While getting ready for this blog post I decided to look up the last time I posted finished objects.
1. It's been a while
2. I was trying to track down the wrong tags. I almost labeled this one WIPs #6 for 2023, or something like that.
Oops.
It's been a bit of a week. It went fast. It dragged. I felt behind on all the things.
And now I feel like I may be coming down with something.
My son has been sick this week, and was complaining of a sore throat earlier this week.
Guess who is feeling a bit of a sore throat? Yup. This girl here.
Fingers crossed the vitamin C I took will knock it out before it gets a hold.
The weather this week has been a bit odd. The other day I broke down and made a fire in the wood stove. My husband said "Really?" when he came home and I told him what I had done. I was cold! It was *not* warming up in the house and I had opened the windows early in the morning, thinking it was going to warm up a lot earlier than it did. My feet were like ice that day.
Anyways, I'm sure the weird temperature fluctuations aren't helping anything.
*clears throat* Okay. On to the finished objects I promised.
Vanilla socks are done! Another project that had been on the needles for what feels like forever.
Project Name: Vanilla socks
Started: Jan. 7, 2023
Finished: June 1, 2023, or thereabouts
Designer/Source: My own pattern
Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn
Colorway: Mexicala stripes
Colors: oranges, red, purples and a smatter of blue and white
Required Amount: Two skeins of sock yarn. 100 grams
Needle/Hook Size: U.S. 1 (2.25 mm)
Gauge: beats me
Made For: Myself
Dye Lots: WL238520
I think I'm going to put a bit of a pause on vanilla socks, and get back to basics.
"What?" you are probably asking.
The last pairs of socks I've made have not been my best work. I seem to have lost something.
Soooooo ... I decided to look up sock classes on craftsy. I have a membership there and came across a class by Lucy Neatby. I'm going to do a remedial (to me) class.
I decided to pick up some acryllic worsted weight yarn and I'm going to work through the class and use that yarn to make some bedroom socks.
The other thing I finished is my February Month to Month.
Floss: Using called for Classic Colorworks fancy floss
Colors: Black, pink, red, teal, green
Needle Size: 26
Made For: Myself
I am very happy to finally have it complete. It's going to go into a finished object pile until I decide how I want to FO all of the pieces in the series.
In other crafty news
Last night I started back up on my snowflake cross stitch.
Using patternkeeper to keep track is on this chart is great. I'm bouncing around the grid with the same color and it's so much easier.
I put in just over 100 stitches. Last night I was scrolling through the Facebook and a group or page had something about a stitch-along and the notes said if the stitcher stitched 200 stitches a day, it would be easy to keep up and finish the stitch-along on time.
I thought "What? That's a lot of stitches," and figured the person would probably have to really dedicate their time to the project. Then I saw how quick you can do 100 stitches.
With that in mind, I'm thinking if I put some dedicated time to this project, I can get it down sooner than later.
I'd also like to pick "Edna" back up and work on her, and get it finished.
I felt like I was starting to pick up steam before I decided to put it away. Evenweave kinda kicks my butt.
Recently I switched up the hashtags I am following on Instagram and was reminded that Tour de Fleece is just around the corner. I've been working on the same wool for the last several tours.
My problem with spinning is that I don't have a good dedicated spot for spinning. The chair I usually sit in when I'm in the living room isn't very comfortable for the sitting position I need to be in when I'm using the wheel. What I have been doing is bringing out a kitchen chair, setting it up near Furby, and leave it like that for a while.
I've been meaning to sit down and write since Sunday. Things keep coming up and distracting me.
How on earth did it get to be mid-June? I feel like I've barely got anything done and the month is half-over. Oy!
I'm still trying to figure out this whole having a graduate at home. For those of you who have strong-willed freshly-graduated kids, you may understand what I'm currently dealing with. The whole wanting to be an adult, but still wanted to be a kid thing. I'm not gonna lie, it's been a struggle. I've read about this whole "dirtying-the-nest" thing, but reading about it doesn't fully prepare you.
Okay. ...
Last week I was on vacation. Which basically meant I didn't have to go to work. My hubby and I spent the week together, catching up on some things that needed doing.
We butchered the meat birds, re-stacked some wood that tipped over, and cut and make a new wood round.
... what else ... I don't remember. How sad is that. Mostly I was trying to decompress and relax when we weren't doing homesteady stuff. Yes, I did do some work in the garden. No, I still haven't recorded a video or taken many photos out there.
Wait, I take that back. I do have a few things to share with you.
Remember all the pepper plants I started back in February because i was so eager to get things started?
I have a big jim pepper, or two, growing. How fun is that?! I have never had peppers this early.
Yesterday morning, before work, I was out in the garden, weeding and marveling at how fast the weeds spring up, and I spotted this little fella on one of the milkweed plants.
I was excited to see this monarch caterpillar. I shared it in a Facebook group and people excitedly told me how to best care for it. Some people were lamenting how they haven't seen as many as they used to. Truthfully, I don't know if I'm up to caring for a caterpillar in the house. I don't usually see many birds over in that area of the yard. It's usually butterflies flitting around.
I mentioned the weeds. Well, the weeds has started coming in the garden and I want to knock those down before I take any other photos or videos.
One of the days we decided to take a walk through the back 20. It was nice to see all that green after the longest winter in recent memory.
Then we came across an area I don't frequent too often because it's kind of swampy.
We were tiptoeing on the moss, and trying to not get our feet wet when I said "Hey, look at that flower.
I've never seen a flower like this before.
I learned these are lady slippers orchids and they are not that common.
My hubby and I are in awe that there is a spot on our land that meets the requirements for these flowers.
My SIL came up for a short visit and we had a great time. She also brought her new puppy with her and he was adorable. He was so busy and wriggly that I didn't get any good photos of him in action.
When he was fast asleep he was usually out like a rockstar.
That face, though. He looked like a little teddy bear.
The chickens didn't know what to make of this creature and my young barred rock roo was on the alert and always trying to figure the puppy out.
Furby, when introduced to the puppy, was nonplussed. (I think I'm using that word correctly). She wasn't too impressed.
Yes, my Furby June is still around. She's three years old now. I can't imagine a time without her. She's given me a few health scares last year. She's getting close to middle age for a chicken, I suppose, and she's starting to slow down a bit. As much as a pampered house chicken can slow down.
Furby still loves watching Kimberly of the Fat Quarter Shop, but she doesn't caterwaul nearly as much if that channel isn't on. Furby stares out the window more now, and gets upset when she sees the other chickens in the front yard, or when they climb up on the front stoop and stare at her. One time she got so upset that she threw up. Apparently she doesn't want them on *her* lawn.
I took a video yesterday of the birds hanging out near the garden area, and Furby was over there, too. She wasn't really with the group, but she was kind of hanging near them.
I got some new glasses! I'm not used to taking selfies, and I feel so awkward taking photos of myself.
They are awesome! I can see! Well, I can always see, but now I can read smaller words more easily and it's not such a strain with the cheater-readers when I'm looking at the computer screen and bouncing back and forth between it and something I'm typing up for work. I've tried using them while I cross stitch and I think I still need the magnification of the cheater readers for seeing those small holes in the fabric.
What else ... Well, this is Wednesday, and I try to stick with the #WIP Wednesday.
I'm still plugging along on my February Month-to-Month. I'm so close to being done!
This one feels like a slog.
Why? Cause I'm pretty sure I've been working on it FOREVER. Now that I'm so close to the end I keep making errors and having to rip out.
Ugh!
Do you see the circled part in the photo?
I'm supposed to stitch some roses and fiddly bits in that area. I keep messing up.
See photo below. Seriously, how hard it is to stitch some roses and fiddly bits? It's usually at the start of where I started stitching that the error happens
Finally! Success! I got the roses done. All that is left is the fiddly bits.
Floss: Using called for Classic Colorworks fancy floss
Colors: Black, pink, red, teal, green
Needle Size: 26
Made For: Myself
This weekend I decided to download patternkeeper to an older kindle fire I have. It took a bit longer than I thought it would, but it was easier than I thought it would be, if that makes sense. The tutorials I was seeing were for newer kindles. I came across a website that explained which files I should use, based on the kindle model and with OS I was using.
Finally, on Sunday night, at 10:45 p.m., I successfully downloaded patternkeeper.
I haven't done too much with the app, yet. I'm kind of just messing around right now with importing charts and seeing how they play with the app.
I did import the snowflake chart I was working on and marked the stitches I've done. I think the app is going to help a LOT with this chart and another full-coverage chart I want to start very soon.
Oh! Before I wrap this blog entry up I wanted to share something really special!
My SIL is a bit crafty, like me, but her focus is on painting and drawing.
When she came up last week she surprised me with an early birthday gift.
Several months ago she asked my hubby for a photo of Furby.
This is what she made for me.
Isn't it wonderful?!
This is the photo she worked from. I took this of Furby March 2022.
The painting my SIL did is so bright and full of light. She did such a nice job. I'm still trying to settle on a spot in the house for it, so it can be seen a LOT. In the meantime, i've got it sitting in a spot where i can admire it when I'm sitting in my spot in the living room.
This type of blog post is for when I have a lot of little things I want to share, or when I feel the need to catch up.
If we were having coffee ... I'd say ... it's been a while. More than a month.
And what a month it was. As what usually happens when I try to do a round up catch-up, I've forgotten half of what I was going to write about.
Let me start with the biggest thing that happened.
We got a tractor!
A John Deere!
It was an adventure driving up to get it. It was one of those things where my husband had been keeping an eye on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for tractors for sale. Long story cut short: One morning before work he saw this gem listed on Facebook and declared it was *the one.*
After getting in touch with the owner we headed off to the U-Haul rental place, then back on the road and hours to go to get it. We drove up through the U.P and back down into Wisconsin. Bought the tractor and then back up through the U.P and into Wisconsin to get it home. It made for a long day but so worth it.
If we were having coffee ... I'd put my mom cap on and do a kid update. My son got to go to two proms. One at his school, and one at his girlfriend's school. They are a cute couple and they had a blast.
Speaking of the boy ... he's now a high school graduate! We are like a week post-graduation and it still seems surreal.
If we were having coffee ... I'd share a quick blather that I have started putting the garden in.
Last weekend my hubby rototilled the garden for me, and we expanded the garden just a bit.
A fresh, blank slate. Full of possibilities. I didn't take photos of it post-planting. That will be rectified soon.
I had my helpers out there, too.
Furby was helping till the soil and adding fertilizer.
My hubby was setting up the expanded area, and laying down mulch.
If we were having coffee ... I'd share about something really cute!
A barred owl has moved into the back twenty. I hear it calling often when I go to tuck the birds in at night. There has even been a few daytime sightings of it. It's so pretty. The one day it was peeking at us between tree branches.
One morning last week my hubby was out in the back yard, taking care of some things. He practically came running back to the house, opened the door and said "you got to come out right now."
I threw some shoes and a jacket on and followed him.
What did I see? A baby!!
It was so freaking cute! It was just sitting there, staring at us, and then it blinked one eye.
We both wanted to pick it up. We were good and did not. Mama was in a tree, nearby. She kept calling and vocalizing, so we knew she was keeping an eye out.
If we were having coffee ... I'd share that crafting and what not has been almost non-existent. You already knew that, though. Because of my no writing for like month. Then with the weather being a heifer, there wasn't much for me to write about on the gardening front, either.
Luckily, my eyesight has improved. It no longer hurts my head when I try to work on my cross stitch.
I've been doing a lot of pondering this last month about my crafting hobbies. Back at the beginning of the year I wrote a list (A LIST!) of all the stuff I wanted to work on this year. I even wanted to do Maynia again. Then life things happened. Boo! In my head I'm trying to work out how to rectify this so I'm a bit more productive in the second part of the year. We'll see how that goes.
Colors: white and rose colors with hints of green.
Required Amount: I purchased two skeins of each color
Needle/Hook Size: 5.5 mm / I/9
Gauge: beats me ; pattern calls for 13 dc x 6 rows = 4″ [10 cm]
Made For: Myself, maybe
Dye Lots: Will find that out later.
Crochet ... why do you hate my wrists so? The last part of part 4 was rough. I had double-crochet shells and there is so much wrist twisting. Is there a way to make shells where I'm not constantly twisting my wrists? Or is this a thing for everyone?
I am very pleased to say that I am done with part 4. 63 rows down, eight more rows to go!
When I started the section with the shells I discovered I was making more shells than what the row called for. It was about halfway through when the ruffling became noticeable, and I decided it was going to become a design element. No WAY was I going to rip it back.
Next is my vanilla socks.
Project Name: Vanilla socks
Started: Jan. 7, 2023
Finished:
Designer/Source: My own pattern
Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn
Colorway: Mexicala stripes
Colors: oranges, red, purples and a smatter of blue and white
Required Amount: Two skeins of sock yarn. 100 grams
Needle/Hook Size: U.S. 1 (2.25 mm)
Gauge: beats me
Made For: Myself
Dye Lots: WL238520
I haven't touched my sock in ages. In fact, I forgot what project bag it was in. It took me a while to track it down.
The project is now back in rotation. Maybe this one sock will be done by the end of the month?
Floss: Using called for Classic Colorworks fancy floss
Colors: Black, pink, red, teal, green
Needle Size: 26
Made For: Myself
I started out *so* strong with this chart. Then I lost steam with all that dark text. It didn't help that I wasn't going to finish by the end of February. I think the next Month to Month chart I'll do is the August one.
Made For: Myself. Maybe. I haven't decided yet if I want to give this away.
I have made a lot of progress on my snowflake. Then it hit me that this is *way* hard and I didn't have the headspace for it. I will love how it will look finished. Whenever I get it finished. So ... no progress on it since my last WIP post.
It was a fairly quiet weekend around the homestead. Cooler temperatures and lovely sun.
My hubby and I went to town on Saturday to pick up some more bags of potting mix/soil for use in the garden this summer. We priced out a few things but didn't purchase. Stuff we were looking at wasn't on sale.
I did, however, pick up some more seeds. I think I have a sickness for the "cheapies" now. I've had such good success with them the last few years.
When I was going through my seed collection on Friday, and making notes of when to start the seeds, I discovered I was out of Zinnia seeds. I *love* Zinnias in the garden. I also noticed my marigold seeds were low in supply. I love marigolds, too. They remind me of my mother-in-law. It was something we used to have in the flower garden when I lived in town and she and I both took turns purchasing them.
Some of the flower youtube channels I've been watching talk about Straw and Stock flowers, so I thought I'd pick up a packet of those, since they were only 10 cents.
The sweet peas are something new. And broccoli, just because.
I am very nearly on the cusp of being able to start planting seeds that need to be started at 12 weeks before last anticipated frost. Though, I will say, I probably could have started a few things already.
Over the last week I joined a few gardening Facebook groups and people are all over the place, of course, in their seed starting. I wanted to find out when other soilblockers were starting seeds, and find other Zone 3b gardeners, and see when they are starting their seeds. Seeds seem to be sprouting early for me and I should keep that in mind and be prepared to tend to some of these starts outside and possibly uppotting.
A good example of growing wicked fast would be my broccoli plants.
It doesn't look like broccoli to me.
It's so dang tall.
I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it. Let it keep going? Toss it out? Everything else in that tray is growing at a slower, sturdier rate. This tray was never put on a heat mat. I guess the plants really like the soil?
These photos are from Feb. 23. There is one plant for every different pepper now.
Poinsettia pepper seeds are a few years old. I'm not surprised they are taking their sweet time.
Lumbre (XXX-Hot) from my sister-in-law.
Carolina Reapers in the front. I think those seeds came from MIGardener. What a difference in germination from the last ones I planted. My first Carolina Reaper seeds were ordered from Baker Creek.
Another photo from Feb. 23 of the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
My lettuce greens. In another day or so I should be able to harvest them. This photo is also from Feb. 23.
I'm wondering about this lettuce. I'm trying to decide if the lettuce should be bigger. I'm also wondering about some parts of the lettuce leaves, too. They look dried out. I have been giving fertilizer. Too much light? I know it's not heat! Whenever I do decide to harvest them, I will enjoy them.
I feel like I'm saying "I'm" a lot in this post. Anywho, I'm wondering if I should start taking quick video clips of the seedlings now, rather than photos. Or, maybe a combo of both things?
Other this things weekend involved throwing Furby out.
Not really throwing her out. She needed to be out in the sun, I though.
I know she doesn't look too happy in this photo, but I assure you she was enjoying the sun. She was leaning on her side. Her feathers were super warm when I picked her up.
Speaking of Furby and her shenanigans. *ahem*
My husband and I noticed that she perks up when some music plays. We thought we'd test this and tried playing "Purple Rain" for her. I didn't get my phone out in time to record her stand up and move over so she could get closer to the music.
A WIP was pulled out of hibernation, as well. The February Month to Month by Stitching with the Housewives. The lettering was worked on and I'm really close to getting the F done.
Does anyone else have problems Classic Colorworks twisting and knotting up on them? It's so frustrating.
Currently we are experiencing some crappy weather.
It starting raining this morning and has gradually changed to snow.
Fat, heavy snow flakes that will go over the ice and make travel horrible.
