Catching Up

April 1 I will be coming up on 10 years blogging!  A decade!  I started this blog when I had lots to whine about.  Now that I'm pretty much retired, there is not much to whine about.

What there is, is a whole lot more time to think about gardening, housecleaning, and exercising, which is still not happening as much as it should.  There is a little more walking and so far two zumba classes.  I'm thinking about giving up my regular massages since the price went up again and go prn.  I've also giving up regular haircuts, for a while.  I'm contemplating using that money to join the Y.  In a year I can get free membership through my health plan.  I'm not really the gym type, but I'm willing to give it another try. 

It's be a revolving door of sisters the last month or so.  So nice to have them visit mom and help her with those things she cannot do anymore at 91.  She can still do plenty though.  Her garden puts me to shame!

Her honohono orchids are doing exceptionally well this year.  They are so fragrant!

On the knitting scene there was another Giro and another Cadhla Shawl.

A friend brought some Romney yarn from NZ for the Cadhla Shawl.  She has another Cadhla I knit with Pima Fresca Solid by Queensland Collection that she says is her favorite shawl and requested another.  This yarn is way warm for Hawaii! I used my last bit of Noro Aya for the Giro, my third one.

I did a little Wilton's cake dye dyeing on some Romney locks.

My kind of dyeing...non toxic and done with kitchen supplies.

I finished 3 quilts.  2 are large lap quilts and one is baby quilt size.  I used up my flower blocks from the 2014 Big Island Quilt Shop Hop and made a pieced backing.  The pattern is called Garden Path and is free from McCall's.
The two pink and green ones are called Summer in the Park.  I arranged the blocks in different ways and used only two Amy Butler prints and white.  The smaller one has a flannel backing which really showed up the machine quilting nicely.  The machine quilting was done by Barbara Alama. After seeing her fabric stash I'll feel no shame when I look at mine, lol. 

I had fun making my own quilt label with a rubber stamp and sharpie.  Ironing the fabric on freezer paper really helped.  I heat set the label before hand stitching it on.  Next time I will sew it into the binding. 

I'm still spinning cotton.  It's a long term project.  I can't wait to try out my Anything But Lazy Kate.  I may just have to interupt the cotton spinning and ply!  This cool gadget was a birthday gift for my wonderful and enabling sisters!  Aren't sister grand?