WE SPEAK YARN!

We've been making hats-Mom needed a refresher course to make them on her own.  

I've been making my usual dishcloths and was able to share several pairs with my Mom, sister and two nieces!

We are also making all of the parts for this lovely to hand out to the newest baby due any time!

 

IN SUMMARY

My niece makes these wooden cow faces for wall art--they are 12" tall and full of character!  I'm bringing one home with me-they will soon be for sale in her Etsy shop.

We played at 'Dots' and made two hats in between family visits!!  

We also made this Valentine heart 'basket'.  You know how you have plans to make a bunch and then you find that even making one was a stretch?  Yeah, that's how this idea turned out! 

 We made one and were done! lol

Sadly we are packing up today and flying home.

I have my DH and kitties to welcome me home at day's end. 

 So grateful for a wonderful whirlwind of a visit!

 

A QUICK YARN STOP

It was a very chilly morning when I woke up yesterday, but seeing the sun was shining and the snow was not falling, we took a drive to the nearby store for yarn!  Did we need more, no, but I wanted to work with my Mom to make some hats on the Sentro Knitting machine and the right yarn makes for a good experience!

We each filled a bag with I Love This Yarn colors of worsted yarn to turn into hats when we got home!

The first hats went off without a hitch.  It is nice because we sat at the table and cranked and talked away the morning; 

 a very happy time.

The first of two new hats we will make this week!  

This morning we will make mittens to match the hats! 

 It's good to build skills!

 

HATS OFF TO YOU!

The pile of men hats grows!  I knock one or two out a day.

Marsel has made the blue one for herself and then the two reds.  We are having fun when she is upright for a bit each day.  

The weather has warmed up again and so all of the blankets are put away and the rearranging of the plants has happened.  I for one and very happy to welcome the 70's by day and the high 50's for night!
 

HATS AND WEATHER!

We are having below freezing temps again this weekend!  Bill finished a new way to close in the plants to protect them --I will have to get a pic tomorrow because by the time he had finished it was too dark for photos~  But this is Sissy--she has learned how to keep warm-find a bit of sunshine and just stretch out!

I made two more hats.  I did another few passes at the quilt frame, sewed another hippo quillt row and then tried to work at the lathe but broke the worm screw which held the bowl in place so have to come up with a Plan B.  I didn't have the brain power to figure it out so will save the ingenious solution for another day as soon as I think of one!

 

THE MAGIC OF MITTENS

Almost another hat set!  I think this yarn just glows!

  This set I wlll be keeping for myself ! 

(I might be going north next month!  Shhhh!)

On the 48 needle Sentro, I knit 16-18 rows of the cuff after a few rows of waste yarn.  Then I changed color to the hand color, 37 rows.  I cast off this end after the 37 rows!

 The top of the hand is gathered like for the top of a hat, using the long tail for seaming in a minute.The bottom of the cuff is cast off with the crochet method-you pull one stitch through the next so that you have 24 stitches all slip stitched and pull the tail end through for the bind off.  The project is now folded in half and ready for seaming.

The mitten is seamed using the mattress stitch from the top down for 20 stitches and then working form the cuff up, the stitches are seamed the same way leaving 11 stitches open for the thumb to be attached.  

The thumbs will be stitched and sewn tomorrow!  

 That's how it's done--easy way to get a double-thickness pair

 of mittens in no time on the Sentro machines!

JANUARY MADNESS

I'm serious when I say that I like to clean out and organize in January.  When I walked through my studio in the morning, 

I thought, I hate the way that table blocks my fabric

 and looks crowded.

The table holds my flat knitting machines.  Since I broke my wrist (last Jan.) I haven't touched the kntiting machines.  I have decided to sell the double bed machine and just packed up the LK150 which I will keep but will put it away for a while.  I'm enjoying the Sentro knitting machine and will stick with that for now.

Two garbage bags later,  I was down to the essentials

 and got them boxed up and out of the way.

Ta-Da!  Doesn't it look open and inviting?!  I am thrilled with the results but sure was tired when I finished!  The table is folded and waiting for me to clean out another room to use it there!  

I even reorganized the painting supplies-acrylic

 and paint pouring supplies.  

I removed one organizer and like the access

 I now have to everything!

When I had to put my legs in rest-mode, I finished the thumbs and attached them by grafting.  Isn't this a fun set?! 

 (I Love This Yarn in Bloomtique and Sea Blue)

This looks like a pretty sunset but actuallly, it is the moon rising while the sun was reflecting its colors for the moon to rise through the pinks!  It only lasted for 20 minutes so I was glad I was outside watering plants so I was able to see it!

 

FROM A SINGLE TO A SET

The tutorial on Koala Knits and Knacks was very straightforward to follow and soon I had the mittens built to fit!  I am very pleased with the results because the mittens are double-layered just like the hat so they are very cushiony to wear.

 The only change I made to her instructions was to make the thumb hole 1" above the cuff line to more accurately reflect the way our wrists/hands are shaped!

I was wondering if I should put labels on them, 

the way I add them to the hats?!

 

OFF TO A GOOD START!

 Let's start off the year with a hat!  I'm making a new pile for donations, since I doubt all of  our cold nights have been used up!  I hope to make a pair of mittens to match this one!  I haven't tried mittens yet on the Sentro machine but I've watched YouTube so I'm practically an expert, right?!  

This yarn is the I Love This Yarn line from Hobby Lobby in

Marled Mocha and Brown.

I hope to try something new-to-me each month in 2023!!

(psst-I've finally started to feel better!)

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Look, I managed to work on another project  and will continue to work on it today!  I have all 12 of the Tunisian Calendar Blocks crocheted together and will begin the border work next.

Lena helped me graft the ends of the cowl together 

and almost agreed to model it for me....

This is what our home has looked like for a week--Bill removed all of the blankets and frost cloths from the garden areas but I am sad to say that 5 nights below freezing did a number on everything.  I'm hoping the blankets will at least allow the plants to make a comeback!  The weather is improving and it will be 79*F tomorrow so hoping that will give the green a chance!

Many of the Camellias were burned brown 

but a few still flourish!

(I managed to walk out for these pics yesterday after breakfast and that was my highlight of activity for the day!) 

 

QUILT, KNIT, MAKE HATS

This little quilt now has binding and as I write this,

 it is in the dryer!

I started this when I had a broken wrist 

and couldn't do much in the area of cutting, etc. 

 Nice to have it completed before the year is over!

I have the tenth block on the needles.

   It is a very good blend of texture and cables!

It is block #49 and it is a quicker knit than some of the others!

Another hat is in the pile! 

 I am really clearing out the bins of yarn

 and that is a good feeling.

Today we are heading to youngest son's for a early Christmas visit!  We look forward to sharing time with them!  I have knitting to enjoy on the ride up and easy knitting while there which I probably won't touch unless we watch a movie! lol  

 Today is my birthday (67th) 

and I will get to share that with them, too! 

Now that is a bonus!

 

ACHIEVING CALM

This rescue orchid I bought last Januare is flourishing and even blooming again already!  The first time it had only 4 blooms and this time 6 will be the results BUT it has a second  and third stem with buds, maybe 7 more on them!   Dee, should I cut off the other stems or wait and see what happens?

These flowers are quite large --about 3" across!

 They are a deep salmon color!

As soon as I completed the quilting on this little lap quilt, Lena claimed it.  (Once the quilt is finished , meaning washed and dried, I do not let her lay on the quilts!) 

 I have the binding cut and will sew it on today.

I did a free motion series of water-ish lines over this one.

Throughout the day, I wataercolored these free to download tags.  (tidbits-cami.com)

There are two more hats in the donation pile! 

 (tagged and pom-pommed even!)

FACETS OF A DAY

Did you have one of these in your traditions?  It is a birch log adorned with hand rolled beeswax candles with sprigs of pine branch tips in the drilled holes in the log.  

The agave flower stalk has grown another foot now

 but mostly, it has been growing flower buds..

See what I mean? 

 I can't wait to see what it will look like!  

I reworked the Tunisian block with no probles this time.

  I am ready to lay them out and crochet all twelve blocks

 into a lap blanket!  

Another hat is off the machine-it needs a label but I lost my oomph to sew it on last night!  I will make another hat and put labels on both of them today!

The cats all take turns laying under the tree-they pace around the one who's turn it is--there hasn't been any ornaments knocked down but the tree skirt does get skidded about!

 

GOOD STUFF

Off the frame and ready for binding!  Finally!

The border pieces have been cut and arranged-now to sew them in place.  I have to so some work by figuring out the best way to get the seam allowance turned under to ready for applique--I have a plan!

I ripped out some hats I made on the flatbed knitting machine

 and were in the 'dud' pile. 

 They are much improved now as a double-layered brimmed hat!  

I have play practice (church program) first thing this morning

 and then I will tackle the binding and a few more hats!