Kiwi Scarf

Gathering materials for inspiration...I knew I wanted summer colors: bright, cheerful, fresh and full of life.

Here's the beginning...adding one yarn at a

time, mixing, hunting for the next one...

Finally, four scarves long plus enough for a couple of cuffs. Ready to tie off and move the whole warp to the loom...

Yup! Weaving. I love to see the first one. To see if what I imagined is happening.

Ready for Etsy...maybe tomorrow.

Just thought I'd share that I got a lovely letter in the mail from my friend on Whidbey Isl. And the funny thing is that yesterday I picked up a card to send to her to thank her for my amazing time with them. We are in sync And I miss her. She is such a creative spirit and next time around we have to be at least on the same coast!

Meanwhile I'll leave you with a picture of the breathtaking clouds we have had around here!

Happy Thursday, everyone

xo

New Coral Beach Scarf...

I just designed another Coral Beach scarf in similar colors...I seem to be in love with these textures and the beachy mood.




the warp on my warping mill before going to the loom

Finished scarf

fringe shot...

And one of the triangles I finished the other day. I photographed it some but haven't loaded it on to Etsy yet. I'll maybe wait until late August because this is a soft, warm scarf made with a lovely hand-dyed (not by me, however!) bamboo/silk yarn. It feels heavenly around your neck!

...a closeup!

Off to see if dinner is almost ready...made a red sauce for spaghetti and dropped in some organic chicken thighs...it's been cooking in the crock pot for hours and smells amazing! I'm trying not to eat much meat at all but Gary got some local chicken and I'll indulge. Apparently when you have cancer you should give up meat (AND dairy (WHAT no cheese???!!!) AND sugar, and white flour) and I just read NO alcohol...I'm failing with this diet thing big time! I have added lots of veggies to my diet and I don't eat much in the way of sugar (does ice cream count?) and we have been grinding our own wheat for bread but I don't know if I can go without cheese and wine...I am a work in progress...sigh...

Tomorrow I have some young girls coming over to see (ride) Duke. Grandchildren of a good friend. Duke, however, has not been riden in 8 months and I hope he behaves. Plus the bugs have been so bad I haven't riden either. So they are coming around 8 am and we'll see!!!!

Enjoy! xo

More Triangles!

Well, I've been working a little over the past week...Both of these triangles are for colder weather but I figured I'd get a head start on Christmas stuff since I'm not doing a craft fair until October and my inventory is down because I've been tired...


Here's one in blues and greens and everything else I could throw at it! This one is soft, sumptuous, lightweight, and warm without being too hot.

Here is some bamboo rayon and wool that I bought on Friday Island, WA. I fell in love with the autumnal colors and it was a joy to work with. I love weaving the triangles because it is so hands on and I get to touch every length of yarn.

These will both look somewhat different when they are off the loom--will try to photograph them later...Today is a cleaning day...ugh...starting with the bedroom and hanging up/putting away clothes and, if I have the energy, getting rid of clothes that no longer fit. What a job! And did I mention that my suitcase is still half full sitting on the floor? But as a reward, yesterday, I bought some 500 thread count sheets at TJMaxx and washed them last night and I can't wait to put them on the bed!

Happy Monday, Everyone!!

xo

Florida??!!

The Gulf...

Well, this is the last of my latest journey...Florida. I know. I had absolutely no plans to go to Florida. None. But flying so unnerved me that wherever Faith was going I was going, too. So we flew to Atlanta and the plan landed so abruptly (the pilot even said "here we go down the hill!") that I got a severe pain in my left eye which Faith said was sinus. phew...took another pill and landed in Tampa where her husband picked us up.

We actually had an amazing time even though it was hundreds of degrees hotter than Seattle and sticky. One of the first things I did was get most of my hair cut off. That felt better! And we went to see the manatees and a hippo and lots of birds. Way too much fun. And I got my courage up to fly by myself. WooHoo! Can Italy be next????

Going out to dinner at their club!

Lucy the hippo

Manatees!!

The manatees were in a natural river and in the middle of the river there was a 30 ft rock cavern and the park had a dock over it with glass so we could see the manatees eating lettuce and all the fish just hanging there in the deep cold water...fascinating!

I'm off to watch a horse show for fun today. We have been having wonderful weather!! YAY

Happy Weekend, Everyone!!

xo

Whidbey Island!

Six days on Whidbey Island went flying by...

Walks with Faith...you gotta love the boots...

Waking up to this view...

Fish out of water...

And Charlie, what can I say...he didn't fit in my suitcase though he stole my heart...

Met my wonderful Etsy friends from Seattle--We all belong to Etsy Project Embrace which was formed to support cancer research. Ginny (middle) (http://www.ginnyhuber.etsy.com/) is an amazing felter and Kristin (right) (http://www.loveartworks.etsy.com/) is a wonderful potter.

Captain Mac (Linda's husband) and their tug

Looking for whales

Linda and me

A beautiful lighthouse--Friday Island

I love the sound of the waves

Because our train was the first train through ND in two weeks, we assumed that the floods were receding...we were totally surprised to find out that our return train trip was cancelled because the water was rising. We are still haunted by the devastation we witnessed and our thoughts are with those poor farmers whose farms are underwater and who can't plant...

Those of you who know me know that I haven't flown in 34 years...needless to say I was terrified. Luckily for me I had some pain pills with me and Faith invited me to fly with her to her winter home in Florida instead of flying alone to Syracuse. So the next morning we went to the airport, I took a pill, I clung to my sister, took off shoes for security, sat next to the window, pulled down the shades, put in earplugs so I couldn't hear the engines rev up, and off we flew...more of an adventure than I had anticipated...

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xo

Train Time!!

Waiting for the train in Syracuse--Faith got on in Springfield, MA and we were wicked excited!!!

Our tiny, tiny compartment--It was hard to get far enough away to take a picture! Such a good thing we get along!

Chicago station to change train...

Adding more cars in Minot, ND...we were the first train through in 3 weeks due to flooding. It's a good thing we were oblivious to all of this because we were all relaxed and happy!

We were totally treated like first class--flowers in the dining car--just sign your name and eat what you want--already paid for!!!



OK, we woke up to all kinds of water in North Dakota...unbelievable, really and the train was traveling sometimes about 4 mi/hr!

See the fence posts sticking out of the water?

The Mississippi...

This train trip was the most amazing thing...we were in our own little bubble, feeling very relaxed, wine in the evenings, good food...feeling very far away from everyday life. We rarely read, didn't play the word game I had, didn't work on my knitting, rarely talked on the cell phones...we just talked to each other and looked out the window, watched the world go by. The porter on our car was wonderful, brought champagne for everyone the first night, gave us extra pillows and blankets...there were fresh towels in the shower room and complementary soap and shampoo...the food was very good and the waiters and waitresses were very friendly and funny. We sat at tables with other passengers and met some interesting people. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

I don't know what this river is but it is in Montana--the rivers were raging!

More tomorrow!!

xo