Not too much happened this weekend. I mostly-rewrote a paper I need to resubmit to Castanea (though there are a few sticky bits of information I don't seem to have). I finished the first Latvian sock. Then, I hauled out my long-neglected quilt (it is in the Spools pattern and done mostly in the 1930s-reproduction fabrics) and worked on it.

I've decided my next goal is to get the quilting done on this. I don't have a tremendous amount left - maybe 7% of the total. A few more hours should do it. (The problem is, I don't have a good callus build up on my quilting finger so I can't do much at any one time).

I've got another quilt all marked, with backing, and I've got the batting for it somewhere. And finally I have a floor I can actually use to pin out and baste a quilt.

Hand quilting is nice. It's relaxing and enjoyable. But it progresses much more slowly than knitting, which is why I think I've been neglecting it lately. It's best done listening to music - tv isn't so good because you really need to watch what you're doing.
Also, it's harder to pick it up and put it down the way you can do with knitting.

My marked-but-not-basted quilt is a traditional design called "Chimney Sweep" or something like that from this book by Marsha McCloskey. It's one of my favorite quilt-pattern books, there are numerous quilts in there I would like to make. More than in most books I see. I'm guessing it's because Ms. McCloskey's color preferences are very like mine - I tend to be turned off by patterns, even if they are nice patterns, if they are in colors I dislike. (That's true of knitting patterns also). Marsha McCloskey has her own website.

My mom lives in a good-sized city up north with a HUGE quilt guild (there's one in the town where I live, but they meet during the day when I am teaching). They get great speakers at my mom's guild - Ms. McCloskey was there once. My mom said she was really nice and a fun speaker. I'm envious.