Category: crafting

A Little Slow

I don’t have much to blog about today! I had a bit of a run-in with a box grater last week (grating onion for latkes, worth it) that resulted in a pretty good gash to my right index finger, so I had to take a couple days off knitting. I did manage to get out to take some photos for a couple of new sweater patterns that will be out soon.

Then, I realized the sweater back I showed in my last post was probably going to be too big, so I had to rip it out and start over. Luckily I still really like these cables! The problem with having so many projects in progress is that there’s not much to show even if I were knitting around the clock!

I have posted a couple new skeins of handspun yarn for sale, including this pretty one:

I’m hoping to get lots and lots of knitting time in this week. Maybe start a new shawl.

If you’re in Toronto and haven’t done so already, make sure you get out and vote!

Watching: Defiance – I just finished season 1. It’s not particularly deep, but I like it!

Reading: Starting Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson. I finished 11/22/63 and it was so good, you should definitely read it if you’re into time travel mysteries.

Eating: Halloween candy (oops) and Chicken Pho. I cheated a bit on the broth and used 1 carton of chicken broth + 2L water to cook 4 chicken legs, instead of the whole chicken, and omitted the 3lb of extra chicken bones/wings. I used the spice amounts from Serious Eats. After we had our dinner, I refrigerated the broth overnight, removed the fat, and now I have a couple containers in the freezer ready for when pho cravings strike!

October 27, 2014
Extremes

Handspun love!

Pie love!

Knitting LOVE!!

HAAAATE.

Apologies if you tried to reach my site yesterday or today and it was down – it’s been fixed! Pesky server upgrades.

October 14, 2014
A Quilt for Yvonne

Well, for Yvonne’s baby, anyway!

I started this quilt at the beginning of July. I’d seen this image on Pinterest in May or so, and had been waiting for the pattern to come out on the Robert Kaufman website – but it never did! I downloaded this image from their website in May, and it’s all disappeared now. Mysterious!

So since I didn’t have a pattern to work from, I just made a go of it from the photo. I ordered a couple of charm packs (5″ squares) and a neutrals pack of Kona cotton from Mad About Patchwork and got to it, trying to substitute colours just based on how the photo looked.

I did post some photos along the way on my Instagram but I did want it to be a surprise, which is why I didn’t blog about it. My half square triangles are…not very precise. But I’m really proud anyway. I used the machine to piece this one! I worked in strips…

…then got the patterned part of the top together.

Then I decided it was a little too small – I was working with 5″ charm squares, but the original must have been done with bigger squares to end up at 48″. Mine was at about 30″ square here.

I picked up some solid grey for a border, and a cool grey stripe for the backing, at the workroom. I think they grey border really makes the colours pop!

Basting:

I got started on the hand quilting before we left for Vancouver, but got maybe halfway through before we went on vacation. Luckily I had enough time to finish in time for the baby shower once we got back! Of course I had to go out to the workroom again for the binding – Lizzy House’s pearl bracelets! I think it’s perfect.

I finished a few days before the shower (whew) so I washed the quilt and dried it out in the sun, and had time to make a simple embroidered label too.

Beauty shots! Finished size was about 38″ square.

Of course the best part was watching her open it.

Best wishes Yvonne, Jeremy and Baby! We love you and of course we’ll babysit.

August 11, 2014