Wednesday, February 2, 2011

It's the Small Things

A mug rug for my dad. He'll use it everyday to set his coffee cup on, and it'll keep the granite counters from draining all the heat away. Just a small reminder of me.

I feel drawn to small projects after the completion of a long term project, for the instant gratification sure, but also for the freedom they offer. You can play with new ideas, color combos, etc without the commitment of a whole quilt.
I played around with a technique from Jacquie's amazing Broken Cogs quilt. I also got to try out my new dresden wedge ruler. This is an edgy spin on the dresden, and more masculine, I think. I also got to use orange and gray. Does any color not look fantastic with gray!? And finally I got to try some squarish meandering quilting. Phew, it's a little tricky, but fun.
I love small things when they're like this.

Another quick project (if you, unlike me, are actually a good knitter - mine took three tries and over a week) is a preemie baby hat. Save the Children is hosting a big drive for them now. Hats are due by the end of the month and go to newborn babies in developing countries. I'm hoping to have a couple more done to add to the pile being donated by a local knitting group. See this site for more info. FYI these are always appreciated by the NICU at your local hospital too.

7 comments:

Katie B said...

I love the look of the dresden wedge! Such a cool mug rug.

Vicki said...

Cool mug rug, Alex. The orange and gray look so cool together. :) The hat's great too!

Mary Grace McNamara said...

Awesome mug rug! And darling knitted hat too!

MGM

Carla said...

What a fun color combo and good looking mug rug for your Dad. Did you just "figure out" Jacquie's technique or do you have the pattern already?! Love it!

Melissa said...

Your mug rug turned out great! I'm wowed if you just "figured out" how to do it. I'll definitely need to wait for the pattern. Lucky Dad!

Mama Spark said...

Love the look of the orange and gray together!!

The Knotty Knitter said...

Your hat turned out great, Alex! You have also inspired me to start my own crafting blog - check me out at www.theknottyknittercrafts.blogspot.org. Woo hoo!!