Amethiste

Have you ever stumbled across a knitting pattern that your imagination can't let go of? From the instant I laid eyes on Robin Ulrich's Amethiste, I was compelled to cast on what I knew was going to be an unforgettable shawl. I just needed to find the perfect yarn to enhance the shawl's multi-faceted, jewel-like quality. Lustrous and changeable lilac-grey, 2 skeins of Lauraville studio sock from Neighborhood Fibre Co. proved the perfect companion. Easy to knit, with divine results, this truly was the perfect February project (after all, amethyst is the February birthstone). I even finished it up while snacking on the last of my Valentine's Day candy. Read more details of my project on Ravelry.

Can I just take a moment to mention how much I love my blocking wires?

Terra

 I finished my Terra Shawl some time ago. Knit up in Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter, it's warm and rustic,  as a shawl should be. The color I chose is called Old World - midnight blue with red flecks - and I think the name is fitting. Charts made the lace pattern so easy to visualize, I think I'd be lost without them! The details of this project can be found on Ravelry, where you can also purchase the pattern (which I highly recommend).

A Very Special Valentine

I had been wanting to make a lap quilt for my sweet grandma since I started my first quilt. Since she has a very special Valentine's Day birthday, I just had to use a Valentine theme! I was beginning to think I wouldn't have time to make the quilt at all this year. But when I saw this heart pattern from  V and Co. (you can find the pattern here), I knew it was meant to be. The heart is made with a Simply Color V and Co. ombre solid and the background is Kona Snow, just like in the pattern sample. The backing and binding are just cute seasonal prints from Jo-Ann.

I made this quilt (with help from my mom - it was her first quilty project!) in a whirlwind. The whole thing was finished within a week - but the bulk of the work was squeezed into the two days before Valentine's Day. I spent almost all of Valentine's Day quilting it on my machine, with very close straight lines. I just love the effect, but I'm not sure what I was thinking attempting such dense quilting in such a short period of time - my back was killing me by the end. All worth it though! It's a beautiful quilt for a beautiful lady.

The pink tag on the back was embroidered by my mom with"LUM", which stands for "Love you most! It's something my grandma always says. The perfect finishing touch!

Totally Smitten

Totally smitten, head over heels ... that's how I feel about this honeycomb quilt-in-the-making! I love that it's thoroughly old-fashioned but that the colors and prints keep it fresh and lively. I chose the fabrics very carefully, and I am pleased as punch with the result! Hand-piecing is slow, but I know this quilt will be an heirloom that I'll enjoy forever and some day pass on to my family. I know I'll be hand-quilting this baby eventually. In the meantime, hooray for english paper piecing!

Hedgehog Fibres

Yesterday I received the gorgeous skein of sock yarn I ordered from Hedgehog Fibres. The colorway is Pheasant. It's very autumnal (favorite word!) - don't you think?

I made myself two sticker charts this week - one for the Farmer's Wife and one for a spider web quilt I have in progress. I get to put a sticker on the charts for every block I complete. It's a lot of fun choosing wild stickers from my little collection to check off each block. And after I make six blocks for each quilt, I am allowing myself some kind of treat.

I finished my first twelve just after Pheasant arrived. And I was so impressed that I decided to claim the last skein of sock in the Granny colorway from the Hedgehog Fibres' shop as my prize. It's a very pretty blend of pastels that reminds me of easter eggs. I'll have a pair of socks in autumn tones and one in spring colors!

My First Five!

Okay - I am loving making these little blogs for my Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt! They are astonishingly addictive. Mostly because it's so much fun to choose fabric for each new blog. Sampler quilts are brilliant. It's hard to lose motivation on a project when each block feels so brand new.

Today I made block number 9, Mother's Dream. What a funny name! I love this block - it is probably my new fave. But it took me so long to make! And then I realized my block was a teeny bit too small. I couldn't bear to start over. So I added a tiny, tiny border. I really wish I hadn't messed up my measurements because I like it a bit better without the border. But oh well!

Me? A Farmer's Wife?

Yesterday I succumbed to the urge to make a sampler quilt. I've had the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (by Laurie Aaron Hird) since December, but I've been debating the whole while about whether or not I would actually give the blocks a go.

The tiny templates (which print ONE to a page) and lack of rotary measurements were a big deterrent, initially. But somehow my frustration only made me more determined to start sewing. So I ended up just figuring out the math and making first one, then two of the itsy bitsy 6.5 inch blocks. And it was so much fun! I made two more today and hope to make at least another before bedtime. I started out with some simple blocks - which tend to be the ones I prefer anyway.

I love 19th century/civil war repro fabrics but, to be honest, the quilt featured in the book wasn't my taste at all. I'm more of a Dear Jane girl! I knew from the start I would be doing something different with my fabric choices. So far I really like the outcome - can't wait to choose a background color.

Amanda is one of my very favorite quilty bloggers (and a founder of the very popular FWSQ group on Flickr), and I was so inspired by all her cute fussy cut blocks that I decided to go in a similar direction with my FWSQ. I just want it to be fun and cheery and spring-like - I'm really in the mood to play with bright jewel-tone colors while I dream of warmer weather! So far that's as defined as the color palette has gotten. As you can see, every block is really different.  But cute, I think!