Preparing for winter

So a couple weekends ago I woke up to snow.

To get ready this year we bought a birdfeeder for our cat. Our cats don't go outside, and in the winter Gorby gets very sad when she can't see the birds. So we set this up for her,

It's right outside the bay window where she likes to sit, and I can fill it from the deck and I don't have to try to get thru the snow to it. Hopefully it cuts down on her sighing, she actually does sigh when it snows out!

I finished the baby sweater for my co-worker,

Fiber trends pattern #CH-33, Baby Brights. It's a great pattern.

Jim was given a puppet yesterday, it's going to school with him. The cats aren't too sure about it, Shadow wouldn't even pose with Lil' Doc...see the resemblance? :-) Thanks for the puppet Travis!

Half over

The work week is over 1/2 over and we are headed into a busy weekend. We have hockey games to go to, and we also have tickets to a comedy show. I hope to finish some projects up this weekend, I can knit on the sock at the hockey games, just have to get it fixed, I lost a stitch and had to rip back at the last game. Oh bother! I would like to finish one sock and the baby sweater I am working on. And I really do need a pair of mitts to match my new winter coat I got last year, and it's getting cold enough to wear mitts, we've had snow twice, it just didn't stay.

This weekend...

I didn't get the baby sweater done that I wanted to. I did buy an alternate gift for the shower just in case, and it's wrapped and ready to go for the baby shower tomorrow after work. It was decided Thursday to have the baby shower on Monday, and I was caught unprepared. So I think that I will go ahead and make a couple baby sweaters and have them on hand just in case!
The Lakers played their first game on Saturday night and won. It was a great time!

Note Cards for sale!

I have put together a set of 4 notecards. They are pictures I took of beautiful blue handspun on the shores of Lake Superior. They are definately suitable for framing. The actual pictures are 4x6 and the cards are just over 5x7. They are blank, allowing you to write your own sentiments! Each is signed on the back by me, and the cost is $10 per set of 4 (one of each design), and that includes shipping in the United States (email me for international shipping rates). These would definately make a good holiday gift!

Please email me if you wish to order, jandj95@lighthouse.net. I can accept cash funded paypal, money orders, or checks. Wholesale inquiries welcome.

What I've been up to...

I went to the quilt show one weekend and last weekend the fiber fest in West Branch, MI. I didn't buy alot, but it was nice to get out of town for a day. Yesterday work was busy, as it is everyday. I just love that the days at work fly by and we get so much done!
I'm starting to think ahead to this weekend actually, and what I want to get done. I have so many projects and so little time! And Christmas is coming, hard to believe, but it's not that far away anymore!

30 day shred

Ok, I have been challenged. I ordered Jillian Michael's 30 day shred tonight after work. It's 30 days, 30 minutes a day, and we'll see how it goes. It looks intense, and I like Jillian Michael, so I will give it a go. It's not a big commitment afterall!

In the window

So tonight there must have been some action outside the bay window.Shadow didn't want her picture taken, but she was too lazy to move. She spent all day with me yesterday, I didn't feel well and she must have known it, she napped with me and when I came out to sit on the couch she got out of bed and followed me. If you knew Shadow, you would realize this was a huge effort. :-)

Friday, beautiful Friday

I am ready for the weekend! I have knitting to do and I have spinning to do and I plan on spinning on the deck for a bit Saturday. Jim has golf and I have all day to myself to just sit and relax and knit. He'll be having plenty of fun himself. Still trying to spin up the 3 pounds of CVM I bought years ago. It's alot of wool. It's so pretty, soothing, soft. I want to get it used up so that when I go to here: http://www.lambandwoolfestival.com/index.html I can get some more wool and it will actually fit in the space I have. Although wool is rather easy to squeeze into smaller spots.

Let us not forget today's date and those who died in the terrorist attacks.

Our Anniversary!

14 years ago today Jim and I were married. Yesterday I was surprised when he brought flowers to me at work, they are very pretty. For some reason I am not able to upload the pics, but maybe later.
It's very foggy this morning, but at least it's Wednesday!

Knitting with cotton

I am currently trying to finish up a tank I started a couple months ago. It's knit with cotton and I find that my hands hurt after knitting on it for any length of time. Probably because the cotton doesn't have the "give" that wool does. I have made great progress, it is knit in the round until you reach the v-neck. I did add 1" of length to the body after reading the comments on Ravelry about the pattern. I had ordered 1 extra ball of yarn so adding the length was not a problem.
So now I shall put it up for the night and spin while I watch Nascar.

Lindy's Prayer Shawl

I made this shawl for a co-worker's daughter. Here are the pics:

And here is the recipe:

Finished size, approx. 24" x 64". I did not measure my gauge, you want a fabric that drapes well.

(3) skeins Lion Brand Homespun

(1) circular needle, size 11 (I use circs because they are easier on my wrists, you can use straights if you like)

CO 63 sts.

Row 1: *K3, P3, rpt from * to end.

Repeat row 1 until you are almost out of yarn, bind off. Weave in ends. Very simple, I found knitting this to be very relaxing.

Progress

I made progress on the shawl last night I am knitting out of Lion Brand Homespun. It's very nice. I should make alot of progress on it tonight, I plan on getting caught up on laundry and knitting is great for when I'm doing that. The shawl will eventually use 3 skeins, I am not doing fringe on this one because the intended recipient has a great dane and I just think the fringe would not last. This weekend maybe I can get the socks finished? And maybe the quilt for the wall of the guest room? We'll see!

Planned failed...

Well, not all the way. I did knit on the shawl, and I tied in the last skein of yarn tonight. We sat out on our new deck and watched the moon, drank coffee. It's 50 degrees here tonight. I was warm with the shawl spilling over my lap.
Since I don't have a pic of anything I was working on this weekend, here is a scarf I finished a week or so ago for a co-worker. It's worsted weight, Cascade 220 actually.

I like to make things for people I work with. I appreciate the people I work with. We all work very hard to take care of the clients, and I want my co-workers to know that what they do is noticed.

Although I didn't get anything finished, we did get the first coat of paint on the foundation. I am hoping that we finish up the outside work this coming week, since it is going to be turning nasty weather wise sooner rather than later. One more coat of paint on the foundation, and the lattice under the deck and the railing. We got alot done this summer and it looks really nice. Here is before we painted the foundation,

and here is the after:

Once the lattice is up you won't be able to see the blue under the deck. And next summer we will have a sidewalk put in, and landscape between the sidewalk and the front of the house.

The plan

Here is the plan. It's Saturday morning and I have a ton of UFO's. I think I can safely say I can get 3 done this weekend. There is a pair of socks I am making for a Christmas gift, a shawl with Lion Brand Homespun, and a wallhanging that just needs the binding finished. I think I can safely say I can get all those done. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so I am going to run to the grocery and get some food and I'll be set. I am still getting over my cold, so I think a weekend of laying low and hot baths and tea is just the ticket.

Quite the crappy day

I just had a crappy day. I still have my cold and don't feel well, and on top of that we still don't know about cuts at work. We are all hoping that no one loses their job, but in reality we don't know. At this point we are all just plugging along and making sure our clients get what they need while we wait. It's very stressful.
So today I came home, after having to run to the grocery in the rain, and I got out my wheel after dinner. My beautiful wheel that I rescued after answering an ad in the classifieds. She was covered in splatters of paint and the wood was so dry. I took her home and oiled her and used the finest steel wool I could find to get the paint off without damaging the finish. She's pretty. A bit picky at times, not wanting to take right off and spin. Just tonight when I was trying to get her going she gave a bit of an attitude. See, it's been probably a year since I did any spinning. And she protested and teased a bit before she took off and started whirling for me. But I spent a nice peaceful hour with her tonight, and I left her in the corner of the living room so tomorrow, when I get home from another crappy day, she's ready to sooth.

Dew on the web

Before I left for work this morning I discovered a spider web with dew, and it was so pretty. I ended up getting out the ladder to get some better pics of it. Jim likes this one,

But I like this one better,

because it was my willow tree behind it. My willow tree is huge!

Choosing a charity to knit for

I am in the midst of trying to choose a charity to knit for. There are so many that I would like to make things for, and I know I can knit for more than one, but I would like to pick a charity I support and focus my efforts. I have narrowed it down to two. One is here in the U.S., one is in afghanistan. I am going to be using wool, I love to knit with wool. I just can't decide between the two. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? I have been told to keep things in the states, but I watched Generation Islam and when I saw the orphanages in Afghanistan it broke my heart. I am grateful for what I have and I know I have so much and I want to give back. And let's face it, I have plenty of yarn to do it with! I guess part of it is I can't stand the thought of anyone being cold. Living where I do, I know that warm clothing isn't a luxury.
A bit of a rambling post, but I would like to get some more opinions on this.

What happens when I am at work

Evidently this it what happens when I am at work.

Jim makes the bed and 2 of the cats immediately claim it for themselves. It's rough to be a cat in our house. :-) (Notice the extra quilt folded up under them so they can have extra padding so they are definately comfy)

And Jim got the foundation powerwashed, and the steps made, now he just has to put in the risers and then we need a rail, lattice and the foundation painted. Today it's really raining though so he has a repreive, I have a feeling we will be working on the house this weekend.

Wednesday

The middle of the week, only 2 more days to get up early. I have tons to do at work but I would really rather just go back to bed. :-) I think Jim is going to paint the foundation this week, it's supposed to rain on Saturday, so maybe we will finish that up together on Sunday. Then it's the steps for the deck, and the railing and the lattice for underneath. The steps are going to be wide, and are going to be low, so that one doesn't have to lift your foot very high to get to the next step. We want them like that so it's easier for people with mobility issues to get in and out of the house. Maybe this weekend I can find some furniture for out there too, everything is going on clearance up here!

Update on the deck

The deck is wonderful! We just have to add rails, lattice (to keep larger critters from living underneath), and steps. It went together very well, thanks to our great neighbors who helped out.

(We left the old porch underneath. Once the lattice is up you won't see it, and it will make a great spot for the chipmunks to nest. I love watching them. :-)

Here are the neighbors who helped us with this project. Bill on the left, (Jim in the middle) and Randy on the right. They also helped with the siding. Randy knows all about how to do this stuff for yourself, and Bill provided ALOT of manual labor. Jim and I are both thankful for all the help.

All that is left to do for this summer is to paint the foundation, that blue has got to go!

Michael Vick in the NFL again???

NOOO!!!! I don't get it. I know some people are saying he paid his debt, etc etc. But please, playing in the NFL isn't a right, he can get a job and work like everyone else. Kids look up to sports figures, and I wouldn't want any child to think it's ok to do what he did. If you feel the same way, go to http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/fanzone/contactus.asp and comment.

The beginning of the deck

I was able to take 4 hours of vacation this afternoon, and I got to come home and help set the posts for the deck.

There won't be much action till this weekend now, when we actually get to put the flooring of the deck down. Jim is going to back fill around the posts tomorrow. And yes, we have purchased paint to paint over the blue of the foundation, it's 10% darker than the siding. You have to love the technology they have now to mix paint.

We're building a deck!

When Jim did the siding he took the front porch off the house. So now we are going to put a small deck on the front in place of it. I am very excited about this. It's going to be 10' by 10', enough room to sit a small table out there and I can knit and watch what is going on in the neighborhood. Which isn't much, we live on a quiet street, but the front of the house gets sun in the morning, which will be nice if I want to sit out and have a mug of tea and get some rays. :-) But we shall build that this weekend, and I am going to help. So look out for pictures!

Almost done....

The siding is almost complete. Tonight we will go purchase the paint for the foundation. And this weekend we will put the deck on the front. Or Jim will put the deck on the front and I will assist in clean up and food preparation. :-) It will be nice to get this all complete before winter, which is rapidly approaching. Hard to believe we are headed into our 3rd winter here. Jim said this winter he is going to gut my craft room and do it however I want. We will see how that goes. I am not sure how I want it to be, but it gives me something to think about. I do think that I want an extra bed in there, a day bed to stretch out on and work on projects and relax. Any thoughts?

Stitch N' Pitch

So last weekend we headed down to Grand Rapids, MI for Stitch n' Pitch at the Whitecaps game. The first stop was http://www.city-knitting.com/. They were having a sale on sock yarn. And they were really nice...a great shop that I recommend if you are in the area.

I indulged just a little bit. :-) And then on Sunday we went to the game. I knit on a sock,

And I got to eat some good food. I even had a roasted ear of corn on the cob, sold by this vendor.

I don't know why, but the site of that corn cart just cracked me up...every time it went by.

More of Zoe...

Here is a nice pic of Zoe.
Their cat, Phoebe, wasn't that thrilled with our visit. :-)

Zoe

Jim and I went to Grand Rapids this weekend for a baseball game. We met up with our friends, Gregg & Kathy, and we got to meet Zoe. Zoe is a Boston Terrier, and she is a great dog. They got her from a rescue group, and she does a few tricks, and I apologize that the video is sideways, I couldn't figure out how to flip it, and it is late.

Friday again

The weather appears to be cool and rainy again, which has been normal for us this July in the Upper Peninsula. I like the cool, don't miss the Ohio heat at all. And tomorrow is already August 1st, which doesn't seem possible. Which means we are closer to another winter. This will be our 3rd, which also doesn't seem possible! I have plenty of wool and yarn, and fabric for quilts. I could get snowed in for a week and still not run out of things to do!
I have finished one sock lately and I am going to start the second. Jim has been working on the siding, found some rotten wood that needed replaced when he took the porch off the front. We are going to have a small deck on the front, and eventually the deck on the back might be a bit bigger. When we do have nice weather we love to be outside!

A new game

I tried a new game tonight but the cats didn't like it.

So in the end I put the sock yarn back in the new bins I bought to store it, since the cats don't want to play and sit pretty in the bins for a picture.

The siding begins

Jim worked all weekend on the siding. I was clean up, and responsible for bringing water and food. It looks good!

We aren't quite sure what we are doing with the foundation, just painting it or putting a faux rock on it. All I know is Jim is doing a great job and it looks soooo much better!

What kind of bird is this???

This bird was at the neighbor's, and I got a few pics before it flew away. My guess is a Common Flicker, yellow shafted form...a female. It was quite large.

The last picture is the best, although the second pic shows the red on the back of the head. Very cool!

Mackinaw City

We were able to get away Sunday night, and came home on Monday. We met up with some friends from Ohio in Mackinaw City. Here are the first few pics:

These are 2 of the ferries headed over to Mackinac Island. And here is my sock in progress, I got to sit on the beach and knit!

Monday we went to Ft. Michilimackinac (http://www.mightymac.org/michilimackinac.htm) and I spotted some yarn and some drop spindles:
More pics to come, we certainly had a good time!

Random thoughts early in the day!

I work today and tomorrow and I am off for 5 in a row. I am excited about that because it's been quite awhile before I was off for that long and it's going to be nice to be off for Jim's birthday. I can bake his cake, I wrapped his gifts yesterday. I can make homemade spaghetti sauce Busia style.
And of course I will knit. I almost have a pair of socks done and I am anxiously awaiting the information on level 1 of the master knitter's course. I have wanted to do it for years and finally ordered the materials last week. (www.tkga.com). I am looking forward to the challenge, and the fun of it!

Sock Yarn Addiction

Ok, I have a problem. First, a completed pair of socks I gave to a co-worker.

Now, for the problem. Here are the balls of sock yarn I have.

Yes, quite a few. Opal, Regia, etc, etc. Some to knit boy socks, some to knit girl socks. The next ones are Lorna's Laces, but they are special because I designed the colorways when I lived in Ohio for the local yarn shop and they were dyed for the shop. Sunsets, from left to right, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Love Lorna's. See all of my Lorna's Laces together:

And then for the rest of the handpaints and odds & ends:

Yes, a bit of an issue when I count it all up. Enough yarn to knit 71 pair of socks, plus some. But I love sock yarn and can't quite stop myself. :-) And there are worse things.

Busy weekend!

It has been another busy weekend, quilting and cleaning and getting ready for another week at work. Last weekend we were able to go to Ohio to visit, we went to a graduation and then an open house. I also got to see my Godson and his brother, my Godson by proxy. I have no idea really what that means, just that what I do for Bradley I do for Zac.

That is Bradley on the left and Zac on the right. We also hit a deer on the way down on I 69,

Amazingly enough the car was still in good shape to drive, and we were able to continue on our way. The estimate came in at $2800, and the car will be fixed next week after the parts come in. Thankfully we were not hurt and Jim was driving, which was a good thing. And thank goodness we have insurance!

Today I accomplished a bit...

I washed and ironed the backing for our new winter quilt, so now I can get that dropped off to Chris at the Quilted Moose. I pin basted my bargello quilt that will be a wall hanging in our guest room. I finished sewing 2 pillowcases, I knit on my tank top, and started repairing a sweatshirt that had lace on it, the lace was wore out so I am crocheting new and sewing it in wear the old lace was. That project has top priority, so it will be completed by Tuesday night. It's still chilly here (47 degrees when I drove past the locks a bit over an hour ago), and I am sure the owner wants it back ASAP. :-) Tomorrow it's back to work, but I don't go in till 11:30 so I will be able to get some extra sleep in the morning.

Winter Quilt

I have finished our winter quilt top, just need to get the batting and the backing and get it to Chris at The Quilted Moose for quilting. I started this in our mystery star class, we learned how to use the Easy Angle 2. I love it! It makes piecing stars easy. The top is about 88 x 95, and it has 5 stars, one large one in the center and 4 smaller ones in the corners. The blue fabric is a Debbie Mumm from last holiday season, I must have liked it because I bought 5 yards when it was on clearance after last Christmas! It has polar bears on it. I have plenty of fabric left to make a cover for our large pillow and some pillowcases.

Nothing better than a cozy quilt to cover up with in the winter.
This weekend the weather is gorgeous. We are meeting Paige & the kids here in a bit to go bowling, should be entertaining...and then probably dinner.

Coming up, a three day weekend!!!

I am really ready for a 3 day weekend. Until I started working full time I never realized how important weekends are. You can rest and get caught up on things for the coming week. I love weekends. I have started reading a new novel, The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva. Had a hard time putting it down last night to go to sleep! So this weekend I will be spending time on the deck (weather permitting) reading that. And we'll be grilling out as much as possible. And I do have plenty of knitting and quilting to do also!

New on the needles

I have started knitting a tank top for myself, in Alaskan Blue. It's this one:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTsoleil.html. I think it will be a quick knit, in the round and only 2 seams to sew at the end. I made a top for the senior dinner earlier this month and I rather enjoyed wearing something that I had made for myself. I have made so many things and given them away, I think it's time I started knitting for myself.
This weekend I am taking a quilt classs at the Quilted Moose. It's a Mystery Star, and this quilt shall be our winter quilt for our bed. Jim is going to the shop tomorrow to finish picking out the fabrics for it, so it shall be a bit of a surprise when I get home tomorrow to see what he has picked out. He is very good at matching fabrics for quilts, so I know I will be pleasantly surprised. :-)

Cell Phone Cozies

I had a question about a pattern for the cell phone cozies. There isn't a "pattern" there is a panel you can buy from Chris at the Quilted Moose (http://quiltedmooseshop.com/?page_id=4), the panel isn't that expensive and you can make 3 cozies from it. You just iron it on your fabric and sew on the lines...very nice! :-)

Graduation weekend!

Well, another year has gone by, hard to believe we have been here 2 years, and another group of students are on their way to start careers. Jim and I both are very proud of the students, I have met alot of them and it's nice to see them excited about starting their lives, careers...some are engaged, we've been told to hold some dates on our calendar! We are really blessed to be able to share in the lives of so many wonderful people.
We spent part of today cleaning up the yard, I started digging up the raspberry bushes in the back corner. That area of the yard is such a mess, and it's time to get things cleaned up back there. Jim cleaned up the side of the garage, and now we just have to clean out behind the garage and it will look so much better.