Week 30 of 2025

This week I finished up a set of tea towels - 

These went on the loom in April for a simple summer project to weave when I had a few minutes here and there (my loom is in the basement, and summer is for spending outdoors). We had some rainy days and these ended up getting finished earlier than I thought.

Another project for my year of experimenting with weaving - a simple turned twill that I tried different tie-ups, different colours and different treadling patterns. The warp is 2/8 unmercerized cotton, and most of the weft is the same, but one towel is cotton bouclé. More details on my Ravelry project page.

The project on the loom now is even simpler. All 2/8 unmercerized cotton, finishing off small bits on spools for the warp, and leftover loom/weaving waste for the weft - thrums.

There is quite a bit of leftovers when weaving, and I used to just throw them away. Then I read about weaving with thrums and thought I should give it a try. Thrum balls are made by knotting ~6"-8" lengths together (everyone in my family got involved in this fun project!). I am interested to see how the knots hold up with washing (the little tails that stick out are supposed to wear off).

These are going to be small towels to be used instead of paper towels.

Photos from Around - 

This year there is so much White Sweetclover around the yard. It is 4 to 5 feet tall, and lines the paths that we walk. It smells amazing, and is buzzing with bees.

The little chicks have been spending part of the day outside, near the hens. They are all interested in each other.

The cats got a companion this week.

Sunset today.

All the best!♥︎

Week 29 of 2025

This week I finished spinning a skein of yarn -

 It is a 3 ply, Merino/Nylon blend for socks. It is my second skein of yarn for Tour de Fleece.

Photos from Around -

We are eating quite a bit from the garden now.

Lovely Gazanias.

The cats sleeping in the best seats in the sunroom.

Molly prefers to sit in the little truck, hoping for a ride.

First honey of the year.

The little chicks went outside for the first time this week (5 weeks old).

Around nine every evening they get so loud - we don't know why. It is great watching them grow, each one looks different now and it is easy to tell them apart (Clover, Marigold and Daisy - flower names for these three).

 

All the best!♥︎

Week 28 of 2025

This week I finished a little scissor holder -

Made by covering an old wooden thread spool, perfect for a little pair of scissors.

The cross stitch design comes from this book. I stitched it on a scrap of 40 count linen, using one strand of  embroidery floss (I had dyed both the fabric and thread), stitched over two threads.

Photos from Around - 

The garden is growing so well. I covered all the beds with partially composted chicken coop straw to keep the moisture in, and it has really helped.

Another one of the flowers my son brought home. These Zinnias are such a great colour.

Molly asking GingerSnap! to play with her.

Miss Maggie was sitting, waiting for us to come back from a walk today. She is sitting by one of my son's metal sculptures - a spider made from an old propane tank, and other bits of metal.

The chicks are just over a month old now - fully feathered, and loud!

All the best!♥︎

Week 27 of 2025

This week I finished knitting a scarf -

Knit from some merino/tencel fibre that I dyed and spun. The pattern is Feldmark by Martina Behm.

The pattern from perfect for handspun, although I ran out of yarn and had to make a bit of adjustment for the bind off - I don't think anyone will notice when I am wearing it.

The chicks are over 3 weeks now, and have grown so much. They are starting to look different from one another now.

Beautiful Poppies and Bachelor Buttons in the garden.

All the best!♥︎

Week 26 of 2025

This week I dyed some fibre in preparation for Tour de Fleece (starts July 5th this year) -

The bottom two are BFL dyed in two different colour ways to be spun together, and the top fibre is some leftover Merino.

Photos from Around -

The vegetable garden.

My son brought home so many different annual flowers (I don't usually plant too many varieties), the yard is full of colour now. These are just some of the different petunias.

Beautiful metallic Dogbane beetles on some wildflowers.

Poor Molly had to suffer through some grooming - she is clean, with short nails now.

Happy hens!

The canola field surrounding our home is stunning.

32ºC yesterday and GingerSnap! was hot. He was inside most of the day, but loves it outside.

The chicks have really changed this week - they are two and half weeks old.

Miss Maggie is smart to stay inside when it is hot.

Spot those German Shepard ears! Molly lays down and waits for someone to throw her ball, but we have to find it first.

All the best!♥︎

Week 25 of 2025

A couple works in progress this week -

I am working on the third part of the Feldmark by Martina Behm, knit with some handspun yarn.

These are my regular toe-up socks, but I added a simple stitch pattern - Andalusian Stitch. It is a 4 row stitch pattern with 3 rows of plain knit and 1 row of knit 1, purl 1. It makes the knitting more interesting without being too complicated, and I think it works great with the stripes of the handspun.

 

Week and a half old chicks have just started getting little tail feathers.

All the best!♥︎

Week 24 of 2025

Not much time for crafting this week.

The garden is growing well, and all the plants are planted now. My youngest child works at a commercial greenhouse, and a perk is that he was given some plants that didn't sell. 

I start my own plants in the winter and usually just buy a flat of impatiens, so it has been a huge treat to have different plants this year.

We also added three more chicks to our flock - here they are at 1 day old (three Berg's Brown).

Five days old and they grow so fast - they have little wing feathers now. 

They run around flapping their wings, then need a rest.

The big hens are happy with watermelon trimmings.

Miss Maggie took up her old spot right away.

GingerSnap! wasn't too sure at first but now he finds them interesting.

The cats keep me company in the garden - Miss Maggie found a shady spot under the rhubarb.

GingerSnap! in the perennial bed,

and the bird bath.

All the best!♥︎