Sleeves ...

The shrug or vest from my last post needs some sleeves. There isn't enough yarn to make them though - so the choice was either a slightly lighter color, or the exact color but in thinner yarn.
THANK GOODNESS for the knitting group in Lyons - Kayann is a tremendous knitter and gave me some fabulous advice (double the strands) and lessons on how to easily put the sleeves on by picking up each stitch in the existing armhole and then knitting the sleeves right onto them. That way I don't have to sew them on later. So far, so good.
As of last night, I only have a single 'cap' sleeve but it's going to look nice.

I think knitting looks really hard from an outsider's point of view, but it's really just two stitches - purl and knit. Everything else is just combinations of these two. I learned how to do a cable last night - had no idea it was so easy. :)

I love learning new things!

Delving into another fiber art project

I'll never tire of quilting, but knitting has become a new pasttime for me. My friend Sharlie raises alpacas, and she does everything with the fiber you can think of. Spinning, dyeing, felting, knitting, crocheting, etc. etc. I've joined a fantastic group of women who knit together on Wednesday nights. The camaraderie is the reason - and knitting is a nice by-product!

Hello, Kitty!

My wonderful neighbor brought this indigo piece back from Japan for me. It's taken a while, but I finally got around to making a small wall hanging. I'm glad I waited! Another friend gave me a gorgeous strip of red silk for my birthday, that I've used for the sashing around the kitty.

This one won't be for sale at the upcoming Open Studios show. I don't think I could part with it!

The NZ Panels are all quilted ...

Once I found the 'right' thing to do with these panels, everything came so naturally. It's amazing how much time we spend going against our inner compass, and then when it points the right way, everything just flows. I'm taking this as a lesson in life, not just in quilting!
The panels you see in this post and the previous few were a collection I bought in New Zealand about 8 years ago. I was trying to get all of them into one quilt, and it took me this long to figure out that they would do better by themselves or in smaller groups. Above is "Sheep of Color."