AHHH, MY OCEAN!

We met Matthew and the boys at Crescent Beach yesterday! 

 It was perfect weather for the day; sunshine with a steady breeze from the south so the 99* temps were totally bearable!  

I waded in the 80* water while the guys frolicked in the waves!

I rested under our canopy so I had shade 

when I started to feel a bit too sun-kissed.

The beauty all around me 

was such good medicine for every part of me!

The gulls, pelicans and sandpipers kept me entertained as I reclined and soaked up the memory of the whole day!

 

WOOLLY AND FLUFFY

I am back to spinning some natural colored wool, still Cotswold, but again I am out of batts.  Guess what I will be making today?

I whipped off a school of stingrays last night--

I hope to make them for some boys to enjoy.

 

MUD VISIT

It wasn't too crowded considering it was a Saturday, and the water was so refreshing in the 100* temperatures!

The water surging from the spring is channeled out here where it meanders to the St Johns River eventually. 

 Caleb and his son did some fishing here.  

Just catch and release. 

 We enjoyed  the antics of a blue crab, too.

Caleb did catch this Pleco by hand--it was like a dinosaur-ed fish because it was very scaled not with fish scales but with hard, sharp scales!  The fins at the top of his spine were all spines, too!  It was amazing and ancient looking!  After a wonderful few hours we hiked back to the car and to our house for a pool swim!

After dinner, Ella and I had some time to crochet--she wanted to make a stingray which is a great beginner project.

I made a black and white one from the plush yarn-too cute!

This one I added a mouth on the underside! 

 The day was perfect in every way!!!

 

SMORGASBORG

    

I made two more blocks and decided how I want them to be arranged.  I also cut out the pieces for the other seven blocks

 that need to be made.

I did some walking outside since the humidity let go of us for a day--our temps were still in the high 90's

 but with lower humidity, breathing was possible!  

This is my very large ornamental pineapple plant.

And this is the first time it has produced a fruit, albeit inedible.

And on the other side of the plant, a little bud is coming along!

Such a bright splash of color that I enjoy immensely.

At the vegetable beds, the carrots are so pretty and lacy!

The other bed has a forest of green beans and summer squash.

Most of the plants have several little baby squash growing!  

Perhaps next week, I will be picking some beans!  I can't wait!

In the meantime, I am enjoying a meal of Swiss Chard each week!

As I walked back to the garage, I saw this guy scurry inside! 

 I couldn't catch him but I did take his picture!  

He was a large skink, a good 8" long, and I hope he finds a meal tonight while he sleeps in the garage,

 since I closed the door after me!

 

COLORED WOOL

While I was carding some more  Cotswold wool, 

I had a craving for color!  I found a bag in my wool station and decided to empty it and spin!

This one contains all of the cool colors and I have enough to make another skein in warm colors!  Fun spin after all of the yards of natural colored wool!  193 yards of this yarn.

The field next to the pond out back is loaded with these flowers!  They are called Meadow Beauties, about 1-2" across (they do have 4 petals, I just happened to photograph a broken one!)

This was also a pretty find, Blue Heliotrope.  Yes, it can be poisonous to cats and dogs but it is far out back and I don't have plant eating cats!  Hummingbirds love it so I am leaving it!

 

SOME STITCHING HAPPENED!

A big of figuring on paper and then some cutting,

and the sweet feeling of success

 when it is just the right size you need!  

I finished the piano keys on each side and 

I thought star blocks on the top and bottom rows would work.

And the Sea Travelers top is completed and added to the very high pile of tops awaiting their turn at the frame!  I did get the whole row unpicked that had the bobbin mess-up,

and restitched the row, so let the quilting work move forward!

 

WOOD ON WEDNESDAY

Another Brown Birch bowl off the lathe. 

 I tried a very new shape with this one.

It has a rim that makes it look like a bit of pottery--

The wood is light and smooth.

and I kept a bit of bark the way I like to do when I can. 

 The bowl is 8" x 4" in size.  It looks like it needs a lid.  

I'll see what I can come up with!  

 

BEDSIDE STITCHING

A little R & R with a friend who likes to steal my knitting 

and lay on it!

And trying Plush yarn for an Amigurumi Whale. 

 It worked up very quickly~  not bad for a yarn from Dollar Tree! 

I will be making several more creatures with this yarn!

 (free Pattern from Mary Jay on YouTube)

 

TDF UPDATE

I ran into a little trouble with my e-spinner not wanting to play the bobbins of singles but I found a back-up plan by using an old flyer and managed to get four skeins equaling 793 yards so far. 

 These will end up in the dye pot eventually.

 

WEARABLES

The dress is completed, pressed and ready to wear on Sunday!

I haven't seen a dress for me in a long time but it was pretty straightforward and without incident.  I decided to add buttons up the front just to make a slight variation from the dress I copied.

 

I also added some new buttons up the front of a store-bought top because I don't like showing cleavage.

I also don't like rounded hems, so I cut this one off and hemmed it again!  The weather has been so warm that this sleeveless top will be a popular choice!  I do like to personalize almost every item I purchased to make it truly mine!

How about you?  Do alterations give you the heebies or do you face it excitedly?

PLEASANT STITCHING

Piano key progress;  it is slow going but it is going.

I made the four corner blocks 

so now I only have to put all of the units together 

and I will have the second Sea Travelers quilt top done!!!

And then there is thing.  I finally felt like standing and doing some quilting but when I was 3/4 of the way across, the top thread broke.  When I stopped to fix it, I could see some caterpillars of thread on the bottom of the quilt!  It is such a pain to pull and pick out stitches!  I worked at it for a while and then I walked away!  

Instead, I went and enjoyed a good thunderstorm while spinning the second bobbin full.  

Today, I will be plying the two bobbins into yarn!!!

 

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Thankful for beauty;  for the craftsmanship to build 

and create and admire.

Thankful to see beauty in imperfection, to be able to find  pleasure in wood and cloth.

Thankful to see progress when so many little parts

 have to fit together.

Thankful for the joy in accomplishments, however small!

Happy birthday, USA!

I'm thankful for you because no matter how many flaws we can name, we still have hundreds and hundreds of blessings more 

for which to be grateful !

WOOD ON WEDNESDAY

I have been working on the finish on the outside of the the brown birch bowl-lots of sanding and Shellac, repeat!

But yesterday, I moved on to the the inside of the piece 

and made a bowl!  

I love to see the pile of shavings as I remove the wood to make it just so!

The putty has hardened and made a good repair in the crack (which was a chain saw stutter!

Today, I have to turn the bowl around and take off the tenon, 

sign it and take its glamour shots!

 And look what I have in the window over the lathe where I work!!!  An A/C unit! It's not enough to cool the whole garage to 74* but it sure will take the humidity and heat down and every little bit will be much appreciated!