"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

7/13/18

Update (Humming Star Trek Theme)

Making progress on the Mini Star Trek project.



I've stitched the top words in metallic gold. Trying to decided if I want to outline it in black or not.

Speaking of stitching in metallic, I did a bit of googling to see if I could find some helpful tips on doing just that. Metallic threads have been so difficult for me to work with. I found a fantastic one that is so helpful it literally has solved all the problems I've had with it. This really works! I wish I'd known this a decade or two ago.

3. Say goodbye to fraying, slipping and tangling:
Use the slip knot method to thread the needle.
This method is fool proof: Your thread will be locked onto your needle and there’s absolutely no risk of fraying.
Use the slip knot method to thread the needle thread will be locked onto your needle theres no extra thread left after the eye of the needle
Lock your floss onto your needle to eliminate any risk of fraying

If you’re using two strands, cut a single strand, double the length. Fold in two. Thread as indicated above. Pull out about an inch and a half. Slip the tip of the needle through the loop formed by the thread and pull needle out. Tighten the knot so it forms a tiny knot at the end of the needle.
This looks like it might prevent your needle pulling through the fabric but it really does work with most fabrics (with the exception of fine counts and tightly woven fabrics).


I found this plus some other tips on Creative Poppy Patterns. Pop over and visit it.

I've been knitting too. I've finished the body and one sleeve of the baby cardigan I'm working on. It's coming out nicely, though I've not taken any photos of it yet. 

On Wednesday my daughter and I went into our woods and dug up a young 4 ft tall Ocean Spray plant and planted it in the yard. It turned out to be a very tough job. In fact, we ended up getting Sweet Hubby to help us because the digging was so difficult. Our soil is very rocky (Thanks to ancient glaciers) and also chock full of roots from all the Snow Berry bushes, trees, etc. It took two hours to get the job done. I've been wanting one of these bushes in the yard for several years, so I'm happy. I took a picture, but it's hard to see with all the greenery behind it. I've put in an arrow pointing at the one flower bunch on the bush. Here's hoping it survives the transplant.



We started out trying to find a baby plant. I thought I'd found one about 8 inches high, dug it up, and on the way back to the house ran across a young wild apple tree. The leaves looked exactly alike, so then I wasn't so sure I had an Ocean Spray. Decided to chuck it and go get a larger bush. 

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago I sprained my knee. Well, it's been giving me a lot of grief, so yesterday I went and saw a doctor about it. I will be getting some physical therapy, and she gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory cream to help with the pain. She doesn't think I've actually torn anything, which makes me feel much better about it.

We're going camping this weekend. Trying out a campground on the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene river that we've not stayed in before. It's been very hot this past week and will be for quite some time, so I'm looking forward to cooling off in the river.

Live long and prosper. \\//

7/5/18

Dogwood and Hummingbirds

Washed, blocked, and framed. It's officially done! It's even hung on the wall. Only took 12 years to do.



The name of the pattern is Dogwood and Hummingbirds by Canadian northwest artist Sue Coleman. I love it.

To those who want to say "But Dogwood only has 4 petals (bracts)." This is Pacific Dogwood which can have 4, 5, or 6 bracts, all on the same tree. This is the Dogwood I grew up with. It grows wild on the Pacific coast and is, in my opinion, the most beautiful of all the Dogwoods.

Live long and prosper. \\//

7/4/18

Happy 4th of July!



"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”




Live long and prosper. \\//

7/1/18

WIPs

So, lets start July with a post about my current WIPs.

I've finished the knitting on layette set 31. Just have the little things to do. Buttons, pompom, blocking, etc.



I've been working on the crochet edging for the matching blanket.



I've started the cardigan for Layette set 32. Using a new pattern, just for fun.



I've made a little progress on the felt stocking. It has a teddy bear on it now.



I've also started a new long term cross stitch project. I dug around in my stash and found this kit by Eva Rosenstand.



Just a little done so far. It's going to be a challenge. There are no large blocks of color in this one. Lots of color changing ahead.



My sprained knee is healing slowly. I feel like I've had it for months, but it's only been just over 2 weeks. The most frustrating thing about it for me is that I can't sleep on my side. It's just too painful. If I sleep on my back, though, with a pillow under my leg, there's no pain, except in my back. Not being able to sleep on my side has given me a bad case of insomnia. I'm getting a lot of reading done, though. I'm just burning through the books. I've read 6 novels in just 2 weeks. I started reading Hunger Games a couple nights ago and I'm almost done with it already.

Our weather this weekend is cool and overcast. We did get a little rain yesterday while I attended a local rally in Coeur d'Alene and I got wet. I was there with a small group to help people register to vote while a protest rally for ending the separation of immigrant children from their parents coming to the U.S. for asylum was going on. It was an interesting event. There were quite a few people there, a few interesting speakers, and we helped a few folks register to vote. There was a potluck afterwards and the food was very good.

I got bad news from Barnes and Noble. They are no longer supporting the model of Nook I just happen to own. I have the original e-ink model. I love reading books on it. It's super easy on my eyes because I'm not looking at a screen made of led lights. I made sure all my books are downloaded on it before June 26, which is the last day they were supporting it. I've pretty much read all the books, so no big deal there, but I won't be able to download any new ones. I guess I'm going to have to switch to a Kindle Paperwhite if I want to have a supported e-ink reader. Right now I'm using my Samsung tablet with the Kindle app, which has a regular led screen on it. My eyes get pretty tired reading it, but it's better than nothing.

Live long and prosper. \\//