FIRST SOCKS FOR SUNDAY

 The first pair of socks for the year are finished! 

 These are man-sized socks for #1 grandson! 

 I used Stroll yarn from KnitPicks in the Guppy colorway, 

 size 2.5mm needles over 64 stitches,

 toe-up knit with a gusset heel.

PARTING IS SWEET (SORROW)

We have enjoyed the care of these two furbabies for almost two weeks.  Today they go home!  Lena has done better with her enforced confinement while her home has been invaded.  

Back to normal will be a good thing.  

 

A GOOD START

I had a pretty slow day; a new p-b-n was started which was beach in stark contrast to the weather here right now!  The new year greeted us with 29*F!

Bill has picked the Glorybower berries (cleredendrum) for me before the frost got them!  I am picking each of those berries from the stalk so that I can make a dye bath.

It is slow going, I might add!

I finished piecing the four-patches and gave up on the diagonal layout because there were too many directional fabrics that looked silly sitting sideways!  I arranged them so that the  diagonal lines show up in the fabrics and not the blocks.  Much better.  I have two borders to apply after I piece the blocks to each other.

 

GOOD TO TOSS THE 2025 CALENDAR

I enjoyed the peace of my living room; I finished the one large man-sock for my grandson and began sock #2.

Son's kitty is curled up in front of the fireplace.  The dog didn't hold still but you can see the things he has chewed on and left all over the floor!  It's like cleaning up after a toddler again!

After lunch the other day, my friend gave me two 'kits' to piece and it was just what I needed!  I started the four-patches in reds and blues.  it's nice to see color on the design wall!

And the larger 8 1/2" squares are arranged with the 3 star blocks she requested for a bit of pop!  It is just what it needed!  I will be working on both of these projects today.  I love to work a little while on all of the different projects I love!  

AND I can begin to write in this beautiful Journal from my daughter and family!  

It is just waiting for my opinions and thoughts, joys, tears, fears and faith to be put to paper!  Do you like to journal?  Does it have a theme or is it random as the days unfold?

 

A GOOD DAY

Yesterday, I had a lovely lunch with friends at Corky Bell's!  

At home, I finished stitching the last of the blocks into 3 1/2 rows--more yarn has been ordered!

And for the first time, we had a turkey vulture eating from the crows dish at the top of our feeder cover!  He emptied the bowl over 15 minutes and flew off --sorry crows, he got it all!

 

CYPRESS POTTERY

How many times have you assumed a project was going to be easy and then you hit a glitch when you least expect it!  The beginning of the bowl went great--fun to shape it into what I had hoped would look like pottery.

When I turned the bowl around to hollow out the inside but it was only a few minutes before it flew off the lathe! 

 ( I am positioned where I am not in the line of flying bowls!!) 

 I had noticed the bowl had several punky spots but I had hoped the wood sealer would strength it but I was wrong.

I had to set it back up to work on the bottom again which is not an easy job because you have to get it aligned perfectly so that it spins just like it did on the first go!  A lot of fussy work ensued but I eventually got it.  I had to turn  off about 1/2" and make another mortise.  Then sand the new wood and add sealer but I hung in there with rests in between coats!  I will try to hollow it out again later today,  if I have enough energy because I am going to lunch with some quilting friends!

(Today is my grandson Ethan's birthday, he would've been 10.  I am going to spend time with friends who will understand.)

And see the bug holes?

I did see one 'guy' retreat deep inside where I couldn't reach him so I expect more fun ahead with this piece of wood! lol

 

BIG IDEAS FOR MONDAY

This is what I will be working on today.  By the time I had loaded it and quilted a row or two on Saturday, I was done being up!

 It waits for me, though!

And see that empty design wall behind it!  Yikes, I need to get going on some new ideas and fill it up!  I have plenty of fabric but need to come up with some ideas!  I'm usually overflowing with plans upon plans but  my brain is drawing a blank at present.

 I will spend some time looking through the UFO pile

 and the pattern pile for inspiration! 

I'm also itching to start work on this piece of Cypress!  

I cut it out of the middle of this crotch piece because I wanted a sweet little bowl without complications!  

I hope it turns out that way! 

 The whole work shop has been cleaned, swept and even dusted out the cobwebs and I am ready to go and make a new mess!

JOINING BLOCKS

I found a pretty braid-ish stitch to join my new solid granny squares.

 It works up very easily and looks good on the front 

 and back I am using a variegated skein from the stash to join instead of choosing one color to be dominant.

Just as I readied for a photo, 

Lena decided to bathe her hinder parts...

As soon as I was done, 

she lay down in a much more ladylike pose! 

I will be going back to Hobby Lobby in a few weeks 

and will be buying two more skeins of each of the mist (grey) 

and the ivory to make blanket in a good snuggly size.

 

THE SHADOW BLOCKS

The shadow blocks are now a top ready to load on my frame.  It is 40' x 60" so a good lap-sized blanket.  It did feel good to be in front of my sewing machine again but I did have a few hiccups!

The blocks were all supposed to alternate a vertical and then a horizontal.  I checked and re-checked and still sewed two verticals next to each other!  The frustrating part--I had already ripped apart one block to fix another row and ended up

 with one too many verticals.  Oh, well. 

 At least I caught it before I had the whole thing quilted!!! 

And another tree has been added to my little forest!  I think there is enough yarn to make another one--a middle sized one!

 

AN AFTER DINNER WALK

It's that time of year--when the tangerines are just about ready to eat fresh off the tree!

After dinner, we took a nice walk to the 'way out back' to see if those cleredendrum berries are ripe (they are but more on that another day) but I was surprised to see the pond so low!  It hasn't been this low since 2018!  Bill dug this pond over a water source so it doesn't go dry but it can get low! The pond is about 100' long and 50' wide.  The tarp in the middle is a solar panel which shelters the minnows when we have those random winter freezes.

Another reason for our walk is because we are puppy-sitting again but let me make it clear, we don't do much sitting when he is here!  He is a very ACTIVE dog!  

I thought you would like to see my Maple trees--they don't lose their leaves until December.

But it was a very mild month and some of the trees still have quite a few leaves.

But they are also growing their new leaves--see those little red mousy ears at the tips of all of the branches!  That means it is almost January!
 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

The fire is totally unnecessary but sets the mood I needed!  

The red Sea Haven sweater is done (if not blocked) 

but I was determined to wear it today and now I can!

I really enjoyed charting out the texture for this one! 

And I did it--the 11" 'fir tree' is completed and a second, shorter one is on its way.  I will leisurely crochet it today.  

I hope this day finds you grateful for the the ones who share your space!

A NEW WOODEN CRAFT

For my birthday, son and family bought me this kit; 

 made of several layers of wood which you paint

 and then glue together last of all!

This is how you get the kit--I had started the sea horse already.

Here is what the layers look like before I glued them to each other.

I used these markers which sure did make it easy to get the color where you want it! 

A VIEW FOR DREAMING

I have finally finished the large (16 x 20") paint-by-number canvas!

I love to see the picture emerging from the canvas because for the first half of your painting, it is hard to see what you are making!  And then when I am done, I go back and tweak it the way I think it needs.

It makes me think of the view the Inspector has from his cabin on Death in Paradise!  I would love to have my own Caribbean cabin!

 

FLOWER GLORIES

Here is a cute kit we did with the grands on Friday night.  It was very fun, quick and would look great on a sunny window sill so the sun could light them up!

In my yard this morning...a wild lily

a super triple camellia

and a white camellia

and a very big and different camellia!

This begonia plant is at least 5' across!

Out back, the angel trumpet vine has fully recovered from last year's frost and it breath-takingly beautiful.

And the other day, I asked for Bill to pull up and transplant into a pot, these Christmas berry plants, (ardisia crenata).  They are considered invasive (who gets to decide what is pretty and what has no worth?!) but I like them!  They stay green and the birds eat  the berries all winter! Anyway, I don't have to take a hike out back to see them now!