Little Penquins!!

 

 

It's coming down to the finish line!  We have only two more penguins to go before we can put this quilt top together!  Hurrah!  I'm liking these fellows a lot........................

I'm three months behind on assembling these fellows--so, to speed up the process (I think!) I copy all the pieces at one time--if I'm smart--I mark each piece with number of pattern, color, and name of piece.

 

Once marked, outlined I can cut them out, press on coordinating fabric

 

and when I have a chance, I cut each piece and place in container--ready for assembling on background.  That is IF I'm thinking straight!

This fellow turned out lookin' good!

Something is just not right with this picture..................

or this one!  I go back to the photos from Fatcat Patterns --well, I declare, I've got the arms switched!

Okay--dude, you look much better with your correct arms in place...........

and this stocking top fellow looks much happier that his arms aren't hanging down to his feet!

Off we go to do top stitching...............................

 

2015 CALENDAR

 

I love Calendars!  I really like those full size calendars--the ones you hang on the wall so you can see the month at a glance. 

This was my calendar from 2014--Sheep breeds--only problem, there was no title to each page, so we must guess what breed?

But, just look at how I can see my schedule for the month--I can write each day's activities, events, etc. and you have an opportunity to look back on what you did that month.  Anyone like ME?  Can't remember what happen yesterday?  well, the calendar can tell you.

I keep my special calendars--like this one, my grandkids gave this to me in 1998--

I love this calendar for special reasons--and I didn't write in it!

This is another special calendar--nope, didn't write in it either!

How fun to see the weaving swatches posted for each month!  and I can reuse this calendar, when those dates roll around again.

This was a gifted calendar--really "loved" each page as I turned

special artists pieces--nope, didn't write in it either.

 

I really want to look at my 2015 Calendar------just haven't received it yet!  So, when I'm looking at my PC and thinking about a date, I look over to my BLANK wall and there is no 2015 Calendar!!  Oh, well, it will arrive soon enough--hopefully, before the end of January as I'm totally LOST without it!!

Roc Day or St. Distaff Day

Let's get back to our spinning!  Today would be a good day to begin!  Grab your wheel, fiber and or spindles and head out to meet up with like minded spinners.  It's a great day to discuss your New Year's fiber activities; learn a new technique; exercise your leg or your hands-- Why?  Because it's the traditional day for Roc Day!

I love my spindles--I love to collect different ones!

Of course, the different weights and sizes will spin different fibers--these spindles are kept in a small plastic lidded box as they are very precious and easily broken--we are spinning silk and cotton with these spindles.

Spin, Span, Spun!!

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.
Many St. Distaff's Day gatherings were held, large and small, throughout local fiber community. The distaff, or rock, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work.^[1]
In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. Women of all classes would spend their evenings spinning on the wheel. During the day, they would carry a drop spindle with them. Spinning was the only means of turning raw wool, cotton or flax into thread, which could then be woven into cloth.
Men have their own way of celebrating this occasion; this is done through Plough Monday. It is the first Monday after Epiphany where men are supposed to get back to work.
Every few years, Distaff Day and Plough Monday falls on the same day. Often the men and women would play pranks on each other during this celebration, as was written by Robert Herrick in his poem "Saint Distaffs day, or the Morrow After Twelfth Day" which appears in his Hesperides.
Some modern craft groups have taken up the celebration of Distaff day as part of their new year celebrations.

King Cake--Let's Begin Carnival Season!

Oh Yummy!  Just when you think you'll hit that diet plan, here comes Carnival Season and

KING CAKE! 

We are preparing for Mardi Gras--we bought our first King Cake: the best thing about these cakes is the fact that you can get all sorts of fillings.  This one is pineapple cream cheese.  Actually, my favorite is Cinnamon.

Here is Wikipedia info about King Cake.  But, from living in Louisiana, we have our many traditions surrounding this tradition. 

Enjoy some King Cake History!

 

 

A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake, kings' cake, king's cake, or three kings cake) is a type of cake associated in a number of countries with the festival of Epiphany at the end of the Christmas season; in other places, it is associated with the pre-Lenten celebrations of Mardi Gras/Carnival.
What started out as a dry French bread type dough with sugar on top and a bean inside 30 years ago, is now a sweet, sugary and iced Danish type dough that is braided with cinnamon inside and a plastic doll underneath. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. They have a glazed topping and are sprinkled with colored sugar. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season.
The cake often has a small plastic baby (said to represent Baby Jesus) inside (or sometimes placed underneath), and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations. 
Just a little History: 
The "king cake" takes its name from the biblical three kings. In Catholic liturgical tradition, the Solemnity of Epiphany - commemorated on January 6 - celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The Eve of Epiphany (the night of January 5) is popularly known as Twelfth Night (the Twelve Days of Christmas are counted from Christmas Eve until this night). The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), up until Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday;" the day before the start of Lent. Some organizations or groups of friends may have "king cake parties" every week through the Carnival season. In Portugal and France, whoever gets the King cake trinket is expected to buy the next cake for these get-togethers.
It is a popular food item during the Christmas season (Christmas Eve to Epiphany) in Belgium, France, Quebec and Switzerland (galette or gâteau des Rois or galette des rois), Portugal (bolo rei), Spain, and Spanish America (roscón or rosca de reyes and tortell in Catalonia), Greece and Cyprus (vasilopita) and Bulgaria (banitsa). In the United States, Carnival is traditionally observed in the Southeastern region of the country, particularly in New Orleans, Saint Louis, Mobile, Pensacola, Galveston, and other towns and cities of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In this region, the king cake is closely associated with Mardi Gras traditions and is served throughout the Carnival season, which lasts from Epiphany Eve to Fat Tuesday.^[2]
It’s believed the festivities of Carnival were brought to Louisiana by French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne Sieur d’Iberville. He led an expedition on behalf of the French crown and on March 2, 1699, he set up camp along the Mississippi River, 60 miles south of the present location of New Orleans. It just so happened the next day was Mardi Gras, and so began its celebration. The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.^[3] Now, as part of the celebration, it is traditional to bake a cake (King Cake) in honor of the three kings. The official colors of Mardi Gras–created in 1872 by the Krewe of Rex–purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.^[4]
Related culinary traditions are the tortell of Catalonia, the gâteau des Rois or reiaume in Provence or the galette des Rois in the northern half of France, and the Greek and Cypriot vasilopita. The galette des Rois is made with puff pastry and frangipane (while the gâteau des Rois is made with brioche and candied fruits). A little bean was traditionally hidden in it, a custom taken from the Saturnalia in the Roman Empire: the one who stumbled upon the bean was called "king of the feast." In the galette des Rois, since 1870 the beans have been replaced first by porcelain and now by plastic figurines. The gâteau des Rois is known as Rosca de Reyes in Mexico.
Samuel Pepys recorded a party in London on Epiphany night, 6 January 1659/1660, and described the role the cake played in the choosing of a "King" and "Queen" for the occasion: "...to my cousin Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father, mothers, brothers, and sister, my cousin Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was King. After that my wife and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a great frost."^[5] The choosing of King and Queen from the pie, usually by the inclusion of a bean and a pea, was a traditional English Twelfth Night festivity. The cake was called a "Twelfth Cake", "Twelfth-night cake", or "Twelfth-tide cake".^[6]

Day of WSW Group--talking weaving

What is WSW group?  Just our Westside Weavers', that's all!  We are an experienced bunch who share our thoughts, ideas, inspirations, failures, and other sundry advice.

Rosemary is our hostess in January and I always love going to her house.  She leaves up her tree for several weeks after the holidays so we can admire all her wonderful handcrafted ornaments

Each ornament is small and Rosemary can tell you who gave her what--there is usually a good story behind each one too.

The front wall of her entrance way is decorated with colorful Molas

Our show and tell begins with Penny, who has her Cricket woven scarves

Penny's business is Skyloom Weavers

This woven scarf has handspun weft

Penny said she didn't feel well for a few weeks--but, she woven these scarves!

She has created this kit for off loom weaving.

This is her hand-woven linen face cloth, weft is African grass

She purchased this linen paper from Habu Textiles and wondered how she could use it.

One of Rosemary's students is really into weaving--being a pianist he has the rhythm to keep good selvedges and loves weaving these delicate patterns; over 140 picks for one pattern repeat.

Rosemary is weaving a prayer shawl for a neighbor friend who is celebrating her Bat Mitzvah.  This shawl is one she wove for her husband.

We are loving this 'newbie' weaver's first yardage!  Four shots of brown and two of gray across a log cabin warp

 

Another first weaving --purple warp with blue weft--there was a comment about the goose eye not meeting in the center of the white stripe.  Personally, I like the offset of the pattern

Louise showed off her hand painted silk warp scarves--sett @ 32 epi--length was 8 Yds

Weave structure was overshot

 

Just lovely handle--she was taking her time to twist the fringe.  Great day!  Great Discussion!  Great Weavings!  Inspirational! 

 

What's For Dinner?

Food for the Body--we always need to EAT something!  But, when you are busy around the house, doing chores, working on your projects, watching your favorite TV shows, reading or just being lazy--who wants to cook?  I've bought so many cookbooks--recently, purchased this book   ! Honestly, who would think I'd cook from this book?  But, I'm going to make at least one recipe since I bought the book--

But, it will not be tonight--I need something easy and quick or maybe, something that will cook all day in the slow cooker--or maybe, I'll just pick up fast food or make a quick run to Costco and pick up a ready made meal (oh, wait, that is never a fast run!) --ahh, I really want to work on this project today.................................................

As I watch the latest episode!

Year of The Beaded Scarf

One Pattern of Lace a month = a beautiful scarf by the end of the year!  Yes, I'm so in on this knitting project--just wish I had a dedicated loom that I could weave one lace pattern a month, but alas, only one loom is available.  This year, once again, I plan to use my handspun yarn for this project.  Just need to dig deep to find yarn that has already been spun OR I might need to begin....................spinning!

Wonder what the scarf would look like if I used many different handspun yarns?

I have several little bits of yarn--hmmmm--I'm thinking of this!

In 2014 I signed up for this month to month lace scarf and finished in time to gift the handspun scarf to the blond headed daughter. 

Let's begin the knit pattern for 2015....................................
January's pattern is PEARL-BARRED SCALLOP PATTERN:  14 sts + 1
Rows 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9: K1, +YO, K3, SSK, YO, S2KP2O, YO, K2TOG, K3, YO, K1; rep from + to EOR.
Rows 2, 4, 6, and 8: Purl.
Row 10: Knit.
(Non-Beaded)Row 11: Purl.
(Beaded)Row 11: B, +P1, B; rep from + to EOR.
Row 12: Purl.
Rep the above 12 rows, two more times (3 times total), then knit six rows. (49 sts.)

Designer is Elizabeth Ravenwood:  come join us on her Ravelry group--Big Comfy Doghouse! 

Conflicted!

Okay--I'm conflicted!  Why do I always begin my new year with these conflicts?!!  In a previous post, I listed some of the KALs I want to work on and then there is a list of quilting projects to enjoy as well-----plus, our weaver study groups are beginning new studies--oh gee whiz! 

The Conflict--which yarn to use for the knitting projects?  What yarn to use for weaving project? What fabric to stitch on?  Which project to begin first?  Can I begin two at once?  My brain is swirling with ideas! 

OKAY--just calm down (I say to myself!)  Let's take this one step at a time--don't panic; we have a whole year to work on these projects.  Just make one decision and the rest will fall into place.

I searched my stash and found this Malabrigo yarn from a project that just didn't make it to the needles.  This yarn will be perfect for "Rock The Kasbah" shawl with designer Cindy Garland

I do know that one of the weavers' study groups is doing a linen study--I found linen in my stash!  Hip Hooray--just don't know what pattern I'll warp though..............

another stash yarn--Noro blend--bargain yarn that is certainly aged.  This will be great for Gap-tastic Cowl by Jen Geigley.  Easy pattern, simple knit!

And another stash yarn, in the sock bin, for New Year's Socks, designer Maria Rosa Spighetti

Sign of relief--I've resolved some of that panic feeling of what yarn to use for three projects.

New 2015 Goal!!

Winter Blast!!

The beginning of 2015 has been an adventure!  We classify this start as Adventure #46--

It is a cold wintry blast in Central Texas!  Of course, other parts of the country are having much the same weather.  But, in Texas (!) we don't expect the roads to freeze over and lay down a sheet of ICE!  The landscape is beautiful!  The trees are coated with winter white--but, keep the ice off the roads please!  Even 18 wheeler trucks weren't moving; there were skating!

Our cars don't have ice scrapers--next best thing to use----a credit card, but I found my Safeway card!  It works on ice as well as discounts at the grocery.

And what do you do when you are 'stuck' in a hotel?  We made lots of new friends who were in the same situation as we were; we swapped stories of the road hazards; 'which way did you travel from?'; but, I must keep my hands busy!  I dug through my luggage to find this scarf, needles and yarn (lucky to find a yarn store on the road!!).  I finished up this scarf the day before Christmas for the brown headed daughter--but, it was way too short.   I undid the bind off row, picked up stitches, attached the new yarn and we're off and knitting!!  The pattern is Mistaken Rib--easy to remember and work on.

I pray that you are safe and warm! 

January 2: Beginning the New Year Right!

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  Sometimes I do--one year I decided I had too many UFO's and made a resolution to finish TWO UFO's before beginning a NEW UFO!--it worked!!  The next year I had less UFO's.

This year in 2015--I'm making a resolution to learn a new technique a month!  It doesn't matter what or how that technique is applied--just learn a new technique.

Up first--learning how to use that darn Magic Loop technique--Two Toe-Up Socks on One Circular Needle  by Kristin Bellehumeur 


Ok--I can knit two socks on two circulars!  I'm happy I can knit socks period!  And I don't have any trouble turning the heels.  but, I've never done anything with that Magic Loop stuff-- so, let's start by buying the right needle for the project!  47 inches is best length of circular needle to buy for Magic Loop, as you will be able to use this length for any project, including two-at-a-time,


What new technique will you learn this month? 

January 1--Ringing in the New Year!

What are your traditions for starting your New Year off right?
 I've always heard whatever you do on the first day of the year, will be what you do the rest of the year--

Our Southern Tradition continues with food! of course!  On this day, we must eat at least one spoon of cooked cabbage, black-eye peas and have some pork to insure good health and wealth.  I love black-eye peas!  the family not so much!  But, they will indulge in the tradition just the same--who wants to tamper with that health-wealth thing!

Here is a recipe that makes black-eye peas taste absolutely delicious--in my book!

Good Luck Hoppin' John
 4 strips bacon, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, or 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen

1/2 cup uncooked rice

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Partially cook bacon in a Dutch oven, add onion, and cook until bacon is crisp and onion is soft. Add black-eyed peas, rice, water, and pepper flakes. Cover and simmer over low heat until rice is done, about 20 to 25 minutes. Toss with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Other customs around the world include food as well:

Eating any ring-shaped treat (such as a donut) symbolize "coming full circle" and leads to good fortune. In Dutch homes, fritters called olie bollen are served.

The Irish enjoy pastries called bannocks.

The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight comes from Spain.

In India and Pakistan, rice promises prosperity.

Apples dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.

In Swiss homes, dollops of whipped cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors (and allowed to remain there!)

So, here's to whatever your tradition or custom includes to bring in the New Year--