How did a Month Pass?

 I'm not sure what I've been doing in the month.

Daisy decided to chew my sock.

After consulting with a knitting friend, the best solution would be to frog the foot of the sock, to where the heel starts and reknit the foot. That feels like a task for a snowy day by the fire so I think it will wait.

Here she is, trying to look innocent. No more socks for you!

I bought a giant cabbage from a local farm stand.

Daisy thought it was very scary, because it was so big.

However, it became this.

Thanksgiving dinner was cabbage rolls! I have enough left over for two or three more meals. 

Tonight, it will be roasted squash and carrot soup. My produce basket has been overflowing.

The mornings are really chilly. Last week, the tree in the neighbour's yard looked like this.

Today, it looks like this.

The tropical plants that summered in the yard are moving into the house.

They seem pretty happy about the move.

i finished a pair of socks, that will become a Christmas gift.

A friend is destashing, and I was gifted some lovely pieces.

Orientals. that I think are going to be lovely pockets and linings for bags.

Some Laurel Burch from some time ago, in beautiful shades of blue.

We had a playday with Daisy"s brother Luigi.

They will soon have their first birthday, and we are planning a Super Mario party for the Super Mario Pups!

A couple of flower pictures from the last days of summer.

The weather looks cool and sunny this week. There will be more winterizing, I expect, and hopefully, some sewing.

It Feels Like Fall

I think the high today was 16C. As the equinox approaches, it is starting to feel like fall. The winter blankets are washed, but need to be put on the bed.

I finished another pair of mittens.

I played yarn chicken with these and got two pairs out of one ball of yarn. I have another pair started and in my "emergency knitting" bag.

My friend Maggie (The Cheerful Chickadee) asked if I would make some socks for her house. Her projects from now until the snow flies don't include room for one more project, so I figured why not. I still have time to finish my Christmas knitting.

The first one is nearly done. I had to get out Kate Atherley's excellent book on knitting socks. This pair is a different size from what I use for my dear ones. I see there is a similar sock on the cover of the book.

I managed to get in some sewing this week. I made a purse, a Clematis Clutch in cork.

I bought a kit of materials from MM Cork, and had no problem getting it together. The cork is black with silver foil accents.

The lining in the kit was a dark green floral print. I found this in my stash that I like better. It has a single slip pocket on the inside. I figure it will hold a phone, a packet of tissues, a bit of makeup for touch ups, and a card or two. It was a quick, fun sew.

I got these labels, recently, and I thought they suited.

The bag is for a dear one in the bridal party of a friend of hers. I remembered I had something that the bride might like to borrow.

It is an Australian sixpence, for the bride's shoe. I had a "pen friend" in Australia when I was a young teen. She sent this to me, and I sent her a Canadian dime from 1967, with a fish on the back. Appropriate because in Canada, if you didn't have a sixpence, a dime would do. This sixpence is from 1951, and has been in a lot of shoes.

I am hoping that I am back into the swing of daily sewing. Sunday is cleanup day, before starting a new project. Haven't quite decided what is next, but starting with a tidy space is always a good idea.

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.

Gerbera and Socks

 I finished my latest bag commission. It is my first bag made nearly entirely in cork fabric.

The pattern is Gerbera Crossbody Pouch, by Blue Calla Patterns. I used a rainbow flecked cork from MM Cork, in BC. The recipient chose the fabrics, from her grandmother's stash. This is her birthday gift from Grandma.

I realized as I sat down to type this, that I forgot a picture of the back.

A bit darker, because I just did this one quickly.

I used a cork overlay on the interior zipper pocket.

The other side has card pockets and a slip pockets for her phone.

It also has a carabiner for her keys. 

I hope she enjoys her new bag. Grandma is going to visit her at her university, next week, and will deliver the bag.

Meanwhile, I finished a pair of socks that I started in May.

They look kind of odd. I think they need a light blocking. The pattern is called "Make Your Heels Strong". It is free on Ravelry. The yarn is some clearance bin sock yarn I found in my stash. The advantage of these socks is that you don't have to pick up any stitches. Not sure I will make them again.

The garden is loving all the rain. since our plants are in pots, their feet have a chance to dry out.

You can see our blueberries at the top of the picture . This is an experiment, for this summer. They have set fruit, but we might just be feeding the birds, if they get them first.

Wild Fires are raging to the North of us. I think of those who have to evacuate, and of course, the animals. We just have to deal with bad air.

Today, I'll clean up the sewing room, ready for the next project.

It's June

 After about 3 weeks of spring weather, we suddenly turned to summer. We have been having weather around 30C. I am not a fan, and it makes my sewing space much too warm. We have a couple more days of heat, in the coming week, then it is predicted to be more moderate.

I have nearly finished my Sunshine Crossbody Bag, and it ended up bigger than I wanted.  I love to look of it, but I wanted something just for making quick trips and errands.

This is the front.

The back has no zipper.

Lots of pockets, for a phone, cards, and other necessities.

It also has a leash for keys.

After I finish the pressing and add a strap, it will be off to its new home. 

Emmaline's Bags has a new wallet pattern, and when they offered a kit with everything except the thread, I just had to get one.

You buy the pattern separate, because you can use it again and again. The kit is a great idea if you don't have a lot of vinyl or cork scraps and want to make one. The pattern looks easy, so I can see making more than one.

I finished my baby socks.

The yarn is leftovers from a pair of socks earlier this year. I was surprised when the socks turned out to be identical.

The new Quilt The North box arrived today. I am among the first to get it, I expect, so I'll wait to post my unboxing, however, one item in the box is exciting.

There is a zipper! This won't be the usual Quilt the North Project.

I have a couple of handbags to finish in the next while, but I am excited to do this project, too.

How Quickly They Grow

 When we were told that our puppies adoption was approved, we did a quick trip to the pet store to get a few things. One of the things we bought was a harness, to tether her in the car.  She was tiny, so it was tiny. Mudd seems to be checking out the whole thing.

It was the same size as my tea mug, so I decided she was a Teacup Husky.

That was nearly 2 months ago, and she outgrew that one in about 6 weeks, so I figured I could make her a new one from my stash. 

It turned out that the only thing I was missing was a side release buckle. So I ordered some online, and started to make the harness.

The buckles arrived this morning, so the harness is finished. Yes, there are Daisies on the fabric. 

It seems the hardest part was putting the buckle on.

It took me about 6 tries to get everything the correct way around. I realized the when I do these on purse straps they don't have an up or down. These ones are curved. so  I kept putting it on the wrong way round. I'll save the picture for the next time.

I tried it on Daisy, and she did her version of the fashion runway strut.

Adorable, though not quite what I was going for.

The good news is that it does fit. It will do for a new car harness.

I am going to try to figure out a larger version of the first one she had. It will make a better harness for walks.

After the sock that didn't work, last week, I am back to a trusted pattern.

Kate Atherley's Baby Sock pattern, at the baby bird stage.