Socks - but not the sort you fill.....

....unless it's with feet!

Another gift off my Christmas list!

The pattern is what I suspect will be my

one and only go-to:  Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Sock

by Kate Atherley and can be found on

Ravelry HERE.  

Yarn is from Regia - the 'Pairfect' line, which

makes it SO easy to get matched socks.

Today the quote is from Wale Ayeni...."Be thankful for what you have.  Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else's fairy tale"

Another gift off my list!

I just finished sewing this apron that will be gifted to a friend who likes to bake...

The pattern is a commercial one - McCall's M5551.

Another quote from an unknown source..."When buying from a hand maker, you're buying more than just an object.  You are buying hundreds of hours of failures and experimentation.  You are buying days, weeks & months of frustration and moments of pure joy.  You aren't just buying a thing, you are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a moment of someone's life.  Most importantly, you're buying the artist more time to do something they are passionate about"

Another quick project

This is a little project that I whipped up recently, using a pre-created crazy quilt block I had in my stash.  

Nice to hang over the arm of a chair so your sewing tools are at hand.

Today's quote is from Samuel Taylor Coleridge..."Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks, into the mind"

What is a grandmother to do?

Yes, what IS a grandmother to do when there's a special request extended to make our youngest grandson a special blanket?  A shark blanket, no less!

This guy is in the process of swimming his way out to BC (via courier, NOT the miserable striking Canada Post!!).  The pattern can be found HERE, made in the toddler size.  Although, if I had to do it again I'd be almost tempted to make the adult size, just so there's a bit more room to wrap up in it.  

Today's quote is from Emmet Fox..."It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble; how hopeless the outlook; how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake.  A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.  If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world"

Another wee giftie

I'm sure many of you will remember me pointing you towards a wonderful You Tube video of a grandma reading a book called 'Wonky Donkey' to her grandson (if you haven't seen it, just google it!).  Anyway, I ordered a copy of the book for our #2 grandson for Christmas because it's just too funny to pass up.  Lucky me, I stumbled across a really cute crocheted donkey pattern so, being the doting grandmother I am, I simply HAD to make one to go along with the book.  (what else can a grandmother do?)

Because the wonky donkey in the book has 'issues' I thought it was fitting that my first attempt at his head resulted in this...

oops!

The second attempt was MUCH better!

The book is 'The Wonky Donkey' by Craig Smith.

The pattern is by Gaelle Quemener of  Du Reve A La Creations and can be found HERE.  

Today your quote is from Maya Angelou...  "We must support each other and empathize with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike"

A finish!

Some of you may remember me showing you a t-shirt quilt I was working on awhile ago that will be a Christmas gift for our #1 grandson who is four.  Yesterday I put the last stitch into the binding and here it is....done......!!!

This is the original picture I showed you before it was quilted and bound....

Now to start collecting more shirts for 

a quilt for #2 grandson when he graduates to 

his 'big boy bed'.

Today's quote is from John Wesley..."Do all the good you can...By all the means you can.....In all the ways you can.....In all the places you can....At all the times you can.....To all the people you can.....As long as ever you can"

Yet another alas and alack....

My fingers have been busy, honestly they have, but unfortunately there's not one single thing that's quite ready to be revealed at this moment.  So...I will show you a picture of the next 'barn' (although this one features a house!) I will be working on.  The pattern is all drawn up and I'm chomping at the bit to get started!

Finally, I want to share my sorrow and grief at what is happening in California right now.  Words simply can't express the sheer magnitude of the loss.  God bless the people who have lost their lives, the people who have lost everything, and the fire fighters who risk their lives every moment of every day.  Winston Churchill, although referring to another type of devastation, said this..."We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival"

Something you will find.....

.....in the current issue of 'Crazy Quilt Quarterly' magazine.  This is the Santa Claus (and tutorial to make your own) that I designed for the magazine and you can get your copy by clicking on the cover picture in the list at the side of my blog.  

This quote from Carl Reiner pretty much sums up my feelings about winter...."A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water"

The fun never ends

I'll lead off this post with my thanks to everyone who extended their sympathy to us after the passing of Jack's sister.  We are so grateful that your thoughts were with us.  She was 83 and had been in a nursing home with Alzheimer's so it was hard to be too sad knowing that she wouldn't have wanted to live like that.

Last week I did manage to finish up a set of Christmas ornaments that will be donated to the local quilt guild who are decorating a charity tree.  I made these years ago and had forgotten just how time consuming they are to make - to say nothing about the sheer amounts of straight pins needed to make them!!

The pattern can be found in many places around the internet - just google 'folded fabric ornaments' and you'll find all sorts of examples.  

I didn't want to lead this post with the picture I'm about to show you because I thought you'd run away screaming but never let it be said that here at Chez Magpie I shy away from the not-so-nice.  Just prior to my SIL's passing, I started developing redness on one side of my face and knew I was in for another bout of whatever-it-was that happened to me last June.  Just what I needed when we were having to deal with a funeral.  I used lots of ice and aloe and managed to keep the redness down enough that I hoped no one would really notice.  Since then it's flared to the degree that it's very red and swollen.  I thought it was an allergic reaction to something and I'm probably right in thinking that.  Had an online consult with my doctor last night and after sending her pictures, the diagnosis is excema.  It appears this will be something that keeps recurring - it's a once you have it, you'll always have it sort of thing.  Here's what I looked like last night...

Needless to say, going out in public is not something I'm about to do right now.  I'm not vain enough to care what I look like but I certainly don't want people to look at me and then turn their eyes to Jack and wonder if he was the cause of it.  (hmmm.....maybe I've suddenly developed an allergy to him????.....hmmmm.......).  This, too, shall pass - but I wish it would hurry up!

Another anonymous quote..."As a kid I think I ate too many rice krispies.  Now all my body does is snap crackle and pop!"

I'm sorry

I'm sorry about my lack of posting for the past week or so.  Last week was just one of those weeks where I was out more than I was in and there just wasn't anything to show, nor was there time to search out my normal mumblings.  The past few days have been spent dealing with a family funeral and a visit from our #1 son and his family (in order to attend the funeral).  It's been busy and there has been absolutely nothing done around here beyond the basics.  I don't want you to think I've given up blogging because I will be back with the regular doses of mumblings in another few days I hope.  

Alas....

It's been one of those weeks when I've been busy being social and what creative time I've had hasn't resulted in something worth showing you quite yet.  

Today's quote is from Albert Einstein..."If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects"