Slow to stitch!

sweater done but needs blocking

It has been a busy few weeks. I started to put in my garden but just the things that would take the cold. Good thing too as the last two or three days we have had frost overnight and have awaken to white on the grass and rooftops. So far the only thing that has lost a bit is my oak tree...the tender new leaves are a bit crispy but I think it will be okay.

dishcloths

So while I can't be in the garden...only the weeds are growing, I have been working in my studio. I am working on a surprise so all I can say is some laps quilts are getting made and I have been taking pictures that I will share at a later date. I have finally finished a sweater that I was working on for myself and now I can move onto another project. A friend asked if these knitted dishcloths that her mother made could be made into anything. So I am attempting to make small and medium afghans with them. I tried to crochet them together but wasn't liking the look so I have settled on knitting(my preferred method)to get the job done. 

pretty Spring coloured yarn for socks

Also June 1 marks the start of "sock a polozza" at Sweet Yarns knitting shop in Sudbury. Lauren the owner has the month of June set  for making socks. No challenge, just to see how many socks we can make in a month. There are three categories beginner, intermediate and obsessed! I think there are some prizes at the end of it all! Although there is no challenge I might start a pair of toe up socks. I have made one pair but it is still a new technique for me. Might need to call a friend for some help!!

Today I will be looking in to see what
Kathy and all the others are slow stitching on. My slow stitching will happen after supper...too many other things to work on during the bright light of daytime. 

Have a good week, mine will include a vaccine shot!

Stay at home means more sewing

 Yes our stay at home/lockdown order got extended again. So what does that mean to me...not much has changed. I am at home and getting some projects checked off my to-do list.  Not all things are sewing related though. Yesterday I spent the day outside working in the yard and some painting on the rims of my winter tires. Some of these jobs were things my hubby did but they have become my tasks to complete now. I do know my limits and when I reach them...I head for the sewing room to relax.

2 done 8 to go

This week I started a project that I received in late January. My uncle passed away and his family asked if I would make memory pillows for them with his shirts. Now because of covid, I was not able to be at the funeral and so this is a fitting way for me to honour him and his memory for his family. I had started with a tester one(there were extra  shirts) then found a video on how to make the pillows with the collar still on. I think they look pretty cool.  I will be adding an embroidered patch to the front as well, just not sure what it will say as yet. As I was cutting apart the shirts, I realized that a man's large shirt contains at least 3 fat quarters and possibly a 4th if you added all the little pieces and sleeves together. So I am sure I will have leftovers that I will put to a good use. This has been the perfect project to get me sewing and helping me to decide what I will work on next.

Of course every quilter has UFO and I am no stranger to that. But which one should I work on. Most of my UFO are finished tops so that means they need basting and machine or hand quilting. These days I like to do a little of both on a quilt. The machine quilting acts as basting for the hand quilting and the quilt gets finished a bit quicker than if I hand quilted the whole thing.

When it is break/tea time...I will be seeing what Kathy is up to this week. She is in the same lockdown as I am and I know the time is getting long.  It is always interesting to see what everyone is working on and to see how there seems to be a resurgence in cross stitch over the last year or so. Maybe I will have to get out my cross stitch project that isn't finished, from 12 years ago! yikes

I have to share what I received this week. The members of the band that my hubby was part of , gifted this chair to me in his memory. Seeing the chair was one thing but reading the plaque brought instant tears. I hope he has found a comfy bench to sit on to wait, because I am hoping he will be waiting for a long while.

Going forth into May

 Three months have passed since the day that changed my world. How can that be? We ended April with a day full of a freak snowstorm, family and lots of tears as we said our final good bye to a husband, father, brother and uncle. We of course blamed my hubby for the bad weather...he knew I loved the snow in all forms!

So now  May has arrived with its promise of new life with all the growing plants.. Yesterday was an unusually nice day and I spent it outside doing yard work. The gardens are ready to be planted and the greenhouse is also ready. I could put plants in there now but the gardens will have to wait a bit till it warms up more.

On the sewing/quilting front, it has been a slow process for me. I finally started working on a project and have got the top done. In the photo the set in triangles look brown but are more green with orange and purple dots. I had to take the photo in the driveway for a big enough spot to spread it out. But now what, it is too large for me to machine quilt. 

This is one that I would love to have a quilting bee and invite my friends over to help. We could social distance around a frame...right. But we have the nasty "stay at home order" in effect still. Oh well that top can rest a bit till I decide what to do with it! 

I have been knitting on my sweater and had it almost done, then I tried it on and oops!! It wasn't long enough and the arm holes were too small. So I ripped part of it out and am trying to get it finished. I have another new project to work on...a friend's mom knitted lots and I mean lots of dishcloths. She was wondering if there was something else they could be used for. I suggested an afghan. So I am making them into baby blankets and a couple larger afghans. That should keep me busy for a bit. But I want to finish my sweater first or I may never get back to it!!

Today I would like to wish all the mothers a  Happy Mother's Day. We deserve more than just one day although my hubby use to say that mother's day was every day! I will be checking in with Kathy and looking to see what everyone is up to on this slow stitching Sunday. I haven't linked up in a few weeks so I have some catching up to do! 

Enjoy your day!