I've Been Busy Doing What???

I've been busy becoming a grammy! My first grandbaby, Ryan James, was born on February 5. What a cutie! Of course, I just can't seem to get enough! Above, he's four hours old.
On occasion, he has eyes open and is not fussing. Here he is dressed in a blue hoodie at two weeks, with Grammy adoring him.

I figured now was the time to resurrect the long-ago put away needlepoint. It is a sampler worked in silks and metallic gold, with a wool background. All it required this week was to have a few missed stitches placed; then I took it downtown to Julie-Mar. She will send it off to become a pillow for the sofa in the living room. I have long thought that my grandchildren would enjoy looking at this, and will remember it. What do you think?

Below, you can see the subtle color changes in the hand-dyed silks.
This is about 18 inches wide and maybe a foot tall. Over 100,000 stitches. I really enjoyed this project because of the enormous variety. I made a few changes (for example, the sharp scales on his back were intended for metallic thread; I have difficulty with that, so just did a metallic border, and filled in with ivory.) and that put my own twist on the project.

I have begun a red, white and blue log cabin for RJ; we didn't know whether he was a girl or a boy before his birth, so all my knitting for "the baby" was yellow, beige, mint, aqua. I am so pleased to be able to knit for a boy, and to use bold blues.

I think I am back, having been away from Ravelry, knitting and blogging for nearly two months. Spring is just around the corner, bees are buzzing the sweet mahonia blossoms, and renewal is in the air! It is time for me to take a deep breath and smile at the winter's accomplishments, and get ready for the delicious anticipation that comes with every fresh start! The exhilaration is intoxicating!

Beth