Quick share :)

Ok...Off for a long weekend of relaxation here.... I'm supposed to be getting ready right now!!

Anyway, wanted to check in, make sure everyone knows I'm still alive, if busy as a beaver....

Finished a "UFO" this week. Well, last weekend - and it was one of those ones that fits MY definition of UFO. I bought the yarn for it over a year ago, had pattern yarn and hook together in a tote bag.... Then did not much besides move it from place to place.... Anyway, on the weekend, I started it...finished it in a few days - which I expected to do. BUT ran out of yarn - had to wait till I could get to the store, only to find out the yarn was discontinued....had to finish it with a co-ordinating yarn. Haven't taken picture yet....

What is it? Well, it's a second "Coming Home Poncho" from Lionbrand, crocheted in Homespun yarn.

My first one was made using three balls of Homespun - less than the four called for. I was going to make the second one longer, and figured four balls was more than enough.... *sigh*. I knew I wasn't going to make it longer.... But I was very surprised to run out.... Lionbrand is very good. I notified them, and they offered to send me more yarn as an "apology", but I respectfully declined...after all, the colour was discontinued, and I *did* have a completed poncho....

Will take pics later.

In the meantime - pics of my newest acquisition - my new "baby"












Beautiful, isn't she? We're going to keep her on display in the living room, and we've actually called her "Betsy". Yeah, but no Ross.... Anyway, I know she isnt' a Singer, but she is definitely vintage, and a Singer Clone. Apparently, there were a lot of these Clones made in the 1940's.... Anyway....

I should also mention, that I finally found two projects that have been started, then moved and lost, now found.... I joined the "Amazing Lace" and committed to finishing my Charlotte's Web shawl, and my Frost Flowers and Leaves. Both started ages ago, FF&L has been frogged a few times, and Charlotte needs to be.... But, now that I found them, I can do something with them!!

Ok, gotta run....

The great "event".....

One thing I need to explain first. You know those old cartoons, of a woman spotting a mouse, so she stands on a chair, screaming, until the man or the cat comes to "rescue" her from the mouse? Well, that is how my DH is. Or was - he *is* getting better, due to exposure.... (well, when you have cats, that are good mousers, they tend to bring their prey to show off their hunting and capturing abilities -which usually means live mice running around the living room - DS still hasn't gotten over his problem with mice, but that is another story - two grown men up on furniture while I have to take a mouse away from a cat....)

Anyway -

A couple weeks ago, at our trailer..... We have a trailer with a "leanto" style cabin built onto the side. It is much more than a "leanto" but still only three walls and a roof.... the fourth wall consists of the trailer itself. So, the door to the cabin opens into the room, right near the trailer door, which opens out into the cabin/room as well. When both doors are open, this forms a closed off corner behind the two doors. We use that as storage space - putting things like a vacuum cleaner there. You know, the stuff that you don't need all day every day.... Well, there was also this rolled up mattress thing there. We've since got rid of it.... it came from a hideabed, and we thought it might fit on one of the beds in the trailer - it didn't....

So, (I know, I keep wandering off topic - though I'm sure by now you've guessed what caused the event anyway) a couple weeks ago, DH went to do something with a shirt that was hanging on the trailer door. As he touched it, turned out - in his words - "HOLY SH*T!!!! That's the biggest mouse I've ever seen!!!!" So, of course, me thinking if it is that big, it isn't likly a mouse, it would likely be a rat. Which it wasn't.... But, I digress again....

So, I go over, and we see if we can still see this thing - that had been sitting atop the rolled up mattress. Well, now it was halfway down the mattress, looking quite scared, and looking quite un-mouselike. It definitely wasn't a mouse. It also ran away - and I got a look at it's tail. No mouse or rat that I've ever seen had a furry tail.....

We discussed what to do. I have a mousetrap out there - but this was definitely no mouse, and much bigger than the trap. We talked about taking the girls out. But that would be at least a week away. We talked about hoping the "mouse" would leave on its own, the same way it must have gotten in. We took all the stuff from behind the doors, and couldn't see the critter.

So, we took the dogs for a walk. Found a tree that was storm downed. Got the saws, started cutting it up. (we have a wood stove out there for heat in the early spring and later into the fall. We also like to cook over a fire)

I went back to grab our truck to haul the tree wood back. When I went into the cabin, I heard a pitiful crying noise. That sealed it. There was no way that there would be any mousetrap, cats or anything else that would hurt this poor little critter. Instead, I grabbed the camera..... I also left the door wide open, hoping the little guy would leave through the nice big open space.... Nope. Later, we got a live trap, and capture it, then let it go into the bushes.

Oh, what was it, and where are the pictures? Coming...Keep your shirt on.... don't worry, not *that* shirt

So, without further delay, the pictures of our flying squirrel!!! (oh, and the one pic - I thought I was getting a picture of a wall, 'cause he ran before the digital camera was done its clicking and flashing routine - but somehow, got a cool "ghost" pic)










Ok, don't know why I can't upload three more pictures.... am going to publish this post, then try again..... Seems to work for me that way....Except then, you see that post first, then this one, with the story... DANG. Don't know why.... just a second...Maybe now that I've typed some.....










On the left, (above) he found a space behind the door trim - on the right, you can still see his tail sticking out :)








Yes....Now I've learned the trick - you can upload three pics, then you gotta type :) Wuhoo.... lol.....

FINISHED!!!! Done in time even!!!!

I got the dancer ghan finished, and even though I wanted to do it for the beginning of June, it turns out the birthday is on the 18th, so I'm done in time!!! Wuhooo......

I know, I still owe a picture of the quilt, but I gotta share the dancer!!!! Hanging on my fence, front and back view :) :)

Ok, now I need to show you some of the store-bought socks I got recently. I know, I knit all my own socks now. Really I do.... BUT - the only store bought socks I'll get from now on are ones that I can add to the kitty collection :) So, when I saw these ones, I thought how perfect for a sock knitter - socks that don't match on purpose!!!! I have a few fraternal socks, and don't have a problem with them. So, when I saw these in the store, I just had to get them. As for the others? Well, I think they speak for themselves.

Ok, I'm going to try to upload the quilt pic.... Let's see what happens..... SUCCESS!!!!!!

OK, now I have to get busy doing some stuff, 'cause I need to run some errands, pack for the weekend, do a little around the house, and dry (I already washed) the afghan and wrap it and deliver it :)

Will post about the "adventures" or is it "event" or perhaps the "incident" next time.....

Can I remember?

How to add pictures? LOL.... I'm way way behind.... on a lot of things. Don't you just love how everything happens at once?

Ok, picture of the first afghan I ever knit. It was done - oh, 17? years ago.... and you can see why I don't trust my colour sense.... I like the blue. I like the yellow. I like the peach. I like the way the blue and peach go together. I like the way the yellow and blue go together. But the yellow and peach? Nope. Big mistake!!

I've since made the same afghan in just two tone brown for DH, and in deep red, black and white for DDIL. And I've learned a lot about colour mix and match.


Next, is another afgan, that was titled ribbon or something. Basically, two colours, small needles garter stitch for six rows, then larger needles, knit into front and back of each stitch, 10 rows stockinette, k2 tog. across, switch to smaller needles and garter.... I think the original used a light colour for the garter, or was it white for the puffy part? Don't recall - it was a library book, and the pattern was so simple to memorize....
ANd one more for today.... My first quilt. Well, it was the first top I ever pieced. Couldn't make up my mind how I wanted it to look..... I made a crib quilt after I pieced this top - it was a Santa one, machine appliqued, from one of the BH&G Santa Claus magazines that (used to? still?) come out in the fall. I machine quilted it, using my regular sewing machine, because it was how you attached the appliques.... Anyway, that was in the pre-computer owning days, in the pre-think-to-take-picture-for-posterity days.... so I don't have a picture at all of that one. It was well received as a Christmas present by a not close not too distant relative - one that is worth the effort but you don't see everyday? Besides, is now divorced, and the kids are older, so probably don't still use the quilt? Whatever.... Point, I don't have and probably will never get a pic of that quilt. As for finishing this one - I started it, piecing the top, in our old house, but quilted it here, in our "new" house - we've been here ten years. So, it has been finished less than ten years. I machine quilted it, also - not with a quilting machine, but with my trusty Singer. I decided then that I didn't like using the sewing machine to quilt. I decided to become a hand quilter. So I made those two cushions I posted about. Then, I made that huge quilt - the bear quilt, that I think I've written about, but also didn't think to take a good picture of. Somewhere, I have a snap shot photo that I will have to find and scan of my DS at Christmas time when I gave it to him. Of course, I hand quilted it.... turned out to be 105 inches by 107 inches or some such.... I gotta get a photo of that.... In the meantime, and without further delay, the quilt:

Dang.... Can't upload. Guess I forgot how...lol. Ok, so there *is* a delay :(

Wonder if there is some sort of daily limit on size? Of course, I resize everything....

Maybe I can try again next time I post... hope I don't forget!!

FIZZLE STICKS!!!

That's not the words that were going through my mind... anyway...

I forgot to mention!! Another of the little "houseblogkeeping" that I need to do... gotta get a few blog buttons uploaded to flikr, so I can add them on the side... Especially....

I joine the Amazing Lace thing - y'know, that TV show, the Amazing Race... Well, there is an "Amazing Lace" project. I joined with, for sure, two teammates. I'm going to dig my Frost Flowers and Leaves shawl and my Charlotte's Web shawl out of the UFO pile, and get them done before the summer is over. I will also be attempting to get my mystery shawl number three done, my garden pi shawl done, and I'm going to be creating a pair of socks with lace pattern on the legs. I've already (paper) graphed it out, just need to cast on. Now that I've got another pair of socks off the needles that I plan to use :)

So....

I'm going to be immersing myself in lace knitting for the summer. Mostly shawls. And I'm going to get busy making a few more socks, and especially knitting some socks for DH. Plus a whack of dishcloths, both knit and crochet, plus several other crochet projects I'm behind on, plus some latch hook, some cross stitch, some quilting, and I GOTTA get busy spinning... I'm running out of laceweight yarn and wool yarn to dye - gotta start making some of my own, lol....

Ok, now, off this machine!!!!

Crazy times....

Been a crazy two weeks here.... Long weekend away, forgot half the stuff I should have taken (including a ball of yarn for working on the afghan I needed to finish a couple days ago....). Then home only a couple days, and off again for a weekend conference. Which I couldn't really take much with me....

Have taken some pictures, but not had time really to resize them so I can post them. :(

Came home this week to find that someone near and dear to me is not doing well in hospital and everything, and have spent a lot of time working on a little something special... So I just don't have time to do a lot of "fun" computer things.

Going through my history folder today, and found that there was a new cyber pet. Didn't plan to get this one, but you can really play with him a lot. Called him "Mitch". My Dear Sister, when she reads this post, will understand, I know.... :)

Shouldn't be here right now, should be packing...getting ready for another great weekend away from the stresses of everyday life, away from the kid....

Hey, did I mention (no, from here I can't just go look) that this year I got to catch the first fish of the season? :) :) Well, it wasn't a keeper, but it was a decent size.

Let's see, what else... still not concentrating proper.... trying to remember all the things we forgot to take out with us... so I don't forget again....

Feel like going to sleep.... need a nap.... been on the go for about two weeks straight... UG. Still don't have the living room carpet clean... but won't have to move too much furniture anymore. Only other thing is the desk the computer is on... which happens to be a big old oak desk - it ain't moving.... so, there will be four little squares of carpet, about three square inches each, that won't get cleaned for quite some time, lol....

Ok, will try to make sure that I remember, next time I get on the 'puter, to resize some pictures. :)

Crazy times....

Been a crazy two weeks here.... Long weekend away, forgot half the stuff I should have taken (including a ball of yarn for working on the afghan I needed to finish a couple days ago....). Then home only a couple days, and off again for a weekend conference. Which I couldn't really take much with me....

Have taken some pictures, but not had time really to resize them so I can post them. :(

Came home this week to find that someone near and dear to me is not doing well in hospital and everything, and have spent a lot of time working on a little something special... So I just don't have time to do a lot of "fun" computer things.

Going through my history folder today, and found that there was a new cyber pet. Didn't plan to get this one, but you can really play with him a lot. Called him "Mitch". My Dear Sister, when she reads this post, will understand, I know.... :)

Shouldn't be here right now, should be packing...getting ready for another great weekend away from the stresses of everyday life, away from the kid....

Hey, did I mention (no, from here I can't just go look) that this year I got to catch the first fish of the season? :) :) Well, it wasn't a keeper, but it was a decent size.

Let's see, what else... still not concentrating proper.... trying to remember all the things we forgot to take out with us... so I don't forget again....

Feel like going to sleep.... need a nap.... been on the go for about two weeks straight... UG. Still don't have the living room carpet clean... but won't have to move too much furniture anymore. Only other thing is the desk the computer is on... which happens to be a big old oak desk - it ain't moving.... so, there will be four little squares of carpet, about three square inches each, that won't get cleaned for quite some time, lol....

Ok, will try to make sure that I remember, next time I get on the 'puter, to resize some pictures. :)