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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
IT MUST BE SUMMER

I know the calendar says it’s still spring, but around these parts, the strange summer mix of craziness and laziness has already hit. We’ve had hot weather, enough rain for the ark for days, and hot weather again. We’ve had a lovely, long family visit, garden planting (and planting, and planting…it’s still ongoing), the arrival of little chicks (and a new nephew!), a couple of birthday parties, LOTS of lawn mowing, barbeques with friends, the beginnings of preserving (…clover “honey”), and did I mention garden planting? Oh, right, I did. Along the way, I’ve managed to squeeze in a little handwork:

A pair of plain-ish men’s socks (I just couldn’t bear to knit the WHOLE sock in nothing but plain brown, but this way the “pizzazz” is hidden under pants cuffs):



And this is momentous: I finished up a baby afghan that I started crocheting BEFORE I EVEN HAD A YARN SHOP! (That means at least two years before I even had a kidlet of my own! Yikes!) Never say never, right?


I also sewed up a cute outfit for a cute kid I know who just had a birthday, but I don’t seem to have good photo of it. Working now on a pair of mitts for myself for fall out of Kristin Nicholas’s “Kristen Knits”…in between bouts with the hoe outside. Looking lovely, as are my biceps. (We won’t mention my poor, aching back.) Speaking of which, I’d better get out there again, so that I have an excuse to sit down later with an ice cold glass of lemon balm and mint iced tea.

Please send me your comments, I'd love to hear from you:

Newsletter Archives



Thursday, May 06, 2010
BEEN BUSY

 I can’t believe I didn’t get it together to post at least once in April! I was held up by this:


(Cutie little dolly for a cutie little girl.)

And these:


(“Old fashioned” curtains as requested for an “old fashioned” bedroom.)

And these:


(A little pizzazz for my couch cushions.)

And this:


(A brand-new “gaffer” sweater for my own gaffer. Loosely followed general instructions for an Elizabeth Zimmerman saddle-shoulder sweater.)

Whew. Still busy. Trying to finish up a living room with flooring, baseboards and curtains. There’s a little tank top that needs sewing together and arm/neck bands knit. A birthday is approaching and I’d like to sew a few things. Gardening has begun in earnest, with some stuff planted, beds being readied, transplants growing, etc. Yard work is upon us and never ending. And the house needs a good clean for company. Oh, and did I mention it’s yard sale season again? Life is good.

Hope to pop in here again soon.
  Thursday, March 25, 2010
OH MARCH

 What can I say about you? One minute you're sunny and twenty degrees C, inducing picnic blankets and line-dried laundry; the next minute you're soggy and creeping with Fundy Fog; and the next you're blustery and cold ... with SNOW. Hard to get into your head, you know? Do I prune? Do I sow seeds? Do I lie in the sun? Do I hunker down with some good knitting next to the fire? Or suffer with a doozy of a winter's cold and cough and sleep as much as possible? Just a little consistency. That's all I ask. Not that I don't love spontaneity and change as much as the next person, but really, a little bit of time to adjust would be helpful.

Finished these:



(Anklets in Online Beach Socks. Added two cables on the top when I realized after casting on that the socks might be a bit big around for the kiddo. Shhhh: birthday secret.)
Thursday, March 4, 2010

BUSY AS BEAVERS

Yup, there's just nothing like February to ignite that renovation flame. Cabin fever, perhaps? From chicken coop expansion to ripping up flooring to painting walls ... it's all been happening here. I think things are wrapping up a bit, as we're needing to start on outside chores ... pruning and cleaning up a winter's worth of branches blown off in the wind, scrubbing salt and mildew off the house exterior (how, exactly, I'm not sure, but it needs to be done), etc..

There's also been a bit of a whirlwind of knitting happening. The weekly Knitting Social has been a great motivator to try and get a smallish project done between one session and the next. There has been a leetle baby hat (forgot to take a picture), a leetle pair of felted baby moccasins, a Jane Austen shawl (picture to come after blocking ... it turned out lovely with just a hint of sparkle), and some Gena fingerless gloves (promptly claimed by someone who owns a hat out of the same yarn and who now has hands big enough to fit this pattern ... sniff, sniff; do they have to get so big so quickly??):



And something else that I started some time ago, but has been sitting, blocked and waiting for ends to be darned, walls to be painted, a non-skid underlayer to be purchased, and a rocking chair to be fixed, is now ready to go, and looks great on the floor:



This is for the room that was just painted. There's still lots to be done: new boot area flooring, curtains (and there are lots), baseboard moulding, and PICTURES on the wall, but it's coming along. I'll post some before and after photos when we've gotten a bit further.

And what have you been up to?
Friday, Febuary 12, 2010
WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN'

Lovin':

A pair of bunny slippers that were started last May and miraculously still fit ... and are ADORED by their recipient.


A pair of finished cross-country ski socks ... the first of which was knit as a prototype for the pattern The Camper (uh, a few years ago). These have been worn not only for skiing but around the house for days on end. (I know ... I think I'll have to steal them at night, wash them, dry them by the fire, and then return them dry and clean in the morning.)


And for me and the chicken farmer, some kitschy pillowcases.


Also lovin' hosting a 6-week Knitting Social in partnership with our local Health Centre. We had our first session on Monday, with a fabulous turnout and lots of stitchin' and chattin'. Definitely looking forward to the next 5 weeks.

Wishing you love-laden knitting, and maybe even some delectable chocolate this weekend!



Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A NEW YEAR


Happy New Year to all and sundry! I'm sure your holidays were lovely, as were mine. I managed to get most things I'd planned to make as gifts all finished in time.
Yes, I finished the Darrowby Walking Socks, which have been muchly appreciated. (Better late than never.)


There were a pair of jammies and a fleece jumper:

(We won't mention the fact that I cut out the jumper 3 or 4 years ago when it would have fit the older one. Ahem.)

A balaclava, which I didn't manage to photograph before it went into heavy use. I am pretty proud of this knit, as I couldn't for the life of me find a pattern that I thought would be suitable. So I thought to myself, "You can figure this out ... you've designed a million things ... what's your hang-up??" And I did figure it out ... complete with shaping over the nose and slightly down between the brows for better coverage. I'm sure even Spidey would approve.

And I sewed up these cutie little patooties:

These were very fun to make, and were dubbed by the recipients as "Braidy" and "Pinky". I've already cut out another one ... I happen to know a few nieces and nephews that would probably appreciate a dolly whose arms are always ready for a hug.

And since Christmas I've knit myself a functional snow-shoveling watchcap (for which there's no photo ... definitely NOT glamour knitting), sewed up a few potholders, and almost finished a pair of previously started bunny slippers. I hope to tuck a few projects under my belt for my year's "gift cache", because before you know it, time has flown by and it's Christmas Eve (or a birthday) again. Besides, when the snow is snowin', the wind is blowin', and the fire is glowin', you can't help but curl up with a project.


Please send me your comments, I'd love to hear from you:

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