Posts

This and That

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Hello!  I hope you all are doing fine this Friday morning, I sure am.  I'm loving the green on my walks and the warmer weather.  Of course a heat wave is coming so I'm soaking up the temperate temperatures while I can.  Once it's 85 degrees, I'll be hiding in my house again.  On our walk this week we saw a turkey vulture (above photo).  I was pleased I could get a photo of him/her with my iphone, usually when I zoom in I lose the integrity of the composition. I mentioned on Wednesday that I wanted to finish a cross stitch project within a week.  I have over half of it done already so my goal is attainable if I work on it daily instead of knitting all the time.  I'll keep you up to date on the progress.  I spent way too much time shopping for frames online.  It's so much easier to pop into a craft store and zip through an aisle and choose.  I hope they ship the frame soon! Holly's first sneak by Yesterday Holly insisted on slinking by the ot

Heels and Toes Socks

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Ah, a pair of s ocks finished for when autumn leaves are falling.  I bought this yarn when I was visiting my sister last November.  I was attracted to that brilliant yellow and new I needed a pair of socks.  Who knew I would be treasuring that memory of browsing a store without a care in the world! The sock pattern is a memorized pattern with 64 stitches cast on on size 2 needles constructed from the cuff down.  The body of the leg consists of four rows of stockinette and two rows of 2x2 rib.  Easy peasy. What are you working on this week? I have high hopes of finishing a cross stitch project in less than a week.  It's a daring goal.

Weekends

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How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good over all.  Saturday was picture-perfect weather with blue skies and warm low humidity weather.  I had the back door opened all day long.  Even the birds sang louder than ever rejoicing in the day.  My husband opened the pool and has slowly been turning a dark green pool into a blue pool.  He is nearly done.  I doubt anyone will be swimming anytime soon since the pool is 57 degrees.  On Saturday I read all day while doing some knitting.  Saturday night started the knitting woes.  I had to rip out about 7-8 rows on the shawl I'm working on.  Apparently I cannot count!  So three hours were lost ripping out and knitting back up what was ripped out.  However, I am back on track. Sunday morning I repaired one of my husband's  hand-knitted socks.  That took 45 minutes undoing the bind off and figuring out where I was (which is easy since I knit the toe down to 16 stitches). He has another pair of socks that I've been mean

Finding Joy

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How has your week been?  Did you find joy?  I hope so.  Thank you all for the lovely comments on my shawl, this tiny blogging world is wonderful!  This week started out with winter coats and today it will be nearly 80 degrees.  On our daily walks we've seen an oriole, an indigo bunting and a woodpecker.  To be honest, my husband sees them first then I'm trying to follow where he is pointing lagging behind in my birdwatching skills. I'm finding joy in the every day.  Sure these days seem to run together blurring lines and becoming a bit of a blob.  But then, I schedule myself out with some blocked time of purposeful creativity and then 'poof' the day feels different.  As I mentioned in my Weekends post, I read all day Saturday and that made Saturday feel like Saturday. gift from my daughter and son in law I'm finding joy in rearranging all my art supplies, rotating out watercolor paint sets and flipping through art journals.  It's been over a ye

Sand and Stone Shawl

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I finished my citron shawl !  On Saturday night I was casting off about a billion stitches and was concerned about the amount of yarn that was left.  I was left with about 18 inches of wool....that was a close one. Yesterday I had troubles photographing the shawl.  For one, it was a dismal dark day, so I have to go from room to room trying to find scraps of light.  Secondly, lace weight is hard to photograph because of how see through it is. I've tucked this shawl away for the fall weather since spring is trying it's very best to arrive and stay.  Ravelry notes  What are you working on this week?

Weekends

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This was the 'bestest' weekend yet.  I'm breaking grammar rules just because I can.  Yesterday we had brilliant sunshine and a nice enough day to sit outside.  Since sunny days seem to be scant this spring season, I'm bottling up all the memories of the days that defy rain. Saturday I sat and read half of a book and finished it.  Reading a book all day made Saturday feel like Saturday.  My daughter and I are reading Middlemarch together so I needed to tidy up my current reading list to make room for an 880 page book. I'm also reading a memoir,  A River in Darkness, about a man who escapes North Korea. Today is my catch up day on the computer and visit all of you who visit me who have a blog!! How was your weekend? PS:  Frodo's groomer has opened an online shop and I've added the link to my sidebar.  If you have a lovely canine pet, she sells the best toys and treats to be found!!

Springtime Memories

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Usually I write about how the month May reminds me of my grandmother and her garden.  I've written about her many times during this month and decided to expand my memories and write about other memories. I grew up going to Catholic schools and May was THE month when we all knew the school year was ending.  On warm days during high school,  the teachers would open the windows and I would struggle to focus on the lessons because my eyes would wonder to the windows and my mind would follow willingly to wishful thinking of being outdoors. Ordinarily I disliked gym class but in May we would play softball (outside!) and I would eagerly get into my gym uniform quickly so I could be outside as much as possible.  Every single class we attended, we would beg our teachers to have our class outside.  They nearly always said 'no' but I remember once a teacher said 'yes' much to our amazement. In Biology High School class we were allowed to walk the grounds looking

Knitting News

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This post is brought to you by the color PINK.  (Sesame street reference).  Pink is a color I least knit with and rarely wear.  However I was inspired by my flowering apple tree to dig out some pink cotton yarn from deep stash to start another cardigan .  As always I am wondering if I have enough yarn but I could make 3/4 sleeves.  Ah, the thrills I seek while being home bound. My other new knitting project is a Helen Stewart shawl  using a pink gradient (the last one in my stash).  This shawl will be a holiday gift and I know the recipient will love it.  Pink is her color. Yesterday was a really good day because I started two new projects while knowing full well I have two projects that are close to being finished.  What are you working on this week?

Weekends

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My Weekend contained: walks on the dirt road phone calls from the kids an afternoon of painting and some photography enjoying the brilliant sunshine and warm weather lots of reading and knitting a gigantic deep clean of the bedroom moving furniture dusting and vacuuming  (and I am sore from head to toe) putting together the back yard swing and the patio umbrella baking another loaf of banana bread How was your weekend?

Blooming Violets

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Good morning!  How has your week been?  This week was probably my best week to date with being productive and focusing on what I want to accomplish each day.  Also yesterday while it was tipping down buckets of rain, I really didn't lament about it. Usually I whine and whine (out loud and to myself) about the clouds and the dreariness of it all. Can't say why yesterday was a non-whining day but it made for a great mental attitude day in my head. The violets are blooming as well as my flowering apple tree and my dogwood trees, I hope to get out this weekend and get some photos during some partly sunny hours.  The forecast is looking quite summery and maybe we will get the swing and lawn furniture out so we can sit in nature. The above photo is Holly looking at her beloved nemesis.  She checks in on Frodo every morning sometimes sitting within one foot of him (he's under the ottoman).  I know Frodo knows that she is there, I'd like to believe he likes her com