Livin' La Needle Loca

 ...didn't have enough energy to post yesterday, but I made a good start! Tour de Fleece, 6/29: I started the Tour with an art yarn. This is Tidal 1 [ Ravelry ]: and the close-ups: Specs: Started and finished 6/29/2024 4.3 oz. Falkland from Yarn Wench 1) 48 yds. 3-ply bulky; plied with Trendsetter Flora in color 202 and Lunatic Fringe 10/2 cotton in Blue-green 2) 20.8 yds. 3-ply bulky; plied with Lana Grossa Alessia in color 16 and Lunatic Fringe 10/2 cotton in Blue-green Tour de Fleece, 6/30: I decided to spin a thicker yarn from Copperhead 1 [ Ravelry ], a Yarn Wench Falkland braid. I was able to finish the singles today. I'll ply it tomorrow.

 ...day before Tour de Fleece starts! I've identified the fibers that I want to start with: 7 Greenwood Fiberworks braids, 6 Yarn Wench braids for art yarn and a few novelty yarns for the art yarn. This morning, I found a Marc Chagall rose in the backyard. It managed to bloom even after being chewed by some critter. There are baby tomatoes on the vine! I hope we actually get to eat some this year. Some of our hydrangeas are changing colors.

 ...working on my non-spinning WIPs as I gear up for Tour de Fleece. My current cross stitch project is Crystal Heart mini, a Just Nan design. I've pulled my fibers for Tour de Fleece. I need to pick the fiber that's going with me next week as I go to mom's house again. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Crystal Heart mini (cross stitch) Working on the center heart. Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Working my way to the toes No Work This Week: Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting) Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Ocean Ripples Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sky Lanterns Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)   Website (other) Queued: Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch) Ready for Finishing: Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) Collector's...

 ...Happy Summer! Our garden path is lush: The hydrangeas are blooming: There are new gladiolas and zinnias:

 ...and a couple of finished objects. First, I finished Periodot Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 6/4/2024 Finished 6/15/2024 Merino-Stellino (4.0 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 231.25 yds. chain-ply, WPI 14 I also finished Jasmine Mix mini, another cross stitch project. Specs: Started 5/12/2024 Finished 6/17/2024 Chart from Just Nan I need to start thinking about Tour de Fleece. Last year I had to drop out because of my mother's passing and everything that went with that. This year I'm hoping to participate more fully.  WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Crystal Heart mini Started 6/18/2024 Website (other) Scanned more photos No Work This Week: Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting) Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ]    Ocean Ripples Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sky Lanterns Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler d...

 ...and that week went by fast! We've had a few minor house issues that required plumber and PG&E visits this week. That sucked up some time. I'm still playing with old photos. I still have them scattered all over my studio. I don't feel like I have a handle on them, but I'm slowly getting them scanned. This week, we have tropical milkweed blooming: Purple pansies: and an orange zinnia. < The berries are started to ripen and we've already enjoyed a berry galette from our harvest.

 ...blog and run. No photos as I've been scanning old photos for The Daughter and for the website update.  Unfortunately, I have some digital photos scattered across devices and in various folders. Others, I only have hard copies of. Trying to figure out which photos are where and which ones need to be scanned (or re-scanned) leads me down many twisted paths. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Periodot Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Finished the singles Jasmine Mix (cross stitch) Finishing up the cross stitch portion of the design. Then it's on to the specialty stitches. Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ]   Added a few more rows. Website (other) Scanning and re-scanning photos No Work This Week: Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting) Ocean Ripples Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sky Lanterns Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)  IDJ (It's Dead, Jim): ...

 ...I was under the weather yesterday and missed Eye Candy Friday. We have dahlias blooming in the courtyard: and zinnias blooming in the backyard. I've found a bunch of photos that were never scanned and some that were scanned at a lower resolution. I want to (re)scan them to add to my photo library. I might also post some here. We'll see how it goes!

 ...and a completed project. This is Collector's Heart 2024 (cross stitch): Specs: Started 5/5/2024 Finished 6/2/2024 Collector’s Heart 2000 chart pack from Heart in Hand Needleart Changed "2000" to "2024" WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Periodot Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Started 6/4/2024 Jasmine Mix (cross stitch) Working on the corner motifs. Website (other) Rescanning photos to get better quality for website. No Work This Week: Look Through My Window quilt for me (quilting) Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ]   Ocean Ripples Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sky Lanterns Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch)  IDJ (It's Dead, Jim): Singularity Shawl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Queued: Valley of the Heart's Delight sampler design (cross stitch) Ready for Finishing: Fin...

 ...and the last finished object for May. This is Amethyst Handspun [Ravelry]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 5/22/2024 Finished 5/29/2024 Merino-Silk-Cashmere (4.0oz) from Greenwood Fiberworks 256.25 yds. chain-ply; 13 WPI I'm working on a couple of cross stitch minis that I'd like to finish so i can start on a needlepoint project that's been in my stash since the 90s. It's another Susan Portra design, but larger than the other designs I usually do. Hopefully, I can get it started this month.