I’m just going to leave this right here….
Month: May 2021
Blossoming top
Before we get the keys for the new place, I’m trying to get all the “bigger” quilts I have on the go into completed tops. Then I can temporarily store them at Mom’s while we move things from house to house and I don’t have to worry about what box they are in.
I only have two left – the scrappy pinwheel quilt, and the floral one I’m making from the leftovers of Welcome Home Jane.
I decided to tackle the floral one first.
If you recall, it’s a mix of a centre flower medallion, nine patches and some friendship stars. While it sounds complicated, I really just needed to lay it all out together and make sure everything was going in the right direction. As you can see, I had someone to double check my work.
It took a whole afternoon, but I think it was worth it.
It finished up at about 60″ square. Not bad for some leftovers with a few other fabrics thrown in. I do, however, have a few small regrets.
I wish the pink I used on the friendship stars was just a touch bolder.
Just so they stood out a little bit more. Sadly, it was the best pink I had in my stash. All the others I had were too bold (think hot pink) and just wouldn’t have worked.
Second, I wish I had more of this gorgeous border fabric.
I would have loved to make the border wider. But I only had a half yard, so a two-inch border was the best I could do.
Still. I’m pleased enough with the overall results.
As is our favourite little noble beastie.
I have enough of the gold from the centre of the flower and the stars to use for binding as well. And this pretty hibiscus print couldn’t be more perfect for the backing. Not bad for a quilt 100% from stash!
More birthday socks
With Silla off the needles, and the move moving ever-closer, I figured it’s a good idea to be a monogamous knitter for a while. And with small simple projects. Can you guess where this is going?
Yep… socks. Good old socks!
This is a skein of Jungle Cat (Bamboo/Merino) that I dyed up over winter. I’ve been dying to see it knit up. I’ve called it Caimen, because it makes me think of those sleek little crocdilians gliding through dark swampy water.
You may not know, but Caiman are my second-favourite reptiles. (Bearded Dragons are my first favourite).
This pair will be for Dave’s birthday in July. I suspect for the new few years, all our presents for holidays will be house-related and needed (nothing says Merry Christmas like new floors!). But at least he can always count on me for a new pair of socks!
For the love of cats and kittens
You know we’ve long been a supporter of Natalie at Bee Meadow Farm, and all the work she does with her rescue animals.
If you follow her on Facebook, it will come as no surprise that she’s been racking up some hefty vet bills.
She’s recently taken in a mama with a pile of nursing kittens, a little sweet calico with a hernia, and a handsome ginger named Jim, who’s having some serious skin issues.
She put the call out for donations for gift basket items, etc to help raise some funds to get these fantastic furballs back to health and into their forever homes.
With the move looming, I don’t have time to make anything, so instead, I pulled Queen of the Crossroads from the shop, and offered it up for a fundraising raffle.
Here’s the deal (copied from the Bee Meadow Facebook post)
Draw to be held on Monday, May 24, Victoria Day!
OPEN TO CANADIANS AND AMERICANS! I will ship free to anyone in Canada or the U.S.!
All proceeds to the foster felines’ vet bills!
“Queen of the Crossroads” is a stunning double/small queen-sized quilt. A true scrap quilt, these busy blocks have been made from small squares leftover from other quilting projects. There are dozens of prints and colours to keep the eye entertained. The whole thing is wrapped up with a pretty plaid border. The backing fabric is a cheerful, textured royal purple. VALUE: $525
Size: 90″ x90″PLEASE NOTE: This quilt is not “true “queen-sized” bed quilt as it is a little shorter than the standard queen-sized comforter. However it can be used as a decorative throw or extra layer.
Materials:The top of the quilt is made with 100% cotton.The backing is 100% cotton. The batting is an 80/20 cotton/polyester blend.
Care:Machine wash and dry.
Tickets are 1 for $2, or 3 for $5, or 8 for $10 or 20 for $20, and anything over $20 is $1 per ticket. When you pay for your tickets, Natalie will send you your ticket numbers (tickets are virtual – Natalie will record your numbers with your name on an Excel spreadsheet.) On the day of the raffle, the winning ticket number will be chosen by a random number generator, and the winner will be notified by email or PM the day of the draw.
E-transfers can be sent to: info@beemeadowfarm.com Please make sure you include your email address in a message with the EFT – sometimes the e-transfers come from a bank email address that Natalie can’t reply to.
If you have any questions about the raffle, drop Natalie a line through her Facebook page, or email her at info@beemeadowfarm.com
Natalie, the rescue kitties, Burton and I thank you for your support!
Silla almost finished!
Almost… because it still needs blocking, and as you can see – the ends woven in, and buttons sewn on. But the knitting is done.
Sadly… it doesn’t fit. Sometimes I forget just how busty I am. I’m also used to wearing my cropped cardigans with a little negative ease. Sadly, negative ease doesn’t work with this style – I should have gone up a size.
Still – it was an enjoyable knit. And this one won’t go to waste. There’s someone on my gift list who it should fit just perfect.
I’ll just have to make myself another one once we are in the new house and things settle down a bit.
Spaced out
I’ve probably said it before, but one of the things I love about our little blogging community is the endless source of inspiration. Wyoming Breezes is one such blogger – she’s always churning out fabulous quilts in great patterns. One of her recent ones – Stars of Courage – was one such. As soon as I saw it, I knew I would use the idea for some of the leftover space fabric I had.
It’s such a fun block, with great movement – perfect for the outer space theme.
Isn’t it cute?
Yes, yes Burton… you’re STILL the cutest!
When I bought the flannel for the back of the kitten quilt, I picked up these great robots for the back of this one
And I’ve got lots of black stars for the binding. I can’t wait to get it quilted!
What gardens may come
May is marching on, and the gardens are marching on with it. Albiet a little bit slower than usual… until this week, May has been quite cool.
Relic doesn’t mind. He always knows how to take advantage of the sunshine.
Many of you have asked how much of the garden I’m going to take to the new place. At first, I wasn’t planning on taking much – just a few things that might be harder to replace.
But the more I thought about it, the more I changed my mind. We dont know who will move in here after us (it’s a rental). Whoever it is likely won’t want to care for anything left behind (lawn maintenance is done by property management, but gardens are left to the tenants). I’d feel terrible if I left them and someone just let them die.
And it’s not like I have a shortage of garden space at the new place.
So… it’s been decided. I’m going to take as much as I absolutely can. I have enough time to dig it all out and reseed the gardens so they become lawn again.
A couple of neighbours have already asked for a few things, so I’m happy to oblige.
Blake, the neighbour right beside us would like the Bleeding Heart. It’s easy enough for me to get another so I said yes. I have a white one in the front garden I can keep anyway. As soon as this one is done blooming, its going to go live with him.
Neighbour Krista has asked for some more irises. I’ve got loads of them, so that’s no hardship.
I do have to leave my lovely lilac behind. It’s just too big to try to dig up. But a lovely reader sent me a link on how to take cuttings from it so I’m going to give that a try as soon as it’s done blooming!
The raspberries, blackberries, and butterfly bush will also stay.
That’s ok… I’ve got more than enough work ahead of me with everything else I have to dig up!
Friday felines
After showing you Burton’s fabulous new wardrobe the other day, I mentioned more had been ordered for the other two.
Well the other day, neighbour Krista brought them over!!!
Like Burton’s these are reversible. As you can see, Relic wore his like a champ, with only minimal side-eye. He was mostly fine with it when he was just hanging out on the couch. But when he got up for a snack, I had to take it off, because he decided it weirded him out.
Rupert on the other hand…. remember when I first got him and tried to put a harness on him? It was pretty much like that.
Those are the best pictures I could get. Every time I put it on him, he just runs and hides under the couch until I pull him out and take it off. It’s too bad – he looks fabulous in plaid!
And Burton… Krista ordered ANOTHER one for him, because she felt he really needed to emphasize his floral side.
As much as he likes to hang out amongst my flowers… I’m not sure how he feels about wearing them. The other side is aqua leopard
He seems to much prefer it…
Mostly.
Almost dyed
With our place to move all settled, I really have to get the rest of the yarn dyed up so I can sell the dye/supplies and get them out of the way.
I hit the dye pots , pulled a couple of my favourite dyes, and the other day I managed to dye up a few more sweater quantities.
First up was 10 skeins of Top Cat DK with the Persimmon dye. One day it will become the “Adventurous” cardigan. Something that has been in my queue forever!
There was still four skeins of Top Cat DK left, so I grabbed my favourite blue – Twilight. Those who know me know I don’t usually gravitate towards blue, but there’s always been something about this particular dye. One day, it will become a cropped cardigan – perhaps something like Vianne above.
Last, there was five skeins of Fluffy Cat left (Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere). I dyed them up in a lovely yellow-green called Golden Pear. I won’t knit Fable again, but it is one of my favourites, so I’d love to find a similar round-neck drapey cardigan for this beautiful yarn.
And now… there is just 10 skeins left of Fluffy Cat Light left to dye! Stay tuned
FO: I smell snow 2.0
The last pair of anklets for Rowan’s birthday is complete!
They are just the same at the pair I made her sister – just shorter!. Pattern is “I Smell Snow” and the yarn is Knitpicks Felici in the Summer Camp colourway.
I’m just waiting on a small piece of jewelry I ordered for her, and then I’ll get her present in the mail for her. Her birthday is just three weeks away!
Wandering Cat Studio 