7/19/19

Homeward Bound

We're wrapping things up here at the Traveling Three Cats Ranch. We'll be heading for home right after lunch. It's been a good trip with 50-50 weather...two days of rain, two dry days. You'll notice I didn't say "sunny" days because it's been plenty cloudy, but still warm enough we could have the windows open and we didn't need jackets.

It's been an excellent vacation for slow-stitching. I finished nearly everything I brought along. Yesterday morning, I finished off the third of the three snowmen. And I haven't acquired an iron this trip, so this one is still wrinkly. I'll get a better picture of the three (and of the quilt) when we get home.


Fortunately, I had an emergency back-up slow-stitching project. It's a gift for a friend, and so I'm only showing peeks of it for the time being. Here's where I started.


This project has a new-to-me knot in it, called a Colonial Knot. It's a little like a French knot, but easier to do. It makes a knot that looks a little like a three-petaled flower. My camera couldn't take a detailed enough close-up for you to see the "petals" of the flower, but you can see the knot right here.


If, like me, you've never heard of a Colonial Knot, you can see a demonstration from this video. If you can't see the video, then click right here.


When I was finished with my morning's slow stitching, we were able to get Smitty out for a short walk. He's been rubbing around our legs all week, wanting to go out. As soon as the leash comes out of the cabinet, he hides under the table. We take that as an "ix-nay on the alking-way." (If you can speak Pig Latin, you too can communicate with cats.) Later though...he allowed us to put his harness on, and we got out for a very brief walk.


He was really on the hunt for some grass to nibble. Once he found it and had a few bites, he wanted back in the camper.


It's important to eat your greens.

We waited until after lunch to go out on the boat. It was warm enough, but not particularly sunny. When we got back to the campground, we took a little walk around. Here's something interesting: This tree is growing over the cut-off stump of another tree. We've seen trees growing from nurse logs before, and that's basically what this is. It's just unusual (for us) to see one growing over a still-standing-upright stump.


Also, we noticed this bush covered in hibiscus blossoms. Pretty, huh?


And just one more picture of this incredible clematis.


Mike and I have been discussing planting one of these...I've done most of the talking. He wisely nods his head up and down. It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.

Okay, so that's about it for the news from Lake Wobegon. I'm going to do some more slow-stitching, and then we'll be packing to head for home. Fingers crossed our new method for transporting the kitties without kennels will work. And "Kitties without Kennels" sounds like the feline version of Doctors Without Borders, doesn't it?

13 comments:

Julierose said...

Oh yes it does ;)))
Nice snowman--I can just about make out that colonial knot--looks pretty...
We are expecting more heat--feel-like temps 105-110--
we are in a heat alert from 6 pm through Sunday..ugh..well, I spent quite a bit of time setting up Nefertiti and
then discovering projects I'd started long ago and bringing them into the light of day..;000
Also some die cutting of 3.5" squares for some little 9 patches to go with snowballs...hope your trip home is a safe one hugs, Julierose

Sandra W said...

I discovered the colonial knot a couple of months ago and I think I prefer it to the wobbly french knot.
Your trip sounds successful both on the vacation and slow sewing fronts.

Sally Trude said...

That version of clematis looks like Jackmanii. I had one in Virginia. I am wondering why planting a clematis would require discussion...

dortha said...

The bush with the hibiscus looking blossom looks like an Althea or rose of Sharon. Love the clematis vine.

Nancy said...

I hope you made it thru town before the traffic got bad. I have no idea why it started getting so bad on the south bound trip this afternoon. I never had an accident come up on my app. Our daughter had to come pickup her kids after work this afternoon and coming to Vancouver was fine but going into Portland was backing up.

Kate said...

Hope you had a great last day on the lake and got home safely. I see Smitty did get in his walk before you headed back.

piecefulwendy said...

Hope your travels home went well, for you and the kitties without kennels (I just needed to be able to type that - haha). Pretty flowers around your campground! Glad Smitty could get out and have his greens! I watched the video for the colonial knot awhile ago, and given the fact that I'm hard-pressed to make a decent French knot, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do so great on these either. Maybe I should just try it once. Haha! Welcome home!

Kathy H said...

I got a laugh out of the kitties without kennels! I’m glad you posted the video of the colonial knot. I had not done them before and it does look like it might be a bit easier, especially if you had to make a lot of them. Safe travels home.

Stitches said...

I had made French Knots every since I started embroidering, many years ago until a couple of years ago and I decided to give Colonial Knots a try. I love making them and if you want a larger knot sometimes, you can wrap the thread 2 or 3 times. Colonial Knots just seem more stable to me. That Clematis was awesome, I have one the same color and it was the biggest and prettiest that it has ever been this year but not as pretty as the one you showed us!! And I agree with Sally Trude that it is a Jackmanii Clematis, it's been around for a long time and a great one to plant. Glad your trip was successful, even if it rained and was overcast, you made the best of it!!!

Susan said...

Beautiful Clematis. Your Hibiscus looks amazing like one of my Rose of Sharon flowers.

Sounds like you had a lot of rest and relaxation. Hope the kitties do well without being cooped up in their kennels.

Chris K. said...

I had to learn the colonial knot for a project, and let me tell you it is not easy for a left-hander to figure out from right-handed videos. I keep thinking I should make a video for southpaws.

quiltzyx said...

I like that Colonial knot! Looks a lot easier to make too.

Oh yes, that Clematis will be a spectacular addition to your home garden!!! Mike is a very wise man to just nod his head & agree.

QuiltGranma said...

Too bad that when I started embroidering, about 60 years ago, that there were only pictures to follow, not video tutorials!