I am having a great time!!

A   Randon  Spin

I come before you to stand behind you to tell you something I know nothing about, (Today)!
The sun is shining on Puget Sound and that always helps!  I have finished that sweater vest, finally and it looks good and fits.  The yarn was hard to work on but I made some creative changes!!

I am still losing weight and oh does that feel good.  My waist and my thighs can  feel it.  Soon  you won't be able to see me standing sideways!!

I made a batch of blueberry muffins for my hubby, he needed some attention and sweets to munch on.
If you don't have a micro-oven that has convection oven on it........please check it out and beg, steal or borrow to get one.  They are a delight to use and oh so effecient to use.

I have just today put some of my hand made items on eBay to sell, hoping I will get more coverage.  I was a member about 8-9 years ago and they have sure made it easier to apply and sell.  Everything is well spelled out and explained.  I am going to town on that market.

Our local Wells Fargo Bank has hung one of my felted wall hangings up in their lobby.  I am so proud.
As I was telling my 13 yr, old grandson about my hanging.  He topped me with, one of his art pieces has been chosen to hang in an Anchorage store for months.  Will I ever get ahead of him?  I doubt it.

These are my beautiful rhoddies that are blooming now.  Otherwise my theme is purple flowers.  I am working on learning more plant names, but don't know what I should forget in order to remember them!!


To show you that I can't sit without keeping my hands busy, I have been knitting baby caps for those babies in Anchorage.  So Cute??


No more  thoughts for  today.  Soooooooo
take care... Live, Love and Laugh!!

Sophieanna

One of those Days!!

I have been pushing the wrong buttons and have lost a couple of blogs but I'll try again. Yes

terday was a sunny day and while I waited to hear from my off-spring, I knit two cute, very colorful baby caps. The house is so cleared of clutter right now I hate to mess it up.

I have been finishing my felted wall hangings with driftwood, sparkles and bling! I am very satified with them and I hope there will be others that will be too. I signed and named them but I haven't decided on my trade name as of yet. They put out a list of popular girls' names and Sophia is the second most popular!! Would my grandma Sophie ever like that!! If anyone has a clever idea, let me know.

I also finished up a wool felted purse, three times it took to felt. I made a heavy lining with three solid, large pockets and put a closure on it. This one I like how the design came out because of the yarn. The colors are bright and cheerful.

The flowers are all coming out and the grass is growing like mad. I pick up my new glasses this week. I am trying out the transition lens and anxious to see how I like them. My reading will really pick up then.

Sister, Margaret, told me about a book called, Mother, which is mostly pictures. If anyone knows of how I can get hold of one, let me know. It is humorous, comical and a riot to look at. Not much text in it.

I am going to try to build my own website, as soon as I can and have the nerves to follow through so if you don't hear from me, I am working on that. Meanwhile, I will take it easy and this photo tells it all. My pics are out of place, but you get the idea!!!???

Take care and Live, Love and Laugh.

Sophie

Slow Week

Every once in a while, I have a time where I don't have much time or energy to create.  These past few days have been like that.  It was time to do yard work.  I like to landscape, my way, even though now I have to clean up after myself.  Hope that can change soon.  So I mowed, cut, dug, transplanted and raked.
Enough done for a while.  It is usually in July when we hit a dry spell and no longer need to mow the lawn.  It turns a nice golden brown and everyone just waits for fall to have it turn green again.  When we first moved here, as in Minnesota, you must keep your lawn green and mowed!!  Not so we learned from long time neighbors.  We wait til the rains come again.   I love it and every lawn looks the same.

This was designed by my new teenager grandson, the best kid west of the Mississippi!!  He did several designs and I chose this one.  Which one is Me???  I learned much from him when we were there visiting.
Thank you,Alex.

 This entire hanging was made from roving, dyeing it red, orange, and yellow.   It was a fun challenge and the first time I made the felted cloth from scratch.  I added a few beads for bling and the Puget Sound driftwood  finished it off.


Although it was a very sad case to hear of a Minneapolis friend, seriously ill with cancer, I caught up with other friends and neighbors, one in California and one in North Carolina. We talked across the country and caught up with each other's lives. We promised to stay in touch!!

So as Easter is almost here, Have a blessed holiday, take good care of yourselves, and please sign in as a fan and/follower. I only have ONE. EEK!!
Live, Laugh and Love,
Sophie

It Feels like Spring

This looks like spring, finally.  The magnolia is in beautiful bloom and the soft pink is perfect!  Also, my lemon tree is looking good after spending the winter inside on the kitchen table facing south.  The birds are loud but I can't see them.  The  garden  isn't  full of weeds yet so I am free for the time being.

Projects

My dear  friend gave me the idea that this hanging really needed!!  Bling!!  The  center of the piece is a coil of snappy glass beads.  They sparkle from every direction and add a neat focal point to the piece.
I am going to add batting and a backing to it and do a little quilting on it.  I dyed the roving and thought of this design and felted it on my machine.  Because it is large, it was a tricky thing to do.  It does attack attention, one way or another.

I dyed some white roving with kool aid and a touch of food coloring but wasn't pleased with the shade of green, so I whipped out the paint and did a bit of touch up on a few areas.  I'll see how it dries.

I am still in the wood shop thinking of new box ideas and I have one in the making with shell on top.  I think it looks snazzy.  I'll have it finished soon, I hope.

I am machine knitting the sweater on this magazine cover.   There are direction for hand and machine knitting.  My machine doesn't  do the gauge that is suggested so after two days of math and knit experiencing for gauge, I think I got it!  I did the whole back, measured, ripped it all out and started again and now I have the back finished, just to bind of on the top and the bottom ribbing.  I looks like this ......

The two fronts should go easier and faster, I hope. The yarn is a blend of nylon, rayon and linen, so  I think it will be great from summer, when it comes!



Finally, I am also wrapping rope for another client's bowl.  This one is going to be oval in a red print and a blue textured fabric.  It shall be stunning!!


So, Live, Laugh and Love !
               Sophie

After the Vacation

The Alaskan vacation was super relaxing, fun, great home cooked meals and son and grandson turned a year older and wiser. We did see two moose, camera packed away, but always see that they were there.
< They were the only moose we saw the whole time, although we looked for more. There still was snow in Anchorage and lots of ice

The shopping I did came up with mostly books, books and magazines.
One book was a challenge with rope shapes, such as vases and pitchers. I did the vase pattern and love it. The flowers on my vase are made from Tyvek, cut the squares and rectangles out and paint both sides.Use a heat gun to make them curl up.

I used a heat gun as the iron was way too slow.

The Now Project


I am now working on a red piece of felting. There is also pink, orange and yellow in it. I am doing it abstract and not framing it.

It will have irregular edges with a stiff backing. I am doing the finishing touches now and I like the creativity of it all.

Much to Do


There is always so much to catch  up with in the yard, mowing, weeding and planting.  I weeded our small garden box and transplanted the rhubarb, leaving the heather alone, and planted the one bulb, Dahlia, which will give 18 blooms and spread.

That one white stem you see is really a daliha stem starting. The whole box does look better.
So, Live, Laugh and Love.

Spring and Sunshine!!

The birds are singing and the sun is bright!!  I was awake from 2:30 to 5:00 am thinking of all the things that had to be done today.  Once I made a list of things, I was able to forget them, relax and get to sleep.

My Yesterday!!  Uffda!!!


I did have a crazy Monday,  I wrote a complete blog, pushed the wrong buttons and lost it all.  I tried and

tried, had 5 copies, then somehow last everything.  Oh, well.  The rest of the day wasn't too productive because, as always, work hard one day and rest the next.   I did get yard work done over the weekend , since my hubby isn't able to do it yet.  When I cut, I cut!   I cut down, with my little power saw most of the lilacs on the edge of our yard.  I tied up those extra branches that didn't fit in the barrel and the wonderful brush guy took them.  I'm sure the neighbors were surprised and delighted to see them gone!

I have more frames now than I have felting.  Neither will fit with each other.  There are so many ways to finish a felting that I haven't decided yet.  This one especially is a challenge.  We go on vacation to see family tomorrow.  The doctor finally gave hubby permission to travel.  Hopefully, I'll have an answer for
this one when we get back.

So today is get ready............ and check it off my list.   I am going to do some serious shopping for new projects.  They have wonderful shopping in Anchorage.   I am looking for Polar fleece and felt and of course, a bit more fabric and yarn.  I am working with the Cha Cha yarn now and  it is easy once you know that you knit every loop.  I should get faster on it as I go.  It does leave some nice soft ruffles.

I'll try to blog while away but can't promise.  Here is the perfect spring photo.  I love it, hope you do too.

 Remember to Live,  Love  and Laugh.

Happy Friday!

The day started off cloudy but I am feeling fit as a fiddle.  It is my day to shop for frames and backings for my felt hangings.  I realize now that my creative efforts don't match the ready made frames.  I am waiting for my hubby to be able to work in the shop.  I could do it but I don't want to seem too sure and take over his hobby.  I found one at Office Depot and then Chris at Home Depot helped me again with finding the right wood. So I am slowly finishing the projects that are on the tables, couch and fireplace hearth.  I can't wait to start another felted project.

I did notice while out shopping at many stores, that if one smiles and greets people, do they ever respond.
I visited with a couple from B. C. who were taking a break from Canada and shopping.  The ladies had a wonderful  sense of humor and told me " everything " they knew.   I haven't been to Canada yet but it is on my list for the near future.  Then I met a 4 month baby and was sad that I don't have more tiny ones to rock and sing to.  One lady, from Canada again, on the run to the restroom, said she was looking for a dress to wear to a wedding and she found two!!  She was  on to the casino for the rest of the day since her shopping went so quickly.  On and on it went so give it a try someday.  It will amuse you!!

I called my 13 year old grandson in Anchorage for help in shopping for a camera.  Wow! Have cameras ever come a long way.  So fast that the ones they have on line are sold out and you must go on to the next layer. At least, Alex helped me with the lingo, so I didn't act too stupid. He will be impressed with my purchase.

Now that I can take more pictures of the art I  have  on Etsy........under Kiblysshoppe.  Take a look of my wide variety of items.  I love to do them all.  Right now it is the felting and knitting that are winning.

Since my hubby is under the weather for strong work, I cut down and packed up a row of lilacs.  The men in the neighborhood were surprised I was using a small power saw and hauling them to the brush barrel for pickup on Monday.  It is so fun to show off to "big, strong men".

All things accounted for  I am having a productive day.   I need to put my new wood through the joiner and planer, glue them together and they will be ready to hang tomorrow.  Then I will dye some more roving for a new project.  The knitting of the Cha Cha yarn is going well, though slowly.  I save it for the evening hours when I can sit and relax.

So I will leave  you for now with......Live, Love and Laugh.

The Middle of the Night Spin

It is 3:29am, Pacific time and I am wide awake.  The full moon must have something to do with it.  It has for years, where I wake in the middle of the and wide awake for hours.  I must admit I like the quiet darkness and I can see the lights of the city across the Bay.  Almost like being in New York.

Yesterday, after a trip to the doctor for my husband and a terrific report, I was ready to settle down and get some work done on my felting.  I changed from my wonderfully fit Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and white  blouse to work clothes.  I dyed a huge hunk of roving a nice soft blue and another hunk yellow.  I used Rit Dye this time. Today, I will use the yellow to brighten up the last wall hanging and the blue will wait awhile.

We had a brief time of sunshine after a downpour of rain and I like that the sun spurs me on.  If you haven't checked out a newish yarn, call Cha Cha, please do.  Great Yarns in Everett, Wa., for one has it and  oh so much more.  They had some glass beads that were so tiny and posh, I need to try them too.  The new yarns, patterns and such are absolutely great and I have trouble getting to them all.  It is like "
 there are so many things to do and not enough people to do them."

My housekeeping duties are on standby and they have always waited for me.  Besides some laundry today, so I can felt a scarf I knit and even dyed my own yarn in four colors.  Right now, I don't know what it will become.  I'll think about it after I see it felted.

I love to decoupage and found an ad in a magazine where it looked like cars had been decoupaged.  What an idea!.  Maybe one would have to use rolls of wall paper, but it would get the job done.  My son is happy I have put aside the decoupage now and into felting.  I'm not sure he understands how it is done, since I have the machine.

This is a picture a friend sent me and it fits my time of night now.  I think it is beautiful and very clever photography.

Before the sun comes up, I'll say Good Night.  One does need beauty sleep.
Remember to Live, Laugh and Love today and always.

Today's Spin

Today it's windy, stormy day, with sunshine but that won't stop me from having fun with my first blog post.

Today, I woke rearing to go and finish my felted wall hanging before my friend came to visit.  That plus having to vacuum and clean the bathroom.  I have been working on a large abstract hanging for a lot of hours.  I turned it every which way but up!!  I did get it done and just have to put it under the felting machine now to stamp it all in place.  Once my hubby is better ( fractured spine) he can build me some frames, shadow boxes and I can get on to the next project.

 Then I am on my 236th  baby cap for new borns. I found out "they" like the square ones with a pom pom on each corner.  Sooooo I'm hand knitting a few of those too.

I have to tell everyone in the world that I  lost 11 pounds this past 10 days.  Wow!!  What an accomplishment.  My siblings, many, are so proud of me and I always tell too soon, so I need to be careful and keep it off.  Any ideas???  I have been too heavy, I think, to wear high heels with my Gloria Vanderbilt  jeans.  So that is my goal.  I am 5 feet 11 inches and since I wasn't able too grow 6 inches, It came to me that I need to lose a few pounds.

My retirement days have been the best of my life.  Get up when I feel like it.  (Tell friends not to call before 9 am) eat, when I am hungry and read and sleep whenever I like.  I am one of those special people that wakes at 2:30am and especially during a full moon, and read or work till 5am.  Then my doc gave me some help and wow, does that ever make a difference.  Now I have enough energy to paint a barn, plus
knit, sew, felt and paint.  I love  to do it all.  Being a Gemini, I do like variety and my hands always busy!

My first, not last, blog was fun and exciting. You will definitely hear more from me soon.
Live, Love and Laugh!