Lots of Pieces

I have made several hundred pieces for my quilt. They look like this:They satisfy that little bit of OCD that creeps up from time to time.
The next step? Layout the entire quilt, or well, the blocks. I created an Excel spreadsheet matching the fabric patterns to create all unique blocks. But because some of the patterns have an "up" and a "down" I want to make sure each block is made with all of the fabrics "up".
I'll grab a picture of that before I try to label it, stack it, and start sewing.
Closeup:So many perfect little pieces! Nearly perfect, at least.

First Quilt: Fabric and Cutting Pieces Day #1

After a lovely weekend in Iowa with knitters and quilters, the crafting bug really bit me.
Hard.
Before I even started my trip back to PA, I had purchased a pattern. A nice, simply modern pattern. Completely my style.
I had also decided on a color scheme: light purple, butter yellow and soft gray.
So, this last weekend I went to Loom and came home with this:
Left: accent color and a skinny border
Moving right: blues as one of my main colors
Next column: grays as my other main color
Right: the white is a medium width border, the yellow is the outside, and widest, border.
Most of the fabrics are not traditional, and have decently large repeating patterns, but I really love all of them.
Lastly, this afternoon I started the cutting. All of the blue and gray fabrics were cut into strips, which will later be cut into smaller pieces.
This is 80 strips, and only 2/3 of the strips I will need before continuing the cutting process:
That top piece has a picture of a ship in the hair of a silhouette. Adorable.
Next up: the remainder of the cutting. By my rough calculations I'll have at least 540 individual pieces!
P.S. This weekend I've also spun 8oz of fiber and knit a sleeve for a sweater. The crafting is not slowing down. Not in the least.

Five Things

1. I've been drinking 64oz of fluids per day as part of a contest with a friend. The rules: up to half can be something other than water, but only 25% can contain calories and only 25% can contain caffiene. Which means a 16oz latte leaves me with 48oz of water to drink for the day. But a 16oz Diet Coke and a 16oz glass of juice (which would be a lot) would leave me with only 32oz of water for the day. Drinking that much fluid is actually pretty easy, my hunger is more even throughout the day, and I've lost a pound or two in two weeks. It is a little bit of thought and effort, but so worth it.
2. I have too many hobbies. Between knitting and spinning, I could keep myself busy for hours a day, and I kind of do. But read #3...
3. I maybe, kind of, really want to start sewing a quilt. Go big or go home.
4. I love my dog. She's the best.
5. Hi Zoe!

Desires

I’ve never been one for resolutions based on the New Year. No one in my family has ever been really into it, so I’ve never really been encouraged to have my own. This year is no exception; I’m not dedicating myself to anything that I can fail at. I find that to be particularly discouraging. So instead, in 2012 I want to remember this:

There is almost always more of something that is desirable.

I feel like this applies to many parts of my life. For instance, I don’t need to eat something as if I’ll never have it ever again. Because the chances are really good that I’ll have an opportunity to have it again. I’ve heard we need food to survive, and that there are whole stores where you can get pretty much whatever you want. As for the non-edible parts of my life, I have a large yarn and fiber stash. As much fun as it is to build said stash, there is always more to be had. And I have found that waiting is worth it when I find something I love even more than what I passed up before.

So this year I want to exercise a little restraint. Indulge the cravings when they are unbearable, but remember that there is absolutely no need to over indulge either.

I’m hoping to work through the yarn and fiber stashes in the first half of the year and then maintain a lower inventory the remainder of the year. I’ve successfully sold a couple dozen skeins of yarn on Ravelry, and I’m hoping to continue in that direction. And maybe I’ll sell some of my own yarn later in the year as well.

As for food, I am making a conscious decision to eat healthier, but I’m definitely not counting anything.

Lastly, instead of a resolution, a good friend and I are having a friendly contest to drink more water, my daily goal is 64oz. We’ll post daily how we’ve done; rules will be available somewhere on there too. My first impression: that’s a lot of water.

In crafting news, I knit baby booties, two pairs of socks, an infinity scarf, and a big stranded hat for Christmas gifts. I am now knitting and spinning for myself for a while. First up: a 2-ply mash-up of a 4oz braid and 4+oz batt of purples and yellows and a pair of Gothic Spire socks by Cookie A. Pictures soon.