Ta da da done

 

After a week of relaxing and reading I needed to do some power sewing. I drew a chalk line around the border which I may have deviated from more than once as I stitched the meandering feather.  Nothing a soak in the tub and a spin dry won't fix and who will ever know that I didn't follow the line.
--Ann--

New reading list and a week away

Hubby and I spent last week at our son's home,  he had to go to a meeting so we took care of his dog and supervised some work on his new garage.  Hubby planned to play with the boat, I was planning on sitting on his deck and reading or sewing or knitting all week but South Dakota weather had other plans.  It was cold, windy and rainy.  So I read the Dakota series books by Debbie Macomber, they went fast because there is so much repetition from the previous books, then I received a notice that Britt Marie was available so I read that book too.  I could relate to Britt Marie and her list making.  I used to write a lots of lists then when hubby retired he would add things to my list.  I quit writing so many lists or kept them out of sight and I suggested he write his own list. I also blanket stitched the first two blocks of my 1990's stash flower quilt. And I did some knitting.  

1. In the Great Green Room by Amy Gary about Margaret Wise Brown of the children's books fame
2. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo more on tidying, sorting, storing, and throwing away our unneeded possessions 
3. Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt  Newberry award winner for book club
4. Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland  another wonderful book about art and artists set in France between 1937 and 1948.
5. At the Waters Edge by Sara Gruen  WWII and Loch Ness monster love story
6. Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber 
7. Dakota Home by Debbie Macomber
8. BrittMarie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
9. Always Dakota by Debbie Macomber
10. Buffalo Valley by Debbie Macomber. 

It was a relaxing week  I hope we do it again this summer when it is summer.  --Ann--

The Color Yellow

 

 Someone commented to me recently that I knit a lot of lavender and rose colored sweaters for myself which got me to wondering why because I really love to wear yellow.  Lavenders and roses or pinks can lean toward the reds on the color wheel or toward the blues and I will like them or they can be muted and I will like them.  Yellows can be harsh or brassy or dirty and they loose their true color when photographed.  The tunic on the left is as bright as the daffodils but lost all its brightness in the photo it is also rayon and polyester.  The yarn on the needles was called vibrant lemon but is more the color of goldenrod as is the  cotton sweater on the right. Then another picture as I progress and this one does look more like a vibrant lemon color, it still matches the cotton sweater.  On the website the yarn looked yellow not golden.  There was another yarn that looked like the perfect color of yellow even though the color name was lime something so I asked and was told it was definitely green.  Another light yellow yarn just looked dirty.  I suppose if the yarn fiber has not been bleached to white white any yellow dye is going to be muted by the natural color of the fiber.  I might have to knit with synthetic yarn if I want a bright clean yellow.  I cringe at the thought of synthetics--Ann--

Machine quilting

More of my meandering feather and concentric teardrops its my favorite free motion quilting design and so easy to do.  I plan to do a feather around the piano key border. --Ann--

Power sewing

This is my favorite of the neutral quilts click, click, because there is more contrast of the lights and darks in this quilt.  I'll save the binding for another day. --Ann--

OTN

Socks are finished for oldest son's birthday with weeks to spare!  Slow progress on the gloves and other socks but whats the rush.  Just a few more rows until the little fingers and start the fiddly work.  Thank you to  Judy at Patchwork Times over the years and exposing me to so much knitting by so many talented people.  She is the reason I started knitting socks.  I would see hers every week and want the yarns.  --Ann--

Machine quilting

It feels good to be in my sewing room after what seems like weeks without but I have been in there sewing quilt backs then hauling the quilt frame out to the family room after moving all the furniture then basting quilts.  Quilt backs and basting are my least favorite parts of quilting.  Now I can do some power sewing.  I'm just getting warmed up here with my concentric teardrops and meandering feathers.  There have also been some rainy days and rainy days are always productive in the sewing room.  Today I don't have to do the chore of watering the plants in pots because its still raining.  Happy sewing --Ann--

and more spring flowers

I went to a talk at the greenhouse yesterday and learned all about the new plants available this spring. I only bought a couple basil plants and a cilantro plant because I only had three pots to put them in.  Today I bought a big pot and 5 bags of planting soil then went back to the greenhouse and bought plants to go in my new pot.  I bought more potting soil than I would fit so now I have to buy another large pot and more plants.  Its a vicious cycle almost like buying quilt fabric. --Ann--

On and off the needles

I finished my sweater the other day and got it blocked.  It stretched some.  I could wear it with leggings around the house next fall because I will never wear leggings outside my house.  It is interesting that you can see the way the increases lined up on the back.  The pattern has increases every 6 rows on the front then a decrease in the sides then a right and left increase in the back giving it a little flare.  Then there were short rows to make the back longer than the front.  I really like the fit and feel of this cardigan link to the pattern the yarn is Zauberball by Schoppel Wolle.  Linking to Judy's OTN  --Ann--

More Spring Flowers

I went for a walk through McCrory Gardens this morning, the sun was shining.  What a glorious morning to be alive and good thing I went when I did because now the clouds seem to be appearing out of now where.

Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers--and never succeeding.----Marc Chagall

My stylized flowers really pale by comparison but these will last for years and no weeding.  --Ann--