Where has the time gone?

Dear Friends

Hard to believe that it's been over a month since I last posted. It has been a busy month with work and trying to organize the first shipment of stuff for DH to set up our western home. You'll all be glad to know that load #1 has left home finally. Clayton and the moving team showed up Wednesday morning, packed what needed to be packed (the really fragile stuff) and loaded it into the truck. And just before the movers left, the cable guys showed up to restore our service that had been cut by the city in redoing our road - evidently somebody forgot to call before they dug. By lunchtime, all was right with the world again - all the boxes were gone and I was able to communicate with everyone I needed to (losing your home phone right in the final days of a trans-country move means many backup plans). Now to get everything ready for me and the kids to fly out this weekend and see DH and our new home.

On the crafting scene I've been trying to finish up some UFO's, including.....

Sejia Blanket for Abby in Bernat Cottontots

and another for a baby to come in Bernat Satin (and the hat worked out really well too!)

and this lovely Sweaterknits Wild Silk Shawl made for my aunt.

This morning I finished off my spring socks but the camera on my cell phone won't take any more pictures. You'll just have to wait for my camera to return from experiencing Europe with our daughter. Next big decision will be which project for the trip west! Do I continue on with finishing off some UFO's and work on my Jaywalker socks or ease the urge to start something new and cast on yet another pair of socks....... and then which ones??? In the meantime it's off to do laundry and get the packing started.

take care

msliz

Things have been relatively quiet here. Work is settling into the summer rhythm and I'm enjoying the change of job. Using a different part of your skill set is the next best way for a change short of a vacation. With the cooler than usual summer weather, the number of families who attend our summer programs have been nice sized groups to work with.

Managed to make a quick trip to Romni on my way to pick up my son for the weekend. 20% off all yarn was just too tempting to miss and I kept my visit short so I didn't break the budget. As usual I came home with sock yarn - some pretty Regia in a mauve, taupe, green, blue and yellow (a Kaafe Fasset colourway) and then Berrocco Metalicc Sox in shades of blue. May have to look at more of this yarn for socks for the daughters. Daughter #3 was quite taken with the sparkle!

The silk shawl has become my travelling project following me to work and other appointments. I'm up to 95 stitches in a row and need to continue until I have a 130 stitches before I bind off and start the edging. The green baby blanket I started last week has been put aside for a bit since it is now for a co-worker who is due in the fall. I just found out that my relative is having a baby girl so I have started another Sejia blanket but this time using Bernat's Cottontots in country red, country taupe and doll house. Cottontots is a yarn I've always wanted to try and and the cotton should be perfect for a new summertime girl. The blankets aren't that large - they are designed for use with a carseat so they actually work up quite fast.

My cross-stitch & beading stashes are starting to call my name again and so I'm trying to hold off on moving what is in my craft room storage dresser to my husband's armoire anticipated moving adventure #1. I'm a little scared that if I move things around I'll get sidetracked from the 3 projects that I need to get done - it's that tendency to craft attention deficit that is rearing its ugly head again.

As for the move to Calgary, the reps from the two moving companies came by last night and went through what I'm planning to send. And I was prepared for them with itemized (by room) lists and post-its on everything that was going to go this round. Next step is waiting to hear which company wins the bid and what kind of timeline I have for getting packing done. Went through the DVD's tonight and have separated them out. Hopefully the decision will come soon and I can get the boxes and start packing those things that I said I wanted to pack.

Tonight is garbage night so I'm off to get all the yard waste and recycling organized for the morning and then some quality time with my crochet hook and a good movie.

take care
L

What a Week!

Well it's been a week since my last post and what a crazy week at that! But then the last week of school often is - between year-end celebrations and getting all the paperwork cleared up before you leave for the summer there never is a dull moment. As a result, not a lot of crafting of any kind has been done until yesterday. While trying not to succumb too greatly to a case of startitis, I moved a couple of projects to higher priority.

New on the list, is a silk knit shawl for a relative with some medical issues. It is a gorgeous yarn with multiple hues of pinks, purples, blues and even some burnt orange. Trust me the colours really do work well together and it is working up quickly. While the pattern is very simple, the biggest challenge was to find the right size in needles. Pattern called for 7.0mm - which doesn't correspond to any American size so my 40% off coupon at Michaels wasn't helpful but thankfully Zellers had that size. With one evening's worth of work I've gotten the first 50 of 130 rows done.

The other project that has been moved up the list is the baby blanket for another relative who is due to give birth some time this month. I'm following the pattern for the Sejia blanket set in Stitch'n'Bitch the Happy Hooker in light green, brown and off white. The yarn is just sitting there in the bag tempting me to pull it out - mainly because I just love the colour combination. Checked other completed sets on Ravelry and there weren't many with that shade of green. The pattern also include a carseat seatbelt hole which I think is just ingenious.

Tomorrow I start my summer job - it will be a much more relaxed pace than my regular job but there's lots on the home front to keep me busy as we start the process for the first transport of stuff to Calgary. Trying to decide what furniture I can do without that needs to go is going to be easy - it's remembering all the other stuff which may prove to be more difficult.

Hopefully by my next post, I will have figured out how to get pictures off my cell phone since my camera is enjoying Europe for the next while with our daughter.
Hope you all have a great week

Jumping in with both feet

After spending a lot of time reading other peoples blogs, I have finally decided to start my own blog. Coming up with a different title was only a little bit of a challenge. "Found Time Treasures" was what I called myself when I once tried (not successfully) to sell some of my crafts. I was often asked then how do I find the time to do any of my crafts? For me it's a matter of survival - the housework can always wait. The crafting and my family can not.



I hope to use this blog to track what promises to be a busy year for my crafting life and my family life. With the plan of a cross-country move in a year (DH has already gone west), I have started going through the 23+ years of accumulated stuff in this house. Along the way I have rediscovered some stash and many UFO's which have resparked some creative urges and the desire to finish as much as I can before the move.



Hoping you enjoy the ride along with me



mslizca2