Off The Grid NeedleArts

Wednesday Yarn Along

Posted on July 6, 2016 by caroline

It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in Ginny’s Wednesday yarn along. Lately, I’ve been concentrating on three main projects – my first pair of socks, the Less is More shawl and the Ardent shawl (not pictured – will take photo once I have some more progress). Nicholas and I finished the second Harry Potter book last night and he has asked no less than three times for me to start reading the third book this morning. Fortunately, I remembered to tuck it into my bag last week! Other than good old Harry, I’m reading a few other things. I tend to read the same as I craft – lots going on at the same time. I’m listening to Craftlit’s Herland (almost done), Justin Cronyn’s “The City of Mirrors” (third book in a post apocalyptic /vampire series – not for the timid but WOW – good story and SCARY!) I’m still reading Donna Tartt’s The Secret History (amazing) and also Herman Koch’s The Dinner. (also very good) I tend to read in stolen moments so have a book stashed where those moments may occur – do you do this? War and Peace has taken the back burner until I’m back in the city – it can feel like homework if I’m not careful and I want to enjoy it.

On the stitching side of things, I’ve almost completed a Hands on Design chalkboard series project. It’s small and was perfect to tuck into my larger bag. I’ll finish it up this afternoon. I brought a large design, but don’t you know I forgot my knobs to hold it in the frame? So that is on hold until my lovely daughter brings them for me from home.

Today’s task is another load of laundry followed up with a bit of vacuuming. Can you believe I have a Macgyver’ed central vac up here in the middle of nowhere? My in-laws bought me the hose from Lee Valley a number of years ago for Christmas (I’m a frightfully practical girl, and this was a GOOD gift) and then my father in law installed them while John was working on the main cottage construction, and hooked the whole shebang up to a ….. wait for it…… a shop vac! A $25 shop vac. Genius. The question is whether or not my best friend – my Honda generator is up to the task. The sun is shining, so the solar batteries are fully charged for the water pump. The dogs are shedding fur everywhere. I don’t mind, but my guests usually don’t like finding it in their food. Fussy, no? It’s a small place and won’t take long. Then knitting and coffee?

Phew, I’m chatty today, better go. What are you up to?

Posted in Cross Stitch, Life, yarn along | 5 Comments

Summer off the grid

Posted on July 5, 2016 by caroline

Finally! Last week, we took Nicholas out of school a bit early and arrived on the Wednesday. Our first guests came on Thursday and a truly lovely weekend with happy, noisy children and reconnecting with great friends felt like a perfect way to start our summer. Everyone left yesterday, John and Sarah boated out at 4am so that he could be back to the office for 9:30 and now Nicholas and I are enjoying the quiet, though he really misses his friends who were here.

Crafting began in earnest yesterday, a whole lot of productivity needs to be packed into the next two months…. My second sock grew, a shawl or two saw a few rows added and a small cross stitch pattern is nearly complete. I will most likely post a photo on Instagram later today. I have to be very careful with my data usage this summer, so posts will probably not be photo heavy and I have given up Facebook in favour of Instagram as they both require a fair bit of data to load. We use our phones to create a hotspot for WiFi and prudence is necessary. Speaking of IG – I posted a short video clip of this mornings sunrise that includes a bird song that is my constant companion. I am looking for someone to help me identify the bird please – they are a pair, the first 3 note call is then answered by the same call (it is slightly cut off in video) but the response is a pitch lower. I listen to them call to each other back and forth all day. 98% of the time I find it charming, the other 2% wishes they’d try something different…

It’s laundry day here today which involves solar panels, the generator and a squeaky clean laundry line. It’s a perfect sunny, hot day so I should be done in record off the grid time.

More tomorrow!

Posted in Knitting, Life | 3 Comments

Almost there

Posted on June 21, 2016 by caroline

Look! I finished my first sock! It was so satisfying, I immediately cast the second sock onto the needles and am sure already that they will be fraternal twins. OK by me – I made a sock!! Margo, your comments on my last two posts made my day – I can’t wait until I’m as proficient at socks as you.

It’s so close to the end of June and our time up North that I can hardly wait. I’m packing, working, teaching, grocery shopping, and prepping all of the things that need to happen before we can leave. John will be heading up again this weekend to do a big clean up of the building materials and scaffolding that he’s been using for his work on the ceiling and walls. He’s doing a beautiful job.

I chose the frame last week for my William Morris tapestry. We will be eating beans on toast for the next month but hopefully my family will agree that their sacrifice was necessary….

Stitching has also continued on my Frosty Forest SAL by Cottage Country Needleworks and I managed to finish up the third of nine designs, the Snowman’s cottage.

French knots….. sigh. Not my favourite, but they do make cute little eyes and wonky buttons.

Posted in Cross Stitch, Finally finished, Knitting, Needlepoint | 12 Comments

Update

Posted on June 16, 2016 by caroline

Hello!

The busiest time of every year for me is coming to a sweet close. My students are finishing up their Conservatory exams and my children are wrapping up at school and also with their extra curricular activities.

I’ve been preparing for my move to the cottage over the last week – all of the linens for the beds went up yesterday with John who has been working like a madman on long weekends to drywall and paint the ceiling, board the walls and trim out the windows. Living in it over the last 5 years, I’m not sure I’ll know what to do when I arrive at the end of the month to a mostly finished interior! He’s a handy, handsome guy, that husband of mine. To say that I’m looking forward to my time off the grid is an understatement. I need to learn how to drive the boat this summer. It’s a long story, but yes – I live on an island for two months and I don’t know how to drive a boat. After 20+ years, the time has come.

Stitching and knitting continue – it will be nice when I have more time to update my progress on here more regularly. It’s handy for me to have a record of what is going on and helps to keep me motivated to finish up those languishing projects! My first sock is almost complete – a last class tonight to learn how to finish up the toe. I may or may not still have two inches to knit before that can happen. Ahem.

I’ve brought a project out from the depths of the stash to try and make a dent in the stitching – a Glendon Place dessert series design, “Tiramisu”. I love her designs – I can’t wait to add the beads! It’s covered in beads once the stitching is complete.

Posted in Cross Stitch, Life | 4 Comments

Frosty Forest mini finish

Posted on June 1, 2016 by caroline

I finished the second of 9 small designs for the CCN Frosty Forest SAL that I’m participating in. I took this photo a few days ago, and am now half finished the third design. They are adorable. I’d love to have the project finished and turned into a special holiday pillow for the couch while my kids are still at home and can remember it being part of the celebration along with the nutcrackers that I bring out. I’m not an over the top Christmas decorator, even though my most favourite stitches are usually Christmas related – a few giant poinsettias and a sparkly (white light) tree with a mish mash of ornaments make me very happy indeed. So I think this addition will please the kids (OK and me as well)

Oh, I do love this face. We walked Nicholas to school this morning and it makes her so happy to greet all of the children that we meet. Sweet, sweet girl.

Posted in Cross Stitch, Life | 6 Comments

yarn along day

Posted on May 25, 2016 by caroline

I’ve started a new book – Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and am really liking it so far – vivid characters and good story writing that makes me wonder what will happen next.

Last Friday, I took the plunge and am finally learning how to knit socks. This has been on my to do list for a while, and a few weeks ago I happened to meet a lovely knitting teacher (kindred spirit) who agreed to come over and teach myself and a few friends how to do it. I’m hooked. In return, I may have supplied her with some new cross stitch designers to tempt her to grow her stitching stash…. .

On the stitching front, I’m almost finished the second design in the Frosty Forest series by CCN, and if you’ll excuse the poor photo, you can see it has some sweet deer to help keep the racoon in the first design company.

I hope to finish it up tonight.

Joining with Ginny’s yarn along this week.

Posted in Cross Stitch, Knitting, yarn along | 5 Comments

It only took 11 years.

Posted on May 20, 2016 by caroline

70,620 stitches and 11 years later I have finally finished one of my most anticipated projects. I loved the process and I love the finished stitch. I’m sure that John is somewhere having a small panic attack if he reads these next words…… I can’t wait to choose the perfect enormous frame for it. No glass, no mat board – just stretched properly and a beautiful wood frame.

Sigh.

OK – back to paperwork, then I’m tossing the WIP pile again to find the next thing to finish up.

Posted in Finally finished, Needlepoint, The Maker's Year | 4 Comments

Switching gears – who’s in?

Posted on May 17, 2016 by caroline

So, this morning I spent an hour (an HOUR!) looking for a WIP to join in with some folks over on Instagram who are working on a Glendon Place dessert design. I have one in progress and would love to get some progress happening on it. Do you think I could find it? Well – long story short, I did eventually find it in a drawer, rolled up within another large piece of fabric for safe keeping. Sigh.

So – I’ve made a decision. The remainder of this year will be spent on finishing up long languishing projects and taming the stash. Who’s in? No new starts for this girl. I have many that are so close, I just didn’t have the attention span to finish them before being completely distracted with something shiny and new. Leave me a comment so I know I have some of you along for the ride. Leave a link to your blogs in the comment so we can all ooooh and ahhhh over how amazingly disciplined we will be with our finishing.

So – to start with, I finished the stitching on Plum Street Samplers “Beans” design and I LOVE it! I plan to turn this into a pillow. Next year. It’s going into the finished stitching pile that I pull out now and the to remind myself that I can actually do it.

Then, this weekend I guess I started my last new start for 2016 – a Nancy’s Needle design – I’ll add in more details later, I’m trying to be quick about posting this morning. I adore this piece – the colours make me very happy.

So – come on, join me for the rest of 2016 and let’s clean out the WIP pile.

Posted in Cross Stitch, Finally finished, Needlepoint | 6 Comments

Happy Friday!

Posted on May 6, 2016 by caroline

It’s a concert weekend here for my community orchestra and I’ll be playing on Mother’s Day.

Bit of a funny story – a lady called the “box office” (our treasurer’s house) and asked what time the brunch started before our concert, which is at 3pm. Our treasurer’s husband had answered the phone and he said, “Well, the piece by Max Bruch will be starting at 3pm, I’m afraid if you’re looking for a Mother’s Day brunch, you’re on your own!”

Stitching has been slow, but I’ve made some progress on my Plum Street Sampler “Beans” design. Since this photo, I’ve finished the lettering and have half of the next lady complete. It’s a fun, quick stitch!

Posted in Cross Stitch, Life | 2 Comments

best laid plans

Posted on May 4, 2016 by caroline

I really would like to be posting more often, but this time of year is just so crazy that a whole week has passed since my last post and it feels like it was only yesterday. Both kids have birthdays, as does my mum and in between parties, presents and lots of cake – this is also the busiest time of my teaching season. Kiwanis festival, a studio recital and RCM exam preparation have kept us hopping. I can’t complain – I am lucky to have the students I do, and my family are happy and healthy. I may however, be eyeing the calendar and looking forward with anticipation to the end of June when I will return to my off the grid home for a summer rest.

Keeping my hands busy with knitting or stitching helps greatly to allow me to reset each day – a few minutes all to myself. It has become a “must have” for this introvert so that I don’t melt into a weeping puddle on the floor.

I’ve cast on the Colour Affection shawl, but there’s not really enough progress to show – I had some difficulty with the cast on and subsequent massive amount of increases that made it buckle and not look neat and tidy. I’ll talk more about my fixes when I have a picture to share, but I will say – it took 4 times to get something that to me, still isn’t perfect but will have to do.

Here’s my Less is More shawl – since this photo I’ve added another few inches – a great, mindless project.

Here’s to another yarn along with Ginny! I’m sure I’ll blink and it’ll be next Wednesday again.

Posted in Knitting, Needlepoint | 2 Comments