Month: February 2026
A New Sock Pattern
I have been knitting one pair of socks every month for the last several years. I have shared pairs of socks with lots of people. This month, I started a new pattern. This pattern was sent to me by my Aunt Sue. Aunt Sue and I write letters back and forth almost every month. A
Flower Dishcloths for February
The first day of spring is Friday, March 20th – 23 days away. We are all ready to start seeing green grass poke out. The bulbs that I planted last Autumn will start pushing up through the still-cold soil – tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths. This dishcloths depict the flowers that are on their way
Happy 30th Birthday Cake!
Turning 30 is an amazing milestone, especially for Angel and Zachary as in 6 months, they will be married and begin their life together. We were so thrilled to be asked to create a birthday cake for their celebration. I used my now infamous lemon bundt cake recipe (gluten free). You can find it below:
Sewing Tutorial: A Sturdy, Quilted Pouch for Your Airwrap + Accessories
When it comes to sewing projects, making something three-dimensional is a fun challenge. Our future daughter-in-law, Angel, has a Dyson Airwrap hair curling tool. It comes in a rigid container, but for travel, she wanted a soft case for it and asked if we could make one. She picked a lovely pink denim for the
Uplifting Thoughts for Mid-Winter
Happiness is an activity.1. Go outside – feel the sun or wind on your face. 2. Try to fix something by yourself. 3. Water plants, repot plants, create a garden plan…anticipate spring and gardening and planting. 4. Help someone. 5. Staying on top of my finances. 6. Doing something nice for someone – random act
Jillian Jigg’s and Her Pigs – A Fun Craft for Kids
Today was a fun day with kids. If you have any little people in your life, this is a fun activity. I used to read the Jillian Jigg’s stories when I was a teacher librarian. To make the pigs, you need pink tights or nylons, google eyes, pipe cleaners, large buttons for the nose, a
The Scrap Log Cabin Quilt – Part 2
I have created 48 log cabin blocks out of scraps from my fabric stash. Once the blocks were complete, I had to decide about the backing. I was determined to use fabric that I already had in my collection so, I started digging. I was able to find fabric and this began the assembling portion
The World’s Simplest Mittens
You can find the free pattern here: https://tincanknits.com/pattern/the-worlds-simplest-mittens?g=2 These mittens are super easy to make and the pattern shows you all the sizes from toddler to large adult hand. It gives you measurements that include around the hand, length of the mitten from cuff to finger tips and cuff length. The patterns includes instructions for
Happy Flower Scrubbies
Two scrubbies, same pattern…what happened? Well, the importance of fully reading the instructions becomes very clear. For the first scrubbie, I left out one complete row and it made a big difference. Have you ever tried to make a recipe without reading to the bottom? I have – I end up improvising, which is not
Letting the yarn do all the work.
I (Charles) found this hand-dyed yarn by Stitch Noir about 2 years ago at a fibre festival in Hamilton, Ontario called the Fibre Forge (https://www.thefibreforge.ca/) If you live in the Golden Horseshoe, it’s definitely worth the drive as there are many Canadian, and Ontario vendors, and there is always something new. As soon as I
The January 2026 Socks are for ME…
What is self care to you? For me, sometimes, it is spending a whole day just binge-watching a show I have wanted to watch or reading a book I want to finish. It is doing my nails at a salon, it is spending time with my little people and taking them to do something fun
Crochet Something Beautiful
Creating beautiful things is an act of hope and hope fills our hearts with courage. Hope is described as “…a desire for things to change for the better, and to want that better situation very much.” There is some thing about the pace at which craft is created that deeply soothes my nervous system: it is meditative
January 2026 – Book List
Non-FictionGmorning, Gnight: Little Pep Talks for Me and You by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Johnny SunA little book of affirmations to inspire you at the beginning and end of each day. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes Make the most of every opportunity,