I like #326

 Not much is happening on the crafty front lately, almost everything is focused on work and construction and mud.  However, there's good stuff anyway.

Last Thursday I went to the annual College of Medicine Alumni Association Gala, its the one big fancy work event each year.  This year they let us take home the centerpieces so it was exciting to have fun flowers in the wet cold snowy rainy winter!

On Saturday they demoed the backyard for the new concrete for the porch.  Unfortunately it's been really wet and rainy so we had a giant giant mud pit for a few days straight out the backdoor.  I was constantly sweeping, the bed and sofa were full of dirt, and it was just a giant mess.  I had to put on muck boots to get into the studio.  But then it dried up enough to pour the concrete and by yesterday evening the dogs were allowed on it, so now even though there's still tons of mud at least the dogs don't go straight from it into the house.  I spent two hours cleaning floors last night and it is (at least temporarily) so much better.  

I'm very excited about the concrete, it's nice and bigger than my old porch footprint.  And I learned I can move my fence, so I'm not even sad anymore about losing garden space.  

While they were tearing up the old concrete on Saturday Blue and Spooky and I went out for a nice hike.  It was good to get outside and not be at the hourse during the noisiest of the demo, this whole process has been super stressful for the dogs anyway.

I did do one small sewing project this weekend, I made my annual donation quilt for the SAQA spotlight auction.  It's inspired by a kelp forest.  The quilts are very small, 6x8 matted down to 4.5 x 6.5.  Because the quilts are matted, 3/4" all the way around doesn't show, and they recommend you use a flat finishing (i.e. not a bulky binding or facing. Mine has some dimensional elements on it so I was careful to make sure those didn't go into the area where it would be matted.  This is the quilt, it looks kind of funny as is, but once matted it will look more like the second picture below.

And I'm still having fun putting together outfits with lots of handknits.  In the summer when it's hot I wear the same basic stuff, but in the winter it's fun to dig stuff out of my closet and do things a little more put together. Lots of times I even start with the shawl and handknit socks and then do the outfit.

For Valentine's Day!

This was today's, ignore the dumb face.

I hope thereare nice things in your life this week!  Click over to LeeAnna's for more!