Good Cheer Quilts 2020 thru August 2021

 Hi - all these quilts were made primarily by the 4 members of the Good Cheer committee of North County Quilters, plus me, who moved back to the area in January 2020. Rita and Beth helped on a few. We met all during the 2020 lockdown - outside, 6ft apart, freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer - and all thru that time we made quilts. 

It started out with Sandy, the woman at whose house we meet, assigning us blocks to make for a quilt. Two weeks later, at our next meeting, we laid out the blocks, admired them, and then Sandy assigned the next quilt's worth of blocks. Eventually other members came up with the next block so we've done lots of different patterns, color combos, etc. It's all been great fun and we've made a lot of quilts.

We use donated fabric, fabric we've bought, fabric from our own stashes. The White Elephant committee has given us a lot of good stuff. Thread and batting mostly comes out of our own pockets. 

Following are just the 43 quilts that were on my camera roll, made during the year of September 2020 thru August 2021. I missed photographing a bunch because we've made a lot more. Claire gives a count in the newsletter each month. Enjoy!

the cat I couldn't let go

I've had probably 200 kittens come thru my place since I began fostering feral kittens and socializing them for adoption. Many of them were adorable, a few were sweeter than the others and one or two almost never left. But I managed to let them all go until Loki came along.

He first showed up on the back lot at work in early July of 2015 as a pretty small kitten, maybe 8-10 weeks old. He was super spooky and we only caught glimpses of him as he scooted under a crate or around a corner. His face was lovely, gray with white accents around his eyes and I started calling him Sophie because at that point I didn't know he was a he.

I couldn't catch him until my friend Julie came and went for her annual visit, as the guest room is also the Kitten Rehabilitation Center. I did finally trap him on July 29th using Donna's drop trap. He flipped out, banging around in the big cage before finally darting into the smaller cage.

Took him to the vet, got him neutered and picked him up that evening. He was very shy and grumpy that night as the anesthetic wore off but never growled or bit at me. He even purred a bit when I was brave enough to stick a hand into the cupboard and pet his head.

Flash forward five and a half years and he's a 20 pound giant who's bitten me more times than I can count, who gazes into my eyes and licks my nose and gives me slow blinks while he purrs like a freight train. I've never had a relationship with a cat like I do with Loki. Cat of a lifetime.

[3 sc, sk 2 sc, 3 dc in ch sp] repeat across row

Woah - a blog post! Don't fall out of your chair. Guilt has finally driven me to update this poor blog. Can't blog worth a hoot on my phone and the tablet was worse, so sorta just gave up. BUT - I have a new laptop so will try to get back into blogging a bit more often than every 3 months lol.

I've been on a crocheting jag that shows no signs of quitting any time soon. My San Diego pal Julie is a serious crocheter also and when we get in the same room, our output  increases exponentially.

While at her house for 3.5 days in November I finished a shawl and started and almost finished a scarf. While visiting again in January, I finished a scarf, started and finished another scarf, and started a third for the plane home. It's wonderful to have the entire to do nothing but create fun stuff with pretty yarn. Since she had to cook and drive, she didn't get quite as much done but still made serious progress on her shawl and hat and scarf!

Made this adorable hat in a couple hours. Yay for bulky yarn.
Pattern is the Seamless Spiral Slouch. Amy loved it
and that's a good thing cause it replaces the leg warmers
I just couldn't bring myself to finish after the second came out
an inch off from the first one.

Mmm...Malabrigo. This is Rios in Jupiter.
Used the Aspen Cowl pattern but just made it a scarf
since I hate yanking cowls over my head every time I heat up.
Love the pattern, love the yarn.

This is a Spring Petals scarf.
Can't remember what the blasted yarn is. Hopefully I can find
the ball band at home in the disaster that it my studio and
kitchen and family room.

This is an Elise shawl, a pattern that Julie found on Rav
and made one of. I loved hers so dashed off one for myself
in a colorway I was pretty sure I didn't like. But when it was done,
it grew on me, especially with my lavender sweater.
Yarn is Twisted Fiber Art Organic Stripes. Closeup below.

Another Spring Petals scarf. It works up so differently
 in various yarns that I may end up with a bunch of them.
Yarn is Ruby Sapphire in a discontinued sock yarn
that is just magical. So sad she doesn't make it any more.

Last but not least, a Sezession I shawl.
Again I don't remember the damn yarn.
That's why you should put your blasted yarn
in Rav the instant you buy it!
Great pattern, I have at least two others,
and the yarn is lovely, a dark gray-green and
dark gray-blue that works as a neutral.
Another shot below.