It’s My Birthday

and I feel no urge to cry whatsoever – LOL.  Fifty seems like a great number to me, and I would be delighted to add another few decades to that total!  After having stared at the alternative 5 years ago when I spent my 45 birthday recovering from a lumpectomy, and facing the prospect of months of chemo and more surgery, I have appreciated each birthday as it has rolled around.  Bring ’em on!!

We spent Easter break at my mom’s house, enjoying the change in scenery and doing things with family.  My mom commented that my hands are never still – I am always doing, doing, doing something.  And you know, she is right.  I am never truly comfortable sitting and doing nothing.  So without further chatter, here are some of the things that I have been working on in the last little bit.

I sent this Halloween sewing set to Lody for her birthday exchange present:
     This is Giulia Punti Antichi’s Halloween sewing set stitched on 25 ct light cognac evenweave.  The cat scissors fob is a Blackbird Design stitched over one, and the spider on the back of the purse is a Tanya Meehan freebie.  I had fun sewing on the black bead balls along the top of the purse and the bottom of the scissors case, and I used one bead ball as a button closure for the needlecase!  Lody’s birthday was actually in January, and who ever heard of sending Halloween for a new years baby??  LOL –  Lody has much better pics here: http://lodyscreations.blogspot.com/

I love how Lavon’s Ackworth Quaker Friendship book turned out:

      The soy luster floss in teal is so vibrant!  I have now totally finished 3 of these books, and find that the pages are always slightly different in size.  This may well be due to the different tension at which we stitch.  Lavon mentioned that she thought that the size variation added to the charm of the piece, and I must say I agree with her!

I also had the chance to put together a tote for one of the Yahoo groups I belong to.  Several ladies stitched hearts – and for each heart they received an entry into a draw for the bag.  Congrats to Lisa – I hope she uses and enjoys her Heart of SNS2 tote for a long time!     As you can see, this tote will handle a BAP on qsnaps easily, and I added pockets inside for charts, highlighters, scissors and needles.

Finally, here is the ornament I stitched for March.  I am on a Crossed Wing Collection kick – this is Red Bird from the 1997 JCS ornament issue, stitched on Ruby Red Belfast linen.     

As my brother said when he called this morning, ‘it’s all good!’

It’s Spring, It’s Spring!

Can you tell I am a wee bit excited??  I spent yesterday working in the front yard, cleaning away all the debris from this very long, cold, snowy winter, and clearing away all the plants that I leave long in the fall.  There are a few crocus blooming, the daffodils are peeking up, and the Liver Leaf is about to burst into beautiful bloom!  We won’t talk about the snowdrift that is left in the back yard, or how soggy everything is back there.

We had a few visitors last month – our local neighborhood gang!

 These are the yearlings – the moms have kicked them out of the herd in preparation for the arrival of this year’s babies.  So this little herd wanders about looking for mischief!  I am happy to report that the snow on the ground is all gone! 

Are you ready for a knitting update?  I finished this lovely piece for my friend Cindy’s birthday gift

   This is the Print O’ The Wave stole pattern written by Eunny Jang – knit in Heritage Hand Dyes wool & silk laceweight blend in Aquamarine.  When Cindy was here last May I showed her this yarn and asked her to pick out a pattern.  Good choice, don’t you think?  Cindy was thrilled with her gift and actually wears it – lol – which is enough to make this knitter happy.

   I finished this Dropped Stitch Scarf as well – this is a 100% soy silk tape yarn called Phoenix – the color is Purplexed, by South West Trading Company.  The pattern is a freebie by Christine Vogel.  I love the finished product, but spent many hours unwinding the yarn so the tape was not twisted.  Many thanks to Jodi for sending the yarn!
  So who knits for the knitters in the world?  I made this stole for my SIL, who knit many beautiful baby doll and barbie outfits for my daughter.  This pattern is aptly named Lacy Shawl – another freebie, this time from Lion Brand Yarn, and the yarn is Paton’s Cotton Rich in peach.  Maureen was surprised and happy to receive her shawl too!

Finally, I finished this pair of Rivendell socks, from Janet Laidman’s ‘The Eclectic Sole: Socks for Adventurous Knitters’.  This was a fun knit – I love the patterning!  A vintage cone of Paton’s Kroy yarn in teal was used. 

It is time to get out and enjoy some of that sunshine.   Happy Spring!