tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1 2010-03-19T22:47:10Z now with 10% more bitterness Movable Type 3.2 tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.319 2010-03-19T22:01:50Z 2010-03-19T22:47:10Z

while I go find some more batting and decide how I want to quilt the circle quilt, can you decide which fabric I should use for the binding? thanks I'm leaning towards one, but I won't say which. also, the heather bailey dots (on top) is only a fat quarter so I would have to go find more. ok go! here's a little reminder:...

bitter purl while I go find some more batting and decide how I want to quilt the circle quilt, can you decide which fabric I should use for the binding? thanks I'm leaning towards one, but I won't say which. also, the heather bailey dots (on top) is only a fat quarter so I would have to go find more. ok go! here's a little reminder:... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.318 2010-03-17T19:05:09Z 2010-03-17T19:31:33Z

it's sunny and in the 60's today, a welcomed change from this past weekend's non-stop rain. I totally think that working on this quilt this weekend helped bring the sun around! I pieced it on saturday, quilted on sunday, and finished the hand binding this morning. I had a couple of goals with this quilt: a baby quilt that wasn't too babyish, balance a modern with a vintage feel, and totally surprise my friend. I'm hoping I hit at least two out of three. I used the wonderland prints as the color inspiration and went from there (after many...

bitter purl it's sunny and in the 60's today, a welcomed change from this past weekend's non-stop rain. I totally think that working on this quilt this weekend helped bring the sun around! I pieced it on saturday, quilted on sunday, and finished the hand binding this morning. I had a couple of goals with this quilt: a baby quilt that wasn't too babyish, balance a modern with a vintage feel, and totally surprise my friend. I'm hoping I hit at least two out of three. I used the wonderland prints as the color inspiration and went from there (after many... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.317 2010-03-11T19:21:48Z 2010-03-17T19:08:53Z

I've learned a few things during my morning crafting sessions: 1. the stitch the sewing machine manual suggests to use with the 1/4" foot does not create a 1/4" seam. move the needle to 5.5, instead of 3.5, for that perfect seam. 2. gift sewing, just as gift knitting, brings about anxiety and self-doubt. stop over-thinking things. 3. opened seams make for easier cutting when working with crazy nine patch blocks. 4. you bought the 'best press', now use it. 5. if you're going to steam press something, then make sure you're wearing pants....

bitter purl I've learned a few things during my morning crafting sessions: 1. the stitch the sewing machine manual suggests to use with the 1/4" foot does not create a 1/4" seam. move the needle to 5.5, instead of 3.5, for that perfect seam. 2. gift sewing, just as gift knitting, brings about anxiety and self-doubt. stop over-thinking things. 3. opened seams make for easier cutting when working with crazy nine patch blocks. 4. you bought the 'best press', now use it. 5. if you're going to steam press something, then make sure you're wearing pants.... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.316 2010-03-09T19:29:43Z 2010-03-15T18:53:20Z

I should be working on my green quilt. sewing the rows, deciding on borders (I'm leaning towards nay) and piecing the back are all in order. but fabric is an evil temptress and I already have my eyes set on my next quilt. I think my favorite part of quiltmaking is playing with colors. maybe because I don't really do this in my knitting? I don't do colorwork (yes, I'm limiting myself), I rarely knit a non-self-striping stripe, and mostly limit myself to one color for my projects. my socks are pretty colorful, but I didn't come up with the...

bitter purl I should be working on my green quilt. sewing the rows, deciding on borders (I'm leaning towards nay) and piecing the back are all in order. but fabric is an evil temptress and I already have my eyes set on my next quilt. I think my favorite part of quiltmaking is playing with colors. maybe because I don't really do this in my knitting? I don't do colorwork (yes, I'm limiting myself), I rarely knit a non-self-striping stripe, and mostly limit myself to one color for my projects. my socks are pretty colorful, but I didn't come up with the... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.313 2010-03-08T02:36:15Z 2010-03-08T02:40:09Z

crafting baking and eating now I just wish they lasted longer. how was your weekend?...

bitter purl crafting baking and eating now I just wish they lasted longer. how was your weekend?... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.312 2010-03-05T16:51:09Z 2010-03-05T16:53:34Z

I wish I had some exciting excuse for being offline for so long, but really I have nothing. literally. 2010 has not been a very crafty year for me so far. between my arm hurting too much to knit and regular life stuff getting in the way, there just hasn't been much time. I was feeling a little down about this, especially with all my yarn mocking me from their shelves, but now I don't mind so much. I love what I've made, or am working on, so far. I'm just going to consider this a little slow down. destroyed...

bitter purl I wish I had some exciting excuse for being offline for so long, but really I have nothing. literally. 2010 has not been a very crafty year for me so far. between my arm hurting too much to knit and regular life stuff getting in the way, there just hasn't been much time. I was feeling a little down about this, especially with all my yarn mocking me from their shelves, but now I don't mind so much. I love what I've made, or am working on, so far. I'm just going to consider this a little slow down. destroyed... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.311 2010-01-21T01:22:56Z 2010-01-21T01:27:45Z

I've noticed that a lot of knitters have been turning to sewing and quilting lately. nothing like another obsession to increase our stashes I say. I thought I would help spread the word about the modern quilt guild. the original branch was started by alissa in l.a. and it's spreading like wildfire. there's even a philly branch now! if you're in the area why not join? get in touch with julie, she's been putting everything together for us. I think it's going to be fun meeting up with other quilters beyond the internet. I'm still in the middle of...

bitter purl I've noticed that a lot of knitters have been turning to sewing and quilting lately. nothing like another obsession to increase our stashes I say. I thought I would help spread the word about the modern quilt guild. the original branch was started by alissa in l.a. and it's spreading like wildfire. there's even a philly branch now! if you're in the area why not join? get in touch with julie, she's been putting everything together for us. I think it's going to be fun meeting up with other quilters beyond the internet. I'm still in the middle of... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2010://1.310 2010-01-11T22:40:02Z 2010-01-11T23:09:19Z

I reached my goal of finishing everything that was on deck before the new year. barely. I was still binding the quilt new year's eve night until we had to go out. I love the way it came out (and having it finished!) and wish I had photos showing the whole thing. but being short and not finding an empty enough wall have made that hard. I might trick tom into helping me next weekend though; I didn't have the heart to make him stand outside when it was super cold this weekend. I originally started quilting in close...

bitter purl I reached my goal of finishing everything that was on deck before the new year. barely. I was still binding the quilt new year's eve night until we had to go out. I love the way it came out (and having it finished!) and wish I had photos showing the whole thing. but being short and not finding an empty enough wall have made that hard. I might trick tom into helping me next weekend though; I didn't have the heart to make him stand outside when it was super cold this weekend. I originally started quilting in close... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.308 2009-12-24T14:22:16Z 2009-12-24T14:27:03Z

I know I said I wouldn't start any new projects until I cleared my old ones out. but I also did mention there were a couple of exceptions. and, really, ishbel knits up so fast that it hardly counts as a rule breaker. pattern: ishbel yarn: colinette jitterbug, fruit coulis, 1 hank and a smidgen needles: 4mm date started: 12.10.09 date finished: 12.21.09 this ishbel isn't for me, but for my lovely friend amanda, she asked if someone would knit her an ishbel in exchange for a mini quilt. I jumped at the chance, I love amanda's quilts (and...

bitter purl I know I said I wouldn't start any new projects until I cleared my old ones out. but I also did mention there were a couple of exceptions. and, really, ishbel knits up so fast that it hardly counts as a rule breaker. pattern: ishbel yarn: colinette jitterbug, fruit coulis, 1 hank and a smidgen needles: 4mm date started: 12.10.09 date finished: 12.21.09 this ishbel isn't for me, but for my lovely friend amanda, she asked if someone would knit her an ishbel in exchange for a mini quilt. I jumped at the chance, I love amanda's quilts (and... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.307 2009-12-23T23:51:15Z 2010-01-12T02:06:17Z

starting a quilt is pretty easy, almost too easy. just grab some fabrics and cut, cut, cut. it's the sewing and finishing that are hard. piecing, pressing seams, actually quilting, and binding. that's a lot of stuff for a procrastinator. on a side note, how do some people finish two or three quilts a week!? let's just say thank god I started early. how early? sometime in july. I didn't mean for this to be a christmas present, it was just a happy accident. I started with guns a blazing. I cut out the fabric and started piecing the...

bitter purl starting a quilt is pretty easy, almost too easy. just grab some fabrics and cut, cut, cut. it's the sewing and finishing that are hard. piecing, pressing seams, actually quilting, and binding. that's a lot of stuff for a procrastinator. on a side note, how do some people finish two or three quilts a week!? let's just say thank god I started early. how early? sometime in july. I didn't mean for this to be a christmas present, it was just a happy accident. I started with guns a blazing. I cut out the fabric and started piecing the... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.306 2009-12-22T22:40:54Z 2009-12-22T22:41:49Z

I had planned to post earlier this month about a finished vest, but things didn't pan out. oh, I finished it the vest. I just hated it. my pattern indecision should have been a sign. it doesn't usually take me weeks to find a pattern to knit. I'm the person that has way too many pattern ideas floating around. OK. so I don't like vests. there, I admit it. more to myself than you, but it's out. you know what else went wrong? not only did my gauge swatch lie (actually, I think I liked to myself just so...

bitter purl I had planned to post earlier this month about a finished vest, but things didn't pan out. oh, I finished it the vest. I just hated it. my pattern indecision should have been a sign. it doesn't usually take me weeks to find a pattern to knit. I'm the person that has way too many pattern ideas floating around. OK. so I don't like vests. there, I admit it. more to myself than you, but it's out. you know what else went wrong? not only did my gauge swatch lie (actually, I think I liked to myself just so... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.305 2009-11-26T02:00:00Z 2009-11-26T02:00:15Z

I originally thought I was going to post about this sweater, tell you how it was a fail and then frog it. but my flickr friends have changed my mind, so think of this as a "before" post and sometime next month we can talk about the "after". pattern: owls yarn: louet riverstone chunky, neptune, 5 hanks needles: 6mm and 6.5mm circs date started: 10.31.09 date finished: 11.04.09 for the most part, I ignored the owls sweater because as cute as it was I wasn't sure about the actual owls. would it fit with anything else I wear? and what...

bitter purl I originally thought I was going to post about this sweater, tell you how it was a fail and then frog it. but my flickr friends have changed my mind, so think of this as a "before" post and sometime next month we can talk about the "after". pattern: owls yarn: louet riverstone chunky, neptune, 5 hanks needles: 6mm and 6.5mm circs date started: 10.31.09 date finished: 11.04.09 for the most part, I ignored the owls sweater because as cute as it was I wasn't sure about the actual owls. would it fit with anything else I wear? and what... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.304 2009-11-17T15:09:33Z 2009-11-17T15:09:53Z

pattern: aestlight yarn:shibui knits sock, sand, 4 hanks needles: 4mm date started: 06.29.09 date finished: 10.28.09 poor aestlight. what can I say about it? you know it's a bad sign when it takes you four months to finish a shawl. for a while it seemed the fates were against her and wanted her gone. she lived through some indignities, including traveling the east coast while stuffed in a bag, surviving a puppy mauling, and just plainly being ignored. I cast on for aestlight as a little knit along with rangsiwan, and amanda. the garter stitch triangle went by super...

bitter purl pattern: aestlight yarn:shibui knits sock, sand, 4 hanks needles: 4mm date started: 06.29.09 date finished: 10.28.09 poor aestlight. what can I say about it? you know it's a bad sign when it takes you four months to finish a shawl. for a while it seemed the fates were against her and wanted her gone. she lived through some indignities, including traveling the east coast while stuffed in a bag, surviving a puppy mauling, and just plainly being ignored. I cast on for aestlight as a little knit along with rangsiwan, and amanda. the garter stitch triangle went by super... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.303 2009-11-17T02:44:12Z 2009-11-17T02:46:39Z

somehow tom (unintentionally) saved up all of his vacation time for the fall and we've pretty much taken full advantage. we've mostly gone places we can simply drive to and got to step out of our every day lives for a week at a time. one of our trips was a drive up to ithaca since we missed the town and hadn't been there in years. I used the car ride as an excuse to test knit for kirsten. pattern: miller's hat yarn: louet riverstone worsted, charcoal, 1 hank and smidgen needles: 4.5mm and 5mm circs date started: 10.10.09...

bitter purl somehow tom (unintentionally) saved up all of his vacation time for the fall and we've pretty much taken full advantage. we've mostly gone places we can simply drive to and got to step out of our every day lives for a week at a time. one of our trips was a drive up to ithaca since we missed the town and hadn't been there in years. I used the car ride as an excuse to test knit for kirsten. pattern: miller's hat yarn: louet riverstone worsted, charcoal, 1 hank and smidgen needles: 4.5mm and 5mm circs date started: 10.10.09... tag:www.bitterpurl.com,2009://1.302 2009-10-26T20:49:30Z 2009-10-26T21:36:44Z

I really hope you all enjoyed the preview for pure knits! posting all the pictures got me all excited for the book all over again. I need to figure out what I have in my stash that will work with some of the patterns. actually, I still need to decide what to start first. stash diving should help. what about you? what do you think you'll knit? what yarn and colors are you planning on using? I would love to hear your ideas! thank you so much for all your comments last week. I loved reading all of them and...

bitter purl I really hope you all enjoyed the preview for pure knits! posting all the pictures got me all excited for the book all over again. I need to figure out what I have in my stash that will work with some of the patterns. actually, I still need to decide what to start first. stash diving should help. what about you? what do you think you'll knit? what yarn and colors are you planning on using? I would love to hear your ideas! thank you so much for all your comments last week. I loved reading all of them and...