Thanks to Rita, who included a link in a comment to my last post about crocheting squares together, I decided to give myself a break on this afghan and do a simple crocheted slip stitch to join the small squares into big four-patch squares. (The prospect of mattress stitching 64 squares together was starting to depress me.) I took a break from knitting the last few squares to get started by sewing the four large center squares together.

I'm still undecided on how to arrange them though. My original idea was to have the variegated squares form an "x" through the center of the whole quilt like so....

But I kinda also like this look with the variegated squares forming a box around the solids which meet in the center.

No need to decide just yet thankfully. I've still got plenty of knitting and sewing to do. The tally is now sixty squares and counting....

Just because I'm focused on the manos afghan right now doesn't mean that the quilting has slowed down.

I finished the binding on my mini-quilt. I love the size of this thing! It's no bigger than a picture you would hang on the wall. I'm excited at the idea of being able to make a few of these to try out different techniques and fabrics! I can make them quickly and we won't be overrun by quilts in a year or two.

I've also been doing the quilting on the rulers quilt little by little, highlighting rulers here and there.

It's been really fun. It's almost done and then all that's left is the binding. So naturally I've already started planning and cutting my next two quilt projects.

These first fabrics are for another easy lap throw (like the rulers quilt) from Bend-the-Rules Sewing. This will be for my great aunt for Christmas (I make her something every year - last year it was a felted bowl and four years ago I made her one of the infamous hotties!). She's got a sort of asian theme in her living room, so my mom suggested I look for asian-style prints. I found these gorgeous Kona Bay prints at my LQS (yes, that's L-Q-S; turns out the quilters talk just like we do!). I can't wait to see these all sewn together!

And then there's another quilt for me! I saw this quilt kit online at Tropical Quilter and fell in love with that plaid! I'd seen Denyse Schmidt's jump rope fabric before and thought it was so cute (I used several of her flea market fancy fabrics in my still un-quilted first quilt), but it was so helpful to see the little mock-up image of the quilt done in specific fabrics from that line. I've got like six or seven of their quilt kits bookmarked already!!

It was bound to happen. I called myself a quilter the other day. I was talking knitting with someone and they mentioned what other crafts they do. I said, I quilt. Wow.

Are handknit sweaters pouring out of your cedar chest like here at my house? Can you barely close your sock drawer because it is stuffed to the brim with handknit socks? When do you say I have enough? And how can you stop making them when you love knitting and you love the beautiful new fibers and colors that come out every year? How much is too much and what do you do with it all?

In my quilting post from yesterday, I mentioned that I liked the idea of making small mini-quilts (no bigger than, let's say, 2 foot square) because I could try out new techniques and new fabrics that catch my eye without spending scores of hours on each quilt and without blanketing the entire house in, well, blankets. A commenter asked what I would do with a bunch of mini-quilts and suggested that normal sized quilts really are much more useful. It's certainly a valid question and I agree that in theory bigger quilts are more practical, just like a knitted sweater is more practical than a swatch. BUT in real life (and in a home already filled with boys, toys, a baby, and, oh yeah, a ton of yarn) once you get past a certain number of sweaters, socks, or quilts, I might argue that each additional one isn't really that useful anymore. In fact, it's kinda in the way.

I could wear any one of my sweaters or socks on any given day and, if I made a dozen lap-sized quilts, I could, anytime I'm chilly, reach for any one of them. But what do I do with ALL of them? A mini-quilt could be hung up like a picture. Yes, all of our walls are, admittedly, already covered with pictures, but I could switch some of them out from time to time. And storing a dozen mini-quilts is way more imaginable than storing a dozen lap- or bed-sized ones. Heck, if I could find a way to legitimately hang my knitting up on the walls, I'd do it! (Shhh, don't tell the knitting police, but I already break all the handknit rules and hang up some of my sweaters in the closet.)

As my cedar chest has filled up, my knitting has changed. I've found it very hard to complete an adult-sized garment in the last year. What I have been very successful at making are baby items and stuffed animals. And I've enjoyed them immensely! I've gotten to try out new things, use different yarns (some that I'd never wear!) and storing the items has been much easier to manage. I do still earmark very special yarns for sweaters and plan to make more, but I don't want to make, you know, TOO many more. My thought about the mini-quilts is just the same. I do want to make full-sized quilts (for the sofa, for the bed...), but to try out new things and new fabric that I just have to have (even though I already have plenty, or dare I say too much), I think the quilt wall-hanging might be a good option. For me.

But maybe it's just me. I REALLY enjoy knitting. (Those caps don't come any where near enough to expressing how much I enjoy knitting. Is it possible to enjoy knitting too much?) And I'm REALLY enjoying the quilting. (Same really, same question.) But I just have to take one look at that sock drawer and know that that many quilts is going to be a problem! Does anyone else out there have too many socks? too many sweaters? too many quilts? We love to make these things, so what to do?

Oh yes, it's that time of year again when little German kids put their boots out before they go to bed and wake up to find goodies left for them by Saint Nikolaus.

I couldn't resist taking the picture this year with wee one's little "boot"ies between the boys'. Awwwww.

(Actual knitting post to come later....)

I needed a man's hat for a man (no duh) for Christmas. I've got a ton of knitting/sewing/childcare to do, so I didn't have time to go searching forever through all my books and at the yarn store for the right pattern. I'm in Christmas crafting countdown chaos and am wishing out loud that someone could just tell me all the, let's say, cabled hat patterns that they've heard of that might work. And it hit me, oh yeah, ravelry can. And it can show me pictures! Here's what I found.

It's the 3am hat by SmarieK and it was just what I was looking for. Manly cables. Nothing fancy ('cause most men don't really appreciate the fancy). And it looks great in that boring gray Plymouth Encore I had in my stash.

Thanks to ravelry, I can check off another holiday gift!

After a hectic day during which the baby didn't nap at the right time, the boys didn't get going at the right time, and I picked the absolute wrong time to run out of diapers, I've finally made it to the computer!

Christmas crafting has continued here, with one more afghan square completed and the next underway.

Only three more of these variegated squares left to knit and I'll have all the squares I need to sew up the afghan. Unfortunately, when I bought the yarn (all those months/year ago!) I didn't have the 16-variegated-squares-through-the-middle plan yet. Nor did I know exactly how many squares I'd get out of each skein (answer: about three in the solid colors, give or take a couple of yards, but only two and half from the variegated colorway). And so I am one skein short of completing the variegated squares. Naturally, none of the local stores have that colorway in stock right now. Jimmy Beans to the rescue!

They sent it super fast, which means I should be able to finish the knitting this weekend. Hooray! See you on Monday with all 64 squares in hand. As for now, I'm at sixty-one and counting....

Nope, it's not a new Jennifer Garner movie, it's the manos afghan.

I finished the 64th square on Saturday and spent Sunday sewing the 64 little squares into 16 large ones. Wee one is very curious about the squares. She's always pulling herself up to peek at them on the counter and when I laid them all out for the picture, she had to scoot on over to check them out. She even tried to take off with one of the pink ones!

Sewing each four-square block together with a crochet slip stitch took about 20 minutes. It felt fast and it was very satisfying to see the biiiiig pile of squares turn into a small one. The crochet seam looks pretty neat from the back as well.

What isn't quite as nice is all those ends to weave in! I tackled the ends on two of the big blocks and found that getting rid of the extraneous ends takes about the same amount of time as it did for me to sew the block together. So the next few hours of afghan-dedicated crafting time will be spent on that inglorious little task. Then we make rows!

It seems like just yesterday that we Knitsmiths were throwing a little baby shower for "Jofrog" Johanna and now her baby tadpole is one! That calls for a special giftie, don't you think? I thought so, which is why I picked up this fabulous tadpole fabric from Purl Patchwork.

I've spent the last few months improving my sewing skills, so I was able to turn that fabric into a cute little pinafore for Kaya.

I used Butterick pattern #5349. It was a simple pattern that didn't seem too intimidating. The long curved seams themselves were a bit intimidating, but the pattern wasn't. My favorite thing about it is that criss-cross back and that it's actually reversible (love that sweet coordinating stripey fabric on the other side!).

I tried putting in on wee one for a little trial and photo (which is why it looks a little wrinkled in the pics!) but she was having a fussy day and a runny nose so I figured it'd be best if we just let Kaya do the real try-on (can't wait to see pics on her blog someday!). Wee one should have her own collection of these little pinafores soon though, because I know I can do it now. Oh, and I've been collecting pretty dress fabric for her like crazy - heh, heh.

Happy birthday, tadpole! May you grow up to be a beautiful froggy someday just like your mama.

The focus of my blanket-making activities has shifted in the last few days from the manos afghan to the asian Bend-the-Rules quilt.

I have to admit that I love this whole pressing part. Crazy talk, I know, but it's true. It's just so fun to press everything and see how beautiful it's all come out. And this one is coming out quite beautifully, if I do say so myself.

The quilt top is all done. I think Amy Karol's easy lap throw pattern with its long strips does a good job of letting these fabrics show off their simple elegance. I picked out an extra-special fabric for the backing so the back will be equally lovely. The whole thing is all basted together now and awaiting quilting.

But my time in the East is up for now. I must return to the other side of the globe to get cracking on that manos afghan. The deadline for finishing both is just over one week away!! Can I make it around the world in 8 days?!

We're trapped inside while the snow is coming down gangbusters outside.

Left hand on blue. That's blue, wee one. Oh, heck, wee one on yellow.

And who says we can't play ball inside?

Well, I'll be getting nothing done today!

Since we're leaving for Germany next week (yikes!), grandma santa is coming this weekend to do early Christmas. This means that I had to finish up the handmade gifts I'd been planning for her.

These are my versions of the stitched scrapbooks from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. They were so much fun (and so easy!) to make. Mom loves these little notebooks, so as soon as I saw the pattern in the book, I knew I wanted to make her some. I picked out fabrics that she said she liked from (from left to right) my rulers quilt, my first quilt project, and Ikea.

The instructions in the book are awesome and it genuinely is a "less than 2 hour" project as the book claims. I thought it would be hard to stitch through the notebooks, but it wasn't (I used a jeans needle just to be sure and it went through the notebook cover like butter). I thought the thread would just pop right out of the cover, but it didn't (the pattern calls for a little Elmer's glue on the inside cover). I only wish I had bought more little notebooks to make more of these for me. What a wonderful way to use scraps from your favorite projects!

More handmade gifties and early Christmas coming soon....

Have you ever known an Alison? One L or two L's? Ever introduced one Al(l)ison to another? It's the first question we ask each other. It's a thing. I'm one L of course, but today I've got two.

With the arrival of my baby L and the birth of her new little cousin L in August, Oma needs two new mini-weasley ornaments! These aren't my own mini-weasley ornaments from Charmed Knits because back in 2004, when I first made a mini-weasley for each family member for my mother-in-law, I used the mini-ornament pattern from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I used Rowan's felted tweed (the yarn that Rowan's original "Harry Potter sweater", aka the Weasley sweater, pattern called for) and saved all the leftovers so that future additions to the family could have matching ornaments. You know, back then the boys outnumbered the girls 7 to 4, but with a wee C joining the family two years ago and the two L's this year, now we're all even! And I'm running out of the now-discontinued red/brown color I used for the girl ornaments. Boy time!! Now if I could only find the wire to make the hangers....

More Christmas crafting coming up all this week!

It's pointy kitty! My second pointy kitty, to be perfectly precise. The first is still nearly headless and completely faceless, as I haven't yet had time to get back to it to do the final sewing and embroidery. Christmas presents come first, so this red pointy kitty for the boys' two year-old cousin C has pushed to the front of the line. And it's a good thing I didn't waste any time doing the features on the other pointy kitty, because they took forever!

My buttonhole stitch skills are right up there with your basic 7 year-old, which means that it was slow going and all a little sloppy. Perhaps that's too harsh as far as the 7 year-olds go, but it sure does describe my talents. Still, she came out pretty cute. You can barely find the nose and the tiny whiskers in that red flower print, but the eyes stand out very well and really make the face, I think. And now if she'll just turn around...

...you can see that the machine sewing is my real success story here. This pointy kitty is way pointier than the first one I sewed together because my stitching was so much better at the points and I did a better job of clipping and turning. Practice and all that, you know.

As an added surprise, her little flannel stripes are super soft! I picked the flannel because it coordinated well with the flower print - the belly and inside of the legs are also done in the flannel - but never imagined that it would add so much texturally to the kitty. It really is a joy to pet this little critter. And the proof...

I know you want me to get back to the knitting already, but I can't just yet. For one, I haven't touched the afghan since I blogged about it last week (instead I've finished every other Christmas gift!). And b, I am practically peeing in my pants with excitement to tell you about these next projects!

First, a future project.

When we did early Christmas this weekend, mom brought me a fabric bundle to make the Color Wheel quilt from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. She went straight to the source (Purl of course) to get a whole kit. I can't wait to make this one!

Next up, one finished Christmas gift.

My great aunt's asian quilt is all done and it has come out sooooo beautifully that I want one just like it. This is actually my very first "full-sized" finished quilt. I'd quilted and done the binding on my wee mini-quilt, but this time it was for real. And it was a gift, so you know I had to do my absolute best. I spent about four hours sewing down the binding (hey quilters, is that a crazy long time or normal?) and what a difference it makes. I love that it isn't just one color. Amy Karol has you piece the binding together on this lap throw from leftovers of the main fabrics. It's such a sweet, homey sort of touch. And I still can't get enough of that backing fabric!

I finished off the quilt with a fabric quilt label made with inkjet printer fabric and following the instructions in the Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts book.

And last, but definitely not least, a surprise project. I couldn't blog about it because it was for hubby. I had to work on it over at friends' houses and when he went out to the gym. It's not done yet, but I managed to get it to a point where I could wrap it up and give it to him for early Christmas.

It's a quilt made from his old concert and high school t-shirts! About two years ago my mother-in-law gave me a bag of some of his old t-shirts she'd saved and asked if I could do anything with it. I thought maybe I could and once I started quilting, I knew what I had to do.

Almost from the beginning, I had envisioned finding some black and white check fabric to set off the squares for a 90's rock 'n roll kind of look. When I found the check in flannel at Quilters Way, I decided that flannel was the way to go for the whole quilt. The old t-shirts are super soft, not crisp like quilting cotton, so the flannel really keeps that whole feel across the entire quilt. The back is a solid blue jean colored flannel that is so soft that you just want to snuggle up in it, even if you don't like Meatloaf!

It still needs a binding (I didn't even have time to remove all my basting pins), but even unfinished, hubby loved it. He was so surprised to see those old t-shirts he'd totally forgotten about. We've agreed that when it's all done it can't be folded up and put in some drawer somewhere. It'll be out by the sofa or, if we ever move to a house with more wall space, maybe even hung up to see. Isn't that nice?!

Quilting rocks!

Sixty-four squares to sixteen squares to four rows. I'm getting there.

We're off to Germany and I've only manged to sew the afghan squares into four large rows. And I didn't get to weaving in any of the ends either. But I'm okay with that. We're there for two weeks - I'll get it done. My goal is to work away on it at night in secret for the first couple of days so I can give it to them all in one piece, but still with thousands of ends hanging off, on Christmas. Make that Christmas Eve, since that's when they do presents in Germany. Grrrr.... With three kids, there's little chance I'll get anything done on it in the plane, but I am planning on bringing part of it with me just in case. I'm packing a crochet hook, a chibi, and some kids' craft scissors in my carry-on, so wish me luck getting through security!! And while you're at it, could you maybe make it stop snowing here? Aaaack!

What a great trip we had! Despite the morning snow showers in Boston turning into an all day snowstorm, despite the taxi being 45 minutes late to take us to the airport, and despite our plane sitting almost two hours on the tarmac awaiting its turn on the single open runway, we made it - and were even early. Our hour and half layover in Reykjavik turned into a ten minute security check and quick walk to the gate where they were holding our plane for us. Love that Iceland Air! And because we were the last ones on our plane, our luggage was the first off the plane, so when we arrived at the baggage claim, our luggage - and only our luggage - was already going around and around on the carousel. We snapped it all up and were the first ones out (first born, B, was very excited about that!).

On the plane, the boys got Lazy Town coloring books, a Santa's workshop sticker playset and yummy koko mjolk to drink. Icelandic is funny! Then all the kids slept. Wee one in her car seat...

...and the boys on their side of the aisle.

Don't ask me why he has his socks off, I was sitting with wee one! Sleeping on the plane was awesome. I worked on afghan ends while we were waiting on the runway but then slept for most of both flights. I really feel like switching planes in Iceland works better for me. The flight is geared to having you eat something very quickly and then just sleeping. I feel like the longer, direct flights have more in-flight entertainment going on, take longer to get you through the food stuff and don't really get you to the sleeping part until later. When you get off to change planes in Iceland, you actually feel somewhat refreshed. You get to experience early morning rather than just getting to Europe and having it be midday already, and you feel ready to have a little breakfast on the next flight. It breaks up the whole trip nicely. We all slept well, we felt great when we got to Germany and didn't feel tired until about 7pm.

So what can ruin a perfectly lovely trip to Europe? Not just jetlag, children on jetlag. I spent the whole night going back and forth from wee one's room to the boys' room, nursing and holding her for 45 minutes, then sleeping by the boys for a couple of hours. I'd fall asleep and B would tell me not to leave. I'd fall back asleep and S would start smacking me groping for his blankie in the dark. I'd fall back asleep and wee one would start to cry. I'd get her settled and start all over with the boys. I don't know how I made it to morning. Ironically, I think it was my own fatigue that saved me.

All I know for sure is that it's dark here again already and, frankly, I'd rather fly from America to Europe again than repeat last night!

Twas the night before German Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except Alison who was sewing up an afghan as fast as she can.

One more seam and my two halfghans will make one. It's... gonna... be... grrrEAT! I can't get a really good picture of all the colors when I'm doing the wide shot, so here's a close-up so you can see how pretty the yarn really is.

There's still a bazillion ends on the backside, but the front should look clean and complete by tomorrow. Hooray!

Nick the Cat hopes that if he saves his seat early, he'll get some of Christmas dinner. Dream on, Nick.

Nuts with nutcrackers.

A toy for wee one.

A giant Lego remote control dinosaur! First I'm going to build the creepy spider!"

"Look, the giant lego ferris wheel that was on my wishlist!" He actually jumped up and down when he opened it, just like they do in movies.

Two Red Sox rookies work on the ferris wheel.... and.....

Stolz.

My handmade Christmas gifts were well received. And now I can work on weaving in the ends on the afghan in the living room in the evenings without having to hide in the bedroom anymore. Pics to come when it's all done!

Wee one versus godzilla!

Wee one walks!

A quicky wee hat for a friend.

The Christmas crafting isn't over yet! I've got yet another itty bitty hat to knit and some things to sew (yes, I brought fabric to Germany to sew!), but first there's still the afghan for my in-laws.

Looks pretty good from the front, huh? When they opened the gift and pulled out the afghan, they seemed to like it. They said the colors were beautiful and it must have been a lot of work. And the work continues....

I'm down to about 100 ends left to weave in. Seriously, the back looks so much better than before that it seems practically finished to me! All the remaining ends are in corners where four squares meet and require a little more careful attention to ensure that all the joins look nice and neat. I left them to the end so I could work on them calmly once the majority of ends were already gone and the whole back wasn't quite so overwhelming and scary. If I can get the final ends woven in in the next 48 hours, it'll be a wonderful way to finish off another year of knitting.

Happy New Year to everyone out there and best wishes for a creative and crafty 2008!