WIP Wednesday 6/4/2025

 I'm making good progress on my projects. Today I'm featuring two of them. First is the felt applique stocking I'm making for Zoey.

I'm not happy that that lollipop is crooked. I'm going to be redoing that! I did steam the stocking, though, and got the creases out. I'm still having problems with the brown ink bleeding. It's getting all over my hands too. I hope I can fix that after it's done.

The second thing I'm going to show you is the cross stitch train picture I started in February. I started it, then put it aside to get some birthday projects done. Last weekend I had the thought that I really should get back to working on it because Christmas is not that far away.

The first thing I discovered was that I'd used the wrong color on  the part I'd started. This is one of the train cars. It looks a little easier than the other cars.

Our weather has been really nice the last few days. Before that we got rain. I've spent a few days outside working on the yard and enjoying my deck. I've taken to sitting out there in the morning reading my Kindle and drinking coffee. I'm hoping wildfire season will be delayed, maybe even cancelled this year. Probably a pipe dream, huh? Anyway, I got the deck flower boxes planted with Marigolds. I got them from a local nursery rather than Home Depot or some other box store garden department. This is how they looked after I was finished planting. I think they're going to be beautiful.

Yesterday I installed the drip system. I thought it would take about an hour at the most. Three hours later I was having to quit because I ran out of parts. I need some more of the mini drippers. A few broke during the winter. I've ordered some. I did get it working enough to turn it on. Just need to hand water a couple things until I get them, which should be tomorrow.

Next week my husband is going in for heart surgery. He's got a ton of tests to do beforehand. I am getting anxious. I sure hope this works or I don't know what we'll do. He can't just go on living this way where he has no energy whatsoever to get things done. He can't even ride his bike. I'll be keeping the fingers crossed-figuratively speaking.

One more thing. I made Creme Brulee' last weekend. It's my favorite dessert.

The week before that I made a Coconut cake to take to a meeting. It required 6 egg whites. I didn't want to just throw away the yolks, so I did a search for recipes using 6 yolks and found a Crème Brulee' recipe. It was so easy, and so good. I used to make it before we had kids (using a slightly different recipe, of course). I don't know why I stopped. If you've never had it, give it a try. It's heavenly. It's a creamy silky custard with a sugar crust on top. To die for, I swear!

Live long and prosper. \\//

Feather and Fan Afghan

 I finished this a couple months ago, but it's been difficult finding time to take pictures. I finally got it done.

Pattern: Shaded Ripple Afghan by Melissa Leapman

Made For: Myself

Size: 70 by 65 inches.
Yarn: Mary Maxim Maxium Value
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Colors: White, Light Violet, Medium Violet, Dark Violet

Needles: Circular size US 9 (5.5mm)

Started: January 8, 2025
Finished: March 28, 2025

Comment: I love this afghan! I love the colors and the yarn I used for it. I loved working on it, which was a huge surprise because the last time I knit a blanket it was not fun. It's so snuggly wuggly! I used Melissa Leapman's pattern because it was the first one I ran across that was free for me. I can't remember where I found it. Maybe Google? I used 4 colors instead of 3. I just needed to know the basic stitch pattern.

I really like the Mary Maxim Maximum Value yarn. It is very similar to the Big Twist yarn from Joann's. It was my favorite Joann's yarn. I'm hoping another company will take it. In the meantime, Mary Maxim it is.

Feather and Fan has been around forever. It's a well known Shetland pattern. Sometimes it's called the Old Shale pattern. Officially, they are two different patterns. The difference is Old Shale has a 17 stitch repeat. Feather and Fan has a 14 stitch repeat. It is also called the Ripple stitch or Chevron stitch. 

The back is all purl stitches and every bit as pretty.

I have it here on our California King sized bed. I blocked it on my bed.

I'm going to enjoy warming up under this.

In February I mentioned that I thought the horrible chronic cough I have had for at least 8 years might be gone? Well, it is! It wasn't the bronchitis though. The cough came back. A few weeks later I caught a cold that was so bad my doctor asked me to come in. A combination of a sinus infection and very irritated vocal chords turned out to be the problem. Apparently I have had that sinus infection for years. It took catching a cold for my doctor to notice it. A very strong antibiotic was the solution. I haven't coughed like that since. It's so nice to lay down and not start coughing and feeling like I'm going to drown in my own mucus.

Live long and prosper. \\//

An Anniversary

 Today is the 45th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. 45 years! How time has flown by. The event was significant in my life. I wrote about it here: Mount St Helens 

I hope I never have to go through an experience like that again!

Love long and prosper. \\//

!

Current WIPs

My plans to post last Wednesday were overruled by life, so I will do it now. I have two WIPs to present today. First is the sock I'm working on . 

It's been going a little slow, partly because I'm not in a hurry, partly because I'm writing down every step as I go along so it will be easy to write up as a pattern when I'm done. I'm using the Mock Short Row Heel in this pair and found that no one has actually written up instructions on how to do it. Just video tutorials, so that will be part of my pattern. I might publish the heel instructions separately as a tutorial here too. In the meantime, the prototype will be a Christmas present. I'm starting extra early this year.

The second project is a Christmas stocking for Zoey. 

I'm not sure why I chose this one for her. The snowman is just so cute. I am having a problem with it. The ink is bleeding on the white pieces. I've never had that happen before.

 This kit is fairly old and out of print. I found it on Ebay for a very reasonable price. Apparently they used this brown ink way back when and it is known to run. It's all over the thread as well as on the white felt. I've done some Googling and found out this is "normal" and I can easily wash it out when the stocking is done. I found washing instructions on the Bucilla web site too. I'm happy to say they don't use the brown ink anymore.

I did not notice there's a fold in the middle of the stocking until I saw this picture. I will steam it out before going any further.

So that's what I'm working on.

I had an excellent Mothers Day. We went to Giorgi's for lunch, then took a nice drive. Usually we go up into the National forest to see the wild flowers, but I didn't want to do that because it was supposed to be a rainy day. My husband wanted to drive the Prius. I said "No off-roading". We decided to go over Thompson Pass. We took a northern route to highway 202, then east to a small town in Montana, then turned for home and drove over the pass. I've never been on that drive in the spring. It was incredibly beautiful! The fields in Montana were so green. The grass is short too. It looked like all of the state had just been freshly mowed, and the wildflowers! They were fantastic! On our way home, we stopped at a convenience store to use the restroom. When we got back in the car, hubby pushed the Start button and all hell broke loose. Warning bells rang and messages flashed on the screens, accompanied by the Check Engine light. There was a message that told us the hybrid system was malfunctioning and to contact our Toyota dealer immediately. Well, they weren't open at that time, so we chose to go ahead and try driving home, stopping at Applebee's for dinner on the way. We made it just fine with no problems.

This morning I woke up and there was a new text from Toyota on my phone. My car had texted them that something was wrong with the hybrid system and would I like to schedule an appointment? I called them. My appointment is on the 20th. I've been reassured it's okay to drive the car, so it can't be too serious. I am feeling a little bit weirded out that my car is sending texts to Toyota without consulting with me first though.

Live long and prosper. \\//

FO's

 I did quite a bit of crafting during March and April. It helped with the stress and anxiety that's been going on in my life. Today I'm sharing two of them. 

My daughters birthday was near the end of April and I decided to sew her a market bag. 

It's a very large bag. I found the pattern for free on the blog iThinksew. The name of the pattern is Martha's Market Bag. As I've said before, my daughter is a huge My Little Pony fan, even though she's 40. I found the Pinky Pie fabric on Ebay. It was just a yard, but thankfully it was enough. I got the aqua fabric from an online fabric store, whos' name escapes me. The project was challenging because I don't have much experience making bags. I used to sew a lot of clothing when I was younger. Especially after I got married because my husband is very tall (6'5"). Regular pants and long sleeve shirts don't fit him. We had to shop at specialty stores that sold clothing for Big and Tall guys, and they were very expensive. We couldn't afford to shop there. So I sewed his clothing for him. Making bags is a relatively new thing for me.

I used heavy interfacing in the bag so it would stand up on its own. I really wrestled with it too. I was so glad when it was done. Sarah loves the bag and wouldn't be adverse to me making her some more. I call that a win.

I also finished Choo Choo Santa for my daughter-in-law. 

Her birthday was last January, so I sent it to her as a belated birthday gift in the same package the bag went in. I worked on this a lot. It was a very intense project with over 100 pieces to stitch together. 

I've taken close up photos of the stocking from top to bottom starting with the hanger loop, which I modified. It was supposed to be just a piece of red felt but I fancied it up some. 

I recently joined a Facebook group devoted to making Bucilla felt applique kits. I was inspired by photos of some of the members hanging loops they've modified. The group has been great, and I've learned quite a bit that has improved my skills, such as taking a small stitch on the back, after each sequin is done. This helps to keep it firmly sewn to the fabric.

This is the top with my daughter-in-laws name on it. The first train car shows too. 

You may be wondering how I got the name to look so nice. Usually I use my MS Word program to create the name, then print it out, pin it to the stocking, and embroider right through the paper. When I'm done, I carefully tear the paper off, leaving just the stitching. This time I did a little something different. An alphabet comes with the directions on how to make the stocking. I got a piece of tissue paper, traced the required letters, then pinned that to the stocking for embroidery. It worked great. I liked it better than what I usually do. It's a lot easier to stitch through tissue paper than regular printer paper.

Doing it with tissue paper got me to thinking. I wonder if there's tracing paper that can be put through printer. Then I could use my word program like I usually do and print it on the tracing paper. Lo and behold, I found some on Amazon. I'm looking forward to trying it out on the next stocking, which I've already started, by the way.

This is a close up of a couple of the cars. That bear turned out so cute!

This is the engine with Santa. I made a change here. Instead of using the clear beads with the sequins on Santa, and the beads on the Christmas tree, I used some white pearl seed beads from my huge collection of Miyuki size 11 seed beads. The other white pieces have the clear beads that came with the kit.

One of the things I learned from the Facebook Bucilla group is how to mark the stocking with my signature, so to speak. I never thought about doing that on my stockings. I do it to all my Cross Stitch projects! It's a logical thing to do, so I cut out this little blue heart, did some really bad embroidery of my initials and the year I finished it, and sewed it onto the back of the stocking. I wish I'd had more time, I would have redone it until it was decent. It was 1:00 am when I was done with this one. I had to put it in the mail in the morning. I decided it would have to do. I was just too tired. I went to bed.

As usual, I made a lining for the stocking. It turned out so beautiful. The stitching at the top where I sewed it in is so even and neat and the lining fit perfectly. I'm quite proud of it.

Since the theme of the stocking was a train, which is something my daughter-in-law is very enthusiastic about, (She even has an extensive electric train set.) I bought fabric with trains on it. Here is a close up of one of the trains.

I finished my Feather and Fan blanket too but haven't had a chance to photograph it yet. I did take a picture when I was blocking it though. I used my bed because it's so nice and big, being a California King and all.

I'm planning to take pics tomorrow, so stay tuned.

I am also planning to do a WIP post on Wednesday. Until then...

Live long and prosper.\\//

I'm So Behind

 I am so behind on my blogging. I didn't intend this to happen, it just did. Life was pretty difficult all March and April. I got very sick. There was a virus going around and the Parkarosa household got it. It knocked me out for almost 2 weeks, then I got something else making me sick. That turned out to be a serious sinus infection. My doctor got me a prescription for an antibiotic and it killed the infection, but it took awhile. Now I'm feeling a lot better. But what a miserable month that was.

In April I sprained my right knee --- in my sleep! I have no idea how that happened. First I knew about it was when the pain woke me up and my kneecap wasn't in it's right place. I pushed it back into place (OWW!) but the tendons were in agony. It's healing, slowly. I'm glad I own a cane.

Another thing not going well is my husbands heart. He has Afib and they have not been able to get rid of it so far. He's had 2 Cardioversions and 1 Ablation. He left the hospital feeling good all three times, and then his heart returned to the Afib. It's affecting his quality of life badly. His doctor said he's lost 20% of his hearts ability with this. He is running out of breath very easily and just feels so lousy. It makes me want to cry.

I went with him to his last appointment with his cardiologist and we're looking at another surgery. It was suggested and, to my husbands surprise, I went for it. I told the doctor I'm tired of him effin around my husbands heart and lets get this fixed properly. I need my husband back to his old self. We have a meeting with the heart surgeon later this month, but we've had to wait weeks for it. We have too many patients and not enough doctors in our area and it's really affecting all of us in a negative way.

Then there's the awful news. My boy, Merino, started coughing up blood one day in March and was definitely going downhill, fast. In addition he stopped using the litter boxes completely, and was drinking an enormous amount of water. Life became nothing but cleaning up cat messes all day, every day. Not a piece of living room furniture was left un-peed on. He was in a lot of pain too. We could see it in his face and how he moved. Not behavior for a cat that's supposed to be as healthy as a horse. 

We took him to the vet later that day, which was March 17th. We ended up having to put him down. He was dying and in pain. I don't know what it was that made him so sick, but it was definitely good at hiding from the vets. Now we'll never know what it was.

Merino Park

2013 to 2025

He was almost 12 years old. He was an awesome hunter and general trouble maker. I'm missing him so much. I don't have my morning cuddle with him anymore. My other cats, his brother, Cashmere, and grandkitty Boba have handled it well. Cashmere looked for him for about a month and finally stopped. They definitely loved each other. I feel bad that there's no way for me to communicate what happened to his brother. I had him cremated and buried in a group burial. It's the first time I haven't brought a fur kid home for burial. The ground was frozen and we couldn't handle trying to bury him. There's no way sweet hubby could have used a shovel, even if the ground was not frozen.

Well, after all that negativity, how about a positive. When my husband and I discussed when we were going to apply for our Social Security, one of the things my husband said was we could afford to buy me a new Prius if we applied. We did just that. This is my brand new blue Prius.

I am very happy with it. I need to mention, though, that I stalked this car. After we applied for Social Security I started researching for a new Prius. I wanted one that was colored with something other than Black, Grey, Silver, or White. I don't know if you've noticed, but the overwhelming majority of automobiles are those colors. Anyway, about a month before we went to the Parker Toyota dealership in town, I was checking their web site fairly regularly. Nothing but a greyscale selection of cars. Then one day, a Blue one appeared on their web site labelled as ordered from the factory for inventory. I checked that car every day. I saw it loaded in Japan, shipped across the ocean, and arriving in port in Oregon. When it arrived in port, I called Parker Toyota. I told them I wanted that blue Prius. They called us when it arrived at the dealership. They also reserved it for me. I put down a deposit for that. 

I love my blue Prius. It's so cool! It's had a lot of changes made since the last one I owned (which was the 2012 Prius V I bought two years ago). It's been redesigned to be a somewhat larger sports car. It has a lot of power, but still gets the same mileage as the old smaller one did. I'm lovin' the immediate response when I push down the gas pedal. It has a lot of electronic doodads I've never seen in a car before. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, cameras all the way around the car. It tells me when someone is in my blind spot. It beeps if a human is near. The cameras for backing up are so much clearer. It can tell me when I've drifted across the lane edge, and correct it - if I had that turned on. Assisted driving is what they call it. It actually can steer the car all by itself. I haven't tried it yet though. It has cruise control too. In fact, there's so many little doodads I haven't figured them all out yet. I also have a sun roof which I'm enjoying now that spring has arrived. It's really nice to drive, and even better-Sweet Hubby fits in it and can drive it comfortably. Hurray!

There's more news which I will address as the week progresses. I've been finishing projects, and starting new ones. It's kept me sane through all the stress that's been in my life. Until then...

Live long and prosper. \\//

Update on WIPs

 Life has been rather difficult for me of late. I'm struggling but getting through it. My cats have been the worst. Merino is not using the litter box. He's been violating all the furniture. In concern, I've taken him to the vet several times and spent hundreds of dollars on tests only to be told he's healthy as a horse. The consensus is it's Anxiety. He's being bullied by my other two cats quite a bit, plus winter. My cats hate winter. Merino has stopped going outside entirely. So he's been started on Gabapentin. My couch is covered in aluminum foil to keep the cats off. So now he's going all over the floor, his beds, and any box he can get himself into. I'm so glad we got rid of the carpet in this house and installed bamboo.

On one of the trips to the vet, he peed all over my daughter IN THE CAR! It took 2 upholstery cleanings and 2 thorough sprays of Clorox Scentiva (fabric sanitizer), but I was successful in getting the smell out completely. The house, on the other hand...ugh. I am soooooooooo tired of cleaning up cat messes. The Gabapentin better work or I'm going to have to take drastic action because this is not something I can live with.

When we got home from the vet that day, he was soaked in pee. I had to give him a bath. I've never given him a bath. I prepared myself for possible dying by blood loss, filled the kitchen sink, and pushed him in. Oddly, he didn't struggle or scratch me! He succumbed to the attack and let me bath him. However, he made the most horrible sounds I've every heard from a cat. He was very very very pissed off and told me that in no uncertain terms. I told him if he's gonna get himself pee soaked, he's gettin' a bath. It's his own fault. I'm thankful for the lack of blood loss too.

Between that and what's happening in our government, I've found myself fighting off Panic Attacks. I'm pretty scared right now. I never thought I would be on the edge of living in a possible dictatorship ever in my lifetime. Our own government has turned on it's people. It's shocking!

That being said, I'm steadily working on 2 projects right now. They're actually keeping me sane. The feather and fan afghan is over halfway there. I have actually started on the second skeins of yarn for all colors.

I've had to move the project into a large "temporary" bag that I bought from Ikea because it doesn't fit in any of my knitting totes now. I have 3 of these bags. They've come in very handy.

I've also been working on Choo Choo Santa. Man, are there a lot of tiny pieces to deal with! I don't think I've had a kit with this many pieces before.

It's been fun, though. It's going to be so cute when it's done.

We had some pretty cold weather since my last post. The new furnace has turned out to be very good. Our winter power bill is considerably less that last year. Now a warm period is moving in. Since last weekend we've had temps in the upper 40's and lower 50's. The coming Sunday is supposed to be almost 60. I can hardly wait. The snow is completely off the deck, so sitting in the sun is on my mind.

On Saturday, we're going in to our local Toyota dealer to talk about that blue Prius we've been talking about purchasing. They've had one on order for several weeks, but it arrived in the US this week. It's in port on the Oregon coast waiting to get through customs. I'm hoping to put a payment on it so it's mine when it arrives here. I've contacted the dealership and let them know I'm wanting it.

I took this picture this morning.

For the first time, the sunrise was coming in the house through the window. Zoey enjoyed it so much.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Catching Up

I'm going to catch up on the needle crafting first. Current WIPs.

I am making good progress on my Feather and Fan afghan. It's been a joy to work on.

It's been a very nice break from the really complicated stuff I've been knitting. I really like the yarn too. It's very good quality. It is Mary Maxim's Maximum Value.

I ordered a Bucilla Felt Stocking kit to make for my daughter-in-law. It occurred to me that her stocking has Frank on it, instead of her new name. So I've set Zoey's stocking aside for the time being. The new stocking is a picture of Santa riding a train. It's pretty cute. Here's where I am with it. 

This is the first kit where the name comes first. I find that interesting. There's a lot of tiny pieces in this kit too. It's going to take some time.

Next is the counted cross stitch project I'm making for Christmas.

The picture is 24 by 9 inches in size in 14 count, which is rather large. The train, though, doesn't have a whole lot of detail so it should go quicker than my usual projects. The fabric is a pale gray. I gridded the fabric, as you can see, using leftover thread from the finished stocking of last month. It took me 3 days. Worth it though. It makes counting the stitches so much easier.

I have good news. Hubs and I decided to apply to start collecting our Social Security and we both have been approved. I got my first payment 2 weeks ago. Yay! Yarn money! We're talking about buying me a new Prius and using my SS to pay for it. 

There have been a lot of changes in the Prius the last 3 or 4 years. It's now a fancy sports car and they go for $40 Grand. I don't know if I want to spend that much on a car. 

In the meantime, my car needs some minor repairs. A couple sensors have gone out. Doesn't prevent me from driving it, but if I want to keep it that way, I need to get them fixed. By the way, if we do get a new one, it won't be red. I want blue. So far, our local Toyota dealer has only had silver, grey, and dark grey ones. Last week they had 12 in stock, all in those colors. Ugh. They sold quick.

Looking around town, I have to say the economy is doing better than the media and government have been saying. There's lots and lots of new cars on the road. I can't believe how many Tesla's are around now.

Remember when I was sick around Thanksgiving and ended up with a cold and a cough? I had just found the solution to the chronic cough I'd been living with for 8 years. I had all of what? 3 weeks of peace? I kept hoping the cough would go away, but it only got worse. Last Monday I saw a doctor. I have a bad case of bronchitis so he's given me antibiotic, cough medicine, and prednisone to help with my breathing. The cough is going away. I'm looking forward to it being gone.

I got myself a new plant, which is living on the bathroom windowsill. It's an Echeveria "Perle von Nurnberg" which is a succulent that will get purple as it gets bigger. Right now it's just a baby.

The weather is cold and snowy. Winter started snowing on us about 5 days ago and we've got almost a foot out in the yard. It's been snowing all day long. The days of the coming week are going to drop in temperature. Highs in the low to mid 20F's and lows to -7F. Now we'll find out if the new furnace is worth it.

That's it for now, except I took a selfie. Yes, that's me.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Under The Tree - Bucilla

 I have finished the current felt applique stocking! Hurray! It's titled Under the Tree and is from Bucilla. I think they have the cutest felt applique stocking kits.

I made it for me. You're supposed to put the name on the back of the big ornament hanging on the upper left corner, but I didn't like that, so I put it on the stocking itself.

Here's a close up of the toys at the bottom.

I lined it. I used some cotton quilting fabric I found in my stash. I used the stocking itself to make a pattern. I traced around the outside edge onto a piece of newsprint paper. Then I drew a quarter inch seam allowance around that.

I cut two pieces, sewed them together on my sewing machine, then installed the lining in the stocking, carefully hand stitching around the top edge. I am very very happy with this stocking!

While I was stitching the lining into the stocking I had a thought. I got to wondering if there are people who enjoy doing this as much as I do and if they've created a group. I decided to look on Facebook and I found one! Actually, there is more than one, but I just joined one of them. It's been fun looking at all their finished projects. Someone asked the group to tell us all how many kits they have and whatnot. I have 6 kits in my stash. I thought I was a bad girl for having so many! I'm an amateur! Some of the group members have over 200 of them. I feel so much better about myself now. Heh heh.

I already started another one. It has a snowman on it. I plan to put Zoey's name on it. I've also ordered another kit to make for Opal. It has Santa driving a train on it. 

I've been working on the ripple afghan! I've got the first set of stripes done. I'm using 3 shades of purple and white. I'll take a pic later as I progress more on it.

We have had sunshine the last couple days. It's been so nice to see, even though it's friggin' cold outside. They're predicting snow for the coming weekend. 

Finally got all the Christmas decorations down and put away. I feel pretty good about getting that done. I haven't been feeling all that well the last few days. I've been coughing a lot. This cough feels like a possible lung infection. I should go see a doctor before it turns into pneumonia. Ugh. I hate winter.

Live long and prosper. \\//

WIP WEDNESDAY 1/8/2025

I'm trying something new today. I have installed the Blogger app on my phone. It's supposed to make composing posts on my phone easier. We'll see.

I've been working on Clapotis. I have actually finished the knitting and woven in the ends. Blocking is next. I took this silly picture with it draped over my arm.

Tonight I'm planning to start the ripple afghan. 

I got a surprise this morning. 4 inches of new snow fell during the night. 

Got up this morning to much pain. My left knee is hurting almost as much as it did when I came home from the hospital. I don't know what is causing it. It's been doing pretty good for the past few weeks. Maybe I slept on it funny? I managed to do the grocery shopping and some house cleaning despite it. I'm staying off the feet for a couple hours before I start dinner. I am frustrated. 

Live long and prosper.\\//