I Sit and Knit

This has been a week of minor accomplishments at home and major accomplishments by the family.  Here I have completed the yoke of my sweater and the sleeve (a short sleeved sweater).  I need to bind off the sleeve but will be looking up a stretchy bind off before I get that done.

















And look at the progress I have made on my socks.  I know they will only have a short leg but I haven’t decided how short it will be so I am still knitting.  And, of course, I will need that stretchy bind off for them, too.











And just so I don’t get bored, I have started a scarf.  I think I have made it a little too wide but I really hate the idea of ripping it out.  Maybe I'll make a fuzzy pillow with what I have and then start the scarf again.  …….?



















And always in my knitting life is and will be the easy, no thinking dishcloth and/or washcloth. 














Wow, this suggests that I am still loving knitting, doesn’t it.  For two days this week I went to the studio and just knit.  It is such a great way to keep busy but not have to move. 


Meanwhile the family has been busy.  Our daughter’s husband’s father has been in the hospital (90 miles away) since last Sunday.  Our plans were to be shopping on Monday so we went to the town where the hospital was.  While she visited I knitted in the car (I told you I am really enjoying my knitting).  Then she shopped for nurses scrubs: she started a new job the next day.  While she shopped I, again, knitted in the car.  I guess that’s why I got so much done on those socks.

And while we were shopping here in AL our younger son (and twin to the daughter I was with) and his wife, in MD, were giving birth to their second child.

Meet August who is expressing his displeasure while reclining on one of the receiving blankets I made for him.
























I had just sent him these “shower” gifts but he decided to come two weeks early so they weren’t there until after he came home.  Anyway I’m sure you recognize the quilt and then there are two receiving blankets (pattern at the Missouri Star Quilting Co.), a John Deere onesie, and the sock monkey overalls and shirt (I did not make the last two). 





And here is the treat you get because you read to the end.  Here is my header granddaughter meeting her baby brother for the first time.  The lady holding the baby is the mother’s mother who gets to live close to these beautiful children.  I do envy her.



























I will be linking up with Patchwork Times so come on over and see what everyone else is working on.  Some of them even get their knitting projects done. 

Taking Time Out

I am taking time out from Snails to work on something else. My guild issued a challenge during the winter. Make a wall hanging, no more than 30 x 30, using two required fabrics and up to 4 more of our choosing. Well, I have made mine and decided to use the “birthing” technique rather than do a binding. I do, however, want to quilt it on the HQ. So, what to do when there is no back or batting to attach leaders or clips to. Well, here is what I did.

What you also are seeing are the two required fabrics (ugly) and two of my four optional ones. Anyway, I made faux leaders that I stitched on to each side

and then attached them to the real leaders and off I went. I can’t show the quilt yet: it will be showing up in September.

Now, the real reason I am posting tonight. I read so many blogs where people are sharing how proud they are of their grandchildren. Well, I would like to do the same. But, alas, this is all I have. Our grandson came by on his way home from work, and here he is:

He explained that today they were having “sex change” day: sounds more like college than work, doesn‘t it? Anyway, we were so happy that he shared with us that I just had to snap pictures. And, as you can see, DH really enjoyed the show.

Not Quilt Related

Between car problems, piled up errands, and babysitting, not much in the way of quilting has gone on around here. I did get the rows for the Christmas quilt backing sewn into pairs but that is as far as I got. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

This is Sky, my "great" grandson. He visited this morning while his grandmother, my daughter, went for her admission interview for nursing school. Here he looks happy, doesn't he. Well, he wasn't when he woke up in a strange house. But after a little temper he settled in.

Here he is with PawPaw, wondering, I think, what I was doing.

And meeting Buffy.

Sky and I spent some time outside sitting on the swing before his grandma came to take him away. He loves to swing so was quite content. It was fun to play with a baby again but also fun to see him packed in his car seat and taken away. I don't know how I got things done with little ones (4) around "way back then."

Tomorrow I have nothing else planned so really hope to get the quilt back done and everything loaded on the HQ16. Of course, as I typed this I remembered that I have a lunch date with my daughter so I guess I will have to get up early to get something done. What a mad social whirl my life is. ;-)