Knitted dog sweater

My sister asked me to knit her dog, Frankie, a sweater for Christmas.  I've never made one before so found this pattern at Yarnspirations.  It's considered an easy pattern (and it was) so I thought it was a good one to start with.

Though the pattern calls for two colours and stripes, I just use one colour (Craft Smart Value Yarn in Neon Yellow from Michaels ... it's a LOT brighter than in the pictures) because I wanted to focus on the pattern since it was the first time I'd tried it.  Frankie is a black poodle so this sweater will "pop" on him plus make it easy to find him in the dark!

I made a medium one.  My sister had given me Frankie's measurements and it came out exactly as the pattern said it would.  I hope it fits him.

I had to use a stuffed dog to see what it would look like since neither of our cats was interested in modeling the sweater!

It was easy and fun to make and I'll be sure to make a couple more for Frankie, using different colors.

Knitted Temperature Blanket - September 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 go 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 (orange) was 35C in Toronto on July 2 and the coldest (blue) was -10C in Toronto (blue) on February 14.  In hindsight, I wish I had added another colour from 30C and higher ... who knew July would be the hottest in 86+ years and every day but one in July would be 30C and over?!  I thought about undoing the blanket to add a different colour from 30C onwards but that mean I'd have to undo about 40 rows to go back to the first 30C row.  Um ... no.

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).

September

Warmest in September:  28C (orange) in Toronto on September 2 and 3
Coldest in September:  14C (red) in Toronto on September 19

August

Warmest in August:  32C (orange) in Toronto on August 10 and 24
Coldest in August:  20C (yellow) in Toronto on August 26

July

Butterfly stitch pattern dish cloth

I knitted a butterfly stitch pattern dish cloth tonight.

I used Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Yarn (Purple Perk) and size 4.5mm knitting needles.

Cast on multiples of 10, plus 7 stitches ... I cast on 37.

Knit three rows.

Here's the butterfly pattern:

Row 1: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 2: Knit row

Row 3: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 4: Knit row

Row 5: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 6: Knit 1, * knit 7, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2 *, knit 6

Row 7: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 8: Knit row

Row 9: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 10: Knit row

Row 11: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 12: Knit 3, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2, * knit 7, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2 *, knit 1

Repeat rows 1 to 12 until desired length (I did 10 rows of butterflies).

Purl row

Knit 3 rows.  Cast off and darn in ends.

Butterfly stitch pattern dish cloth

I finished knitting a butterfly stitch pattern dish cloth tonight.

I used Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Yarn (Lemon Swirl) and size 4.5mm knitting needles.

Cast on multiples of 10, plus 7 stitches ... I cast on 37.

Knit three rows.

Here's the butterfly pattern:

Row 1: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 2: Knit row

Row 3: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 4: Knit row

Row 5: Knit 1, purl 5, * with yarn in back slip 5, purl 5 *, knit 1

Row 6: Knit 1, * knit 7, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2 *, knit 6

Row 7: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 8: Knit row

Row 9: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 10: Knit row

Row 11: Knit 1, with yarn in back, slip 5, * purl 5, with yarn in back slip 5 *, knit 1

Row 12: Knit 3, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2, * knit 7, lift the 3 strands then knit 1, release the 3 strands, knit 2 *, knit 1

Repeat rows 1 to 12 until desired length (I did 10 rows of butterflies).

Purl row

Knit 3 rows.  Cast off and darn in ends.

Lakefront Promenade Park, Mississauga, ON

It's a gorgeous day ... sunny and warm.  So Gord and I headed to Lakefront Promenade Park in Mississauga (about a 25 minute drive west of us) to go for a walk.  We've never been there so thought we'd check it out.

We parked on the east side.

These four had just played volleyball nearby and jumped in the water to wash off the sand.  Apparently the water was cold because they were in and out pretty quickly.

Bar Wellington, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had a late lunch this afternoon at Bar Wellington (Portland/Wellington).

We sat on the patio.

I ordered what I always get there ... Baked Chorizo Mac & Cheese and it was sooooooo good.

Gord ordered wings with salt and pepper and a side salad with no tomatoes.  His salad came with cherry tomatoes ... I love tomatoes so I ate them.  His wings arrived with BBQ sauce so he sent them back for what he ordered.  When they arrived, he said they were excellent.

Dog Fountain, Berczy Park, Toronto, ON

Gord and I walked to the dog fountain in Berczy Park (near Wellington Street and Front Street) this afternoon to check out the fountain ... it's been in the park since 2017.

It's a cool fountain! It is a large, two-tier fountain with life-size cast-iron statues of 27 dogs and a cat. The dogs are all looking up towards a large bone perched on the fountain's peak. The cat is looking north at statues of two small birds perched on the arm of a lamppost about three metres away from the fountain. The fountain also includes a ground level trough to provide drinking water for real dogs. Each of the dog statues contribute to the fountain function by each sprouting water upwards from their mouths.

Alas, the water wasn't running but there were dogs wearing masks.

TORONTO sign, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON

This month, a new 3D TORONTO sign was installed at Nathan Phillips Square ... and Gord and I walked to it this afternoon to check it out.

A more durable replica of the original (installed in July 2015 for the Toronto 2015 Pan American/Parapan American Games), the sign is illuminated, stands 10-feet tall and features a designed vinyl wrap on the outer edges of the of its letters.

The current vinyl wrap is an artwork titled Patterns of the People, designed by Toronto artist Danilo Deluxo McCallum Opens to honour the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent Opens in new window (IDPAD). The artwork is part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021.

Book ~ "Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss" (2015) David Bagby

From Goodreads ~ In November 2001, the bullet-riddled body of a young doctor named Andrew Bagby was discovered in Keystone State Park outside Latrobe, Pennsylvania. For parents Dave and Kate, the pain was unbearable - but Andrew's murder was only the beginning of the tragedy they endured. 

The chief suspect for Andrew's murder was his ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner. Obsessive and unstable, Shirley lied to police and fled to Newfoundland before she could be arrested. While fending off extradition efforts by U.S. law enforcement, she announced she was pregnant with Andrew's son, Zachary. 

Hoping to gain custody of the child, the Bagbys moved to Newfoundland. They began a drawn-out court battle to protect their grandson from the woman who had almost certainly murdered their son. Then, in August 2003, Shirley killed herself and the one-year-old Zachary by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean.

Andrew Bagby was an American who went to medical school in St. John's, Newfoundland, in the late 1990s.  There he met an older woman named Shirley Turner, who was a doctor, who was from Newfoundland.  She came from a broken home, had been married twice and had three children with the two husbands (the children lived with their fathers).  She had a history of violence and instability.  Andrew and Shirley started dating on and off for a couple of years.

Andrew was found dead on November 5, 2001, in a state park in Pennsylvania where he was a resident at a local hospital.  He had been shot five times and the number one suspect was Shirley, his then ex-girlfriend, who was practicing in Iowa.

Shortly after Andrew's death, on the advice of a lawyer, Shirley returned home to St. John's.  The Pennsylvania police wanted her back in the States to face murder charges but she refused to go so the extradition to the U.S. process began.  Andrew's parents, David and Kate, were living in California and flew to St. John's for the hearings.  It turned out that Shirley was pregnant and gave birth to her and Andrew's son, Zachary, in July 2002.

The Bagbys put their lives on hold and moved to St. John's.  If Shirley ended up in jail and prison, they wanted to establish a relationship with Zachary and be able to raise him since he was their grandson.  They had to fight for visitation.

On August 18, 2003, Shirley drugged Zachary and then jumped into the Atlantic Ocean with him trapped to her.  It was ruled a murder-suicide.

David wrote this book to tell the story. He and Kate feel they were failed by the legal system that let Shirley out on bail and allowed her to retain custody of Zachary.  After Shirley and Zachary's death, they began a quest to have Canada’s bail laws changed.  Bill C-464 or "Zachary's Bill" was introduced which would change the Criminal Code of Canada to allow the courts to justify their refusing bail to those accused of serious crimes in the name of protecting their children.  It received support and was signed into law on December 16, 2010.

I don't remember this happening at the time and I'm not sure where I came across this book but it was an interesting story.  It was dry at times but the love for Andrew and Zachary, their frustration and fight of David and Kate came through.

I read an e-version of the book and there were no pictures.

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

I went for a walk this afternoon to Trinity Bellwoods Park to check out KC's tree and the changing leaves in the park.

It's still leafy and green among all the fall colours ... it's usually one of the last trees in the park for the leaves to start changing colours.  Quite a change in the trees since Gord and I were there on Saturday.

Ipsy Glam Bag - September 2020

My September 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
• GENERATION CLAY Urban Defense Purifying Pink Clay Mask - $6.42 value
• MAËLLE BEAUTY Enchanted Eyeshadow Collection Single in Smoked Topaz - $4.83 value
• IBY BEAUTY Radiant Glow Highlighter in Prosecco - $14 value
• PACIFICA BEAUTY Desert Sunset Matte Blush & Bronze Duo - $13 value
• JONTEBLU Felt Tip Eyeliner Pencil in Black - $9 value

Total value (excluding the bag) - $47.25US