Weekend Knitting and Visiting

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today it was a lovely day outside. It was so sunny and warm. I drove to my visit my parents and get my tires changed for the Spring. I had dinner with them and we kept our distance and my sister joined us too. It was really nice to spend some time with them and be careful at the same time due to the virus.

I knitted more of the sock this weekend and did a lot last night while watching YouTube. I get a lot of my knitting done while watching videos. I am knitting the Sunshine on My Feet pattern by The Kitchen Shop. It has been a fun and quick knitting project and I think I will be done the first sock this week.

I finished reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and really enjoyed reading the end of the book. I feel like it picked up for me at the end. I saw that this book got some bad reviews on goodreads, but I think the response is mixed and I am among the people who enjoyed it. I think maybe because I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale yet, but I have seen the show, I didn't have as high of expectations as others who have read the book. I am continuing to read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and started on a light read called Average is the New Awesome by Samantha Matt. It is an interesting read so far. I think we all don't want to think we are "Average", but the reality is that most people are average and that is okay. I think I am average and try to better myself and to learn new things and be the best version of who I am, but in general I am average in many aspects of life. I think reading this book so far has already made me feel like being good, but not the best at work and other aspects of life can be a good thing and we should not get too stressed or hard on ourselves if we are average.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! It was such a nice weekend getting things done around the apartment and also visiting my family after months of not going to their house. I also enjoyed seeing their cats and also kept my distance because I didn't want to pet them too much. How was your weekend?

Have a great day!

Diamond Pattern: Stitchy Saturday

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I knitted the diamond pattern knitting stitch from the 750 Knitting Stitches book. It was a fun stitch to knit and it would add a lovely design to any knitted garment.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope you liked the stitch. I will be sharing more stitches that I try out each Saturday for Stitchy Saturday. 

Have a good day!

Knitting the First Sock and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This week has been going along pretty quickly as usual. I am happy it is almost the weekend again. This morning I did a workout from Popsugar. I have been keeping up with weekly workouts during the quarantine time. Also trying to go for walks on weekends and in the evenings. I enjoy getting outside when I can. It has been so hot lately so I have been avoiding going outside this week. I read for awhile after work today on the couch and took a nap falling asleep with the book on me. Those are the best naps.

I have been knitting more of the sock pattern Sunshine on my Feet by The Kitchen Sink Shop found on Ravelry. This is such a fun pattern and I love how I can knit it while watching videos and follow along with the pattern.

I am reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and really enjoying it. It is so interesting to read and I can't wait to find out what happens next. It is an interesting sequel to where the Handmaids show left off. I wonder if they might do something similar or they will create a different story line in upcoming seasons.  I am also continuing to read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is very inspirational and she discusses being open to your creative ideas. I have also been looking on Overdrive for more books to read and I now have a couple of them that I will start soon. I like having books on my phone as well that I can read when I am out waiting for my grocery pickup or just sitting on the couch.

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

Have a great day!

Weekend at Home

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been another weekend during quarantine at home. We were mostly at home, out for a walk, and to the grocery store yesterday early morning to avoid crowds. Today I Facetimed with my family and we caught up about life lately and shared some laughs. It is always so nice to see their faces during this time. It was another gorgeous Saturday yesterday, it was like Summer 23 degrees Celsius! Liam and I went for a walk down side streets and through the park. The trees and blue sky really lifted my spirits and we enjoyed getting some fresh air and exercise.

I bought some more flowers when I went to get groceries which is becoming a new habit of mine to brighten up the apartment during this uncertain time. I bought these bright yellow flowers for the kitchen to sit in the corner and these cute little pink flowers in a cute pot. They look nice in front of the felt board I just put up this week.

I have been knitting more of the sock and it is coming along.I am using the pattern Sunshine on My Feet by the Kitchen Sink Shop found on Ravelry.  They are going to be ankle socks, so I will be able to wear them in the Summer around the house while we are still in quarantine. I was reading more of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood this morning. It is always so intriguing and keeps me reading on to find out what happens next. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please tell me in the comments below how your weekend was. I feel like the weekend goes by way too fast. I enjoy weekends so much because I have so much more time to just daydream and make plans.

Have a good day!

Open Check Stitch - Stitchy Saturday

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. Today I knitted the open check stitch.This stitch is airy and perfect for the warmer months. This stitch would be great for knitting lighter tops and garments. I enjoyed knitting this 6 row repeat and found the pattern easy to follow.

Pattern:

Cast On: Multiples of 2

• Row 1 (RS): Purl
• Row 2: Knit
• Row 3: K2, *sl 1, k1; rep from * to end
• Row 4: *K1, yf, sl 1, yb; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2
• Row 5: K1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to last st k1
• Row 6: Purl
Repeat these 6 rows until you have reached your desired length.

Pattern from new stitch a day


Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope that you like the stitch and would like to give it a try. I have been enjoying trying out new patterns it tests me as a knitter and I learn new skills and new techniques each week!

Have a great day!

Knitting Socks and Reading Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have been having a good week so far. I feel like the weeks go by so fast and it is already Wednesday night. I think being in quarantine and working from home make the days fly by because each day feels similar and before you know it, its Friday again and it doesn't feel like a regular Friday. Fridays still feel special because we pick up dinner and Liam goes to LCBO and gets us wine and beer for the weekend. I am looking forward to the weekend already! Tonight Liam and I went for a walk and last night we did as well. I like this new nightly routine after dinner, we catch up and spend time chatting after working from home all day, getting fresh air, and feeling like things are somewhat normal. Tonight we walked a different route closer to the main street and it was nice to venture off the beaten path a bit.

I have knitted more of the sock, I am using the pattern Sunshine on My Feet by the Kitchen Sink Shop on Ravelry. I like how the pattern is not too complicated and easy to follow along as I watch videos or listen to an audiobook.

The heel flap

I finished reading the book Help Me! One Woman’s Quest to Find Out if Self-Help Really Can Change Her Life by Marianne Power yesterday. I have been reading this one on and off for months and able to borrow it back from the library online when I lose my loan. It was a great book and there were a lot of interesting experiences she had because of reading some of the books and she learned from her self help journey. I like when I can take some tips on bettering myself from a self help book and apply it to my life. I am still reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

My parents just celebrated their 35 year Anniversary! They inspire me and have always been there for each other in good times and bad. I really love this picture of them and this photo shows the love and warmth they have and emit to us and to each other. I love them so much and I can't wait to see them and give them hugs again.

After our walk I worked on the quote board below and looked up some quarantine quotes to leave an inspirational message on our shelf. I like this simple quote below "Keep calm and stay home". 

Day 64 selfie in quarantine

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

Thank you for visiting my blog today and hope that you are doing well during this time. It is a weird time and we are all trying to make the best of it. I have quite a few hobbies I did at home before this quarantine time and doing them a lot more now like knitting, reading, and blogging so I pass my time a lot between those things. Some new things I have been doing more often are doing puzzles,developing new cleaning routines, and starting to try new stitches each week. What have you been up to lately while in quarantine?

Have a great day!

Another Weekend in Quarantine

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend I went for a walk with Liam and I really enjoyed the warm sunny day walking through a local park that is now open. It had been closed due to the Covid-19 virus. There were so many couples walking their dogs, families sitting on the grass, neighbors catching up from a distance. It was nice to feel the weight of this virus lifting a bit, but we were still being cautious not to get too close to others. The playground at this park was still blocked off with caution tape so children wouldn't go and play on the jungle gym or swings. It really felt so great being outside walking with Liam like we always do in the Spring and Summer months and felt like normal. 

Today I knitted more of the sock using the pattern Sunshine on My Feet by the Kitchen Sink Shop found on Ravelry. I like how the striping yarn is turning out on the sock Patons Kroy Sock yarn in the colorway Tourmaline stripes. 

I worked on the cat puzzle I shared last weekend. I got all the edge pieces set up and I will probably be done this one in a week. I am really enjoying doing puzzles again and got back into puzzles since the quarantine started. 

I am continuing to read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and really love the story line. I picked up Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert again and it is so inspirational so far. Her main point is that ideas will come to us and if we don't take hold of them and bring them to life, the ideas will move on to a more willing person who will do that. It is a very interesting concept. She says many of her fiction and non-fiction ideas that she had once abandoned were written by other people, so she believes that the idea had moved on to someone else. I think I may have encountered this with ideas in the past and sometimes not gone ahead with an idea, and then someone brought it up later because I had not acted on it.

How was your weekend?

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope that you are all safe and healthy. I feel like this virus is winding down now and I really hope that we can have a "normal" Summer and that this ends soon.

Climbing Leaf Pattern - Stitchy Saturday

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I have been knitting the climbing leaf pattern found in the knitting stitch book 750 Knitting Stitches: The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible by Pavilion Books. This pattern is a 8 row repeat and multiple of 16 +1 stitches. I cast on 34 stitches for the swatch today and I like how it turned out. I chose the light pink color yarn today which is a fun and bright color for Spring, and used  green US 4 circular needles.

 I like how the edge of the swatch turned out into a nice flowy design!

This stitch was fun to knit and such a lovely pattern to add to any knitting garment. Check out the book above to see the pattern. Thank you for visiting today for Stitchy Saturday! Have you knitted this pattern before?

Casting on Socks and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I started knitting socks tonight using a pattern found on Ravelry called Sunshine on My Feet by The Kitchen Sink Shop. I like the name of the pattern and think these would be so cute to knit with bright yellow yarn. Maybe I will get yellow yarn for the next ones! I have started knitting the ribbing so far k2,p2 for 8 rows. They are actually ankle socks, so they will be good to wear in the Summer. It was relaxing knitting and watching YouTube videos after work tonight. I am using my 3.25 mm Takumi double pointed needles and the yarn is Patons Kroy Sock yarn in the colorway 'tourmaline stripes'.

I have been reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and still loving it. I am going to continue reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert again. It is inspirational so far and I know I will really enjoy it. I am also reading Help Me! by Marianne Power. I have been reading this one for quite some time now and am almost done. I really like reading along as she follows the advice of twelve self help books and comments on her journey using self help books to improve her life. As a lover of self help books myself, I find it interesting to see if you follow the advice given from each of the books if it improves your life. I know I have read some books that have resonated with me by changing the way I think of things, and have given me a new perspective on life.

My parents have been sending me some really cute photos of their cats Moo and Roo. I really miss seeing them because of this pandemic and look forward to some cuddles very soon. I have re-posted this photo from Snapchat they sent to me today. They always brighten my day and I really enjoyed a video of Moo meowing in a box yesterday. I think I watched it about ten times.

Moo to the left and Roo to the right

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


Thank you for visiting my blog today! Stay safe!

Weekend in Quarantine and Mother's Day

Hello Friends,

I hope that you are doing well and staying safe. Happy Mother's day! I will be Facetiming with my family soon tonight to spend some time with my mom, dad, and sister quarantine-style for Mother's day. I am focusing mainly on having some Facetime calls so we can see each other and I think this is most important today. We got my mom some gifts between my sister and I as well that she will be opening tonight while on the call. We will be all having dinner together and chatting on video which is what we did for Easter, and it felt similar to when we were able to get together for a holiday meal.

I finished the Positano puzzle that I have been working on most of the past two months. There are only 500 pieces, but it takes me quite awhile as I did not work on it every day. This puzzle is such a beautiful scene and it lifted my spirits while working on it. I would put a piece in here and there when I had a moment and really enjoyed working on the puzzle bit by bit.

The next puzzle I will be starting is a cat puzzle which is also 500 pieces and that I have also done before. Once I am done this one, I might buy another one if they aren't still all sold out. I really love making puzzle and might challenge myself to a bigger one next time around 1000 pieces or more.

I finished knitting the Merry fair isle ornament and currently do not have a project on the needles. I was contemplating starting to knit socks and I have some yarn for socks that I purchased a long time ago and started knitting a pair of socks that I did not finish. So I might use the same yarn for a simple sock pattern this time around. The yarn is Patons Kroy Socks in the colorway tourmaline stripes.

These flowers my fiancé's mom got us still look so beautiful and vibrant from last weekend and still bring us so much joy.

The philodendron is still hanging in there. I pulled a couple yellow leaves off before this photo but love how these are very resilient plants and easy to care for. My bamboo plant is also thriving and I love how bamboo plants are easy to care for, when the water is low, I just fill it back up and it stays happy and healthy. I love the plants in my home and they make me feel better being cooped up.

Thank you all for visiting today and I hope you enjoyed your weekend and have a good week ahead!