Alpacas, Changes and the Heat

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Heather

Summer here has felt particularly brutal to me this year.  We did have a heat wave at the beginning of the month, but we are now essentially back to normal July temperatures and I still feel miserable.  I think it is in large part because I’m large again.  Although I haven’t weighted myself in ages, I know that I’ve regained nearly all, if not all, of the weight I lost from 2008-2009. When I was ill at the beginning of the year, I ate to keep going. Perhaps not the best idea, but it helped me get through the days.

I know that I could lose the weight on my own if I tried hard, but I am going to sign up for Weight Watchers again. I know it seems silly to spend money just to be able to track the food you eat, but I need the sense of responsibility to someone other than myself. And knowing about success stories like my aunt and Dani (and my mom once upon a time), is very encouraging.

The other change is my blog theme. It isn’t perfect, but I’m tired of waiting for my husband to create the theme he has been promising me.  I think waiting for nearly 2 years is long enough.  I suppose because that is part of the work that he does for  pay makes it less fun to do for free.  This new theme will do for a little while, but maybe I’ll have to go out and hire a designer.  What I’d really love is a theme that sort of looks like my computer case, but also brings in elements of cross stitching and knitting.  That’s not asking for much, is it?

Most of this week was spent crocheting and assembling two alpacas (pattern by PlanetJune).  I made these for a lady I know through Ravelry.  In exchange, she is sewing a couple of box bags for me to use to store my knitting and crochet projects. The alpaca were made using Bernat Satin in Mocha (for the darker one) and Beige Mist Heather (the lighter one).

Alpaca by Planet June

And I am still working away on Happily Ever After.  All that remains to be done is the lazy daisies in the border. This stitch, along with the Queen stitch, is perhaps my least favourite of all.  I don’t like doing it and I don’t like the way it looks.  And yet, so many designers seem to love it! Why?!  Yes, I suppose it does make great leaves, but by itself in a border? Argh.

Happily Ever After (WIP) by Marie Barber

Here is a close-up of the corner of the border. I do like the lazy daisies in the very corner, but I don’t like them in the diamond below.  Does anyone have any suggestions for another stitch I could use?

Happily Ever After (WIP) - Border Close-Up

And that’s it for today! Assuming I remember to take pictures, I’ll have more to share tomorrow!

1 Comment | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

First Berries

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Heather

Today’s post is not about crafting, but it is about creating.  I like to grow flowers and plants, but I’m not very good at it.  But each summer for the past couple of years I created a small container garden on our balcony and coaxed and prodded various plants through the summer.  This year, feeling brave, I decided to add strawberries to the mix. And, much to my delight, they are growing!

My first strawberries

Those are the biggest of the bunch.  And while I may only end up with a handful of berries, I bet they will be the best tasting berries I’ve ever eaten because I grew them myself.  I think next year, if these work out, I will plant more than just one pot of strawberries. And maybe some tomatoes too.

2 Comments | Posted in My Life |

Happy Canada Day! And Goal Review

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Heather

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians!

Today is the day we celebrate the British North America Act (aka the Constitution Act of 1867), and the unification of British Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into the fledgling country of Canada. We’ve grown a bit in the past hundred and forty some odd years. We now encompass ten provinces and three territories, and cover enough landmass to make us the second largest country in the world.  We are home to the world’s largest beaver dam, the CN tower, and some of the best (and worst) hockey teams around.

Anyway, enough about Canada. It is time to review my goals. In June I said I wanted to:

  • Finish and frame Happily Ever After before June 24th
  • Finish Montavilla Market Tote
  • Start Liesl for my mom
  • Find a pattern, and possibly start, the socks I’m doing on commission
  • Iron and frame Sunflower Fairy (yes, I still haven’t gotten around to ironing her)
  • Start Rajasthan Lotus Temple

Well, Happily Ever After did not get finished. I haven’t even touched it in almost two weeks, I think. I also didn’t get around to starting Rajasthan Lotus Temple. However, I did finish that market bag and I did start Liesl, and I even finished one of socks from the pair I am knitting for someone else. Oh, and Sunflower Fairy never did get framed. So, I guess that means I accomplished 50% of my goals. Not too bad, but not great either.

We are also halfway through the year now, so I’d like to review my yearlong goals today to.  But, um, looking at that list I can see I haven’t accomplished much… So, on to July’s goals!

For July I would like to:

  • Finish and frame Happily Ever After
  • Start Teresa Wentzler’s Miniature Spring Sampler (I mean, seriously, you know I’m going to want to work on this regardless of whatever else I have to do)
  • Crochet two of Planet June’s Alpacas for someone I know from Ravelry
  • Finished the second sock of the pair that I am knitting for someone else
  • Get down to at least the sleeves on my mom’s Liesl
  • Make at least a token attempt on Baby Man’s birth sampler
  • Organize my yarn stash (which means buying a new bin)

I will freely admit that my yarn stash has grown quite a bit in the last few months.  I’ve bought a few big lots of yarn to do larger projects, like my mom’s Liesl, and I’ve also done a lot of trading through Ravelry. I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on some great yarn that aren’t avaliable easily in Canada, and well, honestly, I am in love with my stash. 😉 I also love my cross stitch stash, but it is so much easier to appreciate several big balls of cotton yarn than it is to enjoy one tiny skein of silk, if you know what I mean.

Since I haven’t been sharing very many cross stitch projects lately, I thought it would be nice to share a picture of two belated birthday gifts I recently received.  The tin is from Erica of Erica’s Places, and is something I had been meaning to make for myself for ages.  It is so nice when someone knows exactly what you like! The biscornu was from a lady I attend our LNS’ stitching night with. (I also received a portable Ott light, a lovely box, some threads, and a brass bellpull. I feel very spoiled.)

And to prove that I am still stitching, and not just knitting and crocheting, here is my needlecase from the getaway I went to back in April.  I finished the stitching yesterday and also picked up some fabric.  I’m waiting to get some felt before I make the final fabric decision and put it together.

Hopefully in a day or two I will have some more progress on Happily Ever After to share. I want to get it done before I start on the new TW.

1 Comment | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged ,

Water Lilies and Dollies

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Heather

I’ve realized that when one has a toddler days rarely go as planned.  Take today: Baby Man and I were going to go out to have fish and chips for lunch since Daddy had gone out for a business meeting.  We weren’t going to let a little rain stop us.  Unfortunately, halfway to the restaurant (which is a block away) he had his first real meltdown.  I carried him all the way home, and he cried for about a half an hour.  I feel sorry for the little guy because I know he doesn’t really understand why he is so upset, but, my goodness, that is not something I want to go through again.  I’m very proud of myself for keeping my temper, even when he totally lost his.

On to the good stuff! This morning I finally finished up Polly Dolly from Knitted Toy Tales. She is knit from Bernat Satin in Camel (skin), White (dress), and Mocha (hair and eyes).  Her shoes are Mary Maxim Starlette in Black, and her mouth is some Week’s Dye Works in Old Red Paint.  I gave her a bit of a crooked smile on purpose because I knew if I tried to give her sweet little lips it would end up looking funny anyway. (My Ravelry project page for Polly Dolly is here.)

Polly Dolly by Laura Long (Knitted Toy Tales)

This week I also crocheted Planet June’s next to newest pattern, Water Lily.  I’m sure you can guess that this was a must do for me!  It was done in Bernat Satin and some unknown sport weight yarn. (There are more details on my project page here.)

Water Lily by Planet June

I have been cross stitching a little, but I have to admit that I haven’t felt very inspired. However, I talked to Cathy at Victoria Sampler and she is doing her best to get my the box for Christmas Treasures, and that has prompted me to pull it out again and try to get it finished for Christmas. (Yes, the wedding sampler is languishing. I will get back to it, but I’m aiming for the beginning of August now.)

Christmas Treasures by Victoria Sampler (WIP)

A few other notes: Victoria Sampler is having a sale on some of their accessory packs this weekend.  You need to poke around in the catalogue to find them. I remember seeing some of the birthday rolls and a few of the later letter samplers.  Also, Châtelaines’ 10% sale ends very soon! You have until midnight CEST to make your purchases.

2 Comments | Posted in Crochet, Cross Stitch, Knitting | Tagged , , , , ,

Hardanger Needlecase

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Heather

After much procrastination, and a house-wide search for a missing piece of felt, I’ve finally finished the first part of The Gift of Stitching hardanger course. I never did find that piece of felt, so I used some of the peacock felt that I bought for Just Nan’s Keep a Little Secret.  I really like how the colour peaks out through the cutout squares.

Hardanger Needlecase, Gift of Stitching

And speaking of The Gift of Stitching, they are having a sale in their shop.  All items are 20% off.  I may or may not have picked out something I’ve been eyeing for some time.  I would love to also get the Santa kit, but it is so much and contains some real wool, so it is a no-go for me. 🙁

Châtelaine is also have a sale.  Until June 26th, all classes are 10% off.  You can read about it here on the Châtelaine board.

2 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

Foot Coverings

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Heather

Yeah, no post for over a week again.  I have no excuse other than I have clearly forgotten how to read a calendar.  I have been keeping busy with work, household chores, taking Baby Man out, etc.

I’ve also knit one sock of the Polly Jean socks I am knitting on commission.  The yarn is Kraemer Yarns Saucon Sock in colour Harvest Gold. (You’ve got to love that name!)

Polly Jean in Kraemer Yarns Saucon Sock

I think it looks pretty nice, even if yellow is one of my least favourite colours. I didn’t much care for the yarn to begin with; it felt quite scratchy (I also think merino wool feels scratchy, and don’t get me started on any of the Noro yarns!).  However, as I worked with the yarn and the sock grew, it seemed to soften up nicely.  I’m sure with a good wash and dry it will feel fabulous.  And that’s good, since as part of my payment for knitting these socks, I have a ball of turquoise to knit my own socks from.

Just a few moments ago I finished a pair of Croc socks, another commissioned piece. These are crocheted using Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in colour Jute.

Croc Socks in Bernat Handicrafter Cotton

The biggest issue I’ve had with these two projects is size.  Neither lady has feet the same size as me.  I’m a very narrow US 7.5, and the socks are for someone with a US 9.  The Croc Socks are for a lady with a US 6.5.  So, for the socks I aimed to make something a bit big (thankfully the ribbing in the pattern is very stretchy), and for the Croc socks I aimed to make something a little small.  It is them that I am most worried about though, since Crocs can fit big and kitchen cotton can stretch when being used and shrink when washed and dried.  And we won’t even get into my problems with crocheting and knitting tightly.  Honestly, cross stitching something for another person is much easier.  It might take longer, but at least you don’t have to worry about it fitting.

And that brings me to Happily Ever After, which is moving along slowly.  I don’t think I will meet my June 24th deadline, but that is okay.  My in-laws will be coming by plane and won’t be able to take it home with them anyway.  So, I’ll take my time to finish it up (I would love to take a break and work on another project), get it properly framed, and pack it up well for shipping sometime later this summer.

Happily Ever After by Marie Barber (WIP)

Also, don’t forget I am trying to organize an exchange through the Rotation Stitchers board.  Please sign up by June 26th.  The names will go out as quickly as possible after that date and you have until August 28th to ship.  The theme is biscornus and other smalls, so you have a lot of leeway in what you can stitch.  Head over here to sign up.

And lastly, head over to TW’s blog for a surprise.  I’ve already got my Highland Garden ready to go!

3 Comments | Posted in Crochet, Cross Stitch, Knitting | Tagged , , , , , ,

A Dolly for Mommy

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Heather

I quite enjoy knitting and crocheting toys.  Unfortunately, Baby Man doesn’t care for soft toys.  If it isn’t a dinky car or a block, he doesn’t care.  I’ve tried making him several things, in hopes that one day I’ll find the right toy to bring him around.  I’ve crocheted three Planet June animals for him: the sea turtle, stegosaurus and groundhog.  I’ve knit him a simple kitty, and made a misshapen bunny too. It is a bit disheartening that he doesn’t cuddle with them. So, instead of putting work into yet another toy for him to shun, I’ve decided to make one for myself.

Polly Dolly Pieces

Those are the body pieces for Polly Dolly from Knitted Toy Tales by Laura Long. (You can see a finished Polly Dolly on the cover of the book if you follow the link.) I’m making her out of Bernat Satin in colour Camel, which isn’t the perfect skin colour, but is still working out okay.  I’m really enjoying making her, even though she is knitted flat.  Honestly, the pattern would be so much better if she was written for knitting in the round.  I’ve only seamed up one leg and I’m already taking a break. 🙂

I’m also still slogging away on Happily Ever After.  I made some changes to the layout of “Happily Ever After” at the top because I thought the words looked too squished together.  I’m hoping that I will get the three sided stitch around the border finished tonight, and get started on some of the eyelets and such.

Happily Ever After by Marie Barber - WIP

I also wanted to share some information on an exchange I am organizing over on the Rotation Stitchers board.  It is for smalls in general (biscornus, needlebooks, floss tags, etc.).  There is no theme, but the questionnaire that will be sent out will ask about your favourite motifs, etc.  If you are interested, please head over here to sign up.

4 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Knitting | Tagged , , , ,