whackadoodle coconut

my sweet baboo and I just celebrated our 7th anniversary and seriously, it feels like yesterday that we were married.  you always hear that, but it's true.   anyhoo - so we've been on a little stay cation and I have a lot to share.  as soon as I can get it all organized, I will post.  I'll also be updating cookinator too, it will just take a little time. in the meantime - take a look at these most adorable baby booties knit up by the yarn harlot over on her blog.  she is one of my all time favorite bloggers.   * Maternal or paternal feelings inspired by extreme cuteness and tiny soft clothing is normal. It is important to remember however,  that babies are only cute for a little while, and that these booties will only fit them for about fifteen minutes, and then that soft and sweet little darling thing will spend the next twenty years making you wonder what you were thinking.  It's like the way kittens are so really, really cute, b...

I love ironing.  there I said it.  many people don't like to iron.  I like it like I like vacuuming.  all those neat pressed lines on the fabric.  so satisfying.  I also realized that a love hate relationship with ironing, could be because you have the wrong board cover. see what I mean? recently made, as in I made it last Thursday.

still it's knitting and purling the same way. although reading the pattern is new. seems to be working out, should help somewhat in retaining knowledge.

quilting hasn't come to me like my knitting and spinning has.  I haven't been able to figure out the "magic"  of how it happens.  however, the latest class that I enrolled in for a bargello table runner is all sorts of magic that I know exactly how it works.  those quilters are so tricky and clever! fabric - 1 background, 2 reds a medium and dark, 3 blues dark medium and light after they've been cut into 2.5 inch strips and then sewn in order and finally sewn into a tube part of the pattern another part of the pattern all together, the magic happens

John bought me a pair of mini mochi sock yarn to knit up a pair of socks for one of his contractors (and a friend of mine).  I just wound them up this afternoon and noticed that they are not the same striping sequence. As I was winding, I noticed how soft the yarn is and subtle the color changes are. I will also be starting a new quilting class tomorrow in SLO.  This one is for a bargello table runner.  This particular pattern style, I was immediately drawn to last year when I took the basic quilting classes.  Here is the image that the teacher sent out -   Hers is an autumn color way.  I chose the patriotic color way of reds and blues, actually it was random, because I couldn't choose.   I also started a small garden with a couple (literally 2) herbs and a couple veg.  This will be a fun summer!  I have quite a bit of crafts and outings planned, I am really looking forward to.  I'll keep you posted on my progress a...

I haven't posted my fiber stash in a little while and although these aren't the best photos, they are still so soft and squishy to hold. Remember it's almost Friday! what you can't read, that's1/2 a pound of cashmere and 4 oz of angora.

since my last post, it has been a flurry of day to day action.  I recently received a new DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel T3i we bought at Costco and I have been struggling to use it and learn all it's features.  many of these I cannot control on my Canon Powershot, while I can still take great photos with this camera, I wanted something that would allow more flexibility in my photography. for instance, I could change my lenses, control the shutter speed with a greater range and adjust my exposure for more drama.  this also means that I had a steep learning curve to advance my skills. I started with some basics, the birds next door. I took close to 100 shots to get a couple that remotely resembled the look I was going for.  these were taken with the telephoto lens that came in the kit on full automatic focus. the next day I went to one of the parks in the city to take some more photos of random subjects to see what I could do in the field.  the bir...