More Quilt Stuff

Today I stopped in at Half Price Books to look for books on how to quilt. These looked good. And I see that they both got very good online reviews. I am working up the nerve to tackle my first quilt and these should prove invaluable.

I've also been bartering for more fabric. I traded 2 skeins of Cash Vero and one of Classy for this lot. Its mostly fat quarters but there are some larger pieces, too. It totals 6 yards.

And today I received this batch (7 yards) in exchange for 6 skeins of Berroco Weekend. Reggie approves.

Ooops! I Did It Again.

It really wasn't my fault. Honest. What can I do if looms just keep throwing themselves at me? I am too weak to resist. I had an ad up on the local Craigslist (one of my favorite things), seeking a used 8 harness Schacht Baby Wolf Loom. That ad had been up there for at least 2 months. Then one day, out of the blue, I receive an email telling me that someone has a 4 harness Baby for sale. I really wasn't looking for another 4 harness loom (I've already got 2) and told them it would have to be a smokin' good deal for me to be interested. Well, it was. So good, in fact, that I am now the proud owner of an older 4 harness Baby with a birth date of Feb, 17, 1989.

She came with a Schacht warping board, some lease sticks and a stick shuttle, as well as some yarns.

A brand new 4 harness Schacht Baby Wolf will set you back at least $1,400. I paid $350. See? Too good to pass up. And the seller actually delivered her to my door. Perhaps because he didn't want some fiber crazed maniac knowing where he lived? But still, much appreciated. Her only issues, that I can tell, are some light rusting on her harness frames (from being stored in a garage) and she's missing the pin to lock the beater into place for warping. Not huge issues. I think she and I will have lots of fun together.

As if that wasn't enough excitement for the day, I also turned this unwanted bag of yarn....

...into all this thread (and bobbin boxes), via bartering.

And this yarn...

...into this lovely batik print fabric.

All in all a wonderful, stash enhancing day!

Slug Soup

I have found this to be the most effective method of slug control. I go out each morning and scoop the little boogers up with a spoon and drop them into this coffee can full of salted water. I was oddly disappointed, this morning, when I only found a single slug to add to the soup. Apparently I am making a huge dent in their population. I am still using the beer cabanas, coffee grounds and a sprinkling of Sluggo, but slug soup is the best.


I may have found a solution for my lazy pole peas. They won't climb the plastic poles but they DO like to grab onto those plants behind them. Maybe they need something with a smaller diameter to grab. I made a makeshift trellis around the poles, using some twine. Will report back on how successful it is.


Speaking of peas, I got my first fruit from my garden, yesterday. While I was tying the twine I noticed this little sugar snap pea. So I ate it. It wasn't very sweet so will leave any others alone until they are larger.


A big thank you to Marti, for this nice barter. I gave her 2 of my tomato plants and she gave me these jars and an apple peeler/corer. I made out the best in that deal.