Day 30 ~ In Motion

Shout! a little bit louder now.

Day 29 ~ Purchased

The pattern to make this shawl was my purchase on Wednesday. I found it on Pinterest.com first and then went to Ravelry.com to look at it in further detail. I think I will make it in some of my handspun yarns as I have 4 different shades of yarn I can work with.

Day 28 ~ Daily Routine

This should really be about the morning routine, but here tis. Brush the teeth, check the phone, make the coffee and indulge in my worst vice.

Day 27 ~ After Dark

Renaissance Festival Players after Dark. Pandora Celtica and Iris and Rose team up.

Day 26 ~ Something Old

My parents were given a Hudson's Bay blanket when they married in 1952... I have slept under it on and off since then.

Day 25 ~ A Sunflare

Hmmmm? I haven't never had an opportunity to take a photo of a sunflare. This makes for a search project for this post. I found this photo on this site.

Pretty amazing and certainly glad I am out of range.

Day 24 ~ A Smile

Day 23 ~ Sunset

Since I live in Colorado Springs, CO I don't get much of a sunset as Pike's Peak tends to swallow the sun pretty quickly. Here's a sunset in Arizona where it lasts so much longer without obstruction from a 14,000 foot mountain. Interesting effect taking a photograph from a moving car, true?

Day 22 ~ Trees

Yes, indeed. The Continental Divide and the trees that I saw there.

Day 21 ~ Pretty Pattern

The title would more than likely make one think of something like this: patterns on fabric

However, I think of something like this: knitting patterns

My neck tends to get chilled as the cooler weather sets in. You should knit a cowl, also called a neck gaiter by some to wear this winter and all those to come. I thought to myself, you've made oodles of them for charity but not one for yourself. As my daughter, Erin brought me one (1) skein of Rowan Pure Wool Aran weight yarn in a lovely celery green from England, I decide to look for a pattern that I could use it for. I went to Ravelry and looked in my favourites to see what I had pinned there and lo and behold, there was Nic's Ashford Cowl requiring less than 180 yards of yarn. Woot! So, now I have cast on and have one repeat completed.

Day 20 ~ What I Read

I always have two or six books going at the same time. Currently, these are the books I reading. They are, in no particular order, Shine, Shine, Shine by Lydia Netzer, Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander's British title), The Shetland Bus by David Howarth and The Gourmet Detective by Peter King. I generally catch up on magazines and newspapers at the library. However, The National Geographic and the Smithsonian come to the house, so I am perusing them as well.

I troll Facebook on and off all day if I am to home, so I read numerous updates and articles linked by my friends. I also read, on the average, six to ten blogs a week. Again in no particular order. I regularly read Rebecca's, Erin's, Nic's, Celia's, Dave Lowe's, and Alan Doyle's.

Day 19 ~ Where I Slept

My wee colourful bed. The quilts on the bed are two of my favourites. The light coloured flannel at the foot was made by my co-workers at the Great American Quilt Factory when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. The quilt hanging on the wall was made by my friends from the Quilt Mavericks for the same reason. The log cabin quilt in batiks was a Ladies Choice. I chose the block and six wonderful women from an on-line quilt group made 4 blocks each. I pieced them together and my dear friend, Susan Geddes quilted it for me. She quilted the flannel one as well.

Day 18 ~ In My Bag

This is just what's in it today. The bag is from Dolly as a Pay it Forward giftie. The embroidered zipper pouch (which contains things like a Swiss Army Knife, a nail file and such) is a gift from Peru. The amber necklace is a gift from my friend Kipp up in Estes Park. I really need to put that back in my jewelry chest. The knitting is the Outlander scarf in the Beauchamp colourway from Knitter's Brewing Company. What's missing is my current Moleskine as I was making notes in it last night and now it's sitting next to my sewing machine.

Pinterest Make it Monday ~ Because I Did

By now most of you have heard of Pinterest. Pinterest is made up of virtual "pin boards" of various topics. I enjoy looking through them for inspiration and ideas. My girlfriend, Katte uses it like Google to search for things (and regularly pins the most amazing tatting and costuming). I always find it interesting to see what amuses, interests or makes nostalgic my many friends who are also on Pinterest. As most of you know, I am a arty/crafty person. I like making things with my own hands. It fills my heart. I have a personal board on Pinterest called "Pinterest Make it Monday". I have been pinning and pinning and not doing anything with the ideas I have been collecting. I decided a few months ago to dedicate a day to making something based on something I had pinned. So far, I have made a smashed penny charm bracelet, a up~cycled denim and cotton maxi~skirt and today I made firestarters. I thought that with Fall rapidly approaching that would be a good one for this day as soon we'll be having fires in the fireplace. As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients to hand to make them. I used old newspaper, pine cones, string, herbs and spices. Just rolled 'em up like a Christmas cracker and wallah!

Day 17 ~ On the Shelf

There are many shelves. Collections as it were. Shelves that hold books, fabric, yarn, art supplies, music, dreams and ideas. The shelf holds both yarn and ideas. Some of my handspuns and store bought yarns. They are either just collected or are dedicated to a specific project. I might even get them all done before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

Day 16 ~ What I Ate

Herewith, is what I ate. I am not normally a breakfast eater. I need to be awake for a while before I face food. As it is nearly 11:00 am on a Sunday morning and I needed to write this post, I decided to make myself a bacon and tomato sammie for the brekkies. The tomatoes are the first harvest from my Patio Tomato. I wasn't sure I was going to get any tomatoes this year as my plants were beaten nearly to death by a hail storm back in June.

Day 15 ~ Shoes

One week's worth, nuff said?

Day 14 ~ Flowers

Here's is long view of my rose.

As many of you know, I volunteer as a gardener for the grounds of my church in downtown Colorado Springs. I get my fix of flowers by performing a service to my fellow parishioners and experience the joy of watching the blooms come in their appointed time. I have planted over a dozen roses, countless Spring blooming bulbs, pruned all the roses every Spring, dead-headed, watered, planted annuals and weeded. I don't have much of an opportunity to create a garden at my home as my HOA frowns up me digging up the water wasting, to no benefit sod. That, and there is no outside water source available to the owners/renters as the HOA really, really don't want ANYONE washing cars in the parking lots... That said, I have a garden in containers that are currently producing carrots, radishes, chives, oregano, rosemary, lettuce, tomatoes and hopefully potatoes. There are also a rose, an Easter Lily, daffodils, grape hyacinths, nasturtiums, yarrow, violets and a morning glory. Most of my flowers are Spring bloomers but for the yarrow, nasturtium and the morning glory. My lovely rose is, I believe, an Elizabeth Taylor and it is on it's FIFTH bloom of the season. The deer haven't dined on it as yet, thank you so very much. Here's a close~up of a rain be~dewed single rose.

Day 13 ~ From a Distance

Here's yesterday's shawl from a distance.

Day 12 ~ Close Up

Here is my mohair hand spun on my Thurmaston Suitcase Spinning Wheel and then I hand knit this shawl. I made it this summer as part of the Ravelry Ravellenic Games which is a fun competition associated with watching the Summer Olympics. It is now ready for it's close up...

A Prayer for Those Who Do Great Harm

This was written by a Francis Wade on September 11, 2011 in memory of the 10th Anniversary of the attacks on New York City, Washington, DC and the plane that went down in Pennslyvania. I share it today in honour of the 11th anniversary of the day that changed my world in a huge way. Almighty God, whose will it is to place awesome power into the hearts, minds, and hands of your children, let your care and our compassion be on those who do harm as well as those who are harmed. Lord, you reached across the limits of human understanding to embrace the outcast and the lost; reach now beyond our understanding and embrace those who have caused so much pain and death this day. We cannot but commend them to you,for in our hearts are seeds of hatred and in our nostrils the stench of madness. As you touch them in your healing ways, Lord God, dry also the hate that could grow in us, smother the fear that would blind us, and deliver us from the temptation to follow instincts that are far from the path you have set before us. In the Name of the One we always hope to follow, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Thanks to Elizabeth Bennett from Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Park Hill for sharing this.

Day 11 ~ Something Fun

This is Montone. Montone is a glow in the dark alien Christmas tree ornament I was given by Mark about 10 years ago. He's named for a character in Outland, a movie from the 1980s. For fun I take him places and photograph him. He's been to the London Eye, Stonehenge and the top of Pike's Peak. Here he is in Grace's living room in California. He lives in one of my Altoid tins devoted to knitting accouterments, so he travels with me all the time.

Day 10 ~ Something I Made

I have many things that can compete here. I chose this yarn that I spun as it's such a lovely colour.

Day 9 ~ Faceless Self-Portrait

Hmmm, how to convey me in a self portrait that's faceless? Valiant effort on my behalf, if I do say so...

Day 8 ~ Technology

Got a new phone, it's smarter than the last one... That is all that I have to say about that, sigh...

Day 7 ~ Something New

My something new is going to Estes Park up in the mountains with me today. It the weekend of the Long's Peak Scottish ~ Irish Festival and I am going to be hanging with my family and friends for the long weekend. I got a camp cot as these old bones are tired of getting off the floor of the tent after a night. With an egg crate mattress and real sheets and a quilt, I will be most comfy. Easier to get my shoes on for the trip to the loo in the wee hours of the morning as well.

Day 6 ~ Childhood Memory

So, so many memories to choose from. It would have to be reading books to start though. I was a reader from the age of four and haven't let up yet. It was a family joke to see how long they would talk about me whilst I was reading before I became aware of the conversation. Family legend records that my record was 45 minutes. Shown are my original copies of Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, The Thirteen Clocks, The Night Before Christmas. Then, I grew into Lord Peter, Sherlock Holmes and many other British mysteries. The Joy is there, as I cannot ever remember NOT seeing a copy in my Mum's kitchen. Baby cup and rubber ducky are pretty self explanatory.

Day 5 ~ Someone I Love

Here's my dear daughter, who left yesterday for her home and husband in England. It was lovely to have her here, after nearly a year being gone.

Day 4 ~ Favourite Clour

My favourite colour is green. All the shades of green that exist in the world. Be they the earthy tones of nature or the glaring neons of modern dye technology. Herein some of my greens..

Day 3 ~ Clouds

I love watching clouds. I often try to replicate them in coloured pencil, sometimes I am more successful that others. I love seeing the red ones, the pink ones, the gold ones, the black ones and the grey ones. These are grey clouds over the Pacific Ocean.

Day 2 ~ What I Wore

Pajamas to start with, then this ouutfit...

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 1 - Self Portrait

My blog has been sadly neglected these days, so I am going to do a 30 day photo challenge to kick start me back to updating it. It will indeed be a challenge as I am going to be really busy this month what with Erin leaving on Tuesday then the Highland Games in Estes Park next weekend. I am going to learn if the schedule feature of Blogger really works. Herein is the first post for the 1st day of September: