Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I finished knitting a pair of mittens tonight ... it's been years since I've made mittens.  The pattern is for Honeycomb mittens but I'm seeing them referred to lately as Newfie mittens ... my sister had mailed me the pattern years ago.  They were fun to make.

I used black Red Heart Super Saver 4 ply yarn as my main colour (A), pinata Craft Smart (ombre) 4 ply yarn as my second colour (B) and 5mm double pointed needles.

Wrist

1. With A, cast on 42 sts
2. Knit 1, purl 1 for 18 rows
3. Purl
4. Purl, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 48 stitches

Pattern

1.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
2. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
3. Purl 2 rows with A
4. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
5. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
6. Purl 2 rows with A
7.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
8. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
9. Purl 2 rows with A
10. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
11. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
12. Purl 2 rows with A

Thumb

1. In step 12 above, purl 2, put 7 stitches on a stitch holder for the thumb and cast on 7 stitches, purl to the end.  Purl 1 row.

Mitten

1. Knit the pattern until long enough (I did 6)
2. Knit 1 row
3. *Knit 4, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
4. Knit 2 rows
5. *Knit 3, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
6. Knit 2 rows
7. *Knit 2, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
8. Knit 2 rows
9. *Knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
10. Thread the yarn through remaining the loops and pull tight
11. Weave end inside

Thumb

1. With A, pick up the 7 stitches from the holder
2. Pick up 7 stitches around the thumb hole for a total of 14 stitches
3. Knit to fit length of thumb
4. Knit 2 together all around
5. Thread the yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight
6. Weave end inside

Topbox - May 2020

My May Topbox arrived today.

Get 4 hand-picked deluxe samples delivered to your door for $15 per month. It's the best way to discover the products you'll love.

Here's what I received ...

•  Laritzy Cosmetics Shade Stix (Aloha)
• Kalaya Pain Relief Spray with Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil - works well to relief pain in my lower back!
• Delia Organics Eye Dare You Serum
• Barefoot Venus Perfume Your Soul - Hated it!  It smelled like gasoline :(

Line dancing

At my local YMCA, there are line dancing classes twice a week.  They are during the day and I try to get them when I'm working from home.  Since COVID-19 has arrived, the YMCA has been closed since mid-March.

I read in the Toronto Star yesterday that Donna, one of my line dancing instructors, is conducting line dancing classes every afternoon on her street.  I touched base with her and attended her class this afternoon.

The weather was lovely ... warm and sunny ... a very nice day to be outside.  Donna teaches on the road and we were on the sidewalk across from her, conscious of social distancing from each other.

Today Donna taught for just over an hour and the songs were a mixture of country, pop and rock ... something for everyone.  Some of the dances I knew from her class and most were new to me.

She lives on a fairly quiet one way street.  As cars drove by, some honked and cheered.  Some people walking by stopped and watched us for a while.

I'm happy she's doing these classes and I'm going to try to get to as many as I can.  I've missed them at the YMCA and it's a great excuse to get outside.

Sand stitch pattern dish cloth

I knitted a dish cloth this evening using a sand stitch pattern ... I found the pattern here.  It's an easy quick one.

I used cotton yarn and 4.5mm needles.

Cast on multiples of 2, plus 1 ... I cast on 41 stitches.

Row 1 (Right Side): purl all

Row 2 (Wrong Side): * K1, P1 *, K1

Follow pattern until desired length.

Cast off in purl.  Darn in the ends.

Broken check pattern dish cloth

I knitted a dish cloth today ... I found the pattern here.

I used cotton yarn and 4.5mm needles.

Cast on multiples of 8 stitches ... I cast on 40.

• Row 1: * Purl 7, knit 1; repeat from * to end.
• Row 2: * Purl 2, knit 6; repeat from * to end.
• Row 3: * Purl 5, knit 3; repeat from * to end.
• Row 4: * Purl 4, knit 4; repeat from * to end.
• Row 5: * Purl 3, knit 5; repeat from * to end.
• Row 6: * Purl 6, knit 2; repeat from * to end.
• Row 7: * Purl 1, knit 7; repeat from * to end.
• Row 8: Purl.
• Repeat Rows 1 - 8 until desired length.

Darn in the ends.

Broken rib pattern dish cloth

I knitted a dish cloth this evening ... I found the pattern here.

I used cotton yarn and 4.5mm needles.

Cast multiples of 8 plus 2 ... I cast on 42.

• Row 1 - right side: Knit 2, * purl 6, knit 2; repeat from * to end.
• Row 2: Purl 2, * knit 6, purl 2; repeat from * to end.
• Row 3: Knit.
• Row 4: Knit 4, purl 2, * knit 6, purl 2; repeat from * to last 4 sts, knit 4.
• Row 5: Purl 4, knit 2, *purl 6, knit 2; repeat from * to last 4 sts, purl 4.
• Row 6: Purl.
• Repeat rows 1 - 6 to desired length.

Darn in the ends.

Ipsy Glam Bag - April 2020

My April Ipsy Glam Bag arrived today.

• $12 a Glam Bag ($223CN for a year)
• 5 beauty products worth $50+ (the average Glam Bag value in 2019)
• Glam Bags are available in the U.S., U.S. Territories, & Canada. U.S. shipping is free. Taxes will apply to all bag orders shipped within the U.S. Canadian shipping is $2.95.

Here's what I received ...

• Make-up bag
• NOMAD COSMETICS Tuscany Intense Eyeshadow (Cantucci) - $3 value
• GLOSSIER Priming Moisturizer Rich - $8.10 value
• THANN Oatmeal Face Scrub - $6.30 value
• SERAPHINE BOTANICALS Berry + Juice - 100% Vegan Lip Gel in Rose Currant - $19 value
• ARACELI BEAUTY Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner in Black/Negro - $16

Total value (excluding the bag) - $52.40US

Book ~ "Elevator Pitch" (2019) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world - and the nation’s capital of media, finance, and entertainment - is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men in women working in offices across the city refuse leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.

Who is behind this? Why are they doing it? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers before the city’s newest, and tallest, residential tower has its Friday night ribbon-cutting. 

Four random people get on an elevator in an office building in New York on Monday.  The elevator doesn't stop when it's supposed to ... and then plunges to the ground, killing the people inside.  The next day a Russian scientist is killed in an elevator malfunction in another building.  The next day there's another incident with an elevator in another building.  Coincidence?  A man is found murdered ... his head is beat to a bloody pulp and his finger tips have been cut off so he can't be identified.  The head of the Flyovers, a domestic terrorist group, and his wife are in town.  There's a lot going on in the city that week!

Barbara is a journalist who doggedly reports about the mayor, which adds extra pressure for him on top of what's happening with the elevators.  He hasn't always been a nice man and doesn't treat his son, who works for him, very well.  Barbara has a strained relationship with her daughter and things get more tense when she starts working for the mayor.

I've read many books by this author over the years ... some I've liked a lot and some not so much. I thought this one was just okay.  Coming in at about 450 pages, it's long ... and it seemed long.  There were lots of characters (it was hard to keep track of them sometimes).  There were side stories that would have been cut out because they didn't really impact the story (for example, many many pages were devoted to one of the cops who needed a puffer to manage his panic attacks from a previous incident ... huh?!).  It's written in third person perspective from many viewpoints.  I thought the "whodunnit" was a bit convoluted and I didn't really buy it.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Knitted dish cloth

I finished a dish cloth this evening.  It is a quick and easy pattern and I've made many of these over the years.

I used cotton yarn and 4.5mm needles.

Cast on 4 stitches.

Knit 2, YO, Knit to end.

Turn work.

Knit 2, YO, Knit to end.

Turn work.

Keep doing this over and over and over and over and over until there are 56 stitches.

Knit 1, K2tog, YO, K1, K2tog, knit to end.

Turn work.

Knit 1, K2tog, YO, K1, K2tog, knit to end.

Turn work.

Keep doing this over and over and over and over and over.

Cast off the final 4 stitches and darn in the ends.

Coronation Park, Toronto, ON

It it's a warm sunny afternoon (20C) and I went for a walk Coronation Park ... it's about a 20 minute walk south of us.

It was nice to get down by the water.   It was so strange, though, to not see any boats in the water yet ... there are two yacht clubs there.

There were a few people out and about hanging around the park.  Most were social distancing, which was good to see.  Some were not, though.  There was a woman taking pictures of another woman, getting in people's way as they wanted to walk along the path.  There were four families with young kids (and two of the women were very pregnant) taking pictures of each other also getting in the way.  I doubt they all live together so definitely not practicing social distancing.

There was a picnic table off to the side away from people passing by so I sat there and chilled for about a half hour.

Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

I went for a walk to Trinity Bellwoods Park this afternoon.

I visited KC's tree.

I thought this message on the ball field fence was nice.

The cherry blossoms are blooming but because they tend to draw a lot of people and we are all practicing social distancing, the trees are barricaded.

Book ~ "The Garden of Small Beginnings" (2017) Abbi Waxman

From Goodreads ~ Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years - ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she's just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she's becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed.

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks - like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there's that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can't be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity.

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she'll soon discover - with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners - is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not.

Three years ago, Lilian witnessed her husband, Dan, get killed in an accident.  Since then, she has been trying deal with her sadness and get on with her life and taking care of her two young daughters.  Lilian is an illustrator for a publishing company, which is hired to design a gardening book for a client.  To give her some background, her boss signs her up to take a six week gardening course.  Since the course is free, her daughters and sister join her.

For the next six Saturdays, not only does the class garden grow and nurture but so do the friendships of the people in the class.  Each are different and have their own stories.  There is an attraction between Lilian and Edward, their instructor, but Lilian has to figure out if she's ready to let go of the past and move on with her future.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It was written in first person perspective in Lilian's voice.  Despite the subject matter, I found the writing amusing.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Knitted Temperature Blanket - April 2020

I heard about temperature blankets at the end of last year.  I've never made one before and it sounded like a fun long term project.

The idea of a temperature blanket is to knit or crochet a row (or a number of rows) on a blanket each day for a full calendar year.  The colors used each day correspond with the temperature outside.  The more colours you use to represent temperatures and the more varied the temperatures, the more colourful the blanket.

To be consistent, I chose to use the temperature at noon.  I debated whether to use Toronto's temperatures (regardless of where I am) or the temperatures of where I am (so it's a Teena ~ temperature blanket).  I decided to make a Teena ~ temperature blanket.  In theory, it would have been interesting to see how it turned out as I traveled often for work plus went on vacation during the year but with COVID, I haven't done as much travelling as I usually would in a year.

I'm using nine colours from Red Heart Comfort and Bernat Cozy Style yarn.

• Blue:  -6C or colder
• Green:  -1C to -5C
• Light purple:  0C to 4C
• Teal:  5C to 9C
• Red:  10C to 14C
• Dark purple:  15C to 19C
• Yellow:  20C to 24C
• Orange:  25C and higher
• Grey:  first and last rows and divider rows between the months

So far, the warmest temperature (dark purple) was 18C in Toronto on March 29 and the coldest (blue) was -10C in Toronto (blue) on February 14.

I cast on 200 stitches.  The first and last five stitches of each row are seed stitches (knit one, purl one, knit one, purl one, knit one).  In between, I'm doing stocking stitch (knitting the odd rows and purling the even rows).  I added two rows of seed stitch at the beginning of the blanket to stop it from curling (stocking stitch does that and I hadn't thought of that when I started).

April

Warmest in April:  15C (dark purple) in Toronto on April 13
Coldest in April:  4C (light purple) in Toronto on April 15, 16 and 21

March

Warmest in March:  18C (dark purple) in Toronto on March 29
Coldest in March:  0C (light purple) in Toronto on March 22

Book ~ "What Lies Between Us" (2020) John Marrs

From Goodreads ~ Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

They say every house has its secrets and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know and Maggie is going to keep it that way - even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

Maggie and Nina are a mother and daughter who live in the same house.  Nina's father left the family when she was 13 and Nina blames her mother for driving him away.  Nina became out of control when she was 14, drinking, doing drugs and hanging out with less than desirable men and Maggie did all she could to stop it.  Now about twenty-five years later, Nina is still blaming Maggie for her father leaving, among other things, and has been punishing her for the last two years by keeping her chained in the upper levels of their house with no ability to contact anyone.

I enjoyed this book.  This is the third book I've read by this author and like the other two, the story was interesting and bizarre.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Maggie and Nina's voices.  The timeless jumps back and forth from present day to twenty-five years ago ... the chapters are labeled so you know the time period and whose voice it is.  As the story moves on, you learn what has pissed Nina off so much and Maggie has done (or hasn't done).  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Dead Mom Walking: A Memoir of Miracle Cures and Other Disasters" (2020) Rachel Matlow

From Goodreads ~ When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Rachel Matlow is concerned but hopeful. It's Stage 1 so her mom will get surgery and everything will go back to normal. But growing up in Rachel's family, there was no normal. Elaine, an alternative school teacher and self-help junkie, was never a capital M "Mommy" - she spent more time meditating than packing lunches - and Rachel, who played hockey with the boys and refused to ever wear a dress, was no ordinary daughter.

When Elaine decides to forgo conventional treatment and heal herself naturally, Rachel is forced to ponder whether the very things that made her mom so special - her independent spirit, her belief in being the author of her own story - are what will ultimately kill her. As the cancer progresses, so does Elaine's conviction in doing things her way. She assembles a dream team of alternative healers, gulps down herbal tinctures with every meal, and talks (with respect) to her cancer cells. Anxious and confused, Rachel is torn between indulging her pie-in-the-sky pursuits (ayahuasca and all) and pleading with the person who's taking her mother away.

With irreverence and honesty - and a little help from Elaine's journals and self-published dating guide, plus hours of conversations recorded in her dying days - Matlow brings her inimitable mother to life on the page. "Dead Mom Walking" is the hilarious and heartfelt story of what happens when two people who've always written their own script go head to head with each other, and with life's least forgiving plot device. 

Rachel Matlow is a former producer at CBC and her brother, Josh, is a Toronto City Councillor.  When their mother, Elaine, discovered she has stage 1 cancer, her doctor recommended she have surgery so she could live a long time.  Elaine said she wanted to think about it and research her options.  She decided to heal herself and surrounded herself with natural practitioners and what sounds like quacks.  She did affirmations and even tried to reason with the cancer.  As the cancer moved from stage 1 onward and got worse, Elaine still believed she could heal herself ... until it was too late and her cancer had become terminal and there was nothing that could be done.  She passed away in 2015, five years after the diagnosis.

Rachel didn't agree with Elaine's way of healing her cancer and begged her mother to have surgery.  But Elaine was stubborn and there were many times when Rachel had to back off so she wouldn't lose her relationship with her mother.  During this, Rachel was working with/for Jian Ghomeshi at CBC.  He didn't treat his colleagues well at all and she had the added pressure of dealing with the aftermath of his scandal.

Elaine wasn't the most conventional mother.  She was raised by a mother who smothered her and was dependent on her even when she was young and Elaine swore she would never do that to her kids.  She had adventures and tried to live life to the fullest.  While I give her props for wanting to cure her cancer her way, I thought it was a bit selfish that she didn't want to get well as soon as possible so she could be there for her family.  When I found out I had cancer in December, I had no hesitation when my surgeon told me she had booked a date a month later for surgery.  I want to live a long time and be around with my family and friends.

It was an interesting book but I found it a hard one to read at times, especially when the family realized that Elaine didn't have much time left and started making arrangements.

Cat pattern knitted dish cloth

I knitted a cat pattern dish cloth tonight.

I don't have a solid colour yarn so the kitty is a bit hard to see ... but it's there!

I used cotton yarn and size 4.5mm knitting needles.  It's an easy pattern.

I cast on 43 stitches.  The first four rows are garter stitch (knit each row).

The first four and last four stitches of each row are knitted.

You'll find the pattern for the cat here.

Knit four rows in garter stitch.

Cast off and bind in ends.

Diagonal lines pattern dish cloth

I knitted a dish cloth today using a diagonal lines pattern (I found the pattern here).

I used cotton yarn and size 4.5mm knitting needles.

Cast on a multiple of 10 stitches ... I cast on 40 stitches.

• Row 1 - right side: * Knit 5, purl 5; repeat from * to end.
• Row 2: Purl 1, * knit 5, purl 5; repeat from * to last 9 sts, knit 5, purl 4.
• Row 3: Knit 3, * purl 5, knit 5; repeat from * to last 7 sts, purl 5, knit 2.
• Row 4: Purl 3, * knit 5, purl 5; repeat from * to last 7 sts, knit 5, purl 2.
• Row 5: Knit 1, * purl 5, knit 5; repeat from * to last 9 sts, purl 5, knit 4.
• Row 6: * Purl 5, knit 5; repeat from * to end.
• Row 7: Purl 4, * knit 5, purl 5; repeat from * to last 6 sts, knit 5, purl 1.
• Row 8: Knit 2, * purl 5, knit 5; repeat from * to last 8 sts, purl 5, knit 3
• Row 9: Purl 2 ,* knit 5, purl 5; repeat from * to last 8 sts, knit 5, purl 3.
• Row 10: Knit 4, * purl 5, knit 5; repeat from * to  last 6 sts, purl 5, knit 1.

Repeat Rows 1 - 10 until piece measures desired length.

Cast off and darn in ends.

KC's tree, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

I haven't been outside much in the last five weeks or so.  I felt like I needed to get out so I walked to Trinity Bellwoods Park to visit KC's tree.

There were a few people in the park, some were social distancing but some were not (I was!).  I saw a police officer on horseback and an official who could give out tickets monitoring everyone.