Dots and Dashes Cowl #37

 The Last Cowl of 2025! It is made from KnitPicks Chroma, a blend of wool and nylon and Noro Taiyo, which is cotton, silk, wool, and nylon, and is squishy, cozy and warm. Both of these yarns are spun graduated color, which is super fun to knit, as you find yourself surprised by the color combinations as you knit. 

 I was recently at the post office and the sign on the door said December 17 (tomorrow) is officially the last day to mail a Christmas item and expect it to arrive by Christmas Day. So it is not too late. I will gladly mail this to your favorite person (even if that person is YOU) by tomorrow. PayPal, Venmo or Zelle accepted. Available for $50 with free shipping! Email me.

Collector or Obsessive?

 

   

I've emptied my drawers and utensil holder and realized I have not been living a minimalistic life after all. Hmmm. NOT by a long shot. 

My niece is moving into her first no-roommate apartment at the end of the month and so I thought I might give her my extras. 

But what do I keep?

So first I sorted them by color, as it musta been color that made me buy them in the first place. Sucker!

 Well, obviously they saw me coming. How could I resist red? And from the old Dollar Tree, when they were all just $1. I do use all of those, with the exception of a pancake turner, or two, one large and burnt at the edge and one little slotted one, which I don't think I ever needed. 

 And then they came out with lime green and turquoise. Never used the pale aqua one, and while that snaller brush is cute,  I didn't even remember I had it and use the red one instead. Rubber spoons? I'll keep the ones whose edges aren't crumbling. 

 Why keep wooden spoons when you don't have any kids who misbehave? That's what I remember about dear old Mom. These are all practically brand new and even in this small bunch I have doubles. Argggh.

 These two gray (!!!) Ikea flippers are in constant use and I did have three but one got burned and had to go. The hamburger masher is a one task item, and I might have to keep it. 

 Then I have a complete set of black utensils. Why did I have to buy these? Slotted spoon? Another ladle? More spatulas? Not gonna keep them. And the garlic press, was more trouble than it was worth. Adios a todo.

These are all the true essentials. Somewhere along the line I lost the 1/3 cup measure in that set. But I have two other sets that are complete. Looking at these, I know I have to keep all of them. 

OK. So I lied. 

I am not doing this to help out my niece, who no doubt already has all the utensils she needs and many extras/cast offs from her mom too. 

I'm starting to pack up to move at the end of the month. Don't choke. You should know me by now. 

Here's the short version:

I bought this little house to be close to the facility where I was moving Dave.  That only lasted three weeks.  It originally had a kitchen with only one working drawer, doors that stuck open, shelves that were useless etc.And worst of all the hated black/white/speckled granite counter tops, which conveniently hid the ant invasion.  So I put in a brand new fabulous kitchen. The two doors to the house had shrunk and had to be replaced, as rain and snow kept flowing in. Then the electric system kept shorting out, and I needed to rewire the whole house. Shortly thereafter, a totally corroded water pipe broke apart and all of the water lines had to be replaced. The front porch steps were a lawsuit waiting to happen, so I had my brother in law John, build me a new porch and steps and that solved that. But in only 2 years and five months, the "luxury vinyl flooring" has cracked  and needed to be replaced, only to crack again, as the floor is so uneven and slanted that all the wheeled equipment like chairs, sewing machines and even Dave's hospital bed, rolls away from where it is placed. 

I had my car stolen right out of my driveway.

The flood caused me to install an entirely new HVAC system. 

And the highway construction never ends, causing dust and noise and more dust to be part of every breath I take and covering every interior surface. 

I've tried to have a postive outlook, and now that Dave has passed, I really have no reason to stay. 

And God  provided this new place for me, and I fell in love. The closing is December 30, but I am having the interior painted white (it's currently BEIGE!!!!)  and a half dozen interior doors replaced, and a ceiling installed in the garage, and more insulation put in the attic. I'll move in when all that work is done. Then I will get this current house ready to put on the market, featuring All New Everything!

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The new to me house will have a shade garden filled with my beloved hostas, heucheras, elephant ears, ferns, begonias, and other shade thriving plants. I love that I have both a front porch and a huge back deck. And it is still so close to my church and all the shopping I am used to having. The primary bedroom has a walk in closet and en suite, and no one but me to use it. Sigh. I have a lot to look forward to enjoying in the new year. Yay!!!

Thank YOU and some tops

Thank you dear readers, for all your lovely comments, and condolences. I am so appreciative. This was a long disease to witness and participate in, and some day I will tell a few stories that never made it to the blog but may be worth sharing. Since Dave's Parkinson's went undiagnosed for the first five or so years, the total time of his illness was about 35 years. We were married for 48 years (minus one day) so that means the first 13 were us just being newlyweds and growing into our marriage. I am so glad that we had that foundation, as it was essential for what was to come.

Now, I am feeling relief and peace and letting myself have time to mourn in all the ways that it presents itself.

 

There is a great joy too. I am excited about what is coming next, and of course I will share all those joys here. 

My sister mentioned that someone had a long arm quilting machine to sell...and we both went... Naaaaah. But it did remind me that I have a closet of tops that I haven't looked at in like 5-10 years. I thought I should look at them now, on the bed and see what I've got, some that I didn't remember even making!

 This is my twin bed, for size comparison. Postcards from Sweden was a popular quilt on Pinterest when I pieced this. It's all Waverly cottons from Walmart, which is a good thing if I wanted to make it larger. I think this would make a nice couch cover for my white sofa. And right in the center I see some blue blocks that form a blue blob, so I would fix that before I quilted it. If and when, I mean.

Scrappy Guilt Trip  Follow that link for the full story. Available unquilted, guilt not included, just for the postage. 59"x72"

  

Ooooh. Busy, busy, busy. But it could work on the wall, methinks. It was made for the wall originally, but something made me put it away and forget it, til now. This would be a quick one to quilt, since it would all be stitch in the ditch. feed dogs up. So I will put it in the maybe pile.

There was a time when I was traveling a lot that I stayed with a quilter who had a styled guest room all done up in 30's quilts. I loved it. So very cozy and later on I thought I could/should make some thirties style quilts. This is one of the three or four I made that got put away, right away. Available for just the postage, if you want it. It would work as a twin by adding a border. 

Email me. 

Half a Trip and no more. But I got it out of my system. Some quilters really enjoy the piecing part of the process. More power to them. Here it is in full.  I might finish it, as is, not bigger. At the moment I am not emotionally attached. 

 Now this one  Dots and Crosses,

I will quilt soon. I really still like it and now I have a place for it. Not for the bed, but for the wall. 

This wall

See all the possible walls here.

The End and a Glorious Beginning

David Brian Johnson 9/28/1954---12/8/25

I am so grateful for the life we shared and even more grateful that Dave is now with Jesus and out of his miserable body. 

Tomorrow would have been our 48th wedding anniversary. 

As he lay dying, I was holding his hand and reading from the Psalms and praying for his soul to be lifted. I sang Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, Grant us your peace.

Telling him it was ok to let go and let the angels take him up to heaven, and to not be afraid, I removed his wedding ring and put it on my finger and will wear it til we meet again. Then I saw a tear roll down his cheek and it was just minutes later that he breathed his last. 

Then I washed his body and straigbtened  him out to wait for the hospice nurse to come and carry out the procedures.

We, meaning his sister Carol and brother -in-law Dan, completed the paperwork to donate his body to Restore Life in Elizabethton TN and they will be picking him up shortly. There will be no funeral or wake or any of that. That is how I want my end to be too. Our priests have been here regularly praying for Dave and giving him communion when he could participate, which has been a long time ago now. I am surrounded by the most fabulous people and they have all prayed for a peaceful end, which of course is just exactly as it happened. 

I have been weepy in the last few weeks but now I am rejoicing for his spirit and so glad that he is past from this life into eternal life. How do people do it who have no faith?

Oooh the sun just came out and my sister is on her way to bring me breakfast. What a glorious day.

Meow #7: Big Boy

Meow #7: Big Boy

Hand dyed cotton and silk, commercial cottons, fused, machine quilted. 18x24"

Now that I am a kitty mommy again, it only seems right to revisit the Meow series. My new big boy, who is gray and white, not orange and purple, is the inspiration anyway. He's not sure what he is doing here, but is more worried about when he can have more to eat. His whiskers were the finishing touch and are made from silk Charmeuse. So fancy. The meows in the background are the song of his people. Available for $250 plus shipping. Email me. Sold.

 

Thanksgiving 2025

I'm very thankful for the following blessings:

The hospice caregivers who come in and help me with Dave, bathing him and taking his vitals, bringing in supplies and sharing tricks to keep him clean and comfortable.

The wonderful caregivers who stay with Dave while I try to run errands, go to Bible study, and get things done in the studio.

That we only got our crawl space flooded and not the first floor of our house. Others on our block had it a lot worse. 

My good health and the return of my sanity as I let myself depend on others for help, which was a big deal if you know how much I think I can do it all myself.  Wrongo Bozo.

I am so thankful for the new friendships I have found with women at my church, in our Bible study group and in my knitting group. Women are the best! I feel like I am finally one of the 'popular kids' and it is just amazing. 

All my yarn.

I am really really thankful for my family, my sister, her husband, my niece, Dave's sister-and-brother in law and their grown up kids who all love and support me and bring me so much joy. And my dear far flung brother who I miss so much and wish he lived here.

Having David for this last season of his life. I have been thinking over our 47 years ( 48 in 12 days) and it has been such a partnership of love and adventure. I wouldn't be who I am without his nudging. 

And now how about a recipe?

Apple spice cake

Spice cake mix

4 small apples, cored ( no need to peel) and shredded in the food processor

1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice mix

1 cup water 

3 eggs

1/4 cup veg oil

Place the shredded apple in a colander to drain,  or not...My apples were quite juicy, even tho they were slightly shriveled, which is what got me to make this cake.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients and forget to put the veg oil in the mix. Duh. I also didn't use the whole cup of water, as the apples were so juicy. 

I found four little loaf pans in the way-back of the cabinet and lined them with parchment and divided up the batter. Bake at 350 degrees (in my wonderful toaster oven)  until the batter pulls away slightly from the edges of the pan. It is hard to over cook these, as the apples were....you know,  moist.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

House Series #39

 

A dear friend at church took me aside and said he wanted to give his wife one of my quilts for Christmas. There aren't many (affordable) quilts available that might work and the thought of making a small one or quilting up an existing top, surfaced in my mind, but I made no promises. But I did say that I was looking for a sign to get back into the studio and maybe this was it. Gulp.

It's been a while and I felt rusty. But there was something I had wanted to make, or shall I say, remake and I pulled up the image of the previous quilt and used that as a stimulus. This time I would make it much bigger, something that would look good on a 20"square wood panel.  If this worked I could offer it as a sample of a small work, or even let him buy this one. But I am getting ahead of myself. 

First I had to make it. 

This meant getting my head out of knitting mode and back into fabric. The studio dance had to begin. 

1. Set up my Bluetooth and Pandora for music

2. Make a big pot of tea

3. Pull fabric and find the Teflon pressing sheet

4. Where are my rotary cutters?

5. Cut a piece of batting to get the feel for size

6. Decide where to start

The house is the place and finding fabric for that got me rolling. I made a big mess, but that is how this works. It wasn't until the second day that I got in a large folding table to hold all the possible fabrics and scraps and get them off my work surface. But by then I was almost finished. 

I was ready to place the tree and had to find just the right fabric for this color scheme. It must be color changing, in just the right way. Aha! I found it. Then came fusing the top to the batting for the hand embroidery part. Next came the quilting. On a piece like this I usually quilt with feed dogs up, vs free motion. Stitching in the ditch first, and then later I will find a spot to do a little decorative free motion design, and sign my name.  

Matching a thread to the fabric makes this part very subtle until one gets close up.

That's it. Done-aroo. I use these wonderful sticky Velcro dots from Walmart to adhere the quilt to the wood panel which finishes off the piece in a most professional way, in my humble opinion. 

I'll send pics of this and the smaller house quilt that I have in inventory to the client and see if he bites.  

I'm pricing this at $250 and this 12" square one at $100.

Pineapple

I swore: NO MORE PETS

O well. I succumbed.

My friend Ashleigh had a problem with Pineapple and a neighbor cat, and Pineapple had to go. He is 6 years old, neutered and declawed and formerly an outdoor kitty. Not anymore. I don't want fleas so he's gonna be King of the House indoors and also be the only kitty, which will be new, for him and for me. We always had multiple cats, but unless another one like Pineapple shows up at my door, it will be only him. 

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Diana asked about Dave in a comment. He is in bed ridden, is so thin despite eating all the time, has beginnings of bed sores, and sleeps most of the time, or lies awake staring at imaginary things. He wants to know the work schedule frequently so he is not late for work. He's been retired for 20 years but these things still haunt him. His legs are pulled up tightly to his body and it hurts him to move them when I change him. This is a terrible way to exist. I pray that God will have mercy and take him home soon. 

Fuss Free Cowl #6

 When I said that this shape has endless possibilities, I was not kidding. With this piece, I went for a more petite fit, a more shoulder hugging size. And only two colors of merino! I love the edges which became sorta candy cane like. And the added tassel, which makes me so happy.

  Tassel in front or in back, or, what the hey, on the side. 

Here it is lying flat.  and a detail shot of the tassel. Available for $65 plus shipping. Email me.

 

Fuss Free Cowl #5

 O yes! Another one in the series, which includes the new yarn I ordered. Only one skein was the basis for all this color. Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. It's the yarn cake on the right that changed colors all along the way. Genius. I used contrasting yarns from my stash as the colors changed. Great way to use my yarns that are a lighter, thinner weight.

When the cowl part is worn in front the shawl part covers the back neck and shoulders, down to mid back. Very cozy and easy to wear under a coat. 

 I love how this design looks like a scarf that is tucked under at the neckline, but it is really sewn in place. 

Enough congratulating myself (!!) This is available for $60 plus shipping. Email me. 

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Then this is the cowl I finished knitting yesterday for the gal in Alaska. The Dotty Cowl.  So soft and warm. When you have an item that is worn next to the skin, it is important to use yarn that has no itch factor. This is Malabrigo Rastita 100% merino, paired with Chroma Worsted from Knit Picks, the graduated pastel dots.