I’ve been putting off finishing up the scanning of Keith’s family slides … not wanting to drag everything back out … but there are just two more slide cassettes to do so after he left this afternoon I got everything set up in the breakfast room.
Finn found it pretty boring!
But Keith is happy to get access to these last photos … it’s been years since he’s seen them. My favorites of course are the ones with him like this one with his grandparents!
No sewing today but I have been working on the linen stitch baby blanket – my tension is a bit uneven but I’m not going to pull it out … I’m just trying harder to be more consistent.
So the linen stitch and the moss stitch are the same in crochet but we quilters are used to that aren’t we?! (The same block having more than one name.)
I decided to make another baby blanket using this stitch and have a purchased pattern that was included in a kit I bought from Bluprint (formerly Craftsy) that had directions for both a lap and baby blanket. For those of you following along on my crochet adventure, I searched for a free pattern to share and you can find it at this link. It’s basically the same as the pattern I’m using except mine has a crocheted border to finish it off.
I’m using a different yarn this time – Caron Cotton Cakes and the colorway is Lavender Fields. I haven’t seen this one at my Michaels but I ordered it online at their website.
Hook size is H. It’s a worsted weight yarn but definitely a lighter worsted than their Caron Big Cakes yarn.
It’s a super easy pattern to crochet and if you get bored easily it might not be for you but I like patterns that I don’t have to stop and read each row when I’m watching something on my iPad. Right now I’m binge watching the show MidSomer Murders on Netflix! Keith goes to bed, I pull out the crochet hook and my iPad, put my headphones in and I’m all set to crochet for a few hours!
Another one of the Maine Happy Block tops is quilted – pantograph is Steam. I’ve checked everything off my June list except quilting a top for my Aunt and I have all of next week to do it!
The moss stitch afghan is finished and I enjoyed crocheting this one. It’s another free pattern I found on Ravelry. I knew from the photos of other blankets I saw that the square would appear a bit skewed and was fine with that. I’m assuming it’s from the way that it’s crocheted, in a continuous manner rather than finishing off each round with a join.
Yarn is Caron Big Cakes – colorway is Cake Roll. Hook size is H.
My least favorite thing about this one is the flecks of color in the light areas – in this colorway I think it looks a bit dirty. It doesn’t bother me in other colorways.
My favorite thing about this one is the texture! Plus, it’s so soft and cushy feeling!
After spending most of my day trying to figure out where I’m going with these half Log Cabin blocks … I’ve made a decision and am making progress. I love the fabrics but I’m not sure this was the best quilt for them. Luckily I have more jelly rolls and more fat quarters! You’ll have to wait a bit to see what I decided on.
Keith took me out to dinner on the water tonight … it was warm but we sat outside anyway. We’ve been here in Tampa 4 years now and we’ve been talking about whether it’s where we want to stay … so many positives but I do have a bit of wanderlust left inside of me. For now, I think my monthly trips are enough to satisfy it but I am missing Big Canoe too.
After I ran around keeping appointments and doing errands today, we rode our bikes out for dinner … we did NOT make it home before the rain but luckily there was no lightning! I love that it stays light later but the daily summer storms do make it a challenge.
A little crochet today but no sewing yet … I might get a few more blocks made tonight after Keith goes to bed.
I’ve learned to not judge how successful a quilt is until it’s finished so I’ll hold off judgement on this one for now. However, I am loving constructing these blocks from Jelly Roll strips! So much quicker and easier than sewing them like a traditional log cabin block.
You can find the instructions for cutting the block from Jelly Roll Strips here. The one thing I don’t like about the instructions is she says to press the seams open. With this pattern, you can press to the dark, or away from the light strip and your seams should nestle. I’m not against pressing open when I’m twisting and turning blocks every which way but my preference is always to have seams nestled because things just line up better I think.
Sometimes I worry about the size of my stash but I love it when I can pull the perfect fabric right off my shelf … isn’t this one going to make a great binding for this Happy Block quilt?!
