I wanted to bake cookies before the showing on Sunday but discovered that I was out of brown sugar.... Lem said he would make a run to the store and look what else he returned with........ Just the promise of spring that we needed................


I got the butterscotch nut cookies made and they are the greatest................


I also got the sour dough bread wrapped up and ready to give to a friend on Tuesday. I really liked making the sour dough bread......... Of course there will be no more till Saturday when it is time to feed the dough again.......... It was delicious with the soup I made Sunday night.......





When I went to the store on Saturday there was a manager special by the door. The unsold Valentine bouquets were marked down to $5.00.......... I was pleased to bring them home with me............




While strangers were looking at our house we rode to Rock Harbor to wait........
It has been cold here and the harbor is frozen over. That might look like waves but the surface is solid ice....



This is looking across the harbor toward Eastham.



And this is looking out toward the ocean. In the summer there are fishing boats moored between each of those post on the left............


The ocean was not frozen though I have seen that happen in really cold winters. Sunday it was just the harbor............. And to think in just a few weeks it will warm and the boats will return...

I discovered on Wednesday that I was almost out of yeast.......... I had been wanting the container and measuring spoon from King Arthur Flour for some time and after checking the budget I found that I could order it this week. SAF yeast is the best........ It rises so much better and is so much easier to use...... The measuring spoon is 2 1/2 teaspoons which is one packet of yeast......... Now to find time to make some bread or rolls this weekend.


I also got the sour dough starter (over 250 years old).............. Can you imagine keeping something alive that long?........... I got the crock to keep it in.......... Since Robert and Rebekah got me the Italian Bread pan I can now try a few loaves of that and also make some sourdough bread..........

Someone is looking at the house today and someone else is coming on Sunday. We had the house all clean and shiny from the people that looked at it on Wednesday. That is why I made the bread............ It makes the house smell so good.

This morning I baked some cookies to make it smell inviting. Perhaps this is the year we will sell and move..........Prayers appreciated...............

More About Socks

Every evening Lem and I sit with the TV on.......... Yes, I confess, I do watch television. It is a background for knitting.............. I make socks..........And sometimes mittens.......

I usually make them for myself but lately I have given away a pair or two.......

The weather in NC where my son lives has been colder than usual these past two winters. I decided that he needed some wool socks to keep his feet warm. I remembered hearing about someone in Brewster that raised sheep for the wool and thought it would be fun to make the socks from that yarn......... A little Google search and I found Heather Mangelincx . You can read an article about her here.

After talking with her I found that she did not have any sock yarn and that is really what I wanted. But she sold her yarn to Bartlett Mills in Maine....You can read more about Bartlett Mills here

I ordered two cones of yarn............. One Navy and one called Scotia. Each cone is one pound and cost $35.00................ So far I have made two pairs of socks from one cone and I have started the third pair. One pair is in the picture but Lem is wearing the other pair. I have found this to be a good utility yarn for socks and I see many more pairs in my future.



I started a pair of socks for Kim in 2009. Something came along to take its place before the last three inches were done. Why do I let that happen. Now I have gone back to them and managed to drop a few stitches. Just enough to make me put them down again. After I finish my third pair of mens socks I plan to revive my interest in these socks.



I also made a pair of socks for Rebekah. Nice soft wool socks from The Wooly West. She too has some great yarns and lovely sock patterns not to mention shawls. You can find her here. The red was added to the toe of the socks to remind the owner that these socks are hand wash only.


Occasionally the mind wearies of the same old thing so Sunday I got a small ball of left over yarn from making hats and made a pair of mittens. I can finish the second pair tonight and give them to Joanie tomorrow. She knows someone here that provides mittens and hats to children that need them.

Now I am off to do a wee bit of organizing...........

Design Wall Monday

Judy at Patchwork Times hosts Design Wall Monday giving us an opportunity to see what others are working on and sharing our latest project. You can go here to them all.

I have a shawl on my design wall today. I made it over three years ago but I kept putting off blocking it. It was to be a gift for a friend of mine that loves shawls as much as I do.

Yesterday I realized that the design wall was big enough to block the shawl so I got out my blocking wires and proceeded.


Here are a couple of up close shots of the shawl. It is a lovely pattern and as I remember it was easy to do. I think I did another one in aqua in this pattern. I will have to look for it as it has never been blocked either.




My bag is ready and all packed to go to Vickie......... She is going to baste it for me.....


The only other finish I have is a little sachet. I can include it with the shawl. It contains a mixture of spices that repel moths..........

Maybe after work today I can finish something.

The Day Got Away From Me

I started off by filling one sachet.......... Now I need to add the bow to the top........


Then I started getting the backing ready for the GFG quilt so that it could be basted. Didn't take long to realize that I needed to take it downstairs where the floor is bigger and I could spread it out to make sure it was the right size.....


As I walked through the kitchen I remembered that I wanted to make some Valentine cookies for a few friends.............



And while doing that why not make a batch of butterscotch macadamia nut cookies for Lem.





I found the heart shaped cookie cutters at the Christmas Tree ship for $1.00..... They also look decorative lined up on the window sill beside the Primrose.



I think I baked the Butterscotch Macadamia nut cookies a bit too long... I will bake the next ones a bit less.


Put the cookies in the cute little bags and headed off to see my favorite butcher and cashier. I came home with hamburger patties for dinner one night next week. I sure wish I could take the butcher with me to NC........ If not I hope I can find one near where we are going to be living. How nice to have hamburger that does not melt away into grease and chicken breast that are already trimmed and ready to cook........... Or to have him pound them for me for recipes that require it...............


It only seemed right to end the day in the kitchen so I made pizza for supper. My first attempt. Not bad.......... There are some things I would change but I was pleased with the outcome.

Maybe today I will get something accomplished................

SALE

That is one word that every woman sees easily.

On the way home yesterday I saw that word posted at my local consignment shop. Time to stop in and see what is on sale.

My sister gave me this necklace (looks so much better in real life than in the picture) for Christmas because I had mentioned that I wore a lot of black............


This is a jacket that was on SALE yesterday. Not only was it on sale but it was a size smaller than I usually wear and when I tried it on it fit......... I seem to be slowly losing weight.... It sure is about time.......






And it has little beads and bugles sewn on. The kind of thing I see on other people but never have the courage to wear.................... Looks great with the necklace and I have black slacks and a black turtleneck to wear with it..........Oh Happy Day!!!!!!!!!!!

I Haven't Been Idle

I have stitched the last Valentine cross stitch from Primitive Betty........ Now to make one more pillow........


I also cut out a heart and made pincushions for my Breakfast Club friends...........


Weather permitting we will get together tomorrow and I can give them their Valentine....

About Those Hexagons

Someone asked how I made my Hexagons........ There are so many methods but this is the one that works best for me. I found that I could print my own paper online from here. I had some card stock (blue) and printed out a few pages..........



I liked cutting out paper dolls in my youth and cutting out the hexagons is much the same thing.



I traced one of the hexagons onto an indes card and added 1/4 inch all the way around. Then I cut that out to use as a pattern.





You can then either trace the design onto your fabric or if you are making lots of them you can


cut a strip of fabric, fold it in half and then half again (four layers), place the pattern on the fabric and cut it out freehand........ That really works best for making lots and lots of pieces.


Placing a hexagon in the center of one of the fabric pieces, I secure it with a binder clip on each side.






i usually use both hands but today I needed one to hold the camera.......

I place the needle up against the edge of the hexagon....



and fold the fabric over it. That seems to give me a crisp clean fold.


A couple of stitches and on to the next corner.



Soon all sides are complete.


I then place two hexagons side by side and with the aid of the binding clip start to whip stitch them together.


It is amazing how fast they go together...................

One Flower Wednesday

The weather is still dreary. Snow yesterday and today a combination of rain and snow to turn it all into a slippery mess. Glad that I can stay home and enjoy looking out the window instead of having to get out in it myself......

I have decided to have a play day instead of spending most of my time downstairs being Susan Goodwife.......

I came upstairs, lit a couple of candles and looked around at the disaster I have made in the studio. Much clearing out to be done here but I am going to stitch a bit instead........




I have finished two hexagons for my dresser scarf.......... I thought one looked rather lonely but perhaps if there were two maybe they would multiply.......... Time will tell.