Friday - 04/06/2018

CRAFT BONANZA!!!!!  I had a doctor appointment in Mountain Home today so I took my 'never-ending' supply list to Hobby Lobby.  I was going to order from Amazon but hadn't yet so I thought I would see what supplies I could get at HL first.  You're going to think this is a lot and it is but you have to understand I only go shopping like this about every 6 months.  I save up until I either go to Mountain Home or order from Amazon and get free shipping.  Anyway.........I found almost everything I wanted except I need some alphabet stamps for cards etc. and I did see them on Amazon.
 1)  BTW, I did take my floss cards to HL and compared all the colors.  I actually did pretty well except for 2 I had to switch and 2 were totally missing so I bought them.   I think that was probably the most time consuming part of this new cross stitch project.  I also bought a G and an H Clover crochet hooks with the comfort handle.  I know so many crocheters that use these hooks and love them.  I still use the old aluminum ones that I've had for years and they can hurt my hands.  I'll let you know what I think although right now I'm using a I hook.....why didn't I buy that size?  Duh!

2)  This is roving for needle felting.  I have a kit that someone gave me years ago and I never tried it but I have seen some really cute little animals and they say it isn't difficult....there are You Tube videos so I am counting on them!  I needed more colors so this package fit the bill.....

  3)  I use body butter instead of body lotion but the commercial stuff is usually full of other chemicals too so I have wanted to make my own and after successfully making my own soap I thought I would try the body butter.  I bought the base and some pink grapefruit essential oil.....stay tuned! 

 4)  I bought some stickers for my bullet journal........

 5)  More cotton dish cloth yarn............on sale..............

I had a green, red and white Christmas yarn but this one has the addition of pink and I fell in love!

6)  Candle making supplies - I actually need to order non-lead cotton wicks from Amazon but I was able to get some wooden ones and some soy wax.  I burn candles all the time and I can't afford the pricier ones but they are the better ones that use soy and non-lead wicks so..........I'll be making my own.  How hard can it be?   I love the wood wicks as it sounds like a crackling fire.

7)  Some card stock for making cards.  I have been wanting to do this for ages!

Glitter gel pens....I have looked everywhere for these....so excited to use these.....I got all my supply info from Connie over at Far Side Of Fifty.....she makes lovely cards and so does Stefanie but mine are going to be fairly simple....I hope

 I bought a giant stamp pad in black............I have gobs of big stamps someone gave me years ago.....

 and a calligraphy and lettering set so maybe I can improve my writing on the cards and in my bullet journal for titles...........this should be fun!

So, that was my 'haul' and I can't wait to dig in to it all!  Thank you to all of you who inspire me, enable me and help me go broke! LOL!  I hope you had a wonderful week and that you have something fun planned for this weekend.  I know I do!

Happy Trails!!!

Thursday - 04/05/2018

It's been a trying several days.  To make a long story short.....1)  Annie and Nitty are having "accidents" in the house and my Hitch Hiker shawl is not going to see the light of day for a very, very long time if ever.  I may be taking a break from knitting and go back to crochet, sewing and cross stitch.  But I did try and 'carry on' and the girls are doing well otherwise so I can't complain.   Except for all the hours I waste on knitting things that never see the light of day!  I always say "rejection is protection and/or direction" so I think God was telling me to focus on what will bring me closer to my dreams and goals and I did.
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New toilet seat installed and partly deep cleaned bathrooms.  This was another project that should have been easy but of course, not for me.  Long story but in calling the company they informed me that the instructions were written wrong.  I questioned it when I read them but figured they must know what they were talking about but come to find out they didn't! LOL!  But it's in now and I can get on with my life! LOL!

 

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Since I wasn't going to be knitting I needed something to keep my  hands occupied so I started working on some wash cloths again but this time crocheted................I bought a spool of Peaches and Creme at Wal-mart in the Limeade colorway.  It spoke Spring to me!  I think this is the Cobblestone pattern and it is a tutorial on You Tube.  I'm finding it a little hard on my hands though.

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I also prepped my cross stitch for stitching in the evenings.  I used an overcast stitch on my machine that I did not know it had.  I was going to use a zig-zag stitch.  It felt good to learn something new and be successful at it.

 No unraveling here!

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I also made the floss cards out of the chip board she sent in the kit for that purpose.........then I started sorting through the floss and trying to tell which color was which number...............not an easy job and I'm not sure I got it right plus there are 2 missing which are probably mixed  up with another color that was close.  I will be digging out my DMC colors tonight and see if that will help me...........

There are 36 colors and most are just 1 strand so it is a job trying to match them to the correct number for DMC.  It would be easier to purchase the colors separately for then they would be labeled.  Or maybe I should take my floss holders with me tomorrow when I go to Mountain Home and check them at Hobby Lobby?  Great idea!
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I was at the Dollar General here in town the other day and they had a pile of books on one shelf.  I wasn't expecting anything remotely interesting until I spotted one of my favorite authors!  So, yes, I got this book for $1 and it wasn't one I had read yet...SCORE!

 I hope you had a productive and enjoyable week so far!
Happy Trails!!!
P.S. Did you know Ben & Jerry's ice cream now make a dairy-free ice cream?  Well, they do and let me tell you......it is out of this world!  I'm not supposed to have dairy simply because of the cholesterol and I love ice cream...problem solved!  It is made with almond milk and I got the almond caramel brittle....Oh Baby! Oh Baby!

Monday - 04/02/2018

What a nice Easter I had and I hope you did too.  It was quiet and relaxing and rainy and cozy.  I knitted and read and watched some t.v. and had some good food.  What more could a person ask for?  Oh, and of course I had my Fab 4 here to entertain me.  In fact, Orphan Annie (at first I thought it was the Easter Bunny) left me a little surprise by the front door when I got up.  Wasn't that so thoughtful of her?
I've been on a roll today getting things done and it feels good.  I'm not comfortable sitting around too long.  I got the kitchen, laundry room and part of the family room vacuumed and washed the laundry room and kitchen floor.  I did a load of laundry, made some soup and worked on my Hitchhiker shawl on breaks.  I got to the light purple and now to the dark purple since yesterday............although each row takes longer and longer...........still loving this project and I highly recommend it!

I finally got my Alicia Paulson Spring cross stitch kit in the mail today!  I was hoping to have it to work on over the Easter weekend but I can work on it now.......

 I can't wait to get started on it and the green fabric is just perfect.........love!  She said she might have some more kits so check out her blog on my sidebar if you're interested and for sure you can get the pattern.

Here's what I finished reading............good and timely for the Easter season..........not only was this  about God's mercy but how we are to be merciful to others.......a great reminder........

Here is what I am currently reading...........this is the 2nd book in the Outlander series and I am stopping  reading it as I am watching Season 1 on t.v. which is book 1 and I am getting confused between the two.  Both the book and the series are explicit, violent, lots of nudity, of course it's only ever the women that are nude.....so ridiculous!   I'm not one to usually watch these types of shows but Outlander has a great story and I would like to know if it is historical fiction as I'm pretty sure that many of these events really happened and I think Diana Gibaldon, the author, has her PhD in history but I could be lying...lol!  Anyway,  I seem to be addicted to the series regardless of all the stuff I don't like so we'll see how long I last.   If I start having bad dreams we are done!  I will resume reading the second book when I have finished watching the first book on t.v.

This is my non-fiction book and I have had this book for awhile...years probably.  I read another book by these 2 sister octogenarians and they are wonderful to read and so wise.  They are a great example of not letting things stand in your way regardless.  I highly recommend any of their books....not sure how many they wrote...I know of 2.  I'm sure they are long gone now to the great beyond but what interesting and accomplished people they both were.

Since I've stopped reading Dragonfly in Amber, I started reading this fiction book....in fact, I just started it last night so I really can't tell you much yet except it's about a family that farms and the author happens to live in Wisconsin with her farmer husband. 

I have caught up with The Yarn Hoarder podcasts and I need to catch up with my other ones that I watch; Inside Number 23, Brooklyn Knitfolk, Knitting Expat, Bakery Bears and Stitching the High Notes.  Also, Stitched in Sweden if she still podcasts.  Some are getting so infrequent that I think they have quit.  I like ones that are more regular.....I should talk when it comes to my blog! LOL!
As for other t.v. just Stranger Things and Outlander.
I hope you have a great week and tell me what you are reading, watching and/or listening to!
Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #40

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it.  I do and I have my little Easter vignette that I set up.....

A card from my daughter and some Easter treats that the Easter Bunny left me........my Easter basket has gotten much smaller over the years....what's  up with that?

The statue is the Pieta by Michelangelo.....I've had this for over 40 years........I'm not an art connoisseur by any means but when I saw this reproduction sculpture I was so taken by it, it brought tears to my eyes.....still does.............

There were no Easter lilies available so I got this hyacinth which smells heavenly..........

I also colored eggs which I love doing.............

BEFORE:

AFTER:
They must have improved the colors as I don't remember them coming out so vivid when my children were little.............it might have been that they were just impatient.....

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 WIP's (Works in Progress)
There are no FO's this week just a WIP which probably doesn't look much different from last week.....yet I knitted on it all week!  But you see, I frogged the entire thing and started over! LOL!  There was that 'knot' and then I made 2 more mistakes and with me 3's charm so it got frogged completely back to square 0!  I think I am probably right where I was last week......sorry...........
Still love knitting on it but there is no TV watching for me unless I am doing a washcloth or my CMB.

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Acquisitions:
1)  I got my March subscription box from Little House in the Big Wool and love it!  So many goodies and it was all based on Beatrix Potter....one of my all time favorite authors.....I gave more detail on a previous post if you want to know more.

2)  I picked up this lovely Spring color of Peaches and Creme 100% cotton worsted for dish cloths....I love Dishie yarn but this color spoke to me............. 

3)  I've had this yarn for awhile but was not sure about the dyeing part which is what I bought it for.  I've decided I want to wind it into mini-skeins which I do not know how to do so I will look up tutorials and then dye with the supplies below.  Alicia Paulson mentioned dyeing with these supplies and her yarns turned out gorgeous!   Hopefully by next week I will have something to show you.  I want to dye them for the Land of Sweets cowl I mentioned. 

What's in the Queue -
#1 - Land of Sweets Cowl
I still have to get enough mini-skeins to do the different colors.  I think I will be dyeing my own now.
#2 - Some Valentine's Day socks - I'll be on the look out for VD appropriate yarn.  I heard that Lolo Did It always dyes special yarns for the holidays so I need to take a look but it will have to be in next month's craft budget. 
#3 - Something for St. Patrick's Day...socks or cowl...not sure.  I think I found a cowl pattern with a Celtic design but I would like socks too!
#4 - Still more washcloths as I have plenty of Dishie and Peaches and Creme worsted cotton
#5 - The Spring color cotton is for some leaf book markers
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What I'm "wishing upon a star" for -
#1 - My Valentine and St. Patrick's Day yarns for socks or cowls and mini's for cowl and Granny Stripe Blanket.
 #2 - Susan B. Anderson has her 2 kits back in stock..........The Loopy Sheep
and her Spring Chicken kits  just in time for Spring but where do I get the dough for all these great items?
#3 - my new over the top obsession I discovered from Little Bobbin's mother who does the most beautiful stitchery from Jesse Chorley
I'd like to do her Friendship Quilt  if I live long enough! LOL!  I may try just a little sampler on my own but check out her website for lots of other wonderful and unique items and projects.
#4 - Knitting at the Library Cowl - a pay for pattern on Ravelry.  I'm thinking this may be the year of cowls or slippers....we'll see who wins out! The cowl looks like different shelves of books!  So cool!
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YOP Goals for this coming week:
1) continue working on Hitch Hiker shawl
2) learn wrap and turn for felted wool slippers and continue
3) get out crochet basket for my daughter's birthday and work on
4) create mini skeins and dye
5) pin another I Spy quilt
6) cut binding for my sampler quilt
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 Podcasts: I have caught up with Yarn Hoarder so now I am watching Dye podcasts on You Tube.  This week I need to work on catching up with Stitching The High Notes and other regulars plus learn that wrap and turn!
Happy Trails!!!!
P.S.  To see other fabulous makes please visit our other YOP participants