It's been awhile

 It's been awhile since I shared a recipe so when we tried this one I thought you might like it too.  It's a tasty summer salad (or at least we thought so).

SUMMER PASTA SALAD

1/2 lb. rotini pasta
1/2 EACH of a english cucumber, red bell pepper, orange 
bell pepper, chopped
5 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/8 c. crumbled feta cheese **
8 oz. bottled Zesty Italian dressing
1/ 8 tsp EACH salt and pepper

** (we added more feta because we like it!)
Cook pasta, drain & rinse with cool water. Drain well.
Add remaining ingredients.  Toss and refrigerate.

- If you like granny squares, perhaps THIS pattern might intrigue you.

- THIS looks like a fun process you might like to try! (scroll down)

- THIS is quite pretty and would be a great use for scrap yarns.

- THIS made me smile (and scrolling down brought a few more too)

Today the quote is from Neil Gaiman..."I think hell is something you carry around with you, not somewhere you go"

Evening knitting

 These just came off the needles over the weekend and are residing in the Christmas box....

- If you sew, there are tons of great ideas HERE for using things that you most likely have lying around the house.

- I rather like THIS but don't know if I'd wear it because of the neckline.

- Another thing that's supposedly for kids to do HERE, but why should they have all the fun?

- If you have a bunch of scrap yarn balls, perhaps making one of THESE would be a good use.  Something cozy to use in the cold winter months.

Today's quote is from Oscar Wilde..."Experience is the hardest kind of teacher.  It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward"

Finished Kawandi

 Here is the finished Kawandi project....

It measures about 14" square, although 'square' is a debatable point.  It seems all the hand stitching pulls it somewhat out of shape and I suspect it's the nature of the beast.  I used scraps of fabrics in blues/purples and greens and hand stitched it with yellow crochet cotton.  If you are a perfectionist with your stitches, then I wouldn't suggest attempting this because it's really hard to get the stitches evenly spaced.  Now I'm wondering if the technique could translate into a landscape somehow.  Pondering is happening....

- Now tell me - would you wear THIS?  I definitely wouldn't.

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist!

- I thought THIS article was interesting.

- Although THIS is targeted towards kids, why should they have all the fun?

- And I found THIS to be intriguing.

Today's quote..."Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?"

Kawandi-ing

 I have seen a number of people talking about 'kawandi' so thought I would explore it a bit and this is what I've been doing over the past couple of days...

If you want to learn more about the technique, have a look HERE.  I know people make full-sized quilts using kawandi, but this gal won't be.  It was fun to do and I am enjoying it but not enough to make any more.

- THIS is a fun and easy technique you might like to try.

- Although THIS was targeted towards kids, I think adults would have fun with it too.

- THIS is a nice little project that you might find useful too.

- Have a click through THIS gallery (fun to study her work to get a sense of how she creates it)

Today's quote is from George Orwell..."The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those that speak it"

If at first you don't succeed....

I've spent the better part of two afternoons knitting these...

None of which worked.  There was something wrong with every single pattern I tried or it could have been because I was trying to use sock yarn which obviously doesn't translate well into mittens for kids.  So much for me wanting to use up those pesky part-balls of sock yarn!  Then I switched to worsted weight (the grey mitten) but the thumb was waaaaaaay too small.  I am nothing if not stubborn so we'll see if the next version works out.

Yesterday my Resident Chef celebrated his birthday and today I suppose I'm forced to admit that I've done seventy trips around the sun.  Personally I'd like to forget the whole thing but it seems that the RC has decreed that I am being treated to a steak dinner tonight whether I like it or not.

- I must admit my mouth fell open when I saw THIS - can you imagine all the itty bitty pieces it would require?  It would certainly be a showpiece when it's done!

- For those of you who are quilters, perhaps THIS design might catch your eye (and the fact that it uses a ton of scraps makes it even more fun).

- There are some good tips HERE for creating the satin stitch.

- I love the work of THIS artist.

Today's quote suits both RC and I.... "Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional"

Evening knitting

 I just finished knitting these mittens, also destined for the Christmas box.  Used a basic knitting pattern for the main body with only 4 rows of rib to start and then picked up stitches and added the faux fur cuff.  

Lion Brand Jeans yarn for the main body and Lion Brand Go For Faux for the cuffs.

- It seems like issues of copyright come up now and then so perhaps you might find THIS article of interest.

- THIS is a sweet little project you might like to do (provided you keep a bowl of ice water handy!)

- I also found THIS on the same site.

Today's quote..."Don't offer a lecture to a person who needs a hug"

A rant and a doll

 Well folks, that's half a day of my life I won't be able to get back.  Was rudely awakened by a robo-call from our credit card company informing me that my card had been compromised.  Me, being of soundly suspicious nature, went off on a wild goose chase trying to ascertain if the number they wanted me to call was legit.  Couldn't find it anywhere so I went to the credit card statement and called that to report what I thought was a scam.  Well turned out it wasn't and yes my card is compromised and they would issue me a new one.  Fine.  And then......then.....

I have an automatic debit for my cell phone from Public Mobile which is due to come off in the next day or two.  So...I needed to inform them, right?  Well, talk about being sent into online purgatory!!!  I ended up in a continous loop of 'push this in order to do that' and of course none of the options were what I needed.  So one of the options was to 'push this to contact them' - which I dutifully did.  Only to be told that my account password was no longer valid.  Say wha???  Ok - reset password (multi-step process that required yet more pushing of this and that) only to be sent back to the beginning of the loop.  Me, being a lady-like person, refused to turn the air blue as I went through it AGAIN only to be sent to the same loop as before and outright refusal to allow me to find the teeny-tiny-little button that allowed me to leave any sort of message outside of their allowable options.  Finally (did I mention that all this has taken pretty close to two hours?)....I left a private message and I await their pleasure of a response.  Good thing my cell phone plan is cheap!  

****

Part the 16,453 of the ongoing saga/rant - I got a response!  And you'll never believe what it was.  They sent me back my own message and so, in effect, I'm talking to myself.   AND.....This morning I got another copy of my original message from them...still with no actual response.  

****

On to other things that are more fun.  The doll is finished!  I'm searching for a pair of socks for her but that can wait.  In the meantime, here she is (she measures 32" high)

Not bad for a nearly 70-year old pattern!

- I enjoyed clicking through THESE so thought I'd share.

- Of course you know I liked seeing THESE!

- When I scrolled down through THESE I laughed at some and had an 'awwwww-moment' over others.

- There are lots of free quilt designs HERE.

- I thought THIS concept was rather intriguing and some of you might like to give it a try.

Today this quote is very fitting..."I'm not angry.  I'm just very enthusiastic about expressing my frustration"

Doll dress and random stuff

 Over the weekend I finished the dress for the doll I've been working on.  Took some finangling to re-size-vamp-cobble a 'real' little girl dress pattern to fit the doll but I think I managed it.  Next time you see her, I hope she'll be done and headed for the Christmas box.  

There's enough fabric left to make a semi-matching dress for our grandie too.

- Joy sent me down THIS rabbit hole and I managed to spend far too much time exploring.  I do suggest you pour a cuppa and make sure you scatter lots of bread crumbs so you can find your way out!  Thanks Joy!

- THESE made me smile!  Be sure to keep scrolling down.

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist.

- THESE are definitely awwww-worthy.

- You know I would like THIS (part one) and part two HERE

Today's quote... "Be grateful that no matter how much chocolate you eat, your earrings will still fit"

Side notes and faces

 As a little side note to those of you who use stuffing for dolls or other projects, check out your local discount stores and look at bed pillows.  The last bag of stuffing I bought at Fabricland was over $15 and the doll ate that up in a hurry.  Not having easy access to Fabricland here I had to get creative and ended up buying a pillow for $5 at Giant Tiger.  The stuffing inside was a little 'fluffier' than the so-called proper stuff but it actually worked better.  Saving myself $10 AND the gas to travel 45 minutes to get to Fabricland was a win/win.  Just be careful to buy a pillow that's filled with fibrefill and not foam.

Next up on the doll was to do more for her face.  The original pattern calls for the eyes to be embroidered and I did outline them that way.  I emboidered the mouth and nose, eyebrows and eyelashes but chose to use paint to do the actual eyes.  I put a light coating of white glue/water on the inside of the wig to make certain the yarn would stay in place and then glued/stitched it onto her head.  Now it's on to trying to figure out the dress and some underwear.

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Most of you might remember the huge storm we had last August where our car was badly damaged by hail.  We finally have/had a date (Aug. 20th, more than a year after the storm) for the repairs to start with an estimate of nearly $14,000.  Sadly, we've been hearing from other people that, despite having been originally told that their vehicle was repairable, the costs in the interim have risen dramatically and the insurance companies are now writing them off.  Our car is a 2016 Rav4 so it's in the danger-zone.  After much to-and-fro'ing with our insurance adjustor and much ponderment and sleeplessness we decided not to go through with the repairs and will drive our 'dimply' car as is.  The insurance company, I think, is in full awareness that the price has gone up hugely and were happy to offer us a cheque in the amount of the original estimate.  Thank you, we'll take it, put it in the bank and not have to worry about going into debt for a new-to-us vehicle that, chances are, I won't be driving for too many more years.  RC is giving up driving in the next couple of weeks (a good decision on his part) and it will all fall to me and truthfully I don't care if the car doesn't look absolutely pristine.  Huge relief to have that decision behind us!

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- THIS looks like a fun project that would be quite useful for many things.

- If I was planning to make another afghan I would seriously consider THIS one.

- THIS is another thing that would be handy to have  - or to give.

- A lot of THESE made me smile.

Today's quote..."The best teachers are those who tell you where to look, but don't tell you what to see"

Don't Look Ethel!

🎶...lookit that, lookit that...don't look Ethel!🎝  (and if you now have an ear worm, you're welcome)....   And for those of you who haven't a clue what I'm going on about, watch THIS (and once again, you're welcome).

and this pile of yarn is her wig...

The original pattern calls for making long hair but I 

think it's too thick, so I decided I would crochet a 'cap' and then
add doubled strands of yarn to create the hair.  I knew I
would run out of the lighter brown before I was done so
I added in some strands of darker which I think gives it
more realism.  It's my idea and I'm stickin' to it!

- If you wear makeup, or know someone who does, THIS would make a great gift.

- There's an interesting article HERE about one of my favourite artists.  If you're unfamiliar with his work and want to know more, check out his galleries HERE.  

- THIS made me smile.

- If you're REALLY looking for something to do with yourself, how about making some of THESE?

Today the quote made me laugh..."The fact that jellyfish have survived for 650 million years despite not having brains gives hope to many people"

Further on body parts...

 Remember the body parts I showed you last time?  Well I have discovered that I'm pretty sure the original pattern is by Laura Wheeler - at least the design certainly looks like hers.  I found this page from a catalog of her designs which shows dolls pretty much like the one I'm making...

Image came from here.

- Perhaps you'd like to give THIS process a try.

- I thought THESE were interesting.

- I don't think I shared THIS before but if I have, blame my memory!

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist.

The quote today is by Joseph Joubert..."The aim of argument or of discussion should not be victory, but progress"

Body parts!!!!

 Yep - I have a pile of body parts on my sewing table.  No bones though so I guess it's all good.  Back when I was a little'n my mother made me a life-sized doll and I still have the pattern so what can a Grandma do but make it for her little grandie for Christmas?  It will measure about 32" tall when it's done.  Sadly there isn't a pattern for a dress included but I think I can come up with something that will fit.  Plan is to make matching dresses for the doll and our grandie.  Hate to say it, but the pattern is almost 70 years old.  The directions aren't great but I think I can figure it out.  The doll is quite similar to THIS one.

- HERE is a fun technique you might like to play with.

- I thought THIS was intriguing.

- And THIS as well.

Today's quote..."To have the right to do a thing is not at all the same as being right doing it"

Prototype done

 This is the prototype for the intermediate workshop I've been asked to teach...

Similar to the first one I did but simplified somewhat.

- THIS might be a handy thing to have for yourself or make for a gift.

- One can but drool over THIS!

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist.

- Some of you might enjoy doing some exploration through THIS.

Today's quote..."Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be banned from thinking so as not to offend the imbeciles"

Working on a prototype

 I've been asked if I would teach an 'intermediate' landscape workshop in the fall so I've been working on a prototype of something the participants could do.  I decided that most everybody has ready access to denim so that's my beginning and I thought I would repeat the windmill I did on the quilt I did awhile ago.  Hopefully it will work out and there will be enough interest to warrant teaching how to make it.  No picture to share with you just yet, so instead I have a day of...you guessed it....

And....Happy Canada Day to those of us in Canada and Happy Fourth of July to my friends in the US.

- If you happen to be searching for a border design for a crochet project (could also be used on knitting or as a border on a fabric throw), go HERE and scroll down.

- THIS made me smile.

- Have a look through the gallery of THIS artist!

- And THIS amazing artist too (how I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch her creating!!)

- If you scroll through THESE, I dare you not to say at least one or two 'awwww's'

Today's quote..."If you avoid the conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside yourself"