Runner-up for Queen of the UFO's

Hope all my fellow Canadians had a good long weekend.

We’re postponing the family celebration until later this month when the middle sibling will be up from L.A.

That said, we did get a pumpkin pie in our food box and a few other treats, so Thing Two and I will have a nicer meal today. Salmon not turkey, but that’s okay. So, I wrote this in the am, before it was decided that neither of us was actually up to doing/eating a more involved meal, but hey, we have tomorrow’s diner set!

Last post I was listing my projects for the summer, but I’ve since realized I rather shortchanged myself on that. I forgot the 1/2 dozen mock-ups, including the one for a new trouser pattern that I turned into a pair of wearable shorts. Unfortunately there were several hard nos in the batch, but at least now I know.

I also forgot a 3^rd pair of socks and the five UFO’s that worked on. I did finish two of those and got the other three much closer to finishing. In fact I’ve since finished one more of them (seriously, it only needed buttons!?!??!) and I’ve add three more to the list of projects I’m poking away at. Yes, yes I do have a lot of UFO’s and WIP’s.

Question Of The Day:

October, 14 - It's Thanksgiving Day in Canada today - reflecting on your childhood, what were you thankful for?

Opportunities! The chance to try different activities & hobbies, to travel, to experience wonders ~ both man-made and natural and to eat a whole lot of really good food. And books. Can’t forget books. From teaching me to read, to weekly trips to the library and many, many purchases my parents indulged my obsession with reading completely.

Zed

P.S. Weather continues to be unseasonably warm. High today was 26 C (78.8 F) and still no snow at all! The rest of the week should be a bit cooler, but still warm. And dry. So weird.

About four days late.

I had a post ready for June 30^th, but a thunderstorm swept though right about dinner time and knocked out the power. It was out for just a brief period but we lost internet and that wasn’t restored until mid-morning the next day. And each evening (when I usually have time to post) since then we’ve had more storms, which have messed with our connections. I’ve learned my lesson (sorta, maybe) and am doing this on my lunch break.

Most of what I have today is Question of The Day catch ups. Not everything, but stuff I had already done. When I was planning my post for the 30^th, I found a started post from June 21^st so I’m just going forward from there.

Question of The Day:

July 3 - In 1861 the Pony Express successfully made its way with letters from New York to San Francisco - do you still receive letters through the mail?

No. Letters weren’t something that were all that big in my circles, we used to send cards for most occasions, but not anymore. Between the costs of stamps and cards and the difficulty everyone had getting out and about during assorted lock downs, we’ve all switched to text/email options.

Question of The Day Catch Up:

June 21 - Can you do the 'downward dog' pose on International Yoga Day?

Maybe once upon a time, but not these days.

June 22 - International Being You Day - a day to celebrate our differences, and our unique qualities. Do you have a unique quality you'd like to celebrate today?

Creativity. That’s pretty general, but my expression of it is unique to me.

June 23 - Board games - yay or nay? What's your favourite, or the one that fills you with horror at the memory of playing?

Eh, depends on my mood. Clue was always fun and so was The Game of Life. Horror was reserved for anything that used a lot of math and/or intense strategy (chess? No Thank You!)

June 24. International Fairy Day - when you were small did you believe in fairies (do you still believe?)

I did. And I shan’t rule them out.

June 25 - Ultra Processed Food (UPF) is making the headlines at the moment - do you know which everyday foods are classed as UPF (here's an article to help you *g*)?

Some I know, others I can guess at, but there’s probably some that will surprise me.

June 26 - Have you ever used a supermarket barcode reader or a "Scan and Go" App to pay for your groceries at the self-checkout?

Once, way back in the day when the barcode readers were first introduced. I hated it and I must not have been the only one as they didn’t last long. Now I hate to even use self checkout.

June 27 - Is there a good bus service close to where you live? Do you use the bus to get around?

No, there is no bus service here. Or any other type of public transport. There was an experiment with bus service to the City, but it didn’t survive the pandemic. Small town living don’cha know.

June 28 - It's International Cream Tea Day (the last Friday in June)! Do you put the jam on a scone first, followed by the clotted cream (the Cornish way), or the other way around (the Devon way).

Devon way, not that I’ve had Cream Tea more than a couple of times about a decade and a half ago.

June 29 - Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell was published today (1936). Have you ever read it, or did you watch the movie instead?

Not read nor seen the movie (aside from clips). I do remember when the Carol Burnett show did a spoof of the dress from curtains scene though.

June 30 - International Asteroid Day - meteor is what happens when a small piece of an asteroid or comet (called a meteoroid) burns up upon entering Earth's atmosphere. Have you ever seen a meteor shower?

Yes, many times.

July 1 - Halfway through the year, how have you done with your New Year resolutions?

I don’t do resolutions. I have goals, plans, aspirations and/or themes, but not resolutions. And so far, I’m eh, on the plans/goals etc. I’m working from the Good-Better-Best theory of goal setting (concept attributed to Retro Claude). The only area I haven’t managed to achieve even Good levels is blogging. For me, Good was once a month, Better was once a week and Best would have been a couple of times a week (no way was I going to try for daily, I know myself better than that).

July 2 - In 1814 an alligator fell from the sky during a thunderstorm. Do you know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile and have you ever seen either of them?

I know they are different, especially around the snout/mouth (crocodiles have blunter snouts), but I couldn’t say I could I identify one or the other unless I saw them side by side. I may have seen alligators at some point (we visited a lot of zoos/animal parks when I was a kid) but for sure I’ve seen crocodiles, the City zoo has West African Dwarf crocodiles.

Zed

P.S. It’s cool and grey today, high of about 18C / 64.4F, but no rain or storms in the forecast. We’ll see about that.

Are out in force again. Sigh. Both Thing Two and I got texted ones from the “City” about overdue parking fines. Yeah, no.

1. The “City” does not send out parking fines, the Parking Authority for the City does.

2. Fines are against the vehicle not a drivers license.

3. They don’t communicate by text.

4. Or send suspicious links that purport to be “secure payment” portals (parking is not spelled parkiing)

5. We don’t live in the City and were home on the day of the supposed infraction.

6. Thing Two does not own a car, have a drivers license and in fact has never learned to drive.

I guess enough people panic and click through for this garbage to be profitable for these scum sucking bottom feeders.

Question of The Day:

April 11 - Have you ever had a cheese fondue - did you make it yourself, have it at a restaurant or at a friend's place? Did you like it?

Yes, it’s very yummy. I’ve never made it myself, but Mom did all kinds of fondue dishes when I was growing up. There were also a trend for fondue restaurants around the same time and we ate at several different ones, mostly on holiday.

Question Catch Up:

March 31 - World Backup Day - have you ever forgotten to back something up and lost it all? Do you back up your data regularly?

So many times. So many. And no I don’t, which you think I would considering, but nope. I have some sort of block on this!

March 30 - Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., usually on the last Saturday of March. Will you be joining in?

We didn’t do it specifically for this, but our usual evening routine always has us with very few lights on and we turn off/unplug any thing that isn’t in use. We also turn down the heat overnight.

March 29 - Pita bread is celebrated today - what is your favourite dish to serve with pita bread?

Depends on the type of pita. Is it Greek style? Then souvlaki, usually chicken, but sometimes pork. If it’s the pocket type, then toasted with hummus and/or tzaziki as a dip.

Zed

P.S. Warm again today (14C / 57.2F) but cloudy and somewhat windy.

Since I even logged onto Dreamwidth. That’s rare, even if I’m not posting, I usually check my reading page at least once a day.

We have been busy, a couple of family birthdays and Easter all about the same time results in big family dinners that need organization and planning and food. So that’s several days right there. And last week we were out almost every day for assorted chores and errands. But if I’m honest, I’ve just been in a real funk. I’m never good this time of year and it’s been made worse with some bad news regarding a family member’s health. We’re waiting on further news, but no updates as yet.

I’ve been trying to distract myself by doing things rather than sitting at the computer~more likely to ruminate just sat there. The results have been mixed. The studio and my bedroom have been deep cleaned, but I broke my work table (and myself)! I’ve also managed to misplace several items, but located an extra skein of yarn needed to finish a project I was afraid I’d have to rip out.

I’m going to continue with the “spring” cleaning, but I think I’ll enlist Thing Two’s help with anything heavy and/or delicate.

Question of The Day:

April 9 - National Cherish an Antique Day - a day to find out about anything you've got that has been passed down through the family. Or maybe you've bought something that you will pass down? Do you have any antiques?

Not really an antique, but I have a dresser that was in my father’s nursery. I do have a spinning wheel, that might be an antique, but haven’t looked into it much. It was given to me third or fourth hand with little (no) provenance.

Question Catch Up:

April 8 - Pablo Picasso died on this day in 1973 at the age of 91. Have you ever seen a Picasso artwork in real life?

Yes, but he’s not a favourite.

April 7 - William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and is probably best known for his poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" which mentions "A host, of golden daffodils'. Are there daffodils flowering where you live (were they early, or are they late)?

No daffodils here and I hope they keep their heads down for a few more weeks, snow possible overnight with more later in the week.

April 6 - Clas Thunberg, a Finnish speed skater known for winning five Olympic gold medals was born today in 1893. Can you skate?

Yes, of course, I’m Canadian aren’t I :D Seriously though, I was a figure skater and for a number of years spent more hours on the ice and in training than I did in school.

April 5 - Is it raining? When was the last time you had rain in your area. Is there a lack of rain that's causing concern?

Snow yes, rain no. Which is good because we’ve been in a drought for several years now and any moisture we get is needed. Even if it does make it harder for me personally.

I think I'll post a few of the backlog every time I post.

Zed

P.S. The high today was 13C / 55.4F but it was rather gloomy most of the day and quite windy.

Happened today. More of the usual, putter about online and deal with housework in the morning. Studio time in the afternoon. The vest is finished, the incorrect lining has been seam ripped and trimmed up ready for new pieces to be added and the fabric for such has been ironed. So that’s ready to go for tomorrow.

I did set out to make the bias binding for the pinafore skirt, but realized the fabric I had was only 1/2 the width I thought it was. It’s just not going to work. I will have to do some stash diving to try and find an alternative. If I really can’t find anything, I’ll have to buy something. Probably a package or two of pre-made bias tape. Not something I can find locally, but we are planning a trip into the City soon and will hit up the fabric stores.
 

Question of The Day:

March 27 - World Theatre Day - have you ever seen a live play at a theatre? What would be your favourite play to see on stage?
Yes, more than a few times, from professional to elementary school performances. The one I most enjoyed was actually a musical version of “Anne of Green Gables”. Our family visited P.EI. on holiday and the production was considered a “must”. I loved it so much I talked my parents into seeing it a second time!

Zed 
P.S. High today was +7C / 44.6F and sunny. We spent the day listening to icicles crash down. The really scary looking one outside the studio window finally lost the battle with gravity about 5 pm.

And I’m exhausted. Everywhere was more crowded than normal for a Monday and I no longer people well. I did consider putting it of to tomorrow hoping for better roads, but more snow tonite and possibly rain tomorrow. Yikes!

No studio time today, but I have managed to work in a little knitting. For the past couple of years I have been making an effort to work through at least some of my UFO’s. This month I picked up a long abandoned henley style pullover. Not completely sure when I started it, but the pattern was released on Knitty in 2006 and I printed out a copy of the pattern in May of 2008. I know I had to order the yarn from the US, so not sure if I waited to print the pattern until yarn was in hand or I did it before. Either way, I figure sometime end of May to mid-June of 2008. It will be a lovely layering piece when it’s done. Soon hopefully, the body was completely done and since I picked it up again I’ve finished one sleeve and am more than 1/2 way on the second.

Question of The Day:

March 25 - In Sweden it's Waffle Day - are you a fan of waffles and do you own a waffle maker? Have you a favourite recipe?
Yes and yes. I’ve tried several different ones over the years, most recently a Norwegian one. That one was really good! The one that gets the most requests though is the one I have for gingerbread waffles.

Zed

P.S. High today was -7C / 19.4F and it is in fact snowing again.
 

Or maybe it’s just a continuation? I didn’t think to check yesterday. I don’t expect we’ll be too badly off, the worst of it (up to 25 cm overnight) is going to be quite a bit south of us and up in the mountains. Still, we can expect a few more centimetres on top of what we already have. Including ice ~ yay, that’s fun. Watched a neighbour nearly spin out taking the corner a just touch too fast. So glad we’re staying home.

Spent time in the studio this afternoon, but didn’t really accomplish much. I’m feeling a bit meh with my current makes. The trousers are stalled until I can get somewhere to buy a zipper. I thought I had one that would work (navy not black, but close enough) however, it’s too short. I need a 23 cm zipper and it’s only 18 cm. And of course the only 23 cm zippers I have are either a clashing colour or they’re too heavy for the fabric. I absolutely do not want to cut down a dress length zipper for this, that’s such a waste.

The vest is still giving me fits, I spent several hours pressing and fussing with it trying to get everything to lay correctly. It was so bad I turned it inside out again (fully lined and I’m bag lining it) to tack down some of the more trouble some spots. I’ve left it to (hopefully) settle over night, tomorrow I plan to close it up and then maybe just top stitch the crap out of it.

What I really want to be doing is fun costuming stuff. My latest rabbit hole is medieval clothing. I really, really want to try to make a kirtle/cotehardie/gown. Not at all practical, but to be fair, I’ve never been that good at practical.

Question of The Day:

March 23 - National Chia Day - Chia seeds have many health-boosting properties including helping to lower blood pressure, to balance blood sugar levels and are packed with fibre. Have you ever eaten Chia seeds?
Yep, probably some unknowingly in purchased seed bread or other prepared goods. Recently we received some in a Food Rescue package and Thing Two has been adding them to assorted dishes.

Zed

P.S. High was -7C / 19.4F but that was still warm enough that the snow was melting off the roof and the roads were wet and slushy.  There are some pretty big icicles hanging just outside the studio window.
 

And it’s snowing. Because of course it is. And we’re under a snowfall warning with 10-30 cm of snow expected by Friday morning. Sigh.

In good news, it’s also pattern release day! The pattern for my most recent test knit  for Tasha Moss of Tasha Could Make That was released today, so yay! I’m so pleased with how my project turned out and for once I had no problems finding the perfect buttons. I am very glad we were able to get in a photo session before the weather changed.




Express Line Pattern - link to the pattern on Ravelry

Question of The Day:

March 20 - National Ravioli Day - do you enjoy Ravioli? What's your favourite flavour combination?
I do. It’s been a while since I’ve had really good Ravioli though. Back when we lived in the city we had a favourite Italian restaurant and they had a lovely veal ravioli in a rose sauce that I really liked. That restaurant no longer exists, of course. My most recent meal with Ravioli came from one of our Food Rescue packages and was obviously source from the local care home. It purported to be Butternut Squash Ravioli, but sadly it was institutional “cheese” Ravioli in canned tomato sauce with some chunks of vegies, including butternut squash, added in. Edible, but not spectacular.

Zed

So just catching up today. I’m probably missing some days, but eh, good enough.

Question of The Day:

March 14 - It's National Pi Day! Will you eat a pie to celebrate Pi? Have you ever entered a pie-eating contest?
Mmmm, pie! No pie here today, nobody has the spoons to make one. And no on the pie-eating contest. Or any other eating contest- never ever!

Catching up:

March 10 - Hector Guimard, French Art Nouveau architect and designer was born in 1867. Do you prefer Art Nouveau or Art Deco style?
I like both, but have more of a preference for Art Nouveau.

March 11 - National Napping Day - do you like to nap? Can you Power Nap?
Napping can be lovely, but I rarely risk it. My sleep patterns are erratic enough. And definitely not.

March 12 - Al Jarreau, the American singer, was born on this day in 1940. Known for singing the theme to Moonlighting - did you enjoy the will they/won't they of Maddie and David?
Honestly, I only vaguely remember the show. I don’t know if I ever watched it on a regular basis, there were infants/small children around at that time and we lived in Quebec with limited access to English TV programming.

March 13 - In 1998, Thailand declared the 13th National Elephant Day - a day dedicated to the conservation of its elephants. Do you own anything made of elephant ivory? Would you feel uncomfortable owning an ivory item?
No and no.

Zed
P.S.   High today was +9C / 48.2F  but it snowed yesterday. Go figure.

Test knit today. Looks so good. Now I just need to schedule a photo shoot. That sound way more official than it will be. It’s just me and Thing Two trying to find a reasonably well lit and not ugly space to take some photos. It keeps snowing, so outside everything is white. It could be good, but glare might be an issue. However, I don’t want to do it inside, this entire place is painted that horrible brownish/greenish/greyish colour that was popular mid-2020’s. Not a great backdrop and it does weird things to other colours.

Question of The Day:
March 5 - Rex Harrison was born on this day in 1908, have you ever seen his version of Dr Doolittle (1967), what about Eddie Murphy's (1998) or Robert Downey Jnr's (2020) version?

I saw the first one at some point, possibly on TV but neither of the other two.

Zed

P.S. Still cold, -23C / -9.4F when I got up this morning. Ugh. Oh and it snowed again. Double ugh.