After my earlier flub up, things are back on track with Calico Garden. I’ve made two more blocks for the top. And I even surprised myself by having enough energy to do the whole process (make HSTS, cut HSTS, iron HSTs, trim HSTs, and assemble blocks) in one day!

I was very, very proud of myself, until I uploaded the pictures…

How on earth did I not notice that the bottom corner on the left hand block is facing the wrong way?????

Oh well, it’s an easy enough fix, and I’ll tackle it when I get ready to make the last two blocks. That’s right…

Just two more blocks and I can start assembling this big beauty. It’s going to have sashing and cornerstones, plus an outer border. This will probably be the biggest quilt I’ve made so far!

This week has really cooled off compared to last week…

But Relic says it’s not bad if you roll around on sun-warmed pavement.

I’m not about to do that, but I did bundle up against the chilly wind to get some pictures of the new blooms for you!

The big double bloom daffies are starting to bloom, and the mini daffs are still going from last week. I expect to see my pink/white ones in a few weeks.

It was nice to see that my pretty purple hyacinth (from neighbour Krista) has spread and I’ll get two blooms this year.

I don’t remember planting this white hyacinth out back (maybe the squirrels brought it). But Relic could not understand why I wanted a photo of it, instead of him.

My pretty pink Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) are blooming. I had some purple ones too, but they don’t seem to be coming up. That’s ok though – I love the pink – it’s not as common as the purple.

In non-bulb plants, it looks like the Dwarf Columbine and Iceland Poppies will bloom soon too.

Looking around the gardens, it looks like I’ve only lost two plants so far this year. There’s no sign of the pink Bleeding Heart. I have a feeling the Chrysanthemum might have shaded it to much last fall. And my Purple Pincushion plant has inexplicably disappeared. That’s a big shock, because it was a very robust plant.

But those are the ups and downs of gardening. Hoping you’re having more ups than downs this Spring!

Although you don’t see much of her, our pretty senior girl is still living her best life.

I was bbqing dinner the other night, and had left the door open for Rupert (Burton was already on his harness and trying to figure out how to get the squirrels in the cedars.). I turn away from the grill to go in and get some bbq sauce, and there she was!

She sleeps a lot now (more than an average cat), so it was nice to see her up and about.  She had a little munch on the lawn, then went back in to have another nap.

 

A friend and former coworker recently moved from the sun and sand of Long Beach, California, to the cold, craggy wilds of Park City, Utah.

Now it’s definitely a bit of climate shock – not so much for her – she’s originally from Vermont. But her girls – age four and six – have known nothing but summer (except for a few trips to Vermont to see Grandma).

And they’ve run into a problem that every child of winter knows well… lost mittens. My poor friend put a call out on Facebook to all her fellow mothers… “How do you manage mittens? They are always dirty, wet or lost!”

Now I don’t have any mom advice, but I can help her in the mitten department. If there’s one thing I know from my own childhood… you can never have too many mittens.

So… I’ve promised her and the girls a box full of mittens in time for next winter. I figure if I knit a couple pairs a month, I’ll have a nice package to send her by the end of September.

But before I get to the mittens, those girls need some Kittens!

Yep – I’m continuing my mission to dress every child of my acquaintance in a Kitty Cat Hat!

I knit both of them in acrylic, so it’s not itchy, and it’s easy wash for Mom. The pink one is knit in Lion Brand Basic Stitch. The purple one is Red Heart Soft.

It’s tradition to make these in variegated yarns. The pink one makes me think of all sorts licorice (though the official colour name is Rosewood).  The purple one is much more subtle, but still fun! I’ve got enough yarn left from each to make mittens to match.

 

 

 

I had a short window between projects the other day, so I zipped off a couple of log cabin blocks in the dog fabric.

With all the strips cut and ready to go, these blocks are perfect for  those times when you don’t have a lot of time, but really want to sew.

Seeing a couple done up, I’m now very happy with my fabric choices. Since the log cabin strips are narrow (I’m using 2.5 inch strips), you have to be careful about the prints you use. Large ones don’t tend to look as nice, as they get cut off.

But this collection is looking good. And I think I’ve got a nice array of colours on the dark half of the block.

I’ve still got 10 more blocks to make – and they will probably be done the same way – whipped up in a few spare moments between other things.

Progress continues on the Minerva cowl and she’s looking quite fine.

I love the way all the colours are coming together. And though entrelac is pretty easy in theory – you do have to pay attention. Can you see my boo-boo in the above picture? I didn’t until I looked at it on my phone.

I was working away on a left-leaning row, and I must have gotten distracted, and after a couple of rectangles, I switched direction back to the right! Oops! A little frogging had me back to that last left-leaning tier and I was off to the races again.

And now I’m paying EXTRA  attention.

I finished the first column of dino toes for the Walk Like a Dinosaur quilt. But, what you can’t tell from this picture is that there’s a problem… a BIG problem.

I’ve told you before that I often make quilts by the seat of my pants. I don’t worry too much about  block size and measurements… quilts end up the size they end up. I focus more on esthetics. And that’s fine… when you don’t already have your backing fabric picked out.

I showed you the lovely dino flannel had for the back the other week.  But I only have about 2 yards of it. It’s enough for  the back of a baby quilt.

But that column of toes on the left is already 54 inches long. And there’s going to be three of them, which means without sashing (or borders), this quilt is already going to be at least 54 inches square. If I add sashing (which I really want to) and borders, it’s well passed baby blanket, and into lap blanket territory. That’s not a bad thing, but it means the dino flannel is out… unless I can find something to go with it, and make a pieced back.

I don’t think I have anything in the stash, and I don’t think Mom does either. That means buying something online or waiting until Lens can open again.

But that’s fine, I’ve got time. I still have 12 sets of toes to make!

 

Happy Easter everyone!

I know for a lot of you, this COVID season has you missing time with your family.  We haven’t done a big to-do about Easter for a while, so a quiet day at home is par for the course for us. I do have a nice Prime Rib roast to cook today, and I’m looking forward to that.

You may recall that one of my favourite thing about Easter is my Easter dresses. Despite despite my commitment to not spending, I did do a little online shopping and got myself a new one. (Thanks Old Navy!)

It didn’t actually show up in time for Easter (COVID has understandably slowed their fulfillment process), but that’s ok. It will still be a nice pick-me-up when it does arrive.

Another little bit of Easter cheer came from Mom. She stopped by briefly to pick up some sewing supplies ( all appropriate distancing measures were observed), and she exchanged them for a beautiful Easter Lily. (Don’t worry, it’s well out of reach of the kitties)

And some gorgeously bright and cheerful Gerberas.

Sadly, COVID has left many of the local growers without a place to sell their Easter flowers. Instead of dumping them all in landfills or compost piles, many of the Greenhouses have been putting skids out on the side of the road, and offering them for free. So Mom picked a couple up to brighten my week.

Despite the current situation, I hope your Easter is full of cheer and hope. We will get through this, in the end!

 

 

It’s the weekend, and I couldn’t be more happy! Despite COVID, work has been surprisingly hectic, so I’ve been using my lunch hours to get out and get some sun and recharge. I’ve cleaned most of the winter crud (old leaves, dead stems, etc) out of all the gardens and there’s not too much more I can do at this point.

I’m not sure how/if the lock down will affect our usual planting in mid-May. I should still be able to get soil to top all the gardens up, but you never know. Plants are another matter – it’s hard to say how the garden centres will manage if things stretch on.

I’ve got more than enough in the gardens, but as you may recall, I usually buy annuals for the random assortment of pots and baskets I have. That may not happen this year. But hey… I’ve got seeds!

I have a bad habit of buying random packets of seeds throughout the winter and I’ve got a real assortment of things in here.

There were a few empty pots from last year that still had soil, so I filled them all with a few exciting things from the tin.

 

It’s technically a little early to be planting seeds outside, but the place I have the pots is sheltered, and gets a lot of warming sun. I also didn’t plant the whole pack, so if they don’t take, I can try again in a few weeks. I still have more pots to fill,  but it will have to wait until I can get some more soil.

When it comes to fresh strawberries this year, we won’t be relying on the supermarket. I bought a lovely hanging pot of them last year, whenever it put out runners, I’d cut them off and pop them in the soil. They are already coming back and looking nice – I’ve got about four separate plants around the garden. Quite a few also ended up in my pretty green glazed strawberry pot. I brought it in for the winter to keep it from cracking. I remembered to keep it watered every so often, and as soon as the days got longer, green sprouts started emerging.

It’s back outside now and looking fine! And that hanging pot. I left it outside all winter, but in a bit of a sheltered spot. It must have done the trick because look:

It’s now hanging back on its hanger, and I’m looking forward to fresh juicy berries in a few months.

In other kitchen news. I mentioned a few posts back that some of my herbs were coming back. This was a big surprise for me – I don’t have a lot of experience with herbs, and I thought they were annuals

 

The basil didn’t make it (I have more seeds so no biggie), but the parsley (left) is sprouting up, and the oregano (right)… well just look at it! When I cleaned out all the old dead stems, all I could smell was pizza!

I’m debating on if I should get some vegetable seeds. I always grow tomatoes for Dave, but COVID definitely has me looking at food security a little differently. I wish we had more room – I’d love to grow squash!. Maybe I’ll try a potato planter bag.

Now that everything is tidy, there’s not much I can do until I get more soil. But that’s okay,  the spring bulbs are about to put on their show and will keep me nice and entertained for the next few weeks

 

I hope your garden is springing nicely!

The picture quality isn’t great – I had to take it through the glass so I wouldn’t disturb him…

But doesn’t he just look so content? Now that the weather’s finally a little nicer, it’s not unusual to find him on my garden cart.  He doesn’t want to hang out in the house, and is happy to sleep outside when it’s sunny.

We haven’t put the patio chairs out yet, or that’s where he’d be sleeping. He’s going to have to give up that spot next month, because that’s where my house plants spend the summer!