Busy week ahead

Today we have an appointment at the "Eco Depot" to deliver some used batteries, old light bulbs, and an old thermostat for recycling.  They used to be the "Additional Recycling Center," but when they moved they upscaled the name and, annoyingly, made it mandatory to make an appointment before dropping off stuff.  I am curious to see their new digs.

It's going to be a jam-packed week.  Tomorrow I'll bake a lemon cake to take to a musical program at the library on Wednesday, and then on Thursday I'll go with Paul as he is interviewed by one of the TV stations about a Barre baseball bat company that became world famous for a time.  Apparently, all the major leagues used this particular bat.  I'm not sure when it will be televised.  The young reporter who arranged the interview seems to have caught on to Paul's vast knowledge of quirky local history. 

Friday I will be baking something again in preparation for Saturday's state quilt guild meeting.  I have a quilt made out of blocks I won at the fall meeting for show & tell, and I'll do a short talk on what I've found in the archives.  I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the finished quilt - I'll rectify that soon.

In between, I'll keep quilting the "Out of My Comfort Zone" quilt and knitting this purple striped scarf.  I started the scarf earlier this winter but because the yarn is very fine, fuzzy, and uses #4 needles, it's taking a while.  It will be a cozy scarf for a little girl going into foster care when I'm done.

The hat, the quilt

I finished knitting my Melt the Ice hat and wore it yesterday.  Paul was asked to talk about Montpelier's past clothespin industry by the Channel 5 News, and I went along for moral support.  The reporter and camera man were very sweet and it all went well.  Except it was mighty cold mostly due to the strong wind.  I normally don't wear a hat, making my hair do the work, but I think I should start to wear this one in order to "make a statement." 

You can't see the tassel on top in the photo, but it's there.  I started knitting a bright red one on slightly bigger needles for someone, maybe my sister who has a birthday coming up.

Yesterday I started sewing all the Kaffe and Tula fabrics that I cut out Wednesday, and today I have 16 12" blocks to put together.  I like the way it looks but plan to enlarge it with some borders.  The first will be a think black one, and then there will be a colorful one using scraps of block fabric.

Right now, I'm calling this Out of My Comfort Zone, but I do like it quite a bit.  And it was embarrassingly easy.

Tote bags

Sometimes it feels good to work on something and actually finish it on the day you started.  Sunday I made a tote bag and, while I didn't finish it that day, I did finish it yesterday.  And it's very handy for holding my current knitting project, the burgundy/red Melt the ICE hat.

I really like the fabric I used on the outside - a big retro print - and the sweet pink gingham on the inside.  Both are polyester, and the big print is so old that the width was smaller than today's quilt fabric is.  I enjoyed making it, and I have a lot of both fabrics left.  

Today I cut out another tote bag out of the same big print but using a pattern from a new book, Make 100 Bags.  I hope to work on it today and tomorrow if I get a chance.   I am about halfway through knitting my hat, too.  Someone in my yoga class asked me to knit her one, but I declined because I'm really a slow knitter.  I referred her to Etsy where there are a lot for sale at a surprisingly large range of prices from $7.50 to $50.  I bought a skein of acrylic yarn at Walmart for $4.99 and can.probably make two hats out of it.

I knit a little in between working on organizing the archives of the state quilt guild yesterday.   The guild was founded in 1979 so there are a lot of papers to work my way through.  I'm hoping to turn it all over to the state historical society for safekeeping.  When I volunteered there, I helped organize a number of statewide organizations' archives, so I know that notebooks are too bulky for them and sheet protectors are a no-no.  They stick to the papers and remove the ink.  There's a lot of trash generated by this project, but it's a nice project to work on when it's cold and snowy.

Steadily working

Yesterday I finished knitting a little hat, got ready to bind the blue and white rail fence/snowflake quilt, and ignored the Holland quilt.  Working on the latter is quite intense and I just didn't feel up to that level of intensity.  It is a frustrating quilt because no matter how precisely I cut the pieces (all 1.5" wide), they don't always seem to go together evenly.  I took one section apart and added 1/4" in the middle of the row which helped considerably.  I'll try to get back to it today after grocery shopping and errands.  If not, there's always tomorrow.  And this is how UFOs are born!

On the other hand, I knit the little hat using leftover yarn in three days.  I'm waiting for new yarn for more hats to arrive from Knit Picks, and I also want to get some yarn to make a red Norwegian-style "Melt the ICE" resistance hat.  I bought the pattern through Ravelry, but it calls for circular needles which I hate to use.  So I'm going to have to adapt it to straight needles.  I'm sure that during WW II, some Norwegians used straight needles anyway.  

If I get a chance today I'll cut the binding for the snowflake quilt.  I was given some blue striped fabric that will be perfect for it, even if it is a poly blend.  Marie did her usual beautiful quilting job on that quilt, made from blocks I won in a raffle at the state quilt guild meeting this fall.

Yesterday we had a visit from a very nice representative from Budget Blinds.  He measured our north-facing front windows and the bathroom window for "waffle" shades which I hope will make those areas a little warmer.  It will be six weeks or more before they can be installed, and by that time it should be a little less chilly out.  Still, I am looking forward to a more "modern" look in both places.  

Sashiko is finished

I finished the long-time sashiko UFO Saturday at quilt guild.  I really enjoy working on sashiko and will look for another project soon.  I finished the embroidery some time ago and added batting and a border.  I decided to hand quilt it, but the quilting is pretty invisible.  It will hold it together as it hangs on the wall over my desk.

Next on my list is sewing the binding to the back of the Lily wallhanging.  I finished quilting it yesterday and immediately sewed the binding on.  But I thought it would look more finished with the binding hand-sewn, so I'm taking my time, doing one side a day (or so).   I'll take a picture when I'm finished, but it measures around 39" x 39". 

I also made three mug rugs out of the scraps of the Lily quilt.  I decided I would make a few this year out of scraps from various quilts I finish.  

Next on my list is that set of placemats made out of a green and beige quilt I made my brother Axel in 2005.  I have eight 12" x 18" placemats and four mug rugs to bind.  He can give some away to friends or hold a dinner party.  That last seems pretty far-fetched as he has a small apartment.  I'll mail some when they're ready and keep the rest for when we visit him this summer.

Meanwhile, the purple shawl I'm knitting is coming along, albeit slowly (on #4 needles), and today I went to the library for a bit of aerobic walking in a group and baked a blueberry buckle when I got home.  After dinner tonight neighbors are coming over for a little poker, and we'll cap the day off with the buckle.  I have tons of blueberries in the freezer, so I will bake another one Friday to take to friends in Burlington where we'll celebrate Valentine's Day together.

Thinking about the new year

Projects!  That's what my life has always been about, whether I've been working or retired.  Projects seem to keep me going.  A member of our quilt guild posted a great worksheet for the year's planning, and I think I'll give it a whirl. 

Over the years, I have been keeping a little notebook of details about each quilt I'm working on - size, date begun/finished piecing/finished, some info about the techniques.  I can stuff the worksheet into my notebook although I doubt if I'll fill in the section called "did I sew this week?" which is totally absurd for me.  I sew almost every day!   

My main project right now is the Bigfoot quilt for Chris' birthday January 15 when I hope to have the top ready to show him.  I will ask Marie to quilt it since it's going to be bigger than I like to quilt on my Elna.  I am halfway around the scrappy checkerboard border now.  I know it's risky to add one side at a time, but I decided that, if it doesn't work out evenly on the last round, I will put an appliqued Bigfoot corner on instead of finishing the checkerboard.  Then there will be two plain borders and then I'll be finished. 

After I get the checkerboard done, I may take a day off and work on a few blocks of the month, for the first blocks of Aby's "Optimism" quilt and the guild's BOM.  After I finish the Sasquatch quilt, I will try to return to Dear Jane for a while.  I have made and quilted half of the interior rows and would like to make the other 7 by the end of the year.  There will be distractions, and that's OK.  

I watch more TV during the winter and like to knit while doing so.  I'm working on a red hat, teenage sized, for Bags of Love while I figure out what to make with the gradient bundle of fingering yarn my sister gave me for Christmas.  I would love to make a small shawl for myself, so I'll spend some time rolling these lovelies into balls while I decide what to do.

Reflections

2024 is almost finished and 2025 is about to begin.  Isn't amazing that we're a quarter of the way through the century that just seemed to begin a few years ago?  So much has happened, yet there's so much left to do.  

This year, I finished my usual number of quilts - 14, several given away to various charities.  One was most significant because I started it back in the 1980s.

It was just a simple white on white piece, not even 18" square, and pre-printed.  I unearthed it in 2023 and began taking it to the Calico County Quilters monthly meetings.  I enjoyed working on it while chatting and admiring other people's work, including Wendy's intricate hexie quilt made with Tula Pink fabrics.  Hanging over my desk now, this little quilt makes me proud!

The quilt I least enjoyed working on was the Laura Heine collage, Birch Street, which my mom enjoys seeing in her family room.  

It was an intense project, and I doubt if I'll ever make another.  I just don't enjoy following patterns.

My favorite quilted items were two table runners using "Snowflake" Bentley fabric.  I can't find a picture of either one; I gave them away to neighbors for Christmas.  Gale, who lives next door, says she loves the way it looks on her table, and that makes me very happy.  Her husband Alan is Jewish, so the blue of the snowflake fabric works well at their house. 

I knit a number of hats for kids going into foster care, and now I'm working on a scrappy scarf made of knitted squares.   My sister gave me some lovely fingering yarn that I am dying to start working with, so I will probably set the squares aside for a while.   

My hand quilting project to take to Calico County is a sashiko piece I finished embroidering last fall.  It's black thread on charcoal fabric, so Dee's classroom where we meet is the only place I can actually see well enough to hand quilt.  But I'm sure it won't take me 40 years to finish!

Happy New Year to all - may 2025 be a good year for you!

Another orphan block quilt

I finished the last small quilt in a series using orphan blocks yesterday and feel I have license to work on a few other UFOs.  Whoopee!   I haven't made any Dear Jane or Green Tea and Sweet Beans blocks in several months, and of course, there's the Lily of the West quilt I just started last week.  I also have a couple of scrappy leaders/enders going, too, along with the bow tie block swap blocks.  I always chuckle when people ask me what I'm working on.  They are often surprised to hear that usually I have 10 or 12 quilts going at once.  That's not untypical for a devoted quilter.

Anyway, the quilt I just finished combines various guild blocks of the month with some string blocks.  I usually make my string blocks on an 8" paper foundation.  This time, after removing the paper, I cut each one in half diagonally and sewed four sections together.  Unfortunately, the result didn't measure the 12" of the BOM blocks so I had to border them in order for the blocks to fit together.  

I'll take this 50" x 50" quilt to Bags of Love for kids going into foster care as soon as I finish the little hat I've been knitting for them.  I have a bunch of leftover yarn to make a few more hats this fall and winter.  I decided not to buy any more yarn (I can't resist the lush colors of wool) until I use up some of my miscellaneous yarn.

The monthly guild "teams" decide the colorways for the blocks we bring for the monthly drawings.  I have been making two blocks the same and keeping one.  But this year, I've decided to try and make all of the blocks of the month I keep for myself in the same colorway.  I'm not sure what that will be yet, but I'm leaning toward blue and white to use some of the many blue scraps in my stash.

I am sure that Marie, the long arm quilter, will be letting me know soon that my Barn Star Sampler is ready because when I saw her last week, it was on the frame.  I'll try to cut a binding out for it in the coming week and pick it up next Thurs.  But today Deb and I are scheduled for our monthly pedicure and gabfest in the morning, and, in the afternoon, I'm going to the library to help clean up the booksale room with Pam and Martha-Jean.  By the time I get home I'll be thinking about what to make for dinner.   Black bean bowls?

Knitted stuff

Yesterday was a recuperation day for me.  I didn't do a lot, just a little gardening in the early part of the day.  I sat down to watch Love of Quilting on TV along with a Hallmark mystery, something I rarely do.  I did some hand sewing of the Dresden Plate blocks I started last week.  And I wove lose ends of knitting things that will be going to kids in foster care eventually.

The "wave" scarf is made with a variety of colors, including shades of purple and brown and is quite long.  If I ever make another, using the technique called "short row knitting," I'll use a continuous couple of skeins of variegated yarn.  Adding the different colors was just a pain as all the additions and subtractions needed weaving in to finish.  But I do like the way it turned out.

The hat should fit ages 18 mos. to 4 years, but it's almost big enough to fit any kid's head.  Paul thinks it's appropriate for both boys and girls, but I imagine a little boy wearing it.  I bought several skeins that blue DK weight washable wool fully intending to make myself a sweater.  But then I realized I didn't have the stamina or interest to knit one.  So I've made lots of blue hats in the last couple of years.  I have a batch of other ends and pieces of yarn that I am hoping to make a few more hats out of this year, and yesterday I started one using remnant of cotton/acrylic blend variegated yarn.  It should go fairly quickly as it's for ages up to 18 mos.

This morning I'll head down to the library to meet the recycling crew which will take our 100 boxes of leftover books from the book sale.  I'll stop at the grocery store for milk and bread on my way home, and then I'll make a chicken salad for dinner.  This afternoon, I'll get together as usual with librarian friends around the country via Zoom.  They always have good suggestions for books, movies, etc. and there will surely be some discussion of politics.  In between, I'll probably put in a little time machine quilting a little Christmas quilt.

Short row knitting

I spent yesterday morning making real progress on the collage but being hunched over was tough on my back.   We took a walk in the morning which helped get the "kinks" out, but I'll give the collage a rest today.   I hope yoga later this morning will help, and I'll work on either something else in the quilting room or knit some more on my wave scarf.  The latter is looking good!

I haven't memorized the pattern yet but hope this will come in time.  Right now I'm holding the pattern on my lap while knitting.  It is going faster, though, as I develop a rhythm.  Using #7 needles helps.

I want to turn my attention to making some placemats for Pauline.   She was hoping for something in dark greens, burgundies, and blues, so I bought some fat quarters and a jelly roll in the Winter Flurries line by Holly Taylor.    It's way more than I need for the project, but I can use the excess in other projects, too.  

I have a lot of Waverly fabric in the same colors for the backs.  It's really upholstery fabric, but I think it will soften when washed.  I used it to make a few shopping bags to give as gifts and still have a couple of yards.   In addition to this project, I have two quilts to bind and two more to machine quilt.    The collage will require quilting when finished, too, so I don't think I'll be at a loss for projects this winter!

Hope you had a fun holiday

 Well, it's back to "life" here in Vermont with another very foggy morning leading to another gray day.  No snow on the ground to reflect a little light back.  We have put the compost bucket out for pick up and in a minute I'll go down to get laundry out of the dryer from yesterday.  Exciting, isn't it?!?

We had a very nice Christmas day.  Low key as always.  Chris came for brunch, and I made his favorite - bacon - to go along with fruit and waffles made from cinnamon buns in a can.  They were incredibly easy and quick.  I had bought two cans but only used one, so I'll make them again soon.  We didn't have the frosting on top but, in typical Vermont fashion, used maple syrup instead.  Delish!  I have to admit that I prefer whole grain waffles, but these are nice for a change.

We spent much of the day talking on the phone to family, including a little texting back and forth with Paul's sister Pat in Florida.  The rest of the day, I cleaned up, read and knitted.  I'm working on a Wave Scarf made with short rows.  This is something new for me and ends up in a really interesting pattern.  

I'm using three different colors of alpaca yarn - dark purple, lighter purple, and brown - so I'll have to switch somewhere in the process.  It is working up fairly quickly on #7 needles, but I do have to refer back to the pattern as I go, with a lot of counting.  I'll share a photo somewhere along the way.  It will be a nice change from the baby hats and mittens I've been working on.

Hopping around

I think most quilters hop around between different quilting (and other) projects, and I am no exception!  I have a long list of UFOs on the "slow go," as one friend put it.  Yesterday I finished up a knitted hat and scarf to give to kids going into foster care.  I'll deliver them along with a few more hats and a quilt on Thursday.

I also worked on my Jen Kingwell Sweet Tea and Green Beans quilt that I started this summer.  I love a mix of applique and piecing, but this pattern is meant for hand piecing which I rarely do.  I'm sewing mine on the machine when I can and hope to do more wool applique.   This will probably take me most of the next year to finish, but I do love working on Kingwell's unusual samplers.

I love the outer border with its vine and whimsical flowers.  It will be a while before I get there, though.  My quilt will be scrappy, but I am using a neutral background - cream with a brownish small print.  I think I have enough of it to get through the whole pattern, but to be on the safe side, I'll cut the outer border soon and set it aside (with a note to remind me about what it is).

Robin and I are doing a demo on "green wrapping" at the state quilt guild meeting in a few weeks, so I also made a couple of little goodie bags for Christmas.  I used a Halloween pattern from last month's BH&G American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  Today I'll make a quick Japanese knot bag which is partly cut out and maybe start knitting a baby hat with peach leftover yarn.

Socks!

 

I heaved a huge sigh of relief at finishing sock #2 today.  I'm not sure I'll ever make another pair.  I started sock #1 in the fall, finished in January and then started on sock #2, using 4 size 2 needles.  I love the yarn (Patons sock yarn), but I would rather not have to think so hard as I'm knitting.  I like to finish sooner than every six months (or more!).

Today I cast on 104 stitches onto size 7 needles to make a hat, and I'm much happier with that.  Sure, I'll have to think while shaping the top of the head, but otherwise, I am free.  I'm using Brava Speckled yarn from Knit Picks (color - cake pop), and it's working out really cute.  This will be for "Bags of Love," for kids in foster care.  I have three more skeins of the speckled yarn that should keep me busy all summer.

Productive day

It was a good day for accomplishing things I've been meaning to work on for a while.  Paul had errands to run, so I was home alone in the morning to rattle around the kitchen making jam.  I had frozen strawberries and rhubarb from last year.  I love the look of the jam in jars after canning.

I'm a little disappointed with this batch because it seems rather runny.  Mental note to self:  drain some of the liquid from frozen fruit before jamming!

I finished adding snippets of batting to edges of the Arboretum quilt I've been working on.  My "Frankenbatting" was just a tad too short in places.  Now I'm quilting the last border before adding the binding.  I really like this quilt.  When that's done, I'll take a short break from quilting and work on a few more Dear Jane blocks.

After lunch, I sat down to watch what I thought would be Quilting Arts on TV, but it turned out to be a delightful new program, Fresh Quilts.  It has a modern slant but is less artsy than the other show.  It was quite good.

While watching TV, I finished working on some I Found a Quilted Hearts I started last week.  I embellished them with buttons, charms and decorative ribbon.  They are now in a baggie for the car in case I go anywhere I can hang one or two.  They are fun and easy to make although I haven't seen any reports of finding the ones I spread around on last summer's trip back and forth to Wisconsin.  I plan to take a few to the town forest this summer.

Finally, I started shaping the toe of the sock I've been knitting.  Maybe I'll finish today if I can remember how to do the Kitchener stitch.  I am looking forward to making a few hats with some variegated yarn from Knit Picks,  These will all go to "Bags of Love" for kids in foster care.  It will be nice to work on larger needles after the tiny sock needles (#2).

One down, one to go

I finally finished knitting one sock on Monday, much to my relief.  Working with four #2 needles was hard work by the end.  I used up most of the ball of yarn and worried I wouldn't have enough to finish.  It fits, but I'm glad I have relatively small feet.  If I ever make another pair of socks, I'll be sure to buy three balls of yarn, just in case.

The yarn is very pretty and easy to work with, though, and I'll get to the other sock soon.  First, I'm giving myself a break by knitting a quick garter stitch hat on #6 needles.  Much easier.

I did a little hand quilting on the guild challenge wallhanging and cut more Hunter's Star fabrics yesterday.  It's going to be frigid today, too, so I will just go to yoga but not walk outdoors.  I'll call the quilt shop to find out if my Elna has come back and hope to pick it up tomorrow.    

Last night's dinner was curried chicken from a new cookbook, A Pinch of Nom.   I knew it was part of a healthy eating series but had no idea that this was part of a British "movement" called Slimming World.  It seems to be like Weight Watchers which I joined briefly in 2020.    I found some of WW's recipes to be really good, and so far, PON's look pretty good although more meat-based than I'd hoped.   

Finishes

I like to knit, both just to relax and also to keep my hands occupied so I don't snack.  The part I dislike the most, however, is weaving the loose ends in after the project is finished.  Over the last couple of days, I've done that to three projects, two of them long ago finishes.   

Last summer, I made a shawl in a dark green metallic yarn that was very basic but pretty.   I really liked working with that particular yarn which was soft and very shimmery.  I'm giving that to Pauline for Christmas.  In the fall, I made a striped scarf for "Bags of Love," in fall colors.  It needed blocking and then the loose threads woven in.  

A few weeks ago, I finished the second of two hats for my Wisconsin brother.  One was striped blue and the other was plain blue.  He can keep one or both or give whichever hat(s) away. 

I have lots of off white and blue yarn left, so I decided to make another hat.  They are really pretty easy on straight needles, and the hat I finished yesterday turned out pretty good.  I wove those loose ends in yesterday, too.   Whenever I do that step, I wonder why I drag my feet so.  It only takes a little while.  It's going to Bags of Love, too.

My next project is a pair of socks using fingering yarn and four #2 needles.  That should take me a while and I sure hope it's worth the time and effort!  I knit while watching TV, but on those tiny needles, I wonder just how much I will actually see.

It really is nice to get some of these projects on their way to other people.  My knitting basket is just about empty.  

A little of this n that

I finished knitting my brother's hat the other day and have all of my packages ready to mail as soon as we receive another shipment of Paul's new book to include.  This hat turned out much better than the striped one, but I put both in the package with a note that he can give away either one or both.  

I started knitting another hat using scrap balls of yarn in off-white and several blues.  This is a fairly easy pattern that I knit on straight needles and then quickly sew up.  So it's good for TV watching and not as endless as a scarf, although I do like knitting those, too.

Yesterday was the Friends of the Library's first day of setting up for Light Up the Library, a holiday display of trees, wreaths, decorations, and other items contributed by local businesses, groups, and families.  I met several donors while picking things up around town and also when they stopped by the library with things.  

One family brought and decorated the most gorgeous tree yesterday with many woodland-related handmade ornaments.  The picture is small, but there are a couple of stuffed owls, and then some other creatures peeking out from the branches.  If I didn't already have my Christmas village "tree," I'd definitely enter the raffle for this one.

Today I'll be back at the library to meet a few people setting up their contributions, including the Rotary Club and the "Barre Values" group that encourages kindness. inclusion, and understanding.  Can't wait to see what they have come up with.  My main chore today will be finding enough extension cords to light all these items up with.  After quite a bit of planning, it's fun to see all of this come together.

Making progress

 

I finished hand stitching the binding on the Unity quilt this week as part of my clean up in advance of company coming.  Now it's waiting for its portrait, along with a bunch of other, smaller quilts.  Getting outside when the sun is blazing is not my idea of fun, and many mornings have been foggy lately.  All in due time!

I finished knitting my socks and will block them soon so that they may look a bit more photogenic.  I don't plan to wear these except as slippers around the house.  I found sock knitting quite difficult, so I took a break and started some mittens (using the same blue, of course, since I have lots of it).  I'm almost finished with the first one after just a few days of watching Jeopardy.  This pair will go to Bags of Love, for kids in foster care.

My online swap group is going swap some tree blocks in early 2023.  Several bloggers are making them and calling the resulting quilt Arboretum.  Even though I really want to work only on UFOs right now so that I have a clean(er) slate, I did make about 15 of these last week, too.  They are incredibly fast and fun to work with.

Batiks really make these easy to put together, improvisationally.  I need to get a few more batiks so that I have a variety to swap and to incorporate into a quilt.

The next to the last UFO I have to work on is Austen Jubilee, which based on a series mystery in Quiltmaker magazine this year.  I found myself very low on fabric, unfortunately, but managed to make several blocks this week.  Some have been pieced where they needn't have been, but they turned out pretty good.  

I finally broke down and ordered some more Jane Austen at Home fabric on etsy.  When it comes, I'll be able to finish the last bunch of blocks and then wait until the next issue comes out to put them all together. 

I don't think this pattern is really meant for such busy fabrics, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll all look OK together when the time comes to put them together into a queen-sized quilt.  You may not be able to tell, but two of the triangles in this block were pieced.   Busy fabric has its advantages.

The next UFO to work on will be my on-going pineapple quilt.  I have several months of the rainbow scrap challenge to catch up on, which is OK.  I like making these foundation pieced blocks, and I will roll this project into 2023.

Where did the week go?

I was busy as a bee this past week, and, I guess, too busy to take a picture or write a blog.  By Friday, both Paul and I looked at each other and wondered how the week just zipped by.  He wrote two historical articles for the newspaper which I edited, and he started on another.   I worked on binding two quilts that came back from the long arm quilter, put together and quilted a small (36" square) quilt, and started quilting another small (51" square) quilt.  I am half-way around, sewing the Unity quilt's binding down to the back.  I am also in the homestretch of knitting the second blue sock.  Phew!  I need to take some pictures.

Along with all that handcraft activity, I made a chocolate cake to take to a potluck and some brownies to share with neighbors on Friday.  I did the minutes for the Friends of the Library meeting last Tuesday, and sent out publicity for the Friends' annual meeting and the barn quilt meeting in September.  Thursday we drove to St. Johnsbury, 45 minutes north, and took Suzanne, who just turned 87, out to lunch and on an errand.  Double phew!

Now it's Sunday and I promised to go with Paul to Green Mount Cemetery to help him gather GPS coordinates for a guidebook he's writing about prominent Montpelier citizens and where they're buried.  Hope to get a little time sewing and quilting later today.  There is definitely a touch of fall in the air now with morning temperatures in the 50s.  We see a few trees changing color, too.  The days are definitely getting shorter.  I love fall, though, and think it's time to pull the tomatoes out of my planters and replace them with mums.  We'll still have some hot days here and there and hope the heat pump can be installed soon.

The sock

 Here's a picture of the sock as a work in progress...

I bought a bunch of blue washable wool to knit a sweater for myself, but then I realized I really don't like to commit myself to big projects.  I only knit while watching TV and then not every evening.  I thought I'd try knitting socks which might also be cooler to work on during the summer months.  So far, so good.  Just have to learn the Kitchener stitch to finish the first one off, or maybe I'll wait til I have both done.  I tend to forget things like that very quickly.

Yesterday I did 3 loads of vacation laundry, including the quilt I keep in the car (it's an early one made of polyester and will probably outlast me!).  Today I'll do the last two loads and work on binding the Unity quilt that came back from the long arm quilter's.   It's good to get back in the sewing room again.