Christmas Knitting in June

Perfect!  Just Perfect!  Small in size with the right knitting techniques to make these

12 days of Christmas mittens.

Take a look at the website to see last year's mittens

and you'll want to knit those too!

Just Crafty Enough

mittens are about 2.5″ wide (without the thumb) and 4.5″ long. You do not need to knit the mittens at my gauge or size, but I think they are just right for using as a Christmas tree decoration, on packages or, of course, as a garland.

This year you will have two weeks between mittens. That should give everyone time to keep up. If you are a quicker knitter you’ll have time to work on other projects or make multiple sets as gifts. Or if you want to turn this garland into an advent calendar, use the off weeks to knit another twelve mittens. The Mitten Garland Advent Calendar has twenty-four more designs you could use, just change the Latvian braid at the cuff to garter stitch to match these.

Some Assembly Required!

Cynthia Frenette is giving me right pattern to make the brown headed daughter

the table runner she wants for her new home.  Of course, there is some assembly required

in fashioning this improv item.  I'm using some fabrics pulled from my stash

and batik fabrics for the leaves and berries.

Ground cloth has been constructed!

ICAD--Oh Yeah!

The Index-Card-a-Day challenge, affectionately known as ICAD, is just days away. No matter what your time zone, your longitude and latitude, your GPS coordinates on the planet, the phase of the moon, the sunspot activity, your level of origami expertise and your mindset, it's zipping toward you and will be here, on your doorstep, before you know it.

What is ICAD?  It's simply--designing one index card a day for 60 days!  you can do that!
I can do that!  Break out those index cards, pens, pencils, brushes, paints, etc.  

Yarn Bowls

Do you have one of these?

A Yarn Bowl!

I never thought about using one of these until I received this as a

Christmas gift from blond headed daughter.

It did sit around for awhile, buried in a corner of the work table--

no yarn inside, just sat lonely in a corner.

The other day I was winding a warp on my warping board and I had

balls of yarn to use and my brain kicked in..............

well, dud--you have a yarn bowl that will assist with this!

This bowl has several holes that I can use while winding my warp.

and the best part of this ceramic vessel, it sings to me as the yarn is

flowing through the holes!

oh yes!  perfect gift BH daughter!

Giddy Up!

I AM THRILLED!  This quilt is finished and back from the quilter, Sandy!

She did an outstanding job, giving this quilt the needed

stitching details.

And 

now, it's up to me to do the binding and 

hand stitching to complete.

and a Happy Birthday!

This was the latest free quilt pattern from Pat Sloan

I used western/cowboy prints for my cowboy grandson, Josh.

And to use up all those blocks that didn't make the front, I put them 

on the back along with western fabric.

It is finished in time for his 23rd birthday, May 20th!

Giddy Up--Saddle Up

53 Years!

Today is our 53rd wedding anniversary!  Yes, 53 years with the SAME man!  unbelieveable!  If someone would have told me when I was younger that I would have been with the same person that long-I would have laughed in their face!  "Me?  Not me!"

It has been ups and downs over the years, but I think that is what makes us stronger--celebrating each day to the fullest, even when he throws his dirty laundry on the floor, doesn't take out the trash, falls asleep in front of my favorite TV show, grumbles about shopping, and says "whatever" when asked what he wants for dinner.  Sometimes, he irritates me to no end!!  Of course, there is no way I can irritate him~~ I'm perfect!! Yes, he has his faults, but he's always there for me and the family!

We have grown comfortable in our skins together--
                                                                      Happy Anniversary!

Wednesday Yarn AL

I love knitting lace patterns!  And this one is no exception.

Clue one of Gerda by designer Bethany Hait went smoothly--

no problems, no errors

and we waited for clue 2........

Here is clue 2 finished--but, in some patterns, this clue had some errors.

you knit and find that there is a correction, so you rip it

and wait for the right correction.

Finally, all was cleared and you're off to the races.  my needles aren't long enough to

spread out the pattern, but it's going to be lovely once blocked.

Now, I wait-----for clue 3, which can't come soon enough!