Spokes on the heavenly wheel
Keep rotation constant.
Deng Ming~Dao

It's been a little bit since I have stopped by, so I thought I would catch up you.  Last week I had a minor health glitch that kept me down for a few days and quiet.  I have also spent a lot of time away from the computer working on projects that have been waiting to be finished, so it's all been good. 

Pictured above is the little quilt I have been working on for my youngest grandson, Finley.  I started it before he was born and now that I have some free time, I was finally able to get the entire top pieced and put together. Of course it has been such a long time since I have used my longarm machine, I had to watch videos on how to load it up for quilting..sheesh!  I had hoped to bring it down to him tomorrow as we are heading out for his big brother Jax's birthday party, but I think it would be wise for me to work on a practice quilt first to get the hang of it again.

I've also been working on a wee sweater for him as well and this should be finished and ready to go tomorrow, so there is that at least, right?  I want to make one for my other little grandson, Asher, who just turned one this week, but he is pretty sensitive to wool.  I just need to find which one of my wools hopefully will not irritate his skin (or use acrylic?..eek!)

On another note, a blog friend of mine started posting Macro May pictures, so I decided to join along with her in taking one Macro picture every day as well.  It's been fun playing with my old macro lens again.  I forgot just how close this lens can get when used manually (1:1). 

I put this particular picture on here today to remind everyone that dandelions are one of a bees first Spring foods, so if you can leave some of those dandelions around for them, I know they will be thankful and it's important to keep our little Bee sisters around pollinating the foods that we eat every single day.

So with that I am off to finish a little sweater. 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Wow, I missed the entire week last week.  It was one of those busy weeks filled with yarn club mailings, so when the weekend rolled around I was very happy to just kick back and relax.

Saturday we headed down to visit with Courtney.  It's hard to believe in just 3 weeks we will be heading back down for her graduation.  Yes…her college graduation…yikes!  Courtney is going to take a year or so off from school to figure out what she really wants to do before she goes back for her masters.  I think it's a good idea…a chance to see what being an adult really means and learning how to budget money before taking on any more debt. 

Courtney and 3 of her girl friends are going to be renting an apartment together and they found one that is pretty nice all on their own.  She is pretty proud that they figured this all out on their own without parents (even though parents gave some input as to what is important to look for).  So, once we got to UNH we took a ride over to the apartment with Courtney and her boyfriend to get a look.  They did good!  I am pretty proud of her too! 
Ken and I then took them out to this cool little pizza place nearby called LaFesta.  Great concept for a pizza place.  She is pretty excited to be living in a small city.  Thankfully Dover has cleaned up somewhat over the years.

Sunday was a cold, raw and rainy day, perfect for knitting and watching some cooking shows.  I finished the second sleeve of my Dalriada sweater, so now it's on to the back and making some decisions on how to proceed with this sweater.  I am pretty sure I am going to tinker with the sweater a bit to hopefully get a good fit for me.

After lunch, Ken and I hopped in the car and went for a ride and somehow ended up at Keepsake Quilting.  Hmm…I wonder how that happened..ha!  Ken took a nap in the car while I shopped…he is a patient soul.  I came out with some lovely grays that will become bag linings.  Now that life has settled down a bit I will have more time to devote to sewing…and a little something heading this way will make it even more enjoyable.

That's my weekend in a nutshell.  Not too busy and not too boring….just the way I like a weekend to be.  I hope you had a nice one too!

Pattern:  Icarus
Designer:  Anne Podlesak
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Pearl
Colorway:  Flower Power (color in bottom picture is more accurate)

Finally they are finished!!  Actually, they have been finished for a month or so now, but it took me a little while to get down to see Courtney and give them to her…and take pictures.

Courtney chose the color for these socks last summer and I was going to crank them right out for her.  Yah, that didn't happen….if you remember I happily knit away on the first sock only to have this happen.

That first sock was too big for Courtney's long, but slender foot.  Knowing I was going to have to knit the same sock 3 times had me putting the socks down. Blech!  I have a hard enough time staying interested with a pattern to do it twice, but 3 times was a challenge.  After the holidays however, I put my head down and got them done. Actually the pattern is an easy one to remember and enjoyable to knit, which did make getting them finished so much easier. 
Whew, just in time for Courtney to put them away for next winter..ha!

Wow….how about the weather this weekend?  Absolutely gorgeous and warm on Saturday as we headed down to Massachusetts for a full day of Tai Chi.  A few of us went to North Andover for a Tai Chi Intensive.  I've shared with you in the past that I am basically a shy person until I get to know people, so going to this put me deep into my discomfort zone, but I learned a lot and enjoyed most of the day.  It's good to step outside your comfort zone now and then, right?

Sunday was quite cold and we actually had some snow…say whaat???  It was a perfect day to stay inside, sip some coffee infused with a little Sambuca and knit.

I have a new DK weight yarn we are calling Lotus and I have been swatching for Dalriada for a few weeks now.  There have been some gauge issues that I had to overcome in order to keep the best fabric for the yarn, which was important to me.   I am so fortunate to have a very talented group of knitting friends who were willing to help me over these few weeks to figure a few things out with the pattern and my gauge.  I was so happy when it all came together and I was able to spend the raw and cold afternoon knitting row after row of soothing stockinette.  The very best way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

I hope you had a restful weekend too!

Wow in just a week Spring has made an appearance and one that I think is finally here to stay.  Up here where it has been like the frozen tundra for so long, the new wave of warm weather has truly been a breath of fresh air.  The best part is I am out and walking again!!

Over the winter the frigid temps and the icy, snowy sidewalks made walking outside almost impossible.  With my back and hip issues, moving is very important to keep stiffness and pain at bay, so I had to find another venue. 

A friend of mine who has been a wonderful and loving home for some of my canine babies, has gently prodded me into giving Tai Chi a try.  Every time she would mention it, the only thing that came to mind was….it's for old people and I am not old..ha!

This year when she suggested that I give it a try knowing that I was feeling frustrated not being able to get outside, I decided, what the heck.  At least it isn't something I can hurt myself at, right?

Well, it's been a journey and one that I am thoroughly enjoying.  Tai Chi not only works your muscles, especially once you move beyond the beginners classes, it also works your brain in so many ways.  As an ADD person who definitely has concentration issues, tai chi demands concentration.  It's like nothing I have ever done before and I really enjoy it.  Who knew?  Certainly not me.

One of the benefits of Tai Chi is that it is helping to loosen up my frozen hip which has been the root of my back and leg pain. It thankfully has allowed me to get out walking again.
I have been taking it slow and listening to my body.  This time it's not about how fast I can get the walk done, but rather listening and responding.  When I feel pain, I slow down and if there is no pain I try to stretch it, but just a little bit.

Today……2 miles and zero pain…and a very special treat on my walk.  A bald eagle was soaring and circling above me coming down close enough that I could see it's majestic talons.  It was breathtaking!  I was so mesmerized that I never thought to get my camera out until he was moving away.

So much to see out there and I hope to continue to be able to get out there every single day!

My weekend……in one short post.

• The highlight of the weekend was seeing this dear sweet little boy and his parents.  I don't get to see him as frequently as my other grandchildren who live here in town, so I am always surprised as he grows.  He is such a sweet baby.
• I ate alligator.  If you know me, you would now that I rarely taste things that just doesn't sound like something I should eat, but yet, it was strangely good.  Kind of tasted like fried pork bites.
• I finished Courntey's socks and brought them to her.  It's wonderful to watch her grow up.  She will graduate this Spring…how can that be already??
• I swatched and failed.
• Asked for help from friends and it was all revealed.
• Swatches completed and sweater started with fingers crossed that it all works out.
• Lemon Drop Martini's and Nachos…..would a weekend happen without them?
• Taxes finished and I was not hit with a huge tax bill this year, thanks to Ken's advice for my quarterly taxes and his careful eye to detail with deductions that I might miss.  Thank you Ken!
• Watching the snow melt is almost as satisfying as all of the above things,not quite, but yes…it's finally looking like Spring might actually happen!!!

and one more picture of our sweet little baby playing in his little bouncing chair….such a dear sweet little boy. 

Pattern:  Birch Bark ~ Custom Fit
Designer:  Amy Herzog
Yarn:  The Woolen Rabbit Frolic
Colorway:  Autumn Aster
Needles:  US 6

From the moment I saw this sweater on Amy at her Make.Wear.Love retreat last fall in Sebasco Maine, I LOVED it.  I loved that she made it with one of my yarns too!

If you remember, I had mis-crossed a few of my cables, all the way down at the beginning of the sweater.  I won't lie and tell you I was completely tempted to just leave it, especially since it was not only completed, but blocked.  I had a few friends try to find the mistake and it was hard for them to spot, but still at the end of the day, I knew this would be hanging in my booth as a sample and knew that it would drive me crazy once I knew it was there, so I ripped it out.  I was pretty discouraged about having to do that, so I set it aside for a spell to marinate.

My word for this year is "focus", which is not always an easy feat for this ADD brain.  Part of that for me is the desire to finish up all of these unfinished projects not only cluttering up my space, but my brain, so I buckled down and finished 2 items this last month…whoohoo!  I would have modeled the sweater, but the downside of not being able to work out all winter with my back acting up has been a few extra pounds, but every day when I am working in the shop and looking at this sweater, it will be a motivator to get back out there now that my back is feeling better.

I am so happy that this sweater is now in my closet too! 
Thank you Amy for a lovely pattern!

(Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor, NH)

All that we experience is subjective.
There is no sensation without interpretation.
We create the world and ourselves;
Only when we stop do we see the truth
Deng Ming~Dao

Over the last week I made a conscientious effort to really limit my time on-line with social media.  I love that the internet gives me this fabulous connection to the people in the world that I love, but sometimes I really feel that it cuts into the time that I could be doing some of other things that not I only I should be doing, but that I enjoy doing.

This post is just a small compilation of my week in pictures. 

Last weekend, Ken went down to spend some time with his Mum in Pennsylvania as she has not been feeling well.  During that time, Hannah and I spent some time together, shopping at the mall, going out to dinner and watching some tv.  It was very relaxing.  The picture at the top was taken on my way home from bringing Hannah back to school after her Spring break.  The sun looks so much warmer than it was or still is…brrr!

I have been enjoying some cooking shows on tv lately, so I splurged on a new cutting board to give some new recipes a try….(and maybe a tripod jumped in my car as well).  I love the grain of the teak board, it's so pretty and even prettier with 5 coats of food grade mineral oil on it now.

I also spent a lot of time knitting.  I promised Courtney her socks and I hope to maybe bring them down to her on Sunday if we can get away.  I only have the toe left to do, so they will be finished and ready to go…finally!  She's been a patient girl.
  I also worked a ton on my cabled sweater.  It is all seamed and the neck stitches have been picked up, so it too should be finished this weekend as well.  It's amazing what you can get finished when you just sit and do it without interruption.
(I love how my ipad cover matches her socks, almost as much as I love the knit companion app that is on the ipad)

I also picked up this book that I purchased last year and started reading it again in earnest….one of the reasons why that tripod came home with me.  I have all the tools to take good pictures, now I just need to spend time focusing on learning how.
  A litle more time has been devoted to reading each night before I go to bed again as well. I always used to enjoy doing this to unwind after a long day and I am enjoying again.

I would never want to give up my connection to the great world of the web, but I am working on finding a better balance to help me focus on some things that have fallen by the wayside a bit.

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!!