Men at Work!

 The guys have planned to paint the metal roof with epoxy since there was so much rust developing on this 35+ year old roof!

 It started out well but like most DIY projects, it took longer than expected and you couldn't stop because once the bucket was opened, you had to finish it or it would harden!

They kept at it though woozy from fumes and the blazing sun but it sure was worth it when they saw how much improved the roof looks now!  They did a great job!

Even the worker bees were busy!   The orange blossoms are incredibly sweet right now!

What were Mom and I doing?   Slicing, sewing and stacking up blocks for a quilt!

A Cousin Visit

 It is so nice to have a visit from NY family;  this is my cousin, Joe, and his wife, Carol.

The sunset was pretty spectacular on the way to church!

Mornings this Week

 I've been going to my Mom's every afternoon so I have been doing puttery things in the mornings.

 Like experimenting with scraps and different blocks to try out with the Accuquilt dies.  It is so good for all the scraps and odd pieces that aren't so easy to just cut into strips with the rotary cutter.  I've got an idea to expand.......

 I pieced some bright nine patches...

 and then cut them into circles.  I saw a picture that inspired me to try something similar.  More to come.

I finished the mate to the Coronet mitts.   A nice easy but engaging knit;  I would make them again but with a few stitches less around (note to self!)

 I cast on a slightly more complicated cable mitt from Craftsy called Driver's Mitts.   Nice instructions and good charts, too!  On to the second one!

 I also loaded the dragonfly table runner onto the frame.

And of course, I am quilting it with dragonflies!

Playing with Time

 I woke up to these guys right up next to the pool screen, cleaning up around the bird feeders!  By the time I tried to sneak out for a picture, they were on the run!

 I got to work on the quilt on the frame, it was a dense design so it did take long but it does work well with the colors/design so it was worth it!

 It rested a bit while I did some mending,

then I trimmed it up and put the binding on.

Even the back is colorful!

 I finished the Chroma socks (they look too dark here-it is light brown and coral with the teal)  Since they are hand wash and dry, I did some blocking so the cable shows and they start out right!

 I am making good progress on the mitts to match the Coronet cable hat.

 I did some experimenting with the green tea moisturizer since I wasn't happy with my first attempt.  It just was soup instead of a cream!   I melted it all again, added some beeswax and some cocoa butter and it is just right now-wow, does it make your skin feel moisturized!  I love it!

 I have some Romney/Targhee on the espinner!   This is an incredible fiber to spin-I will be buying more of this in the future!   I will be dyeing it after I spin it this time.  (I have an idea for the skein to be tri-colored.)

The dragonfly table runner is ready for the frame!

Off the Needles!

 I am usually so excited to start a project only to be so glad to get it done so I can move onto another one!  This one I got excited twice , finished it twice but this one is the real thing!

 I knit the Edge of the Wedge Shawl until I only had a little bit left out of this 8 ounce skein of rayon boucle from Blue Heron Yarns.

 It is a show stopper!  The pattern doesn't show much in the picture but the shawl is silky and light and drapes wonderfully.

 Here is a close up of the yarn and stitches;  it has a big loose cable that runs the whole edge of the shawl to give it a good hem so it hangs right.   The pattern calls for lace weight yarn and this yarn was bulky on #13 needles-it is a good pattern in my book when it will work with any weight yarn!
It will be on its way to Marsel's tomorrow!

 While at Mom and Dad's today, we sat outside in the 80's sunshine and knit...well, Dad didn't knit but he kept us company while we did! lol  I started a sock from a used ball of Chroma.

 It is clipping right along.  I am adding a bit of twisted knit stitch cable up the side of the foot.

 Mom finished her cowl and we blocked it in the sunshine to dry. (This is a pic before blocking!)
 It didn't take long to dry!

I started cutting out the rest of the blocks for the table runner!

Spinning and Sewing

It was so relaxing to ply the Shetland I have been spinning lately.   It is such a nice fiber to work with because it feels good in your hands and turns out such a nice stable yarn when you are done!

                                 
 The dyeing I did gave it just the subtlety I was hoping for.

 I now have a nice skein of fingering weight yarn for a shawl!  (320 yards)

 Isn't it just the right ripe Avocado color to knit into an accessory?!

 I also made the second dragonfly for my table runner.  It definitely went better with the second one but they are time consuming.   Yes, I ran out of the background fabric but blended the plain blue in the second block.

I rewarded myself with some incentive from the M & M's-they have the crispy ones back on the shelves!  (  I printed the second block with the 'fit' mode instead of the 'actual size' mode and it is slightly smaller then the first one!  Note to self-check out the pattern pieces before you begin sewing with them!!!!)  I will be able to hide the discrepancy in the seam allowance after a bit of strategic trimming!  I have been doing this long enough to know how to cover such minor problems!

Extreme Knitting

 I stayed up past midnight finishing that last mitt!  I was determined to get it done so Marsel could take it home to Bruce!

 I took very explicit notes so I could make the second mitt without a hitch and it worked!  I put the pocket right inside like the first one but they look like regular mitts from the outside!

Now it just needs the hand warmer heated up and it is good to go on a walk or just to keep his hands warm while at the keyboard!  Yes, my company all left today.  The house is very quiet.

Creative Company Time

 Marsel learned the finer tips and tricks to plying yarn.   She made a very balanced skein of wool.

 This was the little skein before its wash and dry.

 What a great accomplishment!  40 yards of beautiful yarn!

 The kids braved a swim-the water temperature was only in the high 60's.

Bill's sister, Barbara and her husband, Doug,  came for a visit!  It was so good to see them again!
We had a great dinner with my parents, too, and then a rousing game of cards!  So nice to share.
(Barbara had recent knee surgery, hence the fancy stockings! )

 The new shawl pattern is working out great and is fun to knit.   I have the shawl scrunched on this needle-it is a lot wider laid out flat but I need my circular #13 needles and I can't find them!  Grrr.

 I worked out my own pattern for the pocket fingerless mitts for Bruce.  I knit a cuff up pair of mitts as usual.

 Then when I reached the point for ribbing on the fingers, I added a M1 for every stitch on the needle so I doubled my stitches on the back of the hand.   I put the stitches on a waste yarn and finished the ribbing.

 Then I knit the pocket and added ribbing when I reached the cuff.   I left the tails long on the beginning and end so I could use them to sew the pocked down using the purl bumps so it would be invisible from the right side.   The hand itself holds the pocket closed so you can put in the rice hand warmer!  I am working hard to finish the second one before they head home!  Of course, the mitt can be worn without the warmer and it will just have a second layer of wool on the back of the hand!  I am happy with the pattern and the ease of the knit!

 We sewed four little heatable rice hand warmers.

 Here is the dimensions if you want to give it a try.  They are filled with brown rice and a bit of essential oil in your favorite aroma.  (I use an 1/8th cup of instant brown rice)  Sew the funnel hole shut and they are ready to microwave again and again.  (30 seconds on high gives about a 1/2 hour of warm!)

 We used the bevel soap scraps to make a sachet-this one in peppermint.

 Mom's back is out and she is marooned in her chair.  Marsel and I took on a very advanced paper piecing project and tortured enjoyed ourselves for several hours!

 We did end up with some relatively accurate dragonflies for table runners-we will compare completed projects next visit!

 Today, Marsel started her spinning skills on the new pink roving.  There was a bit of adjustment on the finer top instead of carded wool but she caught right on to the nuances.   I am a very proud mama!

 This afternoon we visited our patient.  We got a bit of knitting done but a lot more stories and laughter which is powerful healing medicine!

Tonight, like they do after a week of camp, we had a campfire and some s'mores and enjoyed each other for our last night of this long visit.  (Bill had the van at Tire Kingdom for tire rotation and alignment so he missed the Kumbaya songs!)