tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91832275262207277132024-03-12T23:50:03.814-04:00Ypsilanti DilettanteI live in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a pretty little city on the banks of the Huron River in southeastern Michigan. I quilt, knit, dye, read, spin, and garden. Thank you for stopping by for a visit.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-71397276178329834242012-02-19T18:18:00.001-05:002012-02-19T18:18:51.907-05:00Fruit Salad Quilt finished, Cone Nebula quilt quiltedI had a lot of self-inflicted problems with this quilt, but it is now done. It's about 44.5" wide, and I'm going to pitch it as a table topper for the quilt guild's silent auction at the show this summer. (The proceeds from the auction go to pay the bills for the show, and I have permission from the publisher to use the pattern for this purpose.)<br />
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I sort of stumbled over the orange peach and apple fabric a few weeks ago, and I think the fabric really set off the entire piece.<br />
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Now, I present to you some beauty shots of the gorgeous quilting that Lynne Bowbeer did on the Cone Nebula quilt. So, without narrative, here are some beauty shots. If you are local and want to get in touch with Lynne so that she can quilt your next quilt, send me a note, and I'll be happy to pass it on to her. (The only perk I get from this is a hug from her the next time I see her.)<br />
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Aren't those wonderful? When I show this quilt in the show this summer, I'm listing her as the co-creator. She found energy in the quilt and let it be seen. I am totally blown away by the work she did.<br />
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Finally, here is the requisite cute kitty shot. I don't know what was going on, but I noticed this grouping one evening and grabbed the camera. This was the least shaky shot. (We have Baby Boy, Big Guy, and the Princess.)<br />
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<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-47924277541742071322012-02-04T10:02:00.001-05:002012-02-04T10:02:42.031-05:00Cowls, Quilts, Spinning, and SocksI had a note from a friend this week asking where I was and if I had abandoned this blog. Well, I've been under the weather, buried in two complicated books, and watching Downton Abbey.<br />
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First, the books. The parish's book group had a very good discussion about Elizabeth Johnson's <a href="http://ncronline.org/news/podcasts/elizabeth-johnson-and-quest-living-god-part-1">Quest for the Living God: Mapping New Frontiers in Theology</a>. I was really glad that I had read the book, the bishops' statement about the book, Dr. Johnson's response to the statement, and the bishops' response to her response. It was pretty dense theological argument for a non-theologian, but it was worth the time spent to read, reflect, and then discuss.<br />
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Next, just this morning, I have finished reading <a href="http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/index.html">Charles Dickens</a>' Bleak House. This is for my other book club. It seemed as though the book took forever, but at the end, I am glad I read this. The characters (and there are a LOT of them) are richly drawn with even minor characters having interior lives and interesting things to do. The plot is carefully drawn, with LOTS of different plot lines thrown out and then all drawn together at the end. I will be carrying these characters and their lives with me for a long time.<br />
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After finishing the Christmas knitting, I made a cowl for myself from <a href="http://www.thegartergirl.com/2009/12/04/free-knitting-pattern-burberry-inspired-cowl-neck-scarf/">The Garter Girl</a>'s Burberry-like cowl pattern. Here it is:<br />
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It's warm, comfortable, and bright pink. Life doesn't get much better!<br />
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As soon as I finished it, I started in on a pair of basic toe-up socks from <a href="http://www.melissaknits.com/">Melissa Morgan-Oakes</a>' book. I am using the <a href="http://www.ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/02/cone-nebula-quilt-snow-and-dyeing.html">dyed sock yarn blank</a> I purchased from <a href="http://happyfuzzyyarn.com/">Happy Fuzzy Yarns</a> last winter when I took her yarn dyeing class. Here's my progress so far (much delayed because I've been reading Bleak House):<br />
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I am about an inch or two up from the toes area.<br />
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I have also been spinning a bit. Here are a couple of beauty shots of the lovely silk roving I got at the Fiber Expo back in October:<br />
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Finally, I have been working on the Fruit Salad quilt. I started off by auditioning various fabrics for the setting squares, and I still couldn't figure out the orientation of the diamonds.<br />
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I didn't like any of these fabrics. Then I got the bright idea of moving away from the standard setting square idea and into a different direction. Here is the start of the notion:<br />
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Then, I realized that I had some interesting options from here, including finishing this as a circle. Here is the current state of play - yes, those most recent pieces have to be picked out and moved to new places because, let's face it, a circle has 360 degrees, and a foolish quilter forgets that to her peril.<br />
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I am starting to like this piece again.<br />
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Finally, here is the requisite cute cat shot. This is the Big Guy - I crept up the basement stairs and set the camera on the floor to get this shot. He is SUCH a cuddler.<br />
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I'll have to do some experimenting with setting squares, etc. Now, I have creativity flowing again!!<br />
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As for what I've been reading... Well, I did a lot of Christmas knitting, and that cut into reading time. I spent about three weeks reading <a href="http://jackiemitchard.com/">Jacquelyn Mitchard</a>'s <u>Twelve Times Blessed</u>. I gave up about three-quarters of the way through. Now, I LOVE this lady's books, but the main character in this book just kept making really stupid decisions and saying really crazy relationship-destroying things, and I finally just got to a point where reading the book upset me to the point of mild depression. When I start dreading reading a book that is supposed to be relaxing, it's time to pull out the bookmark and put the book aside. If anyone out there has read this book and thinks that I should finish reading it through, please let me know.<br />
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For my parish's book club selection in January, we are reading Elizabeth Johnson's <a href="http://ncronline.org/news/podcasts/elizabeth-johnson-and-quest-living-god-part-1">The Quest for the Living God</a>. This appears to be a college freshman level introductory theology book that has been strongly criticized by the <a href="http://ncronline.org/news/spirituality/us-bishops-blast-book-feminist-theologian">American bishops</a>. When I get through reading this book, I intend to read the bishops' statements very carefully. I am about halfway through the book, and it is well written and would be easily accessible to anyone who looking for a basic introduction to the great currents of contemporary Christian theology. Her chapter on the post-Holocaust theology that emerged in the 1940s-1960s is a lovely complement to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Armstrong/e/B000AQ72VE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1">Karen Armstrong</a>'s chapter about the development of Jewish theology in the 20th century in her book <u>A History of God</u>.<br />
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Finally, I have to show you why I've been typing this all hunched over on a folding chair.<br />
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The lines of authority in this house are very clearly delineated.....<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-24545512331273908152012-01-02T09:08:00.001-05:002012-01-02T09:09:18.506-05:00Catching Up; Looking ForwardWhen last I posted, I was knitting as fast as I could. The last week before Christmas, I discovered that one of the cowls simply had no stretch and was continuing to bleed color. So, this one was not in the present mix:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sPQjNyozbjMd-FASDCz6xTg5DjBQ9b6yg3crvWRWFZJkVLSZ6CPO3NV95hdIfUFrIeU4HRd4WVwFq5Cpl7oDhIKBQZ7PJZN2RmdQxEPDLjfeGMC4RvAM7b559D5zZx0mZ0vsxXVPVyQ/s1600/Scrunchable-done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sPQjNyozbjMd-FASDCz6xTg5DjBQ9b6yg3crvWRWFZJkVLSZ6CPO3NV95hdIfUFrIeU4HRd4WVwFq5Cpl7oDhIKBQZ7PJZN2RmdQxEPDLjfeGMC4RvAM7b559D5zZx0mZ0vsxXVPVyQ/s320/Scrunchable-done.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I do want to make this cowl again, but I'll use a more conventional yarn and hope for better results. Soon after I discovered this problem, one of my intended recipients told me she is allergic to wool. At that point, I decided that she and one other person would get something else. That evening, we walked by <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/mix-ypsilanti">Mix </a>in downtown Ypsilanti, and I saw the cutest purse. So, yeah, I was one of the people out on Christmas Eve getting the last few items.<br />
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On Christmas Eve morning, I finished the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/molly-stark-scarf">Molly Stark</a> scarf for my sister. Here are a couple of pictures of it blocking. I should have taken my camera to family Christmas, but I forgot.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8Jtvf37-0E/TwGvY7tKwTI/AAAAAAAAA74/v-_Uau01brU/s1600/stark-blurry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8Jtvf37-0E/TwGvY7tKwTI/AAAAAAAAA74/v-_Uau01brU/s320/stark-blurry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I ended up using Malabrigo Worsted for this because the colorway was closer to what my sister had requested. I really liked the way this turned out.<br />
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I also made a cute little scarf for my great nephew from the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTtoddle.html">Toddle</a> pattern on Knitty. You'll just have to imagine that scarf in the leftover teal yarn from the <a href="http://www.ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/08/completed-projects.html">Every Way Wrap</a> I finished back in the summer. My niece has promised to get a picture to me.<br />
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Another project I worked on was this:<br />
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This was the entrance to my laundry/craft area. The cat litter boxes contain my dyeing supplies. Now this area looks like this:<br />
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The next shelf up has the orange bucket and the laundry baskets. I can't believe it took me living here for four years to finally get around to properly organizing this area. We are looking for a new home for the table (it's particle board with a sturdy laminate on top and metal legs; there's an extra leaf that makes the table big enough to seat 6-8 people). I will probably call <a href="http://www.friendsindeed.info/">Friends in Deed</a> so that this goes to a family needing a nice table.<br />
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Finally, I have been working on the Fruit Salad quilt. Here is the result of three days of making a lot of mistakes and fixing them. It has almost seemed as though I have been relearning basic skills with this.<br />
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The sections aren't yet sewn together, and I want to think about the setting. I have been thinking right along that I would use the white fabric that is along the edges as the setting blocks, and that would really make the dark cherry pieces stick out. I'm not in love with this quilt, but I think it's not half bad.<br />
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Now, for the part I've been dreading: A recap of the year's goals and the progress thereof. Here are the goals I listed for 2011 and the progress made:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Continue reading serious books - there is so much to learn! <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Yes! I did this.</span></li>
<li>Read up on and attend some meetings regarding the drain commission and its work.* <span style="color: #990000;">No, I did none of this.</span></li>
<li>Get good at spinning with the spindle, smoothing out the yarn and making it thinner. <span style="color: #990000;">No, I have simply not spent the time with this that I really do want to spend.</span></li>
<li>Be a gracious volunteer coordinator for the guild's weekend of workshops at the end of July. <span style="color: #38761d;">Yes, I did this and had a lot of fun doing it and have told the powers that be I will not continue as volunteer coordinator after the 2012 guild quilt show.</span></li>
<li>Do not volunteer to make soul-sucking quilts - if they hurt to make, maybe they shouldn't be made. <span style="color: #38761d;">Yes, I held to this. I did spend a couple of afternoons with annoying projects for door prizes for the guild's weekend of workshops, but that's part of being a community member.</span></li>
<li>Finish the Cone Nebula quilt. <span style="color: #38761d;">Yes</span></li>
<li>Play with screen printing and other techniques. <span style="color: #38761d;">Yes, but not as much as I would have liked.</span></li>
<li>Finish the Every Way Wrap and make other fun-to-knit projects<span style="color: #38761d;"> Of course!</span></li>
<li>Post here at least twice a week - Wednesdays and Saturdays <span style="color: #990000;">Umm, no. Sorry </span></li>
</ol>
Here are my goals for 2012:<br />
<ol>
<li>Read books that are not "assigned" by book clubs.</li>
<li>Get back to posting here on Wednesdays - What I'm Reading</li>
<li>Pick a community service project and stick with it - will I continue on the condo association board or not? If not, what will I do instead?</li>
<li>Schedule an evening a week at the spinning wheel (and/or with the spindle).</li>
<li>Make the two "art" quilts I have in my brain. They've been locked up there for too long.</li>
<li>Make the socks I've been promising myself since August. I keep letting other projects get in the way.</li>
<li>Make a wonderful quilt for my nephew and his sweet wife.</li>
<li>Have a lot of fun with my volunteer projects for the quilt guild - running the fabric sale and serving as volunteer coordinator for the quilt show. </li>
<li>Finish the rag rug I started in <a href="http://www.ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2010/11/work-in-progress-wednesday-15.html">November, 2010.</a>...</li>
</ol>
Oh, the rag rug! My small sewing group gets together during the holiday week, and this is what I worked on during small group day this year.<br />
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That's all for now. I need to go read so that I have something to blog about on Wednesday. Thank you for your patience.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-4167399702795226932011-12-18T18:00:00.002-05:002011-12-18T18:00:37.211-05:00Holiday Knitting (cont.)Another week, and I have another cowl done. This is the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEw11/KSPATTdiversify.php">Diversify</a> cowl. The main reasons I picked this pattern were that it was just right for the small skein I had of lettuce green yarn and it looked easy. Well, I was right about one of those. I was an inch into this project before I started feeling as though the pattern made any sense or I could actually see the pattern emerging from the tangle of yarn. Once I figured out what was going on, the pattern became easy, and I like the end result. Here's what it looks like unblocked (it's soaking right now).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wVADa_IHbwMgzGJjOw5NeUazVKO2Iuvr_V3S_fZ4j_k30EamsaJArkpu0r5TaAewcTCqru4cc154XgwKwLpFGhuhsyrTrCmA5OTDIUQHq_4vsCBjTsInV-Tu2zK_PiVQ0YtGeKFoWXA/s1600/Diversity_cowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wVADa_IHbwMgzGJjOw5NeUazVKO2Iuvr_V3S_fZ4j_k30EamsaJArkpu0r5TaAewcTCqru4cc154XgwKwLpFGhuhsyrTrCmA5OTDIUQHq_4vsCBjTsInV-Tu2zK_PiVQ0YtGeKFoWXA/s320/Diversity_cowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Whew! The yarn is the same 50% silk/50% merino blend that I used for the Duet cowls. I LOVE this yarn. Once I get the gift knitting done, I've got a couple of skeins of this yarn in bright pink with which I'm going to knit the <a href="http://www.thegartergirl.com/2009/12/04/free-knitting-pattern-burberry-inspired-cowl-neck-scarf/">Burberry-inspired cowl</a> for myself.<br />
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Here is the cute cat (or, gee, why am I not making more progress with my knitting this afternoon) picture of the week.<br />
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(He's got my right hand, and my left hand is holding the cellphone somewhat shakily.) What a sweet fellow! <br />
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I hope everyone out there has a nice holiday.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-37622703586651113802011-12-11T16:48:00.001-05:002011-12-11T17:23:29.368-05:00Hearing the Holiday Train Roaring Down the TrackThis past week, I had to set aside the crafting and focus on getting ready for this week's book club meetings. Yes. On Tuesday evening, I have book club meetings 5:30-7 and 7-8:30. Of course, just to make things even more interesting, I'm leading the discussion in the second group. Fortunately, the members of the first book club were willing to meet in a restaurant just two blocks from where the second group is meeting.<br />
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The first club will be discussing Steven Johnson's <a href="http://www.theghostmap.com/">The Ghost Map</a>, about the 1854 cholera epidemic in London that helped establish the science of epidemiology. This is a really good 200-page book filled with sociology, biology, politics, geography, etc. Unfortunately, the book is buried inside a 250-page book. I recommend this book with the caveat that one be prepared to simply skip several pages at a time in a couple of places. I am looking forward to seeing what my fellow clubbers have to say about this book.<br />
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The second club will be discussing <a href="http://www.catholicworker.org/dorothyday/index.cfm">Dorothy Day</a>'s 1952 autobiography, <u>The Long Loneliness</u>. This is a woman who lived one of the richest lives of the 20th century. As a teenager, she was jailed as a hunger-striking suffragette during the final years of the <a href="http://www.rochester.edu/sba/suffragehistory.html">women's suffrage movement</a>. She worked as a journalist, getting published in an assortment of Socialist, labor, and Catholic magazines and newspapers. In her long life, she wrote books of reflections, novels, and plays. In her late 20s, upon the birth of her daughter, she left her common-law husband and became a Catholic. A few years later in the mid-1930s, in the depth of the Depression, she co-founded the Catholic Worker movement that, 30 years after her death, is still thriving with more than 230 houses of hospitality located across this country and in many others as well. I have long considered her a challenging voice in the Church and someone who makes me very uneasy. This book very much comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. She sees the world very much as a place that can be fixed and must be fixed now. I read somewhere that someone said to her once, "Someday, you'll be canonized a saint." She is said to have snapped, "I wouldn't want to be dismissed so easily." I could hear that voice crackling through this book, and I am looking forward to reading more by her, I think.....<br />
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Having finished that book, I turned my attention back to the Christmas knitting, and this afternoon I finished #5, the <a href="https://fiddleknits.com/Impressionist_Cowl.html">Impressionist Cowl</a>, using Malabrigo Rios yarn in the colorway Indiecita (yarn that I purchased at the <a href="http://national.citysearch.com/profile/34666254/ann_arbor_mi/busy_hands.html?publisher=ask&placement=web&reference_id=1">Busy Hands</a> shop in Ann Arbor). Here it is before blocking.<br />
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This morning at the coffee shop after church, I laid out all five of the cowls (this one was still on the needles), and the gals looking at them gasped at this one. "Oh, Liz! This is the one they'll fight over!" I just love the stitch pattern and how it plays with the variegated colors.<br />
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Finally, here is the cat picture of the week. Last evening, Hubby said, "Oh, look at the Big Guy!" and we both started taking pictures of our dog-like tomcat. He's 16-and-a-half years old. As far as I'm concerned, he can strike any pose he wants.<br />
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Time to go cast on cowl #6! Have a great week!Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-21944200176073719932011-12-04T17:57:00.001-05:002011-12-04T18:48:40.826-05:00Fruit Salad Quilt and morePart of my morning, easing-into-the-workday routine is reading Melody Johnson's blog, <a href="http://fibermania.blogspot.com/">Fibermania</a>. (Gee, I hope my boss looks at context here....) The big danger here is that she frequently has posts that make me crazy all day to just get home and DO something. One of those posts happened on Thursday where she reminded us about <a href="http://fibermania.blogspot.com/2009/11/dyeing-wool-yarn-in-30-minutes-or-less.html">this tutorial</a> for dyeing wool in the microwave. It so happened I had some Cascade 220 wool yarn I'd bought from <a href="http://www.dharmatrading.com/">Dharma Trading</a> a few weeks ago. I was going to be home alone that evening, so after making sure I had food coloring in the kitchen, I sent a text message to the sister (who has a fabulous <a href="http://image33-photography.blogspot.com/">new blog</a> you really should check out) and asked her what color I should do. We agreed on a deep jewel-toned purple. The results that evening were not wonderful (sorry about the blurry photo):<br />
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On the way home from work on Friday, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up more food coloring, and I overdyed the yarn:<br />
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I did a quick hunt on Ravelry this afternoon and found <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/molly-stark-scarf">the perfect pattern</a>. It's elegant, practical, and will look FABulous in this deep color.<br />
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Earlier in the week, I finished the Scrunchable cowl.<br />
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I love it! I hope the recipient does, too. I then cast on the next cowl using some yarn I had spun. Lots of bright colors, and they're all muddying together, and I think I may just give up on it. Last evening, I cast on another cowl using the leftover dark teal yarn from <a href="http://ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/08/completed-projects.html">the sweater</a> I finished in the summer. I promise pictures next week.<br />
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This afternoon, I got a good start on the Fruit Salad quilt. Here are the fabrics cut so far:<br />
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I was really nervous about how these fabrics would play with each other - whether they were too close together in value, tone, etc. However, as I was selecting fabric, I really focused on the scale of the print and tried to get a range of values. As I look at this picture, I see some darks - the cherries in the strip and the jalapenos in the diamonds, some mediums - most of the rest, and some lights - the white fabric with the red and green splotches. Last week, I thought the leaf fabric in the picture below would be background fabric:<br />
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I decided against it because there just would not be enough contrast. I do think there'll be places for all five of these fabrics in this quilt, and I'm looking forward to finding those places as I go along. In case you haven't noticed, I dearly love fabrics with fruits and vegetables. I don't know why, but they make me smile. The top picture has peas in the pod, pineapples, cherries (times two!), citrus fruits, jalapeno peppers, and apples. Also, the selvedge on the edge of the white fabric informs us that name of the fabric is Peas and Carrots! I love it! (The orangey-red fabric in the first picture has turtles on it - not in the theme, but the color is SO right.)<br />
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Speaking of SO right, here are a couple of guy pictures. The first one has a ticked-off cat who has just been shoved off a lap (because he'd been biting!) and wanted assert his authority over the woman who had just jilted him.<br />
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The next picture is of someone showing excellent taste, lounging on one quilt and in front of another.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have a good week, folks! Go forth and create!Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-60034977203229202772011-11-27T17:58:00.001-05:002011-11-27T18:42:55.433-05:00Fruit Salad Quilt - Part 1About a month ago, I introduced you to a <a href="http://ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/10/projects-projects-everywhere.html">jumper from 1984</a>. <span id="goog_1503956270"></span><span id="goog_1503956271"></span>I thought at first I was going to rework the entire garment into a new one, but when I started pulling it apart, I realized that the green fabric had faded and should be folded into the fabric stash. The pink skirt part had some possibilities. So, I cut a big hunk out of the middle of the front and used that fabric as the waistband.<br />
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I also cut up a muslin shirt (one of those projects that seemed like a really good idea at the time but ended up being a one-wearing outfit that then got wadded into the back of the stash). When I trimmed out the front, back, and sleeves, I had enough fabric to serve as a lining.<br />
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I figured that the lining didn't have to be as long as the skirt, and this lining is about knee-length. Last weekend, I put elastic in the back part of the waistband. (I have never done anything like this before; I've always put the elastic all around, but I had noticed that the ready-to-wear skirts I like best have the elastic just in the back.) I sewed the ends of the elastic to bits of muslin and pinned the ends into place at the side seams.<br />
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Then, I sewed the ends down with several lines of stitching, removed the pins, and folded over and sewed down the waistband all around. Sharp-eyed folks will notice that I didn't do a try-on after I had the elastic pinned into place. Shall we just say that the middle of the back of the waistband has been opened twice, the elastic cut and sewed together twice (because certain people don't learn very quickly....)? Since I didn't tamper with the hemming when I was disassembling the jumper, I could go straight to the buttonholes.<br />
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While most people in Washtenaw County were either huddled in front of their televisions or standing in Michigan Stadium living and dying <a href="http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/112611aaa.html">play by play</a>, I was in the sewing room cursing my sewing machine, my inability to read simple directions, the thread I was using, etc. Periodically, I'd dash downstairs to catch the score or watch a replay (because the radio in the sewing room is permanently tuned to the local public radio station, and it's too confusing to be changing stations, that's why) and then dive back into the buttonhole mess. Anyway, I ended up with 14 pretty well spaced buttonholes, and then I attached buttons I had scavenged from a shirt that I had torn up for rags earlier this month. Here's the finished product:<br />
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I like it, it fits nicely, and I have another versatile skirt for the spring and summer.<br />
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I have finished another cowl; this uses the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/braided-vine-cowl">Braided Vines</a> pattern I found on Ravelry. It was pretty quick and easy (while I was working on this, I also made a Duet hat for a lady at church - no pix, sorry).<br />
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With this cowl done, I pulled the next yarn I wanted to work with, a wool/silk blend I got at the Fiber Expo two years ago and decided on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/scrunchable-cowl">Scrunchable</a> cowl pattern from Ravelry. I was hanging out with friends all day on Friday, knitting my little heart out, and I got home to show my husband that I had made about an inch of cowl - I had trouble pulling enough yarn for the long-tail cast on (three tries with the first needles), then I didn't have the gauge right (which I discovered after knitting for two hours), which meant I had to start over, and it took three tries to get the right sized tail for the second set of needles. Then I realized that I still didn't have quite the right gauge, but I also didn't have the next size of needles. So, I did a few judicious decreases (which took me two hours to figure out - okay, dinner was mixed in there), and finally, I really got going, and here's the cowl about half done:<br />
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Isn't that gorgeous? Do you see why I stuck with this yarn and with this pattern? I could totally see myself making this pattern in another color way. There are some gorgeous single-colored cowls showing on Ravelry. <br />
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Do you know that I still think of myself as a quilter? This afternoon, I pulled out that pile of fabrics I had pulled a couple of weeks ago and then did something I very seldom do: Opened a book and looked for a quilt pattern. I like to design my own, but sometimes I just have to let someone else do that work. I opened <a href="http://www.jankrentz.com/index.php">Jan Krentz</a>' <u>Lone Star Quilts and Beyond</u>, found a pattern that I really like - Remembrances - and started sorting fabrics. Here's what I ended up with:<br />
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The lighting isn't very good, but trust me, we have oranges, lemons, apples, cherries, pineapples, peas, and jalapeno peppers. More pictures next week, I promise.<br /><br />
Finally, a new cat has been seen in the fabric hutch:<br />
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I have not seen a conflict between Little Bit (whose domain this has been) and the Princess interloper, but I am curious about how the timing works. Is it that Little Bit (who doesn't stay in the hutch when I'm in the sewing room) simply cedes the space to Princess when I'm in the room? hmmmLiz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-21039390088207178912011-11-13T18:06:00.001-05:002011-11-13T18:32:38.073-05:00Eleanor Cowl - done!Just a quick post here. I finished knitting the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTeleanor.php">Eleanor</a> cowl and blocked it.<br />
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Isn't that a beautiful lace pattern? I am so pleased with it, and I hope that the niece who gets it loves it, too. I didn't have much yarn left over, in fact, I actually didn't knit the last four rows of the pattern.<br />
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The little red threads on the yarn is where I was measuring half yards to see how much I had left. This morning at the coffee shop with friends after church, I mattress-stitched the sides together and realized in the middle of the process that the top row (the bind-off row) was tight. Ooops. I tried telling myself it didn't matter, but I knew that the tight top row would keep the piece from being comfortable to put on or wear.<br />
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When I got home, I poked through my knitting bag and found the Knitty article about the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss11/FEATinterlock.php">Interlock Bindoff</a> that I had put aside for a day like this. The technique is well explained, beautifully illustrated, and easy to learn. The resulting top row is very stretchy and easy to wear. Here's the finished product:<br />
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In another part of my life, I attended a prayer vigil last Friday evening to help show support for a member of my parish who is facing deportation. I would ask anyone reading this to please look at this <a href="http://action.dreamactivist.org/lourdes">website</a> and please consider signing the online petition and calling one of the numbers listed, asking that this mother of three American citizens be allowed to stay in this country. The bishop of the Catholic diocese of Lansing has written a letter to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency supporting Lourdes' petition. There are some terrible injustices going on in our society that are ruining the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Writing this paragraph is such a tiny thing to do, but if enough of us "ordinary" people speak up, maybe we can start fixing these problems.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-83337598790414037952011-11-06T19:15:00.003-05:002011-11-06T19:15:53.895-05:00Vines and Eleanor and Jumper and Duets, Oh My!Hello, everyone! This week, I shipped off the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTduet.php">Duet</a> hats/cowls to my mother-in-law, but not before I took a picture:<br />
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Aren't they pretty? Yeah, I added little tassels to the ends of the I-cord on the pink hat. I thought it added a cute touch. With those done, I was able to turn to the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTeleanor.php">Eleanor cowl</a> and make some serious progress:<br />
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The yarn is so soft that I'm not minding the fact that I have to concentrate hard and count constantly - this is NOT company knitting. With that in mind, last evening, I cast on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/braided-vine-cowl">Braided Vines</a> cowl and was able to keep up my end of the conversation at the coffee shop this morning.<br />
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Yes, I am aware that my next yarn purchase should be on the green/yellow/orange side of the color wheel. I so hope that my nieces like these darling little neckwarmers!<br />
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This afternoon, as I was ripping apart the jumper that I showed last week, I realized that the skirt of the jumper was in pretty good shape and, with a lining and a waistband, would get me a nice spring/summer skirt. There was so much excess fabric in the skirt that I'll be able to have a button-front skirt and use the excess fabric for the waistband.<br />
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I was able to pull out some appropriate lining fabric from the stash, so I'll be working on the rehabbed skirt over the next couple of weeks.<br />
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In between the various projects, I have read a couple of books recently. This weekend I finished <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/">Stephanie Pearl-McPhee</a>'s <u>All Wound Up</u>, which I purchased at <a href="http://www.nicolasbooks.com/">my local bookshop</a> (at Stephanie's request on her blog). Just remember, if we don't support them, they'll go away. Back to the book: knitting humor is a pretty narrow part of the humor spectrum, but Stephanie mines it well. There is an incident in the book that had me standing outside Hubby's office (while waiting for him to finish for the day) and chuckling, chortling, giggling, etc. He looked askance when I announced that the drive home would include a dramatic reading. I was less than a page into the story when he let loose with the first chuckle. We were nearly home by the time I finished the story, and we were both laughing so hard that I think it may have counted as distracted driving.<br />
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The book I read before that was a book I happened to scoop up on my last dash through the dying Borders Book Store, <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/24/entertainment/la-et-book-20101224">The English is Coming</a> by Leslie Dunton-Downer. This is an entertaining look at the history of the English language, the current state of it as a global language, and some speculation about its future directions. I find myself hearing the language differently and paying attention to how the folks around me (many of whom speak it as a second or third language) speak it.<br />
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Now, for the cute kitty pictures of the week. First, I decided to reorganize my bureau, and a certain Brat Cat got curious about an empty drawer.<br />
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In the afternoon, as I was knitting along, a flag floated by<br />
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and a few minutes later Baby Boy was looking for attention:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tell me you would have kept on knitting and not have given some serious cuddles....<br /><br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-18325342888153981262011-10-30T18:12:00.000-04:002011-10-30T18:12:33.132-04:00Projects, Projects Everywhere!Last Sunday, I tried working on the second Christmas cowl while engaged in a round of conversations. That evening, I had to tink (that's knit spelled backwards) the three rows I'd done that morning. So, I wisely started a new project that was suitable for the Tuesday evening book club meeting - the blue hat for my mother-in-law. Here's how far I got:<br />
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With all of the baseball later in the week, I got a lot done on the cowl, which is the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTeleanor.php">Eleanor</a> pattern. I even took some time on Saturday while listening to a couple of knitting podcasts (<a href="http://sticksandstring.com.au/">Sticks and String</a> - he's back!! - and the <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/cfBlog/author.cfm/Knit%20Picks%20Podcast?intmedid=FootBar+Podcast">Knitpicks</a> podcast). Here's how far I got:<br />
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As I knit, I think. One of the things I think about is all of the things I'm not doing, that I've done, that I want to do soon. Some of that thinking led me to look hard at the top of the pink hat I'd made for MIL, and I had to admit that there is something wrong:<br />
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If she is losing her hair, her scalp is probably a bit tender, and that ribbon looks and feels quite rigid. So, last evening, I started knitting an I-cord to replace the ribbon. The story in the instructions I found was that the great Elizabeth Zimmerman said that it's so easy to make that the "I" should stand for "idiot." I worked on this cord for half of the USC-Stanford football game last night and only got this far:<br />
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For the sake of sanity, I think I have to turn this into car knitting (while Hubby is driving, of course). I think I have to make it twice as long as it is. I may lose my mind from boredom before this is done. On the other hand, it's going to make a much softer drawstring, and I do love my darling MIL.<br />
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Speaking of sports, there is a number that is dear to the hearts of many people in Michigan. That number is 35 and 5; that number conjures up the magical season of 1984 that the Detroit Tigers baseball team had and the win-loss number for the first 40 games of that season. I spent a couple of weeks that spring listening to ball games on the radio and working on a new dress:<br />
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Yeah. I actually wore this out in public and was quite proud of it. I have had it in the sewing room for several months with the idea of reworking it into another garment. This afternoon, I measured the green fabric to see just how much I have. Umm..... two-and-a-half yards. So, for a second week in a row, I am knocking another UFO off the list. The fabric has faded a bit, and I will do some seam ripping and reduce this dress to stash fabric.<br />
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Finally, I gave myself a real treat this afternoon. I live a few blocks from Highland Cemetery here in Ypsilanti, and <a href="http://www.ypsilantihistoricalsociety.org/store/index.html">local historian James Mann</a> conducts walking tours of the cemetery a couple of times a year. This afternoon, I walked over and took the tour and learned all sorts of cool things about this town and the people who have inhabited it over the years. I did this instead of hanging out in the sewing room, and I consider it time well spent. Here is a view within the cemetery.<br />
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Finally, here is the cute kitty picture of the week. Little Bit was sitting up on the landing on Friday afternoon just looking darling (little knowing that a trip to the vet, complete with shots, would be part of her Saturday!).<br />
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If you are a new reader, thank you for stopping by. This blog isn't about anything much of importance. If you want politics, I mention the subject generally only in passing. Reading through past posts would probably tell you my basic stance. If you want religion, well, you'll probably be able to figure that out, too. I am who I am, but I don't expect anyone else to be me (one of me is more than enough). If you want intimate family information (including the real names of my cats or family members or friends), well, you won't find it here. This blog is about stuff I do in my spare time, and it's turned into a good record for me of projects I've done and started and mean to do some day. I like to point people toward resources that have worked well for me. Maybe they'll help you, too. Cheers!Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-76750001566379791672011-10-23T18:56:00.000-04:002011-10-24T08:17:30.843-04:00UFO WeekendLet's start with a finished project. Here is the first hat for my mother in law (I'm going to make the same hat in a cobalt blue):<br />
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Now, for the UFOs (that's UnFinished Objects, folks). A year ago in the summer, I cut out the fabric for three blouses from the same pattern. For various reasons at the time, I only finished one of the <a href="http://ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2010/06/finished-objects-friday.html">blouses</a>. Today, I pulled out the other two and made the following observations:<br />
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Hospital gown!! (Also known as new additions to the blue fabric shelf!)<br />
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Yep! That fabric is awfully sheer! (a.k.a. new additions to the yellow fabric shelf!)<br />
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Cool! In about 10 minutes, I cleared two long-term UFOs! With that done, I opened another box of UFOs, and pulled out some fabric and a skirt pattern. I had only half the amount of each fabric for the skirt pattern in question. On the other hand, I liked the way they looked together, so I laid them on the table and started pulling coordinating fabrics. I started with the bright green-leaved fabric and the white fabric with bright red and bright yellow splotches.<br />
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I don't know what this will be, but I really like these fabrics together. In looking at this photo, I will need to add in a really dark fabric, and when I return to the sewing room, I'll be looking through my reds. So, this is a brand-new UFO, but a fun one.<br />
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Speaking of new UFOs, I went to the <a href="http://www.fiberexpo.com/page/page/4831882.htm">Fiber Expo</a> at the Washtenaw County fairgrounds on Saturday. I really debated with myself about whether or not to go. Quite frankly, I've got a pretty deep queue. It is now deeper. Let me show you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIrS_5zyMZV0pjBaXe9mpvhUoBgByvYch7JICkow3k4zL-elD877my0waT1KibbxqfiI6t_5dLyKI-EI4hSVkv97iNC4jD1h9FqIjB1RIRuEq3xran-8u4LfaTXT8CHDDqqS93zN2L6E/s1600/silk+roving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIrS_5zyMZV0pjBaXe9mpvhUoBgByvYch7JICkow3k4zL-elD877my0waT1KibbxqfiI6t_5dLyKI-EI4hSVkv97iNC4jD1h9FqIjB1RIRuEq3xran-8u4LfaTXT8CHDDqqS93zN2L6E/s320/silk+roving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This was my first purchase - please: pink and yellow - me resist? The people in the <a href="http://www.viaverdefarm.com/">Via Verde</a> Farm booth were really nice, and they answered my questions about how to spin this. Their advice led me to the <a href="http://www.sistermaide.com/">Sistermaide</a> booth where I got this tiny lightweight spindle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUCh57Ov-rA2mBs-IIA7q7CqMLxyGhOKgmXzKIyL70Wot6xwr77DRq_ofIAa-aF0IrCR5kMe9XsmdAogkxLS4RnnUF80zBJ8MTVwDz-wWs4AMhu0kzeynDcdO9RiADP_tCRTn3wvnRIc/s1600/spindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUCh57Ov-rA2mBs-IIA7q7CqMLxyGhOKgmXzKIyL70Wot6xwr77DRq_ofIAa-aF0IrCR5kMe9XsmdAogkxLS4RnnUF80zBJ8MTVwDz-wWs4AMhu0kzeynDcdO9RiADP_tCRTn3wvnRIc/s320/spindle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
That booth was right next to the <a href="http://www.cormo24-7.blogspot.com/">Cormo24-7</a> booth where this batt just called my name:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOPytXsrp7y4xQ8GRRsbpibp8UR81Wio7rjU4bfeZ8PGIqQPIOEm105Ydfw8QOgYZKHd0zL83F0A7P3bzhorTT6ZjRRtq9sg4vI7WeL1vQ6M1tqu8CW6ugMXM4_gHSj_oeQfNx_zaClI/s1600/Cormo+batt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOPytXsrp7y4xQ8GRRsbpibp8UR81Wio7rjU4bfeZ8PGIqQPIOEm105Ydfw8QOgYZKHd0zL83F0A7P3bzhorTT6ZjRRtq9sg4vI7WeL1vQ6M1tqu8CW6ugMXM4_gHSj_oeQfNx_zaClI/s320/Cormo+batt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Way out in the farthest building of the expo, I wandered into the <a href="http://fiberaddiction.com/default.aspx">(RuLe OuT): fIBer AdDicTiOn, NOS</a> booth where Emily was very charming and gave me some encouragement. Of course, she encouraged me into buying some of her luscious roving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V8WfSN-617R2pIoKtLZ8UxRd26x8LauEAQ8D1cjy0wqGsNLoc5v250wP-zf4SWTuusEhypq_hj9VfYfE9t_7LRAFNLRl5H_u_Yrcdb-vO3Qdn9BnZY6b0BpW9cxknD3D_RM5ygGvn8A/s1600/roving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V8WfSN-617R2pIoKtLZ8UxRd26x8LauEAQ8D1cjy0wqGsNLoc5v250wP-zf4SWTuusEhypq_hj9VfYfE9t_7LRAFNLRl5H_u_Yrcdb-vO3Qdn9BnZY6b0BpW9cxknD3D_RM5ygGvn8A/s320/roving.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
I have been really stuck in the spinning area for months because I've been trying to learn the spinning wheel by spinning the same uninteresting fiber over and over, and Emily said, "At some point, you'll realize that even if you get the fiber spun up, you won't like it, so why are you doing this." Hmmm.<br />
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Speaking of fiber I need to spin, I stopped in the booth run by my <a href="http://ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/02/cone-nebula-quilt-snow-and-dyeing.html">wool dyeing teacher</a> from last January, feeling guilty because I haven't yet spun that fiber. So, I bought some yarn from <a href="http://her./">her.</a><span id="goog_336364964"></span><span id="goog_336364965"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZf8P9tkyE9bqLc5QhC3zaZLfpPjeeBm1QI902PVCdWqWWnpGch8Z1dkWORyhCNw87mUkH_ymMyl24j851klN0eCNPgyIhNDStbPeHqUYV25K6u5N8xTwlGk-jHLO0-MoKTzR3rhXYTA/s1600/yarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZf8P9tkyE9bqLc5QhC3zaZLfpPjeeBm1QI902PVCdWqWWnpGch8Z1dkWORyhCNw87mUkH_ymMyl24j851klN0eCNPgyIhNDStbPeHqUYV25K6u5N8xTwlGk-jHLO0-MoKTzR3rhXYTA/s320/yarn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
That skein has 435 yards, so we might be looking at a hat and mittens set. My goal is to turn all of these new purchases into projects before next year's Fiber Expo. We'll see. <br />
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No cute kitty photo this time, sorry.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-59707341310180714132011-10-17T06:29:00.000-04:002011-10-17T06:29:12.281-04:00Cone Nebula - Leftovers 2After a comment from Diana about tumbling blocks and knowing that I did not want to go in that direction (sorry, Diana!), I did some rearranging and worked with the half-square triangles that were also leftover. I will confess that I cut a few more out of leftover fabric because I didn't want this to get too scrappy. Anyway, here was the end of the day:<br />
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This will be the headboard for the bed on which the Cone Nebula quilt will reside. This may get bigger.<br />
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I wanted to mention three movies that I saw this week, two of which I recommend wholeheartedly. The first was <a href="http://www.theway-themovie.com/">The Way</a> with Martin Sheen. It's about the ancient pilgrimage route through the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, and a handful of people who decide to walk it. This is a movie that could have devolved into sentimentality, stereotypes, and preaching. Instead, we get a movie full of well-rounded characters (people we meet for only a couple of scenes are richly characterized), gorgeous scenery, and a lot of important questions. Full disclosure: I saw this movie on a free pass, and at the end of the movie, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, and the producer came out on stage and took questions. This was a totally cool evening, but Hubby and I fully intend to see the movie again in the theater. It is that good.<br />
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Next up is <a href="http://www.ask.com/wiki/As_It_Is_in_Heaven">As it is in Heaven</a>, a 2004 movie out of Sweden. I saw this subtitled movie on a rental from Netflix. It concerns a well-known conductor who falls ill and returns to his hometown, where he takes on directing a small choral group. Again, this is a richly drawn movie full of memorable characters trying to find their way to wholeness. When I finished watching the movie, I say, "Yeah, whatever." The next day, however, the various bits of the story started coming back, and I found myself drawn into the lives of the people and wanting to know more about them. In other words, this is a movie that got into my head. If you want to understand some of it, see the <a href="http://lyricstranslate.com/en/gabriellas-sang-gabriellas-song.html">lyrics</a> for the big song that the group sings.<br />
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The final movie I'm not sure I can recommend as unreservedly as I can the first two, but it's an interesting character study of a young man struggling with some big issues. <a href="http://idesofmarch-movie.com/">The Ides of March</a> concerns a political operative learning his trade. It asks a lot of interesting questions, and it answers them in uncomfortable ways. If you like political movies and movies that leave you feeling a bit unsettled, this would be worth seeing.<br />
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Now, to pivot again, I have been knitting. First off, <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/KSPATTburningembers.php">Burning Embers</a> is the first of the cowls I'm making for Christmas presents. The model is a bottle of cleaning liquid covered with an old shirt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkg6gcgTP_FHRRXzmaMmMkFd-GDVbirs-nncu2E8y7iDyKVMDxjV4XSPo94GpzGjX4wMEbeBxffejVmcbt4HHDKd5jp5qpDjRJLwnHINSrtTUcS2RJfsOlFCaq5YTFiFyvV1HWJW0nRk/s1600/burning+embers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkg6gcgTP_FHRRXzmaMmMkFd-GDVbirs-nncu2E8y7iDyKVMDxjV4XSPo94GpzGjX4wMEbeBxffejVmcbt4HHDKd5jp5qpDjRJLwnHINSrtTUcS2RJfsOlFCaq5YTFiFyvV1HWJW0nRk/s320/burning+embers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This knit up quickly, and I'm getting really good at reading charts. It's so much easier than worded directions.<br />
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When I finished this, I started <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTduet.php">Duet</a> for my mother-in-law, who is dealing with cancer and losing her hair. I'll be running some ribbon through the top so that she can wear it as a hat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZaloQHwowbsVFv9PQ1zmEKp4BR0ErWNs__ilLnTd222oCMlrOWyNaHV2ppIRBKG_j-SdAb144pK4x1n1OE9SclReG6jwCppGkjYX64RrRQe4h2LNQ9tEyDidFxTS8NVuV-sPPT3yjjQ/s1600/duet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZaloQHwowbsVFv9PQ1zmEKp4BR0ErWNs__ilLnTd222oCMlrOWyNaHV2ppIRBKG_j-SdAb144pK4x1n1OE9SclReG6jwCppGkjYX64RrRQe4h2LNQ9tEyDidFxTS8NVuV-sPPT3yjjQ/s320/duet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This is also a well-written pattern with an easy-to-read chart.<br />
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Finally, the cute kitty shot is of the Guys, awakened from naps because of some crazy lady with a camera.<br />
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That's all for this week!<br />
<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-30644543022026639612011-10-10T06:53:00.000-04:002011-10-10T06:53:08.649-04:00Cone Nebula - LeftoversIn the back of my mind, I have been wondering what to do with the leftovers from the Cone Nebula quilt. As you see, I have these triangles that I cut but didn't need:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNLwU9VYl8TxnbJ4kNef2cUb-kdFnasEd56EMxmTqDtFGvJbrQtvHKDekTZBQkcXkkssAnCfd-f9oKSKFLk2vqmbx7dQivz3Ivy7nd3QClklM74yFcyRMTb8zo5sQue1F7QhfX6BrG6U/s1600/leftovers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNLwU9VYl8TxnbJ4kNef2cUb-kdFnasEd56EMxmTqDtFGvJbrQtvHKDekTZBQkcXkkssAnCfd-f9oKSKFLk2vqmbx7dQivz3Ivy7nd3QClklM74yFcyRMTb8zo5sQue1F7QhfX6BrG6U/s320/leftovers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On Friday, I got one of the periodic updates that <a href="http://www.jankrentz.com/weblog/">Jan Krentz</a> sends out, and as I was poking around in her blog, I saw <a href="http://www.jankrentz.com/weblog/?p=1452">this</a> entry. Go look at that link. Do you see what I see? Well, what about <a href="http://www.jankrentz.com/weblog/?p=1429">this</a>? Well, on Sunday, I tried this<br />
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and this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAgxeDsQxFzGvw6bPxgGEta7LWy6sQCcxa0oLajcP5MVjD39k53u8VIynxAoQ6W7UZ25Z0ZtawX3KFqj31xhOsidGx2TWUTR-QUI6IR54FNs0jDQVUiwsRl-xx3-VDYVv8XtCH3jnIiw/s1600/barred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAgxeDsQxFzGvw6bPxgGEta7LWy6sQCcxa0oLajcP5MVjD39k53u8VIynxAoQ6W7UZ25Z0ZtawX3KFqj31xhOsidGx2TWUTR-QUI6IR54FNs0jDQVUiwsRl-xx3-VDYVv8XtCH3jnIiw/s320/barred.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN0DERZUH1wWcB2qgCxrnAv5qUX0s-VXX275YJVnM51Kh-t2Yqb4xpMGEex43J3BtzL7-UcIsWuTCc0IeaR6jS44arZVsv6EgBASRPSHg1zcBdX0cuoctAAhX7JrUCLnbJZb0BZOMKqw/s1600/barred-colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN0DERZUH1wWcB2qgCxrnAv5qUX0s-VXX275YJVnM51Kh-t2Yqb4xpMGEex43J3BtzL7-UcIsWuTCc0IeaR6jS44arZVsv6EgBASRPSHg1zcBdX0cuoctAAhX7JrUCLnbJZb0BZOMKqw/s320/barred-colors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and suddenly saw where I wanted to go. I sewed together the isoceles triangles at their bases, pressed them open, and sewed them together side to side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJKAlk1_Ih7iaBi-GtyAW4DWGxc02YoyvzrLlycKg8gEYJC7ZVVlbWClPJDpdiVBNK5-4btpa_-M8800ACCCIUiKE1di_eClFlFsAjGnyukMGOjVkXDfT5yceYHi41zvLUyqcWxKq8p0/s1600/process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJKAlk1_Ih7iaBi-GtyAW4DWGxc02YoyvzrLlycKg8gEYJC7ZVVlbWClPJDpdiVBNK5-4btpa_-M8800ACCCIUiKE1di_eClFlFsAjGnyukMGOjVkXDfT5yceYHi41zvLUyqcWxKq8p0/s320/process.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and ended up with these:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTfTaJPj0R829cRLskTZAp-3OlgcHa7vCYDZsBqbO3LQ2c2g_5vfwZiedSs1xDrEJtsAxzGbE-SfmahuDvYDKpFQ2LOSm3czhm0vSSxWZ_gPbMbFnJIR1A8S27FuuBjWUiHeNDlupTAg/s1600/diamonds+together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTfTaJPj0R829cRLskTZAp-3OlgcHa7vCYDZsBqbO3LQ2c2g_5vfwZiedSs1xDrEJtsAxzGbE-SfmahuDvYDKpFQ2LOSm3czhm0vSSxWZ_gPbMbFnJIR1A8S27FuuBjWUiHeNDlupTAg/s320/diamonds+together.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>
Now, I'm thinking that if I flip these on their side:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMn_LogH6A34G9l7tp_-_OoX50cgzp-EaFP-vWkmf-YGOND2Dv4thBKa7PCqkNaYTiFLrH9COYU5L_d1l3l3cyWkDejnvuNqze_TsJFcNK62N9iIDn40ZiU71TKK55wN6XEROeOHOFSlM/s1600/diamonds+together1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMn_LogH6A34G9l7tp_-_OoX50cgzp-EaFP-vWkmf-YGOND2Dv4thBKa7PCqkNaYTiFLrH9COYU5L_d1l3l3cyWkDejnvuNqze_TsJFcNK62N9iIDn40ZiU71TKK55wN6XEROeOHOFSlM/s320/diamonds+together1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(and switch one of the flowered pieces with one of the bright green pieces), I have the start for a headboard for the bed on which the Cone Nebula will lie. Thank you, Jan!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-83737513294327804912011-10-02T15:39:00.001-04:002011-10-02T15:54:51.360-04:00Reading RoundupI think I last wrote about books in April?! Oh, my. When I was in college, one of my professors talked about his goal of reading a book a week. I have probably averaged something close to that over my life - but that includes a lot of junk reading. Rather than talk about all of the books I've read over the last few months, I'll mention the ones that I really want to recommend.<br />
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First up is <a href="http://www.patconroy.com/">Pat Conroy</a>'s <u>South of Broad</u>. I would say this about the guy: you either love his books or you hate them, but either way you're passionate about them. Conroy writes about violence - physical, emotional, verbal - and he writes about it from the perspective of someone who has survived a lot of it. I remember reading <u>The Prince of Tides</u> and thinking that I would never have to write about my father because Conroy already had. Let me clarify that: my father was not as violent or as deeply contorted as the father in that novel, but so much of the basic bent of the father was familiar to me, and the ways in which the various characters in the novel responded to the father showed me different ways of moving forward in my life. Each time I read a Conroy novel, I encounter a different way of coping and understand more about how adults keep from giving in to the darkness within.<br />
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<u>South of Broad</u> is very much about adults trying to live integrated lives despite difficult beginnings and tough times. I read the novel in a long caffeine-fueled weekend, and then kept going back to various sections and re-reading for the sheer pleasure of it all. The scene depicting the conclusion of the high school championship game contains one of the most beautifully written paragraphs I have ever read in my life. When my book club got together, I insisted on reading that paragraph out loud just to hear the melodious language. Sigh!!<br />
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My parish started a book club this summer, and the first book up was <a href="http://www.henrinouwen.org/">Henri Nouwen</a>'s <u>The Return of the Prodigal Son</u>, a meditation on Rembrandt's painting and the biblical parable. This is a little short book that looks as though it would be a quick read. There is so much deep thought on each page that it took me a week to get through its 140 pages. I kept stopping, walking around, and thinking through what I had read. If your spiritual life needs a bump-up, this would not be a bad place to start.<br />
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The next book on the parish's book club list is <a href="http://www.merton.org/">Thomas Merton</a>'s <u>The Seven Storey Mountain</u>. I read this book the first time in my mid-20s, and it was one of the things that pushed me into really looking into religious life. At our discussion the other evening about the first half of the book (we're reading the second half for the end of October), the discussion leader told us that this book, published in the late 1940s, propelled thousands of young Catholics into seminaries, convents, and monasteries. It is the story of a young man born to a pair of artists, who both died young. He grew up on Long Island, in the south of France, and in England. He was mentored by various relatives and family friends. One is struck by how very ordinary he is, despite the extraordinary circumstances of his life. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book.<br />
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In between these various books, I read <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/author/834/karen-armstrong">Karen Armstrong</a>'s <u>A History of God</u>: <u>The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam</u>. A good friend has been urging me for several years to read this book, and, oh, my gosh! What a great book this is! This is not a casual read, even though I ended up putting myself on a 40-page-a-day schedule for 10 days. I decided to treat it as assigned reading for a class. This may have been a mistake, but I'm a pretty monogamous reader - one book at a time - so I dangled a Ruth Rendell mystery novel on a stick at the back of the Armstrong book and kept working toward my reward.<br />
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Armstrong's 400-page book is well written, densely packed with information, explanations, and cross-references, and has a powerful narrative structure that sweeps the reader along. She shows us what is going on in the Fertile Crescent, pulling in concurrent events in the Indian subcontinent as appropriate, moving the centers of the various dramas to the north and west as the story goes along. The book is structured along a pretty rigid historical timeline - that is, she treats the issues of the seventh century CE in each of the major traditions within a chapter or two of each other, with none of the three main story lines getting too far ahead.<br />
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As far as I can tell, she is scrupulously fair to the traditions and the issues raised. I've done a fair amount of reading and study elsewhere around the issues related to the church councils of Nicaea, Ephesus, and Chalcedon; her descriptions of those issues, setting of the historical framework, and demonstrations of the consequences of the various actions rang true with what I have learned elsewhere. This helped me trust the rest of her narrative. The book has been out for nearly 20 years, but it feels fresh and relevant in setting the various traditions within their cultural and historical contexts.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I was talking about the book with one of the priests at my parish and I told him, "There's no way I could have handled this book in my 30s. I needed to get the perspective of my 40s in order to see the broader picture." This is the man to whom I went a year ago in the summer and said, "I'm not sure how much longer I can remain a Catholic." His response was that I should continue to move in the directions that give me life and perhaps give myself some space in which to not know the answers. As I read this book I realized that every question I've had about various doctrines and every odd idea I've ever had has been asked or spoken aloud by other people. Armstrong dissects the various arguments within the traditions, shows the positions held by folks on each side, and shows how the issues played out over time. When I reached the end of the book, I understood that my own tradition is based on a whole series of consensus positions around which people have coalesced. I have long appreciated the fact that in Catholicism there are few black-white / right-wrong positions. There's an endless series of "you may be right" statements. Armstrong's book very much reflects this understanding.<br />
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If you are looking for a quick and easy read espousing a particular view of the three great monotheistic traditions, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a deeply researched, carefully nuanced, well analyzed description of the major movements, thinkers, and doctrines within the traditions, get this book and read it thoroughly.<br />
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And, now, the cutie picture of the posting - Hubby Dearest wearing his new scarf - he selected the length, approved the yarn and the pattern, and cheered on the making.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroeZggzSlPiAcSHxAquT-REzjqdwHbelg3n2gTqS0S2N_D1hbnVie65ssdUCoAmBY-NyaPHQgqt8TpBHw5r1hXGr7PnAqfhRR6Xhg-Fm_qOAxxv04ZHx7eRe54Wr3AnUnZcoga55PYWY/s1600/Scarf_10-2-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroeZggzSlPiAcSHxAquT-REzjqdwHbelg3n2gTqS0S2N_D1hbnVie65ssdUCoAmBY-NyaPHQgqt8TpBHw5r1hXGr7PnAqfhRR6Xhg-Fm_qOAxxv04ZHx7eRe54Wr3AnUnZcoga55PYWY/s320/Scarf_10-2-11.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-13654796770430392492011-09-26T06:12:00.003-04:002011-09-26T06:12:36.959-04:00Wallhanging RedoFor the past three weekends, I've been bogged down in a project that had one problem after another. If I weren't so stubborn, I think I would have given up on it. In mid-August, I "finished" this project:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBZFMJSGvJtu0v8JxYiCPvvxPNVCDDoCSV9x7WLlbacVxsy30wGNN5qdlJTUHAWneIj6GlSU1OGubtHZUMEpJOM7218q4-TwnhUVWF9Fi7ppx2_aCNhAibb9cpXip8edvnXlGI4WXslQ/s1600/ScreenPrintProject-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBZFMJSGvJtu0v8JxYiCPvvxPNVCDDoCSV9x7WLlbacVxsy30wGNN5qdlJTUHAWneIj6GlSU1OGubtHZUMEpJOM7218q4-TwnhUVWF9Fi7ppx2_aCNhAibb9cpXip8edvnXlGI4WXslQ/s320/ScreenPrintProject-after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Every time I looked at it, though, I hated it more. So while trying to figure out what to do, I stumbled across these leftovers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrIdmSq3VeShezEAfv_IOx4G2-T5u9PouK4PKMkf2SOrF72zbCEde3dEAAbFqqWF7Wur49LwO-hINIGMxb1PbDMO2FUKUDxfgYtzpy_WGLhIgT9hSGPgynXuG72N-IzvogQVQEZLbtCk/s1600/yellow+bits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrIdmSq3VeShezEAfv_IOx4G2-T5u9PouK4PKMkf2SOrF72zbCEde3dEAAbFqqWF7Wur49LwO-hINIGMxb1PbDMO2FUKUDxfgYtzpy_WGLhIgT9hSGPgynXuG72N-IzvogQVQEZLbtCk/s320/yellow+bits.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These should look familiar - see the quilt at the top of the blog. I had always figured I'd find a way to work these leftovers into another project. I started out by slicing the screen print pieces away from each other. Then, I proceeded to quilt the dickens out of each piece. Then, I added a layer of batting and the green backing to the hunk of yellow leftover. Here's a side view of the resulting strips.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhburPGrpGRaP1_f79rmwXzyob8TFMuYTMqaOtPgvgftE8qqQEsdxMN2J7jumENGkYx-HryGYQGZpABjqaLaotzMY3G-BDv-9BlfdB4B2IFy7U0ABTto78buwYVjZlqM6_G2_6w3h70ZU8/s1600/sideview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhburPGrpGRaP1_f79rmwXzyob8TFMuYTMqaOtPgvgftE8qqQEsdxMN2J7jumENGkYx-HryGYQGZpABjqaLaotzMY3G-BDv-9BlfdB4B2IFy7U0ABTto78buwYVjZlqM6_G2_6w3h70ZU8/s320/sideview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I then got to pick out the stitches that were in the way, carefully stitch the top layer of the strips to the top layer of the blocks, giving me this on the back:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhor0_cAzImD3EX6kckPezde3Z2n5zFc4jxm7fIO1t_pz7_XW4hnhJo1VZxdPbDi8Tbl73UCarCeYW-mFBGiS6_Ihfh99Fex9le2Ch9WhZm0xPI1x_f4y9e4o0cXLHMPsywvydhuOBXAL8/s1600/backview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhor0_cAzImD3EX6kckPezde3Z2n5zFc4jxm7fIO1t_pz7_XW4hnhJo1VZxdPbDi8Tbl73UCarCeYW-mFBGiS6_Ihfh99Fex9le2Ch9WhZm0xPI1x_f4y9e4o0cXLHMPsywvydhuOBXAL8/s320/backview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I trimmed away excess batting, folded over edges, put thread in the bobbin that would match the front of the piece, and prayed, begged, and cursed my way to this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gOZGqqWFJVLTFGicRt6lFoL-tsvda3McCe79nb_uXhYIWE7SXbpzM6jsdO0h0pd2vyzNoMHFRqGLlLmCdVXQIlv8e9eq_mGqPryurZLkTJNKezIED_fKbGlYqDJC_pLirI4_vP0u8ig/s1600/backview+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gOZGqqWFJVLTFGicRt6lFoL-tsvda3McCe79nb_uXhYIWE7SXbpzM6jsdO0h0pd2vyzNoMHFRqGLlLmCdVXQIlv8e9eq_mGqPryurZLkTJNKezIED_fKbGlYqDJC_pLirI4_vP0u8ig/s320/backview+done.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Yeah, I see the flecks of batting, but you know, they're going to be against the wall of my office! I added outside borders using the same technique, secured any remote seams and then stepped back and looked at it. The center was sort of odd looking, and, frankly, I was concerned about angle of the blocks. I needed to put something in the middle, and while I was pawing through various odds and ends, a holiday card from 2005 sent by my friend Rita Stark fell off the bulletin board. I took the card apart, added some ribbon trim under the edges of the piece to stabilize it and to help it stand out from the background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WGNS-GPFra8SnWDBznYaHyL0IGtBE4yUEvOZl2_mu79qO8mjqjUlmXzYaBh1LbWEESXrpJibaIjZFXopxARmW27GCbEOjBH5kVR1ryz9gZs8IE9KW0dvqpSIxVmwoiX_qYp5qmrzSG8/s1600/center-rita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WGNS-GPFra8SnWDBznYaHyL0IGtBE4yUEvOZl2_mu79qO8mjqjUlmXzYaBh1LbWEESXrpJibaIjZFXopxARmW27GCbEOjBH5kVR1ryz9gZs8IE9KW0dvqpSIxVmwoiX_qYp5qmrzSG8/s320/center-rita.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
And, here is the final piece. I am pleased with it. It's fun, it's a little wonky, and, best of all, it's done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeFCVlYm0SqdvKr1CmJ2cuY7gDXb5Sv936tcYUglGdR8vEZemTSHPgkot6AbDWjMojSyBzk5yw2GRuNJEgw7IpHKBen1i7wW9o2kwVSnfgiawY7k-SQ-HEY6nMlssRjigs8J1SuLMcS4/s1600/finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeFCVlYm0SqdvKr1CmJ2cuY7gDXb5Sv936tcYUglGdR8vEZemTSHPgkot6AbDWjMojSyBzk5yw2GRuNJEgw7IpHKBen1i7wW9o2kwVSnfgiawY7k-SQ-HEY6nMlssRjigs8J1SuLMcS4/s320/finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(It does have a top corner, unfortunately, I didn't notice the photography error until I was pulling it off the camera.) Now, here's some kitty loving - Baby Boy getting snuggles from his da-da -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84mn6N1-OxAjgm1Jyp8PPY6Wk4W0_PPazZdo4xDCUU4Sh6BGjV1HJ5si8oqAPW1cxXGm9a4Ys7E552IOSpNQW_buxYMWeLyRwnCIAmTC_Fl5e71MTVrYktBtKZUjUFbehdtNRQIvLM4M/s1600/BabyBoyLoving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84mn6N1-OxAjgm1Jyp8PPY6Wk4W0_PPazZdo4xDCUU4Sh6BGjV1HJ5si8oqAPW1cxXGm9a4Ys7E552IOSpNQW_buxYMWeLyRwnCIAmTC_Fl5e71MTVrYktBtKZUjUFbehdtNRQIvLM4M/s320/BabyBoyLoving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I have been doing a lot of reading, and I plan to do a post really soon catching up on that front. The scarf for Hubby is closing in on done, and I am thinking about Christmas knitting. I have this wildly outrageous idea of trying to complete four cowls / neckwarmers between now and Christmas for my nieces. I looked up some patterns yesterday afternoon, and I don't think this is outside the realm of possibility. It'll let me use leftover yarn from other projects and give me an excuse to buy more. <br />
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I hope to be back here later this week. Take care.<br />
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<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-65224119594347444052011-09-06T21:16:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:16:22.555-04:00Cone Nebula - Ready for the Quilter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a nearly three-month delay (since piecing the last block), I finally got around to the final steps of the Cone Nebula journey. I started the day by stabilizing the edges with bias tape. I have never seen this described anywhere, but I had been wondering about all of those little seams at the edges of the top. Last May, the <a href="http://www.gaaqg.com/">quilt guild</a> hosted <a href="http://www.bettyekernsuiter.com/">Betty Ekern Suiter</a>, whose quilts are utterly amazing. She explained her process and talked about how after the top is done she applies cotton twill tape to the edge of her top to stabilize the edges, and a light went on in my head. So, I bought a bunch of the sort of bias tape I use on dress hems, measured the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the quilt through the center, cut pieces of tape to those measurements, and pinned and sewed the tape to the underside of the top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-91Y-jcHbMhuIP09pZsuwOiM2zBEjg7fkByfMmczLBNxqq5dm73bbHoluf1n6USYpVacUNlIhgeJ-XgCys4qtJsG-yiPOTDSHvTa6NWzuVBaKpwU2l8SDYXUZ_4NOrMqyY9EwYBPfAA/s1600/biastape1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-91Y-jcHbMhuIP09pZsuwOiM2zBEjg7fkByfMmczLBNxqq5dm73bbHoluf1n6USYpVacUNlIhgeJ-XgCys4qtJsG-yiPOTDSHvTa6NWzuVBaKpwU2l8SDYXUZ_4NOrMqyY9EwYBPfAA/s320/biastape1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
While I was sewing, though, I had some trouble moving the top around the way I wanted to. Can anyone figure out why the top seemed extra heavy?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UD2VNtp5BerHEnNHZ-VgvjVsS-e83DA2GlToSwdlCHsxGNg_fpaCLU35_ktE-3y0CmN-eDeRLY5mD6SgRyYLHEv_S2PIkORD0uXKI6-ETAo1afalXLaWISEhIOcJlHrxup1dMp1bbUc/s1600/QuiltTrouble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UD2VNtp5BerHEnNHZ-VgvjVsS-e83DA2GlToSwdlCHsxGNg_fpaCLU35_ktE-3y0CmN-eDeRLY5mD6SgRyYLHEv_S2PIkORD0uXKI6-ETAo1afalXLaWISEhIOcJlHrxup1dMp1bbUc/s320/QuiltTrouble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Come on! I am nothing if not consistent, and a picture of the Brat Cat is almost expected here, right?)<br />
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After I got the bias tape on, I pulled out the 90"-wide batting, carefully measured and cut a piece 10" longer than the top (the top is 124" x 109"). When I measured the batting I saw that it was really 94" wide. Cool. I needed to make it 10" wider than the quilt. 119" - 94" = 15" No problem. I chopped off a piece that I could cut into six pieces each 15" wide, I sewed them together and then sewed them to one side of the batting. When I measured, I started screeching. Aaaaa!!!! 119" - 94" = 25" Any blithering stupid dunderhead idiot child would have figured that out!! Aaaaa!!!! So, I got to make a second long strip for the other side.<br />
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I lightly lapped the pieces of batting and used the broken zig-zag stitch so that there are a lot of small stitches that just sink into the batting and hold it tightly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6_Ie88dljdoEe_NY2FzdWj-4r14dFvT-YEyYyiKugHlRDI4DFFOwQpQHIANxHkG4eM11hNDke3Dos3228Lbrt8CE5pSnP1TpeVbpKwHLxVjfdHlJpbV5plDziHIhJE2rhMOZBm11u_0/s1600/Batting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6_Ie88dljdoEe_NY2FzdWj-4r14dFvT-YEyYyiKugHlRDI4DFFOwQpQHIANxHkG4eM11hNDke3Dos3228Lbrt8CE5pSnP1TpeVbpKwHLxVjfdHlJpbV5plDziHIhJE2rhMOZBm11u_0/s320/Batting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
With the second strip done, I set everything aside. I have e-mailed the quilter, and we have made arrangements to get together for the hand-off. I have never before sent a personal quilt to a quilter (I've sent a couple of raffle quilts off), so this is an adventure.<br />
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When I got downstairs, there was a mop of white fur on the end of the dining room table.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxc1-7do3C8nLoZ5zHkoQwBUrFx79wcd_W4W9GWDb2V48Xu5B5HUi7Fx0OAM5z7cwLpyqADBI7HvWzAIlb6hLhcLPGPYrMn4qLjO8LdENf3me96J19t5uQ5OXxMTXKu3bfcSDNRZkIeM/s1600/Liltable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxc1-7do3C8nLoZ5zHkoQwBUrFx79wcd_W4W9GWDb2V48Xu5B5HUi7Fx0OAM5z7cwLpyqADBI7HvWzAIlb6hLhcLPGPYrMn4qLjO8LdENf3me96J19t5uQ5OXxMTXKu3bfcSDNRZkIeM/s320/Liltable.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I started taking pictures, hoping to get something cute. I was rewarded.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t6f793_r6uBa7dE2imimLU2eUbsBvySVEhnLmiXBafD4bKCHUb5HzPLXdVPxXPTHPSfUI3d6wY29fA2UcX7MOlMKnyeDjJrp4oVQJzWrXrl8egVSmg2_sFi9BbvDXVWpyJSLeDeXUdI/s1600/liltable2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t6f793_r6uBa7dE2imimLU2eUbsBvySVEhnLmiXBafD4bKCHUb5HzPLXdVPxXPTHPSfUI3d6wY29fA2UcX7MOlMKnyeDjJrp4oVQJzWrXrl8egVSmg2_sFi9BbvDXVWpyJSLeDeXUdI/s320/liltable2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Isn't she darling? Speaking of darling, I have to show you what I picked up from the school supplies area of my local big box retailer. I have now bought nine of these darlings and have my threads all organized by color family. It is so exciting. (And I only spent 59 cents on each of these!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP00V0Wkk1bXPAuWMUgrIyHv9OGu6t_aCeJJ5IffAheN0-ms6V1VCg2xtelVgbs8dqIjR-zZ1rN9nnBlyIYRq7heQjMHnFK3jGeejLu5SXa1Ov2zoAhFAwz0HVmMRRt1WvJ3SfeACvYSY/s1600/threadbox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP00V0Wkk1bXPAuWMUgrIyHv9OGu6t_aCeJJ5IffAheN0-ms6V1VCg2xtelVgbs8dqIjR-zZ1rN9nnBlyIYRq7heQjMHnFK3jGeejLu5SXa1Ov2zoAhFAwz0HVmMRRt1WvJ3SfeACvYSY/s320/threadbox1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Finally, on the theme of darling, a dear friend of mine gave me a sweater's worth of Tahki Donegal Tweed yarn at the beginning of the summer. Hubby dearest had been asking for a new winter scarf. When I finished the Every Way Wrap, I pulled out the tweed yarn and looked for a suitable pattern. I am working off the chart for the center back of the Lough Corrib sweater from the November 2008-January 2009 issue of Cast On magazine. In the pictures below, the blue shows up well in one picture and the cables show up well in the other. The scarf is about half done at this point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rZlVsNh5Q0zZqj1viw67GKuoc1fekK50jFD869C3jVczODiX7pbz7uQGdwQl32361I8-SAjy8zH3V7QyXVs5bKVgCdPPXrxPzVH8UMjTJR2McY3KUvOnzAdP1n-TPgkCDiSjBtmtLks/s1600/cableblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rZlVsNh5Q0zZqj1viw67GKuoc1fekK50jFD869C3jVczODiX7pbz7uQGdwQl32361I8-SAjy8zH3V7QyXVs5bKVgCdPPXrxPzVH8UMjTJR2McY3KUvOnzAdP1n-TPgkCDiSjBtmtLks/s320/cableblue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFbqPYp2ekWOTTi4J8smHNh0LGHDY-nryf5YCDdo_1V5567OgRglY65_3S8uYCUn-n73ecdDssrpTshLGAu0jeUwvK-7f5HwvwkxLbHUyBsWaTKKaYMtOwPgIguGENPCsEhfmify_HKY/s1600/cablecloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFbqPYp2ekWOTTi4J8smHNh0LGHDY-nryf5YCDdo_1V5567OgRglY65_3S8uYCUn-n73ecdDssrpTshLGAu0jeUwvK-7f5HwvwkxLbHUyBsWaTKKaYMtOwPgIguGENPCsEhfmify_HKY/s320/cablecloseup.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
I'm pleased with the scarf, and so is Hubby. The next knitting project will be a pair of socks from the hand-painted yarn I bought last winter.<br />
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Thank you for stopping by!<br />
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<br />Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-78996564056672366222011-08-21T19:17:00.000-04:002011-08-21T19:17:08.674-04:00Cone Nebula Quilt - EditingWhen I had the Cone Nebula quilt laid out on the grass last June, I saw this weird polygon:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNKhDakGL_l4sqN95Jn9K-dfPp110TtPFGScx1-oO0Qi09a8uqXi0SlRKpDHcSnVgf1iOFYA5UM_q_Q1Iu575fIkyVN261JujARE8YHoAaCFgg-bF7-UIA4W5hXWYAud9kExHciJEZBc/s1600/Top-annotated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNKhDakGL_l4sqN95Jn9K-dfPp110TtPFGScx1-oO0Qi09a8uqXi0SlRKpDHcSnVgf1iOFYA5UM_q_Q1Iu575fIkyVN261JujARE8YHoAaCFgg-bF7-UIA4W5hXWYAud9kExHciJEZBc/s320/Top-annotated.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Today, I put on the ironing board and started auditioning fixes. Here's a close-up of the problem:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19L9nvuRnhOqbzqib-1tsCglzqkrdLs877SVbQhBT0aikaTz6ZSp25Q7PBCpctubQk1EoeYaErtVh1DnnruEWvWFBA8V8WRDRM20epBdG8D0z8ga0_Xgl_u7fHOybmoHNKocauMtqG1E/s1600/conenebulatrapezoid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19L9nvuRnhOqbzqib-1tsCglzqkrdLs877SVbQhBT0aikaTz6ZSp25Q7PBCpctubQk1EoeYaErtVh1DnnruEWvWFBA8V8WRDRM20epBdG8D0z8ga0_Xgl_u7fHOybmoHNKocauMtqG1E/s320/conenebulatrapezoid.jpg" width="200" /></a> </div>Here are several different auditions of possible fixes:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi-J2Hwgg5GB3u08K8QFdi2jpxBTBx2SulixkvBBX-q49fqMKMk75XcHK1_o3vb7ICpWCAdEaDi92pqdJo9xFt39TRsFJFxnjEbsli_7dlePQnD_B5tV-GvhuXX0VwmsNJJaw3aFy12s/s1600/conenebulatest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi-J2Hwgg5GB3u08K8QFdi2jpxBTBx2SulixkvBBX-q49fqMKMk75XcHK1_o3vb7ICpWCAdEaDi92pqdJo9xFt39TRsFJFxnjEbsli_7dlePQnD_B5tV-GvhuXX0VwmsNJJaw3aFy12s/s200/conenebulatest1.jpg" width="183" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_ZWXp1l8f3QZ30BSYpQn37iq9wgUEcTGefzM3lIIwTWHE_TrHEjcTVbm3b_AA1a_GxiILOZ4CfO1NBWd97z6LvKw59HraBWgS4MIQmfQVjJZmli0iKiXMLYD_WELlLqtE0oTPAZRmns/s1600/conenebulatest3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_ZWXp1l8f3QZ30BSYpQn37iq9wgUEcTGefzM3lIIwTWHE_TrHEjcTVbm3b_AA1a_GxiILOZ4CfO1NBWd97z6LvKw59HraBWgS4MIQmfQVjJZmli0iKiXMLYD_WELlLqtE0oTPAZRmns/s200/conenebulatest3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzICDvVI4jDsnyLY0pQXSlgPNq80P87k45LfNO44SmBRuaQ4whmIhBMT7_yesGPyQN4ti-IzWHNFj6uEAnj473rpqMdwPlXcomul46bcZdCzDzbMpS3Y5suWgWvLoMWOXDj_9bsDSKkAg/s1600/conenebulatest4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzICDvVI4jDsnyLY0pQXSlgPNq80P87k45LfNO44SmBRuaQ4whmIhBMT7_yesGPyQN4ti-IzWHNFj6uEAnj473rpqMdwPlXcomul46bcZdCzDzbMpS3Y5suWgWvLoMWOXDj_9bsDSKkAg/s200/conenebulatest4.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFVVx4ctUGaFnxjw_m4qmyUpYIqPLihHx9sAOl5LvDXImVXcknVv_TGZvSQ23CxxKa4Iqsga6yJgJPeeu7ScU_KxexZkrfSrP5CHsMN77bwf2pYa0zrNyYGxQ5XbrnaRI3qT2TvAsgj4/s1600/conenebulatest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFVVx4ctUGaFnxjw_m4qmyUpYIqPLihHx9sAOl5LvDXImVXcknVv_TGZvSQ23CxxKa4Iqsga6yJgJPeeu7ScU_KxexZkrfSrP5CHsMN77bwf2pYa0zrNyYGxQ5XbrnaRI3qT2TvAsgj4/s200/conenebulatest2.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I ended up redoing two blocks and not swapping in the pink/orange piece at the lower right. Here is the final view of the polygon:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtuz1ZxTCctinscOcobWxxe2NnyLIHwXj7mu0sfvEpbNORGDTTzIwxmmJx2yXfJ7LxaCBSMRCOBvXPqPMh3um8UFwcQ4wfDlU9VxDYHKmWmRGFkyf1vu4oavCYA6wV7I4ewfhr5ynlrE/s1600/conenebulafinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtuz1ZxTCctinscOcobWxxe2NnyLIHwXj7mu0sfvEpbNORGDTTzIwxmmJx2yXfJ7LxaCBSMRCOBvXPqPMh3um8UFwcQ4wfDlU9VxDYHKmWmRGFkyf1vu4oavCYA6wV7I4ewfhr5ynlrE/s320/conenebulafinal.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>I think it looks softer, more organic, and less angular.<br />
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Speaking of softer, when I overdyed the backing for the quilt last weekend, I also dyed a jersey dress in the leftover dye. This was a prepared-for-dyeing dress I purchased from <a href="http://www.dharmatrading.com/">Dharma Trading</a> this summer. I spent all week looking at this dress, trying to decide if I liked it:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhPZVBtF0VU4tZQe5KxoHAJx6HE5xp4jHN-yPEIYxifJJd9m2tWUy1sphv0OLE_NTJi_Tz1q9obgxiZ7qhZoDor3iQXzlsvh7IO_Jj9KBiTB_mil8RNIg8GtOl8vhXHDI6K1wes_paH8/s1600/dressbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhPZVBtF0VU4tZQe5KxoHAJx6HE5xp4jHN-yPEIYxifJJd9m2tWUy1sphv0OLE_NTJi_Tz1q9obgxiZ7qhZoDor3iQXzlsvh7IO_Jj9KBiTB_mil8RNIg8GtOl8vhXHDI6K1wes_paH8/s320/dressbefore.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>I had a friend stop over on Saturday, and she talked about how good the color looked with my hair, etc. She did suggest that I dress it up a bit, and after auditioning several different neck treatments, I ended up with this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wxf_zg25P3hznNGe6gCCcyP4B8UCNzQovIqhfX9yFz15WRzBvkxdcwgxK6tYHiudoqXH7dOGapQB2Ms1napctj8gzq6l9_bU4XXKDTowA9UH0KZ2n1jK5ltzootY_nmcu4lAD8C84_0/s1600/dressafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wxf_zg25P3hznNGe6gCCcyP4B8UCNzQovIqhfX9yFz15WRzBvkxdcwgxK6tYHiudoqXH7dOGapQB2Ms1napctj8gzq6l9_bU4XXKDTowA9UH0KZ2n1jK5ltzootY_nmcu4lAD8C84_0/s320/dressafter.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>Here's a close-up:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRhUNx7ZhQukX60RppgUtHVHO5N0GUIpqUahq0JXfccNrnBJMnFrBQyt5IFPKeOgcX_1qI3ZopbCxwC7ZrMryPlxe20jzxltlS3Pxr7U54WjI-LjRo3Wkm1Ls77AFSc3FpuFnOX1maRQ/s1600/dressclose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRhUNx7ZhQukX60RppgUtHVHO5N0GUIpqUahq0JXfccNrnBJMnFrBQyt5IFPKeOgcX_1qI3ZopbCxwC7ZrMryPlxe20jzxltlS3Pxr7U54WjI-LjRo3Wkm1Ls77AFSc3FpuFnOX1maRQ/s320/dressclose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I had a piece of pink silk cording that I threaded into a piece of lace. I opened the shoulder seams of the dress and sewed the threaded lace into the seams. I then sewed the lace on to the neckline, right next to the binding. I'm looking forward to wearing this dress.<br />
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Finally, the requisite picture of the Brat Cat, this one of her looking cute while requesting cuddles:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu23SEuW5XW6-fUm4XV7pX7GbIYT3B8CLirwy1_FrZBXFPKqSSq8FD7p5BCJ1nNTDdhgfeyF0C76YgMbGLMnLh-rb_TzZaQNXcpMzEjLW3HrP85goHe1bJZQV9M0p2Ol-aebceWGxHUjA/s1600/BratCatCute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu23SEuW5XW6-fUm4XV7pX7GbIYT3B8CLirwy1_FrZBXFPKqSSq8FD7p5BCJ1nNTDdhgfeyF0C76YgMbGLMnLh-rb_TzZaQNXcpMzEjLW3HrP85goHe1bJZQV9M0p2Ol-aebceWGxHUjA/s320/BratCatCute.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a creature who would never draw blood from a dearly loved human.... yeah, until the day after this picture got taken!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-62414433153103832512011-08-14T18:53:00.001-04:002011-08-15T10:39:44.645-04:00Cone Nebula Quilt - BackA month ago on the big summer dyeing day, I dyed the backing fabric for the <a href="http://ypsilantidilettante.blogspot.com/2011/06/cone-nebula-quilt-section-12.html">Cone Nebula</a> quilt. It came out very bright:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o46CdkWKsSA5t7y-YDKGSCrodZ31MUcyX7Rie5RIwRgEaLF886f540gzW839QnIMeLFId550n1_auy90TBCh7ReCoB4YBkNhyphenhyphenXSjpsYFT3JHVL8PfIY5Y6z-nk617OWJqjK0uG-qgpc/s1600/ConeNebulaBack-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o46CdkWKsSA5t7y-YDKGSCrodZ31MUcyX7Rie5RIwRgEaLF886f540gzW839QnIMeLFId550n1_auy90TBCh7ReCoB4YBkNhyphenhyphenXSjpsYFT3JHVL8PfIY5Y6z-nk617OWJqjK0uG-qgpc/s320/ConeNebulaBack-before.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I did a lot of thought experiments, consulted with a friend who is an experienced dyer, and then poked around on a couple of websites before deciding that overdyeing it with a basic blue would fix the brightness without muddying the results too much. My friend suggested <a href="http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/home.php">Prochem</a>'s Mixing Blue, which I did not have on hand. I had <a href="http://www.dharmatrading.com/">Dharma Trading</a>'s Strong Navy and Royal Blue on hand. I mixed about a two-to-one ratio of the dyes and diluted quite a bit. Once I poured the dye mixture on, I was terrified it was too dark, but I was too nervous to do anything about it.<br />
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Today, I washed out the back, ran it through the dryer, and Hubby and I laid it out on the roof of the shed, and then we both said, "Oh, yeah. That's what we want." Here are a couple of beauty shots:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAotsV4zyh8gM9wcUzbhzZL8d_fbk-Wfh6IoX7Rxig43JGKBsOSF6K0ZTIxlzFgwFX84xy52OSrAQuQzuh6I76s0FyhS8nhQ6XPAYb1uyl0hxJnSq3Z4kVW-NPprmVnE7fjdH1IB7f8js/s1600/ConeNebulaBack-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAotsV4zyh8gM9wcUzbhzZL8d_fbk-Wfh6IoX7Rxig43JGKBsOSF6K0ZTIxlzFgwFX84xy52OSrAQuQzuh6I76s0FyhS8nhQ6XPAYb1uyl0hxJnSq3Z4kVW-NPprmVnE7fjdH1IB7f8js/s320/ConeNebulaBack-after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEziWD5MZCejZGOKnC6cuvt1ThHk6AFoUssSUYqD23HPUOGHwenxk9Fn68Wj3LAXobbQeIjLGrPhGOud0S3fAnOtsZfkM7svGg1lhoIqJ5IpZaZ2hbGk0qGJ1-Y5htWTCtmpvVCcpsaY/s1600/ConeNebulaBack-after2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEziWD5MZCejZGOKnC6cuvt1ThHk6AFoUssSUYqD23HPUOGHwenxk9Fn68Wj3LAXobbQeIjLGrPhGOud0S3fAnOtsZfkM7svGg1lhoIqJ5IpZaZ2hbGk0qGJ1-Y5htWTCtmpvVCcpsaY/s320/ConeNebulaBack-after2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This toned down the glaring colors, deepened the darker areas, and left a great many bright areas. It is much more in keeping with the front of the Cone Nebula quilt.<br />
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Also, today, I cut apart my favorite screenprinting project, auditioned fabrics for the sashing, and put together a small wall hanging for my office.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57kAEd2NQ06ayRVSZLrEwcERVvIWdLoPN7oWBFsCBe0NLIKJ1pCu48AVR3ZygJCBRAjpjQkabQcFa6e8PE8QBjy11ZhNKbYqoWLLh27HVIpwUH6SImiHcONBU_rQwE-GpQWmExnFnR1U/s1600/ScreenPrintProject-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57kAEd2NQ06ayRVSZLrEwcERVvIWdLoPN7oWBFsCBe0NLIKJ1pCu48AVR3ZygJCBRAjpjQkabQcFa6e8PE8QBjy11ZhNKbYqoWLLh27HVIpwUH6SImiHcONBU_rQwE-GpQWmExnFnR1U/s320/ScreenPrintProject-before.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>I picked the dark green (which was one of the fabrics I was given on my retreat in Ohio in June!) after consulting with Hubby. I then did a really crappy job of the quilting, trimming, and binding. Oh well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBZFMJSGvJtu0v8JxYiCPvvxPNVCDDoCSV9x7WLlbacVxsy30wGNN5qdlJTUHAWneIj6GlSU1OGubtHZUMEpJOM7218q4-TwnhUVWF9Fi7ppx2_aCNhAibb9cpXip8edvnXlGI4WXslQ/s1600/ScreenPrintProject-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBZFMJSGvJtu0v8JxYiCPvvxPNVCDDoCSV9x7WLlbacVxsy30wGNN5qdlJTUHAWneIj6GlSU1OGubtHZUMEpJOM7218q4-TwnhUVWF9Fi7ppx2_aCNhAibb9cpXip8edvnXlGI4WXslQ/s320/ScreenPrintProject-after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Maybe people will be so dazzled by the pretty screenprints, no one will notice the weird edges. If anyone asks, they're artistic touches!<br />
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CORRECTION: In the cold light of morning, I came to my senses and realized that I need to take the binding off, fix the weird trimming by adding another border, and otherwise fixing this up. I do like the piece, but it needs some work. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-27175480172486021732011-08-08T17:30:00.000-04:002011-08-08T17:30:16.402-04:00Projects Moving ForwardIn my last post I mentioned that I really enjoyed my three-day weekend of workshops last week. In previous years, I have come home from that weekend with several projects half started. This year, I took a techniques class called Spontaneous Screenprinting. It was taught by Debra Gash, a truly dedicated teacher who puts in many hours of preparation prior to each class. I walked out of the class with color on just four pieces of fabric but a head stuffed with a great deal of information for future projects. Here are some pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRulwCotASWKEtcjPjVoRCQo2APEqy3glSryHeliKdfOyoa_-EKfN_mrrcMd3FrIz3wJQ3M-x3jOfK8ootl6NVOva1BFDkdAkfqNxwtKZCg6uhD15jeanlXpG9AkVkGD8Qu1NeaSDuhMQ/s1600/Screenprint-lace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRulwCotASWKEtcjPjVoRCQo2APEqy3glSryHeliKdfOyoa_-EKfN_mrrcMd3FrIz3wJQ3M-x3jOfK8ootl6NVOva1BFDkdAkfqNxwtKZCg6uhD15jeanlXpG9AkVkGD8Qu1NeaSDuhMQ/s320/Screenprint-lace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv0uoAANFZ8PmW8yvQDy0XPMP0zUqnUvW-NIzV2HVc91PZ1bQ9B6neyW7Y-gIVUPsGieGOeZY75c_sbvtVXaP1dCb731AnEb6Uo_Dh8pjQDDA_vtt8jp1lfmD8EvczcWS7NMdlHXasmU/s1600/Screenprint-yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv0uoAANFZ8PmW8yvQDy0XPMP0zUqnUvW-NIzV2HVc91PZ1bQ9B6neyW7Y-gIVUPsGieGOeZY75c_sbvtVXaP1dCb731AnEb6Uo_Dh8pjQDDA_vtt8jp1lfmD8EvczcWS7NMdlHXasmU/s320/Screenprint-yellow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The upper picture is fabric paint pushed through a lacy fabric. The lower picture uses thickened dyes and a piece of linoleum pressed onto the same tableau as that used for the next print:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHL_6qs2JpF_fn0lWBxXjhuofcZJGS7rDseuc3Ch_UdzZslD8Tq40LhdK1a_iGTmTFp6zwdSR49-GWWvgFx5-cqZ8Cf6SG-LXnkGmJ2RLLzvTWQFhN0zeQygE7R0ohjMmADnFLg6bFg0/s1600/Screenprint-blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHL_6qs2JpF_fn0lWBxXjhuofcZJGS7rDseuc3Ch_UdzZslD8Tq40LhdK1a_iGTmTFp6zwdSR49-GWWvgFx5-cqZ8Cf6SG-LXnkGmJ2RLLzvTWQFhN0zeQygE7R0ohjMmADnFLg6bFg0/s320/Screenprint-blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In other words, I made the blue prints, then put a bunch of yellow dye onto a piece of linoleum and pressed it onto the same pieces of foam, etc. I really want to turn those four blue/green screens into a wallhanging, and I'll probably incorporate those three yellow polygons as well.<br />
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Before I digressed into pictures, I was going to tell you that my Saturday class, "Design for Me," was also taught by Debra Gash. There were six students, and the seven of us sat around a table and worked through various exercises together looking at lines, shapes, symmetry, colors, values, tones, etc. We looked at what we like, what we don't like, what we'd like to work on. Our homework for the class had been very interesting in that we were supposed to find pictures of quilts we love, quilts we loathe, and quilts we've made. We sat together as a class at lunch and had some wonderful conversation. By the end of the day, when we started pulling out our groups of pictures, we had established a great deal of trust, and we'd learned each other's preferences so well that if we'd had to, I think we could each have picked out the makers of the various quilts. Two of the classmates are good friends of mine, one classmate talked about how I had given her a pep talk a couple of years ago, and I do plan to follow up with yet another classmate who I think will become a friend. You might check in on <a href="http://forestquilts.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling">Ginia's blog</a> in the next few days for other reflections on this class.<br />
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The third day of workshops had actual projects involved. I finished the basic project in the fabric collage postcards class and mentioned this last week. In the afternoon class, I got this far on the tablerunner:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o_KpO_NI643tz_hlHvrCaqGJx5oc6pPemFhkWUmV8vdHFkWeu1RTZfnDc1dIL_sumvegDI1RdhoxyMfc6zqMv3T8-2KNlMY0OVD-SPTLS5G2qkARog88U0WtCmNMMFMf0mmzAEev9kE/s1600/tablerunner-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o_KpO_NI643tz_hlHvrCaqGJx5oc6pPemFhkWUmV8vdHFkWeu1RTZfnDc1dIL_sumvegDI1RdhoxyMfc6zqMv3T8-2KNlMY0OVD-SPTLS5G2qkARog88U0WtCmNMMFMf0mmzAEev9kE/s320/tablerunner-before.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>See that cool bias strip doing curlicues in the middle of the piece? <a href="http://eschhousequilts.blogspot.com/">Deb Grifka</a> showed us a couple of neato shortcuts for that. Her model tablerunner had some basic shapes appliqued to the runner, but I'm not inspired by stars and triangles, so here is what I did this afternoon:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBKRcZHTwqTZmKZscR4NndIgwpHYet0LgrTJbzN1gOU_06iigixFiefkX5MI1JSLG_Jlxge5S0KOI2Y2RSEw6FsdqHf3JdN-cD3nzOOMvdeY8h7P1IcSZEJY30rTpNC352ZSbInXCP-o/s1600/tablerunner-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBKRcZHTwqTZmKZscR4NndIgwpHYet0LgrTJbzN1gOU_06iigixFiefkX5MI1JSLG_Jlxge5S0KOI2Y2RSEw6FsdqHf3JdN-cD3nzOOMvdeY8h7P1IcSZEJY30rTpNC352ZSbInXCP-o/s320/tablerunner-after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6hYZbJN5Er3z2Jn3AHiqE5V_y5FkoE3rmRJyWnQnRUuo8uGCUmgTlVlG8UG006ZYkho20AM4BhWP6FXgQQh-XjXikrd3nTeQo99ocoJkzfc1iBXbCPYPYGgzyzQ0mdtCnKtTogB13Qg/s1600/tablerunner-long.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6hYZbJN5Er3z2Jn3AHiqE5V_y5FkoE3rmRJyWnQnRUuo8uGCUmgTlVlG8UG006ZYkho20AM4BhWP6FXgQQh-XjXikrd3nTeQo99ocoJkzfc1iBXbCPYPYGgzyzQ0mdtCnKtTogB13Qg/s320/tablerunner-long.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>Yeah, what can I say? I'm a hearts and flowers and butterflies kind of gal. I had a flower stamp and a heart stamp that I used all over, and then I filled out the runner with fused-on shapes that I cut free form. (If you cut two hearts freeform and cut them kind of short and then you put the pointy ends together, you get butterflies. I know. Every eight-year-old girl knows this, but I had forgotten.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The sewing room redo continues apace. This weekend I made new curtains for it and got my rulers up on the wall. I arranged them so that the rulers I use most often are in the handiest position.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSk9_Zls3y2JdpZZLkRcE3oVczx_tcpIqmXK_SlV5dgNmHBhJlgugB4nO9OY-5nI_gpgphnfMqCK6uSpWdszBiTKomToFI8-m5lMlcK2tn9rhBtbLVB2jWVUpdMQvtW2yp0fz0p4oaE0/s1600/ruler+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSk9_Zls3y2JdpZZLkRcE3oVczx_tcpIqmXK_SlV5dgNmHBhJlgugB4nO9OY-5nI_gpgphnfMqCK6uSpWdszBiTKomToFI8-m5lMlcK2tn9rhBtbLVB2jWVUpdMQvtW2yp0fz0p4oaE0/s320/ruler+wall.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>The cats have been exploring the space, and I want to apologize for not getting the picture that presented itself just 10 seconds earlier than this one; all I could see of the Brat Cat was her increasingly wide rear end, but I couldn't grab the camera in time. Here she is on the new fabric hutch.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsqZ37IVJhL42w5gbxov6nAJISqrNjkQrhbT76HEuBNo7FWfumnlTz6N1lvnaCqgdDy7QFNAr2tAgCg6KiJ8HSKsXxpEPbIUIXVkDAKfF7haDEaNl_R3UKW7WWP0Z1EnPBJPToyk0bX8/s1600/New+Space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsqZ37IVJhL42w5gbxov6nAJISqrNjkQrhbT76HEuBNo7FWfumnlTz6N1lvnaCqgdDy7QFNAr2tAgCg6KiJ8HSKsXxpEPbIUIXVkDAKfF7haDEaNl_R3UKW7WWP0Z1EnPBJPToyk0bX8/s320/New+Space.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>Another new space is the now-mobile table that is sometimes folded up and sometimes out. The Princess is clearly wondering about the monster kitty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-c780sKOHCH3uiihkF8zGxgwCLtzX1owPFz3LwYMZcjLLz7Ox9K2R8z7kiR9KbvaxNMaR1Lmt-JVeyEwp8gAe-Ldj4ZY6RqLOA6qSj_PcRA75B7X50QziSyLfQY2WlihvXrL2qPW9fY0/s1600/Who+is+that+cat+in+the+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-c780sKOHCH3uiihkF8zGxgwCLtzX1owPFz3LwYMZcjLLz7Ox9K2R8z7kiR9KbvaxNMaR1Lmt-JVeyEwp8gAe-Ldj4ZY6RqLOA6qSj_PcRA75B7X50QziSyLfQY2WlihvXrL2qPW9fY0/s320/Who+is+that+cat+in+the+mirror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-60479569177970831382011-08-03T06:03:00.000-04:002011-08-03T06:03:24.451-04:00Completed Projects!!I just checked on Ravelry, and I cast on the Every Way Wrap on December 31. Last evening, August 2, I put in the final stitch. Here it is:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZwGRmxxc3OcAGHk0XHKIHArax0BhxsuP_zvhuOsGjnmzZ-qgt0jiaLlU7WpXlv9-UTOg_bRwIOpLG5HQJAXlObPPZFLqwDqqZ8-DtQ-DvOx9Z2hXtyAb4UggWqpDdV2kndLXJIlkEEk/s1600/sweater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZwGRmxxc3OcAGHk0XHKIHArax0BhxsuP_zvhuOsGjnmzZ-qgt0jiaLlU7WpXlv9-UTOg_bRwIOpLG5HQJAXlObPPZFLqwDqqZ8-DtQ-DvOx9Z2hXtyAb4UggWqpDdV2kndLXJIlkEEk/s320/sweater2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I took lots of pictures where I was wearing it, but the flash overwhelmed them. I am very pleased with this project. It seemed as though it would take forever, but I stuck to it. I still have to put buttons on, but pish-tosh!<br />
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I had some very good workshops during the recent weekend. If you would like to see pictures of actual sewing projects I accomplished, please see <a href="http://www.katcampau.com/">Kat'</a>s blog (my postcards are the bottom photo) and <a href="http://eschhousequilts.blogspot.com/2011/08/fun_02.html?showComment=1312364700042#c5171741866838609722">Deb</a>'s blog. It was a long weekend, and I was doing a lot of stuff besides being in classes.<br />
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I'll have pictures from the screenprinting class later in the week.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-82307231606404964542011-07-28T06:33:00.001-04:002011-07-28T06:35:43.824-04:00New Sewing RoomAfter five days of hard work, we have a cozy new reading room (that at one point last evening held three cats!) and a mostly organized sewing room. Now, when you walk up the stairs in our house, you don't see Liz' messy sewing room, you see a peaceful room filled with books and places to snooze.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmA3TG44scya2-02PERTuxR3OVFarX2RthHIUlHQNu-9J7HPUGHKvJ54TGIGWFE1G66buyyEoVK6BVlALecBluFV8K4D0DQZwDvWNBGPSMiHHTRMcyEAJ-mYhpPVfZoaVx8TG2vs9zJA/s1600/NewReadingRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmA3TG44scya2-02PERTuxR3OVFarX2RthHIUlHQNu-9J7HPUGHKvJ54TGIGWFE1G66buyyEoVK6BVlALecBluFV8K4D0DQZwDvWNBGPSMiHHTRMcyEAJ-mYhpPVfZoaVx8TG2vs9zJA/s320/NewReadingRoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When you look off to the side, you see the sewing room.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH2FaeOBbkjS_vtiKlrw9ybPrTGqdxuSojRUdTs-z1IE1VTFZWdWnXtLtyTuGTgxdqlGYeeGgb-g2F88XcvepT33edWcLF1TssS8g6Y-KR41Q7sQxiY-kqcqdcrVxmq1ZuiuLkZGRtZg/s1600/NewSewingRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH2FaeOBbkjS_vtiKlrw9ybPrTGqdxuSojRUdTs-z1IE1VTFZWdWnXtLtyTuGTgxdqlGYeeGgb-g2F88XcvepT33edWcLF1TssS8g6Y-KR41Q7sQxiY-kqcqdcrVxmq1ZuiuLkZGRtZg/s320/NewSewingRoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have identified the fabrics that will get turned into curtains, but I ran out of steam before I could get them made. The table off to the left holds boxes for each of the workshops I'm taking this weekend. As I sorted and organized fabric (pulling fabric out of all sorts of boxes and bags and shelves), I also pulled together the stuff I need for the workshops. I discovered that I have twice as much green fabric as I do any other color. See those two shelves full of fabric? The shelf below it (behind the pull-down counter) is equally full, as are the top sections of the cabinet next to it.<br />
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When Hubby Dearest saw all of this at the end of the day, he asked, "Why didn't we do this four years ago when we moved in? It makes so much more sense!" Of course the answer was that neither of us wanted to do the work of painting over the red room, so we made do.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-34001917085029849222011-07-24T18:41:00.000-04:002011-07-24T18:41:05.730-04:00Ann Art Fair 2011 and Image33 PhotographyWe had the Ann Arbor Art Fairs this past week. Since I work in a building half a block from an edge of the fairs, I was able to see some of the fairs despite the really hot weather. On Wednesday evening, the first evening, I made my big purchase of the year - the piece that will always say "Art Fair 2011" to me. I got this from <a href="http://www.fireheadtorches.etsy.com/">Christine Green</a>. It is about 18" tall and utterly beautiful. This is it:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbP43cVJUtCDySXWASAeLvgKZGEx0XT_aU4ZdJD4EhWqUHOVkU3rSwAKVGJyra2F86ckJ_gXpksfsRfjYQVmSl-JvNw8-mYynUzEVlDTLKMZL9DPKpY0lWkJ9am4KvBx2HOjJ00cUBktw/s1600/poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbP43cVJUtCDySXWASAeLvgKZGEx0XT_aU4ZdJD4EhWqUHOVkU3rSwAKVGJyra2F86ckJ_gXpksfsRfjYQVmSl-JvNw8-mYynUzEVlDTLKMZL9DPKpY0lWkJ9am4KvBx2HOjJ00cUBktw/s1600/poppies.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, it is not really wonky; just the photography is. Oh.... that sounds like a segue! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have to tell you about a <a href="http://www.image33photography.com/">photographer</a> who has recently set up an actual business, and I am utterly blown away by her work. Quick, go take a look at her work. Isn't that amazing? I know that I would think so even if the photographer were not my sister. You know how when you're growing up with siblings, each of you gets a "tag"? Healthy people learn to pull in other aspects of life as they grow, but we each have a strength that keeps us going. Well, in our family, I was the smart sister, our middle sister was the pretty sister, and this sister was the nice one. As I look at Mary's photos, what strikes me is how heart-centered they are. You really see the people in their nicest, happiest, fullest versions of themselves. That's the work of a truly nice person who really likes people and sees them in their best light. The only payment I'm getting from this commercial is yummy veggies and dip at the next family gathering.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back to the Art Fairs: I loved the papercraft at the <a href="http://www.hettymetzger.com/">Metzgers</a>' booth. I had such a nice conversation with the fellow in that booth even though I couldn't afford any of their pieces. I told him that I saw future quilts in his booth, and he gave me permission to play with his images that way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I stopped by the <a href="http://annarborfiberarts.org/index.php?loc=home">Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Guild</a> booth and got some handmade paper and some pretty tangerine roving with Angelina fibers in it. Picture.... hmm.... sorry. I forgot to take some pictures there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You see, I have another project going. When we totted up the bill for this project, I turned to my husband and said, "think of it, this is our vacation budget, and is this not a cheap vacation?" You see, my sewing room currently looks like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p1wHh6UkkJ8YotxdleYMCib6u8Jxo9JFY52UFQRDfSHyVLApMbslRhu44va0hmKAPV-EddMBLp_gCVFu7cJocKOeqUmy6zL8npMsPULa4os_OiQSJTfsWz7O2-iCVGKyI53kpkO-npA/s1600/sewingroom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p1wHh6UkkJ8YotxdleYMCib6u8Jxo9JFY52UFQRDfSHyVLApMbslRhu44va0hmKAPV-EddMBLp_gCVFu7cJocKOeqUmy6zL8npMsPULa4os_OiQSJTfsWz7O2-iCVGKyI53kpkO-npA/s320/sewingroom1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>and this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6ixvDWOkgpQ7cWgmg9lW_tg0c-O6MvW28RRqj2ZYCh-VpVG0LvB0lUVOrW8mPjpZQIeBaLrLWGVtumUXlkSvMfNgRYMavOXJdXLDUd6cpA3MHcK1mQrvfhNYD3VQcDtcKZnH9wXEcNU/s1600/sewingroom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6ixvDWOkgpQ7cWgmg9lW_tg0c-O6MvW28RRqj2ZYCh-VpVG0LvB0lUVOrW8mPjpZQIeBaLrLWGVtumUXlkSvMfNgRYMavOXJdXLDUd6cpA3MHcK1mQrvfhNYD3VQcDtcKZnH9wXEcNU/s320/sewingroom2.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>Right next door is a room that is at least half again as big but is red.....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc6LUNEXAMjnu3F-jT7-FycuOxADENBoEH-JaThxvZqGUOuhQ7ydLAq0sA-hdtBK8pr65jVdC4Za5H6K3uHH9dJrvY2krDdtqUE1a7CYEga5H_lKEa2n844AsRpxhTNJhVsQqnrI7gMw/s1600/redroom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc6LUNEXAMjnu3F-jT7-FycuOxADENBoEH-JaThxvZqGUOuhQ7ydLAq0sA-hdtBK8pr65jVdC4Za5H6K3uHH9dJrvY2krDdtqUE1a7CYEga5H_lKEa2n844AsRpxhTNJhVsQqnrI7gMw/s320/redroom1.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>Well, Saturday morning, I packed the books into three stacks: Books I haven't yet read but fully plan to soon, books that should leave the house, and books we are keeping. I filled an entire paperbox (the kind that holds 10 reams of paper) with the first stack (with a few left over), another box plus three paper shopping bags with books for the second stack, and then several boxes with the final category. I hauled the giveaway books to the <a href="http://www.aauwaa.org/">AAUW</a> book sale sorting place on the west side of Ann Arbor. It felt so good to clear out so many books. It was a little sobering to see how many books are in the to-read list. So many books, so little time!<br />
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Anyway, this afternoon, the red room looked like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHuZEJ0B31M2LM9XmQchR0tQMhNgkoyaDNdo4nnmFpqKS6aoyzrwATpzazfsMa70mx711XEP12FeLhrRJ5yMw87QBWFUHSXlGsRgFmmebxKADP5vna6PIQSt7Mn67MRZkL5h4IurUDUc/s1600/redroomempty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHuZEJ0B31M2LM9XmQchR0tQMhNgkoyaDNdo4nnmFpqKS6aoyzrwATpzazfsMa70mx711XEP12FeLhrRJ5yMw87QBWFUHSXlGsRgFmmebxKADP5vna6PIQSt7Mn67MRZkL5h4IurUDUc/s320/redroomempty.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>Right now, the first layer of primer is drying. The sewing room looks like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg22BI93-FBJtJle26oZMAZ4MPkj04HSCT9uwaZaKSJX0XOh472bYm8rE-_HmOOXLQ74tn35rREt-6wMpiyJONzAhcTZezPIsVaKtR_GxgiboU1eUEobqzt673FOsJSji8nkem3n03M6c/s1600/sewingroomfull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg22BI93-FBJtJle26oZMAZ4MPkj04HSCT9uwaZaKSJX0XOh472bYm8rE-_HmOOXLQ74tn35rREt-6wMpiyJONzAhcTZezPIsVaKtR_GxgiboU1eUEobqzt673FOsJSji8nkem3n03M6c/s320/sewingroomfull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Of course, the cats are a bit upset, except for BabyBoy who likes to snooze on the kitties quilt:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSkBAqqEiJWfTZEc-Ia1Ozy7qYdE7VIH00WvpeUbEyyUKW93hySn1l3pBRZHjjXBgIgXF2nSWsNLDXzo76y5bS-ftdITTjQGR0a5x3CiOVt6XejgdZZvXdgFeP50l2GgpHDHT9bN6N8E/s1600/BabyBoy7-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSkBAqqEiJWfTZEc-Ia1Ozy7qYdE7VIH00WvpeUbEyyUKW93hySn1l3pBRZHjjXBgIgXF2nSWsNLDXzo76y5bS-ftdITTjQGR0a5x3CiOVt6XejgdZZvXdgFeP50l2GgpHDHT9bN6N8E/s320/BabyBoy7-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Isn't it great that the orange cat snoozes on the blue kitties - how complementary of him! I'll post more pictures of the room switcheroo later in the week.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-45603551648803605332011-07-19T07:39:00.000-04:002011-07-19T07:39:25.470-04:00Bye-Bye, BordersThere's a death in my family. If family is defined as those to whom you are linked by a special bond, with whom you spend a lot of time, on whom you lavish money, whose mistakes you mutter about, and whose triumphs you cheer, then Borders Books is part of my family.<br />
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I grew up in a home that didn't have much money, but there was always money for books. My mother would scrimp on the groceries so that she could stop and buy books. In the eighth grade my Sunday School teacher asked us to list all of the magazines and newspapers we got at our homes - and to note which ones were Catholic (he had a point to this exercise), and I got to 30 publications we regularly received, with about 10 of them Catholic. Of course this was something like three times as many as any of the other kids' lists. We had Newsweek, Life, Popular Mechanics, Our Sunday Visitor, Good Housekeeping, Mad Magazine, Ranger Rick, and on and on. My parents were voracious readers. My father had to drop out of high school after he ran away from an abusive home, and he had educated himself in a variety of fields. When I was in the fourth grade, I walked around with him at the school's open house, and he was able to engage the various teachers in informed conversation about their areas of interest. I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be able to talk to people that way. We had science fiction novels, biographies, histories, short story collections, books about science and mechanics, art books, etc. My mother loved history, politics, and theology, and she read widely in those fields.<br />
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When I moved to Ann Arbor in the early 1980s and discovered the marvelous place called "Borders Books" on State Street, I thought I had found heaven on earth. That store had a couple of levels, narrow aisles, high stacks needing step stools. When I got my first job at the University, making $5 an hour, any cash I had left over after rent, utilities, groceries, and savings, got spent at Borders. I would save up for specific books, and I would haunt the sales tables. Once, a supervisor gave all of the secretaries in my office large bonuses at Christmas. I spent most of that bonus at Borders. That was during the early part of the expansion era when the company turned its focus from being a place to find really cool books to buying large chunks of real estate. The company stopped being my favorite haunt in the odd space near a college campus and started being a big chain. I remember holding my breath and hoping that it would work.<br />
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When a department store went out of business a couple of blocks away from the original location and the flagship store moved there and suddenly looked more like a department store, it was lovely having the wide aisles and the easier wayfinding. The computerized catalog was terrific; the fact that I no longer had to check my bag at the door was nice (but I worried about shoplifters). Then, a few years ago, the business started going bad. The changes in the store were subtle at first, but there seemed to be greater and greater emphasis on bestsellers and less emphasis on interesting finds. A friend's husband lost his job a year and a half ago during a downsizing; a neighbor of mine (we are fellow cat moms in the condo complex) still works for the company and has had health issues for months.<br />
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Last evening, I took my last coupon into the store and discovered that Maeve Binchy has a new novel out (long-time readers of this blog will know that MB is just about my favorite writer). I also got a short story collection by Susan Vreeland. Then, I shuffled out of there, sad, lonely, knowing that I had just made perhaps a final visit to a dying friend. This friend had provided birthday and Christmas presents over the years - when my nieces and nephews were young, I would go in on an evening and carefully select books for each of them; more recently I bought gift cards there for the kids. For nearly 30 years I have indulged the love of books that I learned in my home. Now, it's time to say good-bye, and I feel as though a part of me is dying. Bye-bye Borders. I miss you already.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9183227526220727713.post-56396836571936601832011-07-10T20:20:00.000-04:002011-07-10T20:20:48.793-04:00Dyeing Day 2011 - pictures!Well, dum-dum me forgot to take a camera to dyeing day. That's okay because the day was really full. The temp was in the high 80s/low 90s, but we had awnings to stand under. For lunch we seven piled into two cars and drove up the road a piece to a nice diner where they were kind to a half dozen middle-aged ladies (and a kid in her 20s) who had odd colors on their skin and clothes - thank heavens for vinyl seat covers! When we were mostly done and deep into the clean up, our hostess brought out home made strawberry gelato!! Wow!!<br />
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The day started off with me crawling around on the ground (these 50+ year-old knees do not like the ground!) painting dye onto the folded-over backing for the Cone Nebula quilt. Within a few minutes, I was seriously considering just scrunching the whole thing and pouring dyes on to it every which way; but I persisted and ended up with something I'm not terribly wild about.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo3TZuRO82C2WMcIQ9TTT_IsHYvodyE5Oy5taWckJJrLSg47I6pkRs06iLRSHirbkTakt57tkol9a_0nCWKjiyGauoeyG9MTZbrYSXvG_Da4cF1FfyxNiRnlOhopxXrg7HHGYrgbASlk/s1600/EAR_ConeNebulaBacking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo3TZuRO82C2WMcIQ9TTT_IsHYvodyE5Oy5taWckJJrLSg47I6pkRs06iLRSHirbkTakt57tkol9a_0nCWKjiyGauoeyG9MTZbrYSXvG_Da4cF1FfyxNiRnlOhopxXrg7HHGYrgbASlk/s320/EAR_ConeNebulaBacking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I think it's a little bright and a little wild - very much primary colors - but when I showed it to Hubby Dearest and said that I was thinking about overdyeing it with aquamarine (figuring that would tone down the yellow a bit and brighten the blue and do who-knows-what to the red), he said he rather liked these colors and that I should keep this as is. Okay!<br />
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While I was working on this project, our hostess was giving basic dyeing lessons to the three newbies in our midst - all of whom were also working on their own projects. When I got done with the backing, I set up bowls on a table so that I could do five-step value runs of each of three colors (I go into these days with such specific goals, really, I do!). I pulled a bench over and set on it the tub with the 120 or so bandanas. One by one, each of the newbies got interested in the project.<br />
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Basically, we picked up a folded bandana, dipped corners or ends or sides or whatever into one, two, three, or more colors, snipped the binding threads open, unfolded the cloth to see what we had, and laid it on the grass to dry. In some cases where there were large white areas, we consulted with one another about adding color or not. We used paint brushes, plastic syringes, and our gloved hands to apply color. We had some plastic trays on the table that served as wringing areas - one that was for mostly purple, one for mostly green, and one for mostly orange - and when a tray would get enough liquid, someone would put an undyed bandana on the tray and turn it over, making sure that all of the dye had been absorbed. It was SO much fun, and we all enjoyed just playing. Here's what we got from all of our play:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH46jPOvb9jGhdhe507AnwnPcFc52uTXyG2WchiNgLilLGD27L1x6oFnmHj7KpXWlEwFBbsHAGgzau7n8T-eVbX6zq97Jx69YWPKOBBvoLR8HMB2WaMzzo2x-ocnmUBL6x0B9cHuc22jQ/s1600/DyeDay2011_Bandanas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH46jPOvb9jGhdhe507AnwnPcFc52uTXyG2WchiNgLilLGD27L1x6oFnmHj7KpXWlEwFBbsHAGgzau7n8T-eVbX6zq97Jx69YWPKOBBvoLR8HMB2WaMzzo2x-ocnmUBL6x0B9cHuc22jQ/s320/DyeDay2011_Bandanas1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhfT8_-Mp4di3QzZvclwJ91aYqmLIkNgQfpyvWUqDQX6kCpWAR4QNd8IT0pzVmWcBscXwhF8EKg_daXcHiFKcGM5LdCbJEra3hNklauX_n1DZomMncOmkeNJLN-W9ca0I-bmzVFb2nFE/s1600/DyeDay2011_bandanas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhfT8_-Mp4di3QzZvclwJ91aYqmLIkNgQfpyvWUqDQX6kCpWAR4QNd8IT0pzVmWcBscXwhF8EKg_daXcHiFKcGM5LdCbJEra3hNklauX_n1DZomMncOmkeNJLN-W9ca0I-bmzVFb2nFE/s320/DyeDay2011_bandanas2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Do you want to see some closeups? Of course you do!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUMVRWGQoB2NYST1nEe3GsHLx_oLqr4gw1WI8w6MO7reNzUocgukzDY7aGTACks0kHJasASTwRMsRxM_7mjvCWa_KKdU2sIHjpMWpQ7JsbigHtOyAyurf3AFu14zX9oheZu34xihcZ_U/s1600/DyeDay2011_bandanas1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUMVRWGQoB2NYST1nEe3GsHLx_oLqr4gw1WI8w6MO7reNzUocgukzDY7aGTACks0kHJasASTwRMsRxM_7mjvCWa_KKdU2sIHjpMWpQ7JsbigHtOyAyurf3AFu14zX9oheZu34xihcZ_U/s320/DyeDay2011_bandanas1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEUZ7YdTQtGbsPX50xzt8dNpdfJHPChxWCoNoJPxNW6r-pYNmqTe0CmCKNQCjgtMywGTQ3AWN4NJrXchUa5XIl9z8Gr7LGT2tNuE8SMBcPRLQ2EpzUM9LkOnUAiqQROtu422lkftQnMg/s1600/DyeDay2011_bandanas2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEUZ7YdTQtGbsPX50xzt8dNpdfJHPChxWCoNoJPxNW6r-pYNmqTe0CmCKNQCjgtMywGTQ3AWN4NJrXchUa5XIl9z8Gr7LGT2tNuE8SMBcPRLQ2EpzUM9LkOnUAiqQROtu422lkftQnMg/s320/DyeDay2011_bandanas2a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I had each of the gals pick out her favorite piece to take home, and those aren't shown here. I haven't yet picked my favorite - okay, I have, but I'm not telling.<br />
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So, there you go, another dyeing day in the books.Liz in Ypsilantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551683050101411764noreply@blogger.com2