Mid-November?!

 

Hello, Gentle Readers!  Where have the weeks gone?  

It's been unseasonably warm -- and very dry -- here this year. No snowsuits required for Hallowe'en.  And (believe it or not) -- our county is under a fire ban lest one want to start burning leaves or branches blown down by the winds.  This is distinctly odd for central Alberta in mid-November!

Still, it's been lovely for afternoon walks around the Hamlet, for venturing out to feed the birds or to chat with a neighbour on the sidewalk.  And as you can see from the photo above, my house plants and the over-wintering geraniums are enjoying my south window immensely!

Now that we're past Remembrance Day, the realization that Christmas is coming SOON is upon us, and I'm trying to get my gift-giving finalized.  

This year I bought four delightful mugs from the gift-ware section of Indigo/Chapters (Canada's version of Barnes and Noble) -- one for each of my kids and my honourary grandson (my HG).  They're substantial, simple, and all white -- each with a singular black initial suitable for the recipient.  

Into each one I'm putting a wee bit of something extra.  My HG will get an annual Indigo/Chapters gift card -- in the hopes he'll buy a Real Book -- but of course, that's up to him.  My son will get both his boot socks (as shown in my last post) and a gift card for one of his favourite 'games' (he already reads Real Books), and maybe something extra. 

My daughter will get some $$ towards her next trip/photography-related purchase or whatever.  

And my son's partner is getting a pair of socks -- the first I've made her.  These are the "Cock-a-hoop" socks from Nancy Wheeler, which I really enjoyed making, in a skein of yarn from my stash -- given to me years ago by a non-knitting friend.  It turns out that the colours in the yarn are some of P's favourites...

Other knitting continues to be focused on finishing up projects for my Warm Things Box, which will be taken to my parish church November 22 for a blessing before the Pastor takes them to be distributed.

I managed to finish a pair of fingerless mittens in a new-to-me pattern: "Simple Fingerless Mitts with Arched Gusset" -- a free pattern on Ravelry, designed by Tania Barley.

I confess I had trouble with the pattern and reached out to Tania for help. Turns out that she'd not knit a sample using DPNs (Double-Pointed Needles) -- only circular ones...so she sent me a drawing of how they were supposed to work out.  Well!  I did a bit of math and managed to finish the pair -- not quite as she'd shown them (and in a solid colour -- no colour-work, given the challenges of the thumb gusset!)...but I probably won't make these again. 

They're large -- knit in a worsted-weight acrylic from stash but still, as the Late Great Elizabeth Zimmerman used to say, "[They'll] fit somebody!"

My last project for the WT Box (this year) is going to be (yet another) simple hat -- the "Be Kind Hat" from designer Melissa Simpson.  It's a simple wide-ribbed hat, which I'm knitting in left-over Cascade 220 worsted (non-superwash).  If I run out, I have a bit of deep red "Peruvian Sierra" (elann.com) waiting in the wings to top it off!

Aside from knitting, I continue to quilt (of course!)  

I gave the "Jewels and Jumbles" (aka the Batik Stars quilt) mentioned in my last post to its recipient.  Her response was...well, she was blown away.  "A quilt! You made me a quilt!  I've never had a quilt!"  

That's all I'll say about that.  We were both in tears and she gave me a hug.  It's the best gift a maker can receive.

"Jewels and Jumbles"
from "Batik Beauties: 18 Stunning Quilts"
Designer: Laurie J. Shifrin

And in the past dozen days, I've finished the second one in my informal "queue": the Log Cabin version of the 2025 Block of the Month from A Quilting Life.  It will be going to an older fellow who's not well off and has just moved into a fixer-upper house because HE has the talent and skill to do the fixer-uppering (is that a word?!).  He'll pay for utilities and the rest will be done in exchange for rent.

Pastor Bev was sure he'd appreciate a quilt. She said he was of Mennonite background so when I showed her a few tops, she agreed that this one would be just right.  I took 2 photos to show the full set of blocks:

It was a biggie -- almost 60" x 70-odd.
I had to wrestle with it under the 
needle of my domestic machine!

I'm very pleased how it turned out with "relatively" straight-line quilting, and hope he'll find comfort in it.

Now I've moved on to another throw-sized quilt -- Bonnie Hunter's "Fun with Bricks" (from her Leaders and Enders series -- free on her website).

I believe I mentioned this project last in September.  I've been working on it for a while, but now I'm nearing a finish.  My objective: give this to my neighbour W. as a 'thankyou' for Xmas -- for all of his help to me over this past year.  He's blown the snow out of my driveway several times and this summer helped me do some Very Serious Pruning of a pair of gigantic willows on the east side of my property.  Plus ALL of my cats love him, he's funny, articulate and intelligent.  So...this throw quilt is for him. 

He's a Big Guy but knowing my abilities, I'm making it only throw sized -- and hope it will cover more than his toes and knees!  

Here it is on my 'design bed' this afternoon:

Here's a close-up:

I'm doing 5 rows x 4 blocks per row.  Each block is 12" finished so it'll be 48" W x 60" L PLUS two borders: an inner one about 1" finished and and outer one that will be wider -- maybe as wide as 3" finished.  That would make it 56" W x 68" L.  That's about as much as I can manage at the moment -- and I think that will work, even for a fellow his size.

And then there's...cross-stitch:

I've been participating in the "Blackbird Academy" group on Facebook, as I mentioned last month.  I managed to finish the "pumpkin" assignment, if not the entire piece:

This month, the assignment is for a "basket", so I've returned to the September assignment, because that particular piece includes a large basket of flowers.  I'm still plugging away at it, but you can see that I've the "bones" of the basket done:

My other focus this month -- with an eye toward Christmas -- is the gift for my cousins' 50th wedding anniversary, belated though it may be: "The Swans at River House" from Ellen Reid, aka "Maximum Cross-stitch" designs.  It involves a great deal of stitching on rather dark fabric, with a soft drape to it, so I've done lots of stitching and 'un-stitching' and 're-stitching'...but it is coming along...

I'm about to start the swans themselves, but want to ensure that first, I have the left side of the border done all the way to the bottom, so that everything will match up at the end (fingers crossed!)

There will be a 'pause' near month-end, stitching-wise, to remember my dear late hubby, whose birthday is November 29th. He would have turned 74 that day, and so I will focus that Sunday -- the First Sunday of Advent in my Anglican faith tradition -- on the piece I currently dedicate to him: "A Quilter's Dream" from Modern Folk Embroidery, with materials from Roxy Floss.  I last worked on it in August, the anniversary of our marriage and of his passing...

Although this is a long post, I'd be remiss if I left out the bit of rug-hooking I've been doing.  It's a lot of fun being part of the "Inspiration Sessions" -- formerly known as the Makers's Meet-up -- on regular Zoom sessions online from Deanne Fitzpatrick's Studio.

In September, I'd just finished "Singing to the Choir" -- a kit I'd won from DFS at the end of March.  I've now fully finished it and gave it to my dear friend A., with whom I used to sing at church. Neither of us attend that parish now, but we have fond memories of our years there.  She kindly sent me a photo of it on the wall in its new home:

And now I'm working on a new gift, a pattern from Beverly Carlaw, a rug-hooker and designer from Prince Edward Island.  Her company is "Hooked by the Sea Rugs" on Etsy.  This piece is entitled "Baby, It's Cold Outside" -- and I'm going to turn it into a cushion for a yarny friend for Xmas:

I just finished the woolly coat for the right-hand sheep; the other two are up next -- and then, the background!

I think that's all the news that's fit to print, this go 'round...

I continue to hope and pray for the light in and of the world to continue to beat away at those who'd shut it out.  Creating beauty every day, being of service (no matter how small), giving and sharing and teaching and loving, including and enjoying...this will be our gift to the world as it ticks along.

I wish blessings for those Gentle Readers who will be observing Thanksgiivng in the US in a couple of weeks...and continue to hope for every one of you that you are finding light, beauty and peace in your making.  Linking as always to dear Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, wherein she (as I) encourages you -- all of us -- to "Get Creating!"

A bientot, mes amis!

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!

Moving Right Along...

I confess I'm happy to see the last of July this year!  I've posted more often than usual, and it seems I was posting about ways to maintain sanity in this mad, mad, mad, mad world.  

I've decided: "Been there; done that!" and it's time to Move On. August has got to show some results of daily trying to find Light in the Making!  After all, that's currently what this blog is called, right?

So...what light have I found in making since my post last Friday?

Knitting! I finished that pair of The World's Simplest Mittens (with eternal thanks to Tin Can Knits on Ravelry for that enduring pattern):

When I began working on items for my Warm Things Box, I decided to alternate between hats and mittens.  Thus, having finished these, I've cast on another hat.  This time I'm using this pattern -- the Caribou Mountains Hat -- by Kalea Turner-Beckman, aka "Kalea the Luddite".  (Isn't that a wonderful nickname?  I'm a bit of a Luddite myself -- use a landline phone, no cell phone.  Write real letters and notes to people on real paper and, affixing an address and a stamp, mail them...and aren't all of us who knit, spin, weave, embroider/cross-stitch, hook rugs for wall or floor, make quilts for wall or bed -- aren't we all carrying a bit of that inside ourselves?)

But I digress...

I've made that hat twice before, and this third one, knit in Galway Heather from Diamond Yarn, in a deep teal, will be sure to keep someone cozy this coming winter.

Quilting! Well...nothing newly-started there BUT I have finally bound, washed and photographed the "Almost 40" birthday quilt for my son's partner.  She doesn't read my blog, so I'm taking a chance posting it here.  We're having a family gathering this coming Monday (it's a civic holiday here) so she'll be receiving it then.  

I need to express my continuing admiration for Bonnie Hunter and her ability to make complex patterns look easy, as this is another of her designs.  As I mentioned in my last post, it's the "Lupines and Laughter" pattern, her 2025/26 Mystery Quilt, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  Yes; it's all from stash -- including the pieced backing.

I am also delighted with the quality of the long-arm quilting from a gal named Marsha who works on a contractual basis with The Quilt Closet in Canmore, Alberta.  We chose a 'stars and swirls' pattern; here's a close-up:

Note: these photos were taken after the quilt was fully finished and washed, so if it looks, well, "quilty"...it is!

Last (for this week)...cross stitch.  I've got only a few more hours before I switch out to my Planned Stitches for August -- which I'll write about in a future post.  Having finished my Canadian Flag, I've spent the last week or so focused on "Emeline Hotchkiss, Lacolle, 1846", a Canadian sampler reproduced by Kathleen Littleton of Cross-stitch Antiques in the US.  

I've made great progress -- and have reached the point where I think, if I bring it back into 'rotation' for Sampler September, I might just finish it then!

Here is where I was in my last post:

You can see that I was nearing the border on the right side.  Well! As of last evening, July 30, here's where I am now:

All of that bit of border (upper right) is finished, plus some more of the bottom border, plus 3 motifs near the centre!

What's next? Well...there's a house.  A Big House, as you can see below in a photo of the cover of the pattern.

Photo Credit: Cross-stitch Antiques

Given that might take me quite a bit of time, perhaps my thoughts of finishing the last centre/corner of this piece by the end of September are a bit ambitious, but a gal can try, can't she?

Coming up in August there's more to do on the "Little Acorns" year-long Stitch-Along from Modern Folk Embroidery and there's Jacob's "Fast Friesian SAL" that starts...tomorrow -- and runs through August 31.  I've got my pattern, my fabric and my floss prepped so stay tuned for what transpires on that front!

I've no idea when I'll post next...but that's the way life goes, right?  

There is my corner of the art world, too, after all...

I've just dropped off a half dozen pieces at Curiosity Art & Framing in Red Deer, Alberta, for the gallery's new themed exhibit, "Roads", which runs until near the end of September.  I'll be posting more about that on my 3F Creations Facebook page soon. 

The gallery is also the founder of the Society of Creative Arts Center (American spelling of 'center' because "centre" is already in use in a similar title by some other organization. Sorry.) 

And as such, it has started an "Art in Your Pocket" program, wherein artists were invited to contribute photos of pieces that are printed out on special paper and wrapped up to be sold -- hold on! -- in vending machines!  Go figure!  

I decided to take a chance, and submitted my work. "Dandelions On Forever!" is a hooked art piece that was selected and is now available in such machines in select locations in Red Deer, including this one:

Each artist is paid an honourarium, and then a small sum of every piece sold. It's not a 'get rich quick' scheme, to be sure, but it gets our work "out there", is a bit of fun (the machines operate on random distribution -- you don't get to pick the piece you want) and is proving to be quite popular...so time will tell on this front too!

In this week's Off the Wall Friday post, Nina-Marie opines that one might start to make art instead of making sense.  I'm not so sure.  For me, Gentle Readers, making art HELPS me make sense -- of the world and whatever is going on around me.  What do you think?  I'm linking to her post, and would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

And until next time...stay safe, be well..a bientot!

Summer Scraps for Sanity!

Hello, Gentle Readers!

Yes...it's been over a month, but I'm still here, still trying to spread light and life in 'the making' of things.

Though this weekend is supposedly the 'vernal equinox' for us here in the northern hemisphere, well...maybe it is where you are, but in these parts, in the weeks since my last post, it's been more autumnal than summer-like.  For a very long time -- April and the first part of May -- we were begging for rain as our snow-pack in the Canadian Rockies was low, and those who grow crops and graze cattle in these parts were worried about drought.  

There was even enough time for the Meadow to produce a reasonable crop of dandelions, so I was able to make a couple of batches of my dandelion jam.  Here's a photo of the first one...

Well -- worry no more! Since the last 10 days of May and right through today, it's been positively autumnal!  Not frosty; just chilly overnight and through most days...with lots of rain.  Gardens have been planted, and the more courageous seedlings have ventured forth, despite risk of drowning!  I'm happy that my lilacs and irises have bloomed, my daisies and lupines are in full gear, and my roses and peonies are in bud.  I've some green beans beginning in their raised bed, along with some salad greens, and my wee cherry tomato has flowers...so onward we go!

All that said, it's been good weather for indoor making!

The chill and the rain mean I've been focused on knitting and quilting, with some cross-stitch on the side.

The little pink-and-white pinwheel quilt I showed in my last post was finished and mailed off to the expectant grandparents, who are long-time friends -- Larry and his wife, Lydia.  Larry was our Best Man at our wedding over 50 years ago.  He called this past week to say that the parcel had arrived on the same day as the baby!  She is reportedly a sweetie and is doing well.  You can't put a price on such long and lovely friendships!  Here's what the finished quilt looked like before it crossed the country by Canada Post:

I even managed to find a sweet label for it in my stash:

This week, I've moved on to another baby quilt -- similar, but different -- and in blue and white, for a wee baby boy.  His family is part of the wider parish from which our pastor comes twice a month for services in our tiny church, about 20 minutes north of me.  He's had a really challenging start to life due to serious health issues -- so I decided he needs a quilt.

Thanks to all the hour-glass units I've made from "bonus triangles" (thanks to the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilts!!) I had several in blue-and-white -- just as I had so many in pink-and-white.  So...I took these...

And made them into this, pin-basted and ready to quilt:

I hope to have it finished by our next service (June 28) so I can give it to our pastor to take to Baby C and his parents.

In other quilting?  Well, I've finished the June block (my version) for the 2026 BOM from A Quilting Life.  

It remains a challenge to balance those prints in order to get the best effect and not overwhelm the block!

Finally, in quilty news...I've decided to commit any possible quilting-related time this summer to...SCRAPS!

This means that if I can, I want to use my outdoor studio-on-the stoop for cutting scraps into usable pieces -- squares and rectangles.  This, of course, will depend on Mother Nature's buying in to the process -- not too hot, not windy and definitely NOT rainy!  I managed to eke out a bit of time for this recently, so this is what it would look like if...well...you know...

Outdoor Studio on the Stoop

In addition to all the above, I've been notified by the long-arm quilter at Camrose's newest quilt shop -- The Quilt Closet -- that the "Lupines and Laughter" quilt I sent there for quilting is *finished*!  This is a gift for my son's partner's birthday (August) so I hope to pick it up this week and get it bound ASAP.  Photos will follow!

And to continue the scrappiness...I've returned to string piecing in two formats: diagonal and straight.  

I'm using diagonally-placed strips on both 6 1/2" and 8 1/2" squares to make blocks that will eventually become...tops:

6 1/2" diagonal string blocks

And this is what the straight-string blocks look like:

6 /2" straight string blocks

It will take a while to get enough of these to put together into something useful...but no worries!  The strips/scraps breed in the night, and God willing, She'll give me the time!

Knitting is, I confess, my first love, and my coziest craft -- whether inside or out.  Of course, then, I've got a fair amount to share about it!

That said, I didn't mention much in my last post, but since then, I finished another cozy, scrappy pullover.  It was meant by the designer to be a strictly-striped tee-top, but no!  I didn't want that.  I had a number of bits of scrap fingering yarn to use up and wanted a top-down pullover.  I chose the "Bustleton Tee" and then proceded to follow the instructions...well, let's just day that I followed them "loosely".  

First, I didn't go for fixed stripes.  I was using left-over fingering-weight yarn and when a colour was done -- well, it was done

Second, I wanted long sleeves, so I planned for that.

Third, I wanted "top-down" -- and that's as close to the rules as I got!  That said...here's what I ended up with by doing so:

It looked well enough BUT the neckline was far too wide so...I picked up stitches around the neck and created this:

And here's a closer look:

It fits well, and I've worn it several times in this unseasonably chilly weather, so all's well that ends well, eh?

In addition, I've made plans for this summer:

 - Give main attention to my 'Warm Things Box' for the fall of 2026:

FIRST: the mitred square blanket, long under construction, has been taken up again. It's currently closing in on 11 x 11 squares.  Made of left-over fingering-weight yarn, at about 2" per finished square, I've some distance to go yet!

SECOND: another LOSY Hat (Left Over Sock Yarn Hat) -- barely started, so no photo. Sorry.

After that...whatever calls to me...but there's still the Sea Haven pullover to work on (stockinette 'round and 'round for the body at the moment) and a new pair of socks: the "Cock-a-hoop Socks" from Nancy Wheeler, which I'm knitting in a gorgeous yarn from stash, given to me some years ago by a non-knitty friend:

The colour-way is *very* variegated -- not really what I expected -- but it's making a gloriously mixed-colour fabric. I'm on the foot of the first sock and will show photos in a future post -- stay tuned!

Yes, there is also a bit of rug-hooking, but it's been slow and quiet, on the back burner.  I did finish my "Daisy Cottage", which is my adaptation of one of Deanne Fitzpatrick's patterns, "Starfish Cove" -- adapted because I am nowhere near an ocean or starfish.  Here it is while still on the frame. 

"Daisy Cottage" - a DFS pattern adaptation

I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it, so it's simply stored away for now.

I've joined Deanne's 10-Minutes-a-Day challenge, though, which kicks off on June 25 -- and plan to work on the kit I won from the "Makers' Meetup" at the end of March.  I seem to be drawn more to patterns these days, rather than original work.  My brain appears to need the rest!

There is, of course, also some stitching...but I'm woefully short of photos.  I've been focused lately on the "Little Acorns" SAL from Modern Folk Embroidery, and on "Disagree" from Rebel Stitcher.  The latter is almost finished, but the former -- ah, well, I've a long way to go even to catch up!

I will tell you, though, that my June 1 fabric from the Evertote/Roxy Floss 'Traditional' club arrived -- and along with it 2 skeins of the spectacular "Maritimes" variegated floss (Roxy Floss Co too), which I want to use for Jacob's "Fast Frisian" SAL starting in August. I've pre-ordered the pattern, so I'm all set!

I think that's all the energy I have for this post.  I confess that I continue to struggle with maintaining a certain nonchalance about the state of the world -- especially for friends family and everyone else in Canada's neighbour to the south.  Staying creative, repeating the hand-over-hand work of knitting, cross-stitch, and rug-hooking, cutting and piecing strips and units of fabric, and digging in the dirt of my flower and veggie beds...all of that is an attempt to keep my heart, soul and mind from losing hope for you, dear readers, who may be caught up in the mess, and for those of us being swept along for the ride.

This week Nina Marie suggests that being 'weird' might be an asset, so perhaps as we head toward the end of yet another month, we should all try to be weird...in a creative way, that is!

Linking to her post, then, I bid you a fond farewell, with thanks for reading...and until next time, a bientot!