Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: granny blanket

  • Starting My Granny Blanket: Excitement and Challenges

    Starting My Granny Blanket: Excitement and Challenges

    Firstly, I have finally updated the Granny Blanket pattern. So if you have been waiting to start, now is the time. I am starting the blanket itself today! The stitches will need to be doubled from the pillow cast-on and the yardage needed per wedge, tripled. This will be a lot of work. But so worthwhile in the end. It is a good accompaniment to the long term Blanket Squares Project that I have going on as well. It will break up the boring knitting with the blanket squares and fancies!

    I am so excited to be starting. I want to get a few wedges knit before it gets too hot! Who is starting with me?!

    Granny BlanketDownload

    Secondly, the main part of the house is completely done. I still need to do more organizing and it is an ongoing process. I change things around trying to find the best possible spot. The pictures are the hardest. I have so many. My mothers needlework, family pictures, and art I have collected over the years.

    I have put up pictures and then moved them. And then moved them again. I can see this may take a while. These few are in their final place. I hope!

    Thirdly, the yarn room is about to be started. It got delayed as it needed more work than expected. Which meant the plans had to change etc. But it sounds like it is going ahead, starting midweek.

    Getting the yarn room done will help with my organization project as well! More room available, but with more stuff coming out of storage. This will be the start of the final cull. I am sure that this will be both challenging and rewarding. I may be looking or some second opinions.

    Walking in the Canyon

    Last weekend we went for a walk on an absolutely glorious Sunday. We went to my favourite place on Nanaimo River. The canyon by Cassidy. It has great swimming in the Summer and great walking all year round. You can see that others enjoy the walk as well.

    Everything is starting to bud. The fawn (or curly) lilies are in full blown and carpeting the underbrush. Did you know it takes 7 years before even 1 flower comes from the root? Amazing. How long it must have taken to create this display.

    A few weeks ago I started with Odd Bunch vegetable delivery. A box is delivered once a week, or less. You decide how often you want the box. The box varies in price with the size. I get the small plus box. It is $26.00 per week plus delivery and it comes right to the door. Below is last weeks box.

    It has been very interesting and I think it has proven to be a good value. It has been challenging to cook some of things I wasn’t totally familiar with. I gave the butternut squash to my daughter. Maybe I need a new cookbook! LOL! The quality has been good. Only 1 item in one box was disappointing. Strawberries – just a little to close to the edge. I should have noticed and used them sooner.

    Happy Knitting and Happy Cooking!

    Lynette

  • Embracing Granny Chic: A Cozy Home Makeover Journey

    Embracing Granny Chic: A Cozy Home Makeover Journey

    First and foremost, I am getting too old to live out of boxed and canned foods! And who knew that eating out all the time wasn’t fun!

    I have also been dealing with the “cold”, you know the one that won’t go away. I took the last week off of work in order to power through some knitting. That didn’t happen.

    I was too busy power napping – trying to get rid of the cold. It is slowly going. Have you had the “cold”? Or a cold for that matter. What is your favourite remedy? Mine is hot honey and lemon or tea or both. LOL!

    We are now entering week 4 or is it, 4.5 of the renovation and great progress has been made. I cannot say enough good things about MJ Chaley Construction and their crew.

    Progress to date:

    • my woolroom has a door (no change here) – but is now storage for the crews “stuff”.
      • this room is now looking like it is going to be finished last, it is too useful right now
    • the main bathroom/laundry, has been gutted, and in the bathroom
      • the electrical has been upgraded,
      • the plumbing has been upgraded
        • including adding a whole house shutoff valve for the water
      • and the ceiling and walls have been drywalled and painted!
        • the shower stall has been installed
        • and the new cabinet is here, but not installed
    • the kitchen area is so exciting
      • the skylight has been replaced and the beams and surrounding area have been upgraded with new venting and insulation
      • as have the outside walls
      • the entire kitchen has been rewired to accommodate the undercounter lighting and new appliance placements
        • including wiring being run to power the kitchen island
      • the plumbing has upgraded for the sink, we did not change the location of the sink
      • the kicks are in for the new cupboards
    • the main living area is ready for paint, both walls and ceiling
      • and ready for new trim around windows, doors and floors
    from the kitchen area to the main outside door.
    the bathroom and laundry area
    down the hallway to the back bedroom
    the kitchen with kicks and skylight. The grandfather clock won’t be staying there.

    Tomorrow the new flooring is going in.

    On Aesthetics

    There is a movement in design, especially in our homes, towards the homey and cozy. “Granny Chic” I think it is called. I have embraced this style my whole life. The combination of modern and old, of walls busy with art and family photographs. I carry my life in my home. So did my Mum!

    We lived with floral wall paper, usually very Victorian in nature. Lots of floral inspired wallpapers and pictures, antique pictures and my mothers needle pointed floral pictures. I simply followed her lead and kept my own home just like hers.

    I had this work reframed just after we moved. The old frame was falling apart at one corner. It is now waiting for a wall. My mums’ last piece of needlepoint.

    It is odd to find that now those are the homes that we are moving too naturally. I am going to be in style for the first time in my life!

    give me flowers, especially Pansies, they always make me happy
    a case full of china florals, very Granny Chic! LOL!

    I try to surround myself with Happy. That is really my aesthetic.

    I am choosing be a little naive – but I think that we quite often make our happiness.  It is how we view the world – half empty or half full. It is how we view the people in our world and how the world views us. I don’t put much stock into the stuff the world says that we need to have to be happy.

    I put stock into the people that are in my life.  Those are the people in my home and at my job. They are also the people I meet as I go about my day.

    Knitting is one of the activities that gives me my greatest joy and happiness.  Planning the next project or playing with the new yarn – I am always creating and dreaming.  When we find out what we love, happiness is usually close by. It shows us what we want to do with our time.

    More Granny Chic – the Granny Blanket

    Well, the swatch is complete. But I have no washing machine to full it in. So it will have to wait another week or so.

    It is approx 38 inches across. I want it to shrink at least 25% in the fulling process. That would make it approx 29 inches across. I am practicing patience. And using it to cozy up in as I watch tv in the evenings. The crew left us the tv console an couch to live with.

    Loose sewing at the join to allow for shrinkage
    a loosely woven center or loose single crochet would also work to fill the center. it must be loose to allow for shrinkage
    The swatch is complete. It is almost blanket size. I am going to be knitting a very big blanket before fulling for the real deal!

    I am ready for next Sunday, March 1. Well, almost. The Square and pattern are ready. However, I am still working on the “fancy.” I am having too much fun.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Progress Update on Home Renovation and Knitting

    Progress Update on Home Renovation and Knitting

    This is going to be a short post. I am not sure when the dry walling team are arriving. Most of the tradesmen arrive around 8:00 am – which is when I like to work on the computer.

    The work on the house is progressing. They are about to drywall the kitchen and bathroom. After that paint, then cabinets and finishing. I am told that things are progressing quite well. The possible finishing date is March 7th or 8th.

    My yarn room has hit a snag, they are sorting it. But nothing to report there as yet! There are always glitches when doing a renovation. On the other hand…

    Now for the Knitting news. No glitch here.

    Isn’t it looking great! I am loving the colours and texture. I wonder what fulling will do to the garter st texture?

    … the Granny Blanket swatch is almost done. The swatch and blanket are going to be built with 13 wedges. That is official. The swatch is just about there. I will finish it tonight (or maybe tomorrow night!) LOL!. I won’t be able to full the piece for the next 3 weeks. It will take that long before I get a laundry back!

    And how beautiful is the world we live in.

    Sunday was glorious so we took the opportunity to get out. We went for a walk at Piper’s Lagoon.

    LOOK! at the texture. It all started with a wood bug, add time, water and then weather. A somber kind of beauty is the result. Could I recreate it somehow?

    I hope that you get the opportunity to go for a walk wherever you live. It is good for anything that ails you, including a renovation.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette