Finishing Friday

 First thing this morning we received this gift;  the Sandhill Cranes brought their two chicks up for breakfast of corn!

They were just a little skittish but so adorable to watch!

 Since morning is my best part of the day now, I set to work to finish some projects.  I hurt when I sit so I devised this cushion for myself-it is very dense foam with a back also because my spine hates sitting.  I covered it with denim from the stash!

And I included a handle so it can travel with me-EVERYWHERE!  I can't ride in the car without it!

 Flashback fashion here-I made a peasant top with some vintage fabric.   It is very comfortable to wear!

 I whipped off this romper for Will and then...

 one for Ella!   (Can you see the motif on each of these?)

And then I ended the day with a swim.....then a float!  Ahhh, it was just right!
(The water is 88.5F for those who wonder!)

Turban Pattern

I should have linked this to the pattern information yesterday but I didn't!  sorry about that!

It is a free pattern!  Enjoy a good knit!  (Thank you for your inquiries on this pattern!)

Solo

We took Mom and Dad to the airport to head back to NY on Wednesday.  Mixed feelings as always because they are happy to go back home and see their other family members but we do hate saying goodbye!

 Mom finished her turban from the 'scarf' we knit!  Isn't it a clever idea?!

 It fits the head very nicely and is very soft in Lion Brand Wool Ease.

 Mom cast on another one right away because it is a good knit.   She was going to work on hers on the airplane and it is good she took it along because she had another unexpected delay for 3 hours on the way!

I knit this on the way to the airport and then had to quit because I had it long enough and forgot my darning needle to do the special Italian cast off!

 Today, I dyed some white fabric in the Indigo pot.  This pot just will not exhaust!  I have sure gotten my mileage out of this batch!

 The fabric turned out just the way I hoped-all scrunchy-it is marked for a quilt!

 I also made a skirt from some of my vintage fabric.  It is always nice to be able to pick out fabric from the stash.

Tumbling!

 Mom and I worked on our last project.  (She is heading home on Wednesday...boo hoo!)

 We used the Accuquilt to cut out these 6" tumbler blocks and then sewed them together.  You can see that I had to unsew my first two rows as I flipped them over and sewed them wrong-look at the first pic and you can see the two reds are not supposed to be touching!  It happens!

Onward to a quilt top.  We will be sewing this solo as she is saving hers to sew when she gets home but we will share pics and be connected still...

I took my first fall down our hall on my way to my room-I was wearing socks and going too fast on the hardwood flooring, I guess.  I broke my fall with my hands and my right hip-sore but nothing broken-more disgusted with myself than anything!  Bill says he has changed the speed limit in the house so I have to slow down and think about every motion now.  That is doable!
 (My Mom calls me Lillian after my Dad's Mom who trotted everywhere......)

Sharing Indigo Tie-Dye!

 Friday brought some hard news and some great visitors!   I learned at the doctors today what I have been pretty sure was happening to me-all of the odd symptoms of the last few months just fell into place when I realized what I am dealing with is Multiple Sclerosis.  I was prescribed some new medicine to help with the numbness and tingling and PAIN symptoms.  Family sure helped to ease the transition from 'denial' to 'lets work on this to manage it' mode!  More posts on this as I get more tests and God unfolds His plan for me in all of this.

 Today, we had a girls' project:  tie dyeing some t-shirts with the left over Indigo!  We put down lots of floor protection since it was thunder storming outside and got to work!  (play?)

 We did some dipping experiments and some tying off designs.

 Also some intricate folding and swirling;  some shirts were dipped quickly and some for longer to get different shades of the blue.

 We hung up the shirts to drip dry for awhile and then put them in the dryer to set the color.  Then we went for a walk because the sun came out!

 The kids loved the run while we tried to keep up with them!  We wound down the hike with a sandbox time while all the adults sat around and watched!

 Great Grandpa and Grandma loved the time with the babies!

Here's the results of the t-shirts!  We have plans for many more!!!

News Flash-the Sandhill cranes are off the nest with their TWO  chicks!  They are just beginning to venture out with them so I will be doing my best to get a picture of the happy family!

Orchids and Mittens!

 These are blooms on an orchid tree!   They are in bloom in so many yards-just amazing!  (This tree is at a friend's house-not mine but we are going to take one of her little seedlings and try to grow our own!)

 My King Orchid is still in full bloom.

My little Phalaenopsis has just opened up a flower-ahhhh, they are stunning!

Two pairs of Evergreen Lake Mittens off the needles and drying after blocking!

Indigo Dyeing!

 I have had all the supplies for an Indigo dyeing day for a long time but we finally mixed up a pot and set to work!  (I used the kit from KnitPicks-very easy if you want to try it, too!)

 We set all our fiber and yarn to soak-and labeled them so we would know what we had when we were done!

 Into the pot, it turns a lovely yellowish green-

 but within seconds of removing it-the indigo reacts with the oxygen in the air and turns the beautiful blue color of our blue jeans!

 We enjoyed out dyeing day!  Being a mad scientist brought out all the inner kid!

We dyed sock yarn, shawl yarn, worsted weight yarn then Cormo and Dor Galen roving!

 While we were working at the dyepot, the men had their own project going on!

 They emptied the portable garage of its contents and stacked what they were keeping in the new shed.

 Then Bill lifted up the whole unit and we helped him guide it to its new home!

 Sissy thought we were very noisy and disturbed her nap!

 We transported the garage several hundred feet to its new landing only to discover...

 we set it up wrong side out!   After a good laugh, Bill backed it up, turned it around and we backed it in again!

Ta-da!  This portable garage was bought when we first moved here 7 years ago and it held all the overflow items we didn't have room for or want at the time.......it has held up well for all this time!
It is now going to house the tractor and zero turn mower way over by the new shed!  Since Mom and Dad will be heading home in a few days, this was our last big projects day and we made the most of it!

This Week

 The driveway is just alive with color-the azaleas are still brightening the yard!

 This Kalanchoe Flapjack has recovered from last year's frosts and has grown to a mature size of 8".

 Mom and I harvested the loofah-you have to peel all the skin off and then save the seeds!

 We got a bushel basket full!  (The plastic baggie holds the seeds!)

 The Fringe tree is putting out her flowers-it is officially Spring!

 The Dogwood only had a few blossoms this year-way at the top!

 I knit a pair of wrist warmers out of some alpaca-several more pairs to come as they really keep my hands comfortable!

 Bill and Dad finished the shed!   They painted the floor yesterday.   They have to wait for it to try before they can move in the 'stuff'.  Bill will be painting the outside sheet metal to match the house later on but it will be finished soon!

 The roses are liking the sunshine and warmer temperatures, too.   Here is this season's first bloom.

Blooming on the needles is a Craftsy project-a pair of EvergreenLakeMittens.  I know I won't be needing these mittens here but I thought I would mail them to my sister for Easter....