Knitted Pics

here are the pictures of my knitted projects. the blanket is about 3 ft square, knitted in seed stitch, which gives it a fun texture. i haven't woven in all the ends yet, so it only looks like it's got a pathetic fringe temporarily. i used red heart acrylic yarn "hokey pokey" in blue bonnet, robins egg, tangerine and sunshine. and then the poncho, modeled by yours truly. i am disappointed in how enormously trendy ponchos are trying to be this fall. mine is ultra soft and cuddly and definitely unique. the colors don't photograph too well. they seem a little richer in person and a little less contrasty. this is also acrylic yarn, lion brand "homespun" in prairie and patons 100% nylon "allure" in amethyst.

becka on 08.31.04 @ 06:01 PM CST [link]

monday madness... (or more goofy lists of things)

Name 3 of your favorite.......
1. Colors : blue, green, purple
2. Pizza Toppings: mushrooms, artichoke hearts, garlic
3. Department Stores: target, eddie bauer, jc penney
4. Flavors of Candy: dark chocolate, mint, clove gum drops
5. Scents of Candles: macintosh apple, butter cream, gingerbread
6. Days of the Week: friday, saturday, sunday
7. Vegetables: green beans, carrots, broccoli
8. Fruits: peaches, pineapple, apples
9. Meals to cook: homemade pizza, thai curry shrimp,chili
10. Kitchen Gadgets: tongs, whisk, food processor
11. Olympic Sports: ice skating, mens gymnastics, swimming

becka on 08.30.04 @ 11:29 PM CST [link]

two projects finished.

i finished both of my knitting projects over the weekend. first is a striped blanket for a baby present and second is my first "garment", a poncho for me. the poncho is my first adventure into knitting something that is not a rectangle. it has many mistakes but the yarn is nice and fuzzy and hides them beautifully. i will post pictures tomorrow!
becka on 08.30.04 @ 11:04 PM CST [link]

Mystery Blocks

i was reading my friend danielle's blog the other day and i noticed that she had put up some pictures of the fabric that she used for scott's birthday present. she used this really great dragon fabric that we found on a fun shopping day. there was also a picture of a paper pieced quilt block of a baby dragon that she found to go with it. i clicked off to the site she found that pattern on and WOW! this lady has some wonderful patterns. i might actually have to order a few. they are so full of whimsy and humor. she also had a freebie "Mystery Block" pattern posted. seeing her other designs, i couldn't resist. so i went out and got a few fabric colors i needed, printed it out and stitched up the pattern. the mystery part is that you don't know what it is going to be until you get all 7 pieces assembled. after an hour or two and some judicious use of the seam ripper (complicated pattern!!) i was delighted to see this peeking out at me...

becka on 08.26.04 @ 05:52 PM CST [link]

I've never seen a purple elephant....

my first square from the book, a quilter's ark. this is another one that is pieced using a paper pattern. you sew it in 4 sections and then combine those sections to make an elephant. these fabrics were sitting near each other in my box-o-calicos and i thought they made a fun block! here is a black bear that danielle made from the same collection of patterns. any requests for the next animal? i am thinking about posting a sew-along mystery animal... i will put up sections of the pattern with instructions for each one. you grab some scraps of fabric, print out the pattern and sew-along. we will all have finished somethings at the end. anybody interested? i promise it's really easy and fun.
becka on 08.24.04 @ 06:24 PM CST [link]

Forget-Me-Nots

i have been trying to come up with some inspiration for teaching a beading class sometime this winter, so i have spent the last couple of days playing with beads. i feel like this little bracelet is completely fun and inspired! this is made with seed beads stitched on to wool felt (one of my new favorite fabrics). i cut out the flowers and then stitched them to a grosgrain ribbon and finished it off with a tiny buckle. i found this mini "belt buckle" at the scrapbooking store. i bought a package of them a while back because i knew inspiration would strike sometime. it is just the right size for 3/8" ribbon and makes a nifty adjustable bracelet. i am going to go get more buckles tomorrow! you could also wrap this around a pony tail.... this might be a new art show thing.
becka on 08.24.04 @ 03:06 PM CST [link]

we love plumbing!

BEFORE... we finally decided to fix the leaky sink in the bathroom by throwing it out and getting a new one. we went to frank's plumbing, which is a shop here specializing in antique and reproduction plumbing fixtures. when we asked them about our weird old sink and described the faucets which mount on the back of it rather than the top, the guys just shook their heads. so, we picked out this great pedestal style sink and a nice new faucet. we weren't sure what shape the tile would be in when we took down the old monster sink, but we were in luck - just a few holes and some rust to scrub.

becka on 08.24.04 @ 10:30 AM CST [link]

new project

working on a doublet today from this pattern... i am doing the one on the right, but without the contrasty trim. it's for andy to wear to the renaissance faire when we go next month. i am making his from a moleskin fabric that has been topstitched to look like pieced suede. i had cut it out when beth was visiting, but i just got to sewing today. it went together very quickly - i just have buttons and a little handstitching to go.

becka on 08.19.04 @ 05:12 PM CST [link]

how many times have you heard...

it's a small world. i was catching up with my textile blogs the other afternoon when i ran across a post that made me laugh. the blogger, who is from australia, posted several links to other knitters blogs and one she mentioned belongs to andy's friend, melissa, who works at adobe with him.
becka on 08.19.04 @ 05:05 PM CST [link]

A hard Question of the Week...

Stitching QotW: If you were to stitch something to be passed on to future generations of your family as an heirloom, what would it be and why?

this is a hard question. i think i would have to say my costume collection. what a goofy heirloom! there is a clown costume that my grandma (great grandma?) made for my dad when he was a little kid. it's made from a smooth heavy cotton fabric and it is all red, white and blue. my grandma sent it out to us when my sister, beth, and i were little and we thought it was the greatest. it was the neatest thing to be able to wear something that was my dad's when he was the same age. i love to think of someone else putting on one of my crazy costumes - genie, wizard, raggety ann, mrs. lincoln... and imagining what i might have been like or looked like wearing it.
becka on 08.18.04 @ 11:18 PM CST [link]

we are home

we are back from our trip to rapid city. saw lots of people & had lots of fun. lucy was very glad to see us.
becka on 08.18.04 @ 08:57 AM CST [link]

Another secret project revealed

here is my latest secret project, a turtle messenger bag for mom. this is a messenger bag pattern i have been adapting and simplifying to be able to teach it and a turtle from the paper-pieced pattern i have been talking about. the bag is made from mossy-green denim and lined with cotton calico.
becka on 08.18.04 @ 08:54 AM CST [link]

rahn ramblings

andy and i decided to do some cartoons for our latest rahn ramblings entry. rahn ramblings is a family newsletter that we put together every 2-3 months to share what everyone has been up to. we trade off who is the "editor" and all email our entries, photos etc to that person. since andy & i never have pictures of us doing interesting stuff, we decided to illustrate with cartoons this time and add a little art to the news. here's one of mine.... it may seem familiar to some of you.

we are off to rapid city for the week, so i will be away from a computer at slate creek for a few days but i will return later on in the week with lots of pictures. i am teaching myself to crochet, have a secret project to deliver and am going to do some felting with my niece and nephews....
becka on 08.10.04 @ 03:15 PM CST [link]

S R Harris....

lori mentioned it in a comment to another post and i thought i would expound upon the wonder that is S.R.Harris. it is a 30000+ sq ft fabric store that is just a bit north of the cities. a small group of us make a field trip up there every once in a while. i took beth while she was visiting and we found some great funky fabric to re-cover her living room chair and the stuff for her renaissance costume. it is a remarkable place.

i think it is time for another trip up there.....
becka on 08.10.04 @ 03:02 PM CST [link]

stitching qotw

Stitching Question of the Week: What would your stitching confession be?

i hate hate hate to trim threads. when i get done sewing something on the machine, it always looks like it has been attacked by a thread demon. long ends of thread hanging everywhere. of course, this has become sort of a secret because my new machine has a built-in thread cutter that cuts my ends to about 1" long. have i said how much i love my new machine?
becka on 08.09.04 @ 12:11 PM CST [link]

i have started another secret project....

... but one which i should have finished soon. in the meantime, here's a picture of the renaissance bodice we made for beth while she was visiting. she's going to come up and go to the renaissance festival with us sometime this fall.
we had fun last year!
becka on 08.06.04 @ 04:40 PM CST [link]

my turtle

this is my first attempt at the turtle block. i really like it. my color choices are not as contrasty as the pattern shows, but i am curious to try one that way too.

becka on 08.05.04 @ 05:21 PM CST [link]

turtles

i bought this quilt pattern while beth was visiting and it has become my new favorite hobby. the turtles' shells are pieced with a method called foundation paper piecing. basically you have a printed paper pattern that you line up and sew the fabric directly to and then you pull the paper off. it lets you do all kinds of intricate and complicated designs without having to cut out a bunch of tiny odd shapes. i will scan one of my finished blocks and post it later on.

becka on 08.04.04 @ 07:34 AM CST [link]

i love compromise

becka on 08.03.04 @ 04:40 PM CST [link]