World-wide "Knit In Public" Day...And other Things

Saturday, June 8 this year, was designated "Worldwide Knit in Public Day". That day -- and off and on this week -- it's been cold and rainy here, so I've been knitting (I do some every day) -- but not outside in public -- or even inside in public! 😉

June 8th was also my mother's birthday -- and she was the person who taught me how to knit in the first place. She learned how to knit from her mother, and when I was about 8, she taught me. I've been knitting ever since, rarely stopping. I made a pair of cables and lace "over the knee" stockings when I was in high school -- back when we wore garter belts to hold them up.

I knit lace shawls on commission in university. I knit for my kids, and my friends' kids, socks and baby outfits and shawls and chemo caps. Toques and mittens for refugees. Cowls as special gifts for family and friends. Sweaters for myself. Socks and hats on commission. Baby socks for friends' grandchildren (out of scraps) as I have no grandchildren of my own.

My current projects include a vest for my daughter for Xmas 2024 and her birthday in early 2025 (yes, it's for TWO occasions), and a pair of socks to replace a pair that I think may have been destroyed in a house fire. I'm on the foot of the first sock of the pair, and the vest currently looks like this -- at 21" from hem to under-arm.

Pattern: Presto VestoPresto Vesto
Designer: Amy Gunderson 
in Knitty.com - Winter 2023
Yarn: Midknit Cravings Comfort Sport
in the 'Shiraz' colour-way

It's time for a fitting of the vest, so until I see my daughter (next week), I've taken out something else to work on: a Work In Progress (WIP) that I started last October.  It's the "Cilin Sweater", and it's for me (eventually).  I'm making it from a yarn that I'd originally put into another sweater -- a sweater that I frogged 🐸 because I knew I'd never wear it.  

So far, I love the Cilin, which starts with knitting the cable panel that runs up the front.  I know for a fact that I love it, because it's taken me three tries to get the pattern right!  Here's a photo taken last evening; I've done another several rows since then:

Pattern: Cilin Sweater
Designer: Vera Marcu
in Interweave Knits, Fall 2023
Yarn: Austermann Marina in colour #37

I've knit at the doctor's office (it lowers my blood pressure). I've knit on the bus when commuting to work (decades ago now, a friend (and fellow commuter) referred to me as "The Lady Who Knits on the Bus"). I've knit while walking to work or elsewhere -- causing people to stare while we were stopped at intersections, back when I lived in the city.

I don't need a special day to show off my knitting. I knit every day; I have a knitting bag (with a wallet) for when I go shopping -- in case, on the way home, I'm stalled at the train corssing.

When my sweet DH died in 2006, my hands would do NOTHING but knit for months. It is my solace, my comfort, my meditation, my prayer. It is my way to express love for my family and friends.

Yes, I do other crafts -- quilting for art and for comfort; cross-stitch; hooked art -- but knitting was my first love and so it will always be.

Speaking of comfort quilting...Since my last post, I've finished the second throw quilt for that young couple who lost everything in a house fire a couple of months ago. They've found a rental space and are settling in for a while, returning their lives to some semblance of 'normalcy'. I hope these two quilts will add to their comfort as they move forward and rebuild:

Pattern: "Four-Patch Fun"
Designer: Bonnie Hunter
from her "Addicted to Scraps" column
in Quiltmaker Magazine, Jan/Feb 2024

While it's high time I took my trusty sewing machine in for a tune-up, I keep putting it off, as I'm still wanting to piece! Last week I finished another two blocks in the Block-Of the-Month (BOM) for June, designed by Sherri of A Quilting Life:

June BOM - "A Quilting Life"
8 1/2" unfinished
Fabric: Thimbleberries left-overs

There are two size options: 8" finished and 16" finished; I've decided to make two each of the smaller size. I'll have 24 blocks by year-end, and Sherri designs setting options that will be revealed in early December. By then I'll have decided if I want to make more of these blocks (maybe another one of each for a total of 36). I'm using left-over Thimbleberries fabric I've had for decades, so what's left will determine how far I can go with this!

Cross-stitch continues too. I've reached the red sweater for the sheep on "Fred's Ewe-nifying Question" from Silver Creek Samplers, but have done little more on "Ann Perrin 1841", because I started a new piece -- a gift for a friend's up-coming birthday. I've made stitched pieces for her before -- baking themed, as she loves to bake -- so it's probably not surprising that when I found Erin Elizabeth's "Baking Tier" I knew I had to make it up for my friend. It's a small patter that I think I'll turn into either a tile or a flat-fold. As of last evening, I was nearing the bottom of the piece, which I started about two weeks ago:

Design: "Baking Tier"
Designer: Erin Elizabeth Designs
Fabric: 28-count natural linen
Floss: called-for DMC

Since this photo was taken,, I've finished the motif next to the spoon on the bottom, the tiny motif next to the red bowl on the right end of the shelf above, and stitched the shelf with the lace trim under the bottom row of motifs.

This weekend the "Alberta Cross Stitchers" group on Facebook is having it's "June Push", so I'm going to use the weather (iffy at best -- cool -- with showers/thundershowers possible) as a reason to spend the entire time stitching -- right after I finish this blog post! 😆

And then there's hooked art. I've not talked much about it because it's a relatively new craft for me. Checking my blog archives, the last time I mentioned it was, I think, in November last year. I took up the craft at first, at the urging of a friend, who is a great fan of Canada's reknowned hooked rug artist, Deanne Fitzpatrick, who has a studio in Amherst, Nova Scotia. I wasn't all that keen at first, but then my friend sent me Deanne's beautiful book, Sunday Letters. I savoured it every night at bed-time, one letter at a time, and by the end of it knew I had to try this out. I sent for a beginner kit, which I finished -- and which now hangs in my bedroom.

Since then I've designed two of my own pieces. The first is "Something's Brewing!", an 8" square piece mounted on a painted board, that's now on exhibit (and available for purchase) in the gallery at Curiosity Art and Framing in Red Deer, Alberta, where I have my art quilts:

Last week I finished the second piece -- the one I was working on when I wrote that post last November:

All the Pretty Poppies (c) 2024
8" x 20" - mounted on stretched canvas

It's inspired by a photo I took of baby poppies that were coming up last summer, under the big willows in my hoped-for meadow.  On the left is the photo; on the right, a 'pixelated' version I used as inspiration for hooking the piece:

It will end up in the gallery too, I hope -- eventually -- or (better still) in someone's home!

I've no new original pieces in mind to hook yet, but Deanne's started her  "10-Minutes-a-Day" Challenge -- so I splurged and bought myself a full kit to play with.  It's due to arrive next week, so more on that in a future post.  Stay tuned!

Of course, being on my own, I've had to Take Care of Business around the house and yard this spring, as dictated by the weather.  This past week I finally found a couple of calm, sunny days -- so the automatic garage door got it's joints oiled and was given a new coat of paint.  Also sanded, cleaned and painted are the railings on my back stoop.  Deadwood in my aging ornamental fruit trees got pruned, raw fleece mulch was applied on flower and veggie beds so they'll retain more of what little moisture we've had (or expect to get), and the grass on both the regular lawn and the 'meadow' has been mowed.  Before mowing I dead-headed as many dandelions as I could, but that's a nearly impossible task so...there will be more of them (and more jam!) next year.

Meadow-wise, the poppies, batchelor buttons, daisies and lupines are coming up. The few wildflower plugs I can find from the multitude I planted last year are doing just fine.  No idea where their siblings are, however.

In the flower beds, the purple irises have blossomed and are being followed now by yellow ones.  And the allium -- newcomers to my beds -- don't seem to be doing well, but as I've not had experience with them before, all I can do is watch and wait.

As I close, I see the sun is shining -- tentatively -- and although it's decidedly cool for a mid-June morning, and the clouds are swirling in the north/north-west, I think it's time for a brisk walk before I settle to stitching.  I leave you with a link to the "party" over at Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and wish you all comfort and contentment this weekend, wherever you find it.  A bientot!

Plans, Hopes, Dreams...

 Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  I don't -- any more, that is.  Haven't for years.  That said, I've often written in this blog about my susceptibility to "Startitis" -- both in September (the start of a school year) and now, as we move from one calendar year to another.

This year, for the first time, I'm going to try to corral that "infection" by jumping on the WIPGO bandwagon.

"What's WIPGO?!" you might ask.  It's...a process for working on ones WIPs (Works In Progress) in order to finish them -- or at least make some progress on them -- throughout a given year.  

It's 'founder' is Jessie Marie, who created it some years ago now, in order to manage her cross-stitch WIPs.  It's a flexible game, really, that's adopted from Bingo -- and uses a 25-square "board".  You assign either projects or processes or categories of project -- or whatever you want, really -- to each square.  Each month -- on the 25th -- Jessie Marie "calls" (posts) two numbers to be worked on in the following month.  They're called about a week before the end of the month so you can prep your projects ahead of time -- the better to accomplish whatever your goals are for the month.

You might be able to tell that I've put both cross-stitch and knitting on my 'board'.  No quilting?  No spinning?  No rug hooking?  Nope.  I don't have a plethora of WIPs for any of those crafts.

If you want company, or advice, or encouragement, there's a Facebook Group (you have to answer questions to join) and there's action on Instagram (but I don't do Instagram so you'll have to look for it there yourself).  

Here's a link to her "how-to" video from 2022:

I found both of these resources very helpful when setting up my first "board". 

The mantra for the process is "Your board; your rules."  Some folks discover it doesn't work for them, and that's okay.  If you're a first-timer, though, you're encouraged to try it for the year before you decide whether or not it suits your practice.

And of course, just because only two board numbers are called each month doesn't mean that's all you work on!  Heck, no!  Work on any and all of your other crafts, hobbies and practices.  After all, there are 28 to 31 days in any given month (and 2024 is a Leap Year so February has 29 this go 'round) -- you can decide to work on a project for "100 stitches" or "300 stitches" or "3 days" (and a 'day' is what you say it is -- five minutes or 12 hours!) 

I've decided that when a number is called, I'll work on a project in the designated category for 7 days during the given month.  I decided to use categories of project rather than get specific, because I have 19 cross-stitch WIPs and 16 knitting WIPs, and some fall into more than one category.  

For January, the numbers 9 and 22 have been called. 

Looking at my 'board' -- photo above --  "9" is designated "Full Coverage"!  I've only one of those, which I began...oh...some twenty years ago (give or take).  Entitled "Bag Ladies", it came as a kit from Sunset Counted Cross Stitch of Reading, PA.  The pattern cover indicates it was designed by Braldt Bralds -- or perhaps more appropriately, used a design based on one of his paintings or illustrations -- and was kitted up for stitchers in 1999.  It included a large two-page pattern, all the floss, a needle and a  piece of 16-count grey aida.  

When planning my WIPGO board, I dug it out -- only to discover some sort of weird rust-coloured stain on a portion of the fabric!  Having stored it carefully (I thought) in a cloth tote, and having no recollection of having spilled anything on it, I'm at a loss as to what it is.  I tried soaking it in my eco-friendly laundry detergent and warm water.  No visible change.  Tried again with blue Dawn in slightly hotter water.  Ditto.  Scrubbed with a soft brush and mild hand soap.  Maybe it's a bit lighter.

And then I took a close look at what I had left to stitch.  Lo and behold, I think the remaining stitching will cover most -- if not all -- of it up!  Here's what it would look like finished:

Photo source: Pinterest

The red bag with the feathery tail at the upper right will cover quite a bit -- as will the rest of the bags and cats therein!  And the background is only partly bare fabric -- there are stitches all along the top, creating shading and dimension.

With my love of cats, and the fact that I'm just starting the second page of the pattern, how can I not finish it -- or at least, try to?!

As for square #22 -- that's "Monochromatic".  I have two stitching pieces that fit that description.  One is the Holiday Countdown 2022 from Evertote and Modern Folk Embroidery.  I decided to stitch it on a piece of fabric in a gorgeous red, using a creamy perle cotton from Caron.  Both are from deep stash:  

That said, my start was so small that I didn't even photograph it!

My second monochromatic WIP is the one I really want to return to, especially seeing as the 'holiday' season is drawing to a close.  It's a Carolyn Manning design from her "One Color Wonder" Collection: "Peace":

I'm stitchiing it on a piece of 28-count pearl grey linen that I got from a sale table somewhere.  It has no identifying maker, but it also hasn't the trade-mark orange stripe in the selvedge that would say "Zweigart".  It's perfect for this project though, and suits my choice of thread perfectly, to my mind.  I'm stitching it with a single strand of a hand-dyed tencel yarn (!) that I bought at the vendor's market at Olds Fibre Week last June; it's in a variegated purple:

Dyer/vendor: Trail Yarn
Colour-way: "Badass Babe"!

Preparing my WIPGO board gave me a great opportunity to track down all my WIPs -- including some which were tipping into the UFO category.  The  Mystery shawls fit that bill, along with a pair of socks that had succumbed to Serious Second Sock Syndrome:

One piece that's probably not going to get on the board is "No Winter Lasts Forever" from Silver Creek Samplers.  That's because I'm planning to finish it this weekend!  

I'm not following the "12 x 12" event closely, but I'm going to stitch like I am.  For one thing, I won't get home from church before noon on December 31; for another, I'm in bed by 9 p.m. and sleep through the entry of the New Year!  But I expect to have a good six or seven hours in which to stitch, and "No Winter" will be part of that (if it isn't finished even before that!)

All I have left to stitch is the snow, my initials and the year at the bottom!

Pattern: No Winter Lasts Forever
Designer: Silver Creek Samplers
Fabric: 28-count Pewter from Picture This Plus
Floss: DMC and a bit of Weeks Dye Works

Another item that probably won't make the WIPGO board is a sweater I'm knitting for a just-turned-18-months-old little girl  -- the granddaughter of a long-time friend, who lives in Ontario.  

Pattern: "Wee Lima"
Designer: Taiga Hilliard
Yarn: Berroco "Vintage" in "Black Cherry"
(from stash)

As you can see, I've only a portion of a sleeve to knit -- and it'll be finished except for sewing on the buttons (See the large stitch holder, shaped like a safety pin? That's where the buttons go!), sewing in the ends, and washing/blocking it.

Now little Sophie -- the future recipient -- also has a new baby sister, Ivy (2 months old).  She'll be getting a little crib quilt.  I made the top last March and when I learned of her arrival I decided to quilt it up for her.  Here's a photo of the top:

Pattern: "Chandelier"
Info: see my post HERE

Note that neither of those projects is on the WIPGO board.  That's because I've classified them as Priority Projects because they're gifts -- and will be finished come heck or high water, WIPGO or no WIPGO!

Speaking of gifts...being who I am, and being who my friends and family are, I received some lovely yarny and stitchy gifts for Christmas and "just because"!

My son's partner gave me a gift certificate for a southern Alberta indie yarn dyer -- Arcane Fibre Works.  His colours are fantastic -- but his yarn base is all extra-fine merino.  His prices are reasonable but I was hoping for a skein of fingering for socks.  And y'all probably know by now that unless colour palate is an issue, I won't make socks from high-grade merino.  They don't wear well.  They might stretch/slouch more than other socks.  They pill.  And they might felt -- even if they're super-wash treated.  Oh -- and feet don't need socks that soft.  Never test sock yarn on your face or neck. Your feet aren't that fussy!!

So...I've got a colour-way in mind but will reserve a purchase until I can afford (even with the gift cert) two skeins for a shawl.  (And yes; two skeins will equal free shipping -- at least in Canada.)  I'm willing to bide my time...

My friend Mary W. gave me two balls of yarn.  This is admirable, because a) she doesn't wear wool; and b) she doesn't knit!  (True friendship: supporting a friend's passion even when you don't share it!)

She gave me a lovely ball of German sock yarn (NOT 'extra-fine merino' -- the Germans know their sock yarn!) in one of my daughter's favourite colour-ways.  And my daugher?  She's always up for a pair of sturdy, well-wearing, hand-knit-by-Mom socks!  So...her January birthday prezzie is taken care of!

She also gave me a ball of 80% acrylic (!)/20% wool yarn from James C. Brett -- a lovely UK-based company.  The colours are similar, but the yarn is clearly for a shawl or something cozy; it has a 'halo' that makes it look like mohair but there's no mohair to be found in it.  And...I have a friend who suits this colour palate (she has auburn hair and complexion)...so maybe this will become something for her.  Hmmmm....or given to her -- because she knits.  She knits shawls (and I found a pattern for this yarn).  Prayer shawls, even.  Hmmmmm....the possibilities!

Isn't it delicious?!

Yarn: "Shhh" DK (but it's more like fingering)
Supplier: James C. Brett
Fibre: 80% acrylic, 20% wool

I'm not lacking in stitchy gifts, either.  Today I had lunch with my friend C. (we do this every 2-3 weeks -- two-hour lunches at Mae's Kitchen here in Mirror, AB.  Food and friendliness par excellence!)  She had a major reno to her home this past summer (don't ask; it wasn't planned!) and now is putting things back where they should go.  In the course of doing that, she's sifting and sorting her "stuff" and gave me this beautiful book: Sampler & Antique Needlework: A Year in Stitches.  It's available on Amazon.ca (and probably "dot com") for a pretty reasonable price but oh!  The treasure of it!

I managed some years decades ago to procure a couple of the original magazines by that name, which used to be published quarterly, but I wasn't aware of this book.  The publisher of the magazine is/was Phyllis Hoffman, and she published the book under the company called "Symbol of Excellence Publishers, Inc."  That title is appropriate -- even as I gaze on the cover of the book, having yet to open it and go through it.  C. is a stitcher too -- but she knows how I've fallen in love with reproduction samplers, and so this is a very special gift honouring that affection for this genre.

And then...the piece de resistance!  My friend A. is a quilter known for her album quilts and the beauty of her applique and hand-quilting.  She also knits and stitches, and is a lot of fun to be with.

This year, she gave me the most delightful, exquisitely executed gift for Christmas.  I have it out on the table in my living room, where I hang out to stitch, where I can see it.  It's useful, yes, but the artistry and detail make it so very special.  The pattern is from the "Block Party Series" from Hands On Designs; this one is "Meow".  A. knows I'm a Certified Cat Person...with an Elder Grumpy Cat and two 6-month old kittens...so she paid tribute!

I just had to show you the top and all four sides (the bottom is plain but for her initials and the date):

Her stitching is par excellence, because she never does anything by halves.  💓

And now, my friends...I've spoken of plans and gifts -- but what about hopes and dreams?

My hopes for 2024 are too numerous to list, but in the main consist of these:

1. "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." -- Isaiah 2:4 -- that the lust for power and dominance globally, nationally, regionally, locally and within families disappear and be gone forever.
2. That the US doesn't fall into fascism; 
3. That in all times and all places we can -- as Fred Rogers' mother instructed -- look for AND FIND the Helpers.  May there always be helpers.

My Dreams? Well...in a concrete sense, I've only one.  It's far smaller than my plans or hopes.  I long to return to Scotland...just one more time.  I have a friend -- Anne H. -- who is willing and eager to come with me.  Both of us knit.  She crochets; I do a bit.  She weaves; I do not.  I spin; she doesn't.  We both walk.  And we are on a wait list to be notified for the registration to sign on to a Knitting/Walking Tour of the Shetland Isles in 2025.  

I may never go home (to Quebec) again this side of heaven (though I'd like to do so too) but if I get to Shetland...to walk the isles, experience the sheep, the scenery, the skills of the knitters there...oh!  That's my Dream.

All that said, I told Anne recently that if I never made it there, I'd not die disappointed.  Sometimes the Dream is enough.

And so, Gentle Readers, I close this with a message of thanksgiving, and hope for you all: that you will find your space, your purpose, your calling.  That you will know the peace of God (however you understand that) that passes all understanding.  May that Peace enfold you, enable you, inspire you, encourage you and bring you to where you need to be for your own equanimity and for your giving of who you are and what you are to others -- a light in the darkness; a safe haven in the storm; a quiet centre in the whirlwind; a refuge.  May you be given the resources to do and be so -- and may you know that you are held in love in the Everlasting Arms -- however you understand that to be.

A bientot!

 

September Startitis

 We had a Frost Warning here the other night.  That said, the dreaded frost didn't show up -- at least, not in my yard.  The days are still warming up (eventually), even if daylight starts later in the morning, and retires early.

I've been retiring pretty early, too -- and going full tilt in between.  The air has been tense in Miss Pookie's Queendom, ever since these two Interlopers arrived two weeks ago.

On the left, Miss Sylvie; on the right, her brother, Master Smokie -- shown here "at rest", which (thankfully!) occurs every few hours.  (As I type, they're sleeping on my bed.  Miss Pookie is sleeping in her nest in the Indoor Studio.)

Note the sealed packet next to them.  It's just one of several sealed packages and project bags which, so far, have managed to keep prying paws at bay.  The baskets of yarn that used to decorate my living area are all now stored behind a closed door in the guest room, and the Indoor Studio door is closed completely while Miss Pooks and I are outside.  Otherwise it's open a wee crack, so she can get out.

For those of you, Gentle Readers, who don't follow me on Facebook, Miss Pookie had a medical emergency a week ago -- just to add to the excitement (and expense!)  She's doing fine now, but I've had to give her an antibiotic (teeny-tiny pill) twice a day for the past week.  We'll both be thankful after her last dose tomorrow morning!

So how does a Maker of Textile Things try to bring order to this chaos?!  She keeps on making, of course!  (At left: Order Out of Chaos -- or Chaos Can be Colourful (c) 2020.)

And it being September, when we move from the lassitude of summer into "Back to School" in these parts, my current chaos has been mitigated somewhat by a case of September Startitis -- which, when  you really think about it, is just a second round of the Startitis that takes hold every January!

Since my post three weeks ago (!), I've...

• Started and finished another little hat to give away:

Design: "Peggy's Cap"
Designer: YaYa LovestoKnit
Yarn: Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted
Colour 00210 - "Petal Pink" (shown before blocking)

• Started and finished a pair of baby socks for a friend's new grand-nephew:

Pattern: "Baby Socks"
Designer: Kate Atherley
Yarn: left-over sock yarn - all used up now!

•  And started a pair of larger socks for his 3-year old big brother (sorry, no photo).  The first sock of the pair is finished and I'm past the cuff on the second.
• I started a seed-stitch ribbed vest for myself.  It's a cotton/rayon blend that I've had for (probably) 20 years or so.  The vest is started flat for the hems.  Then you put it onto a circular needle and join to knit the body in the round.  I've done the front hem (1 1/2") and am now working on the back hem (shown below), which ends up at 3 1/2" before joining to the front.

Pattern: Waterrock Vest
Designer: Jennifer Kelley
Yarn: Nova Plus La Playa from deep stash
Colour - #9840

• On the quilting front, I dug out another almost-20-year-old project: the One Block Wonder quilt, from One-Block Wonders by Maxine Rosenthal (2006).  

Yes...I probably got the book shortly after it came out, and bought 3 metres of a stunning chrysanthemum print with which to make it.  And over time, two different triangular rulers, both of which were supposed to cut 60 degree triangles.  I decided earlier in the summer that it was time I made this quilt.  I knew I couldn't part with the beautiful fabric and didn't want to use it any other way, so I set to.  

The process of preparing the fabric is quite fussy, but I got it all done: found the pattern repeat I wanted to use; cut the sections; cut the sections (stacked) into strips.  Therein was my first error: I misread the pattern and cut them 3.25" wide, not 3.75" wide.  Ah well!  I'd adjust.  The hexies would simply be smaller.

What happened next wasn't an error; it was an experiment.  I had two triangular rulers for cutting the triangles from the strips.  I chose to begin with the blunt-tipped ruler and, per Ms. Rosenthal's instructions, adjusted the cut to allow for the blunt tip.  I cut one set of strips with this ruler, and then tried to assemble the hexagons, following the book.  The instructions were clear but the hexies weren't very pretty.  I couldn't make patterns with them as illustrated.

Hmmm....

I decided to try the second ruler -- the one with a pointed tip.  This was much better!  In the photo below you'll see what I mean.  Yes, the hexies on the top row all have a bit of a slant to them, along with being impossible to assemble into an appealing design:

Top row: blunt-tipped ruler = funky hexies
Bottom row: pointed ruler = pretty hexies

I now have a bundle of not-great triangles -- which have been set aside for later consideration -- and will proceed to cut out the remainder with the "right" ruler! 😆

My leaders/enders project continues to be the string blocks, and converting those squares into HST blocks, but I've done nothing more on that at present.  The OBW experiment happened on the first rainy day in weeks, when I couldn't work in the yard/garden or stitch in the Outdoor Studio.  Instead, I was stuck inside with 2 very lively kittens and one Very Grumpy Miss Pooks!

And stitching has been going well.  It's Sampler September, after all.  I've been working on the d*@!!n grass on the "Keziah Campbell" sampler (Needlemade Designs), and have nearly finished that fill in.  There'll be a photo once I've started working on the sheep!

I've spent some time with "Nevermore" (Lila's Studio design), and have finished the first row of motifs, as well the line "Once upon a midnight dreary".  Again, there'll be a photo when I finish more of the text.

• And as this week marks the first days of Autumn, I decided yesterday to start a wee autumnal piece.  It's one of the "Gingham Seasons" by Ruth A. Sparrow of Twisted threads -- appropriately entitled "Autumn Gingham" (2002).  Here's my little start:

The fabric came with the pattern years ago; I've just kitted it up as best I could with the called-for DMCC and other DMC from my stash.  It's a fun little stitch and should be finished quickly.  😊

 I've not done any hooked art for a bit, as I was waiting on a bit of wool fabric and some red yarn to arrive for "All the Pretty Poppies".  While I waited, I collected what reds I had on hand.  This has arrived now, and I hope to design the piece in the next week or so.  I began by turning the photo from my garden, into an "Impressionist" mode in my photo editting program (Artsoft Photo Studio 5):

Left: the photo I took; Right: "Impressionistic" version

I need to decide how large I want to make it -- and while it will be larger than the 10" x 10" piece I designed, it won't be much larger.  I'm not ready to take that plunge just yet!

• Last but not least comes the garden and yard.  This week I started to clear it away for the winter -- cutting back and dead-heading and weeding out grass that insinuated itself in and around the plants.  I mustered my courage and transplanted a baby peony -- purchased last spring -- that wasn't flourishing where I'd put it in the first place.  It turns out that spot, once the leaves of the nearby trees were full out, was too shady.  I've moved it to the east side of my house where it will have company with other peonies and hope that it "takes" enough to survive the winter so it can do better next year.

I also harvested my Early Girl tomatoes -- many of them a good size but still very green.  The ones that showed signs of ripening are in a basket together in the kitchen, doing just that.  

The others, so very green, I put in a pot with a goodly amount of my golden cherry tomatoes, adding raisins, currants, diced apples, diced lemon and orange, sugar, vinegar, a shot of scotch whisky, some ground cloves and allspice, and turned out almost 4 large jars of Green Tomato Relish, aka "Mock Mince Meat".  I gave a jar to my neighbour and have offered one to another friend.  I'll let the remaining two cure, and perhaps make at least one pie at Xmas -- even if I have to freeze it in slices to eat one at a time!

There are still more golden cherry tomatoes to harvest; I'll be eating them for a while yet!

And on that note...the sun is shining, the day is well on now (after 3 p.m.).  I've pruned my large old lilac (dead-headed the finished blossoms) and cleared the east flower bed for winter (except the peonies, which I'll do later).  It's time for some of that stitching and knitting in the Outside Studio, keeping Miss Pooks company while the wee ones, tummies full, have another nap.

I'll once again leave you with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week she's show-casing the work of two young talents -- one in the world of Broadway theatre and another who's a new author (spoiler alert: it's her daughter!!)  Off you go to enjoy that and to make time for your own creative pursuits.

Till we 'meet' again, a bientôt! 

Christmas is Coming...

Yes, Gentle Readers. 

• Following a long, lovely, warm autumn, we've had two good dumps of snow here in the last four days.  
• There's not been a County plough in town -- yet.  
• Only on the highways, and then again, our not-at-all major highway linking two larger highways is partly covered snow with icy patches.  
• Our clocks went back an hour overnight -- from Mountain Daylight Time to Mountain Standard Time.  

What does all this mean?!  "Winter is coming", as they say in the movies, or wherever they say it.  And in my world, up here in the Northern Hemisphere, with 'winter' comes Christmas.

Those of us who are Makers understand.  Our needles (stitch or knit), our hooks (crochet), our machines (sewing, quilting, felting), our wheels (spinning), our looms (weaving) -- all are ramping up to top speed if we are making gifts for others.  And I am with you, Gentle Readers; I'm with you!

On the knitting front, I'm making fingerless gloves (by request) for a long-time friend who, apparently, has never owned any.  The pattern is 'Cielo' from Eweknit Toronto on Ravelry, and I've combined two yarns to make these: Filatura di Crosa Fancy Line Gioiello -- in colour #5 (red) with a bit of gold bling, and Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-silk 2/18 lace-weight, in 'Cinnabar' (all from stash).  I've finished the first one of the pair -- a bit 'blingier' than expected.  I hope my friend will like them!

The 6-ply socks for another friend are well on their way to being finished (on the foot of the second sock) but they're Very Plain so...no photos at present.  Sorry!

I did, however, cast on another knit for Xmas this week -- and am about 25% along the road to a finish.  It's the Gothic Lace Cowl, a free pattern from Tin Can Knits on Ravelry.  I've made it before with a thick yarn.  This time I'm doing 2 finer yarns together, and so far I'm happy with the result.  

I chose this one because it's for my nephew's partner who has a "goth" esthetic and who, he says, would like lace.  The yarns I'm using include one purchased especially -- "Widowmaker" -- a sock yarn (merino/nylon blend) from Black Cat Custom Yarn out of Chilliwack, B.C., which I bought when in Revelstoke in July.  The other is another lace weight from stash and yes, another JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-silk 2/18 selection -- this time in the "Mahogany" colour-way.  The lace-weight selection is adding just the right amount of weight, while blending in beautifully with the hand-dyed yarn.  Yes, I could worry that the colour selection 'interferes' with the Gothic Lace pattern, but I've decided not to!

The pattern calls for buttons, and I found the perfect ones at the Prairie Fibre Festival in Lacombe in mid-September, to whit:

I only hope my nephew's partner likes the results!

There are also gifts in the cross-stitch department.  First, I can now show you the gift I sent my sister, as her birthday was Friday and she received it early last week.  The designer is Erica Michaels.  I created the piece on 32-count Lambswool linen from my stash, using Needle Necessities over-dyed cotton floss, in a colour that I knew my sis would like, as she has a 'beach esthetic' going on at her cottage.  

Front

Back

The initials are my sister's and mine; the dates mark the year we became sisters (1957) to the present -- 65 years since her father married my mother and brought her and her older brother (RIP 1981) to create a new family.  This was a very special piece for me to make, and I'm glad she likes it.

Another before Xmas gift in the cross-stitch realm is a "November Needleroll" that isn't.  Say what?!  I chose the pattern by that name to make a little piece for a friend of mine who has a Big Birthday coming in the middle of this month.  But she's not a stitcher, so it's not a needle roll.  Instead, I found a darling little frame at a local vintage shop (Cuckoo's Shop in Alix, Alberta) and made this:

With apologies for the glare from the window on the left...it's only about 6" W x 8" L.  It's now packed up and ready to mail this week.

 Today I finished one of my family Xmas gifts in stitch but because I think my daughter reads this blog...sorry!  No photos!

And I've taken up a cute piece for "Black Sampler November" -- but again, it's for my daughter's household so...no photos!  Sorry!

Meanwhile, on the quilting front...the top for the throw for a Certain Young Man is almost finished.  I have the centre part done, as I mentioned in my last post, and I'm working on a pieced border.

As for the artwork?  My hands have finally recovered, so I'm hoping to return to beading and stitching the "Fallen Log" in the coming week.  There'll be more about this in the next post, I'm sure.

I'll leave you with a link again to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and wish you all a cozy, safe, creative week!  Till we meet again... Hugs!