A Change of Plans

First, I want to wish anyone reading this a very Happy New Year, full of good health and prosperity! Next, I have to say that I don't plan to work on the Quiltville NY quilt afterall. After seeing the Clue 1, I decided that I'd rather work on finishing up some old projects than start another new one. I have plenty of crochet and knitting to keep me busy, and as the weather allows and I can get into my work trailer (studio), I have dozens of quilt tops to get quilted (most for charity projects). So with that said..... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Fabric Choices

Here are my fabric choices for the New Year's Eve Quiltville.com mystery quilt. I really like the Civil War Reproduction fabrics and decided to use some of them in this quilt. (I am still on no-buy and am always glad to pull what I can from my stash.) I am really looking forward to this mystery quilt. All of Bonnie Hunter's quilt designs are so easy, unique and imaginative!! I like working with strips of fabric now, since I've done a couple of her quilt designs. Anyone interested in joining in can go to www.quiltville.com or go to the Yahoo! quiltville group for more information. See you there!

December 25th Dafodils

This morning when I was feeding the yard kitties, our Shizuku got out. It is great fun for her to have us "chase" her and the sun was shining. When I stepped over the flower bed next to the walkway, I looked down and there were dozens of dafodils trying to come up. December has been a very cold, rainy and unpleasant month. These dafodils were not up yesterday. Consider it a Christmas miracle, or not, you choose. I personally think that God is trying to tell us something.

Merry Christmas

The above picture came from the Lion Brand Yarn website. I hope everyone has a happy and peaceful Christmas.

VJGC #3

This is a work in progress photo. I decided to use the old standard Spiderman Round Ripple pattern instead of the Gentle Waves one. I really like the way it is turning out and this will be the final one I do for the challenge. I've got other things to finish up as well, and need to get busy with them.

Another foggy, miserable day in western NC. Rain predicted all weekend. Yuck!!

VJGC afghan #2

I finished another crocheted afghan for the Victory Junction Gang Camp this morning. I have already started on #3. It is called Gentle Waves and is a round ripple. I said that I would make three (possibly four) and I am anxious to fulfill the commitment. I have worked extra hard lately and have finished up several projects. It helps to pass the time in this dreary, drizzly, foggy weather. How depressing!! Dora, the kitten, has been a terror lately, so we decided not to put up Christmas decorations. Five minutes ago, she crawled up in my lap, bit me, and jumped down. That's gratitude for ya! I'm thankful that this wet stuff is NOT snow! A little is fun, but NC is not equiped to handle a Michigan snow! Have a happy Wednesday.

Two scarves

The pineapple scarf is actually an old gold colored wool, ball bands long since lost. The pattern can be found at http://hubpages.com/hub/Elegantps It only took one afternoon to make and I really like pineapples. It is called Elegant Pineapples Scarf 75. The purple scarf is made from Plymouth Encore, Wor.Wt., and the pattern came from http://macrochet.blogspot.com/2008/11/free-pattern-pretty-one-skein-scarf.html As I never wear a scarf, I always find someone to give them too. Good time of year for that, huh? The purple one only took one afternoon to make as well. I like to work on quick projects in between the larger ones!

My next project to start will be an orange Aran sweater for me. I like to use the Grandma on the Mountain pattern and have made one for both my children using that pattern. Guess it's about time to make one for me.

It's not perfect, but it's done!

The purple cable sweater that I am making for my daughter is done, finally. Thank goodness. As always, after I finished sewing the seams together, I found a mistake or two. Not major ones, I'm glad to say. But I noticed them. The pattern is one torn from a magazine a few years ago. The yarn is Cascade 220 (wool). I can knit with wool, but I cannot wear it. I also finished two more scarves and am now working on an afghan for Victory Junction Gang Camp and also the Snowflake afghan squares. I always have something on my hook or needles!

New Scarf

This is the scarf I worked on yesterday while I was hoping the rain would stop. It finally did and the sun came out this morning, along with the wind! The Scarf pattern can be found at www.crochetme.com/shelly I think I will use it for a gift. I'm not giving many gifts this year, but some are necessary, and I try to help my son out by giving him a few things to give to his co-workers. He makes hats on a knitting loom, and I make a scarf to go with it! Thank God it is Friday. This has been a rough week!!

Rainy days

The weather people are still saying we are in a drought, and I wish they would hush about it. It has rained, off and on, for three days now and I am sick of it. I cannot concentrate on my projects when it is so gloomy, and have taken to browzing on the computer (and munching on popcorn) just because I cannot seem to get anything else done. (God forbid that I tackle the sink full of dirty dishes!) They say we might get another three inches of rain today! No thanks! I'm just glad it's not snow!!

I have joined another Yahoo quilt group and it is called FabricaholicsAnonymous. We will be doing a New Years Eve Mystery Quilt and it sounds like fun. I don't do a lot of mystery quilts, but I need to use up fabric, so am game to try it! I didn't see any Button for the group, so I just made a photo of the photo on the homepage and made my own, so to speak. I do not have the talent to make it active, though.

Found two really cute scarf patterns this morning, and might work on those for awhile, and watch the rain. So many projects, so little time.

Another quiz!

Your Spiritual Number is Seven

You bring knowledge and wisdom into people's lives. You are an expert in many fields, and you give excellent advice. Right now, your life is about perfecting your skill set. You are almost a virtuoso at the thing you love best. With some practice, you'll get there. You are highly intelligent and intellectual. You have profound analytical skills. But you also have the soul of an artist. You long to create.

What's Your Spiritual Number?

I am constantly amazed at these quizzes. My son took this one and here is his results. It is absolutely him!! I don't know how they do it! He is a math instructor at the local Community College, and an expert video game player. Amazing! By the way, if you look at the photo of Shizuku in the sidebar, there is a faint outline of him in the background. He is playing a video game, and I just noticed that he is in that picture as of yesterday!

Another quiz

Your Spiritual Number is Two

You bring kindness and harmony into other people's lives. Whenever a situation or idea seems extreme, you try to lend some balance. Right now, your life is about benefiting from choices you've made in your past. You have done your best to be a good person, and it is starting to pay off. You are an idealist with interesting ideas. You can't help but see all of the beauty in the world. But you are also aware of the world and its limitations. You have realistic expectations.

What's Your Spiritual Number?

Thanks for the quiz, Ghost. I love these. For once, our results are different! I'm not at all surprised that my number is 2. I do EVERYTHING in two's. I have always said that I must have been a twin (I was adopted, so maybe....?) As for work in progress, I am knitting my fingers together on a purple sweater. Only half of one sleeve plus the other and neckline to go. Must admit that I am rather tired of this one. Photo when finished!