Knitting

Summer (Crafting) Challenges

by CZeitler

Each summer seems to go by faster and faster as they years progress. This year I am going to focus on making sure that I have Fun and accomplish some of my crafty tasks that I would like to do. Part of having fun is making sure that I go on what Julia Cameron calls ‘Artist Dates’ each week. Yesterday I went to the beach to collect pretty rocks. I discovered that my water shoes rub on my bunions, it’s still foot numbingly cold in the water, and that I really enjoy listening to the waves crash against the shore. I am considering making some kind of quilt to memorialize this summer of adventure (hopefully). If you are looking for some kind of a challenge this summer there are plenty of opportunities.

I am not sponsored by any of these organizations, however these are a few that I have discovered.

Tour De Fleece is going to occur this July while the Tour De France is happening. The facebook group can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447931545237090/ and there are plenty of fiber sellers that can provide you with their kits if you google Tour De Fleece. I know this as a spinning event, however you could easily do any kind of fiber craft.

Similar to this a Sewist found out about Tour De Fleece and decided that they wanted to do a Tour De Fabric: https://www.quiltnlearn.com/quiltalongs

If you don’t like those parameters there always seem to be various Crochet alongs, knit alongs, quilt alongs, sew alongs, etc. Perhaps you want to go to X number of retreats this summer (1 is a number), or you want to challenge yourself to creating/finishing a piece this summer. Whatever your challenge I hope that you are able to make progress toward getting it done.

As a ‘Photo Tax’ I have made progress…okay I started…quilting a quilt top for a family member. She made the top and asked me to do the quilting. I almost have the center motif done, hopefully she likes it when I am done.

Live Life a Little more Abstract

Rolling with Changes

by CZeitler

So, I drive with my right foot working the gas and brake. About a year ago I decided to take a 12 hour round-trip drive in one day. Ever since then my ankle has been bothering me a little bit on and off. When I went to my annual appointment, they suspect that it’s a strained tendon and the only way to heal. It is by staying off of it for a week as much as possible. I did try wearing ankle braces for about a month, however that hasn’t caused the pain to go away entirely. After discussing it with my supervisor, it was decided that my taking off work would be the best way to heal.

This sounds like a great dream right? Well for me it was a stark reminder that I have some form of task paralysis. There is the majority of me saying, I really want to get back into reading so I’m going to download some books that look good and finally get those two books by authors that I know I will love. Then there is a little niggling voice that says, you’re already listening to the murder podcast you know you like, what if you don’t like the books you’ve chosen…that author was doing something fishy at the end of the last book do you really want to be let down…etc.

This amounts to, a week later, having read/listened to none of the books I wanted to. I did manage to get two projects completed and some progress on the third.

The first is a handspun shawl that I finished knitting.

This has not been washed or blocked, those two steps should open up the lace a little bit and straighten out the edges. I’m very pleased with how it looks, very spring!

I also managed to hand stitch a set of applique coasters from a kit I had not touched in quite a while.

I love how they turned out, I deliberately used larger stitching in a contrasting color to give them a rustic look. I think that the intention translated well.

The final project I made progress on is my Tula Pink Nova Quilt.

The pattern is Tula Pink, the color selection is mine. I had intended for it to look space themed, when I showed my cousin she called it my ‘Halloween Thing’. So I hope that the last two rows help the Space Theme come together.

I think that is all that I have to report, sorry it has been a while since I have posted. My ankle is feeling better and I now know to take more frequent breaks even if it makes the drive longer.

I hope that your crafting is happy, you are healthy, and you remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract