behold the cold!

I've picked out my next quilt project and the cutting has begun!  I'm making a slightly more modern version of this quilt:

I'm leaving out the heavy border frame and using light, happy colors:  pure white and Kona Cotton Curry, my favorite mustard tone.

I love walking into my office and seeing a big pile of it at my cutting station!

The design is made up of 2.5" squares bordered by flying geese and tiny solid blocks.  Put together, each star block is only 4.5".  I've learned that I do NOT enjoy making flying geese, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to stay the course on this one.  I want it to be bed sized, so I've got a lot of stars to make!

I also reverse-engineered a quilt design.  It's called Round and Round and I'm quite proud of myself, because math is not my forte and I've always been a faithful follower of patterns, not an improviser.  These 18.5" blocks are a somewhat confusing composition of half square triangles and solid blocks.  I  eyeballed the quilt online and sketched it out on paper...

...and then made a rough mock-up with some hated fabrics.  That's why I keep these guys around!  It was really tedious, but the block sizes are big, so you wouldn't have to make very many.  This is definitely a future project.

And boy, do I have the fabric for it!  Most fabric is limited edition, with a one-year run.  I try to buy on sale (I'm a sucker for the Fat Quarter Shop's Daily Flash Sale), but if I see something that I love, I splurge.  Since I seem to prefer scrappy projects, these varying sizes, colors, and styles will really come in handy!  And this doesn't include the 2.5" mini charm squares that I'm hoarding!

Quilting aside, I've started a small knitting project.  Any knitting, even Portuguese, has been incredibly painful, so I've continued to seek out different methods.  I think I've finally found an English/throwing style that works for me, although I'm still struggling with tension.  I'm doing a simple stockinette stitch cowl to work out the kinks.

I'm also outside as much as possible!

Even though the groundhog says that we'll have six more weeks of winter...

...it's rapidly warming here in the South.  It's going to be 65 by the end of the week!  So we hike, hike, hike.  It's wonderful to be out in the fresh air, seeing the wildlife...

...and enjoying little pops of beauty wherever we look.

Sometimes we see the remnants of little dramas that have played out in the night.

The chilly walks are invigorating, and then we can cuddle up in our quilts!

Long live winter! 

puzzle powers and paperwhite flowers

'Tis the season!  I've been working nonstop on puzzles when not working almost non-stop at my regular job.  I've taken a break from working on my quilt and other crafty things and I'm flying through puzzles.  As a rule, I only do 1000 piece puzzles...

...although I finished a 300 piece puzzle in the time it took Todd to eat supper the other night!  I'm a total addict.  It's so relaxing.  I have done one other short and quick (and equally nerdy) project last weekend...made a quick felt ornament of our new guest!

Clotilde is now officially using her new kitty condo...

...and spends the rest of her time on the back deck, sleeping or waiting for food.

Or just peeking in!

She's so sweet!

We saw another adorable outdoor cat at the goat farm this weekend, curled up in a pile of leaves.

I love going to the goat farm.  I'm continually amazed at the beauty of these rooster feathers!

Of course, we saw lots of goats...

...including babies!

We've been hiking every weekend, so haven't made it out to the goat farm for a while.  Last weekend, or maybe the one before, we squeezed in a quick visit to a building demolition before our hike!  It was an old building on the Clemson campus.  Can I just say that those detonators are loud!?!

Around here, it's just been work, busy with the pre-Christmas rush and getting the yard in shape, now that the fire ants are deep underground.  I haven't done a ton of Christmas baking, but did make some chocolate peppermint biscotti.  These twice-baked cookies are really easy to make!

I'm pleased to report that staggered forcing of paperwhite bulbs is incredibly easy.  I keep the bulbs in the basement, in an open bag.  Every 2 weeks, I pull out a bulb and put the end in water to stimulate root growth.  I leave it in a dark corner for a few days and boom!  Roots!  Then I can put it in the window.

There are so many flowers, and so much green in general, here in South Carolina in the winter, it just doesn't feel as festive as I think it might in the Midwest.  I do enjoy them, though!

Have a great week!