Garden Update

The first signs of ripening in my balcony garden have appeared! Very exciting! My other tomato is heavy with fruit, but they're very green.

Cheese update

Two weeks in the fridge, and my cheese has developed a good, if patchy, halo of fuzz! For the next four to six weeks, I need to keep turning it regularly, and the fuzz should be compacted into the 'crust' of a good Camembert.

Blanket Progress

So, I really slowed down on my creating in the second half of June, because I was knitting furiously on this blanket! I have 8 (almost 9) of 14 squares, but I'm really not sure I can finish by the deadline (it's a gift).

It's funny, because I knit all the time, yet I rarely feel like I'm creative. Mostly because it takes so long to actually produce anything. I really did enjoy the challenge of trying to make something new every day, even if I didn't make it to the end.

Day 26: Cheese! #30daysofcreativity

I made cheese!! (well, actually, I watched someone else make cheese, and got to take some of the results home)

I have assisted in the making of mozzarella, and a failed batch of mozzarella that became ricotta, before but this required far more steps. It will become camembert (after 6-8 weeks in my fridge). I have to say that pressing cheese with a mold is a much easier process (instead of wrestling with a sheet of cheesecloth).

(Yes, I'm aware that Cheese was actually a few days ago.)

Day 18: Feet #30daysofcreativity

I made something, but it's for the neck. Nothing much to do with feet, but it's pretty!

Day 15: Sea Creatures #30daysofcreativity

Or syrups!

I made lemon & rosemary syrup and some rhubarb syrup. I haven't tried either yet, but think they'll be tasty!

Day 14: Picnic #30daysofcreativity

I started cutting squares for the picnic blanket I'm planning. I'm using old sheets and cutting 13" squares for an easy first quilt, and I have another sheet for the back. However, my eyes were drooping at 8:30, so I put myself to bed by 9. Not too many squares cut, but it's a start!

Also, I saw a turtle on a log on my way home!

Days 10, 11 & 12: Losing track of themes

I've made stuff the last few days, but it hasn't been along the suggested themes, nor is it particularly picture worthy. I made a soup with broccoli rabe today that isn't pretty to look at, but tastes ok. My next tasting will include cheese or cream as an experiment...

I did take some photos yesterday, which was a very lovely day indeed.




Breakfast was spectacular, on the balcony with my plants. The salad is actually the first produce from my garden, since I finally thinned the salad plants.




Suki cat wants some too!


And then there was a lot of walking! There is some nice public art in Ottawa!




A happy tiring day!

Day 9: Cowbell #30daysofcreativity

Well, another project not quite finished, but it is cute! This will be the first page of a fabric book for my nephew!



I was able to use my cutting mat and rotary cutter when cutting up the pair of jeans I used, but even so, the rectangle isn't straight. Straighter than the cuts I made in the men's shirt I repurposed for my last project, at least. ;) I still need to finish the letter embroidery, sew the cow down and add some embroidered grass.

Day 7&8: Recycled Fashion #30daysofcreativity

It's not very fashionable yet, cause it's still a work in progress, but it looks better on me than the original. It's based on this tutorial. I am improvising the shoulders with shoelaces, but am thinking that ribbon is the way to go. Also, I plan to use some tucks to add some shaping to the body, so it doesn't look like I'm wearing a sack.

I've learned a few things from this project. I can't cut a straight line to save my life. Particularly when cutting on fabric that hasn't been ironed. So, I need a pressing surface. But, I'm learning about my sewing machine, and I may now actually do something with the material I've been moving around for years!

Day 6: Argyle-ish #30daysofcreativity

So, this isn't quite Argyle, but it was definitely a learning experience. I'd never done strip piecing before, and it's quite a neat technique. I could definitely have used a bit more precision, including in measuring to end up with a square for a true argyle shape.


It was getting late by the time I worked out how to connect the ends and keep the pattern in line, so I didn't decide how to finish the edges. Some day this will decorate a plant pot of some kind, but for now it's being a jar cosy!

Edited to add: I would have posted this yesterday, but picasa refused to upload my photos. So I went to bed and let time deal with my tech issues. ;)

Day 5: Unibrow #30daysofcreativity

I made pizza dough...


and pizza...


and cake!

Now I'm going to eat some pizza and knit.

Day 4: Cat Meme #30daysofcreativity

This has nothing to do with my cat.

I bought a bunch of plastic bangles to cover with knitting when I was in Turkey a few years ago. This is the first one I've actually finished! Another benefit being that I've got a much better handle on keeping my stitch count constant in crochet.


And, for interest, an atmospheric photo from Tour la Nuit last night.

Day 3: Chrome #30daysofcreativity

Chrome kind of got away from me today. I was planning to work on the chrome accents on my bike for this, but by the time I finished the book that was due back at the library yesterday(!), it was after 8. So, I made dinner and did some knitting.



I'm making a Mitred Crosses out of Cascade 220 Superwash. In theory, it's a gift for a wedding this summer, but that will depend on how my enthusiasm holds up over time. I'm only three squares in.

Day 2: Ice Cream #30daysofcreativity

No, this is not ice cream.

Day 1: Bicycles #30daysofcreativity

Before - Top with odd stain, mostly noticeable to me.


After - Top with beginnings of embroidered bicycle, flowers

So, I got started on my project for today, but I didn't finish. This is probably going to be an on-going issue. There's only so much I can finish in the few hours between work and bed. So, I will have to decide tomorrow if I'm going to start something new for tomorrow (ice cream), or continue working on this.

Obviously

I must now start saving yarn bits to make a blanket like this...

30 Days of Creativity

So, as a bit of a challenge, I signed up for 30 Days of Creativity! I also figured out how to post from email, which should make blogging slightly more frequent.

There are themes which I will try to follow, in theory.

1. Biking
2. Ice Cream
3. Chrome
4. Cat Meme - cat bed?
5. Unibrow
6. Argyle
7. Fashion
8. Recycle
9. Cowbell
10. Toaster
11. Crayons
12. Abe Lincoln
13. Albert Einstein
14. Picnic - picnic blanket
15. Sea Creatures
16. Hipsters - screenprinting with birds
17. Superpowers
18. Feet
19. Beachball - fabric ball
20. Platypus
21. Cheese - cheese-making?
22. Neon
23. Plaid
24. Lawn Gnomes
25. Boardgames
26. Unicorns
27. Extinct Media - floppy disk book
28. Pirates vs. Ninja
29. Cardboard Boxes - trivet
30. Charlie Chaplin

Other ideas
- Paper cherry blossoms
- hat - like Ida's kitchen
- Screen printing/stencilling (e.g. address on recycling bins, curtains, clothing)
- cross stitch on metal screen
- embroidery/cross stitch
- plant pot covers
- cushions for folding chair (patchwork?)
- cushion covers for couch cushions
- quilt top?
- potholders
- remaking/updating clothes (e.g. skirt from sweater, pillow-case dress, fascinator)
- baby mohawk hat sort of like this
- origami
- light fixture for bedroom
- photography (e.g. project photography)
- stuffed animal
- something with wine corks?
- slippers
- reusable bowl covers
- shrinky-dinks from #6 plastic

Just to show I still knit

And I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth...