Another Friday ! (OTN)

Despite having visitors from the D.C. area for a couple of days and doing the typical touristy things, I did get to the lace section of Heartwarmer. The yarn is Cascade 220 and a heathery lavender. (It looks blue though, doesn't it?)  Clockwork is a bit longer now, too.

Here's the intended Heartwarmer recipient studying the knot on her brother's cowboy hat. Maybe she'll be a stitcher someday?

And here's Brother saying hi to Oma. We are always happy to see each other.

And now I need to get some of my WIPs finished before it's time to start the next Camp Loopy project. See ya!  (Take a minute though and check out Patchwork Times .)

How'd It Get to be Friday Again? (OTN)

Where'd this week go?  Someone has put the clock on fast forward, right?  On Monday and Tuesday we sorted lots of choir music and spent the afternoon volunteering.  Then we did our usual Wednesday, Thursday things along with a bit of gardening and, "Bam," it's Friday again. But my needles have also been busy with three projects underway.  First, there's  Heartwarmer in Cascade 220, which I first saw on Judy L.'s blog. Can you guess who it's for?

Mere inspired me to try Kiribati, and what do you know?  There was some stash yarn just perfect for it. Oops!  Next time you'll see the right side, but at least you have an idea of the color.

When we were in Newport, OR, recently at a yarn shop, my eyes fell upon Stephen West's Clockwork shawl/scarf pattern.  It's made with fingering yarn and perfect for a plain and multi. It's also quite fun, at least so far.

And the other thing I did just this afternoon is repot this violet. Hopefully it will survive that process.  A piece of the pot broke off when I picked it up, making repotting no choice.

The last of the African violets have started to bloom.  They just seem to love being in our dining room!

This little guy followed me home from the grocery store the other day.

So that's about it for another week.  Tonight we're going to see "Porgy and Bess" which should be fun, and then on Sunday we're off to see Max and Stella.  Happy weekend! Don't forget to check out Patchwork Times.

Ta Dah! Two Finishes!

Two finishes!

The Little House Shawl (details on Ravelry) and

the quilt block!  Yesterday was a rainy day (and my birthday) and a perfect day for stitching/knitting.  We are celebrating 2 birthdays and Father's Day today at DD#2's house. (And we went out to eat on Friday and last night!!)  Hope your weekend was fun, too.

Almost Done.......

Just seven more rows and my June Camp Loopy project will be finished except for the blocking! It's the Little House Shawl in Malabrigo's Archangel.

Our quilt group's next joint project is an applique with lots of animals.  Are you surprised that my block has cats?  Just a lot of hand embroidery and it will be finished, too.

The African violets have been blooming their hearts out for a while now; this is the only non-purple one, but it's happy, too.

One of my favorite house  plants is about done blooming, too.  Can you see why it's called the goldfish plant?

Today is Stella's 10-month birthday! Wouldn't it be great to be this flexible?

Now she's all done stretching and wishing you a happy weekend!

Check Patchwork Times to see what others have on their needles.

On/Off the Needles: The Color Purple!

Did you know that cats like the color purple?

Ginger has claimed the Little House Shawl, don't you think? Actually it's my Camp Loopy project for June.

Mocha is OK with that since she's picked this one. (It's really for Stella, but we won't let on will we?)

It seems there's lots of purple in our house and.....outside!

And today some yarn arrived. Guess what color? Happy Knitting! Or Stitching!

Off the Needles and Out in the Yard

This little cap is all finished and has been mailed off to a friend in Illinois. I was pleasantly surprised with the yarn-created design in a wool and cotton blend called Sweetness. You can also check this post for another recent finish.

Our garden is in full bloom!  I just love this time of year, especially after the gray days of winter and a very rainy spring.

The golden chain tree is done now, but the Korean dogwood is just filled with blooms. When its flowers fade, they are replaced with a fruit that looks like a strawberry, and the birds and squirrels devour them.

Speaking of birds, this Steller's Jay has been a frequent and noisy visitor.  He's too big to eat at our bird feeder but loves peanuts! Sometimes we are visited by two of them.

The rhododendrons are blooming also. They seem to blossom at different times and add lots of color to our yard. This red one is especially pretty right now.

Columbines are among my favorite flowers along with roses.

Hope you've enjoyed this little garden tour. Some interesting plants are blooming inside, too, but I'll save that for another time. Meanwhile, drop by Patchwork Times to see what others are knitting. You will be inspired!

Fun and Long Weekend!

Hi Everyone!  Hope you had as great holiday weekend as we did. On Friday we drove up to Anacortes to see some longtime friends. After lunch we drove up a scenic road to the Cap Sante Park. By then the rain had stopped, and we had a great view of the city and its port.

Nancy (left) and I taught together years ago and have stayed in touch over the years through thick and thin. Her sister Susan lives on San Juan Island and recently lost her husband to Alzheimer's Disease.

We aso visited Ana-Cross Stitch, a fun needlecraft shop where this guy was sitting outside. (Don't worry, it isn't Dick!)

Of course, I bought some yarn and also finished a project.

Hope to finish this baby hat this week. The yarn is a cotton and wool mix.

The stitch on the cowl is called bamboo stitch. It's easy and looks nice on both sides!

No weekend at home is complete without seeing Max and Stella!  Max and I love to read together.

Miss Stella is quite adept with her feet!  She's nine months old now and will soon be crawling. She's already been into Max's toys, so the next few weeks should be very interesting.

While we were gone to MN, the garden kept growing, only to be outpaced by the weeds.  Even this pretty columbine has gone crazy and is everywhere.  It's not a weed by any means but does need to be reined in a bit.  And then there's the buttercup!  Yikes! It has to be one of the most tenacious weeds ever, that and bindweed.  Yep, the garden is a-calling....loudly these days.  See ya!