Perhaps a monster - for Halloween?

 

This fellow was cobbled together trying to use up the leftover Bernat Blanket yarn from the previous two (much larger!) monster pillows I made.  I still have some of the green left but not enough to really make anything.  This guy measures about 17" tall.  There's no real pattern - the body and feet were from one, the arms from another, the horn from another and the eye more or less from the eyes used for the other monsters I made.  

- If you're searching for ideas for helping others during the Christmas season, perhaps one (or more!) of THESE frugal suggestions might be just the thing.

- There are lots of tote bag pattern ideas HERE that would make great gifts.

- THIS small bag is perfect for carrying your cell phone and a few other essentials.

- THIS one is a little differently shaped and could hold all sorts of fun things.

Today the quote is from an unknown source..."If the broom fits, ride it!"

A tutorial! Who knew?

 It's been awhile since I did any sort of tutorial for you and as I was whipping one of these up I thought perhaps you might have fun with them too.  They make great little gifts and very useful too (as Resident Chef will attest!).

Above you can see the rubbery backing and to the right is the front side that clearly shows the 'X'

So, here goes, a tutorial to make Jar Lid Openers...cheap and cheerfully...

You will need 2 pieces of fabric 7" x 7" and a piece of that rubbery shelf liner 'stuff' from the dollar store (it must be the rubbery version for this to work), also cut 7x7", along with a piece of tissue paper a bit larger than the fabric.

1.  Place one piece of fabric RIGHT SIDE UP; top with piece of shelf liner; and then the second piece of fabric RIGHT SIDE DOWN.

2. Sew around leaving approx. 3" open for turning.  Use a bit more than a 1/4" seam allowance.  Clip corners and turn, making sure the rubber side is on the outside.

3.  Press from FABRIC SIDE (use parchment paper between your fabric and your iron....if you don't and the iron touches the rubber - well, just don't do it!).

4.  Place tissue paper between the rubber side and the sewing machine plate and, using a straight stitch, topstich around the edges.

5.  Mark an 'X' from corner to corner and stitch.  

6.  Remove paper and voila!  You're done.  I like to add a little paper tag explaining that it's a jar opener, otherwise people will wonder what on earth it's for!  I often parcel one of these together with a knitted scrubby for dishes and it's a great small hostess gift; an add-on to a larger gift; or a 'thinking of you' gift.

- If you want to pour yourself a cuppa (or perhaps make a whole pot!), there are tons of links HERE to a wonderful worldwide online quilt show.  

- If I were a better knitter I would love to make one of THESE.

- THIS is a nice tote bag pattern that looks to be well-supported.

- There's a good chart HERE that compares various yarn weights, names for them, and the hook/needle sizes for each one.  

Today the quote is from Plato..."The greatest wealth is to live content with little"

All set for Santa!

A Christmas stocking for our wee little grandie-girl.

I found the fox face on a free coloring page from the internet and sized it to fit.  The woodland snow scene is the co-ordinating print that goes with the main animal print.   The lace trim was knitted by my maternal grandmother (therefore our little one's great-great-grandma).  

- There might be enough time for you to stitch one of THESE before Halloween (would make a nice fall decoration anyway).

- Have a scroll through the amazing beaded creations by THIS artist!

- I love the work of THIS artist!

- THIS is a great tip for crocheters seeking to work in ends of yarn as you go.

- Making one of THESE would not only be warm and cozy, but also would use up a whole bunch of yarn scraps!  Found via Canadian Needle Nana (thank you!)

Today the quote is from Meryl Streep..."Let no one remove the wrinkles from my forehead, obtained through amazement at the beauty of life; or those of my mouth, which show how much I laughed and how much I kissed; nor the dark circles of my eyes:  in them is the memory of how much I cried.  They are mine and they are beautiful"

The end (for now!)

 Yes, I think I can officially call the current cross stitch 'kick' to be over for this year.   The final things from my needle include these postcards...

There are two of the middle design and 4 of the others currently waiting for the time to come for them to go in the mail

- If you have a Harry Potter fan in your family, perhaps one of the projects found HERE might be something to make for them. And if you have a Lord of the Rings fan in your midst, maybe something from HERE?

- There's a short fall-themed mystery project starting HERE that some of you might find fun to do.

- THIS link will take you to a whole bunch (!!!) of free knit and crochet designs.

- There are a number of rather cute crocheted elf designs HERE.  

The quote this time is from John Wayne..."I'm only responsible for what I say, not for what you understand"

Right jab, left jab and almost a finish

 Now how's that for a blog post title?  The right and left jabs, as you may have guessed, refer to the fact that Resident Chef and I got both our flu shot and our bivalent Covid booster shots yesterday....one in each arm.  

And, the almost a finish refers to the latest sweater to come off my knitting needles.  After much procrastination I finally got the seams done although I still have to muster my courage to sew in a zipper.  I've sewn zippers before but never into a knitted sweater.  

The pattern I used, sort of, is THIS one.....BUT.....I changed it.  I added a basketweave design pattern to the main body pieces but did the sleeves plain.  Yarn was entirely leftovers of Lion Brand Jeans yarn that I used to make the sweaters for the grandies last Christmas.  I played a game of yarn chicken and I won!

- THIS little fellow made me smile!

- THIS is another nice shawl design (scroll down for the pattern)

- There are tons of ideas HERE to use up fabric scraps.

- THESE are really pretty and don't look too difficult to make.

Today the quote is from Adam Stanley...."It's better to have your nose in a book than in someone else's business"

Yet more cross stitch, sort of

 I've carried on with my cross stitching for a little while longer (don't worry, it's not going to become a constant) and have been working on some Christmas cards and postcards.  Here's the first card I made...

This one is heading for AU to my distant cousin who owns a much-loved Scottie dog.  Thought she'd appreciate this one.

- Some of you might find THESE intriguing.

- And THIS too!

- There's a good article HERE on how to square off a quilt of any size.

- There are links HERE to several different vintage needlework sites that some of you might find of interest.

Today's quote is from Emily Dickinson..."Forever is composed of nows"

Last one!

 This is the final in the ornament series (and I'm sure you're glad!)...

For better pictures you can visit the designer HERE.

- THIS artist does really interesting work!

- Although THIS is technically touting a book, there's a project that's quite intriguing and also an interesting article about the technique.

- THIS is a really pretty scarf design that could easily be changed up to make a blanket.

- I've never been a huge fan of shawls because they want to fall off but I think THIS design might just have a lot more 'stayputability' (and yes that's a word in MY dictionary!!).  

- Have a peek through the galleries of THIS amazing artist!  (thanks to Mary Ann of My Tate Gallery for the heads up on this one)

Today's quote is from Susan Sarandon..."I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point"

Just dropping in

 It's been a busy couple of days here and I'm thoroughly behind in what I should be doing....so....I will simply show you another of the cross stitched ornaments...

You can go HERE to see better pictures!

And....tomorrow (the 15th) is the last day 
to take advantage of my Landscape Christmas sale!

House Ornament #2

 Today I'm showing you another of the ornaments in the series.  It's really difficult to get decent photos of something that's round!  If you go HERE you can see much better photos of what I was aiming towards.

And...yesterday Resident Chef made these....why buy chocolates when his are so much better? 

- There are a number of really great knitting hacks to be found HERE.

- THIS is a really (!) simple project but I know my hands are happier when I use them.  

- If you're searching for a quick and easy project perhaps making THESE might work!

- Sometimes the easiest projects are the cutest as THIS will attest!

AND - JUST A REMINDER - THERE'S ONLY THREE DAYS UNTIL MY CHRISTMAS LANDSCAPE SALE COMES TO AN END!  GO HERE TO SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE! 

Today's quote..."The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you're doing, someone else does"

Thanksgiving and ornaments

 

I know it comes as a surprise to some people,
but Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated at a 

different time than in the US.  

So - Happy Thanksgiving to those of us 

in Canada!

I've completed the first of the 'house' ornaments from the series I've been working on...

This one was really tricky because I had to resize the base and the 'roof' to suit the fact that I didn't use the correct size of aida cloth for the base.  It was a case of using what I had (as usual) and not thinking ahead to what I might need to adjust later on.  Took some finagling but I managed.  If you want to see the original design and more pictures  go HERE

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JUST A REMINDER - I'M HAVING A PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE ON MY LANDSCAPES UNTIL OCT. 15th.  IF YOU WANT ONE FOR GIVING OR FOR YOURSELF NOW IS THE TIME TO GET $25 off!! Check out the LANDSCAPES FOR SALE category in my sidebar to see what's currently available.

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- Although the yarn for THIS design has been discontinued I really like the pattern.  Other yarns can easily be substituted I would think.

- If you scroll down a little bit HERE  look at how they've mended the socks!

- Should you feel the desire to make fun cookies for Halloween perhaps THESE might be fun.  

- THIS is a really pretty afghan design that would be fun to make.  

Today's quote is from Monique Hammond..."Although Thanksgiving comes but once a year, every day should be a day of thanks"

Two more done

 I've finished two more of the ornament series (or at least they're finished as far as I can go for the moment)....

The search is on for either a frying pan or a rolling pin to add to each one to complete them.  The original design called for a flour sack but being that neither recipient is a baker I thought a frying pan would be a better choice.  If you want to see the original design, go HERE.  

And....Resident Chef harvested the remainder of our little balcony garden and we had enough green tomatoes to make these...

For those of you who have green tomatoes you're wondering about, perhaps this recipe might appeal...

DISCLAIMER!!!!
It seems that green tomatoes are slightly poisonous!
Who knew?  

According to my research, they only bother those who have a sensitivity (much, I suppose, like those having an allergy to certain foods).  

You might want to read THIS article for
further information!

GREEN TOMATO RELISH

7 lbs. green tomatoes, cored & cut into ¼’s

4 large yellow onions, wedged

2 large red onions, wedged

3 large green peppers, wedged

2 large red peppers *

4 tsp. pickling salt

5 c. apple cider vinegar

4 c. sugar

2 Tablespoons celery seed

4 tsp. mustard seed

   In a food processor, chop veg’s.  Combine &

add salt.  Place in large strainer and drain for

3 hours.  Pour drained veg’s into large pot &

add remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, reduce

heat to a moderate simmer & cook uncovered 30

mins, stirring frequently.  Ladle into hot jars, seal,

 & process in a boiling water bath for 15 mins. 

  * chop the red peppers finer than the rest

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS incredible artist.  

- Some things just elicit an involuntary awwwww on my part and THIS is one of them!

Today's quote is from Rithvik Singh..."If you cannot accept changes, you cannot expect growth"

Not quite the dance of the sugar plum fairy....

 The nutcrackers are done!

The original design shows a miniature sword but
that might not happen and probably won't be
missed if it doesn't.

Don't forget I'm having a sale on my
landscapes until Oct. 15th!
See previous post for more information.

- THIS is a great new take on the temperature blankets that we often see.  I love this idea and it would be great fun to do if only I could figure out the spiral part of it.  Math is SO not my strong point!!  Beads, on the other hand, I have plenty of!

- I know some of you will be groaning at me posting links to Christmas ideas, but HERE you go anyway!

- THIS is something fun to make for Halloween!

- Have a look at the beautiful beaded creations of THIS amazing artist.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the people who were so incredibly affected by both Hurricane Fiona, who devastated our Canadian east coast, and by Hurricane Ian, who caused such devastation in the US.  Hard to believe two such massive storms struck within a matter of mere days of each other.

Today's quote is by Shira Tamir..."Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dance in the wind"