Final Day of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)!

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It is the final day of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)! I made it! I did miss posting one day, but I am proud that I posted 29 days out of 30. The day I did not post, I realized it was because I was not organized that day and went to see my family but did not set up a post ahead of time and got busy. I know for the future to work on them ahead of time so I can get them posted.
I really enjoyed this blogging event and so glad I did it even when I had my doubts that I would not be able to do it at first. I thought I would run out of things to talk about and be posting bad content. I am glad it did not come to that. I realized I had a lot of post ideas I had thought of writing about already in my notebook and never did and then this event was a great push for me to think of topics and kinds of posts I had not posted on here before. I enjoyed writing the 25 questions TAG, the book review, and the "what blogging has given me" post to name a few that I have not done before.
I also enjoyed visiting other people's blogs who were part of the challenge and reading their posts. I discovered some new blogs to follow and met some great people. I really like the small community that develops over a short period of time when joining a challenge like this. Thank you Aimie from Blissfullemon for hosting the blog posting month! I hope your site is back up and running soon!

I would like to do this again next year, I think it is fun to have these challenges and it shakes us up a bit to think of different ways to meet the required one post each day.

My little lit up Christmas tree and knitted mitten ornament

Tomorrow is December 1st and the first day of advent and I have my Lindor Advent calendar ready to go. Of course, I will wait one day to have it because of the vegan challenge I am doing which ends on December 2nd.
I can't believe Christmas is now 25 days away! I am so excited. I also can't believe I haven't really decorated yet either. I have put up my small artificial tree beside my desk and put on a couple of ornaments, the mouse and the mitten ornament I knitted. I think with all the course work I have had, writing extra posts on my blog, and Christmas shopping it has been pretty busy this month.  I will be decorating fully this week and then putting up the tree sometime mid December.

My go-to Lindor chocolate advent calendar for the passed few years.

Thank you so much for visiting today! If you started visiting my blog from the NaBloPoMo challenge, please post a comment and say hello. I would love to know if you started visiting after I did the challenge and hope you keep coming to read my posts. If you would like to follow my blog and keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can also subscribe by email at the top right corner.

Have a great day!

Knitting Progress and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I was working on some school work and it is not too long now until I am finished my courses. I have been job searching lately and seeing what kind of work environments I am interested in. I still have some time before my courses are finished to take time to find the right thing.

I have also been knitting today and was working on knitting the second stocking. I have also been working on knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top, and the second mitten piece to go with the first mitten ornament.

Progress on top, stocking, and mitten ornament

The second stocking is coming along nicely, I am just on knitting the rows for the heel flap. I hope to have this stocking done soon so I can hang up both stockings together to decorate for Christmas.

Progress on second stocking

I have made quite a bit of progress on the front piece of the top for the Wool and the Gang Farrah top. I really love working with the yarn that came in the kit. I have never worked with up-cycled denim before so it is something new and fun.

Progress on WAG Farrah top

I finished reading the book Not Working by Lisa Owens a few days ago. I really enjoyed reading it! I wrote a book review about the book which you can read that here. I am starting to read Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I know I am pretty late to the game reading this book. It was voted best fiction on Goodreads in 2012 and has mixed reviews on Goodreads. I decided to go for it because I enjoyed reading stories about women who at crossroads and challenging times in their lives and to see what they decide to do and how they heal. Eat, Pray, Love is one of my favorite books/movies of and hopefully Wild is similar. I have wanted to read Wild for awhile now ever since watching an episode of Gilmore Girls and Lorelei Gilmore decides to go on her own hike with her extremely large backpack to make sense of things in her life and find clarity. There were lots of other women there as well and they kept asking each other if they were there because of the book or the movie and formed cliques based on that. I remember thinking that II would like to read it one day to see what the fuss is about.

What are you reading and working on this week?

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and AsKatKnits for Unwraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! If you would like to keep updated on when I post a blog entry, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, and subscribe by email at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!

Holiday Gift ideas for Knitters and Crocheters

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today's post includes a few gift ideas of things knitters and crocheters might like to receive as a gift for the holidays. I wrote another post last year with ten other gift ideas for knitters if you would like to check it out. I chose things I would love to receive and thought I would share these ideas with you. All the ideas are products I found on the Etsy website.


1. Daringbear Knit Life Chose Me Mug. 
I love this mug. I will probably be either asking for it for Christmas or buying it for myself in the new year.

Photo source

2. MammothYarnStudio Wedge Bag - Large Knitting Project Bag
This bag is so cute and I love the size and color combination. This would be great to bring around a project with me somewhere and I can tuck it into any bag.

Photo Source

3. TaylorMadeStamps Engraved wooden tags
This would be a great gift for someone who is trying to get their knitted work noticed. I would love to get some of these tags with Needles and Wool printed on them.

4. GiftsForHimHerStudio has these really cute shirts for knit and crochet.
I like this expression, usually seen with coffee. Knitting can feel like coffee for me at times because sometimes I feel like I need to knit first in order to mentally prepare to do something else.

Photo Source

5. SunnyOnion's beautiful knitting and crochet phone cases.
I really like how beautiful this phone case is with the flowers, yarn and needles. They also carry phone cases with crochet hooks in the design.

Photo source

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you have some new ideas of things to either put on your own wish list or to get the knitter in your life. If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google Followers, or you can subscribe at the top right corner of the blog to receive email notifications when I post.

Have a great day!

Book Review: Not Working by Lisa Owens

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I thought I would do something a little different today. I just finished a book I really enjoyed and wanted to write a review about it. I will probably be doing these reviews once and awhile when I read a book I really like and want to share my thoughts with you.

I finished reading the book Not Working by Lisa Owens last night. This is Lisa Owen's first book. There will be no spoilers in this review because I know sometimes reviews sometimes give away the plot of the book and then it takes away some of the mystery and the reason why we read books, to find out what happens to the characters. The book is focusing on protagonist Claire and is written from Claire's point of view and perspective. Claire is a is a woman in her twenties living with her boyfriend who is a doctor. At the beginning of the book she has just recently quit her office job because she is no longer satisfied working there. The rest of the book follows her trying to figure out what career she would like to try next and adjusting to being unemployed or not having a permanent job position.

Photo Source

What I liked:
I really liked that the characters seemed so realistic and I was able to relate to them in this book. I could understand the reason why each character was acting as they did. I liked that the protagonist Claire is one who I could identify with because she ruminates about things and she observes people around her. She also reflects on her past working situations and tries to make sense of her decisions and how she would like to proceed. Sometimes the character is anxious and does not know what to do next with her relationships. I also like how these relationships are examined and you understand where each one is coming from. I liked Owen's writing style. It is descriptive and she also keeps your interest and the story moves along at a good pace instead of focusing in on something for too long as some books do. She also include short snippets of observations or thoughts which are interesting to read as pauses in the story line.

What I did not like:
I did not like some of the choices the protagonist makes in her journey, but I also understand that sometimes we make decisions which are not good for us not knowing at the time how it will go. Also there is an issue brought up at her grandfather's funeral which had no final explanation and they never determined what actually happened.

Why I recommend this book:
I recommend this book because it is realistic and entertaining. Not everything goes perfectly and the protagonist as well as her family and friends have issues. It is also an easy read. It is entertaining and funny at times and it moves along at a great pace. I like how there are serious topics discussed as well as some funny and random topics and situations as well. Overall, I had a great experience reading this book and if you are looking for a fun read, then this could be a  great next book for you to read too. If you would like to purchase this book, you can purchase the book on Amazon by clicking: Not Working.

If you have read this book let me know in the comments below if you liked it.  Or let me know if you would like to read this book or why you would not want to read it. It would be fun to have a discussion about the book in the comments and our thoughts on it.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and reading my first book review. If you would like to follow my blog, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, or you can subscribe to my blog through email at the top right corner.

Have a great day!

One of A Kind Craft Show

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I went to the One of a Kind Craft Show in Toronto with my mom and sister. The show features many talented artisans selling their handmade pieces and many artisans  return year after year. It has become a tradition for my mom, sister and I to go together for the Christmas show and we always have a great time You can find out more about the show here on their website.

I did not buy anything from the craft show today. I saw a lot of wonderful things and enjoyed window shopping. My sister bought a lovely calendar and my mom bought some fudge. There were a couple of knitters who had booths at the show which was nice to see. I had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back next year! There are always new things to look at when we go each year.

Gorgeous trees and decor at the show

As a promotion these pop-up trucks were appearing around Toronto leading up to the craft show. They displayed some of the items that would be available for sale at the show. I spotted one of these trucks one day in Toronto.

Inside the truck there were lots of fun things to see

Thank you for visiting my blog! If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin' , Google Followers, or subscribe by email at the top right of the blog to get emails sent when I post. 

Have a great day!

How to Knit the Embossed Diamonds Knit Stitch - Stitchy Saturday

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I knitted the embossed diamonds stitch. This stitch looks so elegant and adds a nice detail to a piece.

Pattern:

Embossed diamonds knit stitch

CO in multiples of 33

Row 1 [RS]: P1, K1, P1 *[K3, P1] x2, K1, P1*
Row 2: P1, K1 *P3, K1, P1, K1, P3, K1* P1
Row 3: K4 *[P1, K1] x2, P1, K5* last 9 sts: [P1, K1] x2, P1, K4
Row 4: P3 *[K1, P1] x3, K1, P3*

Row 5: K4 *[P1, K1] x2, P1, K5* last 9 sts: [P1, K1] x2, P1, K4

Row 6: P1, K1 *P3, K1, P1, K1, P3, K1* P1
Row 7: P1, K1, P1 *[K3, P1] x2, K1, P1*
Row 8: P1, K1, P1 *K1, P5 [K1, P1] x2
Row 9: [P1, K1] x2 *P1, K3 [P1, K1] x3* last 9 sts: P1, K3 [P1, K1] x2, P1

Row 10: P1, K1, P1 *K1, P5 [K1, P1] x2

Repeat rows 1-10 until desired length.

Pattern from Brome Fields 

It was fun knitting this stitch! I think it would make any piece look lovely. I was thinking it would look great on a hat or blanket. I will be making this piece into a cowl for this winter. It is hard to see from the dark photo but the yarn is so sparkly and makes me think of New Year's Day.

Thank you for visiting today! If you would like to follow my blog, please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google followers.

Have a good day!

Knitting Progress and Stocking Up On Ornaments

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I started to knit the second mitten of the mittens ornament pattern I found on Ravelry. I love this quick pattern and the gray and white colors look nice together for the mitten. The second mitten looks so large beside the finished one because I knit them on straight needles, then fold them afterwards into the mitten. I am looking forward to having these done soon to go on the Christmas tree.

I have been buying ornaments for the Christmas tree already this year and have added four new ones to my collection. The mouse on the left was a gift to me from my mom. The mouse is wearing a soft pink sweater with a button on the front and tiny cuffed denim jeans, the cutest thing. Next, the ornament at the top is a red ball with snowflakes around it from Ten Thousand Villages. The star below was also purchased at Ten Thousand Villages. I loved the embroidery on the star and the blue and pink colors were so pretty together. I bought them right after going to the Oakville Santa Clause parade. They never disappoint with their beautiful ornaments and decorations for Christmas. On the right is my newest ornament which I just purchased tonight on Black Friday at Indigo. Ornaments were 40% off and I couldn't resist. What is better than hot cocoa and fuzzy socks?  I love all the ornaments and I can't wait to decorate the Christmas tree in December.  We are getting a real tree so we can't put it up sooner. It would be up right now if I could!

Did you buy anything for yourself or others today on Black Friday? I bought some things online today. I bought a gift off Etsy, it is good to support the makers at this time of year and also they make beautiful things. I also went into Indigo and bought a couple of things. There was a bit of a line but it wasn't too bad since my boyfriend and I popped in later in the evening after going to a movie.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! If you would like to follow my blog please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google Followers.

Have a great day!

25 Get to Know Me Questions TAG

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I thought it would be fun to answer some questions about myself tonight for today's NaBloPoMo post! I have always loved reading these types of posts on other people's blogs and enjoy getting to know people by reading questions about them. I am using questions which were used on a Questions TAG on Megan Has OCD's blog. Feel free to use them to do your own questions TAG!

25 Get to Know Me Questions

1. What is your middle name?: Michelle.

2. What was favorite subject at school?: I always loved the humanities courses, English classes, and art courses. I actually took a new class in grade 11 called arts and crafts thinking it would just be an easy course to take and it changed my life because I learned how to knit in that class!

3. What is your favorite drink?: for a hot drink, I think my favorite is peppermint mocha latte from Starbucks. I have been obsessed lately. For cold drink I love the peanut butter banana smoothie I make almost every morning. 

4. What is your favorite song at the moment?: I think Taylor Swift's Ready for it? it is so catchy and fun.  Also just obsessed with listening to Christmas music right now.

5. What is your favorite food?: I really love sushi.

6. What is the last thing you bought?: I bought some Christmas tags and snowflake window stickers. Getting ready for my favorite season!

7. Favorite book of all time?: This is a tough one, I really loved reading Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

8. Favorite Color?: My favorite color is purple.

9. Do you have any pets?: I don't have my own pet at my apartment. But I do visit my parents quite often and visit their cats. We got the two of them, Moo a tuxedo cat, and Roo, a ginger cat when I was living there a few years ago. So I feel like they are mine too. My friend also was the one who told us her aunt was giving them away so I felt like I was a big part in getting them too. They are so cute and I am so happy I can still visit them because I am a HUGE cat lover. 

Roo

Moo

 10. Favorite Perfume?: I have been wearing Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh for Women for years and love the smell of it.

11. Favorite Holiday?: I love Christmas! Hands down my favorite, no question. 

Photo source

12. Are you married?: No, not yet. But hope to get married someday soon!

13. Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?: I have been out of Canada to the United States a handful of times on family trips and my latest trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with my boyfriend was my first big trip on my own out of Canada. Loved it!

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

 14. Do you speak any other language?: No. Just English fluently, and a bit of French from growing up in Quebec, Canada.

15. How many siblings do you have?: I have one younger sister.

16. What is your favorite shop?: I love going to Michael's Craft store.

17. Favorite restaurant?: I am loving this restaurant called Fresh in Toronto and they serve only vegan food there so it gives me more of a selection. My second favorite is Pickle Barrel, love their selection.

18. When was the last time you cried?: Last week. I am okay now though, everyone needs a good cry once and awhile.

19. Favorite Blog?: I have a lot of blogs I like to visit and love them all for different reasons. 

20. Favorite Movie?: The Holiday, The Vow, Bridesmaids. All movies I have watched too many times to count.

21. Favorite TV shows?: The Office, Stranger Things, This is Us

22. PC or Mac?: PC.

23. What phone do you have?: I have an iPhone 6S.

24. How tall are you?: 5’4″.

25. Can you cook?: Yes, I like to cook and also look up new recipes. Lately all of my cooking has been vegetarian and vegan because of my new lifestyle.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this get to know me questions tag! Feel free to use these questions and do your own questions TAG! If you would like to keep updated on when I post next, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google followers!

Have a great day!

Knitted Mitten Ornament and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I was working some school assignments and doing some chores around the apartment. I also exercised for the first time in awhile which has not been a priority for me lately, but needs to be. I also spent time knitting this mitten ornament tonight and I will knit another one to go with it soon. I found the pattern on Ravelry called Mitten Ornament by the Red Heart Design Team. 

The pattern was easy to follow and it was a quick and fun knit while I was listening to Christmas music. I think this will be such a cute ornament to hang on the tree once we put it up in December. I think it would be cute to have just the one mitten if you would like to just knit one as well. It could also be fun to knit these up and add them onto gifts with the gift tags. 

Reading has been slow and steady lately. I am still reading Not Working by Lisa Owens and loving it. I recommend this book because it captures so well the thoughts and feelings associated with not working and how you feel around others and your partner. I am really liking the author's style of writing and the snippets of observations that she includes. My favorites are when the protagonist Claire is on the "tube"/subway and observes people and situations happening. I feel like Owens really captures the reality when you are trying to figure yourself out and the job situation all the while also trying to figure out how you fit into society. Looking forward to reading on and seeing how things progress for Claire in her journey to find a meaningful career.

Photo source Goodreads

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, and AsKatKnits for Unwraveled Wednesday

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you would like to keep updated on when I post, please subscribe on Bloglovin', Google Followers, or email at the top right corner.

Have a great day!

Plant Lady Diaries

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I finally pulled up my Rhoeo plant and fastened it up using a wooden craft stick and some thread from the dollar store. The rhoeo was looking very sad for quite some time and was leaning down and I was concerned it would eventually either topple over or break from the pressure of the leaning but it has been okay and hung in there in time for me to help it. I read online that by tying it up, it can correct the lean and also prevent it from dying so I hope that this works!

before

After

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you would like to keep updated when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin' and Google Followers, or subscribe by email.

Have a great day!

Knitting Progress and Family Time

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I had a great weekend spending time with my family, going to the Santa Clause parade, and shopping. We were preparing for Christmas by buying ornaments and some gifts. It was a great weekend visiting and spending quality time with my family.

This weekend I also made some time to knit some more rows of the Wool and the Gang Farrah top. I was knitting by the newly decorated Christmas tree at my parent's house.

I have not knitted more of the stocking this weekend, but here it is! I hope to work on it more this week.

Today I was watching my parent's cats go under the tree and look up at the ornaments and batting at them. I can tell they like the Christmas tree as they go under it and sit on the tree skirt looking around. Cats are so cute to watch as they are fascinated by everything around them.

Moo getting prepared to pounce

Roo keeping an eye on things

I hope to pull out the Christmas decorations and decorate for Christmas at my apartment this week.  I will be waiting until December to put up the Christmas tree because my boyfriend and I will be buying a real tree again this year.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! If you would like to keep updated on when I post new blog entries please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day! 

Santa Clause Parade and Sharing Vegan Peppermint Cookies Recipe

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Yesterday I went with my family to the Oakville Christmas parade. We enjoyed watching the bands, floats, and inflated trees and soldiers walk by. The most exciting part of the parade was of course Santa passing through.

The decorated tree in the town square

Later on, my sister made delicious peppermint chocolate cookies which are vegan so I could have some too.  They were so good and I loved the vegan chocolate chips which were added in as well.

Recipe: Vegan Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies from the Beaming Baker.

I helped decorate my parent's Christmas tree with many wonderful ornaments my mom and dad have collected over the years. It is not fully decorated yet, I will share a picture soon. It was fun listening to Christmas music, drinking almond milk-"eggnog", and eating cookies while we decorated. Later on, my sister and I knitted and crocheted by the Christmas tree together.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! If you would like to keep updated on new blog entries please follow me on Bloglovin or Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!