Keeping Track?!

 How do you keep track of your knitting?  Especially if using charts?  I like charts—once you become familiar with charted symbols, your brain co-ordinates with your hands to make knitting a breeze.  

For years I used sticky notes to underline where the row was.  Brown headed daughter gave me these long sticky notes.  Now, I’m low on the long ones—so the colorful post a notes will work.  Just takes more of them— One problem with sticky—after moving the notes several times, all the sticky won’t stick any more!

The other day I found my magnet board!  Where had it been—right under my nose, of course.  Once again, I pressed it into service. Those long magnet strips work well—don’t move them any though when off to the side!

Disaster!  

Another problem—can’t use the magnet board for more than one project at a time.

Then, I remembered There was an app for that!  

KnitCompanion is free app that allows you to import a pattern and is a way to underline your knitting row.

If you check online, you can find other methods that will keep track of your knitting—but, for me—

Back to the sticky notes!!  Besides, post a note comes in such pretty colors!

Watercolors on Cloth.

On a trip to Flagstaff, Arizona to visit my brother several years ago,  I took a detour to a quilt shop--of course!

the guys were playing golf and I have no interest in hitting that little white ball, watching it soar, 

waiting my turn to hit it again- using up four hours time!

Quilt shop is much better to spend four hours.

During that visit, I purchased these hand painted four panels from a local artist, Roberta Rogers

I didn't want to frame the panels so saved them for future ideas.

I decided to take the panels and make them into one large banner for over the headboard of our

master bed.

The banner added color to our mountain home in Colorado--loved looking at the scenery

every day.

And there were reminders of Arizona and the lovely saguaro that grace the landscape

Ahh, the colors of the Southwest!

Evidentually, we moved from that mountain retreat to southern states and I had

no idea what to do with my SW banner--into the storage bin it went--just recently, when

stash diving, I found the beautiful watercolors again.

I inched my way through the panels with a seam ripper, dividing the cloth from the panels--

once again, I'm waiting for an idea to hit my brain so I can again display theses

one of a kind paintings.

 

Forevermore!

Story of a long journey!  A seeminly never ending journey!

You see, I've been spinning brown cotton for years!

It all began when I planted a few brown cotton seeds

to watch them grow into lovely plants that produced a

lovely bloom, in turn to produce a boll of brown cotton.

Brown cotton is short staple, takes some practice to spin

This cotton came from Acadians who exiled from Nova Scotia and settled in

Southern Louisiana and had many hardships overcome .  Read their story here

While I was education coordinator at one of the Louisiana plantations, we planted

brown cotton for public viewing.  Of course, since I had the smooth ginned seeds,

I planted some in my home garden, year after year!

Hence, when I picked the bolls, they were saved till I had a large quantity.

Usually, I would hand card, which takes alot of time and patience.

Somehow, my friend and I stumbled upon a mill that would card our cotton for us!

That was a huge YAY!

Before, we could send to the mill, all that cotton needed to be hand ginned.

Brown cotton has smooth seeds, which pop out easily, but still takes some time.

Meanwhile, I met a group of senior citizens, who were looking to plant some cotton

in their garden--we stuck up a deal--if they hand gin my cotton, they can have the

seeds for their garden!  Worked perfectly--beneficial for them and me!

So off, the ginned cotton went to the mill

This was 2.25 lbs.

Several months later, This arrived at my door step one bright sunny day!  My brown cotton

all carded into nice long rolags!

Look at this luxious fiber!  no bumps, no debris, just nice cotton ready for

the wheel.  That story began in the 1980's and now I'm still spinning the

'aged' fiber for Tour de Fleece!

Easy to spin once you have the niche--I use a long draw method, which allows me to 

sit back in my chair, treadle away and feed the cotton into the orifice'

browns cotton, being such a short staple, needs lots of twist so set your wheel to fast

and go!  I know I make it sound easy, but after all I've been spinning cotton fiber

for onto 40 years now!

Here are the fruits of my labor during this Tour-brown cotton plus one bobbin of spun angora fiber in the background.  I spun that one bobbin of bunny fluff to satisfy myself but truly love spinning cotton better.

So, I spin on Forevermore!

Happy treadling y'all!

 

Mother’s Birth-day!

Today is Mother’s birthday!  She is 102 years! 

She is still in fairly good health, lives in Assisted Living facility in South Texas.  She has lived a large portion of her life in RGV (Rio Grande Valley). 

She’s not much for socializing but she comes to common area every day to keep abreast of activities. 

Happy birthday Mother!!

Handspun Yarn

Still spinning during Tour de France for Tour de Fleece in the morning--ususally watch recorded race

the next day--so I'm behind a day--doesn't matter to me AND I can fast forward through the commercials!

What to do in the evening with my hands?  Knit, of course!  with handspun, naturally!

I'm on a 'kick" knitting hats!  This one is my go to hat pattern--no rhyme or reason what colors to put together--just hold two (mostly 'orphans' or small amounts) together, cast on 80 and knit!  I love knitting these!  Just go and go forever until you run out of one yarn, pick up another one, add on and continue!  All these are handspun yarns

Here is the front of the hat.  

This pattern is from Woolly Wormhead.  She has several free patterns.  I love her hat construction!  Quite ingenuous!  Okay for this one, I had two different handspun wools--one in yellows and greens;  the other in greens.  Of course, I ran out of the one--what to do?  Just pick up another green or yellow and continue on.

Back look with gathered top!  Think I like a tatered top better but once again, I was running out of yarn

Also, working on merino/silk handspun scarf pattern from Toni L Lorenz, 2022 Shetland Sampler--photo doesn't do the yarn color justice!  It's a soft green/agua two ply yarn I spun about three years ago.

I'm working through the months quietly inching up to June's pattern.

Just got about four other handspun knitting patterns in the wings.

When you work with fiber in the morning, you want to continue in the evening.

 

Pandora Box

I opened a Pandora Box!   

 It all began like this..........

Hubby and I went to see "Elvis" movie (never was a fan when we  were growing up)

In the past few years we have become to know Elvis better-  We have seen impersonators at theater productions, even renewed our wedding vows in Vegas with " Elvis" in attendance.  We even saw the real Elvis in person during one of this hurried tours of US.

Elvis was a remarkable man!  This movie brought to life the features of why he lost his life to

drugs and entertainment addictions.  And his overbearing manager, Col Parker.

To us, it was an excellent movie--the young guy who portrayed Elvis was remarkable!

Okay, to my Pandora Box!

We had a discussion upon leaving the theater as to where we were when we learned about the death of Elvis August 16, 1977.

Even though the family was together in the same place at the same time--each had different ideas where we were when we heard the radio news.  We all agreed we were in Colorado but we could not agree on where exactly!

Here comes the Pandora Box--I searched for our travel journals. This was way before mobile phones or computers--we made our own games! to help with boredom on car travels, each kid had an assignment--one wrote a journal, one kept financial records, another took photos.

I found the large box with all the photos, written papers and notes from that trip--and then it happened--

I began to read each card that was saved, each photo that was taken, each memory noted.

I went from one hour to time for dinner!  

Lost!

in the Pandora's box!

What is the first thing that was pulled out of the box?  Hubby's slide rule!  OMGoodness!  Who knows

how to use one of these today??  This was our 'computer/calculator!  In fact, there were TWO of these

rulers in the box!  Guess it's part of our history!

There were letters that brown headed daughter wrote that brought tears to my eyes;

cards with various notes of love; happy birthday and anniversary cards, 

hand drawn pictures from our kids and grandkids;

souvenirs from various travels,

so many memories!

And did I finally learn where we were exactly on that Day?

Yes, I did!  We were on way to Durango on a windy, twisty road in Southern Colorado! 

Sometimes, it's good to open that Pandora Box--just do it when you have plenty of time to allow those memories to flood into your soul!

 

Wheels Keep On Spinning!

The Other day my friend, Nancy, posted that she was spinning angora bunny fluff with a drop spindle

for her Tour de Fleece challenge!

Well, I admire her alot for using a drop spindle to spin such fine fluffy stuff from another friend's rabbits.  That post definitely jogged my memory!  

I have bunny fluff too!

Fluff from the angora rabbits I raised in late 1980's!  I hurry to my fiber closet and low and behold, there is a huge bin filled with angora fiber--all unspun, except for a couple of balls.

I'd completely forgotten about this bin!

Here is the bin--pretty full!  It was compacted until I took off the lid and then

poof!  Air took over and the fiber went bonkers!

It feels so good running your fingers through it--so I took this as my challenge to spin

for at least two days of racing.

Here are the few balls that were included in the bin.  

Then memories come flooding back--one of my major juried pieces was handspun angora, woven on a silk warp.

Loved weaving this luxury shawl!  Now, it rests in my cedar chest.

I also knitted angora socks--I wore them when I did spinning demos--especially at the rodeo where there were large crowds.  Kids always want to feel the fiber so I let them pet my feet--the more they were petted, the fluffier the socks became--also kept my feet nice and warm on those cold winter days.

My ear warmer was a great knitted addition to my wardrobe.  Now, we live in a southern state where winters are milder, I don't use it much--just love to look at it and know it's there when needed.

I'm so glad my friend prompted me to remember about my box of fluff!

Books! Books! Books!

  There are books to be read as we relax!  What is your choices for summer time?  There are lists of favorite reads of 2022--here is one list.  I've not read any of these books; so guess they're not on my list of favorites!  Now, here is a list that Goodreads recommends.  I like this list--have read couple--"The Maid" was fun read. And "The Cartographers"--interesting! 

I enjoyed "A Man Called Ove", "This Tender Land", "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", "The Women of the Bible Speak", "The Last Thing He Told Me", "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell", "Tobacco Wives" "Where The Crawdads Sing"--just a few that I've read this year. 

I’ll read mostly in the evening but I’m having a hard time with this book—

It is beautifully written, moves along nicely—I just 

Can’t read this story at night!  It is a tale about two sisters living in France during WWII, German occupation of the country; tragic happenings through the time—very disturbing.  It is unbelievable what the people went through—wondering if I could cope if faced with the same situation. 

So, this story will be read during daytime hours.

Therefore, at bedtime I’ve switched to this book

Written by author, singer songwriter, Mike Blakey—

Mike has a way with words and he loves American history.  You can find his music on most audio outlets—we are fortunate that he is living in our community where we can enjoy his music often at various venues. 

“Comanche Dawn” is the story about horses and Comanches—very well documented and researched. 

What are you reading this summer? 

 

Braggin’ Rights!!

 Okay--This is my braggin' time!  Look Who is One Year old?!!  Our great grandson, Waylon, is one year old today!!  Oh joy!  He is the peace of my heart and the pride of our lives!

He is one Dude!  Loves his cowboy hat!

And would love to have his saddle on his horse!

When did the 'smash cake' become a thing?  His mom made the cake and let him at it!

Can I really eat this?  He wasn't allowed any sugar product before his first birthday!

We have been so blessed!

Okay--that's all for bragging at this time!

?What?

It always feels good when you finish a project!!

This one project was a problem though!  The pattern is "Sweet Dreams" from Pat Sloan

The quilt blocks were to represent "Sweets" but in my mind I wanted to make a patriotic top

Here is my version, without borders--I don't think borders are needed for this quilt.

Problem?  I thought I had the right amount blocks to construct--well, not so!  Guess I

can't count!  I had the inner pieces ready and arranged right--it was the outer section that was the problem--bummer!  I didn't make all the blocks--Needed three more!  That took more time--and I didn't have the energy to work on it--one day I said, "Self, get it together!  Finish that quilt top!"

and here it is--ready for the long arm.

I've been saving 'strings' from numerous projects--The box was overflowing--can't bring myself to throw them away--so here is my next two or three projects in that box!

I'm making string blocks--this is on the design wall--funny, how the camera 'eye' sees it different than the human eyes.. 

Since I have so many strings, I'm using them as borders on my 2.5" blocks

Okay, I know the strings are not all the same size--doesn't bother me at all!  In the end it will be trimmed to fit the size--

Why not make some log cabin blocks with the strings--sure--no problem! 

At first, I used paper to sew the strings on; not easy to tear off the paper--forget that--

when making log cabin,  choose a center square and sew around--If it ends up more that 8.5", take the scissors or rotary blade and trim!

Back to emptying the never ending string box!