I have finished the last of the flannel bear paws and I have to say – I love how they look!
Again, the background flannel is actually navy, but it looks black every time I take a picture. As you can see, it still needs its sashing, and I hope I can find some time to do it sometime this week.
I picked up a nice chunk of plaid flannel for the back on payday, and Burton has already given it his nod of approval.
On another quilting note… Bearbottom Quilts has a facebook page. Burton and I would just love it if you would give us a like and a follow!
One thing I did not manage to accomplish was the finishing of the barnyard cardigan. I really thought I would, but the garden called and so did that new pair of socks and…
I did manage to finish the sleeve cap, but that’s about it. It doesn’t help that this thing is REALLY heavy now. The recipient also wanted relatively snug sleeves, so I’ve gone down a needle size. It’s not too tight, but the knitting doesn’t flow quite like it did on the larger needles. That, coupled with the weight means my hands can only take short knitting session on it.
I think I’m still on track to have it done by the end of the month (and in anticipation, I went out and got buttons for it), so I’m not too upset. But I do have to get it done – I’ve got other projects that need to be done for Christmas, so I’ve got to get moving!
As mentioned, it was time to bring all the house plants in from the patio before the frost hits.
Now our townhouse isn’t very big, and making it more of a challenge is that most of the windows are all on the south side. We have no windows on the east or west, and the north only has three (and one is VERY small). That’s means I’m very limited on places for plants.
And I’m afraid my plant collection probably doubled this summer. That’s in part because the local convenience store kept bringing in sad little cacti, and everytime I stopped to get lottery tickets, I had to rescue them. And of course, being outside means my spider plants spit our babies like crazy… and I can’t just throw them out!
Most of them are now resting comfortably in my studio. I managed to do some purging of craft supplies last week and was able to make some room for them on the shelves that sit under the window there.
All of my “floor” plants are now crowded at the back door.
It’s hard to believe that jade plant (bottom left) was a small cutting just a two years ago. It loves being outside and exploded all over the place!
The rest of the plants fit on my wooden plant stand under the dining room window.
Luckily, it’s nice and big, and can fit at least a couple pots on each shelf.
The biggest challenge was finding a spot for the Mandevilla. It’s at least four feet tall and is a big, bushy tangle of flowering vines.
For now, it’s tucked behind the couch that separates the living room from the dining room. Here it should get enough light from the dining room window. But it’s hard to say how much Burton is going to harass it. Time will tell!
A couple of months ago, I filled out a form on the Canadian Wildlife Federations website to register my little garden space. And the other day, I finally got some exciting mail…
And making your yard wildlife friendly isn’t all that difficult. You don’t need to set up a squirrel-sized restaurant…
Though that certainly doesn’t hurt.
No, it’s more about planting wildlife-friendly plants..
Like coneflowers for the butterflies. And then, leaving the dried up heads as a treat for the finches!
Adding feeders, and maybe a little watering hole helps too.
As does cover plants for creatures small and smaller
The general idea is to make your space welcoming…
The kinds of space where all of nature’s fauna are happy to just hang about!
It’s been 18 years since a that tall, beautifully-maned man of mine walked into my life and turned it upside down.
COVID cases are up in our area, so we’re enjoying some quiet time at home to celebrate (and maybe a little take-out chinese for dinner!) But to me, it doesn’t matter where we are – as long as we are together.
With Paisley’s birthday socks done, the sock needles were empty. I don’t like it when sock needles are empty.
Socks are just too perfect to pick up and take with you when you need some road knitting. So regardless of what else I have on the needles, I always want at least one pair of socks going too.
So…
Ok… so it’s not exactly ON the the needles, but what I can I say? I was on a roll. The yarn is our Stray Cat (sport weight), so it knits up pretty quick. It’s dyed as a gradient (one of Mom’s creations). As you can see, it goes from a cream to a pretty clay colour with darker speckles all over.
These are for Dad, and I think they are the last birthday present I need to knit for the year, though I have to consult my excel sheet to be sure.
And as for those needles being empty, don’t worry – the second sock has already been started!
Thanksgiving is out of the way so now it’s time to focus on Christmas!
The first Christmas project that has to be done is the “Night before Kit-mas” quilt. As I mentioned before, it’s going to be raffled off to raise funds for Natalie and the kitties at Bee Meadow Farm.
That means it has to be done well before Christmas so it can be raffled off and mailed to the winner in plenty of time for the silly season. My goal was to have it done by the end of October, so Natalie can hold the raffle sometime in November.
And I’m happy to say, I’m well in sight of reaching my goal… the top is finished!
I told you that you’d be seeing more chains in my quilts – I just love them! This one is a nice lap size (about 52″ square), and filled with kitten/Christmas fun!
And can we talk for a minute about plaid? You know I love plaid, right. But what I love even more…
Diagonal plaid! I paid full price for this one – but it was worth it. It’s the perfect fabric to wrap the whole thing up with!
Now I just need to get a backing, then I can get this one quilted and ready to raffle!
And aren’t they just the most cheerful socks you’ve ever seen???
The pattern is inspired by the Love Still Wins socks. Basically, I stole the chart from it, and made the rest up as I went along.
I used two “budget” yarns for these. The black is Red Heart “Heart and Sole”, and it was surprisingly soft. Though not as soft as the self-striping Felici (colourway: Side Pony) – that yarn is crazy soft, especially for the price!
Paisley is not a matchy-matchy teen, so I let the stripes fall where they may, and I love the result.
It also means I still have one ball left of this colourway – enough to make myself a pair of anklets! (Once all my gift knitting is out of the way!) I call that a win!
Today is Thanksgiving for us Canucks, and it’s also the third anniversary of the day we made Relic a permanent member of the family! (You can read more about how he showed up here and when we officially took him in here).
And we are so thankful this amazing cat sauntered into our yard.
Even after all the years, it still melts my heart to see him passed out in the bed like this.
I think of all those years he had to sleep outside, and always be on guard. To see him stretched out, sound asleep like this, without a care in the world….
He’s so full of personality.
It’s really hard to imagine how we ever got along with out him!
Wandering Cat Studio 