So… when I finished my last pair of socks, naturally, I needed a new knit on the needles. I had planned on another pair of socks… but the yarn I planned on using was allllllllllllllllll the way upstairs in the stash, and I was just too lazy to get out of the chair and go get it.
So instead, I reached into the sewing stand I have beside my chair and came up with this:
It’s a ball of Bernat Sox that I picked up in a bag of random sock yarn at a thrift store. As you can see, it’s Bernat Sox (an acrylic/nylon blend). The colour is called “Crazy Hot” but I’ve renamed it Clown Barf. Because that’s totally what it is.
The ball is only 50g and I can usually get a full pair of shorty socks from just 50 g. However, because this was a thrifted yarn, I’m not sure it’s a full ball. So I’ve gone even shorter with just an inch and half long cuff (15 rows). I knit most of this first sock in between waves of trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.
The second one is already on the needles, and I’m hoping to get it off the needles by the weekend and start that project I originally intended.
As you know, in addition to quilting, knitting, cross stitching, and gardening, I also have other crafty hobbies like painting and drawing. And several of those projects have been accumulating in the dining room over summer.
With the garden put to bed (sort of – it’s still blooming, but I’m done tending to it), I finally had some time to tackle some of this.
Of course, someone had to come see what I was up to…
But eventually I was able to get him to settle down so I could get to work
First up…
Remember these guys? I had started painting them and then decided my cheap paints were crap and put them away until I could finally get better paints. I got better paints but they just languished.
But now they are finally done (The higher-quality paints made all the difference!) And if you’re wondering what happened to that snail planter… he’s in a time out. Even the better paints couldn’t make painting all his little details fun. Part of it is my hands aren’t as steady as they used to be, and my eye sight definitely isn’t as sharp. I gave up. Dave said he’d take a stab at it (he paints model ships regularly) but we’ll see if he actually does.
And while I was waiting for coats to dry on those, I painted up these three little birdhouses we got for sale at Michaels several weeks back.
I kept it simple with the decorations
And I think they turned out pretty good. The framing on the sun porch is exposed, and it means lots of little “shelves” for treasures.
Now with those done, I have to decide what this coming weekend’s project will be. I have some regular terra cotta pots to paint. But I also have a brand new set of Prismacolours I haven’t cracked into yet
And this paint by number kit.
Michael’s is a very dangerous place, and I probably shouldn’t be allowed back in there until I finish all the projects on my table.
Not only did I finished all the leaves on the branches, I got the little berry branch done at the top. All that’s left are two leaves on the top, and some random little ditdots here and there. I might even be able to finish it next weekend!
The night before Halloween, I finished up my Felici Aquarium socks. To recap, nothing fancy here; just a plain vanilla using some yellow Stroll for ribbing, heels and toes. I did the leg about three inches, which is my preferred length for socks for myself. Normally, I do ribbing through the whole sock, but I just wasn’t in the mood for anything even remotely complicated.
Now I’ve got something new on the needles, but it’s not what I planned on. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out more.
The other day, I needed some fresh air after work. I went outside and filled up the bird feeders and sat down with my camera. I was hoping to get some pictures of the squirrels – I feel like I haven’t spent much time with them this year, and I just love their silly antics.
Well, the squirrels didn’t want to come out and play, but the Blue Jays did.
I have eleventy billion pictures of the Blue Jays looking pretty and regal, so I decided to play around with my camera settings and see if I could get some pictures of them in flight.
It turns out, those jays can really fly!
I got several blocked by the peanut ring.
And a few “levitating” pics.
They were definitely mostly “outakes”
This one is not too bad, but I know I can get better.
I think my best shot is actually this accidental one
Though this one is pretty cool too..
Lift off!!!
Maybe I’ll get a little time this week to get out there and try again!
This Halloween night was our best yet – with about 100 trick-or-treaters coming to our door. I suspect this is mostly because the weather was nice. Really nice.
It was nice enough that I was handing out candy bare foot. And I was pretty warm under my cloak with only a sundress on.
But of course, it couldn’t last. Last year we woke up to a snow storm on November first. It’s not quite that cold this year, but it’s cold enough to turn the furnace on.
As predicted… the wind has taken care of most of the fall colour. There’s still some out there, but we are definitely past peak.
I took the following pics throughout the week when the days were still pretty warm. Warm enough that the butterflies were still out… and lots of these guys.
If you look closely – you’ll see that neither of them are bees. They are hoverflies.
There are hundreds of different types of hoverflies, and most have markings that mimic bees/wasps. Next to bees, they are probably the most important, prolific pollinators in the garden. I see tonnes of the smaller one there, but the bigger one… well he’s new. That or I’ve always just confused him for a honey bee – because that’s about how big he is.
If it wasn’t for the different shaped eyes, he’d be very hard to distinguish from a bee.
There are still quite a few blooms in the garden, though I suspect they are the last we will see this season. We are really on the countdown to winter now.
Of course, everyone’s favourite feline wasn’t forgotten this Halloween. He looked so good in his Vampurr cape last year, we decided to try something new this year.
Halloween is here!!!! Soon I’ll be dressed in my witches best, and handing out treats to all the little ghouls and goblins who date tread to my doorstep.
And that doorstep is decked out!
I finally got some string lights to put up on the front porch, and I think it was just the thing the set-up was missing. I had a heck of a time finding Halloween lights… Everything was Christmas – even back in September! We finally found some at Dollarama of all places… I hope they last at least a couple years.
For the graveyard, I just rearrange the solar lanterns that were already in the gardens.
I think they work really well in highlighting the headstones and skeletons. It just needs some creepy fog/smoke.
And of course, there’s Doug.
I can’t express just how much I adore Doug. He’s just the cutest!
Since I didn’t get much crafting done on the weekend, I thought I’d share some of the treasures collected from our recent shopping/thrifting adventures.
First up… I love old-timey style, round bird cages. Seasoned thrifters know they can be crazy expensive, so I was thrilled to find not one, but two for extremely good prices.
As you can see, I like to put plants in them. The one on the left is fairly small and I put my Easter Cactus in it… though I may change it out as I’m not sure I love it in there. The one on the right is much bigger. It has my Bat Plant in it – which absolutely thrived on porch this summer. I hope the dry house doesn’t set it back too much this winter.
And the next isn’t a thrift, but a gift.
A friend brought them over recently – they were large candle holders she had bought for her wedding and now has no use for. Of course, I’m going use them for plants! I just have to find some pots narrow enough to fit inside the tops. Aren’t they just gorgeous?
And while we are on the topic of plants… This next was bought as a little pick-me up. On the last day of vacation, Dave and I were headed to Woodstock to one of our favorite antique markets… we were almost there when Wilma decided to throw up a “SERVICE TRANSMISSION OW” code on my dash. Sadly, we turned around, limped her home, and dropped her off at the mechanic’s. I was totally bummed, so Dave got his car, and took us to Sarnia instead. He stopped at one of my favourite nurseries where I bought this fine fellow to cheery myself up.
I have named him Yorick… and if you can guess why – you get a cookie! I also got a little goldfish plant to put in him. I have a small collection of skull planters now, but this one is by far the most realistic looking one.
This one isn’t the best picture, but it’s probably our coolest thrift so far.
I have ALWAYS wanted a telescope. Especially now where we live where we can actually see stars. Neither Dave or I could believe it when we came across it in the thrift shop. It was still in the box and we’re not sure if it was ever used.
We haven’t had a chance to take it out and play with it yet, but I’m sure we will soon.
And last, this one is a small treasure, but probably one my my favorites. I love stained glass suncatchers, but they are often so expensive for such little things (rightfully so!)… I was thrilled to find this pretty little butterfly in a thrift store for only a few bucks
Looks like I’m putting on that same old record again…
Despite this comfy looking scene, I didn’t not have much time to stitch this weekend. Saturday we were tied up with friends all day (and I’m certainly not complaining about that – it was a great day). Sunday though – Sunday I woke up with a migraine. I managed a couple hours on the couch in the early afternoon stitching before it got so bad I had to lay down.
In those couple hours, I got the dark green finished, and started on the mid-green. I REALLY hope I can finish those darn leaves next weekend!
Wandering Cat Studio 