Goals for this Year

I have been reading on other blogs all about everyone's goals for the year.  Some are quilt related and others are life and quilt related....so this got me to thinking about what my goals are for the year.
As always I am hoping to exercise more and eat less.  This goal is not usually met, but I try!  Other goals include reading more--I used to read nonstop, then I took up quilting and over time have decreased the amount I read.  This past year I found "Wool" by Hugh Howey (thanks Nicole!) and the other books in his series which then led me to find out there is a whole Kindle world about the Silos--so next I read "Greatfall" by Jason Gurley which was just as good and that led to reading about 15 different Silo books!

I really enjoyed all this reading about the Silo and I also got off on another tangent reading a bunch of "Pride and Prejudice" spin off books that were fun too!  All that reading reminded me how much I really have missed reading!  So one of my goals is to take the time to read more, it is such a relaxing activity!

As for sewing goals.  One of them is to get to a Bonnie Hunter workshop and I am already signed up for that in February--I know I can't stop telling you about it!  I want to soak up more sewing knowledge from her and meet more of Bonnie's fans and make some new friends! 

I have been working on my quarter inch seam perfection for several years and I happy to say that now that I have Bonnie's little guide thingy I have it down!  So nice that I can mark every machine accurately and quickly, why oh why did I wait to buy that little thingy!  Quarter inch thingy order form is at the link. 

So now that I have that goal met, I can move on to other goals!  My first quilt related goal is to make a Quilt of Valor to send on to Alycia for distribution.  I did a few blocks this past year but don't think I actually finished one and sent it off!  The year just flew by, so that is a priority for this year. 

The second quilt related goal is to join a quilting bee.  I would love to find a group of gals (either online or in person) to do a first bee with.  I have been hesitant to join bees because I don't want anyone to be disappointed in anything I make and some things seem overwhelming to me!  I did keep a close eye on the bee for the PHXMQG and realized I could successfully make most of the blocks they chose.  I need to just stretch myself and join in one! 

I also really want to knuckle down and start Bonnie and Mickey's Ring Around the Hexies quilt: 

This is Bonnie's picure, I love how this comes out and I got the book for Christmas so I really want to at least get the hexi part of it going asap.  Ros said she wants to make this one too, so that will make it more fun.  Anyone else want in?  We can motivate each other on it!  If so let me know and get the book if you don't have it already! 

In knitting my goal is to finish a pair of socks!  I have two pair with one sock done, or close to done and I need to get a match for each done! 
I also really want to learn to do crocheted granny squares and little flowers too! 

I think these goals should keep me pretty busy into this year! 

Wild and Goosey Weekend!

 I didn't do much sewing...but I did get in two wild and goosey blocks! 

 LOVE, love, love it still.  I know I have to make lots more of these blocks before I really have enough for a quilt but they are fun!  I didn't get out Hawaii Sunset because I was more in a reading mood this past weekend.  In a week or two I read all of Hugh Howley's series (Wool, Shift, Dust) and did some knitting with Becky on my Craftsy sock.  The top of sock one is now done and it just awaits the heel!

 I knitting an entire dishcloth while watching the Packers beat the Redskins!  GO PACK GO!  Last night I continued work on my embroidery for a special post in October too.  Can't remember if I am allowed to show a picture so I will hold off for now.

Migraine Monday :)

 Stayed home from work with another migraine yesterday.  Took a triptan and pretty much hung out in bed sleeping on and off all day.  Finally at about six PM I felt better and sewed up two more scrappy bargello blocks (the blue green ones above) and laid them out with the others to see how it is growing. No plans for this quilt--not even for sure these will all wind up in the same quilt, but the pile is growing.

Kathy is working on unsewing a unit and fixing them so she can get this block part together.  I only sewed about an hour and then went back to bed and started sewing on my purple sock.

 It is the same lace pattern that I am working on with Becky.  I just thought I would get going on an actual pair.  Before long I will have three different socks that don't match!  HA!

Sweet Saturday Sewing the Blues

 Yesterday Kathy and I went and babysat our new nephew Colton and in between watching him I did a little lace sock knitting.  :)

 Today I had a lot of fun in the sewing room.  (I have been having lots of migraines this week and today's went away around 2 PM and I was happy to sew without a throbbing head!).  I had to paper piece this cute little gnome guy.

 Did my two blue Jack in the Box blocks for Angela's Rainbow BOM with obviously is BLUE this month!  Kathy also did her Scrap Jar Stars in blue.

 I am a titch behind on the Skillbuilder BOM.  I have decided I am only doing the blocks I want and I have no plans to quilt them individually...that takes the pressure off.  So here is the Woven Star from Alyssa's Skillbuilder BOM which was a fun one to make.

 This is the Cheveron Block..I decided to do this one in Packer colors.  It will be turned into a pillow backed in Packer fabric and most likely will be a gift for my sister who has a Packer room :) GO PACK GO!

 I have been watching Centennial on the DVD player and occasionally listening to Great Expectations too.  I love having cable in my quilting studio again so sometimes I watch my TIVO stuff (now I can watch it in any room that has cable..whoot, whoot).

 I have a huge start on my blue spools.  Have more left to go, and weeded out the doubles I had.  I really enjoyed my day of sewing the blues!

A Whole Lot of Everything Going On!

 I spent all day today sewing and a bit of yesterday too.  Finally got part of the Lazy Sunday Mystery cut and  ironed...still have more to go for clue two, but progressing.

 Becky came over and we worked on our lace sock from the Craftsy class.  I should never have put it down..it was like starting all over and I really was ready to wall the thing!  Becky seemed to breeze right back into and luckily for me she is the kind of friend who will put her own work down to help..so she got me back on track.  Putting in the heel was crazy and getting the lace pattern going on all three needles was beyond me for some reason.  Now I have done two repeats of it and have caught on again!

 I decided to turn this little tiny log cabin into my in marker for work.  We have a board and we put a little wood shape with our name on it in the cubicle we are terping in.  Mine was an umbrella...it fell once and the handle broke off, it has bugged me ever since.  Everyone will know which booth I am in with this little marker...doesn't even need my name, lol!

 Last night I started on the nine patches (while Kathy cut for me--YAY!) and today I sewed about seven or eight hours on this larger version of Cindy Lou Who Schnibbles.  I like how it turned out and hope that my cousin Kai Len (married last December) will like it for her wedding quilt when she gets it.  I can also call this one my second NewUfo for April (the first being Wild and Goosey)!

Here is a look back at my smaller Cindy Lou Who Schnibbles...it was a bit more coordinated and not as scrappy, but I love the effect this quilt has :)  Now back to sock knitting!

More Sock Knitting via Craftsy Class :)

You know I am determined to learn how to knit socks right?  I haven't given up on my last pair (personal footprints) of socks but I need to spend some time figuring out just where I left off on them. 

Meanwhile, Becky and I decided we would have a sock kniting day.  We both purchased a sock knitting class on Craftsy in which lace socks is one of the patterns.  We met up on Saturday for 4.5 hours of knitting fun and both of us made it through the toe and into the lace design.  The toe took some doing, it isn't easy holding on to all five needles!  (After all my first socks used the magic loop).  I will say that I really liked it once we were on three needles and using a forth...she has us put the front of the sock with the lace design on one needle and the back of the sock is split between two needles.  I notice I do not mix up which is the front and the back this way as I did with the magic loop.  So that is a bonus. 

This was try number 3 or 4 at getting my sock going.  

Becky's on the left and mine on the right.  I knit really tight compared to her!  I decided to make mine the same size as hers so she didn't have to wait for me.  Later I had to rip out a bunch of it and then I went up a few sizes in needles to make it bigger without adding stitches.

You can see in the picture above I DO NOT have the patern down past the toe (and thankfully the lifeline I put in at the teacher's direction!).  This all got ripped...ummm I wasn't doing the purl stitch right!  I didn't realize it for quite some time (in fact after Becky had left I looked it up to make sure I hadn't forgotten it because the way I was doing wasn't leaving the little collar like I remembered it should.  SHEESH!

The back two sections of the sock look dynamite compared to the front..that is because there is no purling on the back!  LOL.

 Here is how far Becky made it before she left.  You can see the start of her lace design happening here!

Mine not so much lace happening!  HA! 

The lace still growing and finally you can see the right purls happening.  This one is after some ripping happened!

 It is a little bigger than this now...I am pretty pleased with it....it is by far the most complicated thing I have tried to knit and it is finally looking like a sock!  :)