Another Busy Day

 Yesterday was warmer with a high of -5C (windchill -13C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and -5C (windchill -11C). Today is supposed to be cloudy and windy with a high of -5C (windchill -13C). 

Lifestyle

I had another busy day. My first job of the morning was to do the balance sheet. One entry and then the little bit of month end stuff I do. I had a low spend month with my biggest expense being groceries. I had to fill the fridge and freezer as they were empty which I had planned. There were some purchases that I didn't need (junk food) and some purchases to tide me over in case the power went out. 

I laundered the bed sheets and got the bed made. I also did a lot of prep work for the painters. I sanded all the spots I had filled and did some more patching I knew I had to do. I cleaned up the mess so it wouldn't track throughout the house. 

Mid afternoon I headed out to put gas in the car and to get cash for the person who will clear my driveway (if I don't beat him to it). It was nice to get out of the house for a bit. 

I had several discussions with Fitbit support. The lady was very helpful but nothing worked. As the warranty is done on the original Fitbit, there is no warranty on the one I have. They did offer me 35% off a new one. I am thinking on it at the moment. 

I prepared for the power to go out last night. I set up my portable generator and plugged a lamp and the CPap machine into it. I also boiled water and put it into a thermos and wrapped the thermos in a heavy bath towel. I was ready and am happy to say the power did not go off last night. There are very few power outages in the province this morning. Most are on the Atlantic side of the province. 

Sewing

I worked on the doll's dress yesterday. I finished pleating the skirt and pinned it onto the bodice. I carefully sewed it in place and serged the seam. A good press and it is now ready for button holes or snaps. Still deciding. 

I also have to decide if I am going to keep the little appliqué on the collar. It hardly shows up. 

I have decided that I will be cleaning up the sewing room in the morning while the painters are here and sewing in the afternoon. My next projects are easy ones; 2 flannel blankets for the dolls and 2 pieces of piping for daughter. 

Knitting

I worked on the sock yesterday afternoon and am happily knitting the gusset. Progress is being made. 

I will not have any of the blue yarn left but should have enough of the cream to do the cuffs and toes on another pair of children's socks. 

I set up and knit 24 rows on the scarf. I did feel clumsy knitting on larger needles but got use to it. 

The pattern is 8 rows and I am starting to memorize it. I do have to unknit as I do make mistakes. 

At least I can watch the knit stitches to make sure the pattern is lining up correctly. 

Thoughts

    The wind came up about 8 pm and it snowed during the night. The maintenance crew did salt the roads in the afternoon and plowed during the night. There is very little snow on the driveway; just the berm. I was prepared for the worst and am happy we didn't get it. Along the Atlantic coast people are being warned about very high tides this morning. 

    It is Groundhog Day. In Nova Scotia the celebration to see if the groundhog sees his shadow has been cancelled due to the weather. It is predicted that we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Truthfully we can have up to 8 weeks more of winter. 

Today

I have to get the patches I fixed/did yesterday sanded and the floors swept. I also have to remove all the electrical plate covers. I want to do a load of laundry this morning. I will probably do some other cleaning as I move from room to room. This afternoon I want to finish the doll's dress and start on the doll's blankets. I also need to pick 2 fabrics for piping. If I have time, I will start to clean off the cutting table. I want to knit on the socks and scarf today and I do have the course at 1 pm. It is another busy day for me. 

Until the next time...........................................................

Prepping For The Painters

 Yesterday was more sunny than cloudy with a high of -6C (windchill -13C). This morning it is mostly cloudy and -15C (no windchill!!). Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy with a high of -5C (windchill -18C).

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning was another busy one. I did go to the community hall and help make sandwiches. I was home shortly after 9:30 am. I had my 2nd cup of coffee and then got busy. First job was to put away the laundry. Done in 5 minutes. 

I finished cleaning the living room and was so happy with it. As I looked around, I realized I had to take down the curtains in the living and dining areas due to the painters coming on Tuesday. It was time to say goodbye to the curtains as I am putting up blinds. 

Taking down the curtains was a bit of a struggle. I was trying to get them down without dropping anything. Not happening as I dropped at least 2 curtain rods. Those things are awkward when working in tight spots. Next was to get the brackets down and more hard work. I then filled all the holes. Some were huge as the brackets were not put up properly and the weight of the curtains pulled everything out from the wall. The dining and living room area should never have had curtains put up. Only two rod brackets were screwed into wood and the others had plastic plugs put in that failed. The previous owners should have put in blinds. I will be putting in blinds once the walls are painted. 

By the time I finished with the curtains and getting the holes filled I was tired. I sat down and had lunch and something to drink. 

I was out to family's for dinner last night. We had curries which was delicious. They were tired as they had snow blowed their bottom driveway and their large deck area in preparation for the storm which is coming tonight. They also did housework. We talked for a bit after dinner and I came home early. 

Sewing

I had another day of fun in the sewing room. I pinned, basted and sewed the outer skirt of the doll's dress. I gathered the bodice and pinned and basted the outer skirt onto the bodice. Then it was time to tackle the skirt. I had a great time doing pleats which I have not finished but am over half done. 

As I was working on the dress, I realized I wasn't doing View B but View A. I am happy with my error as View A's outer skirt matches the collar much better. 

With the doll's dress almost done, I am thinking about what fabric to use for the piping I want to make and which of the flannel fat quarters I will use to make doll blankets. Those are next on the list to make. Some quick and easy projects after the detailed dress sewing. 

Knitting

I knit on the child's sock only and am ready to pick up the stitches for the gusset. 

I have decided to start the scarf next as I need to knit (and fumble) on larger needles. 

I told family I had inventoried my yarn and how many skeins and weight I had. Daughter-in-law thinks she has more than I do. Son decided to give us both a ribbing. I will keep them updated on how well I do this year as I knit down the yarn stash. 

Thoughts

    We are not supposed to get the storm they predicted. The storm seems to be heading out into the Atlantic which means we will get less snow. Right now they are predicting less than 2". What we will still get is the winds. We are supposed to get winds up to 40 km/hr with gusts up to 60 km/hr. Power will go out in areas so we are preparing for that. 

    I emailed about my Fitbit and got a reply. I have a case number. It is now a waiting game to see if they will fix it or if I get another brand. 

    I am going to take a 5 day online course on how to keep everything in one notebook and branch out from there. I am in the process of getting all the notebooks I have in the house together and letting them go once I know what kind of notebook I need. I am not buying something expensive from the presenter. I am wondering if I am on the right track and need to get better at using only one notebook and using what I have to make detailed plans. 

    The house feels so different without the curtains. The area feels bigger and brighter. I feel exposed having no curtains. The blinds will help when they are installed after the walls are painted. I have ideas floating in my head on what I want to do after the walls are painted. 

Today

I have to do laundry just in case the power goes out during the night. I also have to sand the patching I have done and o a bit more. I also need to do the balance sheet. I have to go out to put gas in the car so it is full in case of an emergency. I want to sew on the doll's dress this afternoon. I will knit on the socks and cast on the scarf. 

Until the next time.............................................................

A Very Productive Day

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds but it wasn't dull and grey. The high got to -9C (windchill -15C). This morning it is cloudy and -11C (windchill -18C). Today is supposed to mainly cloudy with a high of -4C (windchill -13C).

Lifestyle

I spent part of the morning getting a few things done. I emptied the dishwasher, washed some dirty dishes, folded laundry and cleaned the couch I sit on. That was a job and a bit. I tidied up all the yarn and vacuumed the couch. It is much nicer now that I have it done. I just have the couch, end table and lamp to move and vacuum and mop the floor. 

I was out to get groceries yesterday morning. It was very busy at the grocery store. I got what I needed and left. Once home I put it all away. I am ready for the snow storm that will arrive tomorrow night. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon in the sewing room. I was in my own little world of pinning, basting, sewing, and admiring. When I stopped at 5 pm, I was freezing cold. The room was 17.5C and I didn't feel it until while I was sewing. 

I had decided I wasn't going to serge around the edge of the facing piece. Too small and too many curves. Instead I cut a piece of fabric on the bias and bound it. It is finicky work but I enjoy the end result. 

The bias piece was cut 1.25" wide which is too wide. I sew it on with a 1/8" seam allowance using a smaller stitch length. I turn it to the back and stitch in the ditch. The final step is to trim the excess fabric with my duckbill scissors. 

The next step was to attach the facing to the neckline. I pinned and hand basted it in place. I carefully sewed it down and got it finished so I liked it.

I then inserted the sleeves which had more hand basting before sewing. Once they were inserted, I sewed the side seams and called it a day. I was where I wanted to be. 

I had a small appliqué of flowers I had cut out for the coat. I trimmed them down even smaller and put them on the front part of the collar to see if I liked the look. I am living with it for now. 

I did work on a long range plan for sewing. It took me a while to get what I want to make this year sorted out in my head. Though I want to sew mainly from the stash, I know I will be buying a few pieces of fabric to finish projects and allow myself to buy a few pieces as a reward. Thinking about what I want to make and writing it down made me realize that I can sew more in a month than I have been without a plan. The past week has shown that. 

I am very happy with what I have sewn in January. Though I didn't sew a lot of yardage, I did make quite a few items during the month. I also spent time researching how to make zipper tabs on bags, clothing worn my Acadian women in the 18th century, and I even designed tags for some projects. 

Knitting

The Nova Scotia plaid socks are done. I am happy they are off the needles and ready for me to wear. 

I cast on the 2nd child's sock and got the cuff knit along with a couple of rows in blue. 

I am pleased with what I have knit in January. I also enjoy knitting for 30 - 45 minutes at noon. 

I am now deciding if I will start a scarf or a doll's sweater. I have patterns for both of these projects and the yarn is in the stash. 

Thoughts

    Having long range plans is helping me focus on getting my fabric and yarn stashes under control. I am feeling much better having these plans in place and noticed my anxiety has dropped this month. 

    We have been getting a lot of updates on the storm that is to arrive tomorrow night. Where I live is at the edge of the heavy snowfall. They are predicting low barometric pressure, wet snow, heavy winds, and the possibility of power outages. I am ready for it all and am happy the temperatures are going to be warmer than they have been. I have my knitting to work on, food to eat, and blankets to keep warm. I will also be doing some shovelling for exercise. 

Today

I am off to make sandwiches at the hall this morning. Once home, I will finish cleaning the living room floor, put away the folded laundry, and do some more cleaning. This afternoon I will work on the doll's dress and tonight I will knit. I do have to pick a second project to knit. 

Until the next time........................................................

A Busy and Productive Day

 Yesterday was sunny and the high got to -8C (windchill -15C). This morning it is cloudy and -12C (windchill -18C). Today is supposed to be cloudy with a high of -9C (windchill -20C). 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I opened all the curtains as the sun was shining. The last curtain I opened was in my bedroom so I started the day making my bed. From there it was the bathroom, the kitchen, and part of the living room. It was glorious to work in a bright house with the sun shining in. 

I also did some patching on the walls in the living room and bathroom. I took out the garbage and recycling to the garage and put them into their right containers. 

With time to spare I did the balance sheet. I had one stupid issue that I solved in less than 3 minutes. All is balanced and waiting for me to do the month end on Saturday or Sunday. I ended my cleaning session cleaning the keyboard on the laptop. That was quite the project with some of Elliott's hair coming out from the keys. 

Sewing

I had a good day sewing with only a few issues in the last bag I made. I started out with the wrong video and had to adapt how I sewed the side seams using the other video. But the end result was great. 

I am very pleased with how the zipper tabs turned out. I am so close to having this technique perfected. 

 The little tabs lay flat quicker using this method. The bag with the red zipper looks good but it took a bit of time to get the tabs to look nice. 

And both together.

Two fat quarters and two zippers make 2 bags. The larger one is cut 12" x 8" and the smaller one is 8.75" x 8". 

Knitting

I finished knitting the child sock #1 yesterday afternoon. I am pleased with it as I used 2 patterns to get this sock knit. 

I also knit on the adult sock and have the first 9 rows of the toe done. The picture I took is horrid as the sock did not want to cooperate. 

I will be finished this sock tonight. 

I put a tab up for knitting down the yarn stash. I have the next two months planned and will update it as I knit projects. I am doing this more for myself so I can knit as much yarn as possible in 2026 and buy only the yarn I need to finish one project. 

Thoughts

    We are under another storm warning. The barometric pressure is dropping and the temperature is rising. We are to have wet snow start on Sunday night. Predictions - up to 12" of wet snow and the possibility of power outages. We certainly have had more winter this earlier year than in previous years. 

    I had the best day for a while yesterday. I felt good mentally and physically. I ate less food, moved quite a bit, and didn't feel tired or sleepy all day. I am hoping that I will feel better and will be getting outside to do some shovelling during the snowfall. Not the whole driveway but part of it. 

    I got weighed and have gained weight since coming home from Uruguay. I know the reason why and I am trying to get myself back on track. Yesterday was a better day for me and I hope to continue eating healthy and loose the weight I gained. I want to really work on this as I need to loose weight for my joints. I knew I was at my upper limit when my joints were sore doing normal activities. 

Today

 I have to get a few groceries this morning so I will be prepared in case the power goes out. I am looking at healthy foods that can be eaten cold. I need to fold laundry and focus on cleaning my knitting area on the couch. I want to sew on the doll's dress this afternoon and knit tonight. 

Until the next time........................................................

    

The Winter Blues

 Yesterday was a mix of snow and sun. The high got to -8C (windchill -16C). This morning it is partly cloudy and -14C (windchill -18C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -7C (windchill -14C). 

Lifestyle

I had to take my car to the tire shop and get air in the tires. They were all low due to the cold weather we are having. Then I was off to get daughter-in-law so we could go to her appointments. She had two of them back to back which left her tired. 

Once done the appointments we headed to Dartmouth to get groceries for sandwiches and a few things we needed. We did have a quick lunch and then came home. Daughter-in-law was tired from her two treatments and needed to rest with heat on her body. 

When I got home, I had to shovel a small berm of snow from the driveway. The municipality had plowed our road clean and salted it. It took less than 10 minutes to do. I unloaded the car and sat on heat. 

I was tired and have been for a few days. I think part of it is all the shovelling I have done and part is the grey weather we have had. I am physically tired with some winter depression. I allowed it to take over yesterday afternoon which wasn't good. I should have gotten up and done something rather than sit and have Eeyore's cloud over my head most of the afternoon. Not a smart thing for me to do. 

I was sore yesterday and couldn't get my SI joint to release when I did my stretch. The stretch helped the muscles but not the joint. I did another stretch in bed last night and got one loud crack. The SI joint released and I was virtually pain free. 

Sewing

I did not sew yesterday but did think about the zipper tabs on the next bag. There are so many videos out on how to do it that I stopped looking until I try one that I saved. This version will be made using the left over pieces of fabric from the last one I made. 

Knitting

I did quite a bit of knitting while I sat. It kept me from falling asleep and my mind active. The foot on the child's sock is 2/3rds or more done and the foot on the adult sock is half done.

My goal of finishing the adult sock by the end of the month is achievable but I won't have the child's pair of socks done until February. I am okay with that. 

I did inventory another tub of yarn and have 1 left to go. Shall we say I am embarrassed with how much yarn I have hoarded away. 

Thoughts

    I have worked on a plan for knitting for the next two months. It took me about half an hour to figure out what I will be doing. What I do know is that I will have knit 100 grams of yarn when I finish the adult socks (they are mine). That isn't a lot for January but it is 100 grams gone from the stash. 

    Our weather is changing once again. The wind is from the south, the barometric pressure is dropping, and the temperature is going to go up. Our next snow fall is being tracked and the consensus is that it will either hit the whole province or more along the Atlantic coast. With the full moon and high tide it will be nasty for those communities. They are predicting about 6" to fall here. It will be wet snow for sure. I have someone coming in to plow the driveway for me though I will do some myself just for exercise. I will need to do the front steps and sidewalk and I like to shovel the driveway about 4 feet out from the garage. 

Today

I am going to be doing a bunch of housework as I am a bit behind from shovelling snow and being out yesterday. I want to work on the zipper of the next bag and do some sewing on the doll's dress. I will knit on the socks at noon and in the evening. I want to keep busy so I don't feel tired and sleepy. 

Until the next time......................................................

Snow Removal Done For Now

 Yesterday it snowed in the morning and then it was lovely in the afternoon with a few flurries. The high got to -7C (windchill -13C). This morning it is cloudy and -12C (windchill -16C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -8C (windchill -15C). 

Lifestyle

I was out the door early to shovel more snow. It was still the light and fluffy stuff but there was more of it. I shovelled alone for 90 minutes and then went in to sit for a few minutes on the stairs. Daughter-in-law arrived a couple of minutes later and I was out the door to help shovel the last 40% of the driveway. It took us 30 minutes to finish cleaning the driveway and then she did the back deck which was really full of drifted snow. Total time out for me was 2 hours. I was tired when I got done. 

I did rest after shovelling snow. I really had no energy left. I had put in over 7000 steps in 2 hours just cleaning the driveway. I did see that we had about 39 cm of snow fall. That is about 16" which is more than predicted. Update: we had just over a foot fall according to Environment Canada.

Sewing

I did sew yesterday and did change the center part of the collar on the doll's dress. I cut it out of a scrap of fabric. It looks much better. 

Here is a picture of the two collars side by side. 

Here is a picture of the three collar patterns that go with this dress. 

Once that job was done, I decided to make another zippered bag. I am going to get those zipper tabs the way I like them. I spent a long time on the zipper part of the bag to make sure I had done it properly. I wasn't happy with the bulk when sewing the side seams. The person doing the YouTube tutorial had the same issue. 

When I turned the bag right side out, the tabs were about the same or a bit better than the other two bags. I wondered what the issue was. Was it the fusible fleece? Was it me? Was there a step that was missing? I did finish the bag and gave it a good press. 

So, it was back to YouTube hoping to find some more tricks. I found two more videos. One does the side seams differently and the other had a different way to do the tabs plus a trick or two for the side seams. I have scraps of the fabric left so will be making one using the one of the two videos for a reference. I still have more fat quarters to sew into bags as I I learn to make them the way I want them to look. This is truly becoming a research project. 

Knitting

I knit on the child's sock at noon and got the gusset completed. I was a quick knit. 

I also finished the gusset on the adult sock last night. 

On to the foot next. I will finish the child's sock quickly and then will cast on sock #2. I won't get these socks done by the end of the month. I do hope that I can finish the adult size by February 2 or 3. The child's socks will take a bit longer than that. 

I didn't inventory yarn yesterday as I was tired. But the 2nd to the last tub is upstairs ready to be done. Once I have inventoried the yarn, I will be making a plan on how to knit up a bunch of it this year. 

Thoughts

    I am trying to come up with a plan for knitting projects this year. I have knit on socks almost every day and I need to figure out what else I can add to the mix. I enjoy knitting every night and having added knitting at noon has been fun. I do not have any works in progress as I am a person who knits until the project is completed. My main goal is to knit down the stash making projects I enjoy. 

    The weather is crazy. Friends I know posted a picture of someone making a snowman in Mexico. I heard the polar vortex came down further than normal which has caused areas to have snow that normally don't get any or very little. For us it meant a lot of snow which can happen here. We get more snow during the night of February 1 and it will last about 24 hours. Having storms this close together is not usual. 

    I have decided to hire someone to do snow removal next year. I can shovel some as it is good exercise for me. The larger amounts are too much as it takes me too long to get it done. Someone can do it with a blade on a truck and I can go out and tidy up the edges after they have gone. 

Today

I am heading into the city with daughter-in-law. She has 2 appointments and then we need to shop for sandwiches which we will make on Saturday. I may not get any sewing done this afternoon but I will knit tonight. 

Until the next time.............................................................

A Huge Snow Fall

 Yesterday was snowy with a high of -7C (windchill -13C). This morning it is snowing and -7C (windchill -12C). The snow is to stop in a couple of hours and then it will be cloudy. The temperature is to remain at -7C (windchill -15C). 

Lifestyle

I was out the door in good time to start shovelling snow. It was light and fluffy but there was about 6" on the driveway. I got a wide strip shovelled at the garage door and then started to shovel down to the road. I had 3 lanes made when my neighbour showed up and helped. His son also came over to help. And then daughter-in-law showed up. The four of us tackled the driveway and front step and had it done in an hour. Daughter-in-law and I also did the back deck. 

Once the job was done, I rested. We barely rested -- 30 seconds at the most. It wasn't hard work but it was steady. I did fold laundry and put on a small load to wash and got it dried and folded also. I also put my wet outside clothes into the dryer to dry. 

I also did a bit of tidying up in the kitchen. Not a lot as it is clean. I was resting up as I knew I would have to go out in the afternoon and shovel more. Luckily the driveway was in good shape due to the wind but the front door area had to be shovelled as it drifts into that spot. 

Sewing

I did sew in the afternoon. I finished the one bag and am more pleased with it now it is finished. 

I am ready to try the method in this video. I have my fabric picked and am ready to start. This time I am going to make the bag bigger. 

I started on the next item for the Edwardian wardrobe. I am making Keepers Dolly Duds 1914 Pleated Frock (purple view). 

I decided to leave off the bodice decorations and add a collar that Keepers Dolly Duds designed but never published. I got a copy of the file when I was testing patterns. I chose this collar as it was designed for this dress. 

I am not sure if I got this right or if I am wrong. Looking at the pictures of outfits the designer made, she made other large collars in white but never made this one. I wanted to use the dotted fabric. Now I need to decide if I am going to leave the heart shaped piece in the print or if I will do it in the dot fabric. It will take me 10 minutes to change it. The more I look at the picture, the more I think I will change it. Everything is basted on separately so the one piece will be easy to remove. 

I took a picture of the hat after I removed it from the doll. It was sitting perfectly for a picture. 

Knitting

I worked on both socks last night and have the heels turned and the gusset stitches picked up. Once that was done, I focused on the larger sock and got 5 rounds knit on it. 

The child's sock was not as difficult to work on as I had thought. I did get 15 stitches picked up on each side which was great. 

I will have to say that I am enjoying knitting on these at lunch time. 

I did inventory another tub of yarn yesterday. I also looked at my stash on Ravelry and found the name of one yarn I had no label for. To date I have inventoried 66 skeins of yarn which is more than I had thought. The remaining two tubs have probably a total of 15 - 16 skeins. I have a lot of yarn to knit and should not be buying unless it is sock yarn.

Thoughts

    We had about 6" of snow fall yesterday and there is probably that much more to be shovelled today. We get a bit of break starting late this morning and then will have more snow fall the night of Feb. 1 and 2. I will be a lot stronger when winter is done just from shovelling snow. 

    We have been very lucky to have not lost our power during this storm. One community west of us lost theirs due to heavy snow. I was ready for a power loss and will continue to be ready before the next storm hits. 

    The municipality kept our roads plowed every 4 hours during this storm. I am sure they will be out doing it again today. People are out driving to work but the school buses aren't running. Yesterday most people stayed home and dug themselves out. My neighbour was up early this morning to do his driveway before he went to work. 

Today

I have to shovel snow after I eat breakfast and then will rest. I do have a bit of housework to do and then will spend the afternoon sewing and will knit tonight. 

Until the next time...................................................................