I realized it’s been a while since I’ve given you a Winnie update, so let me remedy that right now.

At about four months old, she’s not quite a mini any more – a full 5lbs at her last vet check. And she’s growing like a weed. She’s still got those kitten looks, but as you can see, she’s losing them fast.  She’s also gotten lighter, and more grey, less brown.

It’s amazing how much they change in such a little amount of time.

After persevering with the knitting of the chenille blanket, I wanted to reward myself with a fun kit. And I still needed something for the Toy category for the fair.

Last year, my  Nessie only netted me a fourth place ribbon, so I’m hoping this year, the judges will really be wowed by a bright pink Octopus!

Long-time blog readers will know this is one of my favourite toy patterns. In fact, this is the sixth one I’ve made.

Half the fun of these is pairing the yarn, so this time around, I used some single-ply hand-dyed Malabrigo I had kicking around in my stash, and paired with with the leftover Classic Wool from some Christmas Nessie’s I made.

The pattern looks exceedingly complicated, but I assure you, it’s much easier than you’d think. Just a few short rows, and clever increases and decreases, and it comes together like magic. It is a little fiddly to bring all those tentacles together, but it’s so worth it.

And the secret to those fantastic tentacles? Pipe cleaners. The simple insertion before sewing up makes this little octopus magically poseable, and just brings it that extra bit of realism!

I think that’s worth a first place ribbon!

It’s done!

We’ve had nothing but brutal, sticky weather. And knitting with thick, heavy, sticky chenille is not ideal, but I powered through.

And I’m so glad I did.

As mentioned before, the yarn is Bernat Blanket, which was generously provided by Yarn Canada. While I didn’t enjoy knitting with it, it does create a wonderfully squishy, cuddly blanket. And the colours are pretty cool – nice and modern.

It worked out well with my Bias Garter Afghan pattern. I used about a ball and a half and got a baby blanket about 30″ square.

After the fair, this one will be put away for the next silent auction at Bee Meadow Farm. Since the yarn was donated,  I think it’s only right that I donate the yarn to a great cause.

Another fair entry is done.

This one for the Baby Dress category. Last year, I walked away with first prize in this category, so hopefully I can do it again.

This time around it’s the Leaf Love dress. It’s a free pattern that only has one size, (0-3 months), but it suited my purposes.

Little Miss Wren has a baby cousin due in November, so after the fair, that’s likely where this will go.

The yarn is once again our Stray Cat  – I love it for baby stuff. Super soft, easy to care for (aka washable), and a dream to knit with. The colour is Aquarium, and it’s a little darker than the pictures show.

Since the buttons are on the back (and baby will more often than not, be laying on them), I opted for some flat crystal buttons from the stash. Like the ones on the Dora cardigan, these ones have just a hint of blue.

The back is just plain, and the whole thing is knit in one piece, so the knitting just flew.  I had this one done in just a few days. It’s a pattern I highly recommend if you need a quick baby present.

It’s a long-weekend here in Canada (as it is for our friends south of the border), so you can bet your bippy that I spent it working on fair projects. Here’s the first of the FO lineup for this week!

This is the entry for the Child’s cardigan section. The pattern is “Cardigan with Short or Long Sleeves” (creative, right?)

I chose it simply because I knew it would knit up fast, and I could use yarn I already had on hand – the leftover Stray Cat from the Pumpkin hat.

And while it did knit up fast, it’s not a pattern I would knit again. It’s knit in pieces than seamed, and with some of those eyelets close to the edges, that made seaming a little tricky. Were I to knit it again, I’d rework the pattern so I can knit it seamlessly from the bottom up.

To finish it off, I raided the stash for this little vintage peapod-like button. I’d normally opt for something a little fancier, but I didn’t want to buy just one button, and it’s not like I don’t have an extensive button stash.

After the fair, this little cardi will be tucked away for Wren for Christmas. Once the fair madness is behind me, I’m going to look out a pattern for a sewn dress, and see if I can make her a little something to match it.

The apron is back on. But this time it’s not jam.

You see, a couple months ago, Dave and I joined Weight Watchers. We’re doing pretty well, and one of  our favourite 0 point snacks are dill pickles. We’re gong through them at an alarming rate, and since the local cucumbers are just starting to come in…

I thought why not make a large batch? Mom lent my her old picking book.

And you can tell it’s been well-used.

So I spent a little time slicing cucumbers, measuring spices, and packing jars

And in no time I had four 1L jars of delicious smelling dills. I’ve got 8 empty jars left, so I think I’ll be back to the grocery store this week for a couple more baskets of cucumbers.

While I love my butterflies, I’m just as thrilled by all the other little visitors we get in the garden. And there have been many this year.

A HUGE Tiger Bee Fly

A little Red Orb Spider

A cool Grass Spider

This little red ant snacking on a spider MUCH bigger than itself.

This sweet little white Tiger moth who hung out on the back door for a while one night.

And this cool Bumblebee Mimic Fly.

This little red-legged grasshopper popped up when I was water the gardens the other day.
But this year has really been the year of the Bumblebee.

 

 

 

While Facebook does have it’s downsides, one of the things I do love about it are the “memories”; the postings you can review each day that show you what you posted on that day in years past.

The other day, these pics of Relic popped up.

They were from 2015, and it was our very first meeting. If you look closely, you can see he wasn’t quite full grown yet, but he was close. (So I’ve pegged his age accurately.) He didn’t have the big tom cat jowls yet, and he was a little less muscular.

After that meeting, I only saw him every month or so, until that fateful spring in 2017 when he showed up a little under the weather. After a few days I was able to gain is trust and then he was back more or less every day. And of course, the rest is history!

Join me for a little stroll around the garden…

The weather remains hot and sticky, but the roses are still trying their best. This one is Scentimental. The flowers are quite small – almost mini rose size. It will be interesting to see if they get larger as the plant matures.

Garden Party put up another bloom too. It’s such a classic creamy colour, I love it.

But Navy Lady is the one that’s really showing off. Look at these huge red clusters!

The Black-Eyed Susans are putting on their seasonal show. These ones are out back, but next year, I’m going to put some out front. They are such a lovely bit of late summer colour.

The Crimson Dwarf Sunflowers are neither Crimson, nor really dwarf (they are about four feet now), but oh well. They are pretty none-the-less.

After it’s near death experience this spring, the Butterfly bush has bounced back beautifully. It’s so nice to see blooms on it.

And last, these pretty two-toned Snap Dragons make me smile every time I step out the door.

I love my little garden land!

 

My favourite apron is on so it’s time to get messy!

It’s jam time!

My blackberry bush yielded just enough fruit for one batch of blackberry jam.

Seven cups of sugar….

And some stirring and boiling later….

Seven and a half jars of blackberry heaven – perfect for spreading on toast!