Six More Weeks? (Sutherlin, OR)

I bet some people are not happy hearing that news from Punxsutawney Phil.  I wonder if he ever consults the Farmer's Almanac?  I really feel for those dealing with another snow and ice storm.  Our weather has been looking a lot better.  A little more sunshine less fog and a few degrees higher.  We are seeing more people outside enjoying a little walk or getting a few outdoor chores done.  Time for a change of scenery for us, we are moving back to the coast on Tuesday.

I have been spending most of my winter getting a few projects done and getting in some reading time.  I recently finished this book by Gil McNeil....

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

A.K.A. “Divas Don’t Knit” (don't make the mistake and buy the same book twice!)

I found these two books in a book warehouse in Seaside, OR last summer.  As soon as I read the description of this story being set in a small village on England’s coast, I was pretty sure I would enjoy reading them.  It sounded so quaint.  I immediately thought of my friend Maggie traveling to a seaside village in her Harvey J, shopping for wool and spending cozy evenings knitting.   Plus, I always enjoy reading about knitting groups as much as I do quilting or crocheting or any other kind of women’s social gathering.  I have often thought of taking up knitting as well.  Just what I need to do - add another hobby to my list.

And I did enjoy the first book despite all the swearing in it which I found rather irrelevant to most of the story.  I really did not understand the need for the f-word unless the writer is trying to attract a younger crowd.  I’m not sure how that works for a book.  It isn't like books get ratings like movies do for language, sex, and violence.  I had to look up quite a few the British slang words and swearing.  I definitely learned quite a bit about British slang while reading the book.

So, if you can forgive and overlook the swearing, the story about Jo - a recently widowed mother of two young boys whose husband had announced just before his car accident that he wanted a divorce.  If that wasn't bad enough for Jo, she finds out they are broke and she has been a stay-at-home mom all this time. 

No job and no house, she decides to move out of London when Gran (grandma) offers Jo full-ownership of the family’s rundown wool and yarn shop.  Jo’s journey to start a new life for herself and her sons while surrounded by quirky yet lovable family and friends is filled with funny and heart-warming moments.

I plan to start reading the next book "Needles and Pearls" soon.

On The Cutting Board

It took me three evenings to finish the basting on my Hawaiian turtles.  I usually find basting boring especially when it is a large quilt and I need to do long stretches of basting from one end to the other.  This was more of a challenge to baste only a quarter of an inch from the edge...around all the edges....actually this made it more interesting and I finished a lot faster than I thought I would.  So, that's done and I did start appliqueing the center, but I had to stop.

I also got the binding sewed onto all the quilts, but I did not get the chance to finish the binding or any of my other projects..

...because I got my first custom order for the year.  It is sort of a rush job, so I had to drop everything....big thump!!  It took a couple of days of emailing to get the order right.  I finally got started on the mug rug yesterday.  The customer would like it for St. Valentine's day.

As soon as I'm done with this order, I'll be back on track with my other projects.  

Happy Quilting!