Welcome Home Mr. DillyDally!

Mr. DillyDally spent the past few weeks back in the midwest visiting family.  He was there before Brother DillyDally had returned to Alaska for the summer. 

Here Brother is with his youngest cousins ... they live in South Dakota.  It is so great to have a picture of them together!

 As a young child, Brother was his grandfathers constant shadow.  They would leave for hours at a time and enjoyed many adventures together.  Because of their time together, Brother has developed a lifelong interest in farming and agriculture ... even though it is so different from where he was raised on the Alaskan coast.  Grandpa was also the one who taught Brother how to drive.  These two share many treasured memories.

Nana has the patience of a saint ... Brother and Grandpa would bring home all kinds of things that required her assistance.  Once they picked stole a ton of apples from other farmsteads ... and Nana was required to hide the evidence by making many jars of apple butter!

Mr. DillyDally spent a lot of time with our firstborn, Sister DillyDally.  She lives in the city, so he had a chance to enjoy the urban lifestyle!

They returned to South Dakota to spend Mother's Day ... Cousin Linnea and Sister have a special bond!

Sister and Nana share many passions ... their Swedish heritage ... American Girl dolls ... Anne of Green Gables ... fashion design just to name a few.  They spent a great deal of their time together in artistic pursuits ... again, Nana's patience was put to good use.

As a birthday gift from friends, Mr. DillyDally and Sister were invited to a Twins Baseball game!  Unfortunately for everyone except Mr. DillyDally, the weather was cold and rainy.  They were freezing ... Mr. DillyDally was comfortable ... cold and rainy is our norm up here! ;-) 

We are always amazed at our daughter ... who grew up here in our remote corner of the planet ... who now lives and works successfully in the big city.  She is so comfortable having a foot in each world, even though they are so different from one another.  Mr. DillyDally loved his time with her ... she is a joy!

Yesterday, when he arrived home, he returned to his role as  "The Grill Master"!  Friends shared their King Salmon catch with us ... it is impossible to describe how good it was!  Freshly caught Copper River King is being enjoyed all over the globe as well as on our dinner table ... the first of the season ... both DillyDally men are home ... yep ... life is darn good!

A Change in Season!

Yep ... signs of the change in season are everywhere in my remote corner of the planet!

The sun has already been up for a while when this picture was taken from my front deck at 5:00 am.

 All the ice has melted on Eyak Lake.

Our local garden supply store is open!

The sun is still so bright at 8:30 pm that it is difficult to work on our digital scrapbooking project.

Much of the snow on the mountains has melted ...

... and the rivers are swelling from the run off.

Our seasonal restaurants and businesses have reopened!

Kysa is especially happy because ...

... Brother DillyDally has returned from college for the summer!

Our boat harbor will empty today ...

... because our famous salmon are returning to their home, the Copper River.

We watched the commercial gill net fishing fleet leave today...

... to harvest those salmon.  We can't wait to see that wild salmon on dinner plates all around the world, including our own! ;-)

Teacup isn't as easily impressed ... she only tolerates our enthusiasm and finds us all somewhat irritating! ;-)

And then ... like frosting on a cake ... a small bit of green revealed itself today!  We welcome and embrace this change in season!  Enjoy the changes in your corner of the planet as well!  Do dillydally!

Happy Birthday Mr. DillyDally!

Today is Mr. DillyDally's Birthday!  He was the first born in a family of five children...I always have loved the fact that he was born near Mother's Day!  In honor of the day, I decided to scan and share some photos of him teaching his children the things he loves to do.  Sister is three (1986) in the photo above...she had received her first pair of cross-country skis for Christmas.  She always referred to him as "my papa"... like someone else might claim him ... ;-) !  Her Papa is strapping on her skis for her first lesson!

By 1991 Sister had learned to share her Papa with Brother ... this is a picture of him teaching Brother DillyDally how to fish for salmon.  Brother is three and had received the fishing pole that Papa is holding for his birthday.  Hard to believe that a pole that size can catch anything!  ;-)

Wonderful memories ... have a wonderful day Papa DillyDally!

Happy Mother's Day!

They didn't arrive with instructions ... each a blessing ... I continue to cherish every moment of this journey called motherhood!

Have a dillydally day!

First "Sew to Go" Project

This was the view from my front deck at 5:00 am this morning ... heavy cloud cover ... tide receding ... still water ... what a peaceful way to begin the day.  I also wanted to share with you how light it is that time of the morning, even in very cloudy weather.

Next thing to share ... the QBee's first "Sew to Go" project that we did to prepare for our trip to "Quilt Minnesota"!  

This was the inspiration for the project ... I received it as a gift a few years back from QBee Dena.  She and I are Co-Presidents of the Alaska Chapter of the Terry Atkinson Fan Club!  ;-)  It is a long story ... the important thing is that it provides the two of us with hours of entertainment that only we find funny!

As you can see ... I have used it a lot!  See the coffee stains and the notes I made while planning last summer's "QBee and Me Minnesota Shop Hop"?  You can begin reading about that adventure here.  The point is that I take it with me when I travel, and it has proven to be very useful.  It holds a 5 x 8" notebook and easily fits into an average sized purse.  I made a few modifications ... here goes ...

Begin by cutting the following:

• Front fabric                     cut 12.5 x 9" rectangle
• Lining fabric                   cut 12.5 x 9" rectangle
• First pocket fabric         cut 12.5 x 9" rectangle
• Second pocket fabric    cut 12.5 x 6" rectangle
• Timtex                             cut two 5 x 7.5" rectangles
• Batting                            cut larger than 12.5 x 9" rectangle
• Label fabric                    cut 3 x 4.5" rectangle
• Label Timtex                  cut 2.5 x 4" rectangle

If you want to put a label on the front of your cover or embellish it in anyway, now is the time.  I just took a silhouette of the state of Minnesota ... stained it with crayons to match the color of the cover and hand wrote the information with a permanent pen ... lined it with the timtex and topstitched it in place.

On the back side of your lining fabric place the timtex rectangles 1/2 inch from the outer edges ... sew in place as pictured.

To create the pockets, take each fabric rectangle and fold in half lengthwise ... press a permanent crease on the fold.  Layer them as shown ... pin ... and baste in place 1/8 inch from the outer edge.

Place batting on cutting mat ... put front fabric on top right-side up ... fold back corners and trim batting.

Place lining right-side down on top of front fabric.  Pin in place leaving a generous opening at the bottom.  Sew around rectangle using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Trim batting to the stitching line and turn right side out.  Tuck in seam allowance of opening ... top stitch around the entire rectangle.

 I used painter's tape to mark the center sewing line.  Stitch down the center beginning at the bottom to secure the pockets in place, and continue to the top.  This stitching line acts like a binding in a book.

Add the notebook ... fold in half ... and you're ready to "GO"!

Here is the original ... and the two I made Sunday morning while testing my modifications ...

...yep ... I was happy with the way they turned out!

This is the one Terry B made ... love the bird theme ... so happy ... I always love how a person's fabric choices reflect them!  Too fun!

QBee Lila had to leave town Sunday for a business trip so she came by with her fabric, and I made it for her ... again, the fabric matches the QBee!  Love it!

I'm already planning the next "Sew to Go" project ... team building ... it's the dillydally way! ;-)

Here's the view at 10:00 pm tonight ... still heavy cloud cover ... but plenty of light!  I love the extra light this time of the year ... more light to dillydally by!  Have a wonderful weekend ... and ... do dillydally!

A New Dilly Dally Path...

It's often hard to leave the familiar behind and take a stroll down a new path.  A journey into the unknown can be thrilling, but also intimidating ... and entered with hesitation and anxiety.  I have been designing my own nordic style sweaters for just over 20 years.  These were my first...

... I was so proud of them ... now, all I can see is how they could be improved!  ;-)  Makes me giggle!

Nordic style sweaters are easy to design ... thanks to Elizabeth Zimmerman ... believe me, I have no special talent! During the past 20 years, I've made multiple yoke styled sweaters like these for every member of the DillyDally family ... both pullovers and cardigans.  After that I moved on to drop shoulder styled sweaters ... and eventually raglan.  I've designed and knit them bottom-up ... top-down ... in the round and back and forth.  But there has always been a style that I have deliberately avoided ... until now...

... a shaped sweater ... with the dreaded "set-in" sleeve!  YIKES!!!  Yes ... I have knit shaped sweaters with set-in sleeves using the patterns of others ... but never designed my own! 

A friend and KBee that I work with wears a ready-made cardigan that I really like the style of ... I borrowed it from her (but dang ... forgot to take photos) and took measurements to establish a percentage system I could apply to Sister DillyDally's body measurements.  As you've seen in earlier posts, I began designing this sweater a while back and just recently finished knitting the body.  The above photo is the back of the cardigan...

... this is the front.  It will be cut up the center to split it and then the button plackets will be knit on.  Soooo ... I've finished the easy part ... shaping armholes is simple ... the challenge is designing the sleeves to fit properly.

With anxiety and a great deal of trepidation I have begun the first sleeve ... and am taking deep breaths as I travel this unknown path.  All you dillydalliers out there in blogland  ... I hope for you the courage I am seeking ... and wish for you the luck I'll need ... to take a new dillydally path of your own.  Onward! ;-)

Honoring My Mother's Birthday

Today would have been my mother's 74th birthday ... May Day has always been extra special ... we celebrated spring and her birthday!  Since her death, I've tried to spend her birthday in a way that honors her and what she taught me.  My mother was a wonderful friend ... I dedicated this weekend to focusing on what she taught me about serving others in friendship.  

Our lives are pulled in so many directions that we often find ourselves with little time and energy to share with those outside our family that are important to us ... our friends.  On Wednesday I decided to have a few knitting friends over for dinner Friday night.  By Thursday I had nearly talked myself out of it, because I wouldn't have time to clean my house or prepare a gourmet meal!  I had lost my focus ... I wasn't doing this to impress my friends, my intent was to nurture our relationship!  So before I could change my mind, I called and invited them. 

In honor of my mother, I planned a "Farm" themed menu.  We had old-fashioned meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, green salad ... plain, hearty, solid food ... nothing fancy, just nourishing.  No one noticed my lack of housekeeping or complained about the simple meal ... it was just a joy to spend time together.

Because they know me well ... and accept my quirkyness ... they appreciated my centerpiece! ;-)  See how I altered it for the Easter holiday?  Plastic Easter eggs and grass really dress up the Dilly Dally fabric scraps, don't you think?  Martha Stewart would be impressed I'm sure ... NOT! ;-)

While dessert was in the oven ...we knitted ...

... we giggled ...

... we solved the world's problems.  And then we ate cake!  Old-fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Coconut Frosting ... it was one of the first recipes my mother ever taught me to make.  It was called "old-fashioned" then ... what a hoot!  It was a wonderful evening with a few of my KBees (knitting buddies) ... I'm so grateful I didn't talk myself out of it ... time with friends is a treasure!

Today, I planned an event with the QBees that are traveling to Minnesota with me this summer.  

Only two were able to make it today ... but we had a great time!

I came up with a project that creates an item that will be useful during our travels.  I'll share more on the project in a later post!

I shared the 10 day itinerary that I've created for the trip ... gosh, I get excited every time I think about it!  My mother taught me the importance of sharing with friends ... when we have or find something good, we should share it!  Ever since I stumbled across the Minnesota Shop Hop in 2007, I have wanted to share it with my friends! ;-)  And this year, it is finally going to happen!

Terry brought in a quilt top she recently finished for her great nephew!  He is really into lizards ... he is lucky to have Terry as a great aunt!  The quilt is beautiful ... even if it is covered with reptiles! ;-)

Dillydallying with friends ... what a great gift.  I appreciate all that she taught me ... her gift for understanding, supporting and loving others ... I pray that I am able to do some of that ... and hope to pass a bit of her abilities on to those I love. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you and miss you everyday!