Level 1 complete!

I rec'd word, I have completed level 1 of the master knitter course. I have ordered level 2, but it is being revised so I have to wait. I was going to take a break but Jim convinced me to keep going or I would never finish it. So of course I listened to my husband. :-) While I wait for it to arrive I have plenty of other projects to do. My studio remodel will begin this coming spring I believe, so I want to use up some materials so it's easier to clear the room. I think I have decided what I want the room to look like, but of course that is subject to change. I want my studio to be well organized, and comfortable to work in for hours. The desk my dad built me will be tucked in the cut out by the closet, Jim will make it a bit wider so it will fit. The closet will be outfitted so I can store my stuff, and I do think that one whole wall will be cabinets so that I will never run out of storage. (Never say never? :-)

15 years ago

15 years ago today I was in our rental house in Ohio and I heard a kitten yelling her head off. We found her in the lilac bush, and then she went under the neighbor's deck. We used a bowl of milk to lure her out. She was a filthy little thing, covered in fleas. Someone had dumped a litter of kittens, and this is how Shadow came to live with us. Turns out she wasn't grey, she is white. And she is spoiled and loved and I am so glad she is part of our lives.

Happy Anniversary Shadow!

Baby hats....

One of the women I work with at the health department helps new moms learn to breastfeed and asked me to make something to give to them as a small gift. I went to town:

I couldn't resist putting little labels on the jars, "blueberry", "lemon", etc. I will take these to work tomorrow, and I know they will be used. The pattern is Ann Norling's Kid's Fruit Cap, and it's great!!!! Next on the "to do" list are some caps for the NICU downstate.

The bistro set

I am enjoying the front deck and the bistro set we bought for out there.
Breakfast last weekend,

Last night, knitting, and some refreshments:

It's really nice to be able to sit out there and do nothing but relax. I love it!

Pink Ribbon Golf Classic

So this past weekend was the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic. It was great. Everyone helps, Sherri Buckley does an excellent job organizing this whole thing. She does this every year and we're lucky to have her. I snapped a few pics.

Yummy Yum!! And then the raffle prizes. You could pick what prize you wanted to win, buy the tickets and put them in whatever bag. There were hotel night stays, etc

The weather could have been better, but the day ended with a steak dinner and prizes. And all the money went for a good cause.

A big thanks to the Quilted Moose!!

A big thanks to Chris at the Quilted Moose! We are having a Ladies' Day at work, which means we are going to screen as many women as possible for breast and cervical cancer. Women that make an appointment and come on that day get a goodie bag. I have been sewing potholders, and when I said something to Chris, she donated a dozen homemade pillowcases!

The goody bags are going to be great! :-) I made the potholders and my friend Kathy helped me turn them all, so a big thanks to her too! :-)

Hard to believe it's June 1st. Summer came quick to the Soo, it's been actually hot. And being pasty white, I am hiding from the sun in the house. And getting lots done...

Wow, almost the weekend!

It's been another busy day at work. And a busy week. And I am ready to sit and knit. I have a sweater that I just need to knit the sleeves for, so that is on the agenda, as well as curtains for Jim's library. He's excited to get furniture for down there, I have to admit it's coming together nicely. He did a good job, from the walls to the floor.

And I got flowers today at work,

from my cats for mother's day. They are gorgeous, don't you think?

Master Knitter's Course Level 1!!!

I got alot done this weekend, including completing my level 1, I am mailing that out this morning! And I also knit a hat,

This is for a 3 year old who is going through chemo. I mailed it out with lots of prayers attached.

I also got my shipment of wool from http://www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com/. And I sorted the first couple of pounds and washed it. It's drying now..

I have to be patient and let it dry before I tuck it away to be carded. I'm not sure if I am going to dye it or not...have to wait and see.

Fingers crossed that my level 1 goes smoothly and I pass. Then it's on to level 2!

My neighbor, the master knitter!

So today I was sitting out front across the street with my friend and neighbor Kathy. We were chatting while I sorted through 2 pounds of raw wool. Betty came over, she lives up the street and while we were talking she said I had to come over and see her knitting. So we went to her house and OMG!!!! She does beautiful work. See for yourself!

She has baby sweaters ready to go for when someone needs a baby sweater!

The kittens in the above sweater are knit with angora so they are fuzzy. Gorgeous work...all of it!

Prayer Shawl

I was knitting on a prayer shawl last night and had some assistance:

Gorby is so helpful at times. She loves to help do the laundry too (meaning she tries to trip me while I am carrying the basket because I can't see her). She likes to try and help me cook (which means she circles my feet yelling when I am cutting up meat). Yes, she's a helper. :-)

A couple weeks ago at the Quilted Moose

I keep forgetting to post these pictures! We had Diva at the Quilted Moose a couple Saturdays ago, and I took a few pics to share with you.

First, Nora was working on a really neat quilt with animal prints:

This is one of the blocks. The prints were really nice.

And then Chris finished a quilt:

The back is made up of batik squares, and is very neat, as is the front. I love brights!
I spent the weekend working on level 1 of the master knitter's course. I am on the home stretch, I just have to write a paper that is at least 2 pages. I haven't had to write a paper in years! I will have that finished this week and mailed out by Saturday, that is my goal.

New puppy!

My co-worker Gary got a new puppy. She's a Yorkie-Poo, and she's so tiny! Her name is Nettie, and here she is, making her internet debut:

Another weekend is over

I cannot believe how quickly the weekends fly by. Yesterday I had diva at the Quilted Moose, and I used the time to finish handsewing the binding on a quilt for my neighbor and friend, Kathy. It's her retirement quilt, the pattern is the double Irish chain.

I learned a few new things while working on this quilt. And Chris at the Quilted Moose did a beautiful job quilting it. I am very fortunate to have Kathy as a neighbor and now as a friend. I told Jim when we moved here that we would find the right house, and I do believe I was right. I love living here.

I also finished the Christmas socks for my mom. She picked the yarn the last time we were in Ludington to visit.

They are really pretty. And Kathy bought me a new skein of sock yarn, beautiful blues.

It will go in my stash to be admired before I knit it up. So yet another weekend has drawn to a close. The week will fly by again and soon it will be time to have dinner at the pub on Friday after work.

Are you kidding me????

So this morning when I woke up, this is what I saw:Yes, our grill that we have been using already this year, covered in snow. They said it was coming but I didn't believe it. Unreal. We got maybe 5 inches total today, it's melting but what a mess.

My co-worker's sweater

I work with some very talented people. Some bake, some arrange flowers beautifully. Some crochet, some quilt, and some knit. Joann knits. She had her sweater with her the other day, and it is gorgeous! See for yourself:

I love it when you work with someone and find out their "hidden" talents. Everyone has something they are good at, whether it be needlework or baking, or any number of other things.

My new toy...

I love gadgets. I am definately a gadget girl. :-) Yesterday Jim and I finally got our new blackberries. We have both been wanting them, and so with our contract being up we got them. Between the rebates and buy one get one free we didn't really have to spend that much and we're both happy. And now I can snap pics with it and send them right to my email, and then put them in my blog!

This is my current SIP for my mom for Christmas. This is the second sock, so soon these will be done and tucked away. I am happy that I will be able to blog more easily. I try and blog on a regular basis, but usually I only blog once a week. Hopefully that will be changing!

At last

At last my sock yarn is all tucked in together in my pie safe. It is now a yarn safe. And I open the doors and I smile, it's my peace.

And then Jim came home and surprised me with 2 new balls of sock yarn!

He knows the way to my heart. And to celebrate cleaning out the pie safe and putting the sock yarn away all tidy, I finished a pair of socks.

My MIL bought me this sock yarn, it's an Opal and I love these. I worked the ribbing all the way down the leg and continued it down the top of the foot. Very comfy. And my MIL has great taste!

What to do?

Our next home improvement project is my studio. And I'm not quite sure what to do. I know we are gutting the room, and putting in new drywall, new lighting. But that's where I get stuck. I know that I want storage, lots of storage. We have talked about putting in a wall of kitchen cabinets, but I'm not sure if I want that or not because that will be fixed and I won't be able to move the room around. And I would love a pub style table with comfy chairs, but if I want to sew at the table I would need a small stool to put my pedal on for my machine. I need storage for yarn, papercrafts, fabric, books, magazines, I have alot of stuff. And there are so many options! I want this room to really work for me, time is limited and I don't like spending my creative time searching for what I need.
And color! What color should I paint the room? Blue is my favorite color, but I want the room to feel warm, and light, especially with the winters we have up here. They are certainly long. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

It's been awhile!

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted. I've been trying to get all these things done...I love to start a bunch of projects and then finish them all up. Then I start a new batch. This last weekend I did finish up the living room wall that has driven me crazy since we moved in.

It looked like this:

There were 2 strips on the seams to hide them. The sconces were plastic. The wall had a texture on it that I scraped off and then I primed, and then I painted. Jim put up new sconces and changed the switch and outlet. And now it looks so much better, like this:

It's soooo much better. The painting is one that Jim did when we still lived in Ohio. It's gorgeous, and it used to hang on that floral wall and it didn't look right at all. Now it has a proper place. We're getting there, slow but sure. Jim is almost done with his library in the basement. I do believe then we will be gutting my craft room and re-doing that. Yeah!

The new quilt

I finished a quilt the other day. I took the class at the Quilted Moose and then Chris quilted it for me. (She does wonderful work!). So I finished the binding and right after I took this picture,

Justice claimed it.

Then Gorby.

And even Shadow.

I am not sure when it will be my turn to use it, but it has been cat approved. :-)