Tuesday

Today I did something I used to do quite often, but haven't done as much lately, and that was spend the whole day sewing. I had a few errands and some household chores on the list, but as the day went on and I got "in the zone," I decided they weren't anything that couldn't be put off a day so I just kept on with what I was doing. The end result was that the top to what is being called "Baby M's Quilt" is well along in it's construction. The blocks are together in groups of 4, so finishing the top tomorrow is entirely possible. This is a very simple quilt, with no borders, and just straight line quilting next to the seams, so I expect to be able to count it as a finish in a few days.

When I needed a break from standing and cutting and climbing up and down the stepstool I have to use to reach high enough on the design wall, I went up to the house and stretched out in my favorite chair, which I call "The Big Easy." I got another block set in the Grandmother's Flower Garden and did a little bit of cross stitch. The kit I'm working has a lot of beads, and I know I'm supposed to do all the cross stitch first, but it's hard to see how the design all works just now.

And I finished this tatted cross. I found a small goober after I had the ends sewn in, so it's not perfect, but it's the first one I've done in a while, so I can live with it. It finished about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide. I thought I was working with size 10 cotton, and it turned out I had size 20, which is smaller, but I think the finished size is good, so I may stick with the smaller thread. This afternoon I printed out a snowflake pattern that uses 2 shuttles, and I'll give that a go later this evening.

I will also get out some yarn this evening and get started on a baby sweater that's on the Christmas list. I wanted to finish it last month, but it turned out that the 2 skeins of yarn I wanted to use were of very different dye lots, and I just couldn't make it work to my satisfaction. So I bought new yarn and will start over.

It is Day 4 of the Yarn Sabbath, and I have to say I've not missed it as much as I thought I would. Having several projects sitting out ready to just pick up and stitch has helped a lot. But besides that, I was just ready for a change of pace. It feels good to be working on crafts I haven't done much of lately.