SAILING THRU SUMMER

Again - I am struggling to make a post on the last day of the month.  July is gone and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go.  My MIL passed away several weeks ago and my DH has been taking the loss pretty hard.  To make matters worse - on the day of her funeral - my 50 year old co-worker had a heart attack.  Thankfully he was able to get treatment and surgery and is recovering well and came back to work this week.  In the interim - I have been trying to keep his work afloat as well as my own.  It has not been the easiest time I've ever had but so much to be thankful for and I am thankful !

On to what little bit of fun I've had in July.  Most of my needlework endeavors have centered around getting my project for Camp Loopy 2 completed.  I did complete with a week to spare. 

This is Nangou - I used 4 different colors of Shibui Staccato fingering weight yarn.  I have used this yarn before and I enjoyed both the pattern and the yarn.  The challenge this month was a minimum of 600 yards and mine should be a little over 600 yards.


 my next challenge for Camp Loopy 3 is this Mrs Crosby Hat Box - lovely Sport weight yarn.  I am doing a design called the Woods in Winter by Laura Aylor - the challenge for August is the hardest - for me anyway - it is a minimum of 800 yards in your project.  Every year I have trouble meeting this challenge but having pretty yarn helps.  I hope this pattern wont be too difficult - I usually go with a very easy pattern for the last challenge.

There's been a little needlepoint here and there but certainly not much time for that.  Here is a my first club piece in the series called Fanciful forest by Pippin Studios.  It is an exclusive for the Needlepointer shop out in Washington state.   I fell in love with the simplicity of Pippin designs after I saw several of them on shop blogs after the big winter needlepoint market.  As usual I am very behind and I have 4 trees stacked up but this first one is enjoyable and easy to pick up and put down and right now - it is all the brain power I can devote to np.

This is a combo shot.  It is a photo of my LHN Old Glory piece.  It was a LHN FB SAL with Vonna's group but I missed the deadline of 7/4 for completing.  So .....   There is still Labor Day and if I don't get too itchy for fall stuff before then - I will keep trying to finish this piece.  Problem is  - I don't allow myself much stitching time at all when I am supposed to be dedicating all my free time to Camp Loopy projects.

Oh and that beautiful blue yarn just winged it's way to my mailbox last night from the land down under.  Atelier in Australia is the hand dyer of this lovely yarn.  MORE BLUE - what is the world coming to.  I am working on another of Meg's designs called Big Blue and it is lovely blue yarn too.  This beautiful yarn is for a KAL that just started in July on another of Meg's designs I fell in love with called Sailing. Hence the blog title - and the name of my new project "Come Sail Away" one of my favorite STYX songs.  Meg also dyes yarn and this is White Gum DK - I discovered/remembered when I got this yarn and saw the needle size recommended that apparently in some countries - DK = our worsted or maybe a light worsted if there is such a thing.  Anyway - I couldn't wait to cast on and give it a try and start the Sailing KAL.  It is lovely yarn and an interesting pattern which I am enjoying so far.

 

Not much to report in the rug hooking world - I am still working a little on my bunny runner and my patriotic Uncle Sam hat canvas.  I am looking forward to a rug hooking workshop in 2 weeks with Carrie Martin - A national teacher from Louisiana.  I will be revisiting a Not Forgotten Farm pattern called Peace and Plenty.  I need to rework the distelfink on the pattern and this is a good time to do that. 

 

Hope you are all "sailing thru summer" in grand style.  Doing whatever makes you happy whether it's vacationing in your favorite spot, staycationing at home, I hope you have time to pick up a needle or two and make some happiness in your hands.