sometimes I finish things…

…and give them to folks I care about.

These simple lap quilts were gifted to my in-laws as holiday gifts. Although I finished both the quilt tops last summer, I was working right up until their recent visit to get the quilting and binding complete. I certainly hope the quilts will do their job and keep the in-laws cozy in icy Minnesota.

Cat themed for my mother-in-law:

Dragons for my father-in-law:

A few more shots of each quilt, including the backing, are available if you click through to my flickr account.

Also, a sincere thanks to the mister for standing around in the backyard with his arms raised in the air. Even if he did complain the whole time.

trading public speaking for knitting

The scarf I traded for public speaking turned out beautifully. It was a bit hard to give it away, but I hear the new owner really likes it. Maybe I’ll make a similar one for myself some day.

Details on ravelry.

crafting as chore

I’ve been something of a crafting machine lately. I’m still trying to finish up some quilts that I started last summer, which involve cats, dragons, deer and flamingos. Not together, however. That’d be too much even for me. At this point they are very late christmas gifts, but I’m hoping to have them all done by the end of the month. They’re on the back burner until the end of the week while I hurry to finish this beauty up by Friday. I’m gifting it to a coworker who is gifting it to his partner. It’s my end of the trade that got me out of least favorite job duty.

I did take a short break from the furious knitting to sort through my vintage sheet stash and select a few prints to contribute to vintage sheet fat quarter swap that rosey little things is hosting. I could seriously sort and fold my sheet collection all day. I love the smell and rediscovering prints I forgot I even had. This swap has encourage me to finally cut into a few prints that I’ve been hoarding for a while. The majority of my vintage bedsheets are actually still in one piece and I am hoping this swap will be the motivation I need to get started on quilt with all the beautiful vintage fabric.

Oh, and while running errands on Saturday I ran into a crochet superstar at the LYS – Linda Perrman! I owe her an email, so I better get on that before I forget again.