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Finished.

May28

I finally have the baby blanket finished. Nearly have the mixer cover finished but ran short of yarn with only a few to go. I’ll get to town this week and hopefully Jan with still have another skein in her shop.

ducks finihsed

We’re  getting ready for our trip to the Big Sky Festival. This is our first time for this show but our second trip to Hamilton Montana. Then we have to hurry home and do laundry then off to Eugene, Oregon for the Black Sheep Gathering. Haven’t been to that one for years and am looking forward to it.

I am hoping to have a few new projects to show as examples.

Things have been busy around here. Randy is making looms, trying finish our new porch, getting the composts piles ready for the new bed and trying to keep his construction customers happy, too. So far, so good! Except for the porch… Now that he has the roofing off the house, Mother Nature decided it was time for a couple days of rain. Well, it’s Memorial Day weekend… bound to happen, huh?! I’ve been in the shop, too, trying to keep up with him, plus projects, printing, getting the garden going, and all the domestic fun that has to continuously be done as we all know. But it’s been a pleasant month, too. And my little peach tree has a whopping big crop this year! Had to thin some off and may have to thin it again. This is the most it’s ever had!

Okay, enough chat. I made a determination to keep this blog more up to date than I have been doing. I’ve probably lost my three followers already, huh? lol Hope you are all having a wonderful and warm, windless! spring.

 

Some things from April.

Apr15

For instance, this pretty bowl of spalted Maple which Randy made for me from a tree we had to remove from the property.DSC09606

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tho it’s early and still chances of frost, some things aren’t worried about a little thing like that. My peas are now a couple inches tall.

ppeas 4-15

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we had a guest the other evening. It’s a White Lined sphinx moth. also called a humming bird moth. I have had to put out the humming bird feeder, too. Those little guys are one their way north again.

Hummingbird moth 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there are daffodils blooming all over, little windflowers in the lawn, the trees are showing new leaves and the cherry trees are in full bloom, as is my little peach. Whatever is happening in the northern sections of the country, it is Spring here! I hope you are getting some, too!

Rain?

Oct13

Our promised rain… well, they said 60% chance…. turned out to be 40% that it wouldn’t. Not a drop. Very disappointing as we really do need it and our rain is very late this year. This storm all went north of us it looks like, tho we did have our first little fire last evening. I’m going to have to turn the water back in the garden. But it’s been cool enough nights that all but the Kale and the other few cool weather plants have done. I picked the last of things yesterday.  There are still quite a few tomatoes that I’m hoping will at least show a little color before frost so that they can ripen indoors. A late cold spring and a long cool dry fall do not make for good gardening. But here’s yesterdays harvest. The little green melon would have been a cantaloupe but the vine died so it was only starting to show some orange. Bummer. The apples are windfall, those on the tree are better after frost.

We are getting ready to leave for the next show. It’s near Seattle, the Northwest Fiber Fusion, on Oct 20-21, in Winston at the fairground. If you are in the area do come by and see us. And Randy wants to visit Grizzly Tools, which is in the area, so I get to go to the American Girl Doll Store! I’ve never been to one so I am excited. I am going to take Addy and see if they can do something about her hair in the salon, there. Meantime, I made a couple Halloween outfits for them. The knitted Sweater is a pattern from a Ravelry knitter,  Jacqueline Gibb. The woven one is mine, ‘stealing’ her Boo idea, but Kanani doesn’t need a heavy sweater in Hawaii, after all! Hope your autumn is going as it should!

Home again… for a bit

Sep12

We had a great time in Arcata at the Natural Fiber Fair but I came home with a ‘gift’ from someone.  Sore throat, coff, head ache… Not bad, but certainly not good.  I’m sure I’ll be over it soon. Meantime, I am working on projects as usual.

And the tomatoes are getting ripe at last. I think I have an orange one, too. These are heirloom Oxheart. They average almost a pound a piece & are very tasty. There’s also one early girl, a roma type, and some cherries.

This is the basket I made for Momma to pick her asparagus in. It’s long a narrow, I used willow and our native blackberry vines.

Wishing everyone safe from fire and storm.

 

End of summer?

Aug28

It’s been down in the 80’s all week and in the 40’s at night. I love it but my tomatoes don’t. They are ripening a couple at a time, slowly. I have some veggies in the dehydrator today, zucchini,  peppers, green beans, a roma type tomato, stuff to make into my soup mix. I dried the Asian pears that a neighbor gave me, those we didn’t eat fresh, that is. Good stuff! And the black berries to deal with tomorrow. I made some dill relish using up the excess cucumbers. It’s pretty good, I have a half pint left over that I just put in the fridge to use more or less fresh.

But today I also finished up a little doll dress. I say a kid version of this in a knitting magazine but this doll one is woven on an assortment of little blooms. Here’s Samantha Whirling and twirling in her new dancing dress,

Been awhile!

Aug22

I did not realize it had been so long since I posted here. I am really falling down on the job as a blogger.   Well, I have been busy but not that busy so that’s a poor excuse.  Sounds better than “I forgot”, tho.

I got my HandWoven magazine last week with the picture of my toddler set I sent in to the contest. They bumped me out because I sent the shorts with it. The title of the contest and the only rule was “sleeveless” so I don’t quite get this. You may have seen it. They didn’t mention the looms but I guess that’s okay, too. Anyway, it was a nice picture.  Fed Ex was supposed to have it back here yesterday but they can never find us. UPS has no trouble finding us but Fed Ex… well, I have to call and explain every time. Anyway, Hopefully they’ll get it here tomorrow. I want to try to talk a neighbor into letting her little girl model it for some pictures. I’ve almost finished the boys outfit and then I have to find a toddler boy.

I almost sent this one. They’re both sock yarns. Now I’m working on a doll dress for a possible WAL. And I am working up the hooded doll jacket pattern, too, and have started sketching some baby things.

That’s about all I’ve finished since the chicken kitchen  curtain. We’re trying to get the loom stock up for the fall shows and orders are pouring in again now that the very hot weather is abating a bit. And boy am I glad about that. I’m not ready for winter yet but I am ready for a little moderation! It got up to 82 today, I can deal with that!

What else? I’ve been printing snow scenes today for a neighbor who has ordered 20 more christmas cards! Wow, that’s planning ahead! And yesterday I canned pickle relish to use up the excess cucumbers the garden is producing this year. The tomatoes will be coming on by the bushel in a week or so, too.

Did  I mention that I will be teaching a class this November at Fiber Mania in Grants Pass, Oregon?  This is a new venture for me. X your fingers that someone actually signs up for it!

A cool summer day

Jun23

Yeah, it’s nearly July and only 47 degrees this morning. Rained heavily yesterday but none so far today, in fact the sun is peeping out just now. My tomatoes hate this weather! So does my old man. That’s Robin, not Randy, but he isn’t real happy about it, either, tho in his case it’s the rain, rather than the cool. Cool is good for fixing roofs, rain on the other hand…

But Robin deals with it like this. He’s usually out napping on the deck,  80-90 degrees is comfortable for his old cat body.

Is it June already!?

Jun14

How time flies… whether you’re having fun or not! Well, I guess I have been having a little fun. It’s getting the garden in time, doing all the chores that were neglected all winter. But I have been weaving, too. Have been inspired to try a couple new (to me) techniques on the looms. One is transparent weaving where you weave a net-like base and weave pictures with colored yarns in that base. On a “traditional” looms you weave it as you go. On the 12″ Quilt Weaver Square (what I am using) I make a large “weavie” and then weave in the picture. It has involved some interesting challenges but I think I am getting it. In some ways, doing it like this is  kind of like embroidery but yet it is still weaving.  This is destined to be a kitchen curtain. A valance, actually. The pictures come from my bread box and a couple wooden hamburger presses  that are only decorative pieces in my kitchen. I think they are 1950′ or maybe even ’40’s. Antique, vintage, or retro, take your pick! lol

The other project I have going is a colorway blanket, a rainbow affair. I’ll post photos of it once I get it a little further along. And I am working also on making up a booklet of pattern stitches. This is a more or less long term project and is going to challenge my photography skills. or lack of them, as well as my weaving skills, but I thought it might be of interest.

Spring Trip

Apr23

We spent our 28th anniversary and his 60th birthday on the road. Had a great time, too. Visited Death Valley.

and Las Vegas along with many other places along the way. I have way toop many pictures to share here, tho.

We say Donnie and Marie and they were great. What energy they have for people who are no longer really young!

We walked The Strip by night, a year-round Marti Gras! But we also spent time in the desert, quiet, cool and peaceful for the most part. It started to get warm by the time we got home and the streams are up and running today with the temps in the 80’s!

This is Walker lake, the most colorful lake I ever remember seeing. We spent an afternoon and night here. You will swear this is a painting but it is not and i did not do anything to the photo, it is just as it really looked.

and here we are at Burney Falls on the way Home.