Hoops, Gray Skies and a Promise

Last weekend I finally tied myself to the house and got my quilt top all pinned.  I was going to baste it but it’s not really all that big so I decided to just do the pinning instead.  I’ve got almost four blocks quilted already and I think I am going to really like the all over circle design.  Here it is below in the hoop.  You can see the circles taking shape.  My last quilt was all batiks.  These nice soft cottons are sure easier to pull the needle through than those beautiful batiks. 

Speaking of hoops, I sat down last weekend to do a little knitting while I watched our Iowa State Cyclones team play to victory against North Carolina.  It was such a nail biting game that I had to put my knitting aside or I would have had a mess.  Tomorrow night they will play again in the Sweet Sixteen tournament in New York.  As we cheer them on I’m not even going to try to get any stitching done!

In my last post I was hopeful that spring was on the horizon here in Iowa.  But it’s still teasing us with one warm day and then three days of cold, gloom and wind.  Lately it seems these dark clouds have stopped and decided to hover over us indefinitely. 

Spring weather can be treacherous and it proved to be yesterday.  When I tried to pull into my neighborhood on the way home from work I was surprised to see blocked streets.  But then I noticed the thick black smoke up the hill.  One of our neighbors had a house fire.  Fire trucks from several areas were parked everywhere and they were fighting it as best they could in spite of the horrible wind.  They feared that the houses on either side would also succumb but they managed to keep the fire contained.  They found the owner in the backyard suffering from smoke inhalation and whisked him off to the hospital.  He will be all right but the beautiful home was a total loss.  It definitely cast a pall over the rest of the evening.  My prayers go out to the family who has lost so much.

There has been so much devastation lately -  the Malaysian Flight, mudslides in Washington and several fires around the Midwest.  But no matter how much we complain about how awful things can be life still goes on.  This morning the sun was trying it’s best to peek through the clouds with the promise of another day. 

And imagine my happiness when I saw this little clump of summer yarrow peeking through the soil this morning!  It reminded me that even though spring can be reluctant to come, and will even blow petulant winds through the threads of our lives, it will also promise such beauty to bless us and bring color to our world.

Frankenstein, Quilt tops and the Possibility of Spring!

I have finally finished my latest quilt top.  My decision to piece the borders rather than using solid strips added a lot of time to the process.  I hadn't taken into account the math skills I would be using measuring each side to fit the way I wanted.  I am marking it in different size circles for an all over interlocking pattern.  You can't tell from this picture, but the narrow yellow inside border has circles in the print.  It will be hand quilted.

I think winter is finally saying it's goodbyes to Iowa.  The robins have already been back for at least two weeks, showing up right after our last big snowstorm.  I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking to brave the cold when they could still be hanging out down south enjoying the milder temps. 

On Monday we enjoyed temps in the high 60's.  It was wonderful to open some windows and let the fresh air blow through.  I sat out on the back deck for a while to soak up some sunshine and let the magic of the birdsong fill my senses.

 

My grandson Michael is taking a course in British Lit.  He had to dress up like an old time judge for a mock court they were doing to put the character Frankenstein on trial.  Here is his costume.  All I can say is that he's a brave boy to walk the halls of his high school in this outfit.








I hope your week is going well, you're marking things off your to-do list and you're taking time to listen to the sounds of nature.

An Unexpected Gift

There was a stillness in the air like sometimes happens when a heavy snow is falling.  I stood for a few minutes and watched it fall, heavy and white against the trees, blanketing everything with a crystal sheen.  Beautiful!  I drank in the few moments of stillness before I went inside to begin my work day.  In the midst of the usual Monday morning chaos - that unexpected stillness was a gift.

May your Monday be filled with the peace of silent nature!

Old Man Winter Drama

"What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."  Author unknown.
 
The winter winds are howling across the US, in places where they are certainly not welcome.  My sister who lives in the north Georgia mountains said they are expecting 7 to 10 inches today on top of the several inches they already have.  She lives in an area of winding mountain roads with steep ravines on either side, so travel is treacherous.  Luckily for her she can work from home and not have to travel the 70 miles commute to her job in Atlanta. 

Here in Iowa we have certainly had our share of snow, but not as much as other years.  The extreme cold has put us in the deep freeze for weeks though. Listening to the wind howl puts me in mind of the early settlers who huddled in their log houses or soddies, bundled against the wind and snuggling close to the fire, while their hands kept busy braiding rugs or making quilts to keep the family warm.  Hardy people, they must have been. 

 Their form of transport was the horse and wagon, or a team of oxen plodding slowly through the snow.  Even in our modern age, when ice is on the road, we are still plodding slowly.  This particular day the ice was so bad on the roads I despaired of ever getting home!










 
I am so thankful for our warm home and crackling fireplace.  It is a good time of year to snuggle in and knit, or pick up that hand quilting and enjoy the warmth.

 My granddaughter pieced this Dresden Plate block for her teacher.  She did a good job.  I am proud of her. 














So I'll snuggle into the warmth and keep on stitching because each new sunrise brings us closer to the end of winter.

And the dreams of spring!

Winter Imaginings

There is something magical about a fresh snowfall.

 Standing out on the front porch looking at the neighborhood blanketed with a cool crisp look, I am taken back to the winters of my youth.  Sledding, ice skating, cold red cheeks and warm mittens.  How many hours were spent building snow forts and snowmen, while freezing my toes and feeling the flakes land delicately on my face.  

A new snow seems to be a time when anything is possible.  I was able to conjure up an old photo or myself at seven years old with my cat Maverick.  I really was a child once.  It wasn't so very long ago - in my mind at least.

That photo sent me digging for a poem I wrote a couple years ago that I wanted to share.

Snowfall

  

I stepped on the snow

what a wonderful feel

it crackled and popped

with a wintry thrill.

Above and around

the snow circled and fell

it coated the branches

the porch and the well.

The ice from the storm

glittered bright on the trees

I knew I should hurry

or my nose it would freeze.

But the world was now silent

a beautiful white

and the sight of the cardinal

filled me with such delight.

The flakes swirled and dipped

and skittered ahead

for a moment I pictured me

on that old sled.

With visions of ice skates

and scenes from my past

I stepped on the snow

and  fell flat on my ass.

Whatever your age I hope that you are finding magic in a world covered in white.  Stay warm!

Football, Knitting and British TV

Yesterday was  a bright sunny morning here in central Iowa even though today a winter storm is ripping across the state. 

Sunday was a busy day starting with church with the family.  After lunch we finished some much needed house cleaning.  I don't know where all that dust comes from!  When we were finished  I sat down with a cup to tea to relax for a few minutes and was immediately struck with the way the sunlight filtered into the house, bouncing across the carpet  and sliding across the furniture.  I had to get up and take a picture.  

I finished knitting my shawl and got it blocked on Saturday.  I was pleased with the way it turned out and happy with my choice of color.  I wore it to church and got lots of compliments.  The picture below doesn't show the true colors, pale green, yellow, teal and eggshell.  I have already started on another one that is a very open weave design in a golden tan alpaca.  Very pretty.  The one downside of knitting that I don't like is the way the wool dries out my fingers as it glides across the tops of my hands.

Tomorrow I will get out my fabric and hopefully finish the last border on my quilt.  I have decided that I am going to hand quilt it in circles, using various size lids and bottles to draw my design.  I got that idea from Tim Latimer's blog.  Can't wait until I can put it together and start the quilting!

While we waited for the start of the Super Bowl pre-game, Polly stretched out in the afternoon light and took a nap. She was exhausted from all my housecleaning and the noise of the vacuum cleaner.  

I wasn't impressed with the game.  I am still holding a grudge that my 49ers didn't make it.  Hubby didn't even spend time hollering at the screen because the score was so ridiculous.  It would have been nice if Denver had put up more of a fight.  The commercials weren't all that entertaining either.  What a complainer I am! 

It was a relief to switch over to Downton Abbey at 8:00!  I love all the wonderful characters, but just adore the zingers that Maggie Smith throws out at Isobel!  Which reminds me......Larry was out shopping and brought me a gift,  

He's such a good guy!!!

football knitting and British TV