Trust the Process

 The Quilt the North project for the second box is foundation paper piecing. It has been awhile since I did any FPP. So, I started my new year off, trying to remember how I do it. Because the fabric is supplied, I need to be careful not to make a mistake, because I don't have extra. 

Yesterday, I finished the star in the middle. After a bit of a rocky start, I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Karen suggests that you use freezer paper for the foundations, but I don't have any in my stash that fits in my printer, so I used foundation paper, since I did have that.

Our grey, snowy weather has invited knitting by the fire. So my first finish of 2026 is a hat, to match a new coat.

It is my usual Bankhead hat, in my fast dwindling Knit Picks Brava. The colour is Wasabi.

Bear says he just likes modelling baby hats, and I need to find some other way to display my hats.

I started another hat, with purple fingering from my stash.

January seems to be hat month. This is the Martine Hat. I think it will need some blocking.  Winter coats come in such dull colours that a bright hat is an essential accessory to add warmth and a bright splash of contrast to your "Michelin Man" look.

Last April, during the "Great Clear Out", all of the Christmas decoration boxes moved into the living room. They sat there for the rest of the year. When December rolled around, I was able to find a new home for a bunch of the decorations that weren't being used. I am now pleased to report that the rest of the decorations now are back in their refurbished storage area. 

The Weather Outside is Frightful

 We are getting rain, snow, ice, freezing rain, wind, just about every form of winter weather. This is extending over a large part of North America. It is a perfect day to stay home and knit!

Bear, my favourite fashion model, has been feeling neglected lately, so I got him to model for me today.

He is ready for whatever the day brings. Of course, teddy bears don't really have necks, so he is wearing the neck warmer as a sweater.

The hat is finished.

The pattern is called Bankhead, and it can be found here. I modified it with a k2p2 rib to match the neckwarmer. The yarn is Brave Stripes by Knit Picks and I made the set with less than 200 gm.

I actually got to do some selfish sewing yesterday (why do we think it is selfish if we make something for ourselves?)

I got a new phone, and it was a tight fit in my current clutch, so I saw a new pattern and thought it was just the right thing.

The bag is called Findlay Phone Wallet by Hold It Right There Designs. I added a crossbody strap since I like my hands free. Just beside Bear's head, you can see that I inserted some of the lining fabric into the strap. The flap is cork fabric from a sample pack I bought from MM Cork.

The bag has card slots in the front phone pocket.

It also has a zippered body, to keep my mask, keys, etc.

The fabric is "Not Ameowsed" by Dear Stella. Do you think anyone will notice that my bag is Christmas fabric, in April?

Two finishes on the same day!

New Things

 If you follow me, you know that I knit things and put them away until I need them. I rarely have a day without some knitting. 

Recently, I was bored of my ongoing knitting projects and just needed something different. I looked in my stash and saw a ball of yarn waving at me. So, I took it out and turned it into something for the gift bin.

It is another Fruit Rollup Hat in a colourway called Pixie. The turquoise, mauve and fuchsia were a delight for my eyes and the soft yarn was a treat for my hands. Lots of different stitches entertained me. A baby hat appeared in no time. Now it will wait for a tiny girl to arrive that needs just such a hat.

Another baby will be here very soon. So, tomorrow, I will send socks from the bin.

Along with them, a big sister gift of a hat.

It has already snowed where they are, so I think the gifts will be appreciated.