Friday Fluff

 

I've been busy in my little spinning corner getting ready for the Tour. I've been watching an episode of the Netflix documentary Tour de France Unchained every night while working my way through that rainbow fiber I started ages ago to get it off the wheel in time for Le Grand Depart tomorrow.

My plan for this year was to see the back end of this little lady. 

That's Trinidad and I've been washing and dyeing her fleece since 2018 so I think it's time.

She started as a fairly clean almost 4 pound fleece that costs me $67. I've certainly got my money's worth. 

After washing she turned into a fluffy white cloud. 

For her first few Tours she spun up au naturel. I haven't knit any of it yet but I've got three skeins tucked away in the stash.

In 2020 I was tired of the white so she got a dye job.

This is always the fun part. 

She's been carded...

...made into rolags...

....and turned into the batts. Yep, I got my money's worth from the old girl-and then some because I still have quite a bit of that dyed fleece left. 

The Waiting Game

The tops of the two nautical placemats and two hot pads are finished. That's as far as I can go because I am waiting for some backing material. I tore my fabric stash up looking for something that would work and gave up and just ordered a couple of things I hope will work. Now I wait. 

I've got plenty to do while I am waiting. I've got all this sashing to put on the Big Ugly quilt. I'm also waiting for some binding material and some batting for it. 

Now the push is on to get the fall batik quilt finished before I need the machine for the Big Ugly. It's slow going though because I decided to get a bit fancy with it. I still have six center blocks to quilt and all that sashing. Wonky doesn't begin to describe what's going on here. Machine quilting is a skill I just don't have.  

 

Wednesday WIPs

 

There's knitting going on daily but there's nothing very interesting to show off. I've got one of the same old sock's heels turned and one to go. 

Number 22's sleeves are in progress. I'm not going to make my monthly deadline again but that's okay. There's only two sweaters left and five months to go.

 

The big gray blob has its body on a very long cable now. I'm not going to do the ribbing until I can get the body that it's intended for to do a fitting. I tried it on Dumpy Debbie, my dress form, and it actually does look like a sweater. The first sleeve is now in progress and after all that back and forth stockinette from the neck to the ribbing, those in-the-round sleeves are feeling like a treat.

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 

It wasn't much of a week for stitching since it was so dark and gloomy. The rain has finally stopped but the sun in still is short supply. On Sunday I sat down and binge watched 3 seasons of a Netflix true crime show and finished the Matter's house. Now I get to move onto the fun parts of the pattern. 

I did three little boxes on the Patchwork Ete. The big box on top will hold a tractor and a wagon-some day. I'm not feeling it right now. It's a lot of stitches. 

I had a scare with the Village Quaker. When I unrolled it I realized that I had very little fabric left. I did the corner and then counted out the border and I can just squeak by with about an inch to spare. How I am going to stitch that close to the edge is another story. I won't be able to use a frame. 

And....Valerie, I am using your suggestion for the Cow Pile. I think a pale pink for the cows is a lot more fun than the white the pattern called for. I didn't get a chance to work on them yet but I'm already looking forward to it. I was dreading all that white. 

Ahoy Mateys!

 

Last October I made this little nautical DNP for one of the Grands. I had lots of leftovers that I put aside to make summer placemats.

Over the weekend it finally got warm enough to feel like summer so out they came and I got busy. 

It's just my usual placemat pattern and I had one done in no time. The placement of the red was driving me crazy. I had to rip out one whole side because I wasn't happy with where the red landed. I'm still not really happy with it but I'll work on the second one and see if it actually matters. I have a funny feeling I'm not going to be happy with where that red is no matter where I put it-but I'll get over it.

Drink Maryland

 

We took Pup for her usual walk at the beach but discovered.....

....a booze festival going on all along the main drag across from the boardwalk.

We had no idea it was happening. It was a really pretty event. All the distillers had lovely displays. I was very impressed. 

Pup and I sat under a tree in the shade while The Mister shopped. For $5 you could get a wristband and a shot glass that let you taste all the wares. I can't even imagine doing that. I wouldn't get past the first few booths. I'm a real lightweight. 

The Mister was hemming and hawing at the prices of the craft spirits but he found a rum he couldn't resist. I don't think he's met one he didn't like. Captain Morgan is practically a member of the family.

I Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda....

 

I coulda worked on the new warp I started for the loom....

....or finished threading the heddles on the project in progress-but I didn't. 

I coulda sewn more hexies on the border of my table runner....

....or sewn another orange border on the Big Ugly-but I didn't.

I coulda worked on finishing up the rainbow singles before the Tour starts-but I didn't. I'd been up all night with first, a sick dog and then, a sick cat. I spent the night curled in a ball on the end of the couch in between cleaning up critter barf all night. 

I am happy to report that both critters were fine in the morning. Me-not so much so I spent the day doing nothing-after I cooked a pot of mild tummy food for Pup, scrubbed The Mister's bathroom and vacuumed and mopped the floors. Maybe today will be a better day.

Friday Feline

 Rainbow Kitty it's YOUR day because......

...you are done! My first ever rug hooking finish. It took me two years but I did it. 

Here's a peek at his backside. Right now I have no idea what's going to become of him. I'll have to do some homework. 

Since the trick seems to be to stay monogamous with these things, I am going to stay with Spiral Chicken until she is done. I'll give myself until the end of 2024.

She's off to a slow start because I don't have a bag of already made up strips in the wool stash for her. I thought I did but I don't. I am going to have to pull colors and do some cutting. Not an unpleasant job but one that takes thinking. Between all the household chores and running The Mister to therapy and walking the dog and cutting the grass I'm pretty worn out. Spiral Chicken will just have to have some patience. 

Soggy

 

The summer solstice was a cool, rainy one here. It poured buckets and buckets. Instead of curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and my knitting I was on the road and turning a heel in the car. We needed a grocery pick up and since the weather only looked worse for the next few days, off we went.  

I also needed some bags of potting soil for my new tomatoes. I got drenched picking them up in the Walmart parking lot which was a small river. 

I bought some big grow bags for them since I had pitched the buckets I had used the last time I tried this folly. 

I had taken the tomatoes out of their containers when I got them home. They looked so unhappy in their tiny pots. I put them temporarily in the big pots I use for fleece prep not realizing it was going to be an all day soaker. They are swimming out there. I hope they'll be okay until I get a break in the weather. 

Pretty in Purple

 

This is the time of year when my usually sedate hostas put on a show. The whole length of my sidewalk is full of buzzing bees enjoying the blossoms as much as I am.

My mom's pot of mini hostas on the front porch also decided to go full bloom at the same time this year. 

Even the hydrangea that's at the end of the sidewalk has burst into all hues of purple blooms this year. It's quite spectacular out there and I didn't have to do a thing.

And......never say never. I swore up and down I would never try to grow anything edible again after my very expensive fails in years past but look what followed me home. These poor mangy tomatoes were only a $1 a piece and since I already had a bag of dirt leftover from my last try I thought why not. I'm going to pot them and put them in my wagon and roll them around out front in the sun and hope for the best. 

Happy Solstice!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 

The new Q Snap is in business. I had a few minutes to start the center of the Patchwork Ete last week on the newly arrived fabric from the UK.

The reason I had to get another Q Snap is because my wonky rabbit friend is on one of the two I already owned. I know if I take her off it she'll never see the light of day again. Crewel isn't my thing but I'm soldiering on. I finished the square brown thing on the left last week after ripping parts of it out twice.

I could pretend that Cow Pile is done but it isn't. All that  negative space inside the cows has to be white. I saved it for last because I hate stitching with white.

The most fun I had all week was working on the Matter's House. Even with a headache, once I started I didn't want to stop.