The Never-ending Socks: Done!

These socks for Fern are finally done!

Tubular cuff bind-off.

What I Did Over Christmas Break

If you scroll down, you can see the picture of this when I was laying it out on the conference room table. I spent a lot of time over break sewing the blocks together. I don't have any space large enough in my house to get a good look at it, my bed is the closest. The next step is to put on the borders. I'm hoping to borrow a friend's long arm machine to quilt this monster. With borders on, it'll be 116" x 90"!

How to turn an iPhone photo into a magazine quality image

My lunch of pesto cavatappi from Noodles & Company.

Original image

Cropped

Added saturation and contrast

Added point of focus

Myrtle Beach -circa 2011

While I was at Urban Outfitters yesterday, I bought a book called The Art of iPhoneography by Stephanie C. Roberts. I'm finding it to be a great resource for the camera and apps and taking images with my iPhone. And a great source of inspiration.

I've just read through the first couple sections and now am inspired to take and post more photos from my phone or iPad. Like all my new projects, I'm gonna do this everyday! So, that is the first one, taken from the balcony of our beach condo just a little while ago.

This was taken with the ShakeItPhoto app on the iPad.

I'm knitting again...

These are scrap yarn footies made from the left-overs from all those socks I knitted for Christmas presents three or four years ago. After Fern shrunk the wool+bamboo pair I just finished (to a size a four-year-old could wear), I had to make another pair with a blend that won't shrink.

These are the first socks I've made toe-up. I used a provisional cast-on and a short-row toe, both firsts for me. I like learning new things, keeps me young. Right? My daughter's ice skating coach thought I was 39. Love her.

I have too many unfinished quilts to be back into knitting. Oh well. I'll get tired of this soon.

Probably right before that large ebay order of yarn arrives. Right?
 

Kevin Behind the Wheel

The Anacostia River - guess we got a smidge of rain this morning.

I took this video with my phone of the Anacostia where it goes under 38th Avenue in Brentwood, MD.

While I was there I saw a large log float downstream with no effort at all. Maybe float isn't the best word, maybe fly would be better.

Almost...

Ta Da!

Squealing with Joy

What you are looking at is a brand new bloom spike on my Oncidium orchid. It wasn't there last Friday. I'm so excited. Orchids are easy to grow, but finicky at the same time. They need the right light and water to be happy. I guess this one is happy.

So for the next several weeks I'll be on 'orchid watch' waiting for this baby to bloom. Of course I'll post pictures.

Soon to be a Mama

This mama cardinal and her mate will soon be the proud parents of triplets. I know this because her nest is right below my bedroom window and I saw three speckled eggs in there.

There are too many leaves in the way to get a picture of her sitting on her broodlets and she yells at me too much when I try to move the branches out of the way for a better shot. My iPhone needs a longer lens.

 

Why Kevin doesn't go to bed until 02:00

The pool deck at night

Long Way Home

This is the expedite tag they put on our lost suitcases to get them back to us.

Really? Newark to Baltimore via Chicago?!
 

Ten more steps......

Gold medal!

And this is after they lost their first game of the season 0-20.

SOMD State basketball tournament

Athlete's oath:
Let me win.
If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.

Brings tears to my eyes every time.

Another baby quilt

Friday I posted about the baby boom in my office and the quilts I'm making. This is the top for the boy due next month. I got the top for the girl finished and basted over the weekend too. Now I just need to quilt and bind them, but I'm not stressing about it. I'll just present them in their current state at the shower on Wednesday. I'm sure the dads will be happy anyway.

A New Quilt

I work with mostly guys in my office, young guys. Well, younger than I am. Young fertile guys.

Two babies are due next month and one in June. And I've promised baby quilts. Two boys and a girl. This one is for the girl. It needs one more border strip at the bottom, then quilting. The group baby shower is next Wednesday. Do you think I can get them done? I've already decided to not work on the June's baby quilt until after our guild's show since I still need to finish the quilt for that but I should be able to knock out two simple pieces quickly.

Oh, but wait, Fern's ice skating competition is Sunday and I have no idea what time she's on the ice. Got to find that out. Kevin skis on Sunday, too. Maybe I'll be able to sew on binding while I wait for her to perform. If I get that far with the quilts. (OK, this just in, she is scheduled to skate her freestyle program at 12:30 ±10 minutes; and her compulsories at 3:00 ±10 minutes. Please come by to watch.)

I hope these guys in my office are blessed with great kids as I have been.

The top is quilted

This is the picture of the quilt top before I started quilting it. I'm showing this instead of one of the current state of the quilt because I haven't taken a picture of it yet.

Last night I finished quilting the top and trimmed the edges. Tonight I'll cut the binding and start the long process of sewing the binding on.

I still need to get the quilt that will actually be in the quilt show next month finished, but I'm so close to getting this one done, I want closure on it.