Tulip and Chocolate time

Well, I didn't exaclty get the tulips in the time laspe order, but I think you get the point. They are called Appledoorn hybrids. They almost remind me of pink peonies. Then I saw my irises are shooting right along! I love blue irises. I have a love of a purplish-burgandy colored ones, which I had when I moved in here almost five years ago! Well, those burgandy ones were overgrown and I dug for three years to break them up and scatter them about! I think this year will be the start of the big payoff! But, last year hubby took me to the Iris Societies Annual Sale, and I made off with as many blues as I could possibly get my hands on. I can't wait to get pics when they are in bloom! Then, some painting will really begin. Yes, besides it being the year of joy, I believe it will turn into the summer of love, I will be painting lots of flowers this year!

The choclolate, well, the darker the better! I love dark chocolate, especially when I think I have accomplished something good. After finishing the back and now up to the chart on the front of the Turbulence U-Neck Pullover, yippee! The Queensland Katmandu is so soft and has a very cushy feel to it, I love working with it, I can't believe I bought this stuff last Saturday and are so far along with it. I just can't put it down.

A Water Theme - Green Turbulence

The Turbulence U-Neck Pullover from Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature of Queensland "Katmandu" DK back side is complete and the front is started on today. Three days, and a whole lot of other stuff going on. One reason or another, I didn't get back to the lacy summer sweater. My aim is to finish it tommorrow, but I am really on this Turbulence.

A friend who's mother passed on, brought me this luscious silk and wool "Bernat Klein" (from Scotland) sweater which her mother had worked up. Gosh, I think the project may be forty years old by the looks of the intact label. My friend would like me to remake it, saving as much of her mothers stitching as possible. The shoulder seams were back-stitched with 1/2 inch seams, which I found to be rather interesting. So I went into my cedar chest and pulled out this vintage 1983 sweater I had designed to see how I had done the lace yoke. I couldn't help myself and just had to document it. I still love it, and wonder how I was ever that skinny, I tried it on and it is barely loose, it used to hang on me, oh the years of youth are slipping by, at least I could get it on! I really loved it and had a matching pair of jeans in the blue color. I can't remember the yarns, but the ribbing and yoke look like a heavy pearl cotton, and the slubby stuff is definetly viscose and maybe a little cotton. I would buy these yarns and make it again. So I am thinking to go from a 5'3" petite to an XL, I will frog the upper armholes out and apply the eylet lace to the top. I will then extend the sides by adding gussets.

Here's a jewelry set I made up a few months ago. I custom dyed the mother-of-pearl(mop) beads in the microwave. I also dyed the mop in some other pastel colors and have made a few bracelets. I think the green will appropriately be worn with the Turbulence, I like the whole idea of a water theme.

All that dying made me desire to try my hand at painting some merino. That is on the calendar this year for sure, and being taught to spin.

Last week I broke work on my summer lace sweater, I had to do those Caprice tanks and got really hooked (I am working on my third one(it's red).

On Friday I received this dichoric (can't really see that part) pendant I made at the Parker Art Guild Art Show last month. The link above is a friend of mine who is sellng some great pieces on Ebay. Receiving the pendant is making me want to finish the summer lace sweater to wear with it.

I finished my Louise Harding Kimono Ribbon tank on Sunday and wore it two days straight. I love it so much. I had left my camera at a friend's, so I haven't had a chance to get a pic of me in it.

It has been a very busy weekend. Early Saturday morning I made it to Strings annual sale! I purchased this lovely Queensland "Katmandu" DK - ten skeins to make a lovely sweater I thought. I was going for the Ram's Horn Jacket out of Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature, but it didn't work. Then when I thought it might take time to find something for it, I found it, in the same book, "Turbulance U-Neck Pullover" my favorite sweater in the book rewarded me with same gauge, and I have more than enough yarn, that I may have to make the Sunflower tam! Might be too much to wear together, but smashing separately. I just found Knitting Nature KAL. I had to start working on it, so tempting when you get a color you love, a yarn that's simply scrumptious and on sale for half off, and a pattern it works for, yep, I am so on it.

Sunday hubby and I went to a pinball extravaganza at JeffCo Fairgrounds. Wow, did we have fun. We played some really cool machines, some old, some new and our fave, Medievil Madness. We had no idea that it was the coolest game there. It was nice when the lines died down and we had it to ourselves. Then people started watching us have so much fun. They were asking us all kinds of questions about the game. It was cool.

I must finish the summer.