A Yarn Mess

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 28C (humidex 31C). This morning is clear and 19C. Today is supposed to be hot with a high of 32C (humidex 39C). We could get a thunder shower this afternoon or evening. 

Lifestyle

I was out to the community hall to held daughter-in-law put locks on the cupboards. When the job was done, we checked the bar for supplies and set up the tables for a wedding buffet. There will be people there this evening to set up the hall the decorate. 

Once home, I folded fabric as I wanted to put it away. That job took some time as I was folding about 8 pieces and all were about 2 meters in length. 

I was over to have dinner with daughter-in-law. We had take out pizza and had a great talk. When done, we put the cover on the pool. It is easier when 2 people do it. We then sat and talked and I will be buying a new front door. I am going with a dark coloured door on the outside and white on the inside. The old one leaks a bit now and again so it is time to get it done this fall. 

Sewing

I pressed one piece of fabric and then played around with it and some fabric bits. I am going to use a strip to make a bag for daughter to donate. 

The top part will have the brown on it but not quite that wide. Then the geese and dogs. The bottom part of the bag will be the dark brown. The back of the  and handles will be dark brown and the lining will be a rust colour. I just need to buy interfacing for it. 

Knitting

I decided to wind the skeins of yarn for the next pair of socks. The first two balls wound perfectly for me. The last skein was the smallest and it decided to be a pain. I ended up with a mess and started to wind the yarn into a ball by hand. 

This picture was taken when I was about half done. When done, I wound it into a cake and put everything away. I was done for the day. 

I bought the pattern for the socks. The first pair I made was called Timber Ridge which used a heavier yarn. This one is called Timber Valley which uses sock yarn. 

My colours are blue tweed with cream and black. I am looking forward to knitting them for grandson. 

Thoughts

    It was the Spousal Unit's birthday yesterday. He would have been 80 years old. I got through the day with minimal sadness. Keeping busy does help me not be depressed. I still do miss him but I know he is not in pain. 

    I am watering the plants twice a day now and may have to give them a bit of water at noon during the hot spell we are going to have for the next several days. I have fertilized and watered them already this morning. Everything is growing well and all looks healthy. 

    The deer haven't been in the back yard since the dog barked at them. I am expecting them back as they will become braver over time. 

Today

I am going to try to wash some walls this morning and maybe even get a couple of windows washed. I want to sew this afternoon, do a bit of cooking, and knit tonight. A quiet day at home for me. 

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

Rabbit's Dress Completed

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 26C. This morning it is clear and 16C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 28C (humidex 32C). 

Lifestyle

I started the day out removing the drapes from the living room windows and washed the walls. I stood back and looked at the windows and decided to buy blinds for them. 

The curtains are past their life expectancy and are dusty and dirty. They have done their job and I do like how open the room feels. Daughter-in-law came and we went through the list of what I needed to do to buy them. I am getting the 3% value solar motorized blinds in a light grey for the living room, dining room, and kitchen. 

Once ordered, I went back to washing walls and got the long living room wall where the tv is done to one of the dining room windows. I then mopped most of the floor in the living room as I put furniture back. I hung the curtains as they do block out the afternoon and evening sun. 

I made a batch of spaghetti sauce after lunch. I ran out and pulled an onion from the garden. Not the biggest but not the smallest one. 

I am watering the vegetables on the deck twice a day now as it is getting warmer and they are drying out quickly. I am watching the cucumbers grow bigger and the tomatoes turn from dark green to light green. The peppers have tiny little peppers on them. 

I took recycling to the end of the driveway last night and visited with my friend. We waved and her dog saw me and wanted over for her pets. She is getting excited to move into her apartment. She also feels sad as she will be a 5 hour drive from her son. She said she will make her decision about moving to be closer in January. In the meantime, I told her to enjoy her new place and not to fret too much. 

Sewing

I spent nearly 2 hours sewing buttons and snaps on the rabbit's dress. I chose black buttons just because of the size. I only had to move one button which was amazing. It slipped down just enough to be noticeable. 

I did learn that sewing the knob end of the snaps under the buttons was a genius move. I will have to remember that when I do buttons and snaps on doll's dresses. 

I did struggle to get one front edge even when the rabbit stood up. It is even when the dress is flat and I even adjusted it a bit when sewing the snaps on. 

What did I learn making this dress if I choose to make it again. 

    Treat the bodice like it has a lining rather than sew the two pieces as one. That way I can hide some of the seams for a nicer finish. 

    Use tricks like was shown in the video to do the hem, gather the skirt, and sew on the buttons and snaps. 

I will make it again using a print and not cut the front pieces on the bias. That way I can see if I can do a better job of the next one. 

Knitting

No knitting last night as I didn't have time to wind the yarn. 

Thoughts

    When hanging the drapes up, I noticed a deer walking across the road. She was really tentative as I don't think she had done this before. She stopped and started all the way across the road. Finally she made it and ran down a small gully to the field behind the houses. What surprised me was seeing her out in the middle of the day. 

    I am getting close to having all the walls washed and will then prep them for painting. I am going to have someone come in and paint. I decided to hire someone as I can't do some areas due to me feeling unsafe. I will get a quote on having them do the walls, trim and doors. 

    We are in for another hot spell and I am hoping this one won't be humid. Tonight and tomorrow night will be warmer but then the nights will cool off after that. I can handle the heat if we don't have the humidity. Tomorrow will be the worst and I will stay inside most of the day. 

Today

I have to be at the hall this morning to help daughter-in-law put locks on cupboard doors. Once home, I will fold laundry and fabric I did yesterday. I will be winding yarn this afternoon and maybe work on hand sewing the lace down on the purple bag. I am out to have dinner with daughter-in-law tonight and do hope I can start a new pair of socks this evening.  

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

Socks Finished, Dress Almost Finished

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 22C. This morning it is clear and 12C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 27C. 

Lifestyle

I headed out to New Minas yesterday morning to get a new Keurig. I went to one store and got it and a few other little things I needed. I headed home as I knew I would have road construction to deal with. It was after 12 noon when I got home. 

I did a bunch of cleaning in the evening. I took out the recycling, put everything from the small fridge into the big fridge, and gave the kitchen a tidy up. It was supposed to be part of my morning job when the Keurig decided to die on me. It was good to get that part of my list done even if it was in the evening.  

Sewing

I worked on the plaid dress for the rabbit. It is done to the snaps and buttons. 

I handled the dress very carefully and I think the front bias pieces stretched a bit. Or I may be second guessing myself as I try to make the fronts match in length. 

The back of the dress looks good. 

And it is really cute when she is sitting. 

I have the snaps out and need to find some buttons in the button stash so I can finish it. 

Knitting

I knit the toes on both socks last night and they are done. 

On to the next pair of socks. I do have to wind the yarn first. 

Thoughts

    Our weather has been perfect for growing vegetables. The cucumbers are getting larger each day. The day time temps and the cool nights are perfect for the optimal growth. I need to fertilize everything today so they continue growing like they have been.

    I have been working on trying to keep the house tidy. I keep saying to myself to put it away rather than leave it for later. It is working most of the time and will become a habit over time. The hardest part is doing the jobs I hate to do but I am finding if I do them right away, I am happier that is done. 

    I am eating much better now that I have the big fridge to more food into. I prepped cucumber, tomatoes, and mushrooms yesterday afternoon. I am going to make a spaghetti sauce and freeze it for meals over the next week or so. I also want to make a couple of rice bowls so I can have them on alternate days. 

Today

I am going to wash the walls in the living room, do laundry, and make spaghetti sauce. This afternoon I want to finish the dress and wind yarn for the next socks. Tonight I will start the socks as I need to keep knitting the sock yarn I have bought. 

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

Progress On The Dress

 Yesterday was sunny, cloudy, rainy, and windy. The high got to 21C (humidex 27C). This morning it is clear and 12C. Today is supposed to be sunny and windy with a high of 23C (humidex 25C). 

Lifestyle

I spent yesterday morning cleaning the entry way. I washed walls, windows, stairs, railings, and doors. I am ready to paint one wall when I can get to my painting supplies. And I can put the baseboards back on when I buy either the proper nails or No More Nails. It took me a couple of hours but I am pleased that I got that area cleaned up. 

I laundered the cleaning cloths and there was a lot of them. I use at least 3 every time I clean an area. More if I need to. I am ready to start with clean cloths as I was getting low. 

I went and picked up the mail as there was a box of fabric from daughter. It has enough fabric in it for me to make quilts for 2 years. Maybe more. As I was opening the fabric to look at it, I found a piece of lace she was missing. I have to mail it back to her this week. 

I descaled the Keurig yesterday and I think it has hit the end of its life. I can only brew coffee in the descale mode. I have tried everything. It is probably at the end of its life span as I have used it daily for 3 years and family had it for 2 years before that. 

Sewing

I worked on the dress for the rabbit. I watched the video again and was ready to do the back skirt. The presenter started to gather it up and set it to the side. There were other steps that needed to be done before the back skirt is attached. 

I started out hemming the sleeve area on the side bodice pieces. I pressed up the front hems 1". Then I attached them to the front and back bodice making sure the ties were in the proper place and the front piece was aligned with the folded edge of the hem. There was hand basting happening along with lots of pins. A couple of hours later, I was ready to add the back skirt. I saved that for another day. 

I took another picture to show the front better. 

And a side view to show that I still need to add the back skirt to the dress. 

I had one of the doll stands not work and this one is being a pain. I think I spent more time poising the rabbit than I did taking the actual pictures. 

When this dress is done, I will be ready for something easy to make. The patterns for the Luna Lapin animals are a bit challenging and I go slow to make sure I am doing it correctly. The plaid fabric frays easily which doesn't help. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks last night and have both socks ready to knit the toes. It was a marathon to get them to this stage but I wanted to see how the yarn would pool on the feet. 

The sock with the blue stitch markers has the pooling on the other side. I do like how they have turned out. 

Thoughts

    We had several showers yesterday. The clouds came in and it was dark out there. Dark enough I had to turn on the lights to do things inside the house. Once the shower was done, it would brighten up again. It was nice to have the showers and cooler weather yesterday. We needed it. 

    I talked to my neighbour yesterday and their house goes on the market tomorrow. Average number days to sell is about 57 at this time. Their place is nice so I am hoping they have a quick sale so they can move before school and hockey starts. 

    The two cucumbers are growing rapidly and there are a lot more coming. I found 2 more that are about 3" long and many tiny ones. The peppers are starting to show now and the tomatoes are starting to turn a light green. Fresh vegetables soon. 

Today

I am going to go and buy a new Keurig, some coffee pods, and pick up two packing boxes. I want to be home in good time as the roofer may come. I want to sew on the dress this afternoon with hopes of getting it done (buttons????). Tonight I hope to finish the socks.

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

An Adventure Sewing A Rabbit's Dress

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 26C (humidex 30C). It rained during the night and it is cloudy and 17C this morning. Today is going to be cloudy with a risk of showers. The high is supposed to get to 19C. 

Lifestyle

I started off the morning doing the balance sheet. It balanced and I was quite happy with the expenses considering I went on a trip last week. I put everything away and headed out to get groceries. 

The grocery store was not busy so I enjoyed myself shopping. The produce section had huge empty spaces and they were filling them up as fast as they could. I got what I wanted even if I had to go back at the end of my shopping and pick it up. When I got home, I got everything put away and sat to have something to drink. 

Later in the afternoon, my friend came over to tell me that she is not going to New Brunswick but will be renting an apartment not too far from where we live. She has a one year lease and next summer she will decide if she wants to go to New Brunswick or stay here. If she goes to New Brunswick she will either rent an apartment or buy a condo. If she stays she will look at either staying in that apartment or finding another place to rent. This is her year to think and decide. 

Sewing

I spent time in the sewing room yesterday. I got the quilt half done and I am pleased with it. Wrangling 80 x 40" was quite the feat but I succeeded. 

Once it was done, I decided to work on the dress for the rabbit. I watched the video and did the steps for one side of the dress and then the other. I had to watch one step twice as I missed what she did. I pinned one side piece onto the front piece to see what it will look like. Putting the rabbit into the doll stand was a disaster. The doll stand malfunctioned and I had to find the other stand I have. 

I have no idea what is going on so I will be watching the video once again to see what I am to do next. I know I have to gather the back section of the skirt next. Where I attach it to the bodice is unknown at this moment. An adventure for this afternoon. 

Knitting

I got the gusset on sock #2 knit last night and am now ready to knit the foot on both socks. 

I am going to dig in the yarn bin and pull out the oldest yarn and knit grandson a pair of socks next. 

Thoughts

    My IBS symptoms flared up again after a period of calmness. I am sure it was the rich food we ate on our trip (which I would do again in a heartbeat). I am going back to some basic eating habits for the next while in hopes it will calm down the symptoms. 

    I was up after midnight last night and when I opened the back door to look out, it was raining. Not a heavy rain but a nice one that you could hear falling on the deck. Hopefully it will rain again this afternoon as we do need it. We will be having another hot spell later this week. 

    I feel another funk coming on. It will the Spousal Unit's birthday on Thursday and I know it could be a rough day for me. I need to put one foot in front of the other and do things with hopes that it won't too bad. Sitting around, like my body wants to do, makes me feel worse mentally. 

    I am planning on working in the front entry this week. I want to clean it, paint one wall that I did patchwork on, and put the baseboards back on. I am hoping it will keep me busy for a few days with a trip to a hardware store for supplies. 

Today

My plan is to clean the front entry this morning. This afternoon I want to do some sewing and cooking. Tonight I will knit on the socks. I want to keep busy all day. 

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

Nearly Half Done The Quilt

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 27C (humidex 29C). This morning it is partly cloudy and 14C. Today is supposed to be mix of sun and clouds with a high of 26C (humidex 29C). We are supposed to have showers tonight. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I cleaned the fridge. I found two puddles of water; one in the fridge from the ice maker defrosting and the other in the freezer. At 11 am, I turned it on wondering if I would have a fridge that works or a fridge that needed to be replaced. By dinner time, the fridge was cold and the freezer was almost there. I panicked once as I could not hear a noise from it. 

I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the living room. What started out as mop the floors ended up being deep cleaned. Windows were washed and the tracks cleaned. They were dirty with dust and pollen. I wiped baseboards, dusted furniture and mopped all the floor either on my hands and knees or with the mop. All I have left to do is wipe the walls and it will be ready to paint. 

I was in and out of the garage yesterday as the neighbours brought over the last of their items they needed to store while their house is on the market. They will help me put the soil in the boxes up for free and will take the vegetable boxes with them. 

I had to water the cucumber plant as it was drooping in the afternoon. While I was watering it, I noticed I have 2 cucumbers about 3" long. 

There are a lot of tiny cucumbers on the two plants. 

Sewing

I spent part of the afternoon in the sewing room. I sewed rows 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 together. I fussed a lot making sure that the corners of the blocks matched as close as possible. 

When this section is sewn together the quilt top will be half done. 

Knitting

I knit last evening and got the gusset done on sock #1. 

I am getting ready to choose which yarn I will knit next as I will have to wind it into cakes. 

Thoughts

    I was a bit skeptical that the fridge would work properly when I turned it on. I will be monitoring it carefully over the next month. I am hoping that it will work properly now that it has defrosted for 48 hours. If not, I will be getting a new fridge. I was advised to keep this one as I had paid for the new part and, if it worked, it was the cheaper route. I do have a new fridge picked out if I need to replace this one. 

    I was very sore yesterday. It was mainly muscles that hadn't been used as I was squatting in the garage fixing up boxes. Last night I stretched in bed and I had a lot of cracking going on. I kept stretching until it stopped. I was releasing tight joints. A bit was from sitting in the car for 2 days and most was from helping get boxes and tubs into place in the garage. It felt good to have everything relax and be seated properly. 

Today

I need to do the balance sheet and go grocery shopping. I don't know how much housework I will get done this morning. My goal is to sew the two sections of the quilt together this afternoon and I will knit tonight. I do have to water all the plants today. 

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

Sock Progress

Yesterday was another sunny day with a high of 26C (humidex 28C). This morning it is clear and 12C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 27C (humidex 30C). 

Lifestyle

I had more stuff to come to my garage yesterday as my neighbours continues to pack. I folded laundry and did a few things waiting for them. I also went and got the mail and ran a bunch of paper over for wrapping breakables in. 

Mid afternoon I went to Dollarama (our version of the Dollar Store) to get some short stakes and ties. I had to stake the pepper plants are they are getting so tall. If all the blooms set on those plants, they are going to be top heavy. I decided to support them now rather than later. 

I watered the plants on the deck twice yesterday. I didn't do the boxes as they were still damp. When I looked out last night at 8:30 pm, I saw 2 deer at the vegetable boxes. I was out the door, grabbing the deer deterrent and yelling at them. They moved to the next yard, stopped, and glared at me. One of the boys next door opened their back door and looked. I said I was yelling at the deer so he let their dog out into their fenced backyard. The dog was excited and barked at the deer. They took off through several yards to safety. I sprayed the tomatoes and when the boy called the dog in I thanked him for letting their dog bark like crazy at the deer. 

I was over to family's and bought dinner for daughter-in-law and I. We also had a video call with son and grandson. They showed me the apartment they are living in, talked about how damp and foggy it can be there, the places they go to, and much more. Grandson is practicing 5 days a week and is loving it. I will be asking more questions the next time I get to talk to them. 

Sewing

I picked up 2 parcels at the mail. One is the fabric for my quilt and the other is 2 panels for dog quilts. A box of more fabric for dog quilts will arrive on Monday. 

My goal yesterday was to tidy up the quilting cotton. It was getting messy. I put a piece of Snoopy fabric into my neighbour's sewing drawer which is stored in the garage. I have some fabric to donate to the quilting group, some to sell or give away, and the rest I will make items from until next spring when I will give it away. My next trip to Home Depot is to buy 2 packing boxes so I can store items in that I am decluttering from the sewing room and need to get rid of. 

I have to say that the quilting cottons have decreased in amount over the past few years. I know I have given quite a bit away but I have sewn quite a bit of it also. The idea of having a stash is not as appealing as it was 10 years ago. 

Knitting

I turned the heel on both of the socks last night. It was quick and easy to do. 

I picked up the stitches along the heel flap and am now ready to decrease for the gusset. 

I will have these socks done before the end of the month and new yarn wound ready to knit. 

Thoughts

    I am going to have to start pulling onions from the vegetable boxes as some seem to be mature. I am going to start using them for cooking and will give daughter-in-law one to cook with also. The cucumbers are growing rapidly and there are tiny peppers. The tomatoes are growing also and we should have ripe grape tomatoes in the next couple of weeks. 

    My fridge will be plugged in at noon today. I have started to clean it already this morning. I found mold on the door seal so have dealt with it. I want to clean it inside and out before I turn it on to cool. I am hoping that this is it for repairs. Using a small fridge has limited me to buying only the necessities and I am craving some fresh fruit and vegetables. 

    Though the deer were annoying, they did add a bit of excitement to the evening. I know their food supply is disappearing due to subdivision development and the hot weather we have had. They are roaming about eating what ever they can find. They are the main reason why I am getting rid of the vegetable boxes. The second reason is that I don't need or use all the vegetables I can grow in them. I will be giving away vegetables from the deck boxes. 

Today

My goal today is to clean the fridge so I can turn it on. I am going to spend some time cleaning up the living room. I would like to sew this afternoon on the dress for the rabbit and knit tonight. I am home all day today.