Nyki Fetches!

I have had cats all my life and never had one that plays fetch. I do mean the "throw it, chase it, retrieve it and bring it back , drop it at your feet and ready to do it again" kind of fetch! I mean, have you ever heard of such a thing?!

How long does she play? Until I quit-45 minutes is my longest endurance time and she was still going strong! It is what she plays last thing before bed and first thing in the morning.........

I bought another package of 'mousies' today and she greatly approved the purchase!

I finished knitting the hood to Abigail's vest.......will have it done and pictured on Monday.

Mom and I have been knitting these bookmarks-will also decorate with a tassel and beads...coming soon. (#5 pearl cotton and a pattern from 101 shop One Skein Wonders book)

We also finished 3 flannel baby quilts today! Only one left to piece, quilt and bind! It has been a great stashbuster project!

Nyki gets a bath from Bling..........

And they play with a rubber snake. They are great friends now-Bling even brings in chameleons to share with Nyki-no, I don't have a picture of that yet-I run to catch it and toss it outside because Bling practices a catch and release technique !

It was balmy, and so delicious out today-85* and it felt so good. Bring it on!

Another Nice Visit

We had a nice visit from a couple of snow birds........Bill's sister , Barbara, and her friend, Esther.

Barbara is Bill's oldest sister-we toured our home which she hadn't seen yet, and had a nice walk around the pond area, too. Took them to Corky Bells restaurant and then to visit my parents-they all live near each other in NY.

After they headed back to Vero Beach where they are staying, I sat and knitted and Bill went and knocked a tree down. We each unwind in our own way!

All the azaleas are blooming behind Mom and Dad's place-it is literally a riot of color.

I am spinning some new merino wool. It is similar to the flowers and a joy to spin! I don't know what this yarn will be yet........socks probably.

Getting up to Speed Again

I have been battling another UTI so to say I have been slower than usual would be an understatement! Thank you , Lord, for medicine and a good doctor. I am making good progress on Abigail's vest-on the hood now. I love how the pattern gives it a quilted look!

I finally made Abigail's 'ballet princess' skirt. We bought the fabric when Marsel was here and Abigail wanted to know the very next morning if I had it done yet! She was so cute picking out the fabric at the store................
I pulled another flannel baby quilt off the frame........I have a stack of them that need binding and will tackle that task today.

For anyone who might be color starved...........the azaleas are starting to color up our yard. As I was taking these pics I saw that I had inadvertantly caught a bumble bee, too!

Some Knitting

I finished my headband from the KnitPicks free pattern-I wore it but my hair is still too short for it to look good yet-it will work this summer! ( I will make another narrower one for me and see if that works for now!)

I dug my loom out of storage and will load it with some handspun yarns for use today-the cats immediately had to investigate the new smells-Bling knows not to get on the table (at least when I am looking) but Nyki was overcome with curiousity and had to be shooed! (After the picture!)

Marsel kindly gifted me an UFO kit she had bought to make for Abigail so I started it to fill the empty feeling I get when they have to go back home!

All company have departed for respective homes.

Monday will bring back the usual routine again; today, laundry and lumping.................

Fishing

Bill took Chuck, Dad and the kids fishing across the road to our neighbors lakeside property to fish. They all caught and released most of their bounty but these two ended up on the table!

A bullhead and a brim. My dad hadn't been fishing in 20 years and had a good time, too-

Family Excursion

We went to Blue Springs State Park for a family trip-two van loads of family! It started out a rainy day but after lunch was warm and sunny again so we headed out.

One advantage of a cold winter is the number of Manatees still in the Blue Springs (36) and we were able to see them easily.

We took the boardwalk tour and even enjoyed the kid's time on the playground. We finished our adventure with a stop at an Ice Cream store!

Florida's native jasmine-hardly any smell; just pretty.

We were packed too tightly into the van to do any travel knitting but we did have a pleasureable time of conversation!

An Orchid

Matthew brought me an orchid............my last one , which had been hanging outside, got zapped by the frosts. Thank you , Son.

Knit Headband

I finished Marsel's headband and she tried it on and left it on all day-for those of you who have tried a headband and removed it in only a bit of time because it squeezes your head too much- you will need to try this! Stays in place, looks lovely and it is a quick, fun knit! What more can you ask for-I am making one for myself.

While I knitted, Abigail waited patiently for her turn on the tractor..............she had been playing in the sand-she likes Grandma's big sandbox yard!
(IceCream + Sand=Dirty but Happy Grandchild)
She actually 'drove' it this time, too! It was a monumental moment!

I have been distracted............

This arrived on Thursday afternoon-Grandkids! And the pace has picked up around here!

We picked oranges at a friend's tree.
We sit and talk and laugh and tell stories and watch the kids and get sun-kissed.

(We taught my sister to knit!!!-this is a milestone!)
Mom played 'dress-up jewelry with Abigail.

And investigated a sanddollar with David.

The new baby goats next door get a visit and a snuggle!
Alicia and Amanda make quick friends with the new kids!

I finished my bamboo scarf-it is so soft and drapey! (and twice as long as my Mom's!)

I am using the last little bit of the bamboo skein to make a headband from KnitPicks. Lace and quick and beautiful ..........

My Gallery

First, I can now add to my repertoire, plying on a spindle! I searched YouTube for a lesson that would fit my style and found this..........

winding the single plies off the spindle onto the ball winder and then spinning both ends of the single ply back on the spindle for a balanced 2-ply yarn. It was very satisfying every step of the way! I am liking the spindle more than I thought I would!

I then unwound it from the spindle onto my niddy noddy as usual and now I have a beautiful skein of wool (54 yards!) It will be knit up into another momento pouch........ .......now that I am done with Bruce's socks! They are in the mail son-in-law! Be sure and unpack the hug, too!

I have another pile awaiting their turn on the quilting frame.....

and one ready on the design wall.

I am making progress on my bamboo scarf (it is only 16" long) but it is on the top of the knitting list now!

I am ready for my turn for a visiting daughter and grandchildren-AND my sister and family get here on Friday so I am putting that waiting-energy to good use!

Mom's Gallery

Here is a gallery of Mom's handiwork:

A cardigan for herself with self-striping yarn her friend, Sharon, gifted to her.

A shell out of her new yarn nemesis -a boucle' but the sweater is beautiful even if the knitting wasn't! The bamboo yarn is now a scarf-she didn't want to race making it but wanted it noted she got hers done first...............exactly.