Update Way Overdue!

The last of the Season to Season blocks has been mailed off to the hostess on the CQ4Newbies group where it will be mailed to my partner to complete the square. Although the photo is a bit fuzzy I think you will still be able to see some of what I've done. My summer block called out "June bride" so I began the center with a single rose and added some white silk ribbon colonial knots around it to look like the tiny white flowers usually found in a bride's bouquet. There is room for my partner to add some green silk ribbon leaves if she chooses or I can add them after my block comes home. The top left corner shows a counted cross-stitch ribband band of peach colored roses that I had left over from another project . The lower left corner has one of my dyed motifs surrounded by beads and stitched on a piece of pink hand dyed fabric taken from a grandmother's petticoat that belonged to one of my Aussie friends. Thanks Sandie, I found the perfect place for this petticoat piece! On the green fabric I decided that a wide embroidered seam treatment was called for and the idea came from Pam Kellogg's new e-zine and how-to use waste canvas. I also used some fancy smancy pink and silver rick rack on the seam to the left of the center rose. To the right of the rose is just a simple feather stitch with beads. I hope my partner, Janet, enjoys stitching on this square.


AHA!!!!! My completed Spring block has come home and it is truly gorgeous. My partner, Debbie, did some really beautiful stitching for me. I am always inspired when my blocks come home .... new ideas, different threads, or color combinations. What a wonderful learning experience from this group of ladies.

A new project ..... I don't need a new project ..... BUT on a stitching friends blog (Mandy in UK) I saw her baby blanket project and found out she belongs to a knitting group that is working through Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. I have been a fan of Elizabeth's since I began teaching knitting classes over 20 years ago using her KNITTING WORKSHOP book and video. But I digress ..... the Knitter's Almanac has a different project for each month of the year. Now I am not as fast a knitter as I used to be so will not be able to complete each project within a month as I once would have. But following the other's posts they don't always complete one project each month so I think I'll fit in quite easily. After seeing Mandy's project I went through some of my yarn stash and pulled out some odds and ends in shades of blue (I do a lot of charity knitting and crochet) and decided this would be a good way to eliminate some of my stash and make a nice project for someone's new baby. I pulled out my size 9 double pointed needles and my 16" and 24" size 9 circular needles and began. The first square is a light blue.

The second square is a medium blue.

Looking at the two side by side (so to speak) you can see a big difference in size. Both were done on the same needles but were two different brands of yarn. Also the degree of color makes a difference in the yarn make-up. After I knit up the remaining squares the odd size ones will again be placed on the circular needles and turned into hats. At least I think that will work .... I'm going to try.

BTW I've joined another group but I'll tell you about that next time.