The Start of A Bucket Hat

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 15C. This morning there is a light frost and 2C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 19C.

Lifestyle

My first job of the morning was to defrost the little fridge. I unplugged it and opened the door. I left it on its own for quite a while and finally put a container of boiling water in the little freezer to loosen the ice. It didn't take long for the ice to lift and for me to have fun getting it into the sink. It is now ready to be scrubbed clean. 

I also cleaned the living room. I washed the inside of the windows and cleaned the window ledges. Next was wiping the baseboard heaters. Furniture was moved, dusted, and floors were vacuumed and mopped. It was very dusty in that area as I have had a window opened every day for almost a month. Everything was put back in place and the freshly laundered blankets put back on the furniture. 

While vacuuming and mopping, I tried not to extend my body but it did happen when reaching into some areas. I did my stretching exercises when done and had a good crack as my SI joint released. 

I did a bit of research on my SI joint. I know it hurts when I stand a lot but it also will hurt if I sit for too long. I am working on not sitting or standing for too long at one time. I am trying to loose the weight I gained as I know it is hard on my joints. What I didn't know was to cut out sugar (that is done), processed and fried foods, and red meat. I need to pay more attention to my diet it seems. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday as I needed a break from the memory book. I decided to make myself a bucket hat and used Sweet Red Poppy's pattern. I taped the pattern together which I will not do again.

I would tape pieces 1 and 3 together and 2 and 4 tougher and leave the center not taped. 

I decided to cut the lining out first. I took my time and looked at the pictures on the website. She plunked the pattern pieces into the center of the fabric and cut it out. I was a lot more careful as I was using 2 fat quarters and want to use the scraps to make the dolls a hat. With that done, I went my merry way and sewed the side seams of the middle section together after snipping the notches. I snipped the notches on the circle and took it all to the family room to work on. 

I divided the centre section and round piece into 8 parts as it is easier to get small areas to fit together. I worked on each section using a lot of pins to get it in place.

I then hand basted each section carefully. 

I then sewed the two pieces together with the circle piece underneath. I sewed very carefully as I didn't want any puckers. 

The hand basting was removed and I gave it a good press. The seam lies against the middle piece. 

It took me a while to get the piece pressed to my satisfaction. 

I also found a meter of fabric to make the outer part of the hat. I found it in the doll's stash and it is perfect. 

The next step is to cut out the blue fabric and make the top part of the hat repeating what I did with the lining. A quick dig in the interfacing drawer found enough interfacing to make 2 hats. If I make another one, I have all the fabric I need for it. 

I really enjoyed sewing on this hat yesterday. I took my time and spent the afternoon just doing the one part. It was good for my soul to relax and enjoy the process. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks and have half of the foot knit. 

Thoughts

    The leaves on the trees are starting to turn red, yellow, and orange. We might have a good show of colour this fall which we didn't expect due to the drought. I do enjoy watching the trees turn colour each fall. 

    I am deleting almost all of the photos I have taken from my phone. They are on my tetra drive so I can access them when I need them. It took a lot of time and patience to get the job done but I am happy it is done. 

Today

I have to clean the little fridge and then will cleaning the dining room area. I want to do one page in the memory book and cut out the blue fabric for the hat. If I have time, I will start to sew it. Tonight I want to finish knitting the foot on the sock and start the toe. Another day at home for me.

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

Half Done The Memory Book

 Yesterday was a mix of sun, clouds, and cold showers with a high of 15C. This morning it is cloudy and 6C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a chance of showers. The high is to get to 16C.

Lifestyle

I was out the door early to make sandwiches. I got to cut the sandwiches and put them on the trays. It is a job I enjoy. We were quite busy as we had extra sandwiches to make. Done in really good time as we work quickly and well together. 

Once home, I started a load of laundry. I then worked on the balance sheet. I had a few problems that were my own. They were easy to find as I only had 5 entries to put in. I paid bills and put everything away including the fridge paper work. 

I did a 2nd load of laundry so all the new clothes I bought for the trip are now done. I moved all the food from the little fridge to the new one and have the little fridge ready to defrost and clean. I just have the food from the down stairs freezer to bring upstairs and I will be able to defrost the downstairs freezer also. 

I was getting ready to put the recycling and compost bin out for pick up this morning when it started to rain. It was a very gentle rain but it was cold. When it was almost not raining I got everything out. I felt cold by the time I was done. We are under a frost warning for tonight and then it will warm up again. 

Crafting

I spent the afternoon working on the memory book. I got 3 more pages completed. The first one was learning how to make a new envelope. Simple to put a sheet of music into. 

I decided to try rubbing ink on the pages to see how they looked. I quite like it. I added a few stickers and called this page done. 

The next page was also easy to do. I used a piece of card stock that was left from another page and rubbed grey ink around the page for a back ground. The stickers I used are old - probably bought 20 years ago. 

The last page was the hardest. I started it twice. The star was cut out first and the background card stock was picked out. You can see it in the above picture. I was not sure what I wanted to do. I played and fiddled around with it for a long time before I got what I wanted. 

I bought the buttons over 10 years ago and cut the shanks off the backs a couple of days ago. They were mounted using puffy double sided tape and glue. When it was completed, I was done for the day. I still have 8 pages to do. Half done. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and have the gusset done on the sock. I am now ready to knit 40 rounds on the foot. 

At the rate I am moving, I may have another pair done before we leave on holidays. 

Thoughts

    We are under a frost advisory for tonight. The weather then improves with nice temperatures in the day and cool at night. Yesterday was the first day I felt cold and woke up during the night cold. I know the cold dampness seeped into the house while it was raining. 

    I closed the living room window when it started to rain, I touched the sill and it was dusty. I now need to clean house as I know a lot of dust has blown in from all the wind and dry weather we have had. It builds up quickly. I enjoy having the windows open and the house filled with fresh air. 

    I am deleting a lot of the photos from my phone. I have a few I am keeping. I need to have lots of room on my phone for when we are in Uruguay. I know most of the pictures are in folders on my tetra drive. I just need to see if I some of them before I delete the rest. 

    There are 4 blue jays in my neighbour's yard. They are hopping around eating seeds that have been thrown around near the house. It isn't often I see them that close. 

Today

    I am going to defrost the fridge and start cleaning the living room. I will probably do a load of laundry as I have blankets to wash. This afternoon I am going to play with the bucket hat pattern. Tonight I will knit on the socks. It is a quiet day at home for me. 

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

A New Fridge

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 19C. This morning it is clear and 4C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a chance of showers this afternoon. The high is to get to 14C. 

Lifestyle

In my rush to go grocery shopping I hit my great grandmother's sugar bowl and broke it. I had to clean up the mess before I could go out. When I mopped the floor it was dirty from all the dust that is blowing in. It seems I need to mop my floors as Rosie the Robot can't keep up. 

I got to the grocery store and as I was getting out the Emergency Alert went off on my phone. More people were having to evacuate quickly from the fire that started on Sunday. I do hope no structures are lost to this fire. 

I did my grocery shopping and it was a bit busy. There were lots of children with their parents. School was closed on Monday (professional development day) and yesterday (Truth and Reconciliation Day). The children were well behaved and having fun helping their parents shop. I got home and put away my groceries. 

My fridge arrived at 2 pm. The two people were fabulous. They brought the new fridge in via the back deck and door. The old fridge exited the same way. One person hooked up the water line and plugged the fridge in for me. We took off all the shrink wrap and checked it for marks. Inside and out was perfect. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon unwrapping everything inside the fridge. I set it up and left it to cool off. It works beautifully. The only noise that startled me was the ice maker. When it drops ice into the pan, it is very loud. I need to shut the ice maker off as there is enough for me at this time. I flushed out the water dispenser and the water is cold unlike my old one where the water was warm. 

I had quite a time with my SI joint yesterday. I had to stretch it out after vacuuming and mopping the floor. Then I had to do it after bringing in the groceries. It seems as if these activities are causing the SI joint to tighten up as both times I had a good crack. I did the stretch again at bedtime and had a small crack. It is easy to get the SI joint to release if I do it shortly after I feel it hurting. 

Crafting

I didn't work on the memory book as the fridge took up my afternoon. I do have an idea for the next page and need to figure out one piece for it. It will come to me when I start to think or watch a video where I know what I want to do has been done. 

Knitting

I did knit a lot yesterday. A bit after lunch and more in the evening. I finished knitting the leg, did the heel flap, turned the heel, picked up the gusset stitches, and am decreasing for the gusset. 

This sock has been a quick knit. I really am enjoying it. It is light in colour and I can see the stitches easily. No hunting for stitches in dark coloured yarn. 

Thoughts

    My idea to stretch the SI joint as soon as possible after it starts to hurt was a good one. I will keep doing it so I can stay mobile. My muscles are sore as they have to work hard to protect the SI joint when it is sore. I do sit on heat to help them relax. At least they aren't as bad as they use to be. 

    I am putting together some ideas for the doll's outfit I want to make during the winter. It is an Edwardian outfit which will include a blouse, skirt, tie, and coat. The blouse and coat have hacks that I want to make so I need to figure out how to get the videos downloaded so I can follow along while I do the hacks. I am looking forward to doing some historical doll sewing in 2026. 

    We had no smoke in our area yesterday. The wind must have shifted enough. The fire isn't as big as they thought but it is out of control. The men who installed my fridge were out there in the morning and said it was smoky and many roads were closed to the public. 

Today

I am out shortly to make sandwiches at the community hall. Once home I need to put on a load of laundry, do my balance sheet, and pay bills. I need to put food into the new fridge and begin to defrost the little fridge. I do hope to do one page in the memory book, play with the bucket hat pattern, and knit on the socks.

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