Finished and Unfinished March

It's time once again to do the UFO challenge and to celebrate successes (and to confess to what is not really failure, but perhaps an opportunity to experience how things can go astray).

1.  WIP - The granddaughter dress revision - done and sent
Once I got over my fear of not knowing what I was doing and just started putting needle to fabric, it finished up pretty quickly.  Put a matching fabric bias trim on the opening, added some matching bias trim fabric to the neck trim, and put in a snap (couldn't find a button that looked right).

 OK, so I had to do the snap several times since first, I sewed the second part of the snap  upside down (with the bump up instead of the hole) and had to re-do it, and then, I found I had neglected to leave a tab to grab onto to undo the snap and had to re-do my neck trim extension, and then I sewed the second part of the snap on upside down (again!).

And I probably should have made a little bow to cover the snap tab, but the dress has been mailed away already, so that will only happen if mom and dad request it.

Fabric is by Lida Enche (a local artist/fabric designer)

2.  WIP - the "Journey" Challenge Quilt - slow progress, not what I had hoped for this month!

Here's the challenge fabric (only photo I can give until after the guild meeting in May).

Since the study I am doing is a design process, everything is taking much longer than I thought it would, so instead of my 12 unit goal, I have only completed 2 and a half!

I still have hopes for finishing by the deadline, since I can always do the quilting and finishing in May (yeah, last minute, I know, but still an option) and I have a new plan for progress - 

Instead of working so hard to make each unit perfect, I'm going to be more intuitive about it (I've got all the fabrics, they just need to be "arranged") and crank out a lot of units, and then select the most successful ones to assemble into the challenge quilt (the rejects can still become a lap quilt or something).

This will also give me more opportunities to make mistakes and take more risks, and in doing so, to learn more from my study!


3. NewFO - Fingerless Mitts - done and I love them (I think these may be for me)

Pattern is "Fluency" by Silvia Harding- in the fingerless mitt variation.  
Yarn is Mini Mochi merino sock yarn by Crystal Palace Yarns
Beads are Toho Metallic Nebula size 6/0

4. UFO - The giant flower quilt - top is done (though I may still add a stem and some leaves) and is now a WIP 

Unscheduled March finishes!
1. NewFO - Beaded Cuffs!

Pattern is Aquitaine by Silvia Harding and uses both prestrung and hooked bead techniques.
Yarn is Malabrigo Sock superwash Merino color 871 Playa
Beads are Toho Metallic Hematite megatoma 3mm, round 6/0, and cube 4mm, and Toho round 8/0 Matte Opaque Gray.

2. NewFO -Color and Weave scarf!

 (the color is not quite right in the finished scarf photo above, but is good in the process photo below)

I wanted another color and weave sample for the beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving class I was teaching, so did a houndstooth and variations (fun). Will blog this later.

3. NewFO -Warp emphasis scarf!

My Rigid Heddle Study Group is doing a study of unbalanced weaves (where the warp and weft are not the same number of threads per inch), and my beginning weaving students saw this novelty yarn and asked if it was possible to weave with it, so I had to give it a try and combined two experiments in one!

It turned out to be a lovely, soft, drapey scarf - and fun and pretty too!  Will blog later.

April Goals

1. WIP - "Journey" Challenge Quilt - crank out those study units so I can quilt and finish this in May!


2.  WIP - Giant Flower Quilt (see photo above) - Quilt and thread sketch
I'll have to whip together a fused quilt practice "sandwich" since I've never done any thread sketching before (I like a good challenge)!


3.  NewFO - beaded fingerless mitts
A friend of mine saw my Fluency mitts and asked for a pair, so here they are. 

They just need the thumb gussets finished, yarn ends woven in, and a nice bath and blocking.
Yarn is Mini Mochi merino sock yarn by Crystal Palace Yarns (color 108)

4.  NewFo - Wyvern Wrap Sweater
Have been wanting to make this for my daughter-in-law, but haven't found the right yarn on my little island (and I don't buy internet yarns unless I know what they feel like and look like and smell like).  
Goal is to make the big shopping trip to the mainland and search for yarn (and get it cast-on if I find the right yarn)

And that's it for now!

February Finishes and UFO Update

A little late on my posting, but here's my finishes and flubs for February (whoa, an alliteration attack!)

1.  WIP - The granddaughter dress revision - slow progress

Got the neck elastic stabilized, the back sliced open, and some matching fabric bias tape made, but that's it.  I now must recognize what my problem really is here - I am not a seamstress/garment maker.  In fact, the only clothing I've sewn since Junior High Home-Ec classes (a loooong time ago) has been puppet costumes, and they don't really count since not only do they not really have to fit well, in most cases they are actually stitched to the puppet body!

2.  WIP - American Girl Doll beaded mitts - finished and in the mail!

3.  WIP - Stepdaughter beaded mitts - finished and in the mail!

5.  WIP - pinwheel weave scarf on Rigid Heddle loom - finished and blogged!

4. UFO/WIP - The challenge quilt that was originally due at quilt guild on March 19 was rescheduled for the May meeting, and it is now completely re-imagined, but in process.

After doing some design sketches, I realized that what I was designing would not fit into the time constraints (firm deadline) or the size limits of the challenge project.  So though I really love these ideas, these sketches go in the idea incubator for a future finish (after this year's quilt show time crunch).  

 (this is not the challenge quilt but has become an incubating story quilt)

So, after briefly considering just dropping out of the challenge, suddenly a new idea popped up that would help me complete 2 projects in one!  I've been trying to work on some "studies", but keep running out of time - but - the studies can be finished in modular units, using the fabric from the challenge, and when assembled as a quilt, will easily meet the theme (journey).

I did select and color sort and wash fabric this last month, so this is now a WIP.

And the fabric will work for the incubating story quilt too, so I have a head start on that one as well!

March challenges (yikes! March is half over!)

1.  WIP - The granddaughter dress revision - (see photo above)
Will try to be bolder and just dive into completing this (before Easter, perhaps?).

2. WIP - The challenge quilt
Cut and piece the study modules (12 to 16 units, depending on how the study progresses) this month (hope to be ready to do the quilting in April).  That's really only one a day, so seems totally doable.
Sorry, no photos till it's done - just in case a guild member happens to see my blog!  So you'll have to trust me on this one!

3.  NewFO - OK, the whole beaded fingerless mitt thing sent me off on another pair that is actually almost done already!  Pattern is "Fluency" by Silvia Harding - in the fingerless mitt variation.

One, maybe two evenings of knitting to finish.

4.  UFO - The giant flower quilt.

I started this in a class a year ago in January and love it and would really like to finish it for the local quilt show (late June).  My goal for this month is just to finish cutting and fusing the picture.  (April will be for thread sketching and quilting).

This shows the picture I'm working from in the lower right corner - and that's an 8x10 photocopy so you can get an idea how big the quilt is!.

And that is my own photo from my garden too!

And that's enough!

Rigid Heddle 8-shaft Pinwheel Weave!

Thanks to Jeen on Ravelry, I found a "recipe" for 8-shaft weaving on a rigid heddle loom.

This is Pinwheel Weave.  Yes, it is very cool.  
It is also somewhat time consuming (with 6 pick-up rows out of every 8 weft throws), so if you like rigid heddle to be a quick weave, this is not the draft for you!  
It is possible to get a nice rhythm going with it though, and the pick-up pattern is not hard to memorize, so if you do not have access to an 8-shaft loom, give this a try!  

I used a merino sock yarn and a 12 dent reed (wanted more wheels across the width) but I think I should have followed Jeen's advice and started out with chunky on a 5 dent, or maybe worsted on an 8 dent.  This would give fewer pinwheels in a row, but also fewer threads to pick up, which would make a significant difference in the time and difficulty of the pattern.

So here's how it goes (though I do recommend going to Ravelry for Jeen's step-by-step instructions and many examples of this pattern in different color combinations plus other variations and other weaving patterns).  (OK, I like Jeen - she's bold and experimental and likes to try out lots of crazy ideas.)

Directions:
A.  Warp your loom with 8 threads of each color, alternating 8 thread colors blocks all the way across.

B.  With your darker color, weave a plain border of some kind, at least 2 rows (more, if you like).

C.  Starting with your darker color, begin the pattern.  You'll do all 8 rows of the pattern with this color.

Pattern:
row 1 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, from right to left, go over 4 threads and pick up 4 threads.  Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

row 2 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, go over 3 threads, pick up 1, over 1, pick up 3 threads. 
Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

row 3 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, from right to left, go over 2 threads, pick up 1, over 1, pick up 1, over 1, and pick up 2 threads.  Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

 

  row 4 - no pick-up (take a breath) Heddle down, plain weave shot.

row 5 - no pick-up (take a breath) Heddle up, plain weave shot.

row 6 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, from right to left, pick up 2 threads, over 1, pick up 1, over 1, pick up 1, and go over 2 threads.  (for those who think analytically, this is the opposite of row 3)
Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

(this shows the pick up stick making the shed)

row 7 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, from right to left, pick up 3 threads, over 1, pick up 1, and go over 3 threads.  (opposite of row 2)  (sorry, apparently I neglected to take a picture of this one)
Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

row 8 - Heddle in neutral.  In each 8 thread color section all the way across the row, from right to left, pick up 4 threads and go over 4 threads.  Turn the pick up stick on its side to create a shed and weave your color through.

Repeat this pattern (rows 1 through 8) with your second color.
And that's it, alternating colors to the end of your project.

D. End with the 8 row pattern in your darker color.

E. Put in your plain weave border.

F.  Finish fringes as desired (I twisted mine in solid color 8 thread units)

And voila, a pinwheel scarf (or dishtowel, or whatever project you choose)

So even though it's pretty slow going, it's actually fun!  Really!  
And it's pretty flash, oh yes it is!

(edited post on March 19 - so sorry, I was in a hurry when I first did this, and put all the process photos in upside down!  All better now.)