I have quilts on the brain.

I don't doubt that it has something to do with The Virtual Quilting Bee.  I am excited to be working with these talented ladies.  Excited, but so nervous.  Really nervous.  Just so you know.

And Daria's pillows have added fuel to the fire.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

Then there is this beauty that Stefani owns.  I've had dreams about it.  Multiple dreams.

But then I stumbled across this one.  After I saw these squares.  Oh me, oh my!

I started a pile.  My X string quilt pile.  In colors that go in my guest room.  You can't see all the fabrics here - the pile is too big.  Maybe I should edit it.  Maybe not.  I think it needs some darker greens.  And maybe some mustard-y yellows.  I'm wrapping my brain around it all, figuring how I can make it so it will look like a stash quilt (which it is, by the way) without being too entirely random.  Does that make sense?  Random looking, but actually very well thought out is the goal.  I wonder how I can do that without it taking entirely too much time.

There are practical issues, too.  Like geometry and math.  You know - calculating exactly how many x's I will need to make the right size quilt.

Pass the calculator, please.

I'm home again.  And I can't get that nursery rhyme out of my head.

As fun as it is to get away, it is always good to come home.  I am refreshed, but tired - if that makes any sense.  I have a huge list of things I want to do, but some things, like groceries, need to happen first.  Work and then play, I guess.  I'm going to get busy.  I really want to sew.

I keep forgetting to share this hat that I knit for my cousin Michael.  It is just like Fatty's hat, but the fair isle pattern is a bit different.  Tonya test knit the pattern for me - hopefully I will have it ready to share next week.

Ok, that's it.  Later gators.

Here I am - blogging in the afternoon again.  It's been a wonderfully long weekend.  The girls were out of school at noon on Thursday and they go back tomorrow morning.  Fatty and I took them on an overnight getaway Friday.  We went here.  It was incredibly fun and 24 hours away was just the right length of time.  We had friends for dinner last night and today the girls and I stayed in our p.j.'s until noon.

Jane put together a Playmobil set - all by herself.  Kate made lunch for the two of them (rice cakes with peanut butter, anyone?).  They cleaned the playroom and put their clothes away.  It was a nice change of pace.  They had no school and I pretty much had the day off.  That was a nice treat.

I am headed back to Telluride on Wednesday with some girlfriends for a long weekend.  I'm not sure if I will be around the blog or not.  Stay well friends.

I just found out that this apron

is on the cover of this book.  I have two other apron projects in there, too.

Eeeee!  What a way to start the weekend!  Hope yours is great.

The sewing room is still a mess.  I never got to it yesterday.  I had a repairman here and it didn't feel right to leave him traipsing through my house while I was upstairs in the walk-in closet that is my little space.  So I hung out in the kitchen, cooked some and took pictures of vegetables. Yeah, the repair man thought I was weird.

I thought this might brighten up your day.

I bought these on Saturday and they are still going strong on the kitchen table.  I love having fresh flowers in the house.  They do wonders for my spirits.

Lots of things are making me twitchy to sew:
this quilt daria made
the thought of vintage linens
all the yellow in this one
the best button haul ever
and this bag.  I love this bag.

Enough of my random thoughts.  I really do have to clean that room.  Enjoy your Thursday.

I really like blogging in the morning.  I'm not sure why, but that is when it feels right to me.  Today I didn't have time - Tuesday is the Iactuallygotomyparttimefivehouraweekjob day.  And in reality, I don't have too much to report.

The light is nice this afternoon - finally!  I took this photo of myself in the carpool line.  I didn't even have to crop it - nice, huh?  The necklace was made by the ever so talented Kristen. It was a gift to me from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Heather bought it from Kristen in person without knowing that I already have some of her jewelry.  Serendipity?  I think so.  Anyhow, I love it.  You can check out Kristen's other baubles at her own little web store, Mood Swing Studios.  I bet you like what you see.

I squeezed some knitting in, too.  Maybe about five minutes worth.  Better than nothing.  Tomorrow is the day I conquer the sewing room.  I left it a huge, gigantic, really horribly bad mess after my bout of Christmas crafting.  I think the twill from Fatty's apron is sitting on the floor next to leftover patchwork strips from the blanket.  When will I ever learn?  Apparently, um, never.  I must get it spiffed up, though.  I've got something in the works.

Jane requested a hat with ear flaps this year.  Her flapper hat disappeared some time over the summer.  I really wonder where it could have gone.  And as I am typing this, I think I should probably check the camping bag we took to Telluride last July.  That may be the only place I haven't looked.

Back to the hat....Leslie pointed me towards Through the Loops and the Thorpe hat.  Perfect.  I bought the yarn right before Christmas, thinking that I might actually have time to knit it up before gift giving started.  I did finish it with time to spare, but since it fit me, I frogged it.  I threw the yarn and needles in my suitcase for some vacation knitting.

Pattern:  Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn:  ggh Savanna, 1 ball in turquoie, 1 ball in green (I don't have the numbers - sorry)
Needles:  size 8 double points
Modifications:  I added pom poms to the braids and the top of the hat.  You know we are all about the pom poms here.
Notes:  Fast and easy - just the way I like hats to knit up.  The hardest part for me was casting on the four stitches and joining them without my addis flying to the floor.  I think it took about five tries to get it right - both times.  Also, like Leslie, I learned how to half double crochet.  Cool.  Thank you You Tube.

Here's Kate's version - sorry for the bad photo.  For hers, I switched to pink yarn for the garter stitch portion.  Mostly because I wanted to see if I could get by with the remaining green from Jane's hat.  I wasn't so lucky.  Oh well.  Also, Kate did not want the braids.  Despite my best efforts, I could not get her to change her mind.  Fatty thought the pom poms would look like giant earrings hanging off her hat.  In reality, it is super cute on her.  And she loves it - that is what matters, right?

And they are finished right in time.  It's snowing!