So many hobbies!

I've got beans!

 

Sadly, I think my tomatoes are dying and I don't know why.  The zucchini is growing like gang busters and has 3 zukes on it.  I've got beans coming out my ears, and that's with only three plants.  I love gardens!

 

Finished the second bobbin tonight.  I'm not speaking to the quilt at the moment since it had the audacity to cause problems that required me to get out Jack, my ripper.  I hate ripping out stitches!  Since the quilt is currently in time-out, I thought I'd give all my love and attention to Owen and the Merino/Seacell roving.  We had a lovely time together.  I should have yarn by the end of the weekend... unless I decide to forgive the quilt in which case, I'll have quilt squares instead.  Oh, and I'm picking blueberries again.  Don't say it.  I already know.  Hey, you guys can all come over for cobbler in January.

It takes all kinds

Riding home on the bus today, there was a kid in the back of the bus, laying across 3 seats, his upper half, including his head, covered up by his coat and he was just singing away, probably listening to his iPod.  He had to know there were other people on the bus but he clearly didn't care.  It was rather refreshing.

Work continues on the quilt and the second 4 ounces of the Merino/Seacell.  Sorry, no pictures.  I promise to do better.

Great!

Apprently, when I'm listening to my iPod and just mouthing the words, I'm still making enough noise that my co-working commented that I was singing.  I used to sing in a former incarnation so with some songs (this time it was Simon & Garfunkel), I can't stand to just listen.  I need to sing, too.  Mouthing the words seemed like a good, I'm-at-work alternative.  I guess not.  Great.

I blame Val

Val and Elizabeth both, actually.  Val with her Strips and Bricks quilt and Elizabeth with her Paintbox quilt.  Because of them, I decided to buy this:

 

Now, I need to start quilting again like I need a hole in the head, but I can't resist bright, saturated colors and I REALLY can't resist batiks.  Plus, I get the urge to sew periodically.  I'm starting with a basic nine-patch but I'll be adding to it a bit.  This thing will glow on it's own!

Gayle gave me a fabulous recipe for Ginger Rhubarb jam last week.  I made it tonight and Oh.  My. God.  It's fabulous!  Thank you so much Gayle!

Alice and I picked blueberries again and I came home with another 12.5 pounds of blueberries.  Not only will there be freezing but there might be blueberry jam, possibly a cobbler and definately cornmeal muffins with blueberries.  And... since we're in the middle of the season, I might have to pick again next weekend.  I know.  I have issues.

Create = Life

Crafting and creating is my life.  Seriously.  I'm a total art geek.  I fall asleep faster and sleep better when I'm thinking about a project after I get in bed; I'm happiest when I'm working on a project, especially if it's one I'm really geeked about; I'm much more likely to spend my money on art and craft supplies than I am on clothes (I bought new work shirts only because I wore them out... literally... I put my thumb through the sleeve because the fabric had become so thin); I love color and lots of it - beads, fabric, yarn, dyes, ink, glass - it's all good... very good; probably a third of the art in my house was made by me - stained glass lamp and windows, linoleum block prints and collagraphs, books, quilts; my greatest joy comes from making something beautiful from a handful of pieces; if I could figure out how to live off of making art, I would, in a heart beat (anyone got any ideas, please let me know). 

 

The first 4 ounces of Merino/Seacell all spun up.  Spinning with a short forward-draw takes a lot longer than spinning long-draw.  A LOT longer.  Sheesh!  I'd really like to have the second 4 ounces spun by the end of the weekend but I don't think that's going to happen.  Seli has a vet appointment Saturday morning and I'm going back for more blueberries Sunday morning.  I have a new project I'm not ready to reveal yet that I'll likely be obsessing on this weekend so spinning will probably wait.  God, I love new projects!  I'm waiting for the mailman to deliver some supplies before I can start.  I love mail order almost as much as I love new projects.  The internet is my friend.

12 lbs.

This weekend's take at Hazen's Farm was 12 lbs. of blueberries which equals 9.5 quarts of frozen berries and about a quart to eat fresh.  Happily, this it's the beginning of the season so I'll be back next weekend for more.  Let's see, I paid $16.50 for my 12 lbs. of bluebs.  If I were to buy them frozen at the grocery store, 12 lbs. of berries would cost me almost $48.  That is one of many reasons why I pick my own.  Plus, it's fun, I get to be outside, I know the berries are fresh and I help one of our local growers stay in business that much longer.  Everybody wins.

Sunflowers yarn

 

Merino/silk yarn from some roving I bought at the Maryland show.  Some of this was spun long-draw and some with a short forward-draw.  It wasn't happy being spun long-draw which is why I had to switch back and forth.

Now that I've finished Shawl that Jazz, I NEED a new project to work on.  I've got an idea for a fairly simple shawl but so far, it's just in my head and I need the yarn first before I can get it out.  I've got three skeins of dark brown Corriedale and I need something to go with it.  I was going to use the Sunflowers yarn but it's too dark for my tastes, especially when combined with the Corrie.  I started spinning this roving, which is 70% Merino/30% Seacell.  I'm hoping the finished yarn will look good with the other three skeins.

Blueberries this weekend.  We've got two new U-pick farms we're going to try since the one we tried last year was a bust.  <rubs hands together greedily>  More to feed the freezer!  And much happiness this winter when I want bluebs for my oatmeal or peaches (after blueberries) for a cobbler.  I don't really know where this drive to preserve food is coming from.  Instinct?  Paranoia?  I honestly don't know.  It's not just a desire to save money or to be more Green by picking locally grown fruit.  I'm even considering splurging and buying a food dehydrator so I can store more food that doesn't depend on a freezer (this is the one I have in mind).  Just think of me as the ant instead of the grasshopper.

Have a good weekend my peeps!

Shawl that Jazz

 

It's done!  Yay!  I loved knitting this shawl.  The only change I'd make is I wouldn't decrease as much on the border so it was more ruffley.  Other than that, it was a breeze to knit and I love how the border/edging looks like it's knit at an angle to the body of the shawl:

  

I even like how the yarn pooled in the body:

 

This is a very easy knit.  I recommend it for anyone's first shawl.  For me, it was a nice mindless knit; a project I can just chug along on while watching TV or at Wednesday Knitting.

In other news, I have a zucchini!

 

Actually, there are two that you can see in this picture.  The big one is about 1.5 inches long.  Isn't it cute!  I've also got buds on my tomatoes and my green beans.  Soon, my pretties, I'll have fresh veggies three steps from my front door!  What could be better?!

Sweet Cherries

    

The plan was to get up early Saturday morning and drive out to the U-pick farm but walking out of the house Saturday morning, I was greeted with dark clouds and thunder.  The picking was pushed back to Sunday morning which t was beautiful:  sunny, cool and breezy.  Perfect for picking.  Once Alice and I got to the farm, we quickly realized the cherries we really wanted, the ripe ones, were at the top of the trees and we were without a ladder.  Alice came up with the idea of the "Grabby Stick" which was a broken branch with a smaller forking branch that could be used to reach up and grab the loaded branches and pull them down into reach.  That Alice... she's one clever cookie!  We spent over an hour picking when it occurred to me that we would be paying $3/lb. for our u-pick cherries and a local grocery chain were selling Bing cherries for $1.77/lb.  We decided to compromise:  1/2 locally picked and 1/2 cherries from somewhere else.  I picked 6 lbs. of cherries at the local farm and bought a little over 7 lbs. of cherries at the store.  Then I mixed the two when I sliced and pitted.  (Sadly, the sour cherry season was earlier than I expected and I missed the season.  I was looking forward to canned sour cherries this winter.)

  

It took me almost two entire Pirates of the Carribbean movies to slice and pit over 13 lbs. of cherries.  Once again, I used my handy dandy cherry pitter:  an unfolded paperclip.  Worked like a charm, although, once again, I have a very stained right index finger and thumb where the cherry juice reacted with the metal in the paperclip and dyed my fingers purple.  I find it easiest to spread a layer of sliced cherries out on a cookie sheet and freeze them before shoveling them into freezer containers.  Doing it that way means I'll be able to pour out individual pieces instead of bricks of frozen, stuck-together cherries.  I've already got 8 1/2 quarts in the freezer and I've got probably 2 more that still need to be frozen on the cookie sheet first. 

 

I'm full of the Happy right now.  Blueberries are next!

Good thing she's cute

 

'Cause I got nothin'.  The shawl still looks pretty much the same and I've done nothing else except knit.  See, nothin'.  I'll have more after the weekend.

Have a good one.