My Frozen Heart

 

No guesses as to what's falling today ... I'm just going to ignore what's happening outside for a moment while I share some Valentine things with you :)  Last year around Valentine's Day I searched on-line for a pattern for knitted, stuffed hearts.  I found a few and tried them out with varied results.  All of the patterns I found had to be knit in two pieces and sewn together at the end.  Which is okay, but a bit fussy.

 

 

This year I searched again through Ravelry and found a very good pattern that is knit in the round from the bottom up.  Once you get to where the heart splits in two, you knit each side in the round separately.  Then simply stuff the heart & sew up the six remaining stitches.  Very cool! 

 

The first heart I knit didn't turn out that pretty (below) ... the Kitchener stitch was a bit messy along the top, but I realize where I went wrong there. 

 

The second heart I knit up last night (below) turned out pretty good, so I'm willing to try some more of these to hang up come Valentine's Day.  Here's the link for these cute little Love Hearts if you're interested.

 

 

So what's going on outside you ask?  Well, we woke up to the predicted snow this morning.

 

It didn't start until early this morning, and I've already cleared the driveway & steps twice (heading out again in just a mo) ... these photos are taken right after I finished the second time.  You can see the snow is still falling fast and filling in my hard work.

 

I wonder how long this will last.  They said it was supposed to taper off this afternoon, but it started later than predicted, so we'll see.

 

From my front door looking down the street.

 

 

From the front door ... my little footprints.

 

... an hour later ...

 

 

It's quite pretty, but I'll be happy to come back inside to warm up once I'm finished the third shoveling.  Cody seems a bit lost out there in the back ... those are my little hearts gathering some flakes for the photo shoot.

 

 

And since everyone here uses their patio tables as a unit of measure during a snowstorm, here's mine ... actually I kind of like the top hat on the bush in the background ;)

 

 

Hope everyone is enjoying this last (please be the last) blast of winter today!

It looks very wide spread on those weather maps, so a lot of us are enjoying this together. 

Hopefully you won't have to drive very far in it.

 

C'mon Cody, this sucks, let's go in.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Wendy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabin Fever

Click here for Grow Your Blog & Giveaway :)

 

It's about this time of year, every year, that I start to get in a bit of a funk.  This winter, as most of you know whether you live in North America or not, has been a harsh one.  Lots of really cold temperatures, lots of snow and freezing rain.  Basically, a lot of things happening outdoors that force you to stay indoors more often ... in fact for days at a time.

I hate being inside all the time.  Although it does give you an excuse to sit on your duff and enjoy some knitting ...

 

Tea Cozy for my One-Cup Teapot

 

 

... I'm getting just a little tired of sitting on my duff for so long.

 

Baby Hat

The weather has made it difficult even to walk the dog.  Ice is still lurking on our sidewalks from the ice storm way back in December.  I've had a couple of upsets, which are usually more embarrassing than painful (one right in front of a "kindly" gentleman clearing his driveway ... he looked up as I suddenly slipped, arms flailing, but calmly went back to his chore ignoring me completely).  

 

 

Then the dog suffers not only from ice balling up between his toes, but also the huge swaths of salt people throw on the sidewalk which also gets caught between his toes.  He just won't walk then and he'll stop, sit up with paws dangling until I clean them out for him.  I miss walking in the woods, but the woods where I go is treacherous with ice in the winter even when we don't have a bad winter, so I haven't even bothered trying to get out there.

 

 

So what this all boils down to is by February I really feel itchy and unsettled ... cabin fever.  I hate it.  It becomes difficult to settle down to anything.  I want to be moving.  I want to be outside doing something.  And the truth is, we won't be getting springtime weather until March or April!  I like winter, but I don't like winter if I can't enjoy being outside.

This past Saturday we had another snow storm with a decent accumulation of snow.  I hadn't been out to see my dad for three weeks(!) due to the weather.  Lately the bad weather seems to arrive on Saturdays which is my usual day for visiting him.  Finally, I'd had enough of waiting, and despite the prediction of the incoming snowstorm, I just bit the bullet and drove the hour & a half to see him.  It didn't start snowing heavily until about an hour before I left.  I think my dad is tired of being cooped up too, as he was in a terrible grump complaining about anything and everything.  It was hard to placate him, but I feel obligated to calm his worries before I leave.  His Alzheimer's makes it so hard for him to judge anything fairly.  And since I was already out, I decided to drop in on my friend after that (she lives in the same city as my dad).

It was good to get out of the house, even if it was only in the truck and then in other people's homes.  The snow fell and fell all day long on Saturday and through the night.  Quite an accumulation out there Sunday morning.  Today is sunny & bright.  More ice has formed under the fluffy stuff, so I spent some time this morning chipping away at ice & snow.  It was just nice to be outdoors in the sunshine!  I even got so warm that I removed my hat, scarf and mittens!  I almost feel like putting a lawn chair out there on my snow-covered patio and bask in the sunshine ;)

The temperatures have risen in the past few days, which has been a great relief.  The dog has been enjoying getting out for longer periods of time now that the sun is making some cozy patches in the backyard where he can snuffle around.

 

My patio

 

So let's hope that even though the groundhogs didn't see their shadows yesterday, that winter eases up a bit so that we can at least get out there and clear the cobwebs.

 

Cody catching some pleasurable scent on the breeze

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Wendy

 

 

Good boy Cody!

 

 

 

Grow Your Blog

Hello and Welcome to my Blog!

I'm Wendy and I live in Ontario, Canada.  In this little blog I like to share a bit of what I make in the way of knitting, sewing and refinishing.  I also enjoy the outdoors and share my backyard gardening and some camping trips to northern Ontario.  Today I'll just share a few little bits in the way of photos from previous posts to show what you will find here.  I hope you enjoy your visit!

A Little Bit of Knitting ...

Knitting has become my latest creative enjoyment.  I taught myself how to knit about four years ago, and have challenged myself with new techniques with every project I start.  It's been a long haul, but I'm now at a place where I feel much more confident in the patterns I try.

Clockwise from top left:  Hermione Hearts Ron Hat, Zig Zag Cushion, Sea Scroll Scarf & Grandma's Fan Dishcloths

A Little Bit of Sewing ...

I enjoy sewing immensely, however, I've gotten away from it a bit while I've been learning how to knit.  I plan on getting back into sewing again this year, and have some new projects lined up.

Patchwork Heart Garland, Sawtooth Star Decoration

A Little Bit of Crafting ...

I used to love making crafts with my own kids and with their friends.  Although my kids are older now, every so often I think of a craft that we really enjoyed and share it with you here.

Clockwise from left:  Feather Ornament, Crystal Snowflake, Wee Folk Doll

A Little Bit of Thrifting ...

I love old things and often share some of my little treasures here.  I hope to one day set up a proper sewing room when one of my kids leaves the nest, and decorate it from my store of goodies ;)

Clockwise from top left:  Seagrass Boxes, Tin, Figurine, Sewing Machine

  

A Little Bit of Refinishing ...

This is something new for me.  It all started with a set of kitchen chairs which I refinished for my daughter.  Since then I was hooked, and have refinished a few other projects. 

Kitchen Chairs, Small Stool, Rocking Basket

A Little Bit of Gardening ...

I inherited many plants from my mother's garden when she passed away, and it inspired me a great deal to do more with my gardening.  With lots of encouragement from fellow bloggers, the enjoyment of it all has definitely taken hold.

 A Little Bit of Camping ...

I camp every year with my family in provincial parks in northern Ontario, and just love taking photos on these trips.  

Left to Right:  Barron Canyon, Algonquin Park

I hope you enjoyed your visit!

As a thank you to all who have stopped by today, I'm having a small giveaway of this handmade (by me) quilted patchwork heart.

If you'd like a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post only please!  Make sure you leave some way for me to contact you ... your blog link or your email address will be fine.  This giveaway is open worldwide.  You do not have to have a blog to enter and you do not have to be a follower of my blog.  I'm just happy you stopped by :)

I will draw a name for the winner on February 15, 2014. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you enjoy touring other blogs participating in the Grow Your Blog event!

Wendy

 

Thank you Vicki of 2 Bags Full for hosting the "Grow Your Blog" party that has gained popularity throughout blogland again this year.  Vicki has put a lot of work into this wonderful event, and I am truly grateful.