10.13.12

It has been chilly here, lately. In addition to wearing two nightgowns, socks, and my spring/fall bathrobe and occasionally sweatpants, I have been having hot tea again every afternoon. I have come up with a rating system to play around with since I bought two boxes of assorted teas. Here is what I have so far.

Blueberry Superfruit. Four and a half stars out of five. It is not at all tea-like but I enjoyed the flavor very much.

Acai Berry. Four and a quarter stars. Also not tea flavored and almost as good as the blueberry. In fact, I can see myself preferring it somedays. 

Lemon Ginger. Four and a quarter stars. Very good but seems like a tea to have in place of dessert. It really did beg to be had with gingersnaps but since I am not "doing" carbs right now, I had it alone.

 Cinnamon Apple Chamomile. Three and a half stars. It was okay but smelled better than it tasted. Plus, for all that it says caffeine free, I only slept for a few minutes at a time last night. Probably not the tea, though.

  


Licorice Spice. Five Stars. This one is always my favorite. It settles my stomach after a meal and makes me smile when I sip it. It is naturally sweet and so far is the only one I use that I don't add some sort of artificial sweetener. Both of my "quasi local" grocery stores used to have it but I have not seen it lately. I will check Walmart next week. Otherwise, I will have to find another five star flavor!

10.12.12

Oh, DEAR! I spent too much time doing nothing yesterday and I have missed a post! And this one is LATE! Today I go to the Quilter's Cabin at the Georgia Fair again to demonstrate. I will be working on one of my billion handwork pieces next to my friend, Tallahassee Quilty Friend. She is such an upbeat and cheerful soul, I will come away refreshed. Good thing, too. I have BAAAAD insomnia this morning. Slept 20-40 minutes at a time, awakened by loud noises that did not happen and horrible dreams. Even WITH chemical assistance, I was only able to keep my head on the pillow five hours. TIME TO MOVE ON. Maybe I will catch a nap this afternoon. Used to be I would just have to get up and go to work.

10.11.12

10.10.12

Have you met my glass-headed model? I call him THAT'S HEADLEY after Harvey Korman's character in Blazing Saddles. 






 

Here he is modeling a cowl I knit for my Oregon Sister-in-Law following the Ambitus Cowl pattern. The fabric is a wool and bamboo blend. It has a lovely sheen to it and pretty color variations.

Cascade Lana Bambu is a blend of 79% wool and 21% viscose from bamboo fiber. It is not that much fun to work with but it has been made with a nice blend of color. I like all the colorways it comes in but when I was in the shop, they only had two or three choices and I liked Ruby best. I bought it on a whim with no clear idea what I would do with 196 yards but it turns out that at 4.5 stitches to the inch, it makes a nice cozy neck piece to wear under a pullover.

10.9.12

TEA TIME TUESDAY

Today the feature is a pretty Korean made set in a delicate shade of celadon green. I am not sure how I would like to drink from handleless cups. Instead, I will just visit this newest edition to my virtual collection right here.

10.8.12

Monday Mantra

Last week:
"I can choose my own way." It was very empowering. The only drawback was having to accept responsibility for my choices! Isn't that always the case?

So what do you think of this one? Seems like exactly the right thing to keep thinking when needing to accomplish a huge task.

10.6.12

I keep looking for help for the "Why We Get Fat" Gary Taubes diet theory but I can't find much. I have done very well with under 20 grams of carbs each day but I need to keep remembering to drink the bouillon and get two salads in.


DIET UPDATE
sodium--target: about 2,000 mg daily
carbs--target: less than 20 grams daily
weight--first target: 5% by October 1, didn't make it but I am closing in on it!
Drinking bouillon every day seems to help. Headaches are gone if I remember to have at least one cup a day. I wonder how my blood work will look.

10.6.12

COMPANY COMES TODAY! See you Monday.

10.5.12

 I have spent four days trying to make a studio out of my huge gigantic piles. I now ALMOST have things assigned to certain areas 

  
depending on the technique used to accomplish the project. As usual, I have found a billion things I forgot I had. 
That is okay, though. Today there is a sale at the Quilt Shop on Main in Jasper 


and I can get some more fabric that might help finish the billion projects. Or start some new ones.

So if you live anywhere near Pickens County and you are at home in your jammies reading this post, get up, get dressed, get going. This is going to be a great sale.


 


Did you guess that I would be looking for red fabrics? I am also looking for this book by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley. Our Applique class is headed for stained glass style--not really my cup of tea. While looking for a pattern I might like in stained glass, I found this book. I absolutely DID check to see if my library had it--they did not. 

P.S. I DID find some stained glass style I could live with over at Three Swans Studios. For instance, what do you think of this? Yeah, me, too. Lovely but too fiddly with all the petals on THE SUNFLOWER. I think
  
Original Quilty Friend might like this one. It looks like it has fabrics she might like. I kind of like it, too.Ooops. LEAVES AND BERRIES does not count as stained glass. I guess my tiles book does not count either. Although tiles and this little design have space between the applique, they do not have the black lines that imitate the leading in real stained glass. 

These are more stencil style. Too bad because look what else they have that I like. TULIPS, PINKS, DIANTHUS, and SUMMER ROSES. Check them out under the subtitle, Applique.

If it must be stained glass style, I choose PICES. Isn't it a dandy? The website says, "The design was inspired by a stained glass Pisces from a window in the magnificent 13th century Chartres Cathedral in France." I have seen the original!

10.4.12

Look what I won from INCOMPARABLE BUTTONS!Aren't they lovely? Original Quilty Friend thinks they would look great on a knitted cowl in shades to go with denim. I think she might be right. Or I could use them down the front of a chambray shirt. They have so many wonderful designs I think I feel a shopping spree coming on...

Rushing off to Applique Class. We are working on designing our own Rose of Sharon blocks. I have the palette, chose background, but I can't make myself start. I have so many undone projects. I will take my oak and acorn two color from Pacific Rim.  I am almost finished with sewing down the outer border and a couple of the leaves.

Connie will teach us another method. I never got to practice the last method since I was still back-basting. I probably will not try it. It had mixed results and I can see where other methods would be better for me. I do know how to do it now, though.

10.2.12

TEA TIME TUESDAY

PUMPKINS! Get it HERE.

 

If you are a doll, this is the perfect size for you. But wait before you rush out to buy a set for yourself. I have pumpkin themed TEA TIME all month. Maybe even into November...

10.1.12

It has been two weeks since I posted a Monday Mantra. Last time was Einstein's miracle in the day quote. Today I will continue a thread of thought from Saturday's post. "I can choose my own way." Try it, it is very empowering.

9.30.12

Yes. We really are having company and I really do have to clean up. In fact, I should be dusting and polishing right now.

I should not be on the computer AT ALL especially since I spent most of yesterday publishing a pattern for sale RIGHT HERE ON RAVELRY. 

This is a scarf designed as a commission from my niece NM for her mother, SouthFlorida Sister-in-law. She liked it, I thought it would be fun to see if I could publish a pattern, so there you go.

9.29.12

It is Grandmother's Choice day again. I am afraid to look, but you can if you click HERE.

ETA  I looked. I think I am out. When something one does for "fun" becomes a chore or task to avoid, it is not a hobby anymore. Now I will have nine more hours a week to clean up the studio.

9.28.12

New chicken in the house. Recent house guests--well, really, driveway guests since they bring their own motor home--my in-laws gave me a new chicken for my collection! She really works, too!

9.26.12

Finally finished last Saturday's BOW but I am not at all satisfied.

I am due to have company again so no doubt the block of the week will be Carpenter's Star or something else equally nightmarish. If this block was supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff, I think chaff just picked me to play for their side. 
I did not even get the second block done because I have to finish other things on my list.

Here is a picture of it, ready to be appliqued.

9.27.12

FMQC
The guest teacher for September is Paula Reid of Batts in the Attic Quilt Studio. She is another example of a machine quilter who uses templates for "free motion". I just can not wrap my head around how templates qualify as free motion. Thanks to an earlier tutorial by Don Linn, I had the tulle method to help me transfer the pattern. Thanks to the other instructors, I had learned that it is okay to go back over some of the lines and more than once makes it look less like a mistake. I am gaining more confidence with this.

Since June, my 1630 machine has been out of commission. Instead,I have been using my 915. Obstacles include: no automatic needle down; difficulty changing the bobbin; no advanced warning of low bobbin. What I do NOT miss about not using the 1630: I can actually switch the light off and on on the 915; the 915 does not keep turning itself off and on at warp speed causing the needle to jump back and forth maniacally constantly resetting the needle down option.

Well, I have said it before. I. HATE. FEATHERS. But this is not so bad. She gave no directions as to where to start, inner or outer but said that it would be necessary to retrace lines. It is a lovely motif, but one I am NEVER EVER EVER likely to use in my own machine quilting. I do not even like feathers as hand quilting. I am sure some of the professional quilters doing this challenge have some lovely work. Me, I can see that precision and exact copy are not going to be part of my style. I prefer more "free" in my free motion.

9.23.12

OH, MY! Yesterday's block is a lulu! I have all the fabric chosen and cut. I just need about three more days to work it out. Meanwhile, I am worried that I might not make this month's FMQC. Company still here until mid-day Monday, and we are enjoying ourselves.

9.22.12

It is Grandmother's Choice BOW day again. I have company so that may slow me down a little. I hope it is one of the easy blocks or at least applique which will slow everyone down. Click the green and purple umbrella to the right of this post and see what today's block turned out to be.

9.21.12

I won another contest. Well, two actually. First I won buttons from INCOMPARABLE BUTTONS in Cape Town, which is about a billion miles east of Uruguay. They are on their way here (posted Sep 14) and I will photograph them when they arrive. If you know me at all, you know I have a great love of buttons. I will make something and show you how I decided to use these. I am not even sure which set I won but if you click on the link above you will get a look at a catalog I would leave around for Santa Claus if I had my own copy. Anything they send me would become my favorite set. Can't wait.

Next, I won a knitting pattern from RIDICULOUS KNITS-- a copy of  Kate Lemmer's shawl pattern Meddybemps, which she calls More than a scarf and less than a shawl... a Scrawl. It is an interesting lace project and I look forward to reading the pattern and learning the construction. Instead of showing you a photo, I put in several links so you can go see for yourself the generous blogger and clever designer and the Ravelry page where you can buy yourself a copy.

9.20.12

I am up early enough to see the miracle of sunrise. Today it will be filtered through clouds and mist. Miracle.

Absolutely HAVE to clean out this studio again. I have several quilting projects out in various stages of disarray. Then there is the knitting. I think I should probably triage every area and at least separate overflow into different media. 

I have decided to liberate that beautiful blueberry alpaca I wrote about on the 14th--click to see the picture again. I will have to put it on the swift as it comes off the sweater (definitely larger than I would like to wear anyway) and gently bathe it to release the crinkles. I may try the Downy Wrinkle Release first, which I really like to use.

I am thinking I would like to make Lara by Debbie Bliss, but I already have six inches of the first sleeve done on that in another yarn, another color. I do not like the fabric it made--too loose for the one ply yarn--so I may undo that as well.

This is the sweater destined to be the blueberry, I think. It is the Cara Crossover Cardi by Helene Rush. It will look lovely over jeans and dress up my usual winter wardrobe of jeans and a horrible partially acrylic WalMart sweatshirt in a color that was on sale, not necessarily one I would select for myself. No doubt I will make it two or three inches longer so I do not have to have gaposis if I need to bend over and pick something up.

9.19.12

PIRATE DAY JOKE AT THE END OF THIS POST.
First of all, let me say that I do not really like chocolate. I know, right? Everyone I know talks about chocolate with that swoony-dreamy look but I just do not get it.   
I do not hate it but if someone gave me a bowl of M and Ms, I would more likely sort them by color and make mosaics with them than eat the entire bowl.

Second of all, let me say that I do not really like soda. Maybe you call it pop, sodapop, or coke. I was sick so often as a child that soda holds no romance for me. Instead, it reminds me of why I was given soda in the first place. That is not to say that a frosty glass of a cola drink on a hot day would go undrunk, but usually my beverage of choice is filtered water. I used to live in Florida and our water tasted like pool water right from the tap so filtered is my favorite water flavor.
So when I tried THIS diet soda, my expectations were not high.

But I love it. It is the best. It is my new favorite drink. It is delicious. Get some. I have tried the Vanilla--very good--and the Black Cherry is in the refrigerator right now. I am going to be looking for the Black Raspberry next time I go to the store. But I doubt any flavor will be as appealing to me as fake chocolate. After all, when I go to McDonald's, my favorite milkshake is fake strawberry and I have never really enjoyed eating REAL strawberries. I know. I am an enigma.

ALSO, it is TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY, so here's a joke fer ye.
     So there's this Pirate with a parrot. And this parrot swears like a sailor, I mean he's a pistol. He can swear for five minutes straight without repeating himself. Trouble is, the pirate who owns him is a quiet, conservative type, and this bird's foul mouth is driving him crazy. 
     One day, it gets to be too much, so the pirate grabs the bird by the throat, shakes him really hard, and yells, "QUIT IT!" But this just makes the bird mad and he swears more than ever. The pirate gets mad and says, "OK for you," and locks the bird in a cabinet. 
     This really aggravates the bird and he claws and scratches, and when the pirate finally lets him out, the bird cuts loose with a stream of invective that would make a veteran pirate blush. At that point, the pirate is so mad that he throws the swearing bird into the freezer. 
      For the first few seconds there is a terrible din. The bird kicks and claws and thrashes. Then it suddenly gets very quiet. At first the pirate just waits, but then he starts to think that the bird may be hurt. 
     After a couple of minutes of silence, the pirate is so worried that he opens up the freezer door. The bird calmly climbs onto the man's out-stretched arm and says, "Awfully sorry about the trouble I gave you. I'll do my best to improve my vocabulary from now on. By the way, what did the chicken do?" 

9.18.12

Tea Time Tuesday    Check out the BigelowBlog
What a great day for a nice cup of tea! Well, almost. It has been cool here in the mornings, but not cool enough for hot tea in the afternoon. When it IS time for hot tea, I will be thinking about something decaffeinated. I did not know Constant Comment came that way.  Constant Comment is a favorite of one of my sisters-in-law. I have three: OregonSister-in-Law, SouthFloridaSister-in-law, and MidFloridaSister-in-Law. Constant Comment is SouthFlorida's favorite tea. 
I like to think it reminds us both of the fall and winter holidays. Must be the fact that we tend to drink hot tea in the winter and the scent of this one has orange, cloves and cinnamon; scents of the season. It is almost time, Sis!
If you are looking for a green tea, this one also comes in GREEN TEA FLAVOR! So far, I have never tasted a green tea I could stand but I am willing to try it. Maybe...

9.17.12

 Monday Mantra

 Thought for last week:I can do it.  And I did. Stick to the "new, healthy eating plan", I mean. The results are slow but I still feel good about saying I can do it. Nevertheless, maybe focus can go another direction at the same time. A friend of mine from grade three posted this on FaceBook and I borrowed it.

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle" —-Albert Einstein

What do you think? I pretty much think of everything as WONDERFUL. I know, it is a shortcoming that eternal optimists have to live with but as shortcomings go, it is a pretty great one. 

Do you ever get up in time to see the sunrise? Miracle! And that is just the first few moments of the day. Spend the week looking for and enjoying the everyday miracles. When you notice one, acknowledge it by saying to yourself, MIRACLE! And as much as I really enjoy sarcasm, if you say it sarcastically, it does not count and you run the risk of missing a real opportunity to take delight in the day.

 

9.16.12

The GC BOW block was Union Square. It took me from 9:30 until 1:30 to select and cut fabrics. From 2:00 until 7:00, I sewed and pressed. I enjoyed doing this one but because our days are growing shorter, sunlight had shifted a little more than I expected, plus I started about two hours later this week so photo editing was a little less than satisfactory. But I finished!

9.15.12

It is Saturday, the day of the GC BOW. Go HERE to see what block I am doing today. So far, my choice to hand piece has pleased me very much. Especially with last week's Y-seams. See you tomorrow.

YESTERDAY'S DIET UPDATE
sodium--target: about 2,000 mg daily
carbs--target: less than 20 grams daily
weight--TOTAL SINCE DAY ZERO -3.6
            first target: 5% by October 1 
Can't seem to make the sodium target
without bouillon. Made some cabbage
soup. 

9.14.12

Found it. The missing sweater's worth of dark blue. 

Berroco Alpaca in the Blueberry colorway. It is beautiful, isn't it? It is an Allbut. It is a raglan, topdown pullover with Allbut one and a half sleeves. I hate the way the first sleeve was attached. I think the fabric of the sweater is too dense. I am considering frogging it and washing the yarn and starting over. Considering. I could also just take out the half sleeve which looks weird under the arm and redo it.  I could also just try it on and then decide.

9.13.12

Another Allbut. 
Also cotton but in a color I really enjoy. It is the Bistro Shirt from Oat Couture, by Annie Dempsey. Once again, a pattern I bought as a paper pattern but is now available as a PDF from Patternfish.

At least, I think this is the pattern I Allbutted. That is the exact color of cotton yarn I chose. It is in a bag with the pattern and I chose to do it in the round. It is finished up to the armholes. 

If it is not Bistro, it could be the Laguna Blouse , which I also found in the same bag... Whatever it is, I discovered that yesterday's Allbut and today's, both out of cotton yarn were abandoned because I take no pleasure--NONE AT ALL--in knitting with cotton.  I will have to get over it and finish these Allbuts. At least they were not acrylic.

9.12.12

So. I went stash diving again and although I could not find my sweater's worth of deep blue Berroco Ultra Alpaca--I am sure it was Ultra Alpaca...or maybe it was Cascade 220? Anyway, mid dive I found several Allbut projects. By that I mean, all but [fill in the blank] such as all but sleeves, all but three-needle bind off at shoulders, that kind of thing. 
 Such as this tank by Deb Gemmell. I bought it as a paper hard copy pattern, but you can go to Patternfish and buy it as a PDF right HERE I found out that I had only the shoulders to do and maybe a little crochet around armholes and neck. I did not rib the whole thing but only the underarms and I put a pattern stitch through the body. I remember when I bought the yarn they did not have enough cotton in a color I liked so I ended up with the same dusty, sick green I tend to have a lot of. It must be because everyone hates that green and buys all the other colors.I think IF I finish this, I might try overdying it or using it as an undershirt this winter. Generally, greens do not look good on me unless they have more blue undertones. I SURELY dislike dusty ANY COLOR but this was a class so I had to buy at the shop. More's the pity.