Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more

I haven't bought yarn in a while, since my knitting has been seriously curtailed by sore fingers this year.  But when Craftsy had my favorite $11.99 sock yarn on sale for $3.99, I had to act.  I love jewel and earth tones.

I also bought some thicker yarn to knit hats.  I claim the blue!

Some fabric was an amazing 1/3 of the original price.  So even though I don't have projects in mind quite yet (ahem), I stocked up.  

Sommer by Sarah Jane, a 40-piece 10" x 10" layer cake set.

 Half yard Dreamfield bundle set by Lily & Loom (contains 20 half-yard pieces).

Free Spirit by Amy Butler, 5" charm pack (forty squares).

Lily & Loom Strawberry Fizz layer cake (forty 10" squares).

I love all of these charming and cheerful prints, although Dreamfield is my favorite!  I could easily make a large quilt with 20 half-yard pieces of fabric, but you might be wondering about the rest. Why bother with 40 five-inch or even ten-inch squares?  Well, it's just like a meal.  I've heard that if you're trying to save money, don't make meat your main course.  Build your meal around a vegetable or other side and have a little bit of meat as "an accent."  It's the same with quilting.  I can easily match solid-color fabrics to any of these prints and use the printed fabric to bulk out the quilt.  The patterns can be the accent and the overall effect will be just perfect!

We have finally, blissfully had a break from the oppressive heat and humidity.  Mornings are in the 70s now (!!!), at least for a while, and so we decided to take a hike.

I was surprised to see so many webworms!  They're really damaging to trees and spread quickly.

The black dots in the nest?  Caterpillar frass, or excrement.

This little guy will overwinter in tree cracks or in the leaf litter and emerge (in moth form) in early summer.  

 This is a yellow-striped oak worm.

He's another tree pest who will overwinter and emerge as a really attractive moth in early summer!

See this foamy spot on the branch?  It's yet another pest - the spittle bug. As they feed on the tree sap, they secrete "spittle." The spittle purpose is twofold:  it provides humidity, which helps the spittle bug grow, and offers protective covering from predators.

Despite the dry conditions, we saw lots of mushrooms.

And these amazingly complex funnel webs!  They're tornado-like, I think.

{Look away if you're spider-averse!}

We have funnel web spiders in Indiana, but I've never seen such elaborate webs!  Here he waits for his next meal.

I even love to see the insect carcasses caught in old webbing.  There's something octopus-like about this one.

On the home front, I've confirmed that there's definitely a new beaver in town!

They have the sweetest faces and I love to see them at work!

We've also got a heron pair.  I've got one thing on my mind:  heron BABIES!

I'll keep an eye out...and try to be patient!

Have a great week!