Aprons--Ties That Bind!

Aprons is the topic for today--why?  Because there is an apron challenge

at Pat Sloan's website in conjunction with the Grandma's Kitchen 

Sew Along.  Last week the block was Grandma's apron--mine is above--

Now, here is the question--do you wear an apron?  Did your Grandma

wear an apron?  Anyone in your family wear an apron?

Several months ago, I wrote about an art apron exhibit that was presented at

International Quilt Festival in Houston--It was called Cyber Fiber-art Aprons.

Here is that blog post, if you're interested.

anyway, back to aprons topic.

This popped up in the Pat Sloan group--aprons a way of life--

I have this pattern in my collection--don't think I ever made the apron though!

And the dainty apron that looks high fashion--

oh, to wear an apron and look this good while cooking!

I Should Be Knitting........................But

Yeah, I should be knitting--fall is just around the corner and then comes those cold breezy days of winter---BRRR!  I'll need a shawl, a sweater, some gloves, a hat, a scarf--.......But, I'm sitting here typing on this blog!  Go figure!  I can rationalize that my fingers are doing something useful--instead of washing dishes, folding clothes from the laundry, ironing those few shirts that need touching up--no, I'm just sitting here, pondering what the day will bring........oh, hmm!  There is dinner to think about--no, not now--or maybe, think about that long list of errands that need to be done--nope, not now!  I'm just sitting here!

Do I need a pick me upper?  Some new vitamins to pep me up?  Maybe, a cup of coffee--nope, that won't work, I'm caffeine free--I'm just sitting here......................................where has my motivation gone?  I should be knitting.......................................................................................but, I just can not decide which pattern to begin first.........................

This lovely easy diagonal float stitch pattern. Only knitted and slipped stitches makes smooth curves. Kaarre hat by Maria Kostamovaara

OR

Multnomah pattern by Kate Ray,  garter stitch body and a lovely feather and fan edge

OR

 By Jenny F--three color cowl

OR

Bowerbird by Cath Ward

This crescent shawl knits up quickly in a delicious 4ply heavy silk lace yarn and includes a feather motif in its border. It is knitted from the centre top down to the border in one continuous piece. The elements of the shawl are a succession of 8 stitch repeats, which flow from the top to the border of the shawl.

OR

I could go on and on--

there is a pattern for socks and fingerless gloves...........

I just don't know where to begin, so

I'm just sitting here! 

WIP

There are always WIPs--aren't there?

Those Work IN Progress are what keeps us going!

There are some WIPs that I would like to RIP (Rest in Peace!)

I get so tired of working on them--put them out of sight

and hopefully, another day they'll find the newness again 

in my eyes!

One day last week I walked into our local quilt shop--shouldn't have

done that, but I did--and I saw some wonderful wall hangings--

I was immediately hooked!

"how do I get that pattern?"  "it's only kit form" "really", said I.

I don't usually buy kits but this one was super keen looking--

Holy Smokes--this fabric was awesome!  "Sorry, we're sold out of the Spring; but,

we do have the summer.  And soon, fall will be on the market."

Well, darn it!  "I'll take the summer one and sign up for the fall"  

I can look for the spring online, I hope!

Now,, that summer is gone there is no reason to work on either the summer

or the spring one--I'll just wait for the fall kit to arrive and hope it's soon!

It is still plenty warm in September--so I'm working on my

snowmen stitchery pieces to 'think' my brain into cool temps!

Closing Out Summer.................................

How will you spend your Labor Day holiday?  To me, this is the close out to summer--the beginning of cooler (we hope) temperatures, school back in session, the last hoorah to summer, --and --FOOTBALL!  

This weekend is a chance for families to spend a lazy time together-

-we have the grandkids with us--here in Hill Country.  Our grandkids (!!) are adults so they want to attend a grape stomp--it's harvest time around these parts and there is an abundance of wineries hosting grape stomps--so, we'll stomp those grapes-- 

purple feet here we come!

We'll grill some burgers! 

have some delish fruit drinks in the shade of the patio

my drinks NEVER look like this!!

and watch some football!  

Hope you have a special summer closing celebration!

Labor Day is called the "unofficial end of summer"^[9] because it marks the end of the cultural summer season. Many take their two-week vacations during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend. Many fall activities, such as school and sports begin about this time.

In the United States, many school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend (see First day of school). Most begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day, allowing families one final getaway before the school year begins. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.^[10]

Holy Bats---Man!

Recently, we decided to take an evening visit to the Bat Cave--okay, it's really 

an old railroad tunnel, but now it hosts over 3 million bats.  These are

Mexican free tailed bats and each evening, near dusk, they emerge

from their safe cool housing to darken the skies for their

evening feeding time.

At the top of the valley, we sat in the viewing stand with other

curious visitors.  Knowledgeable volunteers and a Texas park 

ranger give us the low down on this species of bats.

In August,  the pup has been born, so they will be first out of the

tunnel, flying erratically in an upward spiral to  draft off each other.

Swirling, swirling, swirling from the tunnel into the bright

blue sky--It's an awesome sight! 

Black lines dot the skyline as the bats continue their

journey up the valley to find a food source and water.

Mexican free-tailed bats are primarily insectivores. They hunt their prey using echolocation. The bats eat moths, beetles, dragonflies, flies, true bugs, wasps, and ants. Bats usually catch flying prey in flight.^[9] Large numbers of Mexican free-tailed bats fly hundreds of meters above the ground in Texas to feed on migrating insects.^[10]The consumption of insects by these bats can be quite significant.^[

Females become sexually mature at about 9 months, while males take even longer, at two years. Females enter estrus once a year, which typically lasts five weeks in the spring. The gestation period of the bat lasts 11–12 weeks, with only one young being born. A number of pups are left in "creches", while their mothers roost elsewhere. The female uses vocalizations and scent to identify her pup. The mother imprints her scent on the young early on.^[24] However, young try to steal a suckle from any female that passes through the cluster. A mother will nurse her young daily, and by 4–7 weeks old they are full grown, fully weaned, and independent.^[25]

They will journey until their bellies are full--and then they will return

to their home.  This could mean 1 AM or 6 AM--

Next time we go, we'll sit in the area near the tunnel entrance--

of course, that means the smell will be worse too!

Epic Disaster!

Our neighborhood might be dry and above water, but so many in Texas are affected by this massive storm called "Harvey".  Today, I ask for your prayers and donations to your favorite charity to assist all those Texans in harm's way!  When the roads clear and water has receded we will rebuild--We are Texas Strong!  American Strong! 

Boozy Cherries!!

I'm all for it!  it's the season for fresh bing cherries--and Here's a recipe that will be perfect for the rest of the year--

Turn this 

into THIS!

BOOZY BOURBON CHERRIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 1/2 cups bourbon
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 cups fresh sweet cherries, washed, pitted, and stems removed
• 
  
• Another recipe from Gimme Some Oven
• 
  

• BOURBON-SOAKED CHERRIES

  This Bourbon-Soaked Cherries recipe is quick and easy to make, naturally-sweetened, and a delicious addition to your cocktails.
  
  

  TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS

   
  

  PREP TIME: 15 MINS

  COOK TIME: 15 MINS

  INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound sweet bing cherries, pitted and stems removed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup honey (or your desired sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 strip of orange peel
  • 1 cup bourbon (or any favorite whiskey)

  DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the cherries in two clean pint-sized mason jars (or one large quart-sized mason jar).  Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the water, honey, vanilla extract and honey until combined.  Gently stir in the cinnamon strip and orange peel.  Continue heating, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue simmering for another 10 minutes for the flavors to meld.
  3. Remove from heat, and strain out the cinnamon stick and orange peel.  Slowly add in the bourbon, and stir to combine.
  4. Pour the bourbon mixture evenly over the cherries, then let the mixture cool completely to room temperature.  Secure the lids on the mason jars, give them a shake, and refrigerate for at least 3 days before using.  The recipe should last for up to 2-3 months.

Grandma's Kitchen

 I'm following along with Pat Sloan's Grandma's Kitchen KAL although I don't have many memories of my grandmothers' kitchen.  I have enjoyed reading other quilters stories of their time in Grandma's kitchen.  There are such sweet memories--I only wish I could share such stories.  But, I can sew each block and savor those stories.  What are your memories of being in your Grandma's kitchen?

"Sticky Buns"

"Grandma's Table"

"Glasses and Cups"

"Half a Modern"

"Key Holder"

"Wash Days"

"Oh, My Stars"--instead of a cuss word!

Each quilter has tied their fabrics to their Grandma's memories--I found my fabrics at the local quilt shop on the bargain shelf--no memories there, just a good sale.

I only hope I'm

making memories with my grandkids in the kitchen. 

Mustgo!!

There is the day when you look in the fridge and see lots of leftovers!  Then you decide--it will be
MUSTGO night!!  That means everything leftover must go into one dish or maybe two and this evening there will be two dishes--main meal and dessert.

These were the last of the peaches--the season is coming to a close

I found a pie crust in the freezer--always good to have one on hand just 

for these occasions.  Place pie crust in tin, load it up with sliced peaches

and some strawberries that were lingering--little sugar and for some

spice I added basil--

my poor little plant!  The ones in the herb bed are toast so I purchased

this little one at the grocery--It will grow--I hope it wasn't traumatized

when I cut some leaves!

I made a crumble from oats, butter and I needed a binder--

didn't have flour so I used pancake mix (just a little)

Here is aside:  

In the pantry was this mix from Pioneer Baking Company, San 

Antonio, TX.  Here is the interesting fact about the founder--

he had his first mill down the road from us here in Hill

Country and now his ancestors have opened a winery--called

1851 because that was when the land was settled.  The original 

house still stands on the property--way cool, huh?!

okay, when I served this dish, I spooned out a big glop of

vanilla ice cream--delicious!!

Now for the main entree:

We had a baked potato and all the fixings from a dinner out, plus

an onion, broccoli and cheese--pimento cheese at that--I

bought it and didn't like the taste as a spread--hate to throw

out anything--so figured it would work in this dish

Little butter in the pan, saute onions and broccoli till

soften, dump in all the little tins (sour cream, bacon, butter, cheese) from baked potato,

add chunks of potato, some milk and that pimento cheese spread.

give it a taste!  Well, that's mighty tasty!

I kept adding that pimento cheese to the dish--

it worked using it this way!

Dinner was served!  Cheesy broccoli potato soup--

found two slices of garlic bread in the freezer-heated those up

and we had a nice dinner!

Sometimes, Mustgo night turns out pretty good!!

So Over It---Solar Eclipse!

Yesterday's blog post was about the solar eclipse--I'm so over it now!  We didn't see it--didn't even go outside to look--Our school principal daughter bought those special glasses for all her students--they had a teaching moment with all 500 students--everywhere you can view photos of the eclipse.
I feel for those who drove many miles to be in the path of totality and then it RAINED!  Rained big time on their parade--so, what are they doing now--looking at photos on TV, Facebook, etc. just as we are!

the path for 2017 took it across the mid section of the US--but, just wait,

in 2024--we'll have it in our region!  

and I've asked the daughter to save all those 500 special glasses for

us to use...............

Monday, April 8, 2024

Marled Yarns = Project

Have you ever knit on a piece and decided halfway through, you didn't like it--maybe, it's the pattern, yarn, or needle size.  Well, it seems to happen to me more often than not--I'm more than half way through this year long project and I don't like it!!  Just plain and simple!  I don't like the way it's turning out

now, I have that I've spun this marled yarn and I'm thinking this might work just fine for that January 2018 deadline plus I'll finish my year long texture project--kill two birds with one stone!  There is one of those weird sayings again!  Anyway, today it means I'm getting two projects done at the same time.............

This is textural pattern from Elizabeth Ravenwood

Ravelry, of course!

Okay, I'm liking this pattern now--looks more manly

to me and it needs some softening effect

I'm thinking I'll need to add some color along the way

or maybe, I'll just dye it when completed--

four more months to go before any

decision is made though

Marled Yarns

The challenge is to spin this fiber into yarn--and present

a completed project in January 2018 at our annual spin-in

I'm looking at this fiber thinking--I don't want to spin each roving

separately--I'm going for that marled yarn look

Spin a little white, spin a little black, spin a little tan--no

rhyme or reason to the pattern

Then ply--here is the look on the bobbin

and in a ball--Now, let me tell you--I have been spinning this

'marled' yarn for years!  Every since I was spindle spinning silk and

had all these little balls of spun silk--how do you use them individually?

you take 2 or 3 or 4 and ply them together and get

Marled yarn!!  

Marled yarns are formed by twisting together plies of different colors. The result is a single strand of yarn with multiple colors winding around one another.Marled yarns can be made from any number of plies—two, three, four, etc.

Oh My! Flower Pots!

Esther Aliu is offering the most gorgeous flower display of all times!

This begins today--15th of each month, through November, a

different section will be revealed!

and it's FREE!  No strings attached!

just download and create to your heart's content!

This wall hanging will finish at 38"x48".