my garden

I just finished reading The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved this book as a child, and reading it as an adult, I've found a depth and understanding in some of her characters which really spoke to me. I've been through some dark times in the past 6 months, and I don't think I'm quite out of the woods yet, but this story gives me hope.

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that we had to redo the gardens in front of our house last Autumn. The weather has been cold, so things aren't too far along yet (and there's plenty of holes waiting for new plants). However, I thought I would show you a few photos of the lovely things growing and sharing their beauty with us.

view of the front garden

tulips and grape hyacinths

pulmonaria and periwinkle

lettuce seedlings

rhubarb

cranberry bushes

strawberry blossoms

the front garden

How have we spent nearly every nice (and some rainy) weekend day since the beginning of August?

About a year and a half ago, a plumber told us we'd need to replace the sewer line to our house, and replacing the water line wouldn't be a bad idea either. So over the course of the past couple months, our front yard was dug up, and dug up again, and messed up yet again, and probably messed up some more. The new sewer and water lines went in (boy was that an expensive and mostly invisible home reno!), the front walk was demolished, the front step demolished and then poorly repaired (it will need some tiles or something one day). Then we (or mostly Mr. Mitten) undertook to do the landscaping ourselves.

I drew up a few ideas, we chose the one we liked best, then drew out the plans. Then digging and more digging, moving rocks and more rocks (did I mention this area used to be a rock and clay quarry?), shovelling soil and sand and gravel. Finally I could plant! I've done what I could, considering it's now late Autumn here. Plus, I'm still waiting on my order of Spring bulbs. The beds will be about 2/3 full by the time the snow starts falling, so I'll have room for annuals next year, and maybe a few more choice perennials. After several years of being a knitting designer, home-maker, and mom, it's lovely to get my hands dirty and feel like a gardener again!

Front garden before

Front garden after

home again

We are slowly getting settled in at home after a long vacation to visit my family. There are so many things to take care of after a month away (hello giant weeds in my garden!) If you are waiting for a reply to an email, I will be getting to those this afternoon and tomorrow, baby-permitting.

where did summer go?

Yesterday evening we had our first real picnic of the summer, and I thought, "It's nearly the end of August. Where did the summer go?" We haven't been to a beach or even a swimming pool once. We went on a couple short hikes in a local park, but never out of the city. We did go strawberry and blueberry picking, although we were too late for my favourite, raspberries. Mr. Mitten has limited holiday time, since he took so long off for parental leave, so we didn't have a vacation (besides being a little short of holiday money because we bought a house). Lev and I didn't even spend that much time out in the backyard, as I had envisioned in the spring. Also, my garden has been less than successful, and a bit frustrating for someone who's supposed to be a gardener.

I suppose some of this lack of summery activity was due to the crummy weather. Lots of rain and cool temperatures for June and July, then hot and humid for much of August. Both make me feel like being inside where we can be comfortable. Also, Lev is a little too young to make it really worth the expense of a pool membership, and none of the beaches around here can compare to the mountain lakes I swam in as a kid (although I don't envy B.C. the hot and dry summer they've had).

Instead of feeling bad for not taking advantage of summer this year, I'm trying to think of ways to make next year more fun. I can only hope the weather will be better, but Lev will be one year older, and I won't need to worry as much about wet or heat. Mr. Mitten will have more holiday time, so we can plan for some sort of vacation - maybe just camping, a trip to the East Coast, or to B.C. to visit my family (any of those will include a nice beach). We're going to expand the garden and put a fence around it, so I don't lose so many tomatoes and zucchini to the squirrels and skunks! I'm going to plant a tree in our backyard too, so there's a wee bit of shade.

And who knows? Maybe this Autumn will be lovely. It is my favourite season, and I find it hard to remain inside when the sun is shining and there's a cool breeze. I'll also have lots of fun in the garden, tearing up the front flower beds to redesign them, and digging a bed for raspberries.

My cup of tea is nearly done, and I have a long list of things to accomplish before the weekend. Hopefully I'll be back soon with some photos for you, instead of just rambling words :o)

house photos

I swear, I haven't abandoned you! I'm just getting used to being a full-time mommy during the day, plus Lev is going through a very cuddly and clingy stage, which makes it difficult to type. I haven't had much time for work-type stuff either, so instead I'll share a few photos of our house!

Here is the front, with it's lovely stone facing and pansy-filled window boxes. I'm planning to take out the ugly cedar bushes and fill the beds with pretty flowers so it looks even more like an English cottage.


We had to repaint a few of the rooms, so they were more to our taste. Our bedroom went from rose pink to a relaxing shade of lavender. I have a painting I did in highschool to hang over the bed, but it needs a frame first.


Here is the dining room, looking appealing in a warm butter shade (much better than toothpaste green). We've never had a proper dining room, so it looks a little bare. I'm hoping to find a little dresser to hold our tea-tray etc. Also, Mr. Mitten is going to get some prints made of his photos to decorate the walls.


Here's a couple photos of my veggie garden out back. I spent our first week here digging out the sod, rather than unpacking. I've had bad luck with seeds this year though, so most of what you see I bought as seedlings.

I will share some photos of my studio, once it's all set up and tidy, and I have some time to spend in it!

That's all I've got time for now, folks. A wee man is demanding my attention!

boo lulu

We're all moved in and loving the new house! Not too many hidden surprises so far, and I hope it will continue that way. We're only about half unpacked, so I think I'll wait to take photos until we're all done. My new studio is nothing but a messy pile of boxes, so I haven't done any work yet! Too many other things to do, really. In fact, the last couple days I've put off unpacking so I could get moving on the veggie garden. Planting time is swiftly approaching, and I don't want to be too late!

Something super aggravating happened in the last couple days too, and I wanted to write a bit about it. I didn't know that my pattern books were available on Amazon (sort of - Lulu sells them through Amazon, and they show up when you search there). This would be fine, except they were selling the original version of Festive Knits, which is just Fuzzy Knits with a different cover because we changed the name about a month after we first published it. The original Festive Knits is still hanging around on Lulu, but it should never have been for sale anywhere. So not only was it confusing that there were two different Festive Knits for sale on Amazon, but the original one was being sold at cost! I don't even know how long this was going on.

So far I've only had one customer coming to me confused as to why her 'new' Festive Knits book was just the same as her copy of Fuzzy Knits. I hope there are no more, or it could become a real problem! Hopefully Lulu has some explanation for me. I'm getting really fed up with the problems they've had over the last year.

new house

We now own an adorable little stone house in a pretty neighbourhood of Montreal! Yay! I'll share pics as soon as we have some. However, the work is just beginning...

We've started packing already, and it's making the kitties antsy. I think Greta remembers the last move, and how there was another totally annoying kitty at the new place. We're not doing that to her this time, but she's making sure that she's more than enough cattiness for one family.

This weekend we paint because some of the rooms are really awful (who would think that toothpaste green is a good colour for a dining room? I suppose you would never forget to brush your teeth after meals) The basement is pine-yellow wood panelling, and since it will be my studio, I'm hoping for a prettier colour.

Also, the garden needs a lot of work. The whole lawn needs raking, and the grass is in rather poor shape in spots. This year I'm only planning to put in a veggie garden, but I still have to dig up bunches of sod from clay soil. The rhubarb needs to be moved, but the asparagus and peonies will have to stay where they are until autumn. I have zucchini and squash seedlings I started, plus some pansies and asters for colour. I'm hoping to find some tomato and herb seedlings somewhere! My mint survived the winter beautifully, so I have a large pot of chocolate-mint to pick from all summer (it makes delicious tea).

And then moving day...

Anyway, for something more entertaining, here is Lev doing his werewolf impression (volume needs be be up a bit to hear him).

our little house

So, you might have been wondering about the lack of posts the last couple weeks. Sure, having a two month old baby would probably be reason enough, but that's not all. We've been in the process of buying a house! It still seems too crazy to be real (probably until we sign the mortgage paperwork). We knew we had to move this year, since our cozy little apartment became our cramped little apartment when Lev arrived. We had enough saved, and contacted an agent, and were lucky enough that the perfect little house was just waiting for us. Okay, it's not perfect (what ever is?) but it's lovely and well-built, and in the best location with plenty of parks and a good elementary school. So we'll be moving in May, just in time for me to plant the garden!


In other news, I've dug through the piles of toys I had sitting around, and there are now four listed in my Etsy shop. Poor Edward went all the way to Seattle for Plush You, and then was sent home again. I'm hoping someone wants to take him home soon, so he stops feeling so sorry for himself.

Also, I'm still working on the new toy design, and will hopefully have the first one done and ready to share with you later next week. It's very different, but I'm hoping it will be cute when it's all done.

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! Big hugs to all of you, who have been so encouraging and supportive these last couple of months. I hope you have someone special to spoil today, and if not, spoil yourself, as I'm sure you deserve it!

better late than never?

I know I promised the Santa Reindeer pattern would be released for December, but life keeps getting in the way of it being done! Finally, I decided yesterday to help things along a little. My husband usually washes the dishes in the evening after I've gone to bed. Yesterday, I washed them myself (big belly in the way and all) so he could use the time in the evening to work on the pattern. The plan worked great for a time... he was working away at the formatting, while I was putting the last of the decorations on our tree. Then we heard a *bang* outside the house. Well, the students around here have a habit of setting off firecrackers around exam-time, so we didn't even blink. Then, about a minute later, an even louder *bang* with a bright flash, and the power went out! The transformer just down the block had exploded, and the power line was actually on fire! Crazy, eh?

So, without any electricity for the rest of the evening, obviously the pattern wasn't finished. Thankfully, the Quebec Hydro people managed to fix the lines temporarily, so we didn't wake up to a frozen apartment. They replaced the power lines this morning, so hopefully such excitement won't be happening again. I realized one thing though: we should own a flashlight!

long weekend

I had a delightful, lazy weekend with my sweetie. We didn't celebrate Easter, but managed to fit in a bunny, some chocolate ice cream, and things made with eggs, so I think we did okay. And, I have photos to document some of the best parts!

Before the weekend got started, I made a big batch of borscht. It does look nice in photos, being such a lovely red colour. I'm not posting the recipe, because borscht is one of those dishes that is made differently in every family, and I make it differently nearly every time, so just find a recipe that sounds good to you and go for it. Just because the main ingredients are beets, cabbage, and potatoes, doesn't mean it has to taste like bland and over-cooked peasant food.


On friday, I decided to take a break from work and do some sewing. I've been planning this quilt for our living room wall for ages, and finally had all the necessary bits, and time to make it.


I spent saturday putting together some toys I had knit over the past week or so. I had already made a super bunny names Clark, so this one was dubbed 'Wonder Bun.'


On sunday, I spent some time mending clothes. My most comfy pair of jeans got patches to cover up the holes in the knees, but I had to concede that my most favourite red angora sweater is on it's way out. No amount of darning will fix all the holes and thin patches. I think it may have to gain a new life as some kind of plushie...


Yesterday, we went for a long walk in the sunshine. Although we took the camera, the huge snow banks were too depressing for us to bother taking photos. Instead, I will show you a peak of the April feature pattern I'm working on.


And in case you thought I was busy and industrious all weekend, we did watch some Lord of the Rings, 5 episodes of Red Dwarf, eat nachos for supper, and drink some very nice beer.

sounds

Some day I like noise around me, so I don't feel lonely. Usually a music radio station, or pod casts of CBC shows I like, sometimes a book from Librivox.

Other days I enjoy the quietness in this small town. Except it isn't really quiet, the sounds are just simpler, more subtle, more peaceful. Kitties snoring in their sleep. The occasional car on the wet street. Gulls crying from near the river. Water dripping off the roof. Starlings and chickadees on the telephone wires. Students chatting as they walk home from school.

I may miss some things from when we lived downtown, but I like it here. It feels more like a home than most places I've lived since I was a child.

oh the evilness of tidy

I grew up in a messy house. It was messy because there were always lots of kids around, because we were mostly too busy to bother cleaning, and because my parents have trouble throwing anything away.

Having grown up in a mess, I prefer a tidy house. Not pristine, spick n' span, you-can't-tell-that-anyone-lives-here cleanliness. Just a general, uncluttered, everything-has-its-place kind of tidiness. I seldom achieve this, despite my best efforts, and that drives me a little batty some days. They say cleanliness is next to godliness, but I get so grumpy about it some days I really wonder if that's true...

Today I'm trying to make some sense of our spare room. This room was always intended to be a sort of studio/office/craft room, at least until it's needed for other things. However, my niece was living in the room last summer, so nearly all my crafty stuff has been packed in the closet since last spring. We finally made a trip to Canadian Tire, armed with some gift cards from relatives, and found a few things to help organize my overflowing collection of craft stuff.

My yarn is organized into clear bins, plus an old suitcase for stash I don't look at very often. I have a set of drawers for sewing bits and pieces. I've reorganized our painting supplies in an old dresser. I'm not satisfied with how my fabric is put away, but it's sort-of manageable in a bin and a box, so I will have to work with it that way for now. I need a table and lamp for my sewing machine, but I don't know when that will happen. Now I just need to clean up the mess I made while reorganizing everything, and I can be satisfied in a job well done. And a tidy room :)