No picture today

My son Jonathan and 3 kids came to visit the day after Christmas. Jonathan's birthday was the 27th so we had birthday cake. They have gone back to N. C. and now I suppose we must take down the Christmas decorations. I really enjoyed having the decorations this year. Everything looked so bright and cheerful. I have not had much time for my hobbies but i have managed just a little spinning and a few rows of knitting. I am working on the beaded smoke ring by Jackie E-S.

Merry Christmas

Riley with his new Christmas toy. He loves toys that squeak and closely guards them. He almost always has at least one with him.

It is cold and raining today, looks like winter for sure. But you never know, it may be 80 degrees tomorrow. The floors have little muddy footprints all over since I did not clean Riley's feet when he came back in. Time to get out the mop.

We had Christmas dinner with mother at Riverwood and it was very nice. I can get used to not cooking.

John C, Campbell Folk School again

We spent a great week at the folk school again. These pictures are from the Friday afternoon showing of the work done by all the classes during the week. The bottom picture is of all four of the student's work from our class. Mine is on bottom left. It is the beginnings of a beaded lace scarf. There is a beaded snowflake motif at the bottom which does not show, the camera lights did not pick it up. The cutch colored wool is the beginning of a sock with a beaded cuff. The blue Christmas ball has a hand knit lace circle with beading added. The top picture is just my work so you can see it a little better. Jackie ES taught this class and she was a wonderful teacher. She is creative, patient, helpful and lots of fun. She sells her patterns wholesale so I ordered 8 of them when I got home and have already gotten them from Elann. They are beautiful patterns and very well written and it does not take forever to make something. The folk school itself was its usual delight with programs every night. This time it was Christmas music with a handbell choir on Friday night. They keep you so busy there that there is hardly time to breathe but so much fun. Our class was very compatible. Hi Alice, Jenny, and Rayn. I do enjoy being around people all week who have so much in common.

New doll

My new favorite Madame Alexander doll. She is Guardian Angel. She has gold stockings and high heel shoes.

Shawl finished

Icelandic Lace Shawl is finished. Now I am working on a pink silk scarf.

Addiction Additions

These are all Madame Alexander vintage dolls. I love "Pinkie" the most, probably because pink is my favorite color. In addition to ebay shopping for dolls I am still working on the edging on the Icelandic Lace Shawl and the stole I just started. I believe it is important to have lots of interests and keep active as we age so I am doing my part.

Saturday Sky

Early this morning there was so much fog that it looked like an English novel with all the descriptions of the fog over the moors. It was rather spooky looking and should have been this way for Halloween. Now the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. Husband will watch football all day and night so I will knit. I am working on a scarf pattern that I found free from Jane Thornley. It uses lots of texture and sparkle and is great fun to knit. Just collect from stash those yarns that you like together and have at it. The pattern is on her blog and it is beautiful. The top picture is my black and white stash that I am using for this project. You can just see the beginning of the project.

Charley's new hat

Grandaughter Charley loves hats so I made her a new one. It is hard to tell in the picture but there is a ruffle around it and it looks pretty cute. The yarn is Plymouth Dreambaby Kokonut D. K. I am still working on the crocheted edging on the shawl. Crocheting is much harder for me than knitting so it is taking a while. Knitting seems natural but crocheting seems awkward to me.

New Obsession

I have a few dolls that were my childhood dolls and some that I have made. But since I have always loved Madame Alexander dolls I decided that I would start a collection. I got these from ebay. The first one is Little Bo Peep. The second one is Cinderella before the ball. Now I need her in her ballgown. Just what I needed, something else to do. But hey, we might as well have fun while we can.

Saturday Sky

Saturday sky with fall colors. We are in a severe drought here. The rivers are drying up and in Atlanta if anyone is caught watering their lawn the water supply to their house is cut off. We had a little rain one day this past week but it was not enough to help. It is a beautiful fall day today. The annual trail ride is today. People come with their horses or mules and conestoga wagons and end up parading down Broad Street. It has grown into a rather large celebration.

I am working on the edging of the Icelandic Lace Shawl. It is almost done.

Saturday Sky

Lavender Mountain from Conestauga Lake. A beautiful day but hot.

I found two skeins of yarn that I need for a shawl in the planning. One of the gift shops downtown has some nice yarns. I got Crystal Palace Rave in color Roses.

Iclandic Shawl

This is the progress I have made on the Icelandic shawl. It is very easy to knit and I really like the natural colors.

weekend

A picture of me with Charley Grace, 2 year old grandaughter.

This past weekend was really exciting. David and Sandy were here from Texas so that was enough to make it special.

In addition we had our 50th high school reunion. On Friday night we had a get together at Heritage Hall, the old Rome High School. I had so much fun visiting with old friends, some from as long ago as grade school. Best of all I got to visit with my best friend from high school. Life has led us in different directions but we still act like best friends. On Saturday night we had a dinner and dance. Everyone got dressed up and we had our picture made all together. Had a lovely dinner and more time to visit.

Getting Better

I am still recovering but have at least been out of the house. I went to see my mother on Monday. Today I went to the library and got several books on tape. I like to listen to those while I knit. The Icelandic Lace Shawl is coming right along. It is easy to knit and looks very pretty.

I'm back

Hopefully I will be able to post now. I have been sick for over six weeks with back problems and ear infections. I have slowly been working on the Iclandic Lace Shawl because it is easy to knit and I do not need a challenge right now.

Birthday Party

Celebration for my mother's 90th birthday on August 12 was great. We had 21 people for lunch at the assisted living home where she lives. Two of my sons and 2 grandchildren drove 17 hours each way to be here. One son and grandson drove 10 hours each way and one son and 2 grandchildren spent a week with us. It was a very busy week but we had fun. My mother's sister who is 93 was here and I am glad they got to see each other again. I have not done any knitting for at least a week. No time.

Cave Spring

Ice Cream at Cave Spring. The children enjoyed the cave, wading in the creek, and seeing the fish, ducks and a snake. Yesterday we went to the Chattanooga Aquarium but I forgot my camera.

The trifles are for this weekend when we have a lot of company. They are easy to make and very good. Thanks, Linda, for telling me about them.

Not much knitting going on.

Today is a great day. Judson is bringing his two children to visit for a week. I will take Jacob shopping for his school supplies. He is excited about starting kindergarten. Charley Grace is already crazy about shoes at two years old so I will take her to buy shoes. And I will take them to play in the creek at Cave Spring and to the Aquarium in Chattanooga. Then the rest of the family will start arriving on Friday for mother's 90th birthday celebration on Sunday. Even her 94 year old sister will be there. The White's tend to long lives obviously.

Clue 3

Mystery Stole 3 KAL clue 3 finished. Hopefully it will look much better when blocked.

Finished Object

The knitting bag made from the Cotswald Curls that I spun. I just made a garter stitch knitted rectangle and then lined it with purple cotton. I did not want to felt it because I did not want it to be smaller and this is all the yarn I had. The handles are tied to small dowel rods that run through the hemmed top edge.

Saturday Sky

It was a dark and sprinkly day about 2 hours ago. Now the sun has come out. It is flooding where my sons live in Texas and we are having a dry summer.

The dining room painting is finished and the living room almost done. Maybe we will get everything done in time to put air mattresses all over the house for the dozen or so coming in August.

My knitting time is mostly spent on the mystery stole 3 KAL. My lovely Polanaise is in boxes in the basement but Carlton is healing just fine from his fight with the spinning wheel.

Mystery Stole 3KAL

Clue 2 finished.

Our house is pandemonium. Electricians were here this morning putting in more service so we can have a pool. The painters were here yesterday and will be here again this afternoon. They are painting the dining room now and we have the living room ready. Everything stored and a mess all over the house. The yard man was cutting grass while the electricians were working and poor Riley was having a nervous breakdown. Hope we can get everything done by Aug. 8 for then we begin to have company for mother's 90th birthday. A new refrigerator for downstairs was delivered yesterday too. Our old one quit. We are going to need a vacation when all this is over.

Saturday Sky

Beautiful day here. We went to the tomato farm and picked tomatoes. They are so good right off the vine.

Last night my wonderful DH stood up on the sofa to inspect a crack in the living room ceiling.

He fell. Right on top of my spinning wheel. I no longer have a Polonaise. It fought back valiantly but it ended up dead with Carlton only injured. His legs are skinned up but thank goodness no spinning wheels parts embedded themselves in his body. I picked up all the pieces and put them in a box but I do not think it can be repaired. There is just too much damage.

Homespun Shawl

The description of this yarn was posted on April 6. I decided a plain shawl would be good since it has random beads throughout. When it is wide enough I will stop increasing and add a lacy border. Have not picked the pattern yet but I kind of have in mind what I want to do.

Clue 1 finished

I don't know how many times I frogged and redid this. Never mind. I am ready to start clue 2 and clue 3 came out today.

Still Obsessed

I did finish chart a on the mystery stole and was well into chart b when I decided to take a lot of it out. I had a misplaced yarn over that I thought I could live with but it kept catching my attention. I finally decided that if if is worth doing it is worth doing right. How many times have I heard that? So now I am back on chart A.

My Obsession

This is the mystery stole 3 for the 5th or maybe 6th time. I started with Zephyr vanilla. Did not work. I kept taking it out and spilling beads and doing nothing but knit obsessively. O.K. start over. This is wool/cashmere from my stash and it is thinner than the Zephyr so it is easier to get the beads on the stitch. But it is black so that makes it harder to see. Are we having fun yet? I knit 4 rows this morning and took a break. I would sweep up the beads and the dog hair but then I wouldn't have time to read e-mails. As usual, Riley is right at my feet. When he was a puppy he would have eaten the yarn and the beads and the needles. But he is a mature 4 years old now and does not bother my stuff. The yellow in the picture is sticky notes that I use to keep my place. I will probably shoot some fireworks off if I manage to finish chart A today. After all, it is the 4th of July.

The Old Mill

O.K. I'm done. This is the last picture ( at least for now) from Berry College. I have a snapshot of my oldest son when he was less that 1 year old sitting on the steps. I also have a snapshot of him when he was 22 sitting on the steps.

Berry College

These are the Ford Buildings at Berry College. Click on picture to get better image. Students here must be inspired by their surroundings. It is so calm and peaceful. I grew up with people directly connected to the building of this school by Miss Martha Berry so it has always been inspiring to me. It was started as a place for the poor people of the Appalachians to work and go to school. I remember when each class had a different color of dress to wear, in other words uniforms. It has changed through the years so much that it is now an expensive private school.

Swan Lake

Another picture from our morning at Berry College. We saw only 1 swan but lots of Canadian geese. Also lots of deer. Camps are being held out there and many children were riding bikes, walking, and playing all kinds of games.

I don't have a lot of knitting time. I am going through photo albums to find pictures of my mother through the years to make an album for her 90th birthday party. And I am also getting together pictures from our high school days because we are having our 50th reunion this fall. I cannot believe it has been 50 years. I don't feel that old!

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky at Berry College. This is a 26.000 acre college campus that is beautiful. When I was young my friends and I rode bicycles all over this campus. We had a pleasant morning visiting and taking picutres. I will post more in the days to come.

Great, I forgot to post the picture. Well, this picture goes with the entry below.

Cotswald Curls

I did not flick or comb these Cotswold curls. I just pulled them slightly apart with my fingers and spun a thick and thin, lumpy roving. Then I plyed it with a commercial ladder yarn which accounts for the small dots of color. The picture shows some of the curls, some of the skeined yarn and the beginning of a knitting bag. It will be garter stitch since a pattern would not show up.

Supplies for KAL

This is for the MysteryStole3KAL@yahoogroups.com I am using Zephyr in vanilla, size 3 bamboo needles and a teeny, tiny crochet hook for the beads. The clues start June 29. This group has generated many e-mails from many countries and is already interesting.

Saturday Sky

That small white spot is the only group of clouds we have seen lately. I did not realize it had been a week since I have posted. I have been knitting a shawl, a pair of socks and my Aran sweater. And spinning some novelty yarn from Cotswold curls. And reading and listening to NPR. Getting old is not all bad.

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky in Cave Spring where they are having the annual arts and crafts fair. We spent a couple of hours walking around looking at everyone's booths. Some things were pretty interesting. I bought two more baskets from the man from Savannah who brings Sea Grass baskets every year. I now have eight of his baskets and they are great for holding fiber and yarn.

I had planned to sit and knit in the shade for KIP day but by the time we had toured everything we were too hot to stay longer. My hair was wet. It was a sauna out there and we still haven't had rain.

510 Yards of New Yarn

I do not think I will be buying any more handpainted roving. The roving was beautiful. But when I got it spun and washed it to set the twist the blue bled so much that it turned all that wonderful bright yellow into green. Now it is just o.k. It would have been spectacular.

This is the finished baby blanket for Charley Grace. It is Berroco Plush and is very soft. She loves her blankets so I think she will like this. I will send it for her 2nd birthday on July 8.

Even in drought some things survive and are beautiful.

I am almost finished with the blanket for Charley Grace. One more session to finish the edging.

These dolls are 3 that I played with in the forties. The 2 larger dolls are both marked Am. Char. Dolls. They are in pretty bad shape with heads cracked open. They have cloth bodies. The one in the red trimmed dress is in her original clothes. The other is in a dress I wore as a baby. The poor little bride doll in the middle has no markings and no hair. Her body is a little cracked but not too badly. It is fun to get these out and remember the past. But I still love dolls.

Another of my Teddy Bears. The picture is my now grown youngest son who loved and played baseball even as an adult. I could not resist the little Boyd Bear in his uniform.

A few bears in my collection. The one in the blue dress is a Vermont Teddy Bear that my son had made for me. It is a sewing bear with a measuring tape for her headband. She is holding a pin cushion and on her collar is a pair of scissors. On the other side of the collar is my name.

The middle bear is also a Vermont Teddy Bear wearing a shawl that I knit. The bear in pink is one of my favorites. She has a knitted sweater on and a baby bear in her arm. She is a Bearington bear. I will post more of these pictures later even though this is primarily a knitting blog these bears speak to some other hobbies.

Finished Horcrux socks. Made by pattern except for heel. Used Apple Laine in Best Friends colorway. One sock really is darker than the other. The pattern doesn't show in the picture but it is very pretty and fun to make.

It is time for a new picture of Riley. I always wanted a blonde cocker spaniel so in later life I have one. He is lots of fun to have around. I am still working on the same projects but one day I will finish one of them.

David is coming back to town today. I am giving him my car since we no longer need two cars. Carlton is no longer working so we get along just fine with one car.

Saturday sky at 8:30 p.m. I took a morning picture but it did not want to post for some reason.

We had a meeting of the NWGeorgia knitters this morning. Paula, Reba, Jillian, Betsey and I were there. It is always great to get together and knit. I did not stay for lunch since I was having trouble with my back but am feeling better now. Hopefully I can stay longer next time. It is always great and inspiring to see what everyone else is working on. Paula always has such lovely colors in whatever she is doing. Betsey had a beautiful red baby sweater that she had just finished. Reba was working on ruffles and Jillian was knitting a pretty scarf. I took my Aran sweater to work on.

Paula tagged me for the 7 things about me. So here goes.

1. I love DP needles.

2. I don't understand how anyone could possibly be bored when there are so many interesting
things to do and learn.

3. I love to read.

4. I love thunderstorms.

5. I never have enjoyed driving a car but I like going places.

6. My favorite knitting is anything on small needles.

7. I prefer vegetarian meals.

Unfortunately I do not know seven bloggers to tag. I am new at this and just learning my way around.

The Little House, where we like to stay at the folk school. We stayed there the first time we went and have asked for it and gotten it our other two times there.

I am getting close to finishing a baby blanket, am working on two pair of socks and the sweater I started last week. And trying not to be tempted by anything else.

David and Sandy sent 3 loaves of wonderful bread for Mother's Day. It is more like cake. The better than a bubble bath mocha/chocolate chip is especially good. It came from www.getloafed.com

Scene at the folk school. This is such a lovely, peaceful place. I would like to go back in December if health allows.

In addition to our trip we are having the inside of the house painted, one room at a time. Two rooms are finished but things are still in disorder. It takes a while to get things back where they go. We also bought a new large filing cabinet to replace 2 smaller ones so we have that organizing to do also. In spite of all this I am hoping to do some knitting today.

A blurry picture of a path through the woods at the folk school. Most people walk between classes, dining hall and rooms. I am sorry my back keeps me from doing that as it is a lovely place to walk.

I am feeling much better and am enjoying spinning and knitting since coming home. I finished spinning all the white silk/merino and am ready to start the second bobbin of sock yarn. It is quite nice to work on the knitting I started at the school without using a pattern.

Just got home from a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It was a great week. I studied Aran knitting with Charley Orlando. There were 10 of us in the class, all very compatible, and we had a great time. I learned to read my knitting when making cables or gansey patterns. Previously I had followed line by line with the pattern. Now I can make my own patterns. It gives such a felling of freedom. His motto all week was "You can do whatever you want to do." Charley was a great teacher and anyone who has a chance would love his class.

I chose to have the vegetarian meals and they were wonderful. Came home with the recipes, just have to cut them down from 50 servings.

The pictures below are the Keith House where they have the large meeting room with a stage, the offices, the library and the coffee room. Downstairs is a studio and upstairs are rooms for students.

Carlton is standing in front of the cabinet he made. It is really beautiful and he sure did a lot of work in one week. The knitting picture is of things we did in our class. My work is the tan start of the full size sweater. I will post a few more pictures later.

Saturday sky with purple martins at John C. Campbell Folk School.