Hi Everyone!
Today I am posting another new wedding cake.  Dear friends and neighbors, Danielle and Jennifer were wed yesterday and I was priviledged to make their wedding cake.  Here is a picture:

Also, on another topic,  I am busy learning the newest novelty scarves, making some for my upcoming show in Rehoboth, MA.  The scarves are made with a new novelty yarn called, "Twilight."  It is a  type like "Rizos," which you see below.  It is done by knitting through strands on one side of the yarn.  I am including some pictures of my work so you can see it.  It is easy to do, once you get the hang of it!

 Here are a few pictures of my work:

  This one is another pattern. done in the same way, but has many large loops when finished, and is much more light and "flowy."  This pattern is called, "Triana."  You can find these novelty yarns and the patterns in many of your local yarn shops.  I found mine at "Knit One Purl Too," in Wakefield, Rhode Island and at "The Yarn Outlet" in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Have a nice week, and Happy Fall!!

Barbara

The National Cathedral and its damage in the earthquake

Hi Everyone,

So, it's been a while since I have posted, but I have pictures from The National Cathedral after the earthquake this morning and thought I would post them. The damage is certainly bad, but thank God that the damage didn't include any people getting hurt! Anyway, here they are:

A Sweater Vest for My Honey!

Hi Everyone,

Today I want to show you what I have been working on this week. I have (finally!) started working on a beautiful sweater vest for Roger, that I have been wanting to make for him for some time. I am using a great book, called, "Knits for Men," by Margaret Hubert. Here is a picture of her book front along with a picture of the model in the finished sweater vest. If you are interested in finding the book, click here for the connection to her web site and ordering information.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that it isn't worth it to go after the same yarn that you see in a book pattern. In this case, for example, I ordered the 100% Soysilk yarn ( Southwest Trading Company ) that is used in the sample, and it is remarkable!

Cables are the prominent design in this piece, and though they may look intimidating, you can't believe how simple it is to learn how to make these lovely additions to your work.

I did use my usual transfer of information to the Notebook, which makes it far easier for me to follow patterns, as you see in one of the pictures. The advantage for this pattern is that I can transfer the information specific to his size, so I don't have to keep checking that I am in the correct size section. I find this saves me a lot of confusion.

I think I will be working on this for a while, especially since I will be getting serious about weaving very soon for the Fall shows, but I hope it will be done for his birthday, which is in September. By the way, he loved that it is done in what he calls, "Terrier Red!" (He works at Boston University.)
Have a great day,

Barbara

Paul Simon!

Hi Everyone,

Well, I know that I usually enter what I've been working on, but today I wanted to take a moment to say how we "fed the soul" yesterday.

Diana and I went to see Paul Simon at The Wang Theater, and it was just fabulous. He sounds just like he did in 1972, and has such a versatility to his art that he never gets old. His new stuff, especially "So Beautiful or So What" is every bit as good as the classic Paul Simon, a la "Graceland" or even "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme." He is truly iconic of my generation, and I am so glad that I get to share him with my daughter as well!

Have a great day!
Barbara

Today's Exciting News!

Hi Everyone,

Today I finished a knitted lace shawl that I have made for Diana. It was one of the projects that I spoke about in my last blog entry. This project is called, "Upstairs Shawl," and was designed and copyrighted by Michaela Behrends.

Now at last, I am getting these wonderful projects done! What do you think?

Have a great day!

Barbara

Catching Up On Set-Aside Projects

Have you ever had so much enthusiasm for a project that you just can't wait to get it started? Well, when you work with fiber arts, that happens all the time! It can be great fun, but it can get to be a problem when several of these great and exciting projects come up all at once!

I had several scarves that I was working on for my daughter, each one started in this way, but none of them finished. Well, as you see, they are now done, and am I ever so happy that I had the perseverance to get it done!! I have made myself a promise that I won't get anything new until I finish all the wonderful things that I have in bage, boxes and shelves. I started with all the beautiful baby yarns, languishing in storage bins. Made over 100 infant hats by the time I finished it all. Whew!

Now I'm onto the scarves. Baby quilts to be finshed up come after this. Little by little, the stash is getting smaller. I hate having a lot of stash hanging around, and given our climate, it can get unusable if it sits in boxes too long.

So, onward! Lots more to do before I get to start a new stash!!

Have fun and enjoy the day!

Barbara

The DVD that I have been waiting for!

Hi Everyone,

Today, I'd like to say a word about the Rigid Heddle Loom. As you know from past entries, I have been working on this Ashford Knitter's Loom for some time now. I love the portability of it and the way that it can use up pieces of yarns from finished projects to create something totally beautiful, or new yarns to create luscious new things. It can accomodate all sorts of yarns, from cotton to silk or anything in between and works well with ribbon, too.

I have looked for classes, to teach me the variety of patterns that this simple yet complex loom can create, using pick up sticks or fingering methods to make incredibly beautiful fabric. The few classes that I have found in my area are incredibly expensive, and once you have been there, that's it. If you forget what you learned-- not unusual if you do a variety of fabric arts and then come back to the loom, then you are in trouble. You either have to try to "bring it back" by tracing your old steps (often not fun for me!) or you have to pay for your classes all over again. In addition, I really haven't seen anyone do much more than the most basic stitch patterns.

So, I was understandably excited to discover a brand new 2 DVD set that you can find on the Interweave web site, called, "Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom," by Jane Patrick.

It is a fantastic set, with clear instruction and a nice set of downloadable instruction and "cheat sheets," as Jane Patrick calls them. Ms. Patrick's style of teaching is wondeful for adult learners. The sections are very comprehensive and she takes her time and makes clear illustration of her work. She shows examples of the different stitches she will teach and then takes you through it with patience and clarity.

At last! A tool to help me learn the true power of my little heddle loom.

If you have a rigid heddle loom, you shouldn't be without this set. It is very affordable (about $35) and has a total of 2 hours and 39 minutes of instruction time.

Have a great day,

Barbara

Quilts for Blue Denim Ministries & Prayer Shawls for Hospice

Hi Everyone,

This week has been a time for packaging the many Prayer Shawls that were made this past Fall and Winter and finishing up more quilts for Blue Denim Ministries. Here are some pictures of what has been accomplished.

I surely do appreciate the efforts of all who helped out in this work: Robin, Pat, Leah, Georgianne, Joyce, Arlene, Thelma, Toni, Judi, Judith, Bernice and Marsha.

Have a great day,

Barbara

Back to Baby Quilting!

Hi Everyone,

This week, I am playing a little bit of catch-up with some UFO's -- that is, Un-Finished Objects.

My plan is to work on some baby quilts, some for me to sell and some for the ministry of Blue Denim Ministries. I am so glad to be working on these projects; at first it was only to make better space available in my work area, but I am now getting re-energized for these projects that have waiting a while for completion.

Today, I am showing the first two that I have made for upcoming shows in 2011. They are made with an alphabet that is completely embroidered, using my Bernina 630 sewing computer. Once squares were completed, lattice and cornerstones were cut, using the strip cut method. Once laid out, they were sewn together "Eleanor Burns" style, and then borders were attached.

This week, the job needed finishing by bringing the backing, batting and front together into a crib size quilts. You can see the progression of this through the pictures.

Tools needed included Quilt Basting Spray, curved pins and a Kwik Klip, also shown in the pictures.

After the pinning was complete, the quilts were done bu the "Stitch in the Ditch" method-- that is to say, sew a topstitch along the seams so it is nearly invisible but holds all three layers together.

Once that is done, trim the excess batting and leave about 1 inch of backing fabric all the way around, to use to make a hem to finish the quilts off.

Voila!

Have a great week,

Barbara