BACKDROP

FRAGMENTS

PARTS OF A WHOLE

BACKGROUND-

It's where I find myself.

Circles!

 I bought a new die with my Christmas reward points on Amazon for the Accuquilt cutter.

 Since I still have a pile of denim to work through, I chose the denim for the rag circles and

 the charm pack I received from Deb (Araignee) in our exchange a few months ago,

I lined up an arrangement for the charms but I see I also need to be careful to shuffle up the denim circles, too!  There is  little square layer of batting i the center of each circle also.

This is the label for the charm pack-it is a perfect color combination for my home!

A great way to spend a few minutes at a time!

And for anyone up north who might need a bit of cheering up during their storm-

here is a very large bloom on the Camellia bush!

Silk and Spikes! Yikes!

If you remember the silk I received for the DarnGoodYarn project for the first month, 

the project was to knit or crochet a plant hanger.  

(I did the knitting version.)

I finally present you with the final project now complete with plants!

I bought the colorful cacti that I envisioned to set off the colors in the silk!

It is hanging in the corner of my dining room;  way out of reach 

and yet it is sunny enough to let the sun bounce off the yarn.

A unique way to bring plants into my house!

Blue Violet

 It starts with a gift of a pair of mitts from a dear friend who is moving next week....she wanted me to have something to remember her by.  (memories are the best but since she is a knitting friend, this counts!)

 And she gifted me the pattern.

So I caked up my new skein from Wandering Cat Yarns and headed out to the sunshine

 with my tornadoes!

I didn't get  lot done but I did sit in the warmth and knit!  It was glorious!

Mom's Little Quilt

 Mom received this little quilt kit for Christmas 

and we cut it out last month and now it is finished and hanging on her wall!

 I spent the day in town and the weather was in the 70's so it was delicious out!

In the background is the bridge we drive over every time we head to town, 

it spans the St Johns River.

 I loved the composition of this picture and will try to catch it in a painting some day!

Here is the coast along the river walk; 

 you can see the water is brackish because while it is an inland river,

 it empties into the ocean so the ocean tides affect the river and shares its saltiness!

  So much of the river walk is still under repairs from Hurricane Irma of Sept '17. 

 I had to dodge yellow tape, closed gates and partially dozed sidewalks to get here,

 but I'm so glad I did-it was a great walk.

Silken Bowl

I finished the January project; 

the sari silk 'yarn' bowl.

I ended up ripping out the knitted bowl 

and did the crocheted one instead.

Neither was very comfortable on the hands

but in the end, this one was just plain faster.

Also, the knitted one started brim to base and I preferred the base to brim of the crocheted version

so I knew when I ran out of yardage, I was done!

Here is a piece of the fabric ironed out flat measuring

about 2" wide.

The ball comes hand wound so the strips are already thin and more yarn-like.

The purpose of this yarn club is to give me a bit of variety and freshness-it's working!

A Finish?

This was just the knit-therapy I needed!

Jason's Cashmere Hat pattern by Sweet Fiber;

Size 6 and 8 needles using KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Super wash yarn

in the Pampas Heather color. 

And to start the week with humor-this is why I give away all the hats I make!!!!!

People who model hats,

do not wear glasses!

But I am keeping this one in  case it snows here 

or I take a trip up north

because it matches my sweater

 and I want it!

So enough stalling,

tomorrow, 

I am going to get going on that last vest front!

*...By a Strand!

We went to a birthday party for the E's in Fernandina Beach today!

I drove...

which means 2 hours 

NOT

knitting!

 So nothing added to the hat which is seeing progress,

albeit slowly;

I am ready to begin crown decreases at least!

(*but I am hanging on...)

Why Not?

When you can't think and only have knitting time at the end of the day when your brain hurts, 

you cast on a woolen hat, with a wide brim and then some cables....

...pattern is Jason's Cashmere Hat from Sweet Fiber

A New Yarn

 A silk sari 'yarn' to knit on large needles.

Not so easy on the hands but the color sure is a right and proper fix for me!

I don't know but what I will rip this out and start knitting from the bottom up and then I can go around and around until I run out of yarn instead of hoping I will have enough to do all the decreases!

This is the ball of silk all wound up and the instructions that came for this month's kit from the DarnGoodYarn Company. 

 It's nice to be pushed from your knitting comfort zone!

Chaos Rules....

 They clean up well!

 And we have a new house guest-they boy's have their cat with them again!

He has adjusted very well and there has been very little trouble with the others having him here!

 And at bedtime, he found his boy!!

Abigail and Grandpa went fishing together and she caught 5 Brim!  Happiness is!

Now my Georgia Peaches are on their way home and the dust will settle and routine (what's that?!)

will commence....along with court appearances and every child's agency you can imagine-no kidding here, I'm talking about KFF, DCF, CPS, CPT, GAL, CAG  and I expect the FBI any day now.....

Shed Transfer

 When you have a free shed....

and it sits here but you want it there...

 you place it on old telephone poles so they work like timber skids...

 and pull it with the tractor....

 a few hundred feet away and park it just so.

This is a guy plan-because the sill needs replacing and so does the soffet and the back wall

 and the inside is filled with junk

 but they tell me it will be cheaper than just building a new one;

but I doubt it!

(My Dad will have this rebuilt and painted in a week-

he used to have it done in a day or two

 but being in his eighties has slowed him down a tad!)

 So when I wasn't watching boys or sitting in waiting rooms-I was knitting!

Mindless,

 take you mind off where you are and what you are doing,

 knitting to be exact!

Just in time for the north wind to blow and send us to our woolens again!

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....