Hunkering Down

 

Picture the field at left, but with snow patches on it, and the trees swaying in a cold, late October wind.

That's what it's like around here now -- especially since the first real snowfall of the year, which happened yesterday.  

Oh, the pavements and sidewalks are bare and dry again -- for now -- but it's cold enough that not all the snow has melted from the grasses and fields.  It's 'bundle up' if you want to go out for a walk -- and that walk had better be as brisk as the breeze.  This is not the season for strolling or sauntering!

And while I like a nice walk under a blue sky full of high clouds, past the once-golden-now-bare aspen, Mountain Ash and box elders (aka "Manitoba Maples" in these parts) I'm finding myself drawn more to cozy sitting at home, whether in my knitting chair (with footstool and quilt over my knees) or in my stitching chair near the stitching lamp, with supplies 'round it, or at my sewing machine, quilting a throw quilt or assembling blocks.

This past couple of months, the knitting has dominated -- and even moreso now that the yard work is finished, the gardens have been harvested, and the Outdoor Studio has been tucked away for the winter.

If someone can 'build up' to 'hunkering down', that's what I've been doing.

My cyber-friend, Kate, of Arts and Socks expressed this perfectly in her latest blog post: she referred to "returning to her roots" which, for her (as I understand it) means 'quilting' -- even though she makes lots of bags, and knits lots of socks.

My roots are in knitting, which I learned around age 8 -- 66 years ago (or so).  And as I explained to Kate in an e-mail earlier today, 

When I am under stress, all my hands want to do is knit.  I did the usual 6 years of Home Ec in school and sewed many garments (including my wedding dress) but aside from a few totes, I've not taken to bag-making.  I get the pieces reversed etc. -- so I've never been able to paper piece either (except for string blocks and EPP). 

I took up quilting in my early 40s, and art quilting around age 50...and rug-hooking (art not floor) about 3 years ago. I'm making very little original work these days, though I still have work in a local gallery...and do a few local exhibits a year.  Next fall (2027) I have a solo show at the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre...and that, I think, will be pretty much my art 'swan song'.  My heart isn't there any more.  All I really want to do now is "create beauty every day" as Deanne Fitzpatrick, the rug-hooking artist, says.  That, and make things that bring comfort to others.

So, my quilting/stitching/rug-hooking Gentle Readers...please bear with me in this update, because...well...I've been knitting a LOT in the last month!

For example, I finished the latest pair of mittens that I mentioned in my last post, and they've been washed and placed in the 2026 Warm Things Box:

Pattern: The World's Simplest Mittens
Designed by Tin Can Knits
Yarn: Schoeller & Stahl 'Big Print' - discontinued

I also finished the DK-weight boot socks for my son for Christmas:

Pattern: Blueberry Ribbed Waffle Socks
Designed by Sandy Turner
Yarn: Condon's Yarn 2-ply Fine - Discontinued

And then it was...October!!

So...I cast on two pair of socks to honour "Socktober" in a couple of different ways.  

First, there's the October Challenge from the "Socks from Stash" group on Ravelry: 'Colorwork' (or as we spell it here: 'Colourwork' 😉).  Well.  Did I dare try this?

I've had little success with colourwork in socks.  Hats, a sweater, even mittens -- not too bad.  But somehow, fingering-weight *socks* have been hard.  Even going up a needle size hasn't worked well.  That said, I decided to try it one. More. Time.

I went with "simple" -- not all-over colourwork. Just at the cuffs and toes.  I used a slightly larger needle for the ribbing and the cuff colourwork. Per the pattern, I increased the number of stitches after the ribbing from 64 to 70, in order to do the colourwork, and stayed with that number of stitches all the way down the leg, including the heel, only reducing them to 64 when I had turned the heel.  That worked well -- and here's a photo of my foot in the first sock, to prove it!

Pattern: the Erma Socks
Designed by Anna Lange
Yarn: Main Colour: ONLine 3 Supersocke 100
in the colour #51 - "Violet"
Contrast Colour: Zen Yarn Garden Superfine Fingering
(discontinued) in the colour-way "Breathless"

Second, I cast on a pair of self-striping socks from Paton's North America Kroy Sock yarn in colour #55607 - "Mexicala", using one of the "Collection of Columns" patterns by Nancy Wheeler (I chose #4 - "Berries"):

Note the orange stripes!  This is about as much orange as I'd want in my wardrobe (I like the colour but it doesn't suit me in the least. Couldn't wear it next to my face, for sure!)  That said, it fills the bill for the "Orange October" Make-Along that Karen of Recreational Knitting podcast has orchestrated in her Ravelry group.

I have to admit I love the colour combo and that bit of texture that Nancy's designed for either side of the leg.

And having finished the mittens (above), I needed something else for my Warm Things Box (2026 edition).  I have a deadline: I'll be taking the box to my parish church on Nov. 22 so our pastor can take it up to the centre of the action -- the large church of which we're a satellite -- for distribution to those in need.

So...I decided to try a cowl.  Cathy W. from Yarn with Heart podcast introduced views to a very pretty little one, and I cast it on -- in a self-patterning acrylic, Schachenmayr Nomotta Bravo Color (discontinued), and I like the result:

Pattern: Upside Down Tree Cowl
Designer: Petra Breakstone

I made it a couple of inches shorter than called for, because I thought it was deep enough -- and it will be cozy, even in acrylic yarn.  I'd like to try another in a solid colour, so the lacy pattern would really stand out.

Now, for those of you who are more interested in crafts other than knitting...

What about quilting?

Well...there's been some of that going on of late, because I've got two tops that have been (or soon will be) actually quilted, here at home on my little Pfaff Performance 5.2 domestic sewing machine!

The priority was to finish "Jewels and Jumbles", a throw designed by Laurie Shifrin, which I found it the book Batik Beauties: 18 Stunning Quilts, bought several years ago (published by Martingale & Co, 2001).  I I've had the top done for a while, but when I heard a fond acquaintance was losing her job at the end of November, I decided to quilt it up and give it to her.  

I showed the sandwiched top in my last post.  Now, it's been pin-basted and quilted and, as of this morning, I've finished binding two sides, and have only two more to do, plus hiding all the ends of threads from the quilting:

The next one is the log cabin top I pieced last year -- the 2025 Block of the Month from A Quilting Life, shown here on my bed, just the top, with the borders attached:

It's a big one, and will stretch my ability to wrestle it under the needle of my domestic machine, but I plan to quilt it in straigh lines, plane and simple.  It's going to an older fellow who is not at all well off, and who's moved into a 'fixer-upper' house; our pastor will take it to him once I finish it.

These two projects have taken me away from piecing the "Fun with Bricks" top (a Christmas gift), so I'd better get going!  I've not done this year's October BOM (A Quilting Life) yet, either!

And yes, there is still cross-stitch.

I was, I admit, lured away from my Sampler September pieces by the arrival of the "Blackbird Academy SAL", a recent arrival to Facebook, which I mentioned in my last post.  By the end of September, I'd managed to make some progress on the section of the "Heart and Home Sampler" on which I was working, and have, I think, only one bird left to stitch:

That one bird isn't a problem, though, as I'll be returning to this piece for the November "assignment", which is to stitch a BBD piece that includes a basket -- and guess what's featured in that big space in the centre (above)? Yep!  A *large* basket of flowers!  I figure by November, that entire piece might be finished...

The October "assignment" was...well...harder to accomplish.  It was to stitch a BBD design that included a pumpkin -- and I didn't have any BBD pattern that did so.  

I decided to order the single pattern, "Pumpkin Farm", which is a real cutie.  None were in stock, as far as I could find, in any LYS in the province, so I turned to 123 stitch, as they'd been reliable in the past, have reasonable postage to Canada and...it was only a leaflet, after all.  But it took from September 28 through October 19th to arrive from Texas.  No extra tariffs or duties but...really!

So I got it kitted -- had to buy a few skeins of DMC that I didn't have -- and ready to go on the 20th.  That's 4 days ago.  Blessedly it's tiny, and I've managed, starting at the upper left as is my preference, to do a bit of the top border, then stitch down the left border and across the bottom to the pumpkin:

I'm stitching it on 35-count "Baby's Breath" from Weeks Dye Works, using DMC, 1 strand of floss over 2 fabric threads and yes, I've changed up the colour selection for the pumpkin a bit, as I thought the called-for floss for the outline was too dark, and too much of a contrast with the fill-in colour.  

It's a fun stitch, though, so I expect that by my next post it will be finished.

And I've continued to make progress on "The Swans at River House" from Maximum Cross Stitch, which I'm doing as an anniversary/Christmas gift for cousins of mine.  It too is fun to do, but given that the dark fabric (darker in real life than in the photo) was chosen because it's a key element of the piece -- for the walls of the house -- it's a bit slow-going:

Fabric: 36- count Cat Nap from Roxy Floss Co.
Thread pack from Roxy Floss Co.

As for rug-hooking...well...

I drew up a new, large piece on linen, now on my Cheticamp frame -- barely started. It's a prairie adaptation of Deanne Fitzpatrick's "Wild Flowers in the Glen", and will be a real focus over the long winter months.

And...I mounted "Singing to the Choir" on a stretched canvas, painted black, and gave it to my friend A., with whom I used to sing at a parish church that is no longer part of our lives.  She loves it and sent me a photo of it in her house -- though I'll not show that here. Alas, I don't have a photo of it fully finished, either...so there it is.  Ah, well.  And so it goes.

On that note, my Gentle Readers, I'm going to close with my usual link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

This week, she's on a retreat with a group of like-minded souls, for rug-hooking.

And isn't a craft retreat a type of hunkering down?  Of feeding one's soul with rest, creativity, good food, and time spent doing what fills the well, so that we can face the Real World again?

And so...I hope that until we meet once more, you find a way to hunker down, to creat beauty every day, to rest -- safe and well.  A bientot!

All the Things

This summer, the birds at my feeders have also planted sunflowers -- especially under the feeder in my front yard, where I can watch them flutter and fly around, and have a perfect view of that sunny little impromptu flower bed.  It always makes me smile.

While they've been busy doing their things, I've been doing mine.  Some days there have been more unexpected "things" than I'd like, and other days, I'm the captain of my ship, and get to do that which I like most -- making something out of fabric, fibre or floss.  

"September Startitis" (per my last post) has resulted in some actual starts of new projects, the finishing of a few and the continuation of others.

Let's start with knitting, shall we?  While Mother Nature (or El Nino, or whoever) has brought us some Very Warm Days this week (in the mid-to-high twenties Celsius, or high seventies to almost eighties Fahrenheit), we are in a brrrr month, and in no time, things will cool off again.

So...about that shawl I cast on over the Labour Day weekend: I'm now nearly finished the first section, and it looks like this:

Pattern: "Always Better Together"
Designer: Brenda Brayfield
Yarn: Red - Sirdar Harrap Tweed DK
Natural - Custom Woollen Mills
Mule Spun 2-ply

I think it's going to be very pretty, and a really interesting knit!  

I've knit another inch or so on my "Sea Haven" pullover (JST Designs) but it's not worth a photo at this point!  And I finished the Ross Hat:

Pattern: "Ross"
Designer: Ross Rochester
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Limbo Mexiko Color
Colour #2583 - "Green White"*

*Yes, I know it looks grey. It's a very dark grey-green!

I thought I was going to be playing yarn chicken with this but I managed to finish it with about 50 metres left!

The hat, of course, is for my Warm Things Box. My practice is to alternate making hats and mittens; so far there are more of the former than the latter, so I think I'll be making at least 3 pair of mittens in a row before I turn the box in to my church for distribution to those who need a Warm Thing.

Thus...I found 2 balls of Schoeller + Stahl Big Print in my stash (colour #7942) -- and cast on another of The World's Simplest Mittens (Tin Can Knits) in an Adult Medium, in hopes of using them all up:

In the Gift Knit department, I've been enjoying a return of my sock 'mojo', and finished the first sock promised to my son.  

Pattern: Blueberry Ribbed Waffle Socks
Designer: Sandy Turner
Yarn: Condon's Yarns 2-ply fine 100% wool
(long discontinued!)

Since this photo was taken, I've not only cast on the second sock, but finished the leg and the heel flap!  I'm aiming to have a pair counted in "Socks from Stash" on Ravelry for the September challenge!

And one more new start...

Since my last post, I went to the Prairie Fibre Festival, 10th Anniversary celebration, in nearby Lacombe (Alberta).  In addition to browsing the wares -- and buying some yarn for my rug-hooking project -- I had a wonderful time meeting up with old friends.  One of our Knit Night companions from the old Crafty Lady yarn/craft shop days, is moving north to Edmonton, so 1/2 dozen or so of us gathered at Anna Maria's cafe (in the same building as the Festival) and had a grand reunion. Many of us hadn't seen each other in five or six years.  

One of the gals showed photos of all she'd been knitting. She's fallen in love with the designs of Caitlin Hunter, aka Boyland Knitworks.  

Well! That inspired me. I knit Ms. Hunter's "Tegna Top" some years ago (finished it in 2021) and enjoyed it.  Around that time I bought the pattern for her "Navelli" top but was a bit intimidated by the colour-work.  No more!  

It took me some time to find just the right yarn in my stash -- and in the end it came down to only two colours.  I decided that would do.  It's going to be a bright and sunny piece, as I'm knitting it in hot pink and cream, with the pink being the colour-work at the bottom.  It's a lot of stitches -- I'm using a 40" ChaioGoo Lace circular needle -- and even doing the first inch of 1:1 ribbing is a challenge (I will not twist the join. I will not twist the join. I will not twist the join!!) but it's going to be a great winter knit with a view to wearing it for Easter in the spring. Here's my wee start:

See what I mean about 
all those stitches?!

In terms of yarn, yes...I bought two skeins of 100% Alpaca 4-ply from Love's Grace Alpacas at their booth at the Festival.  I had a specific purpose: find a dark navy yarn with which to finish the night sky in the piece I've been hooking, "Singing to the Choir".  Love's Grace had just the right colour in the right weight!  

This company isn't on Ravelry, and their website doesn't show every colour of yarn they supply. I've bought their blended medium worsted before, though, and enjoy hooking with it.  That said, this pure Alpaca yarn was so luscious, I was hesitant to cut it up for hooking so...I wound one skein into a cake and pulled off lengths as needed!  I might hook with the rest...or not...After all, I'm a knitter and have a knitter's heart...😉

So here's what my finished piece looks like, just off the frame:

Pattern: "Singing to the Choir"
Designer: Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios
Kit of the Month Limited Edition
Won as a door prize - March 2026

I've not started a new hooked piece yet, because I want to do a large one on my Cheticamp frame, using input from two of Deanne's classes -- "Working Big" and "Wildflowers in the Glen".  The latter includes a pattern which I may adapt to suit the landscape of the prairies around here.  It's going to take me some time to think through how to design this project and how to create the colour palette I want. Stay tuned!

And yes, there's been a bit of spinning.

I'm a very sporadic spinner.  I particularly like to spin outside, and the weather this summer was just not conducive to doing so.  It was either too cold, wet or windy (sometimes all at once!) or too hot.  However, we did have a few perfect days, and when those occurred and I was home, not doing Yard Work, I took an hour or so to spin.  I'd wanted to participate in the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures Summer Spin-in but, alas, it wasn't to be, as I didn't do enough to feel it counted -- and the deadline was Labour Day.

It took until Friday this week -- well past Labour Day -- but I finished a bobbin of single-ply alpaca, part of a braid I won after that Spin-in a few years ago.

It's really more peach -- with a fade to peachy-yellow -- than the orange that's showing in the photo.  I'm not sure what I'll spin up to ply with it (I'm rather fond of two-ply handspun) but that can wait until the next Perfect Spinning Day.

Then, yesterday, a sort of madness came over me.  There I was, innocently knitting on my son's second sock, watching a podcast. I think it was Jen from "The Stash-down Diaries". I'd watched her latest episode and then went back to one she did a year ago, about some of her favourite Canadian yarns.  She mentioned several that she'd used in a Stephen West shawl a few years ago...and that took my mind down a rabbit hole.  I'm not a Stephen West fan, but I've knit his Boneyard Shawl twice, and wouldn't mind doing so again.  I love the look and the texture. And...thinking of texture, I've had the pattern "Architexture" for a long time, hemming and hawing about knitting it, because it's a scarf, and I'm not fond of knitting scarves.  But...all that texture is tempting.  

Both of these patterns are illustrated in a lovely soft grey...such a soothing colour.  Did I have any in my stash? Nope. Not in any weight at all. A single skein of a darker grey that I got in Ontario years ago from a shop that I believe is now long closed.

Sigh.  But wait! I have just the right yarn...in a natural beige:

Filature Lemieux Eco-naturelle
Sport-weight; colour 464 - Lt. Beige

And I have five hundred grams of it -- a total of 945 metres, or just over 1,000 yards.  Beige. Hmmmm....

I've not dyed yarn in a couple of years but I know how, and I had the supplies. A woman possessed, I dug them all out -- including ages-old black dye.  I could do this...but would I get grey or...black?

I did the math for a 1% dye solution and a 0.1% dye solution...and then, in complete madness, used the stronger formula.  Oh well. I now have five skeins of a glorious charcoal black 100% wool yarn, shown here, drying outside yesterday afternoon:

My eyes are such these days that I eschew working with black yarn...but these are calling to be made into something. Maybe that shawl or scarf, or maybe in colourwork? I'm not sure.  I could hook with them (though they're a bit light-weight) but for the moment...I have them ready for when The Right Project comes along.

With September's cool mornings, I've also been back in the quilting sewdio, working on three projects: the "Fun with Bricks!" top from Bonnie Hunter in her Free Patterns collection; the 2026 Block of the Month (BOM) from A Quilting Life; and just now...preparing to sandwich and quilt a top I made last year which has been waiting to be quilted as a gift for just the right person.

My "Bricks" top is moving right along.  The full block consists of four units: two 'all bricks' and two 'bricks-and-squares'. I need 30 full blocks at 12 1/2" (unfinished) to make the top.  Currently, I've finished 10 full blocks, and have enough of both sets of units to make 6 more, so...almost half-way there.

Here's what the some of the first blocks look like, laid out on my "design bed":

And here's what each set of units looks like. (This photo was taken about a month ago; I have many more sets now!)

As you can probably see, the 'bricks-and-blocks' units shown don't have much contrast.  Since this photo was taken, I've mixed up the pieces a bit more and like how that's going.  I'm trying not to be fixated on colour combinations and just let them be really scrappy!

As for the BOM, I surprised myself by finishing the September block on the day it was released.  We had a rainy Labour Day Monday here, so the timing was perfect!

And then...there's the pending quilt.  A close acquaintance of mine will be losing her job at the end of November, as the company whose store she manages is closing the branch of that store.  I just figured she needed a bit of comfort, so I went into my collection of quilt tops and found this one, which I call "Batik Stars".  Yesterday I pieced together the backing, which is from the same fabric as the background of the top, and laid it out to ensure it was large enough:

Pattern: "Jewels & Jumbles" 
Designer: Laurie J. Shifrin
Source: "Batik Beauties: 18
Stunning Quilts" - published by
Martingale Co., 2001

In the next few weeks I'll quilt, bind and wash it, in order to have it ready to give to my friend some time in early November.  😢

And yes, last but certainly not least, there's been cross-stitch. Since my last post, I've made progress on all three of the projects I mentioned for Sampler September, including a new start.  Only dear Emeline Hotchkiss has been left waiting in the wings.  It's just not her turn to dance yet, but there's still time.

Priority has been given to these three, the first being my Birthday Stitch from (I think) 2022: "Memories of the Past" from Hands Across the Sea, which I chose to mark my 70th birthday.  I thought I might finish it this month but no -- there's far more stitching involved than I'd remembered. Still, I am making progress and enjoying it very much, as the colours are so beautiful.

I just love that little strip of vine/flowers along the bottom.  There's more of it to go, but I've decided to go back up to the top and extend the piece farther to the right first.  Thus far, I've stitched it only in September each year -- my birth month -- but I might have to begin to take this up again in March, to mark the half year and get it finished more quickly!

As for the "Blackbird Academy", I'm moving right along with this month's "subject" -- a Black Bird Design that includes birds:

"Keepsakes of Spring" from the
"Heart and Home Patchwork" pattern
Source: "A Heart Remembers"
from Black Bird Designs (c) 2022

This is on 28-count fabric, so is a bit faster to stitch, using 2 threads of floss over 2 fabric threads.

A relatively new start, mentioned in my last post, is 'The Swans at River House' from Maximum Cross Stitch (Ellen Reid), which I started recently as an anniversary gift for some dear cousins of mine. I've finished more of the left border, plus the large star/snowflake motif in the upper left, and have started the roof of the large house:

It's a very pretty design but the counting is a challenge, as the hand-dyed linen is very soft, with threads of uneven thickness. Still, I will persist!

And then, though Emeline is waiting, I've started another new Canadian sampler: Isabella Carter MaClean - 1799.  This was reproduced by Margriet of The Essemplaire, located here in Alberta -- in Red Deer, just an hour's drive southwest of here.  

Sadly, a few days ago my stitching this piece was given another purpose. Not only am I stitching it because the original was stitched long ago, in what was Lower Canada, before Confederation, but also, now, I am stitching it in memory of the talented Canadian woman who reproduced it: Margriet Adriana Johanna Bekker-Hogue.

Her family posted on the Essemplaire's Facebook page that Margriet passed away on the morning of September 14th. The stitching world has lost a teacher, a lover of antique samplers, and a fine stitcher, sampler historian and reproductionist. You can read her family's announcement on the Facebook page HERE. 😢

So I've begun the bones of the border on a 40-count mystery fabric, using DMC floss, 1 strand over 2 fabric threads:

Rest in peace, Margriet. May your memory live on as a blessing through the work of our hands.

And so that is a bitter-sweet note on which to end this long litany of all the things I've worked on in the last couple of weeks. In the wake of Magriet's passing, it's occurred to me that our creativity, our seeking peace and light in our making, is what lives on through the work we leave behind us, whatever form that work may take. Thus it's important that we constantly bring to mind the value and worth of those labours of love -- affirming that as Nina-Marie suggests in her Off the Wall Friday post this week.

I leave you with a link to that post, with wishes for a week that finds you well, safe and creating beauty every day. A bientot, Gentle Readers. A bientot!

A Serious Case of "September Startitis"

 

Here's to September -- so why is this photo of cosmos part of my intro?!  Well...they're late bloomers this year, and I love them, so as they've started to go to seed (about 3 days after I took the photo), I've deadheaded them and thrown the seed heads into the flower bed nearby this original plant.  

Yes...already planning ahead for next summer!

That said, I'm very aware that we are heading quickly into autumn here in central Alberta.  Though very few leaves have begun to turn, there are some, and our rainy summer (a surprise in itself here on the prairies) is turning into a rainy fall, with rather cool temps.  Sweater Weather.  Wool socks (even if worn with sandals). No gloves and toques (hats) quite yet but...not far away.

All that means it's tricky to plan the fall yard-work, which is hard to do in the rain -- and at the same time, I'm still watching my growing zucchini and ripening cherry tomatoes, and still fresh leaf lettuce.  It's all entirely weird!

When I can't be out in the yard and garden, though, I've revelled in the cooler weather for all things textile crafty!

As you know, Gentle Readers, knitting never really stops -- but with the advent of cooler weather, I've turned my attention to some of the projects I mentioned in my last post: shawls and sweaters. 

It's early days for photos, though, so you'll have to stay tuned. All I'll tell you is that I've cast on a new shawl -- the "Always Better Together" Shawl from Brenda Brayfield -- using stash yarn: Sirdar Harrap Tweed DK in colour #105  and some natural 2-ply mule-spinner yarn from Alberta's own Custom Woollen Mills.

As for sweaters...no new ones yet, but I'm plugging away at my Sea Haven pullover from Jennifer Sheils Toland. I have about 2" left before I get to the bottom border, which I've decided to do in the fancy edging rather than plain old ribbing. It's so lovely -- why opt for the mundane! 😉

And of course there are still items in progress for my Warm Things Box, which I'll take to my church in early November for distribution to those in need.  Our local parish is a satellite of the main church in Camrose, Alberta, which has the ability to distribute these donations.

So...since my last post I've finished those mittens I mentioned:

More of The World's Simplest Mittens
Designer: Tin Can Knits (Ravelry)
Yarn: stash fingering-weight yarn
Size: Adult Small

And I started another hat -- a simple pattern, new to me, introduced by Cathy W. of the Yarn With Heart YouTube podcast: the Ross Hat -- named for its creator. It's a simple one and really not all that different from the others I make, but I'm enjoying the knit. Here's a photo of my tiny start -- 1 1/2" of K3, P2 ribbing, followed by round-and-round knitting.

Yarn from Stash: Schoeller & Stahl
"Limbo Mexiko Color" in #2583 - Green-white
(which looks more like a dark grey-green and white)
And yes -- it's discontinued!

As September proceeds, after this hat, I'm hoping to knit up at least one more pair of mittens (probably of adult size) and maybe one more hat before I turn the box over to my parish church to distribute.

Why? Well...because there's at least one 'gift knit' on the needles: a pair of boot socks for my son, using the Blueberry Ribbed Waffle Socks pattern. I'm making these out of a DK-weight 100% old-fashioned 100% Canadian wool -- Condon's Two-ply Fine, loooong discontinued, but bought for me for Xmas 2023 by my daughter.  It's proven to be a great, slightly rustic, sturdy yarn for assorted items!

I've decided to use this yarn and this pattern for the September 2026 challenge from Socks from Stash on Ravelry -- for popular patterns -- and I'm loving it.  I won't guarantee it's restored my languishing sock mojo, but...so far, so good!

That's pretty much for the knitting at the moment.

Now then...As the weather cools, I can get back into my "Sewdio" -- aka my quilting studio.  I've finally caught up with assorted projects...

First, the 2026 AQL (A Quilting Life) BOM (Block of the Month).  This is a  star-spangled pattern from a talented American designer. I've been enjoying her BOM projects for a few years now...but...well...I'm Canadian so...Gentle Readers...if you have been paying attention, you'll likely realize that's...um...not my "vibe".  

Long before things got...ahem...shall we say...a bit 'contentious'...I decided I'd do my pieces in only two colours -- red and white.  That's been a bit of a challenge, but I've enjoyed it, so here are the posts from July and August, which I've only recently completed:

July Block - Canadian colours
Design: A Quilting Life

August Block - Canadian Colours
Design: A Quilting Life

In other quilting...well...yes...there are a couple of other projects.  The first is another one of Bonnie Hunter's.  This is one of her freebies -- "Fun With Bricks!"  

NOTE: Should you go looking for it (it's one of her freebies) and have difficulty finding it, please note that recently she's been revamping her web page due to ...let's just say, "extenuating circumstances" so...be patient. All will soon be restored! 

This pattern consists of 12" (finished) blocks made up of four "units", and I've been enjoying constructing them, as I'm putting this top together for an Xmas gift for a fellow/neighbour who's been particularly helpful with snow removal (snow-blowing out my short, single-car driveway) and tree pruning in the last 9 months. 

I posted photos of the units in my last post.  Now, though, I have over 20 of one set of units, and almost 20 of the other -- so that's coming along.

At the same time, I've been sewing 2" x 7" strips together for another series of 16-patch blocks.  Not for a "postage stamp" quilt (I've made 2 of those) but for something different.  Yesterday I decided to add up how many strip-sets I had and...well...enough to nake 50 (count 'em!!) 16-patch blocks!!!  I've been looking for options for setting them into a top, and have decided to simply sash them with corner stones and a simple border.

Next up: cross-stitch: I've tucked away the "Quilter's Dream" project until November, when I'll pick it up again in memory of my hubby, as that's his birthday month.  As for Jacob's Fast Frisian SAL -- that little piece was fun to do, and is now finished:

"Fast Frisian" sampler
Designer: Modern Folk Embroidery
Fabric: 36-count 'Wren' from
Picture this Plus
Floss: "Maritimes" by Roxy Floss

It's a rather funky piece, isn't it?  I thought I'd try that highly variegated floss, and I'll admit, I'm of two minds about its effectiveness on that fabric.  If I use it again, I think I'd use an antique white background instead!

This month, being both "Sampler September" and my birthday month, I'll be returning to an old favourite -- my birthday sampler from 2022: "Memories of the Past" from Hands Across the Sea".  Here's where I left it last year:

There's still quite a bit to do, but I feel a finish coming close, and definitely want to aim for that if I can.  Stay tuned for my progress!

At the same time, I've joined in with the group, "Black Bird Academy", on Facebook.  The leaders of this stitch-along have a 'syllabus' that follows the American school year, from August through May (here in Canada it's September through June).  I didn't join until this month -- and the 'chapter' for September is a Black Bird Design featuring birds.  I knew I had just the thing: my rendering of the "Heart and Home Patchwork" pattern from the book entitled A Heart Remembers.

I started this some years ago, on a single piece of 28-count fabric from my stash, using DMC floss.  The piece has five sections, but I've only room for four -- three of which I completed by October last year:

I'm now determined to finish the last section -- "Keepsakes of Spring" -- this month, and so have begun:

And yes, this fourth section is full of black birds -- nine in all!

I've a second new start this month as well: "The Swans at River House" from Ellen Reid of Maximum Cross Stitch.  This wasn't expected, but I discovered that a dear couple I know have had a Big Anniversary this year, and so I decided to splurge and do this up for them -- in the called-for fabric and floss!  The supplies arrived just this past week and I've made a tiny start:

The fabric is 36-count "Cat Nap" from Roxy Floss, and I'm using a single strand of the called for Roxy Floss package for this pattern.  While not an especially dark fabric, I'll admit I find it rather slow going...but as the intended recipients have no idea about it, I'll take my time. It's not a large piece but there is a lot of stitching, so whether or not it will be done by year end, is anyone's guess!

I've not forgotten my other plans for Sampler September either -- returning to "Emeline Hotchkiss" and starting at least one new reproduction sampler, as mentioned in my last post. The month is new, so those will come along in time!

As for rug-hooking -- I've returned to the Makers' Meet-up at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio, and it's fun to be back with my "peeps" there on Zoom.  The program has changed a bit -- as it's been merged with the Inspiration Sessions under that title -- but it's still many of the familiar faces from its initial membership, and a few new faces too.  

After a slow summer with little hooking, I've returned to "Singing to the Choir" and am working on the last bit: the night sky.

It doesn't look like much, but with all that yarn in the foreground, it'll be finished soon!

And there you have it, Gentle Readers -- my September 2026 starts and plans.  The month has begun cool and rainy, putting the kybosh on most outdoor work in the yard and garden, but making it possible for me to enjoy a taste of all these projects almost every day!

I hope that whatever this month brings you, it's full of creative pursuits, soothing for your hands, hearts and minds.  Linking -- late as usual! -- to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday and until next time...a bientot!

Catching Up -- and Turning Toward September

Raspberry Jam II
Aug 4-2026

The summer is slipping away.  The days are growing visibly shorter.  As a Certified Morning Person, I am rebelling against the fact that as long as we're in Daylight Savings Time, the mornings stay darker far longer than I'd like, even now -- and the evenings, lighter for longer than is necessary! LOL! 😄

Soon I'll be changing up the photo in my "Header" for something more autumnal.  

That said, the Battle of Cool/Rainy versus Hot/Steamy here continues.  Me?  I prefer "Warm with a Breeze"...but apparently Mother Nature ran out of that some time ago. Sigh...

In the midst of all this, and the ongoing global angst, I continue to try to Create Beauty Every Day, as one of my heros, Deanne Fitzpatrick, would say.

In fact, I spend so much time on that objective that I've not had a lot of time to sit down and share what I've been doing in that regard -- so today is the day -- even though it's almost a full month since my last post.  

This means it's time to catch up!

Let's start with knitting. At the end of July, I showed yet another pair of finished mittens, and mentioned the Caribou Mountains Hat, which I have, indeed finished:

Pattern: Caribou Mountains Hat
Designer: Kalea the Luddite
Yarn: Diamond Galway Heather (discontinued)

This is the third of these hats I've made and I confess, it's one of my favourite patterns!

After the hat, comes mittens -- per my overall plan for this summer.  Thus I followed that hat with these fingerless mittens in 2 colours:

Pattern: Simple Bi-color Mitts
Designer: Cathy Dages
Yarn: unlabelled synthetics

And I followed these up with another hat.  This time, I tried a new-to-me pattern.  It was a bit of a challenge, as it required me to knit a stitch pattern I'd not tried before: the Honeycomb Stitch. What it is, is a closely-packed series of cables.  I love cables but I confess that making these, one row (seemingly) on top of another, in worsted/aran-weight yarn was a bit hard on my old hands, and definitely required some focus, to ensure the cables were going the right way! I persisted, and the result was a close-fitting, cozy hat that fit a small-medium head -- in large part because I increased the number of stitches I cast on...and adapted accordingly:

Pattern: "Tweedy Honeycomb Toque"
Designer: Kent Turman
Yarn: 1. Unlabelled maroon/wine-coloured
worsted weight yarn; 2. a few grams of 
elann.com Peruvian Sierra that matched

Now that those are finished, I'll be casting on another pair of The World's Simplest Mittens from Tin Can Knits -- my absolutely favourite mitten pattern which, of course, I commend to those of you who live in parts of the world wherein it gets cold enough to need warm hands!

Up next?  Not a lot of quilting going on -- too hot! But there have been cloudy, rainy days in which I've spend some time in my sewdio, cutting fabric, prepping pieces and making units that will end up in a quilt.

There have been horrific fires again this year in the Okanagan Valley, so I've put out feelers re: sending tops or quilted throw-sized quilts to those who might be in need.

And a few weeks ago, a young woman in my area who'd seen my art quilts contacted me, because she wants to learn to quilt -- so we got together.  We met for coffee and then came back to my home for a look at what I do.  I sent her home with some fabric, a list of supplies she needed (cutting mat, rotary cutter, etc.) and a couple of simple patterns -- the first being a Rail Fence. She's made a start, and we'll keep in touch once her seasonal job winds down.

Aside from that, I've been adding units that will end up either in another postage-stamp quilt or in 16-patch blocks that will be combined in a more expansive way.  And I've started cutting scraps into 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles, and 3 1/2" squares, to combine in a pattern from Bonnie Hunter that I want to make into a throw quilt for a neighbour of mine who's been particularly helpful: a "Fun With Bricks!" quilt!  

It's a pattern that involves two distinct four-patch units which, when put together, create a larger block.  I began with one four-patch design and then tried out the second...just to get a feel for the full block.  

Left: Unit 1; Right: Unit 2.

I've discovered I need to use fewer 'lights' in the Unit 1 pieces in order to make the entire block - two of each type -- work harmoniously. So...on we go! I'd like to have it done for Xmas but...well...time will tell!

Now then...what about cross-stitch?

August is the month in which I focus on "A Quilter's Dream", which I selected well over a year ago as the piece I wanted to do in tribute to my late hubby, my greatest art-quilting fan.  He died 20 years ago this month, and so I've been working steadily on that piece, designed by Jacob of Modern Folk Embroidery.  I'm using 2 colours of Roxy Floss Co. hand-dyed floss: Pippy (a red, after the character 'Pippy Long-stocking'); and "Greater Porpoise" -- a blue-grey, because...well...you know. 😉

Here's where I was when I left off at the end of February this year (that's the month in which we got engaged in 1975):

And here is where I am as of yesterday (August 22, 2026):

It's slow, steady, meditative work.  At the end of this month it will go away until November, the month that marks my late husband's birthday.  And so...we'll see how far that takes me too.  

I confess, though, that as a big fan of Jacob's work, I couldn't resist participating in his first-ever "Fast Frisian SAL", which is taking place now, through August 31.  I'm stitching it on a small piece of 36-count "Wren" from Picture This Plus, left from another project, using 1 strand of 'Maritimes' highly-variegated floss from Roxy Floss Co., over 2 fabric threads, mostly doing one 'X' at a time, given the nature of the variegation.  And yes, there are errors here and there where I've fudged it, but no matter -- I'm enjoying the journey!

And that's really about it, folks, for the textile crafts.  

Oh yes, I've spun a wee bit from an alpaca roving, but nothing to write home about.  

As for rug-hooking, I've only the sky left on the kit "Singing to the Choir" that I won in a draw at the Makers' Meet-up at the end of March (hosted by Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios). Here was my progress as of July -- some time after my last post. 

Kit variation: "Singing to the Choir"
Deanne Fitspatrick Studios

In the past week or so, I've added the rest of the stars (not shown) and started filling in the night sky above the blue-coated gal on the left.  It's going to be very pretty when it's done -- and once I get back with the Meet-up in September, that shouldn't be too long!

With September just over a week away (!), what are my hopes/plans/dreams for that month, one of my favourites in the entire year?

Quilting: 

• Get back to the Block of the Month (BOM) from A Quilting Life;
• Keep working on creating units and then blocks for the "Fun with Bricks" quilt top;
• Keep making 16-patch blocks for a future charity quilt;
• Keep the hopes of another Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt in the back of my mind;
• Follow up with my young learning-to-quilt friend as dictated by what she needs.

Knitting:

• September is for shawls and sweaters, with WIPs taking priority, but with at least one new start in one or both categories;
• Continue with small projects -- maybe adding in a cowl -- for the 2026 Warm Things Box.

Cross-Stitch:

• Finish the Fast Frisian SAL by the end of August;
• Move into Sampler September with work on the following projects:
• "Emeline Hotchkiss, Lacolle, 1846" -- a Canadian sampler reproduced by Kathleen Littleton of Cross Stitch Antiques; and
• "Memories of the Past", my birthday sampler from a few years ago, from Hands Across the Sea.
• Start a new sampler for my birthday this year.  It's a toss-up between Isabella Carter MaClean, 1799 -- a Canadian sampler with Scottish ancestral influence -- or Elizabeth Eason, 1827, a Scottish sampler.  I've bought the pattern and kitted up the former; the latter is still on my wish list!

Rug-Hooking:

• Finish "Singing to the Choir" as described above; and
• Lay out a new large piece on linen -- drawing for inspiration from Deanne's book on Landscapes and her online courses on "Working Big" as well as "Wildflowers in the Glen" all of which I've purchased; and
• Participate actively in the Makers' Meet-Up/Inspiration Sessions, which have been combined into one programme!

Some of what is started in September will, of course, continue through the winter months.  I've no requests for knitted items for Xmas, but may make the odd stitched one if inspiration strikes and time permits.  I'm not a "holiday" stitcher -- no Hallowe'en or Christmas-themed pieces for me (and that includes ornaments).  

I'm just going to cozy up and work on pieces that are relatively slow, rhythmic, and meditative -- to soothe a troubled mind!

It seems, too, Gentle Readers, that these hopes/plans of mine dovetail perfectly with the ideas that Nina-Marie is sharing on her Off The Wall Friday post this week: having fun, letting the work flow, not comparing what I'm doing with what others are doing, being fulfilled from within rather than from validation from without.

What about you?  Take a look at her post, and ponder...

Until next time, may you be safe, well and remember to find and/or create a bit of beauty every day.  A bientot!