Update

 Nutcracker time!! 

I couldn't be more excited, we've all been waiting so long for this one. Here's the page.

Rachel

Got to thinking about Rachel, it would be so nice in the Italian Silk, all shined, silky around you yum. The yarn is exquisite, and would just be an additional $25.  I have some of the collars left, if you still want a kit (or a second) we can do that. Matter of fact, I still have some of the Kit 1 goodies, rings, fob with markers and sweater clasps.

Crack that WIP!

Yup, having a WIP party this week, check it out here.

SALE

Go have a look see at the Sale Page here, I added an embroidered verse, quilted wall hanging.

Beads UGH!

Yup, they did it again! These beads were screaming at me,,, take me, take me home. I found the beads without having a pattern for them. Bought a bunch, then went back and bought almost all of them. Ok, so they are really purdy. Thought I had the shawl in multi colored yarn, then I realized it would be swell to have them on semi solid yarn, so they can shine. And too, want to hold them in my hot little hands, computer colors can change,,, but they sure look good.

Annual (?) Blanket

Yup, there's a blanket in the works, bought all kinds of fun freebies for it and found some wonderful needle tip protectors. I went crazy with the design, it's a sampler where you get a pattern, make it in the 4 colors of the kit, then do it again the next month. At the end, slew of multi for the edge. I shared the color wet on FB and hanked a few on our YouTube channel if you wanna see, tiny peek. The photos above are my inspiration for the color.

Stock

 

Nothing like a "day off" to organize the stock yarn. Eventually I'd like to replace all the cardboard boxes with the blue totes, like the 2 on the left with YF Stock in white paper. The cardboards just been the way they fell I guess, from the beginning. They are safe and lighter for me to toss around. They each have a thick XL plastic bag which gets twisted and pushed down so nothing can enter. Inside are kilo's of individually bagged yarn that are filed into it. The system works well so long as nothing is piled atop the front or back row. 

What's in the totes? 

S.A.B.L.E. 

Stash

Acquisition

Beyond

Life

Expectance

Along with fabric and some stock but most of it's hand spun or manufactured yarn. As I use it up, been making a lot of blankets, the totes are freed up. I had a large stack of empties which went into replacing the cardboard that was full of undyed roving. Many of the totes are full of roving for hand spinning.

More then you needed to know, just SO nice to be able to do something that physical while this sick I guess. Great feeling of freedom and accomplishment. Course I did this 2 years ago and it got cluttered up again so I know another organizing day will come round. But, today, right now, I'm very pleased with the effort. When it comes time to do it again, I'll be ready.

Sewing weekend

 Not sure if I'm done but I'm feeling a bit like I might be. The most important thing was the pillows, there's a deadline in September. Here are the fronts.

These are 12" pillow slips. They have to be washed so I didn't iron them well.

The backs. My g-baby has sent me several cards with Baby Yoda so here he is in all his glory. I needed Chewy so there you go.

My hand work is my hexi bee. As well as another skirt and a YF sample.

Sewing

 A bit of a sewing bender this weekend.

Two pillows for my grandbaby who's really involved in baseball, yes that's him running from the screaming ball.

Two gowns in the stripes (upper left), I'm dying it afterwards and this is the wrong side it's very loud.  Burgundy is the lining for a bag I made for my other grandbaby to go along with her outfit of a knit skirt and white eyelet Boho blouse. The green is the backs of the pillows and a border around it.

I'd like to get this quilt spray basted. It's the Merry Meyhem New Years from this year. Well it's not very like it now. All the applique and a bunch of the actual blocks were changed.

After taking to my bed later I'll be working on my 2.5" charms from the Birthday swap on WWQB. Not sure where I'm going with these hexi's but bee's are involved as well as some paper piecing and I know not what. I'm allowing this one to grow while I'm not looking.

Finishitupitis?

Great!

OK, so “great” is no longer in my vocabulary but I have been out of bed this whole week. Been like the old days before I got sick…It’s been fantastic! I got to do so much and I really wanna share what all I've been up to.

1-I painted the wall - started putting a base coat on in anyway. Been sitting there white for years now.

2-Got real organized in the business, found out I have not one but like three pattern lists and lists of things to do.

3-Quilt basted (even if it is just a throw) was very hard on lungs. Like a steam engine while sweeping the floor. Blurred out cause it's for a friend.

4-Started and finished small plush fox, meet Fennick.

5-Finished a sewing and stuffing yet another bear, on left, here's the family so far. 

6-Finished slippers 

7-Cut two gowns to sew, striped. Exchanged hems on 2 so that they aren't 1-too short, 1-floor length.

8-made a 8x11 drawing book cover out of a Faby Riley cross stitch SAL

9-researched information on Poe and made a book out of it 

10-completed my William Wilberforce small booklet binding. 

11-Pixie #1 returned a cowl to me, needed edging, finished that. Blocked needs photo's for Book of Cowls.

12-Made a meal, Chinese cabbage salad, grilled chicken, green beans and shiitake, fingering potatoes in air fryer and RWB pretzel Jello salad with blueberries. Sooo wonderful to make for my unit.

13-Printed and organized all plush sewing patterns.

14- Poe album for about 10 more hours.

15- Rachel Drummond sample has a ready made collar with it. Worked out the pick up math for the sample and got about 35 rows done. 

16-Continued designing  Rachel pattern,,, lost computer pattern due to cat dancing on keyboard, had to recreate it over again.

17- Star Flower heirloom goodies done ready to shoot. My helper is never far from me.

18-Quilted my friends throw, been scared to try for years, Bound ready to wash. YEZ!

19- organized inside of drawing pad. Pulled filler paper, decorated the chipboard outsides. Needs insides, pockets then adherence to cover and binding.

20-Made rust slip for skirt I’m knitting. Trimmed in deep magenta lace.

21-Finished knitting skirt, b/o beads every 2 sts. Cross over bag, hair ties and an embroidered boho blouse to come.

22-Dusted work space real well. First time been able to for years. Tossed a bunch of stuff. Organized teas.

23-pulled out Dear Jane quilt to work on from  bed.

FINISH IT UP!  been a big finishing time it’s been very good.

Beads and Bears, oh my

At first I started to tell you about my knitting shift. Then I thought, gee, they might wanna hear you bead confession first.

Gems

There's been a hunt for a bulk bead supplier for my designs. While searching I buy ya'll goodies all year long for the club and what not. Least that's what I tell myself. They are also used in KAL's but the stuff that's backing up,,, beads a whole lotta beads. A holy mackerel what were you thinking amount.

First there was dyed tigers eye, I mean who wouldn't fall for them? Bottom row. Then I met dyed and heated technique and was entranced. Left middle and top. There's also agate and dragon vein?(lace?) not sure but they are purdy.

Top right, yeah crystals came into the mix, they are just so pretty.

While searching for something I found two more bags of beads that should have become stitch markers by now but haven't. Mother of pearl on the left, agates in the center and pearls on the right.

The frogs aren't beads just too cute to leave behind. The top right is a flower ball which I'm going to make into a fiddler. Yeah weird.

Left side crystals and then 4mm gemstones for small lace knitting markers. Possibly for the heirloom which yes, it's in the works. Actually might be closer to done then I thought.

ANNNNDDD... 6/0 beads! Oh man I've been pulling in smaller then normal amounts just to see if they are as nice as they seem, they are. Now I just need to figure out how to get half a kilo instead of 10 grams at a time.

Needless to say, ya'll are getting gem stones for Christmas in July which will open around May I believe.

The heirloom 

Did I tell ya'll about it? Cobwebs become very difficult to find, so this year we are on a 1750yd/100g weight yarn which is thinner than the 1300's at least right? Its name is something like Diamonds and Stars in Space? Not sure. I only just found out yesterday how much diamond stuff is actually out there. Diamonds wouldn't be so expensive if you could pick them up off of the street (possibly on last two?? planets) that's for sure. Regardless, the name came from the shapes in the shawl, there are stitches that make stars encircling and ringing around the entire shawl, a technique I love. Then the diamonds are down the center of each wedge with a magic diamond edging. Only thing I'm not sure about the set up of the design. I know it's a circle, but is it? It could be a 6 or an 8 wedge shawl, the 6 wedge opened up the front. I have to think about the 1750 yards and start to knit it to figure out how far it's going to reach. The design is about 300 rows currently, way subject to change. 

Other then beads, been making blanket after blanket. Need to get photos of all of them, I think there are 8 on my side of the bed along with 4 quilts. Who needs a weighted blanket? I might be a bit tired of knitting them but always have one to use as comfort knitting. I sit in my nest surrounded by my cross stitch and quilted pillows along with all my critters. For some reason they like to sleep with me. Then I turn on Chinese or Korean historical drama whos subtitles have to be read... which is where the garter stitch comes in. Course there are always skirts, poncho's, ruana's and capes to be knit too. :-)

Knitting veer

Well, it's been an odd sort of knitting time for me. Normally I make functional stuff, shawls, sweaters, socks etc. Until now, I'm determined to replace my 40 year old stuffed bear. Think Velveteen Rabbit times infinity, he was well loved and the plush fabric was mostly mesh. He'd been washed quite a few times and got pretty tore up over the years so there was a good bit of mending and restuffing. Bear Bear was lost in the hospital during the Covid shuffle. I couldn't get to sleep without him most of the time so DH had him brought in to me and...

poof,

gone, gone,

by, by,

see ya.

Instead of buying plush fabric and potentially completing it in one day, I figured I'd knit it and felt it, soft and lovey. Start putting that love into him before I even start to knit. Found a great pattern called Louie Bear on Ravelry, fits all the markers I need, cept the tail but that was just a circle and an easy fix. The designer has even made clothing and other critters, fun. I work clothing on the fly so I wont need patterns.


Pattern calls for 4 hanks of Lambs Pride Bulky.

First one came out spot on to pattern specs, worked on size 7 needles and Peace Fleece thick yarn. I used one hank.

Second one,,, too small with my merino worsted weight and size 4 needles, one hank.

Little bit of Goldilocks going on here.

This one's too big,

this one's to soft,

this one's just right.

Hopefully I'll get the next one spot on. I'll be trying a size 8 (? depends on the swatch) needle with 2 strands of my worsted held together. I was thinking about adding a fun fur or my yarn called Teddy which has clumps of fur on a thinner thread.

Also thinking that my bulky single might do the trick here. It's the one in the center. Gee, never gave a thought to color... HUMMMM teeheehee, look out Bear Bear. Gee, could tie dye him before felting, that would be fun. Or I could paint the dye on afterwards, wouldn't need eyes and nose.

Yeah rambling when I should be: 

dyeing, 

designing, 

making stitch markers,

making Kelp bead bags, 

hanking the dried Kelp (sounds funny)

lableling the kits.

Yeah baby! Nothing but fun ahead, I'm so glad I love my work.

Have a great weekend, enjoy.

 ENJOY!! 💓💜

Done

Well, well, I did it, it's done. The Christmas Club and the blanket are both available. Each has scads of yarn for us to dye. Fortunately Lord Oberon is a great wrangler, he's actually better then I am, his yarn comes out softer. 

The worst part of all this? HUH? Worse? I love the entire process so there can't be a worse. I want to open up Nutcracker for Christmas this year. ACK! Stop throwing those tomato's at me. It's really close and the last of the goodies will be here in a week or so. Haven't been able to see the colors...I keep thinking that I need to leave it in the natural undyed as the soldiers take center stage. They are getting black and white kid silk for hat and beard. There's like 4 types of gold, buttons, chain, 3 different trims, and this tube thing for his hat. Yeah, went all out for this one. Guessing colors,,, need pale so a sky blue for his uniform and a pale red (ok yeah, that's pink) and a gray. Seems like I had an idea about his shiny boots but I can't remember now. Hum, tan?

You guys should see how much stuff I've got for ya'll. I had it all piled up and now it's sorted into KAL boxes, all organized which feels so much better. Plus things wont get lost.

Blogger wont allow me to load photos now so I'll have to skip my show and tell. Oooo geee, I really don't have to, I need a good ramble... time for a video. Will be up later today, hopefully. I've been interrupting my interruptions, makes everything take longer. 😁