A Few Finds

Completed slippers. Hurrah!

Before anyone lies and says, "beautiful...", we need to concede that they are, of course, hideous. However, they're felted slippers and aren't suppose to be good looking, merely practical, which they are. Super-cosy in fact.

Also in the "hurrah" department - the computer seems to be working fine at the moment - hence, the snapshots. I'm going to take advantage of this and share all the little happenings around here.

Last Sunday (the 18th) was the annual Doll Show and Sale here in Winnipeg. I'm not a true collector, but I've always had a few dolls in my possession; some I've had since childhood, some I've sewn through the years and some, on occasion, I've purchased. I'd never been to the doll show before, but was curious what others were collecting and selling.

I was tempted by a 1959 Lloyd's doll carriage (cream coloured metal, spring suspension), and though I thought to myself how fantastic it would be for displaying dolls, I just couldn't quite decide if it was "the one" (does anyone else understand?) and so walked away from it, all the while wondering if I was going to have regrets. I was also very tempted by one little bisque head baby doll from pre-1930's Germany, but wasn't quite sure if I was REALLY, REALLY willing to part with ALL that money for THAT particular doll. It was ALMOST exactly the sort of doll I'd like to own, but sadly, I'm just not that good at large-ticket impulse buys. I'm so, so much better at small-ticket impulse buys.

I found a vendor with buttons,



lovely, shiny buttons.

And another vendor with patterns,



I bought one reproduction pattern (uncut) and one original (cut). Well though, to be honest, I didn't buy that Winnie-the-Pooh pattern. I got to talking to the vendor and told her that my Mum had made Eeyore for my brother back in the sixties from that same pattern and it had been his favourite toy from childhood. She was so touched she gave me the pattern for free and told me to think of her when I sewed an Eeyore for my brother. Wasn't that sweet?

It was while I was driving home that I realised Eeyore was so very, very important to Ian that he'd kept it all these years (probably not requiring another one).

However, if I ever need to make an Eeyore, I'm ready.

A couple of days after the doll show I found this at a local shop,



I can't even speak.

I'm so glad I didn't buy the metal one from the fifties. This one was the same price.

There are no regrets, not one.

And the very same day, while trolling the local thrift stores, I made one of those rare "Finds of a Lifetime" - a stunning crocheted afghan.



The significance of something like this will be lost on some people (Nigel, I'm looking at you), but it is, I assure you, truly magnificent. It's made from scraps of fine sock-weight yarn in an enormous palette of colours. The time that would have gone into making this isn't lost on me and I feel fortunate to be the current "keeper" of this piece of 20th century folk art. Does anyone else see the colours of the Book of Kells?

Lovely...

Now, off to reno-land,

I did not order an orange floor, this is just the layer beneath the tile.



tiles,



tiles with grout (that means this section of the floor is done).



And just in time for the cabinet delivery.



And this is what the cabinets will look like. Kind of, sort of antique white.



Cabinet installation is set for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Soon it will look like a real kitchen - it just won't have running water, appliances or lights.

***soon***

Lettin' Ya Know

Hello to all!

Wanted to quickly let all know that we are all still here - coping - you know - with the reno.

We're nearing the end of phase one, unfortunately the computer is acting up and I can't load any photos at the moment.

So, don't think I'm holidaying anywhere swish.

I'm also knitting, but alas, no snaps yet.

Patience, I say to myself.

Patience...

Snow?!

It started to fall Saturday afternoon...



and things soon looked like this:





The snow isn't the only thing that's been piling up, I've finished lots of knitting projects too.

The second Noro Striped Scarf is all finished. The colours remind me quite a lot of my brother Ian, so it shall be winging it's way out to the west coast very shortly.



It's knit from one colourway of Noro Kureyon Sock and one colourway of Noro Silk Garden Sock, being sock yarn it's no problem to throw it in the washer and dryer, and in fact, gets softer and softer with washing and wearing.

Hope you like it Ian.******have I ever knit you anything before??? I'm not sure.******

Also finished is Gretel a lovely cabled tam designed by Ysolda Teague. She's very quickly becoming one of my favourite designers. I've tried a few of her patterns now and they are well written with no surprises.



Knit up in Mirasol Miski, this yarn is a beautifully soft worsted weight which knits up incredibly fast (being worsted weight).

And to match, in the same yarn is Celtic Cabled Neckwarmer. If you have a very good memory you'll recall I made one just like it for Elly last Christmas. It was so lovely I decided to make one for myself.



Don't let the photo fool you, it's all finished, though I'm not happy with the buttons I chose, so I need to rummage through my collection and see if I can find something better. I suppose that doesn't truly count as a finished project then, does it?

Also (almost) finished are a pair of Fuzzy Feet made using the yarn I won at the Knit Out in August.



Again, don't be fooled by the photo, I've finished the knitting part of this project...just have to run them through the washing machine to felt them. I'll take some before and after snaps, that's always amusing.

The reno, the reno...

There has been much painting going on this week.

I chose a beautiful shade called Calming Cream for the kitchen and craft room.



And for the bath, the palest of pale blues called Ocean Mist (both paints by Benjamin Moore).

***Update! Update! It's called Ocean Air, not Ocean Mist!***



Both colours are difficult to fully appreciate in snapshot form, you'll all have to just come on over and stare at it with me.

I chose well. Very well.

This week, the tile for the main floor will be installed and possibly the oak flooring on the second floor.



Soon, cabinets.

Soon...

Back from Chicago

It's shameful how rarely I've been posting to this blog lately.

And it's not like nothing interesting is happening. Just plain old lazy I suppose.

Nigel, Ian and I went for a brief visit to Chicago in the middle of September (to attend Nigel's second cousin's belated wedding reception). Chicago was quite stunning, it's a very large city, and very tightly packed with skyscrapers.



It's really, really tall. Apparently there's some sort of rule in Chicago that ensures that new buildings look good next to the old ones.

It was really very tall, but attractive. I'm not really sure why, but I'd imagined it being far more run down and shabby (like Winnipeg). It wasn't.

We weren't in town long enough to see much, but what we did see was well worth it - the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Art Institute...Oh yes, and the wedding reception, of course.

It's rare that a city makes it onto my "must-see-again" list, but Chicago is one. (Dublin and Inverness also make the cut). If anyone cares to know, I absolutely loathe Vancouver, but I'll leave that story for another time.



I have a few photos from the aquarium, but I'll save those for next time. More important, I had a chance to meet most of Nigel's family from England. It was great to finally put personalities to the names and faces.

Unfortunately, though I'm quite capable of taking good shots of hanks of yarn or sweaters, I'm useless at photos of living breathing creatures - so I don't have any good photos of anyone.



nice hat...



that's Rosie and Serenity and the very blurry man in the back is Jake...



every family holiday needs to record the recording of images...



that's me.

Enough of that, let's look at some reno shots.

A much better view of the chimney...



the insulation installed. This stage was very cool - like walking inside a ginat marshmallow...





drywall delivered...



and installed...



hmmm....must choose paint colours...



all the walls and ceilings primed for painting...





and this week the painting will begin.

Then floors (I hope).

Make Room for Baby

This is the newest addition to our busy household. His name is Baby.

Last winter my friend (Bruce)'s mother (Dolly) passed away and left behind her little white finch who has now found a new home with us. He's very sweet and chirps and flutters most of the day.

***I should mention that he will, in fact, move along with Elly to her new digs if the rental shortage ever lets up - (hee hee, get it, "let's" up, ha ha). Ack, it's late and I should go to bed...***

Gus LOVES Baby and spends most of the day doing this:



He very quietly whimpers too....very sad. He longs to give Baby just one really big kiss - no doubt with his teeth. Don't worry, he's too short to reach the cage, and not nearly bright enough to open it.

While helping Bruce to sort through the estate, we came across this fabulous socialist cookbook:



I haven't tried any of the recipes...



but I love that left wing sense of humour...



this is no frills...



OK, maybe just a bit...



partisan cooking.



Yes! Crush the noodles of oppression!



I'm going to have to try some of these before I return the book.

Off the needles!

The pink and green Noro Striped Scarf:



I found this easy-peasy single rib so therapeutic that I started another one in shades of blue:



I'm finding I desparately need the repetitive motion of knitting something simple while the reno goes along.

This is where my new kitchen sink will someday be:



The furnace ducts went in today (this a pre-installation shot):



And lots and lots of electrical work has been done. Days and days in fact.



I've opted not to photograph every outlet and socket, but here is a shot of the empty wire spools that litter our back garden:



That's a lot of wiring.

Also, a note. August 24th was my second blogiversary and I missed it completely.

Oops! I'm going to blame the reno.

Here's a video to enjoy. It's my favourtie song at the mo', and plays endlessly in my head, and though it has nothing to do with renos, wires, socialist cooking, blogiversaries or birds named Baby, it does mention a scarf...

Keep to the Path

On Sunday last, Ian and Nigel and I headed out to Spirit Sands to walk the 7km (return) trail to the Devil's Punch Bowl. We've walked this trail before, always on days that were ridiculously hot (28, 29?). Sunday wasn't too bad though, I think highs were 23 or 24 Celsius.



If you check the online site from the government it will tell you to stick to the path and beware of poison ivy. They tell you once you start down the trail to be aware of other dangers too...



Hmmm...yes...former National Defense testing range...well now, thanks for the head's up.

Signs pointed to the scenic spots...



does this refer to scenic outhouses? Don't know, we didn't take the detour.

The trails are varied.

Sand...





roots...



and rails.





After struggling up a few inclines you're rewarded with scenic ridges.





Everyone that's been will tell you that the Devil's Punch Bowl is a bit of a disappointment. It's more of a swampy green pond that empties into a small winding creek. Nigel calls it the Devil's Toilet Bowl.



The grafitti on the wooden rail is always amusing. Clearly some of us have walked this path more than once...





The path of the reno continues...

framing...



rafters...



doors and windows...



installed...



tyvek.



I chose the materials for the counters and cabinets.



The cabinets will be maple with a finish called millstone - a lovely soft creamy colour with a touch of grey. Counters are CaesarStone, the main counters will be done in Quartz Reflections (pale grey with stone chips) and the island in Smoky Ash (dark charcoal/black). Door handles and knobs will be black hammered iron. Should be lovely...

*** I'd love to link you to these things, but Blogger isn't playing nice. ***

Does anyone remember those 101 things I said I'd do? Well, September 1st marked the start of six months of buying NO NEW YARN.

Ack! What kind of crazy journey would require that path?

In anticipation I bought this lovely hank from Etsy at the end of August.



Wensleydale DK in a colourway called Thistle - four ounces - that should be enough to do a hat or mittens. Lovely...

And lastly, last night at the knit meet-up we got to talking about babies and toddlers and how much work they are - there were some hilarious stories people told - and though my two wee ones were very pleasant and rarely willful, it still had it's downside.

I became a mother at the young age of 22 (to Elly) and a single mother shortly after that, and everyone always told me how lucky I was to have a bright and happy child with a sunny dispositon.

Did I ever tell you that Elly started talking at ten months and never (and I mean never) stopped.

She was my friendly friend...



I'd like to add that I stuck to the path and never abandoned her in the park.

All This in Just a Week

WARNING! WARNING! PHOTO HEAVY POSTING!



Last Sunday was the annual Knit-Out for one of our local Stich-n-Bitch chapters. I've never attended before, but thought I'd make an exception this year.

It was held at Assiniboine Park (just a hop and a skip from my front door), on a thoroughly dismal, cold and rainy day...



the mood was light and fun despite the rain...



I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to reel off everyone's names, so I'll just say that all were there that were there...



and there was loads of both stitchin'...



and bitchin'...



and a yarn swap too...



there were also door prizes! I won three skiens of Bernat Felting Wool. I'm thinking, perhaps, some cosy slippers for the coming months.



And in reno-land...

Here's our new chimney. Isn't it lovely?

Yes, it is.



The complete and total destruction of what was isn't total or complete yet, but great strides are being made. These are former cabinets...



a former sink...



and wallpaper, uncovered from long ago.



I've been amusing the tradesmen by taken photos of things that are very mundane to them. How come when I go ladder shopping they're all just regular aluminum and not spiffy green ones?



I love the bright colours - makes all the equipment look like toys.



Keeping down the dust.



A look through the main floor.



Here's what was the former computer room...



a view from window, looking into the room it will become...



and now, no more wall...



Here's a lovely view out my window (sorry, I mean, hole in the wall) looking out over the neighbour's back garden...



and then a peek into our own back garden...



I'm not going to bother trying to keep up with the neighbour's this summer.

I promised last post that I'd show a snap of the finished Tangled Yoke Cardigan.



Well, there it is, done. The lighting has been terrible lately, too many black and rainy days.

Also finished is the Stardust Clapotis. How I love this pattern and this yarn...



I think I've made four of these shawls now, I wonder how many it will take before I'm sick of it...

New on the needles,

a striped scarf made from two skiens of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn.



This is the same as the regular Noro Striped Scarf, but with 63 stitches instead of the 30-some with the worsted weight yarn. I'm using two skiens of colour S95, starting one skien from the outside, and one from the inside. So far, the same colours have only intersected once for a short time (briefly losing the stripe effect). I anticipate a few more intersections, but they should all be brief.

Also begun is the Waves of Grain Scarf by Rosemary Hill. I've been hearing nightmarish accounts of knitting from Rosemary Hill's patterns and have been putting off making this one for a while.



However, so far it seems to be very easy and straight-forward, which is good, because I'm most sincerely not up for any heavy thinking during this home renovation.

The yarn is Cascade Lace by Cherry Tree Hill in colour way "Indian Summer". These are not colours I would normally wear, very amber/orange/salmon, but I think, perhaps, with all the changes going on in the house, it's a good time to try something different.

Just so long as there's no complex thinking...