Livin' La Needle Loca

 ...blog and run. Apricot tree is blooming: On one of my walks around the neighborhood, I saw a camellia blooming:

...and it's still mostly about cross stitch. I continue to move right a long with Lilith of Labrador: I did a little quilting, but I'm still having trouble staying interested in it. I need to find a different approach so I can finish one. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Lilith of Labrador mermaid (cross stitch) Almost done with the body. Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilting) Quilted a few more motifs. No Work This Week: Bankhead Hat (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Effortless Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Illusion hexagons (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Pacific Waters tapestry (weaving) [ Ravelry ] Singularity Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Queued Ready to machine quilt: Mermaid Songs (quilting) IDJ (It's Dead, Jim) Malachite (needlepoint) Waiting for Finishing: Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) ...

 ...we're enjoying the warmer weather, but wish that we were getting rain. The dwarf alstroemeria is blooming again: And the daffodils are popping up in the garden:

...and Lilith continues to hold most of my attention. I'm almost done with the bottom half of the design. except for the hand, there is no back-stitching to do. I'll turn to project upside down to work on the top-half. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Bankhead Hat (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Back to working on body of the hat. Need to knit another inch or so before I can start the decreases. Lilith of Labrador mermaid (cross stitch) Almost done with the tail RMS handspun (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Started 2/15/2022 - need a better name for this. RMS was part of the color name given by the dyer. No Work This Week: Effortless Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Illusion hexagons (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilting)  Pacific Waters tapestry (weaving) [ Ravelry ] Singularity Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Queu...

 ...not much in the garden this week. The Husband has been planting flowers and other things in the garden. I'm really looking forward to things blooming again. In the meantime, the nasturtiums are starting up.

 ...and the mermaid has gotten the most play this week. I'm making great progress on the lower half of Lilith of Labrador (Mirabilia). I decided to spin another fiber for Ravellenics. This is Violet [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 2/7/2022 Finished 2/8/2022 Northern Lights pencil roving (8 oz.) from Louet 70.8 yds chain-ply, 6 WPI WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Lilith of Labrador mermaid (cross stitch) Working on the tail Singularity Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Picked up again, working on row 80 No Work This Week: Bankhead Hat (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Effortless Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Illusion hexagons (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilting)  Pacific Waters tapestry (weaving) [ Ravelry ]   Queued Ready to machine quilt: Mermaid Songs (quilting) IDJ (...

 ...a little of this, a lot of that. Spinning is mostly on the back burner, but there is a little progress. I started spinning a pencil roving that has been in my stash forever. It's called Violets and it's pretty to look at. :) My attention is mostly focused on Lilith, my latest Mirabilia mermaid. I made a counting error in the tail fin and had to pull out a large section of stitches. I've restitched it, but I am a little worried that I might run our of the overdyed silk thread that the project uses. Time will tell. I'm working on stuff for mom in between craft projects. I've been successful some some items and the rest are progressing slowly.

 ...and it's motivating me to spin a bit more. I have to admit, I am not as into watching the Winter Olympics coverage this time around. I could blame it on the pandemic, but the truth is, I have too much going on in my personal life. All I want to do when I watch TV is to dive into something mindless or campy or soapy of all of the above. At any rate, I decided that I could do a little spinning for Ravellenics, but only when I felt like it. Unlike previous years, I decided not to go full-bore into spinning everyday and trying to finish as much as I can. I'm going to save that level of commitment for Tour de Fleece in July. Yesterday, I spun Orchid Indigo: and the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 2/4/2022 Falkland (4.1 oz.) from the Yarn Wench 62.5 yds. two-ply, Bulky weight Plied with Lala Berlin Shiny color 002 from Lana Grossa I'm not sure that I'll spin again today...I'll have to see if I feel like it.

 ...things are starting to bloom in our garden. The flowering plum is blossoming: The Frida Kahlo rose is very happy in her new location and has been setting roses for the last week: And we have a ton of oranges. The Husband has been juicing them so they don't go to waste.

 ...mostly cross stitch this week. Here is the current state of Lilith of Labrador, my current Mirabilia mermaid. True to form, I started in the middle and am working my way out. I like to have my projects centered  on the linen and have never been successful with that when I start at the top. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Bankhead Hat (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Still working on the body. Lilith of Labrador mermaid (cross stitch) Completed the cross stitching of the knee and working my way down to the tail. Noche de los Muertos quilt (quilting) Working on the machine quilting for row one. No Work This Week: Effortless Cardigan (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Illusion hexagons (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting)  Pacific Waters tapestry (weaving) [ Ravelry ]   Singularity Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ]  Queued Ready to machine ...

 ...they're OK. I'm glad they are both done. First up, Pocket Kitty [ Ravelry ]. It doesn't really look like a cat, though. Specs: Started 12/6/2021 Finished 1/16/2022 Pattern: Pocket Pets from Fuzzy Mitten Next, is the first spinning of the year. This is Grapevine [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 1/24/2022 Finished 1/31/2022 Alpaca-Silk (4.0 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 91.7 yds chain-ply, 11 WPI