What to do ..

when it is 100 degrees outside? Okay, okay, so it was only 99 degrees today, but heat index was 107. So what to do ...

one might paint


One might sew


some placemats and get them ready to be quilted


knit the left side of a ballet sweater and start a sleeve


Or you might just hang around eating ;-)

Well, whatever you do when it's 99 degrees out, I recommend staying in air conditioning and drinking lots of water! =)

Tour of Homes ...

This First Annual Tour of Homes is a wonderful idea!! I have visited and seen some very nice homes out there of fellow bloggers. =) As I'm not living in my own home right now, I'm sitting this out. But hopefully next year I can participate.
Go and look at some of the homes if you have time to kill. You won't be sorry!!

Placemats ...

Plugging along on the placemats - I cut triangles today to make placemat number 5 & 6. But I have to admit something ... it gets kind of tedious and kind of boring. I have 2 fabrics that I cut and cut and cut then sew and sew and sew and sew. My dh said "Um, dear, isn't that how all quilts are, just a bunch of squares you put together? Maybe you shouldn't take up quilting afterall." I think what I need is to make quilts with more colors, more variety and more kinds of squares in them is what I need ... so next time I go shopping for more fabric and patterns, well, really it's his fault!
No, I have several knitting projects in process, several I want to start, another quilt I want to make, some embroidery to do and I think I'm feeling overwhelmed with it all so I'm not liking the quilting. I hope. We'll see ... anyway, soon I shall have all 6 placemats pieced together and then I can finish quilting them and move on to other things.
So there is my boring update for today.

And to answer Wool Windings question ... with my newly aquired yarn, I plan to make a pair of heavenly mittens for me and a scarf for me. I can't wait!! I have to hurry up and finish the sweaters I'm currently working on first. That will be motivation to finish the sweaters - it means I can start to make something for moi!

And I almost forgot. I am opening my dreading UFO box. I have a goal to finish what is in there by Christmas or to toss it out. It may be that we will be moving in the spring, and it may be that it might be a big move (as in long distance move) and it may be that dh will tell me to get rid of as much as I can prior to this move and since I don't want to dump my yarn, fabric, or other craft items stashes, well, this seems like a good way to thin out one box!

Stuff ...

My vacation buy ...


and another shot because I love it so much!

It is Custom Millspun Yarn; 40% Maine Angora 60% American Soft Wool from Acker's Acres Angoras, New Gloucester Maine.
On a funny note, I think I have mentioned this is my first hand spun, hand dyed yarn purchase (meaning the first thing I have purchased not from Hobby Lobby or Jo-Ann Fabrics) and I told the shop owner that becuase I was so excited to buy it ... and as I'm walking out she says "Now don't forget to wind it in a ball before you start to use it" and I say "Oh yes! Of course!" But I was thinking ... thank you for saying that. I wouldn't have done that. I would have tried to just start knitting, gotten a bit of the way in it and remembered to do it and then have had a tangled mess to untangle and wind up. Thank goodness for sweet shop owners who want to help out ;-)

On a non-knitting note:

My first quilt project coming along. this is a placemat for my granny. Eventually it will have 5 siblings to match (although I only originally planned on have 4 total, granny mentioned her table seats 6, so 6 it will be!). I am quilting "in the ditch" (I just like to say that and slip it in as often as I can cause I'm a nerd like that ;-) )Anyway, it's going well. My stitches aren't the tiniest, nor are they the most perfect, but I'm getting the hang of it and at this stage in the game, that's all my trying to do! So yes, I'm quilting by hand. The piecing was probably 70% by hand, but I did do some of it on the machine. I will piece the others completely by machine but continue to hand quilt.


close-up of a square

Hello!

I'm back ... after a much needed break from the computer for the first half of the month and an absolutely amazing and wonderful vacation to New Hampshire/Maine last week!!! So many thing to tell, but still trying to catch up on all the things I missed being away last week.

I will say this ... I bought my first really nice yarn at a quaint shop in Maine - beautiful angora ... locally gathered, spun and dyed ... how could I pass it up? I couldn't LOL!! =) Pictures of that to come and maybe a few fun vacation photos.

Busy

Things are busy here ... just had lots of people in from out of town, babyboy is not sleeping again, and holiday weekend ... I'm still around just won't update for a few days! Until then .... Happy Fourth Of July!!! =)