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Monthly Archives: October 2015

Sweater Weather

30 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Columbia River, Howard Amon Park, knitting, Richland, Sweater Weather, yarnbombing

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Just for fun–here are some pics I took in Howard Amon Park in Richland the other day.

This is the second year of Richland Parks and Recreation’s Sweater Weather event.  Participants are assigned a tree to yarnbomb and then folks can vote on which they like the best.

Yeah, it’s a little bit too organized and official to be true guerrilla knitting, but when I took the sweater tour with a Parks and Rec employee last year, he told us that they assigned about 50 trees, but actually wound up with more sweaters than that.

CRAFTS WILL NOT BE CONTAINED.

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Still got some fall color happening . . . .

(I walked by this couple twice and the guy was monologuing the whole time.  I don’t speak Spanish, but I know mansplaining when I hear it.)

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Blue sky over the Columbia River.

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SQWERLS!

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I love this one.

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JUST THROW ANOTHER HAT ON THERE.

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Squirrels are messy eaters.  And seagulls are smarter than they look.

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Hang on a little bit longer, lovely autumn!

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Sunday Sevens 10-25-15

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

2015 FAL, Columbia Park, Kennewick, Oregon, Oregon Zoo, Portland, sewing, Sunday Sevens, Washington

sunday-sevens-new-logo

Sunday Sevens is a series in which we post some pictures from our week and show a little bit of what we’ve been up to.  See Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for more info.

A bit late to the party after a fun weekend in Portland.

Preparations for my mother’s new carpet continue.  I brought her some boxes this week so that she could start packing some things up.  I’m also hoping she might donate a few things, as her three-bedroom house is jam-packed full of stuff.

So far, she’s donated this jar, a throw, and an unused set of sheets.

Three down, ten million to go.

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More thinking about sewing than actual sewing this week, but I did do some darning on my honey’s jeans; they were in excellent condition except for tears at the inner corners of both back pockets.

Saving usable clothing from the landfill feels like a big ol’ win.

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And I got the super-sized snaps onto my fleece jacket!  For those following along at home, that’s two finishes toward my goal of ten by the end of the year.

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Took a walk with my mother to the fishing pond at the far end of Columbia Park.

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We spent the weekend in Portland; on Saturday, my partner went off on a bike ride with his buddies, and I went to the Oregon Zoo.

Here’s an eagle for ya (another one is behind the trunk of the tree).

Isn’t this a beautiful place?

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And a cheetah:

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And (slightly less majestic) Naked Mole Rats sleeping in a heap.

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And, just for fun, a couple of bonus pictures of the fall colors from the drive back home on Sunday.

This is at the Starbuck’s in Hood River, OR.

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And a tree farm near the Oregon-Washington border:

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Have a great week, everybody.

STH

Sunday Sevens 10-18-15

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

cats, Chamna Nature Preserve, Columbia Park, cooking, Kennewick, Richland, Sunday Sevens

sunday-sevens-new-logo

Sunday Sevens is a weekly post where we share some photos from our week and yak a bit about what we’ve been up to.  It’s fun and you should join us!  See Natalie over at Threads and Bobbins for more info.

My favorite dinner this week was actually a brinner:  breakfast burritos.  Spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, sauteed veg, cheese, a little fresh tomato and green onion on top, and leftover guacamole.

SO GOOD.

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I took a walk in Columbia Park this week and had to get a picture of all the geese.  Please note that they are standing under a “don’t feed the birds” sign because THAT’S WHERE THE MORONS ALWAYS FEED THEM–right under the sign.

*facepalm*

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(They were actually edging away from me when I took this, as they’d decided I was a little bit too close and didn’t appear to be packing snacks.)

And then there was this guy.

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Yes, the squirrels have the morons pretty well figured out as well.

Butterick patterns were on sale this week, so picked up this one I’ve been eyeing for a while.  Lots of interesting possibilities for mixing and matching knits here.

I feel like I might be falling a little bit in love with sewing knits after pretty much diligently avoiding them for years.

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On Saturday, I went on another MeetUp walk, this time to Chamna Natural Preserve in Richland.  Fun time–cool autumn morning with sunshine, some nice people, TWO dogs to pet, AND my honey came along, too.  🙂

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That afternoon, after puttering around uselessly for hours without getting anything done, I finally gave in and took a nap with the cats.

Notice that there’s no room for me on MY side of the bed because it’s full of cats.  I had to steal a quilt off the couch and sleep on the other side.  Shelby is deeply suspicious of people sleeping on the wrong side of the bed, but Pooh’s just happy to be taking a nap with his mom.

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Busy week ahead.  I’ve finished the birthday present, so now it’s on to the Cozy Afternoon runner (well, after some mending–bleh).  Birthday festivities are happening Thursday, then we’re off to Portland on Friday for another bike ride and another potluck.

Have a great week, everybody.

STH

WIPing Out Those UFOs

12 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

2015 FAL, cats, quilting, sewing

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You guys, I’ve got PILES of halfway-done projects around here, and I’m starting to get annoyed about it.  I have some in my overflowing WIP box, and then there are the ones in my mending pile, and the pile next to my sewing machine, and some stuffed into the closet . . . .

Which wouldn’t be such a problem, except that the STH Sewing Hut / Office / Exercise Studio / Cat Storage Area is NOT a huge space.  It’s a teeny-weeny little spare bedroom that’s already pretty full with two desks, a big dresser, and lots of plastic bins full of scraps.

Time for a Finish Along!  I just happened to come across this quarterly Finish Along a few days after it started, and I thought it might help me to get some things done if I were lured along with the promise of PRIZES.

So here’s my list of the WIPs I want to finish sooner rather than later (picture-heavy!):

  1.  Birthday present for my honey, deadline 10/24.  Needs binding and label.  #1 because it’s the only one with a deadline.

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2.  My very-autumnal fleece jacket from last spring still needs these big snaps sewn on.  Fairly high priority because the weather’s going to cool off soon.

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3.  Shark glasses case–needs zipper redone, eyes added.

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4.  Flannel wall quilt–don’t remember when I started this, but I suspect I lost my nerve when it came time to quilt it; it’s been in the Dresser of Shame for years.  All sandwiched and ready to quilt.

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5.  Cozy Afternoon BOM–finishing instructions will be e-mailed out on 10/13 and will hopefully help me figure out how to do setting triangles so that I can turn this into a table runner.

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6.  Willara tunic–I want to try this very cool tunic pattern in the super-soft rayon challis my mother gave me.  Should probably do a muslin first, as the neckline could be a problem for shoulder-free me, and there’s also the little issue of the pattern being designed for knits.  But I’m SO excited about this one!

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7.  Fabric box #3–need to use some more of my Mary Engelbreit sewing-themed fabric to make another box for my purse hardware collection / mess.  Boxes #1 and #2 also need some hand-stitching to make them look a little neater.

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8.  Pattern weights–started these recently, then got distracted by purple sharks and other pretty things.  Need to finish sewing and fill with rice.  Thank goodness I just happen to have close to 10 pounds of white rice that I bought for the Class That Wasn’t.  I could wind up with a LOT of pattern weights.

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9.  Window cushions–this olive green flannel sheet that’s got some worn spots needs to get turned into some thin cushions for the wide windowsills where the Cat Posse spends most of their time.  Simple rectangles with some quilt batting between them and ties to hold the batting in place.  The things I do for those spoiled cats!

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10.  The black jumper (“pinafore” in the UK?)–I’ve been wanting to make this for at least a year.  I finally found the fabric I wanted and bought it as a birthday present for myself last August.  It’s a very lightweight black denim with a little stretch.  The plan is to make the red version in the picture, layer it with blouses and turtlenecks, and wear it with necklaces from my VAST collection.  I have so many necklaces that I’ve never worn because all my clothes are too colorful to show them off properly.

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Whew!  That seems like a lot, though some of them will be quick to do.  I tend to really dislike sewing plans–and completely ignore them when actually choosing what to make–but these are all things I really want to sew.  I’m basically just writing down the list I’ve been carrying around in my head.  I’m also resolving not to beat myself up over this; these are just ideas, not assignments.  I’ve got enough here that I should be able to find something on the list that I’m excited about so that sewing doesn’t feel like a chore.

We’ll see how it goes, anyway.  If I get half of these done, I’ll consider it a win.

If I get them ALL done, I’ve got at least two more quilt UFOs in the dresser.  Oh, and then there are holiday presents, which I’m going to have to start figuring out soon.  YIKES–so much to sew!

STH

Sunday Sevens 10-11-15

11 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Bateman Island, cooking, Kennewick, recipe, SCRAP Tri-Cities, sewing, Sunday Sevens, swears, Washington

sunday-sevens-new-logo

Sunday Sevens is a series of weekly posts with seven-ish pictures from our week.  See Natalie at Threads and Bobbins for more info and please feel free to join us if you’d like to.

Running a little late this week–low on inspiration today after a week of ups and downs.

My mother’s quite elderly cat died recently, so my sister and I have been helping her (my mother, not the late cat) get estimates to have most of the carpet in her house replaced (yes, the late cat was one of those).

This process is exactly as enjoyable as used-car shopping; you have literally no idea what the hell you’re doing, and you’re pretty sure you’re getting screwed, but you feel powerless to prevent it.  :S

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I spent some time this week finishing up the prep for my class at SCRAP Tri-Cities scheduled for Thursday–made kits for the students, wrote up a handout in case we weren’t able to finish during the class time, prepped demonstration materials, etc.

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Thursday afternoon came, I loaded up the car with all my gear, and I headed down there.

And nobody showed up to take the class.

Sigh.

I was determined not to let it bring me down, though, so I stayed until closing, pricing stamps and chatting with Rachael and another volunteer.  It wasn’t the best day I’ve ever had, but I’m proud of myself for not letting it put me into a depressed funk.

GO ME

Friday afternoon was spent working on my honey’s birthday present.  Almost finished and I’m really liking it.  Here’s a sneak preview:

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On Saturday, I hauled my butt out again to another MeetUp, this time a walk on Bateman Island.  Met some nice folks, got in a good 1 1/2 hour walk, and spent time outside on an almost-summery day.

This is the entrance.  As you can see, it’s more of a peninsula than an island.

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Me actually going out to do things ALONE WITH A BUNCH OF STRANGERS is another huge step forward, so I’m proud of that, too.

ALL THE YAYS

And we close with a little carby goodness, one of the loaves of Honey Wheat Bread I made on Sunday.  I subbed oats for some of the white flour in these, so there’s lots of good stuff in there.

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All fueled up for another brave week.  Hopefully.  Maybe.  😉

Have a great week, everybody, and I hope you’re able to move a bit forward toward your goals.

STH

 

 

Sunday Sevens 10-04-15

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by STH in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

cats, Chiawana Park, cooking, Pasco, recipe, SCRAP Tri-Cities, Sunday Sevens, Washington, Yakima Delta Wildlife Nature Area

sunday-sevens-new-logo

Sunday Sevens is where we post seven-or-so pictures of anything interesting that happened to us that week.  See Natalie at Threads and Bobbins for more info and please feel free to join us, every week or when the spirit moves you.

The weather was beautiful this week; oh please, fall, hang on a little longer?

I took a walk in Chiawana Park early this week and had to take a picture of that big lovely sky.

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And I found a secret path at the end of the park that I’d never noticed before!

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I need to get back there soon and see where that goes.

It always feels like the real end of summer when you pick the last of the tomatoes and basil.

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Caught this one in the act.

She likes to hang off the windowsill and grab things out of my box of current projects.

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On Saturday, my honey was in Oregon for a bike ride, and I was determined to NOT sit at home and mope, so I went out for a hike with a MeetUp group.  This is a place I hadn’t been to before, the Yakima Delta Wildlife Nature Area.

Great place to get lost in.  Nobody there but the MeetUp group and some LARPers.  Now, I have been known to snicker a bit about LARPing, but these folks were very gracious and let me pester them with questions about their costumes, which were seriously great.  NO IDEA who they were supposed to be, but the workmanship was fabulous.

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Then I came home and made myself some Cleaning Out the Fridge Nachos:  leftover refried beans, spicy lentils, the last of the smoked sausage and pepper jack cheese from last weekend’s potluck, and some chopped tomato, onion, mushrooms, and avocado.

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Today was spent prepping for the class I’m teaching this coming Thursday at SCRAP Tri-Cities.

I realized the other day that I’ve been holding onto my beloved Laurel Burch fabrics with both hands and haven’t actually MADE anything with them for forever.  So I have them, and I love them, but I don’t actually get to enjoy them because they’re stashed in the closet all the time!

So I pulled them out to make another sample of the rice-filled hot/cold bag; this piece will be the front.

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And a bonus picture of the cats this morning with their pot of grass.

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Have a great week, everybody.

STH

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Sunday Sevens

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