Emptyknitster

 Lately I've been finishing a craft project routinely once a week. Then I realized Stash Dash was just around the corner, and production has changed just a bit. I've participated in Stash Dash every year since it's beginning in 2011. The last two years I have started Sock Yarn Afghans a month or two early in preparation for the competition. That's all the "pre-knitting" I've done, all other projects were knitted as the competition progressed, the end of May to the end of August. Again this year I started the Sock Yarn Afghan early. I look forward to it's start each year after watching the yarn pile up from a year of sock gift knitting. I don't worry about the placement of the colors, I just grab a small bit of yarn and knit until it's gone. The recipients of the last two blankets love the bohemian look which encourages me to knit more.  2018  2019 Being at home exclusively this year I've decided to develop a new strategy and be...

We continue to enjoy the art projects produced each week but the real surprise to everyone is just how enthusiastic Hubby is. First week he didn't want to participate - at all. Then he saw just how much (or little) talent there is in the family and has submitted a masterpiece every week since.  This week's forgeries:  (above artwork is this week's winner) Hubby is the competition's biggest fan and tells each artist just how impressed he is by each piece of art, commenting how hard it is to vote for just one, and how each week the submissions are getting better and he will really have to step up his game for next submission! 

April was the worst! So with the loosening of the "shelter in place" rules, the need to just go somewhere (ANYWHERE), and the fact we've been talking about adding a couple of trees to our property, Hubby and I set out with the plan of adding a little happiness our lives in the form of trees! Armed with our masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer,  we hopped into the truck and headed to the nursery. We knew exactly the type of trees we wanted, Canadian Chokecherry. Shortly after moving into our house we planted a Canadian Chokecherry in front of our house for eventual shade from the summer sun. It's provided us with a fragrant bloom almost every spring, a resting spot for many types birds, and lovely shade all summer. We didn't want a tree which would become massive and this really fits the need. The only downfall is it isn't a long lived tree. It has a lifespan of only thirty or forty years. We quickly bought two lovely 8 foot trees and headed home. The "Ro...

Only two pair of socks knit this month. I'm gearing up for Stash Dash 2020 and have an afghan, a scarf  and a sweater on the needles... Pattern: Ugly Duckling Socks by Karin Aida Yarn: Cascade Heritage, and Hawthorne fingering weight Colorway: autumn, 27410 Needle Size: US Size1

My rattlesnake encounter yesterday brought to mind a story Dad told us about his teen years in Casper, Wyoming. Dad moved from Salida, Colorado, to Casper with his mother and two sisters when he was twelve. His father had passed away and the four of them went to live with Aunt Emma and Uncle Herman. Both were his mother's siblings. Emma, was a school teacher in Casper, Wyoming and Herman was a widow working as a field clerk for an oil refinery at the time. (Dad always said Uncle Herman was his favorite relative. Uncle Herman tragically drowned in the Yellowstone River in 1942 where he owned a sheep ranch.) One summer Dad and several of his friends would hop on their bikes and head to some rocky hills outside of town. There they would dig into the rocks to find dens of rattlesnakes, and then put them in buckets. This is where the story ends for me. I thought they put them in buckets and sold them for fifty cents a snake to someone who used the venom.  My brother has a differe...

Greatly relieved the Governor lifted the "shelter in place" rule yesterday, Hubby and I hopped in the car this afternoon and drove to some BLM land on the Yellowstone River for a hike. The land was given to the BLM by a friend of ours as a conservation area years ago. Although this land is near our home we have never visited. The property contains an old cabin used by Will James in the 1920's. James is known for writing and illustrating several popular children's books on cowboy life.  Although breezy today the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. Hubby mentioned at the beginning of the walk, like he always does, we should be on the lookout for rattlers because it was the time of year and perfectweather for them to be out sunning themselves. Just as we came in sight of the Will James cabin I heard the long chatter of what I thought was a locust, but as I looked toward the sound I spotted a rattler not 12 inches from my foot!! I quickly did a hop and began p...

This baby quilt was quite unplanned. After seeing a similiar quilt on you tube one afternoon, I set about making my own version. The bright little top is made of one of my favorite items - leftover fabric! The backing is a print fabric filled with dump trucks, diggers, and road signs, making it a very cute baby boy blanket.  I love this quilt and will be making others like this in the future.