How did you celebrate the 4th?

Our 4th of July long weekend started out with what I thought was a hot flash in the wee hours of Friday. It turned out to be the capacitor on our AC. We had planned on doing a day trip that day, but ended up staying home and cooking out with Poppy and Ben's girl, Grace. We grilled burgers, I made dinner theater green beans, baked beans, hashbrown casserole and eclair cake for dessert.
We sat around with full stomachs and watched an old John Wayne western.
I was just adding the button band on my Hey Teach and realized that something looked off. To my horror, I had made one front 6 rows, 1 inch, shorter than the other front! I was in shock! I tried it on to see if it was that noticeable and could have cried! For Pete's sake, I already had the sleeves sewn in and all the yarn ends woven. I calmed down and made myself not hurl it into the corner. I ripped both front bands out, ripped out the neck ribbing, one shoulder seam and 1/2 of the sleeve seam on that side. Ripped to the problem and worked it back up. It took me several hours to fix the problem, but I am thrilled to say that I got it done.
Saturday, we took a little day trip. We had planned on going to Ponca and do a little hiking. We went by way of I-40 to Russellville. I got to visit a yarn store there that I had been dying to go to. It is called Knit 2 Together. It was a great yarn store on Main Street in one of the old store fronts. They had some buttons that I really wanted for some designs.I bought some lovely dk weight Bamboo yarn. It is very soft. Here is pic of a project started with it.Last week, I finished a couple of projects.
I added binding to this simple quilt that I had made.
I finished my Provencial Rose, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Sweet Little Nothing. I started another one and finished it last night. This one is for Lindsay my hair dresser.
I finished all but the last row on my Dianna Shawl. I ran out of yarn and am trying to decide how to finish it without buying another ball of this ugly, too vivid, scratchier than a bunch of hay, way over priced yarn. I will find a way....I am quite good at making a silk purse out of a sows ear.This picture is for Alyssa and Delighted Hands. I am doing an overshot rug on my favorite loom. I am using worsted weight cotton in a yummy pistachio green and weaving with chocolate brown rug warp. I adore overshot weaving. It is so easy and yet looks so hard. I have this loom warped for 4 rugs. I will weave 2 and then loan it to Alyssa to weave the last 2. This will be her lesson in overshot. I know she will love it!
Traveling Shawl progress--It has been to Iowa and is now on its way to MN. This will be our 49th state! That means only WI to go and then it will make it way back to Arkansas. It feels surreal. I feel as if OUR BABY IS ALL GROWN UP. I could not visualize this last year when I mailed it to Fleegle. We had only a few states for sure and we just started by faith, hoping that it would all come together. I have a great big lump in my throat.
We had another article published. Check it out here. Check out our blog here.

Last Day of June.....sigh............

Where has 1/2 of this year gone to? They say that the older you get the faster time goes by. Why? What brainiac came up with that and show me the proof!!! If this is true, then I must be at least 75 going on 100!
I think it has to do with how busy you are. The busier you are, the less conscious you are of how much time you are burning up. I guess that would mean that I am TOO busy. I am trying SO hard to slow down.
I am not one of these people who handles stress very well. I don't multitask very well. If I need to, I get things done, but I pay the price in my inability to focus mentally. When I am stressed, I knit. The knit and purl rhythm soothes my fractured mental inabilities. It makes me feel as if I am accomplishing, at least, something.
I am making myself step back this week and focus on a small picture. I have too many projects on needles and I am slowly working on finishing several before I LET myself do something else.
After I designed my Sweet Little Nothing, I could not help but shrink it for sweet little girls. Here is one that I finished Sat night. It took less than 200 yards of worsted weight cotton. I'm working on finishing this one to wear on Sunday. It is a pinkish/coralish/rose colored cotton.I'm, also, working on finishing a short sleeved cotton summer sweater. It called Hey Teach. I tried to find some fabric for a skirt today, but didn't. I have the back almost done, one sleeve and the left front. This will be my night time knitting once I finish the above Sweet Little Nothing. And when I need a lace and bead and silk fix, I will work on my silk Gail. I am trying to make myself agree to that!
Tomorrow, a fiber buddy, Sue is coming over to dye with me. I may just supervise her and show her what I know. Sometimes, it is just fun to watch another person have fun with color.

Traveling Shawl progress--It has been to Nebraska and is now on its way to Iowa. This will be our 48th state! That means only 2 more to go and then it will make it way back to Arkansas. We had another article published. Check it out here. Check out our blog here.

Quilting completed...

This is just a post to show the photos of the completed quilts. Enjoy the eye candy!

Sweet Little Nothing

What have I been doing?
Quilting
This is Gail's baby quilt. Isn't it so lovely.Here is mine.
I went yesterday to quilt them at another friends house. She has a quilting machine and I made quick work of it. I also got the love for that machine of hers. What fun! I am already planning another quilt so that I can go play on it again.
Knitting

This a cute little shoulder cover for summer. I call it my Sweet Little Nothing. I just adore it! It took less that 400 yards of worsted weight cotton yarn. I have several more in line to be made.
I designed this to wear as a cover-up for my sleeveless summer dresses. I wanted something quick, simple, cotton, knitted from the neck down and as simply knit as possible. I made it with a wider, sort of ballet neck. It does not have a buttonhole. I used a large 1” button and sewed a snap on under it. It would look wonderful with a nice antique pin.
This is a brainless, super easy, quick summer knit. Enjoy.
I have some Brown Sheep Cotton in a Provincial Rose that I plan on using next.
Here is a photo of my Strawberry version of my crocheted yoke dresses. This is Amesley. Isn't she as sweet as a strawberry?

Traveling Shawl progress--It has been to North Dakota and is now in South Dakota with Kathleen. This is our 46th state! We had another article published. Check it out here. Check out our blog here.

So much to tell and show....

Last week, I accomplished so much. I was marking things off my list left and right. I blocked my "Piece of Pi" Shawl. I finished a lace knit table runner. I still need to block this. I finished my shawl on my Triangular Loom and got to break that loom down and get it out of the way.
I finished Zoe's dress and shrug.
I finished Sarah's dress. I finished Emily's dress.
I finished my Scribble Lace Shawl and need to block it next week. I cleaned my loom room.
Alyssa and I finished warping her loom and started on mine. Here are the dishtowels on hers. She is so excited about weaving and her excitement is infectious.

This week, I have not been or seem to have been as productive. Maybe because I did not start the week with a list. I love this list making thing! Monday, I went to a quilting guild meeting. It was fun and inspiring, but the last thing I need is to be inspired. I have too many ideas running around in my head. I came away with some more great quilting ideas. Monday night, I had my care group ladies over for their quilting class. We made bread cloths. They enjoyed it and so did I. I wish I had taken pictures, but it was so busy, I did not even think to.
I dyed some roving Wed for my spinning day on Saturday. I hope to spin this and make an entrelac Shawl.
Here is what I am most excited about finishing. Remember the dresses at the front of this post? Well, I made myself finish them because they needed to be done before I could reward myself with finishing these. While making the first ones, I came up with this idea. That is a big problem with me. Every time that I design, another idea starts forming. It is almost like rabbits in my brain. Enjoy! Here is the plain one. It is still really gorgeous. I love madras plaid.
Here is a ladybug version.
Then a patriotic 4th of July version.A strawberry version. I have had this fabric for years. It was waiting for this project!I am from the south, so here is a watermelon version.
I am off to make another list. If you want to make some of these dresses, I am writing the pattern in baby sizes, too. I will start with size 3-6 months. I will let you know when I get them ready. So start digging in your cute fabric stash and get ready to make those little girls some cute summer dresses.
Traveling Shawl progress--It is now in Montana with Deborah . This is our 44th state! We had another article published. Check it out here. Check out our blog here.

Must finish, must finish....

I am feeling the need to tie up loose projects. I made a list and am methodically marking things off. Today, I finished another strip on my Heart Quilt. I am trying to do a strip every other day. Thankfully, every other block is a solid. I have 3 strips so far. This is done on a paper foundation and then the paper is torn away. This is the only way that I can get precise corners. I love the pink. I have to stay ahead of Gail (my student).
I am trying to finish attaching the body to Zoe's Jane Austin Yoke. I have the material for Sarah's and Emily's in the dryer.
I am doing a row or two on my Tri Loom shawl here and there.
Last night, I finished a lace Table Runner for a young couple who is getting married later this month.
Here is a photo of my Gail Shawl in my finger weight silk that I bought from Fiber Chicks Yarn store in Old Town Albuquerque, NM.

It is a lot lovelier than the photo. The greens are more visible than in the picture.
I lack 30 rows on my Scribble Lace Wrap.
I need to finish that for a banquet next week. Nancy finished hers and blocked it and it made me want to finish mine. The ribbon yarn is russet colors and the thin rayon is cordovan. Very striking.
Remember my Noro yarn that I bought in Dallas on vacation? I started a swatch last night with it. I have always wanted to get some of this yarn. The color changing is so unique. I salivate over every project that I see made with it, but....it does NOT meet my expectations. Thus my desire for Noro is no more. This is the nastiest feeling yarn. It is highly over rated and over priced and I feel that it is a GREAT BIG rip off. I will finish the project that I am making with this yarn, but it does not make it an enjoyable knit and the pattern that I am knitting with it is gorgeous. It may soften up once I wash and block it, but I am no longer a Noro fan. There are too many other yarns out that give you great color change, are reasonably priced and feel nicer to work with. Thank you very much, but I will stick to my beloved Jojoland Melody and Rhythm!

Dyeing with friends

There are certain crafts that are more fun and more productive with friends. I found that out last week when Alyssa and I warped and wove together. The young weaving student does get your juices to weave bubbling. The same with last Sat....Lisa (a dyeing newbie) and Cindy (an old hand at it) came over for a dyeing good time.
This was some chunky wool that Lisa dyed.
Here was some roving and alpaca sock weight that she painted.
This was some roving that Cindy did. We have a spin date set for tonight, so we will get to see how this looks spun up.
This was some alpaca that was a tan color. She had bought a couple of bags of this and had already made a vest in some of it. She wanted to change the color for another project. We overdyed it with terracotta.
This is some worsted weight wool that I painted for a Simple Colorplay shawl. It is being sent to a friend who right now has a hectic life. She longs to knit, but she only has time for knitting that can be done on auto-pilot knitting, so I am sending her a warm hug of yarn and my Simply Colorplay Shawl pattern.
Does the shawl next to the pan of yarn look familiar? That is my Gail that I made for Mary Kathleen. The yarn in the tub is the same yarn, but I overdyed it with a dark red. It looks like shades of deep, rich wines. It is destined to be another Gail. I just did not want someone else having one exactly like Mary Kathleen's. I love this yarn. It was meant for another Gail Shawl.
I will use plum iridescent beads on this one.
I sat down this morning and made a list of WIP/UFO (works in progress/unfinished objects). I am trying to finish up some projects and destash and organize my MESS!
I have an 8-harness table loom with stand, a knitting machine, a drum carder and tons of yarn that I will be getting rid of soon. I want to be able to get in my loom room and find stuff. I am sorting stuff today.
I have Lisa and Cindy coming over tonight to spin. I will set up my tri loom and finish the shawl on it. I want to be able to break that loom down and get it out of the way. It takes up half the loom room floor space. I will send it home with Sue (one of my other fiber buddies) to live with her awhile. It will be safe, out of my way, and enjoyed.
This week, I need to work on my heart quilt, finish warping the looms with Alyssa, organize my loom room, finish the crocheted yokes on the little girl dresses, etc.....
Traveling Shawl progress--It is now been to Idaho and is now on its way to WY . This will be our 43rd state! Check out our blog here.

Weaving and Gail/Nightsong Shawl

I love the way this shawl blocked. This is the Gail/Nightsong Shawl for Mary Kathleen. I think she will be thrilled with it. I wish I could say that this was my design, but it is not. I think it is one of the most beautiful shawls that I have ever seen or knit. I am working on my silk one now.



Yesterday was Alyssa first warping lesson. I hooked her on weaving first, then introduced her to warping a loom. It took us all day to wind the warp and thread the reed and heddles. I am now convinced that you ALWAYS need to have two weavers to warp a loom. Her first warp chain.
Her first floor loom.Introduction to untangling and the "school of hard knots". She passed with flying colors.
I think the girl is hooked. We started the day with crunching numbers for her dishtowels. Made 2 trips to the local Hobby Lobby for more red and green thread. Dug through my stash for other project ideas. We warped 6 yards of 458 ends of 8/2 cotton. She wants to do her kitchen in apples, so the red and green will look great. Next week she will come over and we will finish winding the warp onto the back beam. We will warp one of my looms for rugs in overshot. She is going to make a great weaver.
Traveling Shawl progress--It is now been to Idaho and is now on its way to WY . This will be our 43rd state! Check out our blog here. We got featured in another article, this time in Salt Lake Tribune. Check it out here.

Vacation, Vacation Knitting and Yarn Store Crawl

I have never had such a lovely knitting vacation, ever. I got to visit too many yarn stores while I was gone! Yes, too many. Which means I spent too much on yarn.
First, I need to tell you what projects I decided to take on for this vacation.
I was in a predicament. I had too many WIPS (works in progress), but I always save a special yarn and special project for vacation knitting. So, I took both. I took yarn, a purple hand painted sock yarn, and irridescent purple beads for Gail, my Twisted Yoke Cardigan (I only lacked 12" on the body and both sleeves), my Lavender Field Shawl, and the band for my Twisted Stitch Cardi Wrap.
Our vacation started Sat morning May 16th. I had started my Gail the night before to make sure I would not have a problem with the pattern. We stopped in the Starbucks in Texarkana and ran into some fellow knitters! This is their blog. They showed me what they were knitting and I shared the projects that I had brought to knit on vacation. We exchanged Ravelry names and were exchanging emails that night. This was a great start for my vacation to meet other fiber enthusiasts.
We spent the night with some cousins in Dallas and I got to go to the Woolie Ewe in Plano, TX. I bought a skein of Noro sock yarn, this was my first Noro yarn purchase. It was not cheap, never is, but one skein of sock yarn will make a shawl!We left Dallas Sunday morning and two hours outside of Dallas, I ran out of beads on my Gail. I wanted to cry. I loved the rhythm of this pattern. I was in my knitting zone. I had only ordered 2 pkgs of beads to make sure that the color was right. I had ordered 3 more pkgs before I left home to make sure I would be able to finish once we returned from vacation. Here it is. I only have to bind off and I will be finished.
Everyone that truly knows me is wondering why I am making a purple shawl. This one is not for me. This one is for an artist friend, Mary Kathleen. I have commissioned a painting and she has commissioned a shawl. She has glorious silver gray hair and this will look fabulous on her!
I love this pattern. I, honestly, do not remember a more enjoyable knit. I have racked my knitting brain and can truthfully say that this pattern beats anything I have ever made. Now, I can start mine. Remember the silk I bought in NM?
Once I got over running out of beads, I started working on my Twisted Yoke Cardigan. I am using Lambs Pride Bulky in a wonderful granite heather. By Monday night, I had finished the body (its made from the neck down), one of the sleeves and 2/3 of the last sleeve and ran out of yarn. I had not brought enough with me. Two projects down.....
So that left my Lavender Fields Shawl as my main knit. I made great progress on it, too. I finished one half and only have 44 rows remaining on the last half.
I went to my yarn store in Fredricksburg, Stonehill Spinning. I bought 4 skeins of sport sock yarn. As we were shopping earlier, I told myself--Note to self-- never be without a pair of socks to knit. My legs and feet got tired and I sat down alot to wait on the boys to finish shopping. I don't sit and do nothing well. It was just what I needed! I finished part of a sock just fiddling around town. I love to knit sock while shopping.
On the way home, I got to go to 2 yarn stores in Austin, TX. One, Hill Country Weavers, was mind blowing. It was unbelievably huge. It was in an old house and every corner, alcove, crevice and wall was stashed with yarn. They had every yarn that I have ever wanted to see and touch. A hank of light finger weight mercerized cotton by Blue Heron came home with me. It has 1000 yards. I will probably make another Gail with it and have enough to warp my loom for a scarf, too. I let the boys pick out the color, so that means I had to go out of my color-block-self! That was a good thing. It is lovely.Then I went to a shop called Gauge Knits. I love the concept of this store. The yarn was sorted by gauge. I went straight to the sock and lace weight. I bought 2 balls of TyDy sock yarn in a coral, orange, bubble gum pink and yellow. It is a slow variegating yarn. I plan on using it to make Dianne.As you can tell, I got so much knitting done on this trip!
This was the best vacation for knitting! We did a lot of driving. Most of the places we went to see were scenery trips to be enjoyed from the windshield. We did not have a lot of time to get out and hike.
We visited Fort Davis State Park. The Davis Mountains were breathtaking. We drove up to the MacDonald Observatory. There was so much that we wanted to see in the short 2 days that we were near Big Bend TX.
Big Bend was mind-blowing! Pictures cannot take in the enormity of these mountain ranges. It kept unfolding and unfolding.
I am always so thankful when we come home safely. We traveled hundreds of miles and in some really desolated, isolated places and in our older van. I am also thankful that we were kept safe from wrecks and crazy drivers.

Still chasing my tail.....

Life is still hectic...and I am still chasing my own tail.
But here is a quick and dirty update. Here is our group that was going to Broken Arrow Bible Ranch in NM, waiting to get everyone's luggage checked in.
Here is my pilot for my first ever flight. He got us there safe. This was the flight from Little Rock to Dallas. The jury is still out on whether I like to fly.This is my second pilot. He flew us from Dallas to Albuquerque.

Then we spent a few hours in Old Town. My super powers of sniffing out yarn worked wonderfully. I found a yarn store in Old Town called Fiber Chicks. I bought this fingerweight silk as my souvenir. I am going to make Gail out of it.
New Mexico always takes my breath away. I am so amaze at the beauty that can be seen in a place that has very little green on the ground.

I want to tell you about one of the highlights of my time in Old Town. It even makes the silk yarn pale in comparison. We came upon a book signing. These gentlemen are Code Talkers from WWII. I felt so blessed to have met these men. I thanked them for being the reason that we won the WWII war. I told them that they were my heroes. If they had not served their country, my father-in-law may not have come home from the war. My father-in-law would not have married my mother-in-law and they would not have had my Michael. I own so much to these brave men. Thank you dear sweet men.
My oldest sister came down from Phoenix for Mother's Day. Here she is with my Ben and my brother's son. Nathan is really tall. Ben is 6 feet tall. Teresa, she is a shrimp! I could not get used to her being blond. When we were shopping, I kept wondering who that strange woman was hanging around my mom!
Here is my mom, my oldest sister, me and my oldest brother. He is younger than me by 11 months. He is Nathan's dad.
Here is my spanish lavender in bloom. I show you this so that you can see the color that I wanted to go with my Lavender Fields Shawl.
Here is the yarn and beads. Glenn is knitting it for me in this solid. I am almost half done with the one that is in the Lavender Fields colorway. Here is my False Indigo that Ben got me last year for Mother's Day. Isn't it nice that it bloomed for this Mother's Day.
Here is me and Ben. We just finished planting my rose bush that they bought me for Mother's Day. I love getting something that I can plant and I can enjoy it for many years. Here is a close up of one of the roses. Here is the whole bush. It is a smoky dark tomato red. It is called Hot Cocoa. I love it.
So, what have I been knitting/working on? Well, this is a shawl I made for a cousin. I needed to test this shawl pattern. It is called First Shawl. It is for beginner lace knitters. I used beads on it, too. Check out the next photo to see the edging and the beads. I am working on some cutie crochet for kids. This is a sneak peak. I will clue you in better soon. I have made about 10 of these. You will understand why when I finish them. If you are a crocheter and have a little girl in you family, getting your crochet hook warmed up real soon. You will want to make a bunch of these.
Traveling Shawl progress--It is now with my buddy, Jackie, in OR . She is our 41 st knitter! Check out our blog here. We got featured in another article, this time in Salt Lake Tribune. Check it out here.