Being a Canadian Stitcher

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Heather

I mentioned the other day that I had been thinking a little bit about what it is to be Canadian.  Even though we don’t show it as much or as often as our neighbours to the south, we Canadians are very proud of our country.  We may, if hard pressed, even admit that we think it is the best country going.  (Or, if you live in Toronto, you will say Toronto is the best place in the world to live, without much thought given to the rest of Canada.  That’s just what Torontians are like.)

I’ve found myself on a bit of a patriotic kick lately, probably set off by the fact that a friend is getting involved in Federal politics.  He is hoping to be elected as a Federal Member of Parliament (MP) during the next Federal election.  (Americans: think something like a congressman; People from Elsewhere: do a conversion based on what you know of American politics)  I think this person is a pretty great guy who would do a great job as an MP.  It seems to me like this is his life’s work, and I’m maybe a bit jealous and a bit encouraged that he has set to it so enthusiastically.

He is leaving Toronto shortly and moving back to his hometown in Nova Scotia where he will base his political career.  By way of a good bye gift, and maybe for a bit of good luck, I’ve been working on Victoria Sampler’s Nova Scotia Heart for him.  (It still needs to be pressed and framed.)

Nova Scotia Heart by Victoria Sampler

And, to continue the patriotic theme, I’m planning on starting Victoria Sampler’s O’Canada very soon.  (The older, hand-drawn version of the chart was RAK’ed to me by the very generous SoftwareGoddess.  Thank you so much!)  I’ve even got the Threadworx overdyed thread that it needs (originally Needle Necessities Mulled Wine, but you know what  happened there…).  And I’m hoping to do Lynn Nicoletti’s Canadian flag design so that I can baste it onto a shirt for Baby Man for Canada Day.  (Oh, I’m so ambitious!)

If you are interested on reading a funny take on what it is to be Canadian, check out How to Be a Canadian by Will and Ian Ferguson.

Now, what does it mean to be a Canadian stitcher?  Well, it is a lot like being an American stitcher, expect we pay between 10% and 15% more for charts, on top of the exchange rate.  It can also be really annoying when a designer releases a monthly series and makes the July piece very, very American.  I wish more designers would offer Canadian options, like Lizzie Kate does for Land That I Love.  And I will also admit that I wasn’t too impressed with Victoria Sampler, a Canadian designer, including an American flag in the Christmas Village design.

As for your questions, Pauline, yep you are right about the design!  I’m using GAST Simply Shaker in Liberty for the light colour and WDW Twilight for the darker colour.  I am into the third skein of the WDW, even through the chart suggests that only two skeins are needed.

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A Winner! and Progress Update

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Heather

Congratulations to Lindsay of Caring Stitcher, who is the lucky winner of my little draw.  I tried to get Baby Man to draw a name out of one of his little bowls, but instead he kept dumping all the names out.  So, instead, I waited until he gently put one name back in the bowl.

Baby Man Selecting a Name

I’ve sent you an email, Lindsay, so please get back to me when you can.

Thank you to everyone else who signed up.  I will probably have another draw in the fall, maybe for a pair of socks! (How’s that, Pauline?)

So, on to the stash shopping that I mentioned the other day.  As you may know, Golden Threads, my nsLNS in Hamilton, ON, is closing down and moving to a web-only shop. This weekend items were priced at 50% off (threads 25% off), so of course I had to call an exception on my stash stitcher declaration and go down and support the shop’s wonderful owner.  I did pretty good, scooping up some charts I’ve been thinking about getting, a piece of fabric, some DMC and Waterlilies and a pair of scissors (I always need scissors!).   And because it was all on sale, I spent a lot less than I expected.  A lot less!

Unfortunately, Golden Threads didn’t have the WDW colour I desperately  needed to finish up a gift, so I also stopped by Gitta’s in Port Credit, where Lizzie Kate’s Peace, Love and a Cure jumped into my hand.  (My dad was with me and he actually approved!)  So, this is my weekend haul, along with a knitting magazine and the latest JCS, which aren’t pictured.  (I’m sorry for the poor pictures in this post, but I was trying to take them when Baby Man was awake so I had to find a baby-free-zone to take them in which meant bad lighting.  The fabric in the picture is actually Silkweaver’s Days Gone By so you can see how bad the picture really is!)

Stash from Golden Threads Sale

As for my knitting and cross stitch progress, well, I’m still in dishcloth hell.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind making dishclothes.  I even use knitted dishclothes.  It is just that I am getting a little bored with them.  I may take a few days break and work on the horribly pooling anklets (which still look like nothing, which is why there is no picture).

My stitching has been all about gifts.  I’ve included some pictures below of portions of the designs.  If you are a family member who thinks I might be giving you a gift soon, don’t look!

gift1

gift2

That’s it for today!  I’ll have more to share soon.  I’ve been thinking about things like family and pride of country (yes, Canadians are patriotic, we just hide it better than some), and things like that.

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Draw Closing Soon

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Heather

Just a reminder, if you want in on the draw for some Enchanting Lair charts, Dinky Dyes silk and a one card Tarot reading, please leave a comment on this post.  The deadline is midnight Eastern tonight, and Baby Man and I will draw a name tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will announce the winner and share the details of my weekend stitching and stash buy.

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A World of Youngster and Oldsters

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Heather

Right now I would rather be napping.  But instead I’m waiting around to make a phone call to do some negotiating about work. (Update: Did not go well.  No new money for me thanks to cutbacks.)  It seems lately that I do a lot of waiting around for other people to fit me into their schedule.  But, I’m not going to vent too much about it, even though I’d like to…

Oh, and pardon the title.  I don’t like the word “oldsters” but I couldn’t think of anything better.

What I thought I would write about just a little bit today is what it is like for me to be a stay-at-home mom.  With such a little guy and no family really close by, I don’t spend a lot of time with adults.  For a little while it kind of drove me crazy, but because I am such an introvert, I’ve actually come to enjoy it.  I sort of like the fact that it is me and Baby Man most days. And I’m always very happy to have quanta, my dear husband, home in the evenings and weekends when he pitches in to do his share.  Not to mention how much I love it when my parents come to visit (and especially when they agree to watch Baby Man for the evening so quanta and I can escape enjoy an evening out).

One thing I’ve noticed about the weekday “non-working” world (and I use that term loosely as being a mom is a lot of work) is that it is a world of the very young and of the old.  Other than other moms, a lot of people we see around during the day are older, retired people.  There are few dads and few non-parents between the ages of, say, 25-50.  It’s almost like that group of people disappears for five days straight, only to be set free on the weekends.

I’m sure my perspective will change when Baby Man gets a little older and starts school.  Then it will be a world of kids, parents and teachers.  Maybe then I will think about going back to the office (hahaha!).

On a different topic, here’s a picture of Mesh Market Tote from the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Knit Simple.  While it is a simple design, it is crochet and not knitting.  (I’m a woman of many talents!)  The yarn is Summer Linen from Universal Yarns in colourway 5211 Sky Blue.  It is a lovely linen and cotton blend that I thought I would try with an eye to maybe making a tank top out of it at some time.  And while it is nice for the bag, I don’t know that I would make a top out of it because it would probably be a bit rough for my extremely sensitive skin.  (Gosh, I wish I could knit with wool or alpaca! Whaa!)  And, yeah, I know it just looks like a big wavy doily right now.  But it will be a lovely fold-up bag soon!

meshbagjune5

Expect some more cross stitch pictures in a couple of days.  Tomorrow I’m going down to Golden Threads to say good-bye to the shop and, you know, pick up a few things from the sale.  Yes, I’m supposed to be a stash stitcher but a store closing sale is a special exemption!  And since the work negotiations didn’t go well, this will be my last splurge for a while.

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A Fairy and Some Thoughts on Crafting

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Heather

It is time for a happy dance!  Over the weekend (yes, I am behind on my posting, why do you ask?) I put the final beads on Letters from Nora – H, also known as the H fairy and Heather.  She has turned out so beautifully thanks to the help of my nsLNS owner’s advice when it came to changing so many of the colours.

Letters from Nora - H

Letters from Nora – H by Nora Corbett
Fibres: Crescent Colours and DMC
Beads: Mill Hill
Fabric: 28ct Silkweaver Solo

If you are interested in the changes I’ve made, you can find out more here.  I’m curious though, does anyone have an suggestions for the grapey-purple beads I used for the flowers?  You can see them better below.

hupclose

The sock knitting goes well, although I am beginning to think that I have angered some knitting god who is in charge of colour changes.  Behold the Super Simple Short Socks by Meghan Holcomb, knit using Yarn’s Plus 3/5 Hand-Painted Tencel in colourway English Garden.

Super Simple Short Socks

See how it started out with the green, blue and two shades of purple moving along nicely.  Now all the green and blue is on the sole and the two shades of purple are along the top of the foot (which you can’t see in this  picture).  It is a lovely colourway though.  It is sort of along the lines of Gloriana’s Victorian Garden silk, but without the yellow.  (I got some of the Gloriana in the mail the other day, which is why that comparison comes to mind.  What will I stitch with it?  I don’t remember what I bought it for… maybe Chatelaine’s Japanese Box?)  I’m glad this has no yellow in it though, since that is one of my least favourite colours.  And with the way the knitting gods are treating me, I probably would have ended up with a yellow stripe right down the top of the foot!

I’m also ploughing my way through a pile of dishcloths.  (Shhh!  That’s one of the secret gifts.  I don’t think the person who is getting them reads my blog, though.  And if she does, just pretend to be surprised and know that they take a lot longer than you would think to knit, especially when you have a toddler “helping” you.)  I’ll have pictures of them to share in a few weeks.

To close things off today, I thought I would muse a little bit about what crafting means to me as a Pagan.  I mean, this is/was a Pagan blog, even though I’m writing a lot more about my cross stitch and knitting.  So, here’s what I think: I don’t generally do Pagan-y designs.  (Although, I love, love, love Joan Elliott’s Wheel of the Year design in her latest book.)  I don’t see crafting as part of my Pagan identity.  Cross stitch and knitting are part of who I am, just like being a Wiccan is.  They are often a form of meditation, especially now that I am apt to fall asleep if I try to do a formal meditation.

I think for anyone who is part of any religion the things they do that they love, be it knitting, cooking, housework, or what-have-you, in some ways become part of their faith.  You may think on the Bible while you stitch while I meditate on the changing of the seasons and someone else puts down their needle for a few moments to say their daily prayers to Allah.  And even though we may believe different things, we can all relate to one another through our love of family and our hobbies.

And finally, a reminder that I am holding a draw.  Leave a comment on this post before midnight Sunday to be entered to win some Enchanting Lair charts, Dinky Dyes silk and a one card Tarot reading.

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It’s Time for a Draw

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Heather

As promised, I posting a little draw today in order to welcome the readers from my craft blog, Stitching Lotus, which I am retiring, and to say thank you as well to my long-time readers.

I’m offering seven Enchanting Lair Treasure Stitches/Desktoppers charts and a skien of Dinky Dyes silk in the colour #85 Fantasy Blues.  I am also offering to do a one card Tarot reading for the winner, if they so desire.  (I realize not everyone will be interested in this, and I won’t be offended if you turn down this part of the prize.)

contesttime

To enter the draw, just leave a comment in the comment section of this post.  Please make sure you enter your correct email address.  I won’t share it, but I will need it to contact you.  If you’d like a second entry to the contest, then become one of my Twitter followers.  My Twitter id is silverlotus152.  I will only be including an entry for Twitter followers who also left a comment in this post, so be sure to do both for two entries.

The draw will remain open until midnight on Sunday, June 7th (Eastern time).  On Monday, when I get the chance, Baby Man and I will draw for the winner.  It is open to anyone who lives anywhere mail is delivered.

Thank you for stopping by!

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June 2009 Goals

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Heather

I’m amazed by how quickly the month of May has flown by! It started with cool days and bare trees, and is ending in a glorious profusion of flowers… and cool weather. Somehow we’ve gone from the beautiful 20°C+ days that we’ve had for the past two weeks down 12°C today.  Burrr!  (Yes, two months ago, that would have been a balmy day.  But now that May is ending, I expect nicer weather!)

So, with the end of the month here it is time to review my goals:

  1. Get at least 1/3 the way through my Lily of the Valley Stole (which I am very nervous about starting)
  2. Finish one more class project from the CreativFestival (Delightful Dragon maybe)
  3. Organize my free cross stitch charts
  4. Find my missing notes and write up that article, and write at least two others
  5. Start my new challenge (more on that in a couple of days)
  6. Try baby sign language with Baby Man again

Unfortunately, I didn’t complete any of them.  The Lily of the Valley Stole turned out to be a bit too difficult for me, so I’m working on Lotus Blossom Shawl now, and it is about 11.5% done.  The front of Delightful Dragon is nearly done, but I’ve been working on a gift for the last week which has taken time away from this goal.  And, with the exception of the new challenge, life just got in the way of everything (especially with Baby Man being sick for a week), so I didn’t have time to get around to them.  We are also probably going to pass on trying baby sign language again because we are coming to realize that Baby Man can actually communicate pretty well if we really pay attention to him.  He’s such a smart little man. (Can you tell I’m a doting mother?)

So, that brings me to my June goals.  I obviously need to try to be more realistic.

  1. Finish gift mentioned above
  2. Finish other gift that involves knitting
  3. Work on third secret gift, again, knitting related, but not expecting to finish it
  4. Finish two more cross stitch related secret gift
  5. Loose 3lbs
  6. Organize free cross stitch charts
  7. Write at least one article of main website
  8. Finish a pair of socks

Do you get the feeling I might not have a lot of pictures to show this month?  Actually, I will, but until the gifts are given, I’m planning on trying to keep some secrets.

One last thing, starting tomorrow I’m going to have a little contest.  I will no longer be updating my Blogger blog, so I thought I would welcome those readers to the Pond, and celebrate my current readers, with a little draw.  Stay tuned for details tomorrow!

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