With the fair stuff done, I was eager to get back to sewing. Other than lining the knitted bag, I haven’t sewn a stitch for the past three weeks!

I rectified that by diving into the first Leader & Ender quilt. As you know, all the four patches were done, but I needed to make the HSTs. When Wyoming Breezes did this pattern, she did her HSTs in a mix of red and blue, and it worked out beautifully. I didn’t have enough of anything suitable in the stash, so I made a quick trip to Lens and came home with three different, but similar ditsy florals in black on white.

I figured this would keep it scrappy but coherent.  The white-on-white contrast I had in my stash. Once the HSTs were done, I laid it all out on my design bed.

It’s bigger than I originally planned, but that’s ok. I didn’t worry too much about the placement of the four patches. I mostly focuse on not having two like fabrics side by side… but any more than that and I would have gone batty. I love the way the HSTs blend to create pathways behind the four patches. So I’m calling this one Follow the Leader.

I  found this fun strawberry print in the clearance bin at Lens and there was enough for the back. This quilt is going to be Dave’s grandma’s Christmas present, so I’ve got to get that top together and everything up to Mom’s – ideally by the end of the month!

I know what you’re thinking… “Spring?!? Valerie… what’s the rush… we want to enjoy fall!”

And I agree… it’s just when you’re a gardener, if you want flowers…. you have to think ahead…

So I’ve been shopping.

And come spring, hopefully my gardens will be awash with Parrot Tulips!

I’ve mentioned before that Daffodils are my favourite spring flower… but I especially love the ones with pink centres!

An speaking of pink… Have you ever seen Pink Grape Hyacinths…? No? Neither had I … but they’ll be blooming in my garden come Spring!

An I’m always so jealous when people post pictures in early Spring of their Snow Drops. I have to wait until late April for anything to bloom – but not next year!

And thinking even further ahead…

These will be started using the Winter Sow method. I’ve had such luck with it.

Now I just have to think of a way to keep all these goodies safe from you-know-who…

 

We’re back to humid and stupid… but we did get a few days break of cooler (if a little rainy) weather this week, so we took the opportunity to get out and enjoy some fresh air.

Though it’s already the middle of September, the roses are still blooming. When I started this gardening adventure, I had not idea the roses would be such spectacular bloomers. Such a pleasant surprise!

The pink Delphiniums are blooming again. They have such a delicate-looking flower, but it seems to be a really robust plant.

September means the Sedum is in bloom. If you’re building a pollinator-friendly garden, Sedum is a must. It’s a great source of late-season food for the bees. Plus it’s super hardy and easy to care for – win-win!

Speaking of bees….is there anything cuter than Bumblebee butt?

The Monarch are still hanging out daily. They seem to really love the Butterfly bush and the Purple Coneflowers.

I popped into the local Terra the other day to see what they had left for herbs (I’ve been watching too much Mary Berry lately)… and while I didn’t get any herbs, they did have a few perennials on clearance. These ones are some type of Black-Eyed Susan, but they didn’t have the variety noted. They are adding a nice bit of colour to the front gardens now.

And now that the garden tour is over… I have to go join someone for some scritches.

There are many things I love about Burton, but one of the things I love the most is how content and comfortable he is. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, or where he is… he’s almost always belly-up…

It’s nice to know that he’s so completely happy with us. Even if it does make him look a little demented sometimes…

Here it is – the last fair projectI can’t even begin to pronounce the name (Lövspetsväska), but I can tell you it spells one fun little bag, perfect for the knitted purse category at the fair.

The pattern is simple lace leaves, knit in the round, and I had it knit up in an evening. I used some handspun that mom gave me. Neither of us can remember exactly what it is, but it’s definitely one of her earlier efforts – spun heavier (about worsted) with a lot of thick and thin. She’s much more consistent in her spinning now, and only spins thick if I request it (she prefers lighter weight yarns). I think the uneven bits just add to the charm of the finished project.

Unless you’re knitting a market bag, a knit bag needs a lining (especially a lace one), so I dove into the fabric stash and came up with some suitable fabric. It didn’t take long to whip together a lining and sew it in.

I was going to make some handles, but Mom and I were at Lens the other day, and they had these nifty beaded ones for a reasonable price. I think they are the perfect finishing touch to a rustic little bag!

I will do a post with all the fair items together, but I can tell you I’ve got 19 projects (out of the 21 categories I was hoping to enter). Right now… I think I need to give my hands a wee rest… I am all knitted out!

After working on so many chunky projects, it felt really weird to switch gears, (and needles) and go back to fingering weight.

It took a little more time, but it was worth it. For the Teen Hat category, I give you – Scandinavian Sugarskulls!

I had some Barn Cat gradient kicking around in the stash (dye up to make some socks), and  I thought it would be perfect for the background of the hat.

It’s suppose to go from grey, to grey-teal, to turquoise, to duck egg green, but as you can see, the transition from grey-teal to turquoise isn’t quite as smooth as  I would like. But for the purposes of this hat, I can live with it.

The pompom isn’t quite a big as I would like either,  but this is the biggest size pompom maker  I have… so again, I’ll live with it.

But despite it’s flaws, it’s a pretty cool looking hat, and after the fair, it will be tucked away for Miss Paisley.

When I bought the yarn for the bunny slippers,  I wasn’t sure how much I’d need, so I bought too balls. And I’m glad  I did because it gave me enough for another fair entry.

Cute chunky owls for the Boot Cuff category. The pattern is the aptly named Owl Boot Cuffs, and it was a fun little pattern that knit up super quick.

I’ve made owls with cables before, and it never ceases to delight me.

That is until I have to sew on all those button eyes. I don’t know why… but I hate sewing buttons. And there are 24 between the pair (and isn’t it amazing that I had exactly that many gold ones in my stash?!?). But I powered through it. And as you can see… it was totally worth it!

 

I’ve had another burst of productivity, so buckle up for another week of fair FOs…

I love small projects on big needles!

These cute little sleepy buns are for the Adult slipper category.

I used my favourite Family Slipper pattern, then whipped up some floppy ears and pompom tails

I didn’t have any yarn in the stash for these ones, so I bought some Patons Classic Wool Roving for them. I wanted the regular Classic Wool, but Lens didn’t have any appropriate bunny colours in stock.

In the end, I’m happy with the choice. The roving has a bit of a halo, which makes them look soft and fluffy (as buns should).

I was puttering around the garden the other day, and witnessed the mating dance of the White Cabbage Butterflies. Lucky for you, I had my camera handy!

Here we are, through our first week of September, and though fall is on a couple weeks off, it certainly hasn’t felt like it.  Up until yesterday , it’s been hot and humid. According to the weather network the respite won’t last and we’ll be back to humid and stupid again.

No where are the cool nights and comfy, sunny days that signal to the trees that it’s time to turn their leaves.

Hopefully the weather will settle soon, but until then I’ll just have to enjoy the fall colours in my garden.