A Good Start to the Week

Yesterday we went to the church Matthew and Ashley attend for their Christmas program. 

They were Mary and Joseph!  Ashley is due in ten days so they were all chuckling that she didn't go in early and mess up the plans! lol 

Matthew does not have a beard usually but he kept it going to be in character.  Will hated to have his Dad with longer hair!  As long as Matthew kept the wig off, Will would hug him!  Too funny. 

The wristers are finished!  Very soft in BFL, pattern by Sivia Harding. 

I have to move the quilt frame back against the wall but I had to finish the quilt first!  I only had two more rows so it didn't take long today.  ( I have to convert the studio and put some guests in there to sleep during Christmas week when all of my kids come home for Christmas this year!) 

I have the other ornaments out of the embroidery line in my 'factory' and into the waiting for ribbons and hangers' line! 

I cast on a sock in some more of the yarn I spun during TDF;  it is superwash wool.

Studio Saturday

I work like an assembly line on a project like this-setting out and working on all three stockings at the same time , doing the like tasks on each before I move on to the next step.  How do you tackle  multiple items like this?

I plugged alonguntil I finished all the fancy stitching and then turned my attention to the linings with the embroidered names on the cuffs.  Since I do not have access to my customizing software,  I struggled with the limited fonts and sizes on my machine but eventually figured out a good plan B and I did it! 

Welcome aboard grandchildren 6,7 and 8! 

Since I loaded tutti frutti #2 earlier in the week, I worked on it while the machine was embroidering on its own. 

A simple meander in orange thread looks cheery. 

I only have a bit more to do but ran out of standing steam! lol 

I also cut out the strips for the borders to the RSC2015;  a narrow silver dot for the silver lining and a cloud blue for the wide border.  Maybe I will get to sew them on before the end of the year! 

Meantime, I have to finish this ornament and make two more.....I also made these for each of he new babies.  The other side has their name and the year. 

To clean my palate after the flip flop socks, I am using some leftover wool for some wristers for recliner time.  

This is the last Saturday in the studio as the schedule for December ramps up!

Winter Wear

BFL fiber, hand spun and dyed fraternal socks.

They are like walking on clouds!

I had forgotten how soft and silky this fiber is to the touch.

The socks are great to wear WITH the flip flops....not so  WITHOUT them;  it feels like a major case of toe jam.  It's ok.   I made them for this specialized need and they are a huge success in my book!

Log Cabin Stockings!

The blessing of three new grandchildren this year (well, one is just days weeks away) is the responsibility of making Christmas stockings to hang by the fireplace with the rest of the family!

I begin with an embroidered pentagon and then just randomly add strips around it log cabin style.

When I fill the top area, I move to the foot always using a solid for the toe and heel. 

Once I cover the tricot pattern underneath, I trim all the edges and then I use all those fancy stitches on my machine to add the look of hand embroidery!

The next stage would be to embroider the name on the lining, sew it together and turn the cuff down so the name shows.  

ENTER A BIG GLITCH!

When we got the new computer because a nasty virus/worm ate our old one, the new system (Windows 10) no longer can support the OLD program which my embroidery software is.

New software is very expensive.  Out of my budget expensive.  I have two choices, or maybe three but I will wait for that;  I am now looking for an old laptop that will run my old software.

I have all the old code and the dongle to match if only I can get an old one running!

Time is of the essence and I will keep you posted as to the conclusion to this dilemma!

Flip Flop Socks!

I finished the first sock!  It looks like a regular sock here but... 

The magic happens when you can slip on your flip flops without wadding the sock between your toes! 

I like to make the leg of the sock the same length as the foot.

What is your default length? 

On to sock #2.  This sock is knit from about 150 yards of heavy fingering weight yarn on size 2 needles with 52 stitches on the foot and leg.

I spun and dyed this BFL fiber during the Tour de Fleece this summer.

(To get technical, I knit the toe and set it aside on the needles and then knit the toes as usual but only increasing on one side .   When I had them the same length to fit the toes, I knit the rounds together but set the first and last stitch of each section on waste yarn to graft last.  Too many patterns I found didn't take into account the depth of your foot so there would be a grand gap in this area.  I like filling the space up with real stitches and not just remedial work at the end.  It is pretty straight forward to knit a thumb for the toe and then to knit the toes without  the stitches for a big toe! lol)

Turkey Run, Daytona

First thing Saturday morning we finished up our ornaments!  Now they are ready to hang on our trees this week! 

When we take a day trip, I get out my knitting and I am happy to have some hand spun yarn, BFL, on the needles!  Socks are calling me.  

  Every other year, Bill and I go to the car show in Daytona and meet up with a co-worker of Bill's and his wife.  Joe has a 'vette he shows but we mostly walk around looking at the broad expanse of vehicles.

I seemed to like these beauties the best! 

How can you go wrong with BLUE! 

How old but futuristic is this?! 

But here was my favorite of the day, a Lincoln Premiere.

I can imagine myself in this and the back seat is filled with grandkids and we are on the way to the beach.... 

When I got home, I ripped out the sock and decided I was going to design some toe up big-toe- separate socks to wear with my flip flops all winter!  I have the plan all ready to knit in my head.

The big toe is complete!

Here is the secret to all my walking today-we bought this souped up walker with a SEAT so when we stood around looking under the hood of every car, I could sit every time!  It also helped with the walking because I wasn't exhausted having to keep my balance and think about each step.  It was wonderful!  

Post Tryptophan Day

A LOT of down time today after the flurries of the last few days....Ashley and I made a few more ornaments...these are halves of a whole;  they get glued back to back with a hanger loop in between the layers.  We had fun decorating while Will napped. 

When he woke up, we let him decorate his own tree!  He had ideas! 

And was very particular about which color went where.  He did like using the Accuquilt a lot, too. 

AND I AM DONE WITH THE ENTRELAC BLANKET FOR NEW BABY, EATHAN!

It did become a bit of a knitting grind stone around my neck but I kept my eye on the goal most of the time!  I got it done almost whole month before he is due!

I used Prism yarn from Mary Maxim.  The pattern is now engraved on my knitting heart;  it is over a base set of 10 triangles, 10 stitches each.  It turns out about 36" wide by 42" long.

Quick!  Where is some sock yarn?!

Our Florida Thanksgiving

If you are reading this, I am so grateful you are a part of my blogging family!

God blesses me in so many ways and the blog connections are certainly an important part of my life!

To those closer to my home, we were able to share the long awaited feast....the younger crowd and 

The rest of us!   This year is the off year for our big family gathering, so we invited some friends to round out the day with Middle Son and his family.  Our new Pastor and his family joined us and we were kept hopping with the kids so they couldn't be homesick!

After dinner, the kids went in for a swim.  The water was a chilly 80* so none of the dads went in with them but they were the lifeguards on duty! 

While the girls went in for craft time!  We didn't have enough time to finish because the kids got blue lips too quickly but we did enjoy our decisions and arranging until they joined us again!

The two halves have to be glued together with a tie in between so it can be hung on the Christmas tree next month!  We have made ornaments on Thanksgiving for decades so it is a well established tradition and it was nice to share it today! 

We wrapped up the evening with a bonfire and then came in for a game of cards.

It was a perfect day!

It's Over!

These last two weeks almost beat me.  The new medicine was making me a zombie.  Really.

I have read about how people feel on Lithium, I have a better understanding.

Today, after cancelling everything from my schedule for the last 5 days, I awoke a thinking human being.  You are used to feeling and functioning, but to me it was a miracle!  

 I sewed the binding on the tutti frutti #1 quilt.  That was all for the day.

I machine sew the binding as hand sewing is history! 

I would sew one row and then the next and sew them together-that was it for the day.

Really, it was that limited.  I slept away the last week. 

I got one bobbin filled with Masham wool.  It was another way to sooth my creative part of my brain that I knew was in there somewhere! 

Bill brought me a treat-I love these 'snowballs' and eat one and save the other for the next day.  Such a gift of love! 

And today, I sewed the rest of the blocks together and added the borders!  It was wonderful to work for more than 1/2 an hour!

I am smiling again!

Oh, Boy....

Last week, it seemed like a great idea to change my medicine.

The actuality is a bit different.

I am walking around like a zombie.  I have to wean from the old medicine (which feels like having my security blanket torn out of my hands) and slowly introduce the new meds which is too little for a lot of benefit right now!  

I can do this, right?!

I did a little puttering but my mind can't bear concentrating for too long. 

I added a bit of background to the watercolor, 

and I sanded the new resin sea animals, then drilled holes so they can be worn.

I am trying to make up my mind to put them all on one necklace or to have five individual ones.  

Today is not the best day for decisions. 

And I did a bit of this because I can do it with my eyes closed!  

Yes, this fiber is easy to spin;  even if it is Masham top. 

It is a new to me fiber and I am liking it just fine.

I didn't knit again today.......this is not a good pattern.

Tomorrow has to be a better day.