the quilter

Land of the Rainbow Quilt Show: Part 1

2008-09-04T14:08:00.017-06:00

I seem to remember promising you a post on the quilt show. If you remember, I had a terrible terrible sunburn from walking around the park looking at hot rods all morning and early afternoon. When CarGuy went back to the car show after lunch I went to the Gunnison Arts Center to look at quilts. Much more my style!

The quilts were hung in the gallery just like you would see them at a quilt show and were a mixture of contemporary and traditional quilts. I did not take photos of all of them. The curator of the show had a great eye for hanging the right quilt in the right place. This poppy quilt was made by Liz Rathbun and was the first one you saw in the gallery. It was the ONE with the WOW!! factor, obviously. She said in her statement that she designed it using some pottery she owned as her inspiration. It was raw edge fused and free motion quilted.

Next up was what I thought at first glance to be a disappearing 9-patch. But with a closer look it is a 4-patch with sashing using all batiks. The quilting really enhanced the simplicity of the design without overpowering it. The main lines were done in red and blue with the background quilted in white. There was a red and white disappearing 9-patch there that used the same red fabric in the center but I did not take a photo because I figured my quilting readers know what one looks like.

I loved this traditional quilt just because the pattern was unusual and isn't that bluebird quilted in the center just the sweetest? The center hexagons were quilted with various straight line motifs (think spiderweb) with an occasional bluebird flying in. So cute!
This pattern would make a great hand-piecing project using up all those little scraps and I believe that this was hand-pieced. Those squares finished at 1".

The next quilt was an Amish Sampler. I have a habit of collecting photos of different settings for a Block of the Month sampler. I seem to do quite a number of BOMs, must be because I get bored making too many of the same block. Now don't we all have a block of the month stashed somewhere and we aren't quite sure how to put it together? with maybe some extra blocks? Look at how this one is set with quarter square triangles. There was no border, just setting triangles. Minimum effort equals maximum impact.

Want to know why I mentioned the extra blocks?

Look at the back. This quilter used up all kinds of things by putting it on the back side of the quilt. Even the hanging pocket at the top was pieced of fabrics from the front. This photo shows the simple quilting done in the body of the quilt and the fancy quilting in the setting triangles.

It's for sale.

2008-09-02T14:32:00.007-06:00

So. How was your weekend? Here in the States, it was a long three day weekend. Labor Day weekend informally signals the end of summer and the kids are going back to school, the harvest(s) have started (or ending depending on the crop). Temperature-wise it was good: not too hot, not too cold.

I actually got a lot of stuff accomplished:
• started and finished a shop sample for my LYS, Woolen Treasures. I knit up a hat that uses only 50gr of yarn. The pattern is Wavy Gravy. I am guilty of buying only 1 ball of a yarn, an addiction is similar to only buying fat quarters. Then I have to figure out how to use that one measly ball. *sigh*
• again in the knitting arena, I got a beret and fingerless mitt set started and finished. I am doing my holiday knitting right now plus busting some yarn stash. This set took a whole whopping 100gr of yarn. That's two balls.
• started another gift of a Smoke Ring in a luscious yarn by Laura Harding Yarn called Kashimer DK. It's a blend of merino wool, nylon and cashmir. Yummy.
• modified Auntie's blouse pattern a little bit more. The collar area was very fiddly so I added on to the facing. Now the facing goes all the way around and I can sandwich the collar between the facing and the blouse itself. Easy peasy. I cut out three more slickery blouses for Auntie and I am having to sew them individually instead of assembly line fashion because of their colors. They all take a different neutral thread. So I'm constructing the first one and I get to the cuff area of the long sleeve. Here is another facing and I followed the directions that had me asking "You want me to do what?"!! The first blouse was done by the pattern, but the rest won't be, because I wrote notes to myself all over the pattern directions. The next 2 blouses will have a touch of menswear sewing to that 'facing' area of the sleeve. Easy peasy.
• baked a peach cobbler from some of the fresh Palisade peaches I brought back from the Western Slope. It sure disappeared fast for only having 2 people in the house. Tonight I think I'll bake a peach pie. Gotta use up those peaches and for some reason I don't want to process them.
• I am overrun with zucchini. I only planted two plants and WOW! I've been freezing a lot of it. I've been baking bread with it. I've been gifting friends and neighbors with it.

Not a whole lot of quilt related things going on because I want to get out from under some other things first. I joined in on Finn's New Years Eve Challenge because it is a do-able challenge for me. My next post will include a list of the items I want to finish.

O and the photo of the Ford Mustang? It's for Libby, who says Muscle Cars make her heart race. This was up at the Gunnison Car Show. Look closely at the rear of the car and you see CarGuy checking it out. Libby, the car is for sale.

High Country Road Trip

2008-08-25T20:52:00.007-06:00

CarGuy and I left early Friday morning on a road trip into the high Colorado Rocky Mountains. We seem to do this every year or so. This time we decided to explore some areas of Colorado that neither of us had seen before. One of our main goals was to avoid the zoo that is Denver City during the Democratic National Convention. We did have to go through the west side of Denver to get to Hiway 285 but that was the only time we were there.

When we got to Gunnison and checked into the motel this is what was on the bed! A quilt, made in China I bet, but still a quilt. But it was a good omen, I think, for our whole mini vacation.

We took in a great Car Show, put on by the Gunnison Car Club, that totally surprised both of us. It was quite large with a total of 350 cars. I forgot to put on my sun screen and got fried by the sun on my shoulders and chest. Ugh. Thank goodness for aloe gel. I stayed out of the sun that afternoon by partaking of a quilt show. There will be more on that in my next post.

It was a fun trip because we saw parts of our state that we had never seen before. We saw the Blue Mesa Reservoir which is the largest reservoir in Colorado at 20 miles long with 96 miles of shore line. Then we took a bit of a side trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. O my! It was totally awesome! This next photo was taken from one of the observation decks. You can see a bit of the railing in the lower left corner. That big rock on the right side of the photo is about 100 feet away and in the center toward the bottom you can see the rushing Gunnison river. CarGuy and I spent two hours going from observation deck to observation deck and leaning over the railings to look and gawk. The rock formations and striations and colors are just indescribable.

During this trip we drove on three different Scenic Byways, some of which were dirt and gravel roads, 6 different mountain passes in this order

Kenosha Pass (elevation 10,000 feet)
Red Hill Pass (9993 feet)
Cottonwood Pass (12,126 feet)
McClure Pass (8755 feet)
Muddy Pass (8772 feet)
Cameron Pass (10,276 feet)

and we saw coyote, marmot, beaver, chipmunks, deer and eagles. We did not encounter a lot of wildlife because we were out in the daylight hours. If you care to see our route you can go to this Google map I generated.

I'll leave you with a photo of a geological formation called "The Castles" in the Gunnison National Forest, northwest of Gunnison.

Homespun BOM: Nine-patch

2008-08-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

This is such a simple block but what would a sampler quilt be without a nine patch? Once again, the block is from Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache.

Adventures in Sewing

2008-08-17T20:39:00.004-06:00

I have been sewing this weekend. Not quilting, tho. I have made 2 blouses for Auntie out of that slickery fashion fabric. Did I tell you that when I went to visit the last time that I took fabric with me? I wanted her to pick out what she wanted and she picked out all of them! *s* I shouldn't have been surprised because the reason I had it anyway was because she gave the fabric to me. So it just shows that she liked it enough to buy it in the first place.

It took me a bit of time to make a new pattern from the old tissue and then transfer the changes from the sloper onto the Do-Sew®. But now it is done and I'll be able to whip out the other 3 blouses. I forgot how nasty that collar was on that pattern. Bah! Plus the front is 2 inches shorter than the back because of her dowager hump.

I was on a roll with that slickery stuff. I also made a blanket for somebody (don't know who yet) that has that stuff on one side and Minkee on the other. Kind of like these. Hoo wee! I don't think I'll make another one of these. I didn't realize I was that much of a masochist.

My favorite wrist pincushion gave up the ghost. I'll have to make a new one, I suppose, since I really like the wrist pincushions and missed mine today. I kept trying to give myself acupuncture by putting my sewing pins in my wrist. Not fun. I think I remember that Michele had a tutorial. I'll have to check it out and hopefully carve out a bit of time to make one.

All in all, I busted 9 yards of stash. O and several partial spools of thread.

It'a a Party!

2008-08-16T05:50:00.001-06:00

Since I have an overabundance of zucchini, I am going to make up some bread and will be taking zucchini bread and cream cheese to Suzanne's 600 party. Why don't you zip on over too?

Alternative Energy

2008-08-15T19:22:00.002-06:00

These sculptures were half life-size and are just great. They are from a sculpting married couple, Shelley and Michael Buonaiuto. Aren't they great? The dancing lady is "Sun"(Light Dance) and the woman on the flying carpet is "Wind"(Wild Ride). I urge you to follow the link to their website. Just remember to come back here.

This started out to be just a quick post to let you all know that I've put up another free knitting pattern. You can find the link on my side bar for the O-So Simple Hat.

Have a great weekend. Our's is going to be rainy and cold. It is 25 degrees colder than on Monday. Can you believe it?

Column of Leaves

2008-08-13T12:43:00.005-06:00

It is WIP Wednesday again and I do not have a quilt-y project to show. I haven't been working on anything really since I gave two quilts to the LAer. I've been way too busy with Auntie's condo and then the sculpture show. And this weekend I'll be sewing up some blouses for Auntie. Plus trying to catch up on some housework and laundry.

I have been knitting, tho. This is the current project called Column of Leaves scarf. When it is blocked you can really see the leaves in the center of the scarf. It has been a slow knit because it's an 8 row repeat and I do not have it memorized yet. Probably when I am at the end of the scarf I'll have it memorized.

Can't you just see this in a burnt orange for a lovely fall scarf? Love the yarn. It is a butter soft Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big. Easy on the hands and not too bad to knit with in the summer.

On another note, look what I won from Nancy from Blogging, Near Philedelphia. Thanks Nancy! They are just some really beautiful batiks.

Unexpected Visitor

2008-08-11T14:29:00.006-06:00

Even bears like art! This was in the morning paper.

And read to the end of this post for news of a giveaway!

Black bear roams through Loveland

Reporter Herald staff

LOVELAND — A small black bear was on the loose in Loveland and may have traveled through the sculpture shows early Sunday morning before it was tranquilized and taken away by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
The bear, which was estimated to weigh between 50 and 60 pounds, was first spotted in the 1400 block of Antero Drive at about 6 a.m., said Sgt. Bob Shaffer of the Loveland Police Department.
Police did not find the bear until it was near Lake Loveland, which means it crossed 29th Street and may have gone through the sculpture shows being held at Benson Park Sculpture Garden and North Lake Park.
The bear was followed by police around Lake Loveland before it climbed a tree in the 1400 block of Lake Drive. Division of Wildlife officials tranquilized the bear with a dart and took it to an unknown location.

Now, about the giveaway. Cheryl over at Polka Dots and Rick Rack is having a super giveaway for her one year blogiversary. Go check it out!

Saturday afternoon

2008-08-09T13:14:00.001-06:00

I am @ the sculpture show. what do u think of this dress? looks like something Barbie would wear, doesn't it?

Update: I posted the above from my cell phone.

Coffee Klatch

2008-08-06T07:30:00.000-06:00

Pull up a chair and set down. I'll pour the coffee and set out the sweet rolls. How've you been? Me? I have been very, very busy.

I went to Denver City on Saturday. And guess what? I saw vultures. Circling over the courthouse in my little town. I wonder what that means? And the corn in the fields was higher than the top of your head. Over in that field I saw cows standing belly deep in a pond. And beyond that there were 4 deputy sheriffs on horseback! Not in a parade or at the fair, but over by Platteville where the veggie farms are located. I wonder what they were looking for? The hay has been harvested and all the hay fields are sporting flattops.

O my it was hot! 103 degrees F (39 degrees C). But the trip was a necessity. You see, I met with a real estate agent to list Auntie's condo. Yay! It is officially on the market. I hope it sells quickly. I told the agent I was willing to negotiate, within reason. I am so glad not to have to go into that place again to work.

Then I went on to the new apartment in the assisted living and was able to have a nice visit with Auntie. She had complained about the heat and I said to turn the AC on. She told me that it blows on her shoulder and chills her so I took a portable oscillating fan and set it up in a corner so it blows throughout the room. I also took about a half dozen books for her and swapped them out for the ones I left last time. She is such a voracious reader that I am spending a small fortune in books. Thank goodness for used book stores. I have started to buy an occasional used hardback because the type is bigger.

I spent a bit of time last week making a blouse sloper for her out of some 50cent a yard pink and white check fabric. She thought it was a real blouse until I had her put it on and she realized there was one long sleeve and one short sleeve. I will only have to make minor adjustments to the pattern thank goodness. She was thrilled to realize that I was going to make some blouses for her. I took five different fashion fabrics down with me, you know the kind -- the slinky, slippery stuff. I wanted her to pick out the ones she wanted. You guessed it, she wanted them all: two long sleeved and 3 short sleeved. Then she said how 'bout some slacks? Well, erm, one thing at a time, ok?

We have been getting some estimates to replace the clerestory windows in the house. One of the thermal windows is actually cracked on both sides. We are in the queue for 3-5 weeks out. That will give me a chance to make some more of the Warm Window blinds like in this post. These are not hard to make and are great if one is trying to either reduce heat gain in the summer or forestall heat loss in the winter and as a quilter I am set up with the space needed to sew on something like this. I actually saved $$$ on all the fabrics and hardware by using those Joann Fabric 40% and 50% off coupons to buy everything I needed. It has taken about a year but now I'm all set. Just need to get started.

The sculpture shows are this weekend. Can you believe that I actually get paid to hang out in an artful place and talk to people and sell some art? Tough job but somebody's got to do it.

I currently have two quilts at the long arm quilter. One of them is the Homespun BOM. When I get it back and bound I am planning on a bit of a giveaway. Stay tuned for more information on that.

From A Simple Girl to The Quilter

2008-08-03T18:33:00.003-06:00

I had a great mail day on Friday! I came home from work to this! Isn't it just the cutest little thing? It is about 10" square and is a darling little thing. My dear friend Libby (a.k.a. A Simple Girl) made this especially for me.

It was wrapped in Libby-esque tissue. O and there was the sweet little chicken pincushion. This chicken is really hard to capture in a picture. She is very camera shy!

Thank you, my friend, for a precious little quilt. It is already snuggled into the rest of my preciouses (I just kinda quoted Gollum from The Lord of the Rings) on the quilt wall.

Here's the label. Isn't it just like Libby?

Fleetingly I fly

2008-08-01T13:06:00.004-06:00

Do you remember the song the children sing in The Sound of Music called So Long, Farewell? This precious little quilt is the visual version of one line in that song.

Marit, Quilt-it, made this little quilt for me as my summer partner in the Four Season Quilt Swap. I just love this perky, bright little quilt. My photo does this quilt a dis-service as the quilt really has square corners and is not misshapen like the photo shows it.

Thank you Marit! I love it!

p.s. I purposely mangled the lyrics for my title.

Deep Seams

2008-07-28T13:37:00.007-06:00

Do you get this magazine? I got mine on Saturday and sat down to read. There is an article inside that really sparked my interest. It is unfortunate that the article is not even listed on the website's table of contents for this issue, but it is An Extra Eighth Goes a Long Way by Marie A. Dellapiazza. The premise is to add an extra 1/8 inch to cutting and seaming and she gives some formulas for the commonly used HST and QST. I love, love, love this idea! And I think that if you are not swapping blocks and as long as the seam depths are consistent throughout your quilt, what does it matter that the end result of the quilt is a different size?

I actually use this concept when working with flannels, only I never thought about cutting 1/8 inch bigger. DOH! (insert sound of hand slapping forehead). And I wish I had thought of using this with all those homespuns I've been working with lately. Both of these are loosely woven fabrics and can benefit with a deeper seam.

Approaching Lavender

2008-07-26T07:20:00.000-06:00

I really do not know where the week has gone! It has just sped by.

I have been out in the yarden catching up on dead-heading the flowers. The carnations are the worst ones because there are hundreds of dead flower heads to be removed. At least with lavender you can use the dried ones in sachets and potpourris. I have always wanted to make some Lavender Wands but never think of it in time. Lavender grows exceedingly well in my garden and therefore I have a lot. The bees are happy because there is a lot of nectar in lavender flowers.

One batch of company has left and I'm getting ready for another. The sculpture show is also fast approaching. I am not looking forward to working for 12 days straight; no, indeed not. Everyone at work has this nasty summer cold except me. The guys tease me about using my disinfectant all the time, but I just look at them and ask "Who is the sick one?". Everyone, and I mean everyone at work will sit at my desk sometime during the day. My can of disinfectant spray is always close at hand. CarGuy and I are going to Denver-town today to finish up the last bits of Auntie's condo: hanging doors, cleaning the shelves in the cabinets, washing windows, etc. Then I can hand it over to a Realtor, yay!

My local yarn shop had a sidewalk sale yesterday. Yes, I indulged in a total of 9 skeins of yarn all at 50% off. I also picked up a rice basket to use as a new yarn basket beside the sofa, 20% off.

I dropped this quilt off at my long arm quilter on Thursday. Now 'dropped' is a decieving term. I have to drive about 30 miles to get to Quilted Expressions. It is a special trip, a destination if you will. Ill get the quilt back in about 3-4 weeks. I'm in no hurry. I've moved on to another project, but will return to this when it is time to do the binding.

Homespun BOM: Signature Chain

2008-07-21T15:41:00.005-06:00

There is nothing like waiting until the last minute to do the bl0ck for the next meeting of my mini group. I worked away on this yesterday, slaving away I tell ya!

Actually, this was a very easy block to do, I was able to complete both blocks in a matter of hours. Once again, the block is from Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache. There was one missing measurement, tho. If you are playing along cut that large rectangle for the 12" block at 4.5"x8.5" and for the 6" block cut at 2.5"x4.5". Got that?

Now wouldn't this make a lovely label? That's how I plan to use it. And I think I'll just incorporate this into the front of the quilt and not relegate it to the backside. How fun is that? Add a bit of freezer paper to the big rectangle and then a pen drawing/doodle along with the quilt info and it's done.

That is such a bad photo, but that one really dark fabric is a micro homespun check in black and dark green. I found it in my stash. Perfect!

All in the family

2008-07-18T18:04:00.005-06:00

(Click for a bigger photo)

I've had company: my big brother and my niece. It has been lovely to have them visit. The only drawback is my niece slept on an air mattress on the floor of my sewing room.

I couldn't sew. I even hesitated to enter the room.

5 days of company = 11 knitted dishcloths and 3 crocheted potholders

Brillante Weblog Premio-2008

2008-07-14T11:46:00.016-06:00

Sweet P at Coffee Time Quilt Studio nominated me for this award because, and I quote, "She makes adorable small quilts". Well, gosh, thank you! I try.

So here are the rules: the awarded peep puts the logo on his/her blog and needs to link back to the person who gave the award. Then the awardee nominates at least 7 other blogs, putting links of those blogs in the post. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

Erm, let's see. I read so many blogs; 268 at last count and I just finished paring them down. Thank goodness everybody doesn't post at the same time! But I digress. Who should I pick? O this is so hard. I don't want to leave anyone out but I only get 7.

Libby, A Simple Girl, because we are like quilt sibs. Libby is a sweet and gentle woman who makes the bestest primitive (and not so primitive) quilts.

Kim of Stillmeadow Quilting a new friend with whom I love to chat. Doesn't the name 'Stillmeadow Quilting' evoke peace? And who couldn't love a person owned by cats named Simon and Schuster? Such joie de vivre!

Toni, The Quilting Pirate, who has an unabashed enthusiasm for pirates that even extends to her quilting!

Elaine at Eleaine Adair Pieces because we think so much alike when it comes to quilting that it is scary. Have you noticed that, Elaine?

Mrs. Goodneedle From the Strawberry Patch, is such a good story teller and writer and she just keeps you entertained and when you come to the end of a post you are sad. You just have to wait for the next post.

Finn at Pieces from my Scrapbag. She has an old-fashioned sense of home and family that just fits with my sensibilities. Her trips down memory lane trigger my own memories of family.

Michele (with one ell) of With Heart and Hands, A Quilting Journey has such a caring and giving spirit and posts such informative, carefully researched articles. Pop over and introduce yourself.

I could keep going but I really need to stop at seven. It is like the seven sisters quilt block now isn't it?

4SQS-Summer

2008-07-12T19:32:00.002-06:00

I thought and thought about this quilt. I ~~stalked~~ researched my swap partner's blog for her likes and dislikes. What does summer mean to me? Hot weather, gardens, green lawns, birds chirping, those nasty crickets, the 4th of July, fireworks, sparklers, running through sprinklers, picnics in the park, family reunions.

When I got to the family reunions everything seemed to fall into place. I remember one extended family picnic as a small child that was held in the neighborhood park. The picnic tables were covered with flannel backed tablecloths and tables groaned under the weight of all that homemade good food. The cousins ran around playing tag and the men pitched horseshoes. And so, this little quilt reflects faith, family and memories.

Each scrap of fabric in this quilt brought about a memory. As I was hand quilting it I thought about where the fabrics had been used before. The fabric for this patch was used in Niece's wedding quilt. This fabric is what is left from a blouse I made for myself in high school. O and there is a small bit of fabric from this quilt and another from that quilt and the background fabrics are from the Homespun BOM blocks. Such pleasant memories.

When I had finished piecing the top I realized that it was vaguely patriotic. Which went along with the 4th of July mentioned above. My favorite patriotic song is actually a poem and I used a bit of it in the center of the quilt. I hope this small bit of patriotism does not upset or offend my swap partner.

It is going to be hard to send this quilt out. But even though it doesn't really fit my swap partner's decor, she is going to get it anyway, I made it for her.

Skullduggery!

2008-07-11T13:57:00.002-06:00

Now wouldn't these be perfect for a quilting pirate? *grin*

That Wascally Wabbit!

2008-07-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I planted a wee vegetable garden this year. Just a couple of tomato plants, some green onions, basil and of course lettuce. And since my home is in a quasi-rural location, I knew I would have to protect it from the rabbits.

O my! we are over run with those cute little long eared fur-covered eating machines. We have no natural predators around here except hawks and I doubt if a hawk will swoop down out of the sky to nab on of these hoppers. They are almost tame, it seems, and will let you get to within 2-3 feet before they hop away switching those white cotton ball tails at you.

Back to the garden. The other evening, CarGuy helped me erect a chicken wire fence around a section of the garden that contains the lettuce which was already showing signs of being nibbled.

My reward came this morning as I stood at the kitchen window sipping my coffee and gazing out at the backyard. I saw a rabbit hop toward the garden. It got to the fence and stopped, then hopped down the fence a bit and stopped, then it hopped a bit further and stopped. Finally, it turned in what I could only assume was disgust at loosing it's free meal ticket, and hopped out of the yard.

Another Little Quilt Swap

2008-07-06T19:01:00.003-06:00

Isn't it great?! I received my little quilt from Ann A. This is 17.5" square and is made with a line of fabrics by Sandy Gervais called Fall Back In Time.

I have hung it right beside my sewing machine so all I have to do is turn my head and There It Is!

I am very uncomfortable working in these fallish colors. I think I have forced myself a time or two. Most everything I make has blue in it somewhere. So when I opened the package I was delighted! Here was something for me in colors that I don't use and really have very little in the stash. I just love this little quilt.

Thank you, Ann!

Paula 11: Crickets 0

2008-07-01T19:00:00.001-06:00

I have been waging war on the crickets. Now, don't tell me that you love to hear them at night in the summer time. That is OK when the aforementioned insect is outside. But the ones I am after are in my basement. Do you remember where my sewing room is located? My fabric stash? My wool yarn stash? Yes, it is in the basement. I don't want these critters making a snack out of my stash -- and with the size of my stashes it would be a 24/7 "All-You-Can-Eat" buffet.

I have been catching those nasties with dog food. You read that correctly: dog food. Maybe cat food would work too, I don't know since I don't have either a dog or a cat. Now, here is the secret ingredient: DUCT TAPE. Yes, my peeps, duct tape. Cut off a piece about the length of your hand, fold under the ends so you can stick it to the floor with the majority of the tape sticky side up, place a dog (or may a cat?) kibble smack dab in the center of the tape and wait. Wait overnight because crickets are nocturnal. In the morning you will more than likely have a cricket or two stuck to the tape. Roll it up and dispose.

I have found the spot where they are making their entrance and got it caulked. Hopefully that will take care of it. Keep your fingers crossed.

Macrame

2008-06-28T19:45:00.001-06:00

Macrame. The word just conjures up visions of the knotted jute plant hangers, doesn't it? But there are more practical uses of macrame than making large eyed owl hangings. In my mind's eye I see can see a macrame window covering similar to lace. Or, how about replacing the worn out handle on a basket made by a dear friend with a macrame handle? This handle is a four cord plait using a nylon macrame cord and will wear like iron.

The basket will wear out before the handles.

Bike To Work Day

2008-06-25T12:01:00.001-06:00

Today is the day that all the people who DON'T ride their bikes to ride their bike to work. Can you say heart attack or heat stroke? The premise is good: to get people to ride a bicycle to work for one day. But really. How many people will ride it one way and then wimp out?

Ok, enuff ranting.

I ride my bicycle to work every day I can. In fact, it is working out to be 4 out of 5 days. I ride 10 miles (16 km) round trip. My time is better from when I first started riding. It now takes me 25 minutes rather than 45 minutes. I need to figure out how much money I am saving by not consuming so much gasoline. I also spend less money shopping because, frankly, it is hard to carry items on a bicycle. I will have to do a photo journey for you one of these days on my bike route.

The picture was taken in front of my favorite book store/coffee shop, both of them independents (Anthology Book Company and The Coffee Tree) not chains. Notice the bronze cougar bench? Sculpture by Rosetta. This is the type of thing we have all over town.

Update: thanks to Iron Needles I how much I am saving.
Your Result Per Day Per Week Per Year**
Possible savings: $7.30 $29.20 $1,460.00
Calories burned: 360 calories 1,440 72,000
calories calories
Reduction in carbon 0.51 lbs 2.05 lbs 102.40 lbs
monoxide emissions:

** Based on a 50-week work year.