Fasten your seat belt

Lots to show today. Hold on! It's going to be a bumpy ride!

#10 is a raccoon

#11 is a blue elephant

#12 is a fishy

and a re-do on the chickie/ducky because, in the end, it was the only one done with a felt appliqué. I like the embroidered wing much better anyway.

So, here they all are. Twelve 8-inch squares all laid out ready for assembly.

I am so excited to start putting them all together. 

I sure hope they go together as well as I think they ought to.

A butterfly

For Kate's mother, who thought babies and butterflies just go together. I think I have to agree.

This makes 9...only 3 more to go, and I can start putting them together.

A bear, of course

Some things just stay with you, I guess. I knew I wanted a bear for the baby quilt. When I starting sketching, this is the bear who showed up. He's very Yogi Bear and BooBoo, don't you think?  For better or for worse, we are the sum of our experiences.

And a lamb

Square #7, I think. A very pink lamb kickin' up his heels.

Cassie says we need a cat

You can't see it in the photo, but the copper variegated wool has a strand of glitter that is really cool. The wool is intended for socks. It's a superwash wool with a little nylon. Loops & Threads Pizzazz. I don't think I'd like socks made from it, because it's a little scratchy, but it's very nice for embroidery.

This is the 6th square for the baby blanket. Only 6 left to go. And I have 6 more sketches made. That means each of the 12 squares will have a different design. Since I'm learning as I go, and the piece is evolving because of that, this square uses a new (for me) stitch.... a chain stitch. It distorts the knitted ground less than the satin stitch. A nice addition to my repertoire.

What's buzzin' in your world?

Square #5 is a bee, and Cassie quite likes it.

Or, at least, she finds it a good place to nap.

A reluctant mouse

Square #4 of the baby blanket features a little mouse. The first time I stitched him, he was a little ... lumpy? The fabric was pretty stiff. :(

Stitching him in the worsted weight Cascade 220 Superwash didn't work so well. I really needed a lighter weight yarn. I split the 4 plies and tried stitching with just 2.

Much better.