I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart!....and then there's Brioche Knitting......

 O- yes I do!  I got good news from a friend of mine, who's breast cancer tumor is shrinking!
Can you believe that?  You CAN have breast cancer and survive.  My friends letter was so joyous, I cried!  With happiness, at how God heals.  He really helps me with my problems too.  I just "deliver a letter"  to Jesus, and let Him have my worries and wants and concerns, and leave it in the mail box!  I try not to take it out- ever- but If I find myself worrying about the same things I've just asked Him help for, I remind myself of the letter box.  Once something is in that mailbox, you can not take it out-- it's gone!   So I am now joyfully awaiting to see how He will answer my "letters"!

This is the progress of my Baubles shawl by Drea Renee Knits.  I think I have ripped out my repeated attempts at Brioche knitting probably about 50 times, and have discarded yarn twice for that spot, because it felted from being reused so many times  (aggggh).  For some reason, my brain is having a real hard time getting this pattern.  I am not giving up, however.  I keep thinking of ways to conquer it.

 Everglades fabric:  It's still on the table, but I sure do enjoy looking at it!!  So many bright and wonderful colors.  I want to breathe them in, or eat them in ice cream.

 AND YES,  I did buy the "Time of Flowers" cross stitch kit from Posie Gets Cozy.  

I LOVE IT!!  THE COLORS ARE BEAUTIFUL.  

and I love the color of the background fabric.

It is so appropriate for right now, because the trees and early spring flowers are blooming right now, and it's getting warmer, but not tooo warm.  

I like it cool!

The stitches are two threads over two threads, so I'm just going to bear with it.  I can actually see what I'm doing without a magnifying glass.

 And to leave with you with a happy thought:  Here is the former Catwalk.  These are kittens out of the first litter of kittens born here after we moved here.  They were tame, so I could play with them.  The one that is second from the back was one of my favorites.  His name was "Squirt".  He was the runt of that litter, but he was scrappy!  He would not hesitate to get in a tangle with his siblings.  I helped him out when he was smaller-- fed him because he was pushed away by the others, but he fought back.  Unfortunately he, along with my George, must have been poisoned, or got into something that poisoned them, and they both died.  My heart broke over those two.  I have had a hard time attaching myself to any other cat(s).  They are also buried in my pet cemetary.  Not all animals get that honor.  Love you Squirt-- You are not forgotten!

The Lowdown, or What's New on the Farm & Random Thoughts (retro Post)

You get two posts today, lucky people!  the one below was written about a month ago, but you need this one to fill you in on the one written today (Apr 23).

Enjoy!

It's snowing!  Yeah.  We've had these little snows all winter, just a pleasant frosting over everything, to make it look pretty!

Ever since I finished this sweater, its been an up and down rollercoaster of life.

I found out that not having anything to knit at night makes me feel low.  I try not to write here when I feel low, as the world is low too much.  So I've been quiet.

I've knitted two other things-- two hats, but I need a larger project, something that will carry me through a year or more (??why??)

My thumbs, hands, and tendons are sore as it is.  There's no cure for that, unless you do absolutely NOTHING with your hands until the pain subsides.  However,  it is proven I will go crazy with not doing anything.  So-- endure the pain, or die (?)!

Which leads me to THIS crazy idea:  a sweater from Marie Wallin's Shetland pattern book.  

Note to self:  I do not know how to do stranded knitting, and all these patterns and reviews on these patterns say "Not for beginners."

Somehow, though, I believe I can do it.

The book itself would be worth it to have, for the beautiful setting-- the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland.  Did you know that nearly one half of the islands descendancy/paternity/maternity through the ages is Scandanavian?  Yeah, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do this, right?  It's in my blood, he he.

I crave colors right now, and so I cruise the fabric websites for new stuff.  Found some new stuff last week at "ilovefabric" website:

EVERGLADES by Betsy Siber--spells  F-U-N to me!

I immediately thought of this pattern for it:

"Social Climber" by A Quilter's Dream.

Remember this?  this is the first Social Climber quilt I sewed, which shows the machine quilting and before the binding was put on.  It was a challenge, as the fabrics are similar in value and not a whole lot of contrast, but it works.  So the Everglades fabric is sorta like that too-- not too many darks, a whole lotta lights and some mediums.

However, like the commercial for the credit card says:

  "I saw that and said I just gotta have it!"

So of course, I have to reason with myself, why do I have to have it?

Why do I have to be knitting at night in order to be happy?

Why is it that I think I should give up counted cross stitch, when I just bought a new kit?

"Time of Flowers" counted cross stitch by Alicia Paulson

Alicia is  "Posy Gets Cozy" hall of fame blogger.

She even has a tutorial on how she does counted cross stitch.

Unfortuneatly, the count on the threads on this fabric and the one I am currently trying to work on, is 32 count.  WHICH. IS. VERY. TINY.

Must use magnifying glass.  One thread over two for current project,

two over two threads for Time of Flowers project (better, but still TINY).
End of this post, now read the one from today:  April 23, 2018.