Livin' La Needle Loca

...and we're waiting for things to bloom. This morning, I managed to capture the sunrise. I tried to get a few photos of the few flowers that are blooming, but nothing turned out well. I had planned to finish an art yarn today and work on my knitted cardigan. However, my spinning wheel had other plans. I've been waiting for quite a few months for the wheel to come apart, being thankful for every day that it stayed together. The connector that holds the wheel together pulled our of the wood several months ago and it was glued back in place. Well, today was the day. The extra weight of plying head contributed to the connected pulling out of the wood again. I'm going to try to put it back together so I can finish the yarn in process. We'll see how it goes! .

...I finally feel well enough to review what's in the rotation list. As I mentioned in my last post, I have placed Earthdancer into the rotation. I started stitching this yesterday. I haven't gotten very far yet, but at least there is some progress! I pretty much started over again with the Saratoga Calypso Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ]. I had some issues at the beginning of the project - something was off with the lace.(Note to self: Never do another project that starts with the lace edging.) I frogged it and started again. Things were going very well until row 8. No matter how careful I am with counting the stitches for the repeats, I'm off by one stitch somewhere. Clearly, I cannot use this shawl as my Craft Coffee project. Given the bad lighting in the coffee shop and the amount of attention the shawl requires, I need to find something else to work on during knit night. My knitting friend recommended something that was easier to knit. We discussed the possib...

...the next one. I started this one at Spin-In earlier in the month. There was a dray between the start and the finish due to the cold that knocked me out of commission for 10 days. At least I finished it within the same month!. This is Turquoise handspun [Ravelry]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 1/11/2020 Finished 1/25/2020 Camel-silk (4.0 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 193.2 yds. chain-ply, 15 WPI In addition to spinning, I spent some time trying to get back on track with the Saratoga Calypso Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ]. This is the first project where it started with the lace section. With a cast-on of 389 stitches, it was hard to stay on-track. There was a major problem with the first lace row that I couldn't fix. I ended up having to frog it back to the cast-on. The next step is to verify the number of stitches on the needles before I try starting this again. For several months, I've had the next cross stitch mermaid in the queue. I collected all o...

...I didn't finished as many projects as the previous year. Finished: Christmas Baking, etc. 2 Fruitcakes Mexican Wedding Cookies Spritz cookies Grand Marnier biscotti 1 lb. chocolate bark Knitting 1/31 Baroque Hat 3/3 Earth and Sky Hat 3/9 Cupcake Hat 7/6 Avocado Cozy 7/20 Cozy Red Hat 9/15 Cozy Red Hat 2 11/29 Cozy Hat 3 Needlework 2/3 St. Charles (needlepoint) 8/18 As Bethlehem Slept (cross stitch) Quilting, Sewing, Finishing 4/7 Seaside Dreams quilt for MIL (quilting) 12/21 Christmas Tree skirt (sewing) Reading Read 175 books; see Reading List below Spinning 3/2 Dragon Scales handspun from Greenwood Fiberworks, 162 yds. chain-ply; 13 WPI 4/27 Rose Banderos handspun from Ranch of the Oaks, 332 yds. 2-ply; 14 WPI 4/27 Malibu handspun from Greenwood Fiberworks, 194 yds. chain-ply; 13 WPI 6/8 Hot Lips Handspun from Greenwood Fiberworks, 162 yds. chain-plied, 15 WPI 6/8 Cockles Handspun from Sakina Needles, 162 yds. chain-plied, 15 WPI ...

...I've been out of commission for a week with a bad cold. It was so bad, that I couldn't do anything for 3 days except rest on the couch and watch junk TV. It's still not completely gone, but at least I can now move around and take a shower without completely draining me of energy. Needless to say, all forward progress on my projects came to a complete halt, as well as blogging and reading. At least I didn't have to worry about work. I did manage to finish the Avocado Cozy 3 [ Ravelry ] once I was feeling better. However, I didn't actually step foot into my studio to work on projects until yesterday. I'm taking it easy, trying to get back into some sense of normal. I hope that happens soon! .

...maybe, I'll turn this in to Weave-it Wednesday. My plan today is to work on the last foot of the Shimmering Points Wrap [ Ravelry ]. I wove about 15 inches yesterday and got into quite a rhythm before my shoulders started to complain. That's the problem with being short...I have to lean forward while weaving so I can reach properly. I'll be glad to get the wrap finished. I haven't felt like I could start another large project until it was complete. As to which large project I'll start next, I haven't decided yet! WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Avocado Cozy 3 (knitting) I found this project in the bottom of a bag I was cleaning out. I decided to finish it for us. Malachite (needlepoint) Reoriented myself to where I left off. Working on the interior borders. Shimmering Points Wrap (weaving) [ Ravelry ] Wove 15 inches. I estimate another 12 inches left. In the Queue Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Rethinking this. I might pull an older project out...

...it seems like I spend most of my days not doing crafts. The only crafts I worked on consistently was the fiber that I started at Spin-In on Saturday. No photo yet. In the category of mundane, household maintenance: The Husband replaced the toilet in the main bathroom. That sounds pretty straight-forward, doesn't it? It wasn't. Our bathrooms are both very small, so it's difficult to replace a toilet, both because of lack of space and because of the length limitations of the space. I couldn't help much, but did so whenever he asked. He finally finished everything yesterday. I seem to keep organizing my space. I've never been happy with the way my unspun fibers are stored. I had to use space bags when I was in the small bedroom. I kept that method when I moved into my studio. It worked OK because the bags were stored under a counter with rolling organized cubes in front of them. Now that the counter is part of my computer workspace and holds my laser pri...

...combined with Eye Candy Friday. I finished the Mermaid Happiness Quilt yesterday! Here's the quilt: and the quilt label: Specs: Started 10/6/2019 Finished 1/9/2020 Mermaid Happiness panel, plus fabrics from stash No pattern This is the third time I've used the wide border fabric. I originally bought it as backing for a king-size quilt and ended up using it as a border instead. Last year, I used it as a border for my mother-in-law's quilt, and now this quilt. I still have enough to use it again as a border if it's appropriate. Our garden is very sparse right now. The only thing blooming are the cyclamen: Up this weekend: It's a weekend? LOL! The days are running into each other, one thing I didn't expect to happen when I retired. With my husband not working either, it's hard to keep track. Spin-In is on Saturday. I have some biscotti that I can take, so I don't need to bake anything. I plan on concentrating on my weaving pr...

...still working on this regular posting thing! I'm on a mission to finish the projects I have in progress, starting with the easiest/fasted to finish. The scarf and handspun I finished last week were the fastest to finish. Currently, I'm working on the Mermaid Happiness quilt. I have completed the machine quilting and machine-bound it. I'm now in the tedious process of burying all the threads. I need to finish that and add a label before I can declare it done. The next thing I'll work on is the weaving project. I have two more feet to weave. That's the plan so far. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Mermaid Happiness quilt (quilting) Finished the machine quilting and binding. Burying the threads. In the Queue Renaissance Mermaid (cross stitch) Rethinking this. I might pull an older project out of the archives to work on first. Works In Progress, Did Not Work On This Week: Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) Look Through My Window qu...

...my new reality for December started this year. No more baking marathons! Finished: Baking 2 Fruitcakes Mexican Wedding Cookies Spritz cookies Grand Marnier biscotti 1 lb. chocolate bark 12/21 Christmas Tree skirt (sewing) Books California Girls, Susan Mallery Slightly South of Simple, Kristy Woodson Harvey Shattered Bonds, Faith Hunter Christmas at Lakeside Resort, Susan Schild What Happens in Paradise, Elin Hilderbrand Magic Triumphs, Ilona Andrews This Is Not How It Ends, Mary Kay Andrews Growing Season, Melanie Lageschulte Harvest Season, Melanie Lageschulte Peaceful Season, Melanie Lageschulte Waiting Season, Melanie Lageschulte Bright Season, Melanie Lageschulte Songbird Season, Melanie Lageschulte Finding Home, Tammy L Grace Home Blooms, Tammy L Grace Promise of Home, Tammy L Grace Started: 12/23 Chain, Chain, Chain Scarf [ Ravelry ] 12/9 Christmas sweater (knitting), just playing around with it Frogged  Cozy Red Hat 4 (knitting) [...

...14 years ago, I wrote my first post. It was kind of lame and short. 2,091 posts later - and a name change - and it's a little less lame. :) It's my online journal, project tracker, and a place to post some of my photographs. I have posted Top-of-the-Waves Tuesday, WIP-it Wednesday, Eye Candy Friday, and recaps. Over the next year as I settle into my retirement, the days I that I post might vary, but I'll try to keep Eye Candy Friday going. I'll have to see what makes sense. I don't want to spend extended periods of time on the computer, so shorter posts might make sense. To start off my new Blog year, here are a couple of finished objects. This is Chain, Chain, Chain Scarf [ Ravelry ] as modeled by Teddy: Specs: Started 12/23/2019 Finished 1/2/2020 Pattern: Chain Stitch Scarf, Bernat Design Studio Yarn: Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends in Wicker This is Holly Berries Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 12/1/2019 Finish...

...and welcome to another year of Eye Candy photos. This year I hope to do eye candy posts on a regular basis...who am I kidding, I just want to post on a regular basis.  Now that I'm retired, I'm going to try to swap computer time with craft time. As a result, Eye Candy Friday posts will probably evolve to a photo post. This mermaid ornament caught my eye as I started deconstructing Christmas: All of the following photos are form the garden this morning. Pink Lewisia: Lavender: Apricot leaves against the morning sky: Bracteantha Dreamtime "Jumbo Red Ember", not quite ready to bloom: I need to work on my December recap and my year end recap. It might take a few days while I get into some sort of routine with my craft projects. I'll get to them eventually! .