Contentment

Today, thanks to a young friend, I got a great lesson. I was complaining about the fact that 3/4s of my family are overseas and I just can't seem to get past it to happiness. My family is really important to me. She said maybe this striving for happiness thing is over-rated. Maybe I should go for contentment. Well, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I know how to make myself content.



There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.



If I go for contentment I will succeed and then be closer to happy. Knit, quilt, read, watch movies, cook and eat tasty and healthy food, ride my bike, see my friends, listen to great music and hang out with my dogs.

Table cloth is finished - now time to find the quilt pattern for my feedsack material. I am leaning toward modern quilt style - lots of white. Sigh. Contentment.

Oh, and the pattern for my red and white table cloth is from Modern Log Cabin Quilting by Susan Beal.

Clean or Quilt?

Well, I could say a little of both but actually there has been a little cleaning and a lot of quilting. I feel a little obsessed. I don't mind feeling obsessed with craft, especially when I don't have any homework to do. I have started out small and am gathering ideas for big! Something to think about besides Othello and ancient architecture (although I am still thinking about that too - so interesting!)




This is my small project - a table cloth.

More Promises

I had a really lovely day last weekend with Nettie and a another friend drinking tea and knitting, talking about books and knitting, making decisions about life and knitting. I am doing a year of me knitting out of my stash. And the best suggestion of the day for me was knitting the Sock Wool Blanket. I love it. It is fun to knit, doesn't take too much concentration, really colourful and portable (well, right now anyway). It will be my Masterchef knitting for the winter.



And I promise to weave the ends in as I go!

I promised.

I promised myself that I would finish things. I have the same problem that a lot of people have - I don't always finish things. Sure, I finish my essays because I have a deadline and I need a grade. I finish cooking the whole meal and I mostly finish a book.
But my craft projects often sit by the wayside for way to long.
So! I am going to finish at least most of my projects before I start others - and I have got some great ideas for the 'others'. (I am going to reproduce my Granny's 1930's feedsack quilt that I have the unfinished top of and was told by the expert quilt lady at Addicted to Fabric not to finish or it would diminish the worth of the quilt - whew! I have started collecting material but that is for another blog)






So here are the projects (mostly quilts) that I am going to finish before I start another one - except for the Baltimore Quilt - I gave myself 10 years to finish and that was 5 years ago - five years left (it will take at least 6 months to hand quilt it so that makes it only 4 1/2 years to finish the top!)

Hopefully, soon, I will be blogging about projects that I started years ago - 30 years for the burgundy baby quilt - that are finished.

I changed my mind.

I have changed my mind about my knitting again.
I didn't like the crochet edge to my Pavement Jacket so I took it off and did an i-cord edge - much better.

I also decided to us this button from my stash for the top feature button on the jacket. It is one that Nettie brought me from one of her New York trips years ago. I knew I was saving it for something special. It looks like a broach.
Also, please, does anyone have any suggestions on what to knit with an angora/nylon blend that sheds something awful. I love the yarn - it is so soft and gorgeous - but I don't know what to do with it. Help!

Mink Pavement Jacket

I always wanted a Mink Coat - naturally I would never have a real one but this Pavement Jacket (for me!) is knit from Bendigo Luxury in Mink. The pattern is from Modern top-down knitting by Kristina McGowan. The pattern was a little fiddly and it was my first top down knitting experience besides the February Baby Jacket (which was much easier to understand thanks to Elizabeth Zimmermann's easy way of explaining!). Not cold enough to wear but I'm sure I will get great enjoyment in a few months. Now - on to a quilt - I feel invincible!

A Year of Me Knitting

I've hardly ever knit anything for myself - a scarf, a few pairs of socks, a couple of hats. But for over 10 years of knitting that's not much. Don't get me wrong - I love knitting for other people. Two of my best friends, my DIL, my mother all have knitted sweaters that I think they love. My Grandson and a few of his future friends have baby cardis (I can't stand the idea of children, especially my own grandchild, groaning as their mothers pull a wooly sweater over their little heads which gets stuck halfway over thier faces - remember? And if he says "no, not Granny's sweater' I will cry, so its cardigans for all babies from me). Booties, blankets and bears have all gone to other homes.



So 2011 is going to be for me! I will just think about knitted gaments that I want. I'm going to finish at least one of those quilts that are at various stages of completion, for my bed. And I will crochet some pot holders for my kitchen. I also need a new felted hand bag, thank you very much. I have a 'stock' birthday present project for one and all this year that only takes a few hours to make - and costs various amounts depending on materials - everyone will get one (happily, I hope).




So for now I'm working on the Pavement Jacket from Modern Top Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan. I'm working on the body now - big rows as I am knitting front, back and front at the same time on the long circ. And also knit the Pigeon hat form the same book in a lovely grey 2 ply mix that I bought in the states - now where is that ball band? Its Crystal Palace Yarns - Panda Silk.

I've completed a lovely little scarf in Mini Mochi - Crystal Palace Yarns again.

So far a pretty decent start considering I work and go to uni. I should have a wardrobe to last me years after 2011.