PROGRESS

I have all of the blocks sewn together and have rough cut the borders which I will be finishing up today!

I also had to make some changes to my front door area--the clothes pins I had glued to the wall to hold up my quilts didn't have enough grip and each time there was a gust down the front porch, my quilt went with it!  Bill helped me attach the base board to the house with mega screws (the house is cement block with stucco so no easy wood screws!) and then I pinched the quilt between the back and front boards!  Looks nice and it very secure now!  I also had to make a bigger base for the welcome sign because it kept being blown over, also!  Sometimes you have to make improvements and I'm glad I could do that for these 

because I enjoy the display and am already

 working on a different set-up for next month!

 

HOME AGAIN!

A night flight back home--to a wonderful hug from Bill 

and a forehead rub from Lena; it's great to be loved!

 

SLOW AND UNSTEADY!

Tuesday, I had to go in for a CT scan and an ultrasound to see why there is such a problem with my bladder.   I had to fast for these tests, so by the time I got in finally,  I was a bit shaky.  I did alright during the CT but the contrast made me even more unsteady.  Not to mention the problem getting the IV to work.

I was done in by the time I got home and I went right to bed.  

I was still 'off' yesterday, but did make the binding for the small rail fence quilt.  Bill was in the studio with me as a repair man-- our washer quit and he spent Monday trying to repair it, ordered a new part and decided that it was a no-go after all.  He had a 'spare'  old washer in a shed (we have seven) 

and so he was installing it while I sewed.  He even did a very good job of picking up when he was done!  After all that, we did decide that it was time to go ahead and order a new stackable washer/dryer to install in our large kitchen pantry, so that will be a big project for next week;  getting all of the prep work done I mean!  Think plumbing, drains, and ripping out shelves  

It will eventually be a win-win.

 

BUSY DAYS

Bill and I installed a new perch for Lena in my room--she can watch the birds, butterflies and squirrels!

I finally hung the first set of paint-by-numbers I did!

And added the finishing touches to my watercolor.

After the dentist yesterday, I stopped at my local quilt store and picked up my new Fat Quarter Club fabrics!  I hope to make a few of these today!

 

SWEET SATURDAY

The socks are finished;  I certainly enjoyed knitting them.  We all know the pleasure of a striped sock! 

(Ice Yarns, 64 sts, 2.5mm needles, toe-up.)

After I gave blood a few days ago, we bought a new rug for the tv room.  A friend helped Bill move furniture and remove the old one and lay out the new.  I supervised but wasn't much use for anything else!  The new rug is soft and a real pretty perk for my home!

 

RETURN TRIP

The day spent traveling home was again uneventful;  

what a pleasant surprise!

Coming into Florida is a beautiful sight.

 

I managed a lot of knitting again!

The clouds greeted me with such beauty 

as the road took me home.

STUFF

Only another 3" to go on the sweater body before ribbing!  The sleeves only get ribbing since it is a summer sweater. 

 Getting there!

We are finally getting our afternoon, rains ending the 5 week drought which wouldn't have been so hard except the temps were at 100* most days, and that means rainbows!!!

The rain means the flowers are just bursting with relief!

This is the Tree Crinem which is 5' tall!  And fragrant! 

 And do you see something in front of the marble border?

We have a young Gopher Tortoise who has decided to burrow under this area which isn't a happy thing!  Their digging skills are robust and building under the garage slab isn't a place we'd like him to set up house!  A few months ago he was under a nearby tree so we are hoping he outgrows this choice of home soon, too!

And weighing in at 1 1/2" are the new lizards which are really anoles!  Sweet little things!  (Thanks for  posting on my son's arm!)

 

CONSOLATION

Lots of construction and if you never guessed where you were---the red soil would surely give you a clue!

The Bradford Pear trees are all in bloom-oh, so pretty!

I made four dishcloths on the way home-did I mention it is an 8 hour trip?!?!?!  And I worked on my crochet shawl but I kept on running into thread breaks in 1 or 2 of the 4 plies and then would have to cut 8-10" out so that the ends would like up....too frustrating while in the car! 

Here is the consolation of having to leave, goodbyes and all of that.....

I started to unpack but my kitties and I decided a snuggle fest was better for all of us!  

I will unpack first thing and touch all of my house and settle myself into my life again--I kinda lost my grip on it for the last month or so!

JUST DO IT!

I was losing the race on floor space in our closet; 

 I needed a place for all of the projects in the works. 

I knew that I would have to haul a lot of stuff out of the closet

 to accomplish this!  

But look how much better this is! 

 Because I wanted the clothes basket under the shelf, I had to rearrange the unit a bit.  That meant that I had to make some more spacers to put the bottom shelf on top!

It's a good thing I know how to make them on the lathe!  I spray- painted them white and they look like the originals! 

 It's nice to have things organized after you get over dreading the job!

THE END OF THE MULCH MARATHON!

The last 15' of the front garden was weeded and mulch added.  

I couldn't celebrate too long because there is also the back of the house!

This isn't as long nor as wide and the weeding was done yesterday!  I had it done in no time! Ha!  It was in the 90's and I felt like a hot dog on the grill when I finished! It is looking a bit bare-the frost killed almost all of the plants but don't worry, I have a carload of flowers to plant today, also!

In the back of the garage, the Tree Crinum is blooming again!  It is a tall plant-taller than I am and the bloom is about 14" across!  It has a beautiful tropical perfume!

Speaking of perfume, the Plumeria is in bloom and look at all of those buds!!! I do love and apprciate flowers that are beautiful to both the eye and the nose!

Some stitching was accomplished at quilting group the other day--two quilts bound!  I still have the borders to sew to the bottom quilt--I will remedy that today!

 

HOME, SWEET HOME

I am home, received much love from Bill and the cats. 

 I will find my legs around here again and empty my suitcase.

 Oh, and open my rock tumbling barrels today! 

 I will enjoy going outside without hat, coats, scarves, mitts, socks and shoes--look out short sleeves and flip-flops, here I come!

 

HAPPY BRRR FEBRUARY!

I watched a clever YouTube tutorial on how to make thses hearts (3") on the 22 needle Addi knitting mavhine and thought I could put some of the appropriate colors to use!  The are a quick knit.

I sprayed them  with water and then pinned them to the design wall and steamed them and gave them a good smash to flatten because they are made from acrylic and blocking isn't their favorite position!

They dried overnight and then I looped the yarn over a chain I made that was wider then the doorway of my home to hang them temporaily.  When I get home from this Nordic trip, I will hang them a la Tammy in a local park!  I can't wait!

For now, they will fill the doorway with the love I have for my home and all it encompasses....

And safely arrived for the birthday visit--no drama while traveling and that is saying a lot!  

 

AND SHE IS HOME AGAIN

 Plenty of time to knit all day as I traveled 

but Bill was waiting for me at the airport

 and I was soon enough home again.  

Today, I catch my breath!

SOCKS ON SUNDAY

One pair of socks now completed!  These are knit with KnitPicks Vancouver Hawthorne Multi sock yarn

 on 2.5mm needles over 64 stitches.  

Here is the hall that I painted on Friday--it has a 9' ceiling 

hence the workout on the step stool! lol

And here is something I haven't done in a long time! 

 Machine knitting on my LK-150.

I'm following a pattern on YouTube. 

 Hope to finish it on Monday to show you what this is!

WRAPPING UP LOOSE ENDS

The Country Woods quilt has been sewn back together--I am pleased with both the size and the arrangement this time!  Now it is   41"  x  50" and a bit more interesting!

This is what it looked liked before I upgraded it!  Small and plain!

 I bought the rest of the paint I needed to finish the hall from the dining room to my studio, so I also painted yesterday!  It was too gloomy to take a picture by the time I finished (it rained all day!) so I will get one today for tomorrow's post.

 But I also did a bit of this during rest times!  I need to make one more of this block for this month's installment and 3 more of a new block!  I do find I have to look at what I am doing more with crochet than with knitting which forces me to listen more than watch yet sometimes, you have to look up to see what is going on! A bit challenging but fun to conquer a more complicated stitch!

BANGING AROUND!

I cut a bunch of pieces of wood 

to put in shelves in that storage closet.

A level, a drill, a bit of paint and I have two more shelves 

which are just what I needed

 to get things off the floor and out of the way!

Now the closet is clean and neat while it still holds 'things'.

Like old quilts, a rollaway bed, and stuffies, for example!

While I was banging boards in the closet, 

Bill was doing some electrical work-he had to cut through my sewing room wall where a panel box lives-through to the garage where a new panel box is going in! 

 And then the conduit leads up across the garage trusses and down the other side....

....where a new panel box is going in for the plug for my new lathe-I just might get to introduce myself to it this Friday!

We took a golf cart ride out to the pond-

isn't it pretty reflecting the setting sun colors?

Look what is lurking in the pond-yup,

 Bill is happy about its visit-me , not so much!