A New Month

January has never seemed like the Monday of the calendar to me, but apparently it does to some. I'm imagining those of you surviving the cold winters back east probably feel that way. I saw a meme a while back that said this January was the "Januaryest" January ever. And if you feel that way, then take heart. February has arrived! And February is a short month, so it'll be over soon. And then, March! Spring is practically here already! 

Okay, so I need to back up two days. Since the reveal of my art quilt was yesterday's post, I didn't write anything new. I'll catch up on the goings on here at the Traveling Three Cats Ranch...not that there's much to report. But I want to thank those of you who left such lovely and supportive comments about my quilt yesterday. The quilt is special to me, and so I appreciated the things you said. Thank you.

Since I last wrote I've kept busy with a few things. We got Smitty out for a walk.

And in the time it takes you to read these words and look at these pictures, know that Smitty's walk was over.

The first time out is scary...and besides, his peets were cold.

After that, I decided I'd get to work sewing together these bonus triangles. I'm going to say these were generated over the past year since I went through this exercise last year. There were 440 in all.

I know because I counted the half square triangles as I clipped them apart. 220 total. I ought to be able to do something with those, and there are quite a few red and white ones. With Valentine's Day coming up, maybe I can figure out some kind of heart with them. My friend, Dorothy, posted a picture of a quilt she's making and that gave me inspiration. I'll say more about that if I ever get around to making it. It might be sometime this week, or maybe someone else will inherit all of these and it'll become their problem.

There were a few other odds and ends in the bag. 

I'll figure out a way to use these in a quilt eventually. I can only think that red star had some problem...too big or too small...I really can't remember.

I didn't expect to get them all sewn together and trimmed in a single day, but there you go.

They're all trimmed and sorted by size. They range in size from 1-1/8 inches to 2-3/4 inches.

Oh yes, and the Crabapple Hill Studios sew-along started yesterday. I've been so excited for this! It's one of my favorite projects of the year. This is the first motif. The second one should be posted by the time you read this, and so that's where you'll find me.

Also, I filled my hoop on the 6th blackwork basket. Participating in the stitch-along will slow me down some, but I'll keep working on this as we go along.

Finally, I picked another card for my photography scavenger hunt:

This was actually about the fourth card I pulled. Some of them are not going to work for me. As an example, the first card I pulled was "Sushi," and I don't know...somehow that did not inspire me.

So let's just see what we've got. The first of these were things inside the RV...the placemats on our table.

The glass insert in our pantry door.

And what could be more interesting than kitty whiskers? Smitty has a fine crop of whiskers. 

Here are some fun facts about kitty whiskers. Whiskers are also known as vibrissae, and are thicker, stiffer hairs that are more deeply rooted in the skin. They serve as an important sensory tool for cats since they are rich in nerve endings. Whiskers are not just located on a cat’s muzzle, they are also above the eyes, on the chin, and on the back of a cat’s front legs (carpal whiskers). A cat’s muzzle whiskers help them discern if they can fit into a small or narrow space. Carpal whiskers help cats climb and determine the position of their prey. Whiskers above a cat’s eyes help protect their eyes by triggering an eye blink when they sense something nearing their face. Whiskers are highly sensitive and can detect slight changes in an air current which allows them to maneuver in the dark. A cat’s emotion is expressed through their whiskers. Usually, when whiskers are hanging loosely, the cat is relaxed. Whiskers will typically face forward when a cat is curious or hunting. A scared or upset cat will pin the whiskers towards their face. And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about kitty whiskers.

Moving on...this is the bark of the tree outside our RV.

You saw the mining cart for this in my post a few days ago. Here's the texture of the outside, up close and personal.

A violet prickly pear cactus.

These are the ridges and spines of a saguaro cactus.

This is the side rail of one of the old wagons I showed you on my last excursion.

Here's the more conventional green prickly pear cactus.

And that's all I have. I'll choose another card today, probably. We've been too lazy to get out and do any hiking, and so I've been staying around the RV, taking pictures, slow-stitching, and machine sewing. It's almost like being at home. 

It's time to choose my project for February's 

In February, I want to sew the quilt blocks for the Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs quilt into a finished quilt top. 

Quilting will have to wait until we get home, but I should be able to finish sewing it together while we're on the road.

Okay...so, onward. Let's all have a fabulous February!