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Post by choney2 on Sept 1, 2022 11:39:19 GMT
Gee, quiet here yesterday! I had a busy day myself, babysitting has started up again. Great to see the little ones, but mentally it seemed like this summer never took place because it was so very hot. DD’s mil is under the weather, so I am babysitting the rest of this week also. So far the kids are being super good for me, but the day is young.
Thankfully, we have had a shift in weather, bringing lower humidity and slightly lower temperatures. Doubt I will get any crafting done today, but one never knows.
BBL
Ginny
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Post by snowsaint on Sept 1, 2022 12:16:28 GMT
Good morning! I seem to be awake and ready to start my day! Last night I couldn't stay awake, so my timing is scrambled.
Yes, Ginny I am making progress on the scarf. I love the color(s)
as they blend and pool I'm continuing to find the repetition of the hdc soothing and healing. Sometimes I do a row or two, and sometimes I crochet several inches.
My DD's book is doing very well. "Rebel with a Clause. -Tops and Tales from a Roving Grammarian". My cousin saw the spot on CBS news and got in touch with me. A long time friend visited someone in Colorado who knew about the book and had ordered it. DD set up her Grammar Table in Manhattan four years ago and then took it on the road during summer trips. The book is the anecdotal story of those grammar encounters. It's humorous and fun!
DD will be here in three weeks. Other DD will try to get here, too. she works from home, so it may work out. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. The past few covid years have been complicated.
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Post by Ruth on Sept 1, 2022 17:21:39 GMT
Ginny, it doesn't seem to me that you've had much summer either with all the teaching, etc. Now back to babysitting for the school year. You are truly a busy woman. I'm glad you got to talk to your bil after he received the quilt. I can relate to how he feels about the path on which our country seems to be travelling. It's not only depressing but it's somewhat frightening also
Sue, Congratulations to your daughter on the new book. I see that it has a lot of positive reviews. And yes, crocheting is usually very relaxing especially the more repetative ones.
CJ I hope you are having a good day and enjoying making quilt tops or just looking thru fabric.
Phy, I bet you have plans for the labor day weekend. You are a very busy person also.
Well whole new plan on the diagonal blanketweave pattern.DH has been eyeing it since shortly after I started making it. He really likes it. Last evening he said he also thought I was tired of working on it. I didn't mention that I was but I guess he knows I don't like having to work on one thing for a long time. Anyway he suggested I make a different one for dgd and give him the basketweave and leave it the length it is right now except he would like a border like the one I put on the neighbor's blanket. He wants it as a lap blanket. So I finished the row I was on as he suggested and will make a border soon. In the meantime I started a traditional type C2C blanket for dgd. It has little squares as you know and will be faster and also lighter in weight to ship and still look like the picture dgd sent to me of what she wanted.
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Post by cj59 on Sept 1, 2022 19:50:20 GMT
Hello Everyone - Hope you are all doing well  Ginny - Hope the babysitting goes well and you are enjoying the cooler weather. The cereal I liked is the Special K Pumpkin Spice, I've already started looking for it in stores. Ruth - I'm glad you DH gave you a solution to finishing up that blanket and that you will hopefully enjoy making the C2C blanket instead. Phyl - Hope you are able to get the baby blanket sewn together. Sue - I'm happy that your DD is going to be coming to visit. I'm glad to hear her book is doing well. I remember you talking about her and the grammar things, but didn't realize/remember that she is THE "grammar lady". I was going to send her an email because I have a grammar question that has been driving me crazy  Do you think she wouldn't mind getting an email question? Or could I ask it here when she's in town and you could show it to her? Thanks I went out yesterday morning to get a few groceries. The weather here has been a bit cooler, but still sunny. I haven't done any quilting for a few days, just don't feel like it. I have the Moda Blockheads block to make, which is supposed to be paper piecing, but I'm going to use my Tri-Recs ruler instead. Also the next clue for the Melodic Melody quilt - which is flying geese units - so that shouldn't be too hard. Hopefully I'll feel like working on them in the next few days. Take care everyone! |
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Post by choney2 on Sept 1, 2022 23:44:47 GMT
CJ- sometimes you just have to take a break from the routine and either not craft at all or do something different. If I remember last year you went through a quilting drought of almost a month or two before you got your momentum back. Its ok - in the meanwhile recharge your batteries and restore your creative juices. I hope the your inspiration returns quickly. Guess I I will have to look in my local stores to see if the Special K pumpkin spice flavor is available yet. Sounds like you have not found it yet.
Ruth, your Dh had one heck of a great idea and a good solution to your basketweave blanket. For sure DGD will not notice the change in crochet pattern. And a great idea as it gives a new afghan to DH- plus the CTC afghan will be less expensive to make and ship. A true win- win.
Sue - that scarf sounds so pretty and its great to hear that you are excited over it! Years ago I made a ripple afghan and one of the color stripes was a variegated yarn. I LOVED seeing how the variegated colors worked in together. So pretty. Its a happy thing when you can enjoy the end result but also the process of a project. And congrats on DD’s book. That sounds like something my sister would enjoy, as she is an ESL teacher and finds grammatical errors humorous. You must be so proud of her and it will be a blessing for you to spend time with your DDs.
Grandkids were pretty good, but I did bring them back here to the park in my town which is outstanding. They were getting house happy and the weather today was way too nice to be inside. It worked out pretty well and I think the kids had a decent time. When we came back for lunch, I ended up playing junior pictionary with the two older kids, which was fun.
Its supposed to go into the high 40’s tonight. I love it. I have to babysit again tomorrow but its a much shorter day and I do not have to babysit at all next week. That works for me.
Obviously no crafting for me today. Gotta get inspired for what I want to work on next. I should and most likely will work on my PMQ as another packet of fabric will be shipped in a few days.
Have a good night all
Ginny
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Post by phyl on Sept 2, 2022 2:39:56 GMT
HI, no plans for labor day, unless you calling the cleaning the main part of the house and maybe getting some ironing done, and somewhere along in there quilting done
.today I did go to sew day, onlystayedabut2 hours. I FOR GOT TO BRING MY CUTTING MAT AND WHEN Don dropped me off Forgot to take THE wool pressing mat out of the car.
SO TWO QUILTS ONLY GOT THE SIDES SEWN ON. JUST was not as organized as I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. PHYL
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Post by cj59 on Sept 2, 2022 17:37:56 GMT
Hello Everyone - Hope you are all doing well today Ginny - I'm glad the babysitting went well and that you were able to the kids to the park, I'm sure they enjoyed that. Hope you get to work on your PMQ block soon. Phyl - I'm glad you were able to get to sew day, even if for only a little while. Ruth and Sue - Hope you are getting to do some crafting. I was able to get this week's Moda Blockheads block done and it went together pretty quickly. Instead of the paper piecing that was in the instructions, I used my Tri-Recs rulers to make the star point pieces and it went well. I see they have a bonus block today that uses the same star points, so I might consider making that this weekend since it would be fresh in my mind how to use the rulers. I also got the flying geese units made for the Melodic Melody quilt along. There is only one clue a month for this quilt along which finishes up in the Spring next year. They used the 4 at a time method and it went really quickly. I'll have to remember that if I want to make a quilt with some star blocks. Take care and enjoy the holiday weekend!   |
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Post by choney2 on Sept 3, 2022 12:15:46 GMT
Good morning and Happy Saturday all!!
CJ- I can see you are really well set up for flying geese! Its great that you have a system set up so that you can make those easily. Flying geese do not bother me to make, but I do find them tiresome to make- guess I like a bit more variety. Great job on them and the blockheads block. The tri-recs rulers are great, especially if you do not like paper piecing.
Phyl- a sew day sounds like so much fun, getting together with other quilters!! Too bad you did not pack all your supplies, but at least you got some sewing in and I am sure had a good time visiting with others.
Yesterday was sort of crazy. Lovely weather so I got my walk in….and knew that DD was coming over with the little ones later to make grape jelly so I went out to pick grapes. As nuts as it sounds, I am glad that there was only one batch of grapes out there, think I had 8-10 batches of jelly last year and it was overwhelming. I did babysit mid day , Dd#2 came over so the little cousins could visit. The landscaper is almost done..long story why it has taken so long but he has had to share some of his equipment with another job. All the big equipment is done with and gone so next Tuesday he has to come back to plant the grass seed. Other than it needs grass, it looks great
Got some outside cleaning up to do and my usual Saturday chores so I’d better get busy.
Ruth and Sue, looks like neither of you checked in yesterday - or I missed it. Hope you are doing fine
Ginny
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Post by Ruth on Sept 3, 2022 18:20:24 GMT
I guess I didn't get here yesterday after all. CJ, that's a really nice block and I love the flying geese. It's always been my favorite.part of quilts. Ginny, do you and your family eat a lot of grape jelly? Do you make it like jelly or jam. I really loved the old grape preserves that Welch's used to sell. I haven't seen that in stores in years. ONe of the people who's crochet videos I really like also makes some cooking videos and this past week he posted one on making orange marmalade. That was always my mother's favorite.I'm glad to hear that your yardwork by the landscaper is nearly done. It will look so nice. I changed my plan on the blanket again. Yesterday morning I was doing my usual looking at the crochet groups and youtube for patterns (like I need more of those  ) and I saw a pattern that looks even more like what my dgd sent me..the diag basketweave. It's extremely easy and also doesn't have the two layers of crocheting on each block so it's lighter in weight and not dense even with me using a smaller hook. It goes fast too so definitely a win.I have quite a bit of it done already but now have added two more UFO's to my list.I'll finish the one for dh soon then get on to my next planned project. Well I don't know if my weather will travel to your locations but it's to be in 90's for all next week until Friday then will become more fall like with all 70's. |
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Post by cj59 on Sept 3, 2022 20:40:06 GMT
Hello Everyone - Hope you are all having a good day Ginny - I'm glad to hear the landscaper is almost done, I hope everything is looking good. Hope you enjoy making the grape jelly, and it's nice that you don't have to do a lot of batches this year. I remember my grandmother making grape jelly and putting hot wax on the top of it before putting on the lid. I don't know if they processed the jars or not. I can still remember the taste of that jelly Ruth - I'm happy to hear that you found a pattern that is easy and looks good, I'm sure you'll get that one done fast. Phyl and Sue - Hope you are doing well. It's in the mid 80s here today, so not too warm. I haven't been outside yet though, I'll go out later to get the mail. This morning I put together a quilt top that has 30 Ohio Star blocks. These blocks were made for the "Oh Say Can You Sew" quilt along, but I have definitely stopped participating in that because I can tell that my fabric combinations are not going to look good in a larger quilt. I have bunch of 9 patch blocks leftover from this quilt along and I think I'll make a table runner with them. And I still have two of the Ohio Star blocks too, so I'll either use them or put them in with my orphan blocks. It will feel good to finish up the blocks/quilts for this quilt along and put the leftover fabric away. I enjoyed some of it but I didn't realize what I was getting into with it. I've learned from this that I really need to only do the quilt alongs that show you the final layout of the quilt first. Then I can figure out if I really want to participate. I pulled out some Christmas fabrics to see if they'd work for the Hometown Charms quilt along that starts next week, and I really don't have a good combination of them to use. So I'm going to look through the rest of my fabric and see if I can find a good focus fabric to use, either that or maybe a theme. Take care! |
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Post by snowsaint on Sept 4, 2022 1:09:02 GMT
CJ, my daughter is isn't the grammar lady. She's the lady with the Grammar Table! Depending on what info you put into your search, it's possible to get one or the other or a mixture of both! I would suggest that your send your question directly to one or the other. Just to confuse things, there is also a grammar girl! Who knew?
I crocheted several inches last night. Must be exhausting work! I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
96 degrees today. The woofers are outside, and I'm leaning against an ice pack with two fans going. The weather should be getting cooler, but it's not.
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Post by choney2 on Sept 4, 2022 22:08:39 GMT
Sue, heat is physically draining and crocheting is relaxing, nice and repetitive making it the perfect thing (if its an easy pattern) to do right before bed. So sorry you have such extreme heat still- hope it passes very quickly and fall weather comes in.
CJ- ohio star blocks have flying geese, right? Wow, you sure made a lot of those blocks, glad you are finding a way to use them! How large are the blocks? I 100% agree with you that a QAL is better if they show you the final project. (Its one aspect of the PMQ I am not enjoying). The way I see it, if you are going to put a lot of work into a project its nice to know what its all going to look like before diving in head first. What a bummer that you are not stocked to make a Christmas themed Hometown charms quilt. How many different fabrics are needed? Hope you can find fabrics that you love to make this quilt. Perhaps find some fabrics in our stash that you really love and if necessary pick up an additional fabric to tie it all together? Yes, my mom used to seal grape jelly with wax, and at some point moved onto mason jar lids. Or perhaps she continued to use wax- jelly has such a high sugar content that it is. Not prone to going bad. And the house smells incredible when its cooking!! Better than any candle !
Ruth, that is so wonderful that you found an even better pattern to make for DGD. This pattern sounds super nice to work with, and that it uses less yarn is even better.How great it is that you have gotten so much done in such a short amount ot time. I grew up on grape jelly- so that is what I make with my family. Not sure if Wlehces still makes grape jam but I do remember seeing it in stores. I will have to look next time I am in the store to see if its still available. So much has been discontinued….not sure. Last year, being such a stellar year for grape jelly, it had me giving it away. (Friends, neighbors who helped me shovel snow). Dd#1 has a growing family and the kids really love the home made grape jelly so I will donate my leftover supply to her family.
It rained for about 2 hours here, I sat out in the backyard under shelter and watched the birds rejoicing and singing over the rainfall! I did start putting the backyard back together. Its doing to take a few more days of work to have everything sort of back and I will need Ds to assist getting stuff back into the shed.
As nutty as its going to sound, I am going to go for a super short walk now that the rain has stopped and then get into my pajamas and sew. They say tomorrow its supposed to rain again- Tuesday also. Much needed rain for my area. And fortunately cool temps will be here for the week, not super cold but at least high 70’s or low 80’s. Better that than the super hot summer I experienced.
Yup tomorrow is Monday. Off for my short walk and then on to sew.
Ginny
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Post by cj59 on Sept 4, 2022 22:09:10 GMT
Hello Everyone Sue - Thanks for explaining, I'll see about sending my email. I'm glad that you were able to get some crocheting in and hopefully had a good night's sleep. I finished making a small table runner this morning, to add to the table topper I finished yesterday. I still had some small pieces of fabric and small blocks leftover from the Oh Say Can You Sew quilt along, but I put them all in a bag and put it aside. I also put away the fabric. I'm glad I stopped at this point because I can tell that my choice of fabrics was not going well together. This quilter really designs a lot of her quilts for scraps (using her fabrics), and I think this quilt will look good that way, but wouldn't in my fabrics. I'll put a few pictures below. I started looking for fabrics for Pat Sloan's Hometown Charms quilt along which starts on Wednesday, but I'm not sure which way to go. I'm going to look through some more fabrics tomorrow morning and see if I can make a decision. I do like her layout for this quilt along and she has already given directions for the sashings and borders, so that really helps me plan for those. Hope that you all are getting to do some crafting and staying cool (in in the high 80s and sunny here). Take care!   |
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Post by gramma15 on Sept 5, 2022 2:12:32 GMT
Sue, I hear that it's going to be cooler this Friday here so maybe Thurs where you are. Yes crochet is relaxing unless it's a poorly written pattern and you can't get good answers to the questions you have. My just turned 11 year old grandaughter is learning to crochet and seems to be doing very well. She told me that she finds it relaxing.... at 11? Your scarf sounds very pretty and it must be a very restful pattern
Ginny,I hope you can get to sew. Yes with a larger family and with the children growing, I'm sure they will eat a lot of jelly. I do think that Welch's still sells jelly and jam but no longer sells the preserves which is what I would like.
CJ, I don't ever do mystery CAL's. I want to know what I'm making before I start. Now are those blocks you posted the ones you made or are they the ones that you don't feel that your fabric is going to work in?
I've pretty much been crocheting all day so I'm coming along well with the blanket. I do want to make it fairly long so I probably have a couple days worth of work to do then will come the weaving in of ends and border.
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Do you think she wouldn't mind getting an email question? Or could I ask it here when she's in town and you could show it to her? Thanks 
) and I saw a pattern that looks even more like what my dgd sent me..the diag basketweave. It's extremely easy and also doesn't have the two layers of crocheting on each block so it's lighter in weight and not dense even with me using a smaller hook. It goes fast too so definitely a win.I have quite a bit of it done already but now have added two more UFO's to my list.I'll finish the one for dh soon then get on to my next planned project.