Spring Progressing

Hello again.  Like the buds on the trees and slight greening of the grass, I am coming awake again after the prolonged drag of winter!  I have some updates:

Updates:
Knitting - The cardi sweater (I named 'Cole') is completed -- last seen ready for sew up:

Knit from Madeline Tosh Merino Light, color way 'Grapefruit'

Quilting Challenge: 

The table runner is pieced and marked for quilting (once my quilting extension table comes in at the local sewing machine shop).

Other Activity:  I created a new line of spring-summer weight accessory scarves, which are available at Tait's.  I made two of most styles, and will put the second scarf on the KnittenKaboodle website. 

I love scarves and accessories and I've been collecting suitable and wonderful fabrics for the past several years.  Most fabrics are lightweight cottons or pretty and versatile knits. When selecting fabrics, I think about 'wearability' - choices that work with busy lifestyles.   I also think quite a bit about selecting the edging thread colors, which is important to achieve the desired look -- blend, contrast, accent, define -- polish overall.  These are created as easy to wear with cotton sweaters, denim or suede jackets, or a lightweight dress.  Also great gifts! 

Early Spring Lightweight Scarves

Only at Tait's - Cotton Voile

Only at Tait's: Cotton Knit Infinity Scarf

A Last Word for Today:
I created a new 'Farm Fresh' apron group, with these two delivered to Tait's:
Additional styles are on the cutting table at the time of writing this entry - very cute also!

Ruffle trim with kangaroo central pocket

Butcher style with contrast pockets and ties

A Creativity Challenge

Sewing & Quilting
On a recent visit, my Aunt (a very talented quilter!) gave me the pieces and parts of an abandoned quilting project.  The focal fabric featured a  Kaffe Fassett print in a deep reds and related hues.  Any of you familiar with his wonderful fabrics and designs for both quilting and knitting, know that he is fearless in the use of color and large scale prints.  I was so excited to get these blocks, but at this time I know I do not have the time to make a large, formal quilt.  However, I was itching to play with the newly inherited loot.

Inherited quilt pieces: featuring the 'square in a square' and pretty coordinating fabrics

Challenge: Come up with a smaller scale project featuring the bright 'square in square' blocks AND use only materials from my stash (on hand fabric supply).  In a creative quilting course I took last year, we worked on exercises that focus on constraints as a way to step beyond our normal perspectives and perhaps arrive at an interesting and perhaps fresh result.  My constraint is to work within existing resources in my studio.  Since my typical 'comfort zone' is usually aqua, green, turquoise, teal, violet, blues and combinations of those colors, starting with deep red was a plunge into a whole new palette set. 

First decision: project scale:  table runner.  Next, what fabrics and coordinating colors?

Result:  

Choices from the stash, focusing on complementary colors 

The purple in the focal block really presented an opportunity to coordinate with complementary color ways.  Additionally, the assortment I came up offered some variety, texture, and movement with the assorted prints.   Next, a design for the runner.  I really want to keep it simple - not use a lot of fancy and intricate blocks and patterns, since the fabrics are busy and the color powerful (plus it would be faster to assemble and see how I felt about the result!).

Next Issue:  How it came together.  Decision about quilting design looming ahead. 

Knitting:

Sweater pieces ready to sew together and add a neckline.  Almost finished, and just in time for the (eventual) warm weather.