What an Eclectic Monday!

We started out the morning by sorting through the mail and drooling over the package of new yarn which arrived from KnitPicks!

Next, we went out and picked a ton of snow pod peas for supper! So glad they survived and thrived after all the frosts! Had them for supper and they were superb! (Pan fried!)

I bought some stained glass window supplies last week -I told you I was going to! Bill was the hero of the moment today because he told me he had a stash of glass he had salvaged from the shed we tore down on this property several years ago. The previous owners had dabbled in the craft and left a ton of supplies of glass behind. I thought he had saved a single box of glass but for once the packrat husband of mne outdid himself........this is the haul Mom and I stacked on the shelves in the garage! I am amazed and very pleased-I am stocked for life!

See Billy smile-I am not usually so thrilled with his hoarding...............!

Mom and I tried to sort it but there was too much-we just carried each HEAVY little box to the garage knowing that I have a supply of every color available to me!

After lunch Mom helped me warp the loom for my next project. It was a lot easier and more fun with a friend! Thanks , Mom! While we were flitting from one medium to the next, the guys were hard at work knocking out a doorway through the cement block wall from the house to the north addition!

They had to drill holes for the corners of the new doorway and then draw the saw lines on both sides and be sure they matched up-the fun part!

They did it-once the lines were scored on both sides, they knocked out the wall pretty quickly!

The doorway now has a piece of plywood covering it and the washer/dryer are back in place-no escaping kitties allowed! What a great team they make.........too bad my parents are going home in a few days! :'(

This is the new pair of socks on my needles.........ready to turn the heel.

This is what is on Mom's needles.....she is on the last row of this lap robe.

That is all for the day!

A Good Trip and Back Again

We celebrated Abigail's birthday soon after arriving last Tuesday. Here is Abigail with her new doll .......with matching dresses and over her joggies!
David borrowed my camera.......
Marsel did well with her surgery...........I finished knitting her socks to say, "I love you."

Just 5 days away and so many yard changes! The banana plant is making a comeback!

A new amaryllis is in bloom..........isn't it perfect?!

The bromeliad is sending out another bloom, too......this one is called a bird of paradise. The azaleas are all finished and the fringe tree is loosing its flowers and is wonderful aroma....this is a pic I took when leaving the driveway last week. And here is todays view......

The best part of saying goodbye this time was that we will be seeing them in just 2 weeks when they come here for a special visit........more to come later about that!

A Sock for the Invalid

I have my daughter back from surgery; she is doing well. I have made her one of a pair of socks. It is from the handpun I did recently-I think it looks like the azaleas in my yard but she calls it rainbow sherbet! The pattern is from my new 101 Designers One Skein Wonders book. I made a few alterations-when don't I?! But it turned out fine eventually and I have cast on the second sock!

It is raining again today and the forecast is for more tomorrow. Bill is going stir crazy so took off to find a mall while I play with the kids and Marsel recoups. A good day all in all.

(I tried something new on the bottom of the sock heel; I added a strand of nylon to the sock yarn and we will see if this helps the heels last longer. I darn her socks for her but would rather not if I don't have to! I think I will also have to try some BFL fiber for the next pair and see if it last longer as a yarn choice!

*BFL=blue faced leicester is a long wool sheep which is supposed to be a good choice for socks

Temporarily Out of Blogland...

I do not like to read blogs without pictures so I feel like I can't write one without pics either!

I am in Georgia at my daughter and sil's for a few days so please be patient for me to return and if you pray, would you do so for Marsel as she is facing surgery on Thursday. Thanks!

Nyki travelled well-she spent most of the time curled up on my shoulder Polly Parrot style but she didn't get sick or meow the whole 8 hours so we are grateful! Bling was his usual blissfully catatonic traveller........we had a nice trip up-light traffic for a change!

It is wonderful to see the kids and to celebrate Abigail's birthday(5!).........she has made a major growth spurt emotionally and mentally as well as the physical changes. It is beyond great to see it in person.

I will beg pics from Marsel tomorrow and show you what I made for A's birthday.

PS to Saturday

Here is the sock Mom turned the heel on today! She is on a roll-do you recognize the yarn? It is the left over from the sweater she made last month!

This is Mom's finished table runner-it will grace her table at all the patriotic times of the year!

Here is a bonus-we are having fresh snow pod peas out of our garden! We thought that they were a goner after the numerous frosts we had this winter but they bounced back and we are so glad we gave them a chance to do so! I will eat a portion for you! (I am also roasting a cookie sheet of brussel sprouts fresh from the garden-veggies will rule the dinner tonight!)

I Weave...........

I weave, therefore I am. Did I mention I really love my new loom? It was satisfying every step of the way! I will re-warp it today for the next project!

What is on my needles today?

Also, I am teaching Mom how to knit the magic loop way for socks. We took a trip to visit my Aunt, a 3 hour trip south of here. Her son is here visiting for the winter, and her daughter and grand daughter live nearby so we had a nice family get together! Dad drove and so Mom and I got in a lot of knitting time! She wasn't too impressed with our last sock lesson years ago and wanted to revisit the sock phenomena and now she is loving it!

Today is lesson two and we turn a short row heel! I am so proud of her. I will picture you later with her progress!

On my quilting frame is my table runner; Mom finished hers and that is also on my picture list!

We finished our felted bowls.............what a nice souvenir for our time together this winter.

A recent purchase from an Etsy shop..........a stained glass drop spindle. It is so light it took a bit of getting used to but I found that park and draft works best with this little beauty and so it will be something I will use on car trips! (We head to Georgia next week so I will let you know how it works!) Stained glass work is one of the handcrafts that is still on my 'learn to do' list. I bought this as a reminder of what I could make when.............

Ta Da; Door!

The guys worked a bit later than usual but they got the sliding glass door in the diningroom!


Mom (the red/white/blue one) and I finished piecing our tablerunners and now I will quilt them on the frame......

In the afternoon, we knit up our dyed wool into a bowl for felting. I think we will do that tomorrow.

Doesn't it look like Nyki was posing for the wallhanging!?!
Not only is our yard a riot of color from the Azaleas but the amarylis is in bloom , too! Oh, I do love the showy colors!

New Projects

The guys tackled a new project today. They mainly prepped for the major demolition work to come.

In a few hours, they had the wallboard removed and the cement blocks scored so they can knock them out and install the sliding glass doors!
Mom and I did some rotary cutting after moving the table out of the way of the men at work. We sliced through some fabric for the borders of her group quilt for NY. Then we both cut out our fabric for tablerunners.

I pieced mine and she took hers home for homework.

I finished knitting the Bling cat/merino fiber into a little pouch. I got fancy with this one 'cuz with a name like Bling, you have to have some.............fancy.

Does this count for this week's texture knitting, Lynne?!!

A Day Off

We took a day off to go out to lunch and then to a Flea Market in Daytona Beach. We laughed and people-watched and had a great time. (This is the water covered fresco where we ate lunch in the Fall and said we would have to do it again..........we have now.)

Earlier in the week, Mom and I made these beaded and knitted necklaces. I made 2 red ones tho only one is in the pic-Mom hasn't made more than me...........! The knitting is fast but stringing the beads on gave us a bit of work! Pattern is from the 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book.
I have another quilt on the frame-this one really is the last one out of that pile of flannel I hauled out of storage-I just kept having a few scraps to put together again and again....!
I bought some fabric to make a Spring time tablerunner. I think we are cutting out the fabric today while the guys work. (They are just about finished with the wiring work and are going to start on something big and bloggable on Monday!)

Got my tax return surprise-a new Ashford Knitter's Loom. It even folds up and has its own carrying case! I am so excited to have the equipment to weave. I have dabbled with it in the past but have not had the right tools to do so easily. I can now put my abundance of handspun yarns to another use! Hoping to have a finished project to share soon!

A Team Sock

Just a little advice for anyone planning a move: do a little bit of reasearch and choose a city that has the same sports team colors............!

We moved from Syracuse Orangemen country (blue and orange) to Northern Florida where the Gainesville Gators (blue and orange) rule! It is easy to keep the team spirit when you like the colors!

Nyki helped me wind the 'hank' of yarn into a usable ball!

Fiber Connections

One of the neat things about fiber is the way it connects you to people you wouldn't normally know. I belong to a fiber group on Yahoo which has been a wonderful source of information and encouragement to me. A member asked for volunteers to spin up some fiber she is selling on her Etsy site. I jumped right in-since I already card, dye and spin and am an opinionated person-I thought I could help give her the feedback she wanted!

My packaged batt arrived from Norway on Friday. Isn't the color delicious? It is called Plum Blush.
I opened it up and had to decide how to use the fibers for spinning. Since I couldn't make up my mind, I pulled the batt in half and did it both ways!


I then spun up my little piles of rovings............each half batt on their own bobbin.
When plied, I had a lovely little skein of yarn.

I have sent in my evaluation and now I have the beads picked out and the pattern to make a beaded necklace-another project for Mom and I to tackle this week!