Perfection

Perfection!  I have one iris plant that is not dark purple or yellow and this year it bloomed.  It is the palest lavender and the blossom was huge.  This bloom was fading when the next two were opening then the dark clouds rolled in from the west they always come from the west and the rain fell, then the wind blew and the rain came harder.  I was wishing I had cut the stem and brought it into the house but I was too late.  The hail came ping, ping, ping, pea sized hail with mounds of hailstones at the end of each downspout; the blooms were ripped to rags.  Then the storm rolled to the northeast and the sun came out and everything that was wet sparkled.  --Ann--

Dolly Quilt

I needed a gift for a five year old girl over the weekend.  She loves her dollies.  I pulled out a bag of pastel scraps, odd bits leftover from other quilts and found a few  4 patches and parts for more 4 patches, all I had to do was cut 2 1/2 inch alternating squares and setting triangles from fabric that  was also in the bag along with strips for the borders and ta da I was finished.  There is always one block that gets turned the wrong way.  I always use flannel instead of batting in doll quilts so the dolly stays wrapped up tight just like a real baby.  It kinda matches the quilt for baby sister.  --Ann--

Pastel Pinwheels

These sunny bright pastels are almost like a bouquet of tulips.  The borders are sewn and the backing has been pieced.  I like the random arrangement of the left over blocks, they seem to be spinning and falling across the back.  Now just add two more strips to make it long enough. --Ann--

seasons out of whack

It feels like March here instead of the middle of May, cold, windy and freezing overnight temps.  I was sitting in my sewing room over the weekend looking at all the projects in plain sight; the quilt that is ready to machine quilt, the quilt top ready to be basted, the stack of strips already cut for another neutral quilt, the beginning of a baby quilt, so many things from which to choose. This little needle point rabbit has been sitting in plain sight since the last leap year along with the backing and prototype of a gusseted egg.  All I needed to do was sew the backing and stuff it and stitch it closed.  I pulled out the box of needle point yarn to make the cording, none of the greens I used were long enough to make the cording. Think, think think what can I used that is the right color for the cording.............sock yarn!!! specifically the opal yarn for my St. Patrick's Day socks.  Wishing for warmer May days --Ann--

On the Needles

 Some progress on these socks.... I believe when I finish this stripe sequence the rest of the socks will be the grey with an occasional blue or white stitch.  They should be done in good time for sons birthday in June.  I need some fun knitting for summer.

I have been working in the garden every time we get a little rain the weeds grow and then we get a little sunshine and they grow faster. A bossy little robin was scolding me the whole time I was working in the garden but did she bother to say thank you when I went into the house and she had a feast of all the earth worms I turned up for her??? Noooo she just scolded some more the next time I came out to turn up more worms and the thanks I will get is a bite out of each of my strawberries as soon as they are ripe.  I have asparagus to pick today and another royal scolding from the queen of the little oak tree.  Linking to Judy's OTN.  --Ann--

Peonies

Sometimes when life doesn't seem very blog worthy I need to stop and look for the little things.  My fern leaf peony is in full bloom.  The blossoms look like fluffy heads with a frill about the neck.  I helped serve a funeral today for a 94 year old woman who had a wonderful life.  She was of the generation that always wore a hat but she didn't give them up when the majority of women quit wearing hats so the next matriarch of the family brought 2 large boxes of hats for the ladies to chose from and wear a hat to her funeral. They said Lurabel would be be smiling down as pleased a punch to see the church full of ladies wearing her hats.  Noticing the little things again. --Ann--

On and Off the Needles

Its been one of those weeks--two weeks with too many things going on but nothing blog worthy.  Always good to have socks for a road trip, the dark socks are pair perfect yarn so they should match, the pastel pair was just luck that the stripes are matching. And I finished my sweater it has garter rows in the sides and faux sleeve seam and short rows a couple inches before the garter row hem so it is slightly curved in the front and back.  It has saddle shoulders and short rows to shape the back.  The pattern is Antler and is top down in the round---my kind of sweater, if I could only figure out how to knit the sleeves two at a time.  I knit mine all one color.  Linking to Judy's OTN  --Ann--