Knitting Scarf and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have been doing well. It feels like right now there is so much going on and I need to take more time to work on things. Our wedding is coming up in October and then we are moving a couple of weeks later in November to our townhouse in Toronto. It is going to be a whirlwind of activities. I am excited we are going forward with the wedding, but also feel like now I have to get busy and we have a lot of work and preparations to do. I of course, am sitting here knitting and blogging instead because its Wednesday and that is what I like to do and the other responsibilities can be worked on later. 

I started knitting the Ridge Rib Men's scarf by Linda Thach, pattern found on Ravelry. This is going to be a gift for my fiancé Liam for Christmas. The yarn I am knitting with is Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in the colorway black. I am using straight needles size US 10, 6.0 mm, as suggested in on the pattern. I am starting to knit gifts earlier this year. I might also knit him some socks. I want to knit some other things for my family as well. 

I finished reading Everything is F*cked by Mark Manson. It was such a good book and really interesting to read. He does his research and discusses interesting events in history and philosophers. I like that I learned a lot while reading it. I want to read his other book The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck. I have started reading Normal People by Sally Rooney. It seems like it will be a good read and I am just learning about the characters at this point. I will let you know how I like it as I read on.

Photo source

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

Thank you for visiting my blog! The cases of Covid-19 are going up in Toronto unfortunately and even before school starts tomorrow. I really hope we don't get the second wave in the Fall and that it holds off for awhile. I also hope that people stay safe and practice safe socializing and keep distance from those not in their bubble. It is hard when socializing to keep this in mind and to keep distance, but it will really help everyone as a whole in the long run.

Have a great 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!

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!

It's been a month of this...

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well and staying safe. It has been exactly one month ago today that I started to work from home and practice social distancing. I remember the Sunday before on March 15th, I left my parent's house to go get some groceries and hopefully find some toilet paper (I did not) and then head home to work at home that first week. I was worried about the virus, we still didn't know at that time how bad this would be. I was looking forward to working from home for a few weeks, then a few weeks turned into what feels like forever. I haven't been going out much at all, just a handful of walks around my neighborhood and to get takeout once a week and get groceries. I miss seeing my family and shopping and living a normal life. Now each day goes into the next. I have no idea what to expect the next couple of months, if this will end or it will continue. My wedding has been postponed now until October, it started to get more clear that we could not keep our wedding date in May. I was so sad at first about it, then I accepted the turn of events. It is also for the best as it was getting worse, we knew we couldn't ask our guests to travel and to attend during these circumstances.

I've been keeping busy by starting to knit another one of the Merry Fair Isle ornaments pattern from Patons. I really love making these and at this uncertain time, it really helps me to knit Christmas ornaments because that time of the year everything feels peaceful and its so comforting to me. I love how this pattern is turning out so far and I chose this one to knit because it looks like an Easter egg pattern and I started it last week leading up to Easter. I am using four size 3.25 mm double pointed needles and using yarn by Loops & Threads called Joy DK I bought in December last year to knit the other ornament.

I have been continuing to read both Good Morning, Good Life by Ana Schmittauer Landino and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both are so enjoyable to read right now and to motivate me to keep working on my goals. I really want to read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood soon, this whole pandemic and how our lives have turned upside down keeps making me think of The Handmaid's Tale and how they had to suddenly adapt to a horrible new reality.


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


Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope that you have a good weekend and stay safe!

By the way if you are wondering what I look like right now... this picture totally describes me to a T! I even have the pimple...

Photo source

Have a great day!

Knitting a Turkey for Thanksgiving

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have taken today off work and it feels so good to have time to myself. I decided to take a few days off work around my birthday this year to give myself time around one of my favorite times of the year, which is right around my birthday, Thanksgiving, and fall. My birthday is tomorrow, I will be 31 years old. Turning 31 makes me reflect on how fast time is going by. I think of how life is going to change a lot in my thirties with getting married next year,starting a family, and buying a house. There is so much to plan and do right now with the wedding coming up and the year coming to an end. I have also become very consumed with knitting and reading lately and this could take up most of my days easily. Today I met up with my fiancé Liam during his lunch near his work and I have done a workout, knitted, read, and chatted with my mom. I did a lot of knitting today on the new project I have started.

I am knitting another wine bottle topper, this time it is a turkey! I am knitting it as a gift for my future mother-in-law and will be giving it to her on Saturday for Thanksgiving  on top of a bottle of wine. I hope that she likes it as much as she liked the bunny wine bottle topper I made her for Easter this year. I have a couple of days left to finish it. So far I have the body done and am starting the head and the beak of the turkey.

I have knitted the body of the turkey in the seed stitch pattern to give the body of the turkey some texture to resemble the feathers they have on their bodies. As seen in the photo above, the head of the turkey is going to be simple knit stitch in the color red. The beige stitches are the start of the beak of the turkey. I will be knitting some wings also in the seed stitch to give them texture. I drew up a diagram of the turkey plans as this was something I did not find online. I find it fun to make my own patterns and I am using some of the design from the bunny topper to guide me with the body and the head decreases. I will share the pattern with you all when the turkey is complete in the next post.

I am still reading the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It is so interesting to learn about habits and how they affect our lives and how we go about our days. Another book about habits that I will be reading next and might have taken a peak at already is called Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. My sister read it and loved it, so I am so excited to read this one next.


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

Thank you for visiting today and I hope that you have a wonderful day

Knitting Progress and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend I was celebrating my boyfriend's birthday and also visiting with family and friends. I did not have time to catch up too much on my knitting but I am making up for it during this week! I have been setting up my Barley Light beanie/hat by Tin Can Knits for decreasing and have plans to make a dent in the decreasing the rest of today. I hope to share some photos of the finished hat soon! I want to wear it for some of the remaining cold days. I was glad I could get some more yarn last night after work to continue knitting it.

I have also been working slowly on my Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top and have knitted some rows this week while watching TV.

I had a great time visiting with family this weekend and it was so nice to also hang out with these guys. This photo is from Saturday afternoon when I showed up. They were so comfortable having the couch all to themselves. I got some cuddles after this photo when Moo (the tuxedo cat) finally got up to greet me.

Love them

I have still been reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman when I have some energy before bed to read. Lately I have been pretty tired, but I will try to make it more of a priority. I have also been listening to Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey on audiobook. Looking forward to working more on my budgeting to pay off my debt and student loans and have savings again.

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

Thank you for visiting my blog! I have been posting once a week lately because I am adjusting to working and blogging and trying to find time to knit, read, and blog (my favorite things!).I will hopefully be returning to posting twice a week shortly. Now I am off to see what others are working on.

Hope you have a great day!

Progress on Knitting Beanie, WAG Top, and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. Later this week, I will be starting a 2.5 month contract. I am excited to start a new job again and it definitely is never boring right now with this change every so often and starting new contracts.

I have been knitting the beanie that I was discussing last week. The pattern I am using is called Barley Light by Tin Can Knits, found on Ravelry. It is a fun knit so far and I am loving the color of the yarn I chose. I am using Patons Kroy Socks yarn in the colorway Flax. I can knit the pattern from memory now and it is a pleasure to knit. It is a two row repeat after the ribbing. The two row repeat is purling the required stitches based on the size of your hat, (mine is an adult large although it does not look too large) and then knit the remaining stitches in the row and then row two is to knit all stitches for one round. This continues until you reach the length that is suggested and then the decreasing begins.

I have also been working on the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top and have been making steady progress on it. The yarn dye gets on my fingertips because the yarn is upcycled denim! It comes off when I wash my hands though. So I will definitely be giving it a wash before I wear it.

I have still been reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and really enjoying it so far. It is so sweet, funny, and sad at times. I have been enjoying getting to know what a complex and interesting character Eleanor is, and I am looking forward to reading more.

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

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope that you are having a great week so far and I would love it if you stopped by again.

Hope you have a great day!

Knitting Progress, New Project Plans, and Reading

Hi Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I have been good, and I have been busy working a lot of hours at a temporary work assignment in Toronto. I will be finished the three week contract tomorrow and I will hopefully be starting another job soon. I am currently working some temp jobs to gain work experience while job searching and hoping to land a full-time or part-time position in office administration.

I have been knitting the second piece of the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top which is the back piece.  I finished knitting the ribbed bottom edge of the piece and now starting on knitting in stockinette stitch for the body of the top.

I have still been reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and really enjoying it so far. The character is funny and I love reading about her hopes and dreams on finding her dream man, and her observations about the people around her.

Today I went to Michael's to get some yarn for a new project. I have been so excited to start a new project for awhile, but did not know exactly what I wanted to make and also needed time to make a special trip to Michaels. One day this week, I realized I have never knitted a beanie before and I really like the slouchy hat look. So I started looking at patterns this morning and I found a pattern for a beanie on Ravelry called Barley Light by Tin Can Knits. I chose a similar color to the hat in the photo for the pattern because I thought it looked so nice in that color. The yarn I will be using is Patons Kroy Socks in the flax colorway. I am looking forward to casting on today and will be sharing photos with you soon on the progress of the beanie.

Screenshot photo of the Barley Light beanie on Ravelry :) (Photo Source) 

Joining along with Nicole from Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, with Kat from As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday, and with Ginny from Small things for Yarn Along (March)! Please stop by these amazing blogs if you would like to also share what you are working on and see what others are working on this week.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, and I hope you have a great day!

Knitting Progress and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Yesterday was Family Day for us in Ontario, Canada and it was nice to have the day off to get a few more things done towards my knitting, reading, and blogging. I will be starting a three week work contract today through the employment agency I am working for. I am excited for this new job to start and I am happy to be getting back out there working again. I also had a couple assignments last week which I enjoyed.

I have been been knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top and have made some progress on it. I am close to being finished knitting one half of the front piece and just have the other side of the neckline and strap to knit. I decided to just keep knitting it the length it asks for.I had been concerned about the length, but now I am thinking it will be fine and if it is too short, I can wear another tank top underneath it.

I have finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This book got mixed reviews, some people liked it and some did not. I did like it, but felt like it was a bit long and repetitive at times. What drew me to the book was that I love reading books where the protagonist sets out on a journey and reflects on their past and their new journey changes them and allows them to approach life differently. I feel like Cheryl's hike on the PCT did affect her and change for the better and encourage her to reflect on her life. I have now started reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and I am really enjoying it so far.

I would like to start knitting a new project soon and have held off for awhile on starting something new because I wanted to make more progress on the Wool and the Gang top and also had to finish off some work on some gifts and a I was working on for someone. I have been thinking a colorful shawl would be a fun next project. I will be searching for patterns for my next project this week and brainstorming ideas.

What are you working on and reading this week?

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

Thank you for visiting my blog today and reading about what I am knitting and reading this week! Now I am off to see what others are working on.

Have a great day!

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.

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Knitting a Wool and the Gang Farrah Top Billie Jean

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today I started knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Top Billie Jean kit. It is rated as easy and follows a simple stockinette pattern for both the front and back pieces. I am using the Billie Jean yarn which is 100% upcycled denim. It is a stronger yarn and has been really nice to work with so far. It is also soft so it will make a comfortable and durable tank top.

So far I have knitted 7 rows of 1 x 1 ribbing and a few rows of stockinette. I really love the ribbing on the bottom. The first piece I am working on is the front piece from bottom to top. To see the packaging that the yarn came in please check out my first post on the kit by clicking here. You can check out the kit by visiting the Wool and the Gang website here.

Close-up of the bottom of the front piece

I have still been reading Not Working by Lisa Owens and enjoying it so far. I can relate to the character. She thinks of her past place of work often and is living with her boyfriend and trying to find another job. She is unsure of what she wants and I am sure she will find clarity by the end of the book.  

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

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