Pumpkins and A Saltbox Doodle for You

Here is how yarn looks when used with an oxford punch needle. A simple pumpkin done on monk's cloth. With the yarn it works up even faster because your not having to load your needle as often.



I did use wool strips just for the lines in the pumpkin to give it a little bit of variation.




Here is the pattern for the Saltbox house I made in the previous post. Feel free to use it however you choose but please give me credit as the designer.




So far we are still sunny but there is a crisp cool wind blowing. Went into town to pick up a few groceries and you can certainly tell that many folks are preparing for what they are predicting to be a significant ice storm and then snow with huge drifts. I'll be content to set at home and watch it from our farmhouse.

If your in the path of this storm please be careful out there!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Monday Stuff

They always find a quilt, don't they?
I've been machine quilting the bricks/stones on table that goes under quilting frame. Quilting on the Viking is hard work, my neck and shoulders get sore.Hope this is the last time on DSM. (Our trip to New Mexico was to meet seller of HandiQuilter). It should be set up and running by this weekend.

Patch decided it was too cold in front room so here she found sun in my sewing room.At least she is not on fabric. The lime green fabric on cutting mat is for a HeartStrings kid quilt. That is the HS project for Feb and March- Lime Green centers.

Mouse got his haircut last week. I snipped off his pony tail, it was too matted up for him to stand brushing out. Now he has to wear a sweater at night until some hair grows back.

Saltbox House

Well the cold winds have returned and more dropping temps are on the way....good by 70's hello teens. Might as well keep the hands nice and warm with working on more punched pieces. This lil' saltbox house is my latest finish and of course I still need to bind it. It was all made with wool strips. I have another one started with the yarn below. I'll share it in a day or two.



I found the yarn at a little shop in Norman, Oklahoma. I was asked what brand it is. It's called Cascade yarn and it's 100% Peruvian Highland wool. It's a nice hand~dyed wool that works up beautifully. I have been doubling it and putting it through my oxford punch needle. It cost about $6.00 for 220 yards.

Looks like we will be snowed in for a few days and we have been preparing by giving the cows and goats some extra food. Checking on generators and of course we got to keep the soup on a cooking!

Wishing each of you a safe and warm week.

Happy Trails....Ginger

A walk around the lake

Yesterday and today I went for a walk with Mom and Dad around the lake. Today wasn't quite as good because "IT" came too and I much prefer walking alone with my Mom and Dad. We can already see signs of spring coming, there are little tufts of green grass popping up everywhere. Yesterday it was a lovely 63 degrees and today it is 58 which of coarse is just perfect for taking a leisurely stroll. The lake was so pretty, there was no wind and it was flat and calm and had that wonderful mirror like quality. Mom is so much stronger then she was and both she and Dad were saying how good it is to feel almost normal again and doing normal things.












Of coarse at this time of year there are many geese visiting and flying overhead and for the first time ever, I actually discovered it is fun to chase the geese into the water. I have never done that before, preferring instead to ignore them, but today it just seemed like a fun thing to do. We also came across this cool tree stump - Mom named it "Nature's Dog Bowl" and you have to admit it does look like a double dog bowl. I checked it out but alas there was no food hiding in it. I had a great weekend and hope you did too.

Preparations for A Winter Blast!

Amazingly today we had temperatures of 75 degrees....I enjoyed rolling down the car windows and letting the breeze come right on in. It's not without it's consequences though we have had way too many fires. I am really hoping that the winter blast that they are expecting for Monday and Tuesday does bring some much need precipitation...just not in ice form!

Well to prepare for the winter blast I picked up some beautiful wool yarns so my oxford punch needle doesn't get cold! I also got enough fixins for some homemade chicken noodle soup and if the power goes out why we will just have some sandwiches.

I've been counting down the days to the Rock Creek Hook~In held in Lenexa, Kansas. It's always the last Saturday in February and this year we plan on leaving to make our way up a few days early to check out lots of shops and stop by our very dear friend Betty's. It's going to be so much fun I can hardly wait!

I need to clear off the old work desk it's piled up with wool, fabric, and patterns so I can get started on something new!

Happy Trails.....Ginger

Pink SideWinder

The question was- does it wind the green Viking bobbins?
Answer: Yes!
The pink SideWinder does work with green Viking bobbins. Yes, you just turn the bobbin upside down (V emblem down) and it fills in the correct direction. The bobbin was a tad hard to pop off the spindle but it does come off :) That bobbin wound so fast I barely saw it happen. To make it stop mid-wind just push away the little bar that presses against thread in bobbin. If not full enough you can push green button, hold down and it will keep winding. It tended to fill the bobbin center so I gently pushed the winding thread towards top and bottom part of bobbin to get really full. (Using the bobbins to quilt a sandwich so wanted them super full).
So glad I made this purchase. I'm not much into gadgets but this SideWinder is more than a gadget, very useful!

Tolerance

Now some of of you may be thinking I don't like "IT" (Jackson) very much but I just wanted to show you that I am getting better about "IT" being near me. I have even got to the point where I will allow "IT" to sleep on me, instead of next to me. Of coarse "IT" is just stealing my heat as without having any REAL fur, "IT" gets cold all the time. My dogness, I will even occasionally play tug with "IT" just to help keep it amused - not that I enjoy a good game of tug or anything! I do think that it is a bit rude that "IT" has taken over MY toy box and plays with ALL my toys. Gfaw, gfaw - mom thought I was bad as a puppy emptying the toy box, but Jackson does it at least 10 times a day and scatters the toys EVERYWHERE. Will I ever really get use to "IT" being here, only time will tell but in the mean time Mom says I just have to learn a little tolerance.

Midweek snooter fun and late Friday light...

Wednesday morning found me here. Pink harness with top buckle, long line, my nose was tuned up and ready to go to work!
Our first dabble at Tracking! Coached by a wonderful and patient Elizabeth, who explained the goals, and carefully planted the most delicious treats with the stomp of her boot.

If you take a visit over to Sammie & Avalon's page, you will find more details about Tracking.

Elizabeth carefully lays down a separate track before each of our turns, making sure we are watching her.

With a sizeable treat bag in hand, of course we were watching!

On the long line, my snooter in action...I tracked footfalls (treats helped!) ...and also found a few deer goodies too :)

What a fun morning! And thank you to our friends for including us!

Hope we can try this sport again soon.

Onward to Friday...before the sun disappeared....a call to pals, made for a nice date at our Civic Center Park Just minutes from home, we had this sandy ring all to ourselves.

Action!

Fast floppy ears.

Ear back zooms.

Ring around the Kong.

Breathless. Ah so needed!

From the sandy corral, we headed out for a lap around the lagoon.

Sammie with grandpeep C, below.

Exploring the sky...they became silhouettes.

Avalon and I kept an eye out in all directions.

Shared a stick.

Though not for long...yet, you knew I couldn't leave stickie behind.

Watched the lagoon change light from the late day sun.

We greeted our feathered friends.

Home to Mallards, gulls, sometimes geese, and on occasion river otters.

And too quickly parkie time was over and off we went....our separate ways.

Glad to bask in the late day light.

Until we meet again! Have a nice weekend.

I'd Rather Be Punching!

I finished up a couple of little oxford punch mats now on to the whipping phase. I'm already thinking of another little mat to make and I know I NEED to finish these before starting another.

We had a beautiful day today that reached up to 73 degrees....crazy weather for January but I'm not complaining...no sireee! If the weatherman is right come Tuesday we are in for what they are calling ice, snow, and sleet. Looks like I'll have plenty of time to get these lil' mats done and maybe a few more.

Well I can't stand it any longer...got to at least draw off the next piece I want to do. Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend.

Happy Trails....Ginger

B-day Gifts From My Sis

Look at all the fun B-day gifts my sister sent this year. That baggie full of nuts, those are Nevada Pine Nuts, a rarity in this world. Everything was wrapped in pretty paper and tucked into bags.
Pretty stationary with a matching pen. She sewed the jewelry bag and made the necklace in a class she took. And the Daily Guideposts book I look forward to every year.
Close up of jewelry bag and necklace. The fabrics are so pretty, pansies in yellow purple and blue. The necklace stone is amazing.

Look at the cute little coasters and a tea bag holder with daisy button (she sewed these from her stash). And socks with lady bugs! Tea for the tea bag holder :) supposed to keep ya healthy during cold season.
Thank you so much sis, B-days are fun with a sister like you ;)

Our Find Your Better Half Entry ~ Hootie & Meg

Our friend John lives in Trelawnyd,Wales and one of his many critters is Miss Meg the Welshie. She is definitely my mirror image in female form, so we decided to enter Norwood's Find Your Better Half Contest for MangoMinster2011. We labeled the photos so you could tell who is who!! (The cute little Scotty is George.) Norwood is going to donate $1 for each entry up to $50, and the winner gets to give it to the charity of their choice. Our charity of choice will be the Motor Neuron Disease Association, for John's brother, Andrew, who has Progressive Bulbar Palsy,a type of Lou Gehrig's Disease(ALS). His sister Janet has a blog devoted to him and the fight for a cure. Wish us luck, please!!

WelshieSmooches,

Hootie

Flannel Quilt Finish

Tracks Along the Trail waiting for binding this morning. The quilt has been back from LAQ for two weeks. But I waited until yesterday to cut binding and square up .
Finished tonight (worked on all day) so my DH can take to the retirement party Friday. So glad to have this one finished! It was a struggle to get binding sewn on because of how heavy the flannel is. Binding is Kaufman Kona, a meaty feeling fabric, great for bindings. Used a narrow serpentine decorative stitch that was slow to sew.DH likes this one so much he purchased a second quilt kit for him (for me to whip up). (((sigh)))

Mouse and Dodger under cutting table in sewing room. A favorite spot of all the poodle-kids.