Windy March Days

Cable Pullover | Whims And Fancies

 

I find March to be a very fickle month.  In this part of the world, poor thing just can’t make up its mind about the weather.  There were consecutive days of blustery wind and pouring rain.  Then the sun broke through the clouds, touching everything with the warm glow that can only be seen after a clearing storm.  In the meantime, the wildflowers have been taking full advantage of the rain and blossoming everywhere, free and playful in the wind, beckoning me outdoors.

After sunset, as it gets colder, I reach for those knitting needles.  I only knit a little everyday, so my projects take awhile to finish.  I have made good progress on my husband’s pullover.  I restarted those mitts, I like how the current pattern displays this busy variegated yarn.

 

 

Yorkshire Sky Yarn | Whims And Fancies

 

 

Recently I shopped a little for next winter.  Completely swayed by the name Yorkshire Skies, I got this beautiful yarn.  It has the shades of soft pastel aqua, with a hint of faded purple and a light steel grey.  I already know the set of mitts and hat I will be making with this one.

 

 

Madeline Tosh Sample Yarn | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I adore these tiny samples of yarn.  I got 240 yards total to make a pair of mitts with them.  It will be my first multi-yarn knit with the colours of dahlia purple, cardinal red, parchment, light sugar plum and log cabin brown.  I wish I had a tiny basket to put these in!

 

 

Malabrigo Plomo Yarn | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I am venturing into the grown-up knitting world with this one.  I got a whole set of plum yarn skeins to make a cable pullover for my husband per his request.  I had fun shopping for the yarn and the pattern.

 

 

Northern California Wildflowers - Wild Radish, Butterweed, Buttercup, Spring Vetch | Whims And Fancies

1.  Pink Wild Radish  2.  California butterweed  3. Buttercup  4. Spring Vetch (my favourite)

 

It is nice to have those warm woollies to don since we have been putting our hiking boots on and heading out right after work. Rain or shine.  I am learning to take close-up photos of wildflowers.  The afternoons have been extremely windy, making it very hard to get good portraits of the flowers.  They are also very small, sometimes no more than a few millimetres.  It takes a long time and a lot of patience, along with crouching in odd positions, waiting for the wind to die down a little.

 

 

Northern California Wildflower Star Lily, Douglas Iris, Redwood Violet, Wild Radish | Whims And Fancies

1.  Star Lily or Death Camas ( beautiful but extremely poisonous )

2.  Douglas Iris  3. Redwood Violet  4. White Wild Radish

 

One of the trails we go to is also a dog park.  The dogs see me crouching at their level and they come by to play with me, running around me while trampling the flowers.  Their joy is so infectious that I can’t help but laugh out loud and play along with them.  Once they move on, I find a different set of flowers and start the process all over again.  It is a lot of fun, you have to take my word for it.

 

 

Northern California Wildflowers | Whims And Fancies

Walking in the woods

 

If you don’t see me here too often, you know where I will be,  at least as long as the wildflowers are on display!

 

 

Camera And Photography Linky Party | Whims And FanciesWandering Camera

I hope to see a few photos of spring in your part of the world on next month’s Wandering Camera link-up.

Happy Spring,
-Soma

 

 

 

Leave a comment

 

A Different Kind Of Reminder

Bear Cub Quilt Pattern

 

Purchase Bear Cub Pattern

 

Few years back we contemplated moving away from California, but I just could not make myself do it.  Despite being aware of the risks of earthquakes, I still want to continue living here.  Then a big earthquake came last weekend in the middle of the night right where we live and gave us a strong jolt.  I cope best by drowning myself in work, so next morning I went into crisis mode and took care of everything methodically.  However, I was shaken up nonetheless.  Even though it still didn’t make me think of moving away, I needed a strong reminder of how much I love the parks and the land here.

 

I had been planning on showing this little bear cub made by Pam Brown this week and, strangely enough, the timing could not have been more perfect.  Talk about coincidence!  Pam made this wall hanging from my bear cub quilt pattern and entered it in the Sonoma County Fair.  This darling little bear cub was entered in the theme celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the California State Parks and Smokey The Bear.  Her bear won the 1st prize AND the Best of Section!!  How amazing is that!!

 

I told Pam that California Parks are very dear to me and I was thrilled to hear that she entered the bear cub in that theme.  I can’t thank her enough for emailing me and reminding me that even though nature shakes us hard now and then, it also offers us a lot of happiness every way it can.  The little bear cubs are part of my vivid memories of time spent in the California Parks.  I am looking forward once again to enjoying the California outdoors that I love so much!

 

 

Napa Earthquake 2014

 

 

We moved to this city earlier this year.  I am so thankful for the kindness of everyone around here, the unexpected visits from people who came to check on us and the emails from my online friends.   This was my sewing room after the quake.  The room is  put back to normal now and you would never know that the quake hit it this hard.  I am actually sitting right inside this room while typing up this post, slowly trying to focus and get back to normalcy.

 

 

Daffodil Quilt Pattern

 

 

I am not ready to sit at my sewing machine just yet.  I have a few designs and hand sewing projects that I can work on and this wall hanging is amongst them.  I still need to finish cleaning up the threads from the circles and then I need to hand sew the binding on it.

 

I am working on a custom pattern for an extremely brave group of people – the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)/Bomb Squd, such a special project!

 

Sew Cute Tuesday

One of the many things that made me smile this week was The Sew Cute Tuesday Link Up at Blossom Heart Quilts.  This is one of the first Linky Parties I joined and I am thrilled to be one of the guest hosts.  Make sure to drop by there to see my Rock Music quilt top and three of my picks from the last week’s link-ups.  I promise you will laugh out loud!!

 

Have a very safe week, everyone!
-Soma

 

 

 

Leave a comment

 

error: Content is protected !!