Time Flies When You're Growing Slow

How can it be almost the end of May?  I was sure I'd posted earlier this month, but no!  My last post was April 27.  Ah well...My mother used to say that after someone turns 21, time evaporates.  She was right!

The last almost-four weeks have been...(pick one) interesting; challenging; quiet; busy; full; slow; unsettled; rewarding; lovely... 

My answer? ALL of the above! 😉😆 

To  update from my last post: 

• I gave the mittens to my neighbour and he's thrilled. "Perfect fit!" he told me.  That does my knitter's heart 💔 good;
• I've quilted and bound the Postage Stamp Quilt for my young friend T:

Close-up of the very utilitarian simple quilting

True to my style, the blocks don't always match up!

• I started a new pair of Simple Ribbed Socks for this same young woman, in case the ones I made her not long ago went up in smoke.  The photo is just the cast on; I'm now 9" down the leg, with another inch to go before I start the heel flap.  Yes: 10" leg; 2" heel flap = 12" before I turn the heel and start the gusset/foot! And yes, there'll be a 9.75" foot (heel to toe).

Pattern: Simple Ribbed Socks
Designer: Angela Law
Yarn: (DEEP Stash) Sock-it-to-Me Harlequin
from elann.com

• I also decided to start the vest I've promised my daugher for Xmas 2024/Birthday - January 2025: the "Presto Vesto" by Amy Gunderson, published in the Winter 2023 issue of the online Knitty.com magazine.  It's a beautiful lo-o-o-o-o-ng vest -- my daughter resembles the model in the pattern! -- and I've bought a $$$ of hand-dyed (in Watrous, Saskatchewan) yarn -- merino/nylon in (supposedly) superwash, sport-weight yarn for it.  So far, I've done the back ribbing (yes, a 1:1 twisted rib) and the multiple rows of Feather Cable pattern...and I've been challenged by switching to the Body Ribbing. I've also discovered that the way the text instructions are written, I may have made too many repeats of the Feather Cable pattern. Sigh. I've written the designer and hope to have it resolved soon.

Here's what it looks like so far. 

As I mentioned, the yarn is glorious (though a bit tricky to work with on those cables).  It's Midknit Cravings Yarn Co. Comfort Sport in the colour "Shiraz".  Yummy!

• On the stitching front, I finished "Peace" -- a monochromatic cross stitch design from Carolyn Manning:

The colour of the fabric and thread isn't really showing well in the photo.  I stitched it on a pearl grey linen -- 28 count -- with a single strand of a lace-weight tencel yarn, hand-dyed, that I purchased at Olds College Fibre Week last year.  The yarn has a bit of a sheen to it and is prone to wear, so I had to use care when stitching.  I used a #24 tapestry needle, a bit larger than I usually use, to ensure smooth stitching.  The colour of the yarn is a tonal purple with grey-purple -- just lovely! 

• I also finished that "Jacob Sleeper SAL" piece -- "Light a Single Candle" -- on which I was so close in my last post:

Again, the colour of the fabric isn't true in the photo -- it's a 28-count natural flax linen, using an unlabelled red cotton floss rescued from an old kit -- and a bit of DMC to finish.  

I confess that my single candle's flame is prone to wavering most days, and sometimes goes out altogether, leaving me cursing the darkness.  Sigh.  I've a ways to go in my Growing Slow journey!

In the stitch world, the Nashville Market was at the end of March.  Some 'floss-tuber' or other mentioned working on an item previously purchased from Market, to "may way for new purchases in 2024".   Given that I'd ordered 3 patterns from this year's offerings, I thought, "What a good idea!"

In 2023 I'd purchased Jeannette Douglas' reproduction sampler, "Ann Perrin 1841" from Traditional Stitches' Market offerings...so on March 1 this year, I started it, but set it aside for other work.  Once I finished "Peace" and "Light a Single Candle", I dug Ann out again and have worked very steadily on it for the last couple of weeks.  I've finished the first page -- the upper left section -- and am about to move into the upper right section, which is the second page of the pattern:

I'm working it on 36-count Vintage Country Mocha, using the called-for over-dyed flosses and DMC, one strand of floss over two fabric threads.  It's a lot of fun, even with all the colour changes in the alphabets, and I particularly love that pretty border!

Part of my "Grow Slow" practice has taken me away from floss-tubes that focus more on "haul" (acquisitions) than on the stitching itself.  Recently I came upon Sharon, the Every Day Stitcher, and discovered that we've not only stitched some of the same patterns, but that she's also a new knitter and wanna-be quilter.  In a recent episode, she discussed patterns she'd purchased that she wanted to start -- and pulled out this one: "Fred's Ewe-nifying Question" from Silver Creek Samplers.  Well!  I'd had that one for at least a year -- since I first saw it and fell in love with that sheep -- so I dug it out, and over last weekend, I worked on it exclusively:

I'm working it on 36-count "Wisteria" -- a pale blue linen -- from Lakeside Linens, using the called-for Weeks Dye Works and DMC flosses.  I'm about to get into some very dense stitching with the body of the sheep, and her amazing red "Fred Rogers" sweater.  It makes me smile just to think about it.

All of this activity has been done indoors, for the most part, as we've had a very chilly spring, punctuated with much appreciated rain.  There's a bit more in the forecast before this month ends -- and some southern parts of the province have even had snow!  I've only just managed to put out my bedding plants -- some deer-resistent verbena, and a couple of new perennials: a peony to replace a dead potentilla, and a pink to replace a dead flowering thyme.  I've also had to seriously prune my aging hardy roses, as the lack of snow this winter meant they've needed rejuvenating.

Last fall I planted a new addition to my south-facing perennial bed: two Allium bulbs -- and they've come up beautifully:

The photo was taken when they were just very young.  They're lush and in full leaf now -- and one is sporting a stem with a bud at the top.  I can hardly wait for it to open!

And the much-needed moisture has given my 'meadow' a full crop of dandelions, so the first batch of jam for the seaon has been made!

I used up all my supplies with that batch, so had to replenish my larder.  Later today I hope to pick enough for another batch -- and later, one more before the end of the season.

Sadly, though my meadow is full of blossoms, and my flowering ornamental trees are opening their blooms, there's not been much bee activity yet this year.  I hope everything will be humming soon!

So with a sunny day ahead of me, I'd best close this off and get some breakfast to fortify my for som "jammin'".  As usual, I'm linking to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday; this week she's waxing poetic with a quote from Seth Godin about the nature of art and artists.  I wish you all a safe, healthy, creative few weeks...A bientot!