Rain, Rain....

 It is Colonel By Day in Ottawa, and like the last holiday, it has been pouring rain.  On the upside, the patio pots have been doing well.

The tomatoes are starting to ripen. I buy my tomato plants at the garden centre, and they are often a surprise. This year, I have black tomatoes, some small salad tomatoes, and I think I have some orange ones. Nearly every meal includes tomatoes.

Daisy enjoyed a rare sunny moment under the tree.

Although she will not be a large dog, she is a lot bigger than when she arrived.

The knitting continues. I finished the big boy socks, and they are off to Alberta, this week.

The yarn is a DK weight sock yarn, from Area 51 Fibres in Regina, and the colourway is "I survived 2025". 

Because my hands need to be busy, I grabbed some leftovers, and started a pair of baby socks.

I'm sure they will find a little foot, soon. The second sock is already down to the heel.

I need a new project for knitting, but for now, I pulled out my only UFO. It's been on the needles since October 2024. It requires a fair bit of attention, and the pattern is not well written. I've seen several comments on Ravelry about missing lines of pattern. It is a "Choose your own adventure" pattern, mostly in graphs, but more words would be helpful.

With diligent work I think I can manage one more repeat and then the edging, and I will call it done.I know it is hard to tell from the pictures. It looks like a hot mess. However, I hope it will be a nice cowl for somebody, after blocking.

The LYS is having their annual sale this week. I need to compare the projects I think I want to do in the next while, with the yarn I have on hand, and make a shopping list. Yarn sales are dangerous places. I'll post pictures next week.

Apple Blossoms

 

The apple trees are blooming. The backyard is perfumed in the late afternoon. Hopefully, we have lots of bees to pollinate them and give us food for the birds over the winter.

The weather has been crazy. We have had frost warnings with near freezing nights, after a couple of days in the high 20's. It's hard to know how to dress.

I started a shawl, when we first got Daisy and the Olympics were on TV. It was slow going, with a puppy to keep an eye on, so it pretty much got forgotten. Last week, I decided it was time to let it go, so I frogged it, and will use the yarn for a different shawl. 

I started a new one, and it is going much better.

The pattern is easy to follow, and I'm enjoying it.

I've also been working on a new purse for me.

This is the front. I showed the alterations I was making to the pattern on my last blog. Things are mostly fitting together. It's amazing how the bright rainbow zipper just blends into that fabric.

I was asked for baby socks. I need to keep a pair in stock at all times, apparently. I discovered that I had started a pair, for waiting room knitting, that I had forgotten about. I'll finish them and start a new pair for the stock. My friends keep having grandbabies and great grandbabies.

I will close with Princess Daisy, sitting on her throne, looking very regal. The only thought in her mind is " I think I smell BBQ'ed chicken."

Daisy and I wish you a happy week.

Try Not To Make The Same Mistake Twice

 I finally decided on the fabric for my new bag.

That feels right. I haven't had a cat bag for awhile, so it seemed time. In my sorting, I found two pieces of the paw print fabric, so I thought I'd use the smaller piece for the lining of this bag. The cats have been in my stash for about 6 years, I think. It was recently re-released, in darker shades. I like mine better.

I'm going to make the Sunshine Crossbody Bag.  Its a free pattern from Bagstock Designs. 

https://www.bagstockdesigns.com/collections/pdf-sewing-patterns/products/sunshine-crossbody-pouch

As I was preparing the pattern pieces, I had a couple of memories, of bags past, that I need to consider for this bag.  This bag has a front pocket, and I like that for my phone. I made a bag and then got my current phone, and the phone didn't fit in the front pocket. So I checked the zipper size, measured my phone, and thought there wouldn't be a problem.

Then I remembered a passport wallet I made for a friend, where after careful measuring, I discovered that I couldn't fit the passport in, because the zipper pull shortens the opening. So I marked the seam lines, and then marked the length of the zipper pull and slide.

Then I laid my phone on the seamline, with the bottom at the mark for the sipper pull.

I think that needs a little  more fabric.

i added 2 1/2" to the front piece. Now it looks like the phone will fit. Now I just need to find all the pattern pieces that I need to 2 1/2 inches. I'm so glad a remembered that before I cut anything.  And, yes, I decided to go with the bright colored zipper instead of the pastel.

Daisy had a puppy party this week. She invited her litter mate, Luigi, and his family for a playdate. It was a beautiful spring day, and everyone had so much fun.

The children had fun, and can't wait to do it again. I think there will be more puppy playdates, soon.

Where Did You Get That Bag?

 I have carried bags I made for myself for a very long time. I like that they have the pockets that I need, the bag is a suitable size for me, and the fabrics I use are a reflection of my personality. 

However, out in the wild, I get the most interesting response. The conversation goes something like this:

"Where did you get that bag?"

"I made it."

"You're kidding!"

Very weird. Why wouldn't I make it? Where do they think bags come from? Magical elves?

Oh, well. I recently looked at my everyday clutch and decided that it was looking a little worn. Apparently I made it 3 years ago. So it is time for a new bag. Something bright for the spring that is still playing hide and seek.

I was playing in my stash. I recently sorted my fabrics again, to put themes together. At the same time, I pulled some fabric to give to a friend for her latest charity project.

In this box are cats, EMS, animals, Laurel Burch, and crafting themed fabric. I have another 2 boxes this size, though the second one isn't full.

I started putting fabrics together, that I liked.

Take 1:

 It has potential, but that isn;t quite it.

Take 2:

Maybe, but I think I want something a bit brighter. I have some cork that might work. I think I'll keep playing.

I finished some knitting this week.

Baby socks and one adult sock. The second adult sock is approaching the heel.

The flowers are trying to appear.

Snowdrops and crocus on a damp and  grey day. The forsythia is starting to get a yellow tinge.

Daisy is growing, too.

Her days as a lap dog are numbered. 

This is the dining room conservatory.

Six Hibiscus flowers opened this morning. They are obviously ready for it to be spring. 

Catching Up

 Between puppies and finishing Polaris, I have a bit of catching up on other things.

After I finished Polaris, I did a tidy of my space, cleaned my machine, changed the needle, wound some bobbins, dusted. Now I'm ready to start something new. However, I was running out of my usual Dove Grey thread. It is the colour I use the most of. 

I ordered some more Aurifil thread from Karen Neary. My thread arrived in two days, and you can see that Karen cares about her product.

Look at how pretty it comes wrapped.

It is so nice to see the care taken.

Some grey, fuchsia, and purple, now what will I do with that?

BTW, this isn't a paid product endorsement, I just love the way the packages come.

I finished my first weird sock.

As I suspected, it is the wrong shape for my foot.

See the wrinkles at the ankle, too much fabric for my foot. So I have frogged it. It was an interesting learning experiment, so the effort wasn't wasted. Back to the heel flap and gusset.

Daisy's favourite person went out without her this morning, for a whole hour. Here she is guarding his shoes and awaiting his return. An hour is a long time when you are little.

New Projects

Polaris is currently on temporary hiatus as other projects have distracted me. I did get the batting and backing organized before I set it aside. 

First up, it is time for the winter Olympics. I live in a winter country so, yes, I watch. Snowboarding is my favourite sport, a long with free style skiing. I have actually never gone downhill on a board. I have done Xcountry skiing, but not in a long time. 

Olympics require a knitting project. It needs to be sufficiently interesting to fill the times between competitors' runs. So I chose a yarn that was waving at me from my stash, and cast on a shawl.

The yarn is from Fireweed Fibre in Winnipeg. It is Sweet Pea Sock, in the colourway "32 Is The New 23".

I am knitting another Through the Witch's Garden Shawl., by Melinda Measor.

I got this far, yesterday, watching Big Air.

My partner for watching the Olympics is my new puppy, Princess Daisy. 

She is about 10 weeks old, and arrived at our house on Saturday. She came a long way, from the North of Canada, North of Iqaluit. She took a plane from her community to Iqaluit and another plane from Iqaluit to Ottawa.

Northern communities often don't have health care providers for their animals, and might get a visiting vet once or twice a year. So they have a puppy problem. Daisy's mother and her entire litter came to Ottawa through a rescue organization. Mom has been spayed and returned to her loving family and the puppies are now up for adoption, here. 

I saw her on the website, and I knew she would be a good fit for our house. She loves snow and enjoys watching snowboarding with me. 

Its A Start

 I usually blog on my desktop computer but it decided that it wanted to update, whether I wanted to, or not. So I'll try using my Chromebook.  Every time I do this, I need to fix the type size and the font, so I can read it.

My plans for blogging weekly have failed already. I am blaming this.

Poor Doug had to have surgery this week. Keeping him quiet has been a two person job. He looks so miserable hugging his new snake. 

I finished my not so matching striped socks.

Oddly, they match at the toe but no where else. 

I started some fingerless Mitts. The first one just needs the thumb cast off.

I've been playing in my sewing room, trying to figure out what scraps to keep and which to toss or donate to the local Kindergarten. After about half an hour of sorting this afternoon, I took a couple of larger scraps and cut them into a good size for a sock project bag. I interfaced them and found a suitable zipper.

The zipper is actually purple, not black. 

Progress is being made on getting my stash sorted and rehoming the stuff I know I'll never use. 

Hopefully, I'll manage to be back here next week, with more progress.

Aurora Watching

For a few days, around October 10, the Aurora Borealis created a glorious light show that was seen in most of North America (and Europe). 

I live on the edge of a major Canadian city, where light pollution makes it so the sky isn't really ever dark, but this is what we saw.

 I want a nail polish in that colour!

My son, in Northern Alberta, sent his sky at the same time.

Much further north and away from any big cities.

So, I got some fabric that help my granddogs remember the lights.

I am making them bandanas.

I am also making them Halloween bandanas.

This is called Little Tricksters.

Fall is here, but last week, I got one last treat of late raspberries at the farm stand. 

My last summer breakfast until spring, raspberries, granola and Greek yogourt.

It was a chilly morning, so I added a DIY Cafe Mocha.

I just add milk free hot cocoa powder to brewed coffee and add some "squirty" cream.

The trees are at their best. winter will be here soon. It is already snowing in the north.

So I started a winter cowl in the same colours. This is a really mindful project, requiring a lot of concentration.

I am actually further along than this, but it will be and interesting knit. The yarn is called "French River- PEI" from Ancient Arts Yarn. The pattern is called Shocktopus and is by Kim O'Brien Evans.

I am continuing to sort through my craft supplies. I have a bag for the garbage, today, as well as 4 bags of donations to groups and friends. I saw somebody refer it it as Swedish "I Will Have To Move, Someday" Cleaning, and I think that is a great description.