Linaloo

Done and done

In knitting news, after starting these in June and largely due to being at home under the weather and unable to shift a bad cold this past week, I have finally finished my lace "spring forward" socks.  They are riddled with mistakes, more zag than zig in some places, more zig than zag then others. But they're socks, so I don't mind. I'd like to believe that anyone who would question the randomness of their pattern would be suitably impressed by the fact I had knitted them myself and overlook their quirkiness.  
What I've learned from my first attempt at a lace pattern is that my ability to concentrate on details is pretty poor whilst watching TV/hanging out at my children's skating lessons.  I had romantic notions how they might be a wonderful portable knitting project I could take anywhere with me, but I kept losing my place in the pattern and, rather infuriatingly, the odd needle here and there too. 

After the knitting equivalent of Proust, I feel like I need a little chicknit to lighten things up a little.  As soon as I'm well enough for a trip to the wool shop...

P.S.  Imene just interviewed me on her blog today. Read it to find out my real name and favourite swear word!

I'm just not that into you..

...Halloween.  I try every year.  Really I do.  I even dressed up at work today (as an Angel). But I'm just faking it.  For the children's sake. 

Am I the only one?

In the mail

A while ago I won a giveaway from the very sweet Sonia.  The picture above shows all that remains.  There was some wonderful chocolate and tea also...unfortunately the chocolate was devoured and tea drunk before I had time to get the camera out, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  Thank you Sonia.

 
I also signed up for Heather's Vintage Swap last month, it's been a while since I've done one and this was right up my street.  How well Imene, my partner, did when she picked out these beauties for me.  I have a project in mind already for all these beautiful doilies.   There's also a perfect drawer sized lavender sachet as well as some special napkins and embroidered runner. Thank you so much!  You can see what I sent Imene on her blog here.

Barcelona Boden

I've finally found the time to make myself an autumn skirt this week.  I do love a tights - skirt - boots combo.  Unfortunately the season for this kind of outfit here is pretty short (snow flakes already spotted this week) so I'll probably only get a handful of wears from it this year, including tonight for dinner out with friends.  The pattern is Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt - really straightforward and no nonsense, perfect for novice garment sewists like myself. 

 
Having drooled over their catalogues for years, I was shooting for something Boden like with the addition of these applique circles for added oomph and a dash of light hearted fun.   For those of you not familiar with Boden clothes - they're kind of like J Crew meets Garnet Hill, neither of which we have here in Canada :(

The chocolate brown tweed was thrifted fabric from earlier this year (as was the lining) and the fabrics for the circles were from my stash. The only purchase necessary was the zip, yay!  I feel ready to take my clothes sewing up a notch now...I'm thinking this tunic perhaps but the sleeve part scares me... 

Leaf peeping

In our local arboretum.  Our first visit since arrriving here more than three years ago.  We took a long afternoon stroll there with some friends today and tried out geocaching for the first time too. We found the hidden cache pretty easily and it added bit of extra drama to our adventure!

 

We've had a lovely long weekend (Thanksgiving here in Canada) which means a short week at work and school - yay!

Patchwork Star

Hello friends

There's a little tutorial over there in the top left hand corner, showing you how to make a patchwork star.  I made what seemed like hundreds of these for a craft fair last year and they sold out pretty fast.  Ideal for using up scraps and dare I mention it, perfect for Cxxxxxxxs decorations?!!

Hope it makes sense! Any questions, please let me know!

It's October Scrap Busting Month at Sew Mama Sew - lots of great ideas for other scrappy projects!

Koumpounophobics look away now

So far our weekend has been a bit of wash out weather wise unfortunately.  I'd hoped to take lots of beautiful leafy fall pictures, but alas it was not to be.  However, time inside meant a few more completed projects on the sewing machine - including a tutorial which I'll post in the next few days.  I'm far too lazy to do these on a regular basis, but given that I use a lot of other tutorials, I feel like it's my turn to offer a little something...  Here's a sneak preview - waiting for better weather so I can take some good pictures.  See that little button?  It's my most prized thrifted button - it took a lot of strength to actually use it!

 

Speaking of buttons, here's some more of my collection that are still attached to their original packaging.  I found a huge stash a while back in my favourite thrift store and it looks like many of these are from the local area. The needle trade was (and still is to a lesser extent) big business in Montreal in the sixties and seventies. 

   

And then a simple little project, this linen and doily tote.  Made in just an hour, I never really tire of this kind of sewing project...

 
How was your weekend?

Hers 'n' hers

 

This weekend I have been reacquainted with my sewing machine, it feels like a while since I've sewn anything and I needed a simple project to get back in the swing of things.  Amy Butler's lounge pants again.  I've made quite a few of these now and I'd been saving this particular sheet with another pair in mind.  They really are super comfy and there was fabric enough left over to whip up a pair for my daughter.

I wasn't sure if she'd go for 'hers 'n' hers' matchiness.  She politely declined. Unfortunately, it seems she has yet to inherit my appreciation of old sheets, although she did say that she might wear them on my birthday (so as not to hurt my feelings)!  Ah well,  on the bright side, they fit her really well, so I will use them as a template for some flannel pjs in time for Christmas perhaps.

More pyjama fun here.

Christening the crockpot

I finally bought a slow cooker this weekend.  I'm pretty anti kitchen gadgets, mainly because I've always lived in houses with teeny kitchens so couldn't possibly justify a cupboard full of equipment that gets used once in a blue moon.  Now I have a larger kitchen I've still been hesitant about a slow cooker without reason really, but the idea of soups and casseroles waiting for us when coming home from work and various children's activities this winter convinced me to finally go for it.  

While browsing online for recipes, I came across Stephanie O'Dea's blog - A Year of Slow Cooking, her record of using her slow cooker every day last year. An amazing resource (she's also has a book due out in a couple of weeks) and perfect for the uninitiated.  I had no idea how many things you could use a slow cooker for -  yogurt, playdough, soap, shrinky dinks...!!

Apple sauce (with lots of cinnamon) was the first recipe on my list to try.  A big hit with everyone.  I can't wait to try out some more seasonal dishes. 

L'automne est arrive

I can't help speaking in franglais these days.  L'automne est arrive is the name of the book my daughter brought home to read last night.  Very apt, as the weather and our weekend both had a definite autumnal feel to them.  We went to our wonderful neighbourhood annual corn roast on Saturday, where they served eat as much as you like corn and chili (little did they know how much my lot can eat). I love our little community, it's very tight knit and friendly.

And on Sunday my tomato canning marathon began.  Fourteen hours of blanching, peeling, mincing, sterilising, pouring and processing.  And now a bit of waiting.  Apparently the longer you wait the better it tastes.  It was a long day, but fun and hopefully worth all the effort.

 

And whilst I'm in the mood for all things fallish, I'm off to make spicy sweet potato and butternut squash soup for dinner!