Still playing with the new camera

I'm trying to limit my time spent watching Arne and Carlos videos!  I do knit while I'm watching, but it's very addictive and before I realize it, the day is gone and I don't have much to show for it!  

Yesterday was a day spent out.  I went birding with friends to Bosque del Apache.  We got to see a lot of wildlife including a bald eagle, that stayed put while we ate our lunch!  The longest time I've been able to watch and photograph an eagle.  I figured it would fly away at the moment I got the got the camera out and ready to shoot, but it never left its spot.  We were all wondering if there was something wrong with it. 

 

It was a perfect day, calm and warm yesterday.  The winds didn't kick up until later in the afternoon when we were ready to head home. Tuesday evening provided a beautiful sunset to end the cold and windy day.  

  

Camera inspiration

 The new camera is inspiring me to post more.  I keep checking it out, and all of a sudden everything is photographic inspiration.

How lose track of a day?  I started Sunday looking for a way to knit more of a reinforced heel.  For some reason beyond my  comprehension, I wear out socks at the bottom of the heel.  Doesn't matter if they are commercially made or hand knit socks, a worn spot develops and then invariably becomes a hole.  

So I happened on Arne & Carlos, a couple of Norwegian knitwear designers that have a multitude of Youtube videos.  I was hooked.  I got out some yarn and learned Norwegian style knitting which only differs from continental knitting in the purling.  After some trial and error (my hands want to go to their comfortable known way) I was able to get it.  Then there was a video on brioche knitting.  I had tried it once before, but their way was so simple.  That was for a one color brioche.  Before I knew it I had spent the whole day going from one video to another, traveling, cooking, and knitting with Arne & Carlos.

I started looking for patterns on Ravelry for brioche, but realized I should probably learn two color brioche.  I didn't find a video from Arne & Carlos.  I did find another knitter's tutorial, but I've discovered I do better with written directions.  I could do four rows of the two color and then I would mess up.  I took it out and restarted a number of times.  I then found written instructions on Ravelry which I could easily follow  and knit a little swatch.  

 

My hibiscus opened another blossom.  They are short lasting flowers, but so spectacular.  This plant belonged to my mother-in-law.  It really needs a good pruning but I can't bear to chop off branches when they are flowering.  

I've been cooking Hello Fresh meals, but skipped this week.  Instead I made a shrimp fried rice.  Another opportunity to get out the camera.  

I also managed to finish a quilt I had loaded a while back and then load another and get it quilted.  I had enough backing leftover that I decided I would quilt some decorator fabric I wanted to make into placemats.  That's been on my radar for some time. 


 

Finally finished!

This little project took over a week to complete.  There was a lot of frustrated "tink" (undoing knitting) which was finally resolved when I resorted to coloring and penciling the pattern.  My printer printed a very washed out image because it is running out of colored ink.  

Lesson learned, it's almost impossible for me to accurately follow a graph on the computer!  I did learn a new way to do colorwork, doubleknit.  

I got a new camera and what an upgrade.  I had a couple of cooperative woodpeckers, a downy and northern flicker this morning.  

Cameras have improved a great deal since my previous digital! 

Another Hat

 Thanks to Melody Johnson posting about a different way to do colorwork, I went in search on Ravelry and tried another hat.  

 

I found this technique much easier than Fair Isle knitting.  

I made a set of Russian nesting dolls for Dr. K's granddaughter.  I used another pattern from Ravelry.  I found them easier to do using crochet thread instead of yarn.  It gave them a little more body, but if I ever make them again, I would use a thicker crochet thread.

I did finally load a quilt on my longarm.  Need to get back into turning out quilts again.    

Over two years!

Well, I could go on about how long it's been since I posted anything...over two years.  Lots of quilts finished.

Lately I've been crocheting and knitting.  I started first with making kitty toys for Pat and Lindsay.  My own semi-ferals aren't interested in toys, although Smoky couldn't take his eyes off a bouncing ball of yarn that I was winding.  

Then I had to try a baby Yoda (Grogu) for Lindsay.

 

I've also been knitting a lot.  Made several hats.  Tried Fair Isle knitting and found it not as difficult or overwhelming as I had imagined.  

Second Fair Isle hat, and now I'm going to do one more with a more complex pattern. 

Most (maybe all) these patterns were on Ravelry.  I just finished the Hive Hat (upper right)  this evening using leftover yarns.  I really like how it fits and feels.  Finished the the scarves and headband this week. 

Who knows maybe I'll be inspired to blog again...

 

Procrastination

I'm really good at procrastination, but then when I can't put things off any longer, I get busy.  And busy I've been!

Jackie asked if I could make some "ugly" sweatshirts for her and her co-worker.  She found a design she wanted online.  Here's my interpretation...

Then I found some snowmen using salt and pepper shakers.  I had quite a collection of salt and pepper shakers, and made a family of snowmen, three for each daughter, and two for me. 

I haven't decorated or put up a tree, but I need to get out my advent calendar and at least do that!  

 Today I got busy sewing microwave bowl cozies for Lindsay's co-workers.  Have to have them done by Friday.  I guess I work best under pressure.

An early taste of winter

They were right on with this predicted weather.  I woke up to 26 degrees and a light dusting of snow.  It was raining when I went to bed, and sometime during the night when the temperature dropped, it changed to ice and snow.  The trees are still fully leafed, and now covered with a thin film of ice.  It's not melting and the thermometer has only inched up one degree in four hours.  I was glad to have cleaned out the heat stove last week and be able to turn it on.  No solar gain today!

I'm missing the spring days when this Western tanager stopped by, but I really love fall.

 Back in May I asked for a yarn ball winder for Mother's Day, and it was nice to use with my yarn stash. 

 I'm caught up with July finishes of donation quilts.  

 

Cloudy, rainy morning

It's an unusual morning with rain clouds.  We got nearly an inch of rain last night!  Most welcome.  Maybe another half an inch this morning, though I haven't gone out to check yet.  I love the cooler fall weather.

I'm still catching up on earlier finishes.  These were all from May.  Thanks to all my friends that keep me in tops to quilt for newly diagnosed diabetic kids.    

We got another 3/8 inch of rain this morning, but now the sun is shining brightly.  No excuse not to go on my daily walk to the post office.   

Hot summer

Some time ago, I took a class with Anne Ravenstone to learn punched tin.  I did learn that it is much harder than it looks.  I had a couple of vintage glass doorknobs that I had envisioned worked with weathered wood and tin for a coat rack.

After I had a garage sale, I decided to spend some of the proceeds and commissioned a coat rack from Anne.  She delivered and added a couple of vintage doorknobs of her own.  

I've followed Susan Lenz's blog for a long time.  Susan makes a case for using all our precious stuff in her video.  She has inspired me to finally incorporate a tablecloth from my paternal grandmother into a quilt.     

I didn't know my grandmother well.  I did hear the stories that she would make all seven of her children, boys and girls embroider before they could go out and play.  Some of my uncles would bury the threads in the yard.  

I decided to incorporate star blocks that online friends showered me with after Dale passed away.  I also have a bunch of doilies, many that I made myself that I would like to use in a quilt.  I have more quilts than I can use...but they at least get used instead of gathering dust put away in a box.  

Still catching up with quilts finished this year.  One from Pat...

 and one from Tove.

 

  

Still not caught up...

It doesn't seem like I've done all that many quilts this year until you don't blog for a whole year, and try to catch up.  

Pat cut out multiple DaChintzy mystery quilts, and this was one of them. 

She also did several jelly roll quilts.  

Tove sent me these.  They are both prolific piecers, and I can't keep up their pace with finishes. 

I gave up on curved piecing my Eclipse quilt.  I had to grow the backing for this one from Tove, also with a leftover strip she had sent.  

I'm lucky to have friends that prefer piecing!  Thanks guys!