Learning to forage

 

There are 4 green herons in the neighborhood the fourth is under the spruce tree on the right. They are learning to find food. I slowly got close enough to see they have the palest green legs. They were pecking at a pine needle.  The neighbor called them Least Bitterns so I looked them up the two birds are often confused the immature birds and female have stripes on their neck and chest and the leave before they mature. The only time I have seen them is when the young get kicked out of the nest. They are fun to see for a couple days each summer.—Ann—

Perfect evening for a walk

 

It was a perfect evening for a walk, no wind, hardly a breeze and no bugs!! There was a rabbit in every yard sometimes two or three then I heard a short screech. At first I thought it might be a rabbit but the only time I have heard a rabbit in distress was when it was caught by a 10 year old boy. No 10 year old boys around. I looked up a green heron was flying. They are short squat birds with stubby tails and legs that stretch out long in flight. The next time around the loop I heard a stomach growl— it wasn't mine— but that is another sound the green heron makes. I see another rabbit and something else, two young green herons under the spruce trees, just standing there, I slowly walk a little closer and one hops under the branches and I see a third.  How scary must it be for a bird to hear mama bird say today is the day you leave the nest? Today is the day you learn to grasp a branch with your feet….and balance, then you learn to walk or hop and then fly….back to the nest for the night or on the ground overnight.  It seems a bird would be highly motivated to learn those skills.   —Ann—

A little steam

 

A little steam fixes everything with wool. The collar and hems lay flat now rather than curling. The only seams I actually had to sew were on the cuffs. The knitting took a right angle turn when I finished knitting in the round—cast on 13 stitches and knit the cuff as you knit around knitting 2 together or 3 together as you knit to the sleeve. It wasn’t as complicated as that sounds. Now I need to go someplace chilly so I can wear it. —Ann—

Off the needles

 All those loose ends to sew into the knit. That’s what happens when I knit with 2 strands of fingering yarn.  I wanted the yarns to blend together not stripes. I used 526 grams of yarn out of 800+  grams of yarn. I had 5 full balls 3 were a medium blue that I bought for another project and didn’t like. Perfect for this sweater and 2 other balls intended for socks. There are seeds left for another sweater or socks. The ends are sewn in and buttons attached. I wish my buttons were a little bigger but where am I going to find buttons now that JoAnnes is gone. So sad. The pattern is Chanel Blues by Hinterm Stein a different type of construction for me rather than the usual top down raglan sleeves. The collar band was knit first with short rows so it curves to fit the neck then stitches were picked up to knit each side of the front and while attaching the shoulder to the back.  The sides were joined after the sleeve openings were shaped. Then the sleeve stitches were picked up to knit the sleeve caps first with short rows then knit in the round. The only seams to sew were the beginning and end of the cuff.  Just follow the directions row by row.  I have knit other sweaters by this designer and am always pleased with the fit.  It just needs some steam on the front band and hem.

This is going to be my go to sweater. I can dress it up or down to fit the occasion. 2025 is half gone. Seize the rest of the day and year. —Ann—

Progress on my sweater

 Will I ever get cross wise and length wise gauge right?!?? Re knit the sleeve again. How many decrease rows do I need to get in the next 4 1/2 inches? These sleeves will look good on an orangutan! Do some math, rip the sleeve back to the bottom of the arm pit and do a decrease row every 5 th row instead of 8 th. So far so good. A few really hot days a good day to stay in in the AC and knit, a few windy days a good day to stay in and knit, a rainy day a good day to stay in and knit.  Do I need much of an excuse to knit??—Ann—

Quilt top finished!!

Quilt top finished!! Now my least favorite step in quilting……the backing especially if I need to sew chunks together……and I am determined to use fabrics from the stash.  —Ann—

More therapy

 

I started cutting strips for the borders and kept getting distracted because I wasn’t thrilled with the plan. It was so boring with limited fabric……..aha do a piano key border! Isn’t that much more interesting and also able to incorporate more fabrics including some of my pansy fabrics which have become wonder what I am going to do with those fabrics. I’m using the back side of a couple fabrics because they blend in better. I paid for both sides of the fabric, use that side too. It’s going to mean a lot more sewing time…..more therapy.  —Ann—

Therapy

A little time in the sewing room was like therapy for a somewhat chaotic life. Indecision on the borders was the hold up on this quilt, that and too many other things demanding my time. I completely used some of the fabrics.  Ask myself what would grandma do?  I made the quilt longer by almost a full block by sewing 8 more blocks then cutting them in half and sewing to the other end. It still needs a 2 1/2 inch border of purple all the way around. I’m auditioning some purples that were at the bottom of the stash and then to find enough of a purple for the binding. Decisions, challenges, progress and therapy—Ann—

New chair in the sunroom

 Friday I bought a new chair for the sunroom……. I need to scrub those labels and off why did the manufacturer put them there?!??  I had a high back chair that matched the lounger but one side was ripping away from the frame and a support broke off the bottom. I frequently stop to consider the consequences so my very active imagination saw me falling through the seat and getting stuck, really stuck with the little wires gouging my flesh, hubby off fishing, the phone out of reach and the doors all locked. So I went shopping and found the perfect chair for the sunroom.  While I was drinking my coffee sitting in my new chair I thought I really should tidy up this room. Piles of projects all over the floor, books, papers, yarn, plants, you get the picture since I don’t post pictures of my messes.  A book shelf is what this room needs an hour later after looking at book shelves on line I take a tour of the house.  I have a bookshelf downstairs stuffed with quilts.  Perfect!! Decide I will clear out the sunroom vacuum and dust everything and above all put a time limit to finish before lunch.  I was done at 11:30!  Sit down in my new chair in my tidy sunroom and have a glass of ice water.  I’ll deal with the mess that is being relocated after lunch.  This looks like the perfect place for a glass of wine later.  Enjoying the weekend—Ann—

A furry visitor

 

Look who I met as I was coming through the trees. Did the little squirrel knock on the door? Was the squirrel looking for a new house? Maybe he just wanted to say hello to the new faerie neighbor? Maybe he was looking for treats.

Chanel sweater

 

My hands need to be busy in the evening in front of the tv especially when there is a flaw in the male DNA that keeps their finger on the remote changing channels every few minutes. I started this Chanel sweater designed by Hinterm Stein I think it will be a sweater I can pair with just about everything in my wardrobe. I’m using leftover sock yarn ok not all leftovers 3 balls of blue that was meant for another project and a couple full balls intended for socks. I can always buy more for socks, they just all blended together so nicely. The construction is different than I have ever knit,  it is still knit from the top down but no seaming. Just follow the pattern line by line and it all makes sense. Another gloomy day here I hope it rains some more but it’s a good day to knit and sip coffee. —Ann—

Off the needles

 Before blocking specifically washing in the washing machine 

and after drying in the dryer.  The yarn is Berroco remix light I love this yarn because it comes out of the washer and dryer looking fabulous and gets softer and softer. The pattern is Derecho by Allison Green for Berroco. I hope it shrinks a little more next time through the wash. —Ann—

Socks

 Fresh off the needles.  It is a four hour drive to visit the grands, I knit while hubby drives, it usually takes 2 trips up and back to knit a pair of toe up socks. These are shorties I like to wear them with tie on sneakers.  The upper part of the heel  of the shoe frequently rubs on my heel so to add a little more cushion to the heel of the sock I continue the slip stitch heel as I start knitting in the round again for the leg of the sock about a half an inch. I continue the slip stitch heel with eight short rows so the back of the leg is a little bit taller, the sock stays up better instead of crawling down into my shoe. Then 8-10 rows of 2 x 2 ribbing and they are finished.  Thinking about the yarn for the next trip.  —Ann—

Nap time

Sometimes nap time just doesn’t happen when you tell them to go lay down. Sometimes a stack of books is much more effective especially when grandma’s voice keeps getting quieter and quieter, they didn’t even know they were falling asleep. A fun fun weekend with the little girls. —Ann—

Reading list #2 2025

1. The Titanic Sisters by Patricia Falvey two Irish girls board the Titanic one is going to be a governess the other a domestic servant in New York. One sister thinks the other one drowned and takes her identity as governess and her life gets complicated. Of course it does otherwise the story would have been rather dull.
2. The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey about Ireland’s fight for independence set in Ulster. Ulster voted to stay under British rule. (My great grandfather, grandfather and a couple great uncles signed the Ulster Pact for British rule.) the story is the point of view of the Irish republicans for a united Ireland. 
3. The Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn psychological thriller some chapters (journal entries) were too much information for me. I just about quit reading it but I got pulled into the plot.
4. The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan England WW 2 quirky characters and twists and turns made me think of a Pink Panther movie with Peter Sellers. It was also about mother / daughter relationships, forgiveness and stepping out of your comfort zone. 
5. Battle Mountain by C.J. Box another thriller and very good 
6. The Oceans Between Us by Gill Thompson the story begins at the end of WW2 London has been bombed a boy is taken to an orphanage, his mother is in a hospital and doesn’t remember anything. The boy is told his mother is dead and he is shipped to Australia with a boat load of orphans. He doesn’t believe his mother is dead. His mother gets her memory back in bits and pieces and is told her son is dead but she doesn’t believe it. She and a friend start asking questions in England, the son starts asking questions in Australia and the plot thickens.
7. Book Lovers by Emily Henry for book club about a writer’s agent and a book editor, lots of references to Hallmark genre movies only in this book the girl who usually gets dumped for the wholesome small town girl has a happy ending.  Editors do more than fix spelling and punctuation they suggest starting the story a couple chapters in then use flashbacks to introduce the character or this character to too much like so and so from your previous book etc. The book was interesting but not terrific. 
8. The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods just for fun, modern day story an Irish girl who moves to France to work in a bakery. A bit of a mystery, a bit of a ghost story, a bit of French history, a bit of a romance and a bit of a fairy tale. 
9. Painting the Moon by Traci Borum contemporary story about a young woman in California who goes to England to settle her great aunt’s estate.  The great aunt was a well known artist so each chapter starts with words of wisdom from an artist, those words apply to many creative endeavors. A love story and a mystery.  I’m glad I bought this book for my kindle so I can get inspiration from each chapter when I’m in a creative slump. 
10. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster a very short book that has been on my kindle for a very long time time.  An English widow leaves her young daughter with her in-laws and goes to Italy for an adventure falls in love and gets married.  The in-laws are unhappy with the situation….let the interference begin.
11. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet this book and author are so frequently mentioned in the detective genre of books and television that I finally read the book.  I imagined Sam Spade as Tom Selleck in Magnum or James Garner in The Rockford Files or Jerry Orbach in Murder She Wrote even though Sam Spade was blond.  The book was originally published in 1930 the slang was so refreshingly polite ‘shove off’ was as crude as the language was.  I’m going to read more of his books. 
12. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger re read book 1 of the Cork O’Connor series as good the second time as the first.
13. the book that matters most by Ann Hood for book club a recently divorced woman joins a book club, the theme for the year is choose the book that matters most in each of the lives of the members. Most of the books were classics from high school or college.  Lots of insight into those books (I might read a couple) and some family drama. Very good. 
14. Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner I waited for this book for almost a year through Libby and was not disappointed. The story begins in California in 1939 about two women whose lives are intertwined. Very very good. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the story. 
15. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig modern day story a young woman dealing with depression over doses on antidepressants while she is unconscious she gets a glimpse of how her life might have turned out if she had made different choices. Very good.
16. Camino Island by John Grisham for book club make a list of characters the first 5 or six chapters introduce the characters and some of their back story and are not mentioned again until they are trying to find or sell the stolen manuscripts.  This is the third book in a row with a character trying to write a book. Good story, the first of three book series. 

Hunters star block

 

My iPad is not letting me put the curser where I want it to share instructions on constructing the hunters star block! Argh!!  I sewed it the easy way by sewing the diamonds to the trapezoids both were cut from 1.5 inch strips. I cut the angles of the trapezoids using the companion angle, I marked lines on the companion angle so I could line up the fabric for exactly the right size trapezoid.  I sewed those skinny segments together then added the large triangles.  Those were cut from 7.5 inch squares then cut in half diagonally. The blocks were trimmed to 8.5 inches.  Easy—no paper piecing, no y seams I don’t stress over which way the seams are pressed, if they didn’t butt together I flipped one over, those little indiscretions will be inside the quilt. Who will know?!?  —Ann—

Faerie doors

My very talented younger brother made some faerie doors for the little girls. I saw some in Ireland last summer that were very cute but made out of very thin wood, I could have broken them with my finger tips. He used cedar wood, I painted them with acrylic paints watered down more like a stain and son put them in the trees. There is a cavity in the backboard big enough for a little treat. 

More little treats were placed behind the doors before we headed home.

The magic of childhood. —Ann—

 

Blocks are sewn

 

 The blocks are finished!! Those fabrics and colors are so cheerful a little spring in the sewing room. Some days it feels like spring other days not so much. Sewing these blocks was slow sewing because I had everything arranged on my design wall and the challenge was keeping them in order. Then twice I forgot to move the needle one click to the right so I ripped fortunately I also forgot to shorten the stitch length.  Amazing how that tiny difference in the seam allowance made in the size of the block, by moving the needle the block was bigger than the predicted 8 1/2 inches so I could square it up to exactly 8 1/2 inches without it I would have been squaring to 8 1/4 inches. Lots of things going on the rest of the week and next.  —Ann—

Spring on the design wall

 After days of cutting all these parts I found a muscle in my back I didn’t know I used for cutting with the rotary cutter. It’s been a long time since I cut that much fabric. As I was stretching to place more segments on the design wall……..thinking I need to stand on the step stool to finish the top 2 rows……..I imagined myself stepping off the step stool and tumbling to the floor…….don’t want that to happen. Instead I will start sewing and move everything lower on the design wall. This is not going to be speed piecing to keep everything in order. Slow down and enjoy the process. 16 blocks sewn today 64 to go     —Ann—

Spring colors

The design wall is blooming and every single piece of this quilt will be on the design wall before anything is stitched. Every time I look at it I move pieces. I need to cut more pinks and purples and maybe introduce a couple new fabrics because when it is gone it is gone.  I still feel like I have put a very small dent in the stash. Another snowy/ rainy wet day here. It was a good day to play with fabric. —Ann—
 

Another snow day

 

Another snow day in the sewing room lots of pieces cut but still need to cut more. The snow came with rain then as fine as sifted sugar then it came down in big globs and then sifted sugar again then it quit!  Some activities were cancelled so extra time in the sewing room. It feels so good to work entirely from the stash. —Ann—

Spring?

Its spring on my design wall outside is a different story. This looks like a quilt that every single piece is going on the design wall before I sew anything. I already see pieces I’m going to move and I have a lot of cutting left to do but that’s as far as I got today my monkey brain was all over the place, just work in little bits. Tomorrow I start on the purples and the greens. Snowy days can be productive days. —Ann—
 

Much improved

 

Finished finally!! It was as if the wee faeries in Ireland jinxed this yarn for as many times as I ripped and restarted.  It took all of 12 minutes to rip back to within 3 inches of the neck because there was too much fullness across the chest, I’m hardly a full figure gal. Instead of raglan increases every other row I did the increases every third row, much better.  Then I reknit the sleeves a second time still really long and wide, re think the number of rows between decreases. I gave it a good soak to block it thinking it would shrink about 2 inches in length because the swatch did. No such luck the water must not have been warm enough.   So I ripped 6 inches off the hem and reknit again much improved!! The sleeves are still a bit too long but I’m going to leave them be because next time I wash it the water might be a little bit hotter. It’s going to be chilly here the next couple days so I can wear it. Spring keeps getting bullied back by winter here. Hope you are staying warm. —Ann—