A Trip To Truro

 Yesterday was a lovely warm and sunny day. The high got to 18C they say but I saw 19C. This morning is cooler at 6C and it is cloudy. The high is to get to 10C.

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning, I cleaned our bedroom. I dusted, swept, washed and got rid of a lot of dust. It smelled cleaner in there last night. It took me a full 3 hours to do but so worth it. I need to wash all the bedding today. 

We decided to take a drive yesterday after lunch. We hopped into the car, set the gps for Truro and took a back road over there. It was an interesting drive as we have only been as far as Mosherville on that road. We went there a couple of years looking for ancestor's gravesites. As we drove, we could see the land looked good for agriculture and as we got closer to Truro, the farms got larger. 

We looked at the trees and saw an evergreen type tree that's needles were yellow. They are larch/tamarack and will loose their needles later this month and get them back in March. They are not a true evergreen tree. The fall colors have dimmed so we saw no fiery reds, oranges, or yellows. 

As we got closer to Truro, we saw a lot more dairy farms, and many old buildings showing this area was settled many years ago. We arrived in the town of Truro and it is a thriving community. It was known as The Hub as it is the way to get to Cape Breton, Halifax, and New Brunswick. After a quick stop at Tim Hortons, I reset the gps to get to Bible Hill. I thought this is where I was taken to in the early 1990's when I first visited this town. I was wrong. The Hill I was taken to is probably Prince Street or so I now think. I remember wanting to see the "old houses" and was told it was where the African Nova Scotians lived (in much harsher words). When we go back, we will look at other areas of Truro. But, we did learn that the Agricultural Campus (Dalhousie University) and the Department of Agriculture is found in the Bible Hill area. We also learned that it's fast access to the freeway at Bible Hill. 

We took the freeway home. It is a more boring drive but faster and easier. We arrived home tired but happy we did the trip. 

As I do the driving, I took no pictures. There were a couple of ancient barns I would have taken pictures of but only one told a great story. Most have been clad with metal and the one I loved showed some of the wood shake siding. 

We had 4 new cases of the virus reported yesterday. Two are related to travel outside the Atlantic Bubble and 2 are close contacts of previous cases. We have the most cases (20) since May 23. 

There was no sewing or knitting yesterday due to our trip and I was tired when we got home. 

Today

Laundry, sewing and knitting. A bit of housework while the laundry is being done. 

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

An Outfit Finished

 Yesterday was a warm day with a high of 18C. This morning it is 14C and the sun is trying to shine. Another lovely day for us. 

Lifestyle

The Spousal Unit has the yard ready for winter. He finished trimming the hedge and wrapped burlap around the rose bushes. 

I had a lazy morning yesterday doing a big load of laundry and a bit of housework. I was researching outfits for the dolls. 

We had 2 new cases of the virus reported yesterday and 4 cases have recovered. 

Sewing

It was a busy time in the sewing room getting the sailor outfit finished. I got the eyelets in and then spent a few minutes making some machine made ones on scraps of fabric. The buttons, snaps, and ribbons were then added and the outfit is done. 

I'm ready to cut out the sailor hat and sew it today. Then better photos of the outfit. 

My research has been around Addy's clothes but I've been looking at patterns I found that are for other historical costumes. 

Butterick 3187

This pattern has me thinking about the blue outfit I made when testing a blouse pattern. 

I'm still not sure of which character it will go with but it does fit in with the era I have chosen. 

Simplicity 9723

Though these outfits are suppose to go with Mary Poppins, the blue outfit is very similar to Addy's school outfit. 

I am not buying these patterns as I have no use for them. I was looking for ideas and they came up on a couple of searches. 

Knitting

I tried the sweater on Anna and it fits her fairly well. Not as tight but not baggy. 

I worked on the test pattern and finished the evening with row 21. The V design in the front is done, the markers removed and the stitch count is correct. 

It is a really lovely pattern to knit and so far I've found no mistakes. In the front V two buttons are to be sewn and I have 2 clear flower buttons that might do the trick. I have to look for some very soft blue buttons for down the back. 

Today

Housework is on the agenda along with sewing the sailor hat. I hope to knit this evening. 

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

Projects Completed And Nearly Completed

 Yesterday was a warm day with the temperature reaching a high of 14C (during the night). The wind that came up in the afternoon was cold. This morning, it was 14C when we got up. It is suppose to get to 15C and we could have some shower activity during the day. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday was spent doing a few things inside and outside the house. We are trying to be prepared for winter even if the temperatures are in the double digit numbers. 

We went to watch grandson play soccer yesterday afternoon. The team is starting to work together and they had some great moves. Though it was cold, it was fun to watch them. I keep track of the players by the color of their shoes. LOL

There was one more case of the virus reported yesterday. There are 18 active cases with three under investigation. 

Sewing

I worked on the test pattern yesterday and got it ready to finish the details including the grommets. 

My room is a mess so I am going to clean it when this outfit is done and before I start masks. I need to clean it up as I'm swimming in the mess. 

Knitting

I spent some time in the morning finishing the sweater. I'm happy it is done. 

I am thinking of adding a 2nd button to the front and trying it on the Gotz dolls. Peggy is my thinnest AG doll so it may be a good fit on the Gotz. 

I started on the next test pattern and got 10 rows knit. The page I am on is all print so I am going to print it off and follow it as I knit. I find following a page of all print distracting and I loose my place easily. 

Today

I am going to do a bit of housework and then try to get the test pattern completed. I will knit tonight. We are staying home today. 

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

Messy Bun Hat Turned Toque Completed

 Though yesterday was cool, there was very little wind and quite a bit of sunshine. The low yesterday morning was 6C and the high was 3C. This morning it was 5C at 6 a.m. and the high is to get to 11-12C today. It is the start of double digit numbers for us. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I did a bit of clean up in the kitchen. It is getting cleaner though I do need to do more. Time change has killed me though I am starting to turn the corner and sleeping better. 

I also made a stew and it was delicious when we had it for dinner last night. We will finish it off tonight. 

There were 4 more cases of the virus reported yesterday and there are 19 active cases. Most of the cases are travel related and the rest are contacts. They are still saying no community spread. 

Sewing

I got the top ready for buttons, snaps and ribbon. I cut out the pants and got quite a bit sewn on them. No pictures yesterday as the pants are not ready to put on the doll. 

Knitting

I finished the messy bun hat except that I made it into a toque. It turned out perfect in my mind. 

The designer in Halifax posted another pattern to test. It is quite interesting with a pattern on the bodice front and the skirt is cables. I will start it tonight as I have nothing else on my needles. 

The forever sweater is going downstairs so I can finish it when I do the top of the sailor outfit. 

Today

Another day of cleaning, some laundry, sewing, and knitting. I am going to dig out the Christmas lights so I can put them up one warm afternoon. We are trying to stay close to home at this time. There are things to do to get ready for winter, the house to clean, and sewing/puzzles to do. 

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

Working On A Test Pattern

 Yesterday was cold. The wind was the culprit and it made you feel cold to the core. Around 1 p.m., it started to snow. By 4 p.m. we had an inch on the ground. The high was just above freezing and this morning it was -5C. The sun is shining and, though it will be cold today, there is a warming trend starting tomorrow. 

Lifestyle

After breakfast, the Spousal Unit and I headed out to get him what he needed. We were prepared to go down the valley but didn't have to. We were home in good time and that is when we noticed how cold it was outside. 

I rested in the morning as I am having quite a time adjusting to the time change. Awake at 4 - 5 a.m. and exhausted by 7 p.m. We are trying to adjust to the time and hope by next week we have our clocks reset. 

We had one new case of the virus reported yesterday. It is related to others that are under investigation. They are still saying there is no community spread. We have 16 active cases and are being asked to be vigilant as the virus is in every corner of the province waiting for someone to let down their guard (Premier of NS). 

Sewing

I spent several hours in the sewing room doing the test pattern. I have the top almost done. 

The pattern is well drafted and goes together easily. I chose a cute stripe that has been singing to me for a while. Every time I go into the quilt store, I head for it. This is the perfect outfit for the fabric. 

I was amazed at how ell the collar went on. Before I knew it, it was on perfectly. 

Next up I have to do the hem on the bottom of the top and then move on to the pants. The last item I will make will be the sailor's hat. 

Keeper's Dolly Duds (Eve Coleman) has designed a Little Women's dress for the character Amy and is working on the outfits for the rest of the characters. I do hope these become test patterns. 

Knitting

I knit on the messy bun hat last night and am 8 rows from starting the decreasing rows. As I want to have this a closed hat, I will be doing more rows of decreasing. I have to figure this out as I go. 

Next up is a sweater for a doll. The latest doll patterns are crochet which I do not do. So I will knit what ever I want until a pattern comes along. 

Today

I have a stew in the crockpot. I want to clean the kitchen, do a bit of laundry and then sew. Tonight I will knit. We are staying close to home for a couple of days. The snow will be gone by then and I can go out and do some more Christmas shopping. 

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

Knitting Progress On A Messy Bun Hat

 Yesterday the temperature dropped all day and night. This morning it was -1C at 6 a.m. and it continues to be cool. There is suppose to flurries during the day and evening. 

Lifestyle

I spent a bit of time researching an uncle of mine (married into the family) as Ancestry has free access to military records until Nov. 11. We know he served Britain during WWI in Egypt and I think he received medals during my search. We also know he served in Canada during WWII. He talked a little bit about it but nothing about his job. I could find nothing about him on Ancestry at that time was we think he was secret service. 

While researching him, I found his marriage license. This uncle was a baker trained in England when he was in the orphanage. He owned a bakery in BC and it was a busy shop. But, what was a surprise, was he wrote he was a baker in Wolfville Nova Scotia. That is a community not far from us. We had always thought he worked in logging with my dad's family when he came to Canada. He married my dad's sister and his own sister married my dad's uncle. Not so. A bit more research in Wolfville will need to be done to see if he owned a bakery there in the 1930's. 

After I got through all of that, I did September's budget and then rested during the afternoon. I think I napped as I was awake a lot with the wind on Sunday night's storm. 

Sewing

I spent a bit of time researching Addy's original meet outfit and am thinking of designing it myself. The dress is buttoned down the front, has a waistband to attached a pleated skirt. The dress is striped in a color called cinnamon pink and white. I keep thinking about how to do it and will have to sit at my desk and do it. I have enough knowledge and patterns to figure this out. 

Knitting

I am making good progress on the messy bun hat. 

I am over half done the pattern rows now and am enjoying knitting it. 

I still need to finish the doll's sweater and will have to bring up the snaps and button for it. 

Today

We was out to shop this morning at 7 a.m. and we need to go out again. Then it will be down to the basement to sew the test pattern and prepare myself for a mask making session. I have 5 to make using Christmas fabrics. Tonight is knitting. 

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

Halloween Packed Up For Another Year

 Our weather was cool for the last few days and today it is warm and wet. Post tropical storm Zeta arrived last night and it has been windy and rainy since 11 p.m. We had almost an inch of rain last night and it is still raining today. The temperature at 6 a.m. was 14C. Much nicer than -5C on Halloween morning. 

Lifestyle

Halloween is over and we had a safe one at our house. Daughter-in-law came up with an ingenious idea and we went with it. Enter and exit lanes, candy down a tube, social distancing, and us wearing masks was the name of the game. 

We sat in the garage entrance with the candy tube and the kids could say "trick or treat" but no singing or yelling. We were thanked for what we did this year for safety. 

When done, we put everything into the garage and spent 90 minutes cleaning up inside yesterday morning. I have the tub to put away but the garage is spotless. 

We had 5 new cases reported on Oct. 31 and 2 yesterday. We now have 13 active cases in the province. Eleven of the cases are related to travel outside the Atlantic bubble and 2 are under investigation. The last time we had double digit numbers was in early June. We are being advised to stop non essential travel outside the bubble. We are now planning on restocking and staying home more. 

Sewing

I found a new website about dolls. The lady has a lot of them but it is how she has set up her doll room, customized dolls to be Laura and Almanzo and her stories about them that I really enjoyed. 

As I read her blog, I thought about buying Addy to represent the Afro Nova Scotia community and just may do that. I have no specific story or character to go with her but there are a lot of stories here about these wonderful people. Poverty, resilience, and success. I also have her free patterns for wardrobe from AG Playthings.

Other than dream and pick Christmas fabric for masks, I've done no sewing. 

Knitting

The forever sweater still needs the snaps sewn onto the back opening and a button on the collar. I did start a messy bun hat and have finished 3 of the 11 pattern repeats on it. It is easy knitting when you're tired. 

Today

I have some housework to do, budget to start, and some sewing to be done (test pattern). I will also knit on the hat and plan my next project.