Hampshire Sheep Breed

 This little sample skein 

came off the wheel recently.

It is part of my Down Breed study, Hampshire wool.

 I purchased this as roving from Dyed in the Wool.

 It was a nice wool for long draw so the yarn is woolen spun.

It is springy and sweet.

I like the sample in natural.

I will be spinning the other 3.5 oz in color.

On to the dye pot next!

A bit of Piecing!

 I went off the the quilting group on Monday and managed to

piece a new Accuquilt die, Hunter Star.

I've had the die a long time,

  just haven't been able to find the time to sew them!

The blocks are pretty alone but looks what happens when you sew them together!

This will be another lap quilt!

 I played with a charm pack on the design wall

during nap time.

What do you think!

Nice blend of pretty and modern prints by

Moda called Meow or Never!

Bit by Bit!

 The head is complete for the first kitten!

The body is knit but waiting for its appendages before I do the stuffing.

And for good, country fun Grandpa got his tractor stuck so we were watching him try to shovel his way out.

It didn't work;  he had to call our neighbor for help!

(It is still so dry here so technically the tractor isn't stuck,   instead Bill has the tractor wedged in the ditch he dredged a long time ago while trying today to extend the opening into what used to be a large pond!)

Snatches of Time

 Snatches of time has resulted in borders on the wildly colored star quilt.

I have nothing to back it with so this will have to be shelved until

I get to JoAnns to purchase the fabric. 

It was a nice experiment in color!

 One preemie hat finished, several more to go.

It's a quick knit, uses up small amounts of yarn that would otherwise

be useless and goes to a good cause.

What's not to be excited about?!

This is the yarn I picked up at Hobby Lobby on Friday.

It is DK weight and very soft but has enough structure to make the stuffed toy.

I saw another skein I loved for a grey cat but I thought I better see if I liked doing this or it ends up in the burn pile.....

Little pieces but cute results.  I finished these in bed last night and wasn't near the stuffing needed for the head orthe accent colors for making the face,
 so I will tackle them later.
 I am following my 'first time with this pattern' motto-
follow directions exactly the first time.

And then note areas where you might want to make changes for the next one.

These parts are all knit flat and seamed so that is different than my usual preferences.

New doesn't have to be so bad.

Stay tuned.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Thank you to my Mom who is still creating with fabric and yarn.

She made a pillow and taught her grand daughter, who is also her neighbor,

 how to make one also!

I love you, Mom!

(Thank you , Alicia, for sharing the photos so I can be connected!)

WildLife

 When you live in rural Florida, you teach children to run away from every sighted snake and call for help.

Will was playing the other day and did just that.

Perfectly.

 

 The snake in question was 36-40" long.

It was an Indigo Racer which is a beneficial snake to have around 

since it eats other snakes and rodents.

We enjoyed watching it for a while and then it 'raced' under a pile to hide.

 A preemie hat is now on the needles, no fancy stitches this time.

 I have 8 hanging baskets along the front porch.

Every Spring the wrens start several nests in my plants but never finish one and make a huge mess in their indecision.

Well, this time, they have not only finished building one, 

they have even laid eggs in this one!

(I found out quite by accident when watering this plant 

and almost getting hit in the face by the exiting parent!

So I stuck my finger in to see if it was 'ripe'.  

The eggs are not visible but I think once they hatch, 

I will be able to get a cute picture!) 

 In the studio, I am putting the finishing touches on my latest class exercise-

shadows.

While I work, Will paints at his own easel.

(Ethan is sleeping during this painting session!)

 My next project-it has sat in my wishlist bucket long enough.

We went and bought the yarn today and since we were in the big city; 

We stopped at the water fountain park for some fun!

And savored the 'big' beach.

(St Augustine Pier)

Brioche Hat #2 and an Adventure!

 It turned out cute enough on this side for the black accented hat.

 But I definitely do not like the reverse side of this hat.

 On Monday, I tried something new-I went to the Community Building 5 minutes away to join in the group of ladies who meet there to do some quilting.  They bring their own machines and the project they are working on and piece it and talk and just enjoy each other's company.  It was a nice afternoon for me and I finished piecing the colorful stars .   Nice to know there is a close-by spot to enjoy doing some sewing with others!

 After sewing, Ethan was up for his nap and so we went to Lake Broward

right in town and enjoyed the playground and beach!

 The last time we visited here, our own children were this size!

The water was only a foot below the dock level then which was 27 years ago!

This is a good example of the severity of the water shortage in my area.

All the lakes are experiencing this kind  of water shortage.

The beach area was well cared for and the boys loved to play at the beach!

I love that it is not crowded and only 5 mins away!

This will be a weekly adventure from now on!

Brioche Baby Hat

I forgot how long it takes to knit

in Brioche (two passes for one row)

but I am very pleased with the results.

Two hats in one!

I knit this on #3 needles over 61 stitches

to end up with a newborn sized hat.

It is super stretchy but in a soft way.

I think I will try it in the dark/light

combination next!

(Oh, and I took my watercolor paintings to be critiqued

by my teacher and I have homework!

Also a new painting in the works.

I love taking my art class!)

Goals

Beautiful Lena catching the early morning sun.

 See the new idea with the last (I hope) of this yarn-

 Brioche;  so one side is very colorful and the reverse is pretty white strips.

But the problem is....

I could see,

 once I had two inches under the needles,

 that the hat was too large for a newborn. 

 Even worse, when I removed the needles it was even larger!

Off it went for the third time!

I hope to find the right number while I knit when the boys play out front this morning!

 And I want to finish this watercolor scene-

 And this one so I can take them to my art class tomorrow for teacher critiquing.

Now if I could only extend the hours in this day, I could accomplish all three goals!

Shadow Hat Experiment #4

 The two knit fabrics side by side are very pretty and very different.

The white shows the intended pattern much better

but the hat on the left is color saturated!

 The hat looks mostly colored and the peeks of the white show but a little.

You would never know they are the same pattern.

I liked doing the experiments in color

exchanging the main color for the contrast color.

I think the pattern was wasted on this version

as it is when you use a wildly colored yarn for cable work-it just gets lost.

I have four new baby hats and a lot of good experience with color now!

Conversely Hatted

 The experiment was a success!

I like this one much better with the light on the outside 

and the black as the shadow!

 Even the little sunshine yellow for the crown!

Quite a difference switching the colored yarn for the main color.

Now to try this with the light and pastels combination!

Stained Glass Baby Hat Conclusion

The hat turned out beautifully but I am not sure if moms will want their newborns in black.

 None of the rules of dressing baby are the same as 40 years ago when mine were newborns so I will knit more.
I am using up yarn and enjoying the results!

Speaking of results, the bowtie quilt washed and dried perfectly!
Those folded centers stayed folded
 and give just enough dimension to look as they ought!