Uneven Weave

Because of my Steady Thread SAL I've become quite intrigued with blackwork. I found a little ornament pattern on The Gift of Stitching that I wanted to try.

I pulled some fabric out of my stash - 32ct linen from MCG Textiles which I probably purchased at Michaels in the US some time back.

I stitched it, with a pretty good idea the warp threads are a different count than the weft threads but figured it would look OK.

WRONG! It looked WAY squashed.

So I restitched it on some 16ct linen I knew was a quality fabric. Much better.

Here they are side by side.

Just out of curiosity, I did a stitch count in the corner. Lookee what I found! (ignore the miscrossed stitches).

I guess the company chose the average of the two counts (28ct and 36ct) for the count on their packaging. 

How effed up is that?

Lesson learned, although it feels very nice, only use this fabric for non-counted embroidery as it most certainly is not evenweave. 

Millie and Small Pleasures

While installing horizontal blinds a while back I realized I didn't have bits long enough to do the job - reaching to the back of the mounting bracket. I've been wanting longer screwdriver bits that I can use or use with our cordless drill. (I'm the one who does the majority of repairs/maintenance to our home).

I first started looking for a long bit set but any that I saw had multiples of each size of bit. I needed one bit in every size not several bits of one size. 

A couple of weeks ago I found the perfect screwdriver with long bits on a local big box store's website. The ratchet version was $5 more so I decided to go for it - hoping the ratchet mechanism would be sturdy.

Meet Millie!

She has 7 long bits - 2 sizes of flathead screwdriver, 3 sizes of Robertsons (square), and 3 sizes of Phillips (star).

And they all store securely in the handle. The ratchet feature is a bonus. Best of all, it's my first Milwaukee tool. I see Milwaukee tools being used all the time on the YouTube videos I watch and now understand why they are so popular. They are very sturdy, ergonomic, and reasonably priced.

When the bit is inserted in the screwdriver tip, a magnet pulls it into place. These bits will also work with my cordless drill. 

I placed the online order with the big box store and opted for curbside pickup. My order was ready that evening. In the email I was sent was a button that said "I'm here" to be tapped once in a pickup spot at the store. I just had to show the employee some photo ID. I had my merchandise and was on my way within 5 minutes of arrival. So easy and quick. 

I'm going to be taking old blinds down soon in preparation for new ones to be put up so I will be able to put Millie to use. Yippee! (Small pleasures mean a lot during a stay-at-home order in a pandemic)

Week 17

I'm keeping up nicely with my Steady Thread StitchALong (SAL) in the Facebook group. We're at Week 17 and I have all but one flower completed. I do have one substitution I still want to do but need to find the right colour.

This week's is poppy seed pods.

The colours are a lot more subtle than many of the other flowers I've done. It stitched up very quickly. 

I've been looking at the Steady Thread website and Peppermint Purple charts on Etsy for my next blackwork piece. I need to have a good look in my stash for 16ct or 18ct Aida. Otherwise, I'll order some from Kim from Kimat Designs and do a friendly curbside pickup. She also has mail order service and a nifty new website. She also does picture framing and teaches Zentangle - a very talented lady.

I have been doing more knitting than stitching lately, especially at night when I'm a bit more tired and want to actually see what is on the TV show I'm watching as I don't have to look at my knitting as intently as I do my stitching. I'm about an inch from starting the heel on sock #2.

I wasn't impressed with the drastic colour change and should probably have pulled the yarn until the green appeared again but will continue on. The leg of the sock isn't visible by anyone but me anyway.

I was thrilled to get three handmade gifts for my birthday.

Barb stitched a very delicate pin cushion 

FFOd in a mason jar lid.

Lorna painted me a Bird of Paradise in acrylics, and

Marilyn painted me donkeys in watercolours. Her very crafty husband, Kevin, made the rustic frame, and it was mounted and actually put in the frame by Kim (of the aforementioned Kimat Designs).

The donkeys, Oliver and Sally Ann, reside at Primrose Donkey Sanctuary near Roseneath ON. We visited there pre-COVID for an afternoon of tea, treats, and a tour of the place. It is a very serene locale for the rescued donkeys to live out the rest of their days. 

 

Poems Sock #1 Done

I finished the first Poems yarn sock last week and immediately cast on the second sock.

I won't be able to create identical twins with this yarn. 

Progress is being made on my Strawberry Thief. Isn't it lovely?

But I discovered a total rookie mistake when I was finishing the tail. When I cut and pieced the two pages together, I didn't cut the shaded part off that indicates overlap from one page to the other! And when I noted there was no colour on that part of the chart it didn't twig that that was the overlapping part! 

The arrow shows the two columns of stitches that I duplicated. I was going to leave it but since it's really not that many stitches to the right of the error, I'm going to take our the erroneous stitches and redo that part. What a bonehead move. 

Yesterday was my birthday. I had baked myself a chocolate birthday cake with chocolate icing the day before. I was feted with cards and gifts dropped off by some dear friends, a nice card and cheque from Skip and, of course, lots of well wishes from my Facebook community.

We spent the afternoon at the hospital in The Big City for Skip's medical procedure. I brought my iPad and streamed a couple of programs using the free Wifi and enjoyed an Extreme Pita at the food court in the lobby. It's the first food I've consumed  indoors in public since March of last year. 

We got home well before dinner time picking up Subway salads en route and spent the rest of the evening chilling and watching some of our favourite YouTubers. We'll order a fancy takeout birthday dinner from a local restaurant one of these nights.

I used to get so excited for my birthdays in the past but it's not that big a deal any more when we can't take a celebratory trip and eat at a nice restaurant during the pandemic. But I am so grateful for my family and friends, good fortune, and good health. I have so many blessings in my life which I know not to take for granted. I love where I am, how old I am, and who I am with, and know any of that can change in an instant. 

Life is good.

Poems Sock Progress and WIP Update

I have started doing more knitting whilst watching absorbing TV shows as I miss so much when I stitch.

I'm liking how the Poems socks are turning out. 

I continued the eye of partridge stitches on the bottom of the heel for the length of the gusset.

The stranding resulting from the slipped stitches adds an extra layer on that area I wear out most.

I didn't do much stitching last week at all. However, I did get the artichoke segment done shortly after it was released on Friday. Who knew artichokes had purple tufts like thistles and that we ate the flower buds? I substituted Caladium for the top flower as I couldn't decide on what colours to do foxgloves. On the right are hops.

I also have a calla lily segment I can substitute for one I don't really like. I started the passion flowers (right of centre) but am not sure I'll continue with them. They go on the outer border that I'm not doing so I have had to adapt the pattern for a square and am not all that thrilled with it.

I've also been working on the William Morris piece, Strawberry Thief. I haven't decided if I will do the pattern to a flat edge or just let the elements float on the blue background. I could make a little pillow out of it when I'm done or frame it in one of those 8" square frames.

If I got really ambitious, I could stitch the entire pattern with includes the mirror image of this one plus more flowers and another bird and its mirror image.

I need to do an FO parade and shame myself into FFOing some pieces. I am such a process stitcher that once I'm done something, I'm not always fired up to frame or finish it.

Today we are going to pick up our prepared taxes and pick up takeout lunch somewhere to bring home to eat. We are under a stay-at-home order but filing our taxes on time is essential, I believe, and I haven't heard anything about an extension of the deadline like we had last year.

Sock Leg

As soon as I finished my Kaffe Fassett socks I rummaged around in my sock yarn stash and found a ball of yarn for my next pair.

Poems Sock yarn by Wisdom Yarns. I have no idea when or where I bought this yarn. It is a very loosely plied yarn with a wool singles and nylon thread.

The colour changes are quite gradual. I doubt it will be possible to achieve identical twins.  I cast on 68 sts and am using a 3 x 1 rib and eye of partridge heel. I will continue the EOP stitches on the bottom of the heel after I turn it to give some added thickness and strength to the heel as that I where I usually wear out my socks.

Last week I mailed two pairs of socks to one of my friends. One pair was Syncopation socks knit with Manos del Uruguay Alegría sock yarn. I knit them 5 years ago.

and a pair of Kandahar socks with hand-painted Sweet Sheep yarn. These were knit 8 years ago and were just languishing in my sock yarn drawer. 

The recipient was very appreciative as she has very cold feet. I'm happy that my sock surplus is going to a knitworthy person.

We are in a very strict lockdown situation with a stay at home order. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better here in Ontario. Our leaders failed to listen to the epidemiological and hospital professionals back in February when dire circumstances were predicted and opened things up. Now the variants are here and the wildfire is raging out of control. COVID will not be under control any time soon in our province.

I've Been Shot

Last Tuesday I got my first COVID-19 Pfizer shot. It went very smoothly. My shot giver was a pediatrician who felt bogged down by all the stuff she had to fill out on her iPad. She assured me that giving the shot was the least of her concerns. She was right. She was a good shot giver. It was over in a nonce and after my 15 minute waiting period I got my Government of Ontario Health slip and I was on my way out the door. 

Skip met me in the parking lot and we did a littledance. No tears like after he got his shot, though. It was actually rather anti-climactic. We then picked up celebratory kebab salads at our favourite Afghani restaurant and went home for dinner. 

My shiny, new iPhone 12 Pro arrived the next day. The transfer from my iPhone 6 to the 12 was as simple as could be. Basically both phones get turned on and when the setup prompt comes up on the new phone, it says to have a wifi connection and hold near the old phone. Then everything thing is transferred over - photos, apps, emails, everything. I didn't even back the old phone up on my laptop first. Then I transferred the little SIM card to the new iPhone with the little tool that came with.  I had not yet ordered a case so was being very careful while using the new iPhone.

Now that the SIM card is in the new iPhone, the old one still functions perfectly as an iPod Touch. I have to be careful with the screen and will continue to keep something over it like cling wrap, etc but can use it to listen to podcasts etc.

Since the new iPhones no longer ship with Bluetooth ear buds, I ordered a dongle (adapter) that has dual inputs - one for the corded earphone jack and the other for a lightning charger. Strangely the new iPhones do ship with a cable with a USB-C on one end and a lightning end on the other. I only have one charger that has a USB-C so it won't be used a lot.

Friday was our expedition into The Big City for another of Skip's biopsies. Because of our stay-at-home order, traffic was very light, especially leaving the city at rush hour on a sunny, Friday afternoon. So there was that. We picked up takeout salads at Subway on the way home.

I had a nice videochat on Monday with my sorority sisters who are located in Toronto, the greater Toronto area, Colorado, and Texas. We've been meeting via Zoom on the second Monday of the month. It's great to keep in touch.

I found a cute rucksack pattern for Daisy and quickly whipped one up for her. 

She's ready to go on a hike.

This morning I finished the Kaffe Fassett striped socks.

They are very photogenic, don't you think?

And they're very cozy.

I probably have enough sock yarn to knit 30 pairs of socks so I have pledged to always have a sock on the needles and try to make a dent in my sock yarn stash. 

On Tuesday I stopped in at Marilyn's to deliver her birthday gifts. We had a lovely, socially-distanced chat in her garage. I also mailed one of my sorority sisters/fellow UWO FoM classmates two pairs of my hand-knit socks for her chilly feet.

We were supposed to go into The Big City tomorrow for Skip's next procedure but we got a call this morning that the surgeon was not going to be available and it was rebooked for next Friday. With our ICUs overflowing with COVID patients, doctors are being redeployed but last Friday the surgeon assured Skip that he would still be doing his microsurgery.

ICU medicine is a highly specialized area. I'm not sure how doctors and specialists in other areas can be redeployed without the specialized training. We are in big trouble here in Ontario with the third wave, 3 of the variants, accelerating infection rate, and short supply of COVID vaccine.

We are all tired of the confinement. Fortunately, with the nicer weather, we can meet outdoors in groups of 5 or less still socially distancing.

Yesterday I ran a couple of errands in Port Perry. I dropped our tax stuff off to be done and purchased some lettuce plants for Skip's cold frame. While I was in the area I visited one of my fellow Shuttlebug  members for a porch visit. After my errands I bought a sandwich and pop for the drive home so I'd be ready for my Wednesday afternoon Zoom chat with my stitcherly friends.

So that brings us up to date at our humble hacienda. Now I'm going to pick out the yarn for my next pair of socks.

Back At It

After spending 3 days tidying and cleaning the house and entertaining a guest (household of 1 is permitted to join another household) for Easter dinner, on Sunday, I took it easy yesterday. I finished my crocheted Hudson's Bay blanket. and might have enough coloured yarn to do another. But I will have to do the math and weigh the coloured balls to make sure. Who said we'd never use algebra in our lives? I use it all the time when figuring out how much yarn is left on a partially used ball of yarn.

You may recall that I had finished it a few days ago only to discover that my crocheting had relaxed to a point that the blanket was totally distorted on the last part I crocheted. See the ripply part?

After ripping it back and redoing it, with a 5mm hook, it is not perfect but it is MUCH improved.

I also did some work on my William Morris piece.  It's not great for stitching while watching something on TV that I really need to look at as I've had to pick out some erroneous stitches. But I keep working away at it.

What I CAN do while looking at the TV is knit, so I've been working on my 3x1 ribbed Kaffe Fassett socks and almost have the leg done on the second sock.

I'm pretty sure Stephanie still has some of Kaffe's Design Line sock yarn at Myrtle Station Wool.

Now all my crafty stuff is confined to my craft room/office instead of spread all over the house and I can barely walk in here. Tackling that mess is my next big task. 

I go for my first COVID shot today! It will be such a relief to have the first dose. Due to supply limitations, it was decided to vaccinate as many Canadians as possible with the first dose before administering the second one, Unfortunately, as a big experiment, it was arbitrarily decided that the delay for the second dose would be 4 months. There is no evidence that this delay is a good idea and we're the only nation in the world undergoing this experiment.

Skip and I will be ordering celebratory shish kebab takeout from the vaccine site parking lot and will pick it up on the way home from my shot.

And finally, I smashed the screen on my antique (in the tech world), 6 year-old iPhone 6 the other day. It slipped out of my hand and hit the ceramic tile floor on its corner. The phone still works great but the screen is dangerously shattered. I had decided a while back that if anything happened to the phone, I'd replace it with a shiny new one rather than spend the money to repair the old one. The iPhone 6 with a smashed screen is worth nothing as a trade-in and even if repaired can no longer be updated past iOS 12.5.

So it wasn't a hard decision to 'bite the bullet' and order a new one. It's way more fun to shop at an Apple store but that isn't an option during this lockdown. I ended up ordering one from Costco. Their phone price was only a couple of bucks cheaper than Apple but their Apple Care + (extended warranty) was $50 cheaper. I'm not sure how they swing that but it was enough of a discount to get my business.

Yesterday I got this notice from UPS, the service that is delivering my new phone:

A few minutes later I got this message:

WTF! It sounds like an inside job to me. I assume UPS and Costco are duking it out to resolve the situation. If I haven't heard anything by tomorrow, I will contact Costco and see what they're going to do for me.

So who knows when I'll get my shiny new iPhone 12 Pro? In the meantime, I am muddling along with my iPad and my horizontal iPhone 6. I'll be putting cling wrap over the screen to keep the glass in place when I go for my shot.

I've also spent the last 4 days searching for a good case for it that is non-slippery and cute. It's so annoying to not to be able to look at cases in person. Ah well, first world problems.

UPDATE! I called Costco and they are shipping me another phone, Hopefully this time UPS won't cock up the delivery.

A New Friend for Daisy

 Daisy has a new friend whose name is Ramsey.

They're all excited about the Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Finally Framed

I bought the frame to FFO this stitching months ago and cut the foam core a few weeks ago. And then everything just sat.

Today I wanted to feel some sense of accomplishment so I finally finished framing this Quaker Alphabet piece that I finished stitching last October.

Instead of stitching around the piece to get it centered properly on the foam core, I just drew the lines with a Frixion pen. I then pinned the stitching to the foam core and then securely laced the edges on the back. I decided to remove the pins so there wouldn't be any pull marks on the edges.

It came out great. 

It's Willie's Quaker Alphabet #7 from the June 2008, Issue #26 of The Gift of Stitching a digital magazine that is no longer putting out new issues but the entire collection (72 issues) is available for purchase and download.

I also thought I had my double crochet Hudson's Bay lap blanket almost finished until I spread it out and the entire part I've been crocheting since I picked it up again is wider than the first part. I somehow must have grabbed a larger crochet hook when I resumed crocheting it last week. (not showing the messed up part)

So I'm going to rip out all the wonky part and re-crochet it and get it off to the chemo department of our local hospital.

Speaking of medical issues, we are going back to a loosey goosey lockdown on Saturday for 4 weeks. Skip and I have been living this way for the past year anyway so it won't make a big difference in our lives. We have lots of stuff stocked up. Unfortunately, the variants are much more contagious and more serious illnesses are resulting and to younger people. Schools are staying open until the break in 1.5 weeks. Eligible vaccine age is dropping so I am registered with 4 pharmacy chains to get AstraZeneca at the earliest opportunity unless our local public health unit drops their eligibility age and I can get the Moderna or Pfizer shot there. Following the advice of medical professionals I'm going to take whatever vaccine I'm first offered.

People can still fly in and out of Canada. Malls are still open. Schools are still open.

Tomorrow's a holiday so I plan to hunker down and get my dining room cleared out so we can use it for dinner on Easter Sunday with the good china and everything. Would it surprise you if you knew my china pattern was Royal Albert Petit Point?

I hope you enjoy the weekend.