It's the little things

There were quite a few Things in the last few days

that I put in the

"Happy things"

category.

I often call them simple pleasures.

Life is FULL of them.

It's not the BIG things for me.

IT's the little things that give me GREAT pleasure.

For example....

Cutting tumblers and then...

finishing UP the last row of the quilt!!

Yeah!

Playing with NEW YARN at my daughter's dance class.

;)

Finding this PAPER QUILT at her school in the hallway.

LOVE it!

Teaching a class on HAND piecing

and having all the students complete a little coaster

using 2" squares.

;)

It was a great way to introduce sewing on a small scale.

Getting to spend TIME with my daughter who lives far away.

O.K.

Spending time with far away family is NOT a little thing...

It's BIG.

AND...

IT put a BIG smile on my FACE!!

Yarn again

I have been getting little gifts of yarn.

Hand-me-down gifts.

Yes.

THAT kind.

;)

 

I like little gifts....

but they're not always the right COLOR.

I had something in the kitchen that solved THAT one!

I'm calling this yarn color

OATMEAL.

 

I've been wanting to weave a summer shawl.

Yeah!

Necessity...the mother of invention...strikes again!!!!

 

Well....not QUITE necessity.

More like InSANITY.

Hah!

Insanity...necessity....

 

You know what I MEAN!

 

Dyeing this yarn was so simple.

I spread it out in my 9x13.

Added boiling water and tea bags.

Let it set maybe an hour???

Hung it outside to dry

and rolled it up!!!

 

I'm sure there's a secret to keeping it from tangling up.

I don't know it.

THAT was the only trouble I had.

:)

Finding Fabric and yarn

Walking into a BRAND NEW-to me quilt shop

always feels like HOME.

Somehow my son managed to find a college,

in a VERY SMALL town,

that has a QUILT SHOP!!!

 

10 points!!!

 

I visited him this past weekend.

Enjoyed my VERY FIRST lacrosse game

(son on far right)

and enjoyed TIME with him in Iowa.

 

Even though it's WIDE open country....

 

There was FABRIC!

:)

And yarn.

Had to pick up some yarn since....

I only took ONE sleeve from this project to work on.....

and finished it before my trip was over!

 

I need a little help getting all these pieces together!!!

I'm pretty PROUD of the fact that I have

the FIVE pieces ready to be put together!

This is a size 2 sweater.

I wanted to begin with something SMALL.

After working on this little sweater

I wonder how long it takes to make something

ADULT size?????

 

Cotton yarn crocheted into dishcloths

SAVED my sanity on the plane trip home!!!

 

Busy hands = Sanity

 

Is that a math problem you identify with???

;)

 

 

Distracted

I had a surprise distraction this weekend.

Yarn.

Super, super, SOFT, thin, fuzzy yarn.

 

Castoffs from a relative.

"I'll take it!", I said.

;)

I wanted to wrap it around me RIGHT AWAY....

But wrapping takes warping....

and after it's WARPED it needs to be

WOVEN!

 

I'll have to WAIT. 

;/

And TRY to concentrate on one of my

Quilts that's been patiently waiting to be quilted!

 

Straight lines...

HERE I COME!

 

Ugly fabric. Ugly Yarn.

If this corner of blogland is quiet the next couple of days....

It'll be because I'm OFF!

I'll be getting to know our new travel trailer!

;)

And...

I'll be walking around on my NEW RUG!!!

Hand WOVEN on my LOOM!

I used up some of my OLD. UGLY.

POLYESTER. YARN!!!

Why do I even own this yarn???

Not sure.

;)

I also used some

OLD. UGLY. FABRIC!

So happy to find a USE for this yardage

that doesn't do ANYTHING AT ALL for me!!

Why do I own it??

Not sure about that one either.

:/

Actually....

the pepper fabric is not that bad looking..

especially in the photo.

But....

It's a VERY CHEAP cotton

and I've become "fussy" in what I quilt with these days.

;)

I pieced 1 1/2" wide strips into VERY long

skeins of "yarn".....

and ended up with THIS!!!!

A FREE RUG!!!

That didn't turn out ugly....

Despite....using.....

UGLY YARN....and....

UGLY fabric!!!

;)

poncho!

When youngest daughter shivered and used MY shawl

in church last week...

I knew it was time for HER to have her own warm covering.

Two of these rectangles made on my new loom.....

became...... ONE poncho!!!

The blue yarn is alpaca wool.

It's sure to keep the CHILL off!!!!

Wednesday

Today I admired my new shawl......

Made with my new LOOM!

It's my very first weaving project....

and I'm so PROUD!

I like looking at it from every direction!

LOL!

Cooler weather will be here...

someday...

and I can't wait!!!

After ADMIRING....

I enjoyed a KNITTING cruise.

I think my knitting friends are

REALLY influencing ME!!!

That LOOM is ALL because of them!

;)

While they knitted....

I got closer to finishing this one!

WOo HOo!!!

We looked at all the yarn at the shop

sponsoring the knitting cruise.

HEy!

I even met a KNITTING BLOGGER!!!

FUn. FUN!

Well....

after looking at all that luscious yarn...

I came home and MADE yarn...

out of T-shirts!!!

Not so luscious.....

But it will do the TRICK!!!

Thinking I might try making a RUG!!!

;)

Lovely Loom!

I bought a new toy.

Yippee!!!

It came in the mail while I was away...

and.....

I got RIGHT to work and began!!!!

I am attempting a shawl....

Using some yarn I have on hand.

                          

The texture of yarn and fiber intrigues me!

Since I've NEVER attempted weaving.....

It's a little bit of a learning curve!!

My brain cells are spinning!!!

Inspiration for this unnecessary purchase

can be found here...here....and...here.

My sewing machine now has a rival!

LOL!

I DO think the sewing machine will WIN!!!

But....

you never know!