Beginnings, Middles and Ends...........

I've always been good at beginnings....middles are ok but get boring.  Ends...well, unless its something really quick.  If I can get it started and finished all in one fell swoop, I'm good!


Yesterday, I had several things I wanted to get DONE.  Well, that's not exactly what happened.  I am closer than I was, but still, not much got completed.


My list went like this:
Finish the sweater I'm knitting
Get the butterflies and hearts cut out of the batik to put on the Black Eyed Susan quilt.
Get the butterflies and hearts sewn ON the quilt.
Get the binding on the quilt.
Get the new phones set up and working.


The only thing I did get accomplished was the phones.  I now have a cordless phone in the kitchen, one in the bedroom, one in the living room, and, ta da! one upstairs in the craft room!  Yay.  Now I don't have to try to remember to take one up, and I don't have to kill myself getting down stairs to answer the phone when it rings.

Knitting the sweater.  Well, I had the pieces sewn on, - the two fronts to the back, and the 2 sleeves.....except the night before last as I was sewing the second sleeve on, I realized, it was on upside down!  Grrrr.  I was NOT happy - it was my worst nightmare because the yarn is difficult to distinguish due to the type of yarn.  I was afraid if I had to tear it apart, I'd end up cutting a part of the knitting, instead of just a sewing stitch.  But I stuck to it, got it taken apart safely, and got it put back together the direction it was supposed to be.  Whew.


Then, I had to pick up the stitches to do the little edging that goes around the front of the sweater.  I had to read my little book to figure out how to pick up the stitches.  It shows you, and it says what to do - but it doesn't say how to do the very first stitch - so I just put on 134 stitches and did my best.  But that first stitch still isn't knotted or anything, so I'm sure I'm going to have to do something about that.

By about 8:00 last night, my hands were cramping up, my thumbs were killing me, and I couldn't hold the needles anymore.  I had 2 rows done.  I have one more to do and then have to figure out the button holes.  I will work on this again today, because I just want to get it done.  


I know I haven't sewn it together the correct way.  I hope it doesn't cause a problem - I sewed it and the little seams inside are kinda bulky.  I know that's not the way the pieces should have been joined.  Oh well.............
O, and the size?  Well, it looks much larger than it should, but I followed the directions exactly.  So who knows?


I did get the butterflies and hearts cut out and ironed onto the quilt.  One gave me some issues tho, I'm not sure if I had it flipped upside down or what.  The iron on part didn't stick.  I may decide to cut another, just to be on the safe side.  I don't want the thing to just depend on my stitching to hold it down.  

I did not get to stitch the appliques on.  


I also did not get my binding on.  Which I want to do after the hand stitching of the appliques is done.

So once my knitting is complete, and the Black Eyed Susan is complete, I can then continue on to my easy pinwheels quilt.  I used 2 charm packs, different sets, to make the pinwheels.  I think maybe it would have come out better (?) or at least differently, if I'd cut up some neutral fabric for the other half of the pinwheels.  But I wanted to use these two charm square packs up and see how it worked.  One is generally darker than the other.  So I used the one that isn't so dark, and used those as the "neutral" part of the pinwheel.  There will be photos to follow - but just as I was doing the photography, the battery in the camera died.  I just haven't had the opportunity to get back up there and continue.


I really need to manage my time better.  Does anyone else have that problem?

I also need to get some cleaning done around here.............sigh.........the hairballs are floating around and the dust bunnies are chasing the hairballs!!!!  I try to ignore.....but can't when they are attacking me going up and down stairs and in the corners of all the rooms.  


Today is volunteer day with Evan at hospital, so today will consist of getting him groomed up and getting us there, but when I come back, I WILL get at least ONE project completed. This is my mission..............