Well, Mom is still in ICU, but that's only because there is not a bed available for her in a surgical room. Hopefully today. The doctors have cleared her for release from ICU, and she's antsy to get out of there. I am constantly on the phone it seems - calling the ICU to check on her (those nurses are the BEST!!), and spending the evening on the phone to family and friends, passing out updates. I have "point people" - one person that I call with info and they spread it from there, but even at that, there are 8-9 calls that are made each night, either in or out. I am beginning to hate the phone.
Knitting is continuing, albeit slowly. The Tibetan Buddhist Nun sock is coming along nicely - I'm almost done the gold heel. By the way, the colours are a deep burgundy and rich gold, not the pink and yellow as it appeared in the photo. And yes Tracy, I do have a Buddhist Nun SIL. Not that it means anything as far as I can tell. She does a lot for a Temple, and travels quite a bit, but she's always done that - she's a wonderful journalist and writer. She's met the Dalai Lama (and pronounced him "quite nice" - like what? we were expecting him to be an obnoxious ass??). She dresses in Western clothing, and has no food restrictions or any other restrictions that I am aware of, so personally, I'm thinking the "nun" thing is arbitrary, and not as binding as perhaps a Catholic Nun would be. I don't have fond memories of Catholic Nuns - as a left-handed kid in a Montreal Catholic school in the mid-1960's, good opinions were not formed when one TIED MY LEFT HAND TO MY SIDE TO MAKE ME USE MY RIGHT HAND!! (Can you tell that still annoys me??) Thankfully, we moved to Ontario quite soon after that fact, and I embraced the Ontario Public School System (and my left-handedness). Not surprisingly, I also dis-embraced the Catholic faith - while it means a lot to my Mom, I guess I'm more of a self-practicing person. No organized religion for me, thanks very much. I've been called a heathen, and kind of like it, so I go with that. As long as I try to be a good person, and "do unto others..." I'm ok with it.
Right. Back to knitting... (as she steps of the unintentional soapbox) Icarus has been ignored lately - charts and worry don't get along, but I hope to pick it up again soon. I'm on the third of 4 lace charts, so I really want to get this done.
Hopefully, pictures to come...
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
48 Things You Could Care Less About
1. FIRST NAME? Technically, Marie, but I go by Sandra
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Full name is Marie Sandra Jacqueline - the Marie is from Mary (you know, the famous one? the Virgin and all that?), Sandra is just what my parents liked, and Jacqueline is my Godmother/Aunt's name.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Geez, my Mom is in ICU for god's sake! I'm crying alot! Plus, I can cry over books (Anne of Green Gables when Matthew dies - Little Women - Beth), TV show, movies, life in general. Part of being my mother's daughter.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Actually, yes. I'm a big list maker.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Rare roast beef, or Montreal smoked meat.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably. I'm kinda fun, very generous and a really good listener.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? um, hello? What are we looking at here? Other than the blog, I don't really journal my life.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope. They snagged them when I was three, thinking they were the cause of my illness. They weren't. I had a kidney disease called nephritis. (all better now!)
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? You betcha! I'm so jealous of my friend Neff who bungeed in New Zealand!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? When I eat cereal, I usually reach for Golden Grahams or Harvest Crunch.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if I can help it. THis annoys my husband to no end.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically - not bad. I was in way better shape when I was younger. Emotionally strong? you wouldn't think so, but I rise to the occasion when needed.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? I had this once - I wish I could remember where - soft serve chocolate with maraschino cherries. I bought an ice cream maker just to duplicate this - I'm pretty close. ALso, mamacate's recipe for brown sugar ice cream - to die for!
14. SHOE SIZE? I was a 7 until I got pregnant - now I'm an 8.
15. RED OR PINK? Red. Although I've been told I look good in pink.
16. LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOU? My belly. and my inexplicable need for gossip!
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Hands down, my Dad. For the past 11 years, I've missed him every single day.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Of course. It goes back to the need for gossip and info. Let me know if you do this on your own blog...
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Since I'm at work - black pants, black t-shirt, periwinkle blue knit hoodie. Black clogs that look like hiking boots, but are open at the back, and I don't need to wear socks.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Breakfast - coffee, english muffin with peanut butter and a pear in the car.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The Body Rockers - I Like The Way You Move. (Very cool song)
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? babies just out of a bath.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Loretta, the ICU nurse looking after my mom. She is the coolest woman in my world right now.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes if I'm looking from the front. Butt otherwise.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I've never met Cara, but I like her nonetheless.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Local Ontario beers (Creemore in particular). Single malt scotch. Good red wine. Fresh, cold spring water.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Curling (D'uh, what's my name?) Basketball.
29. EYE COLOR? Green
30. HAT SIZE? Huge. Seriously, I've got a melon up there. (You'd think I'd be smarter...)
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Glasses. I wore contacts for years, and abused my eyes doing it. Now I'm into glasses.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Too many to choose from. Hubby and I both like to cook, so we eat pretty well.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both. depends on the mood.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. especially at the cottage. But it's hard to beat a cold, crisp sunny day with tons of snow...
36. HUGS OR KISSES? yes, please.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? I'm not a huge dessert fan. I love the sweets, but I don't particularly like them after a good meal.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Lucky or TracyKM
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Since I'm not sending it to anyone, and depending on people to jus tread it, who knows?
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Pirate by Ted Bell. Main character Alexander Hawke. I'm a big espionage, murder mystery, thriller type reader. I don't necessarily need my books to teach me life lessons. I get enough of that in real life. Of course, the Harry Potter books, Narnia Books, and some other classics are piled by the bedside at all times.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? nothing. I don't seem to express myself with mouse pads very well. However, I have most of Franklin's cartoons pinned up on my wall right above my mouse pad...
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Tuesday is a bit of wasteland for me. We watched How It's Made on Discovery, then some baseball, then Jay Leno. Tonight, it's Criminal Minds - I loves me some Mandy Patinkin...
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My son laughing. A really great song. My mom in ICU asking for a martini.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Aruba
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Geez. I'm not telling anyone that!!
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Montreal, Quebec, Canada
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from Cara.
Okay - your turn. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT! You know you want to.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Full name is Marie Sandra Jacqueline - the Marie is from Mary (you know, the famous one? the Virgin and all that?), Sandra is just what my parents liked, and Jacqueline is my Godmother/Aunt's name.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Geez, my Mom is in ICU for god's sake! I'm crying alot! Plus, I can cry over books (Anne of Green Gables when Matthew dies - Little Women - Beth), TV show, movies, life in general. Part of being my mother's daughter.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Actually, yes. I'm a big list maker.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Rare roast beef, or Montreal smoked meat.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably. I'm kinda fun, very generous and a really good listener.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? um, hello? What are we looking at here? Other than the blog, I don't really journal my life.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope. They snagged them when I was three, thinking they were the cause of my illness. They weren't. I had a kidney disease called nephritis. (all better now!)
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? You betcha! I'm so jealous of my friend Neff who bungeed in New Zealand!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? When I eat cereal, I usually reach for Golden Grahams or Harvest Crunch.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if I can help it. THis annoys my husband to no end.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically - not bad. I was in way better shape when I was younger. Emotionally strong? you wouldn't think so, but I rise to the occasion when needed.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? I had this once - I wish I could remember where - soft serve chocolate with maraschino cherries. I bought an ice cream maker just to duplicate this - I'm pretty close. ALso, mamacate's recipe for brown sugar ice cream - to die for!
14. SHOE SIZE? I was a 7 until I got pregnant - now I'm an 8.
15. RED OR PINK? Red. Although I've been told I look good in pink.
16. LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOU? My belly. and my inexplicable need for gossip!
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Hands down, my Dad. For the past 11 years, I've missed him every single day.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Of course. It goes back to the need for gossip and info. Let me know if you do this on your own blog...
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Since I'm at work - black pants, black t-shirt, periwinkle blue knit hoodie. Black clogs that look like hiking boots, but are open at the back, and I don't need to wear socks.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Breakfast - coffee, english muffin with peanut butter and a pear in the car.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The Body Rockers - I Like The Way You Move. (Very cool song)
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? babies just out of a bath.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Loretta, the ICU nurse looking after my mom. She is the coolest woman in my world right now.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes if I'm looking from the front. Butt otherwise.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I've never met Cara, but I like her nonetheless.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Local Ontario beers (Creemore in particular). Single malt scotch. Good red wine. Fresh, cold spring water.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Curling (D'uh, what's my name?) Basketball.
29. EYE COLOR? Green
30. HAT SIZE? Huge. Seriously, I've got a melon up there. (You'd think I'd be smarter...)
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Glasses. I wore contacts for years, and abused my eyes doing it. Now I'm into glasses.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Too many to choose from. Hubby and I both like to cook, so we eat pretty well.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both. depends on the mood.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. especially at the cottage. But it's hard to beat a cold, crisp sunny day with tons of snow...
36. HUGS OR KISSES? yes, please.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? I'm not a huge dessert fan. I love the sweets, but I don't particularly like them after a good meal.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Lucky or TracyKM
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Since I'm not sending it to anyone, and depending on people to jus tread it, who knows?
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Pirate by Ted Bell. Main character Alexander Hawke. I'm a big espionage, murder mystery, thriller type reader. I don't necessarily need my books to teach me life lessons. I get enough of that in real life. Of course, the Harry Potter books, Narnia Books, and some other classics are piled by the bedside at all times.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? nothing. I don't seem to express myself with mouse pads very well. However, I have most of Franklin's cartoons pinned up on my wall right above my mouse pad...
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Tuesday is a bit of wasteland for me. We watched How It's Made on Discovery, then some baseball, then Jay Leno. Tonight, it's Criminal Minds - I loves me some Mandy Patinkin...
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My son laughing. A really great song. My mom in ICU asking for a martini.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Aruba
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Geez. I'm not telling anyone that!!
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Montreal, Quebec, Canada
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from Cara.
Okay - your turn. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT! You know you want to.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
she's great. thanks for asking.
Mom is doing great. She came through the surgery fine, was in ICU overnight, and probably through today just in case, but they got the blood flow going well. She had a "small cadiac incident" during the surgery, but the anesthesiologist told us (my brother and I) that she was not concerned, Mom reacted well to treatment, and they don't think it was an infarction (i.e. heart attack). We'll know for sure later today. She was still intubated last night when we saw her around 5pm, but they removed the tube last night, ans when I called the hopital at 6am this morning, they even let me talk to her! She sounds great - things are good.
It was long day yesterday - we got to the hospital at about 9:30am, because Mom is absolutely paranoid about being late. I mean, really. I thought I was bad about getting places early - she's unbelievable. (Her surgery was scheduled for noon). They did recommend getting there for 10am to check in, so I guess we weren't remarkable early, but there was still a lot a waiting with her. So we get checked in, and then wait some more. Around 11:15, they call her in. SHe gets changed, we get asked all the same questions (are you pregnant? is my favourite - Mom's 74). But they asked this one of me the last time I was in hospital. For my C-section. My answer was "yes, but not for much longer, I hope!") Anyhoo, we met the anesthesiologist, who drugged Mom up pretty well, and got all the lines in. Then off she went, and it was back to the waiting room for me, adter a quick stop at the TIm Horton's in the lobby. Thank god for that - no cafeteria coffee - just lovely dark Tim's (large, black, double cupped, please), and a bagel. Here's the cool part. I come into the waiting room, and grab a set of the 50 or so that are there. I take out my book to read while munching the bagel (cream cheese and knitting don't mix well). There's a lady 2 seats over, also reading and having a bagel. We finish our bagels at pretty much the same time, put the books away, and BOTH OF US TAKE OUT KNITTING. We both looked up, laughed, and I commented that only knitters would sniff each other out in such a large room! Sue was making a fabulous wool/silk sweater, and we sat comparing patterns, and petting each other's yarn. We started talking yarn, and she was describing the yarn she was using as a small independent mill, couldn't remember the name - I threw out "Shelridge?" and nailed it! Turns out she's familiar with Wellington Fibres as well, one of my favourite locals! Talk about kindred spirits! Her husband was in for day surgery, and he came out fairly soon afterwards, so we parted. Of course, another 2 ladies saw me, and parked nearby and we talked knitting. They were lapsed knitters, but I'm pretty sure both of them are picking it up today.
So, how much can one knitter accomplish in a hospital waiting room during a day like that?
This much:
That would be the toe and most of the instep of a new sock - Tibetan Buddhist holy colours for my Buddhist nun SIL. Yup, really. I have a Buddhist nun SIL. THe bowling pattern hat for a nephew. I had the black hem part done, but did a little over half of the colour work - you can see the bowling balls, the upper part will be bowling pins. And a scarf. This scarf is a new yarn by ON LIne, and I have totally forgotten what it is called, but it is basically the same as Lion Brand's Ruffles, but the ON line is a two colur yarn. It is very cool to use, although it severely slows me down. YOu have to measure out about 4cm (or so, insert the needle into the mesh, and then knit. On the speed upside, the scarf is only 7 stitches wide, and the ruffles and soft, and full and luscious. Quick Christmas gifts, here we come! (two balls, 4mm needles, around $20 each).
Coming up... a 4 things meme...
It was long day yesterday - we got to the hospital at about 9:30am, because Mom is absolutely paranoid about being late. I mean, really. I thought I was bad about getting places early - she's unbelievable. (Her surgery was scheduled for noon). They did recommend getting there for 10am to check in, so I guess we weren't remarkable early, but there was still a lot a waiting with her. So we get checked in, and then wait some more. Around 11:15, they call her in. SHe gets changed, we get asked all the same questions (are you pregnant? is my favourite - Mom's 74). But they asked this one of me the last time I was in hospital. For my C-section. My answer was "yes, but not for much longer, I hope!") Anyhoo, we met the anesthesiologist, who drugged Mom up pretty well, and got all the lines in. Then off she went, and it was back to the waiting room for me, adter a quick stop at the TIm Horton's in the lobby. Thank god for that - no cafeteria coffee - just lovely dark Tim's (large, black, double cupped, please), and a bagel. Here's the cool part. I come into the waiting room, and grab a set of the 50 or so that are there. I take out my book to read while munching the bagel (cream cheese and knitting don't mix well). There's a lady 2 seats over, also reading and having a bagel. We finish our bagels at pretty much the same time, put the books away, and BOTH OF US TAKE OUT KNITTING. We both looked up, laughed, and I commented that only knitters would sniff each other out in such a large room! Sue was making a fabulous wool/silk sweater, and we sat comparing patterns, and petting each other's yarn. We started talking yarn, and she was describing the yarn she was using as a small independent mill, couldn't remember the name - I threw out "Shelridge?" and nailed it! Turns out she's familiar with Wellington Fibres as well, one of my favourite locals! Talk about kindred spirits! Her husband was in for day surgery, and he came out fairly soon afterwards, so we parted. Of course, another 2 ladies saw me, and parked nearby and we talked knitting. They were lapsed knitters, but I'm pretty sure both of them are picking it up today.
So, how much can one knitter accomplish in a hospital waiting room during a day like that?
This much:
That would be the toe and most of the instep of a new sock - Tibetan Buddhist holy colours for my Buddhist nun SIL. Yup, really. I have a Buddhist nun SIL. THe bowling pattern hat for a nephew. I had the black hem part done, but did a little over half of the colour work - you can see the bowling balls, the upper part will be bowling pins. And a scarf. This scarf is a new yarn by ON LIne, and I have totally forgotten what it is called, but it is basically the same as Lion Brand's Ruffles, but the ON line is a two colur yarn. It is very cool to use, although it severely slows me down. YOu have to measure out about 4cm (or so, insert the needle into the mesh, and then knit. On the speed upside, the scarf is only 7 stitches wide, and the ruffles and soft, and full and luscious. Quick Christmas gifts, here we come! (two balls, 4mm needles, around $20 each).
Coming up... a 4 things meme...
Friday, October 13, 2006
eye candy Friday, and other things...
The last time DS and I were at the Zoo, we went into one of the rainforest exhibits. DS is learning to use the digital camera, and snapped this. OK, I'm his Mom, but really, for a 7 year old, this is pretty good!
An FO! An FO! Another one for the Christmas gift box! These are for my 22 yrs old nephew (Actually, I think he's closer to 24, now. I've been calling him 22 for a few years now...) Anyway, he's a jazz musician/dancer/actor, and really appreciates the hand knits. He'll love the brightness of these socks, along with the unexpected shots of brown. Plus, he's getting a hat with the comedy/tragedy masks of the theatre as well. As well as money. He always needs money.
Well, Mom is having her surgery on Monday, so I'm off to spend the day in the hospital waiting room. There's a bonus to being a knitter - waiting rooms don't really bother me. I will be well stocked - Icarus shawl, All-but-forgotten-just-after-I-cast-it-on alpaca shawl, and socks. Always socks. Plus some water, snacks and I'm set for a few hours.
Thanks for all the good wishes for my Mom - this shouldn't be too much of an ordeal, and she should come through with flying colours, better than ever. She needs to. She loves to walk, and this arterial blockage is curtailing her ability to do so. Plus, as she says "there are grandchildren to play with!" You bet there are, Mom, and they will be waiting for you when this is all over and done with.
Once the surgery is done, she'll be in hospital for a week or so - I've arranged as many visitors as she is up to - People will be calling her to talk, or dropping by if she wants them to. (Mom is Quebecois French - she HAS to talk. Alot. and often.) Once she's home, I will disappear from here (and work) again for a few days to stay with her and do what's needed. There's a few more good knitting days while we sit together and talk. (always with the talking...)
So, if I'm scarce over the next little while, you know why. When I get back, I hope to have a whole whack of FO's to show.
(Just how big is a whack, anyway? I've always wondered that...)
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Thanksgiving, and some questions answered...
Thanksgiving at the cottage - is there anything better? The weather was fantastic - we didn't need jackets during the day, and in the evenings, jackets only, no mitts or hats or anything. (That does kind of break a knitter's heart, but the time will come for the woolies!) DS didn't need to wear the Alien Hat, but we did bring it, which garnered orders for a bowling theme (7 yr. old nephew), fish theme (BIL) - I'm working on that one now, and the comedy/tragedy masks for my actor/dancer 22 yr. old nephew. He's very cool, and never asks for anything, so this will be a joy to design and knit.
I did make a dent in the red and brown socks - I had one done, and the second toe and instep done - I'm now at the top ribbing, and once that's done, there's another addition to the gift box! I also did some work on Icarus - the rows are getting so long, it's an accomplishment to get 2-3 rows done in an evening. But It is beautiful. I'm glad I made it in the same alpaca as my Florence Scarf - Icarus is a gift, and since I already have a blue alpaca shawl, it will be easier to give away. Plus, my SIL will love it and take care of it.
This doesn't really show how absolutely beautiful the colours were on the weekend, but most of the pictures have identifiable pictures of the kids, and well, I don't post those. That's just me. This rock face is just back behind the cottage, and down the road a bit. I took the kids back there, and lay in the sun while they climbed. Seriously, I could have been wearing shorts, it was so hot! The boys were having a blast climbing up, finding a way down, climbing up, down, up, down, etc. Man, to be 7 years old again. The only worry these two had was whether or not I had brought snacks along, or did we have to go back to the cottage to eat.
Since I love getting comments, and want to continue getting them from my multitudes (okay, 4 or 5) of readers, I feel like I should answer some of the queries.
First - the Home Depot foam squares - they are sold as foam flooring for workshops. I guess to make it easier when standing for long periods. The store I bought mine in had them on an endcap - a large display at the end of an aisle. Home Depot buys these in bulk direct from the supplier*, and therefore merchandises them as promotional items. Meaning, they could be anywhere in the store, but check the flooring section first. What you are looking for are the foam flooring tiles. They are used in workshop applications.
(*this is some insider information, thanks to what I do for a living, and who I work for. Let's just say, if you need to cover your hard surface floors with something attractive, talk to me. Actually don't - we don't sell to the public. It's just a figure of speech).
CatBookMom wanted to know about thrums, as in the thrummed mittens. CBM, the nature of the thrum keeps it firmly in place. The thrum is simply a small piece of roving, or unspun wool. I make mine about 3 inches long. They get knit along with the regular stitch, creating a sort of duplicate stitch on the outside of the item (heart-shaped, just like you said), and on the inside, the two ends of the roving hang loose. Now, they aren't really loose, i.e., they won't work their way out unless you are an amazingly loose knitter. Once all the thrums are in place (I usually space them about 4 stitches apart, 4 rows apart, and stagger them), all the ends hanging inside form a kind of mass that you shove your hand into (in the case of mitts). After a few wearings, they form to your hand, and kind of felt into place, locking those babies into place for eternity (or, as in the case of my son, a few months) He's 7 - a tough age on mittens, if he even keeps them that long. I love them, and will make myself a pair one of these days - I have some incredible Fleece Artist roving that I am hoarding for myself, plus the alpaca roving that is mine, Mine, MINE! (can you tell I'm in love with it?) But first, I must finish the green and yellow ones for my nephew before he changes hockey team colours...
I did make a dent in the red and brown socks - I had one done, and the second toe and instep done - I'm now at the top ribbing, and once that's done, there's another addition to the gift box! I also did some work on Icarus - the rows are getting so long, it's an accomplishment to get 2-3 rows done in an evening. But It is beautiful. I'm glad I made it in the same alpaca as my Florence Scarf - Icarus is a gift, and since I already have a blue alpaca shawl, it will be easier to give away. Plus, my SIL will love it and take care of it.
This doesn't really show how absolutely beautiful the colours were on the weekend, but most of the pictures have identifiable pictures of the kids, and well, I don't post those. That's just me. This rock face is just back behind the cottage, and down the road a bit. I took the kids back there, and lay in the sun while they climbed. Seriously, I could have been wearing shorts, it was so hot! The boys were having a blast climbing up, finding a way down, climbing up, down, up, down, etc. Man, to be 7 years old again. The only worry these two had was whether or not I had brought snacks along, or did we have to go back to the cottage to eat.
Since I love getting comments, and want to continue getting them from my multitudes (okay, 4 or 5) of readers, I feel like I should answer some of the queries.
First - the Home Depot foam squares - they are sold as foam flooring for workshops. I guess to make it easier when standing for long periods. The store I bought mine in had them on an endcap - a large display at the end of an aisle. Home Depot buys these in bulk direct from the supplier*, and therefore merchandises them as promotional items. Meaning, they could be anywhere in the store, but check the flooring section first. What you are looking for are the foam flooring tiles. They are used in workshop applications.
(*this is some insider information, thanks to what I do for a living, and who I work for. Let's just say, if you need to cover your hard surface floors with something attractive, talk to me. Actually don't - we don't sell to the public. It's just a figure of speech).
CatBookMom wanted to know about thrums, as in the thrummed mittens. CBM, the nature of the thrum keeps it firmly in place. The thrum is simply a small piece of roving, or unspun wool. I make mine about 3 inches long. They get knit along with the regular stitch, creating a sort of duplicate stitch on the outside of the item (heart-shaped, just like you said), and on the inside, the two ends of the roving hang loose. Now, they aren't really loose, i.e., they won't work their way out unless you are an amazingly loose knitter. Once all the thrums are in place (I usually space them about 4 stitches apart, 4 rows apart, and stagger them), all the ends hanging inside form a kind of mass that you shove your hand into (in the case of mitts). After a few wearings, they form to your hand, and kind of felt into place, locking those babies into place for eternity (or, as in the case of my son, a few months) He's 7 - a tough age on mittens, if he even keeps them that long. I love them, and will make myself a pair one of these days - I have some incredible Fleece Artist roving that I am hoarding for myself, plus the alpaca roving that is mine, Mine, MINE! (can you tell I'm in love with it?) But first, I must finish the green and yellow ones for my nephew before he changes hockey team colours...
Friday, October 06, 2006
now I've done it...
I've committed to finishing something. Our Guild has a UFO challenge - list your UFO's and see what you can finish by June. For every project finished, your name goes into the hat for a draw prize. (And a NICE draw prize, I must say! Needles, patterns, yarn, all wrapped up to discover!)
So I've committed to finishing my one mitt wonders:
Now, I have to find them, and try to remember the pattern for the Thrummed one. You see, I kinda made it up as I went along. I'm hoping I wrote it down, but knowing me as well as I do, the chances are not great!
What else, what else... Oh yeah, Tracy wanted to know about the machine knit slipper pattern. Tracy - it is a variantion of the Marlena pattern from the Daily Knitter - theirs is hand knit, but seriously, It's just a giant rectangle that you felt down after sewing it up into a slipper shape. Stupid easy.
Monday is our Canadian Thanksgiving - and in my world, that means a long weekend at the cottage with lots of turkey! We are heading up tomorrow morning (other plans for tonight), which gives me 2+ hours of knitting on the road. Plus the same on the way home Monday, and the hours I can squeeze in on the weekend itself between stuffing and cooking the turkey, eating the turkey, rolling away from the table... Plus the regular cottage chores - taking the boats out, taking one dock out, clearing out the gardens, etc. We're winterized, so we don't do a complete shutdown.
Next week will be spent trying to get things organized with respect to my mom's surgery - time off, kid care, all the other detritus of daily life. The fun never stops. I can't wait to hear my HR idiot's reaction to the time off I need.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
So I've committed to finishing my one mitt wonders:
Now, I have to find them, and try to remember the pattern for the Thrummed one. You see, I kinda made it up as I went along. I'm hoping I wrote it down, but knowing me as well as I do, the chances are not great!
What else, what else... Oh yeah, Tracy wanted to know about the machine knit slipper pattern. Tracy - it is a variantion of the Marlena pattern from the Daily Knitter - theirs is hand knit, but seriously, It's just a giant rectangle that you felt down after sewing it up into a slipper shape. Stupid easy.
Monday is our Canadian Thanksgiving - and in my world, that means a long weekend at the cottage with lots of turkey! We are heading up tomorrow morning (other plans for tonight), which gives me 2+ hours of knitting on the road. Plus the same on the way home Monday, and the hours I can squeeze in on the weekend itself between stuffing and cooking the turkey, eating the turkey, rolling away from the table... Plus the regular cottage chores - taking the boats out, taking one dock out, clearing out the gardens, etc. We're winterized, so we don't do a complete shutdown.
Next week will be spent trying to get things organized with respect to my mom's surgery - time off, kid care, all the other detritus of daily life. The fun never stops. I can't wait to hear my HR idiot's reaction to the time off I need.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
some administrative stuff...
It's only happened twice, but that's two times too many for me. If you are anonymous, and post a comment about how to make money or some other stupid thing that has nothing to do with the post; I WILL delete it. I do not want to set up comment moderation that makes you do extra steps to leave comments. I love the comments! I love reading them, knowing that people out there are reading my ramblings.
Don't make me reach through cyberspace and smack you upside the head!
God, I hate spammers.
Don't make me reach through cyberspace and smack you upside the head!
God, I hate spammers.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
finally! some knitting!
Yes, here at Curlerchik Knits, there is actual knitting going on. For those reading that are also members of the York Region Knitting Guild, what you are about to see is a repeat of the live performance from last night.
Presenting, the Alien Hat:
This is a modification of the "We call them Pirates" hat, a free pattern from Hello yarn. I've made the pirate hat, and love the shaping of it, and Hello Yarn kindly provides a blank template, so my son (the Alien fan) and I sat down and designed the Alien Hat. (Actually, since I am such an Excel geek, I transferred the pattern grid into Excel, and DS and I sat down at the computer and designed it. He created the basic shape of the Alien head, and I made it more knittable, by putting the shapes in between to get rid of extra long floats. He did a pretty good job, I think! The green is a little brighter than it appears here.
As I said, I do like the shape of this hat - it fits my head without giving me the lovely "Yarn Harlot looks phallic head" look, so I grabbed a skein of Wellington Fibres Merino/Mohair blend, and voila!
I love this colourway (called "Royalty" no less!), and it is slightly more muter than it appears. The only thing is, this one is slightly bigger in circumference - because there is no stranding to "pull in" a bit, it comes out bigger. But that's ok, it still fits, and the Truffle merino/cashmere blend I used for a lining is delicious against the ears and forehead.
I also did a little work on the machine - trying to stock up Christmas gifts, and decided slippers were good for this year. It's a simple pattern - simply a large gauge, loosely knit stockinette stitch rectangle, seam up the back, gather the toe and seam the instep/ Toss in the washer, and felt away. Here's the interesting part - different wools will felt at different rates. These three pairs were all knit to the exact same size, and all felted at the same time - Can we say that the striped Needful yarns "Joy" felts at a slightly faster rate than the Gjestal Naturyarn? I guess my size 9 wearing sister-in-law is not getting striped slippers yet.
Anyone know a little girl with about a size 13 - size 1 foot? Scratch that - I just thought of someone...
On another random note...
LuckyCanuck and I were talking recently about blocking boards. She was looking at a blocking board to order, and I told her what I have recently acquired. I thought I would show her (and anyone else reading this). This is a great product - easy to use, easy to store.
There are 4 squares in the package, each 2 foot square. They store easily behind a door or under a bed, pins stick in beautifully, and they can be configured to fit just about anything - a square, 4 feet along each side, and rectangle 2 feet by 8 feet, or for triangular shawls (my upcoming Icarus comes to mind...) I'm thinking three across, and one below to handle the point.
The foam is very think (almost an inch), and very sturdy. A bonus? The black side is great for photographing knits (see above). Matte black, no glare. I bought mine at Home Depot for less than $20, but I'm sure they are available all over.
And for those that were asking about my Mom - many thanks for your concerns. We had the surgeon's appointment yesterday, and we are looking at some major surgery in the next two weeks. Nothing that she won't get through, but the next month or so will be a little tense around here. There will be some leave time taken from work, and some emotional time with my Mom (she's French, overly emotional times are de rigeur for her). My brother and I will get her through this, with the help of friends and family that has already been offered. The upside? (other than the fact that Mom will be out of pain and way more mobile soon) - Lots of knitting time. Waiting rooms are great for that.
Presenting, the Alien Hat:
This is a modification of the "We call them Pirates" hat, a free pattern from Hello yarn. I've made the pirate hat, and love the shaping of it, and Hello Yarn kindly provides a blank template, so my son (the Alien fan) and I sat down and designed the Alien Hat. (Actually, since I am such an Excel geek, I transferred the pattern grid into Excel, and DS and I sat down at the computer and designed it. He created the basic shape of the Alien head, and I made it more knittable, by putting the shapes in between to get rid of extra long floats. He did a pretty good job, I think! The green is a little brighter than it appears here.
As I said, I do like the shape of this hat - it fits my head without giving me the lovely "Yarn Harlot looks phallic head" look, so I grabbed a skein of Wellington Fibres Merino/Mohair blend, and voila!
I love this colourway (called "Royalty" no less!), and it is slightly more muter than it appears. The only thing is, this one is slightly bigger in circumference - because there is no stranding to "pull in" a bit, it comes out bigger. But that's ok, it still fits, and the Truffle merino/cashmere blend I used for a lining is delicious against the ears and forehead.
I also did a little work on the machine - trying to stock up Christmas gifts, and decided slippers were good for this year. It's a simple pattern - simply a large gauge, loosely knit stockinette stitch rectangle, seam up the back, gather the toe and seam the instep/ Toss in the washer, and felt away. Here's the interesting part - different wools will felt at different rates. These three pairs were all knit to the exact same size, and all felted at the same time - Can we say that the striped Needful yarns "Joy" felts at a slightly faster rate than the Gjestal Naturyarn? I guess my size 9 wearing sister-in-law is not getting striped slippers yet.
Anyone know a little girl with about a size 13 - size 1 foot? Scratch that - I just thought of someone...
On another random note...
LuckyCanuck and I were talking recently about blocking boards. She was looking at a blocking board to order, and I told her what I have recently acquired. I thought I would show her (and anyone else reading this). This is a great product - easy to use, easy to store.
There are 4 squares in the package, each 2 foot square. They store easily behind a door or under a bed, pins stick in beautifully, and they can be configured to fit just about anything - a square, 4 feet along each side, and rectangle 2 feet by 8 feet, or for triangular shawls (my upcoming Icarus comes to mind...) I'm thinking three across, and one below to handle the point.
The foam is very think (almost an inch), and very sturdy. A bonus? The black side is great for photographing knits (see above). Matte black, no glare. I bought mine at Home Depot for less than $20, but I'm sure they are available all over.
And for those that were asking about my Mom - many thanks for your concerns. We had the surgeon's appointment yesterday, and we are looking at some major surgery in the next two weeks. Nothing that she won't get through, but the next month or so will be a little tense around here. There will be some leave time taken from work, and some emotional time with my Mom (she's French, overly emotional times are de rigeur for her). My brother and I will get her through this, with the help of friends and family that has already been offered. The upside? (other than the fact that Mom will be out of pain and way more mobile soon) - Lots of knitting time. Waiting rooms are great for that.
Monday, October 02, 2006
being pulled...
in so many directions. I've heard my generation called the "Sandwich Generation". We are caught between providing care to our kids, and to our parents. Today, I'm home with my son, who is coughing up a storm and has been all weekend. We've been to the doctor, and his lungs are clear, but I just can't send him to school when he's coughing every 30 seconds. Here's hoping he's better tomorrow, because I have to leave work early so I can meet my Mom at her vascular surgeon's appointment. She had a small procedure to clear a blockage in her leg a few weeks ago, but the blockage was too big and they couldn't clear it arthroscopically. But the doc said there was nothing to worry about, keep exercising and we'll look at our options. Fine. Now she gets a call last week and he says, "I read the angiogram wrong. I'd like to see you Tuesday". She's a little freaked. (Mom gets a touch emotional). So, to make sure we are getting the right info, I'm going with her to hear what he has to say. 12 years ago, Mom had a quadruple heart by-pass and it was the best thing she ever did. She looks and acts younger now that she did before the surgery. But now, she's getting worried again. And to be honest, so am I. No one wants to realize that their parents are getting older. Even though Dad died 11 years ago, I expect my Mom to be there for me forever. I have to be confident that whatever needs to be done for her will be done, and she will be better than ever. I need to hear that myself from the doctor.
Oh, and the other direction I'm being pulled? Work. They've called alot today. If I'm that damn indispensible, get me an assistant, fer gawd's sake!!!!
Knitting. Yep. I've finished the Alien Hat. I hope to be at my Guild meeting tomorrow night to show it off, and maybe get a picture taken so you non-Guild members can see it too...
Oh, and the other direction I'm being pulled? Work. They've called alot today. If I'm that damn indispensible, get me an assistant, fer gawd's sake!!!!
Knitting. Yep. I've finished the Alien Hat. I hope to be at my Guild meeting tomorrow night to show it off, and maybe get a picture taken so you non-Guild members can see it too...
Friday, September 29, 2006
sorry...
I've got nothing. Work has exploded around me (and not in a very good way). Very little sleeping has been done, even less knitting. I hope to have the alien hat done soon, so please come back and check.
Can someone warp the time-space continuum for me? I need about 8 extra hours in the day - just for a couple of weeks... or months...
Send chocolate...
Can someone warp the time-space continuum for me? I need about 8 extra hours in the day - just for a couple of weeks... or months...
Send chocolate...
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
pen pals
I remember when I was in grade 5 - our teacher arranged for us to be pen pals with another school. It wasn't very far away, certainly in the same district, but far enough away that we didn't know any of the kids we were writing to. Elizabeth and I kept in touch through the school year, and a little bit beyond that. We gradually lost contact over the next few years. Fast forward 4 years later - grade nine. Small fish in a big pond. My high school drew from about 3 or 4 middle schools, and my middle school sent very few kids to this particular high school, so those of us that went were pretty close knit (most of us had been in school together since the first grade). We made up a small contingent of the incoming grade nine class. You know what's coming next - the 10 or so of us that had been in grade 5 together met up with a contingent of niners from another middle school - yep, our pen pals were there! At the time, we were very impressed with how it worked out. Of course, looking back now, it seems out grade 5 teachers knew what we didn't - that for the most part, we would meet up again in grade nine, since she knew how the school boundaries worked. Still, at the time, it was very cool.
What the internet has given us (certainly me), is the opportunity to recreate the concept of pen pals. Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word - there are very few hand written missives being sent along snail mail routes. Email and forums (fora?) and chat rooms have become the new pen pal venues. I know, whenever I log into the Knitting.About.com forum, I will see familiar names, and some new ones. Many of the posters I consider friends in a loose sense of the word. For the most part, we've never met, and probably will never meet. Others have become friends in our 3-D lives (Hi Lucky! Hi Tracy! And some become a little bit more than just a name on a screen. Take CatBookMom for example. A while ago, on the forum, she made a comment on Chibis, those bent tip darning needles that everyone in the US seems to be talking about. I commented that, being Canadian, I have never seen them in the LYS's I frequent. (Admittedly, I rarely venture to downtown Toronto - I'm a suburban chik!) She took pity on me and sent me this
How cool is this? All the way from Burbank, CA. (I will always associate Burbank with Johnny Carson) And, she is promising to come to Toronto to visit. In summer, she says. I think our winters scare her. CBM - anytime you want to come, Lucky and I will roll out the hand knitted carpet. I'll even try to wrangle the Yarn Harlot for you. (I'll have to bait the traps with beer, veggie quesadillas and the promise of more new yarn at Tove's).
By the way, I still write letters. Not to my original pen pal, but my university roommate now lives near Cincinnati, and I have a cousin in St. Sauveur, Quebec. I write (intermittently, I admit) to both. There's nothing like getting a hand written envelope in the mail.
CBM, get ready. I know I promised Fleece Artist in return, however, all the FA I have is sock weight - not your favourite. I went to my LYS, but her supply of FA was not what I was looking for (as much as I love the Chibis, I coudln't bring myself to send you the FA cashmere. But if you come to visit this summer, I'll bet some goes home with you!) I wanted to send you someting uniquely Canadian, so may I introduce you to Shelridge Farms. (can you see the little flag on the label?) Four ply, worsted weight, hand dyed, superwash wool. Sproingy, delicious, and the blue and purple you crave. The blue is called Misty Blue, and is nicer than the picture shows. The purple is Eggplant, and the depth of colour is wonderful. Mix them up. use them individually, whatever turns your crank. I just hope you enjoy them as much as I will the Chibis. Now I can start sewing in the ends on projects!
(I'm heading to the post office tomorrow, right after I go to the dentist. Sending luscious wool to a friend should offset the bad karma of a dental cleaning.)
And speaking of karma, help me deflect the bad stuff away from Stephanie - she had a book deadline and a shawl deadline both coming up on Saturday. We really want her to make both, so I've offered myself up as a "bad karma sacrifice", so that she gets only the good vibes. Dude, I've got your back.
What the internet has given us (certainly me), is the opportunity to recreate the concept of pen pals. Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word - there are very few hand written missives being sent along snail mail routes. Email and forums (fora?) and chat rooms have become the new pen pal venues. I know, whenever I log into the Knitting.About.com forum, I will see familiar names, and some new ones. Many of the posters I consider friends in a loose sense of the word. For the most part, we've never met, and probably will never meet. Others have become friends in our 3-D lives (Hi Lucky! Hi Tracy! And some become a little bit more than just a name on a screen. Take CatBookMom for example. A while ago, on the forum, she made a comment on Chibis, those bent tip darning needles that everyone in the US seems to be talking about. I commented that, being Canadian, I have never seen them in the LYS's I frequent. (Admittedly, I rarely venture to downtown Toronto - I'm a suburban chik!) She took pity on me and sent me this
How cool is this? All the way from Burbank, CA. (I will always associate Burbank with Johnny Carson) And, she is promising to come to Toronto to visit. In summer, she says. I think our winters scare her. CBM - anytime you want to come, Lucky and I will roll out the hand knitted carpet. I'll even try to wrangle the Yarn Harlot for you. (I'll have to bait the traps with beer, veggie quesadillas and the promise of more new yarn at Tove's).
By the way, I still write letters. Not to my original pen pal, but my university roommate now lives near Cincinnati, and I have a cousin in St. Sauveur, Quebec. I write (intermittently, I admit) to both. There's nothing like getting a hand written envelope in the mail.
CBM, get ready. I know I promised Fleece Artist in return, however, all the FA I have is sock weight - not your favourite. I went to my LYS, but her supply of FA was not what I was looking for (as much as I love the Chibis, I coudln't bring myself to send you the FA cashmere. But if you come to visit this summer, I'll bet some goes home with you!) I wanted to send you someting uniquely Canadian, so may I introduce you to Shelridge Farms. (can you see the little flag on the label?) Four ply, worsted weight, hand dyed, superwash wool. Sproingy, delicious, and the blue and purple you crave. The blue is called Misty Blue, and is nicer than the picture shows. The purple is Eggplant, and the depth of colour is wonderful. Mix them up. use them individually, whatever turns your crank. I just hope you enjoy them as much as I will the Chibis. Now I can start sewing in the ends on projects!
(I'm heading to the post office tomorrow, right after I go to the dentist. Sending luscious wool to a friend should offset the bad karma of a dental cleaning.)
And speaking of karma, help me deflect the bad stuff away from Stephanie - she had a book deadline and a shawl deadline both coming up on Saturday. We really want her to make both, so I've offered myself up as a "bad karma sacrifice", so that she gets only the good vibes. Dude, I've got your back.
Monday, September 25, 2006
10 knitterly things...
I was reading Grumperina, and she had a meme - 10 knitterly things about you, so I considered myself tagged...
1. although I've known how to knit for decades, I've really only become a Knitter in the past 4-5 years. I'm still surprised that I'm a reasonably good knitter. The woman who taught me told me to never be afraid of a pattern. So I guess I never learned to worry about techniques tht were new to me. I can usually figure them out. (And if I can't, I have Tove or Elizabeth nearby!!)
2. I joined a Guild, not knowing what to expect, and discovered how much I love being part of a knitting community. I wish we met more often.
3. (This one isn't just about me) My entire extended family (with the exception of hubby and son) thinks that knitting is the ultimate in geekiness. Most of my friends do as well. No one will tell me this to my face. I think they like the gifts.
4. I always have at least one (if not many) pairs of socks on the go. I cannot imagine not having a pair of socks in progress. The mere thought of that makes me nervous. (maybe I am a geek.)
5. I have multitudes of knitting projects on the go - socks, something in lace (currently, Icarus), some ancient UFO's that I'm deciding whether to carry on with, and assorted other small projects (currently a skull hat and an alien hat).
6. I don't seem to like knitting sweaters. I always have the best intentions of making them, but the projects fall by the wayside. The last sweater I made was the Sigridur from the Best of Lopi book, and I finished it last spring, just in time for summer. I don't have very good timing.
7. I rarely keep anything I knit for myself. Although, I did keep Sigridur, and I have 3 pairs of socks that I knit.
8. I love giving hand knits as gifts. WIth the size of my Christmas gift list - this is a serious undertaking. Crazy? yes. This is not a surprise to many of my friends.
9. I have achieved SABLE status - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy. And I'm not finished buying yet. Tove's shop has everything at 25% off right now...
10. I'm a fibre snob. I used to knit with synthetics alot, but I just cleared the last chunk of acrylic from my stash and gave it to a friend who uses it for charity stuff. I love the natural stuff, and even better, I love the stuff from local or small mills. The more unique, the better!
Lucky and Tracy, I'm tagging you for this meme!
1. although I've known how to knit for decades, I've really only become a Knitter in the past 4-5 years. I'm still surprised that I'm a reasonably good knitter. The woman who taught me told me to never be afraid of a pattern. So I guess I never learned to worry about techniques tht were new to me. I can usually figure them out. (And if I can't, I have Tove or Elizabeth nearby!!)
2. I joined a Guild, not knowing what to expect, and discovered how much I love being part of a knitting community. I wish we met more often.
3. (This one isn't just about me) My entire extended family (with the exception of hubby and son) thinks that knitting is the ultimate in geekiness. Most of my friends do as well. No one will tell me this to my face. I think they like the gifts.
4. I always have at least one (if not many) pairs of socks on the go. I cannot imagine not having a pair of socks in progress. The mere thought of that makes me nervous. (maybe I am a geek.)
5. I have multitudes of knitting projects on the go - socks, something in lace (currently, Icarus), some ancient UFO's that I'm deciding whether to carry on with, and assorted other small projects (currently a skull hat and an alien hat).
6. I don't seem to like knitting sweaters. I always have the best intentions of making them, but the projects fall by the wayside. The last sweater I made was the Sigridur from the Best of Lopi book, and I finished it last spring, just in time for summer. I don't have very good timing.
7. I rarely keep anything I knit for myself. Although, I did keep Sigridur, and I have 3 pairs of socks that I knit.
8. I love giving hand knits as gifts. WIth the size of my Christmas gift list - this is a serious undertaking. Crazy? yes. This is not a surprise to many of my friends.
9. I have achieved SABLE status - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy. And I'm not finished buying yet. Tove's shop has everything at 25% off right now...
10. I'm a fibre snob. I used to knit with synthetics alot, but I just cleared the last chunk of acrylic from my stash and gave it to a friend who uses it for charity stuff. I love the natural stuff, and even better, I love the stuff from local or small mills. The more unique, the better!
Lucky and Tracy, I'm tagging you for this meme!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
quickies...
This title should bring out the weirdos from Google...
I finished the green regia stripe socks - another for the Christmas box! Okay, gift for the best man from our wedding - check. 9 million more gifts to make/buy/decide on? check. Sigh. I need more time already...
Someone asked me once how I cast off my socks, since I do a toe up style. The first time I did this, I bound off as I normally do (slip one, knit one, psso, knit one, psso), you know, the standard bind off we all learn. Of course, there is very little stretch to this, and well, cutting off one's circulation at the top of a sock? Not attractive. Then I met Stephanie. The first time she visited Aurora, I picked her up at the subway and drove her to the shop. As I drove, we talked, and she knit. She was trying a new sock pattern - toe up - and was casting off the top. SO she shared her cast off with me, and I've been using it ever since. (She doesn't. I see she's back to top down, heel flap and gusset socks). The cast off is simple - knit two together, put the resulting stitch back on the left needle, and repeat. Knit this loosely, or go up a needle size. It works very well for me. It does flare a bit when the sock is just laying there, but as long as it is comfortable on the leg, who cares how they looked shoved, (sorry, folded neatly...) in a sock drawer?
Sorry for the flash-y pictures - I usually take the pictures early in the morning before the family awakes (remember? secret blogging?) and it's too dark these days to take pictures outside, so you get my kitchen table instead. I'll do better son - maybe a session of weekend pictures...
You know, considering I really had nothing to say today, and only a picture of socks, I've stretched this entry out quite a bit. Next up for these needles - some of the denim-y merino I bought in Kitchener - hubby needs a new pair of socks!
I finished the green regia stripe socks - another for the Christmas box! Okay, gift for the best man from our wedding - check. 9 million more gifts to make/buy/decide on? check. Sigh. I need more time already...
Someone asked me once how I cast off my socks, since I do a toe up style. The first time I did this, I bound off as I normally do (slip one, knit one, psso, knit one, psso), you know, the standard bind off we all learn. Of course, there is very little stretch to this, and well, cutting off one's circulation at the top of a sock? Not attractive. Then I met Stephanie. The first time she visited Aurora, I picked her up at the subway and drove her to the shop. As I drove, we talked, and she knit. She was trying a new sock pattern - toe up - and was casting off the top. SO she shared her cast off with me, and I've been using it ever since. (She doesn't. I see she's back to top down, heel flap and gusset socks). The cast off is simple - knit two together, put the resulting stitch back on the left needle, and repeat. Knit this loosely, or go up a needle size. It works very well for me. It does flare a bit when the sock is just laying there, but as long as it is comfortable on the leg, who cares how they looked shoved, (sorry, folded neatly...) in a sock drawer?
Sorry for the flash-y pictures - I usually take the pictures early in the morning before the family awakes (remember? secret blogging?) and it's too dark these days to take pictures outside, so you get my kitchen table instead. I'll do better son - maybe a session of weekend pictures...
You know, considering I really had nothing to say today, and only a picture of socks, I've stretched this entry out quite a bit. Next up for these needles - some of the denim-y merino I bought in Kitchener - hubby needs a new pair of socks!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
arrrrr, mateys....
Today be International Talk like a Pirate Day,
Capn Aetheflaed the Drunk Toe
What is YOUR pirate name?
or:
Dirty Mary Kidd
or:
Iron Mary
or:
Agnostic Ted Napier
or:
Horse Hung Harry
depending on which Pirate Name generator you use. I kind of like the Drunk Toe part. It makes no sense, which suits me just fine.
And yes, at breakfast today, my son did ask "what crawled out of the bunghole today?" (we school him well on all the important holidays...)
Knitting, you ask? Yes, I do some of that...
as promised, here are the cotton stretch socks. I am very happy with these - nice and cushy on the foot, perfect for someone who walks alot - and my son's sitter does just that. Along with being a fabulous influence on my son, she is always walking around, so I hope these are well used. And using 3mm needles, means these just fly! Compared to the 2mm I usually use for socks...
Last night at swimming I got in a solid 20 minutes of sock knitting - tonight's basketball practice, and I should be well along on the final ribbing of the green regia stripe sock. SO I may have another FO soon!
Capn Aetheflaed the Drunk Toe
What is YOUR pirate name?
or:
Dirty Mary Kidd
or:
Iron Mary
or:
Agnostic Ted Napier
or:
Horse Hung Harry
depending on which Pirate Name generator you use. I kind of like the Drunk Toe part. It makes no sense, which suits me just fine.
And yes, at breakfast today, my son did ask "what crawled out of the bunghole today?" (we school him well on all the important holidays...)
Knitting, you ask? Yes, I do some of that...
as promised, here are the cotton stretch socks. I am very happy with these - nice and cushy on the foot, perfect for someone who walks alot - and my son's sitter does just that. Along with being a fabulous influence on my son, she is always walking around, so I hope these are well used. And using 3mm needles, means these just fly! Compared to the 2mm I usually use for socks...
Last night at swimming I got in a solid 20 minutes of sock knitting - tonight's basketball practice, and I should be well along on the final ribbing of the green regia stripe sock. SO I may have another FO soon!
Monday, September 18, 2006
same old, same old
Usually, when you are like me, and have multitudes of projects on the go at one time, you tend to have pictures of progress, or fininshed objects. Or, you get to the point that I'm at now. Progress, but infinitesimal on each of the multitudes, so it's not really worth sharing.
Icarus. One more row until I start the new charts. Woo Hoo. I'm starting to hate this shawl. Good thing I'm giving it away. Although, by Christmas, I'll fall in love with it again. I just know it.
Socks. the green regia stripes are the portable project of choice at the moment. I've got about two inches left on them, so they come to work with me (lunch time gives me about 10 minutes of knitting time), and they come to son's swimming lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays (20 minutes on each of those nights), and basketball practice on Tuesday (a solid hour here!) Hoping to finish these this week. Then I can pick up one of the other "in progress and need by Christmas socks". Sigh. I guess it's January before I get to knit for me.
Did you notice my schedule above? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - each of these things start at 6pm, so I race home from work, grab child from sitter, grab needed clothing, give him a snack to munch in the car, race back out the door and get him to pool/gym in time. Fun. Then home afterwards and try to put together some dinner. More fun. At least the twice a week swimming is only for three more weeks - then we get the much more civilized once a week mayhem. Oh yeah, basketball is also on Saturday mornings. No cottage for a while.
Okay, now some good news. Good vibes directed my way would be appreciated. I've applied for a couple of jobs that would take some of the stress away. One is a long shot, and the other is probably too litte money, but we will wait and see. Fingers crossed!
Pictures soon, I promise. Hubby took the camera today, which is a drag - Son and I went to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday, and we have some great pictures - need to download these ones!
Icarus. One more row until I start the new charts. Woo Hoo. I'm starting to hate this shawl. Good thing I'm giving it away. Although, by Christmas, I'll fall in love with it again. I just know it.
Socks. the green regia stripes are the portable project of choice at the moment. I've got about two inches left on them, so they come to work with me (lunch time gives me about 10 minutes of knitting time), and they come to son's swimming lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays (20 minutes on each of those nights), and basketball practice on Tuesday (a solid hour here!) Hoping to finish these this week. Then I can pick up one of the other "in progress and need by Christmas socks". Sigh. I guess it's January before I get to knit for me.
Did you notice my schedule above? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - each of these things start at 6pm, so I race home from work, grab child from sitter, grab needed clothing, give him a snack to munch in the car, race back out the door and get him to pool/gym in time. Fun. Then home afterwards and try to put together some dinner. More fun. At least the twice a week swimming is only for three more weeks - then we get the much more civilized once a week mayhem. Oh yeah, basketball is also on Saturday mornings. No cottage for a while.
Okay, now some good news. Good vibes directed my way would be appreciated. I've applied for a couple of jobs that would take some of the stress away. One is a long shot, and the other is probably too litte money, but we will wait and see. Fingers crossed!
Pictures soon, I promise. Hubby took the camera today, which is a drag - Son and I went to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday, and we have some great pictures - need to download these ones!
Friday, September 15, 2006
I got nothin...
Zip. Zilch. Nada. I've been working on Icarus, trying to get the boring ladder lace part done so I can start the interesting feathery part. So, I finish the "five repeats of rows 19-42", and think - WooHoo! now I can start the next chart. Of course, I neglected to read ahead. I still have to repeat rows 19-34 once more. Sigh. More boring ladder lace part. So Icarus still looks like a pile of tangled blue string. (Nice alpaca string, but string nonetheless). Nothing else is finished. (Have I shown you the finished sage green cotton socks? No? Sorry, my bad. Pictures to come.)
Work sucks. They have dumped on (sorry, "asked") me to take on a whole new role IN ADDITION to what I do right now. (I somehow don't recall being asked, but whatever). I have tentatively agreed (in their minds, this constitues an acceptance), with the proviso that some of my other responsibilities get re-assigned. Still waiting for this. Somethings going to blow, and soon. They think SLIGHTLY more money will make it all better. Wrong. More time off would be much more appreciated, but that doesn't seem to be an option. Dang.
I can't beleive we are halfway through September - my Christmas knitting is somewhat behind. I still have 5 pairs of socks to finish (and in some cases start), Icarus, A hand dyed chenille lace scarf, a silk scarf (Yeti, Yeti, Yetiiii!!), and possibly 5 hats to do. Plus, 8 pairs of felted slippers (machine knit, very quick), and a sweater for DS - also done on the machine, so again, pretty quick. I could finish the ribbing on a cotton sweater I started for Hubby a couple ofyears ago - that would be a good gift...
Boy, I sound cranky, don't I?? Thank God it's Friday. I really need this weekend.
So, any Survivor fans? It's too early to pick faves yet - 20 people and 1 hour - no chance to get to know anyone. Cao Boi should be interesting...
And Lukas wins Rockstar! Canada is two for two on this reality show!!
Work sucks. They have dumped on (sorry, "asked") me to take on a whole new role IN ADDITION to what I do right now. (I somehow don't recall being asked, but whatever). I have tentatively agreed (in their minds, this constitues an acceptance), with the proviso that some of my other responsibilities get re-assigned. Still waiting for this. Somethings going to blow, and soon. They think SLIGHTLY more money will make it all better. Wrong. More time off would be much more appreciated, but that doesn't seem to be an option. Dang.
I can't beleive we are halfway through September - my Christmas knitting is somewhat behind. I still have 5 pairs of socks to finish (and in some cases start), Icarus, A hand dyed chenille lace scarf, a silk scarf (Yeti, Yeti, Yetiiii!!), and possibly 5 hats to do. Plus, 8 pairs of felted slippers (machine knit, very quick), and a sweater for DS - also done on the machine, so again, pretty quick. I could finish the ribbing on a cotton sweater I started for Hubby a couple ofyears ago - that would be a good gift...
Boy, I sound cranky, don't I?? Thank God it's Friday. I really need this weekend.
So, any Survivor fans? It's too early to pick faves yet - 20 people and 1 hour - no chance to get to know anyone. Cao Boi should be interesting...
And Lukas wins Rockstar! Canada is two for two on this reality show!!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
what did I start?
Well of course I started SOMETHING...
Lucky had it right - I did cast on for the Atacama alpaca shawl. and frogged it and recast it on. I hate poorly written patterns. Lucky, call me and I'll give you the modifications. The pattern as written is close, but not quite...
HOWEVER... I also cast on a pink cotton chenille washcloth. And frogged it. and recast it on. and frogged it. Cotton chenille has even less stretch than regular cotton, so the cast on is horrible. I need a new one. I'm looking into the tubular cast on, and also looking at other patterns. I'm not thrilled with the Mason Dixon chenille pattern. Interweave has a flower petal shaped on - anyone remember what issue? Never mind - Google is a wonderful thing, and I found it. (Winter 2003) I cast that one on in navy blue, and so far, so good, but making the five petals and attaching them? Not my favourite thing. So the hunt continues. Yes I know about the Dishcloth boutique, and there are a couple there I am thinking about...
I spent Monday night and most of yesterday at my Mom's - she's doing fine. It gave me tons of knitting time, as my most pressing thing to do there was to keep her lying down. Mission accomplished. We sat and watched TV most of Monday night. Great knitting time. I'm finished the 5 repeats of the ladder lace part of Icarus, and will be starting the feathery bits next. I did some work on the Atacama alpaca shawl and some work on the green Regia sock. I'm so close to finishing this sock, and then the pair goes into the Christmas box! It also frees up the needles for some of the sock yarn I bought in Kitchener - I'm thinking Hubby would like some of the denim blue...
Tonight - son has swimming lessons - more work on the sock - then the Rock Star Supernova finale! Will Lukas win it? or Dilana? As much as I want Lukas to win (a fellow Canadian), I think it's going to be Dilana. That's ok, too.
Monday, September 11, 2006
kitchener trip
Whew! Well it was a trip. I met up with the bus at 8:30am on Saturday morning. (Waaayyy too early for me, by the way - I noticed Helga from our Guild came to the show, but much later in the day - smart woman!) Anyhoo, the bus arrived, with the members of the Barrie Guild, and those of us from York Region jumped on, with coffee in hand. Everyone grabbed a seat, and immediately started knitting on something - I was determined to finish the second cotton stripe sock. The drive down was through grey, drizzly weather but the atmosphere on the bus was much lighter - we had draw prizes to give and get! Nancy, her daughter Margaret and I were at the back of the bus, and throughout the draws, we kept commenting on how none of the winning tickets were from the back of the bus. Well! It seems if you comment (jokingly, yet enough times), you actually win! Margaret and I each walked away with $25 gift certificates to Needles and Knits (our fave LYS), and Nancy scored the last two prizes - two skeins of merino sock yarn! (Yes, Nancy drew her own ticket for the last prize - how lucky can one get?)
So we arrived in Kitchener, ready to shop - I met up with LuckyCanuck and TracyKM - friends from the About Knitting Forum, and fellow bloggers. Tracy was accompanied by Megan - cutest baby at the fair! A little 10 month old, quite content to sit in the sling on Mom's hip and look at everything going on. I never would have attempted that with my son when he was small - he'd be screaming after 10 minutes! Way to go, Tracy! They had arrived earlier and already scoped the place out - they led me directly to Pick Up Sticks - an internet business based in Newmarket. Sock Yarn heaven for me. Lovely colourways and delicious merino yarn. I picked up a couple of skeins, and had my eye on some others, filed away for later.
From there, we started back to the beginning and wandered around. It being my first time there, I had fun. I spent a ton, and came home with some great deals. LuckyCanuck and I enabled each other immensely - we both hemmed and hawed over this Atacama alpaca shawl kit at Knitwerx.com - simple pattern, stunning look, delicious alpaca. We both caved and bought - I got this beautiful browns colourway, Lucky got a green, I believe.
I got some great deals at a booth whose name escapes me - too bad, because I will go back there again.
Denim toned hand dyed merino sock yarn - almost 400m in each ball, just $7.00!! Yup! Seven bucks! And I only bought two of the five that were there. Lucky, I'm disappointed you didn't smack me and make me buy them all! Plus, 3 bags of 6 balls of cotton chenille. OK, so I'm not really a chenille fan, but this cotton will be stellar for some face cloths with some hand made soaps at Christmas. Oh yeah, each bag was only $8.75.
What else, what else...
Fleece Artist Silk Kid, on sale:
Some Tibetan Silk in the holy colours of maroon and gold. My sister in law follows the Tibetan holy teachings, and will go ape over a scarf in this - I'm thinking two sided - one side maroon, one side gold. It's not the smoothest of silk, rather rustic, I'd say, but the tag has all the Tibetan info and it's even called "Baby Yeti". She'll enjoy the tags as much as the yarn...
My favourite local(ish) supplier - Wellington Fibres - they raise the mohair goats, and mill the wool themselves. Plus Donna and Lorne are the nicest people on the face of the earth. The blue here is flecked with the pink, so I'm thinking mittens or something...
Hmmm, some linen with a handmade soap - also for washcloths, maybe. Another good deal from the Knitting Nimrod Collective:
More sock yarn - Lindenhof mohair, merino blend. Soft as soft can be, in a very cool colourway of mauves, greys and shots of bright blue.
Good Buy Yarns - you know them - bagged bargain yarns? Buy a bag for a set price? Great deals to be had - people were digging into the bins all day. I thought I had finished shopping when I found these two bags of Dale of Norway Heilo - 10 balls of white, 8 balls of navy, at an icredible price!
A beaded knitting book from Brenda Franklin. I took a beaded knitting class last April at the DKC Knitters Frolic, so this will be great - It gives me all kinds of patterns to use with the skills I acquired, as well as using up the beads I acquired! I've already been leafing through this, marking pages...
Roving - no I'm not taking up spinning - I like making thrummed mittens, and this roving will be great. It's 100% alpaca. Cloud soft doesn't even begin to describe the softness. It's either thrums or some needle felted gnomes for this...
Remember Margaret, the teenage daughter of Nancy, one of my fellow Guild members? Margaret is knitting a blanket and pillows for her bed. Tiny squares, each no more than three inches square. Every single square will be different. Every one. Every. single. square. That's a lot of work, and a lot of single balls of wool. I know I'm going stash diving for her - she can have all my odds and ends. THis is Margaret at the end of the trip. She did good. She also got three squares knitting during the bus trip.
I didn't get a picture of Sue. Sue thought she was done shopping. Elizabeth and I were talking to her and she was showing us a pattern for a sweater that had silk ribbins lacing up the front. She loved it, but didn't know where to find the ribbons. I did. Elizabeth and I grabbed her, dragged her to a booth where I had seen scads of silk streamers, and proceeded to do things ass backwards. We picked the ribbon, then went searching for yarn to match! Which we found(Fleece Artist Country Silk - peacock-ish colours). Sue was thrilled, and I discovered it's as much fun spending other people's money as much as your own!
Then, finally, you know it's a good trip when they start winding the skeins before we leave the parking lot so something ccan be cast on...
So one last thing... knowing me as you do... with all the projects I have on the go, who thinks I started something new? And what do you think it was if I did?
(Yes, I did finish the cotton green and blue striped socks - pictures later.) I won't be posting for a day or so - spending some time at my Mom's. She's having minor surgery today, and my brother is there today - I'll stay over with her tonight and through tomorrow, so I'll be away from a computer for a while...
So we arrived in Kitchener, ready to shop - I met up with LuckyCanuck and TracyKM - friends from the About Knitting Forum, and fellow bloggers. Tracy was accompanied by Megan - cutest baby at the fair! A little 10 month old, quite content to sit in the sling on Mom's hip and look at everything going on. I never would have attempted that with my son when he was small - he'd be screaming after 10 minutes! Way to go, Tracy! They had arrived earlier and already scoped the place out - they led me directly to Pick Up Sticks - an internet business based in Newmarket. Sock Yarn heaven for me. Lovely colourways and delicious merino yarn. I picked up a couple of skeins, and had my eye on some others, filed away for later.
From there, we started back to the beginning and wandered around. It being my first time there, I had fun. I spent a ton, and came home with some great deals. LuckyCanuck and I enabled each other immensely - we both hemmed and hawed over this Atacama alpaca shawl kit at Knitwerx.com - simple pattern, stunning look, delicious alpaca. We both caved and bought - I got this beautiful browns colourway, Lucky got a green, I believe.
I got some great deals at a booth whose name escapes me - too bad, because I will go back there again.
Denim toned hand dyed merino sock yarn - almost 400m in each ball, just $7.00!! Yup! Seven bucks! And I only bought two of the five that were there. Lucky, I'm disappointed you didn't smack me and make me buy them all! Plus, 3 bags of 6 balls of cotton chenille. OK, so I'm not really a chenille fan, but this cotton will be stellar for some face cloths with some hand made soaps at Christmas. Oh yeah, each bag was only $8.75.
What else, what else...
Fleece Artist Silk Kid, on sale:
Some Tibetan Silk in the holy colours of maroon and gold. My sister in law follows the Tibetan holy teachings, and will go ape over a scarf in this - I'm thinking two sided - one side maroon, one side gold. It's not the smoothest of silk, rather rustic, I'd say, but the tag has all the Tibetan info and it's even called "Baby Yeti". She'll enjoy the tags as much as the yarn...
My favourite local(ish) supplier - Wellington Fibres - they raise the mohair goats, and mill the wool themselves. Plus Donna and Lorne are the nicest people on the face of the earth. The blue here is flecked with the pink, so I'm thinking mittens or something...
Hmmm, some linen with a handmade soap - also for washcloths, maybe. Another good deal from the Knitting Nimrod Collective:
More sock yarn - Lindenhof mohair, merino blend. Soft as soft can be, in a very cool colourway of mauves, greys and shots of bright blue.
Good Buy Yarns - you know them - bagged bargain yarns? Buy a bag for a set price? Great deals to be had - people were digging into the bins all day. I thought I had finished shopping when I found these two bags of Dale of Norway Heilo - 10 balls of white, 8 balls of navy, at an icredible price!
A beaded knitting book from Brenda Franklin. I took a beaded knitting class last April at the DKC Knitters Frolic, so this will be great - It gives me all kinds of patterns to use with the skills I acquired, as well as using up the beads I acquired! I've already been leafing through this, marking pages...
Roving - no I'm not taking up spinning - I like making thrummed mittens, and this roving will be great. It's 100% alpaca. Cloud soft doesn't even begin to describe the softness. It's either thrums or some needle felted gnomes for this...
Remember Margaret, the teenage daughter of Nancy, one of my fellow Guild members? Margaret is knitting a blanket and pillows for her bed. Tiny squares, each no more than three inches square. Every single square will be different. Every one. Every. single. square. That's a lot of work, and a lot of single balls of wool. I know I'm going stash diving for her - she can have all my odds and ends. THis is Margaret at the end of the trip. She did good. She also got three squares knitting during the bus trip.
I didn't get a picture of Sue. Sue thought she was done shopping. Elizabeth and I were talking to her and she was showing us a pattern for a sweater that had silk ribbins lacing up the front. She loved it, but didn't know where to find the ribbons. I did. Elizabeth and I grabbed her, dragged her to a booth where I had seen scads of silk streamers, and proceeded to do things ass backwards. We picked the ribbon, then went searching for yarn to match! Which we found(Fleece Artist Country Silk - peacock-ish colours). Sue was thrilled, and I discovered it's as much fun spending other people's money as much as your own!
Then, finally, you know it's a good trip when they start winding the skeins before we leave the parking lot so something ccan be cast on...
So one last thing... knowing me as you do... with all the projects I have on the go, who thinks I started something new? And what do you think it was if I did?
(Yes, I did finish the cotton green and blue striped socks - pictures later.) I won't be posting for a day or so - spending some time at my Mom's. She's having minor surgery today, and my brother is there today - I'll stay over with her tonight and through tomorrow, so I'll be away from a computer for a while...
Thursday, September 07, 2006
well, damn!
I had a post all written - it was good, if I do say so myself. It was about Kitchener, and how I've met people in the knit world and had great links to LuckyCanuck, the Kitchener Knitters Fair and the Knitting.About.com forum where I have so many friends. It's gone. I hate that. I have no idea where it went. I ws pretty sure I hit publish post before I went off to have kunch, and now, poof! gone! Damn!
Anyway, I'm going to Kitchener this weekend, and expect to see tons of stuff, buy lots of stuff I probably don't need, but must have anyway, and generally have a good time.
I've also found the pictures that gave me so much grief last week - here's the "pair" of socks that I finished - I really need another pair of these...
I've actually got the second green one done to the second set of stripes - a weekend, and I should be done. THey then go into the box of planned Christmas gifts - hopefully I will be able to find this box at Christmas...
THe second picture is the stitch markers I've discussed, and can be found at Tove's shop, Needles and Knits in Aurora.
That's about all I can remember. I've really got to learn to hit "save as draft" more often...
Anyway, I'm going to Kitchener this weekend, and expect to see tons of stuff, buy lots of stuff I probably don't need, but must have anyway, and generally have a good time.
I've also found the pictures that gave me so much grief last week - here's the "pair" of socks that I finished - I really need another pair of these...
I've actually got the second green one done to the second set of stripes - a weekend, and I should be done. THey then go into the box of planned Christmas gifts - hopefully I will be able to find this box at Christmas...
THe second picture is the stitch markers I've discussed, and can be found at Tove's shop, Needles and Knits in Aurora.
That's about all I can remember. I've really got to learn to hit "save as draft" more often...
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
first day of school
I love this day. Not because the Son goes back to school and I have the house to myself - I'm out of the house before he and his Dad are in the mornings, but because of how much he enjoys going to school. He started Grade 2 today, which is kind of freaking me out - I swear he was an infant just yesterday, but I know this is something all Moms say. We walkd him to school, and waited in the courtyard for the teachers to come and collect their classes. He was off with his buddies, doing what 7 year olds do, while all the parents were chatting, getting caught up on a summer's worth of news, and sipping Tim Horton's coffee. Exclusively. This must say something about us, since there is a Country Style just as close, but every single one of us had Timmies. I can't wait until tonight - picking him up, and hearing all about the first day - who he's sitting with, what the plans are, how nice his teacher is. Of course, we have to stuff all this into a short period of time - tonight is also my Guild meeting, so I'm out tonight, and Dad gets to hear all about the day as well.
I figured out that Blogger was not to blame for my picture uploading woes last week, it was my computer at home that was the culprit. We have three computers there - two desktops and a laptop. Here's how lazy we are - the internet is only hooked up to one of them - the one still being powered by the hamster on a wheel. Gotta do some upgrading. I'd post a picture of the "pair" of socks and the stitch markers, but alas, I don't have that memory card with me. Maybe I can get my act together tomorrow...
This past weekend was a rather wet long weekend. Didn't stop us from going to the cottage mind you. It actually worked in my favour - lots of knitting time when cooped up inside. I started and finished the "they must be Pirates" hat from Hello Yarn. Great pattern - nice shaping, nice pattern. I will make this again, and may adapt the shaping to other colourwork patterns. I made the Hat in Smart yarn - a superwash wool, but then made the lining in red Truffles - a completely NON superwash merino/cashmere blend. But man! Does it ever feel nice against the forehead! THe plan is to give this to our cottage neighbour's 16 year old daughter - skulls are the big accessory in the teen years, I gather. She also does a fair bit of kid-sitting for us as well. But of course, young Son saw it this morning, and decided he would like one as well. Good thing I got enough to make two...
Oh, and a note to the preson who wondered why I never knit socks for my Dad? Although I've known how to knit for decades, I've really only become a Knitter in the past 4 or 5 years. Dad passed away long before I ever knit socks, or anything like that. I like to think he would have liked a pair, and appreciates that I make them for Hubby, Son, FIL, and other special males in my life. I still wish I could have made him a pair, though. I'd knit an intarsia martini glass on the leg for him. But no olive - a twist of lemon. Always a twist.
I figured out that Blogger was not to blame for my picture uploading woes last week, it was my computer at home that was the culprit. We have three computers there - two desktops and a laptop. Here's how lazy we are - the internet is only hooked up to one of them - the one still being powered by the hamster on a wheel. Gotta do some upgrading. I'd post a picture of the "pair" of socks and the stitch markers, but alas, I don't have that memory card with me. Maybe I can get my act together tomorrow...
This past weekend was a rather wet long weekend. Didn't stop us from going to the cottage mind you. It actually worked in my favour - lots of knitting time when cooped up inside. I started and finished the "they must be Pirates" hat from Hello Yarn. Great pattern - nice shaping, nice pattern. I will make this again, and may adapt the shaping to other colourwork patterns. I made the Hat in Smart yarn - a superwash wool, but then made the lining in red Truffles - a completely NON superwash merino/cashmere blend. But man! Does it ever feel nice against the forehead! THe plan is to give this to our cottage neighbour's 16 year old daughter - skulls are the big accessory in the teen years, I gather. She also does a fair bit of kid-sitting for us as well. But of course, young Son saw it this morning, and decided he would like one as well. Good thing I got enough to make two...
Oh, and a note to the preson who wondered why I never knit socks for my Dad? Although I've known how to knit for decades, I've really only become a Knitter in the past 4 or 5 years. Dad passed away long before I ever knit socks, or anything like that. I like to think he would have liked a pair, and appreciates that I make them for Hubby, Son, FIL, and other special males in my life. I still wish I could have made him a pair, though. I'd knit an intarsia martini glass on the leg for him. But no olive - a twist of lemon. Always a twist.
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