Knit 4...Purl 4

I just finished this afghan last night and I wanted to share it with you.  I've knit several different afghans but always ended up giving them away as gifts, but this one is mine!  Love the color and it's very cozy.

There was no pattern...just a simple ribbing stitch.  I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn  and a pair of #15 knitting needles.  

I cast on 92 stitches and simply knit 4, purled 4 to the end of the row and then repeated those stitches creating a ribbing pattern.  Just remember you need to knit the knit stitches and purl the purled stitches.

I decided to make pompoms for the edging instead of fringe...24 pompoms to be exact.  The pompoms took approximately 2 skeins of yarn.  I used 8 skeins for the afghan, but you can use as many as you prefer to get the size of afghan you desire.

It was quick and easy to knit and it was a great project to do while watching tv or a movie.  No rows or pattern to count.

I hope this inspires you to knit one for yourself!  Thank you for stopping by!

Lesa

Barn Quilt

I love quilts.  I don't sew quilts but I have a lot of quilting books...love the pictures!  However, I came across a site about barn quilts and their history AND they are made from wood!  So, I thought I would do my own version of a barn quilt and incorporate the colors from my living room.  My kitchen, eating area and living room are all one space and the area is quite small so all the colors have to work together.  I have very neutral colors...cream, black and tan.  I wanted to use those colors in my quilt together with a dark walnut stained frame as I thought it would "pop" on my cream colored planked wall.  Here is my finished barn quilt...

And, here it is in the entire space...

The total measurement of the quilt is 24 5/8" x 24 5/8".  Much smaller than a true barn quilt!  I first found a quilt block pattern that I could convert into wood.   I used 1 x 8 pine which is actually 7 1/4" wide.  Following the pattern, I cut nine squares 7 1/4" x 7 1/4".  I then used my mitre saw to cut four of the squares into triangles.  I could have painted the pattern onto one solid piece of plywood but I wanted it to look like it had been pieced together...similar to what you would do with fabric.

Hopefully, the above picture shows that each triangle is individual.  

Once my pieces were cut, I marked each one with the color I was going to paint it and then started the painting process.   After the pieces dried I cut a piece of MDF 1/4" in thickness to the finished size of the quilt which included the frame as well.  I made the frame from 2x2 strapping which I glued and used screws to secure.  I then stained it with Minwax dark walnut stain.  I then secured it to my MDF board with more wood glue.  I used wood screws to secure it from the back.  

The next step was basically like putting a jigsaw puzzle together...more glue to secure the wood quilt pieces to the MDF.  I let it dry overnight, attached a hanger to the back and hung it on the wall.  Easy and fun to do!  

I actually made two quilts but one was enough for this tiny space.  The other quilt I hung as you open the door to go into my unfinished basement...here it is...

Here are some pictures of the whole space so you can see what I mean about keeping all the colors similar...

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great week.

Lesa