Sunday, January 7, 2018

Roc Day or St. Distaff's Day

Distaff Day
Feast day
 Roc Day is celebrated by spinners and weavers as well as other fiber enthusiasts all over the worl.  It is a gathering of friends with common interestes in fibers...a celebration of the New Year, specifically for their art, and a way of paying homage to the past.
Happy treadling!

Distaff Day, also called Roc Day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the Epiphany. It is also known as Saint Distaff's Day, one of the many unofficial holidays in Catholic nations. Wikipedia
Date7 January

"Partly work and partly play
You must on St. Distaffs Day:
From the plough soon free your team;
Then cane home and fother them: 
If the maids a-spinning go, 
Burn the flax and fire the tow. 
Bring in pails of water then, 
Let the maids bewash the men. 
Give St. Distaff' all the right:
Then bid Christmas sport good night,
And next morrow every one 
To his own vocation."




Friday, January 5, 2018

January's Color...............................RED

January’s designated colour is red. So the red teddy pattern will be first. This teddy is celebrating fresh starts and the courage to try new things. He is stepping out with the intention of improving something or discovering something. He has a butterfly on his tummy to remind him to never fear new beginnings or be ashamed to change his path for the better.
Here he is, hoping you might have someone in your life who needs a beary colourful teddy quilt. ðŸ™‚
Beary Colourful BOM logoHow it will work  The bear appliqué patterns will be free for you to download here from Clever Chameleon until the challenge is over.

Color has a huge impact on our emotions, our perceptions, and our spiritual and physical well being.
Red, the color of blood and fire, is associated with meanings of love, passion, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigor, willpower, rage, anger, danger, malice, wrath, stress, action, vibrance, radiance, and determination.
Red is assertive, daring, determined, energetic, powerful, enthusiastic, impulsive, exciting, and aggressive. Red represents physical energy, lust, passion, and desire. It symbolizes action, confidence, and courage. The color red is linked to the most primitive physical, emotional, and financial needs of survival and self-preservation.
The color red is an intense color that is packed with emotion ranging from passionate, intense love to anger and violence — representing both cupid and the devil. It is a hot, strong, stimulating color that represents excitement and energy. Studies show that the color red can create physical effects such as elevated blood pressure, enhanced libido, increased respiratory rates, enhanced metabolism, increased enthusiasm, higher levels of energy, and increased confidence.
The color red is a highly visible color that is able to focus attention quickly and get people to make quick decisions, which is one of the reasons fire trucks and fire engines are usually painted red. Flashing red lights mean danger or emergency, while stop signs and stop lights use the color red to alert drivers about the dangers of the intersection.
Red represents power and courage. The color red is the basis of the traditional red power tie or red suit in business, and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs. Red’s association with courage and bravery makes it a color that is used often in national flags, on shields, and in achievement patches.

Too much red causes loss of temper, agitation, anger, and overbearing, demanding, and oppressive behaviors. Too little red causes lethargic, cautious, whiny, and manipulative feelings. To get out of control emotions under control add green, the opposite of red. To get rid of exhaustion, add more red.


Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Got Winter Blues?



Baby, it's cold outside!  We are getting cabin fever--staying inside,
looking out the window--man, you could get the blues!

Here are some ways you can beat those winter blues:



How about sewing along last Wednesday of each month on 
"Three's Company"

Nine blocks, with three blocks inside each block--
sounds intriguing for sure!
check this out at Patchwork Posse

Bright, happy blocks invite you to come and play in an exciting, topsy turvy setting! Come join Fat Quarter Shop beginning January 2018 to July 2018 for the Clementine Quilt Along benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Our exclusive charity quilt along pattern measures 70.5″ x 90.5″. There is $5 donation to St. Judes each time you download one of the patterns. 

Sarah's Star Quilt Along begins January 15th --no photo available at this time.


I haven't finished my Grandma's Kitchen yet and here
I'm planning two more of Pat Sloan's quilt alongs.
One is Let's Go Camping  (block a month) and the other is
"In The Summer Time" block a week!  

And this one would be a great leader/ender project throughout
the year!  This comes from Christa Quilts
How about a Tea Party?  What fun!
This is beginning in January from Debby Kratovil Quilts











Monday, January 1, 2018

Happy New Year! Merry Mayhem....................

Merry Mayhem is coming your way today.....................................................instead of football or along with football games, join in the fun--step by step, hour by hour--all day long


..............Come back to this spot at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time (same as NYC and Washington, D.C.) on New Year's Day for Part 2!  

Remaining Parts will be posted on the hour, ending at 3:00 P.M. when Part 7: The Final Chapter will be uploaded.

​Above is a photo of the fabrics we used to make our sample for this project, just to give you some ideas.  They are, from Top to Bottom:
Fabric A:  Light Background
Fabric B: Medium
Fabric C:  Medium-Dark

Fabric D: Very Dark


Have fun!  Don't forget to have those black eye peas, ham and cabbage to bring you good luck throughout the year!  Thank goodness the steps are left up through January 3--we'll be at a blackeye pea contest today--


Sunday, December 31, 2017

Good-bye 2017--Hello 2018!

The 2018 challenge from Elizabeth Ravenwood (Ravelry)
So excited to knit this Shetland Lace Shawl throughout the year!
Too bad I didn't have Shetland fiber on hand but I am 
spinning a lovely roving.

I purchased this 80% Polworth 20% silk roving last January
at our annual spinning conference.
This is a special edition as it is undyed--Gale
usually has wonderful dyed yarns and fibers.


This is spinning quite nice!  Love the feel of the fiber through my fingers!

Am getting such a fine yarn, which will be a good 2 ply.

There are a couple of other 2018 Knit Alongs that look interesting.
Like this Year of Cables MKAL by Elizabeth Ravenwood (Ravelry)
This begins Janaury 20th.

And there will be another Shetland Lace Sampler too from
Toni L Lorenz (Ravelry)  Shetland Lace Sampler will be available
to knit January 15.  I'm looking for Shetland lace yarn.  The
tradition of the Shetland lace scarf should fit through a wedding ring!
I better find a BIG wedding ring!  :-)  
It's a free Cowl KAL from Heather Anderson (Ravelry)!

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Let The Celebration Begin!

Brown Headed Daughter Arrives tonight!  The Doctor will be in the house!  She'll be here till December 29th--I'm taking a brief time off from blogging to visit with her and enjoy the season with
the blond headed daughter, SON, grandkids, hubby and brown headed daughter!

From my house to yours!

May your holiday be blessed with family, friends, 
fun, fellowship, food, Father Christmas, Festive
activities, and much love

I send to you a big bouqet with hugs of joy

That the reason for the season is
Jesus---Oh Joy!

And with our chili pepper tree, this
blog sends you greetings of great 
happiness.
See you back here December 31!
Celebrate the season!!



Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Step by Step----Day by Day.......................

It's a busy time of the year and of course, I'm baking, wrapping, shopping,
meal planning, etc. etc. etc.
As you are as well.........
But, I'm also working on a couple of projects--

This is weekly one and this is step two and three
combined

It's lots of 2" square corners--sew, cut, press

Also, all the 240 5" long ones are finished and
200 2"x3" ones are done!!
This is for Bonnie Hunter's 2017-18 mystery--
I'm loving the color choices I made (that's
unusuaometimes)
This is daily one and I'm here on day 5--well, I would have been
futher along if I hadn't taken off the first yarn I selected--
just didn't like the way it felt in my hands

That yarn felt so rough and I thought "why am I knitting
this pattern each day and hating the yarn?"
Back to the stash bin to find a better yarn--might not be
the best color, but it sure feels good in my hands!
This is Advent scarf through Ravelry,
there were many choices for Advent things this season--
hard to choose..........
Step by step; day by day we continue our journey.....

Beginnings of New Year Ideas

I'm already thinking about the new year and new beginnings--2024 was a lost year as far as new quilt starts--there was not a one began. ...