Prayer Shawl(s)

Today went well. I got most of the big projects on my list under control. What I'm going to show you is the completed prayer shawl. I left it with three edging rows. Finished off all the loose ends. Put it in the dryer with a damp towel to pull off all the hairs (even with no dogs or cats here, things seem to be rather hairy.)

And I wanted to get the next one started before I leave. The first couple of rows are always the hardest- you have to really pay attention to get them right. So I got into the third row and the second color. This verifies the size will be about what I want.

Last year, I went on the train and took the one I just completed. It was sport weight yarn and took up very little space. It did use up some of my yarn stash, but it wasn't a genuine scrap-craft afghan.

Since I'm taking the car this time, there is room for a bigger handicraft box (I don't have a tub the right size, but a box is fine.) And this is worsted weight yarn, so the whole thing will go much faster. I actually bought a pattern. I was going to figure it out by looking at the picture, but the pattern was only $4, so really... why give myself the headache?

Here is the stash that is going with me. The directions say that each row takes about 30 yards of yarn. So I checked one leftover wad of yarn and it was just over 30 yards. I rolled that up and used that as my standard. Any little balls smaller than that one I don't need to take with me. Any yarns that have enough just alike (same color and dye lot) to potentially make a single project I don't need to take. What I have is 42 different colors, and most of them are enough to do more than one row.

It's packed and in my travel pile.

The other biggie I got done today was to write this month's column for the Ludington Daily News. I do have to find a couple of pictures to go with it, but that won't be too hard. I'll do that in the morning. And I worked out the logistics for one of my visits that was starting to get gnarly. I think the itinerary is all set now.

Then I have a lot of smaller jobs that I hope to get through tomorrow. And it's supposed to be nice, so hopefully I can take a walk. Friday will be for finishing any remaining tasks and packing the car. Whew!

Saturday, I'm on my way with the first stop to be selling books at the Gun Lake Winterfest in Wayland, MI. Lots of fun activities too. Stop in if you are nearby.

See Prayer Shawl Sunday

Moose In Boots - Page Twelve

Today has been stressful, but I did finish one more page. I'm not sure if I'll get any more done before I leave on Saturday.

This page was so simple, there's really not much to add to it.

My car had a little issue in the middle of the day that chewed up a fair amount of time. I was planning to take a decent walk, but that got shortened to a fast 2 miles. At least I got that much. The car is fine. Bell practice. Short grocery list.

I got the entries in for the MOWA Contests. But my list to accomplish before Saturday is long.

Miles walked in 2026: 41.5

Ludington streets, 2.0 miles.

See Moose in Boots- page 11

Moose In Boots - Page 11

Another fairly easy page, except that getting the moose ok at this particular scale is harder than I think it should be. I need to work on touching up his eyes a little more.

I said I'd show you more about why the watercolor pencils are so nice. First, this is some sample patches where I was trying out different colors and mixes for the skin and hair. Labels are just enough so I won't forget which colors I used. This is taken with the camera, not a scan, so the color isn't as good, but you get the idea.

Then, I decided I really needed to see how the skin tone I picked was going to look on a face, so I just sketched an outline and colored it in. You can build in some texture with how heavy of a line you make with the pencils and how much water you brush it with.

I decided I liked this tone. I didn't want it to be very pink.

And for her hair, I wanted her to be blond, but not really pale blond. I chose honey and cinnamon pencils. You can see that by making some loopy strokes with the cinnamon and pressing a little harder the impression of layers of curls is pretty good. I also did her plaid shirt with the pencils.

Most of what I did today was try to get my entries ready for the 2025 Michigan Outdoor Writers Awards. It's a total pain to get them formatted the way they want, but I often win something, so I do it. I'm close to submitting. Maybe I'll finish this evening. Maybe not.

And I have done three edge rows around the prayer shawl. Have to decide if that's enough or if I want four.

See Moose In Boots- page 10

Bell Choir - February 2026

Monthly Bell Choir Sunday! We have played both of these previously, but not for a while. The first is the familiar "Just As i Am."



This one is harder and quite interesting. It's an arrangement of "God of Grace and God of Glory." The tune is also often used with the words for "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I think we did a better job with it this time.



After church I took a walk while I was in town. You can call me wimpy, but I did the paved Cartier Park again for two reasons. 1. My knee is better but I don't want to twist it walking on weird surfaces. 2. I wanted to wear sneakers rather than my boots because the boots are hurting a toe.

Worked on page 11, and did another edge row on the prayer shawl.

Miles walked in 2026: 39.5

Cartier Park, twice around the loop and both spurs plus enough more to get to 3.0 miles.

See Bell Choir- January

Moose In Boots - Page 10

Moose in Boots page 10 is done, and 11 is started.

This was a simple page, and there isn't much to show of interest having to do with progress. I just did the washes and added details. Probably the most interesting thing is the ground around the tent. It is three colors splotched on and then wet down and part of the color lifted off with a paper towel.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in some of my new art toys... er, tools. I put a sampling on a towel to display. Clockwise from top left.

I got a set of 11 permanent ink pens with tips in sizes from 0.003 mm to 3.0 mm plus a brush tip. These are awesome! I'm better with pen and ink than paint any day. These allow me to add all the details.

Next is two different kinds of artist sponges. I've used those for the spring trees and the dappling on the granite-wear pans.

For the first time in my life, I invested in some decent brushes. I got a pack of 10, but so far, I've only used these two. They have beautifully pointed tips and they hold their shape. I may be in love.

Watercolors. I am still using the el cheapo sets, plus some more colors I bought. The small tubes (I bought 7) came from Hobby Lobby. I wouldn't have gotten so many, but they are closing out that line and the tubes were 87¢ each instead of $3.50. I needed black, and discovered the sale. The tube of blue that looks different is from a different cheap set of colors from Dollar General. Technically, you should be able to mix any color you want, but it's nice to have a few more options to start with.

Finally, the other brushes and container on the left are the masking fluid. It was nice that they sent a few cheap brushes to use with it, because it's rough on brushes

I also bought more paper. It's not really good paper, but it's fine for a kid's book. It's more of the same kind I started on, and I sure didn't want to switch in the middle and discover that the textures were different or something.

I think I should also re-share the picture of the set of watercolor pencils I asked for at Christmas seven (how can it be that many?) years ago. I am actually using them quite a bit for small spaces, and you'll see a good example of their use on page 11, which I have started.

It was a pretty laid-back day, which I was glad of. I did more small tasks, completed one edging row around the prayer shawl (it will need at least 3, but the first is the hardest), and edited.

I leave for the East in one week, so I need to get my tush in gear.

See Moose In Boots- page 9