1st Quarter Report

This baby squirrel appeared one day in February and the little one zigged when he/she should have zagged. It's mother booked it up an oak tree in our backyard, but this little guy started to run up the screen and realized - OOPS! This isn't the way back to my nest. What do I do??? Since it was just frozen there, no doubt in sheer panic because Eddie was on the inside of the screen, just out of the picture, I went out with a towel and carefully removed the baby. Off it went, back to familiar ground. Too cute though! It took a while for Eddie to calm down that day.

Okay, now that you are sucked in by a cute baby squirrel picture, here are my finishes for the 1st Quarter of 2011. Brown "Boyfriend" hat for my brother in Atlanta. (#1 on 2011 list)



Two Purl Ridge scarves in Traveler (DK weight) by Sanguine Gryphon. The blue/purple one was a Dye Pot Luck skein, and the other one was one of their Winter 2010 colorways. (#6 on 2011 list)

Here is my Kilkenny Cowl in Chickadee by Quince and Co. The Lupine color was gorgeous - not totally a purple, but not really a blue either. A memorable finish to this - I bound off the last few stitches as my friend and her husband were pulling up my driveway after flying in from France. This cowl was her October 2010 birthday gift. Done! A bit challenging of a knit, but well worth it. (#2 on 2011 list)

This is a sideways picture of my Boathouse Scallop Scarf. It was knit in the Plucky Knitter's Primo (MCN 75/20/5) Fingering weight yarn in a colorway called Boathouse (blue/green). My first knit with PK Primo and it was divine. Lots more to be knit with this yarn, for sure! (Also #6 on 2011 list)

Honey Cowl in the Sanguine Gryphon's Bugga! (MCN 70/10/10) in their Gold Bug colorway. This is a great pattern to show off a spectacular hand-dyed yarn, and a very easy, mindless pattern too. Free from Madelinetosh's website. (Just for fun!)

After rug camp in January, I came home and finished hooking this piece - Ulysses, a Notforgotten Farm design, and available from Spruce Ridge Farm. It was my project from the 2010 Off The Ocean (January) Rug Camp and was not a very big piece. I am binding it like a quilt with brown wool and one side is done in the picture. (#7 on 2011 list)

Here is another Just Enough Ruffles scarf (doubled over). It was a gift for my DF who lives in California and doesn't do well with wool. So it is in a Cotton/Acrylic mix with a multi-colored fuzzy yarn in the ruffle. This will be her Spring/Summer scarf, because for Christmas, I made her another scarf in a rusty color with some interesting eyelashy yarn in the ruffle. So that's the Fall/Winter scarf. (Not on 2011 list)

Not much stitching got done in the 1st Quarter, but lots of yarn buying for new projects and STASH!!! Here was a wonderful BOX from The Plucky Knitter.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Eddie at one of his favorite activities - facing down his backyard buddies!

March On

Happy St. Pat's Day! May the road rise up to greet you. . . and a lot of green yarn too!

New Year/Old News

I haven't been posting because life has just gotten in the way these past few months. I've been Ms. Frequent Flyer - buzzing across the country and then up and down the East Coast several times. It was good to be home for a few weeks in preparation for Christmas - celebrate Christmas - off for a short New Year's trip - and now home to tend to some business and prepare for rug camp in a WHAAAAAT the next week!!!

First, for the New Year, I've joined some of my fellow stitchers and made a list of projects and WIP's (works in progress) that I would like to finish this year. Since I not only do cross stitch, my list includes knitting and rug hooking projects as well. Check out this link to our new blog to see what everyone is planning to work on in 2011. Not sure whether I'll be doing "11 in 2011" or just attempting to finish 15 WIP's. Maybe a combo. Hopefully, I'll get my list up on the blog soon, but here's is the draft list in no particular order or priority:

- knit brown 'boyfriend' hat - gift
- finish Quince &amp: Co. Kilkenny Cowl - gift

- finish blocks for Civil War Tribute Quilt and get top together

- Saturday Sampler blocks - assemble top, get quilted, and bind it

- finish Quince & Co. Osprey cardigan in Pomegranite

- knit another Purl Ridge Scarf in Sanguine Gryphon yarn or Plucky Knitter yarn (from stash)
- finish Ulysses hooked rug
- knit a pair of socks from the toe up
- repro another cross-stitch design
- finish The Primitive Needle's Cape Cod Girls - gift

- finish The Sampler Girl's At Home With Jane Austen - gift

- knit the Moody and Broody Club sweater (Dark and Stormy) in Plucky Knitter yarn
- knit Clockwork scarf in Sanguine Gryphon yarn

Not up to 15 yet, but I've got at least 12 other cross-stitch WIP's in one of my stitching bags, so I can always pull from there as I get a few of the above finished. Also, since I did want to start something on 1/1/11, I stitched part of the border of the 1st Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs. I have one big piece of linen and am planning to stitch all of the designs on it. Of course, this could go on "The List", but certainly not as ONE project, when there are at least 12 separate designs and a few bonus designs. So this was just a "start" for now.

As for some old news - one of my trips took me to New Mexico in October - flying in on the very weekend that the Taos Wool Festival was taking place. Somehow, I convinced my husband that we had to spend a day in Taos before heading for Los Alamos for a week where he was going to attend a training class at the National Labs. It was a typical - gorgeous day and wonderful WOOLY event. Here are a few of my pictures.

Felted hats and mohair locks!

 Booths!

Sheep! (some already shorn)

Yarn! (and mountains)

MY yarn and roving!

We went on to stay in Los Alamos and this is the Post Office there in the middle of town. Just loved it! During the Manhattan Project days, there was only a P.O. Box in Sante Fe for Los Alamos, but as the place grew and the secret got out, they got their own Post Office. I believe their first Post Office was a small wooden structure, then it was replaced. This building is across the street from Starbucks, or should I say that they other way around??? Ha-Ha!  But it was nice to sit outside with a Caramel Macchiotto and a piece of Pumpkin Bread and enjoy the view.

Speaking of views, here is a shot of one of the canyon walls with ruins at Bandelier National Monument - one of my most favorite places in New Mexico. I got to visit twice during the week we stayed at nearby Los Alamos. It can easily be done as a day-trip from Sante Fe, which we have done in the past.

Here is a shot of the canyon floor with the main area of ruins - the site of an ancient multi-storied complex - in the shade, which is now believed to have been used more for storage of food stuffs and animals, rather than for living purposes. So much history is concentrated in this canyon!

Well, the New Year has started and I've already finished the first item on my list - the brown boyfriend hat which is going off to one of my brothers - YEAH! so hopefully all of you will consider an "11 in 2011" and be working on your lists in between LIFE. Here's to keeping busy, but not frantic!