June Already!

Spring has just flown by.
Jackie and I have been enjoying the sun the past few days.
This morning I am trying and failing to explain why we are indoors.
Jackie does not like the term, "rain delay".

My craftiness has suffered the past few weeks as I was down and out with a horrendous cold.
We have tried to make up for my missing weeks these last few days.
With the gorgeous sun shining, we were able to explore our estate.










Some of us are confined to the great indoors and must watch from protected confinement.

It does not factor into Napoleon's way of thinking that he does not really like outside. Each time he has planned his escape, he gets as far as the edge of the deck, then morphs into a giant puff ball. If anything, he is a poster child for perseverance. He does not give up, ever!

I am out of the sock madness challenge.
The last pattern was a gorgeous mosaic knitting style.
It just left me baffled. I will frog the attempt and pretend it never happened.
I am currently working on on Jack of the Green.
It is the perfect pattern to go with my Mystical Moose, Moose Manor Hand Painting yarn.

I have mentioned this one before. It changes colour when placed under different light sources.

This is my work in progress so far:

It is a fun knit, especially if you love cables.

I also have new glasses! I'm lucky in that the strength of my eyes diminish ever so gradually. That being said, things were still a little too blurry for me to enjoy things, like watching hockey while sitting on the couch, feeling comfortable driving long distances, watching nature go by as I sit out on the back deck. I hate to miss anything. That is good motivation to get off my butt and get my eyes checked out.
So here is a very rare picture of me in my new glasses!

The lenses transition. I have never had this sort of eyeglass before. So far so good. I do enjoy the freedom of going outside and not needing my sunglasses to avoid the glare. The only downside I have experienced is driving. I still need proper sunglasses for driving. The roof and tint on the windshield prevent the lenses from doing that magical transition thing. So my sunglasses are having their lenses swapped out with my new prescription.

I have also started up on my oil painting again.

It still very much a work in progress but, I am enjoying the process.

My tomatoes and herbs are also in their respective places!

When my plants go in the ground or in the pots, that is how I know my summer has officially begun!

I'm still recuperating from my cold, but things are slowly coming together over here.
I hope you are well.
See you later. :)

Enjoyable Days

Not too far from me, Mother Nature has wreaked havoc.
There are many regions that experiencing massive flooding.
People are evacuating their homes or trying to save what possessions they own.
The armed forces have been called in to deal with the state of emergency.
I am lucky.
My region is just experiencing a lot of rainfall.
While we are confined indoors, I binge watch The Handmaid's Tale and knitting my socks, with a bit of help.

These are Symphony Socks,

I have never really knit with beads before. I had a bit of trouble trying to use a crochet hook to incorporate them. The hook just did not fit through the bead. I tried using a piece of dental floss. That method worked but, it was rather fiddly.
Hubs saw my struggle and went to work on creating me this little hood from a paper clip.

I hope you can see the picture. It really is quite a small little hook!
These are ones I am currently working on called, Jeck.


In between bursts of rain, Jackie and I try to walk.
We have seen quite a few interesting things and creatures.


At home the Tulips and Daffodils are doing well.

The Tulips have some very interesting colours.


What a fun few days.
I really did enjoy them.
It is a bit early here, but I am sleepy.
Off to bed I go.
I hope you are well.
Cheers!

Spring Has Sprung

Today is my day off.
To celebrate a day with fluffy clouds in a blue sky, Jackie and I decided to walk around the nature trail.

We drive over to the trail because to walk over, around the trail and then home again, would be a bit much for us.
We will be able to do that feat a little later in the season.
As soon as Jackie realizes where we are going, she starts bouncing up and down on the seat.
I have to get a video of that somehow so I can show you.

Along the trail, it is still rather barren of leaves. This makes it easier for us to a little bird watching.


When we arrived back home, we decided to check out the garden.
To my surprise, quite a few things are starting to make an appearance.


As well, my super special lily is growing in our front garden!

Now, the big deal about this particular plant is that I have never actually seen it bloom.
The first year, those pesky lily eating beetles devoured it.
The second year, frost and snow killed it.
Maybe this year will be our year!

After all the outside time this morning,
it is time to just sit back,
watch a few shows,
knit on my socks

and take a nap.


Hope your day is going just as well!
Talk with you later. :)

Let's Not Wait

I started off this year thinking about nothing and everything.
The last few years, I had quite a few disappointments. Most were simply beyond my control.
This year, I am trying to do something a little different.
By nature, I am a planner.
I need to organize.
I need to think ahead.
Be prepared.
It stems mainly from my anxiety.
I am a worrier. My head is constantly filled with what ifs.
I am not sure how to eradicate all those nagging thoughts.
My first plan is to start small.
Little steps.
Some situations, I simply do have to wait and plan.
They require more work and lots of budgeting.
Then, there are other situations where I can forge ahead.
One of my ideas is to use up all my sock yarn.
I have all these gorgeous colours and textures at my fingertips.
I have not even thought about using them, because once I do, they are gone.
Some yarns simply cannot be replaced because they have been discontinued or was one of those rare finds where I was in the right place at the right time.
Some have memories attached.
Well, no more. Let's not wait.
I am going to knit up all those gorgeous colours.

That would be The Baroness guarding my stash!

I have joined several groups on Ravelry whose main goal is to knit socks.
Groups like Sock Madness, Two at a Time, The Great Sockening.
This is a simple concept that I can take part in from the comfort of my pajamas.
So far, three months in, I am off to a great start. Already, seven pairs have been knit.
My Pinterest board has been seeing a lot of new and interesting patterns.
So far so good.
This is doable.
And fun!
As a bonus, I have even learned a lot more new techniques.
Who knew there were so many different types of heals?
Simple Skype Socks:

I might have shown you these before. I just love this pattern. I knit at least one pair every year.

Nutkin Socks:

I do like these socks from an artistic standpoint. I'm not sure about the strength of the heal. I wonder if it will stand up to normal wearing and multiple washings. The pattern is simple to commit to memory.

Twisted Madness:

This is one of the sock patterns for the Sock Madness competition I am currently enjoying. It really challenges your knitting skills.

Penuche Twist Socks:

My photo and yarn choice does not really do this pattern justice. The cables mirror each other on the left and right socks.

Hermione's Everyday Socks:

This pattern was inspired by the Harry Potter heroine, Hermione. I love these socks. They wear very well and feel sturdy. A good work sock.

Dropping Madness Socks:

This is another pattern for the Sock Madness competition. As soon as my brain realized it was ok to actually let certain stitches slip, I started to enjoy these socks. The heels are An Afterthought knit heal. Not a very easy concept for me. The second heel went much better with a lot less swearing.

Here is a tutorial I found helpful from KnitGirlls:


This is my current project, Brainless:

Right now I seem to be on the part of endless ribbing and an occasional cable.
Still fun.
This was another new type of heel I learned, Fleegle Heel.
The tutorial is for a top down knit, but this pattern is a toe up knit.

While I have been happily knitting along, I binge watch Bellevue. A fantastic Canadian series that was actually filmed in L'Ile-Perrot, in the province of Quebec.
This looks like a gorgeous area of the province I would love to visit. Which leads me to my other plan.
I want to travel.
I want to see more.
Places I never thought I would ever visit.
It will not happen this year. Nor likely the next.
I have some more saving to do.
But, it will become a reality!

I think we all experience those disappointments.
We are led to believe at a very young age that by the time you reach age such and such, you should be married, have your first home, have this many children etc. etc. etc.
It is tiring. Especially when raised by a generation for who those standards were the norm.
As we can see in most recent years, there is no norm.
Sexuality is more fluid. A family does not always mean a Mom, Dad, brother and sister.

So my life has not turned out like I thought.
I'm ok with that.
I do not have 2.5 children.
I already have had a failed marriage under my belt.
I come with lots of emotional baggage. A bit of debt that is slowing disappearing.
I do have a nice home.
It is not the biggest, fanciest place on the street.
It needs a lot of work.
The people inside this home are amazing.
We still need a little fine tuning.
Someone in my house needs to buckle down more when it comes to school work.
Someone else needs to ensure this happens.
It is a work in progress.
But, the key thing, it is moving forward.
We are all constantly learning and adapting.
I am ok!

I have rambled enough I think.
Talk with you all later.

Retro Expo

Little Man has started March break.
To celebrate, we both visited Montreal's Retro Expo.
It took place at the Delta Hotel.

For Little Man it was just an exposition of really cool, really old stuff.
For me it was a look into my childhood.
The event itself was fun.
For a five dollar entry fee you can take a stroll back into what it was like to be a child of the 80s and 90s.
I stood looking at all the merchandise thinking, so and so had that toy, he had that one. I was never allowed that one.
It was really great fun.
Little Man found his happy place at the video game table. They had everything from Gameboy to the original Nintendo console, Game Cube, Sega and all sorts in between. Since we have quite a few of those consoles still in operation, Little Man came home with a couple of games. March Break will now be Simpsons action packed!
I came home with a mission to track down Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. I was addicted to that game a number of years back. The story line was fantastical and in depth. I am looking to purchase another copy of this game for a reasonable price. I do not really want to sacrifice an organ. I might need it later.
It was a wonderful day!

While we did not actually take photographs within the event, we did take a few on the way home.

While I am not sure what this week will bring, we will make the best of some down time and quality video gaming marathons.
I hope you are all well
Chat with you later.

Winter Wonderland

It has been snowing pretty steady for the last few days.
The week began all nice and calm.


Now we have about two feet.


Jackie is thrilled!


Tommy? Not so much.


After all that fun outside, Jackie and I are resting, knitting and making cookies!


The cookies I made are called Jell-O Cookies.

The recipe is super simple and the ingredients were already in my kitchen.
These made very excellent cookies!

I am still going very strong on my sock knitting obsession.

I completed a pair of Time Traveler Socks.


I have also started on another pair of Simple Skyp Socks.

These are my go to socks when I want relaxing knitting. The pattern is simple that you do not really need to count your stitches or pay too close attention to what row you are knitting. Perfect for binge watching Pretty Little Liars.

When I have sufficiently defrosted, I will venture out to the garage and continue on my painting.

I'm not exactly sure which direction I am heading with this painting but, I am certainly having fun trying to get there.

I hope you are all well.
Chat will you later.