What I'm doing this week...

taking care of my two little flu stricken peeps

and knitting...

I hope you all are staying flu free!

Happy Hobbies!

Knitting...

I spent last weekend with 3 of my aunts. We watched movies while they all sewed and I knitted. It was wonderful to just be with them and have no cares.

We watched Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Where the Heart Is, hmmm, now I can't remember what else. Anyhow...

for me

sneaks peeks for Christmas gifts...

Happy Hobbies!

Basket of Christmas Ambition

Just been working on my Christmas list...
Who? What to make? What supplies?

Yarn! Didn't you know?
I found some yummy yarn in my own stash for a few projects and then headed on over to the yarn shop with Eve and picked up a few other delicious treats!!

I'm feeling full of energy and ambition and I'm calling this basket "ROUND ONE!"
Are you with me?
What is your medium going to be this Christmas?

Happy Hobbies!

Mitts...

The dashing mitts from knitty!

These are the guy friendly version of the fetching gloves that I made so many pairs of last winter.
Love them... I made them for HobbyHubby.
They were supposed to be his gift for last Christmas...
Yeah, well... October... hmm... I KNOW!!!

I started these yummy mitts in May, but there were lots of issues...

• The dog really did eat them... she split one of the double pointed needles right in half completely pulling the project off the needles. hmm... maybe I shouldn't have left the piece on the table....


• I really did have to re-knit the first glove... eh, hmm... 4 times.... yes, too long, didn't count rows, forgot to cable, dog ate it...(oh said that already)


• I really didn't knit for weeks and weeks... then would knit for 10 minutes and then not again... for a month.... hmmm.... What was I doing? Maybe my Hobby ADD state of mind!

The happy news is that the mitts are finished. The sad news is that the mitts are the only completed knitting project in 5 months... I think my ambition has returned... I hope!!

Happy Hobbies!

Binding

I found my way down to my sewing space last weekend. JOY! I happily pieced the binding for "Split Decisions," which has been sitting on my sewing table since it came home in July. (See the machine quilting here.) I've made my way down one side of the quilt with the hand stitching, one interrupted stitch after the next, but have high hopes of finishing it over the weekend.

Happy Hobbies!

Tuesday Links

Hello friends!

Just noticed my low number of blog posts for this year and wondered how that happened. A bit of a blog slacker? Maybe... It seems to me that I write posts all the time in my head, but never quite make it to the computer to actually type. hmmm.... As one of my friends says about so many things..."It is what it is!" I'll spare you the details of why I haven't made it to the computer in these last few weeks because frankly, it's not all that exciting. Instead, I'll share a couple of links...

Crazy Mom Quilts- Amanda Jean requested blocks from her readers for the Quilts of Valor project. The block above was my donation. Head over there to see all of the lovely squares that were donated!

Simple Mom- Love this plan for a stress free holiday. Check out the series that will be offered for easy holiday season.

Waking up in Bavaria- This former Simple Sparrow blogger has moved with her family from California to Germany for the next year. Each post has the most lovely pictures!

Happy Hobbies!

(Maybe I'll see you tomorrow too!)

Play Tents...

The Little People and I spent several days in July having "vacation" days.

That fun included setting up tents on the patio where Simon & Annestelle played for hours.

After a trip to the library I found a pattern for these children's play tents.

I was pretty excited since our make shift tents fell down with any big gust of wind.

It took me until late August to finally make these tents.

My peeps choose to set them up close together and have already spent hours playing in them.

Annestelle playing last Sunday morning, still in her jammies...

(one of the great benefits of Saturday night mass is our lazy Sunday mornings)

Happy Hobbies!

Peach Goodness

These are just some of the peaches picked by the little people and me while on a little excursion with my father and his wife a few weeks back.

A new to us activity. Peach picking.

My little people filled our time with numerous questions and endless speculation of what other fruits we could possibly pick as fall nears.

Peach crisp preparation.
Now there is an abundance of peach crisp in our freezer.
Beside the peach crisp are bags and bags of frozen peaches ready for other recipes.
mmm...
Happy Hobbies!

School day!!

Simon and Annestelle were very excited yesterday morning for the first day of school.

After eating at The Breakfast Place, we made our way to school.

I was a bit tearful at drop off, but I knew they would be just fine. They were.

We officially have a first grader and a kindergartner.

HobbyHubby took the day off to spend with just me!

(yep, I'm spoiled!)

I'm still not sure where the summer break went.

But gone, it is!

Happy Hobbies!

A little more WV...

As I said in a previous post, we had a wonderful time in WV.

Part of that wonderfulness is due to my two cousins, Noah and Rose, and their kindness!

They entertained Simon and Annestelle during a great portion of our stay.

The pictures below are from our Sunday hike at Spider Creek!

Noah, Rose, Simon & Annestelle before we went down the hill to the creek.

Rose carrying Annestelle back up the hill. Noah & Simon are already far up the hill there in the background.

Thanks Noah and Rose! You are two of the most special kids I know!!!

Happy Hobbies!

My New Purse

While I was at Aunt Mary's I made this purse!

This is the bird-watcher messenger bag from the book, The New Handmade by Cassie Barden
It is the perfect pattern!

Aunt Mary had the perfect fabric too...

Don't you just love it when someone knows what you like before you even do?

Happy Hobbies!

First Horseback Ride in WV.

Uncle Frank saddled up one of the horses for the little peeps to ride...

Annestelle

Simon


Horse chatting!

Such a joy to watch them taking in new experiences!

Happy Hobbies!

Quilting With Aunt Mary's Professional Machine....

Remember those blocks I started HERE last February?

Mary and I put those together last week and added some borders.

We worked together on her new long arm...

working on the borders

quilting the blocks

more of the blocks

I'm pretty much thinking I'm never going to want to quilt on my regular machine again.

sigh.....

I still have the binding to add to this quilt... soon...

Happy Hobbies!

Here in WV!

The little people and I are down in WV visiting with Aunt Mary and her family...

No pictures, because.... um... well....

just haven't taken any!

Been having fun...

Made a purse.

Putting together a quilt.

Going to quilt that quilt on Aunt Mary's Gammill.

Oh... can't wait!

Hoping to make a few other things too!

The little people have met the chickens, barn cat & horses, and have been swimming & fishing.

We're hoping for a hike, horse back ride and whatever other adventures come our way!

Be back at HobbyHouse the beginning of the week!

Happy Hobbies!

The Library... Yes, really a post about the library!

Who me? Go to the library? What?

What about the coffee and endless magazines?

What? The library?

That has been me for the last 10 or so years...

Why go to the library when you can go to Barnes & Noble?

How wrong I was!

REALLY WRONG!

My friend Jen was over here about a week or so ago and somehow we got to chatting about the library. She explained how she just gets online, picks out the books she wants, places a hold on said books, and then waits for a call from the library informing her that the books are at the local branch ready for pick up!

Ahhh.... the convenience of it all....

Guess how many times I've been to the library to pick up books during the last week? 3 times! Walk in, pick up, leave! It is a lovely stack I've been studying! It is a stack full of sewing and knitting inspiration!

Why didn't anyone tell me this secret before? What are your library habits?

Happy Hobbies!

A New Banner.... Finally!

I've been on this little blogging adventure for right around 2 years now and I have finally created a new banner (that fits).

I enjoy many blogs and am always impressed by the beautiful banners and the frequency by which some wonderful bloggers change their banners. I tried to change my banner once... I was able to get a picture in the space, but couldn't make it fit the space provided.

Turns out I'm not as technically challenged as I thought!

I used a tutorial from V and Co.

My thanks to her!

This photo was a collaboration by HobbyHubby and me. We set up the quilt, the felted bag, and the knitting in progress right out in the herb garden between some basil and some lavender. (I have so many things to learn about photography!) I can't believe how easy it was to work with Adobe Photoshop to change the dimensions and add text to create the banner. I definitely have room for improvement, but I think it's a start!

What do you think? Go ahead, give me the good, the bad and the ugly comments!

Happy Hobbies!

Under Construction!

Just giving my space a little make over!

I'll be finished soon!

Happy Hobbies!

Things making me happy this morning....

Hurray for Saturday!

My list:

1. the little people laughing
2. HobbyHubby returning from his trip
3. running
4. the shining sun and blue sky
5. gardening
6. planning our weekend

Happy Hobbies!

Get Away Quilting

Last weekend I met my best friend in Syracuse for a weekend of quilting.

Our goal was to make quilts for her twin girls....

She is relatively new to quilting so even more fun!

Here are some of the blocks we made...

Here is a picture of the pattern...
A bit of our workspace...

I'd say we were a bit ambitious for the time allotted!

It was wonderful just to get to visit over a few meals and chat about

our little peeps and sew into the night...

She is going to work on the rest of the piecing and

our hope is that we will get together in the fall to do the actually quilting!

Happy Hobbies!

My biker Peeps...

Thought you might enjoy a link to a post about my little biker peeps!!

Check out the link to

Century Cycles Blog

Happy Hobbies!

Instead of Blogging

May was a very busy month and I just couldn't seem to fit in blogging time!

Instead of blogging, I..

1. helped with the school auction
2. ran the Mother's Day 5k
3. went on a field trip with Simon's Kindergarten class
4. saw Simon graduate from Kindergarten
5. helped Annestelle deal with pneumonia
6. made a trip to Akron to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday
7. went to the end of year conferences for the little peeps
8. enjoyed the first week of summer break with the little peeps
9. met my best friend in Syracuse for a quilting getaway to work on quilts for her girlies
10. put in a garden
11. cleaned the deck
12. cleaned my carpets
13. cleaned out my closet
14. read ALLOT

I didn't manage any time for

1. knitting
2. finishing any quilting projects of my own
3. doing the other HUNDRED things on my list!

Welcome June!

Welcome Summer Break!

HobbyMommy's back and I'm going to challenge myself to a post a day for the rest of the month...

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all soon as I've missed you!!

Happy Hobbies!!!

Tea for two...

and a whole lot of happy girl friend chatter!

A bit of chit about

quilting,

sewing,

fabric,

patterns,

and some chat about

yarn,

knitting,

more patterns.

Some cinnamon tea

and some lovely blueberry pound cake

(made by my guest).

Scrumptious!

Don't forget the show and tell

of works-in-progress.

A bit of lunch.

More happy chatter!

We call that Well-Being-Wednesday!

Happy Hobbies!

1-2-3-Go...

I love the Quilts and More magazine and saw the current issue advertised in another of my quilting magazines prior to its release! I fell in love with the purse on the cover immediately. So off I went in search of the issue... I'll spare you the details of magazine hunt and just get right to the purse...
The pattern, called 1-2-3-Go, was pretty easy to follow and quick to put together. I spent about 3 hours from start to finish, after I found just the right fabric. The fabrics are scraps from a quilt my mom started last year. I'm quite pleased to have them reinvented into this happy purse!
Some staff at the local Jo-Ann Fabrics recognized my purse from the magazine cover and made a big fuss! Well, isn't that good for a girl's self-esteem?

Happy Hobbies!

The Cozy is Finished... Finally!

I finally finished the cozy about 2 weeks ago,

weaved all the yarn ends in last week,

and washed and blocked it last Friday...

Blocked and drying.

The pattern up close.

I'm so pleased with my first lace pattern;

even if it was a 10 month project!

Happy Hobbies!

Cutting and piecing....

Back to work on my quilt...Cutting...
and piecing...

Happy Hobbies!

Fortune Cookies

Yes, this picture is mighty blurry!

I made these happy little fortune cookies last week in about 15 minutes.

I used a pattern from CraftSanity and printed the fortunes from http://www.chinese-fortune-cookie.com/fortune-cookie-ideas.html.

The fortune cookies made for a fun little ice breaker for dinner out with a new group of girlfriends! These ladies are a fun group! Loads of laughter!

HAPPY HOBBIES!

FKO- Finished Knitted Object

I finished my Noro Cabled Purse last week,

blocked it over the weekend,

and added the button tonight!

As evident in the lower right corner, I missed a cable,
but decided the mistake adds some character.

Besides, I refused to rip it back for correction.

I decided to use it to hold my crochet hooks and

a few of my other knit and crochet notions

(per a pal's suggestion).

I think it will be a lovely addition

to my knitting basket!

Happy Hobbies!

All things knitty....

...in my happy little basket.

I've noticed lately that my basket has been near as I make my way through each day, settling with it into the various nests about my home.

The lovely pink alpaca silk cozy less than a skein away from finishing, the little Noro cabled purse in need of a crocheted finish, 2 skeins of tweed intended for some Dashing mitts for HobbyHubby, and a copy of Knitscene with endless possibilities keeping me constant company.

What motivation for getting my daily chores accomplished!

Happy Hobbies!

Slippers

I got the pattern for these slippers from Angry Chicken.

As with most of the clothing I attempt, I couldn't seem

to get it right on the first try, or the second try.

Third time is a charm.

I was careful to follow the pattern directions

and seam allowances, but I ended up having to adjust the pattern

more than once as I over-adjusted it at first!

My feet are really happy in these slippers!
I think I've worn them every day since and I can
see that some of my seasonal scraps are going to make
some lovely seasonal slippers.
I did make a few changes to the supplies.
I used that grippy stuff (love that really technical term) from JoAnn's on the
bottom and then added batting in between the bottom
and the lining so that I wouldn't feel the bumps from
the grippy stuff!

Oh, and I must say that I really do love the fold over elastic.

Happy Hobbies!

Softies

Last weekend the little people decided

they wanted to make some softies.

They constructed their patterns,

picked out their fabrics & notions,

and I got sewing!

The robot leprechaun named Pink Neck

designed by Little Miss.

Teddy Jr. designed by Little Mr.

Happy Hobbies!

Road Trip: Quilt Love on the Way Home

The Woolen Willow

This was a fabulous stop on our journey home.

This shop was in the process of building/expanding

and so I didn't take any pictures.
This shop was fantastic.

Imagine a quilt shop with the usual quilting fabric...

Add in a great selection of wool...

Wool on the bolt, wool kits, plaid wool...

wool love!

Then add in a great

selection of yarns and patterns.

We loved this shop and were

planning on stopping on the next trip to WV.

I purchased a little wool kit (check out the birthday kit on this page).

I bought a piece of green plaid wool to make a purse.

I found some lovely guitar fabric and some bugs

playing instruments for my little peeps.

I also found a Christmas jelly roll for the Christmas

quilt I will make at some point.

With the buggy fabric I made Little Miss
a backpack for her violin binder and lesson books.

I re-purposed some wool from a skirt for the bottom, and used some corduroy form a pair of pants for the panel with the embroidered name and for the straps.

The girlie loves it!

She tried it out today when we went to her violin lesson!

Happy Hobbies!