A New Knitting Spot

This is a picture of me finding a little time to knit yesterday. Yes, we are moving... this time only across town instead of across the country. It was very relaxing to stop and knit for a couple minutes before we headed out to unload at our new place.

Congrats go to Kristi (no blog) and Megan who won my Sew, Mama, Sew giveaways. Both were mailed on Saturday and should arrive by Friday. Thanks to everyone who entered and left such nice comments and welcome to all the new followers. I had finished a couple knitting projects and made some quilting progress before we packed up but didn't get any pictures taken. Hopefully by this time next week I'll get them posted.

Giveaway update

Giveaways are closed and winners have been notified and will be posted soon. Wee!

Giveaway #1!

It's that time again... time for another giveaway with Sew, Mama, Sew! I have 2 giveaways today. First is a baby boy quilt. Second giveaway (of fabric selvages and fat quarters) is below. 

Here is the baby boy quilt. It measures 36 inches square. Cotton fabric and batting.

Lots of different "boy" fabrics."

I would usually sell this quilt in my etsy shop, but I made a little mistake... the backing fabric is upside down (compared to the front). It isn't a big deal but I decided I couldn't sell it in my shop and so it has been waiting for Giveaway Day to go to a new home. Leave a comment below for your chance to win. I am willing to ship internationally.

Giveaway is open until noon (EST), Thursday May 26th.

Since we are moving in a week everything in my etsy shop is 10% off. Use the coupon code Moving Sale to receive your discount.

Giveaway #2!

Here's my second giveaway for Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day! A box full of selvages! Some are a few inches, others a yard or more. There may even be room in the box for a couple fat quarters.
Leave a comment below listing what kind of fat quarters you would like me to include to fill up the box. Please give a theme (Christmas, Halloween, flowers, etc) or colours instead of a specific fabric line of what fat quarters you would like.

I am willing to ship internationally. Giveaway is open until noon (EST), Thursday May 26th.

Friday Night Sew-In

Last night was another fun Friday Night Sew-In. I didn't get a lot done this month. Things are a little crazy around here with us moving in just over a week. I was able to get a little bit of quilting and some knitting done last night.

This is #8 on my UFO list for 2011. This month Judy at Patchwork Times had picked the #9, but I decided this top is going to be a gift and I want it finished before I go to visit family next month. I finished piecing this top last year. Above is just the middle section. It is suppose to be 99 inches square when complete. I took it out last night, ironed the top and basted the middle section.

I started quilting rather late (it was after 11) but I was able to finish the pinwheel in the middle before I called it a night. I'm so excited to finally start quilting this one. Hope to get a bit more done on it this weekend.

Here is the back.

I finished the left side of this top on Thursday night and was able to get the first 10 rows of the right side knitted last night.

Come back on Monday as I am again taking part in Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway day.

Go here to see what others completed last night.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I really wanted to have a new quilt to show for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, but I have come to accept that I am not going to get it done in time. Instead I decided to show the first finished quilt I shared on my blog back in June 2009. I figure most people haven't seen/ read those posts. You can read the original posts here  , here and here.

It started with this book that my husband picked out and bought for me. My daughter and I both liked the quilt on the cover and I decided to make it for her 7th birthday. Lucky for me (and her) JoAnn's had recently released a line of fabric called, Calliope, which is also her name (needless to say, I bought a lot).

I decided to make my version of the quilt 3 x3 instead of 4 x 4. Here are the 9 dresses in 9 different "Calliope" fabrics.

And her name cut from the selvages to use as the belts.

Blocks made up and ready to be made into a quilt top.

A happy Calliope with the quilt hung over her bed on her 7th birthday. I actually finished it a day early!

She turns 9 in a couple weeks and the quilt now hangs over her desk. She still likes to talk about it and asks me which dress is my favourite.

Next year she turns 10! Guess it is time for another quilt.

Thanks Amy for hosting the Quilt Festival. Go here, to look at more quilts (over 600!).

In other news, I hope to get some quilting done tonight since it is Friday Night Sew-In. If you want to sign up, go here.

We are moving the end of this month to be closer to school, everything in my etsy shop is 10% off. Use the coupon code MovingSale to receive your discount.

I am also participating in Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day next Monday. Come back for 2 giveaways!

And one last thing, you may have noticed on my sidebar that I have entered the McCall's Quilt Design Contest. There are still a few days left in this round, so please go visit... and maybe vote for my quilt. 

Thanks for visiting.

Knitting update and I actually did some quilting too.

I finally finished the second half of my jelly roll bargello. I've taken plenty of pictures (hope to get it written up as a pattern soon). Need to add a border at the top and bottom to make it a little longer (maybe, what do you think?). It's wide enough for a twin but not long enough to tuck in. I was hoping to have this finished and put in the Blogger's quilt festival hosted by Amy, but I'm not sure I will.  My sister got her amazing Liberated Churn Dash quilt complete and entered - go check it out, here. Congrats on completing it Sarah.

And if I haven't been doing a lot of quilting, I must have been knitting. We had 3 beautiful days last week so I spent a few afternoons sitting outside knitting (and getting a little sunburn). This is the Mystery Shawl, a knit along hosted by Knitting Like Crazy. Done clue #2, waiting for clue #3 this Friday.

Got some more done on the Traveling Woman shawl as well. I finally had to switch to circular needles for both shawls. Makes it easier to spread them out and enjoy their patterns while I work on them.

Closer look at the Chart A pattern. I have done 3 repeats of it and need to do just one more.

An even closer look. Still loving this shawl. Not sure who will end up getting it.

Started a shirt for myself. Bigger needles than the shawls so it is working up quickly. And with no lace pattern to follow, it's perfect to work on while the kids are around.

A Yarn of a Weekend

Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day yesterday. After dinner, it was knitting time - for the whole family. I taught my husband, retaught my daughter and my son... was interested.

My husband busy at work. He cast-on and then took apart his work many, many times. He is now several rows into his first piece (which I'll post later).

My son, thinking he had made a stitch. He helped for a little while, putting the yarn over. He then took over as photographer and had a lot more fun.

My daughter relearning how to knit.

The two of us. Sorry we don't look very happy - we were concentrating.

Had one yarn finish for this weekend. I spent Saturday sitting on the couch with the heating pad (and my back feels much better now), and I crocheted most of this bag. Ran out of yarn to do the last couple rows and headed over to Michael's on Sunday and finished it Sunday night.

Beautiful colours.  I couldn't resist when I saw this yarn a couple weeks ago and when I found the pattern for this bag - called, "Mother's Day Bag" - I decided to do it.

A project bag ready for summer. Holding some yarn for a project I hope to knit this summer.

I also started the Mystery Shawl done by Knitting Like Crazy. Here I am just a few rows in earlier this afternoon.

Was able to get a few more rows done before I had to stop and make supper.

And since I am already loving this shawl, a close-up is in order. Beginning of the Mystery Medallion. Hope to work on this a bit more tonight and tomorrow.

Oh, and the weekend wasn't just yarn. Stopped at JoAnn's and picked up a little fabric - 4 yards of each! I used a 50% off coupon for the fabric on the left and the fabric on the right was down to $2 a yard. Definitely not the best fabric but I loved it and can use it in projects for me.  No real plans for the "good" designer fabric on the left - but maybe a couple yards will be headed to my sister's house this summer. Maybe.

A Lazy Week

Don't really have much to show. This week has been pretty lazy - at least quilt wise. 

Last weekend Green Fairy Quilts had an order one and get one free sale. The free precut was a surprise. I ordered the Just WIng It, layer cake (my first layer cake, ever). Trying to decide what I want to make with it.

This is the charm pack I got for free. Not sure what I am going to do with it either. 

And since I hurt my back yesterday while packing, I have been doing a lot of sitting and knitting, I think my weekend is going to be full of sitting and knitting (with the heating pad of course). I have finished one lace section on the Traveling Woman shawl. Need to repeat it 3 more times, then a different lace section and it's basically done. Today was also the start of the Mystery Knit Along with Knitting Like Crazy. Another shawl - should help keep me busy this weekend. Hopefully next week I will be feeling better and able to get some quilting done. 

Thanks to everyone who has voted for my quilt in the McCall's Design Contest. You can click on the picture on my sidebar or here to go vote. Remember each computer can vote once a day, everyday, until voting closes on May 24th.

Busy, busy, busy

I've been a little busy.

My son helped me stuff 4 more pillow forms for some circle pillows.

Got 3 done. 2 for my mom (if she wants them) and one for a niece. The fourth one, still to be made, will be for my daughter's birthday in a month. Still need to add buttons. What do you think mom? (This is what I worked on while watching the Royal wedding - I slept 30 minutes that night).

Finished knitting the front of a skirt. This will be a Christmas present for one of my nieces. I might be making some more of these.

Also started knitting the Traveling Woman shawl. It's being offered as a knit-along at my local yarn shop, Yarn Underground, so I decided to join. I spent an hour and a half there on Sunday, just knitting. It was strange to spend so much time on one project without getting up to pour someone a drink or stopping a fight. 

On Friday, I am beginning another shawl knit-along. This one is a mystery with clues coming out every Friday in May. This is being offered through Knitting Like Crazy. These shawls will probably end up being Christmas gifts but I picked yarn I liked too, just in case ;).

Oh, and I didn't just knit and crochet the past few days... I finished the Lantern Bloom top this weekend and since my goal was to have the quilt top complete by the end of April, I can mark it as being done on my UFO list. Think I am going to try and quilt it this month, along with the UFO for May (#9 - I'll post more about that later). There are 4 other quilts I want to finish this month too. Trying to get presents ready to take back to Canada this summer.

Oh, and there's this quilt. Did I mention that I entered it in a design contest? What was I thinking? I admit to being very, very nervous about this. Part of me just wants to get past the first round - not win, just get into round 2. Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn. Here are some more pictures of the quilt, after I washed it.

Still love it! Discovered that 2 people can fit under it for a nap (adults, not kids).

I have included a button on my sidebar to make it easier for you to vote. Every computer can vote once each day. I know I will get at least 2 votes every day (my husband and I), and hopefully some wonderful family members will vote too. My husband has set it up so his computer will remind him everyday to vote. What a great guy.

Go here to vote (love it, if you'd vote for me). There are some really beautiful quilts and if I wasn't participating I think I would have a hard time deciding. Thanks for voting. Voting is open until May 24th.