Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/14/24

 Hello My Friends,

How are you this fine Tuesday morning?  At the moment (6:30 a.m.), it is sunny outside...but I think we will have rain by the afternoon and then rain all day tomorrow and maybe even Thursday.  Oy!  I will enjoy this nice weather while I can.

Yesterday was such a nice day.  Carol arrived by 10:30.  I had just put a fresh pot of coffee on the stove.  It was still a little on the chilly side - just in the 40's.  But by the afternoon we were able to sit outside.  We laughed so much and exchanged some presents.  Among the (too) many things she brought for both me and Fletch were this pair of scissors.  Are they not gorgeous?

My scissor collection continues to grow!

Carole left by 2:30 to avoid the traffic going home.  So, a short but sweet visit.  We will be getting together again before another year is out.  Now that I am retired, there is no reason we cannot meet somewhere halfway between us for lunch or just wandering around during the week.  Perhaps the Chadds Ford area or Kennett Square.

Well, that brings us to this morning and Tiny Needle Tuesday.  My Vierlande Quaker-like sampler is on the small side, but it continues to grow.  A couple of medallions have been added as well as a few more "things" in the center part.  Here's a shot of where it stands at the moment.

I am hoping to add to this a bit this afternoon.

Someone was very, very relaxed and contented last evening

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending 5/13/24

 

Good Morning!

I hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was soggy and chilly, but still good.  Saturday was actually a very nice day (at least early on) and Fletch and I wandered out to Miller's Greenhouses in Collegeville - our favorite place to get plants.  We got a lot!  Yellow Squash, eggplants, tomatoes, a bunch of herbs and a bunch of flowers.  Some catnip too, for Mabel.

We were also on cat duty while Colin & Mailing attended a wedding in Boston.  The wedding sounded lovely.  Colin texted that it was held in the courtyard of the Boston Public Library.  Dinner afterwards was in an upstairs room at the library where the tables all had green lamps and the walls were lined with books.  Upon leaving, there was a table with copies of seven or eight different popular books for guests to take.  What a fun idea, huh? 

I found time to stitch, knit and read each day which makes me happy.  I did start a new pair of shortie socks to have something to work on when meeting up with Dee.  Here is the start of the first one.

It's hard to see the colors clearly, but the cuff is a purple color (Zauberball Route 66) and then the heel flap and turn are in a gradient (Hidden Forest I think) - the same yarn I used to make my Odyssey shawl.

Today should be a fun one.  My friend Carol is driving up from Maryland for a visit.  We've been trying to get together for months to celebrate birthdays (her's was in January) and Christmas.  Weather or doctor appointments or something has always delayed our plans.  This week she was going to come up on Wednesday, but once again our forecast is for rain, so we switched her visit to today.  I am so looking forward to seeing her - it has been over a year since we last got together!

Friday Felines...and a Fox...Again! 5/10/24

 Hello All,

It is a cold and wet day in Eastern PA.  I am wearing leggings, a sweatshirt, hand-knit socks and I put a fleece vest on when I drove over to Colin & Mailing's to feed Talbot and Marcel.  I was happy to have my travel mug of coffee with me.

Only a picture of Marcel - Talbot refused to pose nicely.  LOL

I hung around a little bit to supervise the feeding of the cats.  Marcel is on a special diet (for his kidneys, plus he has gained weight).  His food is dry.  Talbot can't eat that because he has had too many teeth extracted.  So, Talbot gets wet food which Marcel loves and will try to eat.  The supervision went well, both cats ate their respective food items, litter boxes were cleaned and then I was able to drive home.

I sure hope the weather is nicer in Boston - C&M are up there for a wedding tomorrow.

It was when I got home that I learned Mr. Fox was around again.  Fletch was in the kitchen fixing his breakfast and had just let Mabel out when he heard a growling.  He ran to the patio door and there was Mr. Fox right at the patio!  He opened the door and Mabel rushed in.  This is getting annoying!  I don't want to harm the fox, but I don't want the fox to harm Mabel.

Anyway, enough excitement for one day.  I have laundry going now, but no other plans for the day...so I can see some knitting and stitching in my future.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's (and Happy Birthday to my oldest brother on Sunday).

Unraveled Wednesday 5/8/24

 Hello, Hello!

I'm a bit groggy...still waking up.  After letting Mabel out at 5:30, I fell back asleep until 7.  I was also awake in the middle of the night...grrrr...and this time I turned the light on and read for 20 minutes or so.  Not sure if it helped, but it was kind of nice to do.

So, here we are at Unraveled Wednesday and it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about what we are making and what we are reading.  I don't know about you, but I always find inspiration in others' unraveled posts (my TBR list also grows enormously on Wednesdays!).

If you read my post on Monday, you know that I finished up the Peat and Gold socks.  Not wanting to be without socks on the needles, I promptly started a new pair using my April Sock Squad yarn from The Farmer's Daughter.  I am loving these two colors together.

The pattern I've chosen is Fairy Maiden from This Handmade Life (pattern is free on Ravelry).  A pretty pattern, but one that requires a bit of concentration (some cables, some eyelets), in other words, not a pattern to knit on when I meet up with Dee.  So...I will need to cast on something simple and mindless to work on tomorrow morning when Dee and I gather together.  I may do another pair of shortie socks for a friend who lives in Florida.  A stash dive is in order!

Now for the reading update.  I finished Notes From the Henhouse and returned it to the library.  Just ok, nothing earth-shattering.  There are only about 25 or 35 pages left for me in This Other Eden by Paul Harding.  This is a book my friend Nina recommended.  Wow!  What a powerful story.  It is a novel based on the story (true) of Malaga Island off the coast of Maine.  Intolerance, lack of justice, etc. etc.  Difficult at times to read, but I highly recommend it.  I will be finishing it today.

Fletch and I are still listening to "West With Giraffes" after dinner.  I've gotten used to the narrator and don't find him quite as annoying as I did at the outset.  LOL.  I think we have roughly 4.5 hours left of listening.  The story is a good one.

That's it for me!  I need to check the wash I got going a little bit ago and my stomach is complaining of being empty, so I'd best get some food as well.  Hope your Wednesday is a good one!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/7/24

 

Good Morning!

Our lilac is AMAZING this year.  I do't think we've ever had so many blooms on it (and now our front step looks like it has purple snow on it).  This lilac is one that we brought back from Vermont years and years ago.  It struggled for some years and only had a few blooms, but now it looks very comfortable in Pennsylvania.

In other garden news, the 3 figs that have already appeared continue to grow!  Leaves are also finally appearing.  The first bean shoot has come up and the first dahlia shoots are appearing!  Later this week Fletch and I plan to go to our favorite nursery to pick up a few plants (yellow squash, rosemary, basil, catnip, eggplants and whatever else captures our fancy).  It's a wonderful Spring this year.

Since it's Tuesday, it is time for a Tiny Needle update.  My Vierlande Sampler has grown a bit over the past week.  The Quaker style medallions are symmetrical, but I found one that was not!  So I adjusted it.  The purple motif on the right has two colors in it, and some of the symbols were messed up (my opinion).  After fixing that, I decided to move to some of the inside motifs and take a break from the medallions.

There are also random letters sprinkled throughout the center part, but I may just ignore them.  I'll see what it looks like after I complete everything else.  This continues to be a fun stitch!

I've been tempted to begin the second Vierlande Sampler I picked out, but it's probably best if I finish this one first.

Looks like our temps are warming up again - it should hit 80 today and 85 or more tomorrow!  Then back to some rain and cooler temps.  The roller coaster continues.  Hope your Tuesday is a good one!

Weekending 5/6/24

 

Hello There!

How was your weekend?  Ours was a chilly and wet one.  Both days.  Temps were in the 80's last week, but this weekend each day was a struggle to make it to 50 degrees.  The lack of warmth and lack of sun did not stop the iris from blooming!

The dreary weather made for some good days of stitching, knitting and reading.  In between chores on Saturday (scrubbing the kitchen floor, etc.), I managed to finish the second gold and peat sock!

They are pretty and look great (I think), but what a PITA to knit!!  The gold yarn (Wildfoote from Brown Sheep Company in the color way "Goldenrod") is so pretty but also so rustic.  Actually rough to work with and hard on my hands.  The green color (Backyard Fiberworks 100% super wash merino in the color way "Peat") was wonderful to knit.  Even though there is no nylon in that yarn, it is stretchy and just feels so nice.  The bonus for me:  Fletch loves the socks.

There was also stitching done, but I'll wait until tomorrow to show that.

I had a moment of FOMO when I saw Araignee's Post relating to the Maryland Sheep & Wool weekend...but the last time I was there was a rainy day and it was miserable!  Plus it's a long drive and the traffic is horrible to get there.  I did have a dream Friday night that I went, but had a driver take me.  I was able to sit in the back of a comfy car and knit instead of battling the traffic!  LOL. I think that's the only way to go now.

Yesterday was, of course, Cinco de Mayo.  We headed over to Colin & Mailing's in the afternoon.  Anna and Otto were there and Zhongren came too (Bonnie is back in China for several weeks).  When we arrived, all the animals came to the front door to greet us:  Otto (Anna's dog) and Marcel and Talbot.  They all get along so well.

Colin grilled chicken and shrimp for tacos and we had guacamole, and rice and beans to go with it.  Mailing had made a key lime pie for dessert!  If only the weather had been nicer and we could have been outside.  But, it was wonderful to be with family and have good food!

Today is another errand day (drugstore), but I hope to find time to stitch and knit.  I hope your day provides opportunity for whatever you want to do!

Unraveled Wednesday and a FOX 5/1/24

 

Good Morning All,

Happy May Day!  I remember way back (in the dark ages) when I was in grade school we always had a May Day celebration where we danced around a Maypole - weaving the streamers around and under.  I wonder if anyone still does that?

It is EARLY here in Eastern PA and I have been awake for some time.  Yuck!  I will back up to last night for the story.  It's maybe 8:30 or so and I'm on the phone talking to my friend Carol.  Suddenly I hear noises outside.  I jump up and go out and right at the edge of the patio is Mr. Fox.  Who was showing me his teeth!  Mabel, fortunately, had jumped up onto some shelves on the patio and was uttering a growl like I have never heard come out of her before.  Mr. Fox ran off and Mabel came inside.  And stayed in the rest of the night.

Jump to 3 a.m. this morning and I wake up to a very loud barking from a fox.  Mabel is on the bed and she starts growling and jumps onto the windowsill to survey the back yard.  I never really get back to sleep - just doze on and off for a bit.  At 5:30 Mabel is getting antsy and the birds are singing loudly outside.  So I get up and come down to let Mabel out.  Usually I would go back upstairs to get a shower, but thankfully I decided to make the coffee first.  Mabel goes out and suddenly I hear a ruckus again.  There is Mr. Fox once more at the edge of the patio (again showing his teeth) and Mabel has managed to get back up on the shelf and is growling (again).  Once more Mr. Fox runs off after giving me a nasty glance and Mabel finally comes inside (where she still is).

This is all too much excitement for me so early in the morning!

Meanwhile, some exciting garden news.  We spotted the first figs forming!!  Last year our fig was very late to leaf out and the fruit did not even form until way too late to ripen.  This year figs were showing before the very first leaves sprouted!

And, we discovered that Mabel loves to lie in the raised bed box under the rhubarb leaves.  LOL. I guess it's a cool and shady spot on these warmer-than-they-should-be days.

All of this brings us to today and Unraveled Wednesday.  Usually I would link up with Kat, but she is on vacation and not hosting an Unraveled Wednesday post this week.  I still wanted to talk knitting and books, so here I am.  The second Peat and Gold sock has been started.  I am a little past the halfway mark on the leg.

I'm hoping to finish this up rather quickly and move onto other things (languishing projects and new stash yarn perhaps).

On the reading side of things, I picked up Notes From the Henhouse the other week.  It's ok.  Not great, but ok...just a little boring in places.  So last night I started another library book - one that my friend Nina had recommended:  This Other Eden by Paul Harding.  I read about 40 pages last night and so far am really loving it.

Another book that Nina recommended is West With Giraffes which Fletch and I are listening to after dinner.  I don't care much for the narrator, but it is a fun story.

I should wrap this up now...get my shower and pour another cup of coffee.  Dee and I are gathering together a bit later this morning!  Thanks for sticking with me through this long-winded post.  Happy Hump Day!