This and That

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted. I suspect that has something to do with going back to work -- even part-time work interferes with the fun parts of life! I suspect I will be glad for the human contact once winter arrives -- so I shouldn't complain. Still, I am beginning to mourn the end of my summer break.

I apologize for boring knitting content. I am making good progress on my 3rd (and last) Kate's Poncho.

I can hardly wait to cast on something new!

My Summer Quilt (for lack of a formal name) is coming along. It was looking kind of dull so I added more appliqued leaves. And I just love the hand-quilting because it is so meditative.

There has been a bit of sketching. There is little part of my neighborhood that has modern, really expensive homes (every house is expensive in Madison!), so I tried drawing one of them:

Next time I'll pick a house that isn't a big brown blob! It's a lovely house, but not much fun to paint!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

I've made quite a bit of progress on my embroidery but...

... the remaining lines disappeared! I'm not sure if they were supposed to disappear or if I didn't iron them on correctly. I'll have draw them in and hope for the best!

I had a full day of work today. For special ed in my district, summer is over. We have to do a mountain of paperwork to comply with federal law. I just want to say: Betsy DeVos could have relaxed the paperwork requirements. Instead, she added to them.

The next thing I need to do is set up a functional workspace. First, I have to get rid of this crap:

That is my son's equipment from his days as the lead guitarist for a death metal group called An End to Flesh. He found the name in the Torah. Not quite what I was hoping for when I sent him to Hebrew School. They were moderately successful; even toured both coasts. Still, I think that veterinary medicine is a better career.

Fun Summer Project

Every summer I swear that I'm going to declutter my craft room; it hasn't happened yet. 

However, I did empty one bin by doing a fun and easy project that has been languishing for close to a decade.

I've been collecting Altoid Tins and all those little do-dads for years -- on clearance, of course!

The first step was sorting out all the do-dads. As you might guess, I sorted them by color. Also, you'll want to cut off the button shacks with a wire-cutter. Cover the button with your hand so the shank doesn't fly into your eye.

It's a bit messy, but very easy. In a small container, you mix gel medium (I use Golden, but I don't think brand matters) with cheapo acrylic paint. You don't need a lot of paint to tint the medium. I stirred it with a popsicle stick. Then you spread a thick layer on the lid of the tin.

Now the fun begins: Start sticking stuff down. Sometimes I started in the middle; other times I started in a corner. Either way, it went fine.

They need to dry for at least 24 hours. I gave mine more than three days -- just to be sure.

Most of my nieces and nephews are in their teens and 20s, so I'm going to give them cash in one of these cute little boxes. That takes care of a lot of my holiday "shopping"!

One bin down; 30 (at least) more to go!

Unraveled Wednesday

I have made significant progress on my gray Kate's Poncho. I'm on the ribbing at the bottom. 

And yarn for the third one arrived just in time this morning! I ordered from The Loopy Ewe, and the yarn got to me in record time.

I have to admit that I am doing more quilting and embroidering than knitting these days. For one thing, both the poncho and the blanket I'm working on are getting too big and too warm for some of the really hot days.

I went for a lovely walk yesterday with a friend in the Arboretum. 

July is beautiful!

Joining with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday.

Stitching & Listening

I've been a bit obsessed with my latest quilt. It's made  from my hand-dyed cotton, so it includes all my favorite colors. The main panel was printed with a real fern.

I'm hand-quilting it with a Kantha/Boro stitch, a process that is very relaxing. Meditative, even. Which makes it perfect for listening time.

I've mentioned some of my favorite podcasts in the past: The Daily, On the Media, Post Reports, and Trump Inc.

I wanted to share a few of my newer finds:

• Throughline: Great history podcast from NPR. They cover a variety of subjects from conspiracy theories in American history to a look at the Kurds. As entertaining as it is informative.
• Slow Burn: I loved loved loved the season on Watergate. The season on Bill Clinton was good, and the new season on David Duke is excellent!
• Unfinished: Deep South: A truly fascinating investigation into the 1954 murder of Isadore Banks, a successful African-American, in Arkansas.
• Thunder Bay: This rundown city north of Minnesota is the site of an uncanny number of First Peoples teen deaths. Turns out that Canada hasn't really made peace with their history of oppressing native peoples.
• An Oral History of The Office. I am addicted to The Office. Its theme song is my ringtone. No romance will ever be more moving than the one between Jim and Pam. So far, there is only one episode out, but it is really good. If you like The Office, this is a smart history of the most-streamed show ever.

I'm always looking for good podcasts. What do you like?

Feline Friday

You didn't want to work on this, did you, Mommy?

Unraveled Wednesday

Joining with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday. 

I loved my Kate's Poncho so much that I decided to make one in gray for Rachel. After all, she's moving to Denver after 6 years in Miami. 

It's coming along so quickly that I think I'll make one for Clara, too. That's Seth's girlfriend.  This will require ordering yarn, though -- so sad! 

I love this gray wool. It is Shepherd's Wool Yarn from Stonehedge Mill. For a 100% wool it is quite soft and it knits up beautifully. I'm sure I'll be using more of it. 

Tiny Needle Tuesday

Darn that Kim! I really try to work on original designs, but she got me into Cozy Blue. From the first moment I saw one on her blog, I knew it would just be a matter of time before I gave in and embroidered one.

Full Heart turned out to be the design that I could not resist.

It's been fun -- but also helped me work on one stitch I need to practice (satin) and learn how to do leaves with fly stitch.

So, I guess I owe Kim a big thank you!

So Much News!

For the first time ever, I lost a pair of glasses. Also for the first time ever, I bought a pair of glasses without checking the price first. I am absolutely in love with my new glasses:

Luckily for me, the clerk is very chatty. When he found out I was a teacher, he gave me $200 off. And they were still pricey -- but worth it. Still, I really can't afford to lose this pair!

I have long admired (drooled over) the work of felt applique embroiderer Sue Spargo. I finally bought her class on Craftsy/Bluprint and started my own felt project. She provides a butterfly project, but I had to do my own thing, so I'm doing fish:

It has been hot as Hades here (and everywhere!), so I've taken advantage of the weather to do some fabric dying with  Dynaflow paints and salt. The results are always a surprise.

Yesterday I indulged in a fancy cold coffee at a cafe with outdoor tables. It was too hot to boil water and I'd forgotten to make iced coffee the night before. Also, I was celebrating: My district announced that first quarter will be virtual.

Like everyone, I have mixed feelings. Virtual teaching isn't ideal for students, nor is it fun for teachers. But I am almost 61 and I have an arrhythmia. I am terrified of going into a large high school with all those wonderful -- but less than adult -- disease vectors running around! And it turns out that teens are indeed vectors!

And the best news of all, thanks to Kat, Brenda Dayne is coming back. Pick up your pointy sticks!

Sketching and Covid

Recently, my friend Tsela and I decided to draw in downtown Middleton, a suburb of Madison. We planned to get beverages at a coffeeshop, Helbach's, but it had closed early. Instead, we sat at one of their outdoor tables and drew:

Now we are glad we didn't spend any money there.  The owner actually posted a sign a few days later that said: "This is a Mask Free Zone. Please remove mask before entering."

Middleton is in Dane County. We are required to wear masks when we are inside a public place, including businesses. This is a county order. Someone took a photo of the sign and it went viral (pun intended). 

When county health officials showed up at Helbach's to investigate, the owner called the police and complained about being harassed. Of course, the police backed up the health officials. I assume that they are requiring masks now, but I won't be going there to find out.

There is an excellent coffeeshop a block away, in case I'm out in Middleton again.