Well, it wasn't finished when I got married, but that was fine because the first house didn't have a dining room. Of course it became a joke, the Boss said he wouldn't buy me a house with a dining room until I finished the tablecloth. House #2 didn't have a dining room either. This house, #3, does have a dining room, but we only used it for a dining room briefly. Now that room is set up as a den, which is much more useful to us.

I wonder if this will ever be finished?

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the joys of the season!

New use...

For the cup holder in the car...it makes a great yarn holder!

Daisy's New Digs

Daisy has a new place to hang out...

Here she is in the Medford Lakes Penitentiary!  :-)

Looking Back...

 Not too far back, just to Thanksgiving!  It was just us this year.  My parents, sister and nephew's wife were 

supposed to join us for dinner, but I managed to put a crimp in their plans...2 days before Thanksgiving I was diagnosed with shingles.  Since Bistra, my niece-in-law has never had chicken pox, we decided that it was best not to expose her to me, just in case!  

Grace, Ellen, Dayna and Andrew
Thanksgiving 2011

This Thanksgiving was to be an experiment as well...a few months ago, Ellen was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and has adopted a gluten-free diet.  I made gluten-free stuffing and rolls (from this King Arthur Recipe) for dinner, along with regular stuffing and all the usual dishes.  I made an apple crumb pie and our new local bakery, The Patriot's Bakery has taken on the challenge of baking gluten-free for us and they made a gluten-free apple crumb pie for Ellen.  It was all delicious and we enjoyed a quiet dinner.

Apple Pie and Gluten-free rolls

The rest of the weekend involved some Christmas shopping, although not in the wee hours of Black Friday, and a great deal of time in my sewing room, as well as some knitting and crocheting time too!  I can't share the knitting or crochet as they are Christmas gifts, but will share the quilting soon...

Miley

My quilting companion.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The table is set, the turkey roasting, so I have a quiet moment to wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Roses...

The last rose of the season can be just as beautiful as the first.

Working

I visited a job site on Friday. Wouldn't this be a great place to work?

Design Wall Monday and the Winner!

 Another week has gone by and I haven't gotten much time to sew.  I'm still cutting the little, bitty pieces for my Fireweed applique.  This was a kit that the Boss brought back for me from his trip to Alaska last November.  I decided that it had waited long enough, now that he's just returned from THIS year's trip to Alaska.  One of these years I'll get to go with him!

My big accomplishment was getting the center done and the last few petals, leaves and centers appliqued onto my Aunt Millie's Garden quilt block.  I used Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles to make the centers and I highly recommend them!

Sadly, my Phillies lost on Friday night, which ended their playoff run.  I've never seen such a quiet crowd leaving the stadium as I did Friday...it was a long walk back to the parking lot!  

And now Daisy (who thinks she's a cat) and Ellen will pick the winner of the drawing for The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue.  I finished reading the book this weekend and really enjoyed it.  I'll have a review some time this week...as soon as I get a chance to sit down and organize my thoughts!  I asked Ellen to pick a number and the number is...3.  So that means Jane from Imperfect Quilter is our winner!  Jane, I'll be emailing you shortly to get your address!

Back to normal...

My living room is back to normal...my machine is up!  

Of course I immediately quilted a donation quilt!

And since we gave Andrew our kitchen set when he moved into his apartment, it was time for a new one, which just arrived...

After eating at at a wobbly card table for the last few weeks, I'm so happy to have a real table again!

We even have matching bar stools!  Yeah, it's the little things that make me happy!

Design Wall Monday and a Giveaway!

Not much happened in the sewing room this week because I was too busy watching baseball!  So, I have a fusible applique quilt in the making, I need to cut out all of the little pieces...

And I've been working on my applique block...still need to make the pinwheel that goes in the middle...

So, I have a design table tonight (yes, I'm cheating and writing this on Sunday night) and I'm working on them while I watch the Phillies in game 2 of the NLDS...

And that giveaway?  Last week I was contacted by the publicist for Clare O'Donohue's new book, The Devil's Puzzle, which just came out.  She asked if I'd be interested in receiving a copy of the book to review and another to give away.  Of course I said yes!  I'm reading it and so far I'm enjoying it.  Clare will also do a guest post or a Q and A for us, so to enter...just leave a comment telling me what YOU would like to ask Clare O'Donohue!  I'll post the winner on our next Design Wall Monday!

Let's go Phillies!!!