A Closer Look

Ok, I just couldn't stand it.  I got my camera out again, found a pretty hangar and took another couple of shots of the sweater so you could see it better.   I love the front pockets and huge buttons!   And it's so soft and cozy, too.

Ahhhh, now that's better........
Deb

Sweater Time

Have I told you lately how much I love to knit?   I really, really love everything about it.  Picking out the pattern, choosing just the right yarn and then the hours of peaceful repetition knitting, purling, yarn over, decrease, bind off.......and then something magical happens and you can see something useful emerging from your needles.

Well, I made two sweaters over the last year and finally sewed one of them together and put the finishing touches on it.   The weather here cooperated so I even had a chance to wear it last week!

Ok, so, this picture just didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but if you double click on it, you should be able to see it a little better.  By the way, aubergine is my new favorite color.   I bought boots that color and a couple of knitted tops and now I have this sweater to match.  

Hope you're staying warm wherever you are,
Debbie

Pill-O-Cases

Whew!   My sewing machine is still smoking after making 13 pillowcases yesterday.   Hop on over to www.pinkfloridathreads to see some of them.

Sew Crazy,
Debbie

Most. Adorable. Purse.

Ok, I finally finished one of my winter knitting projects.  Before I show it to you, though, I need to back up a bit.   Right before my birthday at Christmastime, I went to the most amazing knitting store about an hour northeast of here called Fiber Art Inc. on Gunn Hwy. in Odessa.  They feature a lot of knitting patterns and accessories for Noni, which is Nora J. Bellows' company.   Awesome stuff!!!

Noni has the most creative ideas and, of course, I wanted to make them all.  Well, I had to choose from the large selection and the purse I am about to show you is what I chose.    She calls these little beauties, "Lipstick & Change".   Too.  Stinkin'.  Cute.    And you know how much I love little purses like my Ta-Ta Totes!

This is what the purse looked like after it was all knitted up.  Then, I had to "felt" it, or "full" it.   All that means is taking a knitted wool item, add a tiny bit of dish detergent, hot water, and aggitation until you can hardly see the knitting and you end up with a piece of "fabric".   What a cool process!   I'd never done it before but I'm most definitely going to be doing more in the future. 

This is the completed purse after I let it dry and stitched it into the purse frame using strong thread and putting a clear bead at each stitch.   Oooooooo, I love detail work!

The bottom even gets nice sturdy little "feet" to protect the purse bottom.

And, of course, no little purse is complete without some bling.   This one has a little lock and key attached to the chain.   Too.  Much.  Fun.

There will be another larger purse in the near future.   Stay tuned!
Deb

Sister Love

 My mom and her sister are the only kids left in their family of 13 children.   Each year my aunt comes to visit us from Penna. to escape the cold and enjoy the Florida sunshine.   The three of us decided to have lunch together at a local restaurant and catch up with one another.

It was a bit windy but we ate outside anyway.........just because we could!   This was our luscious dessert........flan........pretty fancy, wouldn't you say?

It was delicious, too.    We went back to my house for coffee and I showed off my latest quilts to my very skilled seamstress aunt.   Mom got to playing with Molly and wrapped one of her chew toys around her body.

Molly kept looking to me for some help......it's as though she was saying,"How humiliating!"

She worked and worked, trying to free herself from the dreaded loop.   Ahhhh.......

Free at last..........please rub me a little more to the left, would you?

Resting,
Debbie

A Blooming Good Time

We've been hard at work here at the house these last few weeks and I took my camera outside this morning to click off a few shots of our handiwork.   Everything is so pretty and fresh when new mulch and shell is down in the paths.   

Here's a long shot of the newly created "orchid" area in the shade of the lychee tree.  The shell was such an easy way to create a "porch" and we love sitting out there.

Here's a close up view of the potting bench, table and orchids.   Talk about easy to maintain!

This is the view of the back of the yard, the "porch" is off to the left of this shot.  The sod we laid down 3 years ago had just vanished because it was simply too shady under the tree.   Now that the shell is down, we don't have a problem with the dogs running thru dirt and dragging it in the house!

My huge newest orchid is blooming for the first time for me....yippee!   This one is as tall as I am!   And you should smell the perfume it is putting into the air.....yum!

 On the side yard facing the street (that's my sewing studio on the left) we laid shell to make a path to the backyard.   I love the gate painted pink.

 The white blooming flowers on the left are really, huge White Odorata Begonias.   And they smell luscious, too!   I was really lucky and found pink blooming Gerbera Daisies in a pink pot on the wicker table.

As I walked around the corner by the veggie garden, I was shocked to see that my Angel's Trumpet had bloomed in the last 2 days.   These blooms are enormous......over eight inches long.

To complete our trip around the backyard I went in to check on the veggie garden.   My strawberries are all full of buds and berries.  Nothing like picking fresh berries from the warm soil.

And last, but not least, here are some of the crookneck squash ready for harvest.   I love this time of year and plan on taking full advantage of the cooler temps.   When the humidity and heat returns in a few months, I will be burrowing in like folks up north do during winter.   Except I do it to avoid the heat.....hey, you can't have everything.

Enjoying my "bud-dies",
Debbie

Monster Quilt

I love quilting.....I love quilting.....I love quilting........

For the past 2 weeks I've been cutting, sewing, ironing, and sewing some more to put together a quilt for our youngest grandson.   It's been an interesting process......here's a sneak peek and if you want to see more just go to www.pinkfloridathreads.blogspot.com.

Whew!   That's a lot of circles!

Sew Some More,
Debbie