Still in Search of Sanity!

Since my last regular blog post we've managed to move from autumnal weather into -- heat wave!  Along with that, we're getting wild fire smoke across the mountains from B.C., some from Saskatchewan to the east (!) and perhaps a bit of our own from up north.  Try as we might, we can't seem to get it to travel south... 😉

But between the heat and smoke, work in the yard and garden has been a challenge, and I've not been able to use my Outdoor Studio as much as I'd hoped.  

That said, given all the rain we got in June and earlier this month, everything's growing like Topsy!  The peonies were glorious -- as you can see from the above photo -- and the roses, daisies and yarrow, profuse!  

I've had 2 salads with my own leaf lettuce and snips of dill; my green beans are flowering; my cherry tomatoes are cherry-ing and I've 3 zucchini plants gearing up to flower.

Even the rhubarb I transplanted into one of the raised beds last fall, saving it from being buried by the raspberries, has given me a couple of cups, diced, and is promising at least two more.

And speaking of raspberries -- my canes are loaded again this year.  This morning, before the heat and smoke set in, I picked my first large collander full:

From which I made this:

Seven cups of fresh rasberry jam!

And I have a few cups left over to enjoy fresh.  And there's more on the canes yet to ripen.

Don't worry, Gentle Readers -- my crafting is still in the spotlight, because it is the key to finding daily peace and sanity, as the World Order continues be most disorderly indeed!

In the cool of the mornings I tend to take up my knitting, with what little bit of news I can handle, several knitting podcasts and at least two cups of good, black coffee!  

I mentioned socks in my last post, and indeed, I'm working on the second of this pair of "Cock-a-hoop Socks" from Canadian Nancy Wheeler of New Brunswick.  The photo doesn't do the pattern justice, but I think the yarn I dug out from my stash is capturing what Nancy was getting at when she designed them.  Here's what the first sock looks like:

Yarn: Subculture Yarn SW
Merino Bamboo Rayon Nylon Fingering
Colour-way: "Unicorn Farts"! 🤣 

I've set aside the socks, sweaters and blanket projects though, in favour of small items to go in my "Warm Things Box", which I'll take to my parish church in November for distribution to those in need.  I'm working on hats and mittens, alternating projects in turn, and have finished two hats and a pair of mittens, and am on the second mitten of my second pair of those.  Here's the line-up so far:

First, another LOSY (Left Over Sock Yarn) Hat, the fourth I've made...

LOSY Hat - Left Over Sock Yarn

Next, I tried out a pair of colour-work mittens.  I liked the pattern and would probably knit these again -- but would crib the thumb from "The World's Simplest Mittens" pattern. I'm not alone there, as others on Ravelry had doubts about the thumbs in this pattern. Anyway, here they are, knit as written:

Pattern: Kuura Mittens
Designer: Helena Joronen
Yarns: Blue - Cascaed 220 - worsted
Colour: #9487 - Puget Sound
White/Cream: Unknown worsted-weight wool

Third -- a hat, of course -- to stay in rotation!  This was a new to me pattern that I found when listening to this podcast: Cathy W. Yarn with Heart (a Canadian but I'm not sure from which part of the country). It's the "Look Out! Winter Hat"  designed by Roberta Rich, and it's free on Ravelry. The pattern is size-inclusive, is knit partly flat and partly in the round -- but can be knit entirely flat if you choose. It can be knit in 2 colours but I chose to knit my first one in Berroco Vintage, a worsted-weight (#4 in US yarn numbering) wool-acrylic blend, in "Black Cherry":

It's mostly garter stitch, and has an applied i-cord edge along the bottom.  It takes a bit more time and thought than the LOSY or other more "basic" hats, but I think I'd make another if I have the right yarn (or yarns) in stash.  I'd like to try a two-colour one!

And now...I'm on the second of yet-another-pair of my very favourite mitten patterns. I'm sure, Gentle Readers Who Knit Mitts, you know and likely appreciate this pattern too -- 'The World's Simplest Mittens' from Tin Can Knits.  This go 'round I'm using two yarns: an acrylic solid for the cuffs and a wool/nylon blend for the main part. I remain undecided as to the thumbs, depending on how close I come to playing "Yarn Chicken" in the end!

Red yarn: Mary Maxim Parisienne
DK - 100% acrylic - colour #104;
Self-patterning yarn: ONline Supersocke
6 fach, wool/nylon - Arizona - Color #1970

While I've been knitting every day (it's my go-to Sanity Saver), I've been working a bit with...

Quilting: 

1. The binding is fully sewn on 2 sides of the "Lupines & Laughter" quilt (Bonnie Hunter's Mystery 2025-26) and machine-sewn on the other two, pinned for hand-stitching when it gets cool enough to put a quilt in my lap, or the weekend of August 1 -- whichever comes first!  The reason? This is a birthday gift for my son's partner -- her "almost 40" quilt (she turns 39 later in August this year) and we're having a family gathering on August 3rd, which is a holiday in most Canadian provinces/territories!  So I need to get a move on!
2. No new scraps have been cut into usable squares/bricks -- too hot!  And out on the back stoop?  Too windy! And...
3. I've printed the July block from "A Quilting Life" but...that's as far as I've got.  Too hot in the south-facing studio (no ceiling fan).

Rug-hooking:

Working in fits-and-starts here, but am eager to finish my current project by the end of this month if I can.  For my part in the "10-Minutes-a-Day Challenge" at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios, I'm working on the pattern/kit I won at the end of March as a member of her "March is for Makers" program -- now continuing as the "Makers' Meet-up".  

The kit is a variation of one used for the "Kit of the Month" a while back, and it's lovely.  That said, of course I'm playing with the suggested colours and colour placement!  That's the whole idea, isn't it?! 😉

"Singing to the Choir" -- on the frame
Designed by Deanne Fitzpatrich Studio

All I have left to do on this piece is the sky...and my plan? To bind it and give it to the friend with whom I sung at church for over a decade -- first as a trio (we called ourselves "The Quartet" -- see why, below!) and then as a duo.  Precious memories:

"The Quartet": 2 vocalists, 2 guitarists 😉

And then there's cross-stitch. Those of you that do these crafts probably know well the commonality they share: hands working together, often hand-over-hand.  It's that quality that plays a key part in the search for sanity.

I really didn't have much to show you in my last post, so I'm making up for that now.

July, for me, is the month I focus on Canadian designers.  In July of 2024 I began a lovely sampler reproduced by a talent American -- Kathleen Littleton of Cross-stitch Antiques, and I've continued to work on it again this month.  It was stitched originally by Emeline Hotchkiss, a Canadian girl living in or around Lacolle, Quebec, in the 1800s -- hence the Canadian connection.

Here's where I last left it almost a year ago (July 31, 2025):

And here's my progress as of yesterday -- July 23, 2026:

Emeline Hotchkiss, Lacolle, 1846
reproduced by Kathleen Littleton,
Cross-stitch Antiques.

I know it doesn't look like much but I'm turning the upper right corner of the border to go down that third side. Once that's done, I'll be moving to the bottom section, closing in on a finish. 

I'm working it with 1 strand of floss over 2 fabric threads on 40-count "Vellum" from Picture This Plus, using DMC floss -- called for the odd close-colour substitute from stash.  

To celebrate Canada Day (July 1) I started this tiny piece at the end of June and finished it at the end of the first week of July: Canadian Flag from Erin Elizabeth Designs.

I stitched it on 36-count Antique White linen from Zweigart, using DMC #327, one strand over 2 fabric threads.  I've a red mat and an inexpensive black frame from Michael's, and plan to frame it up and park it on the indoor sill of my front window, just 'cause.

Last but not least, I've gone back to Jacob's 2026 SAL, "Little Acorns", for a meditative monochromatic stitch. I'm not following the suggested sections very strictly, so I've really no idea of my progress compared to others doing this Stitch-ALong, but I enjoy it.

While I've worked on it on and off, this is the progress I recorded in May (!)

And this is my progress as of July 22:

Yes! I'm nearly finished this latest section!  I'm working with 1 strand of Roxy Floss hand-dyed floss in the "Pippy" colour-way, over 2 strands of Roxy Floss linen, 40-count, in "Platinum".  

Long. Slow. Distance.  That's what these pieces remind me of.

You see, in my younger years (mid-late twenties to early thirties) I took up running.  Long. Slow. Distance.  My purpose?  To manage my weight (I'm built like a box!) and to have Time To Myself.  I would run at least 1/2 hour a day, and longer (up to 2 hours or more) on weekends. I entered 6 marathons and finished 5 (one I quit at 10 miles due to the heat).  So I understand the rhythm.

The rhythm of the feet and legs moving in time. Steady pace; steady breathing.  Managing hills -- up and down.  Navigating around icy patches. Dressing for all sorts of wind and weather.  All to find Sanity, Peace of Mind, in the pace. Long. Slow. Distance.

Nowadays it's Long. Slow. Stitches.  Whether knitting loops or hooking them. Whether crossing stitches, or hem-stitching bindings on quilts. Whether drafting a bit of wool roving and spinning it, or plying singles to make a yarn.

Quiet, rhythmic and meditative -- yet productive.  Creating beauty every day that can be both savoured and shared with others -- with those in need or those "just because".  Beauty, comfort, the quiet expression and sharing of the work of our hands.

I have to believe that if we keep on keeping on, there will always be Light in the Making.  This belief is what gets me up in the morning and keeps me going all day.  Perhaps it works the same magic for you.

I'll leave you with that to ponder.  Nina-Marie is off elsewhere this week so...until next time, Gentle Readers, a bientot!***

***She's BACK! So I'm linking belatedly to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  Have a great day!

I Did a Thing!

A thing or two, actually.  

I'm in the midst of Christmas gift-making, which is proceeding well, but this year has involved a few new challenges that I want to crow about (at least, a little bit).

"A Winter's Night", the exhibit, launched last week but the weather kept me from the Opening Reception, so I dropped by when in town on Tuesday and took this photo of my piece in situ, as it were:

(Photos taken with permission of the Gallery staff.)

Here it is, a bit closer -- the one at the top:

I've not got anything new on my rug-hooking frame yet, but that will come -- probably after Christmas.

In quilting, I finished quilting, binding and washing that comfort throw quilt for the folks I mentioned in my last post -- the ones who'd had a house fire.  

The backing gave me some challenges, as it was a softer fabric than the top, and I had to wrestle with its tendency to want to pleat as it was being quilted, no matter how closely I'd pin-basted it.  The quilting was simple -- in the 'ditch' around each square -- but it was fussy!

When I gave it to Pastor Bev to take to the family in question, she was delighted, and said they had just moved in to a new place so she'd be taking it to them soon.

Once that was done, I moved on to make a smaller gift: a table runner for friends who are about to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  They're a Jewish couple, so I used a pattern designed for Hanukkah and/or Passover celebrations:

Pattern: Hanukkah Stars 
Table Runner
Designer: Pamelaquilts
on Etsy.

It's been a long time since I've done fused applique, but I took my time and I think the stars turned out well.  To be on the safe side, I sealed each one with 'Fray-Stop' before I washed it and much to my relief, it survived with no problems!  It's in the mail now, and they should get it well in time for their Dec. 7th anniversary. 🥰

The next quilting challenge was more applique -- in the November block for the 2025 BOM at A Quilting Life. And...it involved templates, which, as I mentioned in my last post, I tend to avoid!

I decided to make the templates out of freezer paper, and it worked a treat.  Here's the finished block, wearing it's current "position number" for what might be the eventual lay-out:

And here it is in its place...for now -- waiting for the last block, which will be revealed on December 1:

I have a feeling I'll be doing some rearranging, as I'm not sure I want to concentrate the reds or the blues.  The challenge is dealing with the blocks that have a directional centre, as I've got a 'thing' about them being 'right way up'!

I've got a bit of time now to sort the scraps in the studio, before starting on Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery project. For the time being, I'm just collecting clues, and will see where it leads.  I'm determined -- as usual -- to use only fabric from stash, with the exception of the backing if need be.

Speaking of stash...I'm doing that with my knitting and stitching too.

In the knitting department, my son's Xmas gloves are finished, washed and ready to wrap.  I also finally put thumbs on a pair of child-sized mittens for my Warm Things box:

I'm using the same yarn for the "Lawn Bowling Mitts" I mentioned in my last post -- and I've finished the first one -- but alas, no photo to share yet.  I'm a bit concerned I'll be playing "Yarn Chicken" with the second one, so haven't done the thumb on the first one yet.

I've set aside those projects in order to make a pair of house socks for the teen in my son's household.  I'm using Bravo 'Crazy Color' from deep stash.  Yes, I know it's 100% Acrylic -- and I don't usually use that for socks -- but these need to be easy to launder and hard-wearing!  I've finished the first one and am about 2" into the 6" leg on the second:

Yarn: Bravo Crazy Color #84 - 'Cairo'
Pattern: "Comfy DK Socks" by Handwerks
- free on Ravelry

I know I could probably get by without a pattern -- they're just a basic ribbed sock, after all -- but I like to have something to refer to for sizes.  I've taken a guess at foot length, but they're for a gangly almost-16-years-old boy so I don't think I'll be too far off!

This simple knitting has given my brain a rest in between challenges, as in the quilting (above) and my stitching projects.

I'm still working on "A Quilter's Dream" from Modern Folk Embroidery, my focus piece for this month, and I'll update that with a photo in my next post.

Meanwhile, though, I finished my latest "Sunday Stitch" -- the "Hope" pattern from Carolyn Manning's "One Color Wonders" series:

It's quite small, having been stitched on a remnant of 35-count "Royal Icing" from Access Commodities, with 1 strand of hand-dyed floss over 2 fabric threads.  The floss is a beautiful variegated blue, deep stash from Needle Necessities, in colour #1101.  SO pretty!

And then yesterday, as the title to this post says, "I did a thing!"

Carol and Jennifer, the Two Tall Stitchers on YouTube, put out a challenge a while back, which they call their "Big Girl Pants" -- or BGP -- challenge.  They're daring their viewers to dig out those projects -- knitting, crochet, quilting, stitching, you name it! -- that have been set aside because we just don't want to face Fully Finishing them.

Well...yeah.  I have a few in the stitching department.  At least six --but yesterday I Fully Finished two of those!

First, I turned this stitch from Hinzeit Designs into a notions pouch -- lined, and with a top zipper, no less!

Pouch front

Pouch lining, seen from the front

Pouch lining, seen from the back

And then I made my first-ever true 'pin pillow', filled with crushed walnut shells -- and I didn't make a mess! 😆

Front view

Back view

Will wonders ever cease?!

What about the other four projects?  Well...two will be small pillows, which I've done before, stuffed with wool.  No real challenges there; I just don't like fully finishing things! LOL!  And the other two...the "Coffee" stitch -- another Hinzeit design -- will likely be a hanging. Or a pillow. Again, not that challenging.  But the last one is a biscornu -- and it's a Christmas gift, so I'd best get on it.  Pullin' up those Big Girl Pants..

What about you, Gentle Readers?  I know I'm not the Lone Procrastinator out there... 😉

I'll leave you for now to ponder the possibility of procrastination, with a wish for a creative, joyous weekend and a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  As my American friends and family celebrate Thanksgiving, here in snowy central Alberta I remain thankful for her regular connection the crafting community, and as always, I'm thankful for you, too, Gentle Readers.  

And so...a bientot!

I'm Tired

Hello, Gentle Readers.

I know that September, which arrives a couple of days from now, is a "second New Year" for many of us. I've created many posts this time of year celebrating that fact, and talking about plans for my creative work, as well as reviewing recent finishes and works in progress.

But this year...well...I'm tired.

I've been writing this blog since February 2003.  Yes; that's a long time.

I'm Canadian (if you've not figured that out by now).  

And I live in the one province in Canada whose Premier (that's "Governor" for you in the US) wants to be, well, Texas.  I won't go into the details; if you're not American or don't live anywhere near Texas, research what that state is about, and isn't about.  Nothing about it is Canadian -- and I'll just leave it at that.

So...I've created, started and finished a lot of things since my last post...but I've no energy, no motivation to share it, even as we end the summer and start a "new year", so to speak.

I've found myself sharing less frequently in the groups to which I belong on Facebook, too.  I'd rather be making, stitching, quilting, knitting, spinning, gardening -- than track all of those things, progress or not, showing them to social media -- or not.

Right now, my province is fighting a threat from a sector that wants to remove it from Canada, to be its own country or (worse) the 51st state of the US.  Even worse than that, our Premier -- though she tries to hide it -- is sympathetic.  She is what we call up here a "Maple MAGA" but she tried to hide it, despite news reports and photos of her with He Who Shall Not Be Named in Florida.

Me? I'm an active participant in the movement to push that back.  To fight for Canadian unity.  So you can see where some of my energy is being directed. The rug-hooking, the knitting, the sometime-spinning, the cross-stitch, the piecing for quilts -- all of those things plus long walks, work in the yard and garden and the occasional stiff Canadian rye whiskey -- those help with the stress.

So I leave  you with some recent photos of work completed, and hope that if/when I show up here again at some future time, you'll still be here to read what I have to say.

Hooked art - just off the frame
Trimming, binding, blocking
and framing to follow.
Aug. 27-2025

"Celtic Knot" quilt finished, folded
116" x 116", double-fold binding,
mitred corners

August Block - A Quilting Life BOM 2025

"Songbird Cottage" 
Elizabeth's Designs (2005)
Finished as a needlebook 
Gift to a new stitcher

"For a Dear Friend" - BBD
A gift to a friend for her 50th anniversary
and in memory of her DH who died 
10 days before #49 -- in 2024

"Proverbs 31" - Plum Street Designs
Now at the framer's to be framed.

I've now finished a baby sweater, and have made great progress on "A Quilter's Dream" from Modern Folk Embroidery, which was my focus piece this month.  Photos might be shared eventually.

I am a fan of "Sampler September" so will be focusing on 3 samplers: 

• "Emeline Hotchkiss, Lacolle, 1846" from Cross-stitch Antiques; 
• "Ann Perrin, 1841 from Jeannette Douglas; and 
• "Memories of the Past" from Hands Across the Sea.  

My new Sunday stitch is "Hope" from Carolyn Manning Designs - her One Color (Colour) Collection.  I am also working on gloves for my son for Xmas, and have a few other Xmas stitch plans lined up.

That's all I've got to share at the moment.  For my American friends and readers: I know it's not you.  I know this mess is not of your direct making -- but I hope you will understand that as a Canadian, who grew up less than 20 miles north of the border between Quebec and NY State, and who has lived with and followed your history, mingled with ours, for all of my 73 years...I need to take time away in pursuit of wholeness and strength in the face of what has probably been the greatest threat to Canada in my life time -- being born some years after the second World War. 

Thus, until we meet again, I hope you are blessed, and that you remain well, safe, creative and kind.

A bientot!

September in the Air

 

Living in a country with four pretty distinct seasons, I've been sensing September in the air for a couple of weeks now (at least!)  No matter that the forecast for tomorrow and Sunday will take us back into the Heat Zone -- though not quite as hot as July.  The mornings are cooler, the dawn arrives later and the sun sets earlier each day.  The kids started school this week.  September is coming.  The Mountain Ash* berries are turning -- though not yet as red as in this photo from some years ago.  Some of my neighbours -- and I -- are wondering if climate change is affecting the turning. Then again, for the moment, there's no frost on the horizon.  They need to be more red by the first frost...or so 'they' say...   *Rowan in the UK

I've stopped cutting the leaf lettuce in my raised beds, and simply pull it now; otherwise, I risk its bolting.  My dill is forming seeds.  My Savoury is flowering so it's time to cut and dry it.  

I still have some tiger lilies and hardy roses bravely flowering, and my verbena is brilliant!  It's become a staple in my garden.  It likes a pot, it blooms, dies back and blooms again -- and it's deer-resistant!  What's not to like?!

And now I am at last harvesting zucchini that have made me happy.  Salad and stir-fry size -- no footballs!

Perfection!  Not too big, not too small!

Though my Mountain Ash and ornamental fruit trees have long ago stopped flowering and have produced fruit for the birds, my Prairie Clematis has done its best to cover the west window in my living room, and take over that assignment!

Bee on Prairie Clematis - Aug 26-2024

This month, too, we've had much of the rain we should have had in July.  I don't exactly know what this has done for the ranchers -- grain and corn growers -- but it's got to have been challenging to deal with!

On cool and rainy days, I've focused on knitting, stitching and quilting, so let's review, shall we?

First, I finished a "summer" sweater: the Vincas top, a free pattern from Berocco.  I made it out of 100% cotton -- Estelle Young Touch Cotton DK -- long discontinued -- I've owned ot for at least 20 years!  Mine is in the fuschia colour-way; out of 9 fifty-gram balls, I used 7 1/2 -- so it was a good stash-buster.  Moreover, even though I've finished it late in the summer season, it also looks great as a vest over a turtleneck top!  Win-win-win!  😁  I can't take proper "selfies" because I don't own a fancy phone...so here it is, lying on the back of the love seat in my living room.  

The construction is easy -- two rectangles, seamed together -- but the design is interesting due to the texture, which is created by the bands of stitching in different patterns, separated by a narrow drop-stitch band.  I'll be the first to tell you that I avoid anything with deliberately dropped stitches --- BUT --- this pattern actually worked!  I'm delighted!

My portable project continues to be the socks for T. I made her a pair that were destroyed (along with most of what she and her new DH owned) in a house fire last year...so this is a replacement pair, and as you might recall, I'm on the second of the pair.  She has long legs and long feet -- so these keep me well occupied when I'm stopped during Construction Season on Hwy 12 West.  That's supposed to come to an end today (Aug. 31) but given some fog and rain delays, who knows?  And I always have knitting in my bag, in case I have to wait for the train on the west edge of town!

Waiting for the Train (c) 2013

But as I finished the Vincas top, I decided it was time for a new start.  Of course, Christmas is coming, so there are knits in the line-up.  This year there will be simple cowls (aka "neck warmers") for some -- though not my daughter.  (You might recall that she is getting the "Presto Vesto" -- about which NOTHING is "presto"; I will be returning to that in September too). And there will be a simple shawl (or mayb two). Time will tell.

I cast on the "Back Bay Boomerang" -- a boomerang-shaped shawl -- for one dear friend, and love how simple it is to create -- with a wonderful ball of fingering from my stash.  Thanks to Karen of the YouTube "Recreational Knitting" for the mention of this pattern!  (she has a group on Ravelry by the same name).

The yarn is a ball of Queensland Collection "Perth" fingering in the colour-way "Tasmania" -- and I simply love it.  The photo is a couple of days old, so it's grown from there.  All garter stitch; a 2-row pattern -- perfect for a gradiant yarn!

The other gifts (cowls/neck-warmers) will be made from stash DK in a pattern to be revealed once I actually cast on.  Stay tuned!

In Quilting News...

1. I finished the "Rectangle Pinwheel" (free block pattern from Pinker n Punkin Designs) and delivered it to my friend Annette in Red Deer for her quilting group to include in their next delivery to Klare's Corner quilt shop in Airdrie, which is collecting quilts (or parts thereof) for the victims of the wildfire that destroyed at least 1/3 of the town of Jasper, Alberta.  

Quilted and bound - in the Outdoor Studio

Here's a detail of this quilt, which is made from scraps, including a pieced backing and a pieced batting:

Most of the time I've no recollection of the source of the fabric I use in the comfort quilts I make, though I will admit that for this piece, much of the background was from a recycled bedsheet -- courtesy of my daughter!  In addition, there are several blocks made with the same fabric.  Those were from remnants of a wide backing I used long ago. There's a lot  of mileage in wide backing! 😁

2. I'm returning now to the Celtic Knot Quilt that my daughter's commissioned me to make for a special anniversary for friends of hers -- a year from now.   I showed some work on this in my mid-July post.  Now, I'm ready to construct the actuall blocks.

I began with constructing the sashing that will go between the units.

Next, I followed instructions to pin the sashing and block units for the first of five blocks of one colour-way onto my design board:

Note that this isn't yet sewn together.   It will measure 22" finished; I need to make 5 of these for the pattern -- BUT I am enlarging the pattern to fit a king-sized bed.  

This means that instead of 9 very large blocks (3 by 3) plus borders, in the end I will be making 16 such blocks -- 4 by 4 -- plus borders.  (And yes, I got help from Hamel's Fabrics, the owner and staff of which figured out how much extra I'd need.)

So that's where it sits at the moment.

In addition to that, after finishing the Rectangle Pinwheel for Jasper, I got caught up on the "A Quilting Life" BOM 2024, for which (as you may recall) I'm using my Thimbleberries stash:

July BOM - I make 2 @ 8 1/2" unfinished

August BOM - another 2 at 8 1/2" unfinished

I've been using a lot of greens...and so now may have to switch my focus, as I'm running out of those in this sector of my stash.  I might have to switch to blues!  No matter; I continue to enjoy the fussy aspect of these small blocks because it helps me be more precise with piecing -- even if I don't plan to aspire to greatness in that endevour! LOL!  And heck; it's using up stash!  

Next up?  Yarn/wool hooked art -- and a bit of spinning!

My friend Annette was remarking that I seem to have so much on the go -- and I suppose that's true -- but I love variety.  I also love order, and planning, so I've got a rotation.  The nature of the rotation depends on the season, as some of it I enjoy doing outdoors (spinning, hooked art and stitching) and others require that I be inside (quilting).

In my last post, for example, I showed you my outdoor set-up for hooked art.  And those of you who've followed along have seen photos of my "Outdoor Studio", where I love to stitch -- as long as it's neither too hot (as it was most of July this year) or windy.

This week, as the weather is cooling, I've moved my hooking frame indoors, finding that I can still stand to do it (which I like) if I put the frame on my cutting table in the studio.  I'm continuing to work on the "Simple Shading" project from Deanne Fitzpatrick's online course by that name.  Some of you might think that as an art quilter, I should know how to do that by now, but it's quite different working with wool fabric slices and lengths of yarn!  And this project isn't a landscape; it's a still life, which isn't something I've depicted much, even in my quilted work.  So...I'm learning a lot.  Here's my progress as of yesterday:

I'm not happy with the proximity of the leaves above the blue flower -- it looks like one large blob! -- so that' will be rectified in short order.  I've also added 2 things to the pattern: a leaf in the bottom left corner, for balance, and lines on the vase for guidance.  I found that I had a tendency to hook in straight lines on that vase, even though I know I need to indicate curves -- so I dre the lines to help me out!

As for spinning, the Summer Spin-in over on Ravelry -- in the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures group -- ends this weekend (Labour Day).  I managed to get a bobbin-and-a-bit of 2-ply marl spun up:

The pink/purple you see is from one single source -- a shaded hand-painted braid of 100% Falkland wool.  The black is a blend of wool (70%) and alpaca (30%).  I now need to get it off the bobbins, wash and set it, and put it into a skein.  I suppose I could call it "finished" at the bobbin stage, but it won't be "fully finished" until it's a skein!

Last but not least...cross-stitch!

This is my favourite late-afternoon/early evening activity, though I'll confess I do sometimes stitch with my morning coffee, as I know some other stitchers do.

As I mentioned in my last post, in July I focused on Canadian samplers, in August, I turned to pieces that had flowers in them -- but weren't samplers.  And (drum roll, please!) I finished two of the WIPs!

Yes!  I got that border done on the "Vintage Blossoms" piece -- and it matched at the top!  

Look closely -- the border fades 
into the background.  I like it that way!

Then I went on to finish the little "Buttercup Alphabet" piece, designed over a decade ago by Cathy Jean at The Victoria Sampler (you can still buy the pattern from the TVS website):

It's a cute little piece -- quite different from what I'm keen to stitch now.  After all, I bought the pattern and threads back in 2008.  Still, I'm glad it's done, and I'll probably either turn it into a pillow or put a little frame on it.  Time will tell!

My third 'floral' is the Kathy Barrick "Wildflowers" piece I mentioned in my last post.  I'm just coming down to the bottom of the first page of the pattern and if I persevere, I'll finish that later today.  It's a simple pattern but there's a lot of filling it to do.  This makes it comforting and meditative, which has been just right to help combat the stresses and strains of my life this month.  Here's what it looked like as of yesterday:

And yes, there are 3 more pages to do!

My thoughts are turning now to Sampler September, and my plans for the next month.  I've developed a fondness for working on a piece for seven days in a row (each day for an hour or more, as time permits).  There are just over 4 weeks in a given month, and I have these four projects in mind -- well, 3 Works In Progress and 1 new start. 😊

1. A return to Emeline Hotchkiss 1846;
2. A return to Memories of the Past (my birthday sampler from last year);
3. A return to Ann Perrin 1841; and
4. The new start: Frances Lawson 1836 -- from the 1994 publication, Sampler & Antique Needlework: A Year in Stitches.  This book was given me by a friend who was culling her collection, and I've been hankering to do this one.  It's going to be my first foray into stitching on 56-count linen.  Yes, you read that correctly: 56-count, one strand over two fabric threads (except the lettering, which is one-over-one), using DMC on a cream-coloured piece of Kingston linen from Zweigart.  I'm doing this on a bit of a dare, or at least, a challenge, from Brenda of the Brenda and the Serial Starter (Laura) floss tube.  She gave 56-count a try recently, and now she and Laura are gung-ho to do more.  And yes...I'm following them down that particular rabbit hole!  I'll keep you posted!

Alas, the individual pattern for "Frances" is not in print, and I've no idea where you'd find the book, as it's 30 years old, but if you have a nose for library book sales or the online secondary market, you might be able to track it down.  I can't find a link to the particular pattern, but I found this information on Amazon Canada...so you can still buy the book through them, or other second-hand book sellers.  Note that there are two volumes; the book I have is Volume I.

Now that I've caught you up on my Life in the Making for August, it's time to refresh my coffee, pick up my early-morning knitting, and get on with today's "rotation"!  I'll leave you with my best wishes to for a safe, healthy, creative weekend, a Happy Labour/Labor Day for those who so observe, and my usual link to dear Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

A bientot!