Episode 169 Think Like a Quilter

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This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business, Quince & Co

Quince & Co wool yarns are sourced and spun in the US. All our wool and wool-blend yarns are spun in New England mills with venerable histories. By sourcing our wool in the US and manufacturing our yarn locally, we minimize our carbon footprint. Find Quince wool and the other Quince fibers at www.quinceandco.com.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  Please send me a personal message or visit my web site to sign up for my customer email list.

You can also find me here:

Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.

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Twitter: knittingline

Pinterest: Paula Emons-Fuessle

Ravelry Group

Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group 

Pipeliner Notes

Here is my award winning photo of the Snowy Owl taken with my iPhone.  The owl is the tiny white dot on right side of trees.  Can you see every detail? 

This question is from RobinV:

I have a question about lifelines. This has always puzzled me, and it seems like a rather silly question, but… when you use a lifeline, what do you do with the ends of the lifeline? do they just “hang out” there? if so, what keeps the lifeline from slipping out?

I confess that I have always used sewing thread as lifelines, and it all seemed very tentative. It recently occurred to me that this thread might actually cut my yarn (I think I realized that when reading about sewing buttons on knitting), so I’ve stopped doing that. Maybe when I try crochet thread, or the chainette, or some other yarn, it will seem more stable

Robin, I like using stitch markers (round rubber kind) tied on each end of  lifeline. 

Events:

If you sent in an application for the Maine Retreat you should have received an email from me by now.

Craftsy KAL Thread

I’m going to make a master list of classes so I can check them off as I go.

Nature Notes

Spring has arrived slowly in Central Illinois.  In the woods our spring beauties and trillium are starting to bloom.  The evenings have been so cool (in the 40’s) that the peepers have either not been singing their calls or they have been singing somewhat weakly. As I sit here on the porch the niger seed feeder is crowded with bright goldfinches, 5 males and one female.  The males are mostly finished with their molting process.  Sometimes I see a whole flock of them on the ground below the feeder, 15 or more at a time.  Against the new green grass the bright yellow feathers remind me of Easter eggs.  

American Goldfinch

I had no sooner finished recording last week when I saw the first hummingbird at our feeder. That would have been April 24, which is right on target as we usually see them the last week in April.  The Downey Woodpeckers and even the big Hairy woodpeckers seem to spend more time there than hummingbirds.  I also caught a glimpse of an Oriole at the hummingbird feeder so I quickly went outside to replenish the oranges at the edge of the woods.  We haven’t had any sightings of orioles since but we are still hoping. 

The first week in May is the prime birding month in our area as many birds are passing through to their summer breeding grounds.  I’m hoping to spend a lot of time sitting on my bench in the woods, listening and watching for the migrants.  I’ll be listening especially for the song of the White throated sparrow which in my  opinion is one of the most stirring of all bird songs. 

In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

― John Muir

 Needle Notes

It seems I forgot to photograph the gift cards for the baby sweaters.  Here's one I sent a month ago.

More Last Minute Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

Kindness of Knitters Blanket aka Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelley Kang

Domino Knitting by Vivian Høxbro

Meaning of Name: Kindness of Knitters is a collective word for a group of knitters.

• Finished size is 40 x 60
• Started November 13, 2012
• Finished April 22, 2014

Progress:

•  After one week I had about 24 squares.
• 10 days=40 squares.
• December 12, 2012 65 squares.
• March 18, 2013. 122 squares.
• April 17, 2013. 131 squares.
• May 20, 2013 145 squares
• March 5, 2014 284 squares! Knitting completed!
• April 19-22 I Cord border finished.

I changed the level of difficulty to medium. Knitting this is not difficult but anything that takes me more than a month to finish is not that easy.

My squares are 31 stitches. Favorite Mod: On the WS I purl the double decrease stitch so it makes a nice vertical line. This makes it easier to see where to decrease on the RS.

For my selvedge edges I use My Favorite Edge. See side bar for instructions. 

 

On the i-cord edging:

Elizabeth Zimmermann brought i-cord into mainstream knitting.

String Theory Caper Sock was a gift from Martha aka Goldybear.  Thank you, Martha!

It is totally worth the time it takes. I picked up stitches from the right side and then knit from the wrong side. In other words, while you are knitting the i-cord the wrong side of blanket is facing you. This makes a tidier edge.

Mods I would do again:

• Keep Double Decrease stitch in stockinette.
• Use my Favorite edging.

Mods I would do in the future:

• Would not do the provisional cast on which was a waste of time for me. You have to pick up all the other edges so I don’t see the advantage of it.

“Think like a quilter” was my motto because quilters know how to expect a project to take a long time, especially hand quilters.

I miss it a little bit now that it is done but I’m not ready to start another one…yet.

The Blethering Room

Take Pride in Washington Day

 

With good friends, Bill and Marilyn

 “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

― John Muir

Have a great week, Haste ye back, and hold your knitting close.