Bad Boars, Bad Boars...

...Whatcha gonna do?

Well, maybe spend some time with Auntie Sally?

The Dakin shelter had a plethora of guinea pigs come in two weeks ago.  I had passed on fostering any because I didn't want to juggle new pigs and a new job.  But I got a call on Thursday looking for an experienced guinea pig foster.  A trio of 4-month-old boars had a falling out.  The worst wounded piggy was separated from the other two and was staying at the shelter.  I was asked to take the remaining two pigs:  one boar with set of scars and requiring antibiotics and one unscathed piggy that wisely stayed out of the scuffle.  

Say hello to Panda and Mango.

I Like Thursday: Back to the Grind

Back to work this week.  I like that.  But I am wiped out every evening from learning and installing... and I haven't even started the real work!

Slowly making progress on the quilt - I'm just about three-quarters done quilting the top.  I suspect I'm going to run out of thread and time and not finish it by the end of the month.

When the bridge up the street was closed off, a sign was installed warning of the bridge was out.  That sign disappeared; then this one appeared.  Ever seen one like this?  The other oddity is that it doesn't face the north-bound traffic - it faces straight at the road.

Very strange.

I just finished The Orphans of Raspay, the latest in a series of short novels by Lois McMaster Bujold.  It's a fun set books (a continuation of her Five Gods world) about a mild-mannered powerful sorcerer possessed by bunch of wise and sassy female souls and the trouble they get into (and out of).

The Elusive Feather

 

I've just rounded the halfway point quilting the braid quilt.  Quilting this is still slow going.  I swear I spend as much time staring at is as I do physically quilting it.

I'm still struggling with stitch length.  It's certainly a lot better than past quilts.  I find that I'm watching more closely at the stitches as well as the pattern.  I now have the occasional problem of stitches being way too small.  But that's better than having them way too long (unless, of course, I need to rip them out!).

I'm loving the flowers.  I seem to do well with leafy designs, too, like the ones off this flaming swirl.

I Like Thursday: Indian Summer

A week full of good things.

My cactus is happily blooming.  There's two different plants in that pot and the other half is starting to bud. 

I never thought I'd put a trip to the dentist as something to like, but after nine months, it felt so good to have clean teeth! 

 

Slow Stitching, of Sorts

The braid quilt is plodding along.  I am about a quarter done with the quilting (sans border).  The design is not primarily floral, although I'm adding more of that.  There's leaves and circles, feathers and swirls.  (You might be able to see the stitching if you enlarge the photos.)  I like the flowers I've done so far - I will continue to do more of those. 

I love the thread I'm working with, although it's invisible on the cream fabrics.  The super slider and the new gloves make a huge difference, especially with the large quilt.  It's easier to stitch big patterns.  I still struggle with it, because I can't see the whole area I'm quilting at once.  However, I'm finding I can stitch more of it without having to stop and reposition my hands. 

I Like Thursday: What's That White Stuff?

Since so many of the I Like Thursday crowd have been showing off their early-season snow, I decided to get in on the action.  Seriously, I'd have been fine not keeping up with the Joneses.  I'm not ready for winter.

It's pretty, though.  The sun came out on Saturday.  Blue sky and sun-on-snow is a wonderful combination!  The grey and gloomy photo below is from Friday morning just after the snow stopped.  Sticky, heavy stuff.  Good thing I brought in the last of the green tomatoes on Thursday - this snow and cold killed off everything.

Last year we had absolutely no interest in the bird feeders.  It killed me because I listened to the goldfinches twitter in the trees all winter.  This year?  The goldfinches and pine siskins have been out in force.  Absolute chow-hounds.

November OMG: Quilt That Braid!

I'm realizing that a twin quilt is a lot bigger than a throw.  It is smaller than last year's queen... but now I realize why I like working with the wall-sized quilts.  

The plan is to improv quilt this thing.  I'm now reconsidering how to tackle it.  Lots of doodles.  Lots of hours browsing Pinterest and Instagram photos and videos (which look so easy with a longarm!).

I wanted to start quilting it this weekend, but my ideas hadn't quite jelled yet.  Soon, I hope.  I'm mostly fixated on flower designs.  Loopy, leafy, feathery stuff.  In the end, that's my November goal:  get the braid quilted.  I want it done so I can move my sewing machine back to its regular spot and start on some smaller projects.

Creekbed

After the snow the sun came out bright and cheery.  When the wind died down a bit, I rushed out to get photos of Creekbed.