Category Archive: Life
Early spring
After church and lunch today, we took a drive and walk to see how much spring has sprung. We were surprised at how many trees and flowers are blooming. Above is a cherry, The plums are also starting to bloom.
These camellias, which should be starting about now, are already far along.
Unknown, but pretty, 
Here is a very pretty ground cover, and the daisies were also blooming.
We often call these tulip trees, but I’m thinking they may be magnolia trees.
This park makes me ready for summer.
Even the daffodils are blooming. We saw a rhododendron in bloom, but it was getting too dark to photograph.
The trees and flowers are really jump starting this spring. February is often our cold and icy month. Today. we enjoyed our Creator’s handiwork.
Dish/wash cloth #2
I went to JoAnn’s and didn’t find what I wanted, so off to Wal-Mart and they didn’t have it either. Then, after running around, I thought to look on the internet. Guess what!. The colors I wanted aren’t made in the yarn I wanted. So now that I’ve hit a wall, I really didn’t feel like working on one of the larger projects and I needed a cheery color, so I chose this project.
I was knitting away on this when DH noticed it looked like one I made earlier. He informed me that I can’t show you this because it looks like the last one. It is the same pattern, Almost Lost, but a different color. I used a larger needle on this as well. Apparently, he thinks this blog should be for helping you to understand how things are made. So I’ll add a bit of that with this. So here comes the learning part. I used a Peaches and Cream cotton.
I thought I was done with this, when I noticed after petal #6, I had one petal upside down (on the bottom).
I ripped out to just before this photo (forgot to take photo of mistake).
So the learning is going to have to be to watch more closely what I’m doing. It ripped out quite easily for which I was thankful. Some of the sock yarns aren’t so forgiving.
A new pair of socks
This pair of socks is being created from Sock it to me Collection, Puzzle sock yarn into a pattern entitled “Game of Thrones – House Targaryen” by Christine Pike. I’m hoping I can get them done by the end of February, but this is a short month and there are a few other items I want to accomplish as well. I think it will take more rainy days than I see on my phone. I do see 4 rainy days scheduled, so maybe, just maybe.
Gift basket
I had fun this afternoon with this little basket. The pattern comes from the Accuquilt company and right now is free. So you might want to hurry over there. Just double click on the red and it will come up. Then you can put it in your files. It was easy to make. They have you make it strippy as they want you to use their cutter. I did make mine according to their pattern and because it is reversible, turned mine inside out and I like it better with all one fabric. There are 6 different sizes included.
The front one on their pattern, which is the one I did, starts with a 15″ square and ended finished with a 5″ cube. Press a piece of fusible fleece to each the outside and the lining. Sew the appropriate corners and putting right sides together , sew around the top. Be sure and leave at least 1/2 of one side of the top open for turning. Also I made sure that my corner seams were going opposite directions so there was less bulk. After turning, put the baskets together and topstitch around the top. 
This is the strippy version. I love this little basket and will put my small rulers in it so that I have a chance of finding them. In the top basket, you see my 4.5″ ruler and even the 6.5″ ruler will fit in there, but makes it a bit oblong. The pattern includes cutting instructions for a 4.5 to 9.5″ baskets.
These baskets will also be perfect for gift giving. Cookies anyone? Yes, I will be making several more for myself as well as for gifts.
Shopping
The sun is shinning brightly again today and I think there’s a touch of spring fever in the air, though we could still find ourselves with hard frosts until mid April. Mary came over and we went shopping. Goodwill netted us nothing. But here at JoAnn’s I found 8 skeins of baby yarn I wanted and 1/4 yard of Seahawks fabric. Hard to believe, but I limited myself to 1/4 yard which is already cut out, therefore making myself another ufo, since I am in no rush to finish that project until fall.
These were the only colors of baby yarn we found. I would like two more, but will start with these.
Remember last week, I ordered 10 skeins of cotton yarn for wash cloths because I was all out. Not really though, because today I came across this box and most of these are the cottons “I didn’t have”. None of you have ever had that problem, right?
Gift making time
Perhaps if we just make a couple small things each month, we’ll be ready for birthdays and Christmas. So here is my 2015 start. This was fun. 
Thank you Judy S for telling me about this washcloth pattern in your comment. I couldn’t let that slide by, so I printed it . You know what happened next. I started this green one this morning, working on it in the sun because honestly I didn’t want to get to work. Then I took it up again when in the car waiting for DH at the chiropractor. The larger one took yarn left over from 3 previous washcloths that I had made. It took leftovers from three to make the larger green one. The purple one is cosmetic size removal size and only took leftover from one previous cloth. Here is a photo so you get the idea of size difference. (I don’t block washcloths).
So now I have started this year’s gift stash.
Dragonflies, butterflies, and potted tomatoes
The tomatoes now have larger pots, most of which they can stay in for two months. By then we should be past any chance of freezing. There are more tomatoes to pot up plus some peppers, but I need to find more gallon pots before that can happen.
This afternoon, I took the time to finish this quilt as it is due the end of the month. There were a couple suggestions that I stay with black on the borders and bindings which I did and like. I also like how the variegated thread brings out the flight pattern.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2015
I found these darling little knit hearts on Ravelry as a free download. It is too late to have time to knit them for this year, but they would make a small delightful summer project. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the Ravelry site
Here’s another fun idea. U made these a couple years ago and don’t see that they are still available. But you can put the words in your embroidery machine or do it by hand. Just sew around, stuff and close the hole you on the side where you inserted the stuffing.
Mother’s Flowers
Mother loved flowers and this print is remnants from the last housecoat I remember her having. I decided this would be a great quilt for me to keep, since it has memories, so I bound it completely by machine as I intend to use it and throw it in the washer and dryer.
I gave the bees another box today and was a bit careless – not a good thing around bees. For that mistake, one of the young ladies nailed me right under the chin. Currently, the bees are very plentiful and I think if I had not given them another box, they might have been getting ready to swarm. I really don’t want to lose them. And next week, I’ll be a bit more cautious.
We planted a few more potatoes from the box that was all roots and pulled out the raspberries that were growing in the aisle. Hopefully Sunday we will get the rest of the potatoes and garlic in the ground.