there once was a man from Nantucket...

today is Limerick Day. Seriously, my favourite type of poetry!

I've also got a full day meeting ahead of me (I love working here, but MAN! do they like meetings...)

There is knitting to discuss, beads, beads, and more beads, lace (2 types), socks (Geez, the Noro sock yarn is beautiful...) and whatever else is going on in my life.

Back soon...

what's going on...

I have Knitters ADD. I admit it. I am not monogamous to any project for very long. There are some exceptions to this - I did concentrate on the hoodie, and I did finish it. But in reality, I have numerous projects on the go.

Socks.

3 pairs, all at different stages. There's some Noro socks - I bought the yarn, it was so pretty, I just had to cast them on. The yarn is pretty rough in the skein, but even working it through your hands while knitting softens it up a bit, and I know (and have been told) that a good soak in Eucalan will soften these babies right up. And I love, love, love the colourway. These are probably for me.

Then at the other end of the softness spectrum, some bamboo socks in a pale grey marled colourway. Hubby is eying these. THis is some of the softest yarn I have ever knit with. A touch splitty, but I'll forgive that for the softness.

And some Regia Galaxy socks in brown. Destined for the gift box. Someone will enjoy them. Socks are my go-t0 project for mindless knitting. I keep a pair in my bag, so I can knit at lunch, or if I have to wait somewhere. The project is in my mind, so I don't have to refer to anything, and I have a pretty good idea of sizes of feet I usually knit for, so I can eyeball it pretty well.

Lace.

I love the lace knitting. This is the Blue Jay Shawl from Wrapped in Comfort, and I'm using a linen, viscose, cotton mix. I hope to have this for the summer for those nights when there is just a bit of chill in the air, and in the fall for the mornings where you need something on the shoulders.

Beads.

Yeah, well, we all know of my bead knitting addiction. I can't help it. I must have been a magpie in a former life, because I love the sparkly things. Which is strange, because those who know the 3-D me know I'm not so much on the sparkly things to wear. But I have lots of friends who like it, so there is always a ready list of gift recipients.

I knit on each of them at different times of the day, and surprisingly, I seem to make progress on them.

bogged down...

Sorry for the radio silence - it will continue for a day or two - huge meetings at work, stuff going on at home (all good), and just life in general getting in the way.
All is good - I'm wearing the Hoodie today at work, and for my Guild meeting, otherwise Nancy might take my head off.
See ya,

sucked right back in...

I have a problem. Beads. Beads are my problem. I start knitting them, and I can't put them down. I was addicted a few months back, but fought my way out of it, and put them down, picking up a wool shawl, and silk and wool sweater. I had self imposed deadlines on these, so I could avoid the lure of the beads. It was good - I finished a sweater, some socks, picked up other things, was knitting happily along, then... the Frolic. Brenda Franklin's booth. The Bead FX booth. I fell at both, and made purchases. I got home, and the sparkly things drew me back into their black hole. I found some beads that I had already strung. "How bad could it be? They're already strung and ready... just waiting for me... calling to me..." - so I knit them. (It would have been a shame not to). Here's the finished product:

choker and earrings. And up close, so you can see the different colours. But, I've started stringing some other ones... and have a queue in mind of the ones I want to knit next. I'm thinking chokers, amulet bags, bracelets...

edited to add - not only did I start to string some, I've finished knitting them! Now I have to string some OTHER ones...

my niece loves pink. This will probably be hers...

Man, this is addictive...

How to thank great coaches...

I've talked here about my Son's love of basketball, and how having great coaches has really fostered that. Well, this session, we have been lucky three times over - our team has three exceptional coaches. Coaches that teach the game of basketball, but more importantly, coaches that treat each kid like an All-Star. And these kids have responded in spades. There's this girl - youngest of 4 kids with 3 older brothers, all players. Shy as all get-out in December, now, an impressive dribbler, and someone not afraid to get under the boards for the ball.

We're also lucky that we have a great team of parents - there's a core group of us are at all the practices, at games we cheer not just for our team, but every other team, we know almost every kid in the league by name, not just our own team. I like to think that this has also made a difference to the kids.

But the coaches. Coach Roy, Coach Max, and Coach Bonnie. They are the best. One of the other mothers and I have been taking pictures throughout the season - of the kids singularly and in team situations. My son and I have put these together, using the pictures, some stickers and other paper craft items. Framed 'em up (You can get scrapbook page frames pretty inexpensively). I think the coaches will like them. Not all people want this kind of stuff in their homes, I know that. But I've done a little research this season, and all three of them collect remembrances of their teams, so I'm in luck. We had so much fun doing these, and had so many pictures, and I can get the other stuff pretty cheaply, we made a page for each kid (not framed - just in a plastic protector. I wouldn't normally do this for a team. But this team is different. They have really gelled and grown together and I want to mark that. Next weekend's final tournament for the year is going to be a sad occasion - it's going to be tough saying goodbye to some of these kids, but we''ll see them through the summer, and next fall.

The Frolic

Last Saturday was the DKC's Annual Knitter's Frolic, held at the Toronto Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Always a great day - surrounded by knitters, knitting and overpowering wool fumes...

LuckyCanuck and I started our day early - if you want a chance at parking, you wither have to get there early or come later on as us early birds are staggering out, laden down with purchases. Although getting up early on weekends is against my nature, for this, I do it. (I also had dinner guests coming that night, so I had to be home in good time). We met up around 8am, well before the opening time of 9am, so we took our al fresco breakfast over to a sunny picnic table.

My butcher smokes salmon himself, and does an absolutely amazing job of it. It is the best salmon I have ever had, and I would put money on it that you would feel the same way, unless of course you smoke your own, then that's probably even better. We added some cream cheese, some bagels, a yogurt, granola and fruit parfait, a Tim's coffee (hidden behind the parfait) and by the time we were done, we were well fortified for the morning ahead.

As Lucky has mentioned, we got to watch a parade of vendors go by, some with their wares. It's too bad about the one vendor whose booth smelled of smoke. I mean, I'm an ex-smoker, my husband smokes (outside), but that doesn't mean I want my yarn to smell of smoke. I have no problem with smokers or smoke, but anyone with a sensitivity to the smell would have a problem with her stuff. Anyway, off my soapbox, and on to the goods!

I had decided ahead of time what I was after - the unique, the hard to get locally, or anything that was priced so ridiculously low that I would have been an idiot not to buy it. Specifically, I was after a cardigan's worth of yarn, and even more specifically, Lucky and I had a side bet about Kauni yarn. I said there was no way it would be available, since I figured it was only available by online order. So I wasn't holding my breath for it.

Okay, so I lost the bet. But I got the Kauni yarn! 4 balls of it - (yes it is all the same colourway), more than enough for a sweater - I'm thinking a hooded cardigan, since it will be steeked, but I'm not sure about the sleeves. I'm not a fan of set in sleeves, and I love the raglans, but I'm not sure raglan shaping will work with the patterning. I also want to do something other than the squares within rows from the original pattern, so I may chart something myself.

The yarn itself is pretty scratchy, but I've read that it softens up. Lucky and I both got the rainbow colourway, which you can see a bit of here:

There was only this colour way and the green one, which I liked, but there was only 3 balls of it, and I wanted 4 just in case. I'm betting there wasn't much of it left afterwards.

I also bought some Tilli Tomas Disco Lights. Lucky has a much better outdoor lit shot of this stuff - she bought the turquoise, I went with the black:

The sequins strung on the silk are hard to see in this picture, but they are there. The black on black has a nice understated elegance to it. I'm not sure what this will become, but a friend has designed a pattern she thinks might work - we're going to discuss it at our next Guild meeting. This stuff isn't cheap, but it did meet the requirement of not easy to find, so I'm happy with that. (Although I bought it from a yarn store that is really not far from where I live, so it's not like I couldn't get it easily...) But, it is beautiful, and I love it.

The lace knitter in me surfaced at the Yarns Plus booth. I get their newsletter, and I am always looking at their Tencel yarns. I've used a merino/tencel blend, but never tencel on it's own. I wasn't sure of the feel of it, so when we saw the cones of it there, I had to manhandle it to see. Well. Lovely stuff. I bought one cone of laceweight (3300+ yards!) for $12.50! I'm looking at 2 large and probably a small shawl from this one cone! This hit the requirements of not easy to find, as well as ridiculously well priced! I'm sure it will knit up beautifully, and I adore the silver grey colour. I will have to remember to use bamboo needles on this stuff - it's slicker than the greens at Augusta. (and the golfer in me shows her face...)

And finally, I did take a bit of a stumble at two of the bead booths - I bought some patterns, rayon thread and some beads at Brenda Franklin, and well as some hanks of beads (gunmetal, bronze and gold 3-cuts) at BeadF-X. I don't have pictures of them, but they did re-spark my interest in the bead knitting, and since I already has these ones strung, ready and waiting, I started another choker:

Since finished last night. There were even enough beads strung to make the matching earrings, which took me no time at all. I think it was about 3 dancers worth on Dancing with the Stars last night to do the earrings - pictures soon.

The colours are a little brighter than shows here, and although they are multicoloured, as a whole it reads as a silvery based sparkly colour. I like it.

FOs!

I will have a full post about the Knitter's Frolic, but right now, I'm pressed for time, and I'd rather wait until I can do it justice. But I do have knitting to show - I finished the coffee bean socks. These are a merino/tencel blend - I bought the yarn in Kitchener last year at the Sweet Sheep, and it's by xxx. Lovely stuff - soft and squooshy, a tiny bit splitty, but no immensely so. As you can see by the fit, these are not for me - either husband will be getting them, or another man on my Christmas list - we'll see. I did leave them out on the kitchen table, and I leave the house before my husband gets downstairs in the morning, so he may have already appropriated them!

Another FO - you've seen it before, but I have a modeled shot. Lucky was nice enough to take a picture of the hoodie on me while we were at the Frolic on Saturday. It is extremely comfortable to wear, but it does stretch with wearing. No biggie - I love it and it will get a lot of wear. If you can't wait to see what I bought, check Lucky's stuff - I bought similar, but as I said, time is short, so you'll have to wait to see what I came home with... I will say I was very good, and restrained myself to cash only. No credit cards were injured by me on Saturday!

and now back to our regularly scheduled knitting...

Yesterday's post was pretty personal for me. Considering I don't share the names of my husband or son, and keep the pictures intentionally vague of people (I cannot bring myself to post a picture of my son on the Internet...) talking about J's schooling options was more than I would usually share. But I really wanted to gather information from all sources - those who know us and know the type of kid he is, and opinions that could be considered pretty objective - you guys out there!
J is a good kid. We have always stressed that balance in life - school, family, athletics, social as well as a healthy dose of "downtime" is important. We know we will make a good choice for him - he is as involved in the decision making as we are - and it's also good to know that whatever we choose right now is not locked in for life. We can move him around if something is not a good fit.

All of the comments were much appreciated. It's nice to get information from people that have gone through similar things. We're close to a decision, and have weighed all options and opinions, including those I read here. J is happy with the choice we will probably make - he had a big part in the decision making process.

But anyway... back to knitting! I've started a new larger project:

The Blue Jay Shawl from AlisonH's book "Wrapped in Comfort". I'm using another stash yarn (yay! stash busting!) - Callista from Elann, bought well over a year ago with nothing particular in mind. It's a 50% viscose, 25% cotton, 25% linen blend, and is very soft and drapey. I think this will work very well for summer. It's a rich coppery colour that I just love.

It's a good thing I love it, because after knitting the same 382 stitch row* twice last night, if I didn't love the yarn and the pattern, it would have been drop kicked across the kitchen...

*the pattern is fine - it's the knitter that can't follow a ten stitch repeat...

confusion reigns supreme...

My husband and I and our son have been put into a situation where we have to make a decison that will affect us going forward.
Nice and vague, no?
Our son has been identified as gifted. Now, we knew he was bright, but we were not expecting the gifted tag. I hate to stereotype, but he doesn't fit into the "typical" idea of what you expect from a "gifted" kid. As was explained to me by a friend when he found out, "But J isn't socially inept!" I guess we sterotype gifted kids as the brilliant, yet nerdy kids who would rather read a textbook than dribble a basketball. J, while he loves reading, is fascinated by all aspects of math and science, and is extremely creative and loves to do all kinds of crafty things, would rather be outside on his scooter or his bike, or just running around with his friends.

We have been gathering information for the last month, trying to figure out the best path to take. We can change his school, and put him into the stand alone gifted program. We can keep him in his home school 4 days a week, and he attends an enrichment program one day a week, at another school. Or we can leave him where he is, in the mainstream. Now, he has been thriving in the mainstream - he has lots of friends, we love the school, and it's close by. We went to an open house for the stand alone program, and while I went in with high hopes, came out rather disillusioned. It felt more like a recruitment / brainwashing session rather than an information session. Tonight, we have the open house at the one day program, which at first was my least favourite option, but now, after talking to people and students and educators, is making it's way into the top two spots. I also feel that leaving things as they are is not a bad thing. He's not bored in class (at least not much, and if he gets ahead, there's enough for him to do to keep him occupied. If he was being disruptive, that's a different story). He loves the school and his friends, but conversely, he is also open to the new challenges a different program may offer.

Is anyone familiar with gifted programs? Any insights or opinions they would share? I swear, every time we get more information, it just makes it all the more confusing. BUt I'm still of the thought that more information is better, so if anyone has anything toshare, please do. Ultimately, I just want the best for my child, which sounds so simple, but in reality, is harder than I thought...

done! and blocking...

The hoodie is done - I've soaked it in warm water and a little Eucalan, and just sort of laid it out. I've stretched the hood a bit - the ribbing really pulled it in, and made it look kind of... insignificant, I guess is the word here. The rest of the ribbed fabric gets stretched out from wearing, but the hood, since it doesn't actually get worn, doesn't stretch like the rest of it, so I helped it along.

I'm very happy with this project, even though it seemed to take me forever. I will get a lot of use out of it, being nice and neutral, but therein lies the problem. It's neutral, which makes for boring knitting. (ask me how long plain grey cotton socks have been hanging around, undone...)

I like colour, or lace or cables, or something more interesting than K4,P1 ribbing over and over and over...

The bonus is that it is knit in one piece, from the top of the hood to the hem. Which means when I cast off, I was virtually done. Just weave in some ends, block and we're good.

Specs:
American Safari Hoodie Pattern from KnitScene Winter 2007 / Spring 2008 - 5th pattern down. Mods:
I made it long sleeved, because 1. I wanted long sleeves, and 2. I had enough yarn. I think I also made it longer than they did, but again, I could, and I wanted to, so I did. I don't usually follow their recommendations for body and sleeve length - I make it to fit me.

I substituted for the recommended Tahki New Tweed
(60% wool, 26% rayon, 14% silk; 92 yd [84 m]/50 g.

I used Drops Silke Tweed
(52% silk, 48% lambs wool, 50g = 200m)

and I'm very happy I did. I had it in my stash, I had bought it on sale, it's a nice yarn (if a little ropey feeling when knitting) and it's pretty. All good reasons for using it.

I used the recommended needle size (3.75mm), and got close enough to gauge to satisfy me.

I want this to wear on Saturday to the Knitter's Frolic, so I'm glad it's done in time. I'm also glad I had a self-imposed deadline for it, or else it would have languished for a while when I got bored of the beige. During the time I knit this, I also knit most of a shawl (STILL cannot find any more of the Icelandic laceweight - I'm going to have to import it through my LYS...), and some socks, so I think I did OK in finishing this when I did.

And yes, I've started another project. No pictures, because, well, I didn't take any. But it's soft, summery, lacey and copper coloured... yummy...

done and... almost done

The baby hat is complete, and I must say, very cute:

Fleece Artist sock yarn, 3.0mm double points, my own pattern, made up as I went along. E-wrap cast on, picot turning row, catch the hem on the matching row, knit until it looks the right length, begin decreases, hope they look right, get down to 4 stitches, I-cord top, done. (I'll never make it as a pattern writer...)

The hoodie is in the final stretch - I could cast off any time now, but I will continue knitting until Tuesday, bind off, block it, and wear it on Saturday at the Knitter's Frolic.

Anyone else going to be at the Frolic? Lucky and I are meeting early, sharing a decadent breakfast, then hitting the Market. No classes for either of us this year, so it's all shopping, all eating, all knitting. Unfortunately, I can't stay around too late, and won'[t be going to Lettuce Knit for the Launch of Big Girl Knits 2 (Sorry Amy!) since I have guests coming for dinner. As it is, I'm leaving a ton of preparation in the hands of my husband and son while I am Frolic-ing, so there's enough stress going on. Will they tidy up? Or just play basketball outside until I am due home? Should I lie and give them the wrong time to expect me, and show up early? Catch them red handed ignoring their chores? Whatever. Things will get done, and it's my best friend and her husband coming. We have the unwritten rule - "if you're coming over to see my house, you need to give me two weeks notice. If you're coming to see us, then come on in...".

Plus they bring their two black labs along. I'm going to sweep my floors before the shedding begins? I'll wait until they leave, and do it then...

experimenting pays off...

I was stuck on what to make for dinner the other night. I try to stay out of the "it's Tuesday, so it must be chicken night" kind of thing, but with working outside the home full time, it's tough to be creative when I have limited time to get things made. (the days when I can work at home, and start dinner prep in the afternoon are different - it's all about time).

So, on my drive home the other night, I'm trying to figure out what to make. Pasta. Ok, but what kind? I didn't feel like a tomato based meat sauce. (too bad, because I had some that I had frozen last week). We had had chicken the night before. A primavera type? Possibilities - I had some fresh spinach, onions and mushrooms in the fridge, and some frozen peas... okay, but Husband needs a protein - not a vegetarian, this guy. I had some shrimp in the freezer, but that just felt a little too rich with the cream based sauce I was thinking of... I hit the grocery store for a couple of things, and saw it. Wild Pacific salmon. Yeah, that might work.

So I got home, fed the boy (at age nine, waiting more than 10 minutes for dinner is hell for him - and then he's hungry again 15 minutes after eating. Can we talk Growth Spurt??), and started in. Cooked up some penne. Then the sauce - start with the onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil, add some garlic, then the peas, spinach and chunks of salmon. Throw in the cooked penne, some cream, some Parmesano Reggiano...

In reality, this was much brighter looking - a great contrast of bright greens, the pink of the salmon and the ivory of the coated pasta. 30 minutes, start to finish.

And as much as I hate to brag... quite delicious. And great for lunch the next day.

Hmmm, if it's Wednesday, it must be salmon pasta night. - Sounds good to me...

sleeves are done!

Woo Hoo! I have finally finished the sleeves of the hoodie. Technically, I could bind off the bottom and be done with this, but I have enough yarn and enough time to lengthen it. So I will. I love a tunic length sweater, so I'm thinking a few more inches at the bottom would be good.

Now I have to decide on my next large-ish project. A shawl? I have patterns, have the yarn. But, I also want a little shrug sort of cropped cardigan. I may do the bulk of this on my machine, simply to get it done. I'm thinking straight stockinette, and that can be done on the machine pretty quickly. I really only use my machine for things like this. I'm not really into hand manipulating stitches on it, or doing anything fancy. Straight flat pieces of stockinette, with some necessary shaping - that's about it. So, it will probably be a summer weight shawl in a pattern from AlisonH's book "Wrapped in Comfort", and if I can carve some time to work on my machine, maybe a little black silk cropped cardi. I will probably design it on Sweater Wizard, since I know what I want it to look like (simple raglan shaping, plain stockinette to let the yarn shine, long or 3/4 length sleeves...) and rather than search through patterns and try to make them fit the yarn, I can enter all the data, ans sweater wizard spits out a pattern. As much as I love the process of knitting, sometimes, I am just after the end product because I want to wear it.
I love technology.

getting my colour fix...

I caved. But I had a good reason. One of the guys I work with - his wife just had a baby girl. So I grabbed the chance to knit some colour:

Fleece artist sock yarn from the stash - a baby hat of my own design - double thick brim with a picot hem. Here's the inside of the hem, after I've joined it:

Super simple procedure. You can do a provisional cast on to start, or even easier - simply e-wrap cast on (I cast on to a bigger needle for ease). then, knit to the depth of hem you want (I made this one about 6cm), then pick up a stitch from the cast on and knit it with each stitch - voila! an attached hem, nice a smooth on the inside, and no fiddling with a provisional crochet chain. If anyone is interested, I can show a better tutorial of this one of these days.

This has replaced the sock in my "carry everywhere" bag for the moment - I'll do this, and maybe some mitten to go with it. I'm making a large-ish size, since the baby won't need a wool hat right away, but next fall it should be ready to go. (I rarely knit for babies in a size under 6-9 months - babies grow exponentially fast...

But the beige hoodie continues on:

a somewhat crappy picture taken early this morning. One sleeve done, one almost done (about 3 more inches to do...) and the body could be done, but I will probably add another few inches. I want this for the Frolic in two weeks, so there's plenty of time to get it to the length I want.

As long as no more babies come to distract me...

the hidden garden

Our house is a corner lot. Not my favourite, as it chops us the yard. We don't really have a great "backyard", and our deck actually faces one of the streets. However, privacy is not a problem, as we also have high cedar hedges all around the property. So, due to this configuration, we have a side of the house that doesn't get seen a lot, certainly not in winter, as one would have to plod through the snow to get there, and once there, there's not a lot to see. Even at this time of year, I had to walk over very wet grass to get around the house. But once there, I was treated to this:

A patch of purple crocus (croci??) blooming through all the left over mulch and leaves in the garden. Not only that, there are patches of green all over the garden - tulips, daffodils, day lilies and iris, other bulbs whose names are escaping me, as well as the wonderfully named goutweed are all sprouting. Some of you may know goutweed as "snow on the mountain" I think - it's a leafy ground cover of green and white leaves that gets EVERYWHERE. I'd call it invasive, but it is pretty, and it covers the patches that need it. Even my rose bushes are showing signs of green wood, which is always a good thing.

I've got to walk back there more often...

still with the cards...

I do knit - really I do. But do you want to see another sleeve in beige silk/wool K4P1 ribbing. Right. I'll be back with that when it's done. (soon, now, I promise.)

Like Lucky, I've been making cards:

I have an nephew about to turn 14. He will not care about this card, only the gift card that will be tucked inside of it, but hell, he's 14! With his hormones, and puberty rearing it's ugly head, we're lucky he even acknowledges our presence. Here's his birthday card:Straightforward stuff. Interesting paper, some skateboarding stickers, and a Happy Birthday Stamp. Took about 5 minutes, tops.


Then my son's best friend (or "frenemy" as they call each other - I guess it's not cool to have a best friend of the opposite gender...) is about to turn 9. As tough as she is, she's a girly girl:The bit of handmade paper with the flowers embedded? Dollar store find! Seriously, it's considered wrapping paper, although I find it way to thick to wrap with, and it's a piece about 24 inches by 36 inches, and it was a buck! I got 4 different kinds... The other stuff at the bottom is some silk flowers and natural seed pods - the stamp is embossed with copper embossing powder.

The same nephew is also graduating this year from grade 8, and I gather this is a big deal. (Am I dating myself here? When we left grade eight, we basically left grade eight. Goodbye to middle school, and off to the unknowns of high school. We may have had a grad ceremony and maybe a dance after school (home by 6pm!) but nothing that stands out. Nowadays, it seems like grade 8 graduation rivals a University commencement.

I also have a niece graduating grade 8, so she gets some flowers on hers:

I know I'm a little early for graduation, but what the heck - I had the stickers and stuff, so I got it done. Wanna bet I lose these before June?

I am REALLY have fun with this! I hope it continues, at least until I use up some of the supplies that have accumulated...

Spring!

I hope your weekend was a nice as ours. After months of dark, dreary, snowy, wet days, we had a Spring weekend in the Toronto Area. Sunshine, weather where you didn't need a parka, scarf and mitts, (but a sweatshirt was useful...) and generally, just a day to be outside. My son and I got the bikes out - after the initial bout of "bike butt" all is good. I'm going to need some accessories for the bike this year - a back carrier and water bottle holder for sure. We rode over to the school for a bit, then took a roundabout way home. Saw tons of people outside, just enjoying the day. Son saw some friends, and left me to play with them. I also washed all the sheets and got them outside on the line - heavenly! There is nothing better than outside air dried sheets. Although having to wear my boots because the ground under the line was still snow covered seemed a little surreal...

Knitting was done - sleeve one of the hoodie is complete, sleeve two is well under way, and the body is an acceptable length, although I will add to it if I have enough yarn (I do) and time (debatable - I want to wear this to the Frlic). Now, I know the Frolic is weeks away, so time shouldn't be a issue, except for the want, nay NEED, to start something with some COLOUR! I'm forcing myself to stay true, but it is hard. I've got some yarn in the queue for a shawl (or two) from Alison's book, and I'm itching for some lace work...

I also did some sewing. I've packed away the tweeds, checks and heavier fabrics until the fall, and the cottons, rayons, eyelets and other summer fabrics have come to the forefront. I'm going to be known as the border print queen soon - but how can anyone resist this? Wonderful turquoise cotton, embroidered over with taupe flowers and borders...
Just look at the border detail! Pretty, no?
Plus, waiting in the wings, white and green and orange embroidery (already cut out and waiting to become a tunic),and lime green, just itching to become a summer dress, and maybe a skirt or capri pants...
and eyelets! Destined for skirts, shells or maybe a tunic to wear over a tank top...
Can someone PLEASE figure out a way to get about 36 hours in a day? Just until August? I could really use the extra time...

bonuses to blogging...

There are bonuses to blogs. Reading them, and in my case writing one. We learn things, we see things, we follow links all over the place, get engrossed in a new blog, and forget where we started...

I will read a comment somewhere, and find myself clicking over to the commenter's blog sometimes. Then I start reading and find a connection somehow, and that blog becomes part of my regular reading. (By the way, my sidebar? Not up to date AT ALL - I read so many more, and really should update that...). Sometimes, someone will comment on my blog, and I'll reply, and a bit of email goes back and forth. And "friendships" develop. Not friendships in the old-fashioned sense, where we actually know each other face to face, but the new fangled, Internet type of friendship - emails, even comments on other's blogs.

And every now and then, some incredible bonus comes out of these chance meetings. Sometimes I get to meet new people (LuckyCanuck, Stephanie, Rachel H, Carol, Wannietta, Amy, and so many more...) And sometimes a new resource ends up in my hands...

Let me explain. I've seen AlisonH comment on a few blogs I've read. Then recently, she left a comment on my blog. I've clicked over to her blog, http://www.spindyeknit.com/ a few times, and been entranced by her work. We've emailed a few times. She knits lace shawls, and listens to them (knitters understand this), to determine where their home is. She's written a book. I looked at it, and when I was last ordering some books, I added it to my cart, since I love lace shawls and I'm always on the look out for new ones. The book came this week, along with some others I was waiting for.


(yeah, the little one is a good one too, (aren't they all?) and Big Girl Knits 2 is just as good and the first!) But the shawl book. Well. I love shawls - love making them, and even wearing them, except sometimes the shape doesn't work for me. The triangular ones don't sit right, the stoles aren't wide enough or whatever. I made a circular one once for a SIL years ago, and she loved it. It sat on her shoulders and didn't move. I resolved to make more in that shape, but couldn't find many patterns. Then this book landed in my lap. (Well, actually, on my doorstep.) It's a book filled with circular shawl patterns. And not your grandmothers shawls. I'd wear these. To work, around the house, out with friends. And on top of that, the stories that go along with the shawls bring them to life.

Thank you Alison Jeppson Hyde. By leaving me a comment, I followed the link back to you, and ended up with a book that will get a lot of use over the years. I've already bookmarked a few of them.

the new obsession...

As mentioned, I'm debating taking up scrapbooking, or some other such paper craft. It's kind of hard not to, the new job makes it very easy.

I've done a sheet for my Mom for her birthday, commemorating her grandson's first visit to Florida. My son helped - he did a lot of the placement, and writing. I'm thinking of using an album, and giving her pages every now and then, so she can fill it. We'll see how she feels about it.

But I really think it's card making that will be the paper craft of choice. I've picked up a few stamps, inks, embossing powders and other such things. My husband's 84 year old uncle is getting married on Saturday, and I really think a hand-crafted card would be perfect to mark the occasion. We're not invited, as they are keeping it extremely small, but he is family, and she's a sweetheart, so I'd like to mail this off to them next week, after the wedding. (after the ceremony, because what if one of them gets cold feet??) I mean really, 84 and 82 years old! Both have lost long time spouses, found each other, and instead of just moving in together, have decided to marry, because the living together just isn't proper. If that doesn't deserve a hand made card, I don't know what does...

I whipped this up last night. Seriously, in the same amount of time (or less) than it would take to go to the store, look around, and buy one, I created one at home. Next up, something for hubby, as our anniversary is tomorrow - 16 years!

I. Got. Colour.

I may not be knitting it, but I got some yarn colour in my life last night:

2 skeins of Socks That Rock Silkie, and 2 skeins of Noro Kureyeon Sock Yarn. Talk about contrast - The Silkie is just that, a silky blend of merino and silk, soft and squooshy, and heavenly. I have Lucky Canuck to thank for this - she and I did a little trade last night. She has easy access to Lettuce Knits, and when I found out they had a new shipment of this stuff, Lucky was kind enough to go there and get me some. I reciprocated with some stuff that she can't easily put her hands on, so it's good all around.

The Noro on the other hand, can never be described and soft and squooshy and silky. Like all Noro yarns, it has a rusticness and scratchiness in the ball. But the colourways! Oh, man, the colourways are stunning! The colours here are a little washed out (due to crappy light at 6am), but they are beautiful. And a Joan and Elizabeth were both working on socks from this last night, and it felt softer on the needles, and should soften again with some washing. I guess it's a wait and see thing. I will check with the husband and see what he thinks - I don't know how he would feel about slightly scratch socks. He's been spoiled lately with the merinos, tencels and bamboos...

But... I won't knit them yet. I am committed to getting the hoodie done, so it's back to the beige...