A Few Of Our Favourite Things

 

 

The Christmas tree is always in the dining room so we can enjoy the fairy lights at every meal.

 

 

Movita's Awesome Yule Log

 

 

A Family Tradition - Ice Cream Snowballs

 

Melissa's Beautiful Treat Bag for Puppy Nora

 

 

Ornaments Old and New

 

 

Lucy Darling's Beautiful Handmade Green and Gold Ornament

 

 

One of Six White Angel Gabriels Who Are Well Over Sixty Years Old!

 

Cheryl's Traditional Orange/Clove Candle

 

 

Beautiful Antique Table Linens Sent From France

 

 

Truly, truly precious - a key chain and a brooch handmade by Lucy and Apolline in France
 

 

The Dunkleys had a wonderful book made about our woodland garden and sent it to us for Christmas. They have pictures from just about every aspect of the property, summer and winter. It is a lovely publication and we are so appreciative of the time and effort it took to produce it. The garden has taken many hours of hard work to develop but it has also been a source of enjoyment, a creative outlet, and this book reflects the love and respect for nature that motivated us.

 

 

A unique and imaginative gift - from our children and their partners.

This is a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture) voucher, which will give us a box of fresh produce every week from a Nova Scotia farm. This is really much appreciated as we are great believers in whole foods and great supporters of both our own provincial farmers and crafts people. Making it even more special is the fact the food will come from Ironwood Farm . We have never met Rupert but Heather from Ironwood is a person who has always been dear to our hearts.

 

 

AND an entire box of treats from Ronce les Bains and Normandy!!

How lucky are we?! A gorgeous scarf, an agenda book, French cookies and candies, a gadget for taking air from a wine bottle before corking and 

 

 

                                                            A Treat Ball For Nora

 

and

 

 

 

A clever little device to insert in the top of a lemon.

When the lemon is squeezed, the juice comes out the holes in the spout!!

 

We want to thank our family and friends for their generosity, imagination and creativity, and, most of all, most important of all, the comradeship that enhances and enriches our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers From A Fella In France

 

Now, this is why I call him Sweet Baboo.

Nora Is Growing Up

 

(All Photos of Nora Courtesy of Brittany Ernst)

 

I have had several requests to post more pictures of Nora. We are constantly taking photos but, unfortunately, most of them are not great as it is difficult to capture a moving target!

 

Nora is growing up. She no longer looks like a baby. Instead, she looks like a miniature Golden Retriever! Turns out she was the largest pup in the litter and we think she is going to be a big girl.

 

 

And today, Nora received her very first Christmas gift - a wonderful bundle of bones, rawhide, biscuits, and pretty pink poo bags so thoughtfully and beautifully packaged by Brittany at Woobie's Doggy Daycare. Brittany is marvelous. Her daycare is spotless and the dogs are either outside in a pristine, fenced off area, or in the large, open basement, or sometimes - Nora!- snuggling up next to Brittany on the sofa!

Brittany owns two Australian Shepherds and her parents own Nora's brother, Ralphie. We have been taking Nora to Brittany one or two days a week to help her socialize with other dogs and we have seen a huge improvement in how she interacts with other pups.

 

Nora Living The Good Life at Woobie's Doggy Daycare!

 

 

 

 

Shelf Life

 

Here is the start of a Christmas village on a hallway bookshelf.

When we were growing up, we didn't put presents under the Christmas tree. Instead, white felt-like cloth was laid around the base of the tree and we had a snowy village scene, complete with houses, fences, vehicles, telephone poles, ponds, small animals, fences, etc. As a small child, I could lay on the floor and imagine all the things that were taking place in the village that day.

Christmas Classics

Pattern: Basic Cabled Sock
Designer: Brainy Lady
Yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids and Quattro Colors
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

This is a sock that combines two classic elements - Christmas red and knitted cables.
Each time I cast on this pattern, I murmur thanks to Brainy Lady for the design and for her generosity in posting the pattern free of charge for other knitters.

And also back to tradition:

 

I couldn't stand it. As much as I liked the modern, wire mesh wreath, it just didn't seem like a Canadian Christmas without balsam fir.

 

 

Red on Parade

 

Pattern: Parade

Designer: Judy Kaethler

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids and Quatro

Color: Red 5607

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

I bought this pattern online at Twist Collective, one of my favourite online knitting magazines. The quality of the patterns and talent of the designers draws me to it like a magnet whenever the notice of a new edition appears.
Parade is one of those "go to" sock patterns that looks great in a wide array of colors.

Contemporary Wreath

Although my first love is always the traditional Christmas wreath of balsam fir from Nova Scotia forests, I thought I would try my hand this year at putting together a more contemporary design.
It is still a work in progress as I haven't quite mastered the art of nicely finishing off the mesh tails!

 

The mesh is easy to work with and available in a multitude of colors and shades. And it can be used both inside the house and outdoors. A wreath made with gold mesh and silver mesh with gold and silver ornaments would be striking!

My mesh loops are attached with pipe cleaners to a double ringed wire frame. There are dozens and dozens of possible combinations of colors and ornamentation. I got the mesh at Oceanview Garden Centre in the Chester area and one of the staff members there showed me a number of ways to decorate the wreath. I chose the white mesh as I thought it would show up well against the charcoal door and the green because it would complement the creamy yellow color of the house.

 

 

 

As I was putting it together, I thought how much fun Lucy and Apolline would have making wreaths, big or small, for Easter, Valentine's Day, Christmas - even birthdays! Their little hands would need a bit of help here and there to carry out their own design and colour ideas. I have seen instructional videos using styrofoam wreath frames with either pins or ribbons to attach the mesh. So as long as the wire mesh is available, there are a number of different ways to go about constructing the wreath.

 

 

And on the back deck, a more traditional arrangement with the red osier dogwood, chamaecyparis (nootkatensis and plumosa), and pine from our own garden.

This Weekend's Find

 

Darning Mushroom

 

Though it is possible to darn holes in socks by improvising and using a light bulb or an orange, etc., the right tool makes the job so much easier and more enjoyable. And the right tool is either a darning egg or darning mushroom, preferably with an attached handle.

 

Alas, despite the glorious resurgence of knitting over the last decade, and, in particular, the increased popularity of sock knitting, trying to find a darning egg or mushroom can prove to be daunting.

KnitPicks, online in the United States, has a darning egg for sale at $3.99. Plus taxes, shipping, and customs/duty fees.There are a handful of websites in North America that sell antique eggs or mushrooms for thirty or forty odd dollars! (Now, God love them, though the shipping fees to Canada would not make the purchase practical, the Brits are apparently still into repairing socks as there are lots for sale over the Pond!)

 

This morning, we set out for a drive along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. We stopped in Mahone Bay where I purchased my first pair of high boots with heels in over 15 years (Daughter No.2 will be so proud of me!). We stopped at Oceanview Garden Center in Chester and got some wreath making supplies and lots of creative ideas from the staff there. We went on a short walk with Nora through the woods along the Chester Connection Trail. And, on the way home, we stopped at Blue Shutters Antiques. I explained to the the lady what I was looking for and she immediately took me to a shelf in a back room with a darning mushroom - the only one in the store. And, given the cost of good sock yarn,  the $12.00 for an antique darning tool was well worth the investment.

 

I can only conclude that after buying luscious yarn and spending hours knitting a pair of socks,  people are either making do and mending with things around the house (the aforementioned light bulb, etc.) or - horror of horrors - they are throwing their socks away. (A wit, once asked to explain how she darned socks, is said to have held a sock over a trash bin, declared "Darn it!", and dropped the sock in.)

 

I hope that a good supply of darning tools appears in the marketplace before long. We have become such a disposable society...

Christmas at the Forum

This morning, I went to Christmas at the Forum, an annual Christmas sale held each year in Halifax. I haven't been to this particular pre-Christmas event in at least a decade. There certainly were a large number of vendors and lots of people browsing. While there wasn't much that interested me personally, I did make a couple of great finds.

 

 

The New Blue Birdhouse

 

The first is the Blue Birdhouse. The man who hand makes them (he had a variety of sizes and colors) told me that the roof is made from real metal roofing shingles and the key hanging at the peak of the house close to the roof is from the old post office in Fredericton, New Brunswick! I just love it.

 

And here's the second great find:

 

 

A block of tempered glass

 

 

that lights up at night with white mini lights inside!

 

The glass block has a large hole drilled in the back so a very small (20-25 bulb) set of Christmas mini lights can be inserted. The older couple selling the glass blocks pointed out that it could be used in so many locations inside the house. The ribbon can be changed to suit a variety of occasions, the color of the lights changed, and the block could also be used on a deck table on dark summer nights or to light the steps outside the front door. It is very pretty.

 

 

 

Socks Socks Socks

 

Pattern: Simple K6P2 Ribbing

Yarn: Opal Hundertwasser

Color: 3200

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

How could you not smile while putting on this pair of Hundertwasser socks? Wouldn't they perk up the dullest November day?! Granted, they would be out of place in the board room or in a professional office but imagine an autumn walk through fallen leaves...

Twelve Pair Of Socks For 2012

 

I set a personal goal this year. My aim was to knit twelve pair of socks in 2012. I wanted to make good use of my supply of sock yarn. While some of these socks are knit with yarn purchased this year, I did manage to use most of the sock yarn from years gone by that was stored in the yarn drawer with the exception of three skeins that are so "what on earth was I thinking when I ordered this?" that they still languish there!
(Movita and 2.0 keep insisting they want and will wear any socks I knit with any color yarn that they may well become the recipients of the "odd balls"!)

My Brother Turns Eighty This Week

At Fort Needham

 

I know! It is an astounding number isn't it! I'd like to point out that there is a HUGE age difference between us. It is as though I was born to a second or third or fourth wife though, in fact, I was simply at the tail end of a large family...

My brother does not have the face of an eighty year old. He looks twenty years younger and though health problems have given him a somewhat slower gait over the last year, his overall demeanor is that of a much younger man. His spirit, drive, and determination are all as indomitable as ever. Some might describe those attributes as stubborness, bloody mindedness, and denial. They are in fact, a blend, and they have served to propel him through life without the use of brakes - raising six children, all of whom gather at the family home on a daily, or at least weekly basis, maintaining any number of interests (many outdoors), serving his church,  and dabbling in part time accounting work for decades after his official retirement from CBC.

He has reached a greater age than our father and he inherited from that gentle man an amazing work ethic.

He has, in the last few years, faced health problems that would have sent lesser mortals to an armchair with an afghan and a remote control, lamenting their inability to leave the house and experience life to the fullest. Not my brother. Not long after surgery, he managed to get himself into his warm duds and went hunting in the Nova Scotia woodlands with his sons and friends as he has done year after year after year. Tied to medical equipment? Yes. Tied to the house? No. He loads it into the back of his vehicle and takes it with him to spend the summer in the garden of his country home. And winters back in his family home close to Halifax.

He is a force of nature and it is a testament to his character that he has friendships that have endured for more than half of a century. His home is a comfortable haven where conversations pick up where they last left off and familiar faces constantly come and go.

Happy Birthday, Brother. Here's a pair of socks for winter:

 

 

Pattern: Skyp Socks

Designer: Adrienne Ku

Yarn: Austermann Step Classic

Color: 1020

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

Around The Garden

October Socks

 

Pattern: Simple K3 P1 ribbing

Yarn: Supersocke 100 Tropic Color by ONline

Colour: 1468

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

This is the first time I have used the Supersocke yarn so it will be interesting to see how well it holds up. There are no complaints about it on Ravelry and it comes in such pretty color combinations. It has great stitch definition and is soft to the hand.  I added reinforcing thread (as I do with all socks now) to the heels to help prevent them from developing holes with wear.

 

Pattern: Buttons Cardigan #606

Designer: Dana Gibbons

Yarn: Sirdar Crofter DK

Colour: 0033

Needles: Circular 3.75 mm and 3.50 mm (for cuffs only)

 

This is a sweet little cardigan pattern that I purchased and downloaded from the Patternfish website. It is knit from the top down with no seaming required. And while I would certainly do the sweater again, I did not enjoy working with the Sirdar Crofter yarn. It is soft to the touch and easy care (an acrylic/cotton/wool blend) but it does not give uniform stitch definition and I think it should be knit to a tighter gauge. It is also a bit splitty so you really have to watch the needles while you work. However, the colors will look great on little Apolline and I hope she gets a few wears out of it.

 

Poignant

 

Nora finds a quiet place to rest by Annie's grave site.

 

Pattern: Sweet Honey
Designer: schneckenstrick
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Perfect
Color: 6043
Needles: Circular - 4.5 mm

Nadja, a designer in Austria, asked me to do a test knit of this little pullover pattern. It is knit flat and seamed - a relatively quick project with a sweet look. I did the largest size.

Meanwhile:

 

Nora, girl detective, does surveillance work in the Sobeys parking lot.

A Puppy Shower For Nora

   

Himself has the good fortune to be surrounded at the office each day by just the greatest team of people. They are all wonderful to work with and make his job so much easier. Their assistance so often goes far beyond the call of duty and, over the years, our entire family has benefited from their kindness and consideration. Late this afternoon, they told him he was needed in the library, where he discovered, on the table, a cake and bags full of gifts for little Nora!

  Now, isn't this a lucky puppy!

 

 Retriever Instincts - Nora finds a stuffed mallard duck!

 

Nora, a biscuit treat, and her new cow.

 

 

These gifts bags are full of cards, dog food, biscuits, kibble treats, a ball, toys, poop disposal bags and even a bag dispenser. Surely no puppy has had a warmer welcome. Nora has spent the evening in puppy heaven!

 

 

 

 

Sweet Peasy in Purple

 

Pattern: Sweet Peasy

Designer: Heidi Kirrmaier

Yarn: Sandnes Garn Smart

Colour: 5226

Needles: Circular - 3.75 mm

I made Sweet Peasy before, with the 3/4 sleeves that Heidi intended. And Lucy Darling seems to like it a lot. While that region of France does not get the snow accumulations that we do here in Canada, we always find winters there cold - the kind of damp cold that seems to penetrate our bones! So this time, for winter, I made it just a tad longer and knit full length sleeves. I want her to be warm and snuggly till spring!

Meanwhile, in the garden...

 

 Nora! Sit!

Introducing Nora Theodora

Ms. Nora

 

We brought Nora home last Friday evening and, needless to say, life has not been the same since!Puppies are labour intensive (to say the least) but she is simply adorable, and it is worth the investment of time and effort to raise a great companion for the years ahead.

 

Ah, the early morning dew is so refreshing!

 

Resting

Bark mulch for roughage

Nora in the Astilbes

 

Baby Nora

Quiet time at the end of the day