Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As "Slimy skin," or "Polly-wog,"
Or likewise "Ugly James,"
Or "Gap-a-grin," or "Toad-gone-wrong,"
Or "Bill Bandy-knees":
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.
Hillarie Belleck

The last week has been so enjoyable for me.  It’s one of the few weeks that I get to play in the dyepots with new colors.  Some that work and some that do not…..but it’s all fun.

 

This particular colorway was actually an accident.  I was aiming for something blue and managed to get one of my favorite greens.  I am using the Aestlight Shawl pattern to test knit my Kashmir yarn that is pictured above.  I should be able to knit the shawl with just one skein of yarn……so far I am really enjoying both the yarn and the pattern.

Back to the frog…..
As I was taking pictures of some of the new yarns, I was racking my brain trying to think of a name for this colorway.  It’s a very complex colorway, so I was thinking of “lofty” names to match, when I noticed just at that moment the yarn was actually the same color as the little frogs who frequently appear in my pictures.  Hmmmmm…….I think I will call it “Ribbit” in his honor.  It really is a silly name for such a pretty color, but I think it fits. 😉

Here is a peek at some of the new colors that will be appearing in the shop next month.  Some are old colors that have been reworked a little and some are new and some are still brewing…

                           Forever In Blue Jeans

                                 Cape Cod Blues

                                Pumpkin Patch

                                  Lady Slipper

                                Silvery Blue Moon

Now that I have added a few “blues” to the line up I am off to work on some greens and plums…….

Have a great weekend!!

“Measure twice, cut once,” said the old craftsman.
Only careful planning and patient skill make a dovetail.
Deng Ming~Dao

Well today’s post is not about making a dovetail joint, but it is about patient skill, which has never been my strong suit…..the patient part that is.

Remember back in this post where I thought I would give machine quilting a try….and failed?  Well where I lack patience I tend to overcompensate with tenacity.  (some Ken might call it stubbornness)

I ordered the Christmas Topper kit designed by Rachel Griffith that was on the Moda Bakeshop page awhile back.

I liked it enough to order 2 kits.  One in this Fig Tree fabric line because I love Joanna’s fabrics so and one in the more Christmassy fabric, Crazy Eights that Moda featured.

So merrily I start piecing these fabulous little charm squares.  Back in the day when I used to hand piece, the thing I hated most was cutting out all of those little pieces, so I am very excited to try patterns with pre-cut fabrics.

Ok….so back to the piecing.  First block and my points are off again…arrrgghhh.  This machine sewing is not as easy as it looks.  You have a lot less control than you do when you are hand piecing.

Out comes my trusty quilting bible.  I read the section on machine piecing and try again this time really being careful about pinning my seams.

Much better!!  Look at those points….they are a thing of beauty I tell you!  Scary how these little things excite me isn’t it?

 
After the nine patch squares are complete they are cut in half and then cut in half again, so that it ends up like this…..

which is called a disappearing nine patch.  Isn’t it pretty?

Six of the eight blocks are finished and so far I don't feel like chucking it…..yay! This is how I spent my weekend in between harvesting the garden which I will tell you about soon….it’s all good~ ~

I LOVE Autumn!!  I know….it is the season just before winter and a lot of people do not like winter…. but I can’t help it….I love every single thing about Autumn.  You know what I mean…the smell of wood stoves burning to chase the chill away, apple picking, beautiful foliage and the crunch and smell of fallen leaves beneath your feet.  LOVE it!

 

Another thing I love about Autumn are the colors….

Beautiful reds, golds and oranges kissed with a little green here and there.  These are the colors of the palette I love most.

Recently Ashley asked me if I would make her a new hat for the winter.  She wanted something soft and slouchy…..but not a beret. 

Hmmmmm…………I flipped thru some patterns and found Ysolda’s Ripley.  Ysolda used Blue Sky Worsted Handyed yarn so I had Ash pick out a color she liked with a little direction from me.  (um….everything doesn’t have to be gray just sayin’)

She loves it!  Isn’t it cute? 
(yep…these are new pictures that she sent to me and I tried some effects I learned in my photograph class.)

( PS….Jimmy Beans is a fabulous company to order yarn from!)

The Blue Sky yarn was wonderful to work with but I wasn’t thrilled that a single skein had 4 knots in it….aggh.  Thankfully it spit joined wonderfully….<grin>.

PSS……..the sweet little Sugar Pumpkin pin cushion is a kit offered from my favorite quilt/fabric designer Joanna Figueroa of Fresh Figs and Fig Tree Designs

Single line drawn from one ocular corner to the other.
White clouds firmly tethered to shadows.
What is close at hand must first appear on the horizon.
What is cast upon us always has a source.
Deng Ming~Dao

As many of you know I live in the Mountains of NH, but most of my life was spent living very close to the ocean and I will admit that my heart will always be there.

I recently attended a very fun photography workshop taught by Gale Zucker and hosted by our fiber friend Carole.  Given that the class was happening very close to my birthday and Carole lives very close to the ocean, I told Ken that I would love to spend the weekend in Plymouth and go on a Whale Watch, as I have never been on one.  I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was, so I will share my day with you in pictures.

What a perfect morning!  Not a cloud in the sky and 70 degree weather…….  Did you know that my favorite bird is the Seagull?  Love em!

As we get closer to the area where the whales spend their days, these sea birds let us know we are near as they eat the same things that the whales do.  Amazing that these birds live so far from the shore.

Our first glimpse of a humpback whale enjoying himself slapping the water.  They are ginourmous!!

  One of the ways you know a whale is about to surface is you see this electric green color just under the water.  The green is the color of the many barnacles that have attached themselves to these great animals.

Bam!  There he is right beside our boat.  Simply amazing!

As we were getting ready to head back this young whale waved good bye to us.  We were fortunate enough to see somewhere between 8-10 whales.  There was a marine biologist working on board and many of the whales are ones they have been tracking over the years, but she did say that there appeared to be a number of teenaged whales that were new to them.

As we were heading back towards shore Mr. Woolen Rabbit and I were enjoying the late afternoon sun and discussing how much we enjoyed our day when we saw this heading right toward us……………..

  

Hmmmmmmmmm………………… you know there have been some Great Whites in the waters off of Cape Cod recently.

Yep…the captain of the boat saw it as well, circled back and cut his engine.  (they are very respectful of marine life and do not want the animals to be hurt by the boat).

This was not a shark, but rather an Ocean Sunfish.  These fish are actually tropical fish but are seen now and then when our Northern waters are their warmest. 

The Marine Biologist did mention that this was the best sighting she has had in almost 30 years.  Can you believe how close it was.  I could almost reach out and touch it.  What a treat!

As we pulled into the harbor I told Ken that I wanted to make this an annual birthday present………….now they won’t have to guess what to give me…right?

Today is a day of remembering the loss of loved ones, but it is also a day to celebrate the gift of life and it’s little blessings.

I would like to introduce you to 2 of my little blessings……

McKayla and Aidan are the recipients of my end of summer knitting and sewing.

It’s hard to believe that McKayla is now a big 4th grader and Aidan is in kindergarten….yikes!  Time does have a way of moving on, doesn’t it?

They are great kids and while McKayla is always a little lady, her brother can be quite the handful at times.

Getting him to sit still long enough to get a picture of his socks was no easy feat (no pun intended)…..just ask his Mum.

I have to admit, little mischievous boys always make me chuckle because they remind me very much of my own son at that age.  Much much easier when you are their grandmother though….LOL.

 

I think he likes his little back pack………………….

 

….and I know Mckayla loves her new skirt and backpack too.

 

 

 Socks~

Pattern:  my own
Yarn:  Woolenrabbit Harmony
Colorway:  Red Flannel

 Bag~
Free tutorial here (easy peasy and fun)

 

 

Sometimes we get so busy with our lives we forget to stop for a moment and think of the little blessings that we are fortunate to have.  I hope on this day, you take a few minutes as well.

I am crazy busy getting a few things caught up, but I thought I would stop in and say hi.:)

Can you believe that it is Labor Day weekend?  I hope you all have a fabulous holiday! 

(check back on Monday to see what these things become)

Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, festivals.  
Measure our progress on the path.
Deng Ming~Dao 

As you know I have been diligently knitting away on what has affectionately been referred to as my Bee Blob.  It was to be a surprise for a soon to be new mom and I didn't want to spill the beans, therefore…..the Bee Blob :).

I finished up with her late last night just in time for her to make her way to her new owner…… Cheryl today.

As you can see, the Bee Blob is Anne’s new pattern, Honey Baby.  Early this spring, I asked Anne if she would consider writing a pattern based on my favorite bees as a baby blanket as I knew that a new baby was going to be in our midst.  I felt it was such a perfect way to welcome a little wee bee into the sisterhood of the hive. (Manise knows what I am talking about)

Anne was pretty busy at the time, so I didn’t think about it again until she emailed me in June and asked if I was still interested in doing this project.  Of course the answer was a resounding YES!

Whew….it came right down to the wire as to weather or not I would get it finished in time as I had made an error early on that had me tearing back a good 10 inches of my work….aggh.  Silly error from not paying close enough attention.

So…….  I made a conscious decision yesterday morning that I was not going to get out of my chair until it was finished……and I was in that chair ALL day long…. late into the evening……. which is no easy feat for a grrl with ADD.. :).

Sitting in my chair I was able to finish Baby Bee and I was also able watch the entire funeral and final goodbyes for Ted Kennedy.  It was incredibly moving.  Living most of my life in Massachusetts, good or bad, love them or hate them, the Kennedy’s have always been a little part of my history.  It’s sad to see this chapter come to an end, but his family said good bye in such a beautiful and touching way.  I was glad I was able to watch the entire event from start to finish.

 Pattern:  Honey Baby
Yarn:  Woolen rabbit Essence ~ Bodacious Blossom
Needles:  US 4 and 5 circular 32 inch

I am offering this as a kit in the shop.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did…….such a beautiful pattern!! 

Thank you Anne!

Do you remember when Ken and I visited Dan and Jean back in April and Jean had given me a packet of sunflower seeds?  Well let me tell you these Lemon Queen Sunflowers are the mother of all bee attracting flowers!

This particular sunflower is part of the Sunflower project to help scientists understand the challenges facing our bees today.  One is to count the number of bees that land on a flower in one half an hour.  I can tell you that I have NEVER had so many bees in my yard as I have once these flowers bloomed.

You can bet that next year I am going to plant lots of these sunflowers…..early and continuously.

Some other good news on the garden front is my corn….yay!

Ken and I managed to tie up the stalks that had fallen over.  We really didn’t hold out much hope for anything to grow, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull it out and I couldn’t just leave it laying on the ground.

Imagine our surprise when we saw the little ears growing!  Of course the yield won’t be as good as it could be as some of those stalks are bunched too tightly together, but any corn is better than none at all, right?

You know that Autumn can’t be far away when your butternut squash is looking like this.

This morning we woke up to a very chilly 40 degree morning……it felt GREAT after the humidity we have had most of August.

Of course my summer loving friends would disagree with me, but give me these fall temps any day. 🙂

~

There has been some knitting as well…….same as last blog post.

 

I have been a monogamous grrl this summer, plugging away on the bee blob.  I can’t think of anything I would rather knit in the summer to be honest with you. 

Don’t you just love how those little bees line up so nicely in a row? 

The blob is almost finished and will make her debut next week.

Rachel !! I had so much fun reading all of your guesses as to what the pretty Amy Butler fabric was going to be!!  Can you believe that only one person guessed that it was going to be a skirt?  That would be Rachel and she is the winner of the first skein of Kashmir in Tupelo Honey.

The random generator picked Anne Marie for a skein of Kashmir in Woodrose.

The skirt is for my granddaughter, McKayla, who just happened to be away this week with her Dad’s family, so Hannah is modeling it for me today.  I first saw this skirt here and Karla was kind enough to tell me how to make it…..thanks Karla!

After all of the tote bag guesses, I ordered a little more of this fabric to make a back back for her, as I thought it was a good idea too! I will take more pictures of the skirt and back pack when she gets home.

Thank you for playing along! 

Lately it seems that I have been very happy to get back to my sewing roots even if I did have a big “fail” a few weeks back with my quilt.

I think I may be one of the very last people to have discovered the Moda Bakeshop.  Have you ever visited?  Well if you haven’t and you enjoy sewing, you are in for a treat!

Go on and take a look……..I’ll wait.

I have discovered a whole new world of bloggers….”quilting bloggers”.  So many of them are amazing photographers and wonderfully creative!  It’s been fun reading and getting new ideas.

Which brings me back to the fabric.  Can you guess what it is going to be? 

I am going to run a contest to introduce my new yarn, Kashmir.  The first person to guess correctly what the fabric will be will get a skein and I will also choose a random winner.  Email me no later than Friday at 9pm (EST) and I will announce the winner on Saturday.

~

There actually has been some knitting going on here as well.  As you can see my Bee Blob is growing in leaps and bounds.

  I’m not sure if you can make it out…..but can you see it?  It’s my most favorite part of this project……buzzzzzzzzzzz.