I don’t know about you, but if I’ve got a deadline, I much prefer to finish well in advance, instead of down to the wire.

My job is deadline driven. Unfortunately, I have to rely on input from several others to meet those deadlines. It irks me to no end when those others wait until the absolute last minute to give me that input (regardless of how much lead time we’ve had).

But at least with my crafting, I have full control. So… I give you Dave’s birthday socks. Completed almost two months in advance of his birthday!

Nothing fancy – just a simple 3-1 rib and some basic sock math. The yarn is Knit Picks Felici, and with the exception of the dyeing (it’s like the dark blue bled over the other colours leaving them dingy), it’s a pretty nice sock yarn, especially for the price. The blue-grey heels was just some random leftover I had in my sock yarn bin – it’s nice and rustic so it should hold up well on the heel.

And with these complete, I have nothing left on the needles.  I better rectify that, STAT!

My garden isn’t the only thing in bloom…

Yep. It’s a completed Fleurs en Noir top! Last week Bluprint put the remaining fabrics in the collection on clearance, so I grab enough for borders, binding and backing.

They arrived super quick, and I was able to whip together the rest of the top in an afternoon. Hopefully we’ll be see this one quilted in a week or two!

And with this top complete… I’ve got an empty project box!

It’s another fine Saturday, and while I’m busy sewing, Relic would like to take you on a tour of his gardens.

It’s been a mostly rainy week, but that hasn’t stopped things from blooming.

The Lilac is in all her glory, and when the wind blows the right way, her perfume fills the yard!

Same with the Lily-of-the-Valley down the side of the house. It’s just heavenly!

The Irises are putting on a wonderful show. I wish they bloomed longer. In a week or so they will all be done!

My purple globe Alium has bloomed and it’s amazing. The chives are from the same family, but are a little more subdued – though there are lots of blooms!

I realized I’ve neglected to share pictures of this years front baskets. Like last year, I used Fuschia (though a slightly more subdued colour this time) because it does so well in that shady spot. Also like last year, there’s some ivy, but also mini hanging petunias and some white lobelia for more colour. They will be really nice when everything starts to  drape over the sides.

And last, but definitely not least… my last little project for this year is a sunflower garden. It’s going to be on the outside of the new fence, facing the common area between me and my neighbour. It means I won’t be able to hang quilts there for pictures, but it will be worth it if all my sunflowers take.

I’ve started them in pots under a little plastic tent to keep Mr. Squirrel from eating all the sprouts. There’s a good mix of colours and sizes, so I’m hoping it turns into a really spectacular show by August!

I just can’t get enough of this adorable floof-monster!

I know there hasn’t been much craftiness this week, but I just had to share these more recent wildlife experiences.

Saturday, while I was getting ready to head out to the school, I heard a crash in the livingroom. I came out from the bathroom to investigate and Dave said “Burton just ran into the back door.”

This was why

A little fledgling Robin had come to say hello.

Of course, that can be a dangerous thing to do when you’re a teeny tiny bird that can barely fly… but luckily, all the cats were inside and the robin parents were keeping a good watch on the little guy.

I took a break from my preparations and grabbed the camera. I was rewarded with the chance to witness their lunch break.

Later that afternoon, I was sitting on the couch after my outing and something caught my eye.  I dumped my laptop off my lap and grabbed my camera…

A ruby-throated hummingbird! Looks like my feeder was a great buy! A few of my plants are supposed to attract hummingbirds, and I saw one last year, but I wasn’t sure if the feeder would make much difference! It was such a treat to see!

And last, but definitely not least… I had an oriole in the yard too! He didn’t stick around for pictures, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen an oriole around here! I was so excited. Looks like I’m going to have to get an oriole feeder too!

Saturday, between thunderstorms, I paid a visit to my old highschool for a final open house before she closes for good at the end of the school year.

Enrollment has been dropping for years (a lot more older families in the area than young ones), and they are building a super highschool that will service almost all the kids in the lower city.  My old school, Delta Secondary is going to be turned into condos. I don’t know if they are tearing it down or keeping the shell of the building (one developer has done that with a few elementary schools in the city). I really hope they keep the shell because, as you can see – it’s a beautiful building.

When I attended, that grand entrance was always gated and locked… and full of pigeon poo. But it’s nice and clean now.

The school was built in 1924 and there so many beautiful details you just won’t see in a new building. I’m not sad that it’s closing, change is necessary, and it’s not all bad. But I am sad that so much of this art/architecture will be lost.

It was nice to have one last chance to wander the halls. Those marble stairs you see above have a little dip in them – barely visible to the eye, but you can feel it when you walk up them – 95 years of thousands of students running to class have left their mark in more ways than one.

Most of the classrooms were locked, but my old art room was open.

My highschool years weren’t perfect, but I spent a lot of happy hours at this paint-covered workstation. I did forget to check and see if our gummy bear army was still stuck to the ceiling. (Pro tip.. if you lick gummy bears and throw them at a ceiling with enough force… they will stick… for years! We added more every semester!)

And I wasn’t the only one feeling nostalgic. The school was packed with students from all decades. There’s no a/c in that old building, so by noon it was pretty darn hot in there.

I took one last break on the back steps for old time sake (a fav hangout between classes) and headed home… in more ways than one….

Parking at the school was packed, so I headed up one of the side streets, and parked in front of my old house.

We lived her for a decade…from the time I was 12 until I was 22. Those four windows at the top were my bedroom, and we spent a lot of time on that front porch.

And while I was nice to step back in time a little… I really do love my present day.

 

I’m afraid this is the only  modeled shot of Cascadas you are going to get…

While she was finished in time for my weekend event (more on that tomorrow), it was too warm to wear her. But it’s ok… Dave ended up staying home because he hurt his back, so I had no photographer anyway.

So instead, when I got home, I slipped her on a hanger and here she is! I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I love round yokes. Not only are they fun and easy to knit, I think they are the most flattering style on me. There were many mods to this pattern (all for preference ,there this absolutely nothing wrong with the pattern as written), with the main one being that I made it a cardigan, not a tee. It’s also much shorter, stopping at the narrowest part of my waist. I was hoping to have at least 1/2 if not 3/4 sleeves, but alas, I didn’t have enough yarn. It’s no biggie though… it will be a nice spring/autumn piece.

Now to the buttons…

I should have dug through the stash, but Friday afternoon I was bored, so I drove down to my favourite button store on Ottawa Street in my old neighbourhood. These little greyish shell flowers were just perfect. (And several other buttons may have followed me home.)

With this done, I only have Dave’s birthday socks on the needles. But I’m not sure what to knit next. Normally, I’d been in full fair knitting mode right now, but I’m not entering the fair so… I can literally knit ANYTHING!

It’s hard to believe it, but it’s already been three years since this little ginger waltzed in and spiced up our life!

When I picked him out from the shelter, the first thing the shelter attendant said was “He’s not friendly.” I smiled and said, “That’s ok, I have lot of experience with shy kitties.”

And it did take time… lots of time. Even now, three years later, we still see him opening up a little more with us. He’s even come out when company comes… though you’re not allowed to make eye contact with him.

Of all the cats, he’s probably the suckiest… or at least the most demanding. When he wants a lap, you better give him a lap… or better yet, two legs to squeeze between.

He sleeps on, or against me almost every night (unless there is mouse activity in the backyard… then he’s at the back door… enthralled). And when we wake up in the morning, he’s always curled up beside Relic on the blanket box at the end of the bed.

Relic and Rupert’s relationship is still evolving. Rupert still takes issue with Relic’s prescence on occasion. And Relic has less patience for Rupert’s antics than he used to, but for the most part, they co-exist pretty peacefully. We’ve even seen signs of play every so often, though it never lasts long.

Burton and Rupert get along great, but that’s mostly because, despite being the bigger of the two, Burton is happy to let Rupert be the boss.

And of course, Rupert still worships Peno, and knows she’s the real queen of this castle.

Like the others, his favourite place to be is in the backyard.

And while he’s not entirely sure the birds that hang out on the roof are trustworthy, he’s more than happy to patrol the yards borders, keeping it safe from scrappy squirrels and marauding butterflies.

From a shy scared stray, to a saucy little trouble maker, these three years have seen him grow so much. I can’t wait to see what the next three bring.

It felt like I was making HUGE progress on the Leader/Ender nine patches, so I just had to lay it out on the design bed and see…

Only three more rows since the last time I showed you. I think I’m going to need at least three more to make it the size I want. So for now… just keep sewing, just keep sewing…

Here’s where everything else in my quilting world is at:

• Mystic Maze: Just needs a border. Which I have… and backing fabric. This one will be finished soon
• Bear Mountain: Paws are together and I’m stash-diving for border fabric.
• Paisley’s Christmas quilt: Flowers are done. I just need to add sashing and hunt up some border and backing fabric.
• Time to sew: Can you believe I completely forgot about this one? I haven’t worked on it in ages!!!! It’s  a good thing I keep a list! Hopefully I can do a few blocks this week.
• Leader & Ender Rainbow Nine Patches: Getting there but still lots to make!

While some might not agree, one of my favourite things about the garden is the bugs! There’s no shortage of critters in this teeny tiny world and I love hunting them up and shooting photos.

The honey bees are back in full force and enjoying all the spring blooms.

And the ants are as busy as the bees, working their magic on the peonies.

I almost missed this little guy when I was inspecting my willow tree (which I think is dying sadly)

He’s a juvenile crab spider and he was super tiny. Just how tiny…

Here’s my thumb for comparison.

And for those of you that don’t like spiders… there have been butterflies. Lots of butterflies. The ubiquitous White Cabbage butterfies visit every day. And I did see a Swallowtail, though it didn’t stick around long enough to be photographed.

There’s been a few of these American Ladies, but they’ve proven pretty camera shy. I was lucky to get this shot.

The Red Admiral’s however…

Have been uncommonly friendly. How friendly?

These photos are all of one that continued to land on my dress. Do you have any idea how hard it is to take a picture of your own boob? It was worth the contortion though!

What critters are hanging out in your yard?