Now What!

  

 I finally finished my 2nd Iceberg sweater!   I have to say it's quite comfortable and warm.  Especially when our temp is still 1 degree!

this was a quickie picture...Bob and I were heading out for errands so a quick snap!  I have to say it's really soft and a comfortable sweater.  I used Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash.  

The pattern is called Iceberg by Hinterm Stein  and can be purchased on Ravelry.  

I made this same sweater and finished it back in January of 2024....but started it in 2023.  It turned out really nice BUT guess who forgot and put it in the washing machine with a load of laundry.  Then it went in the dryer!  

Well, it turned out to be a cute little sweater for a 10 year old!  I was so mad.  I really liked the pattern so decided to remake it.  

What's really interesting is I'm looking at the wrapper on the yarn I purchased for the current sweater...and guess what!  I can put in washer and dryer.  

For the pink sweater, I used Snuggly Cashmere Merino Silk DK...guess what...you can't put that yarn in washing machine and dryer!  DUH!!!

I decided in Janary/February 2025 to remake the sweater.  

As usual life go in the way.....making book marks for our book sale, making my Christmas cards, yada....

So January 2026, I decided to pick up the sweater and just get it finished.  I started on the sleeves after the first of the year (2026) and finished this past weekend!  

Thank goodness it's done and no longer hanging around like homework I have to finish!  HA HA

So now what!!!  Oh yeah!!!!  The PUZZLE FROM HE__ is still in process of sorting puzzle pieces via colors!

I'm still trying to decide if Susan really likes me or not!  Would a friend send a 'friend' this 1000 piece puzzle!  HA

Birthday weekend continues! 🎉

My birthday weekend continues! On Saturday, I stopped by Donna’s and was greeted with a birthday cake—and even singing from Donna! How sweet of her.

She also prepared for me my Solar Return for 2026!  And I have a little angel to look over me.   Thank you, Donna!

Sunday, Darrin and Dawn picked me up for breakfast at a local diner. Such fun—great food and even better conversation.

After breakfast, we stopped at a local bake stand, BobbieBakes who has a bake stand open year-round. 

You can pay by Venmo or I think they take cash.  It's a cute stand.  Air conditioned in summer and temperature controlled for winter!  How cool is that!

This was the treat I took home!!!  Can't wait to cut into it!  Saving it for after dinner treat.

My great kids....Darrin & Dawn

And I had more gifts!  Both kids got me my favorite yellow roses!!!  

These are sitting in my kitchen area...

And these are in the dining room.  I've always loved yellow roses. They just make my day so much brighter...so lovely.

Dawn also brought me my favorite Jalapeño/cheddar sour dough bread!  I love, love this bread...toasted for breakfast is sooooo good.

I really enjoyed spending time with Dawn and Darrin today. They truly helped round out my birthday weekend. Love you, kids! ❤️

Oops..she did it again! YIKES!

 

Back in 2017, my Florida 'Q' Bud, Susan, gave me my first BD puzzle while we were in Florida.  I don't remember how many pieces in this one.  I do remember I had it set up on the coffee table in the living room so everytime I passed by the bugger I would try to find a piece.  About drove me crazy. The last puzzle I did was with my kids when they were putting together their ABC puzzle!

Last year for my BD, my Q Bud, Susan, gifted me a 500 piece puzzle!!  I worked on that bugger for months!!  It was frustrating at times and at times satisfying! It was a really pretty puzzle and I was so relieved/satisfied to finish it.  I don't like unfinished projects - especially if you can't stash them in a drawer!  I had this puzzle set up on my dye/painting table downstairs.  Whenever the dogs went outside, I would pick up a piece or two (if I was lucky!).  I did finish it and I even gave to my bud, Donna, who also finished it!

But look what Susan sent me this year for my BD!  It's a 1000 piece puzzle!!!!!  OMG...I about passed out looking at the cover then at the number of pieces!!!

I found the size, which is 29" x 20" so back downstairs to my dye room table!  I'm actually thinking of setting up a card table in that room.  I need to make bookmarks for our book sale in April, which means I have to stamp/dye/print on poster paper which means I need my table! 

Susan said the yarns made her think of me!  I'm not sure if that's good or bad!  

Yes, the pieces are in a nice zip lock bag!  So I'm grabbing pieces and putting all the border/edges in one small box.

Now I'm trying to organize by color and by that tiny brown/bin border each color of yarn sits in!  

This WILL NOT be done by the end of the year!  Susan can change the gift from 2026 to 2026-2027!  

So now I have my knitted sweater to finish; my color wheel hex quilt, book marks and this to finish!  Oh dear, which should I work on first!  THANK YOU, Susan, for the gift!  I think...Bob will let you know if he has to commit me to the local psych ward!  HA

Busy Hex Weekend!

  In between my normal cooking, cleaning doing laundry on the weekend, I actually made more hex pieces for my color wheel hex project!  I worked last night while watching TV.  Easier than trying to  keep track of knitting while watching football...I lose track of my stitches when the announcer is calling 'only 3 more yards' or '52 yard field goal'.  Can't tell you how often I get lost listening and trying to count...especially lace patterns.  HA

I've been working on 'reds' so  I separated by 'light', medium and darks.  I need quite a few for the start of this piece but I'll also need some (red) for outer border along with all the other colors.

I think I have an idea for the border but who knows until the project is further along!  You never know if you're designing your own quilt...Do you always know????  Wish I did! 

Anyway, I started to play with the color pattern for the red pieces...and after I had the reds 'kinda' in place I started taking apart some of the other hex pieces I've had sewn together awhile back.  I need 8 rows of hex's starting with the first row of '1' up to '8' hex's in the bottom (or top! depending on the placement). 

 I came up with a few more triangle hex patterns. 

 I'm going to start sewing the hex rows together because I am lacking some yellow's, pale greens, yada, yada. This way I can see what colors I'm missing or decide what I want to keep or remove.  I may need a stop at the local quilt shop (yes, Susan, I may be going without you!! HA).  I figure I can pick up some fat quarters, which should give me quite a few hex's.  

I'm also still knitting away...I have 72 more rows decreasing every 12 rows; then knit 12 more rows and binding off the sleeve!  Woohoo!  I'll be finished by February...I hope!  Still knitting after dinner/dishes until 6:30...then I get to work on hex pieces.  HA  So good to have a plan, right!

Taleology - Unique Gifts

 This post is not textile/mixed media related but it does have to do with our family!  Gigi & Kalee that is! 

 I found the website Taleology this past Christmas and I ordered one of Emma's engraved wooden dog ornaments for my friend, Jan, in Florida.   All you do is send in 1 or 2 photos for her to use.

Isn't this adorable!  And they put Lollipop's name on the back.  Jan and Lollipop both enjoyed their ornament.  

 

I just happened to look at some of the other items they have on the website!  

And check this out!!!  I ordered keychains for  myself!  HA 

This is a photo keychain I ordered.   One side is Gigi.....

And Kalee's picture on the other side!!!!  I think they are adorable.  The photo shows up really well on the black background.  Bob prefers the photo vs the engraved pics I have on the next key chain.

 I also ordered a metal engraved keychain...girls on both sides!  This is Kalee

And now Gigi!  I love these and think they are adorable.   I'm in love with both!  HA 

Look at the wooden engraved key chains, which might be perfect if you handle your key chain often.  They are sooooo cute.  You just need to provide your own photo for the engraving.  

 Emma also does watercolor portraits and they'll be having Mini Card collectibles coming.  Lots to look at for sure!

Check out the work on Taleology web site for unusual gifts!  Good to start your Christmas or Birthday gifts ahead of time, right!  

Two Posts in one week!

 

Yes, Susan, I am ahead of the posting!  HA  I'm still knitting but only after I finish dinner and dishes.  Usually it's around 5-5:45.  I'll then knit my sweater (working on 2nd sleeve!) until World News @ 6:30 p.m.  One of the very, very! few news shows I watch!  

I have a ways to go on the sleeve but I can see the end ahead!  Whew...be glad this is off my 'homework' table!  HA

Then I go into the living room and sit with Bob and the dogs.  And I can start sewing my hexes.  I have this cigar box Bob gave me from one of his buds.  I put some foam at the bottom, which holds my needle in place as well as my scissors, fabric pieces, etc.

 

This adorable needle holder was made and given to me by a lovely Ocala lady a few years ago.  Beth belonged to our textile group that Kay Sorsensen formed and invited me to.  You have to check out Beth's FB page.  Her work is phenomenal and workmanship awesome!   I do cherish this little gift from Beth.  

Back to the cigar box!  I love this little box.  It closes easily and keeps all my items in one place.  I even keep it on the end table next to my seat in the living room.  When closed it actually looks like it belongs there!  HA

I've been working on sewing the red hex's but needed some more red fabric pieces.  After digging in my stash, I did find some more fabric so I finished 3 triangles.  BUT..they aren't really in the color scheme/shading I want.  

So, I'll keep stitching red hex pieces and playing with the layout of reds.  

BUT in the meantime!  I had some blue hex's that I had sewn together...can't remember what I thought I would do with them.  So, I started to 'unsew' the hex pieces so I could have the rows I needed in blue!  Again, they aren't in the right color scheme but just need to make sure I have enough different shades of blues.  

I'll start on the yellows, greens, etc.  I've a long way to go but have the rest of my life to complete this, right!  HA  No target date loaming ahead of me, right!  

So now I'll get knitting as it's 5:51 p.m.  I only have until 6:30 to knit!  Remember my schedule!  HA

And the quilting begins!

 I posted last week showing how many hex pieces I have in different colorways.  Kathy, from Quirks Ltd., had a good suggestion in the comments for that post:   "How about going HUUUUUGE and using the hexies as a colorful, uneven border around the leaf piece? It could be a challenge and a super gorgeous piece when done!".  Now this is a good idea!!  

I  used hex's for a border last January for the cyano quilt top...you can read about it here.   This was a small piece and fun to do but looking at it now I see where some of the dark blue hex's in the border are faded into the background...but the entire border was hex pieces.  HA

Reinventing the Wheel
by Erin Davis

Using Kathy's idea for a border for my large leaf pattern I posted last week could work!  But I started searching for hex patterns to see if something similar with hex borders might get me inspired!  And what did I find but this stunning quilt!

It was designed and made by Erin @ Sew At Home Mommy in 2015.  And if you can believe it, this quilt was rejected at Quilt Con that year!  I love her planning and design for this quilt.  If you click on the link above, you can read the entire story on this quilt called 'Reinventing the Wheel'.

And check out some of Erin's other works!!!  She also has a FB page, which I am now following: @https://www.facebook.com/sewathomemummy

I emailed Erin and asked her if I could use her idea to create a quilt based on her design.  And she gave me permission to use it!  I was so excited so I started to lay out some red hex pieces!  HA  

Come to find out I need quite a few more in dark reds and bright reds.  But what's more fun than sewing hexes!!!  It's so relaxing...but now I have to find some more the red fabric.  I used quite a few in the cyano quilt top above.  But I'm sure I can find more. 

And, who knows Kathy!, this project might end up using some leftover hex pieces in the border!  Thanks for the comments!  Suggestions always welcome!!!!  Now on to sewing hex's while watching football!!!