The Jury is out on how well I'm doing, but Today is a Good Day. (Photo at left: my big pot of verbena, taken about a week ago. It sits on the stump of a former evergreen, cut down by the former owners of the property, and serves to keep the deer at bay, sort of.)
It would appear that I'm keeping up a monthly blog rather than twice monthly, and that's okay. I find that even though I have this blog and belong to several crafty FB groups, as well as some on Ravelry, I am a poor 'sharer' of my work. It's begun to feel like having to account for what I'm doing, when I'd really rather be doing it rather than posting "progress" photos on line.
Any of you feel that way sometimes?
Still, I know that some of you may be patiently waiting (or not!) for an update on my assorting makings, so let's catch up, eh?
Knitting:
I finished one sock -- count 'em -- one -- in June. My hands were bugging me, so while I liked the pattern and the yarn, I set that pair aside for now.
One day this sock will have a mate! |
That didn't stop me from casting on another pair for July! The Socks from Stash group on Ravelry had a challenge that filled the bill -- knit a pattern from a designer that is new to you -- so out of my queue, I plucked the "Fable (Fake Cable) Socks", and from my stash, some Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton (wool-cotton-nylon blend) and as of today, I'm at the toe of the first sock.
Have I take a photo? Silly question! 🤣 Of course not! I'd rather knit the sock than photograph it! So...stay tuned.
The sock progress was great the first few days, and then my hands began to bug me -- not because of knitting but because of other things I was doing with them, involving yard work and pruners -- so while I'd like to be working on the 2nd sock by now, well...it will happen when it happens.
The baby cardigan continues apace; I finished the body and am almost 1/2 finished the first sleeve -- but again, no photos. Sigh.
I did manage to finish the 'Bosquet Hat' and decided one was enough. Perhaps another time, with a smoother yarn...but that's anyone's guess. Still, I washed and blocked it and it is in my give-away box.
Following that, I cast on a scarf -- "The Simple Thing", which is an asymmetrical garter stitch scarf with a knit-in I-cord edging. I'm rather enjoying it and would have made more progress had I not been so enamoured of my 'Fable' socks!
I'm using a rather funky self-striping yarn for this -- from stash, of course -- so it's creating a very different pattern as the one-sided increases continue. No matter; it will keep someone warm!
Quilting:
I finished the Disappearing Four-Patch top and really like the results!
I've finished the little "summer" piece that I mentioned in my last post, too. I've decided to fully finish it as a needle book, a gift for Claire, the young woman at Ellis Nature Sanctuary who, because she was a new stitcher -- embroidery -- and the Sanctuary's gift shop is carrying embroidery kits re: the birds they see and protect locally -- to invite stitchers/spinners/knitters to a weekly "Fibers* and Firs" gathering, every Tuesday evening this summer.
*She knows that this is NOT how Canadians spell "fibres" but the posters were done and dusted before she noticed that the US spell-check had..um...inserted itself. Apologies to my Canadian compatriots and readers.
Even though I'm still working on "Emeline", I decided that having finished one 'summer' piece, I needed to pick up one that I'd left languishing, and that one is a section of a Black Bird Design I've started from the reprinted book, A Heart Remembers. There is a piece in there that is technically meant to be five pieces, each on a different fabric and stitched together like a patch-work. One of those pieces includes a very large house; I decided to leave out that one. I also decided to stitch the remaining four on a single piece of fabric. To date, I'd done the first two patterns, and now I am on the fourth (or, for me, the third): "My Day Complete".
*My progress as I neared the end of the second pattern is shown HERE, from June of last year.
Having worked mostly on 40-count linen for the last year or so, doing this on 28-count with 2 strands of floss over 2 of linen, is a distinctly different experience! No photo at the moment, but perhaps next month.
Rug Hooking:
I'm still doing some, but it is very much an indoor activity as I now work on my large Cheticamp frame. When I hook, I do so on rainy days (we've had quite a few this July, which is a novelty here), and for hours at a time.
I finished the 'evergreen abstract' on which I was working in my last post:
Abstracted Trees - 8" x 8" |
And I created a landscape from my imagination and experience, a bit more primitive than my usual:
"Old Red Barn with Daisies" - 8" x 8" |
I have room for one more long piece or a couple of smaller pieces on this particular burlap before it's used up, and I have an idea (and photo inspiration) for one of each size...still contemplating. I then need to check what fabric I have left and whether or not it will fit on the large frame or have to be done on my made-over embroidery frame. Time will tell!
Spinning:
I spin much less than I do the other things, because my favourite place to spin is outside. This summer I've managed a bit, as our weather has been cooler (so far) -- but it's also been wetter, which isn't exactly ideal for outdoor spinning!
In my last post I showed you what I'd managed to finish before the end of June. Not long after, I tackled the remaining sections of the Falkland wool braid (hand-painted) that I began last year. These sections were a) yellow-turning to peach; and b) light grey fading to darker grey.
I've now spun each section into singles and selecting contrasting rovings for new singles, with which to ply them together:
First, the grey singles, which will be plied with singles to be spun from a deep orange-gold Shetland:
Next, the yellow-to-peach singles, to be plied with singles from a deep teal roving which, alas, has no label -- a mystery fibre!
As of a couple of days ago, the teal is now fully spun into singles -- but not enough to use up all of the yellow/peach. This means that further plying adventures lie ahead! 😉
I'm truly thankful for the "Two Ewes Fiber* Adventures" podcast and group on Ravelry, for their encouragement!
*They're American; that's how they spell it. I just live with it. They're nice people, and as a Canadian, all I can do is nod and smile.
What's left? Only to show you what is burgeoning in my Zone 3-ish garden:
Raised Bed #1 - Beans and Leaf Lettuce with hovering scallions |
Zuchinni, a cherry tomato 'tree', raspberries and self-seeding dill |
Hanging pot: geranium and lobelia off my back stoop |
Blue pot with geranium and lobelia |
The came-with-this-house Immovable White Planter with geraniums and lobelia |
All are fodder for hooked pieces, albeit impressionistic -- so stay tuned for them to appear again (and maybe again). While I'm trying to be careful with purchasing new supplies, this week I received two purples from Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios, the better to recreate those lobelia purples:
(L) Briggs & Little 2-ply; (R) River Stream bulky. |
Even though I like purple, I've almost nothing in my stash -- a ball of fingering (sock yarn)...and that's it. So...now I have something to hook with!
And then, of course, there are berries. I'm starting to enjoy my raspberries, and have bought more jars and sugar for jam. And yesterday morning found me at the local Saskatoon farm, picking this 4 litre ice-cream pail full...for muffins, bumbleberry crumble, bumbleberry pie...and maybe another picking to freeze...
If you've never eaten a Saskatoon, or picked them, or heard of them...I'm going to leave you with this little tune recorded by an old friend of mine (and my late hubby). I've lost touch with him, but I have a CD he made and gave to us years ago, signing the cover. I love every song on it, but this one -- well, it's particular to the Canadian prairie. I tried to find a recording of my friend Tom singing it, without luck. Sigh. The best I can do is show you the lyrics -- HERE. There's a fellow named Tim Hus who's sung it, but he doesn't have the right voice or presentation and sang it too fast. I'll spare you his interpretation of Tom's fine ditty.
Someday, if we meet up in person, I'll plug in my CD player and share it with you.
And so it goes.
It's time for me to wind this up (or down!) and have some dinner. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I hope to be home, quietly quilting (or knitting or spinning or hooking or stitching).
As usual I'll leave you with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday. This week she's sharing about an exhibit she saw and appreciated. It's been a while since I've done that too; there aren't many in these parts -- so I can enjoy them vicariously through people like Nina-Marie.
Have a lovely rest of the weekend! A bientot!
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