If You Learn From Your Mistakes ...

Then I have received a Master's degree this weekend.

The quilting project I showed a couple of days ago was supposed to be a tote bag. Now, in knitting, we are admonished to read the instructions ALL THE WAY through before starting a project. I now know that quilting is the same. I very carefully made and quilted together the outside, the batting, and the lining of each side of the bag. I should have read a little farther. The lining was NOT supposed to be attached to the outside of the bag. It would later be constructed envelope-style and turned inside out. SIGH!

So, I have cut each side of the bag into two pieces, each just the right size for a placemat and Scotty is going to teach me how to sew binding. Not a total loss, but I will eventually have to start giving away some of these place mats!!
Here's the colorway for the blocks in the new tote: 

So, do you get the idea that I like jewel tones? Note this are very similar colors to the hand-dyed yarn I'm doing my shawl with. Yup. Love those jewel tones!

And More Knitting

When I wasn't napping today, I was knitting. And here's how far I got:

That's really lots of rows! About 50. And the number of stitches grows with each row. So I am pretty proud of the progress.

Tomorrow is all sewing, though. Don't know if my project will be far enough along that it would give it away yet if I posted a picture. We shall see.

Knitting Today

Knitting:
One of my favorite blogs is Knitter's Review. This entry about needle tips came at a perfect point (pardon the pun) in my project, as I have changed needles a couple of times to get a better "feel" for the yarn. I find that I can't do lace with the speed of metal needles, but need the slight stickiness of bamboo, even though I can't get the sharp points that seem to work better with laceweight yarn. Knitting, like life, is a compromise.

Here's the progress from yesterday ... only had to restart once more. Now I am on my way into the first pattern.

A complicated shawl

Today will be spent knitting and sewing. As I said earlier, I can't show the sewing yet because it will be a Christmas gift, but here's the status on the knitting:

If that looks REALLY tiny, it's because it *is* really tiny. I have started this bugger over 5 times now in order to get the establishing lace repeats correct. Hope this is the last start!

Scotty and I will be running errands and then back home to sew. Just the kind of day I like! It's too hot and muggy in Austin to do anything outside.

Later that afternoon ...
OK. I figured out I can show some of my sewing without giving away the secret of the Christmas presents.

This is one small part. I am proud of the criss-cross quilting, even if the seams are a little wonky. I feel like I am getting better as I go along. More tomorrow ...

On The Road Again

I am back ... wondering what brings me here to write. Perhaps the process of writing, itself, will give me insight. So let's get to it.
Folks have asked me several times lately what I do now that I'm retired. And I reflect on why my days seem so busy, when I have nothing official to do. What am I doing?

Knitting: just finished an afghan that was nothing but garter stitch. Looks like this

... yes, pretty, but boring. So I decided to challenge myself on the next project. I will be working on a lace shawl called Regrowth and here is what it will look like:

Now, that should keep me busy for a while, right?

P.E.O.:

Not quite as busy as a full time job ... remember, I've had one of those! But there are times when it comes close. Just returned from LEAD conference in Des Moines. Have official visit packets to mail out August 1st. Then summer board meeting. Then official visits start. Whew! But I have met and befriended so many wonderful women that it is more than worth it! 

Quilting: This one is Scotty's fault. She has been determined that I join her in her quilting addiction, and I have recently succumbed! I am working on a project at her house that I will reveal at a later date. Going to be Christmas gifts, so I can't really post pictures here, now can I? But the next project has been inspired by the movie "Julie & Julia". No, I'm not going to quilt my way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"  Rather I am going to work my way through "501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks"

Yes, I expect it will take me a LONG time. On the order of YEARS. But, hey! I'm retired!

Writing: I have never lost my interest in the trajectory of public education. How are we going to educate these little urchins (with a nod to Bill O'Reilly) So I am back to reading about the future of education and the models already in place. The plan is for this reading and research to end up as a book. It is slow, but fascinating work.

Mundane: And of course there is the daily routine ... laundry, cooking, being with George. 

So, the purpose of this blog has revealed itself as I write. I want to log what I do and how I feel as life progresses. Perhaps my girls will enjoy this, who knows. But I will be able to look back and see where retirement has taken me.