All in Stride....

 I started the DarnGoodYarn kit from last month when I received the shipping notice that the new one is on its way!  I am doing the plant holder pattern that came with the yarn otherwise I will keep the skein and do nothing with it! So far , so good....I-cord is next!

 I am hearing the peck/knock, knock every morning when this pair comes up from the lake out back!

 Once he sees me, he backs up and moves out to the grass where I pour the cracked corn.

 They take turns eating and then move on.   I love that kind of early morning visitors!

 This is my daughter enjoying some morning play time with the boys!

And the other  day, the Fernandina Beach cousins came to play!  Littlest guy was down for a nap and missed the goodbye photo session!

Bowled Again!

 I wanted to replace my own bowl which was my first practice piece

 because it was made of polyester rope not cotton; 

 it was flimsy in comparison to the 'real' bowls I made my daughters for Christmas.

I enjoyed it even though it took several days of sewing to arrive here! 

 I used 75' to make this bowl.

To add the color, I used a variegated quilting thread for the top

 and white in the bobbin-I like the two toned look it achieves!  

There!  It is on the table and holds its shape much better now! 

 I will be making a yarn bowl size next! 

 I am hoping for a bit of a chance to show my daughter how to make a bowl while she is here!   

 This is what the freezing temperatures do to my front circle garden-

the agave plant survives and so does the jasmine (to the left of the agave) 

but all of the other flowers are knocked back to naught.

Most will come back from the root but it will postpone the early flowers we usually enjoy all winter!

 The knotweed and the turk's cap will be attracting butterflies but a bit later this year, too.

It is a lot more work to cut them all back and then take care of all the dead branches!

 We had more sunshine and outdoor play with the kids but not out in the pool area where we languished in the sunshine on Monday.  

Finally, the men came to replace the shredded screening!!!  The hurricane that ripped all the screening from the frame was back in September!  

 It will be so nice to have the area pest-free and leaf free again!

 One plant that has flourished during this cold spell is the Camellias!  Every bush (we have 7) is loaded with buds and blooms!

 The blooms are so thick and healthy.

We have several varieties and each one is such a welcome burst of color with the dead all around them!  If only they smelled like roses....

Fish

 Catfish for dinner tonight!

David broke the curse of catching nothing while fishing with Grandpa!

In fact, he wants it recorded, he caught the biggest two fish!

 Younger grandsons were duly impressed with the catch, too.

My daughter always brought me the first daffodil from our field at the farm

 when she was growing up; 

 she brought me daffodils this visit-what a wonderful memory sparker!

Can you see my granddaughter between the daffodils? 

 It was a happenstance photo bombing!

No Fog!

 The temperatures have been all over the place but today will be warm out-high 70's finally.

We will all enjoy it and thaw out!  

I am not in a fog over my knitting-the left front is finished 

and I am well on my way through the right-

I think this thing will be off the needles and on my back by the end of the week! 

knitt I hope I will be overdressed!

Equipment

Tools of the grandmother/nurse.

A Savor Saturday!

  

I cleaned and laundered and vacuumed and swept and took care of piles and played and at nap time...

I played at arranging the LeMoyne Star rainbow blocks!

I had some rules-outside had to stay in order (you can only see three sides here)

but the middle blocks I slid into their neighbors spaces so it wasn't vertical stripes!

Now throughout the week-weeks-I can stitch the blocks togther!

And in between Legos and watching Lil Bear on YouTube, 

I worked on a cotton rope basket for me.

A thoroughly wonderful day!

I Give Up

 Here's my vest front.......again.  I ripped it out. 

 I admit it;  sometimes your bright idea is just a bust.

 I thought I had worked out the problem of the sides not matching from this self-striping yarn,

 if I made the two fronts separately.   

Knitting them together had it's own problems. 

 It got worse when I had to split for the v-neck 

and still use two balls of yarn to knit the two top parts of the front.

I gave up and knit it as the pattern designer calls for-two individual fronts. 

 The stripes won't match at the side

 but I promise myself not to look at the side seams in a mirror!

At least the fronts are knitting up faster on half as many stitches!

And I am still using the short rows on the garter tabs 

so they don't make them draw in so I can say I've learned a lot from my mistakes 

and I still like the colors 

so I just might get through this pattern without having a bonfire!

Tonight is the first time that Nyki (on the right)

has allowed Lena to join us.

Usually it is 'whoever got on my bed first' got to stay there

and the second-comer had to jump back down.

I just might be feeling better about things.....

It Looks Like This

 This is what 25*F looks like outside

and this is what it looks like inside!

Mitts 'n Strokes

 Another pair of the Tough & Toasty mitts off the needles

-these use such a small amount of sock yarn,

 that they fit the scrap sock yarn category for projects! lol

 While the boys tore around enjoying the bit of sunshine warmth the afternoon brought us,

I put the foreground sea oats into my painting.

 I had taken this picture while squatting down in front of the dunes before the beach. and knew someday I was going to paint it!

That day has come!

(Just in time, too, because my art teacher wants me to put this one in the gallery show this Friday.

It's up to me to list it for sale or not-that was an easy call for the watercolor paintings,

 except for a few of them, in particular , the architectural ones.

I could always do a series and paint this one again, right?

But my first painting?!!!!

That might be tough to part with.)

No Shirring!

I'm clipping right along on the second time around front

for the vest.

The garter center band lays nice and flat now;

it is even with the stockinette neighbors of both sides of the garment.

I think it's what our country needs right now-

just the right amount of regular short rows!

Uninvited Guest

 Jack Frost needs a new home!  His visits here are no longer welcome!

 The vest front drew in too much along the garter front 'band' and so I ripped it all out.

When a friend saw the knitting, she said she loved the shirring along the middle. 

It's not supposed to be shirring, said I.  Well, maybe it will block out?

No, it's acrylic-it will look just as it does now....

RIPPIT!

It is a nice knit and now I can do it all again!

Art Class Delights!

 This is my first foray into acrylic....it was a wonderful time at class with my daughter-in-law!

I painted this from a photo I took 3 years ago.  I have the grasses and sea oats to paint in the foreground but I wanted to practice those thin strokes on paper first!

Cassandra painted this amazing scene in class and did just a few adjustments when she got home!

I loved the new medium and will look forward to lots of art time this year!!!!

Hi, Ho, It's Off to Art Class ....

 I go to spread my wings and learn how to paint in acrylics! 

 I have a pile of supplies (probably too much but I don't want to be missing anything I might need!)

My daughter-in-law, Cassandra, is going with me.

The kids won't miss me a bit because they are well into cousin fun!

 This old art case is a recent gift and I couldn't wait to clean it up just a bit to take it today!

I will have to do a bit more sanding to get rid of the old duct tape residue but it will come along fine.

There is room for paints and brushes and so much more!

Here's to a fine day for using the 'other' side of my brain!

Yellow Face

 My other orchid is blooming, too! 

  How wonderful to have some flowers in the house! 

 And as you see, there will be more soon!

This was Lena last night as I sat down to read Will a story book before bed; 

 she cuddled in to my armpit and hung right on to my arm!

  I think she is missing the snuggle time. 

Will snuggled in the other side and Lena stayed so she is adjusting to the new home routine, too!

(Note I am wearing the green sweater I knit recently!)

Tops!

In a calm moment of the day, I was able to piece this scrap quilt together!

I even cut the fabric for the binding and iron that so it is ready to use!

I even have some fabric for the back so I have almost cleared the design wall for another big finish!

This makes quilt # 2 in the quilting frame queue!

One More Time!

 

This vest I had knit and then stuffed in the naughty bucket back in Nov '16,

now looks like this....ripped out and rewound!

 The floor was a mess when I finished.  

I mercilessly cut apart bands and cut out parts I couldn't unwind 

because I am going to attempt a fifth item with this Jacob yarn!

When I heard Kathy B sing this pattern's praises, 

I bought the pattern and am just getting around to putting it up the queue

and since the weather is going to get bitter again,

 I am going to need another vest!

(The pattern is Basic Cardigan Vest for Women by Knitting Pure and Simple)

Progress and a Timely Post

The front of the vest is zipping right along and then I 

received a great email about adding short rows to garter bands

 so they will be the same length when butted up against stockinette!

If you do not already subscribe to Knitting with Suzanne Bryan on YouTube,

 you need to stop and do so right now!

I have been knitting forever and there is not a week that goes by 

that I do not learn some way to add finesse to my knitting

 or to do something better than I am now doing.  

Yup, she's that good.

Anyway, I wasn't too far into the front of the vest when I read/watched this

 and immediately started adding short rows to my front bands. 

 Even with the double knit idea going on, 

I could add the extra over 'n back row and there is no hole or gap 

and it is relaxing the front band so it won't draw in! 

 Yippee.

It's these little things that will really make or break a hand knit.