All the Pretty Poppies

 The majority of my time in recent weeks has been spent here:

Pookie in the Outdoor Studio West

Or here...

Outdoor Studio East -- in "The Grove"

And sometimes, here...

Yet another stitchy spot - moving with the sun

We've had a pretty nice summer -- though, truth be told, it's been far too dry, and often, far too hot, resulting in an inordinate number of wildfires all over the country, and precipitating an agricultural crisis here on the prairies.

Today it's chilly, damp and grey, with overcast skies that have yet to make good on their threat to drop much-longed-for rain.

A perfect day to catch up in a blog post!

As the title of this post implies, once they recovered from the frying, drying heat wave we had in June, my gardens have been coming along nicely.  Under the big double willow in The Meadow, I scattered poppy seeds -- a gift from my neighbour -- with abandon in the spring, and they've not disappointed:

First double poppy under the willows

All the pretty baby poppies under the willow

My first bird-planted daylily in the Grove

As a result I've been doing well with my stitching endeavours, making good progress since my last post.

"Here Be Dragons" from Modern Folk Embroidery, is finished -- and needs a frame:

A Dragon in the Sunshine! 😉

I've just finished a little red sampler from Thames Path Samplers on Etsy.  Note: I got this as a PDF download; I'm not certain, however, that it's still available.  Sorry.

Modification: replaced part of the bottom border
with my initials and the year.

I really enjoy monochromatic stitching; I've kitted up a few more of these -- and the next one, I think, will be done in variegated blues on a tan or caramel-coloured background.  I set aside Thursdays for these, so stay tuned...

My current Sunday Stitch is "Keziah Campbell 1796", which I'm personalizing to memorialize my father's family, descended from the Rennies of Kilsyth, Scotland.  I've moved down to the house and lawn, full of -- as Brenda of Brenda and the Serial Starter would say -- "the damned grass!" 😉😆

Given the adjustments I had to make to fit in the initials of my father's immediate family, there have been more tweaks made in the spacing but it's all working out.  And yes, that's a cat you see next to the lady in red, as befitting my status as a Certified Cat Person!

In other progress, "Shalom" -- a Hanukkah/anniversary gift for friends -- is coming along nicely (though I haven't an updated photo to show you!)  And I made some progress on "Nevermore" -- but am now waiting for more floss.  That's what happens when you fail to read that you need two skeins of something and order only one...sigh...

Since this photo was taken, I've finished that second motif, and have found a third that I can do with the floss I have on hand...but it will require serious counting and concentration, so I've left it for now.

In my July 2nd post, I showed my progress on "Barnabee's Quest - Part I" -- a 22-year old pattern from Just Nan Designs.  I've now finished it, except for the beads and charm, and have dug out Part II, which I want to stitch on the same piece of fabric.  (These are teeny-tiny!)  I erred and did the verse in black instead of bright purple, but I like the effect so I'm going to be consistent and use black for the verse in each of the three pieces:

Last week I spent a few days with friends south of Calgary -- both very fond of textile arts.  One's current focus is hooking rugs and art "mats" and the other's current love is black work so we spent some time sorting their stash and sharing supplies.  I made some progress on my canola scene which is my first attempt at my own design:

I began by updating the colour of the grain bins to a more accurate silvery-grey, and the fence posts to a more solid brown.  I then finished the grass in the foreground.  Now I need to tackle the sky, for which I'm using this photo I took locally some years ago:

I'm procrastinating a bit...so I must take courage and just get on with it! LOL!

On the knitting front, I finished the Balvraid hap and gave it to my friend Anne, who loves it!  Here she is modelling it...

You can tell by her outfit that the hap suits her colours!

I also finished a simple hat for the giving box...and have put the last bit of this green yarn into my rug hooking stash (it's also in the grass in the landscape shown above).

With all the wildfires going on here -- the latest being the evacuations in the NWT (Northwest Territories) and B.C. (especially Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley) -- I've started another hat, the fourth in this batch, and am determined to also add to my pile of comfort quilt tops, in the hopes of getting them finished and sent to where they're likely to be needed as the fall and winter approach. So many people have lost everything.  I have more stash than cash, so am doing what I can and live in hope that it will be of use.  

I was horrified by the wildfire that took most of Maui, but am unable to manage to send fully quilted quilts that far away, so have decided to try to help those closer to home.

This new hat is the "Morning Coffee" pattern, free on Ravelry; I'm making it from more Paton's Classic Wool Worsted, and have omitted the rolled brim:

As today is rather cold and gloomy -- still no rain and now the air is smelling smoky -- it's just right for heading into the Indoor Studio for some time working on my scrappy Butter Churn blocks.  I've finished 69 of a desired 80, and that would make -- with borders -- a perfect comfort quilt to add to the pile.  These are small enough I can sandwich, baste and quilt them myself, and so make them available when needed.

I continue to have an art quilt idea percolating...but am not "there" yet -- that point at which it wants to be brought into the world.  Time will tell!

I'll leave you with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday -- wherein this week she's reminiscing about publications and blogs gone by.  Do you have favourite blogs that you miss?  Favourite websites that are now a thing of the past?  Check out what she misses, and take a walk down memory lane.

Blessings for the waning days of summer and until we meet again here on this page... a bientôt! 

Cultivating Contentment...a Little Bit Every Day

 It seems to me that most of my life I've been seeking contentment.  I don't mean that I've not experienced happiness or moments of great joy.  No.  I mean living in an atmosphere of peace and having a relaxed state of mind.  It's certainly not come naturally.

It may have been that very early in life I was content -- but in our household, if memory serves me, the focus was on service to others, duty, responsibility, study and developing a sense of purpose.  Contented was what cows were in the Carnation milk commercials. 

Living with those key concepts in mind didn't mean we couldn't have fun -- we certainly did!  Ice skating -- first on a backyard rink our father fashioned, and later on the indoor but real ice rink at the local Arena.  And dancing!  Dad built a false floor down in our unfinished basement and made sure there was an outlet in which to plug our portable record player, so we could go down there with our friends of a Saturday night and dance, dance, dance.  

But as we got older and shaped by our parents, teachers and the Culture of Accomplishment and Possibilities in the nineteen-sixties...well...you were expected to have a purpose for your life.  A reason for being.  You had to contribute to the society around you.'

Later, given all the American television to which we were exposed, added to this was earning and consuming -- and if you weren't working at something 'useful', what were you doing?

So...after the dust cleared in 2006, when my husband had died and my children were living and working on their own, I decided to move to the country and become an artist -- something that would have horrified my parents, growing up as they did through the Great Depression and WWII and the 'let's make up for all that!' fifties.

It's been almost 17 years since I found myself alone and wondering, "What's next?  What's my purpose?"

It's taken turning 70 last fall to cause me to really question my outlook.  My "need" for a "purpose".  I began to ask myself, can't I just live my life, doing the best I can, making things for others, yes, and contributing to my  immediate community and my faith community, without specific goals or purpose?

Six+ months into this year, I'm getting closer to a "YES!" answer to this question.

I've decided that "one day at a time" isn't a bad idea.  I want to keep learning, but no longer need to do so to prove anything to anyone.  I might answer an artistic Call for Entry -- but not worry if I'm not accepted, or if I change my mind and don't enter after all.

My "Purpose in Life"?  Leave my tiny spot in the universe a bit better because I was in it.  That's it; that's all.

To that end, I'm feeling more contented this summer than I have ever felt -- and I've stopped punishing myself for having delightful days in which I took my time, walked around my garden, didn't bother with formal exercise, didn't meet any deadlines, and simply did things I love to do.

A Little Bit Every Day.

Here are some of the examples since my last post:  I made more jam -- from my own raspberries.  I gave some of those berries away, and rest assured; there are more to pick!  

Every morning I take what I call the "Morning Tour" of the yard and garden -- coffee in hand, of course.  I've been using that time to check for bugs where there shouldn't be any, to remove the heads of finished dandelions so that the population is reduced somewhat next year, and to check on what might need watering.  

A couple of weeks ago I received my order of 20 wildflower 'plugs' from Wild About Flowers (south of Calgary) -- from the Prairie Meadow selection of plants.  With information I provided about my location, sun exposure and current wildflower population, plus the note about Lacombe County's verboten list.  I planted them and they are making themselves at home.  Each comes with a label stick that includes the plant's name, potential size (width and height) and ideal sun/shade exposure.  Most will grow to at least 12" tall -- eventually.  

Some days that's all there is to do. Other days I need to mow the 'non-meadow' -- aka the 'West Lawn'.  Sometimes I need to water everything -- I use rain water collected in barrels and water only beds and pots.  I never water my grass.  Sometimes a tree branch goes down in the wind -- like it did Tuesday -- and I have to cut it up and prepare it for burning, whether here or in a firepit belonging to my sister or my daughter.

But I do all that in the very early morning when it's coolest.

After that, it's time to do whatever I want to do with fabric, fibre and floss.  In the summer I save rainy days for quilt work; I've now amassed 62 'Butter Churn' blocks -- only 18 more to go to reach 80, which will make a 48" x 60" top -- before borders.

I love to spin yarn outside in the summer, so for inspiration and motivation, I signed on to two Ravelry events for spinners: the "Tour de Fleece", which models itself on the Tour de France and will end on Sunday, the last day of the French event; and the Summer Spin-in from Two Ewes Fibre Adventures  (I 💓 their podcast).  It should come as no surprise that I'm on the "Rookies" team on the Tour -- I'm not a die-hard spinner who wants to stick to a schedule!  The Summer Spin-in is much more laid back and the moderators more encouraging.  Works for me!

My self-challenge for both was to spin up most (if not all) of a bag of what I'm calling "Mystery Mauve" -- a wool batt I was given years ago and have taken forever to turn into yarn.  I set a mini-goal of filling 4 bobbins with singles, and turning those into two-ply yarn that might actually be usable.  Well...I did it!

Here are the skeins:

All in all, with some of this spun before this year, I have about 350 grams of usable yarn -- and about 75 grams of Mystery Mauve fibre yet to spin up.  As a Very Casual Spinner (contented, remember?), I've  yet to measure how may metres/yards I have, or its thickness in wpi (wraps per inch) but...it looks rather like a 'DK' (double-knit) weight to me (#3 for American knitters).  It'll probably end up in a shawl.

My next spinning attempt: bright, colourful roving.  I got a bag from my friend Anne earlier this spring; it included both wool (breed not identified) and alpaca roving:

I've chosen that bright red-orange bit there on the right side of the photo.  Who knows where this will lead?!  Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, speaking of shawls...I finished the Balvraid Hap that I was making from somewhat 'rustic' Condon's Yarn (from PEI, now discontinued).  As I type, it's been washed and is now blocking -- with wires and all!

Depending on how firm the top edge is after blocking, I may add a crocheted edge; it was rather "loosey-goosey" before I washed it.

On the art front, I'm learning something new: rug hooking. Well, rather, decorative hooked mats -- for the wall.  I'm looking at it as a way to a) use up more of my yarn stash; and b) get me enthused about landscapes again.

I've decided to explore this at the urging of a friend who is very keen on the process.  I got a few freebies online from Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios (Amhurst, Nova Scotia, doncha know) -- and I realized the possibilities.  Said friend had given me Ms. Fitzpatrick's book, Sunday Letters (signed, no less!) for Xmas...and I just loved her reflections.  Then...the clincher: I heard an interview with Ms. Fitzpatrick by Mary Hynes -- her CBC podcast, to which I subscribe.  That clinched it.  I think I've listened to that interview four or five times now.

THAT'S IT!

It's about creating beauty, with no other reason but to do just that.

That's my purpose!  Bingo!  

And that -- being part of my 'fabric, fibre and floss' esthetic -- is my greatest source of contentment.   That and the inspiration of my yard and garden.

And so...

I bought a wee kit and finished it save for the binding and mounting:

"Country Moon" (with modifications)
Designer: Deanne Fitzpatrick

I've now ordered some burlap and an online class from her, so I can translate my skills of landscapes in fabric to landscapes in wool/fabric slices.

And I've dyed some natural-coloured wool I'd been given eons ago -- a bit chunky -- into 3 shades I can use in a variety of ways.  I'd not played with my acid dyes for a few years, so this was another source of fun!

And yes...creating beauty continues in the stitching realm too.  "Keziah Campbell 1796" is getting her garden, a tree, a house etc. -- and a bit of Robbie Burns' poetry:

Yes, that text is one over one!

Setting Keziah aside for a wee bit, currently I'm working on "Christmas (Gifts) in July" with a return to the Modern Folk Embroidery piece for my son, Here Be Dragons.  Not much left to do now!

And there are two new starts -- one an anniversary/Hanukkah gift for old friends, and another, an Xmas gift for my soon-to-be married nephew and his fiancée. 

First, the Hanukkah gift -- "Shalom", one of the Jewish pillows from Mani di Donna:

Next, the Xmas gift for the soon-to-be-newlyweds -- "Nevermore" from Lila's Studio (I know...unusual...but it suits their esthetic...)

I'll be focusing on these "starts" this weekend, and will go back to the 'Dragons' next week.

So...now, for today, I've been inside long enough.  I'm going to go outside with my stitching and keep on adding a little beauty to my world -- and hopefully, to that of others.

Linking this to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week she's been stretching her brain, her artistic skills and her ability to create her own contribution to the beauty around her; she needs a bit of a break, doncha think?

Hugs and blessings... a bientôt! 

"Startitis" or "Finishitis"?

The last few weeks it's been a bit of both!  Once I decided to just enjoy life, throwing productivity and predetermined purpose out the window, I've been having a jolly good time.

First, I decided I'd enroll in a beginner's rug hooking class during this year's Fibre Week at Olds College, and a week from tomorrow I'll head down the highway to do just that.

Next, I signed on to the Rookies group for the annual Ravelry "Tour de Fleece" and get back to spinning.  In preparation, I've been practicing almost every day, working away at a wool batt I was given some years ago.  I refer to it as my "Mystery Mauve" fibre because it looks like this:

It's mainly wool, I think, but there are strands of synthetic -- fine as hair -- in it, as well as a few 'neps' or bits that, if there were more of them, would make it tweedy.  It's great for a not-so-great spinner like me, because I can practice and it's not cost me anything for the materials.  It's definitely not precious!

I've really enjoyed the occasional cool morning, spinning out in the sunshine:

This all came about because a friend, having "rescued" two bags of roving from an estate, gave them to me!  They're very colourful batches, some of which was apparently milled at Custom Woollen Mills in Carstairs, according to a sales slip in with one of the packages.  I decided that if I were to be worthy of this new addition to my fibre stash, I'd best get some of the "old stuff" spun up!

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In my last post, re: my Cross Stitch Rabbit Hole, I reported on my "May-nia" progress.  I was working on each of 5 pieces, one at a time, for five days each.  By the end of the month, I'd had another finish -- "Take Whisks" from Hands On Design.  And...drum roll, please!...as of yesterday, I had it Fully Finished.  Ta DA!

Journal cover - front

Journal Cover - back

Journal cover outside, open flat

See? The journal fits!

I took the instructions from this great little YouTube video by Alanda Craft, which I found easier to follow than other instructions to date, and enjoyed every minute.  As you know, Gentle Readers, I dislike "fiddly" projects, which is why I don't make many pouches, bags, etc. -- but this is a finish I'll return to.  As for this particular item, I've got to get it into the mail today for a friend -- a keen baker of cakes and cookies -- whose birthday is approaching.

I also finished the Spanish reproduction sampler I was working on, from Birgit at The Wishing Thorn.  This photo isn't great because the piece is in pastel threads on white linen...but there it is.  The photos on the Wishing Thorn website are better!  I used the called-for DMC floss and (as I recall) a 32 count white linen -- 1 strand over 2, except for the commemoration at the bottom, and my signature, which are 1 strand over 1.  This sampler was made in memory of my late cousin, Margo Davison de Martinez, who died in 2022, aged 80.

At the end of my "May-nia" I returned to "Keziah Campbell 1796" designed by Needlemade Designs but purchased through Traditional Stitches in Calgary -- the package of pattern, fabric and flosses given to me by my friends Sha and Mary for my 70th birthday last fall.  I started it in the New Year, and it's been a bit slow-going, as it's on 40-count Vintage Sand Dune from Lakeside Linens.  This is my first attempt at 40-count and I must say, it's going better than expected.  

Having finished my 5x5 program in May, I thought for June I'd focus on a relatively new start -- "Barnabee's Quest, Part I" from Just Nan, which I'd had in stash for over a decade -- but no.  I returned to Keziah...and have fallen in love!  I finished the border at the end of May, shown horizontally just before the finish:

Since then, I've worked on it almost every day and here's where I am as of last evening:

The hand-dyed cotton for the red letters is 'Country Redwood' from Gentle Arts -- lucious!  The curliques around the alphabet letters are challenging but so worth the concentration!  Because this a Scottish-style sampler and not a reproduction, I am going to modify it to memorialize my immediate ancestors on my father's side.  Three brothers from the family came over to Quebec in the mid-eighteen-twenties and settled on farmland near the new community of Huntingdon, in the Chateauguay Valley.  There are farms out there that are still in the family, though my relation to the owners is very distant.  Anyway, I'm going to insert the initials for my grandfather, my grandmother and their children -- my father, my aunt and my uncle -- in the space for them underneath the wee row of crowns.  Stay tuned for progress!

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On the quilting front, there's a bit more progress, but with this heatwave, it's hot in my south-facing studio, and there's no room for a fan.  Still, I've managed to make 33 Butter Churn blocks, such that I've had to move them to the "design bed" in the guest room:

The quilt under the blocks is an old Bear's Paw quilt made for me by my late Aunt Alice Rennie -- one of the aforementioned relatives whose initials will be on the Scottish sampler.  The fabrics are, in large part, scraps I sent to her after making garments for me and my then-little daughter, back in the mid-to-late eighties.  It always makes me smile to see them in that quilt!

And yes...I've returned to some knitting!

When I was in Toronto, I took with me a pullover I was working on out of a bright synthetic -- the now-discontinued Sirdar "Silky Look" Double Knitting.  By the time I returned at the beginning of May, I was ready to start the bottom ribbing -- 4" deep -- and this is now finished:

Pattern: "Millie"
Designer: Nice and Knit
Yarn: Sirdar "Silky Look" DK in "Brights" colour-way

Since I took that photo -- at the end of May -- I've finished one sleeve and put a few rounds into the second.  

In the aforementioned stash of roving my friend gave me, was a 'plate' of long-discontinued "Chinook" single-ply yarn -- which appears to be a precursor to the now-popular Plotulopi, though it's not from Iceland; it's from Australia!  I've not done anything with it yet, but it inspired me to get back to a simple shawl I'm making with a similarly-fragile Noro "Rainbow Roll".  

I've not taken an up-dated photo, but it's the "Rainbow Roll Shawl" from Benjamin Matthews Designs, and I'm using a colourway in blues and browns, with some pale pinks and creams (#1015).  I have to knit with care, as it's easily broken, but I think it will be pretty and cozy in the end.

Picking up that project again motivated me to return to another knitting UFO -- a Mystery Stole that originated in 2006!

It's the Swan Lake Mystery Stole 3 designed by Melanie Gibbons, which I'm knitting in JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 in "Vanilla" (off-white).  I'd managed to finish the main body of the shawl, leaving off at the point where I'd have to decide how I wished to continue -- with a mirror image of the first part, or with the 'wing' of the swan.  I've chosen the latter, and after a short consultation with the designer about the chart in question, I've begun in earnest.  I've told Melanie that she's been a great help and I promised her it wouldn't be another 15 years before I finished it -- so stay tuned!

Again, with the current heat wave, I've reserved my knitting and spinning for early in the day, and turn to stitching in the afternoons, in my living room, blinds drawn against the sun, and fans going.  The heat is supposed to break over the weekend -- thunderstorms very likely on Sunday -- and more rain may come later next week, which is a Very Good Thing, and the fires, while they've eased, continue to burn up north, in B.C. and in Eastern Canada, with smoke and haze impacting those of us who live to the south of them, including our friends in the Eastern US.

I'll leave you now, as usual, with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week, while I've been dusting off what's old, starting assorted finishes, she's been exploring what's new -- in a technique, in assorted gadgets, and in audio books.  

Whatever you're up to, from wherever you're reading, may you have some time to lose yourself in creativity.  A bientot!