summer finds

Driving home yesterday I had a crazy urge to stop at the landfill!  I know right?  Not the most glorious place on the face earth.  However, the potential that exists there can be amazing.  Trash really can become treasures.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Found several things but this is the only one you get to see right now.

Unfortunately, I showed up in the wrong attire.  Flip flops and a mound of discard metal really don't go well together!  Much to my luck I found a strapping gentleman in work boots and gloves who was willing to save Little Miss Trolley from the heap.

Take a good look at her, cause she ain't going to look like this long!  If truth be told, the paint is still tacky on my fingertips!  More to come soon.

Snoop dog

Meet Ryker .... our certified snoop dog

A regular nosey guy, 

in the middle of things, 

usually only a sniff and a lick away.

kind of camera shy, yet always close by.

Just like when I was taking pictures of this lovely Malabrigo yarn.

Been trying to decide what to knit with it as I only have two balls.  

It's not like I need another project right now,

as I have other things on the go.

Yet it simmers on the back burner.  

A beautiful colour that makes me think about the blue skies of spring.

Before and After

My daughter had this tired old IKEA bookcase in her room.

It had seen better days and since I was painting her room,

I gave it a little once over with some Benjamin Moore Advance paint.

 It actually took three coats of paint to fully cover the orange tone of the wood

However, it finished great and seems like it will be a durable paint.

Looking pretty don't you think?

Bookcase painted in Simply White by Benjamin Moore Advance.  Pearl finish.

Walls painted in Tahoe Blue, using Benjamin Moore Aura

Piano Elf

An elf appeared at our piano today and graced us with music.

This elf looked vaguely familiar to our daughter, 

who usually sports a more toque-ish style!

Scrappy quilt

In the middle of the summer my middle daughter decided she wanted to start quilting.  Actually, I had started to sew a few strips together and she kind of took the project over.  Her quilt is still in process and I quite look forward to seeing the end result.

While she occupied my sewing machine for hours at end I was left to twiddle my thumbs.  At a loss of things to do in my sewing room I began to organize scraps.  What a great idea you say!  Well, yes and no!

I wasn't really prepared for how long that venture would take.  You see, my daughters have been playing with my scraps since they were in diapers.  Considering one of them becomes a teenager in April, that is a considerable amount of time!  Other than a few ziploc bags of leftover cut materials, the summation of my scrap collection was stuffed into an old milk crock.  Which had been emptied over my sewing room floor and stuffed back on too many occasions to count.

At the start of the process, most fabric needed to be pressed as the pile was a wrinkled and disheveled mess.  After that I started to cut strips at nausea.  I wasn't sure I would ever stop cutting.  Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into a month.  I forced and bribed myself to cut strips.  Each day I would go in, grab a handful and complete it.   I found myself mostly cutting 2 1/2" strips.

As I cut I came up with a plan.  Thinking of how to use all those 2 1/2" strips.  I tossed aside all the dark colours and kept pulling anything bright.  My strategy was to sew 4 strips together and then cut them into another 2 1/2" strip.  I calculated that I needed 224 strips.  I then sewed those into 16 patch blocks.  Using 4 strips of 4 squares.  In the end I landed up with 56 blocks and sewed them together 7 blocks wide x 8 blocks high.

The quilt was with 896 squares!  28 squares x 32 squares.  Quite a feat when they were all cut from random scraps at random lengths.  I had it machine quilted and used up the last bit of a scrap for the binding.  Couldn't be happier!

The result was a quilt that I was thrilled with and landed up being a belated grad gift for my niece.

On the road off the needles

I took a road trip last weekend.  Before I left I was scurrying around the house to grab the last essentials.  You know, a good book and knitting of course!  My husband assured me that I could travel quite well without either.  He usually sleeps on a plane, so I don't think he quite caught the sense of my emergency!

Even though I was in a conference all weekend I managed to whip up "Jane" for my middle daughter.  An easy, one skein knit that satisfied the bill.  Easy and portable.

She has decided it is an indispensable part of her wardrobe!  Love it!

My project raveled here

Child's Play

Yesterday while playing pretend, there was a proposal to my daughter from her friend
"Will you marry me?", asked the suitor on one knee.
"No", came the quick reply "but I will keep the ring!"

I had to laugh out loud and wonder where she learned that!

The joys of puppies

While refinishing our deck today,
I marveled at the antics of our puppy
Realizing nothing is really off limits or beyond exploring

Since our deck needs quite an overhaul,
I have been pulling nails,
adding screws and sanding.

At various points those nails and screws were carried off to be examined and chewed,
Along with a flip flop, bits of sandpaper and the end of the broom.
I'm thinking variety is the spice of life.

Occasionally a cold nose was thrust in my face,
Attempts were made to steal my ear protectors from my head
And the hammer was never really interesting until it was being used.
The power sander was a noisy foreign object that needed to be attacked.

And now after a day of saving the world,
we curl up in a ball,
then throw our legs in the air
and sleep with abandon.

For we are never quite sure what tomorrows adventure might be.

A year and some

This was a very long break,
Wasn't sure I was coming back,
Not sure I am ready to stay.

So much in my everyday,
Not always able to keep up,
Sometimes missing the things that mattered most to my heart.

Still contemplative
But, I say hello!

A ribbed beret

 In our neck of the woods it is snowing...again.

At the beginning of the week there was only a little snow on the yard.

Then it snowed, almost melted, and this evening the mountain is encircled with clouds

and we are being sent more white stuff....sigh!

 The only good thing about this cold weather is

that it keeps the girls and I crafting.

Today they created "Fortresses" with popsicle sticks and hot glue,

while I knitted.

What a lovely day!

 My oldest daughter is modeling the beret I finished over spring break.

It fits her a little better than her younger sister.

But her little sister has made it clear, she isn't getting it.

Ravelry: Design B - Berets for Women and Girls

Yarn: Sirdar Escape DK

I am really happy how the beret turned out.

Some comments said that it turned out larger than they wanted.

So, I really watched my tension and decreases,

and think the end result is lovely.