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

My first sock!!

I finished my very first sock last night!! I was so excited. It fits and everything! Ray even tried it on.  This was made from worsted weight yarn and they say it knits up quickly but when you are learning... not so much. It took many nights to complete. I cast on the second sock last night but was so sleepy I messed it up and said I would start over in the morning. I will do that just as soon as I finish this post.

 

Thank you Judy. This was the whole reason I wanted to learn to knit. I wanted to make socks.

 

New items, old items and chocolate

Hob-E-Lube Premium Lite Oil HL662 by Woodland Scenics

While at retreat (am I ever going to stop talking about the retreat?) my friend Lynn G had a really nifty tube of machine oil with a precision tip on it. I thought I needed to own it so I Googled it immediately and found it on Amazon and ordered it. Isn't technology great? Remind me I said that the next time I'm ranting about this stupid computer or cell phone acting all crazy. Anyway I order it and it arrived today. Ok sing with me "I love technology...." Quick name the movie that little ditty is from!**



Crazy cool tip!

 

You can get right into the tight spots on the vintage machines. I have one of those squeeze bottles of oil with the zoom tip on it, but sometimes I squeeze out too much oil then I have to clean it out. Too much oil is as bad or worse than not enough oil. 

 

While browsing on Amazon I found this book. I am a big fan of all of the quilt books from the states and own several. I shop the used book section and have found many for anywhere between $.01 to $12.

 

 

Some of the ones I have marked in the book already. Do you notice a pattern here? Maybe a Bazillion pieces? I have lost my mind. Although the first one isn't nearly as bad as the last one.

 

 

 

One last retreat item. OMG! Have you had these? Since I quit eating chocolate for the most part a while back I never look on the candy aisle. One of the retreaters got his as their candy gift and I traded her for the ultra dark chocolate I got as my gift. We both were happy. I thought I would bring it home for Ray and Joseph. I opened it on the drive home as I was getting a bit sleepy and wanted a pick me up. Just suffice it to say, Ray and Joseph never saw that bag and the one pictured above was not the first bag purchased since getting home. I will have to put the brakes on this though. I really shouldn't be eating it. No more candy aisle for me. I promise. But I do have this whole bag. :)

Diane

**Answer to the question above:
Napoleon Dynamite   Go ahead click it...you know you want to. :)

Carrying on with the tote idea

Yesterday was a whole day of appointments at Dr.'s offices, medical tests and waiting on these things.  Fortunately every visit and test came back good so I am happy.  Unfortunately the very first visit was with the Opthamologist. At 9am. In the fog. So instead of being able to leave my house at 8:30, I had to leave at 8:10 and pray and white knuckle it all the way and just made it with less than 10 minutes to spare. There I had a full field of vision test that I have annually. Not a problem except my eyes are dilated. So Once again I white knuckle it just down the street about a mile (straight shot, no turns and several lights so I only got up to 30mph) to a shopping center so I can walk around and shop until I can see well enough to drive to the yarn store down the freeway. 

While in this shopping center I was able to go into Joann. They had all kinds of cute fabric on sale between 30% and 50% off.  I didn't go crazy, but I did buy a few pieces to make some zip bags for toiletries or sewing/knitting notions or whatever I need them for. I will make my daughter a couple since she has had a habit for the past 10 years to basically live out of her car. She can never find what she needs unless she tunnels through the trunk or back seat. I thought if she had some bright bags she could find the smaller items easier.

Valentine fabric 50% off

Cute girlie fabrics 30% off

Cute monster and dino fabrics 30% off

Then I went into the quilt shop. Remember the tote bag I was discussing the last time? Well I found this pattern and thought this might be something that would work. I think it would also be nice for my daughter. She is in a band and they travel all over in a bus. She could fill it with all sorts of stuff and it would still fit inside of her huge suitcase of a purse.  Or it might be good for college. Lots of possibilities.

$10 @ quilt shop

I guess this time they gave me larger dose of eye dilate because I was still at the shopping center at 3:30pm and I was just starting to see well enough that I felt comfortable driving on the freeway. But...I had my next appointment in less than an hour. GRR! No time to go to the yarn store.

So I came home and knitted after dinner. Is it starting to look like a sock? It's going to be a short house sock. The cuff is on top. The heel is on the right side with my fingers inside the gusset part. I tell you, working with 4 needles is a challenge.

Diane