Fall Has Arrived

 Yes here it is September 30th and the rain trees are turning red so I know cooler weather is coming finally to Florida.  One thing that we don't have to worry about anymore is raking up the maple tree leaves that always cover the front yard.  We had to have the tree removed and with it went the leaves and the whirlies that always got over my car.  I hated those things.  

I've finished knitting the shawl I was working on and I had to get a longer cable for my interchangeable needles.  I sent away for a 60 inch one and wow that made a world of difference in the ease of knitting so many stitches.  The finished shawl turned out about 70 inches wide and about 30 inches deep to the point.  I love it and will use it hopefully several times this winter.  Here's the finished product....

The last stripe at the top I only did for half the number of rows because I wanted to do a crocheted edging around the shawl so I saved some of the yarn.  Now I'm looking for a nice black pin to wear with it.  I'm going to try Etsy because it would be nice to have a hand made one to go with it.

I haven't done any stitching on the Coming to America cross stitch.  I really wanted to finish my shawl but now I can get back to it.  

I'm still depressed as ever and  can't seem to get myself out of it.  I've talked with several others and it seems to be a condition that quite a few people are experiencing.  I hate it and I hate how I feel.  My attention span is shot and I can't concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes.  I babysit Zane and Evelyn twice a week for about 2 hours each day while Little John is in school and Peyton is taking one of her college courses.  That breaks up the week some but what do I do for the other 5 days?  I find myself sleeping a lot and that's not good either.  I have an appointment coming up with the family doctor so maybe he can give me some hints on what to do about this funk I'm in.

Hope all of you are enjoying the fall season and the beautiful colors it brings,

Blessings, Barbara

Chugging Along

 Good Wednesday to all you chicks.  I'm still working on the knitted shawl and I wanted to share something with you about it.  In between ball number 1 and ball number 2 I did 2 rows of black alpaca.  Between ball number 2 and number 3 I did 4 rows of black alpaca.  Now I bought all these 4 skeins at the same time and they were from the same dye lot.  Take a look at the difference between 1 and 2....

Do you see more red in the second ball?  I didn't even take notice of this until I had added the 4 rows of black at the top.  Strange how it's different even from the same dye lot.  Can't wait to see skein 3 and 4 knitted up.  Should be interesting.

Well I've started the Coming to America sampler and I decided on 20ct. Lugana over 1 with 2 threads.  It covers really well and it's pretty easy for me to see.  If anyone out there is wanting to do this pattern on 28ct. Mocha Linen that the design calls for, I have a piece I can sell you if you're having problems finding it in your area.  Here's what I have done....not much but it shows how wide it will be.

I went with the kids on Monday to Daytona Beach to initiate Evelyn to the ocean.  Wow did she love it.  Peyton had to keep a good eye on her because she wanted to chase the waves back out to sea.  We ate at a restaurant on a pier called Joe's Crab House and wow were they good.  I love seafood and their blue crab sandwich hit the spot.   Here's the view from our table.

I hope all of you had a safe and happy Labor Day.  

Blessings, Barbara

The End Product

 Hello everyone.  I hope you're gearing up for a great weekend.  I'm not sure what I'll be doing but I know it will have something to do with stitching or my great-grandbabies.

I finished the BBD design and I have actually done the finishing work and turned it into a pincushion.  I walnut stained the linen and pillow fabric and I do love how they both turned out.  There's some blotchiness which is great and it adds to the theme.  Here it is.....

I had fun sewing this together and planning what I was going to add to it.  The plastic clips on the side are called Wonder Clips and even if you're not a quilter they are great to have on hand.  I like using them to hold fabric for sewing instead of pins because these don't cause me to bleed.  I don't know how many of my projects get blood on them because I'm horrible with pins.  The color of the linen and fabric is darker than what is posted here because of my lighting I guess.

Now to start the Coming to America design.  I have two choices for fabric which I can't decide between.  I have a 20ct. Lugana in the color Clay where my design would turn out 6.25" wide x 21" in height.  Now that's pretty big but manageable.  It will be harder for me to stitch but the framing won't be as costly either.  Or I have the color Vintage Country Mocha that it calls for in 28ct.  Now this turns out a whopping 9" x 30" which would be harder to work with because of the amount of fabric but easier to see.  There's also the cost of framing something so big and where to hang it.  You see my problem.  I will probably end up tossing a coin to decide but whichever I choose it will stay that.

You all probably get tired of me posting pics of the great-grandbabies but this one I can't resist.  Peyton asked Little John to get his clothes on for school but she didn't say who he was suppose to put them on.  Out came Evelyn wearing Little John's clothes and she is happy as all get out.  She does love her big brother.

Many Blessings, Barbara

For a Chuckle

 

Have a Blessed Day,

Barbara

Thank You

 I must say thank you to some very special followers of my blog.  They made me realize that my life is better without worrying about what goes on on a website that I can live without.  I don't even know why I bother with it because I have so many patterns I'll never make them all.  LOL  Back to important things.....like stitching.

I'm not sure how many are aware of this design that Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread has come out with but I thought I'd share it with you.  She did this for the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower landing at Plymouth rock.  Here is what you get:

This shows the fabric, pattern and all the fibers needed.

This shows the pincushion that you can make as a companion piece.

This shows the captain of the Mayflower and you get a piece of fabric for the backing of the pincushion that has part of his diary printed on it.  Also a needle minder and a card to put on the back after it is framed to add you name and date it was finished.

This is the box that everything fits into.  I plan on starting this very soon but I want to finish my BBD pincushion first.  I was hoping for tomorrow but that's not going to happen.  I'm making headway but not as fast as I would like.  Here's today's progress.

Yesterday was Evelyn's first birthday and she was an angel.  Here she is with her big brother John opening some of her presents..

We have been blessed with such love  from our grand daughter and her family.  I truly do not know what we would do without them.  My wish is for all my followers to have such a family that loves them without reservation.

Blessings, Barbara

I am so angry I could spit

 We still live in the United States of America right?  We still have freedom of speech right?  We still have supposedly elections that are unbiased right?

Then how come I can't post on Ravelry an avatar of my choosing?  I used a Trump 2020 avatar and they have deleted it and my entire profile. Since when do people have the right to tell you how to think and act?  The more this goes on the more I have grave doubts for this country.  I already know this coming election will be a hard one because lets face it.... Washington is corrupt.....and I mean everyone there.  They no longer care for the common man and woman they care about is getting re-elected and keeping the money flowing into their bank accounts.  I'm sorry I've gotten on my soap box but this really bothers me and I wanted to see if it does anyone else.

Stay safe,

Blessing, Barbara

Back in the swing.....i hope

I've been really down in the dumps lately but I think I'm finding my way out of them....hopefully.  I started a new cross stitch piece called "My Home" by BBD.  I'm stitching it on 32ct cream Belfast linen and when I'm finished with the stitching I will soak it in some coffee or crushed walnuts.  I not only want the linen to be stained but also the floss.  I'm using DMC instead of the hand dyes they call for and I'm loving it.  Here's what I have so far...

When finished this is what it should look like and the next picture is the book by BBD that it comes from.  I have a dream of doing every design in this book because I think it's the best they've ever come out with.

I've also been slowly working on the knitted shawl I'm making.  It's very slow going but I do like the effect.  I have 4 skeins and I'm still on the first skein.  I've decided to add some black alpaca into the design but I haven't come up with the design yet.  Here's how far I've gotten and I must change to a longer needle soon or I'll be dropping stitches off the end tips.

Today was Little John's first day at pre-school and he was so excited to go.  He's getting to be such a big boy.....they grow too fast!

For the giveaway on the last post, Eeen's name was drawn and I have emailed her at the address she gave.  I have not heard from her but we'll give her a few more days and if I don't hear from her I'll draw another name.  I just don't want these patterns going to waste.

I should open up my Etsy store again but I just don't have the energy to do it.  One thing I will say on here, when you see that I have stitched a pattern from an individual packet or book, I never stitch it again so I am willing to sell it.  If you see that I've done something that you might like to stitch, drop me an email and I will see about getting it to you.  The price I sell at is always 1/2 of what the original price was.

That's all for now.  Stay safe.

Blessings, Barbara

What's Up?

 I sincerely hope everyone is doing well and everyone in your family is healthy.  We have been blessed and no one has taken ill and for that we are truly grateful.  Not much going on in the stitching department but I do try to keep busy.  My new friend is Netflix and I've watched several shows and movies that I wouldn't of been able to before.  I particularly like the historical documentaries and shows life in an earlier time....especially England.  I have often thought that I was born in the wrong century.  

I started a knitted shawl because this yarn is a very busy variegated and I thought crocheting might not do justice to the yarn.  It's a Malabrigo Dos Tierras and the color is called "Diana"  which is a 50% merino wool and 50% baby alpaca..  It's a dk weight so I grabbed a size 6 needle and I'm starting at the bottom point and increasing one stitch every row.  I love the look of it and the feel of it.  Here's what I have done so far....

We spent a day at Sea World and wow has it really changed since the last time I was there.....about 20 years ago.  We all enjoyed the penguin building because it's cold for one thing and after being out in the Florida sun in July, it felt wonderful.  The only bad thing about it is the smell of fish.  Whoa it is strong.

I haven't shared a picture of Little John in a long time and this was a funny moment.  We were out at breakfast (as you can tell by the sign) and he decided to make eyebrows like his great-grandfather which are rather shaggy.  We all had a good laugh.

Now this next story was a mistake made by me.  I had purchased these 4 patterns by Jeannette Douglas but I couldn't find them anywhere in my sewing room.  I had just cleaned up and moved some stuff around in there and I was sure I had thrown them away by mistake.  Well today I found them and so I have two copies of each.  Let's see if we can't give these away to someone who might be itching to stitch a Jeannette Douglas design but would like something small.  These are the first 4 patterns in her Sew Together Series.

These are free to anyone in the US who comments on this post and wishes to be entered into the drawing.  Please make sure I have an email address for you so I can let you know if you've won and to get your snail mail address.  

Blessings To All,

Barbara

Kindness From A Window Washer

The Window Washer With   all the worry out there about the Coronavirus and so many things near and dear to us here’s a short video that will bring joy to your heart, put a smile on your face, and restore a little faith in how we care for people in need. There is not one spoken word but what you will hear is better than that. Well worth your time to watch. This is cool!!!

Update on Zane

I just wanted to thank all for the wonderful prayers that were sent on behalf of our little great-grandson Zane.  His surgery was Wednesday and he came thru it like a champ.  He's still having trouble from the anesthesia making him sleepy and having an upset stomach.  We hope and pray this is the only surgery he will need on his eyes but they won't be able to tell for several weeks.  So please keep the little guy in your prayers that this is the only surgery he'll have to go thru.

Blessings and Thank You's

Barbara