Art Knitting

It was a beautiful day. The group of knitters was small, but enthusiastic. We made knitted or crocheted flowers and leaves.

I'd never knitted an oak leaf before.

All ages and skill levels were included and curious on-lookers stopped by to see what was going on. I hope we have a larger turn out on May 12th. This could turn into a movement. Knitters Unite!

Yarn Garden

 Picture from the internet

This sounds interesting.

Yarn Garden Knitting: Saturday, April 28 and Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Alex Thomas Plaza, in downtown Ukiah. Knit or crochet flowers, leaves and squares for the Yarn Garden. All yarn will be supplied. Bring knitting needles and crochet hooks, and a folding chair. All ages, all skill levels and both genders are welcome. Leaves, flowers, grass and paving stones made from yarn will make up the garden, plus lights and a fountain. The Yarn Garden installation will be shown at the Arts Council of Mendocino County in Ukiah for the month of June 2012.

Another Doll Quilt

I seem to make one of these doll quilts every couple of years. Here is the last one and the one before that. I have a shoebox FULL of cut 2" squares; so it's easy to sew them in pairs as leaders and enders while I'm working on another project. Since this one was made while I was piecing Star Struck Again, it got a yellow and green border.

Webbing the Top

Once all the quilt blocks are pieced, how do you sew the top together? I used to lay it all out on the floor and go back and forth between the layout and the sewing room, but it was slow going and I'd have to pick it up each time I was done for the day.

 
Now after I lay out the blocks I stack them in order, label the stacks with the row number and take them to the sewing machine. I sew the short rows (vertical) without cutting the thread between the seams. That way the top is webbed together and I can press and sew the long rows whenever I want. It works really well... unless someone comes in and curls up on the partially sewn stacks for a nap! Then the whole system gets thrown off and it's harder to figure out where you are than you would imagine...

Once I got the short rows together, I laid it out one more time. I found out I was short a row of blocks. How did that happen? Back to sewing more blocks.

This pattern creates bonus triangles which I'm going to use for a pieced border, so I started sewing the little hst's at the beginning and end of each row of blocks. Might as well get started on these puppies, there are a lot of 'em.

I got the long rows sewn and the whole top pressed. Yay! Time to audition fabrics for the borders. Love it.

But when I looked at the top set 6 blocks x 7 I thought, "It sorta looks like it needs another row of blocks, it's not long enough". Back to sewing more blocks. It's not rocket science, but I sure seem to be having my share of problems and set backs. The last time I made this quilt it was such a fun, no-think-um pattern. Still teaching myself how to quilt again.

Guild Block of the Month

I decided to do the block of the month for May. Not because I want to win the drawing, but because I wanted to practice working with pink. Rosebud.

Lupin

*K5, P5, repeat from *

I was helping a new knitter with the purl stitch yesterday, so we cast on a Checkerboard dishcloth. What a great little project to practice knit and purl on.

Then my son's fiancee' sent me a picture of her checkerboard dishcloth. I love how the variegated cotton creates stripes in the pattern. Fun! We're having an impromptu Knit Along (KAL). :)

 

Live In the Moment

Montgomery Woods Visit

Sunday we made our some-what annual Spring visit to Montgomery Woods State Park. After the recent rains the creeks were wonderfully full and lots of wild flowers were out.

There's something so soothing about a visit to the redwoods.

Evan's First Easter

Suddenly Evan is Mr. Personality.

Wearing matching gray shirts with Daddy. We celebrated DH's birthday Saturday and the Lord's resurrection Sunday. It was a great visit.

In My Yard

Photos by Frank Roberts

Nap Attack

I got a gently used air mattress recently and wanted to find out if it had any leaks. I had help.

Fiber Find

Yesterday I helped our church youth group set up their annual yard sale. O.M.Gosh. I found a cache of vintage yarn remnants that included a dozen balls of crème colored goodness. So soft and shiny!

I researched Reynolds Sonata on Google and the trademark expired in 1985. (!) I was looking for fiber content and washability. A search of Ravelry’s yarn db shows it’s 54% linen, 46% cotton. Just right for summer knitting.

Buttons Make the Statement

This is our grandson's first Easter. I'm looking forward to the family visit and a special dinner honoring DH's birthday and the resurrection of our Lord. I put the finishing touches on this cardigan for Evan. 

So I got out the button box to choose buttons, a vintage Whitman's tin. I'm such a sucker for collectible tins.

My Mom taught me to save buttons and I have all my life. When a shirt or blouse wore out, we'd remove the buttons before throwing it away. But that adds up over time. This is about a fourth of the collection.
 

 

I've often thought that shoes really define an outfit, but buttons also make a statement.

 

These are shell buttons and pick up the colors of the variegated yarn really nicely.

Well then I got drawn into grouping and sorting the buttons. It was as absorbing as working a jigsaw puzzle; turn each piece over, see if you can find a match, remember color, shade and shape.

 

This is only part of what I grouped. I got completely spread out on the kitchen table using jelly roll pans and cookie sheets, it went on for days! But eventually I decided enough was enough and it was time to put it away and do something else. When I was little, Mom showed me how to use a needle and thread to group the buttons on string and tie them into a bundle; but that's slow going.

 

So I used these mini ziplock bags instead.

A fun rainy day activity.

To-do List

These days I have mental tension to one degree or another, like a constant companion I can't entirely shake. I practice calm, deep breathing and letting go, it minimizes the dizziness and ringing in my ears. I've thought about the fact I used to be an administrative assistant for as many as six people at a time at the County Office of Education; organizing their calendars, travel schedules, billing, print jobs, tracking details, etc, etc, etc. If it makes me crazy, I don't want to do it anymore.

So today I figured I'd go into town and run 'a few errands', but I wasn't going to make a list, because nothing had to get done.

 

I started at the local Post Office, dropped off Netflix, mailed a get well card and bought stamps for bill paying.

Then I drove to town and went to the Sheriff’s office to dispose of expired prescription medications. The nice lady at the counter told me I was at the Correction Facility and I needed to go two driveways down to the Administration office. Finally found it, the address facing the street was obscured by bushes.

Next I went to the a local gift shop to exchange my ceramic teapot because it’s developed fine cracks throughout and leaks tea onto the counter. I’ve had it almost a year. She did exchange it, but said whatever warranty it had was long ago expired. Perhaps, but a teapot shouldn’t leak!

I stopped in at Lucky’s grocery store, which I don’t know the lay out of, found the restroom, then got buns for dinner – pulled pork sandwiches.

I went to the Credit Union and paid our monthly credit card statement from savings and withdrew cash from checking, noted the transaction in the bank book.

I decided to go to the Transfer Station (aka: the dump) next and then Beverly’s Crafts for new knitting needles, since Beverly’s was going to feel fun after all these errands.
I wanted disposing of my e-waste to feel like this: 

Instead it was like this:

E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.

It wasn’t hard, or embarrassing, though I had to do my own lifting and unloading. But I wasn't happy or comfortable as I hurked two dead microwaves, two CRT monitors and a stereo receiver into the pile. I decided I felt guilty. We are bombarded with messages about ‘keeping it out of the landfill’. I told myself the transfer station processes stuff and it’s better than sitting in the bushes somewhere! But I don’t really know where old microwaves and monitors go to die. – And seeing all that TRASH is just depressing, we are such a throw away society.

By then it was 11:45 so I stopped for a sandwich. Man did I need that. Felt better afterward, that and 12 ozs of water.

Then at Beverly’s, bought size 10 knitting needles for a new project and used this month’s 40% off coupon. Yay! I was so ready to head home. Sometimes running errands feels like a job in itself.

Once home I corralled the items we’re donating to the annual church yard sale; an easy chair, sub-woofer, vinyl suitcase, quartz heater, and Sony large screen TV; and called the church to suggest Ralph bring someone to help him load the truck. Then I pulled my DS2's 13 year old bike out of the shed, hauled it around front, hosed it off and wiped it down. Then I gave the vinyl seat and handle grips a once over with a light lubricate. It looks 100% better. 

The men from the church just came and hauled all that stuff away. I think I need a nap.