The Winter Gardener

I've brought in some of my garden to winter and I am nursing it thru till spring. Above, I found some fresh potted herbs at the Acme marked 40% off. I put both pots in my cart and continued my shopping only to be chased down by the horticulture employee who let me know that for today and for me they were 50% off. How really kind.

I like to grow my indoor plants in old ironstone chamber pots. And the herbs make any kettle of soup gourmet fare.

Kiss Me

Sam models one of my latest additions to Cotton Ginnie Studio, the Aran Sweater. It is a vintage find. Sam is a long time friend and team mate with Jon from WCS. And yes, he's Irish too.

The mittens were an emergency effort for my son Caelen who has his studio in the top floor of his urban row house. It gets very cold up there. Since I got one of his paintings for Christmas I responded with a pair of very masculine fingerless mitts so he will be encouraged to paint some more. Caelen and his wife feel very connected to their Scotch Irish roots but I had to remind him that he is nearly 1/2 french from his mum's side of the family.

Happiness Is ...

Returning to finish some of my pre Christmas efforts. I'm trying to finish projects in an orderly fashion but the Double Irish Chain is calling my name .... along with the little red socks .... Jon and Ashley get happy.

Homecoming Christmas 2011

Above are some pic's of our Christmas tree .... cut, as always, from Pusey's Farm in Rising Sun, MD. The trees still cost $22. I thinned the blue spruce to squeak out a wreath for the front door. I loved the tree this year .. it reminds me of a little fruit cake. Some new children's faces were added last year and this .... Samira, Sandy and my grandchildren, James, Lauren & Asher.

The Christmas holiday finds us with one son home from college and another home from the Navy. Jonathan and Jesse both arrived home on December 16. Jesse will be transferring to a job in the Washington D.C. area. Much closer then Hawaii. Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of cooking for my company.

My Santa workshop was busy too, making hats and mitts for grandchildren and relatives. Wish I had pictures but I was doing good to get it all wrapped and under the tree. I did begin a rather ambitious project to knit an entire set of new Christmas stockings. I have yet to finish the one as I have been stuck turning the heel (I am self taught on this project). But it is turning out nicely and I think I will stop at two and just wear them. I'll post pictures soon.

Christmas Day we visited with the rest of the family at Caelen and Samantha's downtown urban nest. A lovely time was had by all.

So This Is How It Is

Spent a good bit of Saturday deciding on the arrangement of fabrics in my Double Irish Chain. After all was said and done, ended up going the traditional route. I'm very pleased. The pattern lends itself to strip and machine piecing. Much quicker then hand piecing. I will hand quilt. My sewing machine is working all right ... there's an annoying problem with the bobbin. I can only fill it half way or the needle snags on it. So a lot more stop and go to refill. The machine is a Brother .... did see a demo, at a reputable dealer, with a Janome machine that was pretty impressive .... should be at $500. Years ago I was scammed into purchasing a machine from a demo held at a Holiday Inn. The machine quickly malfunctioned and I had no where to return it to. I traded it in for the current machine at the local Singer store. However I have gotten repairs on the Brother, at said store, which have not been satisfactory as the problems persisted ... wasn't sure that they did anything to it. Any hoo .... I'm just glad that it is currently running with no tension problems.

J0n and Ashley did finally make it in by this morning. So I did break up quilt think sessions to cook and visit.

A Lazy Afternoon

It is a rainy Friday afternoon and the housework is done. I am waiting for Jonathan to show up with Ashley. It was to be parents day at LB but my son said he'd rather come home early after spending time with his girl. So for now I am sipping coffee and planning my next quilt.'

Above are my color choices for the Double Irish Chain which I'm thinking may become a Triple Irish Chain ... I'll play with it some. I think I may have enough colors to make a second quilt and I think Rolling Stone is a pretty pattern that I have worked on before in my Wood Rose Quilt. The lovely sweater to the lower left was found at the thrift store for a couple of dollars. It needs a small repair. I think it is a lovely find for one of the grandchildren.... might be slightly large for Asher.

Finished & In Process

Above are a couple of vests I have finished. The blue and gold are in the UD colors. Above you see the beginnings of the Basket Weave Scarf. I have also finished a couple of extra Boater Scarves.