Placemat #3 Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy and cool in the morning but got to a high of 16C in the afternoon. This morning it is 8C and we've had a shower already. It is suppose to get to 18-19C and be showery all day.

Lifestyle

I was out the door at just after 9 a.m. to finish weeding the road side of the hedge. I finished at 11 a.m. I figure I have pulled about 50 - 5 gallon pails of weeds from that side of the hedge. I've hoed some of the hedge each morning to keep the weeds down. I now have the yard side to weed but it won't take as long. I feel there is a maximum of 10 pails of weeds left to pull. Once done I will hoe it every couple of days. 

The Spousal Unit continues to weed eat the ditch. I had to fix the string on the unit for him. No one touches the string bug me as I've learned through the road of hard knocks how to keep it strung properly. The cord was stuck and once fixed, it worked like a charm. 

There were 20 new cases and 1 death reported yesterday. I will be happy when there are no cases and no deaths reported. There is talk of the Atlantic Bubble happening July 1 but I'm being skeptical. 

Sewing

Placemat #3 is finished. I sat and watched TV while hand sewing the binding down. I'm happy to know they will be done today. 

I got a picture of it lying on remotes. The last one is ready for the binding to be pinned down and hand sewn. 

Once done, I will be working on more t-shirts for the dolls. I'm looking forward to having that project done also. 

Knitting

I cast on the tulip skirt for the next test pattern. It is going to be yarn chicken as I'm not sure if I have enough grey yarn. 

Today

I'm off shortly to get some groceries and will clean house this morning. This afternoon I want to finish the last placemat and knit tonight. 

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

Another Good Day

 Yesterday was a cool day with a high of 11.7C. The sun shone in the morning and then it rained in the afternoon. Today will be a repeat of yesterday. 

Lifestyle

I was out early to weed the hedge and got 4 bushes weeded. It was a big job - 4.5 pails of weeds pulled. But, there are only 5 to go on the road side and I'm done. The yard side will be easier as there are less weeds and I can do a combination of hoeing and hand pulling. 

The Spousal Unit did some weed eating in the ditch. It is looking good and will be ready for grandson to take over when school is done. 

We had 33 new cases and 4 deaths reported yesterday. One death was a person in their 20's. Very scary and so important to get vaccinated. We are now waiting to see if we can get our 2nd dose earlier than planned. 

Sewing

I hand sewed the binding down on the 2nd placemat yesterday. It took me quite a while but I'm happy I can do it in one afternoon. 

I sit in the family room and watch TV while I hand sew. Of course that gets ideas flowing in my head for decorating the house. 

Yesterday's idea came from watching an episode of Home Town. The house was painted mainly white though the dining room's paint was terra cotta. The colors used in the soft furnishing and pictures was navy and terra cotta. Such an impact on the look. I'm really thinking about our house and may go down that route. 

Knitting

I am working on the sweater for the Gotz dolls. I redid the green twice yesterday before I got it done correctly. I'm now working on the shaping and I'm sure I will be talking out loud as I knit each row. It really helps me get the stitches correct. If I don't, I have to unknit and fix the mistakes. 

I have at test pattern to start today so the sweater will get a rest and the Spousal Unit will not have to listen to me talk while I knit. 

Today

 I am going out to weed the last 5 bushes on the road side, do the binding on the 3rd placemat, and knit tonight. We are staying home until Wednesday when restrictions are lifted.

Moving Forward

 After a couple of hot days, yesterday was cooler with a high of 12.7C. We had lots of sunshine and a cool wind. Today is suppose to be cloudy with some showers and a high of about 13C. 

Lifestyle

I have been outside a lot lately weeding the dreaded hedge. I'm down to having 9 bushes left to weed around on the road side. The yard side will be easier as there are less weeds. I do use a small hoe and touch up where I've weeded. I'm hoping to keep it weeded using the hoe this summer. I know I will have some hand weeding to do but it should only be a bit here and there. 

The Spousal Unit has done some weed eating in the ditch and mowed the lawn. Grandson will take over weed eating the ditch this summer so the Spousal Unit can focus on the garden and yard. 

On Thursday there were 33 cases of the virus reported and on Friday there were 40 cases and 1 death reported. The reopening of the province plan was talked about and it is going to be slow and steady. It starts on Wednesday with children going back to school, patio dining, shops opening at 25%, and limited numbers in gatherings. In two weeks, they look at the data and decide if to wait longer or move to phase 2. 

What I'm pleased is the lifting of travel restrictions in the province. We still can only go to the Halifax region for essential services but we can shop outside of our community for things we need but haven't shopped for. 

Sewing

I spent two days sewing the binding onto the placemats and got one binding hand sewn down. 

I am pleased with how far I've come and wish I could practice more free motion quilting. 

I sat my machine down level into the sewing cabinet to try and free motion quilt. Height wise it is perfect but I don't have enough flat space to hold onto the fabric. There is too much air around the machine bed (narrow). I have the machine back up where it was. 

Knitting

The sweater for the Gotz dolls was too small so I am ripping it out as I knit a new pattern for them. I bought this designer's patterns about 3 years ago and forgot that I needed to go up a needle size. 

The new sweater's sleeves are knit with the bottom 2/3rds in the grey (natural) and the top in golden green. The bottom of the sweater is in the grey and I had it done to 5 rows and found a mistake. I ripped it out and started again. I'm 4 rows short of starting the golden green.  

Today

I want to weed 4 more bushes in the hedge, hand sew the binding down on one placemat, and knit. It is another day at home. 

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

A Hot Humid Day

 Yesterday was hot and muggy. The high got to 29.3C which is a new record. This morning it is 18C and we could have showers and a thunderstorm. The high is to get to 22C. We do get a cooler night with a frost warning. 

Lifestyle

Though we were tired, we seemed to be on the go all morning. The flower pots were decided upon and put out on the front landing and back deck. The Spousal Unit filled them with potting soil. I got the hoe out and did a bit of cleaning up around the hedge where I've weeded. Once the hedge is weeded, I will hoe it every few days to keep the weeds down. 

I did rest for 45 minutes after lunch and it kept me going until bedtime. 

There were 34 new cases of the virus reported yesterday. There is still some community spread in two areas which is a bit worrisome. 

Sewing

I got the binding on the first placemat. I had to do some quilting fix ups as the thread wanted to come unstitched in a couple of places. I need to rethink the quilting. But, I'm thrilled with the results even if the binding is only pinned in place. 

Knitting

The test pattern was completed after I hunted for buttons. 

I won't be knitting this one again but it has grown on me for cuteness.

It fits a bit big but I think that is the style. 

I'm sure the little girl will love it for her dolls. 

I got the sweater knit for the Gotz dolls but I didn't sew it up yet. I was too tired to think about that. 

Today

I am going to clean the family room today, sew on the placemats, and finish up the doll's sweater. I'm hoping to set up another sweater for the Gotz dolls as there are no test patterns on the horizon at the moment. 

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

A Busy Day

 We've had some nice days though yesterday was very windy. Yesterday's high was 21.6C. This morning it was 12C at 6 a.m. and it is suppose to get to 28C with a humidex of 34C. We then get moisture and cooler weather for a few days. 

Lifestyle

I have been weeding the dreaded hedge and have 16 plants to do on the road side and then I move to the yard side. It has less weeds as I do a big weed on the road side reaching through to the yard side. On a nice day, I can do 3 bushes before I get too hot and tired. 

The number of new virus was 45 on Monday and 54 on Tuesday. There have been no deaths for 2 days. We are coming down the backside of the third wave quickly but we are still in full lockdown. We will know more about the reopening plan on Friday. 

Sewing

I have the 4 placemats quilted and I've learned a few things when I do them again. Two placemats have drag on the horizontal piece and, on the last one, I stitched in the ditch on both sides first. Then I did the vertical lines and moved on to the other lines. 

First quilt and horizontal band not done first.

Though I used 3 different feet when quilting, I made sure the walking foot was attached. It made a big difference in feeding the fabric through. I wasn't afraid to take out rows of stitching if I wasn't happy. 

All the stitches on the right side were removed and redone for better spacing.

I'm happy enough with this pattern I am going to make 6 Christmas placemats when I can go shopping for the three plains fabrics I need.  

With the lockdown, I have not bought any fabric and I doubt if I will get any bought until sometime in June. I'm happily using up what I have on hand.

Knitting

The outfit is done except for buttons. I need to dig deep into the button bin to find buttons that will look good on this outfit. 

I knit on the sweater for the Gotz doll and am happily working my way up the body of the sweater. It will get done some day; maybe sooner than later. 

Today

I'm not sure if I will weed today. It depends on the temperature. If I don't, I will do housework. In the sewing room, I'm going to do binding and I'll knit tonight. 

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

One Placemat Quilted

Yesterday started off lovely. By 1 pm it was 24C. Then the wind changed to the north and the rain rolled in. Squalls they called it. It rained 3/4" in no time flat. It then stopped and by 8 p.m. the sun was shining. It was 4C this morning at 6 a.m. and is suppose to get to 15C today. 

Lifestyle

I headed outside early to weed more on the hedge. I got 3 bushes done and 3 big pails of weeds gone. That is 6 bushes done at that end of the hedge. A lot more to do but I'm pleased with the job I am doing. 

I headed into the house to cool off as I was overheating. It took me a while. I have to watch as I'm prone to overheating and getting sick from it. 

There were 84 new cases and 2 deaths reported yesterday. The number of people recovering is greater than the new cases so our active cases continue to shrink. 

Sewing

I worked on quilting the first placemat and am quite pleased with it. I fiddled a bit with placing the lines of stitching so it was even and pleasing. 

I removed 3 rows of stitching on the very right side and redid them. I wasn't pleased with the spacing and I had ignored the 1/4" row of stitching I had done. 

After 2 hours of stitching, I was done the first placemat and was exhausted.

By keeping it simple, anyone can make these placemats. I used spray basting to hold the layers together and then pinned the layers together using about 12 straight pins. I used glide thread in both the top and bobbin. The stitch length is 3.4 on my machine and I used a walking foot. I did not adjust the pressure foot tension. I used 2 different feet. The regular foot and the 1/4" foot to get the stitching lines where I wanted them. I also drew lines when I wasn't sure and stitched down them. I can do all of this on my Diamond using the walking foot and its attachments. I would be inclined to draw lines if I didn't have the ability to change feet for the solid parts.

The second placemat is ready for pins and I can then start quilting it.  I will only do the 1/4" stitching on the sort ends as a guide to help me with placing the lines. I will stitch in the ditch only on the vertical lines and do the horizontal lines when done the vertical ones. 

I practiced a few minutes on free motion quilting and I sucked. I was tired from doing the placemat. 

I need to get another sandwich ready to practice on and do it when I'm not tired. 

Knitting

I started on the shorts that goes with the sweater. I got the first leg done and part of the 2nd one. I hope to be done by mid week. 

I looked at my yarn in a 2 weight. I have very little of it left; 3 part balls. I will have to order from Yarn Canada so I can continue to knit projects for testing and the little girl. I have a few balls of high end for myself and will order a few more balls for my dolls. 

Today

Depending on the wetness, I may or may not get any weeding done. If not, housework and then quilting and knitting. 

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

Fun Quilting Project

Yesterday was cool and wet. The high got to 16C. The rain was small showers until late in the afternoon when one decent shower went through. Today it is 11C this morning with sunshine. We are to get rain starting around noon. 

Lifestyle

I did a load of laundry and swept the floors. There was some other housework done also. 

The Spousal Unit was in and out and got some more bare spots seeded with lawn seed. It was quite a boring morning for both of us. 

We had a delivery of apple turnovers in the late afternoon by family. They were yummy good and we did have a good visit. It is hard not seeing them but we do sneak in a visit every week for a few minutes. 

I lost 1.9 lbs this week after having a 1.6 gain last week. Most of it was fluid but I did watch what I was eating also. To have an apple turnover, I had to have only chicken and vegetables for dinner. I'm getting use to juggling what I eat so I can have a treat once in a while. 

There were 64 new cases and 1 death reported yesterday. The number of recoveries has our active cases under 1000 people still recovering from Covid. We continue to follow the restrictions and hope that we can have a bit of a freedom this summer. 

Sewing

I was in the sewing room just before lunch and cut the fabric for 4 placemats.  I am using Lines In The Sand which I downloaded as it is free. 

You start with cutting the large piece and adding a strip of fabric. 

You continue to follow the instructions until you have cut and added 4 pieces in total.

I am not the best at sewing each part 4 times as my brain loves to finish a placemat before I begin another one. I persisted at sewing each step 4 times before starting the next step. I was tired when done due to fighting my urge but I'm happy I persisted. I have to trim the placemats to 17 x 13". I quite like the pattern and may make them again. 

Knitting

I finished the sweater last night and am ready to knit the shorts. Though not a hard pattern, the sweater did give me some issues. I can say I won't knit it again.  

Today

I am hoping that I can get out to weed more on the hedge this morning, work on the placemats this afternoon, and knit tonight. 

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

Off The Property

 Yesterday was a gorgeous warm day with a high of 23. 6C. There was plenty of sunshine and a bit of wind. This morning it was 13C at 6 a.m. and we are to have showers today. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I was outside in good time and weeded 3 of the bushes in the dreaded hedge. That was 2 - 5 gallon pails worth of weeds pulled. The bushes look much better than the ones beside them. Every little bit helps.

We were out after my spell weeding and picked up my thyroid pills and blood requisition and stopped at another place. The two grocery stores were busy; one having a line up of 10+ people waiting to get in. We went for a short drive and was home by noon. It was good to get off the property for part of a day. On part of our drive, we saw an apple orchard in bloom. Some of the trees had snow white bloom while the rest had the soft pink/cream blooms.

We sat out on the patio with the umbrella up and enjoyed a short break out there after lunch. It was nice to be out on the deck and we hope we can use it more this summer. 

We love our zero balance chairs. 

There were 84 new cases of the virus and 2 deaths reported yesterday. The number of cases recovering was 197 which was great. There is an expectation that the 500 000 shot of the vaccine will be given today. 

Sewing

I finished up the dress and am very pleased with it. 

I am going to remove 1/16" from the bottom of the bodice front and back when I draw the final pattern. 

I got the fabric for the cat placemats washed and dried so I can start them. I am using this tutorial to make them. I may do the quilting as the designer did. I really need to practice more wiggles before I put them on a good item. 

Knitting

Knitting went well and I'm doing the collar. Ten rows and I can sew the shoulder seams and pick up the stitches around the armholes. I will be happy when this project is done. The dropped stitch was the worst nightmare as I had not one but 3 dropped stitches by the time I got done frogging the sweater back. 

Today

As we are to have showers today, I am doing housework this morning. I want to cut out the place mats in the afternoon and start sewing them and knit tonight. We are home all day today as it is the start of the long weekend. 

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

Almost Done With Pattern Hacking

 Yesterday was a nicer day with a high of 18.9C. It was nicer than the day before. Today is to be warmer and quite sunny.

Lifestyle

We are slowly getting over being tired and grumpy. I had to deal with things like our compost bin not being emptied. Hoses wanted to leak and that has been fixed. I hope today has less issues than we've had for the past 2 days. 

We had our phone call appointment with our doctor and I have blood work in August. The Spousal Unit is short on calcium and the doctor told him to eat more cheese. I'll see that he gets calcium pills daily and will let him eat cheese. 

There were 65 new cases of the virus reported yesterday and well over 100 recoveries. Here is hoping that the restrictions along with people complying we are coming out of the third wave. Vaccinations age was dropped to 25-29 year olds and there is hope that everyone from 12 and up will be opened next week. 

Sewing

I did get some time sewing on the dress. It is almost finished. I basted the lining in place so I can hand sew it and put on the snaps today. 

I am pleased with how the merging of 2 patterns looks and fits the Gotz dolls. 

The fit is good which is so important to me. 

The side seam is straight and not curving to the front of the body. 

I am not sure why there are creases in the back and will look at that today. It could be how the arms are posed on the doll. 

The purple dress was made from my friend's pattern and the stripe from my merging of patterns. I think it wasn't too bad a job in the end. I'm going to look at it carefully today to see if I need to do any more tweaking to the pattern. 

Knitting

I knit like a mad woman on the test pattern and am two rows short of where I was when I had to rip out the many rows of knitting I had done. I will start on the back tonight. 

Today

We have to go into town to pick up lab papers, get prescriptions and we may head out for a short drive. I do want to weed for an hour this morning and would like to finish the dress today. It is the one item that may not get done. Knitting tonight. 

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

An Up and Down Day

Yesterday was a cold day with a high of 10.7C. The wind was cold and it made one feel miserable outside. This morning, it is 8.7C and we are suppose to see 20C. 

Lifestyle

With the cold weather, came grumpy people. Nothing wanted to work properly, tempers were short, and we were tired. We retreated to our corners and out of each others way. 

There were 83 new cases of the virus and 2 deaths reported yesterday. There was a significant number of recoveries which is positive. All schools are closed to in-class learning for this year (virtual learning only) and our restrictions are in effect until at least mid June. 

Sewing

Though tired, I did sew the bodice on a dress for the Gotz dolls. I am pleased with the final alterations to the pattern at this time. 

I may have to add the 1/16" to the bottom of the bodice front and back but I'm not worrying about that until the dress is done. The sleeves are cute and go in easily. I did change how I hemmed them by serging and turning up 3/8" rather than double hemming 1/4" Inserting the elastic was easier. 

The side seam is straight and the bottom of the bodice flows much better. 

I spent some time on that part using skills I learned when taking Pattern Academy. 

The back is perfect. I didn't take any more off the center back. 

I'm ready to trace the final pattern for my use. 

Knitting

I dropped a stitch and had to rip out many, many rows and am still undoing more rows. What a disappointment but it is life. I'll stay calm and reknit it as fast as I can. 

Today

Grocery shopping is done and we now wait for our doctor's appointments by phone. I have laundry to fold. I want to work on the doll's dress and knitting tonight. Another stay at home day for us. 

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

Take 3 Of the Bodice

 Yesterday's high got to 22C. That was around noon. In the afternoon, a cool wind came in and the temperature dropped. We had thunder and in the evening, hail and rain joined the thunder. It came in fast and we watched it in amazement. It rained again later in the evening. 

Lifestyle

I went out in the morning and weeded the part of the hedge I had been working on. I stopped before I got both sides done due to the heat. Though not trimmed, that part of the hedge looks amazingly nice. I have 3-4 days of weeding left to finish the hedge. 

The Spousal Unit and I went and got more grass seed, watered the lawn and had to quit when the storm rolled in. It is ready to seed today. We got the rain we wanted which was a bonus. It has also washed down the pollen which is affecting my allergies. 

There were 90 cases of the virus reported yesterday and 180 people have recovered. Hopefully the numbers will continue to decline and we get over this 3rd wave. There are over 70 000 people to be vaccinated this week. 

Sewing

I got some time in the sewing room. I trimmed some off the pattern and made a new bodice muslin. 

I didn't put elastic in the sleeves as I didn't want to waste resources. The length at the front is much better with 1/16" removed. 

The side seams are nice and straight. I need to fix up the front or back so it blends better to the back. 

I'm looking at the back and may take another 1/4" off the back seam. 

When done I will have a bodice that I can adapt the neckline. Next up will be to figure out sleeves that fit in smoothly. 

Knitting

I finished knitting the pattern that my brain would not wrap itself around. I've divided the pattern and am working on one of the fronts. 

Today

I'm putting on a load of laundry this morning, checking to see if I can weed the hedge for an hour, sewing a full dress for the dolls, and knitting tonight. No plans to go anywhere today. 

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

Adjusting A Pattern Bodice (Pattern Hacking is Fun)

 Yesterday was another lovely sunny day with a high of 25C. We listened to thunder rumbling in the afternoon for about 40 minutes but we didn't get any rain. Today is suppose to be similar to yesterday weather wise. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I took the Spousal Unit for bloodwork and we were home in good time. We really like booking appointments online and hope it continues forward. 

We enjoyed sitting out on the deck and Elliott played brave. He was outside for a bit looking around.

Something rattled on the road and he scurried back into the house. He then remembered how safe it is to lay in the doorway and enjoyed the sun.

He is nothing but a big doormat. We sat outside while he laid in the sunshine. 

The Spousal Unit used the weed eater on the dying dandelions last night. We now can seed that area and water it. 

There were 91 new cases of the virus reported yesterday. Though it seems like we may have peaked, there is still concern. We were told the third wave is like a new pandemic. On the up side, the age group to get vaccinated dropped to 30 and up and soon everyone 12 and older will be able to get vaccinated.

Sewing

I spent some time in the sewing room adjusting the pattern and added to both the front and back bodice pieces. The fit is much better lengthwise. 

I even added to the back. 

And the side seam is straight. 

I added a skirt to see if all was to my liking. 

Not too bad from the front. A few issues when looking at the side view.

I'm going to take 1/8" off the center front, take in the side seams a tiny bit and make the next version of which I will add the puff sleeves. On the whole, I'm very happy with what I have accomplished. A note - this will never be published as it is just for my own use. 

Knitting

I worked on the test pattern last night and had to unknit 1.5 rows due to a mistake. I'm getting there slowly but my brain does not want to click with the pattern. I read it one way and see it another. 

Today

I'm heading out this morning to just weed the hedge. I can trim the bushes once the weeding is done. I need to do a load of laundry also. I want to work on the doll's pattern this afternoon and knit tonight. Another stay at home day for us. 

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

Inside, Outside and Almost Upside Down

 Yesterday was warm at 20.4C. It was mainly sunny and gorgeous outside. Today is a repeat of yesterday with 21C and maybe a few claps of thunder. 

Lifestyle

It was the annual clean up the shed day. They day when you can't find something like a sprinkler. I opened the big door on the shed and started to take things outside after I had found the sprinkler. I moved items, swept the floor, put things into the wheel barrow for recycling on Thursday and I organized until I was tired. The end result was such that we could get the lawnmower and wheelbarrow into the shed with room to spare. 

Do you see full lawn and leaf bags in there? They will be at curbside on Thursday morning. The bags of bottles go to the hockey kids when they do their annual bottle drive (hopefully) next year.

We are good for another year when I repeat the process. 

Right after lunch we did dandelion duty. I tried vinegar on some dandelions and will have to check on them today. The Spousal Unit's dandelions are dying. There are enough dandelions all around us that we can have a weed free lawn but we have to work hard at it. 

There were 114 new cases of the virus reported yesterday. Up but it was to be expected as it seems as if this is the norm in Wave 3. Up and down when you peak. 

Sewing

I got some time in the sewing room and decided to work on a bodice for the Gotz dolls. This one has puffy sleeves and was a pattern I downloaded when it came out to test and has since been published. It isn't for these dolls but it is working.

Round 1 was to cut and sew the bodice as is. It was a bit big in the body but it fit in the neckline and arms. Round 2 was to cut 1/4" off the center back and stitch a line 5/8" in for the center back. 

I then sewed the side seams at 3/8" and I think it is a bit tight for a gathered skirt.

You can see how the back is lower than the front. These dolls have a child's tummy and I need to account for that. 

I hunted and found a bodice pattern from a dear friend (not published) and you can see how much I have to add to the front. 

In all, I'm very happy with what I did on this pattern for the Gotz dolls. I'm back where I want to be - getting a bodice pattern I like for the dolls. There are very few patterns for these dolls. I won't be publishing the pattern, it is for my own use only. 

A new designer on Etsy. 

Knitting

I went to do row 16 and when I counted my stitches, I had an extra one. I took out 6 rows and am now ready to start on row 16 again. 

I spent a bit of time looking at the knitting patterns I have for Gotz dolls. I have 8 of them that I want to knit. They will be done between test patterns. I also want to knit some of my other patterns for the AG dolls. My list will be a mile long. 

Today

The Spousal Unit needs to go to the hospital for blood work this morning. Once home, I will do some housework before sewing in the afternoon and knitting tonight. We are staying close to home these days. 

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

Upset But Moving On

 Yesterday was one glorious day. The sun shone, the wind kept it feeling nice, and the high got to 19.4C. By evening it was hard to believe we had had a touch of frost during the night. This morning it is cloudy and 10C. 

Lifestyle

Blogger's issue was something that happened to a lot of people. I was definitely upset. All 9 posts have been reinstalled. I decided not to change my format for the time being. And I will blog as usual. In the end, I was more upset that nothing was announced about what happened. I had to search for the reason. But, I'm moving on from that.

I used my being upset to my advantage though. I went out and spent 90 minutes weeding and trimming the dreaded hedge. I now have 6 bushes done. There are 3 more that need a lot of work and then some that will be easy to do. Then to tackle the other 2/3 of the hedge. I did calm down and know I can finish this job up this spring and keep it in good shape this summer. 

We celebrated our 50th anniversary yesterday by ourselves. We had Subway for dinner so neither of us had to do the dishes. We are in lock down so couldn't have any form of celebration. Later on when it's opened up again. 

Our numbers of cases are going down. There were 86 new cases yesterday, the lowest since the lock down. There are community clusters of the virus outside the Halifax area which is concerning. One area is where we do our essential shopping. We are monitoring the sites of exposure before we head out to shop there when absolutely necessary. 

Sewing

I finished the test outfit. I learned a bit more about knits including top stitching seams. One thing I did learn was to sew slowly on knits so they don't stretch out of shape. 

The skirt was a delight to make though I would hand sew the waistband down rather than top stitch. I need to dip the skirt in water and let is dry so it doesn't look so tent like. I do like this outfit a lot. My only disappointment with the skirt was not having the right colored thread and had to use a darker thread. 

Knitting

I started knitting a sweater for the Gotz dolls. I have knit it before and realized I used needles that are too small. I have this sweater on bigger needles and it is looking good. I have done the 2 sleeves and the bottom 12 rows of the body. It is now put aside to knit another test sweater. I have it cast on and 15 rows knit. 

Upon looking at my yarn, I'm getting short of weight 2 yarn. I have about 1 ball of 3 different colors left. This is one yarn weight that I will have to buy/order. 

Today

I am going to work in the house today as we have had showers already this morning. I will do some housework, clean the sewing room, and lay out the next project. I'm hoping to do some practice of wiggles today. Knitting tonight. 

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

Taking Some Time Off (Edited)

 I am not sure what is going on but I just had a bunch of my posts flagged and deleted by Blogger. I'm not sure what I did wrong but in the future I will not be posting a lot of what I am doing in the sewing room. 

If my reformatted blog continues to have posts deleted, I will be shutting down the blog for a while and restart when I've made some big decisions in what I am doing personally in my sewing and knitting life. 

This is not the first time I've become upset with what has happened on my blog. The amount of spam comments I had to delete was the first issue. 

I am going to take a week off from blogging and rethink. I'm going to clean up the blog so don't be surprised if posts go missing. It is something I've been thinking about for a while and a week will clean up anything that I feel is redundant. 

Thank you for understanding. 

Edit

Blogger has been having an issue with posts being deleted and all of mine have been reinstated. I will start posting tomorrow as I'm still too upset to post today. I did delete a few of my posts and I can't reinstate them. I will try to do a summary of the deleted posts tomorrow. 

More Doll Leggings Done

 Tuesday was a lovely day with a high of 15.7C. There was plenty of sunshine and very little wind. Wednesday morning it was 4C at 6 a.m. and we had it 18C with 1/2" of rain. This morning it is 7C, cloudy but the weather is to improve during the day. 

Lifestyle

On Monday, I organized the pantry and have moved stuff down to the basement and stuff we needed upstairs. I shopped this morning and we hope we have enough for a good 10-12 days. 

I also got a second shrub in the dratted hedge weeded and pruned yesterday. Took me an hour to do it but the two look so nice. They are in the middle of the hedge as I am working towards one end and then the other. I am finding an hour is a good amount of time to spend on it as I'm not too tired or sore when done. 

Yesterday, I was out shopping at 7 a.m. and after breakfast we had to head out to get the Spousal Unit new glasses. His old ones broke. I was in and out of the store in 10 minutes. No other shopping done as there was nothing else essential that we needed. 

There were 118 new cases of the virus reported yesterday, down from 121 the day before.  Are we out of the wood? No we aren't as the numbers could go up again. 

Sewing

I got the last 2 pairs of leggings sewn on Monday and Tuesday. I would have been done on Monday but discovered the plain ones were done inside out. I had to pick them apart yesterday and resew them correctly. 

Monday's leggings made an outfit that reminded me of pajamas. 

The second pair go with the t-shirt I made and after remaking them they turned out great. 

I printed out the pattern again so I can make sleeveless t-shirts from the remaining leggings fabric. I've got the back piece done and need to do the front piece. There will be 4 pairs of leggings and 5 t-shirts. And a lot more knowledge of how to sew knits. 

Knitting

The first sleeve is in the Daisy Chain sweater and I'm ready to do the 2nd sleeve. It isn't hard, it's time consuming. I will continue to do some each night then block it and put on the buttons. 

Today

I'm going to do a bunch of housework this morning and work on the t-shirts this afternoon. It is too wet to work outside and there is to be showers this morning. It is an inside day for us. 

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

Another T-Shirt Completed

Yesterday was warmer at 13.5C but felt cool due to the wind. We did see some sunshine during the day. And we saw some showers. This morning it is 4C and the sun is shining. We could see 15C with an occasional shower during the day. 

Lifestyle

I got the books done to paying the bills. It didn't take long as we haven't been doing much extra shopping. 

Daughter-in-law was in to see us in the morning with cinnamon buns. They were yummy. Son and grandson were in late in the afternoon with peanut butter cookies. It was nice to see family even if we have to social distance on Mother's Day.

The Spousal Unit worked some on the puzzle and we went for a short drive. Everything was very quiet as people are only doing what is necessary in the community. 

There were 165 cases of the virus reported yesterday. I'm sure the numbers will be high for a while longer as there are still over 7000 people getting tested daily. We will hunker down and get what we need locally. 

Sewing

I finished the t-shirt yesterday and am very pleased with it. 

I handled the fabric carefully and had minimal stretch at the neckline and none when I hemmed the sleeves. 

The pattern is well drafted (and free) and doing the few drafting alterations has given me a pattern I like. Next up will be making the Gotz dolls some t-shirts after I do the drafting alterations. 

I got 2 pairs of leggings cut out and seem to have enough fabric for 2 pairs of capris. There isn't enough fabric for any more t-shirts unless I see if I can make a sleeveless one. Print out the pattern again and do the drafting. 

Knitting

I started sewing the pieces of the sweater together and knit the front bands. I only have the sleeves to set in and it is done. The sweater took most of the 100 grams of wool I had on hand. I won't make this one again as it is labor intensive and a wool hog. 

Today

I need to do a few things inside including cleaning the pantry and then I'd like to weed and trim another shrub in the hedge. It will be sewing this afternoon and finishing up the sweater tonight. 

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