The Stitch Up

WIPS for November

It is finally Fall!

We've had a little bit of a warm Fall, but the weather is finally starting to change and we are getting some lovely colors around the neighborhood.

There is enough of a nip in the air now however to justify a cozy fire in the evenings and what goes better with a cozy fire than some sewing and knitting?

I have a few WIPS for this month although, I'm not sure if I should call these projects "Works In Progress" if the only progress I've actually made is thinking about making them.  They are probably more along the line of "To Dos" but I figure listing them is at least a step in the right direction so here goes:

First, I finished up a projects that's been on my to do list for about a year:

That tea towel has been my go to travel project for a long time.  I was picking it up any time I knew I'd be sitting in a car or plane for several hours.  I'd make periodic progress and then wouldn't pick it up for months.  Finally after finishing a few other things, I decided to wrap it up. 

The pattern is one of the repeating patterns from the JF Ingalls catalog.  There used to be a web site with all of the patterns linked but I think it's closed now.  You can find most - if not all - of the patterns on this flickr site.  I also think the book is available on the internet archive as an e-book.  There's a lot of good stuff in there.  I'm thinking of adding some crocet edging but that should be pretty quick so I'm considering it finished at this point!

Next on the list is getting started on my 'Best of the West" quilt.  That's my working name for it anyway.  I have a lot of fabric, patterns, photos - just a collection of things from our trips out to Wyoming and Montana that I would like to combine into one crazy - and hopefully cool - quilt.  The first squares I'm working on for this quilt are two applique squares I bought on our first trip out to Montana.  The artist is McKenna Ryan.  She has a variety of designs but the ones I fell in love with were her patterns of bears and deer.

I've started the bear design and will hopefully make some progress on the deer design this weekend.  After that I'll be adding different embroidery squares and photos on fabric as I have time.  I do realize that I have yet to wrap up my Spanish Quilt Project and perhaps should not start a new quilt until the first one is finished.  But each of these squares is really it's own seperate endeavor and I get more accomplished when I work on what I'm inspired or excited by at the time, rather than slogging through one project before starting the next.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

I don't do much applique so this has been great to get back in the swing and I really love seeing the design come together.

Next on my stuff-to-do list is a knitting project.  I am trying to improve my knitting skills but so far I've just managed some basic scarves.  With the chllly weather I've been inspired to take out some yarn and a pattern I picked up at the Knit n Needle Yarn Shop on our last trip to Montana. (of course!)

The nice lady I spoke to at the yarn shop claimed that this is a simple pattern.  I'm not sure it will be simple for me - it's knitting on double point needles which I haven't done before.  I've loaded up 5 or 6 tutorials on you tube which I'm hoping will make sense and that I'll end up with something wearable. 

Last on my list is a plastic bag dispenser.  This is really more of a spring "get organized" type of project but I'm trying to get our basement/laundry room into shape and for whatever reason the mound of plastic bags I'm currently just smooshing into a large paper bag is driving me crazy.  I have a pattern from the Spring 2010 edition of Stitch Magazine which looks cute but I've also bookmarked a few patterns from around the web that are also adorable and seem like great patterns.  Make It & Love It and In Color Order both have nice tutorials.  I'll update which pattern I used and how it looks as soon as it's finished.  It seems like a pretty quick project.

Not a huge list but I'm hoping to get these things finished by the middle of the month.  I have my plans for Christmas gifts and I know myself well enough that I'll need to get hopping on those before Thanksgiving if I have any hope of giving them as gifts during the holiday season.

I hope everyone's WIPS are going well and that Fall is beautiful whereever you are!

Fall Fun

We've been continuing to enjoy Fall, the best season in the mid-atlantic.  We took a trip to Occoquan, which is a quaint town on the Occoquan river.

We meandered around the downtown area a bit.

We ended up at a cute tea shop (my choice obviously!) called the Pink Bicycle.  It was charming and the owner made delicious scones and sandwiches.

It was a relaxing way to spend the day. 

I also FINALLY finished the third square in my Spanish Quilt Project.  Ta da!:

It involved a lot of little stitches, but it was so fun to do.

I've also gotten a jump start on some Christmas crafts.  I'll start posting some of those projects after Thanksgiving.  Until then, I hope everyone eats their fill of turkey and mashed potatoes and has a great Thanksgiving!

Virginia Booze Adventure

It's Fall in Virginia which is always a perfect time for a drive out to the country.  And as long as we're headed out to the country, why not hit up a winery and a distillery?  With the rolling green hills and the leaves changing color, it's my favorite time of year here.

We hit up Willowcroft Farm Vineyards first.

It's in a very pretty location and they have a good selection of wines.  After trying a few we set up a little picnic to enjoy the view.  It was brisk, but that crisp, Fall air is what we've been craving for months, so we enjoyed it.

After our impromptu wine and cheese party, we hit the road to check out a local whisky distillery.  This is something Virginia does right!  We tried Catoctin Creek Distilling Company.

The name comes from a local creek that the company uses in their distilling process.  It's a small business and one of the owners was there during the tour and tasting.  Apparently in addition to whisky they make brandy and their pear brandy sells out immediately.  I'm keeping an eye out for the next time they have it in stock.

After all that drinking we were ready to eat so we went to downtown Purcellville.  On the way I snapped a few pics of the barns and farms we drove by.

I love the worn exteriors among all that green.

Downtown Purcellville is small and charming with a couple of good restaurants and some cute shops.  

We ate at Magnolia's at the Mill and had a great lunch.  Everything was good and the interior is warm and rustic.  The building was built in 1905 and served for years as a flour mill.

Even with all that relaxing and eating and drinking, I got some stitching done on the drive.  Pics of finished projects are on the way!