SEWmuchKNITting

We celebrated Christmas a little early yesterday with my Mom and Dad. A pork loin roast (marinated with garlic, rosemary and olive oil) was on the menu, along with some of the kids' favorites: broccoli salad, cheesy potatoes and red applesauce jello. Apple pie and homemade cookies (thanks to the Cookie Walk at the library!) rounded out the dessert menu. This evening is the annual Christmas Dinner with my local quilt group, an event I look forward to every year! We have a handmade ornament exchange, and I made mine last night of course. Thanks to The Feathered Nest for a great tutorial! I also need to take a dessert to share, since I failed to meet the UFO challenge in 2009. These Mini Cappuccino Cheesecakes will be my contribution.....I think I need to sample one just to be sure they taste okay! Do you think anyone will notice that the plate will hold 23 cheesecakes and not 24???? UPDATE: If you count you'll see that there are fewer than 23 cheesecakes....those $%&# li...

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Chicago at our daughters' condo, and the whole family was able to come this year! We had a blast, like we always do when we are all together. We had a great Thanksgiving meal, played a board game , watched sports and saw some great theater . Eating at Fogo de Chao was a highlight (the salad bar....OMG!), and I think the guys really rocked the 'all-you-can-eat' option! I didn't want to knit on the legwarmers since they require my undivided attention(!), and so I brought along a little Lorna's Laces worsted and some size 4 DPNs. LOVE this sock, so warm and cushy! I'm ready to knit the toe decreases and start the second one.....no second-sock-syndrome for me!

Daughter Kristen has asked for some legwarmers and chose the pattern Mosey from Knitty .com . As you can see, I knit the two ribbed cuffs first, since knitting 2x2 ribbing is not my favorite. The cable patterning is fun and not very complicated....that is if you pay attention to the chart and don't get distracted! Last night when I knit on this project, I noticed that it wasn't resembling the charts at all, and needed to rip back 8 rows or so to correct my errors. Yes...errors plural! I'm just glad I noticed it early, and now I think I'm back on track. These are being knit on size 7 Denise needles with Paton's Classic Wool in Winter White.

Woo-hoo!! I finished my February Lady Sweater ! Actually....... it's been finished since early last summer, just needed to have the ends woven in, washed/blocked and buttons sewn on. I am REALLY happy with it! I don't have much experience knitting adult-sized sweaters, and I think this one is a winner. Love the color, love the yarn ( Dream in Color Classy - November Muse colorway), and love the fit, altho wearing it over a brown turtleneck doesn't show off the lace work very much. I even think the buttons match perfectly, I picked them up at Haberman Fabrics : they have SUCH a button selection!

Last weekend I got a chance for a quick get-away with some of my quilting buddies. The 5 of us went to Caroline's Sewing Room in West Branch for a mini-retreat: a weekend of sewing and relaxation. Usually when I get the chance to spend a whole weekend sewing, I am under a deadline for one quilt or another. This time was the exception! So, I grabbed these 9 inch (well, most of them were 9 inches!) blocks from two Christmas block exchanges that I participated in with my local quilt guild. The blocks were from 2004 and 2006......high time they got placed into a quilt! I am really pleased with this top, and can't wait for it to be quilted and on my bed. I plan to take a much better picture of the finished quilt. FYI: I made the block in the top row, second from the left, and in the fourth row, third from the left.

Sunday was such a sunny day which enabled me to finally post a finished sewing project! A cute knit top, very quick and easy! This one turned out a little big for me, but still wearable I think. I will make it again for sure, but go down a size. I used a remnant of fabric that was left from a maxi-dress that I made for my daughter this summer, and will post a photo of that dress when she sends me one! Take a look at the pretty necklace made of dichroic glass by my friend Jody, who is the artisan behind Sandstorms Glass .

We all did it! My husband and my two daughters and I all walked the 5 mile fundraising walk for breast cancer research held in Chicago along the lakefront: Making Strides . It was the most beautiful day: sunny, blue skies, and the temp in the 50s....PERFECT! We walked in memory of my mother-in-law Martha, and others who have lost their lives too early to breast cancer. I couldn't have done this without the support of those who offered to contribute to this cause on my behalf, thank you SO MUCH! I was thinking of you all as I walked.

When I read the blogs of some of my fellow sewing 'buddies', I love it when they post pictures of their sewing areas. From sewing in a small place on the kitchen table, to entire rooms added on the the house just for that purpose, it seems that where there's a will, there's a way! I remember sewing on my parents' dining room table when I was in high school. Their house is quite small, and the living room with the TV was just a few feet away. I'm sure my little Kenmore machine was a noisy addition to the room, but no one ever complained. Now, I am lucky to have a great spot in an open corner in our finished basement. The computer desk area is there, along with the big-screen TV where everyone seems to gather. I've always liked sewing right in the middle of things, where all the action is! As our kids move away and the bedrooms open up, the opportunity may present itself for me to grab a room for my sewing studio......but I'm not sure. I am pretty used to ...

The Fall quilts have been hung: The mantel has been dressed: and Toby is wearing his new "outfit": I LOVE this time of year!

Wow, finally got to sit down at the machine this morning and work on a quilt that has a deadline. I need to have this completed by Nov. 9, and I knew I had to get busy to have it done in time! No sweat, right?? This is just a little 'teaser' photo, I'll post a picture of the entire quilt when it's finished! My weekend at the Novi Sewing Expo was well-spent. I took two classes with Pati Palmer on garment fitting, another seminar on sewing pants, and enjoyed Sandra Betzina 's trunk show of garments and listened to her tips and tricks presentation. Meeting some of my fellow PatternReview members (Hi Melody!) was a bonus to the weekend! I'm happy to say that tho I did help the local economy some by shopping the vendors, I only brought home one cut of fabric! That must be a record for me, but then again, I have enough in my stash to sew for a year at least. Absolutely nothing tempted me in the quilting dept, I really didn't see anything new or innovative t...

I can't believe that this is the first day of Autumn. Where did the summer go to? It seemed to scream by so fast, and I like the summer to be hot and sunny which didn't seem to happen much here in mid-Michigan. I have been out on the golf course a little more this summer tho, and my tennis game is getting better and better! Maybe that's why I don't have any finished projects to talk about. I 've been knitting away on my CP Hoodie, the back and both fronts are done, and I'm knitting the sleeves two at the same time. I'm planning on wearing this sweater this fall! The Novi Sewing Expo is fast approaching, too. Friday I'll be going with my quilting friends, about 6 or 7 of us, and we'll be having our parking lot tailgate for the 3rd year in a row. Then on Saturday I have 3 garment sewing classes scheduled, 2 of them with Patti Palmer, and I'm really excited for that. My niece's wedding shower is on Sunday....and there is another weekend gone!!...