I took the plunge...

Along with who knows how many other quilters I've signed on the The Splendid Sampler. One hundred 6.5" blocks. The small size will be part of the challenge, in addition to receiving two new blocks every week. Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson are heading up the quilt along, with over 80 other quilt designers.

Without further ado, I present my Block 1 Hearts Aflutter:

'

For my own satisfaction I also took a picture of the block in tonal to judge the contrast; I'm happy with it. I have so much to learn about colour. 

I'm working on Block 4 Happy Happy ( I love the name!) while I'm in an appliqué mode. I was going to shy away from the tiny circles and substitute buttons, but I'll check out a couple tutorials and give the appliqué a shot. After all, this is going to be all about learning new skills. 

Natural Beauty

I don't like to complain, but...

Hi,
Why am I here?  Oh yah, because my head wants to go into orbit and I don't want to go. This morning I dragged myself from bed by noon enveloped in 'fibro-fog' and at 6:30 pm my only accomplishment today (aside from brushing my teeth) was to go for a walk with my dog.
It is not uncommon to see men and women with walkers, and most are probably like me, on the good side of 60. So I know there are a lot of  people dealing with chronic pain and the loss of mobility, but we each come to terms with it in our own way.
I haven't figured out what that is yet.

Ahead of my time?

Thrifting, upcycling and repurposing....I was doing those things before they had au courant names and before every blogger and his dog was doing it. 

In the eighties, when I lived in a small city in western Canada, I deplored the waste of clothing and household items set out as 'garbage'. Usually I left such items where they sat as someone's trash was sacrosanct and who would risk the humiliation of being caught garbage-picking. 

Recycling my own clothing was a safer way to reuse, but the intent was to make the refashioned garment appear new.   I certainly didn't make known the source of my textiles. 

Move ahead three decades and I live in Toronto, where curb shopping is a major source for home-furnishings in many neighbourhoods. Enter any Value Village or Goodwill and you will see men and women from many economic classes strolling the aisles, scooping up finds. 

So, change can be good, but is this trend reactive, a collective effort to be unique in a brand-conscious era?  Or is it a new attitude toward using our resources that will last?

Learning Curve

Well, here is the first photo I've posted to my blog. Not too inspirational. Socks. That I knit and gave to my sister. Best part, I took the picture while at their family cottage. 

Going again in August. Now that's something to look forward to. 

Changes I never wanted to make

Hello again, my friend. I've been listening to Neil Diamond lately.  

I don't really want this post to be all about the space of time since I last posted, so I won't. 

However...the last few months have helped me crystallize more clearly what I want to talk about--CHANGES.  Not my mind, my address or my underwear (although they all have their place) but about the changes that get made for you by living until a certain age. 

There are other changes people face unwillingly in their lives, such as relationships gone wrong, disasters or serious illness. My issues don't begin to compare with what so many other people have endured. 

But my changes have affected Me, my marriage and friendships on a fundamental level--how I view myself and my aspirations. Or another way would be to say, Have I been blind to what I am really like, but others have always known about me?

I don't like that question. I'm sure I won't like the answer. 

The Blogiverse Is Too Big!!

Hi,
After a long hiatus I am back at the blogging. Still hardly know how to do ANYTHING but type, but if I wait until I learn everything I want, I'll never get started.

I started this blog to join in the Blogger's Block of the Month from Canton Quilt Works. Besides the fact I'm behind on my blocks, I've felt stymied by my inability to make progress with this blog. So why am I joining another Blogland endeavor? Because this one is exactly what I have decided to do with my knitting--knit only from my stash.

My stash is pretty impressive considering I've only been back knitting for a few years and I rarely buy yarn for a project. Mostly what I do to acquire yarn is unknit sweaters and other items bought at Value Village or Goodwill. I know more and more knitters do this. Sometimes I score some great yarn--enough to do a whole garment. Otherwise I collect yarns to be used for "odd-ball" knitting. It limits what I can make in some ways, but it does challenge me to find patterns using my found yarns.

This week my Mom gave me 2400 meters of natural Aran yarn from a sweater she knit and frogged about 20 years ago. I've wanted to acquire enough yardage to make an afghan. I wanted it to be wool, rather than acrylic or blends. I've picked out the pattern (an Aran sampler I'll write about in another post) and swatched. It's a free pattern; I've downloaded the blocks I plan to knit and started on the first one yesterday.

Whew! This has been quite a bit after my time away. I want to finish the first block tonight, so I'm on it.

Ciao, Linda