I reached my goal! I have all 19 knitted hat ornaments finished, along with 1 sewn Nordic mitten.
This week I am going to work on the fabric diamonds and mini quilts. I may get to the gingerbread men, they could be worked on in the evenings. I need to take a week long break before I start knitting the stockings, which will be ongoing for the final two weeks of July.
I also purchased some felt pieces for this year’s new ornament, which will be a Nativity with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.
Not much to report except that I have inventoried my ornament stash—it’s very low, (as in 6/65) and have made a count of what I need. I have a good head start on family gifts, so continued working on them while I got organized for student gifts.
Yesterday, I started on the students; this week my priority will be hats, because I need 19, and they are pretty quick. I am hoping that I can have a good pile to show you next update. I also prepped the sewing machine to work on the sewn ornaments, and did actually finish the one Nordic mitten I need for this year, made out of flannel scraps.
I would have had something to show you, but yesterday was a cherry picking day, so the entire evening was spent first picking, then pitting. So far, we have 10 cups of cherries in the freezer, and I think there may be another 6-8 cups still to ripen. It will be hot this week, so I expect I’ll be out picking again Wednesday. Happily, I have a 9:00 start for lessons and a pretty open afternoon, so may be able to get that job done and still have a free evening to work on ornaments.
Photos next time, I promise! How did you do last week, make any plans or do inventory on what is already finished?
I am going to focus on Christmas preparations this month, getting a head start on gift making. Anyone care to join me?
If you want to join in, just post your plans for Christmas projects, this week, and follow up with a report on July 8, 15, 22 and 31st! You don’t have to declare your participation, just include “Christmas in July” somewhere in the title of your post!
How long have I been working on this sweater? Ravelry says I started it March 19, 2020! I think it may have spent a good 18 months in time out though.
The last time I shared about Orkney it looked like this…
And then this….
Tonight I finished attaching the first button band, so I have come a long ways since the first of the year.
Next steps are to determine button placement and do the second band, and then the neck. I have jacquard ribbon to finish the inside, which currently looks a bit scary, though I double stitched with a tiny zig zag, so it’s fairly safe. (That’s what’s keeping me from trying it on!)
It is looking a bit small, but I am hoping it works out. If not, I’ll gift it to Girl #2, who likes these colors and is so tiny; it would definitely fit her.
My evening project rotation and an unusually cool June has been great for my Orkney sweater. I have been pretty diligent about working on it every third day, and the sleeves are growing steadily.
I have just started that teal section on the second sleeve. If it gets too hot to knit, I will prep the body for the steeks and start work on the button band. The original pattern doesn’t have one, but I kept forgetting to work the button holes, so I decided a band was the best solution for me.
I need to go back to Ravelry and see if I can find photos with horizontal and vertical bands using the gray and see which I like best. I will sew it on and cover the seam with some jacquard ribbon I have purchased.
Lest you have forgotten, here’s a reminder of what the body looks like.
I am feeling good about my progress now, and with a road trip to northern Minnesota in August, I think I will have plenty of hours to work on it and a couple of other projects.
My bed time knitting is progressing nicely too. I am on the second sock of a new pair for DH, and just about ready to start the heel flap. Once that happens, they seem to go much faster. The cool summer has kept knitting enjoyable, so I am progressing faster than I had hoped.
I crossed many things off my list during the past two weeks, and I am satisfied! Lots of chores and plenty of sewing, with some piano, reading and stitching mixed in.
The floors are scrubbed and the iris beds are cleaned up! Those were my absolute musts, to which I added deep cleaning the kitchen. I may still do some drawer organizing today, and bag up some stuff for the charity shop.
The next big chore will be pulling the lambs quarter in the garden. With all the rain, it is growing faster than the chickens can eat it, so it’s time to clear things out. I did do a thistle purge last week, so DH and I should be able to make quick work of it over the weekend.
In the sewing room, things have been slow but steady. Doing three shirts at once is a LONG process, especially if you have to change thread! Ms. Necchi is now home, so I don’t have to change thread any more. The shirts need hems, then it’s on to the buttonholes. I will go for one set of buttonholes each day, and then add buttons to my evening rotation until completed.
Thursday I took a break and sandwiched the next senior quilt; I wanted it ready to go, so when I decide I want to FMQ, I am ready to go. Only one senior next year, so getting this finished before summer is over would be great!
Today I will be prepping the fabrics for four pillowcases. I was able to get all four out of the boxes Nanette sent me along with my stash. I was really pleased to be able to combine fabrics and still hit on the kid’s favorite colors. Once those are ready, it’s time to put away a bunch of fabrics and do some scrap management. I would like to clear my cutting table before Monday so that I can finally cut a couple of Alaska blocks next week.
I have been rotating my SAL and HQAL projects with my Orkney cardigan. You may have see. The SAL a project already in my Sunday post, and the HQAL update will post on Sunday. Here’s my Orkney progress, I have a good start on the sleeves. I am increasing faster than the pattern, as the comments said they are quite fitted, and they are right. I don’t mind that below the elbow, but I would prefer a looser fit above, so will attempt to engineer that as I knit.
I have finished another charity hat, and am well along on a sock for DH. My bedside knitting yields slow but steady progress these days.
I have been able to keep up with my yoga, exercise and walks through out May, and this week I am focusing on portion control and no snacking, so I think I am at the point where I can drop the extra pounds that I have accumulated the past few years. I have noticed that I don’t overheat at night if I am below a certain weight, so I am going to try to get there before the heat waves in July. After last summer, I am motivated!
Bandit had an exceptional walk this morning. We left at 6:30 and were met by a big white truck just past our corner. Earlier this week I had to turn around and go home twice because Bandit couldn’t pull it together and stop barking. Today, he grabbed his chain and whined like crazy but no barking! That was a huge accomplishment of self control…there’s hope! We also met two dogs in the park and he did a decent job of keeping himself under control. He still pulls like crazy and gets himself quite overheated, but there are sections where he actually trots like a normal dog! It’s going to be a long haul, but he is gaining ground.
We saw 33 baby Canada geese and 8 baby mallards this morning. I will take the camera tomorrow and see if I can get a photo. The baby mallards are less than a week old, tiny and darting around in the lake with their mouths wide open, letting the bugs just fly in…they are hilarious!
When I worked at the university April was a crazy busy month, and while it’s not as extreme as it once was, lots of things seem to happen in April. This year, April was filled with good stuff, but I found myself looking forward to a more relaxed May! I have only five more days of teaching before a good sized break May 18-June 5. I have decided to teach only six weeks this summer, so will have a full month off mid July-August. It is very exciting to think I can plan such a long vacation period…unthinkable when I opened the studio in the Fall of 2017!
The short version of April included two recitals, one being the studio, another one I accompanied, a rough patch for DH, shoveling snow, finishing the senior quilts, taxes, making the summer lesson schedule…you get the idea! Needless to say, almost no blogging occurred! I did share the three completed quilts for my three seniors, but that’s it.
KidNotes Piano students
My health and fitness goals are finally showing fruit. I pulled out a pair of summer crop pants that were tight last year and they fit again! That was a huge boost, and has spurred me on. The good weather and lighter mornings have also been helpful , as are my new rain boots, so no more soaked feet on early morning forays across the golf course.
Bandit is continuing to mature. Some days he is actually under control, noise wise, but he is still in sled dog mode most of the time. I have to remind myself to keep proper form during our walks to minimize the pull on my shoulders. The yoga helps keeps that in check, and a lot of stretching.
We have forgiven Bandit for all his faults, as he became a true hero a few weeks ago. DH has periodic rough patches right before his scheduled steroid injections, and the night before his appointment, Bandit woke me out a sound sleep at 2:00 am. I had been dead to world when he started licking my arm. I listened and all was quiet; DH had gone downstairs and there wasn’t a sound anywhere, so I told Bandit to go back to sleep. Less than five minutes later, DH was gasping…his airway had blocked with mucus and he couldn’t get any air. Because I was awake, I was able to act quickly and the crisis was averted, but had I been in the deep sleep it could have gone very badly. During the flurry of activity that followed, Bandit sat with his head under DH’s palm, providing comfort. He got a very fancy breakfast after that!
Who says I don’t need a pillow!
I did get some sewing accomplished in April. I got Grandma Necchi back from the spa where she had some adjustments and is now sewing like a champ. My first project was a pillow case, and then I moved on to a wool vest, using a remnant from Girl #1’s coat made back in 2017.
Burda Style 6337
It features these embroidered pockets. The design came from the Nor Trøndelag bunad, which is where my grandfather’s people were from.
Next, I put the rows together on Pieces of the Garden, a free BOM designed by Melva. I still have to decide on the borders, but I think the first one will be a bright orange, then maybe a light yellow floral. I’m letting that simmer for a bit before I decide. I plan to get the one senior quilt for next year finished this month when Ms. Necchi returns from her visit to the spa.
My next sewing project will be three shirts for DH; one in wool and two in cotton. I am going to do them all at once, which will hopefully speed things up. I will start those after the next laundry day, when I prewash the two cottons. After that I am going to attempt to squeak out an Anzu skirt from my remaining teal wool. I will have to get creative with facings and pockets, but I hope to be able to make it solid except for the detachable pocket. It may just be a pipe dream, but I want to try!
I have also finally applied myself to the Orkney sweater, and the fronts are finished! I have just a few rows left before shaping the back neckline. I am so excited to start the sleeves!
Today I hope to make some progress on the BOM quilt from A Quilting Life. It still needs sashing and cornerstones before I can put it together. That will clear my cutting table of everything except Alaska and a tree block that I want to try for a future top.
A big goal for this year was to finish existing projects and to reduce scraps of both fabric and yarn. I will have made a huge dent by June, and still have made some new things, which makes me happy. I do have some new projects on the docket: a cover for Grandma Necchi, and a new cushion for the studio piano. Those are high priority, so I won’t hold them for later in the summer.
With a little time off and a lighter schedule, I plan to blog more often this summer. We won’t have the big garden, as we are doing some renovations in it this summer. More on that later!
How has your spring been? Are you excited about summer plans?
I didn’t do a recap of February, as I was in the midst of the sewing bee madness, but I think it’s time to take stock and see how I am doing on my quest to tie up loose ends this year.
Health and Fitness During the Bee I had a tougher time attending to this, but after Round 2 I really tried to stick with my plan and have been more consistent. I only missed a few days of yoga in March, and have been consistent with getting a walk in, except for a few very stormy days. I now have some new rubber boots so wet and melting days are no longer an excuse! I did add a 7 minute standing core workout to my routine in February, and that combined with the yoga and walking seems to be keeping my back from getting stiff. I am starting to see the scale drop very sloooooly, but the trend is good. Losing weight post menopause is an entirely different game.😠
Knitting The charity hat pile is growing, I finished another one last week, and just have to pull my pattern for a new one to be started this weekend. I have darned two socks for DH, and have another completed sock. I have been trying to start another pair of a Greek motif socks for Girl #2, but have had some trouble making gauge. I think I’m going to give up on doing them both at once, and go back to my straight needles. I have plans to start another pretty patterned pair for me, but maybe not for awhile. Orkney does receive a bit of attention here and there, but only when I am fresh and rested, which wasn’t often in February and March!
Sewing I’ve done plenty the past two months! In addition to the 4 rounds for the Bee I have also done a pillowcase for Ava’s book recital, and have another to do for Violet for next week. I have been working on my flannel cow shirt, and just finished that. I have been reworking an old pattern 90’s pattern for a better fit, and am almost there. I have a couple of things needing mending or something laying in a pile, so will take care of those before I start my next projects.
Scrap usage While my latest projects created some scraps, I utilized things I had already, so my only purchase was some lining for the wool jacket. I made a knit muslin from an old jersey sheet piece, then cut it up for floor rags. I used a piece of cotton for another muslin, then deconstructed it and used it again for the 3rd round. It is now in the scrap bag, to be cut into squares for quilts. The scrap bag has grown in the last two months, so I will need to devote some time to cutting things up.
Quilting In addition to my Bible carrier, I have completed 2/3 senior quilts, doing the quilting and finishing the binding. I am starting the quilting on No. 3 this weekend. I want to complete the AQL flimsy next, which got put on the back burner during the Bee, and then move on to the row quilt.
Studio April is busy, with a Master Class next week, makeups and the recital at the end of the month. The kids are doing well in their preparations. I will be saying good bye to two families that are moving away this spring, but the free time will be appreciated; I think I reached my limit with 60 students! I also have two recital gigs this month, so that will get my fingers moving too.
The taxes are ready to go! We have Federal income taxes and property taxes all due in April as well as house insurance.😳 Talk about making sure you are prepared! DH has been hard keeping track of it, and next year’s will be easier as we we will do better about paying quarterly so it’s not such a big chunk to deal with. That’s the trade off to paying off the house, but it was worth it. At least they were done in plenty of time, so we could plan.
Bandit We are still in full guard dog mode here, but the daily walks have helped calm him down, and I have been able to actually take the sidewalk bridge even with cars coming this week. He still gets very agitated, but he is no longer screaming, just some barking, and it is subsiding pretty quickly. Some days we get to the park with no barking at cars. A Friend suggested that it might be another 12-18 months before he really gets some consistent self control (heeler blood), so any progress is a relief. We have also had some success in him ignoring the dogs next door, who will bay when they see him. Once spring arrives we will tarp the fence between so they can’t see each other. When the weather improves I will resume porch sitting, so we can “observe” the cars on the street and hopefully learn to accept their presence and not try to herd them.
January was spent working toward finishing some long standing projects and using up bits. Other tasks included the Young Artist competition and getting started on taxes. No new plans were allowed, in fact, I didn’t click on a single block of the month link, just to make certain I stuck to my finishing schedule!
As the end of this month draws near, I am feeling good about progress cleaning up loose ends.
Health and Fitness…I have not missed a day of yoga so far this year, and have done pretty well in taking Bandit for the 1 1/2 mile walk most days, or taken him for a short outing and then shoveled snow. I’ve only lost a few pounds, but once the habits are reestablished, minding the intake will be simpler, at least that’s what I tell myself. Today I got plenty of exercise shoveling the driveway. We had 6-8 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, thankfully it was powder snow and not the heavy wet stuff.
Knitting…I am almost finished with my third charity hat. I did purchase some blender colors from the clearance shelf at Hobby Lobby, but ecru and white are useful for ornaments, so I feel justified in spending the $3.00! I am nearly finished with another sock for DH. I knit on that while we are at the dining room table chatting after meals, and if we go errand running. I haven’t done a lot with Orkney lately, but it will get more attention in the weeks ahead.
Sewing…I have taken care of the mending that has been laying in the corner, so am ready to either begin Bee sewing on Monday, or move on to the pair of jeans I started last spring and put aside. I finished my print mixing shirt, using up 2 1/4 yards of flannel scraps in the process and finalized the fit on a oversized shirt pattern that needed to be permanently cut down. DH hates it, but I think it’s great fun, even though I got the sleeves backwards from what I had planned.
Scrap usage…I finished binding two more potholders, and have only one sitting on the shelf, needing InsulBrite. There are no more half square triangles sitting out needing to be used. There’s just one small bag with some precious fabric, that I am saving for just the right project, likely a small quilt block.
Quilting…I will have several major finishes by the the end of the weekend, one to share tomorrow with the HQAL update, and the other next week. My next item for removal will be a pile of charm squares that have been sitting on my ironing board waiting for the perfect project for a year. I finally have the perfect idea for them, and will get that started later this month. I will need to find a resource for my idea and then I’ll get started. Also on the docket this month is to turn the AQL blocks into a flimsy, once I select the fabrics to be used for the cornerstones, etc.
Studio…The Young Artist concerto competition went great. The four I accompanied did a nice job, and Cordelia won second place in the junior division. Next up is their school regional solo contest, which will be the last time we play their piece. Amazingly, I already have seven kids requesting me for next year, which is exciting! My advanced piano students have all started on their April recital pieces, and I have 3 students finishing up Book 1 and preparing for their book recitals. I had one last week that had been delayed multiple times, so we are glad to have that finished up.
Taxes…which are the bane of my life, but I have compiled all of my expenses and earnings for the business, and am about ready to do my Schedule C. Having that completed will be a big weight lifted. There are other single events to deal with this year, but the business part has to be completed before anything else.
Bandit…he continues to be a big challenge, but we are seeing signs of maturing, so we are hopeful that in the next six months we will see some good changes in him. He is still an absolute love and wants to be with one of us all the time, but he is sooo strong willed it is a constant battle to keep him in line and moving forward. Yesterday he snapped his cable leash so now we have a chain one. He is a power chewer, so nothing is safe from those teeth.
Instead of trying to put away all the Christmas stuff on January 1, I made a list, and took it down a day at a time. It was nice to have the tree up a week longer, especially since it was still taking water on the 30th! It was also nice to not have to deal with everything all at once!
That’s how the New Year felt coming in! I don’t stay up until midnight, it makes the rest of the week too much of a mess, so I was up at regular time and worked on getting ready for students to return! I have some goals this year, a big one being to get more fit and lose some extra pounds, so I tackled that one first…I have enjoyed doing Yoga with Adrienne, so I signed up for her 30 day challenge. Doing yoga does wonders for my flexibility, and Adrienne does a great job of easing beginners in without a lot of pain or stiffness. So far, I haven’t missed a day, and I can actually tell the difference!
I have things to finish before I get absorbed in new stuff, so I began by organizing the on going projects and moving them to places where they would get more attention. The never ending sock project is now back next to the dining room table, and getting a few rows in each evening. It is also handy to grab when we go somewhere in the car, whether it be the grocery store or out to Runnings or Walmart. The latest sock is now ready to start the heel, so progress may be slow, but it is steady.
My SAL cross stitch has moved from the plastic Hobby Lobby bag into a cute little project bag I received from a student. It is sitting downstairs where we have a new floor lamp with a second reading light attached, so I am no longer confined to working on the bunny only on weekends in the daylight. I plan to pick it up one or two evenings a week for now.
I finally opened my Orkney bag on Thursday and measured. I am lengthening the sweater some, (hopefully I haven’t screwed it up) and learned I have about4 inches to go before starting the neck decreases. I got smart, measured my rows, and marked the pattern so I can just knit to that point. Not worrying about the neckline makes the knitting much more relaxing, and the rows are adding up more quickly too!
I have put away the fabric gifted to me at Christmas, and have stayed away from all the enticing BOM’s starting. Time enough for that when I have completed what’s on my sewing table, namely the last row of Pieces in the Garden and turning Moda Blockheads 4 into a flimsy. If I get cracking, I might yet manage to get those mostly done before the weekend.
I confess some of my motivation to finish is because I am sort of gearing up for the Sewing Bee. There is a new member on the contest committee, and she is much more aligned with technical sewing as opposed to her predecessor, who was more toward the highly creative side of the house. I have felt that technique might be getting a bit of a brush off the last two years, because very artsy but not always well executed things were progressing when I thought they should have been eliminated. I won’t make any decisions until the first challenge comes out, but I have some ideas I want to test this month, and maybe do some test runs of patterns. I also have a decent variety of fabrics on hand and some new patterns.
There’s still plenty of regular chores to deal with too. Pears were on sale for $1.69 last week with no limit, so we brought home a box, which was 40 pounds. There have not been any box sales for two years now, and fruit was something we wanted to have more of. Pears aren’t my favorite, but having 21 fresh quarts on the shelf is a blessing.
We have a winter garden going. It’s mainly an experiment, but it is doing OK so far. I started lettuce in October, and it was big enough to use for the salad for Christmas dinner. We have some carrots and onions growing, some peas and are trying to get some celery started. There are also herbs under the grow lights, and they are about ready to use.
I am taking Bandit for a walk every day that it is at least 20 degrees out. Walking him is still a bit difficult, as he is highly reactive to cars and other dogs. That means we have to stay off the sidewalks and use the golf course, which is a little more work when it snows. I have Sorels, so my feet are warm and dry, but they are heavy! Between them and Bandit operating in sled dog mode, it is quite an adventure. He is beginning to obey better now that he has been neutered and gotten a bit older, but he is still a ton of work and is constantly getting reprimanded for barking at the wrong times, leaping at me when he is too excited, etc. I have never seen a dog with so much energy; we do 1.75 miles in just under 30 minutes and he is still pulling hard on the leash to go faster. I get a great arm workout holding him in check.
So, no real resolutions or specific goals for me, just working on getting some of those good habits pushed to the front and more consistent, and attempting to clear my plate and use up stuff. A new year is like a new day on steroids; it’s an opportunity to check in and/or change direction. how about you?
Sewing Etc. 