I have been working very hard on my piece for the 2008 CoCA challenge: Words to Live By. I decided to use Picasso’s quote, “Art is the lie that tells the truth.” I am calling the quilt “Art, Lies, & the Truth.” I’ve always liked that quote. It reminds me of something my friend Mary Urbas, who teachs classes on how to sell your artwork, tells her students. It goes something like, “Art is the ultimate smoke and mirrors because you take something worthless and turn it into something beautiful and precious.”

Here it is thus far, and for some reason, this quilt did not photograph well, so please forgive that:

Obviously, it still needs work to be finished by November 19. It has been an interesting experience making this quilt, partly becuase of the odd shapes, and partly because I chose to use all hand-dyed fabrics, except for black, and with some of the fabrics I have been in danger of running out and since they are hand-dyed, once they’re gone, they’re gone. I am particularly worried about the next fabirc, the dark blue. Guess I’ll have to check my stash again and hope that I either have a little more of that fabric or can make a substitute.

I am extremely please with how nicely the colors are flowing and of course, I love making the crazy blocks. The center of the quilt will be black, with Picasso’s quote machine-quilted/embroidered in brightly colored thread.

I’ll post more pictures are it progresses.

Well, yesterday Marcus had to go in to work for a meeting (usually he works from home) so I decided to have a Sit & Knit Day and watch Gilmore Girls. Actually, I kind of needed to knit yesterday because I need a new stole. (A stole is a rectanglular shawl.) I just found out that one of my quilts, “Staring at Eternity,” was accepted into the Valley Arts Center juried art show. The opening is this Friday night, November 2, from 6-8 pm. Since I usually like to wear something that I have made to art openings, I decided that it was finally time to knit up the Autumn Stole that I have been buying yarn for. I used to have a knitted black stole, the one I wore to the Fairmount Show opening, but I sold it.

This is very exciting because last year, I entered two pieces in the Valley Art Center show, and they were both rejected.

So, here is a picture of the Autumn Stole thus far:

I used a lovely hand-dyed skein of Manos as my color inspiration.

Now, where have I have seen these colors before? Oh, yes! I remember! In the quilt hanging in my living room!

This is “Autumn Whispers.” I made it a couple years ago to be a focal point in our living room. At the time, we were living in an apartment and the carpet was mint green. Actually, the entire apartment was mint green. Let me tell you, it was scary! Now, “Autumn Whispers” looks much better in our new living room, and it is still one of the local points.

Now, I have to go knit some more. Darn!

Paul, this one’s for you.

*****

London Broil (this recipe originally from www.allrecipes.com)

1 minced garlic clove

3 tb. soy sauce

1 tb. Worcestershire sauce

1 tb. ketchup

1 tb. vegetable oil

1/2 ts. pepper

1/2 ts. dried oregano

Flank Steak up to 4 lbs.

Mix up ingredients in large sturdy zip-lock bag. Trim any fat off steak and place in bag. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, for at least 5-6 hours.

Marcus’s special grilling techniques: Turn grill on high and sear both sides for about 1 minute per side. Turn heat down to medium, then grill for approximately 7 minutes per side. Note: Grilling time varies depending upon thickness and size of steak. This cut of meat is best prepared medium to medium-rare.

You must serve this steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms. Absolute must. Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes are fabulous with London Broil, too, but aren’t absolutely required.

Marcus and I like buy up the steak when it is on sale, trim it, combine it in a bag with the marinade, and freeze it. That way, we just take it out of the freezer and it marinates while it thaws. Clever, huh? Actually, that was a tip from my grandmother, who is an amazing cook. Anyway, that was some of our favorite recipes. Tomorrow, maybe some actual quilt pictures!

My Mom and I had a great time while she was here.

While Mom was here, Marcus and I made two of our favorite recipes, Potato Pancakes and Teriyaki Stir Fry. Mom said she had to have them, so I figured I’d stick them on my blog for a quick and dirty entry for everyone to enjoy.

*****

Potato Pancakes (This recipe is originally from Taste of Home, Marcus’s favorite magazine.)

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (The grocery store Aldi’s sells refrigerated hash browns that you don’t have to drain, just open up the bag & dump ‘em in. Much faster.)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (1 1/2 - 2 tb. dried)

2 tb. milk

2 eggs

1/4 flour

1/2 ts salt (Originally, it was 1 ts. salt, but we decreased it because you can always add some later)

Place hash browns in a strainer and rinse with cold water until thawed. Drain thoroughly; transfer to a large bowl. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Heat 1/4 oil in large skillet over medium heat and drop batter by small spoonfuls. (You can do bigger spoonfuls, but this way makes them crispier.) Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Makes 4-5 servings.

Now, Marcus and I like to have these with sour cream, maple syrup, and homemade applesauce. They are delicious!

*****

Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce (This recipe originally from www.allrecipes.com)

2 ts. Cornstarch

2 ts. cold water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tb. & 2 ts. Cider Vinegar (We usually just use white vinegar)

1 hefty ts. minced garlic

1/4 ts. ground ginger

1/8 pepper

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce bubbles and becomes thick.

Marcus and I usually stir fry the following our wok (in heated vegetable oil and sesame oil): onions, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, corn, and peppers. When the veggies are almost done, we add in the cooked, thick teriyaki sauce and let it all get nice and covered. Sometimes, if it seems a little watery, we add a little cornstarch mixed with water until it is thick enough.

You can add meat, or not, to this stir fry. We usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have either been baked or grilled in the same teriyaki sauce (doubled recipe of sauce, of course). We are going to start cooking a double batch of the chicken, too, and freeze half for later so we can just thaw it and toss it the cooked stir fry for an even faster meal.

*****

Well, that seems long enough for today. Tomorrow, I ‘ll post our famous London Broil recipe. Yeah, I know, not much fiber stuff lately, but what can I say? I can either write about quilting, or actually quilt!

Sorry I haven’t written. My Mom unexpectedly came to visit us last Friday and we have been knitting up a storm! Actually, I have been quilting, too. I’ve working on a last-minute entry for a challenge in my art quilt group, CoCA. It is coming along great so far, which is good it is due in less than three weeks.

I recently joined a swap group I heard about on Ravelry. (Yes, I am one of the lucky people who has got in, thanks to my wonderful mother who signed me when she signed up. Love ya, Mom!) Anyway, the swap is called PlaceColorSwap. Here is a link for their yahoo group page. It seems really fun.

According to the rules, I am supposed to post the “Fun Stuff” part of the questionnaire on my blog. And since I’m a little pressed for time at the moment, today’s the day.

What is your favorite color(s)? Green. I LOVE Green, all shades, all variations of green EXCEPT mint. I also like really bright colors. I like green, blue, & purple; red & black; autumn colors

What are your least favorite colors? Pink, brown, white/cream, and pastels

If you have a favorite brand of yarn, what is it? Schaeffer

What weight yarn do you prefer? Doesn’t matter. I seem to be knitting with a lot of lace-weight yarn right now

Is there any weight of yarn you’d rather not have? I’m not doing much with super-bulky right now

Do you enjoy novelty yarn? If so, what kinds do you like and dislike? Yes! I like ribbon yarn, fringy yarn, sparkly yarn, shiny yarn – basically, I’m not picky as long as it isn’t scratchy.

What are your favorite fibers? Definitely Silk. My other favorites are rayon, cotton, bamboo, and soy

Do you have any fibers that you dislike or worse yet, have an allergy to? No allergies, but I’m not very fond of wool. Too itchy.

Do you have pets? If so, what do you have? I have a wonderful little Yorkie named Alyssa. She is 11 years old and a rescue dog.

Do you spin? Yes, I have an embarrassingly large collection of drop spindles, and I am always buying more! (I don’t have a spinning wheel by choice. I love my spindles!)

Would you enjoy receiving spinning related items, such as roving? Definitely! I love spinning silk caps, silk, and soy. I enjoy spinning wool as well (especially hand-dyed) but prefer that it have some non-wooly fiber mixed in, too.

Do you knit, crochet, both, or other? Just knit. But I am a fiber artist (I make art quilts) and that’s what I do full-time for my profession.

Is there anything within your craft that you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to try or learn? Oh, lots of things. Scribble Lace, for one.

Is there anything that you enjoy collecting, aside from yarn? I am an art quilter, so fabric. Especially hand-dyed or batik (Not Joanne’s fabric. Yuck!). I also collect dragons, antique glass Christmas ornaments and vintage postcards.

Is there anything else that your pal should know to help her spoil you? I am a huge “Lord of the Rings” fan. I love to read, especially science-fiction and fantasy. I really like knitting with old metal knitting needles. Of course, I love chocolate, and my husband and I like to cook gourmet. My username on Ravelry is “KrazyQuilts.”

So, there we go. And just for fun, here is one of my favorite pictures of Lyssie:

Hello, my name is Meagan and I’m a Enabler.

You see, whenever I come across a new knitter, or gasp, someone who does not knit yet (notice I said “yet”), I feel it is my duty to properly introduce them to the many joys of knitting. My friend Jessica, (the one to whom I gave the Monster Mittens and Hat) is one of my latest victims. About a month ago, Jessica and Paul stopped by on their way to Seattle to see Jessica’s brother Nick. HI NICK!!! Oh, HI PAUL!!!

Since Jess only brought one knitting project for a two week road trip (You’ll have to forgive her, she’s a new knitter and didn’t know any better), I generously offered to help her out. Long story short, by the time Jess left (and they were at our house for less than 24 hours), she had two new scarf projects, including yarn and needles. This, of course, is a perfect example of why I am required to keep a large yarn stash on hand at all times. (As well as a “comprehensive” needle collection. ) For friends in need.

When she came back through Cleveland two weeks later, this is what she had accomplished:

The middle scarf is the one I am knitting right now. But Jess was over half-way done with both scarves, and had finished a basket-weave pattern baby blanket, all in two weeks! I was so impressed with her! We both used the same pattern, “Gossamer Shell Scarf,” from the book One -Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant. Very fun book, by the way. I have already picked out several more patterns that I cannot wait to cast on. It was so cool seeing the same pattern knit up in three different yarns. The blue scarf was knit using a 67% Wool, 33% Rayon yarn and the black scarf using a mohair yarn with a metallic strand.These two yarns were some I picked up at an estate sale this past summer. The green scarf (mine) is made from Kidlin Pixie yarn, a 49% Linen, 35% Kid Mohair, 16% Nylon blend. I got it up at Chautauqua Institution this summer at the yarn shop where I worked. I am actually knitting it as a sample for the same shop.

I was also proud of Jess because her black scarf was too wide, so she ripped it out and changed the pattern! All by herself! Here is a close-up of the black one:

Isn’t it gorgeous?! She did such a great job. I think she was really impressed with herself, too.

See? It’s offical: Knitting makes you happy.

I know, I know, no blog for over a month.

I have actually been quilting in the past month, not just knitting. I have been working on one of the commissions I received this summer.

The “Save the Children” Fabric (the center squares of the star blocks) was provided to me by the lady who has comissioned this throw-sized quilt. I made her a similar-looking art quilt two years ago and this summer she contacted me again, saying that she really wanted a second quilt from me but that she didn’t have the wall space for another art quilt and could I possibly make a couch throw-sized quilt for her? I was happy to, of course. I am quite pleased with how the piece is turning out thus far.

Here is a picture before adding the border:

And here is a picture of the quilt after adding the border:

What an amazing difference, huh? (Yeah, I know the second picture is a little sloppy. We moved my big design wall and its new location doesn’t work quite as well as the old one as far as photographing goes and I was in a big hurry the day I took that picture and didn’t have time to fiddle with it.)

I have also been working on some bags lately. I got some wonderful koi (Japanase goldfish) fabric from the International Quilt Collection that I am using for the main fabric in this newest set of bags. I’ll try to put up some pictures of those in a few days when the bags are farther along.

Today, (when I finally get off this computer) I will start quilting this piece. I am also going to start cutting out the pieces for the next set of bags. I absolutely love cutting up fabric. That, and ironing fabric. Weird, I know, but it’s true. I love LOVE LOVE to iron fabric, and only fabric. I do not iron clothes. That’s why “wrinkle-free” was invented. To leave more time for important things like knitting quilting.

I have Memoirs of a Geisha on DVD to watch, too, so overall, today should turn out to be a very nice day.