Blocking Block

Well, it's only been about 5 months since my last post, so I suppose I'm getting a little better! Yesterday I decided I needed to inventory my shawls. I really, really love making them, but I have so many and can't possibly wear them all, so I wanted to see which ones I could put aside to use as gifts, prayer shawls, etc. Not only did I discover a lot of finished shawls, to my dismay I discovered a whole pile that had never been blocked!

That's not actually the whole pile - I had blocked two of them before the picture was taken. To the uninitiated, blocking is what takes what looks like a crumpled pile of dental floss and turns it into something magical and ethereal. However, it also involves crawling around on the floor with a gazillion T-pins and your knees screaming for mercy! Also, since the only place I have large enough to do this is on the floor by Bill's side of the bed, it needs to be accomplished first thing in the morning so it's dry by bedtime. Don't want him getting up in the middle of the night and impaling himself on T-pins!

Here are my most recent efforts. The first is Rapunzel, a Mystery Knit-a-Long from the Unique Sheep:

The subtle shades of tonal pink don't show up well in this photo, along with the almost 1,000 beads. The beads give it such a beautiful sparkle and weight and the silk yarn is delicious. It was a little slippery to knit with, but well worth the effort!

The second is another Unique Sheep Knit-a-Long, this one from (gasp!) two years ago. This is The Velveteen Rabbit (their mysteries are based on children's books):

This also has beads, although not quite as many. The yarn is also a little heavier weight, but still lacy and lovely!

This is not to say that quilting has taken a back seat. I finished the top of my tulip quilt:

The pattern is Loopy Tulips by Jaimie Davis. I haven't yet decided whether to hand or machine quilt. I would love to hand quilt it, but my hands are not as cooperative as they used to be.

I also finished the center on my Bed of Roses quilt. This pattern is by the super talented appliqué artist Sue Garman, who sadly passed away recently.

I will almost certainly hand quilt this one. The border is all done, except for the corners and I hope to have them done in a week or so.

After my back surgery I was cleared to run by my doctor, but he said to listen to my body and if something hurt, not to do it. I did try running, but I got some twinges of nerve pain down my leg that really scared me. So I decided to stick to walking. I'll certainly get there, just not as fast! To keep myself motivated I joined a virtual race at Yes Fit. You pick a race, pick a prize and then pay a small fee. When you finish the race, you get your prize. The long races were the same price as the short ones, so it seemed cost effective to go with a long one. I joined the appropriately named Tortoise Creep - 155.1 miles (why the .1, I don't know). It took me close to a year, but I finished last week. I still averaged out at about 2 miles per day, which is not too shabby! My prize came this week:

I'll leave you with some photos I took of the granddaughters here at home and on our trip to Mt. St. Helens last week. We stayed at an Air BnB that had a built in menagerie and the girls were in heaven. They are indeed getting grown up. Isobel is now a teenager and Ivy will turn 11 in just a few days. Oh, and one of Maggie for good measure.

A view of Mt. St. Helens from the observatory deck.

 

Comments

[Lifesastitch]

Thanks for your updates. Love the virtual race concept. You reminded me I have something that needs blocking, too! Look at those girls, so grown up.

[Lorette]

Lovely granddaughters! It is frightening how quickly they grow up.

The shawls are gorgeous. I can't block shawls on the floor for the most part. The cats are way too interested. I try to put the blocking mats on the dining room table, though it's not always big enough. I can use the larger of our extra bedrooms and shut the cats out.

[Judy Shaw]

Awesome to see a post from you today! Fabulous finishes, too. Hope you block all of those lovely shawls. I am working hard to reduce my UFO list; sadly I'm a much better starter than finisher. Some day.........

[Kristen Chambers]

I too have cut back on the blogging, but am trying to post at least monthly. I also have a large stack of shawls (blocked) though mine are not as intricate as yours. They are fun to make but I really don't wear them! and do plan to find good homes for them. The quilts are exquisite- as are the girls!