Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Happy Mail, Knitting, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I received this adorable knit pin in the mail today from Sea + Lake Paper Co. I had seen it in an Instagram post and had to have it so I ordered it last week. I love the detail on the pin. I love the hand with the knit tattoo on the fingers and then the hank of yarn on the wrist. I like the needle pointing up at the Fringe Supply Co label.




I was also happy to receive the Manos Del Uruguay yarn in the mail today from Wool Tyme. This yarn is in the colorway Happy and I am so happy I got it in the mail! Now I can begin knitting some more fingerless mittens for a customer. It was fun receiving all this happy mail today.

Manos Del Uruguay yarn and Knit pin from Sea + Lake Co.

I haven't gotten too far on my Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top because I had to keep frogging it. I think the tension was loose at one point when I joined another ball of yarn, but I will try to tie a knot this time around and see if it makes a difference and helps it stay tight.



I am still reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed and really enjoying it. I am such a slow reader lately, sorry for the repetition. I hope to be starting a new book next week!

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! What are you working on and reading this week? I hope that you will come back soon!

Have a great day!




Saturday, January 27, 2018

House Plant Updates and Knitting Plans

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have not spoken about my plants in awhile and I am pleased to give an update. My philodendron is growing really nicely and I am so happy to see it thriving especially in the winter. My mom had cut off part of her own philodendron and had placed it in a cup of water, then when it was large enough, moved it to this pot to gift it to me.

Philodendron

My Rhoeo plant is doing very well and standing tall since I tied it to that wooden stick. It had been leaning over and looking sad and I had blogged about it in the post here. I am happy when looking back at the first photo from April 2017 and then now January 2018 it has grown so much! I was thinking it might be time to put it into a new pot since it is growing taller. What do you think?


Rhoeo in April 2017
Rhoeo in January 2018

The peace lily is doing well although it has not been flowering as well lately and more of it's leaves are turning brown. I think maybe I need to give it more water but not sure. I think that it will also benefit from the Spring and Summer sunshine.

Peace lily

My African violets are doing okay, but have not been looking so healthy lately I am thinking it is either because they are not getting enough water, or it is cold by the window. I lost one that had not been flowering and looked less healthy than the others for some time. It had always been the smallest and not flowering and I kept watering it until it eventually gave up recently. I also had to toss out my Aloe plant because it wasn't looking too good and its leaves kept falling off or rotting at the bottom.

African violets

 Succulents are supposed to be easy to take care of and they are, but mine always end up looking more stretched out than when I purchased them. I read that they stretch when they are reaching toward the sun. Mine definitely must have been reaching a lot!

succulents

I also still have the bamboo plant my sister gave to me when I moved out and into the apartment with my boyfriend in the city. It is doing well and thriving too. I just water it when it is low on water and I love how bamboo plants are so easy to take care of.

Bamboo


I was gifted three beautiful pots for Christmas from my sister's fiance and hoping to find some more plants to put into them soon. I will update you on which plants I choose to put into the pots and also show you how the plants are doing. If you would like to read some older posts on my plants, please click here for the link to see all the posts related to plants.

This weekend I will be continuing to work on knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top. It is coming along nicely however I need to frog a recent row I knitted because the tension is looser and it looks noticeably different to me anyways. I am looking forward to finishing the first piece so I can move onto the back piece.


I ordered some more of the Manos Del Uruguay yarn in the colorway Happy to knit another pair of fingerless gloves for someone. They were actually out of stock in all of the yarn shops in Toronto and so I ordered some from a shop in Ottawa called Wool Tyme. I am so glad they had some in stock. I guess I chose yarn that is not always in stock. I spoke to someone at one of the yarn stores and she said the Manos yarn gets shipped in boxes here and they are not always in stock and some of the yarns are hard to come by. It is a lovely yarn and by searching for it and doing some research, I learned that the yarn is actually hand painted! Manos Del Uruguay is a non profit organization which employs rural women in Uruguay to make the yarn and paint it and it gives them this employment opportunity. It feels even more special to me now wearing the mittens.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today, I hope that you all enjoy your weekend and have lots of time for crafting, and knitting/crocheting. I am also hoping to get some reading done on the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed this weekend and hopefully finish it! 

Have a great day!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Knitting Progress, Crafting Projects on Trend, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have been making slow and steady progress on knitting the front piece of the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top. I have knitted more of the front piece. I have knitted 11 inches so far on the front piece and need to knit 3.5 inches more before I can begin shaping the armholes. It seems like it will be on the shorter side just looking at it, but the pattern says 22" in length which is fine. I will have to see how it looks when it is completed to know if I should add some length on.



Some crafting trends that have been interesting to me are the punch needle wall art featured in the Crafter's Box. I first saw this on Darling Be Brave's Instagram story and then also followed Crafter's box and love the look of the project. I had never heard of rug hooking before and it makes me think of latch hooking that I once loved to do. The Crafter's Box has partnered with BookHou for their February box and so many people have already been inquiring about getting their hands on a box to get started on this fun and beautiful project. The finished project is beautiful and would look amazing up on the wall.

Punch Needle Wall Art Photo source Crafter's Box
The Another project or type of knitting that has caught my eye is the Fringe Association  Log Cabin Make-Along hosted by Karen Templer. I think this new trend in knitting looks so amazing and has been popping up all over my Instagram feed. I would like to learn more about it and try out a project using this technique. I am planning on buying some yarn to start my own log cabin blanket soon. I love the color combination below with the gray, cream, and black. I might copy this combination for my blanket.
Log Cabin Knitting project Photo Source Fringe Association
Has anyone given either of these two new trends a try? Do you know of any other new trends? I find it so interesting how there are always new fun things to discover within our craft. I am hoping to try out these two new trends this year.

I have finished Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know by Katherine Mcguire and I really enjoyed it and think it is the perfect little book to refer to and grab when you are cooking or need to refresh yourself on what you should eat to be a healthy vegetarian. I have been vegetarian for four months now (since September 2017) and I have been loving it. I do not really miss meat and I am always discovering new foods and recipes I love. I feel great and have also cut back on dairy more and more. There is always more to learn and discover. I hope that in 2018 I try more vegetarian and vegan recipes, and to keep learning more about the lifestyle.
I am also still reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and I am almost finished. It has been an interesting read and I have been thinking a hiking trip like the one she took would be very tough to do and not everyone could do it that's for sure! I know I couldn't do it on my own. I am looking forward to watching the movie once I am finished reading the book.


Books I am reading this week
Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.


Thank you for visiting my blog today and reading about my knitting progress, some new trends in crafting projects, and what I am reading.

I hope you have a great day!



Sunday, January 21, 2018

Ribbed Fingerless Mitts Knitted

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I finished knitting the ribbed fingerless mitts by Kathy North today. I used the pattern Ribbed Fingerless Mitts from Ravelry. It was a fun and quick project and the perfect pattern for a beginner at knitting fingerless mittens.

ribbed fingerless mittens
Finished fingerless mittens

I used some fingering yarn by Manos Del Uruguay in the Alegria yarn in the Happy colorway.  I used bamboo circular needles in the size US 8 5 mm. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, so I cast on 48 stitches instead of the 32 they suggest to achieve the correct gauge. The yarn worked well with the pattern by added the extra stitches and the finished product are squishy, and soft fingerless mittens that I am looking forward to wearing this winter. You can read my notes on Ravelry here.

ribbed fingerless mittens

Knitting these mittens made me love knitting fingerless mittens and I can definitely see myself knitting some more of these in different colors and they would be perfect as gifts for friends and family. They are so comfortable and leave your fingers free for texting and knitting!

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you are having a great weekend, and I will chat with you again this week!

Have a great day!

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

One Fingerless Mitt Already Knit and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I have been working on knitting the fingerless mittens lately and of course job searching. I have finished knitting the first mitten and love how it turned out and how comfortable it is. I am using the pattern Ribbed Fingerless Mitts by Kathy North which I found on Ravelry. The mittens are a fun, quick, and easy knit, and perfect for beginner knitters. I really enjoyed knitting this mitten up while watching TV because of its easy and repetitive pattern. I will be starting the second glove tonight and will hopefully be done before the weekend. I am looking forward to wearing them and it is supposed to be a bit warmer this weekend, so these fingerless mittens will be perfect to wear.

First finished ribbed fingerless mitten

comfortable fit and stretch

I haven't worked too much on the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top, but made some progress by knitting a few rows. The front piece is pictured below with the progress photo of the first fingerless mitten.



I finished reading The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur and really loved it. I love how there are poems about many different topics and she covers many issues women face and deal with all the time. I loved the poems about heartbreak, growth, and falling in love and being in love and loved. I plan to read these poems often and select ones which comfort me at the time and also make me reflect on life. I did reflect on each poem, and many made me reflect on what I had read because I felt emotions. Because of the nature of the poems, they make you reflect on your past and your life and family. I recommend it if you have not yet read it. I could not put it down.
I am still reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know by Katherine Mcguire.  This little book has a lot of tips on what to have in your pantry and how to get the right nutrients needed on this diet. It also includes meal plans if you need some ideas on what to eat. I am enjoying it so far and it will be a great reference book as well to add to my cookbooks.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. They are always busy working on lovely projects and others also link up to their posts about what they are working on each week. You can give them a visit if you like, and share what you're working on too.

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

Have a great day!

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Weekend Knitting and Baking

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. This weekend I baked some vegan brownies and started knitting fingerless gloves after searching for patterns on Ravelry. Last night we had my boyfriend's sister and her boyfriend over for a pizza and board games night. It was a fun night and it is always so fun to have them over. Today my boyfriend and I had a relaxing day in and I caught up on my knitting and then we had a lovely dinner later with his mom.

I have started knitting the fingerless gloves today and really looking forward to seeing how they take shape as I knit on. I am using the pattern Ribbed Fingerless Mitts pattern by Kathy North which I found on Ravelry. The yarn I am using is the Allegria Grande yarn by Manos Del Uruguay which is worsted weight yarn and I am using size US 8 5 mm needles. This is the first time I have knitted fingerless gloves and have not really knitted many gloves yet. I am looking forward to wearing these gloves once they are done so I can always have my fingers free and also keep my hands warm in the gloves. I once owned a pair of fingerless gloves when I worked with children at a childcare center and it was easier for me to have my fingers free and be able to still use my fingers for zipping up little zippers and any other things I had to do quickly.

Knitting the fingerless gloves cuff and using my new Fringe Supply Co. Field bag

Wound-up ball of yarn from the previous hank I purchased

I finished knitting that secret hat project for my mom and looking forward to giving it to her in February for her birthday. She chose such a lovely bulky green yarn and it was so fun to knit with because it was soft and also knitted up quickly because of its bulky size.  I am looking forward to sharing photos of the finished hat with you soon.

Yesterday I was baking some vegan brownies and I used the Dolled Up Desserts Bettie's Brownie mix. My sister bought the mix for me for Christmas and I was looking forward to trying them out! I just added coconut oil and maple syrup and the bag of ground flax seeds they provided in the bag. They are so delicious! It was nice to have a brownie which wasn't too sweet and rich and also felt a bit guilt-free because you aren't adding tons of butter as you usually would.

Dolled Up Desserts Bettie's Brownies
I hope you all had a good weekend too and had some time to knit or crochet as well. This week I will be working on knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top and the fingerless gloves. I am also almost finished reading a couple of books so I will be working on reading more to finish them up.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, if you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow my blog through Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can also subscribe by entering your e-mail at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Progress Updates on Knitting Projects and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. It has been awhile now since I've last posted. I have been working on a couple of projects. One is the hat for my mom which I will share with you all once I gift it to her in February. I am really excited about seeing how it looks on her because I love the pattern and it is something different than I have done before. The other is the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top, and I have made more progress on knitting the front piece. I have to remember to keep the tension tight when knitting with the yarn they provided which is up-cycled denim and appears different if I don't tug it once I knit a stitch so I have to keep that in mind. I have also wound up the Allegria Grande yarn by Manos Del Uruguay. I love the speckles of color in the yarn and I am so glad I figured out how to roll a ball of yarn from the hank of yarn without making it super tangled like what happened to the alpaca yarn I purchased last year. This time around I used some advice I had read online about putting the hank over my knee and then winding it into a ball so that the yarn does not twist and tangle together when winding the ball. I am so glad it worked out this time. I have been looking up finger-less glove patterns on Ravelry to knit with this beautiful yarn. This will be a project that I will be starting sometime this week.

A couple of my knitting and reading projects right now 

WAG front piece, Knitting green hat, and wound the ball of yarn

I am still reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and the other two, Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know by Katherine Mcguire and The Sun and Her Flowersby Rupi Kaur. I have not been reading as much as I should be right now. I am close to finishing Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know. It is full of interesting facts and an easy read. I have been kind of preoccupied with the job searching and just other daily things that take up my time. I was reading at night before bed for awhile but I should set some time aside during the day to read before I get a job and my schedule gets even busier.

Wild, The Sun and Her Flowers, and Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know
What are you reading and working on this week?

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! If you would like to 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 of the blog.

Have a great day!


Wednesday, January 3, 2018

New Year's Resolutions and Getting Back on Track

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. The past couple days I have been working on getting on track for the new year. My boyfriend and I had a great time at a friend's place on New Year's Eve and welcomed the new year with some great people. I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve night and New Year's day. I took down the ornaments off the Christmas tree yesterday and then we threw out the tree last night.  This is always kind of a bittersweet moment because it is accepting that it is not Christmas anymore, but also a sign of a new year with new possibilities. I still have some Christmas decorations to put away today.

I was happy to do a bit of knitting on the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top yesterday and get back into working on my personal knitting projects. Today I will be working on knitting the front piece again and making some more progress. I will also be looking up patterns to use for some new yarn I purchased recently.

Progress on WAG Farrah Billie Jean top
I have been filling out the Q&A a day book and the first question I answered on January 1st was "what is your mission?" I was stumped on that question for awhile then thought of my answer. I flipped through the rest of the questions to see if they were all difficult to answer, but some are also easier to answer such as "what is the last restaurant you went to?". I am really enjoying answering the questions and look forward to seeing how my answers differ from year to year.

I got my planner organized yesterday and today by adding the inserts and filling in what I ate in the fitness insert and my exercise. I am loving the home planner insert, I think it will really come in handy to keep track of cleaning, to-do lists, and my budget. I feel more ready to start the new year now and excited for the possibilities of 2018. Because I just started adding stickers to the page today it is pretty bare and I did not do too much on New Year's day anyway except sleep and relax off the night before.

First page of my new Happy Planner so far
I am still reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and have added a couple more books to the list since Christmas because I can never seem to only read one book at a time haha. I started reading Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know by Katherine Mcguire and The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. I was gifted both of these books for Christmas and I was excited to start reading them. I am hoping to finish Wild soon so I can focus more on the books I received for Christmas.

I made a list of my resolutions for the year 2018 and came up with five resolutions to focus on. I had more goals, but these will be my main focus of this year.

1. Get a job - I finished my certificate in December and now it is time to really focus on getting a job.

2. Get in shape and eat healthy - My sister's wedding is coming up this fall and I would like to feel my best for her big day. I did a Tone it Up workout yesterday and it felt great to get back into exercising again.

3. Read 20 books - I would really like to make it to 20 books read this year. I have a few on my to-read list so far and look forward to reading a lot this year.

4. Knit different projects- I would like to challenge myself to trying some new knitting projects this year. Maybe I will check out some Ravelry patterns and try out some new hat and sock patterns. I will also be knitting a tank top this year from the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean kit.

5. Try cooking new vegetarian and vegan dishes - Since my decision in September 2017 to go vegetarian, I have been experimenting with cooking a lot of vegetarian and vegan meals. I have really enjoyed the food and it would be fun to try some more that we can add to our weekly meal rotation.

What are some of your goals or resolutions for the year?

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unwraveled Wednesday. Also linked up with Ginny's Yarn Along on her blog Small Things today (January 7th), because I found out she is back with a monthly Yarn Along post!

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me through Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can subscribe by email at the top right of the blog.

Have a great day!

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