Field Trip #1...

Oh my... it has almost been a month since my last post.  Busy, busy, very busy.

I had the opportunity to travel to Boston with the husb for a conference.  We did the usual sightseeing.  We took a trolly tour which I repeated the second day.  Very fun and informative.

Naturally I googled to find all the local fabric and yarn shops.  That is how I found  Windsor Button on Temple Street just off Boston Commons.

When I walked in I found this to the right...

More yarn then imaginable... waiting in boxes to be unpacked.  Since I work in a yarn shop I was just itching to dive into these boxes.  Crazy!

They had a nice yarn selection.  Everything from Lion Brand to Lorna's Laces.

But the BUTTONS.  Check this out...

and this...

and this...

I, of course, had no particular need for buttons... but I picked out 5 interesting wood buttons for my stash.

And here is the good news... they have an Online-Store!  The bad news is, it is not nearly as fun as beeing there!

Getting Organized...

People often tell me, "You get SO MUCH done".  But the truth is, there is a lot I don't get done.  And I don't clean up after myself.  And after a while my sewing room looks like this...

I would show you the rest... but it is just more of the same.  There is a path to the sewing machine.  I can't even tell you how many years ago I started the quilt on my design wall.  All the blocks are done, it just needs to be sewn together.  Apparently I like making blocks, not quilts.  I should be wearing the scarlet letters "UFO".  So shameful.

Hold the phone, don't call Hoarders to bring in the camera crew.  My friend Theresa came to visit with the purpose of helping me clean my sewing room.  She says she is doing it because I helped her with her daughters graduation party last May.  I definitely got the best part of that deal!

Check this out...

cutting table {with a few UFOs hidden beneath the table}

 Kit storage  (I have an obscene number of kits)

Fabric Storage {and a stack of UFOs in the corner}

Sewing table {the label maker is still on the sewing table}

I should have included a picture of the floor.  Sew CLEAN!

One of Theresa's daughters is getting married in May.  Maybe I could help her out, and she will return the favor by helping me tackle my closets. {AKA booby traps}

An Amish Lifestyle...

well... not exactly... but my laptop died and I have been without far too long!  Yesterday the husb took me out and we shopped for, and bought, a new laptop. YEAH... I am back in business. 

While I was offline I got a TON of things done.  {Imagine that!}

I took Eva K to see her grandson play college football.  It was 900 degrees {slight exaggeration} that day.  In the fourth quarter the sky turned black, it began to hail, lightening, rain cats & dogs, and we had a 3 hour delay {no exaggeration}.  The Wartburg Knights came out on top beating Monmouth College.  Yeah team! 

Mom and Skinny Sister's son Riley

At my Rockin' Bobbins meeting we decided to exchange blocks for our Scrapity-Do-Dah quilts one more month.  I completed 5 more sets of 12 blocks for our exchange.  {OK... hardly Amish... what would I do without my Bernina?}  

I cranked away at my YO-YO Along project and I now have 782 completed! 

My yo-yo travel kit

I finished knitting my Fledermaus-Tuch.  It is waiting to be blocked.

I finished knitting Mom's Stitch Sampler Shawl.  Again... waiting to be blocked.      

I began this project....

Found @ ClassicCableKnits.com

I bought this pattern at the Classic Cable Knits trunk show held in August at Village Yarn Shop. This project begins with the pretty edge and the pattern uses a chart.  {Why have I been so afraid of knitting charts?} It has been SO enjoyable to knit.

I am using Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn.  The pattern is written for sock, DK, or worsted weight yarn.  Nice touch!  Since I am generally a serial knitter, rarely knitting a pattern just once, I will probably knit this project in another weight...soon.  Maybe a KAL at VYS?

I finished listening to The Daughter's Walk, by Jane Kirkpatrick.  This story begins with the historically factual 7,000-mile walk taken by a reluctant Clara Estby and her mother, Helga, from Spokane, Washington, to New York in 1896. The fashion industry is looking for promotion of the new, shorter dress for women; Helga is looking for a $10,000 prize to save the family farm from foreclosure. The novel follows Clara after the walk, spanning 40 years.  I enjoy historical fiction and I found this novel interesting.  I was not, however, totally captivated.

 

I began reading a bevy of Lincoln books.  Very interesting.  I look forward to downloading a new book for my walks.

What were you up to while I was gone?

To Knit or Sew?...

That is the question.  The next few days are pretty low key, and with Prince Charles back at college my nest is empty, so I should be able to do both!

I am teaching 2 classes at our LYS and I am trying to get my samples knit.  Maybe I'll have one done today.

 

In my sewing room I have had a lot of fun this summer.

I've kept up with my yo-yos for Penny's {from Sewtakeahike} Yo-Yo Along.  The girls from my Iowa quilting group and some of the Rockin' Bobbins gave me their red, white & blue 30's "scraps".  They were VERY generous!  {XOXO girls!}  I have completed 651 yo-yos.

See that basket in the back of the picture?  I bought that little gem when I went to Shipshewanna this summer with Mary, Julie and Jeanne {Skinny Sister}.  My friend Theresa bought one a couple years back and I have had honest to goodness basket envy since that time.  The basket is handmade locally and signed.  It is on a lazy Susan and the inside is divided into sections.  I like to keep my smallish rulers in the center, and my rotary cutter and scissors in another section.  I almost feel organized!

I have kept up with my Rockin Bobbin Scrappity-Do-Dah exchange blocks.  We meet tomorrow night with our last 5 sets of 13 blocks.

I started putting my blocks together and I have decided to keep making blocks to make my quilt bigger. 

I have sort of  kept up with Karen's Summer Bow Tie Quilt Along.  I might be a week behind.   

My tumbler quilt made of 30's prints is sewn together in strips.  I need to cut a few more tumblers for the border.     

I want to finish a project before I cut into this...

I ordered 2 BOLTS of Bella Solid from Anna's store.  Anna, of Thimbleanna fame, sells Bella Solids by the bolt and you can get yourself some here.  Fabric by the bolt brings sheer elation.  I purchased the Kumari Garden fat quarter pack from the Fat Quarter Shop when it was on sale a month or so ago. 

I'd better sign off and get my 10,000 steps in for today.  I hit my goal of 310,000 steps for the month of August yesterday.  I can't believe September arrives tomorrow!

I hope you get time today to do the things you love.

I am such a Lucky Girl...

I am home from a great weekend in Schaumberg, IL where I attended...

Stitches Midwest.

Last Friday I traveled with my knitting BFFs Mary, Jane, and Maureen up north.  Jenny met us at the convention center.  The other girls atteneded classes and the Fashion Show.  Jenny and I simply went to the market. 

There was soooo much to see.  And it is obvious that shawls are going to be big again this year.

I loved this booth where leather handles were the specialty.  You can check out the handles here at their online shop Homestead Heirlooms.  I bought a few sets of {lovely} handles and 2 really cute felted bag patterns.  Their prices are very reasonable.

This booth seemed very familiar...

These are pictures from Crazy Girl Yarn Shop booth.  They have 2 shops, one in Cedar Falls and one in Coralville, IA.  I visit the shop when I am in Coralville {where I lived previous to IN}, and my BFF Theresa has sent me wonderful gifts from the shop.

It was also fun to see Mass Avenue Knit Shop, from Indy.  You couldn't even get close to their booth. Susan was VERY busy!

 I browsed and shopped all afternoon on Friday.  I purchased a 2 day ticket so I went back to the market on Saturday to wander some more.

My favorite booth was Miss Babs Hand-dyed Yarns & Fiber.   Here I am with Miss Babs.

And here is a shot of her booth {sorry to the innocent woman I caught bending over}. 

Saturday afternoon you could find me in a comfy chair in the lobby with an energy snack and caffeine.

I worked on my class samples for Village Yarn Shop and took in just how great life could be! {Did I tell you I am dipping my toes into the teaching pool?}

If you want to see what I purchased...you'll have to stay tuned! 

Knit on peeps,

Did you Read this?...

This morning I was reading the blogs on my blog list.  Do you read Modalissa?

That is probably a silly question, but make sure you read her post today, Quilting Improves your Health.  The post is interesting and validating. 

If you are in the Indy area...

Don't miss this event at Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville.