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!

 

It's Been a Minute!

 

When I wrote my last post, little did I know how long it would take me to get back to these pages.  It's been a busy time -- and oh! How our culture loves it when we're busy!  But truth be told, it was more "doing what's required" than it was "doing what I want". 

Here's the list:

• Get the (new) spring/summer tires put on the car and have a car maintenance service.  I'd planned for the cost of most of that but...the brakes needed work, and 'oh, by the way' there was a special lubricant 'thing' that needed to be done...so ka-ching! I'm now a chunk of change poorer than I expected to be!
• Have an annual eye exam -- nothing untoward there, thank goodness! And...
• Come down with a head cold.  Aaaargh!

I am really only now beginning to return to my more normal self.  The only advantage to having our colder-than-usual spring weather is that it's been preferable to stay inside with my 'making' than it's been to try to do any yard work.

Blessedly, the garden kept doing what gardens do -- giving me flowers all by themselves.  There were surprise croci in the little grove of trees near my garage -- two white (one is shown above) and one a deep purple.  In the way of croci, they were "here today, and gone tomorrow", but they were lovely little bursts of joy while they were blooming.

And with careful protection from the deer, two lovely tulips in the south-facing flower bed near the house have come, blossomed, and are now fading.  Here they were a few days ago at their very best:

Not to be out-done, my flowering houseplants set to and produced this!

My pink-and-white African Violet

My seasonally confused 
Christmas cactus!

Once past the worst of my cold, things began to bloom in my studio too.  

As to quilting, I finished piecing a pink-and-white top that I wanted to make up for friends who are expecting a new grandbaby -- a girl -- in June.  It's now pin-basted and waiting to be quilted:

If you look closely, you'll see tiny pinwheels in the corner and centre blocks.  I made these out of 'bonus triangles' left from Bonnie Hunter's "Lupines and Laughter" 2025/2026 Mystery pattern that I finished a bit ago (still needs to be quilted!)

I didn't have enough of them to make an entire top, but I wanted to use them so did my best.  The quilt is about 42" x 52", so I'll quilt it simply on my domestic machine.

With things the way they were, I fell a bit behind with the 2026 BOM from A Quilting Life, but this week I finally caught up, making both the April and May blocks:

April 2026 Block

May 2026 Block

To date, I'd been using my left-overs from the "Canada 150" collection from Northcott Fabrics -- and even before I made these last two blocks I was concerned I'd be playing "fabric chicken" by the time the end of the year rolled around.

Northcott, unbeknownst to them, came to the rescue!  A couple of weeks ago, my LQS (Wild Flower Creations in Lacombe, AB) posted on its Facebook page that it had a new Canadian line in from that fabric company!  It's called "Oh Canada", and includes some of the original line plus some new designs, all of which play nicely together.

Well!  Between the Sugar Pine booth at the Central Alberta Quilt Show -- I was well enough to go on May 9 -- and a stop in at Wild Flower this week, I was able to purchase what I think will take me to the end of the year, without much left over (except the neutral Stonehenge, which is always useful).

Even when I was ill, I managed a bit of knitting every day.  I stuck to mindless projects, especially the "Bustleton Tee" -- that I'm making with the pattern merely as a guide.  I started it in late April 2025, and am now on the decreases for the second sleeve.

Yes; I'm making it with long sleeves, and with irregular stripes which are composed largely of left-over sock yarn and other fingering-weight bits.  It's why I've dubbed mine the "Not-So-Bustleton Tee". 😉

The only part of the sweater that's not from yarn left-overs is the sleeves, which I'm knitting out of a full skein of "Georgian Fingering 50" from Numana Yarns, which I bought at the Prairie Fibre Festival a few years ago.  The colour is a luscious variegated one entitled "Crushing It".  It's 50% Superwash Merino and 50% Silk, and no way was I ever going to make that into socks!

Rug-hooking took a bit of a back seat while I was ill, but as I began to have more energy, I turned to it, and finished a little piece I'm calling "Prairie Spring Abstract".  It's my adaptation of a portion of Deanne Fitzpatrick's "Sea Garden Abstract" pattern, part of the online course of the same name that I bought a while back when she put it on sale.

In the colours I selected, I was trying to give the impression of the greens and golds of the grasses as they 'woke' in the spring in these parts, dotted with the occasional Prairie Crocus:

Now off the frame, it measures about 9" x 12"; I'm thinking of turning it into a small cushion.

Earlier this week I put another pattern up on my small frame (a made-over embroidery frame with scroll bars): "Starfish Cove".  This is a little design that was available in April from the Makers' Meet-up group at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio; I'm not sure it will be released to the general public.  It features a house and some trees and in front, a row of starfish.  Well, I don't live anywhere near an ocean -- there are no starfish in our prairie lakes and sloughs!  So...I've turned the starfish into large daisies, and am calling my piece "Daisy Cottage".  All will be revealed when it's finished, so stay tuned!

And yes...of course there's been some cross-stitch in the mix!

In my early April post, I showed my progress on the "Quick Quaker SAL" (Stitch-ALong) from Jacob at Modern Folk Embroidery.  With the art show and then my bad cold, I fell a bit behind, but I managed to finish it on May 2.  No idea yet on a frame or any other way of finally finishing it, but here it is...

Fabric: 36-count "Bramble"
from Picture This Plus
Thread: DMC colour #824
1 strand of floss over 2 linen threads

I'm not up-to-date with the year-long "Little Acorns" SAL, but I made some progress there too.  Here it is as of the end of this week:

Fabric: 40-count "Platinum"
from Roxy Floss Co/Evertote
Thread: "Pippy" from Roxy Floss Co.
1 strand of floss over 2 fabric threads

And then -- in a burst of Spring Fever -- I started three new little pieces, and finished one of them!

First, I started and finished "Bloom Where You Are", a little kit from Shepherd's Bush.  It's stitched on a very loose, large-weave fabric of unknown origin -- there was nothing in the kit that said anything about it!  This, however, made it a very quick stitch, with 3 threads of floss much of the time.  It's very cute, and I've finished it into a little wall hanging, using some fabric I bought on my trip to Scotland in 2017:

Front

The 'quilting' isn't very even -- it was hard to judge where I was on that weird fabric, even with my trusty 1/4" foot!

All I have to do now is attach the hanging sleeve,and it will be done -- and hung either in my studio or out in my back room, where I house my plants when they're not outside.

Back

The second new start I made was the "Spring" section of a very old 4-season pattern from Elsa Williams.  You may recall from my March 20th post that I'd finished the "Winter" section, which was surprisingly enjoyable, so now I'm gung-ho to finish all of them over time.  (They're all done on one piece of fabric.)

In a couple of stitching sessions, I started some of the background and managed to finish the house.  I think it's going to be really pretty!

My last spring-themed start is from a little freebie pattern from Helen D., aka Eastcoast Crafter.  It's called "Bulbs, Blooms, Blossoms...". I'm stitching it on a small piece of 32-count Lambswool Linen, using DMC floss (mostly called-for colours), 1 strand of floss over 2 fabric threads.

I've just finished the text and have moved on to the garden motifs,so will show you a photo (hopefully a finish!) in my next post.  😊

And there you are, Gentle Readers, caught up on the making in my little corner of the world.

It's Victoria Day Weekend (aka "May Long" or "May 2-4") in Canada -- a time we designate the Official Start of Gardening Season.  While my friends and family in other parts of our fair land might be planting this weekend...I'm not.  Well...maybe by Monday, which is the holiday.  We've had snow southwest of here -- closer to the Rockies -- and "mixed precipitation" as near as an hour's drive west...and it's cloudy and only about 3 degrees Celsius right now (8:35 a.m. Mountain Time)....so...I may just stay in hibernation, with my recently-purchased bedding plants safely tucked in their containers in my garage!

Alas, I'm unable as of this writing to link you up with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  She seems to be away this week.  I've sent her a note via Facebook to ask if all is well in her world, which I truly hope it is -- and in yours, too, Gentle Readers.

And so... pour le moment, a bientot!*

*"For the moment, a bientot!"

Makers Meeting Up -- and More!

 

In my last post -- about 3 weeks ago now -- I wrote of Mother Nature's indecision, of how she was uncertain whether or not to evict Old Man Winter and allow Ms. Spring to move in.  She's taken all this time to muster her courage -- and OMW is still hanging out on the fringes, surrounded by brown grass and semi-frozen piles of dwindling old snow.

The good news is, the Canada geese have been spotted flying their V-formations overhead, and the robins are here!  The robins are here!

To celebrate, I've been stitching on the piece of that same name: "The Robins are Here" from Brenda Gervais:

It's a tiny piece and will become a little pillow for my spring bowl collection, right there with Jeannette Douglas' "Chubby Bird" and "Chubby Ewe" and other such delights.  I'll post a photo when that's ready.

I am also stitching along with two Stitch-Alongs this month -- both from Jacob of Modern Folk Embroidery.  First, the year-long "Little Acorns" SAL, with very slow progress since my last post:

Fabric: 40 count "Platinum"
Floss: "Pippy"
Both from Roxy Floss/Evertote

And the new one -- just for April -- that he created to celebrate 15 years of designing as Modern Folk Embroidery: the "Quick Quaker SAL".   I'm really enjoying this little piece -- not as complex as "Little Acorns", and very soothing, especially when I stitch along to the short videos Jacob has been posting daily on his YouTube channel to accompany the project:

Fabric: 36-count "Bramble" from
Picture This Plus
Floss: DMC #824 -- both from stash

I still have my Sunday Stitch ("Cattle on a Thousand Hills" from Plum Street) and have made a new start -- "There is Always Room" from Maximum Cross Stitch -- but there's nothing much to show you at present.  Stay tuned!

I am still knitting away, a little bit every day, usually with morning coffee.  Through Lent, I participated in a Mystery KAL from Joy Jannotti.  It's now finished, washed and blocked, and set aside for my Warm Things Box:

Yarn: Condon's Yarn 2-ply fine (the
brown) and 2-ply medium (the orange)

The yarn is a bit rustic, but not unpleasant in this little shawlette.  It's 100% wool, from a long-closed Canadian company that operated in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, from 1931 to 1989.  I received it as part of a Christmas gift from my daughter in 2022 -- and she rescued it from a colleague whose elderly relative had passed on.

My other favourite knits these days are the bodies of two top-down pullovers and one new start -- a cardigan.  I mentioned the Sea Haven pullover in my last post.  While I've no photo to share at the moment, I've finished the beautiful yoke, split for the sleeves, and am about 1/2" along on the body.  

The other pullover is the Bustleton Tee, which I started about a year ago -- and I've not taken a photo of it since! LOL! I'm really only using the pattern as a guideline for the process -- size and construction.  It's one with definitive stripes, but I've ignored that and am making it out of assorted shades of pinky red/purple left-over fingering-weight yarn.  It's a plain, simple raglan, very soothing to knit but slow going with the fine yarn.  At the moment, I'm about 1 inch from the point where I have to switch to the ribbing for the bottom hem.  After that, all I have to do is finish the sleeves, which won't be 'tee-shirt short' but full length if I have enough yarn left!

As for the cardigan -- that's a new start, inspired solely by the fact I've had both yarn and pattern for well over a decade, and it's now time to make it up!  It's the "Shades of Spring Cardigan" -- a pattern from 2011 that I saved from an issue of "Love of Knitting" magazine and I'm making it with a bright variegated yarn, "Tajmahal" from Le Fibre Nobili -- long discontinued -- which I bought well over 20 years ago:

The yarn is referred to as sport-weight, but it's almost a fingering, and very soft because it's a blend of merino wool, silk and cashmere!!  I didn't buy it specifically for this project, but decided that it's just the pop of cheerful colour I need this year!

On the quilting front, I'm a bit between projects.  I still have to make up the April Block of the Month from A Quilting Life, and I've planned out and started a pinwheel baby quilt to give to friends of mine for the new granddaughter they've been told will arrive in mid-June.

But I did finish the "Lupines and Laughter" quilt top -- the 2025/2026 Bonnie Hunter Mystery:

I think it's one of the prettiest yet!  I made it 75% of the size, and it's turned out to be just shy of 70" square.  I now need to get it quilted -- I'm debating doing it myself, though it's rather pushing the limits of my abilities on my domestic machine.

All those projects aside, my focus for the last few weeks has been on designing and hooking a series of eight miniature landscapes -- 6" square -- for the Lacombe Encore! Art Show at which I'll have a booth again this year.  It runs April 17 and 18 -- a week from now!!!  

Yesterday I finished the last of them, and took the lot off the Cheticamp frame:

Each of these originated as "matted minis" in my art quilting days; I've now reprised them as hooked art.  Here are some close-ups:

"By the Slough" (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips hooked into burlap

(L) "Canola Fields"; (R) "Autumn at
the Slough" (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips in burlap

"The Old Barn: Elgin, Quebec" (c) 2026
Yarn, roving, fabric strips hooked into burlap

'St. Monica's, Mirror, AB' (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips hooked into burlap

"Vespers - Reprise" (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips, hooked into
burlap; embroidered accent

"Wide Alberta Sky" (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips hooked into burlap

And last but not least...

"Wintry Moon" (c) 2026
Yarn, fabric strips hooked into burlap

All now need to be cut out of the burlap, blocked, bound and mounted.  I'm experimenting a bit there -- planning to back them with wool fabric, and either leave them as such, or see if I can mount them on black foamcore as 'stand-ups'.  Time will tell...

Now then, about Makers Meeting Up -- the title of this post.  In March, as I mentioned, I was part of the "March is for Makers" group created by Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios of Amherst, Nova Scotia.

It was so popular that many of us didn't want it to end.  So...listening to her customers, her rug-hooking-lovin' audience -- Deanne and her team decided to make it a monthly subscription -- Monday through Friday (and maybe the last Saturday) -- and to see how it goes.  There are almost 3 dozen of us subscribed so far, and it has been a complete delight.  It's certainly brought me joy every day to be part of this online community, and it motivated me to get all those minis hooked.  It will continue to motivate me through the next several days as I put the finishing touches on them and get everything ready for my booth at the show.

Participants are international -- mainly Canada and US -- and we are learning a great deal about each other, our families, our joy in crafts -- hooking rugs, knitting, quilting, cross-stitch and spinning have been topics of discussion among us.  We've been learning each other's geography, and history, and travel experiences, and art-making experiences, and what it takes to run an art gallery, and how to blend yarns and fabric strips to create colour and depth and texture in our work.  It's just plain FUN!

The best part of it is the flexibility to 'unsubscribe' for a while -- this might happen with several of us over the summer -- and return when we are able.  Each session starts with a bit of fun as the whole group, with Deanne and/or her staff popping by, and then we break into small groups for an hour or so of hooking and talking, sharing and learning from each other.  Every month we participate, we'll have access to a free online pdf pattern, and able to view some of the videos from Deanne's inspiring teaching archive.

And it only costs $31 CAD per month -- a dollar a day.  Some folks spend more than that on a coffee at Timmy's or Starbucks...

So if you love to hook rugs -- as wall art or floor art or cushion art or just plain sources of colour and calm -- you might want to check it out.  For more information...HERE.  (And NO, I'm not being paid to entice you!)

I'll leave you now with my usual link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week she gives us a list of what she learned from the dear "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip.  Some of those lessons can be practiced when you meet up with other makers, to whit:

• Take risks;
• Keep exploring!
• Enjoy the present;
• Spend time with friends;
• Life is about the little joys; and this...
• Sometimes you have to take a plunge to see the magic happen.

Whether you hook, stitch, knit, crochet, quilt, weave, spin, paint, dance, sing, write, make music...all of it is better shared with others, especially in times like these.

So until next time, Gentle Readers, soothe your souls and Make On!

A bientot!

• 
  

Spring Startitis!

 

Living up here in Canada -- a good day's drive NORTH of the border with Montana -- I always feel like Spring arrives on March 1, even if Mother Nature disagrees.  This year, She has been undecided, and has sent mixed messages.

Today's been rather grey with that wonderful thing known as "mixed precipitation", and some fog, and Totally Grey Skies -- so I've spent it inside with all my favourite 'makes' and thought I'd catch you up on all things creative around here.  My objective is to Take Your Mind Off All the World's Foolishness...and just share some colour, beauty and art/craft goodness.  One day at a time, Gentle Readers; one day at a time! 🩷

Over at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studios, we're still in the throes of "March is for Makers".  I say "we" because every week day at 2 p.m. Atlantic Time, (rug) hookers from all over the place gather on Zoom -- via DFS -- to meet, greet, hook on our mats and share ideas with each other.  

Even those of us who are rather introverted and prone to Zoom Fatigue have participated.  

Alas, this was a Special Event and isn't a regular thing for the Whole Wide World.  We've been having a great deal of fun -- found friends who live near us (surprise!) or whom we've met at conferences/retreats.  A place where Canadians, Americans, and folks from the UK (rarely farther afield at the moment) can gather, laugh, tell stories, share our backgrounds and our love of the rug-hooking craft -- as well as our love of knitting, spinning, quilting and stitching because, of course, most of us are 'multi-craftual'.  None of us want this to end, so...we'll see what sort of challenge this poses the Studio for the future!

As for hooking, well...I've been focusing on what one of my friends calls a "Dreamscape".  I mentioned it in my last post in which I showed my initial sketch and a tiny start of the hooking.  Since then I took it to this:

And then, joining the 'hook-ins' almost daily...well...today, it's finished, though still on the frame:

Pussy Willows, Cat Tails
(c) 2026

I confess I'm not sure about framing it and putting it up for sale -- would it have any takers?  I've been accepted into the local Encore! Art Show & Sale in mid-April...any thoughts?

I've also purchased two online classes from Deanne -- one on 'Working Big' and one that's a "Sea Garden Abstract".  Both, I think, will be valuable -- though my 'Sea Garden' will have morphed into a prairie...Stay tuned for more!

Of course, aside from hooking, I continue to Knit Every Day.  It's tough to break a 65-year-long habit! 😉

I continue to enjoy my 'Train Knitting' and the Sylph Cowl is slowly getting longer.  My Spring Start-itis began when in my last post I showed you my cast on for the Sea Haven Pullover, a pattern by Jennifer Shiels Toland that I won from the "Recreational Knitting" podcast (thanks, Karen!)  I continue to love this pattern!  I'm now past the yoke patterning and finished the short rows yesterday -- my first attempt at German Short Rows.  Not hard to do but a bit challenging in that they are less visible than the "wrap-and-turn" version. 

Here's a couple of progress photos taken earlier today:

The wee red marker identifies the front...and indicates that from there, I have to knit 1 1/4" before I can split for the sleeves.

See the blue arrow? That's the German short row section I accomplished this morning (my first experience with those).

Having mentioned that I have Spring Startitis, I must let you know that today I also cast on stitches for a cardigan -- a pattern I've had in mind for a Very Long Time: the Shades of Spring Cardigan from Sara Louise Greer.  I apologize, as it's no longer readily available.  That just shows you how long I've had it in mind. Sigh...

I've decided to knit it in a rather colourful variegated yarn from deep stash, and even made a swatch (!?! Who? Me?!?).  So far...I've just cast on for the back so there's really nothing to show you.  Stay tuned for further reports!

In my quilting studio, I satisfied some of the 'Spring Staritis' by making the March Block from A Quilting Life.  You'll recall that I'm trying to stretch my Canada 150 fabric for a red-and-white version.  This is what the March block looks like:

Methinks I'm going to be even better at making points match -- in stars or elsewhere -- once this BOM is over! 😉

Speaking of 'matching points' well...Bonnie Hunter.  I swear, having made her mystery quilts (and some of her "Addicted to Scraps" blocks and "Leaders and Enders" projects) -- she is pretty much single-handedly responsible for my ability to make (most of) my points match in any given pieced quilt!

And yes, I'm on the last part of this year's 2026 Mystery quilt, aka "Lupines and Laughter".  This design was inspired by Bonnie's trip to Iceland in 2025 -- where, it seems, lupines are found in abundance.  I don't have to go that far north.  They are among my favourites spreading through my meadow/flower beds.  This was a natural for me and I've enjoyed every minute.  And yes, all fabrics have come from my stash.  

Quilt top, inner border, 1st outer border

Close-up of 1st border, attached to top

As I'm making this top at 75% of the called-for size, it took a bit of...adjusting...but it worked!

This is going to be an "almost 40" gift for my son's partner -- her birthday is in August -- so I'm hoping all will continue to proceed accordingly between now and then!

And then there's stitching -- where the Spring Startitis is really taking hold!

My work on the "Little Acorns SAL" from Modern Folk Embroidery continues...but I've started a slight move away from Jacob's recommended sections.  I'm on the third section from the top -- but according to the pattern, it's supposed to include two parts - the one on which I'm stitching and a second that's a good 80+ rows down in the charts.  Seriously?!  Neither my brain nor my 73-year-old eyes is prepared to do that. So...I will finish the current section this month and move forward in an Orderly Fashion! Ahem! 😉

I've set that aside for just a bit, though, given the State Of The World, and have turned again to "Disagree" from Rebel Stitcher.  I showed this in my last post, and have made significant progress thus far, as it's been almost a focus piece.

BUT

Last evening I discovered A Problem.  It's taken me close to the finishing point of this piece to discover that I may have (inadvertenly!) stitched it the wrong way on my fabric.  OOOOOOPS!!!

Yep!  See that blue arrow?  And the gap near the right side of the hoop?  There's only about an inch (!!) of fabric to the edge.  Sigh...

The lettering will work out fine; the motifs I'll adjust accordingly...and it will likely become a small hanging or a pillow or go into a project bag.  It's only for me -- not a gift.  I've never let perfection get in the way of 'Good Enough'!

And what about stitchy Spring Startitis? 

Yes; there is some!  First, I finished the "Winter" section of the Seasons from the long-ago pattern from Elsa Williams, so I am ready to start "Spring" -- because I'm doing it all on one piece of aida -- it's a kit from when dinos roamed the earth...

Back-stitch, etc. -
I'm rather chuffed!

And then...well...my Newbie of Choice is inspired by the hue and cry that went up in my home town (southwest Quebec) and family back in the day, and still (for me) marks the Actual First Day of Spring:

The robins are here! The robins are here!

The Robins are Here! -- Brenda Gervais

I confess, I got such a kick out of this that I had to kit it up and I'm ready to stitch -- even though the weather is still a bit too cold and so The Robins have yet to arrive here. It will be my Spring Start this weekend!

There's pretty much no waterfront to cover, Gentle Readers, as it's too early to spin outside and there's no gardening happening up here for some time.

Over at Nina Marie's, she's making a gift for a friend, which has required her to dust off her sewing/quilting skills.  Have any of you been challenged by that?  You might just go over and give her al hug.

Meanwhile, I light a candle for our troubled world and hope all involved in assorted conflicts will find That Eternal Light SOON.

A bientot!