More quilted beauties from the International Quilt Festival Houston 2012.
Here is a pictorial view of an otherwise wonderful weekend. It started off with yarn purchases. Now how can that not put a smile on anyone’s face? There are a couple of hand warmer requests in my knitting queue – one pair is for the husband. I tried the yarn stash first but didn’t have any masculine colors. I wanted a nice dark gray/charcoal color. Then I found this black-gray-white multi-ply in the gauge I needed. It’s Heritage Quatro by Cascade Yarns and I should be able to make two pairs of hand warmers from this hank. As I was searching in bin after bin of yarn, I found this luscious Squishy by Anzula in Teal and knew it was meant for me. The explosion of miniature roses came from the husband. Of course, I will knit him a pair of hand warmers.
On Sunday, we all took off to the annual Fall Fiesta put on by our church and school. My son attended this wonderful school up through 8th grade. It’s amazing to see all those little boys and girls my son went to elementary school with becoming young men and women. My son and his friend each devoured a humongous turkey leg, while my husband and I stood in line for the funnel cakes. There were fajitas with pico de gallo, empanadas, and meatball subs. There was live music, pony rides for the little ones, and all sorts of carnival rides and games. The smaller kids love buying cartons of cascarones and popping them on each other’s heads. There was confetti everywhere!
My favorite festival booth is Vintage Values. It’s basically a huge garage sale. You never know what treasures one will find. I found this cute little silver sugar bowl. Engraved on the bottom is a crown with the numbers 18 and 83 on each side. I looked it up and learned it was produced by the F.B. Rogers Silver Co. which was established in Massachusetts in 1883. I also picked up a $1 bag of wooden nutcracker Christmas ornaments and this little tea towel with a sheep decked out for the holidays.
I gave the sugar bowl a quick polish at home. It still needs a little more elbow grease but I like it.
Despite a lovely weekend, I had a migraine on Saturday that kept me up half the night. I’ve had migraines since I was a teenager. I can be in a room without windows and can tell you if the day is overcast and whether it’s going to rain with startling accuracy. I usually work my way through the migraine but sometimes they do get the best of me. Last night, after tossing in bed from the pain, I made my way to the living room and started knitting. I had gone through all my tried-and-true home remedies and had even succumbed to medication, but still it persisted. Something about the soothing rhythm of the needles made me forget about the pain. I knit several rows of a blanket I am making in garter stitch, which those who knit know is a somewhat boring endeavor. But it’s just what I needed at 1:33 in the morning. After a while, I looked up and realized the headache was gone. I slipped into bed and fell asleep.
Have a wonderful week ahead everyone.
Saw this near the crafts fair.
Click on any image for a large screen view.
This is my second year attending the annual Artisan’s Market presented by the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston (CHH). The market runs from September 6 – 8 so if you are near Houston, you still have Saturday to stop by.
I am so glad that I went on their opening night. I did my usual walk around the rooms to look at all the displays. I then picked up a small plastic basket from the front so I could begin collecting the beautiful handwoven textiles, baskets, handmade jewelry, handspun yarn, and felted ornaments that I had singled out. I was too slow. Those ladies are fierce! Several items I had on my mental checklist were gone! Nonetheless, I had a great time looking, touching and taking pictures.
I saw beautiful handwoven textiles.
There were felted bracelets, handmade cards, woven rugs and artwork.
There were felted baskets, silk baskets and other sculptured baskets.
There were ghosts and goblins and catnip wrapped like mice for the upcoming Autumn holidays.
Even Saint Nicolas’ helpers offered their wares for the yuletide season.
Of course, there was yarn.
A huge round of applause to all of the fiber artists who produced these beautiful handmade items. By the crowds and the long line at check out, I am pleased to say that Houstonians truly appreciate the handcrafted arts.
If you want to see more lovely items like these, this is the post I wrote about last year’s event.
Summer is coming to an end. The back-to-school sales are in full swing and soon my daily commute will take longer when the school zones reactivate.
We didn’t venture far from home this summer. Earlier this year, we knew we would have to install a new air conditioning system in our home before the sweltering heat of summer arrived. That pretty much ate up any travel plans we might have had, but it made for a much more bearable summer.
Then there was Mom’s surgery in June. I took her to her 6 week follow-up appointment and the doctor gave her a seal of approval. Mom is doing splendidly and is back home. She just hit a milestone birthday – 70. My brothers and their kids took her to dinner and we surprised her afterward with a mariachi band that serenaded her in her front yard. She danced with my brother under the stars surrounded by her grandchildren.
The boys are ready to go back to school and see their friends every day and show off their driving permits. They’ve had their fill of hot, lazy days full of video games, Batman, days at the beach, swimming in the neighborhood pool, and outdoor grilling.
Our boys are growing up. They will be Sophomores in high school next year. Only three more years before they are marching across the stage in their caps and gowns and then driving off to start their independent lives. Have we prepared them? What is left to be done in only three years in the midst of homework, exams, work and sleep?
I tell my husband, “In only three years, it will be just you and me.” He looks at me guardedly from the corner of his eye and asks, “Why do you say that like it’s a threat?” That cracks a big smile on my face. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with than him.
Here are some glimpses of our summer.
Agujas 