Author: Liz A

And so it goes

~ Liz A ~ 14 Comments
February 15, 2021 – Single digit cold February 16, 2021 – Rolling blackouts

So begins the latest week in the saga of Remember 2021. There seem to be far more black patches this time around. Quelle suprise.

Process notes: the tan dyed cloth is from Ruth Hase Gutierrez, who is back on Instagram. The black linen is from Austinite Malka Dubrawsky at Stitch in Dye. And the variegated floss, worked in Jude’s split(ting-hairs) backstitch, was dyed by Deb Lacativa.

All stitching was done freehand because I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to sketch it out first. Like I said, quelle suprise.

It’s snowing

~ Liz A ~ 16 Comments

Usually snow would be cause for celebration, but not now, not in Texas …

Our daughter in Austin has no water … they are boiling snow. It’s a thing now if one is to believe the New York Times …

Half of our town is on boil water notices. Fortunately, I put the plug on our tub, so the dripping water has filled it halfway. Easier to boil tub water than snow I’m thinking.

But there are more dark clouds on the horizon …

And our family’s text messages are pretty dark …

As are the media messages …

Meanwhile …

Nice work if you can get it.

Update:

More mending

~ Liz A ~ 12 Comments

You have most likely noticed that my posts usually begin with a picture of where my stitching ended up. And here I pause to note that it’s challenging to take a selfie of one’s own foot.

Anyway, between power outages I watched a wonderfully well-done darning video on Instagram posted by @bookhou. Unlike others I have seen, this one was based on a form of blanket stitch. I love blanket stitch!

I had a pair of Don’s socks that already had holes in them and were just the right size to fit on my darning mushroom. With each iteration, I got better and better results …

  • First sock stitched over an existing hole
  • Close-up of first mend
  • Close-up of improved second mend over an existing hole

But I’m an utterly incapable of following recipes. So as I pondered some darned socks that had frayed over many washings …

I realized they were way too big to fit on my darning mushroom. I also had some serious reservations about cutting away the old darn in order to create the requisite hole.

So I figured, what if I stitched a darn right over the existing darn, then turned the sock inside out and cut away the problem area? I decided to try it and took still shots as I went …

  • My make-do darning base …
  • stuffed into the sock
  • Starting with running stitches from right to left …
  • then carrying the yarn over from left to right
  • Working rows of blanket stitch from right to left …
  • followed by each new carrying thread …
  • being careful all the while to not let the blanket stitches catch on the previously darned area underneath.
  • Completed darn seen right side out
  • Turning the sock inside out and cutting into the old darn using Jude’s “pinch” method
  • Continuing to cut away the old darn
  • The final inside view: “layer-management” a la Jude Hill
  • Yep, that feels pretty good!

The final test will be how they come out in the wash. But with the continued power outages and water restrictions in Texas, that trial will have to wait for another day.

In the meantime, I have lots more socks to do. Here’s the before …

and here’s the after …

P.S. Those beautiful variegated yarns are from Yarny Mammoth and Storied Fiber Art!