Knitting Dragonflies

I have lots of handspun in small amounts, (less than 200-300 yards).  The question is; what to do with it? So I have been on a search of patterns, free if possible, from indie designers! (there are so many fellow bloggers that have wonderful patterns!) Some that have made my cue: Pattern/amount of yarn/type/blog - the Slouched Tuva Hat DK weight, ~120-130 yards (110 meter, 50 gram), from Give me a Purl; - Lace headband , 80-100 yards of leftover worsted weight wool, Blue Peninsula blog And while searching for patterns I found this great post from Simple Knits, 653 patterns to knit with 285 yards of yarn ! It is fabulous! She has found a wealth of wonderful patterns from inspiring bloggers. So I’m off to read some blogs and look at some patterns. From One Stitch after Another, her post quick texture patterns for last minute , all less than 300 yds of yarn. Take a look around on her blog, she has other posts with similar topics. Enjoy creating!

I found the 20 Minute Challenge by Katherine Cartwright from a fellow blogger Theresa of Blueberries, Art and Life , a fellow knitter than lured me into watercolor! It is a fun way to simplify your drawings! I tend to want to overdo it, so this has been a great tool for me. The first several times it was rather nerve racking with the timer counting down. Then something “clicked” and I realized I could edit out whatever I wanted to. I urge you to take a look and try it yourself. It is oddly liberating, despite or because of the time limits. Fall White Pine I’ve been playing around with the more portable ink and paper with a watercolor wash. Sitting in my yard after work, doing a bit of unwinding in these wonderful fall days, inspires me to sketch. The last of my roses. I love fall days with the clear air and crisp feel of autumn, football games and campfires! Do a little creating today!

I’ve been busy with life lately. Have to remember to make time for play. A little simple sketch of a tree in my backyard on watercolor paper with a fine point sharpie pen . Morning coffee developed into inspiration. I’m trying not to over think, I had to stop myself from adding more color. I tend to want to keep painting until I’ve gone too far. My neighbors’ house. Sharpie and watercolor.   The below is by Henry Li, Simplicity – by capturing the essence of a scene using minimum brush strokes to complete a painting. Enjoy! Remember to play today!

Sandhill Cranes Indiana Migration Stop Over Photo by Robert Long Thanks!! Sometimes I forget how pretty it is in my own backyard!   Get your knitting needles out and go to it!

Not doing much but taking care of the recovering dog at this point, and the usual necessary things like work. I did buy an E -reader , it was a spontaneous buy, I had some bonus money that I hadn’t used and was in Borders Books. I am always carrying books around and thought “what the heck?”. I love it, and now can’t imagine doing without it. Hundreds of books in a very small space that can be taken easily anywhere. I looked at them before but thought I would miss having the “book” in my hands. Well there is still knitting, spinning and watercolor books to buy, more room on my shelves for them. I have also begun spinning again. Every time I start spinning again, I wonder at how much I enjoy it, and why did I stop? The fleece is a BFL, a lovely dark brown, I was drawn to it because the color was quite dark, and I thought that unusual. I love the way it spins up. A pound is enough for me to really make something with it (I hope). It is  enough fiber to keep me busy for quite a while

Thanks to The Quilter, I realized in time that Bloglines is ending Oct 1st. If you need to export your blogs to another aggregator she gives excellent instructions, (hers are to export to Google) I’m back to spinning, more on that later, I feel my inactivity leaving me, thank goodness! All of our energy has been taken up with taking care of Syd, and his horrid scar. (see previous post for his Mast cell cancer story) I tell him scars on guys just make them more ruggedly handsome. He doesn’t seem convinced yet.

We have been majorly stressed out at my house. It has been a rapid trip starting with the discovery of a small tumor on my male dog, Syd, after looking at bumps on the internet, (thank goodness for Dr. Google), I was convinced that it was a Mast Cell Tumor . I was going to just dismiss it, due to the fact that it was about the size of a large pea, but we have always owned dogs, and this one sent my inner voice whispering. Better safe than sorry.  So I made an appointment with my Vet and got in that day! The vet did a fine needle aspirate, suspecting that it was a mast cell tumor, and after looking at it in the microscope decided it was, it was sent off for a closer look to a vet lab. They recommended surgery, with wide margins taken to try and get it all, evidently the tumor can be just one of the symptoms of Mast Cells Cancer. When we picked Syd up, we discovered a much larger incision than we had expected, the vet ended up taking about an orange size of skin, lymph nodes a