Blending Perfectly

 I dug through the yarn bin and found the leftover Chroma 

and it blends perfectly with the yarn I just finished up! 

 Hooray!  

The two yarns are both the same weight, single ply 

and with a bit of a sheen and also jewel tones. 

 I'm glad because I want this to work out for a beautiful afghan.

A Little Tour

Last month when I learned that there was going to be a Tour de France, 

 I set aside my periwinkle wool/silk/linen fiber to spin during the Tour de Fleece. 

It is a pleasant fiber to spin and it is nice to sit in my room

 and quietly spin 

and think 

and give thanks for all that is good.

I was able to piece several more LeMoyne stars yesterday...

I'm finding the routine for pressing seams that doesn't lead to trouble. 

 It helps considerably not only for piecing accurately but also for laying flat! 

The Art de Jour is a stack of books for my first grand daughter

 who could get lost in a room of books for hours upon hours!

Mystical

When I was looking for the second skein of sock yarn, 

I came across this yarn that is similar to Chroma from KnitPicks; 

 it is a single ply lightweight yarn.  

I thought it would be fun to crochet these motifs without having to change yarns --no decisions! 

 I just use slip stitches to get me to the place I need to be for the next round!  

These just few off the needles. 

 I only have one more skein of this yarn 

but I do have several balls of ends from Chroma 

so I will blend them into one lap robe. 

 I don't care if it is only big enough for a cat blanket, 

I am enjoying making them! lol

I rarely post about cooking/baking because I don't enjoy it, truth be told.  

I would prefer to clean and let someone else do the cooking!  

Anyway, this is a Friday night ritual-fresh pizza by me.

  I actually enjoy it and there is enough left over for lunch the next day!  

Even better!

Art work of the day----Early morning fishing. 

 A  4 x 6" card that will be sent to my oldest grandson who loves to fish from his kayak!

 

It's Good!

This is Sissy.

She always looks grouchy 

and usually acts that way to the other cats.

She does love Bill and I but has no patience for the others!

I put the rest of the four patches together,

 I wondered about borders

 but this is already too large for a single width of fabric for the backing

 so I will reserve the rest of the sashing fabric for the binding. 

 Nice to see these antique (well, almost) patches from KeepsakeQuilting

 to my Aunt to my Mom and finally to me!  

Hot on the tail of that success, I had to find something new to piece!

  I dug through the shelves and organized several piles for future quilts! 

 This is a grouping of Autumn fabrics which I thought would make a good LeMoyne Star block.  

I wanted to make the centers all of one fabric but ran into some accuracy problems

 and after an hour, I admitted defeat.

I hauled out the Accuquilt Cutter and in no time had a whole pile of scraps cut up

 and this block pieced=accurately, I might add!

I think I am most proud of this watercolor painting of any I have yet done!

 She is a loggerhead ,which is the most common sea turtle to lay eggs on the Florida coast.

Here is the source of my inspirational  picture.

 Size 5" x 7"

Still Summer

Isn't this beautiful?! 

 The Magnolia tree is covered with these pods. 

 The critters love to eat the seeds as soon as they ripen.  

I began the second crazy-big sock for Bill. 

 This is made of the soft goat/mohair yarn from Russia.

  I am still working on the sweater for me but it requires attention 

and the sock is good for getting in the zone!

Another fun little *pic....

I think I will have to fold a bunch of cards from the watercolor paper

 so I can send these and cheer up friends!  

*ideas are from  Emma Lefebve on YouTube.com

 

My Chapters

My day began with a bit of electrical excitement!  

The fan wasn't working in the pool area so Bill went to the panel box to see why

 and found the circuit had tripped. 

 I just happened to be sitting in my room when he flipped the switch 

and I let out a yelp as I heard a big pop, fizz and saw smoke outside my window! 

 This is what we found!  

Some critter had made a nest in there and obviously shorted the wire.

When Bill turned it back on-we had a full out melt down! 

 Bill is an electrician so he had a new GFI to replace this one,

 was able to wire it back in 

and seal the box up so there would be no more residents! 

We are very grateful this is the ending to the story and 

there was no need for the fire department to come!

 What a fun way to start the day! 

I was able to add a row to the four patches. 

 It is now halfway done. 

 I'm not rushing it,  I am enjoying doing a little sewing each day.

I also set up for a little drawing and painting!

Just a happy little mushroom gathering!

Ignore the wet spot on the mat-I splashed the water! 

 But this makes me smile!

  I will most likely just mail it off as a postcard!

 I'm adding a bit of color to the new round yoke cotton sweater!  

I am using a slip stitch method for the colorwork

 because I didn't want to carry the other strand of yarn across the work 

and make it thicker. 

 I don't need extra warmth on a cotton t-shirt for months yet!

Done and Begun

The ribbed hat is now finished!  

I had a few false starts when doing the decreases for the crown 

but it sorted itself out to my satisfaction.

See what I mean?! 

 I liked the swirl this kind of decrease produced!

And a bonus to this kind of hat is that it is reversible!

I cut out the sashing strips for the four patches. 

 I NEVER chain piece the blocks on a single strip

 since it is not as accurate as cutting each piece of sashing to match the block measurement.  

Likewise, I NEVER just sew strips to the rows and cut off the end! 

 Just do a bit of math and figure out how long the strip should be

 and then cut them that length.  

This way, I pin the ends and center of the strip and then ease the middles evenly. 

 This results in a very accurate, stable and non-rippling strip!

It is easy enough to fold down the next row, lining up the vertical sashes. 

 Pins hold it all secure for sewing it in place.

 See how nicely they all line up this way and there is no going crazy in the process!

Let the New Week Begin!

I'm almost done with this ribbed hat;  it's been surprisingly rhythmic to knit in the 1 x 1 rib!

 I did a little sketch of the camper and man grilling.  Looks like a good getaway!

Bonus Bloom

 The four-patches are finished;  now to figure out how to set them. 

 I have some solid bluish grey to be the sashing, I think.  

Yes, I also completed the last of the yarn for the second mitten.  

Sized for a 7-8 year old child.

I also began another adult hat for the last of that yarn.

I'm also feeling ready for another pair of socks....

                            

When I closed up the calendar to put it away, 

I noticed the cover had a flower I hadn't drawn!

So this is the last of the blooms, really this time!

A New Verse!

I found this yarn worked up faster than the LionBrand

even though they are both rated as #4 yarns!

I will finish the second mitten today and have a child's set to add to the box!

Daily line and wash flower--a Tulip.  

This concludes the calendar flower series.

I am trying a new kind of line and wash and hope to offer it to you tomorrow!

I had encouraging news from my Primary Card Physician yesterday;

he had done his homework prior to seeing me

and while he commended the Urgent Care staff, 

he found one more line of action between me and the hospital!

He found a medicine I can take on a daily basis that

I am not allergic to and that is very specific to deter UTI's!

In this present age of sanitizers,

he said to think of the new meds as Lysol for my bladder!

What a word picture! lol

I am so ready to feel well.

 

Second Verse, Same as the First!

Lena and I share a moment.

I have started a new hat-this yarn is very soft and in fact, feels much like a quality cotton.

This will be a child's hat and there is enough yarn for a pair of mittens to match.

 A Tibetan Poppy has bloomed on my journal.

Two Steps Back

I was almost reduced to tears when I had yet another mismatched mate on the second mitten!

To my credit, I knit this one 'from memory' as I sat for most of the day at the lab 

 and then to the doctor's yet again. 

 I ripped it out and set my mind to making the second mitt and the third time was the charm!

I will be glad to see the last of this yarn for a while! lol

I have written notes down this time 

and will not rely on my memory-even one day later-to make the next pair!

I'm also hoping my third trip to the doctor's will be the last for a long time!

Time Slips Through My Fingers

I pieced several four patches today-it was fun to just grab pairs the pile and work them together.

The pile is going down! 

 I will keep working until they are all gone-then I will figure out how I will place them into a top!

Ahhh, the mittens.

  I failed at the cast on with too many stitches and didn't listen to my little knitting voice.  

When I tried it on to begin the decrease at the tip,

 I knew it was way too big-much bigger than the first mitten of the pair. 

 I had cast on 10 stitches more than  I needed. 

 I ripped it all out and will reknit it today!

 I did draw and paint the Locust flower.  

My page isn't as wide as the calendar which forces me to make adjustments

 in the arrangement but I did it!  

Do you enjoy challenging yourself?

Beauty All Around Me

My yard is full of Swallowtails....this is the time to spot all kinds of butterflies;  I love it!

This particular one is the Giant Swallowtail. 

 A beauty.  He spent a lot of time on this pagoda plant.

I've done a bit of knitting;  each afternoon when we get a T-storm, 

it is good to sit and knit while enjoying the storm outside!

I have a booklet of these Zen-ish drawings to color, pencil or marker with color

 and then the reverse side is a postcard.  

I like to send them to different ones in my church family. 

 I tried watercolor on this one instead of the usual colored pencils and enjoyed it a lot! 

 The paper held the water use just fine and didn't warp at all!  Nice to know.  

 And here is the daily line and wash for the flowers, this one is a rhododendron.

I am finding a lot more confidence not only in the drawing

 but in the color mixing and the layering.

Not that I doubt the advice of every artist site I've watched, 

not that they would know this themselves 

but practicing everyday will really work wonders for your art....