Submarine Tour

Good morning,

I took this picture out of the window of my stateroom aboard Freedom of the Seas. 

That's a "submarine" being towed behind another boat near Cozumel, Mexico.  The sub is a tour that you can take where you "feel" you are in the sub, but are not actually going below the surface.

It's just another one of the tour experiences available that can be lots of fun.

Enjoy,
Lois

Cozumel, Mexico

Good morning,

Today pictures were taken while we were tied up in Cozumel, Mexico.

There are plenty of things to eat, see, buy, and do right at the port.

It is all within walking distance.

Or, you can take a cab and go "downtown."

Many cruisers don't get past the Frog right at the dockside, though.

 Above is a barge unloading pipes next to the cruise ship dock.

 I took these images in the afternoon as most people were returning to the ship after another tiring day in port. 

Enjoy!

Lois

Saturday Treat Repeat

Yep, we're having this again.  :)

Norwegian Waffles, Ice Cream, Strawberry Topping, and Whipped Cream

There is nothing more to say except YUM!

Cruise Ship Reflections

Good morning,

Here's another of my favorite shots from the deck of Freedom of the Seas.

This time we were tied up in port and I was out looking at the port when I realized the view of the sea reflecting in the windows of the dining room was so gorgeous.

It's beautiful out here!

All the best,
Lois

Needlework and Wood Update - June, 2014

Good morning,

Here we go with another monthly Needlework and Wood Update.  Items in this post were completed since last month's update.  I usually surprise myself when I see how much we have accomplished and am glad to have the updates as historical data of completed items. 

I hope my crafty and other family and friends enjoy seeing these, too.  :)

Above is a special order sweater in the adult version of a children's sweater I made earlier.

This wine bottle dress and hat happens to be the school colors of both my high school and university.

The perfect gifts to partner with the wine bottle dress and hat are turned wood and chrome wine bottle stoppers.  These two were a special order, too.

This was the month of lap blankets, too.  Above is a forest green and jewel tones...

...this one in greens and blues...

...and this one in shades of gray.  These are very nice to have to have in your car or when you want to cuddle up in your favorite chair with a good book.  I made similar lap blankets for my Mom when she was confined to a wheel chair.

This was also a month when I made quite a few cloche hats that are a fashion statement or a cancer therapy chemo cap.

Of course, there are so many colors and styles to make!

These are all my original designs.  This one is in my brother's university colors.  I'm sure most people will know what university that happens to be.  ;)

 Of course, I have to make a few critters each month.  Above is a tray of octopus...

 ...and here are a half dozen baby turtles.

 A new little doll came to life, too, with a matching baby blanket.  This set is made with a very special soft yarn.

A few days ago I posted about the assembly of this full size afghan blanket in colors of the tropics.  I just love all of these bright colors.  What a gorgeous blanket for anywhere from a sun room to a sick room.

Quite a few sets of luggage identifiers were made this month, too.

One set of these little disks will help you speed through claiming your luggage in cruise ship or airport terminals.

 These were all special orders this month.

I made this set of three dish cloths (or mug rugs, or snack mats, or spa cloths...) to restock a similar set that was sold in the shop.  I love these colors together.

And, finally for this month's update are two more turned wood pens that My Honey...

...made in his wood workshop. 

What have you been working on this month?  I so enjoy seeing all the fantastic photography, craft projects, baked goods, and gardens of my blog friends.

All the very best,
Lois

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EvensensProductions.com

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Returning to the Mother Ship

Good morning,

These folks are returning "home" to the "mother ship" Freedom of the Seas from a day ashore in St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies.

If you don't want to walk, you can ride the free shuttle.  The merchants on the dockside are quite happy to provide transportation for you to get to their shops.  ;)

The line looks long, but it goes quickly.

Don't be late!  Unless you are on a tour scheduled by the ship, the ship won't wait for you if you return after the scheduled departure time. 

Enjoy,
Lois

St. Maarten Colors that Inspire

Good morning,

These images were taken from deck 4, Freedom of the Seas, while tied up in St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies.

These are some of the gorgeous brilliant colors that inspired the crochet blanket featured in my post two days ago.

Color!  I just love combining the colors I find while traveling into my needlework.

If you knit, crochet, or quilt do you do the same?

Enjoy,
Lois

Boleros - Freedom of the Seas - Dancing With an Officer

Good morning,

I'm on a "walk about" on board Freedom of the Seas once again.

I've shown you Boleros before, but this time the chairs were moved away from the dance floors in this bar on Deck 4.  Above is the dance floor on the starboard side of the ship.

The walls of this large bar have gloriously beautiful glass flowers.  The artwork on board the ship is spectacular.

 Above is the dance floor and musicians area in the same bar on the port side of the ship.

 And this is the main bar area of Boleros.

I've managed to get these pictures on a port day while the bar is closed and most guests are ashore.  It is set up for the evening event "Dancing with an Officer."  Some of the officers are available to dance with guests for one evening during the cruise.  It's a volunteer event for the officers and some of them enjoy it tremendously as do the guests.

All the best,
Lois

Flower Blanket - Putting Them All Together

Good morning,

This post is about design and assembly techniques to make a large size flower afghan blanket.   Early in the design process I group yarn colors together then make squares, squares, and more squares.  This is my own raised flower design.  The three dimensional design adds texture and warmth to the finished blanket.

In the image above I've laid out all of the 80 squares for the blanket on the bed to arrange them to crochet together.

I used a piece of yarn to "string" the squares in the order I want to put them together...

This way, I won't lose them, get them out of order, and they can be kept neatly until each square is ready to be added to the finished blanket.

Lots of squares!

 After they are all strung, I place the whole "pile" of strung squares into a large tote bag arranged with the squares to use first on the top.  They won't "get away" and will stay clean sitting on the floor next to me where I can grab the next square as I put them together.

 The first two are together.  :)

 Here's the finished blanket that will be included in this month's Needlework Update in a few days.  These are colors of the Caribbean:  turquoise water, white caps, sand, and brilliant colors of tropical flowers and birds.  Gorgeous colors together!

All the best,
Lois