KNITTING

I had spun this red merino/alpaca yarn last week and just love the color, but what to do with it since I only have about 5.5oz, (sport weight). After spending far too much time going down the Raverly rabbit hole , I chose Corners Edges Strip Shawl. This shawl will have 4 colors in it, (it's a BIG shawl) and I have LOTS of stash yarn to choose colors from, including a merino/silk blend. I am in no hurry to finish this project, just so it's done by the fall. Will we still be in a pandemic and in the house? I will say again, I have gotten done lots of projects in my year at pandemic home! 

Hot Pink or some might say Magenta...yarn for a Little Oaks sweater picked out by little B(gd). She does like her colors! This is a Cloudborn DK weight yarn and surprisingly it knits a beautiful fabric and very soft to the touch. Little Oaks is a bottom up sweater and I am currently on sleeve island of the second sleeve. Sweater knitting for my littles went much faster when they were babies, soon they will be in full size adult sweaters....better buy more yarn;-]

'Almost' over the finish line is a machine quilted, half square triangle quilt. As I was sewing on the binding my machine jammed and jammed good. Took me an hour to release the fabric from under the needle that was caught in the feed dogs. After getting everything freed up, the needle kept hitting the bobbin case and in a very bad way. Above my pay grade, so off to the sewing machine man! Ugg.

Reading is very slow on this end, just can't find much to keep my interest. I guess this would be called a 'dry spell.'

I went upstairs to get some water and carried my knitting with me, why I don't know. E noticed this and asked if I was carrying my knitting around with me so I could report at my soon to be physical that I was doing weight bearing exercise now. Hah, at first I was offended, then thought, that's great, yes, I will tell them about my (yarn) weight bearing exercise routines so I don't have to listen to any blah blah blah. 

It has been cold here, like really cold and SNOW! Expecting more snow tonight and tomorrow--

Happy Dancing.

Get on over to 

Unravel Wednesday with Kat

DEAD OF WINTER---NOPE, NOT HERE

Altheda Sweater is coming along so well that I put it aside for the week. This is a wonderful knit, but I'm questioning the yarn choice. I bought this as a kit from Woolly Thistle and their yarn choice is Plotulopi,

a lovely and interesting yarn to work with but oh so WARM and our winter is more acutely described as 

Little Summer! I've decided this will be knitted with short sleeves, more like a vest and then I 'll wear one of those little fans around my neck as a necklace.

Deciding if I should put a border on thisHalf SquareTriangle quilt to 'square' it up. 

HST quilt was pieced together several years ago and this is my year to finish 12 UFO quilts. HST is the 3rd quilt, (quilts 1 and 2 here.) to be finished in 2021. I am finishing the easier least time consuming quilts first, over the summer I will (hopefully) be able to finish a few of the hand piecing quilts. Sure hope we will be able to camp this summer, I get a lot of quilting done on camping trips.

Antarktis Shawl, this will be the 5th  time I have knitted the Antarktis Shawl. I must admit that I now knit this shawl not as the pattern is written word for word. I have no idea the name of the yarn, I frogged it from a shawl I was knitting about 12 years ago. 

Saturday afternoon a little spinning group has formed, and I am over the moon with this group! So much to learn - not to mention bringing out my wheel after a LONG hiatus. I wasn't aware that the way I draft has a name, I'm a 'back drafter.' Thought that was important for you to know.

First skein completely done! Im really smitten with this skein of red merino.

Of course now I want to know all things spinning. I am watching every spinning class on Craftsy,

who knew, so much to learn and so fun! When I bought my wheel 35 years ago I was left to my own devices, with the exception of one friend who was a spinner and she learned from ONE friend. Not really a broad base of info! Plus, their wasn't a lot of info out there, you know the internet and all. Now I can't believe all the info I can get my hands on....almost overwhelming, though exciting.

Wish I had put that border on this HST quilt. Started machine quilting and I already have to re-pin the dang thing. Of course it needed a border to square up---2" inch squares cut on the bias means: 

MOVEMENT/STRETCH/PULL MY HAIR OUT

I can quilt this------ I'll just take more blood pressure meds and spin when I can't take it any longer!

 Please visit Kat today, lots of good stuff over there.

MID WEEK IN JUNE

Erin sent me this picture of her in part of her COVID  uniform. She works for a huge health system in the mid-west that is seeing a spike of COVID patients and has been reassigned to ICU(she has ICU experience) from the OR. She is not thrilled with the reassignment, but times  call for all hands on deck. N95 masks are uncomfortable to wear and with a shield, oye vey!

My heart goes out to her, she is tough and a trooper;-}

Finished Juliette Shawl and I am happy with the yarn I used. I frogged an outfit that I wasn't happy with to re-use with Juliette. Wish I could tell you the name of the yarn, I lost the ball bands...yikes. I am terrible at documenting my projects. Juliette is a great mindless knit and calmed my anxiety during all the issues we are having in America.

Working on a reproduction quilt that I started last year. I really need to knock off several unfinished projects in order to start all the projects I have in my head. I love to start new projects, then get distracted with something else, misplace pieces to unfinished projects or forget about  said unfinished  project(old age)...yada yada. I think I am back on track now and of course have BIG plans.

MIND DUMP (part 1)

As previous post stated, 'we moved', and moving after 30 years has brought on so many emotions from wanting to stop the entire process to screaming 'I am soo done with this house!"

I don't like BIG change, I married a steady Eddie for a reason-I had a 95% idea of what the day would bring because Eric and I had a plan for our life, and follow it we did!

Most of our life was spent in this house, raising 3 kids that were the best part of our 'plan'. 

I'm not a fan of drama, confusion and general craziness! My home was always, (well, mostly always), a place of calmness, consistency and very little, if any drama. A place of safety, to refill self to go out in the world and do it again. We loved watching calming shows, The Walton's, Little House on the Prairie, and Dr.Quinn. If a little excitement was needed we would binge on North and South,  Lonesome Dove! We played a lot outside, bikes, walks, skiing, gardening etc. 

I loved our life and my house was a BIG part of the LIFE all 5 of us created in our house!

But, onward and forward....part of growing and a big part of growing is learning to 'let go'.

Memories will always be mine of my life and family in that old house, but it is time to settle in with Eric in our new home! Two of the three kids have seen the new house and love it...that really helps.

One part of packing and moving that grabbed my attention, was all the fabric and yarn i managed to acquire in 30 years. Holy Moly!, what was I thinking and how did I fit this all in my house. 

Thank goodness Caitlin was willing to unpack, organized and put all away for me! I now have a actual 'sewing room' and a STORE! Not bad, aye?

Gardening is really over for me this season. No canning, no dehydrating or freezing! My garden next year will be scaled way back and I mean tiny! Another 'letting go' but also a few new beginnings.

23 June 2017

11 April 2017

It's warming up here on the Front Range, windy, but warming. Clothes are going on the line,( nothing calms my soul than seeing clothes on the line), and baby on the grass -thrilled with her sticks. We are outside as much as can be to soak up these tolerable temps and sunshine. I know that soon the temps will rise to high nineties and 100's, totally unsuitable in my book. I must say, I am a cool weather lady. In the heat of summer, I am out only in the wee hours of the morning and I will spend time in the shade on my porch, otherwise I will be found in the basement sewing or knitting.

For the past year my sister and I have been writing to each other at least weekly and often times several letters a week. Letter writing is fast becoming an art of the past. I have found letter writing to be very meditative and soothing. And, who doesn't enjoy a letter? Love it when Eric walks into house, mail in hand, "letter from your sister", it's like manna from heaven. Funny how so many simple things, {clothes on line outside, babies on the grass playing with sticks and letter writing}, bring me such joy.

Happy Spring!!!!!

SOCKS AND WALKS

KNITTING: I am almost done with the second stripy sock for my Minnesota girl. Living up North, hand knit wool socks are essential for keeping those toes warm, both inside and outside! 

[sock pattern is just a vanilla sock, yarn was bought at the Yarnery in Minneapolis.]

WALKING:The Front Range in Colorado has been experiencing rather warm Temps. of late! Baby B and I are out walking as often as we can. I pack our stroller with treats, fluids, diapers and quilts{ for the wind that has been blowing none stop out of the North}. Yesterday we walked a total of 6 miles!! That is a new record for us. B will usually nap for about 30-45 minutes during our walk but then is up pointing at everything and talking non-stop. She is an amazing traveler and loves to be outside in the fresh air, getting her vitamin A and D. Today, we will be walking down to Whole Foods with Grandpa for lunch. Whole Foods, round trip will only be about 4.5-5 miles, though hopefully less wind.

I have never understood the need to pay a gym membership for exercise, all one needs to do is leave the car at home at walk. We walk a lot now, doing simple errands that are within 4 miles round trip. If Eric and I go together we can actually carry home, with ease, a weeks worth of grocery needs.  

And as you can see, I have packing the stroller down to a science.

Please join me for

YARN ALONG 

WEEK-END

Finished the front and the back of my Wolf River sweater on Saturday! The instructions say to block these pieces before sewing together, then add the sleeves. Easy enough, so far I like the sweater, though it looks a little big for my youngest daughter-wait and see.

Saturday afternoon I walked downtown to stand with Planned Parenthood. Over 1000 people showed up for the PP rally....yeah! I love how PP's goal is to see abortions reach ZERO procedures done here in the US. Yes, but in order for that to become a reality they cannot be defunded! All the work they do with Women's Health, GYN checks, Birth Control, cancer screens, STD, etc. and they treat men for all the above,{ except of course GYN checks.}..hehe.  It was wonderful and felt so good to stand with such an AMAZING organization.

I must admit though, I wonder why I have to do this again at my age. When are people going to accept women as an equal and entitled to Women Rights?