Another Graduate

We have another college graduate in the family!
#1 son graduated last week from St. Michael's College. Yesterday he was offered a job!!!! Yippee...another one out of our pockets. He will be joining his older sister in the great city of Boston. Right now he is enjoying his last days of freedom from the "real" world...sleeping late, staying up late and no responsibilities. It's only a matter of time now...

On The Needles...

I joined the Six Sox Knitalong on yahoo.com. Here is my progress.
I love this pattern...it was created by Susan Pierce Lawrence. I read her blog regularly...this is one very talented lady. She also has designs on knitty. Right now she has a baby hat that she designed on her blog...check it out.

More Goodies

Another of my favorite places in the northeast is the Wright's outlet in Sturbridge, MA. It is a very nice retail store with fabric, yarn, and florals, but my favorite part is the bargain basement. They have trims and laces by the yard or by the bolt. The price on the end of the bolt goes down each month until it gets to the lowest price (which is usually .15/yd.). Here are some of the bargain basement goodies I brought home.

As you can see I was drawn to the eyelet lace trims this time.
I bought this book and this pattern in the retail store.

I was very tempted by some of the Michael Miller fabrics, and some of the yarns, but I resisted!

More Of My "Stuff"

On my way home from Boston I stopped in Sturbridge and visited a new shop called Lake View Primitives. It is a lovely shop with lots of wool, some quilting and did I say lots of wool? They dye there own wool and everything is already felted and ready to use. I came home with these pieces. I just love this reversible one.


I don't have any definite plans for them yet, but I'm sure I will. I also stopped at the Wrights outlet. I will share my goodies from there tomorrow...stay tuned...

My Favorite Store

One of my all time favorite stores is the Paper Source. I have to visit everytime I'm in Boston. Here are a few of my purchases...some beautiful papers, notecards and a kit to make a journal. I am going to try my hand at covering the journal with some of the paper. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Tomorrow...more of the goodies I acquired on my journey...stay tuned.

A new beginning...

Spring has finally sprung here in Western NY. It is time for a new beginning...some spring cleaning, organizing and new projects...stay tuned.

I just spent the weekend in Boston with my daughter. For Christmas she bought me tickets to see Wicked. It was wonderful! Don't miss it if you get the chance to see it. We had a great time...we shopped and ate out and did a lot of walking. Tomorrow I will show you some of the things that I bought.

Ahhh...vacation

I love Easter vacation...tomorrow I leave for a week of sunshine (I hope) and sand. I promised myself many years ago that I would not stay at home during Easter vacation. The weather here is usually very dreary at this time of year. I am going to visit my parents in Florida and three of my four children will be able to join me. My senior in college has to stay behind to finish his Senior Thesis...don't feel too sorry for him, he spent his spring break in the Dominican Republic! He is graduating in May and is looking for a job...he already has at least one interview so mom and dad are very hopeful that we will have two children out of our pockets!
I have to go pack my clothes (my knitting is already packed!)...I may have to go shopping because I haven't tried on any of my shorts...yikes.
Happy Easter!

Life is too crazy

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted. I have just been lazy. That's all there is to it! I have been working on the mystery sampler by Amy Mitten and it is slow going. I have also been doing a lot of thinking about sewing and knitting, but that sure doesn't accomplish much. I am going to Florida next week for a little vacation so I will be getting a couple of knitting projects together to take with me.

I started stripping the wallpaper in my bedroom. Ugh...what a terrible job...but I am going to stick with it until it's done. I have been picking out fabric to redecorate and now I just have to make my final decisions...stay tuned.

Talented friends

I have such talented friends! Check out my friend Laurie's new website. She now selling her creations on the web. Congrats Laurie!

Last weekend I hosted Amy Mitten, a needlework designer and teacher from Calgary. She was a delight! We had a wonderful time in her class...speaking of talented...this girl does it all. I am stitching away on the sampler that she taught...it is called Not For Us Alone and it is a beauty. It looks like my knitting is being put aside again for needlework! She teaches it as a mystery so I won't be putting any photos up in case someone else is going to be stitching it. I didn't know what it looked like when I started the class and I certainly wasn't disappointed when I saw the finished sample!

I am also working on a Lone Star Quilt using the Quiltsmart interfacing. I am almost done with the piecing of the points. I will post a photo when I am done...stay tuned.

Another Box of Goodies

One of my college roommates is an artist. I had seen her work in the Yield House catalog and in a store in our town, but I didn't realize much she was working and how much "stuff" she was producing. She has an agent... and she designs notecards and pads and recipe cards and hanging pictures and now she is doing some linens...I think she said they were for Target. Her name is Karen Cruden and she does what I would call folk art. Here is what she sent:
I just love those "Peace, Hope and Love" angels!

A Fast, Fun Week

What a fun week I had! On Wednesday I went to a needle felting class with a friend. I bought a starter kit that has everything I need to start a new project!!! On the way home from the class we stopped at the thrift store to buy some wool sweaters to felt and embellish. I already had a few sweaters at home so I went for the wool clothing that I can felt. I purchased 3 wool blazers and a winter white wool suit at bargain prices. I haven't touched them since I got home but they are calling to me! When I arrived home that day there was a package waiting from Jenn. Jenn is making a double wedding ring quilt out of Halloween fabrics because she was married on Halloween. Doesn't that sound great? I sent her some of my "spooky" fabric stash and she sent me some buttons and old laces in return. Thanks Jenn! I love them.
I also received another special package this week...I'll tell you about that next time!

Another Finished Project

It was a very productive weekend here at the homestead...I finished my cable sweater. The color in the photo is very washed out...it is really a deep turquoise color. Beautiful. It is probably the best fitting sweater I have ever made...I think I finally understand that gauge thing! This is knit with Cascade 220 and the pattern is from Ann Budd's: The Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Designs.

Check out the cabled ribbing:
Isn't it sweet? I am now going to put some binding on a quilt that has been sitting around forever...I love this finishing stuff...I may never start another new project again! (Yeah...right!)

A Finished Project

I have finished something! It's the Incredible Baby Sweater...no babies here so it will go in my "to be gifted" stash. This was a very fun sweater to knit because it is knit in one piece and the only finishing is to sew the shoulder seams together.
I am very close to finishing a few more projects...I blocked a sweater yesterday and sewed it up and now I have to redo the shoulders because the neck is HUGE. Oh well, it won't be finished as quickly as I thought.

I am also very busy getting ready for a houseguest. I am taking a needlework class from Amy Mitten-Stevens. She designs mystery samplers. Amy is coming to our sampler guild to teach us one of the mysteries...she is also staying at my house. Yikes! I never noticed that the wallpaper in the upstairs bathroom is coming apart at the seams...and...the carpet on the stairs has a stain on it where the dog likes to lay (do you think the dog would just stay on that spot while Amy is here?)...and...I could go on and on. I guess if you look at something long enough you don't notice it anymore...so I am very busy!

Strike one...

I have finally broken my first resolution...but for a very good reason. I am teaching a Block of the Month quilt at work so I had to begin a new project. I love making quilts and this one is no exception. It is a Thimbleberries quilt.
It will be my 4th Thimbleberries quilt...and probably should be my last since the colors are all very similiar! I need to break out of my color box and use something different. I have finished two blocks and am eager to keep going. I am also stitching away on the needlework piece I mentioned in a previous post. I am not going to do anything else until it is done.
I am going to "Help" night at my LYS this week so I can get some assistance on finishing more of my knitting projects. Stay tuned...

Keeping resolutions...

I have been very good at keeping my resolutions. I have not started a new project...yet. I am finishing some old things, but most of my time has been spent cleaning! I have sorted and organized until I can't stand it anymore, but I have to keep going. I need to simplify my life...all of my "stuff" is beginning to suffocate me! I will post photos of my finishing soon. Now it's off to more cleaning...

Happy New Year

Another year over and another just begun...a fresh start...my first New Year's resolution is the same as always...I will not begin a new project until I finish an old one! I have four unfinished knitting projects, I have too numerous to count unfinished needlework and sewing projects. I promise I am not going to cheat this year...I'm serious.

My next resolution is to finish cleaning my basement (where the above unfinished projects live). Some of those UFO's are going to be donated or sold or gifted to others!

Now on to the New Year...

A Day of Magic...

Ahhh, another Christmas Day is over. My middle son proclaimed it the best Christmas ever! (He does that every year and I will be very disappointed when it stops!) We had dinner with my hubby's family at his brother's house. Lots of laughs...great food and a little ping-pong thrown in for good measure. It is so much fun now that the children are grown up...they are almost all adults and so entertaining. We don't get to see all of them very often since they are out-of-towners now.

I received some very special gifts, but my favorite was the having all of my children home. In spite of being raised by me, they are lovely people! It was fun to sit back and watch as they gave each other gifts...not necessarily expensive...but purchased with love. My youngest son gave his oldest brother a poster right off his bedroom wall because he knew his brother wanted it! I was touched by that.

I hope everyone out there in cyberland had a joyous Christmas...I sure did.
Now on to my New Year's resolutions...

All is Calm...

I just got home from picking my daughter up at the airport. Now all of the chicks are back in the nest. (The college boys arrived on Friday night). I should be able to sleep soundly tonight...if it weren't for the chicks coming and going all night...and every light left on in the house, but I won't complain because all is calm...

One Major Gift Gifted...

Today was my stitching group's annual Christmas luncheon. We meet at someone's house and each person brings one part of the meal. My contribution was Lemon Meringue Pie...yummy! We also choose one person's name (the year before) and make something special for them. My gift was a snowman quilt. Here it is: The snowmen are machine embroidered and are a collection from
Embroidery Library. I designed the quilt squares using EQ5. I am going to be writing up the instructions for the quilt after Christmas to use as a class. It works up very quickly because each square is 15 inches. I feel like I had been working on this project forever! One gift down...how many more to go? I have officially begun my Christmas shopping today. I know, I can hear all of the gasps...don't worry I'll get it done...I work best under pressure! I must say I can't wait to get back to my knitting...

Christmas is in the air...

It's beginning to feel like Christmas here at the homestead. I have been a very busy elf...sewing like crazy for other people! I have finished a pillow for a friend and have a stocking waiting next to the sewing machine. I am also whipping up a quilt for a gift. It's very cute...with embroidered (by machine) snowmen...I will have photos as soon as it's complete. I have had two sewing machines working...one for embroidering and one for sewing...my hubby refers to it as "the sweat shop"! He's not too far off! Stay tuned...