At long last the Winnie Cooper as promised. It was actually finished over a week ago but with all the excitement of coming home and getting settled it was tucked away for winter wear. Today the sun is not blazing and I found (to my surprise) that I had a willing model to help me out.

Elizabeth is not a fan of photographs but was quite proud to display her new sweater (it’s enough to make a mama’s heart swell).

She loves it and it that makes me so happy.

The pattern is the Wonder Years Sweater, knit in size 8 – 10, using Cascade 220 for the main body.

I hummed and hawed about which size to knit but I am after all my mother’s daughter and decided to knit a size larger than I figured she’d need. Then I added to the body so it would be a comfortable length and then added a little more to the sleeves because I am forever burdened with sleeves that are too short.

I may have overshot it a little – note the rolled sleeves.

Elizabeth says it will be perfect for winter and has no complaints that she’ll be wearing it for the next half decade…we’ll see what she says when she’s 13.

The pattern was great. I loved working with it and found it straightforward and easy. My only complaint would be that the arms are wider than I’d like so I would probably add more decreases earlier on when I knit from the pattern again (which I will). My only frustration was picking up an equal amount of stitches on the button band….the same frustration I had last night working on Yellow Girl.

I also have to give credit where credit is due – although blocking seems like rather a dull task it sure brought the best out of this sweater. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve blocked my knitting but I may have to change my ways.

And the simple fact that this beautiful girl loves every bit of it from baggy sleeves to antiqued wooden buttons is just perfect.

These past few days and weekend have found us settling back into a rhythm at home – which admittedly doesn’t always have much continuity to it but it works.

Dan has been working considerably harder than I have getting some things taken care of around the house. After being away we always come back and start noticing the little projects we’d forgotten about. Along with projects inside, he’s been hacking away at the jungle outside so that now the yard and garden are recognizable again.

We’ve had a few casualties in the garden but for the most part everything looks great. We enjoyed our first garden salad over the weekend with a few baby beets and carrots that were thinned – it was very exciting.

We have quite a late growing season here but hopefully in a few weeks we’ll be enjoying peas and beans along with more lettuce. This is such a first for us that it’s all somewhat of a guess. Dan’s been a little disappointed to realize that all his hard work is not likely to yield enough to go far amongst our growing family but I’m impressed with what he’s managed in our small space.

Brussels sprouts are one of our most anticipated veggies.

The kids can easily devour half a head of purple cabbage as a snack so we’re hoping this works out for us.

Sarah will not be convinced to let the peas grow a little bigger before she starts eating them.

The potato blossoms are lovely.

Any suggestions on when we are supposed to harvest this?

We are so excited for carrots!

Dan’s pride and joy – corn (growing with some lettuce).

While Dan has been busy with his projects I’ve been thinking about what needs to be done in the next weeks before the little bean arrives. My plans for baking and freezing bread were a bit daunted when we returned to hotter weather than expected but the last few days have been cooler allowing me to get quite a few loaves in the freezer with plans for more as long as the weather stays cool. I’ve also been busy making jam with our market spoils this week. I’ll have more to share about that later in the week.

For now bedtime approaches and kitchen clean-up calls. Hope you’ve all enjoyed a wonderful start to another week! Thanks always for your kind words and encouragement – I’m so blessed by the community that has found me here!

With hearts aching and eyes damp we said goodbye to grandparents, vacation and the ocean.

It was a long day but we managed to get in the door just before the clock struck twelve.

Here are some impressions.

:: An eldest’s request that we forgo the fast route for the detour through Vancouver (which is what us adults really wanted in our heart of hearts).

:: Liam asking in Vancouver if we were in Calgary yet. When he was told no, he requested an appetizer.

:: Amalia announcing when she turns 16 she will buy her own van, listen to ABBA and drink chocolate milk.

;; Revisiting, albeit from a moving vehicle, some of our favourite spots in a most beloved city.

:: Sarah singing, One of Us is Crying – just that one lyric over and over.

:: Simon removing shoes and socks for his blanket and trucks kiss his toes.

:: Dan’s frustration with drivers who do not follow, “Keep Right Except to Pass” and teenagers who throw footballs at the van.

:: A cappella singing of many ABBA songs with various true and made up lyrics.

:: Liam asking every few minutes when we would get to the tunnels then at every approach feigning quiet reading until we entered at which point he’d exclaim, “Who turned out the lights?”

:: Peanut butter cookies that bought peace at an opportune moment.

:: My delight at finding fresh local cherries at a quick stop for much cheaper than we’d pay at home.

:: The elderly woman who gave up her bathroom stall for a rather desperate Sarah.

:: Discovering I’m much more pregnant than I was three weeks and my bladder has much less room.

:: Sarah announcing three-quarters of the way home that she wanted to go back to Grandpa Jay’s house now.

:: Beginning and ending out trip listening to this album and this favourite song in particular.

:: Everyone settling in to sleep in their own familiar beds in their own familiar room in their own familiar home – even while those hearts were still rather tender.

*I would also like to point out how many of these impressions were inspired by ABBA. I do not enjoy ABBA, my children cannot get enough. It’s becoming a problem.

Happy weekending friends!