#89 of 365 - Pinning Out Summer with Ishbel

My turn! I wetted and blocked my Summer weight Ishbel this morning. The yarn it is made from is a micro-fiber, so I shall be interested in seeing how it blocks out and whether it stays blocked out after the pins are removed.

Apparently, Pan Kitty only likes to roll on wetted wool as he has ignored my Ishbel all day and just couldn't leave Erin's alone yesterday.

#88 of 365 - Pinning Out Erin's Ishbel

We pinned out Erin's Ishbel today. I really thought we would get my Summer one pinned out as well but we used nearly every pin we have on Erin's. I want to get it pinned tho as I would like to take it with me when I leave to dog-sit.

#87 of 365 - Two Days Later

Erin and I turned out the lights Saturday night for one hour for Earth Hour. Here's photographic proof, much to Erin's dismay. I just realize that I wear that sweater pretty darn often. It makes it into nearly every other photograph of me. Thanks, Mum for your efforts, oh, those many years ago.







P.S. We did cheat and kept the TV on as we were trying to finish up a DVD that needed to go back to the library. The computer and all the lights however, were dark. Guess what, we actually talked to each other! What a concept... Now, maybe for a game of canasta and more talk, what do you think about that?

#86 - 365 - Slept Right Through It

I missed posting yesterday because, indeed I slept right through it. I did, however, make these palm crosses yesterday before church.

Erin made an awesome lasagna for the supper, which is what put me to sleep.

#85 of 365 - Gonna Have Happy Feet in Green Eventually

Sorry that the picture is out of focus. It's due to operator error on the part of the photographer. She said it herself, so don't get mad at me for it. Its craptastic, so sorry about that. I went to Lamb Shoppe in Denver to knit with the girls after stripping palms at church this morning. I had totally forgotten that I was to get a birthday discount as my birthday falls in March when I decide to go today. I mean, after all, it's nearly a hundred and thirty miles round trip to get there just to knit. However, the next time I would be able to get to the shop would be next Saturday. Of course, that would then be in April. I therefore, took advantage of the discount today. I bought some new sock yarn for me to make a pair of green socks. It's Zauberball Magic Ball in greens.

I also learned to strip palms to prepare them for Palm Sunday tomorrow and also how to make a palm cross. I took to heart what my Granny used to say and learned something new today.

#84 of 365 - Really Happy Feet

I have been missing ONE of this pair of fraternal socks nearly all winter. I was sad about that and worrit that it had fallen behind the stacked washer and dryer when I used the top of the stack to lay out the drying sock collection back in December. The laundry set is in an alcove and therefore it's inaccessible by little ole me, as there is NO way I can move them out by me own self and Erin's is often too broken to ask for her help. Normally, I lay the collection out on a towel on the floor and let them dry there. However, when this one went missing, Erin's young man, Guy was here from the UK and my Da was also in town to meet him. It was the only place I could think of that was absolutely out of the way of anything. We have a teeny tiny townhouse and between Erin and I, we have TOO much stuff...

So, imagine if you would, both my dismay and delight when the washer and the dryer failed yesterday and I needed to dump out my laundry basket so Erin could cart a very wet load of laundry to the laundromat to get it dried. In the upending of my deep laundry basket, the missing sock miraculously appeared. Since we are having snow, yet again, my feet are glad of the wash and wear warmth of my Encore Scrap Socks. Also in the picture, my oldest pair of clogs, which I will be very unhappy to see go when they finally shuffle off this mortal coil, as it were. I am thinking that they are going on their 25th year of service. So, I certainly have gotten my money's worth, don't ya think? I just spent $20.00 on repairing them, so who knows, maybe I'll another 25 years out of them, if I live that long?

#83 of 365 - Another Hat that I Wear

I really want Spring to be here so I can pull out the straw hats and short sleeve shirts. Been a long winter, it has. Finished the Summer with Ishbel, just needs to be blocked into shape and I can wear it.

#82 of 365 - Obligatory Spring Snow Storm Pictures

We had our first Spring snow storm last night. Woke up to the drifts blocking the doors and grey skies. Wild weather which prevented Apryll from coming to visit last night and Erin from going to the gym this morning.

#81 of 365 - Heaven Is Spring Green

Here is a full view of the 198 Yards of Heaven in the lovely Spring Green handspun I received as part of the Saint Patrick's Day swamp. I used every inch of the yarn I received and 9 inches of my own handspun to finish the cast off. I could have tinked back a row and cast off earlier, but I wanted to used ALL of this yarn and I had a handspun of my own in the approximate green.

#80 of 365 - Sunny and Gorgeous, a Page from Rebecca

Today, windows open, sun shining... Tomorrow?


What I am working on now, a Summer weight Ishbel, hurry Spring and Summer, please...

#79 0f 365 - Hmmm, What About Today?

Anita and me knitting at the Lamb Shoppe of a Saturday. Today, I am wishing that the Lamb Shoppe were closer (it's in Denver) so I could knit there more often. However, I will get there the 3rd of April when I am dog-sitting once again in Broomfield. Until then I will be a knitting at the Kove, which is where I met Anita in the first place...



Today, I am yet again working on a 198 Yards of Heaven. Which is what I am likely working on in this picture as well. Erin and Rebecca kinda think I am mad for making so many of them. Since I have more than a few skeins of handspun which are for the most part 250 yards and under, it's a perfect fit. I find it to be a lovely little pattern and a great way to use those special yarns. I have spun a few of them myself or they have been spun by someone else and been gifted to me. I would do them honour by knitting them up and showing them off.

#78 of 365 - Two More Join the Pile

I finished another 198 yards of Heaven yesterday. This one is in a lovely variegated light green hand spun I got in the most recent Saint Patrick's Day swamp.

I also finished, FINALLY, my Citron, such as it is. I had a hard time with the instructions on this on. So this is my take on it. It hasn't been blocked yet but it's size it is more like a scarf than a shoulder cover. I also made the last ruffle really, really ruffled.



Again, it sucks getting old. Rebecca had trouble with the 198 and I had trouble with the Citron. I guess either we are tripping down Old Timers Lane together or some knitting instructions could be better written.

#77 of 365 - Obligatory Last Snow of Winter Picture

Of course, the snow is done coming down, is now trying to melt and the sun is also trying to break through as I type this.

It dropped over 40 degrees in temperature since yesterday. So, here's Erin and Pan getting warm together...

I say this is the last picture of snow in Winter, as believe it or not, Spring starts on Sunday and we are done with snow for the moment...

#76 of 365 - We Was Pretty in Pink

Today I went to Rebecca's house to felt the comet bag I have been making for her. She has a top loader and I don't. Top loader are supposedly better for felting knitted items. Besides, I was letting her washer fill up with the lint, not mine, LOL... Actually, we put the item in a zippered pillow slip for the felting process. It surely contain a great quantity of the fluff inherent in the process, I must say. Here's a photo of me, seaming the bag prior to washing it. Hopefully Rebecca will read this and get a photo of the bag which is now pinned down to her carpet and drying.

As a general rule, knitted wool tends to reduce by 30 plus percent in length and about 10 plus percent in width. We got the 30 percent but not the 10, so Rebecca is going to cut off a section and make a clutch from the remainder as she wants a messenger bag not an over-night bag. Most of my felted experiments are by guess and by golly, but so far there has been only one fail in the felting department and that was a piece that just never felted to it's own company specifications.

Whilst we waited for the washer to do it's thing, Rebecca gave me a gift of her musical talent. Basically, my own private concert, how kewl is that?

Bleah, I have cropped this photo twice, but it still didn't take, so you get to see a corner of the shawl that Rebecca is borrowing from me. It's a basic bottom up triangle in garter stitch on large needles, done in 4-5 colourways of Manos de Uraguay yarn that was left over from some of my Mum's projects. It's post over on Facebook in the Garden of the Gods Album, if you want to see it and the one that Rebecca was wearing for that photo as well.

In reference to the title, again great minds think alike as both of us had pink on today.

#75 of 365 - Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Again, it's that time of the month, NO, not that time, but quilt guild time.

This month's block is a pieced block called Colour Triangles. It uses colours from the previous months blocks, so if I make one extra block each month I will have a 9 block top at the end of the season.

The reason we only end up with 9 blocks at the end of the year, is that we don't do a block in November (holiday party) and we are on hiatus in December.

Of course, it being Saint Patrick's Day, I am wearing green. The theme of the meeting was going green and we encourage everyone to wear green and be greener by bringing their own coffee cups. I have been doing that for a while and it's a no brainer and saves me from sending hundreds of paper cups into the landfills every year.

Slainte to all. (To Your Health in the Gaelic).

#74 of 365 - Irish Soda Bread in the Making

Twas the Night Before Saint Patrick's Day and all through the house...the scent of caraway and buttermilk permeate.




...I promised that dear daughter of Eire, my wee lassie, Erin that she would have the Irish Soda Bread to the supper. I also promised my friend, Marie that she would have it at quilt guild tomorrow which coincidently happens to fall on Saint Patrick's Day.

The remains of the day or rather the first round of the Irish...

Now on to the Boiled Supper also known as Corned Beef and Cabbage..

#73 of 365 - Missed A Day, Hates Getting Old

I missed blogging yesterday due to being sore and tired from the parade waiting and walking and from standing at the GBS show to be able to see something, anything of the show on Saturday. I had one of the Twin Towers in front of me who insisted on talking to the person next to her EVERY five minutes so I could never find a place to peek thru, so I stood up for most of the show.

However, that said, it was a fabulous show! The music was great, old favourites, show tunes and some new ones from Allan and Sean. Tis Sean and Bob in this photo.

and Allan and Bob in this one.


Even tho most of my friends went Friday night, there was still a number of my friends there Saturday along with Erin there were Helen, Lisa, Linda, Pat, Dave and Marty and Tom. Definitely, a must see band, in my opinion, you can't not enjoy them and yourself.

#72 of 365 - Home from the Parade

Home from the parade and out of the hot woolens. Absolutely gorgeous day for marching thru downtown Denver. Here's our boy, Ryan in his Blair kilt that I made last week. Good looking that he is, in it. Here's our Judy as well in her Clan Shirt.

Here's me, clothes changed and ready to head to Boulder for supper and Great Big Sea...

#71 of 365 - and So It Begins

The beginning of a weekend adventure. First, the evening at the Judd Castle. Then tomorrow, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Denver, then onto Boulder and Great Big Sea. We shall be swimming in a sea of green for the next few days.

That's our Boo, eating the supper, last one to leave the table he was.

#70 of 365 - Going Green

Going green isn't just for Saint Patrick's Day. I try to be as green as one can be.

I usually carry my own coffee cup, to quilt guild, church and stitch and bitch. It's funny that this picture doesn't show my green travel coffee cup, but I did have it with me, even so. I also recycle water bottles, either by refilling them from my Pur pitcher or as ice for my cooler in the summer (pop in the freezer with 1.5 inch of headroom for ice expansion). I also keep my own chopsticks (coloured green, even) to hand, in case of eating out at a Japanese or Chinese restaurant. No splinters for me...

I also use fabric shopping bags, many of which are recycled from other things. I have used jeans, UFO (unfinished objects) quilts and those give-away bags you get at certain events.

Tea bags and coffee grounds get used as dye for fabrics that need it or into the garden pots to amend the soil.

Tins and cans get made into containers for knitting stuff, scissors, pencils and such. Either painted or covered in fabric or poly-clay.




Sweaters can get unraveled, if not felted. The yarn is soaked and hung out to dry (TIC) to get the kinks out. If they are felted, they are cut up and made into various types of bags.

Still trying to figure out how to convince our complex get us at least one recycling station for papers and such.

#69 of 365 - Birthday Supper

Erin made the birthday supper. Tuna steaks, sweet potato chips with rosemary and tomato, mozzarella and spinach salad. Yum, and I didn't have to cook. Perfect present!

#68 of 365 - Won't You Be My Neighbour

My friend Judy gifted me with a new/old cardi. She and I appreciate good woolens and we are always in search of them when we hit the charity shops. As we keep our house really cold, sweaters are very welcome and are worn by me often whilst in the house.

This one is made by Pendleton Woolen Mills. It's got pockets, which are always a necessity for me.

It also puts me in mind of Mr. Rogers.

#67 of 365 - The Perils of Pleating

Nuff said?!

#66 of 365 - Knitting yet Again...

Busy, busy weekend. Knit with the girls at the Lamb Shoppe yesterday afternoon, saw The Rising also known as Mohr Phun which was a concert presented by Angus Mohr and Gobs O'Phun, thus the name, last night.

Also met the Judds' new family edition, currently sort of nameless... I fell for her and she for me. she tried to hide under my skirt and go with when I left the house this morning. Then to church at my church home away from church home, Saint Thomas. Then it was Kiltmaking 202 with Judy this afternoon.

Now watching the Oscars and hand stitching pleats in. Ryan Blair WILL wear this kilt at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Denver on the 13th (next Saturday, don't ya know)!

Basically, I hung out all the weekend with various iterations of my Denver,Aurora and Broomfield friends.

#65 of 365 - Offline Yesterday

Quilting, traveling, knitting, music, friend's new puppy, in that order.

#64 of 365 - I Sat in A Garden Today

I would really wish that I had the space to garden this way. This is a raised bed with salad and herbs and gnomes, even. This is the garden I liked the most of all the display ones, it was done by Hardings. We got mixed flower seeds from them as well. Then there was the white bison from BBI.

Rebecca found her home on the road and we also found the tub we will be using in our old age... The last picture is Erin blanching at the price of the cookware we watched being demoed. Yikes!

#63 of 365 - Really! I Still Do Make the Odd Quilt

Can't say much about it. It's a Super Secret Quilt, but yes, I do make the odd quilt now and then..

#62 0f 365 - and Another One Done Redux

This post is about a number of things.

Among them are Deborah's finished Skully Blanky for
one of her grandsons. Kewl blanky and
very kewl granny that made it. If you look closely you will see the illusion skull and crossbones she borrowed from Ysolda Teague.





I also found the heavier weight yarn to make the kilt hose for my Da to wear with his kilt. He plans to wear the kilt and hose for the DD's wedding next fall. They will likely look something similar to these. I will do the foot part in a fingering weight and the cabled part in a sport weight to make them really comfy and so the cables stand out. I was ecstatic to find two blacks that matched in two different weights and that are both washable. Woot!

This shawl is done! but for the blocking that is. With all the yarns (5 different ones), including a cotton chenille, the drying process for this will take at least two days, so you'll have to wait for the finished picture. Again, this is a 198 Yards of Heaven. This one done on big needles and I made some changes to the last lace section, because I could, LOL.