Today was a great day, and it’s not over yet!
This morning I sat outside with a friend, some knitting, a little spinning, and some coffee. It was only 60 degrees but my back yard is sheltered and the sun was really warm. There are some friends that just make the day a little better. She’s creative, funny, and always positive. I think creative, coffee-drinking mornings should happen more often!
And, because of her, I decided I absolutely had to finish a quilt project. So I did!
Holy Long Runner, Batman!!!!! This thing has to be 90 inches long. I didn’t measure it yet, but I’m thinking I’m going to have to do some creative piecing for the backing. The pattern is from Heather Peterson’s new book, Living Large 2. The runner in her book is about half the length of this one. I’m not sure why I made this so big, except that I had two charm packs, and I thought I should use both of them! The fabric is Fresh Flowers by Deb Strain for Moda. It will look great on my bar….five years from now when I quilt it.
I’ve also been on a massive spinning streak. I’ve been trying to spin yarn for a specific project, but I’m not ending up with enough yardage. It’s pretty yarn though.
First up is 6 ounces of Merino from Alchemy Fibre Arts.
I navajo plied it and ended up with about 200 yards. It will stripe really nicely when I knit it up.
The next one is 4 ounces of Falkland from Fat Cat Knits.
It was advertised as being “next to your skin soft”. I thought it was really scratchy when I was spinning it, but it spun up really nicely. Then I gave it a bath. It is really soft!
I only have 200 yards, and I need 280. I’m starting to wonder if I really want to knit the project that I was thinking of.
So, now that I’m on a roll, I wonder what else I should accomplish today. I was going to take a photo of a linen closet that needs to be cleaned. I was thinking that by showing y’all what a mess it was, I’d be forced to clean it. So, since you haven’t seen a photo, let’s just pretend I didn’t mention it.
I’m going back in my sewing room.
Passing Down Crazy 
June 9, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Gorgeous handspuns there!! Especially the Alchemy one! Reading yours and a few other blogs have got my quilting bug going again 😉 well, once I’m moved it will start. I saved a few projects from like..um..er..5 yrs ago to finish!
June 9, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I’m always so impressed by people who quilt. I don’t think I am nearly organized enough to do it. I can only imagine myself losing pieces all over the place!
Beautiful handspun! I love the the Fat Cat Falkland – so pretty. The purples in it are mesmerizing!
June 9, 2011 at 8:57 pm
The runner is gorgeous … but what is that shiny bowl in the middle?!? Is it a chip & dip bowl? I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! Will you tell me where you found it?
June 10, 2011 at 6:54 am
Love the runner! The colors are definitely ‘summer’. OMG! That roving is Beautiful!! What gorgeous colors! Would make me want to spin it up in a hurry. Ehhh, the closet——yeah, better to leave doors closed! Outta sight, outta mind! Happy spinning and sewing!
June 10, 2011 at 8:08 am
re: the bowl – I love it too! Is it Nambe?
June 10, 2011 at 11:37 am
That DOES sound like a perfect start to a perfect day! Your runner is very cheerful and does inspire the quilting in me, but that is quickly overridden by the photos of roving and skeins! So, I have a few questions.
You do lovely Navajo Plying to maintain the colour progression; could you review your process from braided roving to lovely end product? I’d like to see how your pre-drafting is arranged. Are you careful about colour placement? Anything special that you’ve learned so far? I’m not that brave yet. :o)
June 10, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Your day sounds just perfect and i’m soooo jealous!!! I love the beautiful colors of your roving. You inspire me to learn how to spin, hopefully some day 🙂
June 14, 2011 at 2:04 pm
The colours on your blog today are gorgeous and divine!!!