Time is a’comin’!

 Just around the corner—one more month and it begins!  Tour de Fleece!!  TDF begins July 1 and runs through 23.  During June, I begin to prep my supplies and think of fiber to spin.  Do I need to wash, card, buy anything?  Nope—not me!  I have plenty of prepared fiber on hand for this gathering!  What must you consider during TDF?  Just what You want to achieve!  This is a personal challenge and goal!! Not a competition!  Spin when you can, what you want,  and decide how much time to apply to your goals and challenges! 

My first priority is to ply all this handspun brown cotton—then it will be ready for August for either the loom or knitting needles!

My handspun bin is overflowing with last year’s production. I love the variety of colors—some are dyed with indigo; most are natural colors cottons I’ve collected over the years. 

And here are some of the items I have knitted.  I do have weft on the shuttle ready to throw across the cotton warp; which has been sitting idle for weeks.

These will be lovely kitchen towels—when the warp is complete!  
The knitted cloth patterns are designed by Kitchen Sink Shop.  Garlene is on instagram—you can sign up for her free newsletter to receive free patterns. 

Sharing what you’ve produced during TDF is great satisfaction!  

Let's Eat! Leftovers!

 Usually, we'll have some 'leftovers' from a meal.  My Granny always called it "Mustgo"!  Since there is just two of us, always there are leftovers!  The story is always "what to have for dinner?'  An age old story for sure!  Sometimes, the leftover meal is good; other times, it's just so so!  One night last week, we had leftover salmon--and two fresh peaches!  What to make?  I always remember making salmon patties when the kids were home--but I'd used canned salmon (which wasn't too pricey)  and we were given a case of salmon from an Alaskan couple who fished for salmon every year and canned it.  That was a treat for us but......then there is only so much salmon one can eat!  Think that's why they gave us a case--just to get it out of their pantry into ours.

Step One:  prepare the peach salsa--yes, thought that would be a nice addition to top the salmon patties.  Look up recipe--wow!  recipes calls for 1.5 lb of peaches--I have only two!  We'll improvise--a little of this, a little of that--mix it up well and let set for several hours to marinade the flavors.

After all, it's peach season!  This is a perfect recipe!

Come close to dinner time--make the salmon patties:  

My recipe--mix flaked salmon with little chopped dill, lemon juics, chopped onion, add bread crumbs if you have them, mix in egg--shape into patties and air fry!  Got to use that air fryer that I received as a gift last Christmas!

And here is our complete meal!  Salad on bottom tossed with light vignette, add some steamed buttered asparagus--hubby even proclaimed it as a delicious!

Now, to use that leftover smoked pork tenderloin--quick and easy!  Yes, Pork tenderloin slices on sliders, topped with slaw--didn't have cabbage but did have broccoli so made a slaw with that. and there is still some tenderloin leftover (ha ha!!)  More recipes to use with that delicious little porkie!!  We buy the pork tenderloin when on sale--cut into two pieces; place on the smoker till it reaches temperature recommended.  

a few potato chips as a side dish--really nice meal as well as quick to prepare!

Nostalgia

My, how things have changed!  Look what Smart phones and Smart televisions have done to us—it is called progress!  I long for good ole days sometimes!  Years ago, I was gifted the most precious gift from brown headed daughter—an I-Pod!  It contained all my music from I-tunes—great to plug in my ear phones and listen away! No Wi-fi involved after downloading all the songs.

This little case included everything I needed as I traveled or walked or sewed or wove or slept.  I took it with me while in hospital couple of times.  It brought comfort!  I could scroll down to exactly what I needed to hear to soothe my soul. 

I even found an apparatus that can link the IPod to speakers—that was a bonus. 

The day came when my IPod rested for awhile.  Then I opened the case, turned it on and there was nothing!! Absolutely!! Nothing! It was dead as a door nail!  Charged it for hours—still nothing!  I was so sad—has my original IPod died—actually died??

What to do?  Charged for days! Nothing!  I checked to see if it could be repaired—hubby said cost too much—not to me—money was no object to get my little gem back in my ear!  Big sigh!  Searching--I could find one on websites for close to $300!! 

 The orange case laid on my desk for few more weeks—then I thought when all else fails—hit it!! I slammed it on the table and said “ why? Oh why?  I’ve had you for years”

Guess what??  

It came on!!! Yes!! My IPod was back from the dead!  

That goes to prove—hitting something that doesn’t work—does work!!

Now, I’m feeling happy again—I have all my music from ages gone by! 

Something Accomplished!

 I've got to stop sewing!!  Although the fabric bins are overflowing--I can't keep up with the quilting that needs to be done on those tops!  I love sewing!  It's easy to sit down at the machine, pick up couple pieces of fabric and sew a seam or join a block with another block.  It takes more power and time to get a top on the long arm!

Maybe, I would like to be cloned!  I'm looking at A I as there has been so much talk about it lately!  Do you think--an AI person could help me with my tasks??  Just jump in and do the same thing as I would?  Would AI know how to do it?  Or would it be much better to be cloned?? Actually, AI scares me a little!  I can't imagine another ME running around--I think it would confuse most people!  Or, in fact another clone of me--heaven help us!

Anyway, I have accomplished something with no help from AI but a good friend who likes to quilt on the long arm!  She hasn't finished sewing her latest top so she is willing to quilt for me--She does excellent work, much better than me on some designs!   We enjoy our time together in the back room at the local quilt shop--sometimes, people drop in to see what we are doing--the other day, someone popped in as we were talking (hadn't even begun with our tops) and asked if we were doing a class?  Yes, a class of gossip!!  Our favorite topic!

I loaded on two small quilts on the same background--both tops were scrappy--one is "I spy with my  little eye"   top for kids, most likely for our new great grandbaby.  The other a pattern from Lisa Bongean--wish I'd made it with patriotic colors.  I know so many vets that I would like to wrap in comfort.  Anyway, I made it scrappy--didn't reduce my stash bin by much though!  

My friend, CAM, worked on "let 'er Rip" from The Quilted Cow.  I couldn't resist!  Don't really need this top!  But, it will be nice as a gift to someone who loves Yellowstone!  Quilted Cow did several patterns from shows--I resisted those--thank goodness!  Anyway, CAM did lots of stars on Rip top--looks good.

Just need to bind these tops and they will become quilts!

The other day, I gifted a Navy Vet with his Quilt of Valor--he couldn't believe that he received a quilt to honor his service.  He had tears in his eyes when I handed it to him and thanked him for his service to our country!  This is why I like to make quilts to gift!

This was the pattern from Pat Sloan's 2022 quilt along.  I'm still working on this year's top but it's scrappy.  And, by the way, I'm still knitting on hubby's wool socks!!  And listening to Charles Martin's "The Water Keeper"  the first in a trio of keeper books--

Craftlit podcast is doing "Three Musketeers"--Wow!  never thought I would like to read/listen to this book--definitely, a classic that needs to be read!  A chapter a week is feasible.

Anniversary DAY

 Holy smokes today is the anniversary day of our wedding!  It's a big one too!  60--sixty years! 

 What gift to you give for sixty years of marriage???  I have no idea!  Looked it up and it's Diamonds--well, I declare  Diamonds—means, I won't get any because that is not my favorite stone.  Of course, we usually don't exchange gifts, except on rare occasions--On our 40th while living in Venezuela, we bought matching 18 carat gold wedding bands, .  His has already been repaired--but, it can be repaired not like some of our disagreements--all he needs to do is say "--you were right!"  How many times have I heard that?  

On our 25th, we bought a spa!  Used it quite often--now, it sits empty with no operational motor--oh well, we did get some good years from it.  Other years, we just said "happy anniversary" as we woke, give each other a kiss and went about our day. Just another ordinary day--

On our 50th, we took family to Vegas as we renewed our marriage vows with Elvis in his Chapel of Love--quite fun.  Maybe, we'll do it again when we reach 75 years!  Wouldn't that be a hoot??!!

You see, our 60 years have had some ups and alot of downs, but we are happy to be blessed with another good year to celebrate. 

We're getting up there in age; some days, my whole body aches; we have difficulty using our hands to tie the laces on our shoe , need help getting up out of a low chair; bones crack when we bend over--sense of each day moving forward in our old age!

Don't get me wrong--I like-love my old man!  He can stay around for a long time--he can continue to be bothersome but I'll take him; besides, I don't want to break in a new one!

Congratulations to us!  And here's to another 10 years!  

May I? Yes, You May!

 Do you remember that game?  It was a game of control--wasn't it?!  The game also taught social skills within different age groups.   Mother, May I?  Yes, you may!

Once I began this blog post for month of May quilting blocks, I couldn't resist looking up that game--wonder if it is still played today?

Working on May blocks is slow--here, it is May 16 and I've not done all the blocks I thought I would!  Trying to keep up to date on the tops I sewing on--BUT, I did get some tops quilted--not many though--it seems life gets in the way.  

Blocks for another patriotic top is in the works.  I sew until I’ve finished the pieces that have been cut—back 

To cutting again. 

Sixteen  piece lender ender block has finally found a setting!

Several blocks had already been linked—then I stumbled across the setting which gave the top more life—took old Jack to rip the blocks apart!  Still have several other leader--ender blocks to organize into a top--the right setting hasn't pop up yet.  

Here comes two YES two more free blocks to make!  The first one began today and these are always interesting and quick to make.  The first step includes the cutting instructions--and it's patriotic!  and it's a table runner!  It comes from Fort Worth Fabric Studio

First block instructions will be May 22!  Yay!! for the red, white and blue!

Another free topper comes from Fat Quarter Shoppe

Haunted Halloween Mystery begins June 6--shop for the kit or gather your spooky Halloween fabrics!

Mother, May I?

Yes, I may!!

See red

  Recently, a friend was dyeing with this fabulous bug--Cochineal!  That tiny little thing can give a variety of colors on your yarn.  I have a bin filled with those precious jewels

but haven't dyed with them in years!  Look like tiny raisins but these pin head size dried insects are hard as a rock!  When soaked in dye bath, they burst forth with color. 

 My friend pushed me to get back into the dyeing game--so I pulled out all my RED books and poured over them.  It was a good nudge back into color of the most importance to the world.

No color has fascinated the world through the ages than cochineal.  

Sorry I don't have her book--next purchase maybe!

So many books written about this one tiny little insect that brings so much life to color RED
 

Soon, very soon, I hope I can post photos of my recent cochineal dyeing