Holiday Pics of Maine

Just a quick post of some pics of our holiday in Maine.

View from our front window of the beach. My early morning seat! Who am I kidding... my sit all day seat if I could...



A hot day - in the 90's and the beach had more people than I had ever seen before. Usually not in the water beach day when we are there!

On one of our road trips looking for the elusive light house that we could see from our front window every night

Sun setting on our beach...

A beautiful sail boat off our shores...heavenly.

Definition of Happy!

A very glorious 10 days in Maine by the ocean with Mom. Just got home - and the holiday was so relaxing..it was perfect - sun , great companionship, and lots of fresh seafood....needed it after a very hectic year of turbulent changes. I will be posting pictures tomorrow.

On my way to Maine I discovered a wonderful new place to visit in Vermont,which is inspiring me to knit - knit - knit! Kaleidoscope Yarns in Essex Junction, Vermont. They have a great website with mail order .... Just loved that store - went twice and won't be my last.

The wools these days are so delicious in colour. I love all the hand dyed ones - being a hand dyeing kind of girl. I picked up some new colours to be knitted into socks for gifts that Santa will bring to some of my favourite people. Sprinkle in a couple hundred beads and they will be picture perfect - beads and knitting - my new favourite thing. No I have not given up my rug hooking or punch needle (working on finishing a sampler for Pfatt in our Halloween themed June) but knitting is filling in a space I needed of pretty but practical. What can one say to knitted shawls and socks - a necessity for our cold climes and this gal loves her fall/winter season. Even more so with a lovely textured shawl and some sparkly colour on her tootsies!

My newest punch needle pincushion was available on TDIPT Mercantile this month but has been sold. Here is a picture of it based on an Americana theme for May. This was a departure for me - being Canadian - and I puzzled over what to do for this theme. Then it hit me just stick to the colours - so brought out my primitive palette of hand dyed wools in old blue paint, morning fog and barn red and came up with this pincushion. They are punch needled hearts appliqued on a wool background and then overlayed with more wool - I do love my wool!

Another happiness today was coming home - always nice to go on holidays but it is especially nice to come home. Hubby and Roby greeted me at the door. Poor Roby I always have a hard time leaving him as I am sure he does not think I am coming back. It was not his usual barking of "oh Mommy you are home from work - now feed me" this was a plaintive crying "Where did you go for sooooo long" Now he is fast asleep with one ear to the ground to make sure I am within his sight and hearing - oh dear they are such wonderful friends. Peter is glad I am home for the company and to take over Roby's routine. He gets a good night sleep!

That is happiness - loved ones and sweet homecomings.

Good nite all - Joni

Busy as a Bee

New Punch Needle available on The Primitive Gathering

I just finished knitting my lace shawl , was working on the beading and casting off and what do you know my worse nightmare realized! I ran out of wool. I guess my style is looser than I thought. What to do..Should I just continue and hope that last foot would do it or should i undo all the beading (all 200) and redo the last 4 rows (each row being about 600 stitches) a daunting task to say the least. Then I thought of the recent hand dyed hunks of wool I have been purchasing - maybe there is something in there that is close to the colour. Madly sorting through those richly dyed yarns at 1:00 in the morning is not how I would normally like to spend my evening hours.

Usually I am asleep at this time - but this was a problem I was determined to solve or there would be no sleep for this gal. Aha! something that might work... undid a few stitches ...and combined the two wools and no one would know the difference - well except for me and I can live with that. It was a peaceful sleep I enjoyed! So my first lace shawl done and now to block it . Not my favourite part of knitting but very necessary in order to make it look perfect!

Pattern of new Shawl just finished

Gorgeous Dandelion colour

The pattern is called Waves in the Square by Silvia Harding and the colour Dandelion - wool by Fleece Artist out of Nova Scotia. I just love their wool! This is their mini Handmaiden product line.

Now on to some new projects. I have about 5 lined up along with some knitted beaded bracelets and some new punch needle designs that have to be made. I need 2 of me!

Multi Coloured shawl

Autumn shawl - but I will be using Autumn Colours - my favourite colour way!

Some of the knitted projects calling to me.....using jojoland yarns which has amazing melding of colorways...

I just listed a new punch needle design on The Primitive Gathering.

Pomegranate Tree of Life

I loved doing this one and decided it needed to be practical. I am all for something to have a use besides being wonderful to look at. Must be my new philosophy of material wants vs needs. It is that midlife purge of your unnecessary entanglement with material items in your life. The question I ask myself - Have I used it? When? And will I ever?

This pincushion besides being pretty to look at is also something I would have next to me. I don't just have one pincushion - I have at least 3. I used my own hand dyed wools "Red Island Threads" to do this one. I even added some beads to this one.

I am just finishing a great book titled "The Friday Night Knitting Club". I have had it for awhile but with my growing interest in knitting (well I did knit years ago - sweaters and all) thought this book would be just the inspiration. I am really enjoying it. While linking this title to Amazon - lo and behold Dan Brown is coming out with a new book "The Lost Symbol" continuing from "Angels and Demons" - finally is all I can say. It's been awhile since I read a new one from him!

Well I must be off. Saturday mornings are my day for visiting family and doing the dreaded grocery shopping. A beautiful, sunny warm day to enjoy.

Have a great day....Joni