Back from my yearly knitting retreat!

The Fab Five!

F.R. Me and JoAn

B.R. Carol, JorJan and Holly

Here we are the

Fab Five, our 25Th year!

It's hard to believe we have been going together for all those years, and of course we haven't changed a bit, lol! For those who don't know what this retreat is, well it started out as a knitting retreat for a group who met in a yarn store in Seattle. they thought it seemed like it would be fun to get together for a week end at Fort Warden, near Port Townsend, Washington. Well as they say, let the good times roll, I'd say it's been a glorious success, and at one time we had 150 knitters. This year the numbers were down, but a lot of the same faces I've seen for all these years are still coming. Here's the Barracks we stay in, and if you have ever seen the movie "An Officer and a Gentlemen" this is were it was filmed. As you can see we are right on the sound, and we saw a pod of whales go through this year. Now we have no structure to this gathering of people, but we all have one love in common and that's knitting. So that's what we do , talk, eat, sleep and shop. I look mostly forward to seeing my dearest friends, and spending quality time catching up with them. We have a wonderful time. As usual, I came home and unknit my project, cause it's just to hard to concentrate with all the distraction. Fort Warden has an unusual building that sits high on a hill, and has an incredible view. The name of this building is Alexanders Castle, here's a description of it.
Alexanders Castle, it's a very romantic story, with a sad ending.

So another year till the next retreat, but they seem to be going by faster, and faster every year.

Off to bed to be kissed by a Prince in the spring

It's getting closer to the time to put the garden to bed for the winter, to be kissed by a prince in the spring (maybe that's Lonny) when he uses the rototiller. I must get it done soon, because the forecast has been given, that we will have snow by the end of the month. Now tell me how can that be true, when we just got our summer, but now it's gone to the cold mornings and dark by six in the evening. I can't say I'm looking forward to winter yet, but then again I have no choice and will make the best of it. Here's one of the many beautiful vegetables from this years garden, a Hybrid Tomato, it weighed in at 1lb. 14oz. I made a Strata for my spinning (wheel) group, and it was delicious. The fruit is all canned and put away, and the veggies are canned or frozen.
Well I did find some time this summer to go to my sewing group on Monday evenings at The Quilting hive. www.thequiltinghive.com in the summer we meet in the evening, but this time of year we meet in the afternoons. Mostly I work on small projects there, like this little Tote, it was fun and it makes my brain have to work, to figure out how it's done, like a puzzle.

Then if you remember in my last post I had sewn a small table Quilt for the fourth of July. I decided to make the same Pattern for a Halloween one. this is another puzzle. I always do better the second time around. Mmmm maybe I'll make one for Christmas.

About a month ago this little creature showed up at my neighbors house, and I volunteered to be responsible for him, because she already has two dogs and works full time. We don't know what happened, but we haven't had any response of anyone looking for him. So we think he is our new family member, and we just call him Buddy and he's a great dog.

I continue to walk every day, three miles, with my walking buddy Deb. We walk all year round and have had a great year so far. We enjoy the beautiful road we walk on, all the sights are just awesome, and the wild life breath taking. I treasure our time together and having her to share it with. If you get into the habit of walking, you'll never stop and you'll feel so good. Well I guess I'd better take the puppy for a walk around the yard, befor he forgets his manners.

It's July and Summer is Here!

Happy Fourth of July !

I haven't posted since February, and it's not like I haven't been doing anything, but a friend stopped by yesterday and wondered why I haven't Blogged. Well I've been busy with finishing my Quilting projects, and starting some new ones. This one to the side, was my way of adding a little Fourth of July touch, it was fast and fun, I really like it. Thanks to Dawn for getting me on to blog about it. I think the one thing that did keep me away was a project I couldn't show until my Grand Daughter saw her new Quilt for her self. I finished it around March or April, but her and her Dad were here a week ago and I got to give it to her then. I'm sure she Loved it, and was very surprised when she saw it. It was a year ago when your new Quilt shop opened in Twisp, her and I went there, and she picked out the pinks, then I got the rest of the fabric in Kingston, and Paulsbo while going to Knitting Retreat. So here's our picture!!!!!! I really had fun making this Quilt. Sewing seems to be my choice of creativity, I have started another Quilt from my stash from before we moved here, it feels good to get these done. Now that the very slow start of Spring and Summer, my garden seems to be doing very well, compared to others, why I don't know, but I'm having a bumper crop of Strawberries and Raspberries. I have a good feeling that this garden will do well, and we will eat well too. Hope your summer has finally arrived, be sure and buy your fresh produce locally, it's the best.

Why is it..............

Why is it, that February seems so long ? I'm sure that's a question that's been asked many times through the ages. I have managed to keep myself busy though, I finished my kitchen table quilt. I used it as a sacrificial quilt to learn to free motion quilt, and I learned a lot, that's why I'm signed up for a class on free motion quilting, it starts tomorrow. No actually I did really well, and I think because my new machine does really well at making it easier. I still have a lot to learn! I have also been doing some spinning. I bought this wool from a local wool producer, and it's
Romney Lambs wool. While spinning it, I was having second thoughts about it, wondering if I should continue to spend time on it. So when I finished three bobbins, I then plied the tree strands together, this would be the deciding factor. It turned out really soft, well for Romney, it's not known for it's softness, but I was pleased. It has a real nice shine to it, so it will reflect lite nicely. So it's off to a class tomorrow, and then I'll be working on Samantha's quilt, I can't show a picture yet, because she doesn't know what it's looking like.

Couldn't help myself, I had to do it!

What beautiful weather to wake up to, so I thought it would be a perfect day to hang sheets out. Look how high the snow is, the sheets almost touch. I just couldn't help my self, I had to do it!

Another U.F.O.

What's a U.F.O.? Unfinished Object. I have two done in the Quilt category. The latest is the one on the fence. It's made of flannel, so it's extra cozy. I started it before we moved here, so that makes around seven years ago. I have over the last six years picked it up and worked on it, but now it's finished!

The flannel is difficult to work with, because it drags on the machine, your clothes, table. I'm liking it though, and I'm very happy it's done. Now on to the next one, and it's having it's challenges too, but I will get through them, and be done soon with it. There is a little gold colored mitten on one of the blue squares, there's a story to that one. A couple of years ago, I was sewing button's on , a way of quilting, and put the quilt aside for a brief time on the sofa. When I came back to work on it, there seem to be some buttons' missing, and with further investigating, I found some buttons had been mysteriously ripped off. I was left with a tier , well who would have done such a deed? No not the prince of all cats. Well not all was lost, a little patch, made to look like a mitten, with a few little buttons will be a reminder of Jr. He thought he was helping me.

Sage, Sand and Sunshine

I miss the Sage, Sand and Sunshine on days like today. When it's warm in the spring the snow is gone, but it rains, so the smell of the sage and pines over load your senses. Then when the temps rise even more, the stronger it gets till you can't smell it anymore because your use to it. Then if it rains, you get a new rush of the smells, I love it, but when there's snow you can't smell it at all. So we have had lots of snow. but it's warmed up to around forty degrees, so it's melting and slimy, but I haven't smelled that familiar fragrance I so look forward to, but it will come, the time is just around the corner. So to pass the time I've been sewing, finishing up the quilts I spoke about in the last posting. I made this little bag for a friends Birthday.

This is Helen my Bear

Oops

Helen is modeling a head band and a neck warmer I just made. The headband is reversable, a double knit, so it's warm.

Helen is quite the Model is'nt she!

Holly Cow it's January 2011

What has happened to the time? My last blog was I think in Sept! I can remember some things since then, I think. October I'm not to sure about, but I know in November, I was off to my yearly trek to Port Townsend for Knitting Retreat, and it was the best. Then when I got home all inspired,I knit two small but useful shawls

My retreat buddies!

The one on the left is dark, but has beautiful shades of blues and purple, and that one was given as a Christmas gift. The other one is mine, and I love the convenience of it, and the warmth . It's nice to have something to throw over your shoulders on a chilly day. Boy have we been having some chilly days here. Well at Thanksgiving, we were planning on going to the coast, but I became sick with the flu, not the flu, but you could have fooled me, sore throat, ear aches, chills. Yuck, I can hardly stand to mention it. So off to better things, like snow, we got dumped on after turkey day, we have had a total, now this is a guess, of 38in. I know when the snow was still soft and fluffy, it came up over my knees, and I wasn't touching the the ground. Then their was all the preparations for Christmas and I managed to get through that. So off to the Coast again, and had a very nice time, visiting with Family. When I got home, I decided it was time to finish some projects, so I finished my Quilt. I know the picture is dark, but I didn't use the flash, but the colors are Fall like colors, I love it, it's just beautiful. I just remembered, that I had pieced a table top quilt in Oct. and plan on finishing that one next.

Looks like it's going to be a quilting year. Now this Blog is called Knitting in the Methow after all, so I am working on more knitting projects too. So Happy New Year !