Hello June!

Another busy week has gone by. Spent the days hiking, birding, weaving, and a little bit of rug hooking. It was very rainy this past week, but I still found that I wanted to be outside. The last few days have been lovely, so I've been taking advantage of it.

First for the sedentary activities.

READING
I have finished The Gift by Cecilia Ahern and liked it very much. An easy read that had a message for the stressed and overworked.

I am now starting The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for my book club. Luckily, we have til September to finish it as we are off for the summer. Quite a long book!

RUG HOOKING
Slow going on the bird/tree binding. Tonight, I am definitely going to put some time into it, so I can finally get it ready for hanging.  I did mention last time that I have a new pattern ready to go. Here is a photo of the pattern.

This is part of a challenge we are doing in our rug hooking group. Looking forward to starting this rug. I will post my progress once I get started.

WEAVING
Spent two hours at the Weaving Studio located in our Arts Center building. Working on placemats in a twill pattern. Two down, four to go!



And now onto the more active parts of my week!

Spent some time at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve, approximately ten miles north of Albany, NY. A beautiful set of trails, but the mosquitoes were killer size! Got a new bird - a yellow warbler.

This makes three warblers on my life list. So many more to discover.

I also went to the Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield) to do some outdoor sketching and painting with friends. While I was there I saw a Bobolink, another bird I had never seen before.

A visit to the small town of Galway, got me a lovely shot of a beautiful butterfly.

This stream was right next to the road where the butterfly was sitting. A gorgeous place.

 Lastly, here are two shots of clematis blooms from my home garden. I wish that they would bloom all season.

DOWN TO BUSINESS
To those of you who are kind enough to purchase my wool on Ebay, I wanted to let you know that I've moved most of my listings to Etsy. Wool will still be available on Ebay, but their fee structure is making it harder to list there. So please visit my shop on Etsy. Here is the link:

Woolly Mammoth Woolens

The past week has been a busy one! I did get some rest and relaxation in on Sunday. Finished two books and have started a new one today. Reading something a little lighter - The Gift by Cecilia Ahern. I have read many of this Irish writer's books and have always enjoyed them. Seems fitting to be reading a book by an Irish author after having just returned from a trip to Ireland.

Everything you hear about the "greens" in Ireland is true. God must have deposited every green color in the spectrum in this beautiful island nation!

Cliffs of Moher

Glendalough

Near the Torc Waterfall

Sheep at the Kerry Woolen Mills

Bird of the Week

I saw a wonderful bird at my sister's farm in Galway on Friday. I had my trusty bird book with me, so I made fast work in identifying it. Just gorgeous!

The Black-throated Blue Warbler

My brother and I continued our exploration of the Skidmore North Woods trail system today. Hiked for about two hours. Saw a red-bellied woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, a rose-breasted grosbeak along with all the usual suspects. With a slight breeze blowing, the hike wasn't too hot considering the 80° temperatures.

An interesting branch formation seen here from a downed tree. Looks like it has been trimmed a bit.

I call this my Hobbit Hole picture! Don't you just wonder what lives in there?


Crafty Things

I continue the binding on my tree and bird rug. Although I had steamed it before starting the binding, it is curling quite a bit. Will have to steam again!

I am also in the process of drawing a new rug. We are having a challenge in our rug hooking group. Everyone is doing a rug of their own design that has to have the same elements: two trees, an animal, and a house. As soon as I'm doing transferring the design to the monk's cloth, I'll get a picture and post next time.

My loom at the weaving studio is warped and ready to go. Tomorrow is our last class, but I'll be able to go in during the next few weeks to finish my placemats. It's a tough place to hang out in the summer, as there is no AC, but hopefully they won't take too long to weave.

One final project which I hope to continue on this week is my niece's T-shirt quilt. My brother and niece lost their wife/mother this past December. My sister-in-law asked me to put this quilt together for her daughter as a remembrance of the events they both participated in while she was growing up. She is just 17, and I am hoping this will comfort her to remember the special times with her mom and also to know that her mother picked out all the shirts for the quilt.


Have a lovely week ahead.

This Week

Hello!

Here is what I have been up to this past week.

Rug Hooking

I am nearly finished with the hooking of a very large tree and bird rug which I plan on hanging on the soffit of my kitchen. I have about an hour of hooking left and then need to check for missed spaces. After that, the binding! The picture shows a portion of the rug.

Reading

I'm currently reading The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett, a book I never read as a kid. I remembering seeing a movie version, but the book is so much better.

Also in the middle of Oxygen by Carol Cassella. This is a medical mystery/thriller which I have a hard time putting down.

Walking

Took a lovely walk today in the Skidmore College North Woods with my brother. We specifically love looking for birds, but also enjoy the peace and quiet. Woodland flowers were in bloom.

Weaving

I continue plugging along on my beginner projects. I have a rug on my loom at home, and am working on placemats at the Weaving Studio where I take class. I am not happy with my rug as I am not getting the warp to disappear as the pattern calls for. It's a learning process!

Here's where I'm headed next. I took this picture on a trip to Ireland in April.

Colors are bright and beautiful!

Newest Bird on My Life List

I was visiting the nearby town of Galway, New York, and I spotted a Yellow-Rumped Warbler. A real find, as they are quite small. I just love birds!!

Have a great week!