A Busy Day Walking, Sewing, and Knitting

 Yesterday was cloudy and windy. The high got to 2C. This morning it is mostly cloudy and -1C (windchill -3C). Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy with a few flurries with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

Prior to going out to walk, I took out garbage, unloaded the dishwasher, and folded and put away laundry. It was nice to have those little jobs done before I left the house. 

The drive to the arena is about 5 minutes and I got there a couple of minutes early. People were already there walking. Daughter-in-law and I went in and upstairs to the track. We started to walk the oval and I used my poles for 2.5 laps. Then it was 1 pole and the last couple of laps no poles. We did a total of 7 laps which is 1.1 km. It was nice to walk for 30 minutes at a pace that I enjoy. I had to work on walking straight as I was leaning to the right. Next session is Monday morning. 

Once home, I realized I was tired so I sat and rested with a cup of coffee and heat on the right thigh so the muscles would stay relaxed. It did help a lot. Last night, I had a pop when stretching in bed which also helped. 

I rested for a while and then went to the post office to mail a parcel to daughter. The worker was a lot of fun and I got it off in good time. I also ordered a Fitbit and it will be here on Tuesday. It may be the push I need to do more activity. I am quite interested in my sleep habits also. 

Sewing

My first little job was to add a 1/4" seam allowance to the rabbit arm and then photocopy it until I had 4 of them on stock. I cut them out and am ready to trace them onto the fabric. I am not sure why I traced 4 but I can lay them out to see how much fabric they will take. 

I quilted the doll's quilt. It was a quick job as the quilt is so small and I only do straight line quilting. Next I made the binding, sewed it on and got half of it hand sewn down. 

It is a fun quilt that used up scraps of fabric from western shirts, a quilt, and a piece left over from a project. The only mistake is on the back. I used the soft backing from the Scandinavian quilt and I lined it up not thinking about the nap. I have the two pieces with the nap going in the opposite directions. The dolls won't care about that and I am sure no one will even notice it. 

A close up of the border and binding fabrics. 

There is a piece of brown gingham that I hope to make a pillow out of to go with this quilt. I don't have any coordinating fabric for a pillow case which is sad. I may have to dig into the scrap bag and see what I can use. 

Knitting

I knit my 12 rows last night. It is fun to watch the vest grow each knitting session. 

I am about half done up to the armhole shaping. Hurrah!!

Thoughts

    I really enjoyed walking yesterday and hope we can walk 3 times a week this winter. I know that it will build my strength again. I also need to do yoga on the other days and lots of stretching daily. 

    I have Chef Plate meals coming again starting on Monday. I am only having 2 meals coming (4 meals for me) and will cook the other 3 meals using up what I have in the freezer. I will have 4 orders come and then will cancel. I want to do some meal planning and get a few meals into the freezer for each week. I want to use up the food I have so I can restock some of it in late February. 

    Today's sewing room declutter is about irons, rulers, and cutting mats. I need a new iron but am putting it off until spring. It leaks on occasion and I think that is a me issue. I have a new cutting mat that is in great shape. The number of rulers I have are minimal and used all the time. I did get a new flying geese ruler for Christmas that I am excited to use. I will use it on a doll's quilt when I want to try it out. 

Today

I have to take grandson to school this morning and then I plan on doing a bunch of housework until noon. This afternoon, I want to finish hand sewing the binding down on the quilt, trace the rabbit arms onto the fabric and cut them out, and make the pillow to go with the quilt. Tonight I want to knit. I am making a fish chowder today which is quite easy to make. 

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