Grandparenting

Bill and I are headed north to Bruce and Marsel's for a week of one on one with the kids so they can go to a church retreat.

The cats are all home this time, in the capable hands of Millie, my neighbor.

The crafts are packed so I get some creative time with the kids. (Hip to be Square loom)

Bill will pack his clubs to spend some time with David on the greens.

I have my knitting in the bag- it is the first thing to go, you know!

Hope to have pictures to share from there!

Wool Play

 My fiber for this month is Coopworth.  The locks are long and curly and soft!

 It was a perfect opportunity to try out the combs as the fiber is too long for my carder.

 Beautiful little nests of soft fiber results!

 A dream to spin, and oh, so lustrous!

 I recorded my info, set my sample of yarn in its appropriate place and then knit up my swatch with the rest of the yarn.

My binder is really shaping up!  It has been a great year of learning and experiencing different fibers!

Conquering UFO's

 I finished weaving all three of the waffle weave dishcloths with my gifted cone of cotton thread.(16" x 32")

 I cut them apart and hemmed them.  (I run a line of water soluble glue between the towels while on the loom  so it is easy to cut them apart without fraying now!)

They immediately go in a load of laundry and then the dryer-I wish you could feel how thick and cushiony these towels are!  Just a huge success!  The thread is a #5 cotton I think so it is thicker than the #8 I used before.  The shrinkage was considerable, too, as the finished towels are now 13" x 23 which is why you always allow extra for your dimensions when weaving!

Bill and I marked out the area where the hearth will be sitting......

 and Bill cut out the flooring.  All ready for the inspector tomorrow!  Now if only we would hear from the mantel company!

Almost finished with one of David's mittens.....ready to begin the second!  It is so warm and humid out right now, it is hard to remember that it is going to be cold again someday!

Building Up Steam

 I was able to finish the Quant to match the mittens for my grand daughter-she will love to be wrapped in the pastel rainbow!

I actually spent some time in the sewing room-it has been too long!  I loaded up this quilt my neighbor pieced and got the quilting done all in one day!  I am pleased with my increased stamina levels!

The borders have a parade of circus animals dancing around the edge!

 I am almost done with the rainbow skittles socks for grand daughter and have the next skein of yarn ready to cast on for grandson's mittens!

And if you remember the story of The House That Jack Built, then you will understand what Bill has been doing; free insulation for his garage but he had to buy a trailer to haul it............
(He will be selling his old junk trailers to offset the cost of this one!)

Silent Endeavors

 I am down with a sore throat and head cold.  I am moving slowly and silently.  I got up to do a little spinning-this was a sample sent to me from a friend, it is several shades of silky llama.  (25 yards of fingering weight yarn)

And in between naps, I finished the mittens for my grand daughter.  They are ssssooooo soft!

Dressing Up

 I was on a roll to dress out the two looms I own; the rigid heddle is here with some black and red variegated in tencel thread, being woven in hounds tooth pattern.

 My estimate of twenty minutes left to thread the loom turned into 4 hours but it is DONE and I remember why I haven't warped it in so long.........Every that could have gone wrong-did:  mistake in the reed, mistake in the threading, goof in the stripe area-more threads on one side than the other, and tangling threads......I am putting it out of my mind because I am in the good place-the weaving!  I have woven 10 inches of waffle weave dish towel this afternoon.  The thread is size 3 slub cotton with stripes in left over cotton that was gifted to me from my friend-she found the cone of thread at a garage sale.

 You can see the texture potential as you weave but it will really bloom after it is washed and dried.

 I finished knitting the  hat I started the other night while sitting by the fire.  It has cabling on  four sides, and ate a bit more yarn than I thought it should but that is what happens when you knit with garter stitch;  this will most likely be gifted.

 It is knit in a bulky yarn from KnitPicks, 100% wool so no washer/dryer for this hat. (Pattern is free from Tahki Stacy Charles, Shelter Island Cabled Hat)

I drew out a new pattern for the mittens and know this one will be just right on every level!  The yarn is a single ply of wool, extremely soft and fluid. (Mini Mochi yarn)  Lovely to work with now that I got the bugs worked out!

It's a Frame Up

 Bill is framing the outside area of the fireplace so he can call for an inspection this week.

 I started a pair of mittens for my grand daughter and had to rip it all out for two reasons; the colors started to parallel each other so I lost my contrast  and it was too narrow!  I have redrafted , ripped out and will cast on again tonight with more stitches!

 I am mad at myself for ignoring my loom all year so I counted off a warp this morning and throughout the day have gone in and dressed the loom.  Most of my dislike of warping is the back-breaking work of threading so I decided to lift it onto the bed (thanks, Bill!).  Now I do not have to bend to reach the area I need-bonus, the cats thought it was a great adventure!

 I only have a few threads left and then I will be weaving tomorrow!  Now that part I enjoy!  (This will be a set of waffle weave dish towels.)

 I have quite a pile of quilt tops that are calling me, too.  I brought home one from my Mom she has recently made and an old top a friend inherited that needs to be completed; the others are from my neighbor!  Under the pile is a collection of fat quarters that are calling me to put them in a quilt also!

What can you do with an empty salsa jar, Popsicle stitcks, raffia and 'leaves' and a hot glue gun?  How about a candle holder just in time for the Autumn season!  Very satisfying to start, finish and enjoy a quick craft!

The Home Fire is Burning

 Bill is working on getting the fireplace to the inspection stage and a test fire for the fireplace attracted a knitting wife and all four cats!  I am busy designing an oak surround and mantel for the fireplace-we have picked out the tiles already!

 PuffDaddy kept close watch on the sparks-he was quite mesmerized while the other cats settled right down for a nap!

I am knitting a free pattern using chunky yarn from KnitPicks.  This cold snap will pass in a few days but it sure feels good to have the fire going in the living room-I have wanted a fireplace for all of our 34 years!  Some dreams just never lose their appeal.  (No, the wood stove doesn't count-it isn't a fireplace, you know.)

Recap of Family Trip to NY 2011

 Sun rise from the plane leaving Jacksonville.

 Leaf colors in NY .

 Dad's losing battle with falling leaves!  (our rental car)

 My immediate family at the wedding reception at Justin's in Dewitt.

 My siblings and parents!  (My brother's oldest son was the groom!)

Bursting the seams at Dad and Mom's house!

My knitting and snacking project for the trip!  A perfect match!
A wonderful gathering!

Family Gathering!

All family members are on their way today and tomorrow for my nephew's wedding and family get together in Phoenix, New York!  Let the family time begin!

Rainy Day Activities!

 It has been a rainy weekend-very unusual for us to have rain all day let alone three days in a row!   Bill mixed up some cement to fill in the hole where the old power line pole used to be.

 It filled in nicely and then cooler weather gave it some good drying time.

 I was digging around in the sewing room and found this pile of preprinted Autumn vests which I cut out,

 I pulled the linings out of the stash and had fun putting these to rights all day.

 I think this one is my favorite.  I like the scenery.

 I finished this pair of Nordic mittens for Bruce-I enjoyed this knit so much

I immediately started another pair!  

(Bruce's pair is a free pattern from Ravelry called Andalus Mittens and the new pair is called Icewine Mittens.)