Tourist Time

We started the day pretty leisurely with a good knit and gab session at Mom and Dad's.  I didn't have quite enough of either of these left over skeins but they worked together so I have enough to make a pair of socks for David!  After lunch, we decided to go to the flea market in St. Augustine.

I found this ceramic fish figurine at one of the stalls.  (about 7" tall)

And this was a find for only a few dollars.......it is about 16" tall and is sitting on my mantel right now!

I think it is made of plaster but it looks like wood and I will probably tweak the color after I look at it a while first!

As we came into Palatka, we decided to eat at Corky Bells.  It was a perfect afternoon as you can see in this shot of the shoreline.  It would be a great jigsaw puzzle!

See the happy, FULL, contented family photo!  We went back to Dad and Mom's for some games, and Bob won both-he and Shelly have to travel back to NY tomorrow; we haven't heard word about the house purchase but do have high hopes for a good word on Monday!

House Hunting by Proxy

 Since we have been doing a lot of on the road stuff while looking for a house for my brother, simple knits have been our mainstay.  I finished this pair of fingerless mitts from the alpaca I spun.  The pattern is a a free one from Ravelry, Accidental Girlie Mitts with some changes in the thumb and palm.
                                                
 I have also made some more of the frilly scarves.........

I just can't seem to stop making them!

Quilt Time

We enjoyed some sewing time together today to make table runners.  This pattern wasn't a very well written project-when I get over the irritation of it, I would rewrite the directions and change several steps to make it easier to piece!  Sometimes things get more complicated than they need to be!

  But Mom and I persevered and have two table runner tops to add to the quilting frame queue!!  Mom's is the top one in the picture, hers was a kit, mine is from scraps in my stash.

Dad was busy painting the trim and outside walls.

Bill was up the chimney at our house revamping a firewall that the inspector said we needed!

Quotidian

I just learned this word and it fits where I am at right now.........

 Knitting and

time with my parents.........

A Rainbow!

It is rare to get to see a rainbow in my part of Florida-there is little rain and by the time you get your camera, the conditions have changed and you missed it!  Well, Bill called me outside this morning to see this one!  We were just getting sprinkles but the sun was at just the right spot on the horizon and it shone brilliantly.  Beautiful inspiration of color and love to last the whole day through!

Frill Seekers

 I have been enjoying having my parents nearby!  We visit almost every day.  Mom and I have done some sewing and knitting. I have finished this pair of silk fingerless mitts.

 And started this pair of mitts from alpaca.

We even enjoyed a Ladies Knitting Day and learned how to make the trendy new frill scarves!

 I finished mine in the evening and immediately started a second........

.....and then a third!  Very fast and fun knit!  It is wonderful to get together with friends!

Whirlwind Visit

 Last Friday I puttered in the sewing room waiting for the phone call to say my parents, brother and sister in law were almost here!  They drove from NY to FL.

 This is a Christmas gift from my kids-I had fun cutting out all the fabric so I can sew it all together again-you have to love quiting to understand this!  It is going to be fun to arrange all the fabrics!

 I also worked on the quilt on the frame for Millie.

 Finally!  The snowbirds arrive!  The temperatures were in the 80's and just what they needed to thaw out.

 On Saturday and again on Monday,  we hit the Realtor trail-this is the guy inspection-

This is Shelly rescuing a downed cactus.......

 ....the ladies check out the view,

 I check out the texture on the very tall sand pine tree~

 We took a drive to find out how far they were from the ocean-10  minutes is manageable!

 We got there just as the sun was setting behind us.

 The light was very pretty on the water........

We stayed just long enough to see it slip low behind the clouds.

I am knitting up a fair isle vest (Corrie Vest) which is a kit from KnitPicks.  It is fascinating to knit and see all the color magic going on under my needles!

Saying goodbye to Bob and Shelly last night was not the best part of this visit.......having Dad and Mom here now for the winter sure softens the blow!

Grout Grind!

 It was messy, and frustrating until I found my method but I love the results!  I have a completed and functioning fireplace!  Just in time for our three day freeze unfortunately!

 See the improvement on the neckwarmer!!!  All blocked and merrily on its way to Marsel!

 I plied some more cotton-I amstill enjoying the process of spinning the cotton on the takli.

 I finally finished the last of the men's suit samples quilt!

 The quilting echoes the cool colors-Bill gave it a try last night-because it is fleece lined, it is very snuggly!

 Bling is finally relaxing in the house-he goes in spurts of being a house cat for a few months and then transitions to an outside cat-he does not like winter , so we see him when the temps dip!  I think he might be smarter than I thought.......

 A new quilt from Millie is on the frame......

I have random flower pots all over the house to help them avoid the freezing temperatures-isn't this Italian spinach plant striking!

Mantel Masterpiece!

 I started in this morning setting the tile on the wall between the fire box and the mantel.  It was a little trickier to lay tile on the wall but I got the hang of it after an hour or so!  (No pun intended.)

 See the pretty design in the top tiles?  Tomorrow I will have to apply the grout between the tiles.  I am sure it will be a mess in the making..........  Bill started a fire tonight because we are under a frost warning!  We had to cover and move a ton of flowers to protect them.

 All my work tired Nyki out!  The fire sure is a feline magnet!

I did manage to get the neck warmer finished today..........it is now being blocked (overnight) and you will see a great improvement in the design and stitches when it is dry!  (Even though this is acrylic yarn, I learned from my blog friend, Lynne, that acrylic blocks very nicely also-thanks for the information!)

And because words hold a special place in my heart.......here is a little lesson on the spelling of the word
mantel        or       mantle        when referring to my fireplace!  But the word mantle also refers to the outer crust of the earth, part of a bird's anatomy, or layer of a mollusk to name a few.......see why words can be wonderful!    ( Further reading   mantel           or         mantle.   )