Midweek

I am woman; I change my mind........I loved making the blocks for the Mystery Quilt for Christmas so when we went to town yesterday, I bought some more of the same fabric and will make the lap quilt into a big quilt! Sometimes, you don't want a good thing to end but you can't do anything to continue the goodness...........well, this time I can! Got all the pieces cut out last night, will be sewing today!

Making great headway on the quilt on the frame, about half way done ..........love it when a plan works out!

Finished the first sock-pattern from Favorite Socks--the one I changed all around except for the lace pattern!..............handspun yarn, superwash from The SheepShedStudio. It is quite thick on the number 1 needles, but will hold up to the cold floor times ahead. (I know, cold is relative...)
I am more than 1/2 done on the second sock...........I am always faster on the second one because I have worked out all the decisions and it almost knits itself! Good notes on the first sock is essential so you can remember what you did the first time!

Bill has pretty much been immobilized with his back being out of whack. He does a lot of heating pad and yesterday did a little of this.......sowing the rye seed so we will have lawn this winter! The grass that flourishes all summer, goes dormant for the winter so if you want green you have to have a different kind than we have now............when all the construction is done, we will put in the more expensive kind but it is definitely a future expense. For now, the rye makes it through the winter so green and pretty until it dies and nourishes the ground for the summer grass to come back in the late Spring. So many new things to learn here-it is wonderful!

A Good Visit

Jessica and her husband, Bob, and family came for a visit today. Bob is an AC man and is helping us figure out what we will need for our additional space. It means so much to have his help and input! We shared a great BBQ chicken dinner and took a long walk after dinner. Bill entertained her 4 sons with a ride on the JD--the older boys got to drive it, too!

I put all the wicker furniture back on the porch-oh, it is so color-rich!

Jessica and I didn't get to actually knit together, but Jessica brought her current wip and we got to admire it. She is running short of the yarn ( from KnitPicks )and these are birthday socks so she is feeling the pinch! I understand her angst! She also brought some new quilt blocks for me to see so I could help her figure out how to put them together for a quilt ........hopefully you will see them on her blog soon!

Last Steps

Bill put the clear coat sealer on the porch and part of the garage.........ran out and it is on order at our local SW store.
I pieced the Mystery Quilt blocks when I finished cleaning the house.

On the sock, I turned the heel and started up the leg. This pattern is for a shorty sock but I changed everything about it except the lace pattern-I changed it to toe-up, with a regular sole, and a full length leg! It is good to be the boss of something!

Company tomorrow! Will treat you to pics soon!

Finishing Touches

We put the finishing coat on the garage floor.........it looks like a showroom floor! Bill is thrilled! He has to wait 3 days before using it though! :'(

Here is a close-up so you can see the full affect. Sherwin Williams; we love your products!

The porch got its new color today! (I was the trim/gopher lady as usual!)

The boys put 3 coats on throughout the day...........so much work they accomplished. It was so appreciated. (The pipe that runs across the porch is the temporary electrical service which will be removed when the power company cuts the old suppy and hooks up the new --for those of you who will notice and wonder!)

Look at what our cactus is doing! Bill had thought to pick the 'fruit' and try to eat it--I tried to discourage this........but he missed the time to pick it 'cuz the cactus is regurgitating its seeds all over the ground! Weird but effective way to propagate! Does anyone know the name of this cactus? It was gifted to us without pertinent information.

I did a little knitting and spinning this morning before anyone woke up but didn't get back to anything crafty with the whirl of the day! I did manage to put on a roasted chicken dinner with all the fixin's but for me that doesn't count much toward creativity unfortunately! Matthew and Caleb left with full stomachs and a baggie of cookies for the ride home-I put a few pounds on both of them in spite of all the work they did! On the Mama scale this rates high points!

Garage Floor and Spinning

Our sons are here for a working visit-they are painting the cement in Bill's garage and the front porch. I stocked up on groceries, homemade cookies and pizza!
Where these two work, there is laughter......they painted Bill into a trap as he was sprinkling the deco chips on the freshly painted areas! Bill put his back into spasm moving the sliding glass door into another area and so they were teasing him about getting out of this paint job! It is good to have them around!
I sat nearby so I could hear the banter and did some spinning.....finished up a bobbin of the Florida Native fleece blended with some Suri. It spun up nicely and the finished skein is so lofty. I will be dyeing it soon.

Last night I cut out the pieces for the Mystery Christmas quilt and put 2 blocks together......it is going to be pretty! I will not be cutting in the evening again....I made so many stupid cutting mistakes! I did end up with the right number of pieces but it was a close call----quilter, know thyself! (My evening brain is not sharp enough to cut with!)

See the finished floor? It is gloomy out again today-2 days in a row without sunshine for us is so unusual! It is a good temperature for the guys to work in at least(67). I will get a sunny picture another day. Dinner and church calls.........more tomorrow.

Caps and Cushions

I made caps to go with the gator scarves for the grandkids. I mailed them out this morning after I filled the box with hugs! Pattern: The caps are an easy k2p2 rib for 6-7" on size 8 needlesover 76-80 sts; then k2tog, p2tog around and worked the k1p1 rib that results for another inch, k2tog around and break yarn and pull stitches together. It gives a nice light feel for the warmer winter they experience in GA.

Finished the cushion covers for the rocking chair.....just need some company to fill the chairs! Picture me spinning on the porch!
I'm starting a new quilt; another mystery quilt , this one for Christmas........Mom and I are both going to do this one.

I think I have finally overcome the 'quilter's block' for the quilt on the frame. It is a beauty that I am quilting for my daughter's friend. Once I figure out what I am doing , I love doing the quilting but it is the big blank canvas that freezes me! I am going to do fussy stuff in the border and an all-over meander on the center of the quilt. I don't want to detract from the center design as I know she doesn't like too much quilting on her quilts. I think I occassionally have the indecision on knitting projects, too, when I venture outside of the 'writtine' patterns and just have to explore my own likes and dislikes to get where I want to go. Gratefully, there is no 'hurry up!' deadline on this work.....but now that I know where I am going, I will get there quickly! It is work to be creative, isn't it!?!

Success for the Garage Sale!

No pictures of our 'junk' but we did make a great day of our yard sale: lots of sales, good conversation and we got rid of many 'treasures'! We even had plenty of well wishes from people who drive by every day and have watched the progress of the addition to the house! Fun.

I sat and knitted on Abigail's gator scarf--it is finished! Will send it off in the mail on Monday.

The best part of the day........Bill loaded up the rest of the stuff in his truck to go to the thrift store-it is not coming back into our space! I am so proud of him-this is a major step for someone who belongs to PackRatAnonymous!

A Good Day Ahead

I finished the Lucy fiber project-a wee cell phone 'purse'. I am mailing it back to the blogger I won it from!

Jared and Krystle received their tablerunner and have it on their diningroom table! Thanks for the picture, it is nice to connect you guys!

Bill has the garden all planted-this was a sunset shot--see how much of a 'hill' we have at our property! Well, it is for these parts!
I finished a slipcover for an IKEA chair for a friend..........always up for a challenge, you know! The chair has a cushion that slips in the bottom for shape and comfort-it looks a bit limp like this but will be a nice cocoon for her teenager now that it matches her room!

I got a bit adventurous after watching a Sewing with Nancy segment (304) and pulled out my embellisher machine and a piece of canvas and did a kind of crazy patch with fabrics and only a touch of wool. I have to do some free motion embroidery on it today , add some hot-fix crystals and it will be complete............well, I am going to back it and make it a pillow because it has to be useful--one of my problems with things artsy-what is it for?!!!! Give me time to grow into this new realm.......... Working on the slipcovers for the wicker chairs today................hope to have them on the porch by this afternoon! And then we will be organizing the 'treasures' we hauled out of storage for the community garage sale tomorrow! I will sit and spin/knit with my wares........hopefully Bill won't bring home too many new treasures! I found my rocking chair (purchased when pregnant for my second child who is now 28!) and did a bit of cleaning up-mold tries to claim anything in storage around here! I am trying to decide to paint it or not; the darker wood will just have to grow on my or get lightened up. I do have enough of the wicker cushion fabric to make it match at least. Looking forward to a great day ahead-hope you are , too!

Home Sweet Home

It is good to rediscover home........cleaning chores are done, well, caught up for the moment and it was time to explore the yard.

The early camilias are out......
another bromeliad is in bloom.

The temperatures have dipped a bit from before we left.....down in the 50's last night-and only in the mid 60's right now--good thing the weather at Marsel's prepared us. But when the temps dip, the oranges begin to ripen and turn orange!

I finished spinning the Lucy fiber-the second pic is blurry but it is the true color so I have left it here. I am going to knit it up into one of my little original cell phone 'purse'.

I mailed out the final Autumn tablerunner; this one was made with a charm pack instead of yardage. I sewed it at Marsel's but waited to quilt it here on the frame. Will definitely work on expanding this great design for other seasons-it was way too fun and yielded such great results.

The suffolk wool is being blended with a recent purchase of alpaca-I am spinning up a sample and need to ply it to see how it turns out..........of course, the dye pot will be next cuz the color is too boring! I haven't every dyed a batt but I am tempted to try as it is so plain while spinning.

The girl gator scarf is growing!

I pulled my old wicker furniture out of storage and arranged it on my new veranda........it needs a bit of repair due to shrinkage of some of the trim but it is fixable--the cushions will be recovered with the orange fabric on the last pic. (Bill and I figured out that we purchased this furniture when we bought our old farmhouse in NY 20 years ago! It has faithfully held kids, cats, dogs and guests --it, too, deserves a good retirement home........I can hear it sigh as it savors its new role!)

A Happy Birthday!

Sending a hug to my Mom for her birthday today!



(Remember the real hug just a few weeks ago!?)

Georgia Peaches

We are home again but oh, what fun we had in Georgia!

David and I learned how to 'trap' a wild animal -his imagination is beyond compare!

Abigail did a lot of this.......right in the middle of playing something else (or here as she just woke up), a song would have to be expressed on the piano! She is taking lessons; reading music already but also hears it in her head and picks out tunes all the time-since I am clueless on any instrument , this is a work of genius to me.

Abigail loves her weekly piano lessons........a hidden benefit is the physical therapy for that left hand-CP has impaired her mobility but her determination to play has paid off, thank you Lord for her strengths.
........and even tho he has to hold still, David has real musical ability, too!

While Bill did a lot of this.......he and David were mostly outside working on the yard-removing unwanted holly bushes-nasty things!

They also trimmed all the remaining bushes out front.

Bill cut down the overgrown trees in the 'communtiy corner' of Marsel's property and we were thrilled with the new grooming until the neighbor got home and visited-she wanted to know why we cut down her trees! Oh, the joy of living near others.......She took it well, and Bruce is now researching the actual boundaries. (Yes, they had permission to maintain the 'community corner' so even the community president thought it was joint property!)

I finished David's alligator scarf........a new best friend.

And started one for Abigail in the appropriate camoflauge colors! (Grandma, are you done yet?!)

Marsel and I went to a Quilt Show! What an inspiring visit! (No photos allowed, sorry I can't share the beauty we beheld!)
We did a lot of this.............Marsel tried free motion quilting and fell in love with her new found abilities! She was fearless and the designs just flowed like she has been doing this for years and years! We made 2 more Fall tablerunners together. (Mine is on the left, Marsel's on the right)

The cats did well with the trip; they do not get to go out while visiting but they do find catful things to do like laying on the quilt that you are working on , and reintroducing yourself to the aquarium residents.

Bill and David worked on the van's brake system........it is the second generation of "push and let off now!" that Bill has trained! David loved every minute of it. A good long visit and the fact that we will be seeing them again in a month sure softens the good-byes!

PS-Bruce was at work while I did most of my picture taking, and then on a business trip but he was home long enough to get beat at Wahoo twice!