Jo-Ann - Part One

It's probably not unusual to say that I have a love-hate relationship with Joann's (really, Jo-Ann, but I'm too lazy to call it that.).  Maybe you do, too.  Our's is teetering though because, as I become more discriminating, the more careful I grow with where and how I spend my clam cash.

Here is my breakdown of this big box store:  

Pros - Coupons! Just about every week it seems I receive coupons either through the official sales mailer, occasional mail flyers, online, and email.  If you're going to Joann's without a coupon, then you obviously have more cash that should be spent elsewhere. I particularly enjoy the total purchase percentage off coupons, even the measly 10% or 20% off ones. 

Con - Not too long ago the coupons were applicable towards magazines. And even absent that, they would have the 10% off mags sale on occasion. Now I never see one.  Do you know how expensive magazines are??? Well, I do, and I was fine with the 10% off arrangement even if it was cheaper to sign up for a subscription. 

Pro - You can sometimes score a good deal on a piece of nice fabric. With said coupon. 

Con - Their signature quilting fabrics are cheap, worthless crap.  The weight is akin to bastiste or voile, not a cotton weight that I feel would withstand any piecing or quilting that I do. Sure, they have their premium line, but the selection is sparse.  As for fashion fabric, I'm not terribly impressed. 

Pro - Occasionally, you get an awesome sale, and you have to lay down the clams. 

Con - It doesn't matter whether I'm buying a little or a lot, once I approach the registers, a long line appears, and there's goes a quick trip.  Plus, it becomes more and more difficult to bat off my three year old's pleas for gummis and lollipops.  

Major con - Invariably, I am overcharged for something.  This commonly happens when quilting or knitting books are on sale, but apparently only specially labeled ones are discounted.  

Pro - You can pick up patterns for almost nothing. (I still remember paying full price for patterns, but, back then, it was around $5.)

Con - I'm buying less patterns from the big 4 and paying more attention to independent designers and companies. (Still though, there are a lot of good patterns by the major pattern companies.)

My husband may not believe this, but I have not been to Joann's in a few months, and, the last time I was inside, my purchase was minimal.  Right now, I hardly get excited to open the mailer.  If I need fashion fabric, I head over to a Stone Mountain and Daughter in Oakland.  I especially love their knits, and I'm sure to find the right notion or tool that isn't completely worthless after a few uses. They have quilting fabrics, too, but, for that, I check out the Cotton Patch in Lafayette and my local Beverly's.  My yarn purchases are in a bit of a lull, largely because I have a huge stash. Even so, I hit up the local yarn shops and Beverly's. 

Maybe it's because I live in the Bay Area and there are more choices. Or I'm getting older. Stingier.  You'd probably laugh if I proclaimed to have selective, refined taste. I would, too, because I don't. 

The likely answer?  At base, I no longer have the time, tolerance, or energy for that place. Every time I decide to give it one more try, I end up feeling frustrated and even more discouraged.  Does anyone have similar thoughts? It'd be nice to know that I'm not the only one. 

My Rhapsody Adventure

For the past several months, I have been mercilessly plugging away at several projects, and it is unfortunate that I have been remiss in not sharing them.  Much of it has to do with regaining access to my Mac laptop.  As you may know, I have four children, three girls who would spend every waking moment on Minecraft if I let them.  I don't, but it feels like a monumental effort to reclaim my laptop, reorient myself, load up pictures (assuming I can find the cords), and begin posting.  And usually, by that time, my youngest has requested juice or snacks or the opportunity to sit on my lap and simply observe.

Now that I have the briefest of moments . . . Sometime in August, I acquiesed and began working on a Rhapsody quilt.  If you are unaware of the Rhapsody quilt, then by all means google that along with Ricky Tims.  Some of the quilts are pretty amazing, and I knew that, by starting one, it would take a long time.  My quilt has been no exception. 

Yesterday, I completed a large portion of the center.  I had compiled a series of pictures to document my progress, but, of course, I am now having difficulty uploading and arranging pictures in any coherent manner. So, here I present the following:

It almost feels like a miracle that I have come this far.  This project combines my love of the blanket stitch, variegated thread, and curved piecing, but it is best taken in moderation.  

The quilt is still far from done, but I can't wait to see how she unfolds. 

Summer of Birthdays 2013

The past two months has been so busy.  The first of the Summer of Birthdays 2013 came and went on June 2nd when the Banana turned 11 years old.  Just the week before, I was madly getting her gifts together as well as making her long overdue quilt.

The pattern is adapted from a baby quilt by Ursula Reikes, who has done a series of books on the subject.  The Banana loves Hello Kitty, and I was able to use a simple block to avoid cutting too much into the focus fabric. 

The pictures are only of the quilt top.  On the day of her party, I machine tied it and used the pink fabric for the binding before presenting it to her.  The machine tying made the quilt a breeze.  I've used that method in many other baby and kids quilts largely because it's quick and it seems to hold it together well after repeated washings.

The second birthday also passed when our oldest had her 14th birthday earlier this month, but she is in Arizona for a few weeks.  So, really, I have a bit of time to finish up her gift!

 

Book review: Shawls, Wraps, and Scarves

Have you ever jonesed for a book, finally got around to actually buying, you brim with excitement while waiting for it to arrive, and then, when you get it in your hands, your response is . . . meh?  You contemplate returning it because you're on a yarn and fabric budget and you have to preserve each dollar.  Yet you paw through it, hoping to find more than one or two patterns you can use. Of course, while you're doing this, you muck it up. And now you can't return it. Suddenly, you find that, yeah, that shawl does look cute. And I could bang that scarf out for what's-her-name.

Well, this is that book.

Something about how you could use something three different ways to come up with sixty patterns!  I'm a sucker for options, that's why I love books by Ann Budd.  I want the ability to disregard the recommended yarn and use what I have on hand.  It's not often that I visit a yarn store with a specific project in mind and buy just for that project. This might account for my large yarn stash. (Have I mentioned that I love yarn?)

Initially, I bought this book because I have several lots of just 1-3 skeins of yarn, and, since moving to SF, the weather and fashion climate is definitely amenable to accessories.  Somewhere in the description or maybe the pictures, I saw or perhaps envisioned, options.  I guess I should have paid a little more attention.  The book sort of gives you options. You get a particular stitch or stitch pattern offered in three styles.  Some of them use different weights of yarn.  But, really, it's just sixty patterns.

To be fair, its probably more me than anything else.  I was looking for something in particular, and I thought it was this.  Now that I officially own it, I've managed to look at it with somewhat fresh eyes.  Some of the shawls are cute, though I'm not terribly into using mohair - very fiddley.  The scarves are almost up my alley, but the jury is still out on the shawlettes.  See exhibit A - the capelet that has been hibernating since 2008.

So, maybe this was less a book review and more about my how I bought a book, ottered it, and now I'm stuck with it.  Have I mentioned that I've already casted on one of the projects?

Flashback Friday: 2008

It's a trip recalling 2008.  Especially now that I'm in SF.  In the spring of 2008, I left the reservation to be with my man in Tucson.  Up until that point, I was largely preoccupied with churning out a lot of quilts as they were in demand, especially during the winter.  I didn't stray much from the usual quilt block assembly, so I didn't feel particularly clever.  Moving to Tucson, however, allowed me to break away from the usual and try something different, among other things.  :P

The Double Wedding Ring quilt was one of those things.  I have always wanted such a quilt, and I didn't want to take any shortcuts.  I only wish I had made a small wall or lap quilt or pillow to start.  Or even just one ring.  Instead, I delved right into a creating bed-size quilt.  Now I feel compelled to stay on course even though it has been five years!

Everytime I pull it out, I marvel at it.  The problem is that it's been a slow process.  Why? Because I didn't plan it out very well.  Sure, I chose the fabrics and gathered the supplies. But I've continued to do this quilt piecemeal, and, to get it completed, I have to start being efficient.  And, well, motivated to be, uh, efficient.

See, you can't just pull out the long ruler and start cutting squares and triangles and whatever.  The acylic templates help, but you still have to cut around them.  I suppose I'm ok with that.

Then, you have to piece them together.  Only, my least favorite part is attaching the second side to the  "melon." 

Am I complaining too much? Sigh.  I just wonder whether other quilters have the bottleneck dilemma.  Everything else comes together well, and I still love the result so far.  So, once again, I'm going to try to take this UFO and finish it.  I have a plan in mind; we'll see if it works!

Bloggin' ain't easy

Dare I venture out again to share my many passions after more than a year has passed?  It certainly requires no small amount of committment, in my opinion.  I could come up with a number of excuses, but, in all honesty, I simply was not prepared.  I have missed reading blogs though, and I am willing to try again.

With that, I relocated my family to the East Bay.  We live in Concord, California, now and we work in San Francisco.  I was offered a great position, same agency.  The prospect of living in Northern California was much too attractive to ignore.  In October, we left Tucson.  Since then, we've slowly settled into our new home, basking in the beautiful weather.  We live for our weekends now.

Of course, along with moving comes the usual array of boxes that are woefully left unpacked.  Among them are many of my quilting, sewing, knitting, and crochet projects.  In one sense, its almost too easy to create an excuse not to pull it out and work on it.  Who wants to pull out a bunch of boxes in an attempt to find that one project I worked on way back when? That, and the lure of new craft stores around the corner.  On the other hand, it's time to make a decision about those old projects - redo, unravel, or get rid of it. 

I've been good though.  Sort of.  The Bay Area has so much to offer!  I've started some new projects, worked on old ones, and completed several.  I still faithfully peruse Ravelry, but I don't nearly post all my projects anymore.  Sadly, I don't use Pattern Review as much as I should.  I may participate here and there, but, really, working through and talking about a project as I progress (or don't) appeals to me more.  More importantly, it allows someone like me, who is normally very reserved, to blossom a little bit at a time.

In the meantime, I'll dust off the cobwebs and hopefully revamp the blog!

Melanie

TCB

Believe it or not, I have been taking care of business.  Knitting on a consistent basis means that I have managed to stick to only a few projects and to make some progress.

Over the last weekend, I finished the back of SFR's sweater.  Whew.  He loves the color, but I guess compared to most other projects, it's not terribly exciting.  He doesn't want all that fancy stuff.  That's fine as long as he actually wears it when I'm done.  I haven't casted on for the front yet, but I did pick up more yarn. 

I'm using the basic pullover pattern from Knits Men Want: the Ten Rules Every Woman Should Know Before Knitting for a Man by Bruce Weinstein.  I love this book.  For the most part, it contains very basic patterns for knit.  The best part?  It covers those gauges with half stitches, i.e. 5 1/2 stitches to 1 inch.  As a huge fan of Ann Budd's books, I like having patterns with multiple gauges.  Here though, Bruce incorporates half stitches, which means I don't have to work too hard to get gauge.  Beyond that, there aren't a lot of goofy patterns or details as in Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You've Got the Ring). 

Stats:  Paton classic wool yarn.  Size 7 needles.  Gauge:  5 stitches = 1 inch.  The book recommends not using yarn that is expensive or exotic, given the low deference of care by the wearer.  I'm inclined to agree.

The cardi for Jbug is certainly coming along very well, too.  Over the weekend, I finished the right front, and I casted on the left front.  In retrospect, I should have knitted both fronts at the same time, but, as is, working on one piece at time means that its much easier to pick up and put down. 

This is the right side before I completed it.  I love the ribbing on the edges - mistake rib?  The first row is knitted, and the second row is PI, K1.  I think its one of my favorite stitch patterns.

My most favorite stitch pattern is the broiche stitch - a challenging,  intricate pattern, but very beautiful, IMO.  I haven't even come close to learning all the variations of this pattern, but I hope to make a sweater out of it.  Does anyone have a favorite stitch pattern they enjoy?  I'm sure there are many more that I would like but haven't tried yet.

A couple more pictures before I ship off:

Those curtains.  Its straight forward sewing, but the copious amounts of fabric means maintaining a certain level of patience that I barely managed.  Other than quilting tops, I'm not using to sewing on such a large scale.  I also didn't realize how expensive decorator fabric is marked.  I bought this at Jo-Ann's at $13.00 per yard, and that was the clearance price.

The other [nearly] completed project is on the blocking slab.  Details to come. . .