Day 3...or 4 & 5 If You're Counting...

Further adventures of a winter's pastime.... Jeanne sweater pattern from Debbie Bliss' Winter Essentials

knitted with Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed

85% Wool, 15: Angora

The picture doesn't do it justice, it's a beautiful heather green

Last year for my birthday Jessi gave me this beautiful hand painted yarn from Shaefer, it's 60% merino wool superwash, 25% mohair and 15% nylon. It was a huge skein so I knitted a cowl out of it and now I'm working on the Spring Forward Socks pattern by Knitty. I LOVE this pattern, it's lace, but easy, easy, easy to follow. One sock down, 1 half finished.

Another cowl, I couldn't resist Manos' silk blend yarn the last time I was in the yarn store! This is Crofter's Cowl from Ravelry, a free download.

And that's all folks.....

Day Two

Table runners...finished and in progress.

It's Not Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Day One:

It's been a long winter. Don't get me wrong, the weather has been glorious, but the days are short in December, January and February and I chase away the blues that are always huddled outside the door of my mind space but creating things. It brings color into my world, allows me the satisfaction of "completing" something and gives me the tactile sensations I crave. I love using my hands in whatever way: cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening, even repair jobs.

With that said, I'll post some pics of the works already finished or in progress.


This "Christmas" quilt is a pattern I saw in a quilting magazine years ago and fell in love with. Although the fabrics are sewed somewhat "randomly", the resulting "wreath" in the center is pleasing in all ways. I may use this pattern again with perhaps spring or fall colors. I don't have a full-size picture, as I haven't sewn on the binding yet. But...wait until you see the back side...WOW!

No, I cannot take credit for this amazing quilting job. I cannot afford the sophisticated sewing machine that would allow me to do this, so I have a local quilter do the quilting on her HUGE (takes up her whole downstairs rec room) quilting machine! I gave it to her and said, "do whatever you want with this" and this is what she came up with. It's so beautiful that I will end up hanging it both ways...front and back. She said she had so much fun doing this and is now inspired to do a solid color quilt herself...cool!

In the Garden

Garden of Gethsemane--stock photo

Easter is on the horizon and our church family is “walking with Jesus” as He concludes His ministry here on Earth and prepares for His ultimate home at the right hand of His heavenly Father. This past Sunday’s sermon was spot on as our pastor preached from Matthew 26:36-56. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus is spending an interminably long night in prayer as His disciples struggle to merely stay awake. Gethsemane means “place of the olive press.” What an apt name for what lies ahead. What He faces He full well knows, those drops of sweat blood testify to it.

Have any of us ever faced such excruciating emotional agony? “If it be possible, take this cup from me…” What a bitter cup it is, full of sin, suffering, separation, sacrifice and ultimately our salvation. Aside from the sheer physical torture involved in His death for us, He willingly takes upon Himself the world’s sin….our sin—an indescribable burden that causes the Father to turn away…to turn away from His beloved son, for holiness cannot gaze upon sin. One of my favorite hymns is “Great Is They Faithfulness” which states that for us, “there is no shadow of turning with Him.” We will never have to face the unspeakable sense of abandonment that Jesus briefly endured on our behalf. He paid the price He did not owe for a debt we can never pay. My mind never ceases to reel at this truth, this sacrifice, this love.

Olympic Fever

We have been avid followers of this year's Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, BC. We are quite fond of this great city which is known for its natural beauty as well as for its cosmopolitan flavor. In the "olden days", when the Canadian dollar was at its lowest and we were able to take advantage of a very favorable exchange rate, we made frequent, sometimes weekly, visits to our northern neighbor. Bellingham is a little less than an hour's drive from Vancouver's downtown. Our favorite places to visit include Chinatown, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Conservatory, the University of British Columbia, and Vandeusen Gardens. The annual Missions Conference is held at Canada Place where much of the hustle and bustle of this year's sports extravaganza is taking place. Because of our proximity, we are able to watch the Olympics on the Canadian channel as well as the U.S. channel. It's been interesting to observe the differences in the style and scope of the reporting. The emphasis is very different!

I have a good friend who lives in Victoria. She needed to make a trip to Seattle to pick up her husband who was flying in to SeaTac today and on her way home, she was going to stop by here and pick up a package that her sister (who lives in MN) mailed to her here to avoid the outrageous mail rate involved in shipping "internationally".

When Mary arrived, she presented me with a wonderful gift:


So...do you think these might get me across the border safely should the U.S. win the hockey game against Canada?

A Friend Loveth At All Times

A true friend knows just when you need extra encouragement, even when she hasn't spoken to you for 4 days....she just knows when she walks by those flowers that "Ridgely needs these today." What a blessing friendship is.

The Winter That Never Was

I've changed the background on my blog. Snowflakes no longer seem appropriate since the temperature in Bellingham has hovered around 50+ degrees for the past two months. My hellebores are in bloom and we've seen several flowering cherries around town that are in full bloom. The Indian Plum is out and Joe's Garden is tilling their fields. All systems are go for the onset of Spring.

Other than this dramatic change, not much new is happening at 3105. We get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and repeat this process. Some knitting and quilting has happened, but I'll blog about that later when I actually get around to taking pictures of it.

Meanwhile, Puxatawny Phil doesn't know beans...spring is here already.