Tidying Up The Thread Before Sewing

 Yesterday was sunny with a north wind. The high got to 5C. This morning it is clear and -4C (windchill -7C). Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

I got the sheets into the washer and did a bit of tidying up. I then did my exercises. I can feel the difference when doing them even if I missed 2 days. When done, I sat on the couch and massaged my knee. I used my knuckles to rub outwards from the knee cap and went around it several times. I also rubbed behind my knee at the joint. I was trying to break up scar tissue. I sat with heat on my knee afterwards as it was a bit sore. 

I got the sheets into the dryer and while they dried, I did a bit of research on my family tree. I am doing a bit on my mother's maternal line. I do know some about them but when I went back a bit further than before I found out they lived in Switzerland before moving to France. 

After I put out the bag of garbage for pick up late in the afternoon, I sat and did my knee again. I am going to have to do it once or twice a day for several months if I want to get the scar tissue broke up and my knee bending like normal. 

Sewing

My first job when I went into the sewing room was to sort through the threads in the tall set of drawers. I did the Glide thread first and made sure all the loose ends were caught in the base. I have thread that still has the plastic wrap on it. I am buying no more of it for a while as I have a good variety of colours. 

The next drawer was the thread I use more often for sewing. It was a bigger mess so I made sure all the ends were secure. I have a small tub that has the silk and cotton threads in it. The rest are rolling around in the drawer. I need a few tubs to contain them. I have lots of black, white, navy, grey, and cream thread in big spools. They are my go to when I sew. I have enough spools of coloured thread that I can match to fabric in the stash. I will buy the small ones when I need to match thread. 

I worked on the cape and got the seams on the plaid part ripped apart and sewn with the right seam width. I struggled with the hood but got it on. I then put the plaid and the lining pieces together and sewed them shut leaving a turning hole at the center back. Once I turned it, I rolled the edges and pinned them in place. It is ready for me to hand baste and then press. 

It will be reversible which is nice. 

I have to hand sew the opening at the back along with the arm and ear openings. A hook and eye needs to be added to the front. 

Knitting

I knit last night and got the heel flap done and the heel turned on sock #1. I then worked on heel flap #2 and got a lot done on it. 

I haven't knit socks in this manner for a long time and am enjoying watching the pair grow at the same time. 

Thoughts

    I was surprised at how cool it was outside yesterday. The wind was from the north and went through you. Hopefully it will be nicer as they are forecasting warmer temperatures. I need to plant grass seed where the vegetable boxes were. 

    I am thinking about what I will plant in tubs on the deck this summer. I have a pot I could plant a bit of lettuce in for salads. I would like to do tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers again. I do enjoy having the fresh vegetables during the summer. I will do some flowers at the shed but probably none on the deck. I will decide when the time comes. 

    I looked up to find out when the town's garage sale is going to be. Nothing yet so I will have to keep looking. I will be spending a morning in the garage cleaning it up before the sale. I know I will have a lot of work to do in there after ignoring it all winter. I also have items to bring down from the shed for the sale. Family has their items to bring. 

Today

I am out shortly to make a double batch of sandwiches at the community hall. We also have to set up the hall for a celebration of life. I will have a bit of time at home before I go to help serve tea and coffee. I don't think I will have time to sew this afternoon but will knit tonight. 

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

A Day of Being Busy

 Yesterday's weather was a mix of sun and clouds with a bit of snow blown in for good measure. The high got to 6C. This morning it is clear and -1C (windchill -3C). Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 5C. 

Lifestyle

I had to make a double batch of cookies yesterday. I started out early so I could get them done in good time. The first batch went into the compost bin. I forgot to put the leavening agents into it. The second batch was made and done by 11 am. I was out the door to get flour and margarine so I could make the last batch of cookies. I had them done by 1:30 pm. I made about 6.5 dozen cookies. 

Daughter-in-law called shortly after I had cleaned up and asked if I would like to go to the city. I said sure and off we went. We went to Bayer's Lake which is just outside Halifax. Our first stop was the Asian store to find bone broth for son. I do like looking at all the different Asian foods in that store. Once done, we headed to Costco. 

At Costco we got all the items to make sandwiches tomorrow. We have to make them for 2 funerals. Costco was busy as usual. I buy a few items there but not a lot Most is too much for one person. I did get myself stuffed peppers for dinner and ground pepper as I was almost out of it. We got into the line up and was out of there in fairly good time. 

We got home about 5 pm and I was tired. I cooked the peppers and had a late dinner. 

Sewing

None again yesterday. I didn't even look in the sewing room. 

Knitting

I did knit last night. I finished the leg on sock #2. I started the heel flap on sock #1 and as I was finishing row 12 I saw I had a dropped stitch in the heel flap. I unknit to the dropped stitch row, picked it up and knit until I had 20 rows done. 

Thoughts

    We were supposed to get up to 2" of snow last night and we got a skiff. Not enough to make anything white. It was nice the storm missed us. Hopefully this was the last snow for us this spring. 

    I walked a bit of my property yesterday and picked up a downspout that had blown off. I am hoping I can get out and pick up stuff off the lawn. I want to see if I have to reseed my lawn this spring. It isn't look very good at the moment. Did last summer's drought do more damage than I had thought. 

    I looked across at the house that has a lot of daffodils planted in the front. The leaves are up so we can expect to see blooms in the next few weeks. I will have to check the plants at family's and see if they are coming up and will be blooming soon. 

Today

I am planning on being at home all day today. I have to do some laundry, some house work, and my exercises. I want to sew this afternoon, take a small walk in the yard, and knit tonight. 

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

More Done On The Socks

 Yesterday was cool, windy, and cloudy with a high of 7C. This morning it is cloudy and 0C (windchill -3C). Today is supposed to be mainly sunny and windy with a high of 5C. We could have showers. 

Lifestyle

I spent part of the morning using a fluffy pad and dry mopping the floors. I did my bedroom, the living room and down the stairs to the basement. There was a few small bits of dirt and a small amount of fluff. I was pleased with that. 

I did a bit of genealogy on one family member. I was able to find a bit of information on her and have since started researching another person. It is interesting what you find out when you read the information on wedding and death certificates. 

I was out to get my Covid vaccine and the line up was about 8 people. I was early and patiently waited for my turn. This round of vaccine is for a specific group of people and isn't as busy as the fall session when it is open to everyone. 

Once home, I had lunch and then promptly fell asleep for almost 2 hours. When I woke up, I wondered why I do this after I get needles. My arm wasn't sore and I felt fine. I know I have anxiety about needles and am tense. Once it is over, I relax and am exhausted from the anxiety and tension. I allowed myself the grace of doing nothing all afternoon but rest. I am fine this morning. 

Sewing

I did look in the sewing room but didn't sew. I am okay with that. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and got a lot done. I am now 20 rounds from finishing the leg on sock #2. 

Though you can't see the pattern, they do have a textured look to them. 

Thoughts

    We have snow in the forecast for tonight. They say 2" and I am hoping it will be less. We are to get warmer days after that which will be nice. I am looking forward to having the heat turned off for the afternoon and the windows open to air the house out. 

    The snaps I ordered a long time ago are once again delayed. I will wait for them as they are the brand I like the best and I can't buy them here. 

Today

I have to make a double batch of cookies today. If I don't get them done today, I will finish them tomorrow. If time, I would like to sew and get the cape done for the rabbit. Tonight I will knit on the socks. It is a stay at home day for me. 

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

Making A Cape For A Rabbit

 Yesterday was wet, windy, and cloudy. The temperature rose all day until it was 11C at 9 pm. This morning it is cloudy, calm and 5C. Today is supposed otherwise be a mix of showers and clouds with a high of 8C. 

Lifestyle

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get my Fitbit to sync with my phone. I restarted my phone and to no avail. I put the phone on the charger and did a reset that way. Did not work. I finally had to swipe the clock down and do a reset. It worked. Saturday and Sunday's sleep graphs are either non existent or a graph I have never seen. It is back to normal today. I charged the Fitbit and moved on with my day. 

Next up I did the balance sheet and had no issues with it. Only 3 entries. I then paid my bills and put it all away. Job done in record time. 

I added pictures to my To Do tab which was a bit behind. With computer work done, I did my exercises. I had a couple of cracks while doing them. I was stiff but knew that was due to the weather system coming in. I got it done making sure I did each exercise carefully so my muscles were fully stretched. 

The last job of the morning was to fold laundry and put it away. I was caught up on all the jobs I had wanted to do. 

I made myself a simple meal for Easter dinner. I had fish and potato wedges cooked in the oven and steamed vegetables. I really enjoyed it. 

Sewing

I sewed on the Winter Cape for Anika the rabbit. I did find a video to help me as some parts were confusing. I was irritated watching her sew as she did not press one seam. I got the lining for the cape done with only one mistake on my part. I thought one seam was 1/2" where it was 3/8". Thank goodness it was a seam that wasn't curved and clipped. 

The plaid is done to me fixing the two seams that I sewed to 1/2" I can then attach the hood and clip the neckline seam on both parts. 

The pattern is cute. I love how there are openings in the hood for her ears. The same for the opening in the sides for her arms. I am hoping to take care when finishing it so it can be reversible. 

Knitting

I did a lot of knitting last night. Sock #1 is done with 2 rows done on the heel flap. Sock #2 has 24 rounds done on the leg. 

I am knitting a lot each night to keep my hands busy or I would be snacking. 

Thoughts

    I did text grandson to wish him a happy Easter but he didn't read it. It was what I expected though I am keeping the door open for him to communicate with me. He has not communicated with anyone for almost a week. It is hardest for me at night when I have time to think but I am slowly getting to the point where I am content knowing he is in a safe place. 

    I was sore yesterday thanks to our weather. The wind blew in from the south and it always jars my nerves when it hits the house in strong gusts. The wind finally calmed down around 5 pm and it was raining hard by then. The barometric pressure was bouncing making me sore but not like it had been. The exercises are helping with that. 

    By accident I found out that the Covid vaccine is available for me this spring. I booked an appointment for it this morning and then booked an appointment for blood collection later this month. Those appointments are done for 6 months. 

Today

I am going to dry mop the floors this morning and try to do some dusting. It is time to get the areas the robot vacuum cleaner can't get to. I am out to get my covid vaccine and once home I hope I can sew this afternoon and knit tonight. I know I will be tired from the vaccine so am not going to push myself. 

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

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Yesterday was a mix of sun, clouds, wind, snow, and whatever else Mother Nature could throw at us. The temperature at 5 pm was 3C which was cooler than at 6 am. This morning it is cloudy and -1C (windchill -4C). Today is going to be a mix of freezing rain and rain with a high of 10C. 

Lifestyle

 Daughter-in-law and I left for the city at about 9:30 am. We went to Cole Harbour (home of Sidney Crosby) to drop off a bag of son's suits and dress shirts. The store is known for helping people who need to find work. From there, we went to Ikea. 

One should kick us in the butt for going to Ikea on a Saturday and kick us twice for going on a holiday weekend. The place was super busy. We did scoot around the crowds and looked at storage for family's laundry room. We also found a table that would be perfect in the in-law suite. We had lunch at Ikea which was fun. We haven't done that for about a year. 

Our next stop was at Home Depot. Daughter-in-law needed paint to finish the in-law suite. I looked at paint brushes and rollers but didn't buy anything. I need to do inventory once it is warmer. 

Our last stop of the day was Walmart. We did our grocery shopping. I got everything I needed as did daughter-in-law. Once done we were on our way home. 

Sewing

I was down to the sewing room before going to the city. I cut out the last of the snowman fabric into 2 - 10" squares and got them sandwiched and prepped to sew if I had time when I got home. 

Once home, I was able to cross hatch the squares. I cut the binding for it and got it sewn on. I sat in the family room and hand sewed it down. The project is now done. 

I am very pleased with how this set turned out. I have more winter fabric that I can make more if I want to. 

I laid out the next project on the cutting table. It is a cape for the rabbit, Anika. I am looking forward to working on it and getting it done. 

It should be a fairly easy sew. At least I hope it is. 

Knitting

Sock #1 is 10 rounds short of having the leg done. 

Once I have it done, I will knit the leg on sock #2. I am enjoying these socks but will be happy to have them done. Knitting them twice was not on the to-do list. 

A quick look at the spreadsheet, I have 9 more pairs of socks to knit this year. It seems as if I will be knitting a pair a month. 

Thoughts

    Daughter-in-law and I talked about their surprise when wanting to get their oil heat removed from the house and use their ductless heat pump along with their fireplace. A ductless heat pump is not classified as a primary source. You can't get insurance if you use it only. I am not sure why these are pushed in our province as ducted ones are available when houses are built. There are grants for both of them. I now know why I have baseboard heaters in my house. If we don't go electric, our choices are propane or oil. There are no natural gas lines in most of the province and natural gas has to be hauled in. They are now researching for a primary heating source which will use propane.

    The weather was not very nice yesterday. When walking outside it was cold and windy. We even walked in a snow squall. The wind went right through you. The sun did shine late yesterday afternoon but it was still cold outside. I was happy to have worn my extra heavy fleece pullover for outside but I was too hot wearing it in the stores. 

    I was in less pain yesterday. I am still working on my posture as it does help my back pain. My knees hurt from the weather but the muscles in my thighs were barely sore. I didn't do my exercises yesterday as it was a rest day but will be back to doing them today. 

Today

I am doing my exercises and then will take out the garbage and recycling to the garage. I have a bit of cleaning to do and then will spend quite a bit of time sewing and crafting today. Dinner will be simple - oven baked fish and potato wedges. I will also cook a vegetable. It will be a quiet day for me. 

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

A Delicious Birthday Dinner

 Yesterday was cloudy with rain and some freezing rain. The high got to 2C. This morning it is cloudy and 5C (was 6C earlier). Today is supposed to be clear off, be windy and sunny with the temperature dropping to 2C. 

Lifestyle

I had another busy morning. I got a load of laundry on and cleaned the bathroom. Once that was done, I put the laundry into the dryer and did my exercises. 

The exercises are getting easier to do. I am still stiff when I start but do loosen up as do the exercises. I had a lot of cracking yesterday as everything is starting to go back into position. My muscles are sore which I think is from all the stretching and other things I am doing. 

I am also working on my posture. I was starting to slump when sitting and I realized that was causing some of the back pain. I am working on sitting straight when I sit on a chair or the couch. I have to keep reminding myself. 

I was out to family's for my birthday dinner last night. Our friend picked me up and took me. I had asked for smash burgers and they were delicious. Daughter-in-law made fresh hamburger buns. I will say that these hamburgers were better than the best ones we had in Montevideo. 

The evening was spent laughing over crazy things. Son is learning how to make ramen noodles and we had to learn about his experiences making his first batch. He did get enough noodles for them to have ramen for a couple of days. 

Family gave me a new lock for my front door. I was excited to get that as a gift. Now I can come and go without having to use a key when my hands are full. 

Sewing

I did some cleaning in the sewing room yesterday morning. I decided to clean the open shelves where the dolls are. They were dusty. I did take out one of the tubs which holds the Gotz doll's clothes. I sorted through them and put together items that I had made -- leggings and tops, dresses and sweaters. I now have a small pile of orphans that I need to sew or knit items to go with them. I can add them to my list of what I want to make this year. 

I also looked at a tower of drawers. It is well organized and the bottom drawer is empty. I pulled it out and found a dead hornet behind it. I vacuumed the floor and cleaned the baseboards. A start in that area of the sewing room. 

I sewed after lunch. I got the binding on the table runner and hand sewed it down. 

I looked at the scraps of fabric and have two pieces that are just over 10" square and I am going to quilt them together and bind it for a hot pad. When that is done, the remaining small scraps will go into the trash. There will be nothing worth keeping or donating. 

I remembered I had made a doll's cape a few years ago and I put it on the doll over the sacque back dress. Though an Acadian woman would probably have worn a blue cape of a shorter length, this shows how she could have looked in the winter. 

Knitting

I was able to knit on the socks last night and got 19 rounds done. 

I have figured out the pattern so I can knit while watching tv. I am disappointed that the pattern doesn't show up much due to the yarn being multi coloured. 

Thoughts

    It rained hard several times yesterday. We certainly need the rain after last year's drought. Everything is soggy right now which is good. Once it warms up the grass and plants will grow quickly. It is trying to snow one moment and have the sun shine a few minutes later. 

    I had a lot of thoughts go through my head when I was sorting through the Gotz doll's clothes. I don't sew for them on a regular basis. I need to do more sewing for them and finish off the orphan pieces. This will include finding the patterns I have in my collection and buying a few more. I love these dolls but it seems like very few people I know have these dolls. I need to include them in the sewing and knitting plans. 

Today

I am heading out to shop with daughter-in-law. We are going to have a fun time looking upstairs in Ikea and I can get groceries at Walmart. Once home, I will decide on what I want and can do though I do know I will be knitting tonight. 

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

A Day of Busyness

 Yesterday was cool and cloudy with a high of 2C. This morning it is cloudy and -1C (windchill -4C). Today is supposed to have freezing pellets changing to rain. The high is to get to 2C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I put the sheets into the washer and cleaned the kitchen. It was time for it to have a good wipe down. When I wiped one counter, it was black and I freaked out. First thought -- black mould. When I calmed down I realized it was spores from the ferns in the bouquet of flowers. I wiped it all up and then dealt with the flowers. Hopefully no more black spores on the counter. 

While the sheets were in the dryer, I did my exercises. They are getting easier to do though I am still sore in my back. I do 10 exercises and I had cracks while doing 5 or 6 of them. My muscles are loosening up a tiny bit which is nice. My back is still sore and that is more annoying than the muscles. 

When done the exercises, I headed downstairs to do more work in the family room. The area I did is the same size as my living room. I took the table cloth off the table and saw some damage to the finish on the table. Not overly worried as it has lots of other damage to the finish. I did scrub it and organized everything when I put it back on. The floor area was vacuumed and mopped and I did a bit more floor in the rest of the room. 

I am ready to tackle other parts of the room once I spend a few days cleaning the sewing room. I am alternating between the two rooms. 

I forced myself to make dinner last night. I cut up 2 peppers, an onion, and some mushrooms and cooked them in a hot frying pan. I added some cooked chicken, teriyaki sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. I put it over rice. I had enough for dinner tomorrow night. It was nice to have a home cooked dinner which I enjoyed very much. 

Sewing

I worked on the two mug rugs and got the binding sewn on them. I sat in the family room hand stitching the binding down. 

I do not usually do a contrasting/darker binding. I like the binding to blend in. This binding's colours are in the print fabric which is why I chose it and allowed it to frame the mug rugs. 

I played with the doll's dress trying to figure out how an Acadian rural lady would wear it when dressing up. I know they wore a scarf (fischu) at the neck of their clothing so I found the one I had made when I had sewn the Isla Lass outfit. I tucked it down the front of the stomacher. 

The outfit is complete. 

Knitting

I played with the yarn and got it wound into cakes. I had to do one cake twice as it didn't wind all that well the first time. 

After dinner, I knit the cuffs on both socks. I am now ready to do the leg in a simple pattern. 

The yarn looks like it had a spiral perm but it isn't hard to work with. 

Thoughts

    We are no longer under a freezing rain warning. I am sure that if it happens it will disappear when it rains. If there is none, then it could be snow which will also disappear when it warms up and rains. 

    I have been working on not being stressed. I am still parking emotions and try not to let both situations make me feel overwhelmed. I know that some of the soreness I have is from stress hence why I am working on parking my emotions. 

    I am back to struggling with decorating the bathroom. I need to do a mood board with ideas I want and see what I can find. My bathroom just won't talk to me and I am not sure why. It didn't seem to talk to the previous owners either as it was not decorated when we viewed the house. 

Today

I have to clean the bathroom first thing while another load of laundry is done. Then I want do a bit more cleaning downstairs. I do want to bind the small table runner this afternoon. I am going to family's for my birthday dinner tonight so may not get a lot of knitting done. 

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