Friday

Hi friends,

I've had a busy few days. Not a lot of exciting things as such but I'm very happy.  It's because after a long period of time I'm finally making progress on a number of outstanding "to dos".  I'm also making progress on a few new things.

First up are my new projects.  Some of you will know that I started off the new year making crocheted afghans.  I had a long standing cold (which is still not fully gone!) so I had a lot of indoor time. I made two afghans in a new to me pattern in the month of January. The first one is a combination of colours (ivory, gray, gold) that is much more subdued than I usually gravitate towards. I enjoyed making the afghan and wanted to make another one so I could hopefully remember the pattern better.  for the second one I decided on a very bright combination of colours (burgundy, teal blue, mustard yellow, gray and orange).  These yarns are made by Caron in a variety of variegated colourways and I'm not too familiar with them. I was trying to figure out which one I might like!

 Can you see the 4 colours? The one on top is the first afghan I made. The green at the bottom is the last.

Once I made a second afghan I decided to gift one to a cousin who celebrates a her 60 th birthday this month. She plans to visit at the end of the month so I will gift it to her then.  In the meantime I've described the afghan colours to her and given her a choice between the two. She chose the brightly coloured one though she hasn't actually seen it yet. She wants to be surprised.  Then she said she might want to buy one or she might know someone who wants to  buy one so I made two more.

A cushion project is one that's been around for awhile. I've had several large cushions which do not have cushion covers. They are only covered in muslin and the kapok stuffing cannot be washed.

I could never decide on the style or colour of cushions covers I wanted and dithered about it for some time.  Since the stuffing needs refreshing I opened them up again and washed the outer part. It is a messy job because the stuffing gets all over the place.

Kapok is a natural material which comes from the Kapok tree. Kapok is also called Java cotton.  The Kapok tree is native to west Africa and was transported to Asia where it is cultivated for its fibre or floss.  The tree can grow up to 4 metres (13 feet) per year and reaches about 50 metres maximum. The kapok fibre comes from the trees pods which open and are then dispersed by the wind before harvesting. 

The stuffing is used in pillows, mattresses, upholstery and insulation but with the availability of foam, plastics and synthetic fibres, kapok's use has declined. Personally I have used kapok for a  few decades and I prefer it to foam and other unnatural fillers.

The kapok tree

Kapok from 3 large cushions.

I went to Ikea and purchased 5 different but complementary cushion covers. It's feels so good to get that niggling job out of the way. I very seldom get to Ikea. I don't really like going there because of it's enormous size and maze of rooms you must make your way through to find what you want. But if one has time and energy it is fun looking at all the things one can possibly need for one's home. It is also very inexpensive to shop there unlike some other places and I find the quality is good or comparable to other places.

Another item I needed from Ikea is a large majestic palm. I have gone without large plants in my living room for quite some time simply because it is very drafty and cold along the window wall.  Now I've decided to try again.

Majestic palms are not that easy to grow at the best of times since most of us tend to over water them or improperly water them .  They need to be almost dried out before they are watered well and drained so that the bottom of the planter is not sitting in a pool of water.  I'm hoping I can keep this one alive for awhile.  I  plan on putting up some drapes over my window blinds too. Normally I do not like drapery but I have grown tired of looking at beige blinds.  I also want to see if some simple drapes will help minimize the draft.

I haven't been out to take any nice photos so I'm sharing some I took at the waterfront at English Bay Beach in October 2017. 

Linking with Friday Foto Friends 

and 

Skywatch Friday

Have a lovely weekend.

What's Happening This Week?

While I've been convalescing I have been very busy with my hands. I've already shared some photos in this post but have added to my work.

Another crocheted afghan. This is another lap cover for when one is watching television on a chilly night. I've spread it across an armchair so you can see the colour and the pattern.

This is Toffee Brickle in Caron Big Cakes yarn.

It took awhile for these colours to grow on me but now I really like the blend because the brightness "lifts" the grey, cloudy days when there is little to no sunshine outside. I enjoy this pattern once past the first 2-3 rows and have already purchased yarn in Mint Fudge colour to make a 3rd and final afghan for the year. I haven't started making it yet.

I also made several knitted dishcloths. I seem to go through quite a lot of these.

It's probably because I like to hand wash all the dishes rather than put them through the dishwasher. I also use a bit of bleach in the wash water. It's something my mother did and I now do.  The bleach is rinsed off with very hot water after the dishes are washed.  When I was a young teenager in Home Ec. class I never forget the teacher telling us that "many" people got sick from germs on the dishes. I don't know where she got that information but it makes sense. I don't recall the teacher using any bleach but I do remember her being very focussed on germs and the need for sanitation and sanitary conditions in the kitchen.

Once I have a bit of a rest, I plan to make a few simple tops and pants for myself in linen, rayon and cotton. These are obviously for the warmer temperatures ahead *smile. I've started cutting out the pants but didn't feel much like working on the clothing over the past few days.

In the meantime, I finished reading this "cosy" mystery. I was correct in my assessment of "who dunnit" but the book kept the mystery quite well until the end.

The next book I'm reading is called Refuge about a daughter and father relationship written from the point of view of the daughter who escaped Iran and  made a new life first in America, then in the Netherlands.  I've started reading it and I already like the author's style of writing so I'm looking forward to getting into it further.

This is a description from Amazon

An Iranian girl escapes to America as a child, but her father stays behind. Over twenty years, as she transforms from confused immigrant to overachieving Westerner to sophisticated European transplant, daughter and father know each other only from their visits: four crucial visits over two decades, each in a different international city. The longer they are apart, the more their lives diverge, but also the more each comes to need the other's wisdom and, ultimately, rescue. Meanwhile, refugees of all nationalities are flowing into Europe under troubling conditions. Wanting to help, but also looking for a lost sense of home, our grown-up transplant finds herself quickly entranced by a world that is at once everything she has missed and nothing that she has ever known. Will her immersion in the lives of these new refugees allow her the grace to save her father?

 

On my reading list for later in the week.

What about you dear reader?

What has been keeping you busy?

I'd love to hear from you in the comments box.

For those reading Sally's story, I will post the next installment soon.

Part 1 can be found by clicking here.

Thank you for your interest. 

Joining with Our World Tuesday.

My Week

It's been a busy week of homemaking and staying indoors as I'm still feeling a bit poorly. 

Alterations for my niece.

Baked cinnamon buns

Added frosting so I could use up the cream cheese. I didn't realize I put it on so messily.

Rustic bannock bread to go with the soup in the Instant Pot.

A version of comforting hamburger soup bubbling away.

Third book finished in 2018.

Second afghan under way.

I won't be making any more baked desserts as it isn't good for  my blood sugar but it sure tasted good!

I hope you are having a good week wherever you are.

Joining in with 

Our World Tuesday.

A Few Good Days

Hello friends,

I hope you are all enjoying the first week of the new year. If you are back at work I'm sure you will be happy it is a short week this week. I know it is always difficult to get back into the swing of things after a bit of a break. In my last few working years I preferred working over the holiday when it was quiet and I didn't have the difficulty of transitioning back after Christmas and New Year's break.

I've had a bit of a cold over the holiday period. Just enough to make me less interested in being on line but not enough to keep me from other interests. It has been bright and cold over the past few days but today it warmed up several degrees and that always brings the rain. I'll take that to the heavy snowstorms they are dealing with across much of  North America.

In  my last post I showed you my crochet project. I finished my afghan the night before last but haven't yet put all the fringes on it. I just wanted to make sure I finished something sooner rather than later so I can move on to other projects. I've been enjoying hot cups of decaf tea late into the night while I work on the crochet project. I am happy with how the afghan turned out but I apologize for the exposure in the photo as I took this and the next photo late at night.

I enjoyed making this and may make another one in a different colour scheme.

I decided to get started right away on another project. 

This time it will be a doily.

I haven't made this pattern for many years. I've already had to unravel and re-do 2 times and will do so again.

The pattern requires a lot of counting and one error made means (for me) starting again.  Sometimes you can cover up mistakes. I don't like to do that where doilies are concerned. Once I make this I will immediately make one more while the pattern is still "fresh" in my mind.

I've got some minor alterations to do this week too before I can start on bigger projects of any kind.

My new reading material is called Arabic for Beginners.  It's about an American Canadian woman who accompanies her husband and small children to live in Jerusalem for a year. There she joins a group of  ex-pat women at her son's daycare and becomes friends with a young Palestinian woman. I'm in the early stages of the book. It is quite good in that it gives you insight into the Israeli-Palestinian life, politics and tensions. I've read several books of this nature and always find them helpful to understanding life in Israel.

The other book I'm reading is described as a cosy mystery. I can vouch for the cosiness of the book. Though not along the caliber of writers like Ken Follet, a few pages into it I can see it will be a satisfying read. It is a book by another Canadian author who is the author of two traditional mystery series. I only read mystery books quite sparingly. So far, I've enjoyed them.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment if you can. 

I hope you visit again when you can.

Happy New Year!

May you all have a fantastic 2018.