An ornie finished

It's not much but I'm really pleased that I managed to finish it off this week with everything else that was going on. It was a quick stitch and all that remains is to finish it off as a small pillow. I've found some fabric in my stash that will work, now all I have to do is find the time! Easier said than done.

Although it was a short work week following the holiday, it marked the start of the new year for so many things. My boys are all gone and finished school now but the start of the school year marks another round of students for us in the lab. We are affiliated with the local community college and med lab students are placed with us for the third year of their training . They spend the entire school year working alongside us in the clinical setting, applying hands on what they've learned in theory. This year we have a small group of only three.

September marks a return to choir for both DH and myself. I'd bowed out of the community choir last year, only singing in our church choir. This year however I decided to return just until after the Christmas season. After all, I've got pull with the director! I don't fancy commuting in the winter weather for the second session. I think I'm all commuted ( I think I've invented a new word!) out.

The last two weeks around here have had some of the nicest and warmest days of the summer. Too bad I didn't book my holidays during that time. I've enjoyed sitting outside after work and stitching. The days though sure aren't lasting as long. It's already dark now by 8.

I put in some time on my Witches Garden but didn't get very far thanks to a short visit from the frogs. Of all things, I was trying to stitch the frog in the pattern! It's my own fault since I was trying to get things done without the use of my Ott lite which I'd left at home. The quarter stitches were my downfall.

My new start is Peace Tree, which I'm doing on an opalescent jazlyn. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's really quite a pretty colour. I'd hoped to be able to stitch on this one at work, etc. but I'm finding that with all the sparkles in it, it's difficult to see the holes. The fabric tends to be a bit fuzzy which isn't helping.

Following the finish of my ornament I got started on another small project. I get carried away when I see all the fall and Halloween decor hitting the stores. Since autumn is my favourite season, these tend to be some of my favourite stitches. I dug into my stash and pulled out one I've had for awhile. I wanted something fun and this one fits the bill. It's Poppy Kreations Holey Sheet.

The pattern calls for several overdyed floss but when doing something this small I prefer to stick with the DMC. I ran into a stumbling block though. My local shops don't carry 2 of the required colours. Then when I started looking elsewhere I ran into the same problem. I suspect that perhaps these 2 colours are no longer in use. Which means I have to seek out the overdyed after all or find some substitutions.

During my search I discovered a soon-to-be new release from Dinky Dyes called Ghosts and Goblins. I just love this funky cat!

Sunday after church, DH and I headed to one of my favourite haunts which is the local market. Ottawa is famous for its Byward Market but a much smaller version called the Parkdale Market is where we choose to shop. It too is full of local produce and flowers. Right now is one of the best times to go as far as I'm concerned. Loads of tomatoes, peppers, apples, and still some berries too. It won't be long before the pumpkins make an appearance. Since Bob is often in this area he's able to make a pit stop here whenever we need to stock up. Just as we arrived there were trucks unloading beautiful huge pots of mums. I couldn't resist, the colours were incredible and after all they were only $10! I'm back in Ottawa this Thursday so I'm thinking of picking up another one. I'd like to put them in the garden if possible before the frost.

Bob has headed into Ottawa for a meeting this evening so I'm parking myself in my comfy chair to put up my feet and stitch. Have a great week everyone!