Recycling Beads From Lace Scraps

Yesterday's weather was much nicer and was really appreciated. Especially when you get a yellow banner at the top of the page saying "Winter Storm Watch". Today the banner is red and bigger as we will get the winter storm and high winds. Our third big storm since Christmas. 

Lifestyle

With a nicer day yesterday, people were out and about. Runners with and without dogs ran the trails in an area north of us. Families were out making snowmen and having snow ball fights. Everyone was having some fun before the storm rolls in later today. 
With the storm rolling in, I am having headaches due to the changes in air pressure. They come and go letting me know the storm is coming. 
Our bedroom was cleaned and laundry was folded. Monday morning housework it seems. I try to do some each day of the week so I can have the weekends off. 
Elliott loves green plants and was eyeballing my shamrock from the minute it arrived in the house. 

Said plant is now residing up high in the sewing room out of his reach. 

Sewing

I started sewing on Anna's dress and it is such a nice pattern that I almost finished it by late afternoon. I have to hem the dress and put on buttons. 

I shortened the dress by 1/2" and it looks quite cute on Anna. 

She quite like the length and is waiting for me to finish it. I have to get buttons for the front. I would love to find black flower buttons but may have to settle for white flowers. 

Kate's pearls were borrowed for the pictures. 
On Sunday, I trashed some small pieces of expensive lace. Why I had them is beyond me. I looked at them in the trash can and I dug them out. I pulled all the pearls off them to make necklaces. Recycling the beads let me not feel bad about throwing out the lace trim.

 There are enough small beads to make a longer necklace for Anna to wear with her black sweater. I will put clear seed beads between the pearls and will leave out the longer pearls. 

These beads are larger and most were left from Kate's necklace. I was able to add a few more to the stash and will start stringing them to make Anna a chocker length necklace. I hope to use the longer pearls in this one. Ideas are rolling in my head. 

Knitting

On Sunday, I set up the yarn swift to try it out. 

When I finished playing, I had done a lot of yarn cakes. 

The front cakes are Daughter-in-laws and the back ones (three) are mine. I have a shawl and socks planned. The socks will have a new heel idea incorporated into my pattern. The shawl will be a long term project doing only a few rows a day. 
The black sweaters got put into a bucket of cool water and left to soak for an hour. They are now blocked and drying on a towel. Two things were noted. The black wool left the water with a black tinge to it; they bled dye. The yarn is softer than before soaking. 
I started knitting Kate's white sweater out of cotton yarn. It is really nice to knit and is quite soft. In three hours, I was ready to knit the row where I put the sleeves on waste yarn. I hope to be knitting the sleeves tonight. 

Knitting the pattern the second time is a lot easier than the first. I know the pattern and white makes seeing the stitches easier. I will do this pattern once more in a denim colored yarn. Then it will be put away until I have more left over yarn to make another one. 

Today

I need to get some groceries first thing and clean up the living/dining room. Once that is done, I would like to finish Anna's dress and start on Kate's Easter dress. Knitting tonight will be on Kate's sweater. I am hoping this will keep my nerves less jangled with the wind we are expecting. 
Until the next time..................