Baseball and Yarn

At Scottsdale stadium

Buster Posey (catcher) and Tim Hudson (pitcher)

Brandon Belt signing autographs before the game

We're back from Spring Training in Arizona.  The weather was beautiful, the hot dogs plentiful and we had a great time (even though the Giants lost all 3 games. Pooh).
The hotel was amazing too!

We rented one of those cabanas for the day and hung out by the pool...

Every evening between 6 and 7 the bagpipes were played on the golf course.

There was shopping and restaurants all within walking distance, and if you ever find yourself in Scottsdale, I highly recommend you splurge on a dinner at Mastro's Ocean Club. At first I thought how can you dare call yourself "Ocean Club" in the middle of Arizona?  I should not have doubted.
 I had a delicious piece of blackened Halibut and they serve a decadent side dish of lobster mashed potatoes that will make you weep, it's that good. I wish I had some right now.
On the way out of town, the family was kind enough to indulge me in a brief stop at Jessica Knits, where I picked up some souvenirs.

These two skeins are produced by local Arizona artist Mary Gavan.  On the top is a lace weight raw silk, in the color Pewter and was made up in the store into this shawl.  The drape was beautiful. The bottom skein, which is actually more of a pink than it looks here, is a sport weight rayon/cotton in Sandcastle.
I'm also in a Ravelry group which is making a scarf using the colors of your favorite baseball team. The pattern is called Crackerjack, and these are the colors I bought for the San Francisco Giants.
The idea is to knit 2 rows using the color assigned to wins or losses.  For example a home win could be orange, and a road loss, white. There are 4 possibilities, therefore 4 colors are chosen.  The striping would be determined by the wins/losses of the season and you never know how it's going to turn out. Sounds like a fun project to work on all year long doesn't it?
I'm unpacking, washing clothes, grocery shopping, and cutting the grass this week.  Next time around I'll show you the hand pieced quilt blocks that are making me jump out of bed in the morning.
Until then, here's a little crochet and Charlie.  The dogs were very happy to see us come home.

 

Heirloom Needle Case

This is one of those items you don't realize you need until you actually get one and start using it.  I've been doing a lot of hand sewing lately, and it seems like I'm always looking for a needle.  I usually have to paw through the half dozen pin cushions laying around my sewing room, but this, this keeps everything contained in one spot.
The tutorial is from the Purl Bee, the rock star of beautiful handmades, and was easily sewn together in half and hour.  I had everything in my stash, which is always a bonus, and picked out my favorite piece of blue hand dyed wool( don't remember where I bought it, but I have a nice little stash of felted wool just waiting around for a project like this, so I was happy to use it).  I kind of wish I would have added an embroidered monogram or something to the outside, but I thought their example was beautiful in its simplicity and plainness.  Here are the directions if you want to make one.

We are headed out to watch the San Francisco Giants at Spring Training in Arizona.  I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days and enjoying some sun, baseball, hot dogs and a cold beer.
Of course I'm bringing some crochet for the plane, and I hear there is a good yarn shop in Scottsdale.
I hope to return tired but happy, with yarn and a sunburn.
Have a great weekend everybody.

Laundry and Lemonade

I know you're probably thinking, what the heck are these pictures of her laundry doing on here?  Where are the quilts and crochet? 

During the short dark days of winter, I dreamed about Spring, and ordered a new clothesline. I guess most people would be dreaming about what flowers and vegetables to plant in their gardens, but not me.  This year it was all about the laundry.
 Our current clothes line was the retractable kind that stretched across the length of the back porch.  It was easy access from the house, but the laundry was always on display from the windows, and you had to duck and swat your way out to the pool.  Not very convenient when my son and his friends were over, running back and forth through a curtain of damp clothes.
I waited patiently for the weather to change, and picked a day after a brief rain shower to dig the hole (Our soil is like clay. Once it gets hot and the ground hardens you can NOT dig even a teaspoon of dirt without some kind of motorized machinery or explosives).  I picked a spot between two young oak trees, thinking I would be needing some shade during the summer months to keep my clothes from fading.
I followed the instructions for the cement, setting the metal tube in the ground, back filling with rocks and dirt, and in a grand DIY moment, I sunk my pole.  The best part is, it twirls around in the breeze! Gosh, it doesn't take much to entertain me.  I didn't even get upset when I found bird poop on one of the pillow cases.

drunkards path blocks in progress.  i love the hand sewing.

I've been drinking copious amounts of lemonade from the lemons I picked off my tree.  Just combine water, lemon juice, and simple syrup (1 cup sugar and 1 cup water heated gently until the sugar is dissolved.  Store the syrup in the fridge until forever), pour into a tall mason jar over ice, and add a tuna sandwich and some potato chips (not in the jar silly, on a plate).

California "Ceanothus" a drought tolerant, native plant and one of my favorites

Anyway, I'm trying to make the most of these gorgeous Spring days, since it's going to be 100 and sweaty degrees in a couple of months.  I'll be back before the end of the week with a quick make from the Purl Bee, and then it's off to Arizona for a family getaway.

Notes for a Sunday

I hate to keep rubbing it in, but we are having the most excellent weather.  There has been a lot of hand piecing outside in the sunshine, clothes hung on the clothesline, dogs in the pool, grass mowing, and screen doors open to the breeze.  Looks like Spring to me!
The baby shower is this afternoon, and the quilt is all ready to go, washed, wrapped, and backed with a soft piece of voile. I added a last minute accessory to the gift.

Little girlie stuff.  Too cute.


Quilt pattern:  Storytime Quilt by Made by Rae
Crocheted Crown:  Cascade 220 Superwash, pattern here

Breezy

Would you just look at how green the grass is right now?  I have been sewing bindings on quilts from the back porch for the last three days.  Just soaking up sun, and birdsong and Springness.   I know that's not a word, but it just feels like Spring right now.  I watched a scrub jay break small twigs off my Red bud tree for his nest, and fly off with them. What's up with that?  He couldn't find any on the ground?  I bet it's the same bird that killed one of my baby chickens. I'm keeping my eye on him.......

Anyway I always find it more interesting to take pictures of quilts when the wind is blowing.  I kept waiting for it to fall off the fence and into the dirt but it held fast.
As I put the last few stitches in, I knew this one was destined to go back to Canada with my Aunt and Uncle.  I'm hoping they have room in their suitcase.  We really had a good visit, and I'm not sure when or if we can all be together again.  Giving them this quilt feels like I can send a part of me home with them.

Hope you get some sunshine this week!

Quilt info:
9" finished goose tracks blocks set on point
3"wide scrappy border (squares of various lengths)
Background is Kona Snow
60x60 inches big
All fabrics from the old stasheroo