An Afternoon With Q

The air was just right for a little picnic in the backyard. We laid out a little quilt and grabbed a few favorite books from the shelf, a little snack of popcorn balls...and headed out for a little quality time.

This little book makes me giggle. "I Love You, Stinkyface!"

We laid on the quilt and watched the clouds drift quietly along and eventually give way to a thunderstorm....

...and of course...it wouldn't be a picnic without a few of these fellas!

My Apron Arrived!

I LOVED the design of this. My swap partner liked how the pattern on the fabric reminded her of the ironworks one might see in Paris. This was an original apron design...my swap partner and her sister designed this pattern. Anyhow....I LOVED participating in this swap!

Crochet

Robert's stepmother is ill. She will be the recipient of this new shawl......

Swap-Happy!

I finally finished up my apron swap! This theme was for "Things I Wish I'd Done This Summer." My partner told me two places she would have liked to have gone over the summer and Hawaii was one of them. For this swap, I also have to include a souvenir like what might be found at that destination and a recipe card that could matches the theme and a personal handwritten note explaining why I chose to make this apron. (This apron is McCall's M5720. The oven mitt pattern is on the accompanying plastic sheet for ThinsulBrite heat resistant batting available at your favorite quilt shops.)

My swap partner indicated that she prefers a full apron and disliked blues. Let me tell you! That disliking blue bit made it really hard to find a good theme fabric. Most of the Hawaiian themed fabrics have a LOT of blues in them. So I poured over the fabrics at my favorite local quilt shop...(Link can be found in my favorite places.) I finally decided on this fabric. For a souvenir, I REALLY wanted to send along a coconut bra, but when I got to the party store, they were all sold out. I was very disappointed. Instead, I included a shell bracelet, a very brightly colored lei (totally typical, huh?) and I used some of the remaining fabric to make up a matching oven mitt, I will include a recipe for a super easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake and my personal handwritten note and ship it off today. I SURE HOPE SHE LIKES IT!

I LOVE IT!

I attended my first knitting class. I was the only learning knitter. Although, I'd hoped to maybe make a new friend or two, It was nice that way.

I sat down at the table and Jan and I introduced ourselves to one another. She was the epitomy of a knitter to me. She had long gray hair that was pulled back into a loose bun or maybe it was even a loose folded ponytail. She was "fluffy". She wore glasses and carried a huge bag of knitting supplies.

One of her first questions to me was, "So, how long have you been knitting?" I chuckled and said, "Um....maybe a couple of weeks?" She looked at me like.....oh! And i think she was thinking...."WOW!! THIS is gonna be interesting!" She explained all of the basic yarn exchange information with me, but I have learned a lot of that from crochet projects and from the geeking out on all the knitting books and knitting websites I've read lately. Then she asked me to go ahead and knit up a gauge swatch. When she measured it out, she was happily relieved and I think even a little bit surprised. She said, "Okay! You're dead on with the gauge!"

I am certain all the previous exposure to yarns through the crochet was extremely helpful with getting a feel for tension etc. I told her I'd made a few little projects and was working on finished up another little toddler sized sweater.

She gave me a photocopied version of a sweater she said she made up to cover a lot of basic groundwork. She walked me through every step of the pattern and showed me how to increase and decrease stitches. This sweater will produce a little cardigan. I'm excited about it. My goal for the next two weeks is to complete the back of the sweater, the two fronts and IF I can, the two sleeves. I don't think it will be a problem at all getting all the pieces made. If I got the other sweater pieces made in less than a week, I should be able to get this one done, too.

I love this new hobby.

A Boy And His Bear(s)

I just love this shot of Q. He had all his little stuffed toys lined up on the couch to watch t.v. He even covered them up with a blankie to ensure their comfort. One of the animals did something to get them into trouble. Quincy picked it out of the group and walked it over to the kitchen table. He told the animal..."You need a time-out!" He then joined the rest of the group at the couch. After about ten seconds, he walked back over to the animal and in a sweet voice, he asked, "Awww! Are you ready to be nice and sweet? Okay! We'd be happy to have you back!"

I giggled to myself because of his cute little mimic-play. That is just how mommy would have done it, too!

I love you, Q!

Reading Pleasure

All right!
I admit it!

I am a pattern junkie!
I love patterns!
Patterns for anything!
Patterns of all sizes!
Quilts, clothes, slippers, aprons, dolls, bags, pillows.....

I love patterns!

(Thanks, Danielle for helping me come to this realization!)

Nivelle is HERE!

Born on September 9 at 10:32...Nivelle Nikole weighed 7 pounds and 5 ounces. She was 20.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well! They've gone home and are settling into life! Nivelle's mommy is a long-time friend of the family.

We all went to visit them in the hospital. The whole way to the hospital, Quincy kept saying he wanted to hold the baby. When he finally got the honors, he wasn't so sure he wanted to hold the baby anymore....

The Aliens Have Landed!

Okay! So it isn't really an alien...it looks like one, though! Doesn't it!?

I was in the kitchen making a pot of coffee when Amanda walked up behind me and said, "Uh...Mom? You have a praying mantis on your back!" I knew that it was harmless to me. As I turned my back more to her, I said, "Well, get it off!"

She reached her hand up to the large, green insect. My hair was pulled up into a clip on the back of my head so my neck was exposed. I felt the big bug's feet on the skin of my neck...and that was when I felt the heebeejeebees set in ... quickly. Then I could feel it in my hair. I was afraid to try to find it myself because I didn't want to smoosh it in my hair...so I started shreiking!

After a little bit of excitement, Quincy joined in the fun. Once we had the bug in our hands, peace returned. We all took turns holding it and studying it. When we were through checking it out, I set it free in the flower garden.

Gosh! looking at this picture....I look like a hairy beast, eh?

For The Love Of Yarn

I finished up the halloween afghan I started last year. My sister and I were going to make them at the same time and have matching afghans. I didn't meet my halloween deadline and got tired of working on it last Fall. I packed it up in a basket and set it aside. I pulled it out recently and worked on it til it was finished. I like the color combination, but the little camera was set on vivid color and blew things out a little...but the pattern of the single crochet stitches makes a nice texture.

I had some leftover orange and green yarns. I used the green to make a basic little "Critter Hat" for Q. I need to photograph the finished hat and post it here. He loves the hat and it was a super easy knit project!

Earlier, I'd posted about how I was so excited that I'd signed up for a knitting class. Originally, I enrolled for a basic 101 type of class. But after I'd finished the scarf and hat, I decided 101 might be too basic. I upgraded my class to a sweaters class. I took my supply list shopping and used my birthday gift card to buy the needles and yarn. The instruction for the class would produce a sweater sized for a toddler. LUCKILY, I have a toddler! Since the sweater would be for Q, I allowed him to choose the color of the yarn. This was what he chose.

I think it is a lovely color. Sadly, the instructor called me and told me she had a family engagement from which she could not excuse herself ... and had to postpone the class to OCTOBER! YIKES!

What's a girl to DO?!?

Well, I'll tell you!

I grabbed a pattern for a sweater I tried to knit last year and just couldn't grasp and sat down with great determination.

This time, magically, the pattern made sense! I made the back of the sweater yesterday. I wasn't feeling well, so it was the perfect opportunity to just sit and concentrate on the sweater. Today, I made the front of the sweater. My kids are really proud of me. 'Manda was so impressed yesterday, she asked me to sit with her and teach her, too.

This is another toddler sized sweater. Q knows it's his. He told the kids when they got home, that it's a sweater! Mommy's making a sweater.

I was thinking ahead ... like say....to Christmas and I asked Alex, "So...if I made you a sweater, would you wear it?" He wrinkled up his nose a little bit and told me, "Uh...well, I don't really like to wear sweaters."

OUCH!! ...at least he was honest with me before I spent hours knitting and purling for a garment that woudln't get worn. Honestly? I want to make a sweater for myself ... eventually! Maybe after all the holiday crafting?

Stamp of Approval

My third knitting project is a miniature scarf. I made it for Quincy. It was actually made of leftover yarn I used for the baby afghan I crocheted for him while I was pregnant with him.

I set the project down to get a coffee warm-up and came back to find that Moses was testing its warmth factor. The fact that she is all curled up on it, tells me she gave it her stamp of approval.

September Morn'!

I was born in the wee hours of the mornin' on September 2nd...38 years ago.

Wow! I don't think it really sank in until just now. Seeing it here on the screen...I mean...sure! I knew how old I was going to be and during my little party, the kids jokingly asked me, "So, Mom? Do you FEEL 38?" I giggled.

Maybe it usually just takes a couple of days for it to "sink in".... I don't know how 38 is supposed to feel. It kinda sounds like a big number...but it really doesn't feel all THAT big....I guess. I know when I was 17, 38 seemed old...gosh even when I was twenty-five 38 seemed OLDER....BLEH! I remember after my mom turned 40, she told me "Live Begins At 40!" I laughed it off...but maybe she was RIGHT?!

Gosh! I still scratch my head and wonder how is it possible that I have an 18 year-old daughter.

This birthday banner was made from some fun scraps from my stash...it's just a temporary thing until I get the longer fringe or pompon fringe I want for across the top. Maybe the girls can use it on their birthdays, too. When I was laying it out on the ironing board, I giggled to myself as the triangles made me think of hot pink, fringe-trimmed thong panties!

HOORAY for FAT QUARTERS

I love 'em! I love to go into a quilt shop and look at all the different fat quarters and imagine them as pieces and parts of a whole project. This was my haul from High Prairie Quilts the last time I went in there........aren't they FUN!?!?