Knitting in Progress

 

I'm having a lot of fun knitting up this sweater for a movie lover.  If you are a Big Lebowski fan it might look familiar. 

 

The pattern is fittingly called "The Dude" and is available for free on Ravelry.  It's a challenging knit with lots of colorwork but I'm so happy with how it looks so far.  It's such an iconic sweater that I've even had a couple of folks recognize it even though I'm only halfway finished with the back. 

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I was feeling really good about my latest project yesterday. Today not so much.

There is a serious flaw in the pattern. It seems Step 26 will not make any sense if you sewed step 12 backwards. Time for some un-sewing. And maybe a drink.

Question

Does anyone else have this problem?

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of a larger project that I can't share just yet. I designed the bluebonnets and embroidered them by hand. It was particularly challenging because a transferred pattern would not show up on the dark fabric so I had to do the embroidery freehand. I won't lie, there was a lot of cursing along the way but in the end it's pretty close to how I had envisioned it.

More details on the finished project soon.

Making progress

Quilting is hard work! I finally finished sewing up the quilt top, but still need to do the quilting and binding. My first adventure in quilting has given me increased respect for my incredibly talented aunt who quilts entirely by hand. I think it's safe to say I will not be attempting that any time soon.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the quilt top. I cleared out a good chunk of my fabric stash and I think it's going to look good on the bed when it's done. I love the finish work on this brick path quilt. I think I may attempt something similar on the backing.

A detail shot with the normally camera shy Sophie.

Patchwork in Progress

In an attempt to use up some scraps from my fabric stash I've decided to try my hand at quilting. I chose this pattern because it seemed simple and a good way to showcase a variety of bold prints. I thought the biggest challenge would be cutting out the required 198 rectangles but arranging them in a pleasing manner was quite a project. Lucky for me, Max agreed to supervise.

Now I just need to sew everything together and quilt it. Thank goodness there are still a few months before winter. I suspect this is going to take some time.

Work in Progress

I'm currently obsessed with finishing my Charley Harper crosstitch patterns. This is the last one of a series of three that I'm thinking that will look good framed and hanging over my bookcase.



I love the detail of crosstitch but I've found it hard to find patterns that have a more modern look to them. Generally they seem to range from the super cutesy baby stuff or the more traditional samplers. I was very excited when I found these patterns inspired by Charley Harper's artwork. They are also available here. At $6 and under they're not only beautiful, but affordable.