Travel Project changeover - a (near) finish and a WiP

Last Saturday evening when I wrote my Slow Sunday Stitching post, my 'travel' socks were at the end of the gussets.  I was planning on working on them before work and during my breaks as I work from home again this week.   But Sunday after (online) church, I discovered a previously un-mined source of documentaries on Amazon Prime and binge watched several English BBC programs - primarily "A Stitch in Time" on historic clothing recreation and "Time Team" British archeology.  I basically watched TV and knit ALL DAY.  50 rounds per sock of totally mindless knitting spread out over about 10 hours and the socks were all the way to the toes.

Then after work the last few days, I finished off the toe decreases.  I was careful not to binge again, as my hands are still pretty sore.   And the socks are ready to kitchner the toes! 

The feet don't match as well as the legs do, because the knots (in BOTH skeins) interrupted the color flow.  I compensated for it down to the end of the gussets, but then there were no more matching areas in the remaining yarn.   They are still obviously a pair, and the part of the sock you can see when they are being worn matches well enough,  I can tolerate 'fraternal twins', though I prefer my socks to be identical.  I'll get them grafted, the ends run in, washed and blocked so I can share a finish with the Slow Sunday Stitching crew next Sunday.

So what to work on next in that slot - let's talk about Lucy.  Lucy Boston's "Patchwork of the Crosses", that is.  First of all, let me say right up front that I LOVE working English Paper Piecing.  And I was drawn into Lucy back in late 2016 via a two (plus) year long "bee" with my local quilt guild.  The group was going to do two blocks a month for two and a half years to get the 56 blocks needed for 7 x 8 block layout.  I started out with a more modest goal - a 5 x 6 lap quilt with 30 blocks - one block a month.

I pulled an interesting selection of fabrics from my stash in colors that I though would look well in my Arts and Crafts style living room


pinks are showing a bit brighter than they are in real life,
but the greens and stripes are pretty true on my monitor

And for the first six months of 2017, I kept up with my block a month goal pretty well.

January

February was a discard and will be replaced.

March

April

May

June

And then I totally stalled out because of a DIFFERENT EPP project - Aunt Lottie's Garden.  I was already doing all the Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks in pinks for that project, to say nothing of all of the applique.   (And I need to get back to it and get the top assembled and the borders done at some point.)  I decided after stressing out about falling behind on Lucy that I would only have ONE EPP at a time. 

Now it's time for the guild gals to put their tops together this fall.   Yeah, even a lap throw isn't going to happen. So I'm thinking a table set - Runner or topper plus placemats.  If I do a four block topper and two placemats, I only need the blocks I have done.  I do have a partial block half prepped, so finishing that one and one more would give me four placemats.  I can use all that lovely Jinny Beyer stripe for the outer border of the topper and along at least one edge of the placemats.  The partially done block is another two color one like the May and June blocks, so I'm thinking that the top four above will be the topper and the bottom two, the one in progress, and one more two color will be the placemats.  

Here's the in progress block.  Since I'm not actually traveling anywhere these days, this project will probably hibernate until the quarantine is lifted or I get totally bored with my current WiPs. 

ETA: Alternative plan - three more blocks - current and one more two color and one more three color fussy cut block for the center for a 9 block topper, no placemats.   Or a five block table runner and two placemats (only current block needs to be finished).   At any rate, I need to finish this block LOL.