Baby Aspen Hat

Philip thinks this little baby hat will look great when the new babies take to the slopes at Aspen! It is a cute little hat from Susan B. Anderson's collection "Pure and Sweet Layette". I used one strand each of Rowan kidsilk haze and Rowan Purelife. I was able to finish it in one day . . . which is exeptional for me. You can be sure another one will follow. I can't make this picture turn in the right direction, so here's the "upside down" hat . . . I love the little top knot!!

Blackberry Jam

Philip and I took a short road trip today. We've been wanting to visit the Bamboo Farm near Savannah, Ga. It is owned by the University of Georgia and is comprised of several garden displays (including bamboo), as well as pick-your-own strawberry and blackberry fields. We saw lots of bamboo . . .

beautiful lotus plants (they grow in the water) . . .

and a field of blackberries. . .

We picked about 2 gallons of big, beautiful berries and brought them home to make some jam.Until last year, we have always mashed the berries by hand, with a strainer to remove the pulp and seeds. Last year we decided to try this electric juicer. It really helps make this project much less time consuming. (And none of us have any time to waste!)

I forgot to take a picture of the jam boiling on the cook-top! That's when the juice, sugar, and SURE-JELL (pectin) begin to boil and after exactly one minute we hurriedly have to ladle the hot liquid into the prepared jars and tighten the lids . . . anticipating the "pop" when the lids seal. Check out the Sure-Jell link above for the recipe.

Voila . . .

This has become somewhat of a family tradition. Every June we anticipate the blackberries ripening so we can fill up the jars again for the next year. Now the blackberry jam will come out of the cabinet to slather on biscuits, toast, or perhaps an English muffin. I really recommend a trip to the Bamboo Farm for all the plant lovers around. They anticipate having blackberries to pick until mid-July. Check out their web-site and give them a call to be sure the fields are open.

Lovin' Spring

I've been busy, busy with gardening, knitting, cooking, and trying to stay caught up with housework. I was grateful to have a few days off from the office last week. Philip and I planted some new plants in the yard. I am really enjoying the blooms on the magnolias and hydrangeas this month.

Work is progressing on the green baby blanket and baby socks (pair #2) is coming along for Beautiful Baby B.

Ashley and David were able to spend some time with us last weekend. We were able to enjoy a short boat ride on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

It has been quite windy and cool with the "tropical depression" off the coast (for days and days!). The wind has been gusting for 2-3 days and rain is in the forecast through the weekend.

I actually had to turn on the heat for a few minutes last night . . . that is really strange for May! Here are a few more pictures to remind me that it really is spring!!

We planted some coneflowers, foxglove, Lily of the Nile, and two oakleaf hydrangeas. Will get some pictures soon as the wind calms down.

Two Down . . . Two To Go

Philip and I had a fun weekend travelling to Anderson, S. C. to visit with friends and enjoy their Kentucky Derby party!! They did it up "right" with mint juleps, lots of roses, and fabulous food and entertainment. I do not claim to be a horse enthusiast, but I have to admit that it was an exciting two minutes . . . I love those "come-from-behind winners"! The weekend was not ALL about horses!! I made my first pair of baby bootees!! I think they are precious and can't wait to make pair #2 for beautiful baby #2. (Did I mention that Ashley and David are expecting twins?) I used a combination of Rowan Milk Cotton DK and Rowan Kidsilk Haze - one strand of each held together. I used Susan B. Anderson's pattern for booties found in her book Itty Bitty Nursery. This book has some really cute baby things . . . I suspect you'll be seeing more of her designs on my blog.

. . .Food, Grandma, Heritage, Island, Joy ,Knitting, Lace, . . .

April is flying by!!! I thought I would update the recent ABC's of my life! Food: Friday I tried two new recipes that I think you all shoud give a try. They were both great! One is from The Pioneer Woman for Roasted Potato Wedges. We had this Friday night with a little steak and artichoke. They are simple, but flavorful. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I also tried a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)! The "crack" is appropriate - this is really addicting stuff. It was a great snack to take along to the Heritage Golf Tournament on Saturday. Thankfully, we did some walking to process some of the calories. I'm getting out of "alphbetical order", but below is a photo from the Heritage Golf Tournament at Harbour Town. A view from one of the skyboxes looking out over Calibogue Sound. Lots of beautiful weather, people, boats, . . . and a little golf! It was a very nice day on Hilton Head Island. So. . . "G" could stand for "golf", but today it stands for grandma! I am so very excited that Ashley and David are expecting . . . and Philip and I will be grandparents! We are very happy for them. I am already planning knitting and sewing for all things "baby". Of course, this gives me much joy! The first project is this beautiful lacey blanket in Premiere by Classic Elite Yarns. This is a beautiful mint green and as mentioned on a previous post . . . very soft! It will have a knitted or crocheted border. The pattern is Breeze Lace Baby Blanket by Karabella Yarns. Here's a close up!

I have to mention that I checked out Brooklyn Tweed's latest post on some of his "baby knitting". As always, I think his things are beautiful and inspiring. I especially like the lacey bonnet. I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Back to Knitting

We had a nice visit in Aiken this weekend with Ashley and David. Their home renovation is coming along. We could see big changes since our last visit! The drive gave me a chance to get back to work on the Christmas stocking. It is almost finished! This has been a big learning project for someone who has not worked with intarsia or made a sock. I know there is room to improve on my technique, but I'm pretty well pleased so far. I have "turned the heel" and we're coming down on the toe. Not many rows left . . .

Ashley took me to the LYS : Barbara Sue Brodie's Needleworks in downtown Aiken, S. C.

I really liked the shop and the ladies were VERY helpful. All the yarns are arranged according to color. I had not been in a shop arranged this way . . . what a beautiful rainbow of colors and fiber!

I could have spent hours in there. They were getting close to closing time, but did not rush us at all. There were so many great options for a new project. . . we found this luscious light mint green yarn by Classic Elite : Premiere. It is 50/50 Pima Cotton and Tensel. I have plans for a lacy blanket. More to come on that!

This shop also has an abundance of needlepoint canvas and fiber. What a find!

Blue Bedroom

Finally, I find time to write this post on the blue bedroom project. The goal was to make a bedskirt and two Euro-shams to add some interest to this otherwise boring bed.

Ashley found this fabric for me. It is made by Braemore textiles. I haven't been able to find the name of this pattern.

I made the gathered bedskirt in 3 panels and used bedskirt pins to attach the panels to the top of the boxspring. I have found this to be very easy and provides flexibility so that the length doesn't have to be "exact".

Look at this mess!

The Euro-shams are 26" sqares with 4" ruffle and basic cording. Here I am attaching the cording to the top side of the pillow.

One good turn deserves another. So now I'm looking for just the right artwork for the wall above the headboard. And . . . thinking that a duvet would be nice. However, I still think this is a good start to putting this room together.

Any suggestions?