Sewing Day

The day was sunny and almost comfortable, but I stayed inside and worked on my quilt blocks. I accomplished quite a bit. 17 blocks are complete (out of 25) and the last 8 are in different stages of completion.

Today's post includes a picture of Gracie. She's now almost 19 months. This photo was taken at Christmas. She's calming down nicely, but taking her for a walk remains difficult. She wants to go, but prefers not to be attached to me. So, getting the leash on is always a battle of wills. For the first few minutes she jumps and turns around, but after a few sniffs of the ground or air, she does settle down.

F.A.T.

Today was a Fabric Acquisition Trip for Louise and me. It was a short trip because Louise had to home by noon. We went to Colchester Mills and then to Uncasville to Affordable Fabrics. I purchased 2 batiks for the 6 inch border on Lois' quilt and 1 batik to serve as sashing on the octagon blocks quilt. At Affordable Fabric I picked up a green cotton to use as a backing on the Christmas quilt.

While at AF, a woman backed her large SUV with a platform on the back into my car. She did come in the store to find the owner and we went out to look at it. Fortunately, the platform hit the heavy rubber bumper on my car and did no damage. She was upset, naturally, and blamed her husband for putting the platform on the SUV. I wasn't upset, but was a bit peeved because I was parked across the parking lot from everyone else, by myself, and she still managed to find me. Oh, well.

Jim came today and fixed my noisy heating problem. There was air in the system, but also the circulator had failed. He purged the system and installed a new circulator. Oh, I can hardly wait for this bill.

Sun, Snow, and Wind

We got about 8 inches of snow, but it is difficult to measure because the wind blows this light snow all over. It still snows in showers every once in a while, and the sun comes out for a bit. However, with the temperature around 25 and the fierce wind, very little will melt.

My octagon blocks are moving along. I am about the sew 5 more together, but I have all the remaining strips picked out in pairs. I'm planning this Wed. to get over to the fabric store and choose a batik for sashing. Also, I need to choose 2 batiks for the 6.5 inch borders and corners for Lois' quilt. That finished quilt top is due Feb. 8, but I'd like to get it done before the end of vacation. That way I won't panic at the last minute to get it ready.

Blizzard

Yes, the weathermen are right. We're in the midst of a blizzard and it is not pleasant. It has been snowing a fine wind-driven snow for about 10 hours now. How much snow we've had is difficult to determine, but it appears to be around 6 inches. I've shoveled and swept off the deck many times to try to stay ahead of accumulation. Gracie decided that this snow can be a lot of fun. She would be out in the storm right now, but I'm tired of letting her out and ten minutes later letting her back in. Tomorrow there will be many opportunities to be back in the cold and snow.

I did a lot with my octagon blocks today. I have 12 completely finished, 5 ready to sew into shapes, and 4 pairs of strips ready to press. If the weather keeps me in for most of tomorrow, I should be able to finish at least 5 more. The goal is 25 blocks. I still do not know what to use for sashing, but I'll audition possibilities.

My heating system is limping along. The first floor is warm, but the upstairs is on the chilly side. Moans and groans continue to come from something in the basement. Tomorrow AM I can call for help; I'm sure I won't be the only one.

Christmas Night

I hope everyone had a most enjoyable day. The clouds and a cold breeze kept most everyone here inside. Gracie, of course, wanted to be outside and stayed out for a long time. But, under the cover of darkness, she started barking for no apparent reason. I went out to bribe her in several times, but no luck. Finally, I turned on spotlights and had a treat in my hand. She came in.

According to the Nat'l Weather Bureau we are under a Blizzard Warning until Monday afternoon. I believe this could be a serious storm from reports and radar readings. Today, the heating system in the house started to act up. Strange noises, groans and growls, are coming from the cellar. I just need the system to provide heat until I can call the repairman Monday AM. It could be a faulty valve that's letting out air out, or it could be a stuck valve. I have heat on the first floor, but the second floor zone doesn't respond to a call for more heat. Let us hope that the system doesn't fail completely as we endure 12+ inches of snow.

The octagons to squares are coming along well. I worked most of the afternoon on the square step and have 10 squares completed. Two octagons are ready to become squares, eight strips need to be cut into octagon parts, and I'm still pairing up the remaining strips. My plan is to have 25 octagon squares and then decide on sashing color to pull the top together. It will happen.

Christmas Eve

I am ready for tomorrow, having done as much as I can tonight. The tree , the presents, the food, the dog and my mother are all set. So tomorrow we just enjoy.
Once again, the weathermen are getting revved up about a storm Sunday night into Monday. It's either going to give us 4 - 6 inches of snow, or we will be buried by a blizzard. If it snows a lot and we're snowed in, no problem. Mike will come to plow my driveway, we have food and water, and I can quilt or knit. It could be peaceful.

Cold, Windy, No Snow

It's cold enough to snow and the sky looks heavy enough, but all we got today were a few flurries. They came and dried up immediately.

 This cold of mine doesn't want to leave just yet. I did some minor housework this morning and didn't feel well enough to continue. I'm knitting a scarf with some strange, but colorful, string. I think it's a blend of acrylic and rayon, and it's difficult to handle. It catches on everything, like chapped hands, and it's similar to a ladder. So, it's possible to pick up one side of the ladder and leave the other side dangling without a home. Therefore, I knit rather deliberately to make sure I have both sides in one stitch. But, it is colorful with lime green, bright purple, eye-damaging pink, and some gold.

I'm including a picture of my latest quilt. It's a nine-patch and I think it looks like a poinsettia. I've hung it in the living room for the holidays.

'Tis the Season

Yes, it's the season for sneezin' and I've gotten good at it. I have a cold, but today I'm feeling better than yesterday.

 Once I have some house chores out of the way, I'll return to either knitting or sewing.

Sub Day

Today I subbed in fifth grade and had my usual 3 Language Arts classes. The students are a pleasure to work with and today was no exception.

 Tomorrow is quilting day and out to lunch day. I guess I bring in my sewing machine and piece sections of a mystery quilt. I have a long way to go with this one, so it's good to have the time to work, uninterrupted.

Baking Day

I am getting there. Baked cookies, finished the third little pillow, did more knitting . . .
 No snow today or tonight, although it looked very threatening most of the day. The next chance for snow around here appears to be Wednesday. It certainly has been cold enough with temps below freezing every night and just above freezing during the day.
 No plans for subbing this week, but things pick up quickly after vacation.

Sunny Saturday

Today I plan to do a lot of baking. Cookies, pie, and another fruitcake are on the schedule. While my laundry is in the machine, I will arrange all the necessities, beginning with an apple pie.
Last night I almost finished the last Christmas pillow. This one may be the best. It's a star-shape with stitched crossed candy canes. The first one turned out to be a scary snowman face and the second one is a minimal Christmas tree with equally minimal decorations. But they are cute. I stuffed them in the real tree so Gracie can't get to them.

Do Those Errands

I did not have to sub today, so that freed me up to do food shopping for humans and the dog, to repair my broken newspaper box, and to do laundry. Now when I finish dinner and the dishes, I can return to my projects. Knit a cap, work on my octagons for the quilt, and add more decorations to the tree!

Octagons, Math Patterns, and Snow

I have figured out how to make squares from octagons and they are looking sharp. If I don't have to substitute tomorrow, I should be able to make more squares. I've been subbing in a 4th grade classroom for two days this week, and these  9 year olds are so much fun. Learning new concepts in math, for example, gets them excited. They so enjoy making discoveries about their world. Earlier today the same group studied a drawing to find historic details. They practically fall over each other in their eagerness. Tomorrow they'll be abuzz with the prediction of big snow on Sunday. White Christmas?