Saturday, June 25, 2022

Alpacas! (sewing and knitting too)

I finished knitting the whale baby facecloth this week and wrapped it up with these other two cloths I made earlier to give to a friend's new grandson. I'm pleased the pictures show up well on each cloth.  I must be getting better at making these as there was only the odd stitch to unknit...not whole rows like I used to have to do. 



I finished making the rest of the heart blocks and added sashing to the blocks to make the hearts float.  I am not adding an outside border as it is the perfect size for a baby quilt without a border. This flimsy will be added to the "to be quilted" pile... Some of the fabrics are going the "wrong way"--the issue was trying to get two pieces out of each fabric using the fabric that I had so sometime I had to orient the ruler in two different directions to cut out the pieces.  To me, this just makes the quilt more interesting!


I finished the last of my Blue Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks this week--the Drunkard's Path blocks in bright and navy blues. 



Rug Hooking was on my agenda this afternoon. I added the pink flowers and leaves at the bottom of the picture.  I only have to fill in the grass and sky backgrounds now.  Someone asked if this hurts my hands.  I tend to only work on this project for a short time to avoid RSI problems.  In fact, I do this with all my crafting--knitting, sewing, ironing, cutting, etc. I switch activities often and do not sit still in one spot for very long to avoid problems. 


My husband's sister's family gave him a gift certificate to meet and walk the Alpacas at a local farm for his birthday this year, so we cashed it in on Friday.  We learned about Alpacas, fed them shredded carrots, cooled them off with the hose and took Nicholas and Gibson for a walk down the road and back.  The gray and white one is Nicholas.  The black one is Nicholas.  All of them had names--this brown one was quite happy to eat carrots out of my hand. They were all sheared about three weeks ago, leaving hair on the top of their head as well as on their lower legs, which made them look like they were wearing leg warmers. 






Our daughter said Finn was getting inspiration for his next haircut from the Alpacas!  This is Finn refusing to walk home after going to the pet store with our daughter.  He likes it there because they give him lots of attention and treats. She had to carry him part way home before he would walk again!  


We had some wildlife in our yard this week. This toad was beside the flower pots on our front porch.  The rabbits have been busy nibbling on my perennials but they were moving too fast to get a picture. 


Tonight, while watering my parsley plant, I noticed there were several of these striped caterpillars munching on the leaves.  I googled "striped caterpillars on my parsley" and found out that these cuties will become Black Swallowtail Butterflies someday!  I have decided to share my parsley with them!  I will harvest some for me and they can eat the rest. 




My thread leaf coreopsis is in bloom this week.  Love the lemony yellow colours of these little flowers. 


 I'm linking up with Angela for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers. 

16 comments:

  1. Wildlife is a sign of a healthy garden. Love your quilt blocks and there is nothing wrong with a little creative cutting. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. look at those teeth on that animal! wow. I love the Drunkards Path block!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You can definitely see those pictures on the face cloths. And I think your baby quilt looks great and as you say side ways wellies give interest! Those alpacas are so cute, especially with top knots and leg warmers! Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  4. So many happy photos this week! The smile on the brown Alpaca is priceless and the striped butterfly is pretty. Nature always gets it right. Love the hearts and yes, some of the hearts with the fabric pattern going in another direction does add lots of lovely interest. Bad Finn....bad. =) I love animals and their personalities....just priceless!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sweet baby facecloth. Love the heart flimsy as it is. Isn't interisting to learn more about the alpacas? Happy birthday to your husband. Looks like you had fun there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like those facecloths. The heart quilt is so pretty. I too vary my crafts to keep the arthritis in my thumbs at bay. I have to limit my computer time and watch how I hold my Kindle also. Your rug is looking great. I like those flowers. What an interesting birthday gift! Experiences to remember are some of the best gifts. Finn just makes me smile even when he is being obstinate.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your face cloths are precious I'm sure he will love them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love your knitted cloths! They are going to make bath time so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your knitted face cloths. I have one somewhere about 1/3 of the way done. I need to figure out where I was. A former coworker has alpacas, and even enters them in shows. Finn is so adorable and such a character! Hope you have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful job on the baby cloths! So many lovely projects on the go! I laughed out loud at the Finn story... he's just like a toddler, eh?!?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on your completed facecloths – and with minimal ripping out! Your heart quilt is lovely! To my eye, your fabrics look just fine – and cheerful! Your scrappy Drunkard’s Path blocks are lovely! Those combinations work well! Knitting, sewing and rug hooking – you’re are certainly a versatile fiber artist! Love all the wildlife in your garden!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The alpacas with their haircuts are such a hoot! That sounds like a fun experience! So neat that you're getting the Swallowtail caterpillars, too. I bet they will enjoy your parsley! Lots of fun things going on in your crafting room and in your yard.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The baby face cloths are delightful, I presume they are knitted with knitting cotton? And the rug hooking project is coming along well. Walking with alpacas sounds such fun. Naughty Finn, doesn't he know he's much too big to carry!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow and wow. Thanks for sharing such awesome photos !

    ReplyDelete
  15. I posted tgis with my phone. I am not anonymous. I am kat scribner

    ReplyDelete
  16. So much fun in your corner of the world! The caterpillars will eat your parsley but the parsley will rebound in a couple of weeks. I love it when I see them eating my parsley. Cute cloths. The design showed up beautifully!

    ReplyDelete