Spin, Spun, Span

It was time to pull out the spinning wheel and get to work.

This is just one hank of my carded brown cotton that has aged well!

I grew brown cotton for years; harvested the bolls, hand ginned the seeds,

and since I'm lazy--I sent the bags off to be carded and placed into these hanks.

Mostly, purists of brown cotton will hand card their cotton into 

punis--rolags.

If you want to see a wonderful exhibit of Acadian textiles.

It just takes some patience and a few hours of treadling to produce a bobbin

filled with this rich lovely fiber!

Three bobbins full = time to ply!

I love spinning my home grown brown cotton!

 

Loss

 Recently, we lost a friend through a tragic accident.  He was mid age but still in the prime of his life.  Why? Everyone was asking.  The grief and sorrow weigh down our souls--we think of him with every note of music played or every thought of how could this be; every photo we see.  There have been memorials for him and another one to be held end of the month.  I know it's a time to rejoice and celebrate his life but I can't help wondering--did I tell him how much I appreciated him when he was walking near me?  Did I say--"hello, how are you today?" enough.  Notice his presence in our small world--can we never say enough about close friends and family to remind them that each day they are a miracle to us!  

Now, we are all wanting to remember his life--but, that is not enough--he won't know how much we loved him or cared for him or his music--his smile was breath-taking and his statue was awe inspiring--he has left this worldly body.  We can't tell him how we felt about him!  oh, we'll hug each other tight and say--"oh, remember when this happen, or that day he played that song"--we'll smile and say, "we'll miss him"

I should have told him more often what he meant to me.......................................

I should have hugged him tighter when we met...................................

I should have declared he was my friend every single day........................................

I should have remembered that earthly life is fleeting and to seize each precious moment.  

Why Pink???

I just reached into my yarn stash and pulled out pink yarn--thinking--what??

I have no idea!  I'm not a PINK person!  Knit I did in the pink yarn I had in

my stash--then, of course, what happens when I run out of those pink yarns

on hand?  I looked for some white yarn--oh, I could dye it PINK!

Well,  I found a white yarn--all I had on hand was red food coloring--so in the

pot it went and this is the pink yarn I have now--oh, okay it will work--after all

I'm just knitting the pattern to be knitting.  This shawl will go to a Pink person

indeed.  The pattern is weekly knit along from Knitlet.  it's mindless knitting

for me unlike the more tedious Japanese knit alongs I have on my list.

I'll get around to those one of these days.

My next problem--what to do when I run out of that pink dyed yarn--

I'll need to do some fast thinking when I reach into my stash bin.

 

The Geese Are Flying!

 Yes, it's Spring time--The geese begin their migration from their warm winter settings back to their home land--The geese are flying!  You can hear them as they 'honk' their way north--it's a marvelous sight and sound.  

Not only are the 'geese' flying in the sky--they are flying in my studio!  Seems like every pattern I'm working on now has flying geese involved--

This is flying geese big time!  Monthly QAL hosted by A Quilting Life--this is the block

for April.  Each month you can learn a new technique as you advance through the year.

More flying geese for this month's addition to

Charity QAL hosted by Fat Quarters, Serendipity--each month

a different row--looks like I'll need to do TWO rows of flying geese for this one!

Another row of the month quilt along is also using flying geese--

we're on row 3 now, which includes log cabins

Tuning My heart 2021 BOM

These flying geese are for Grand Country Quilters--

I'm getting good at doing flying geese!  There are several methods to create these

noiseless patterns--

No waste

Flying geese three ways

1. Traditional Technique: for quilters who like to use it 

up and make it do.

2. Flip, Flip, Finish: for quilters who enjoy a good ol’ chain-piecing veg-out.
3. Fast and Furious: for quilters who like to finish fast—times four.
4. Paper-Pieced Geese: for quilters who wish to piece with the utmost precision.

Connecting Threads has an unique way to construct--

No matter which way you build your flying geese--it's a learning experience!

Free! Free! Free!

 I love free stuff--don't you?!! 

This Ezine Quilt magazine is FREE! Has been for every issue--

guess what?  Now, MMM Quilts is hosting a QAL with her

pattern that is featured on the front cover of the latest issue.

check out her blog post about the event, select your fabrics, download the pattern

so you'll be ready to begin this next week on this interesting pattern

Here is another opportunity to sew up a spring quilt--Corey of Coriander Quilts

will be hosting this Spring Brook Blossoms adventure.  The pattern will be

released April 19--a 6 month QAL with each block being released on third

Monday of the month--you'll make two blocks each month--I'm ready!

Doesn't this look delightful?!

Memories Rolling Down the Road

 The other day as we were touring around our lovely Hill Country area, we spotted something that took us back to many memories--and of course, our first thought when we saw this vehicle was the song that went with it: 

We were singing the tune as we pulled into the parking lot to see the Weiner mobile up close and personal.  We were just in time before the "Hotdoggers' were departing for their next location! 

We got our whistle!! Yay!!  that whistle is mark of era gone by but returning. 

Here are some fun facts about the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile:

• There are six mobiles with two Hotdoggers that drive around the area
• Hotdoggers are usual college seniors who commit a year to be spokesperson
• Each year, out of the 7000 applicants only 12 are chosen
• The Mobile began in 1936 by George Molchan
• The vehicle is 27 feet in length and can go 110 mph
• you can spend the night in the mobile
• 
  

We had so much fun! with our whistles and singing the jingle!  Made us feel like kids again!

Fluffle?

 Since tomorrow is Christian holiday and religious celebration, why not talk about the meanings of rabbits, chicks, eggs, etc.

Did you know that a group of rabbits is called a Fluffle?  I didn't know that term either--just thought it was a flock of rabbits or a herd?  All I know about rabbits is they produce quite frequently--then you would have a Fluffle!  and that's how they became associated with Easter--  

I had Angora rabbits for years and never knew this fact--of course, I didn't have a huge amount of rabbits.  Grandkids had their rabbits as pets.  A spinner friend had several rabbits that habited her house--yes, you can teach rabbits to be potty trained. 

You may ask—what’s the difference between a rabbit and a hare?  That’s another story for another blog! 

And why dye Easter eggs?  

Easter Eggs

Easter is a religious holiday, but some of its customs, such as Easter eggs, are likely linked to pagan traditions. The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring. From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten season, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration.

Easter egg hunts and egg rolling are two popular egg-related traditions. In the U.S., the White House Easter Egg Roll, a race in which children push decorated, hard-boiled eggs across the White House lawn, is an annual event held the Monday after Easter. The first official White House egg roll occurred in 1878, when Rutherford B. Hayes was president. The event has no religious significance, although some people have considered egg rolling symbolic of the stone blocking Jesus’ tomb being rolled away, leading to his resurrection.

Will you dye eggs? Have an egg hunt? Eat Easter candy? Have that Lamb roast? display your Easter lily?  When you do, just remember when and why these traditions are celebrated? 

Whatever fun you have with your family and friends this Easter--just remember the real reason..................................

BY

 HISTORY.COM EDITORS