A Very Productive Day

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds but it was 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...................................................................

Researching Zipper Installation

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -13C (windchill -15C) at midnight. This morning it is snowing heavily and is -15C (windchill -23C). Today is supposed to have heavy snow with a high of -7C (windchill -16C). 

Lifestyle

I started the morning putting on a load of laundry. Then I decided to degrease the top of the microwave and the cupboard above it. Not as bad as I had thought but it was greasy. 

I started to clean the living area of the house and got about 1/4 of it done before I stopped. It was nearly noon. 

I had spent time releasing my SI joint once and the second time I did a lot of stretching exercises. The muscles on my left side was sore as I am working on walking without my strange gait (which also makes me sore). I walk slowly around the house practicing my gait. I can't do it fast as I go back to my old gait. I did practice my gait a lot during the day in hopes I will walk properly without thinking about it. 

I had to make dinner yesterday. I decided to follow one of the Chef Plates' recipes to make 4 meals. It is an Asian inspired dish. What started off in the frying pan, ended up in a big pot due to the noodles I had to use. It was a tasty meal and I have 3 in the fridge. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday but struggled with the bag I am wanting to make. It is the zipper installation. I love the tabs but find sewing the sides hard to do. I am not impressed with the end result though they look as nice as the ones done this way on YouTube. I will finish this one and decide if it is good enough to sell or if I will give it away.

I did a bit of research and am going to try another method. The tabs are not as thick as the method I have been using which I think is one of the problems. I will be playing again making new bags with this fabric and zippers. Another problem may be that I interfaced both the outer and lining fabrics which was suggested in the video I was using. And the last problem may be the small contrasting band I was sewing onto the top of the bag. 

The fabrics have been in my stash for 4 years. The zippers are cheap and I can have fun learning how to do zippers. 

Knitting

I did knit yesterday and made progress on both socks. The larger sized sock is ready to have the heel turned and the child's sock needs 2 more rows knit on the heel flap. 

I will turn the heel and pick up the gusset stitches on both of these socks at the same time. 

Thoughts

    The snow is falling at a steady rate and there is getting to be a lot on the driveway. The snow plow has done our roads twice since midnight. I am sure they will be around again later is morning. I noticed only 1 person on our street has gone to work. I do hope he drives carefully into the city as the roads will be terrible. 

    I have been slowly inventorying my yarn and have 3 bins left to go. I am happy to have this job done. Having it inventoried will allow me to decide how to use up the yarn. I know I can make a couple of long scarves as I have enough yarn in the last two bins to inventory. Today's bin is knitting worsted (weight 4) and it is all 100% wool. I need to decide on what I will knit from them. 

    We have had no power issues with this storm. I am hoping that it will remain this way as we do not need that in the storm we are having. It is going to be stressful enough digging out after this storm leaves sometime late tomorrow. 

Today

My day will begin soon with shovelling the driveway. I know I will be back out doing it later today. I was going to make a pot of chicken soup but have put it all into the freezer. I will be eating what I bought for this storm. I may sew for a bit this afternoon and will knit tonight. 

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

Done To The Eyelets

 Yesterday was cold and windy with the temperature dropping all day. At 4 pm it was -16C (windchill -26C). This morning it is cloudy and -18C (windchill -28C). The wind is also gusting. Today is going to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -12C (windchill -15C). It is supposed to start snowing late this evening. 

Lifestyle

Getting dressed. yesterday was quite the ordeal. With risk of frostbite and me having to go out, I wore a lot of layers including wool socks. Long johns under sweat pants, shirt under hoodie. When I left to go shopping, I had on my winter coat, windproof hat, and heavy mitts. Everyone was dressed the same. 

I spent the morning going over my supplies and writing a shopping list. I had to look at every scenario going. Cold, no power were two high on the list. I got a lot of stuff to hold me over for 4 days. Some I can cook but other foods which can be eaten cold if I have no power. There are no power outage warnings at the moment and the snow coming is supposed to be light and fluffy. Hopefully the power won't go out. The wind isn't supposed to be too wild which is good. 

I did do a bit of housework to keep the clean areas neat and tidy. I also got the laundry dried but not folded. I should have done it as it was a 10 minute job. 

I spent quite a bit of time playing with Cricut Design Space. I am having problems with it and my email letting me open a link on the internet. I finally had to do everything on the internet including my email account. Now I can think about the project I have to do once I get the cost for the paper. Hopefully I can do that later this week. 

Sewing

I sewed some yesterday afternoon. I got the binding on the top of the doll's stays and spent quite a bit of time hand sewing it in place. It was a fiddly sew. 

I now need to get the 1/4" eyelets for the closing the back. I can't find the ones I had though I am sure they are too big for this project. They are on my list to buy at the craft store. 

Knitting

I started a larger sized child's sock at noon. I knit on it after I ate lunch and then a bit before supper. 

I am using two patterns for this sock. One is the pattern I used to make grandson his socks 10-11 years ago and the other is one I found on the internet. I still have about 2" left to knit on the leg. I was a bit worried but I have lots of leftover yarn for this sock. I also have enough yarn in another colour to make a second pair. I will sell them at the craft fair in November. 

I also knit on the adult socks and got the leg finished plus the first row of the heel flap. 

And the two socks together. Such a difference in size. 

I am slowly getting the yarn inventoried and I have to say that I have a lot of it. The next tub is yarn I bought to knit for the dolls. After that most of the yarn was given to me by family or daughter. I have one ball and part of another one that I want to make a scarf. I will have to buy one more ball which is allowed. With the other yarn I was given, I can't get any more so when it is gone, it is gone. I am looking at scarves which is will give away or sell. 

Thoughts

    I am mentally prepared for the snow storm. If the wind blows I am hoping most of the light fluffy snow will blow off my driveway. If not, I will be out there shovelling up to 12" of snow. Good exercise for me if it isn't too cold out there. If it is, it can wait until the wind stops. I have no where to go. 

    I am still working on getting the house cleaned. I am ready to start the living area and once it is cleaned, the rooms that need painting will be done. Hurrah. Then I can do the two bedrooms. It takes longer when I am spending time each day maintaining the rooms I have cleaned. 

Today

I will fold the laundry and put it away. I have to make dinner which will be a rice bowl. I also want to start the preparation for chicken soup. If I have time, I will start cleaning the living area. This afternoon I want to sew a zippered bag. I also have to knit on both socks during the day and evening. I also want to read some tonight as I haven't done that for two days. 

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