Another Finish - A Potholder!

I made a potholder from the Mollie Makes Magazine that I am doing the afghan from.  It was so cute looking that I simply could not resist.    I chose a mercerized cotton yarn.  The process of mercerization gives the cotton a more durable and glossy fiber.  It turned out so well.  I might just have to make a few more of these.  Hmmmm, Christmas is fast approaching.

A Hexagon Table Centerpiece Finish!

If you stop by regularly you will know that I am constantly battling the UFO list!  I have finished an older project and get to cross one of those ufo's off the list.   I started this centerpiece a while ago and decided it needed some embroidery.  For some reason the last bee never got done and there it sat!  Well I got down to business as I had all my floss out for another project and finished the little bee.  I drew it freehand onto the fabric with a fine mechanical pencil and then did the embroidery.  Putting it together was quick and easy.  I felt it needed some buzz lines radiating out from the center flowers.  I think it was the right thing to do.

OSU Afghan!

My daughter returns to college this weekend and I am trucking along trying to finish her afghan before she leaves.  This morning I laid it out on the floor for her to see how it is progressing.  Well, one of our cats decided to try it out.  He was acting totally Magoo on it!  Bunching it up and leaping around.

 I think he liked it because it matches him.  OSU colors are orange and black.  Look at the back legs! What a hoot.

He's having so much fun.

 Silly cat!

Some Crochet Goodness!

I like to crochet when I am on the beach.  I have a need to always have my hands busy.  So I took some yarn on holiday with a copy of Mollie Makes Magazine and started motifs for an afghan in the car.  I liked the pattern so well the project will continue to become an afghan.  The center part takes a bit of time to crochet because each "bobble" requires one to take your hook out of the working loop, grab a stitch at the back of the bobble and then put your working loop back on.  It is so pretty though that it is worth the effort.  Very textural.

 A bag of crocheted goodness.  I am using Supercraft yarn which I bought through LoveKnitting.com
It is a DK yarn and is soft and smooth when working with it.  It really is affordable too.  I don't like using Worsted weight yarn all the time.  Something finer is good.

 You can sort of see the picture of the throw in the Mollie Makes Magazine.  I am not sure how I will connect these blocks together yet.  I think I will do a row around each block in a neutral color and then stitch them together.  That is the plan for now but it could change.

A Quilty Finish!

A few years ago I won a competition on Tara Darr's blog and won 23 sets of prepared Dresden Plates.  They were cut out and the points were stitched.  To honor the hard work and to show appreciation for the winning I really wanted to finish this quilt.  I had been stitching the Dresden Plates together off and on for a while.  I think I had about four to finish before I could start putting the quilt together.  The blocks are 20" and the sashing 3".  Corner stones are scrappy.  I used my favorite red for the circles in the Dresden Plate and the sashing.  I set four block across and five down.  This is really a nice large quilt.

 Here is the happy maker of a finished quilt.  It has been on my UFO list for a good while now and is finally done.

The quilting is an all over meandering design with a heart in it.  I got Lynn Farestadt to quilt it on her longarm for me.  She did a fine job of it.   I love the Dresden Plate design and will most likely make another one.

The Bibliophile Files (July)

You are all probably getting tired of my more of the same books!  I am enjoying them so much I seem to be working my way through the series.  44 Scotland Street is a new series (to me) from Alexander McCall Smith.  This one is about a group of people who live in the same apartment building in Edinburgh.  Very entertaining characters.  The author wrote this series to run as a column in a Newspaper in Scotland (The Scotsman I think) and it was so successful that it was put into book form.  The chapters are short and leave one wondering what will happen in the characters next appearance in the book.

 The Forgotten Affairs of Youth is another Isabel Dalhousie story.  As per usual it was really good.  I promise that next month I will have a book or two by another author.  Happy reading!!!

Some Time Away From Home!

We made impromptu plans for a family vacation this year.  My husband was not sure when he would be able to get out of the office.  Two weeks before the holiday we decided to book to go away.  Our last family holiday was six years ago - had something to do with college fees!!!  We found a condo in Gulf Shores and booked it.  It was up on the 15th floor and this was my view for a week.  We had the largest balcony I have ever seen in a private residence.  Just stunning.

 The weather was so beautiful.  It was in the upper 80's and the ocean was so very smooth and calm.  Clear too with none of the seaweed that can plague the area at times.

 Early morning walks along the beach and shell hunting.

 Shell hunting is my all time favorite beach activity.  We found some beauties!  Well we are home now and things are getting back to normal.  What a fantastic holiday we had.  Three of my four kids were able to come with (fourth child currently deployed).   I will treasure these memories.