Friday, April 28, 2017

Eye Candy Friday...

...brought to you by Fremont High School, a neighbor's yard, and our yard.

I finally finished processing the Easter photos I took at the high school. Besides tulips, they also have some lovely rose bushes. Here's a pink and apricot rose:

Pink and apricot rose

a pink and yellow rose:

Pink and yellow rose

and a pink rose:

Pink rose

Prior to putting the house on the market, a neighbor redid the front landscaping. They planted these lovely flowers (Regal Pelargonium, I think):

Regal Pelargonium, I think

And our yard is bursting with flowers and greenery:

Our lush backyard

Our artichokes are doing nicely:

Artichoke

and the spiderwort is blooming:

Spiderwort

Have a great weekend! It's going to be warm here!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

WIPs on a Thursday...

...because Wednesday escaped me! (I hate when that happens!)

WIPs Roll Call

Worked On:
  • Easter photos
    Still processing, down to the last third
  • Puget Sound handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Singles done; ready to ply.
  • Rosewood Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
    Working on a Rosewood sections; planning on the next novelty yarn section
  • St. Charles (needlepoint)
    Working on section 5; skipped section 4 because I wasn't in the mood for French knots.
  • Teal It To The Bees hat (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Working on the hive part
Works In Progress:
  1. 4-shaft sampler (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. All That Glitters Christmas quilt (quilting)
  3. Mother of Dragons shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]  
  4. Tiger Lily handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
  5. Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Bear Paw pottery (needlepoint)
  3. Canto de Sirena shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Finishing work
  6. Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  7. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  8. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  9. Tucson Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...and the weekend report.
  • I'm still processing photos from my Easter photo shoot at Fremont High School. I predict more tulip photos for Eye Candy Friday!
  • To curb rampant startitis, I decided to start one spinning project. I spun the singles for Puget Sound handspun [Ravelry]. I love the colors in this merino-tencel top from Greenwood Fiberworks. I bought this at Stitches West 2016.
  • I briefly worked on the St. Charles (needlepoint). I think I'm past being bored with this one, so I think I can wind this back into the rotation.
  • I am making good progress on the Teal It To The Bees hat [Ravelry]. 
  • I wove a little on the Rosewood Wrap [Ravelry]
  • I really need to decide if I'm done with the 4-shaft sampler [Ravelry]. I'd kind of like to dress the loom for a "real" project.
  • I thought about working on the Mother of Dragons shawl [Ravelry]. My main problem is that the shawl requires some attention-units, and I didn't have many of those this weekend!
  • Today is the Husband's birthday. So it's a rare night out to dinner for us!

Friday, April 21, 2017

Eye Candy Friday...

...blog and run.

Here are some of the tulip photos from Easter Sunday.

Pink tulip

Pink tulip

Red and gold tulip

Gold and red tulip

Pink and yellow tulip

Yellow and pink tulip

White and red tulip

White and red tulip, another view

Orange tulip

Orange tulip

And that's all I have time for!
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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

WIP-it Wednesday...

...in which I discover a WIP that I actively worked on, but didn't list anywhere. Hmm...

I finished spinning the singles for Tiger Lily [Ravelry] over the weekend. I started it the week before. I have no idea why I didn't remember to put it in yesterday's post or in the previous WIP-It Wednesday. Anyway, this is what the singles look like:

Tiger Lily handspun, singles

And here's a first look at the Rosewood Wrap [Ravelry]:

Rosewood Wrap, in progress


WIPs Roll Call

Worked On:
  • Rosewood Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
  • Teal It To The Bees hat (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Almost done with the ribbing.
  • Tiger Lily handspun (spinning) [Ravelry]
    Singles done; ready to ply.
Works In Progress:
  1. 4-shaft sampler (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. All That Glitters Christmas quilt (quilting)
  3. Mother of Dragons shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]  
  4. St. Charles (needlepoint)
  5. Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Bear Paw pottery (needlepoint)
  3. Canto de Sirena shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Finishing work
  6. Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  7. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  8. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  9. Tucson Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...in no particular order.

The weather finally cooperated on Sunday so I could take photos of the tulips in front of the high school. It's at the end of the season for them, but there were still plenty of tulips to photograph. I managed to catch the window between overcast and raining. The lighting was pretty good, although I still had trouble with red flowers. Here's a preview of the shoot:

Tulips at Fremont HS

I started a new hat last Thursday. I liked the Slouchy Beehive Hat pattern so much, I decided to knit another one using the original specs. The last one I did had a shorter cast-on and I had to modify the decrease section a bit to make it work.The yarn I picked is teal, so I'm calling the hat "Teal It To The Bees" [Ravelry].

I also spent some time on the Rosewood Wrap [Ravelry]. This project is a little fiddly with the extra novelty warps I'm adding as I weave. I use a pickup stick to correctly position the extra warp threads and create a big enough shed for the shuttle to go through. Then I have to use a  tapestry beater (read: hair pick) to beat each pick. You can get away with this on a rigid heddle loom...it totally wouldn't work on a regular loom. And it doesn't take long before I'm ready to work on something else.

We finished our taxes on Sunday. The Husband had all of his numbers ready and it didn't take long to finish them up. I'm glad that's out of the way!
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Friday, April 14, 2017

Eye Candy Friday...

...with some photos from a friend's yard.

As I mentioned, our company party was last Saturday. Our hosts have a lovely home in Los Altos Hills. They have a great view of the area from their front deck.

Los Altos Hills view

Their garden is filled with fruit trees and lots of flowers. They have camellias:

Pink camellia

Blue irises:

Iris

yellow and blue irises:

Blue and yellow iris

and orchids:

Orchid

They also have a great metal sculpture at the end of their driveway. Many call it Don Quixote. I've been calling him Guardian of the Garden because he looks like he'll ward off all unwanted critters from the garden.

Guardian of the Garden

Up this weekend: I hope lots of crafts! The Husband and I are not much into Easter since our daughter outgrew Easter egg hunts. I think we'll just stay close to home.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2017

WIP-it Wednesday...

...now that I've finished the latest hat, I'm having trouble deciding what to do next. Mostly what I want to do is veg-out.  So here, have a picture of a kitty:

Denali being a good host

This is Denali, Sombra's brother. He was the co-host at our company party on Saturday.


WIPs Roll Call

Worked On:
  • Taxes
    Almost done!
Works In Progress:
  1. 4-shaft sampler (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. All That Glitters Christmas quilt (quilting)
  3. Mother of Dragons shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]  
  4. Rosewood Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
  5. St. Charles (needlepoint)
  6. Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Bear Paw pottery (needlepoint)
  3. Canto de Sirena shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Finishing work
  6. Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  7. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  8. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  9. Tucson Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...and a finished object.

I finished my latest hat for Halos of Hope. This is Shimmer and Shiny Hat [Ravelry]:

Shimmer and Shiny Hat

Specs:
Started 3/26/17
Finished 4/9/17
Pattern: Slouchy Beehive Hat by Flora Cheung
Yarn: Soft & Shiny by Loops & Threads in Shimmer

Originally, I was going to make another No-Noro Hat. However, I had just finished one and I wanted to do something different. After I finished the ribbing for the hat, I looked for free hat patterns that used a cast-on of 80. I found a few, but it wasn't until Halo of Hope posted a photo of the Wurm hat, that I decided to make something similar. I found the Slouchy Beehive hat and modified it for the shorter cast-on and I didn't make it slouchy. I like the way it turned out.

Randomness...
  • Our company party was on Saturday. The theme was cultural heritage, so I made some Mexican Wedding cookies. It is a family recipe that I've been making pretty much my whole life. 
  • I also made a variation of the cookie using cocoa and cinnamon to make a Mexican Chocolate  version. They turned out yummy, too.
  • It was really good to see people that I don't get to see very often. In our company, only 6 people work in the office. Everyone else works at home or at a client site. The party gives us an opportunity to connect in a social setting.
  • Sunday was spent finishing laundry and going to the grocery store. The only crafty thing I did was finish the hat.
  • I'm almost done with our taxes. The Husband has a few last number for me to enter and then we can submit them.

Thursday, April 06, 2017

March 2017 recap...

...a little spinning, a little knitting, and fighting off startitis.

Finished:
  • 3/25 Victoria handspun [Ravelry] (spinning)
    Yak-Silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks
    171.2 yds., 15 WPI
  • 3/26 Crocus handspun [Ravelry] (spinning)
    Camel-Silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks
    182.4yds., 14 WPI
  • 3/26 Icelandic No-Noro Hat [Ravelry] (knitting)
  • Books:
    1. The Practice House, Laura McNeal
    2. Stormfront, Skye Knizley
    3. The Unexpected Millionaire, Susan Mallery
    4. Twelve Days of Christmas, Debbie Macomber
    5. Silence Fallen, Patricia Briggs
    6. Summer Days, Susan Mallery
    7. Hisses and Honey, Shannon Mayer
    8. Just Desserts, Barbara Bretton
    9. The Turn, Kim Harrison
Started:
  • 3/4 Crocus handspun [Ravelry] (spinning)
  • 3/11 Icelandic No-Noro Hat [Ravelry] (knitting)
  • 3/18 Rosewood Wrap [Ravelry] (weaving)
  • 3/26 Shimmer and Shiny hat [Ravelry] (knitting)
Works In Progress:
  1. 4-shaft sampler (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. All That Glitters Christmas quilt (quilting)
  3. Mother of Dragons shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. St. Charles (needlepoint)
  5. Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Bear Paw pottery (needlepoint)
  3. Canto de Sirena shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Finishing work
  6. Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  7. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  8. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  9. Tucson Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

WIP-it Wednesday...

...and no progress on crafty things, mostly because it's April and I promised the Husband I would work on the taxes.

Usually, we scramble for a few days while he figures out the business expenses for his consulting gig and we verify that we have entered every possible deduction. This year, it's not as critical, but I still need to do the data entry. I figure I'm about half done at this point, so I need to continue tonight. Once we have an idea of where we are, I can swap back over to crafts.

WIPs Roll Call

Worked on:

  • Rosewood Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
    Added 7 strands of supplemental warp to loom and started weaving again.
  • Shimmer and Shiny hat (knitting) [Ravelry]
    Working on the last section of "beehive" rolls
Works In Progress:
  1. 4-shaft sampler (weaving) [Ravelry]
  2. All That Glitters Christmas quilt (quilting)
  3. Mother of Dragons shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]  
  4. St. Charles (needlepoint)
  5. Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)
UFOs/Hibernation:
  1. Be My Baby for My Baby (knitting) [Ravelry]
  2. Bear Paw pottery (needlepoint)
  3. Canto de Sirena shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  4. Celaeno Shawl (knitting) [Ravelry]
  5. Finishing work
  6. Mermaid of the Pearls (cross stitch)
  7. Peacock Pomatomus socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
  8. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
  9. Tucson Twilight (needlepoint)
WIPs To Be:
  • A peacock or mermaid quilt for me.

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday...

...and the weekend report.

I seemed to have missed Eye Candy Friday on the blog; I managed to post on Facebook and Instagram...sigh. Here's a photo to hold you for a while. This is a pink ruffled tulip in our backyard:

Pink ruffled tulip

I'm almost back to normal. I still have a cough and my voice gets a little wonky if I talk too much.

I spent Saturday doing laundry and running a couple of errands. The Husband and I went shopping for umbrellas for the courtyard and backyard. We found one for the courtyard, but haven't found one at a decent price for the backyard yet. He kindly took my to a sporting goods store so I could buy some fishing weights to use for a supplementary warp on my rigid heddle loom.

While laundry was running, I worked on the rigid heddle project. It took a while to get the supplemental warp set up and weighted. Once I finally got it working, I was too tired to actually weave more that a couple of picks.

Sunday, we drove to the Daughter's new house. She's just had it for a week and hasn't moved in yet. It's a gorgeous, completely remodeled house in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Oakland. The style is mid-century modern (more or less) and is beautifully finished. The rooms have high ceilings and are spacious, with tons of windows to let in natural light. The builder added storage everywhere - she will have no problem keeping things out of sight, if that's what she wants.

Her Aunt and Uncle met us there and we all sent out to lunch to celebrate. Later, the Husband helped  install some privacy shades in the master bathroom. I took several photos to send to my mother, who is not online.

We love that the Daughter has shared so many milestones with us. We are blessed!
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Another Finished Object...

 ...yay! I finished the first yarn on my new Lendrum DT. I tried a 2-ply and it turned out OK. Using the plying head was not as smooth...