Friday, July 3, 2026

 It’s July 2026

The day before my 39th anniversary which is kind of amazing.  I never would have predicted that, 42 years ago when we met.  But here we are.

 We moved to Seahaven in Marina, slight north of Monterey in 2023 and here we are 3 years later firmly entrenched.  Here we are whale watching with a few of my favorite friends.  So many people I call friends in this new community.  So lucky.
I still bead on occasion, here is a favorite pair of ombré earrings from my friend Beki Haley beaded by me.
And I am busy growing my own knitting community, my favorite knitters joining me enthusiastically for this years knitting in public day in Monterey.

And another huge highlight of the year is seeing first granddaughter Sam being pinned for. Her rn degree by her 4 siblings.  Way to go Sam!



I’ve also done a bunch of bag making




And sweater making, this is basic vee light in Ito sensai and kinu and I love it!



We continue to travel, having done the Mediterranean and then the Panama Canal in the last couple of years.

I continue to bead, knit and sew, but mostly knit.  So many knits in the time since we’ve lived here. 



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Saturday, March 23, 2024

Quarterly makes report!

 I decided that perhaps I should not wait until next January to review some of this years makes, so here we go, although I'm not sure my memory is going to serve.  I'll need to do a little facebook review which is where I often post things.

For some obsure reason I've never had a bowl cozy but I got it in my head that I needed one and then I needed several!  I fortunately read about bowl cozies and realized that ordinary batting should not go in the microwave so I got the special wrap and zap made for the purpose.  They are the perfect fit for my everyday bowls.  This and a silicone topper are perfect for microwaving soup, oatmeal or leftovers and not burning your hands.




I will never ever tire of Tracy Stanleys beautiful embossed metal pieces.  This is an earring kit of hers with my own bead soup and cup chain and I adore then!



I upgraded my sewing machine and included an embroidery module and I'm having all kinds of fun.  this is a bag my noodlehead and a purchased split monogram from OESD.



I made this poor man leave warm San Diego for chilly chilly Marina so the least I could do was make him a cashmere scarf.  This was a purl soho two by two rib on tiny needles in magpile fiber cashmere dk.  He's worth it.



I usually did beadweaving as opposed to bead embroidery because I liked to leave that to the experts in the bead teaching world but it does't mean I don't like to indulge on my own.  This peiece remains like this....I hope soon the inspiration for finising it will strike.


I've been showing a couple of new friends some of the basics of bead embroidery so this pendant was parat of that effort.  I showed them backstitched, peyote bezeling, embellishing and edge stitch.  Fringe will be next.  This one was perfect coloration for a friend so Ive sent it off to be enjoyed.


Sewing is the other thing that occuppies my time.  This is a sugar slip by Tina Givens with a Gypsy jacket, also by Tina.  Fabric acquisition Slow Fiber in Monterey, worn with my Tracy heart earrings.



And finally some end to end quilting experimentation on a mat to go under my sewing machine.


Having just come back from a sewing retreat I have so many more sewing plans!




Thursday, December 14, 2023

2023 Makes

 So many makes this year, some house related, but a few items of clothing, many knit things and a couple of beaded things.


As I moved photos over I realized how much I really did accomplish in a year where moving into a new home was the big event, I still did bead, knit and sew a lot!


Here is my coat I drafted from a coat I owned and made totally reversible.  The floral fabric was gifted to me by someone in the local buy nothing facebook group.  I also used my embroidery machine to embroider some tula pink accents.




I cast on the first of these hats in grey for my friend Sherry.   It's the April hat from the Kelbourne wool series year of the hats.  Then I cast on a green to go with my night shift shawl but my friend Tracy liked it so that one became hers.  The third time I found an even better match to the nightshift and made myself one.  While I'd like a pink one, three in a row was enough.








Our new development has a lot parties, this one being Halloween.  I couldn't find a decent witches broom in the stores so I made one with a bunch of dried flowers, some tulle and a dowel which I painted black.




This is Steven Wests Esjan which is on a time out because the mohair lace edge is truly daunting and I'm not sure I love it.  So trying to decide what to do with it.  The yarn is a cashmerino gifted to me by my friend Lynne and was a special colorway from the Mermaid Purl in Rhode Island.  It's dreamy and needs to be turned into something wearable.



I joined in on a knit along at the slow fiber store in Monterey and made this helix cardigan.  Then I was gifted a book on knit embroidery by my friend Susan and did this tone on tone floral embroidery down one shoulder.






My friend Tracy makes these beautiful embossed hearts and provided a kit for turning them into earrings.  They are amazing.  I made a matching imagin love and peace necklace as well.



 Tracy and I collaborated on this piece 'imagine peace and love' to teach at a retreat in October of this year.  We had a blast.  Tracy made all the  hearts with words by request and I made all of the shrink plastic toppers.  Everyone's piece became uniquely their own!



My adventures in bead embroidery started with this sweet pouch made for my friend Anita to hold her hand embroidery supplies.  

Pinterest inspired front do or basket which is a nice alternative to a wreath.

Mark turned 75 t his year and at his party I invited everyone to paint a garden rock, this one is mine.


Also for Mark's birthday I made a colorful banner



One of my favorite knitwear designers is Andrea Mowry.  This is her winter beach cardi which I adore.  Lot's of cabling and pockets!  A bit of a tedious knit but worth it.  I completed the bulk of it during our five week trip to Holland this year.



By request for an 8 year old birthday these are a watercolor pastel gradient.  This little one likes everything rainbow so she got her socks in a rainbow  bag embroidered with her name.





These three peace signs were commission by a friend of a friend who had seen hers and my friend connected the two of us.  It's not my style to make three of the exact same thing but I was grateful for the commission and she was happy with the outcome.  



Home project included ombreing the front of these ikea cabinets for the studio.  I love how they came out.  
 In the summer I attended an indigo dyeing workshop at my friend Kates house with a number of woman with whom I do an annual sewing retreat.  Kate gifted this fabric which I dyedd and then make these elope pants, adding the detail of the cargo pocket which I copied from my favorite Johnny Was cargo pants.  I also make the shirt, but that was a couple of years ago.

Also from the indigo workshop.  I intend to mount them in brass circles and use them as decor.....someday.

These roman shade window treatments were a joint effort with Mark.  I did the sewing, he did the hanging.  I used a tutorial from 'a square pillow isn't square' you tube channel which gave really great instructions.  I priced having these made at $350 a window and I made them for a little over $75 a window including all the fabric and supplies, but certainly not my time!  I do however love the result.




An easy knit with a great result, this a free pattern on ravelry called the age of brass and steam which my friend Heather introduced me to.  The yarn is a squishy indie dyed yarn I bought in seaside in Oregon a couple of years back.



This year before Holland we visited Maine where friends Miriam and Sherry were teaching.  I also met Apolina for the first time and was able to make this gorgeous piece of hers.


Friend Cindy Holsclaw designed this amazing piece called Keplers  Harmony and from the first time I saw it I knew I had to make one!  Another beaded piece I completed while in Holland.


And the third piece from that trip was this one of Miriam's.   She made me my very own colorway and I love it!


A sweet, pink, easy to knit and easy to wear shawl called fandango.  




This is the felix cardigan done in peace fleece.  It's got a sweet raglan detail on the sleeves.  T his may have been completed in 2022, my memory is a little distorted this year with all the house stuff.


another hat from the Kelbourne collection, this may be the august hat....I did the first one for Sherry with cream and pink motif's and then did the inverse for Miriam so they could be hat twins.  Ot was my first latvian braid and it was fun.

This I bought as a  it from Roxannes in Carpenteria.  My friend Carole and I traveled there together while I was living in Ventura last year.  I believe it was called evening in Paris.  It was a fun knit and also easy to wear.



This was a sweet sweater for a newborn grand niece.  I know I got the yarn and pattern at Monarch my local, very good yarn store.  I don't recall the pattern at the moment.


This took some time!  It was a pinterest inspired ombre for my studio cabinets.  Painting them befo 
re assembly was indeed the way to go!


and finally a pair of shortie cabled socks made from fiber co sock wool which I really like!