What have I been doing?

Well to answer that question, a lot! Well it feels like a lot to me, but maybe not to anyone else.  I have been cutting fabric, ironing fabric of course, looking through books and trying to make a plan. I can't seem to stay focused unless I write it down, and then not lose the the sticky note.

I mostly have been knitting. I started some socks when I went to stay with Daddy, for something to occupy my mind while sitting and listening to the oxygen machine.

The sock on the right has the gusset and ready to make the heel. The one on the left is ready to start the gusset. I'm pretty excited about these. I have made the first pair of socks months ago but they were from a worsted weight yarn and only for around the house socks. These will actually fit inside shoes.  :)  I have started and ripped out probably 8 different socks. I couldn't get the toes right, the yarn was too thick, the needles were too small, yada ,yada. These seem to be working out. Fingers crossed!

 My MIL used to be a "fluffy" woman, now she is a pencil thin woman. She gets cold now and also thinks her neck and collar area is "too bony". Seriously, I will NEVER have that problem! Anyway I thought I would make her a couple of scarfs to wear to church. This one I started  to practice on while I waited for some ultra soft cashmere yarn to arrive in the mail.

These are some pot holders I crocheted for a sweet young woman. She is always so happy and laughing and loves purple. This girl even found purple pots and pans! So I made her a couple of these. I want to make some coasters but who knows if I will.

Anyway, the husband will be back home this afternoon from a week long trip so I suspect my stitching time will go back to almost nothing for a while. Gotta pay attention to the man. :)

So what have you been doing?

Diane

Daddy

Memories with Daddy

From my childhood it was a long row of rabbit hutches in the back yard.  I could hold the babies while Daddy tended to the moma rabbits.

Daddy working on a car in the driveway,  late at night while listening to any and all LSU  ball games on the radio  LOUDLY.

Having every TV in the house turned to game,  race or boxing match  so he wouldn't miss a thing as he went from room to room.

Saturday morning cartoons... Foghorn Leghorn , Road Runner and Bugs Bunny kept us laughing,  but his favorite was the Pink Panther. 

The best Bar-B-Q in the world was served every Saturday at our house and made by my Daddy.

Christmas lights all over and the speakers Daddy put all around the outside of the house.  The neighbors heard every Christmas album we owned. 

The years at the lake.  Fishing and boat riding all day and boiled peanuts and Coke at night.

The secret driving lessons that started at about the age of twelve. Always in the evenings when the roads at the lake were empty.  His only directions were "Keep it between the ditches"  and "Don't tell your Moma".

A thousand "Hey, Baby!"  and smiles when my family would pile out of the car when we visited. 


The smile on his face when I called his name last Friday.


We buried Daddy last week. I am fortunate that I was able to see one last smile.



Dian

On the needles

I think this is called the Wavy Cowl, a free pattern on Ravelry but I will have to check that name again.
I first saw this on Denise Russart's blog and fell in love with it. There was a learning curve as I had to learn what a short row was and how to do it neatly but that only took a few inches if knitting to do.

Abandonded in place

I have been away a while...
I have been struggling...

I have been sewing a wee bit.

Pile of 4 patch halves and some pinned

It's been coming in fits and spurts but I have cut and pieced some units for a scrappy Irish Chain quilt. A dear sweet girl that I have loved for years is getting married in June and I want so terribly to get her a quilt made. Some quilts you work on and you don't worry about not finishing on time. This one I WANT to finish and give to her on time. This is important to me.

Doesn't this look like I'm scatter brained?

My ever present pups. :)

I have lost a scrap of fabric I saved for years waiting for the perfect project. It is a Mickey Mouse fabric and this quilt is that perfect one. The sweet girl I am making the quilt for is a former Walt Disney Ranger ( I probably got that title wrong) but she worked/ interned at Walt Disney World during college and has wonderful stories and memories and friends from that time in her life. I want to put Mickey in the quilt so she can search for him.  Can I find the fabric? NO!
Crud!


Now about the title of this post.
Abandoned in place is a term I hear a lot lately.  It is when a pipeline or section of pipeline is no longer monitored or even used.  They cut all communication lines and leave it in the open or working condition and walk away. They no longer monitor, calibrate or communicate with it.  That is how I have felt for a while. My Mom has been gone for a year now. My father no longer talks. He will answer questions in one word answers but doesn't talk just to talk. It feels like that the first years of my life is forgotten. I have no one who knows me when I was a baby, learning to walk, learning my ABCs, lost my first tooth, etc.
This is why I am having trouble coming to the blog. I tend to have too many depressing conversations in my head and don't want to do that here, although a blog/diary is where you write your feelings and accomplishments.

Ok, off of that and back to the scraps!

Diane

All over the place with little accomplished

I have been a complete mess since returning home.  :^/

I have still not got back to sleeping all night. I'm averaging about 3.5 a night. Makes me a not so nice person to be around after dark. I'm refusing to nap in the day time just in case that will cause me to nit sleep at night, but I'm ready to chuck that idea and sleep whenever and wherever possible.
I told Ray the other day I was going to get him to do for me what we have done in the past for the kids when they were babies and they felt bad or was teething. I want him to put me in the truck and drive me around and sing to me. I am out light a light! He does that when we travel and I am unable to keep my eyes open for any price. LOL He wasn't too excited at first but after the last couple of nights he said he was ready to try come tomorrow nit. Why tomorrow? He doesn't normally work on Friday so he can drive me all night, then sleep when we get home in the morning. LOL I have this all thought out!

Question:
What is the deal with credit scores?
I have not worked (and made a pay check) in over 30 years. Ray is the bacon bringer homer dude and my credit score is over 40 points better than his. LOL! CRAZY!  But the crazier thing is...his is in the GOOD level and mine is in the EXCELLENT level.  HAHA!!!! I find that so funny, and just a bit scary. That is probably why our financial world is in such a state we allow people who don't even have an income to have excellent credit scores and those who do work and pay all the bills get lower ones. WEIRD.

I have sewn  N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Not one stitch has been taken. I have sat in here and stared at my machine but that is all. What a loser.

I have knitted a little. Mostly I have ripped out and grumbled under my breath...and not so under my breath.

 You see this little dishcloth? I have tried 4 times to make this. I can get more than half way (once I got 3/4) finished and lose my way and can't figure what I'm doing or supposed to do and end up ripping it out. I finally called it quits. Yep I'm a quitter. That pattern is not even hard, but I keep getting lost. :^(

baby socks A & B

Good instructions

I am trying to learn to knit two socks at a time. I keep hearing about SSS or Second Sock Syndrome, and everyone who knows me knows I have no problem getting quilts to the top and calling them done, just imagine me and making socks. I would have a drawer full of unmatched socks. That may not be such a big deal, now that I think of it, but I'm not sure I'm THAT crazy lady yet. I always tell my friend I want to grow up and be the crazy lady on the block that has plastic pink flamingos in the front yard, 23 cats and sings loudly while gardening. I'm not sure I'm there yet. Give me just a bit more time. A few more weeks of no sleep and you never know!

Speaking of singing loudly...while in Houma last time I found the BEST country radio station.   Gumbo 94.9 plays all the best songs from I would say the 70's through the 90's maybe some into the early 2000's. They are all in the top 100 so tons of great music from my younger years. I'm streaming live and listening to Sawyer Brown right now. Loving it! Although my son and husband have taken to wearing noise cancelling headphones. I think that is rude!. Just sayin'.

I have been digging through my bag patterns and think I am going to make a couple if I can concentrate long enough. I need some new ones for travelling. My daughter made fun of me carrying so much stuff in zip lock bags. 


Purse-Nickities. Lazy Girl
The top one with the handle I made and use it daily.

Perfect Pouches, Lazy Girl
I know, I don't need a pattern for this, but I did when I bought it.

Lazy Girl Designs, hands down had the easiest to follow patterns, (IMHO). I have made several of her bags, purses and totes and each one was a total success. Well, one was bad, but it was the fabric choice that caused that. I also like Atkinson Designs, but I have to concentrate to follow her instructions. I think it's me. I find the way the instructions are laid out hard to follow.


Cute!

I wonder if this is something I would use?

Ok, I guess that is enough rambling. I want to try and get something accomplished before I have to fix dinner. Tonight is fajitas! I made steaks Monday and grilled an extra ribeye, so easy peasy dinner night.  "Sigh" ( that was for you L) :) Thought you might like a laugh.

Later,
Diane

I really need to stay home

Once again Ray and I are back home from two weeks of travel. We spent a week near Mobile then a week in Houma LA. I have had a sore throat, itchy ears, watery eyes and a headache for over a week. It's just allergies from being in areas with more moisture (mold) and trees (pollen). It is already looking like Spring in south Louisiana. Tulip trees all pretty and purple were everywhere, and trees with new leaves. The only problem was I forgot that mold and pollen from that area of the world hates me.
Since I have a pounding head and my rear refuses to get back inside of a vehicle just yet, I have become a slug to beat all slugs. I have created a nest here in my chair. I have my computer, iPhone on silent, Coke, knitting, new quilt books (to me) all around me. My dogs and I are under my quilt and I am staring daggers at anyone who speaks louder than a whisper.

I had a sock knitted about 4 inches and decided it would only fit a 3 year old or a very small 5 year old boy I know. Since I was making them to fit me, I had no choice. I hate ripping out that much. :(
Now I can't figure out just how many stitches I need to cast on.

Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up to no more headache and everyone off to work.

I have been working on a special quilt design for a special person. Maybe I will be able to post a picture.

Later,

Lighting and a visitor

I was over at Sister's Choice blog and Nichole was asking about lighting. I told her I had the same issues with lighting. There are days in my life that there just isn't enough. No matter how bright and sunny or how many lights are on. Times like these you sure could use a friend. Ikea is your friend!
As you can see in the picture on the right of my machine I have not one but TWO Ikea lights. Some days it is just a two light day. One is a goose neck lamp and one is a clip on goose neck lamp.
 On the left attached to the top of my machine is one of those bright bendy lights. I have heard friends say they don't love their bendy lights because they bounce up and down when they sew. I don't normally have that problem. Maybe I sew slower than they do. I do know if I am doing something I hate (hemming pants for a child) I can get the speed up on my machine where it's kind of bouncy, but
not very often. That bendy light is very bright and I can really see my needle so I love it.
What you don't see is the large OTT light. I removed it. The OTT light was an old large weighted desk ones with one of the long arms that only had a join in the middle so it didn't adjust easily but once you did get it adjusted, it was good.  I noticed I was having lots of issues with my Rosacea when I spent a lot of time in my sewing room. I would come out with two huge red cheeks that were hot to the touch and tender. I decided to try the Ikea light instead for a while to see if the light was causing this. As soon as the lights were switched my face cleared up.  Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I put the OTT light back and back came the red face. So my unscientific results are...out goes the OTT light.






I had a visitor. Can you see him?



Can you see him now?

He sat there for a very long time just watching me. He didn't even move when I removed the stuff in
the window to get a better picture.

Diane