The White Stuff is Here

Winter came, though it's been pleasant except for drivers.  This week the temperatures are warm and that brings rain, which freezes --no further description necessary.

That means I have very little outdoor work calling me.  Just some in the greenhouse, which I work on when the weather is sunny, since the sun warms up the air inside the greenhouses.

So I've been busy inside.

First I have to--absolutely have to--get my crown mouldings finished before Christmas, preferably before the end of November.  First I had to remove some stipple from the ceiling so the mouldings can sit well, then I had to tape off the lower line to make levelling easier--some of these are almost 14 feet long-- and mark the studs on the tape, then I measured the walls to the nearest 1/8 ".  All the corners are interior, and these are easy to fill if the mouldings are a wee bit short.  Not all the fasteners need to hit studs, but some definitely have to.  I will use finishing nails over some of the studs and my air nailer for the others.  On the longest walls the ceiling joists run the same direction as the wall, so if there doesn't happen to be a joist at the point where the top of the moulding touches the ceiling, there isn't much holding power in nailing into the drywall (although I will put some nails in with the air gun, but in different directions).  The mouldings are in the garage, where the miter saw is, and it's -12 degrees C today, so I won't be cutting lumber.  I have to bring them in before mounting to paint them, as I don't want to paint them once they're up--just touch up the little holes.

 I've been busy with other types of renovations, also.  Sweater renos.  This customer got a new sweater--and a new puppy.  Need I say more?  The damage was a shredded area about 4" in diameter.  No yarn to be salvaged.  I went through my stash of Jamieson and Smith fingering yarns and blended 3 strands as needed to get a close match in color, although it is a bit thicker.  Hardly noticeable.

Kubota Man had a favorite old sweater that had been loved and finally worn for work, and it has definitely seen better days.  I was going to junk it, but he had a very forlorn look on his face.  I didn't have the time or yarn in stash to make a new one (I am on a self-imposed yarn diet to use up my stash), but I did have yarn for repairs.  So here are a couple of "before" shots:

And the "after".  He's a happy man.

I have the patterns for the Winnie the Pooh characters, and plan to make some sets for future grand- and great-grand kids.  But the patterns are quite challenging, and people on Ravelry keep asking me for help.  These are not patterns where you can easily figure it out by the written pattern--you have to do it, so everytime someone asks for help, I make another character.  I had made the original  Tigger for DD3, then the next Tigger came last year in response to a cry for help.  That one was made with Aran yarn and a 4 mm hook.  

The latest--I named him Tigger Jr. was made with a soft worsted and 3.5 mm hook, so he is smaller.  Tigger and Tigger Jr. seem to have a lot to say to one another.

No one needed help, but I was in the mood so I whipped up Piglet.  I should have stuffed him more firmly to give his face more character, but everything is assembled as you go, and opening the head to add more stuffing would have meant doing the ears again.  So I left it alone and made notes for next time.

Piglet is sitting on a Log Cabin blanket in progress.  I am using scraps, some of the squares have unfinished granny square parts I inherited from my MIL.  I am planning to make one for each of the kids.  I like the denim main color between the randomly-colored squares.  Behind Piglet is a shawl waiting to be blocked.

And there are more scrap-- and stash-busting Log Cabin blankets in progress.  Each of the kids is getting one of those unless I run out of yarn (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA). 

So now I'm off to:
1. Steam clean the traffic areas in the Living Room.  We are getting new flooring but not before Christmas--mainly because I can't make up my mind between hardwood (more hygienic) and carpet (chemical off-gases, harder to keep clean, but SOO SOFT AND WARM ON MY OLD FEET--slippers just aren't the same).  And since we had planned new flooring I didn't steam clean in spring, and we weren't particularly careful to look after spots and spills.
2.  Tape and measure the smaller bedroom for its crown mouldings.
3.  Make apple pies and/or other goodies to use up the blemished apples from our tree.
4.  Finish 3 more pairs of Crocodile Stitch Boots.  One pair only needs buttons, two pairs need cuffs and buttons but I ran out of yarn for one so I have to go "shopping" in the storage unit.  That's where the buttons are, too.

/Till next time: Kids overheard talking:  "My mom only spends $25 for her jeans but her genes are priceless".

Pooh, Pooh ( well, not Pooh, but Tigger)

Someone on Ravelry was having difficulty with this pattern, and since I had made Tigger about 10 years ago, and having no memory of difficulties with it, (evidenced by no notes on the pattern) I crocheted along with her.  There were a lot of difficulties, even for me, but I'm an analytical person so I was able to cruise through flawlessly (in other words, fudge it--yes, I meant FUDGE).  Kubota Man was quite enamored with Tigger, and suggested I make a few sets of all four characters to put away for those future grandkids and great-grandies.  I'll take that under advisement.  One good thing--Tigger took a lot of yarn and just over one 1-lb bag of stuffing (Next time I'll stuff the body a bit less so one bag will be just right).  So the stash would be reduced.  I had yarn bought for 2 sets way back 10 years ago.

It's raining again I am sooo (not) disappointed about not being able to go outside to pull weeds. 

I've finally decided (after some more requests for the pattern on Ravelry) to work on the pattern for my Prairie Gardens Cardigan.  I want one made sideways like Hillswick Lumber (this is a Ravelry Link, sorry  non-Rav readers).  So on Saturday I ordered the yarn from Jamieson & Smith in the Shetlands.  I filled in the order, and pressed the final "submit" button and was about to go to my e-mail for the confirmation, when the phone rang--my credit card fraud division was inquiring if that transaction was legitimate--love my credit card company.  The order was sent this morning, so I can fondle new yarn in about 2 weeks. ☺☺☺

Till next time:  Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you land among the stars.  (Les Brown)