COMPLICATIONS

We had fun seeing my youngest son and family--

the kids love to play games and do crafts!

Grandson approved the drawing of the Stormtroooper  helmet 

and liked it even more when I painted it!

Saturday's prompt was a COMPASS and I painted an heirloom that is only in my dreams! 

 I am a behind on yesterday's artwork....

to say I am hurting is an understatement.  

The week is full of doctor appointments. 

 So much fun when I am already feeling like I can't get out of bed...

 

TRAVEL

You know the one good thing about taking a two hour road trip is the amount of knitting you can get done! lol 

 The yoke is finished and one sleeve is completed also!  

Grandson #3 requested that for today's prompt, HELMET, that I draw a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet so , of course, that is what I did.  I will add watercolor later;

 I'm going to play with some grands instead!

 

FUR AND WOOD

Lena is a sweet lap-warmer when I take a break in the recliner!

I was able to spend some time on the lathe. 

 I made this #2 bowl from the Cypress log.

 

The grain is fantastic on this one--with the real uneven edge

 that is very interesting!

The bowl polishes up to the warm honey glow--the inside is light because I just sanded it--it will warm up when I apply the sealer.

This is bowl #1 from the smaller half of the log. 

 It finished at 6" wide and 2" high.  

The back has the unusual feature

 when the rot was cleaned up and out.  

It is a very artsy bowl for candy, I think!

Yup, definitely a win.

Prompt for Day 14 is TICK.  Yuck--but this is the most common tick, a deer tick, which is what you have to check your pets and ankles for each day.  Fortunately, they are not a problem all summer in the rainy season but as soon as it becomes dry this winter--they are much more common.  Bill does spray the yard to keep their population down and that helps! 

 How are they where you live?

 

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

I pieced a few more of the blocks and joined them to make my first pumpkin!  There will be three for this table runner.  I do love to see an idea come together when sewing/piecing.

While sock knitting has to be my go-to project every time,

knitting on this child's sweater is my favorite pattern;  when I knit it again, it is like being with an old friend!  My Mom used to knit this sweater for me, I knit it for my daughter and even my grand daughters.  It is from Jiffy Knits a Coats & Clark's book No. 158.  

The prompt for yesterday was ROOF and so I painted my idea of a beautiful home-it has a balcony and a courtyard in the back!  The copper roof is the point of the painting but I couldn't help adding all of the other essential details!

 

SOME MORE ROWS

I am still enjoying adding two rows per color to the baby blanket. 

 I still make some mistakes on the stitch counts per pattern 

but it's a good thing yarn rips back to correct the mistakes! lol

The prompt for yesterday was STUCK and this is all I came up with....Now sing it with me,

 'Stuck in the middle with you....!'  

I don't enjoy Oreos but it was a fun drawing/painting! lol

 

KING-SIZED HEADACHE!

I knuckled down to the job of loading the king-sized quilt for my room.  I loaded it on and realized that I had the backing loaded sideways....I had to undo the whole 9' by 9' piece and turn it then repin it to the leaders on each appropriate pole.  Once I had loaded on the top, I pinned it upside down so I had to do that again, too.   I admitted I was tired from the busy weekend but I wanted to get this done, 'impaired' or not! 

 I hung in there and soon it was ready for stitching.

It is a very long row to stitch!  All 100" of blocks!

I chose the pantograph called Plumage.

I also cut a bunch of strips for a table runner

using a new tool for curvy log cabin blocks.

Once I got the hang of which side to sew on next,

 I had fun picking out my orange strips!

Lena enjoyed my company (and I hers!)

and only stole my chair a few times! 

But I could coax her out of it with just a few taps of her brush!

For Inktober Sunday, Day 10, was the prompt PICK 

and the first thing that came to mind was the sea of hands hoping to be the one that was called on from the classroom! 

Day 11 was the prompt, SOUR, and, of course, 

I had an easy time finding my subject for this one!

CRAFTING

After church, dinner, swimming, golf cart rides and bike riding we took some time to paint the pumpkins we bought earlier.  We had a lot of laughs and enjoyed talking about what we were trying to paint.  This picture was when the boys had to go-they were all clean and 'jamma-ed for the ride home. 

 No school today so they were looking forward to some down time. 

 Today, I am looking forward to loading my king-sized quilt on the frame--I have the backing pieced at least!  

 

BOY STUFF

We played in the pool for a long time but they still couldn't wait until it was fire pit time!

They like building a little fire in the sandy depression they build--they found that the fire demands a lot of fuel (leaves, twigs and dried grasses they find with their flashlights!)

The prompt was PRESSURE.  This was my rendering of Bill's mower tire yesterday!  He had bent the tire stem by getting too close to a tree and had a bit of a time getting things straightened up so that it would take and maintain pressure again!  
 

LOOKING UP!

When I came out from my appointment yesterday--

the sun was really filtered behind so many layers of clouds. 

 It built to several storms throughout the afternoon but in between---

really good views like this.

Even when I was home--the clouds were like this between each burst of wind and rain!  I enjoy looking up...

We have a new purchase--our old golf card died; 

 it's been gasping for a year now and it finally quit.

The new-to-us ride is amazing--power and control;  speed and brakes!  I will enjoy going out to the pond again!

I played in the garage on the lathe in between the storms--I completed the eighth and final square grapefruit bowls!  

The grain on this one doesn't disappoint! 

And the prompt was...Watch.  This one is imagination all the way.

BAVARIAN STITCH REVISITED

lena is patiently waiting for me to find my yarn for the next row and get the new baby blanket off her!

The color is reading grey here but the top photo is correct!

This is the same stitch I learned a few weeks ago but now it is executed in a granny square type of round and in this way it is called Bavarian stitch instead of Harlequin--

once you get it, it is an easy two row repeat!

Just look at that texture! 

 It is very interesting to crochet, too.

Look at the visitors we enjoyed watching yesterday morning!  

My interpretation of the prompt FAN.

(the paper size I'm using is 5 1/2" x 7 1/2"

and Daler-Rowney paints)

 

AUTUMN TABLE RUNNER

It's finished!  The new table runner is ready to add color to the dining  room with the Autumn leaves! 

 48" x 20"

This is where Lena ends up after playing with me 

and her toys when I sit down to paint 

and it is the one time I do not let her jump up on my lap!

Yesterday's prompt was Spirit.......I chose to share a glimpse of the dove which appeared over Jesus' head

 upon his baptism by his cousin, John.  

 

WOOD ON WEDNESDAY

We had errands to run in DeLand, about an hour south of us, 

and on the way, we found this unusual place of business--

a woodworker and carver.  We enjoyed talking with him and looking through all of the slabs of cedar and camphor mostly.  He also makes garden art from the driftwood he collects;  

it was a delight to the senses!

I came home with a chunk of Cypress!

  I can't wait to turn it on the lathe

 and see what it looks like inside!

After the shopping, we treated ourselves to homemade ice cream!  Bill had a vanilla soft serve with sprinkles and I had a cone called Almond Joy-yup, that is just what it tastes like!

Day 4's prompt was KNOT--so I made a Celtic knot--

I picture it being on a Viking's cape as a clasp!

Here it is in the sunshine--I used some of the metallic paint to give it a real shimmer! 

And for Day 5, the prompt was a Raven. 

 One of my favorite birds.