Weekend Update

First, in answer to Eagle-eyed Irene, the gold Christmas ball in the tree is a pear. Our woods has wild pears all through it, and I hate them with a passion. They are ugly, messy trees. Their only, and I do mean ONLY redeeming grace is the one week in spring when they bloom. Then they throw petals everywhere, and I hate them again. They drop thorny branches and inedible, nasty fruit (that attracts yellow jackets), their leaves don't turn pretty colours, and the wood stinks when you burn it. I guess they do provide squirrel fun (more fun for the audience than the squirrel I suspect) so I put up with them until Scott gets around to cutting them down.

The pear is still there today, here's another shot.

And progress, boy howdy! There's progress.

Quilting: The third round of my nesting robin is quilted. Its a little fan of apple leaves to represent The Giving Tree. I contemplated stems and veins, but after some feedback from my other Robin friends, I think I'll go with the simplified look. It fits with what I've done before.

The next book is Make Way for Ducklings, and I think I'll see if I can come up with some stylized continuous line duck print to go around that lavender border.

Knitting: I realized this week that I'd forgotten a niece with my scarf making. Then I realized I'd forgotten TWO! So I quick like a bunny scurried down to Knits and Bolts, picked up two skeins of yummy Frog Tree fingering weight alpaca, and cast on for a Feather and Fan scarf for Alana. She's 15. I think that the two variegated scarves will go to my oldest brother's girls Julie and Hannah, and I'll whip up something else for Katherine. Does anyone remember the 60s era scarves, simply knit with a little pompom hanging off each end? Have you ever come across a pattern? I'm sure I could wing it, but I'm much better with instructions when time's an issue. And ooh, boy, time's an issue.

Joy: Joy continues. I'm back to cross stitching, so far so good with this. I've realized even with the tiara, that this is daytime work. The quilting and knitting I can do half blind, but this requires the full get up - granny glasses, a seat near a window, and fresh batteries in the headlamp. I'm just too cute for words, I tell ya!

Other: I think I might have joined a book club. There's a group of ladies that meet the first Thursday of the month at the women's health center up the street. Neighbour Nancy invited other neighbour Laura and I to join them, and mentioned the book they were reading. Well darned if I didn't find myself at Barnes and Noble this week, and look what I'm reading - Lamb, by Christopher Moore. What a funny, blasphemous, funny, funny book! I can't put it down (and yeah, I have SOOOO much free time to read.) Ah, life is short, and tv is stupid. I'd much rather be doing all of this.