It's been months, hasn't it?

Lord love a duck, I didn't realize it'd been this long since I've added to this thing. Some days - I've been busy. Others - I've just been sidetracked, either quilting or knitting - - or both.

Acutally have gotten quite a bit accomplished and I'll add some pics shortly. I finished some mittens and then made the mistake of looking in Ravelry for mitten groups. I found a WONDERFUL one. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/i-make-mittens They have a thread/challenge going - to make 11 pairs of mittens in 2011. Actually there are 2 threads...one where pictures/patterns are posted. Another where they're posted and you can comment/discuss. I'm already on pair 6! Easily distracted right?

One pair I made doesn't count as I started them in 2010.

These were so much fun - even tho they're way big on me...from the book Mostly Mittens.

Since then I've gone on to make fun mittens, warm ones, difficult ones. check out the thread and I know you'll be inspired. And everyone has posted links to the patterns - they're all enablers!

THINGS HAVE BEEN BUSY...

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Actually, they really have been. I am moved and settled in. I was sick for a while (there's a really nasty cold going around this winter...), and I've been to 2 retreats, been busy knitting and quilting and....

Pictures will be posted in a couple of days, but it does amaze me how time just slips away. And I'll be brutally honest here...A couple of times, I've sat down to update the blog, opened up Free Cell just to get my brain going while I pondered what to write...and the next thing I knew it was time to go to bed! Another time or two, I opened up ravelry to get inspiration and once again, next thing I knew it was time for bed.

But I have to tell you - if you've joined ravelry, you have follow the thread "Ugliest FO" in the "For Love of Ravelry" Group. What a group of optimists! Some of these things, the knitter had to know a few rows in that this pattern wasn't working...but they persisted, in the futile hope that more yarn thrown at it would turn it into something lovely. I identify with these people (I have my own ugly object posted too) and I revel in their optimism. We should all live our lives like that - know that if we keep on keepin' on, it'll turn out beautiful...no matter what the evidence says.

Boy - it's been forever and a day, hasn't it? This summer/fall has just been swallowed up by moving in August and knitting and quilting all the rest of the time...plus I've had to show up for work to earn the money to pay for all the fun stuff.

Moved out of my manufactured home, into an apartment. A lot smaller. I've been wanting to simplify my life, I hadn't expected to do it all in one swoop, but it's mostly done. Went from 3 bedrooms to 2, but a pretty large living room, dining room kitchen to a small livingdiningkitchen room.

Still lots of 'crap' around, but not near as much as before - I was starting to feel like a hoarder. Now - my sewing room still has a ways to go, but it's shaping up...

Starting to get things color coordinated and actually do have a cutting area and sewing area set up that don't show in this picture. Right now I'm off to get ready for a retreat that's coming up in a little over a week, so I'll promise I'll write more soon...and include some better pictures.

Family

Just a quick note this morning - and it has aboslutely nothing to do with any kind of fiber...just family.

My grandsons are coming home this weekend. The younger one has been off visiting his grandfather and other grandmother for 3 weeks and they've been on the road visiting that side of the family and some landmarks along the way.

The older one is on his way home from Europe where he's spent the last 3 weeks as part of the People to People Youth Ambassador Group. (Dancing in Greece where they also helped on a community service project.)



So our little nest of family will all be together again very soon - for a little while - before they start winging off to other things as they get older.

And speaking of older...I ran across some sheet music of my grandfather's. He wrote and copyrighted it in 1900. He was a judge in Aberdeen SD - but his love was his music. He played drums in a drum and bugle corps. And - it appears - wrote a little piano music on the side. I finally got it framed. I have 2 copies. So one is placed to show the cover of the music. (Grandpa Sime is the 2nd from the left in the middle row) The other shows the actual music and the copyright. Hopefully this will help preserve for my grandsons...and the music will span 5 generations and possible more.

Vacation in the Hills

I don't know how many of you have been to the Black Hills, but the end of June is an absolutely perfect time to go. Especially to Hill City. The town now holds an annual sculpture show and this was my first time there (I usually go back for the quilt show). This was amazing! A couple of picutres - but keep checking the web site as I think it will be updated with more.

Best in show was absolutley beautiful glass work done by Jared and Nicole Davis:

Viewers' Choice by John Lopez:

(see if you can spot a couple of the hidden things...his work is like a treasure hunt.)

But as always, the best part of going back is seeing family. Mom is looking great (as seen here with grandson Jack)

And in June her back yard is to die for. Just luciously green and the creek (a little lower now - it was almost flooding) is picture perfect.

More later...

Festival Season has started...

We went to the Strawberry Festival in Burien yesterday. And the weather absolutely did NOT cooperate. Cold, drizzly - not summer festival weather. The entertainers and vendors soldiered on bravely, but I have to say...we chickened out and did our Knit In Public Day - in the store and not on the Greens with everyone else. There were brave souls who did stick it out, I wasn't one of them. Like I told my girlfriend Jeannie, "I have tons of stocking caps, shawls, sweaters at home - but it's almost JULY!!!! We shouldn't have to dress in wool @ the end of June!" (Now I do NOT want any of you throwing this back in my face when I start whining about how hot I am in August and September. ) Below are 2 of the brave entertainers.

I don't remember if I've told you about the rug I'm working on. It is going to be SOOOOOOO cool. Pattern is from the the 2nd Mason Dixon book - Outside the Lines. And it is so fun to knit. If you go to ravelry.com, you can see how everyone has made it their own but changing out the colors and every one of them is gorgeous. I'll keep you posted on how it goes - I'm only about 20 inches into the 60 in tube right now, but you knit on size 15's so it goes fairly quickly.

It will be felted as a tube and then steeked to lay flat as the rug. I can hardly wait!

Raffle Quilt At the Auburn Farmers' Market

Beautiful day to be selling raffle tickets for a beautiful quilt. For only being in it's second year, I think the Auburn Market is a very nice venue. It was a nice mix of vendors and a great location right in the center of town. And right next to the bus/train stop, so as you get off the bus, you can buy some fresh flowers and veggies to take home for dinner...And CHOCOLATE! A couple of places selling chocolate, some nice jewelry, and of course, Evergreen Piecemaker selling chances on this year's quilt.
Since the weather was so nice, it was easy to draw a crowd and sell them some tickets.

There are always veggies at the market - but Auburn had some unique ones...these kids looked like they were having fun - and everyone was taking their pictures.

There were Zoomba dancers - which I have to tell you looks like WAY too much fun. As you can see below - even the traffic volunteer got into the mood.

They have a 'gold' group, thats a little slower for beginners (in my case that can read as 'old and fat' but they were too kind to actually say that.) But I can see where you'd lose weight doing this and have fun at the same time.

A lot of fun! Be sure to check it out next Sunday.