Drunkard's path QAL: blocks!

Finally came to a decision on my block, but I spent a RIDICULOUS number of hours playing with the pieces on the kitchen floor before finally just starting sewing. I polled my husband and kids for their opinions, and finally chose the one my dog lay to take a nap on. Are you curious what I chose? Well, I'm not telling yet!


If you are still debating which block arrangement to choose, I found this site that showed full quilts in different layouts- much easier to visualize than just looking at blocks!

So now it is time to start assembling those blocks! Next stop: finished quilt top!

Kate and I have decided to extend the deadline a bit- mostly because we are both swamped for time at the moment! We can't be the only ones, right? So we will meet back for a link up on Monday November 28. you can link up all week long, until names are drawn on Monday December 5 for prizes from our awesome sponsors, Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics and The Fabric Shoppe. So there is still time to jump in, if you'd like!

See you on November 28!

baby earflap hats for modern moms

One of my favorite coworkers is expecting 2 grandbabies this autumn- her daughter just had a boy, and her son (well, his wife, technically) is expecting a girl this month. Her kids are not the typical pastel-pink-and-blue types, so I thought I would "fun it up" a bit for their baby gifts.

So here we have "The Cousin Hats." A boy and girl version, but coordinating. The base is the same, I used the free Scandihoovian Hat pattern on Ravelry. The green yarn is scraps left over from last year's yarn wreaths.



From there, I added my own touches. A big crochet flower for the girl hat (yes, I am now branching out into crochet, Lord help me):



And a fun, bad ass Mohawk for the boy version (insert electric guitar solo here):



Both were finished off with crochet trim- it is on backwards, but when I fixed it I actually preferred this look, so I ripped it out again and redid it like this! Also threw some braids on the sides.

If you want more deets, visit my Ravelry page here.

Word of the Day

This Word of the Day is brought to you by my 4 year old, Last But Not Least.

DARNER SAUCE

definition (in her words): "When something is so covered in bad, it is like a sauce made of darn!"

Usually said as an exclamation following an Unfortunate Event, and accompanied by a sour looking face like this:


Example: When I dumped my white-and-Ruby drunkard's path blocks out on my kitchen counter to iron, not realizing I had spilled some tea there earlier in my morning rush that had not been wiped up, staining my fabrics. Darner sauce!!

Anyone know how to get tea stains out of white fabric??

Published :)

Last winter, I was approached by a small publishing company in the UK called Cicada and asked to contribute to a craft book.

It is called State of Craft and contains a variety of projects. I like the vibe of it- not your typical craft book. I have contributed my "classic pillowcase dress" pattern....lucky for you, the tutorial is already on my sidebar on the right...yup, just over there!

I just received my copies and found some great projects like these:



And some that make me giggle, like these:



The book is available here. And it's even on sale :)

Getting the Point (a lesson in Canadian history, eh!)

Canada, as a relatively new country which is made up of a blend of so many cultures, has very few things to truly call their own. We are known for our Mounties, hockey, maple syrup and poutine, but today I am going to introduce you to a wee bit of Canadian history that may not be so familiar.

Back in the late 1700s, as Europeans were settling what would become Canada and engaging in fur trade with the Natives at trading posts throughout the inland. One of our founding retailers, the Hudson Bay Company (which still exists today!), introduced woolen blankets that made in England as a regular trade item in exchange for beaver pelts. The blankets were traditionally cream in color with multicolored stripes, and had indigo lines, woven into the side of each blanket, called "points" which indicated the size of the blanket and weight of the wool used to make it so it could be quantified for trade. These "Point Blankets" are a symbol of our history, and can still be purchased at HBC. I had one on my bed growing up! As they are made of 100% felted wool, they are very warm AND very expensive- a 4 point/double size retails for $325.

BUT- lucky, lucky me I found one at a garage sale this summer...for just $15 (and I even managed to negotiate a free skirt along with that!).

So, now that the frost and snow is finding us here and we are hunkering down for the winter, I am toasty warm with my point blanket on my bed!

Drunkard's Path QAL: the one where the magic happens

Phew! Anyone else a bit dizzy? I will never fear sewing curves again! Well prepared for life, I am :)

So now you have this big stack of squares, and an infinite set of possibilities of how to piece them together. I haven't come to a final decision on my block arrangement yet. I love them all! I have eliminated the circle options as I have done a DP-like circle quilt in the past (here). Here are a few options I am exploring:

"Criss cross," by color:

"Criss cross," scrappy:
Mirror image flowers (can you see how what is white on one side is solid on the other side of the block?). I only took a picture of this one scrappy:

The following is 4 blocks, which each have a diamond shape, but I can see a secondary white "floral" look in the center of the 4 when I put it all together. First option is sorted by color:
Second option is scrappy:


Then there is this fun, scallop-y stripe option:
Not sure what to call this...reminds me of tops of pillars?


You see why this is so hard? What do you think? I'd love to get your "vote" on how you think I should go from here! Please leave me a comment with your 2 cents, I am needing a nudge!

So, once you have made the big decision, start assembling those blocks! I like to take photos of my layout as a guide as I make them up. Also, I don't have a design wall where these can sit and wait for me, so a photo helps me remember where things go! My QAL partner, Kate, has some suggestions as to how she gets organized to sew her blocks as well, so go visit her and take a look!

We'll meet back next week to assemble those blocks into the finished quilt top. The following week we will have a link up of the finished tops to be eligible for some awesome prizes from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics and The Fabric Shoppe! We will let you all have a week or so to link up before declaring a winner, so you still have 3 weeks to make it happen, even if you haven't started yet. Come on, jump in! You can get further support and inspiration from our DP Flickr group :)

my little knitters

(I have had this post written for awhile and had forgotten to post it! As you can see it is from a couple months ago...my kids are still in summer clothes! Anyways......)

My kids have been begging me to teach them how to knit. I thought they might be a bit young, but decided to give it a go. I started with The Middle Child...

Now, she is one smart cookie, but not known for her dexterity or ability to focus on anything resembling work for more than 14 seconds. Not to mention she is only 6 years old! I have been blown away by how hard she worked to get it right and how quickly she has figured it all out! The other night, we were heading out the the playground and she asked if she could bring her knitting along so she could sit on the bench and knit like Mommy. Soon, we had an audience of enthralled kids gathered around while she patiently showed them and described the steps to make a stitch. Adorable!

Well, seeing this attention, the other two were right in there. Can we learn Mommy? I want to knit! I decided to give it a go with Big G, my uber sporty 7 year old son.


Right away, his competitive streak was engaged:

"How many rows does she have? Is mine longer? I can beat her!"

His confidence also never seems to waver:

"I am REALLY good at ALL of the knitting steps. Look how fast I am! Can I do a sweater next? I am terrific at this."

Terrific MAY be a bit subjective...... :) We MIGHT want to work on accuracy over speed!

Currently they are knitting their way through mini scarves to keep their favorite dolls and teddies warm this winter. Pretty darn cute, and I am pretty darn proud :)