Good to the last drop

I can’t believe it, but my summer is coming to an end again – even more quickly than last year.  Only three more nights until we are pushed back into our school/work routine and town life. It is always a bittersweet transition. I and the children both miss our friends and are always happy to reconnect. I miss having a hot shower whenever I want, and that is always a treat saved for my return. (we have hot water and a shower here, but it’s only a 5 gallon tank so it must be very, very quick out of necessity. Always a silver lining 🙂

I had a long awaited finish on a special project that was one of my oldest WIPs in my rotation. This is Ink Circles, “Cirque des Cercles” Isn’t it gorgeous? I plan on asking to have it framed as my Christmas gift this year. I love it and am thrilled that I finally finished it.

Meanwhile, we’ll spend the next few days as lazily as we can, slow walks around the island, a few evening fires in the stove as the temperatures drop and lots of knitting and stitching to fill the time until we absolutely must pack up and boat out. I won’t return until Thanksgiving for a long weekend but John usually comes up for the odd weekend with the children if work allows.

A daily visit from a group of merganser ducks who love to dive in the bay here for their dinner. I’m already dreaming of next summer.

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Proof Positive

I’ll be recording a floss tube episode this evening and thought I would show one of the Landmark designs that I stitched a few years ago. There are 12 and I’ve planned to stitch 10 of them. 5 are complete and framed and the other 5 will happen at some point…… tee hee.

I’m putting photos of the five here so that if anyone watching the ep wants a look at the others, they’re here. These were pictures that I took last October and put on Instagram and the quality is not great due to the glare on the glass, but I think you get the idea. Millions and millions of small perfect lovely stitches. I loved every single stitch of these babies.

Kazakh:

Makhi:

Shushi:

Moosh:

Arjesh:

Finally, you can see how I’ve hung them here:

It’s quite remarkable how common place they’ve become – I don’t walk by them in awe anymore like I did when I first hung them. They are fairly spectacular if I do say so myself, so it’s been nice to revisit them.

Also – it’s proof positive that I do in fact, finish things.

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Back in the big city

It’s been a long day, we didn’t leave the island until 3:30 and it’s approximately a 5 hour drive. Nicolas had a nap towards the end of the trip and listen to this – Sarah drove the entire way except for the highway section which she is not allowed to do yet. She did a fantastic job, though does seem to have a rather lead foot at times which I attribute to her fathers’ genes……

I’m gorging myself on internet tonight and checking out all of the little things that I’ve been saving up until home and first up is watching and doing the show notes for the previous episode of the Fibre Friends podcast. Since we are recording the next one on Tuesday night, I should get my act in gear. Tomorrow morning, Sarah is having her wisdom teeth out (plus an extra molar) so there will be plenty of smoothies, scrambled eggs and ice cream in our near future.

My Surge shawl by NBK Designs is thiiiiiiiiiis close to being finished. I might treat myself to an extra little cup of coffee tonight and see if I can power through and be able to block it tomorrow before the recording. Then I’ll need to sort out the projects for the stitching video and get on that on Wednesday. This is pretty fun, if I do say so myself – I’m loving the podcasting community and the response to the videos has been overwhelmingly kind.

Wishing you all a great week ahead with plenty of time to find yourself tucked up with a favourite project!

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Thank you

Thank you so much for your kind words about Oscar. The house is different without him and what I miss most is the sound of his loud purring practically every time you looked at him. One time at the vet, she looked at me and said, “I can’t find and listen to his heart because he’s purring too loudly.” He was a love.

Life carries on and there’s plenty of joy to be found in the small pockets of everyday life.

Plenty of knitting and stitching time, and the weather has been cool and unusually rainy which has made it even the sweeter. I’ve been posting quite regularly on Instagram the different projects that keep my attention and have put out several more Flosstube videos – the most recent one is HERE

Also, the Fibre Friends have a new KAL that’s begun as of August 1st, to knit any Lisa Mutch (NBK Knitting) pattern, and I’ve started the Noctillio Shawl as my project. I’m loving the colour so far. This was yarn that my SIL, Kathy, dyed for me for my birthday present and I love.

Happy Tuesday to all, have a lovely week ahead!

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Goodnight sweet boy

This past Monday, we said goodbye to my most treasured cat. I recorded a podcast on Tuesday and couldn’t mention him then because I thought I might not be able to not cry, and who wants to see that? He was a true companion, often found by my side. I miss him terribly.

xoxo

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From the Stash Pile – Flosstube Ep.1

I can’t quite believe I’m doing this, but I’ve put out a solo podcast for my stitching because I wanted to talk about it even more. I can’t seem to stop wanting to talk, I’m lucky that Adrienne and Louise still put up with me and my big mouth.

If you’d like to follow along with this new crazy venture, you can find me HERE

Off the Grid Needlearts – From the Stash Pile – Ep.1

Show notes

Ignore the fact that I’m looking to the side and not at you, I’ll do a much better job next time. We’ll call it a learning curve.

  • Fibre Friends Podcast
  • you can find me on IG as @offthegridneedlearts or Ravelry as carriefluter
  • Show and Tell – Little House Needleworks, “Under Tall Pines”
  • WIPs:
  • Prairie Schooler – “Birds and Berries”
  • Blackbird Designs – Loose Feathers – “Autumn”
  • Lizzie Kate – Coffee Time – “But First Coffee”
  • Ink Circles – “Cirque des Cercles”
  • LHN – ABC Samplers – D and E, hopefully moving on to F,G,H soon
  • Rosewood Manor’s – “Quaker Diamonds”
  • Ink Circles – “Thread and Eye Mandala”

Shout outs to:

Thread and Eye – my most favourite LNS and they have a great online shop –  www.threadneye.com

Crochet Circle Podcast – #festivaloffinishing  – lovely podcast

Vonna from – The Twisted Stitcher

Kelmscott Designs

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Time to Breathe

I always know when life becomes just a little too full when I stop posting here. Making sure that the numerous tasks and list items are being checked and completed has been the focus around the homestead lately and I’m more than ready to pack up, put my little family in the car and head for the North.

Adrienne, Louise and I were supposed to record yesterday morning – Episode 6 of the Fibre Friends podcast and sadly had to postpone because Nicholas was home with a terrible gastro bug. Today, Louise has laryngitis so plans are hold a little longer. I have to say though I miss hanging out with my friends – it’s been a welcome forced rest. I’ve knit, stitched, and sewed while hanging out with my little boy and that’s just not all that bad.

The Fibre Friends. Oh, my friends. These women are amazing. In three and a half months we have accomplished so much together and are truly having the time of our lives. What an unexpected gift this has been.

Our latest episode from a few weeks ago is HERE

On May 31, we were invited to have a party at our local yarn shop KnitStitch and launched our very first collaboration  – a yarn, bag and pattern kit that we all worked so hard on. Knitters actually came to our party and we had a really fun night. Crafters are such nice people, the atmosphere was just the best.

See what we did?

I still can’t quite believe that we pulled it together. There was a late night before the launch finishing up a few last minute misbehaving (and missing) drawstrings, and taking a hurried photo of the gorgeous sock that Louise designed.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rambling-friends-socks

I’ve cast mine on using a different yarn as I wished to keep all of the kits available for sale (though giving up my luscious skein of Adrienne’s yarn was a sacrifice, let me tell you…) and when I have some progress on the from lace panel, I’ll share a photo.

Our Golden, Daria is aging as all pets must and has an injury in her back right leg that has slowed her down considerably. She brings me such joy on a daily basis that the thought of her decline is quite upsetting but will hopefully still be a few years away. She is every patient, ever hopeful for any scrap of attention. Just a slight brush against her will stop her dead in her tracks in the hope that a really good hug or love up will follow. Eddie the Beagle continues to improve socially and now ADORES my flute choir ladies. He happily snoozes away in the kitchen while we practice and seeing him wag his tail and approach them when they come in the door makes the heart full. I will never understand a human who can be cruel to an animal. This small hound would cower and piddle every time my husband approached in the beginning. When he dreams, it’s the only time I ever now hear him growl and I wonder what he’s dreaming of. I’ll admit that I wake him up and give him a scratch and a kiss. Perhaps he’s really just chasing rabbits and I’m delusional but hey, a little extra love never hurt anyone.

Bring on summer!

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Ahoy weekend

I have so many plans for the weekend ahead, I can hardly wait to get started. On the left is a super simple, I love it so much, shawl by a good Instagram friend in the Netherlands. Josh is just one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. Her Triangular Curve shawl makes me very happy and I hope to put a huge dent in my yarn cake by Sunday. My other project here is my Fibre Friends sock. I really need to get the heel in – most likely a fish lips kiss style so that my socks match with Adrienne and Louise’s.

Speaking of the girls, we put up episode 2 last week if you need some knitting company this weekend –  found here:

I hope you enjoy and get a few rows finished. Do you have any other podcasts that you love to watch? Leave a comment!

Happy stitching/knitting/sewing/hooking/beading/painting/insert your craft here. Whatever you do, I hope it brings you joy!

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John, This One’s for You. xoxo

An ode to John
Whose days were long
Moving all the important stuff
I work upon

Credit I did not give
To the one with whom I live
And now my oversight
I hope he will forgive

IKEA shelves were built
Moved into place without tilt
A handsome, strong capable mate
Who I’d like to one day see in a kilt?

Hey – it rhymed.
xoxoxo

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Distraction

I combined my home office and sewing space into one area last weekend and made a new home for myself in one half of our living room. It’s really rather wonderful with large bright windows and shelves galore to pack my stuff into. I didn’t however, factor in the window distraction factor and spend a good chunk of my time now admiring the birds, chipmunks and this one particular rabbit who has made a home in the hedge directly in front of my line of sight.

I mean, honestly? It’s better than TV. Will there be babies? Could that little cotton ball of a tail be any cuter? Sigh. Maybe I’ll have to shut the blinds to get any work done.

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