On the verge of another year...

Well, 2006 was a year of many changes - what's that saying, "May you live in interesting times?" That was this year. Next year will bring more changes but hopefully they will be mostly of the happy kind (for instance, our wedding in May!). At any rate, it's time to count my blessings:

1. Peter. My fiance, my love, my rock. Every day is better for having him in it.
2. My friends. Old friends (B&K, N&D), new friends (S&D, L&A, S&L). All good and loving people who have helped get us through rough times and celebrate good times. Worth their weight in diamonds.
   
3. A nice house with room for all our combined stuff, comfy furniture, lots of food, and two cats.
4. Two good jobs - one full-time which is always evolving and improving, one part-time which is a great way to blow off stress and make a few extra dollars while (really) having fun. I mean, they let me play with yarn a lot of the time! :)
5. A working body and brain. This can't be underestimated - I am at a good weight, in reasonable shape, get (almost) enough sleep, and have time to read, write, think, knit, etc. Yes, I get ill at times, but I can deal with it. 99 days out of 100, though, I'm pretty good.
6. The Internet. This is a blessing! Look at all my net-friends, free knitting patterns (woot!), and other resources at my fingertips. And high-speed, no less. (see #4 - being able to afford high-speed Internet is also a blessing!)
7. Life. Maybe this should be #1, but just the joy of being alive, in my life, as it is, is a very great blessing indeed.

Ok, enough weepy stuff. :) Today we're packing out the rest of the stuff from the other house into this house (which means tomorrow, finding room for things and unpacking it). I also work from 2-6:30 and then it's fondue party time at S&D's place. I don't know if I'll make it to midnight but I'll try. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy Boxing Day!

So we survived Christmas - huzzah! Got up (reasonably) early, lazed around a bit, went to the folks' place for about 11:00, did presents, watched Da Vinci Code, had dinner, got ill, came home. Yeah, got ill. Too many sweets before dinner and my IBS kicked up - oops! So a quiet night at home last night and taking it easy today, although we are expected back at Mom & Dad's for the traditional Boxing Day club sandwiches at lunchtime.

It snowed overnight! Everything is white and pretty, I just hope the main roads have been cleared. Oh - almost forgot - presents! (Yeah, the mind is on vacation - 2 consecutive days off from working, oh my!). I received from my Mom & Dad 12 balls of Patons Rumor in Hibiscus Heather, which will become a Wednesday's Cardigan for me to wear at the office this summer (too much A/C). From my sister and her family, the new Trivial Pursuit 80's Canadian Edition. From my other sister, a very cool rechargeable floodlight-style flashlight. From my grandparents, money (woohoo!) - Peter and I are going to treat ourselves to a couple of nice dinners out. A few other gifts too, but those are the "big" ones. Peter and I agreed to not exchange gifts this year, what with money and time both being a little tight. I did "Alvin" myself though (an Alvin being a present "from me to me!"), with a set of 10 largish glass jars that have locking lids, so I can start organizing my spice cabinet.

Got in a bit of knitting on a new Fleece Artist shawl for Yumi - gorgeous fire colours, I hope to finish it quickly because it's the perfect thing for the 'bleak midwinter' that will soon be upon us. That's travel/visiting knitting. And I'm getting back at Peter's sweater today also - it's been neglected too long now. I want to finish the front so I can get started on the back and do another of those fun bands of cabling!

But first, breakfast and clothes and back in the car to Kanata again. You know, for New Year's I'm not going ANYWHERE that involves getting in the car. I love my car but I swear I spend half my life driving places. It's good to have a break occasionally! Have a great Boxing Day all!

FO - socks (just in time)

This afternoon, before running off to an 8-hour shift at the store, I finished up my second pink/grey Shetland Chunky sock. Tonight, after the 8-hour shift, I came out of the store to find my car encased in a good (well, bad actually) 1/2" of ice from the freezing rain that had started about 2 minutes after I got to work. Chiseling it out was a big bag of no fun, but when I got home, skated/slid into the house, and changed from my cold wet sneakers/thin socks into these toasty thick puppies, it was so nice!

Those are my nice dry warm feet. The socks are from Patons' book "Cool Weather Accessories", modified a teeny bit. Their sock calls for a 1x1 rib at the top in a contrast colour then 2x2 rib down the leg, contrast heel and toe. For these I just started the 2x2 at the top and carried all the way down, since it was a marl yarn anyway. They fit a little more snugly at the top this way than the first pair I made with the 1x1 rib at the top. I also made the foot length just enough and fiddled the toe decrease a bit so the toes are snug also. The leg length, in case you're wondering, is 9 1/2". These cover that part of the calf/ankle where you get a gap between your PJ's and your slippers. :)

These are fun to knit once you get the first pair out of the way (my first pair of socks EVER was this pattern, knit up for Peter early this year). I have a few small oddballs of Shetland Chunky floating around in stash, so I may make a couple pair with solid leg/foot and variegated heel/toe/cuff, just for kicks (so to speak).

Tomorrow is Christmas-Eve-Eve, and I have to do baking and then work. Which means probably not working on another WIP until Christmas Day, because Christmas Eve I have to do baking and then work. But I might grab something small just for breaktime at the store. I needs my knittin'!

Lazy, I wanna be lazy...

And, apparently - I am! It's 11:09 in the morning and I got out of bed ten minutes ago. Ye gods. Twelve (mostly) uninterrupted hours of sleep. Needed that! Working at 5:30 tonight so I've got the whole afternoon to kick around in, do a spot or two of cleaning, and generally be lazy. A good way to spend the shortest day of the year, I think. Yes, it's the Solstice, the shortest day of sunlight in the whole year. But it is sunny out, so that's a bonus!

Also a bonus was doing a quick eBay search last night and finding this pattern:

Apparently for men's large, it takes 6 cakes of White Buffalo for the main colour and two for the contrast collar. Well, I have about a dozen (fifteen, maybe?) cakes in stash, so I think I can do it. Ordered the pattern - if my co-worker doesn't like it I can always knit it up for Peter. I did find a nice one on the Lion Brand site also, but it's a worsted weight. Saved for future reference.

So last night, the folks came over for my homemade corn chowder and biscuits, and a short visit (also to pick up the Christmas turkey!) It was a nice quiet evening, and I got to work on my sock some more - I think I've got about 6" of leg done. Might get to the heel today if I keep the lazy trend going and watch a movie this afternoon (so tempting... I'm definitely in a Holiday Inn mood now!) I got all my groceries yesterday and I swear to all the gods of retail I am not setting foot in any store other than Michael's until after New Year's. Two hours and three stores just to get some basic groceries and baking supplies. Good Grief!

Anyway, happy Solstice to all and to all a good (LONGEST OF THE YEAR) night. Somehow that seems appropriate, since I'm closing at the store tonight. Wish me luck!

Christmas countdown: T-5

Five golden Toques!

Sorry, a Bob & Doug moment there. It's all good. Today I'm not working at the store (thank heavens, these closing shifts are hell on wheels), so it's housework, groceries, cooking, etc. First on the chore list is laundry, which precludes dish-doing (or showering), so while the laundry launders, I'm surfing and knitting.

After I finished the striped scarf, I dug these socks out of the WIP pile - the first one only needed six rows to finish the toe off, and I cast on the second right away, but it's only a couple inches in. These are in Patons Shetland Chunky, a discontinued dark pink/charcoal marl, using their Happy Hands 'n' Feet pattern. The first pair of socks I ever made (for Peter) was using this pattern and these are warm socks - great for inside big rubber boots, or just for wearing around the house. Sadly they need hand-laundering, but so be it.

Once this pair is done (hopefully this week), I'm getting back to work on Peter's sweater - he's been making noises about it. And I have a request from a guy at work to knit him a sweater: "a big chunky shawl-collar type." Egad. So I have to research patterns for that over the holidays; I told him that I'd do it for double the cost of the yarn, whatever that is. I could make $100 or more on this, if I'm lucky (I know, don't do the hourly wage calculation, but money is money). But for today, socks and housework. You know, I'm going to have a heck of a time getting back to my fulltime job next week!

FO! The scarf is done.

Ok, I took a goof-off morning today. Slept 'til 9 (yay!), had some breakfast and then read newsgroups and blogs whilst knitting away on my striped scarf. And even though there's still about half a ball of cream and 3/4 of a ball of navy left, I'm calling this puppy done. It's 4 1/2' long, plenty for a wrap-around and tuck-in. Yarn is Mission Falls Superwash Wool, knit in 2x2 rib 40 stitches wide on a 5 mm bamboo circular needle. Each stripe is 2". You may recall the hat I made , which then inspired the scarf. Note to self: 2" stripes mean a lot of ends to weave in. Love the look of this, don't think I'd do it again in a hurry though!

Yes, I've taken the picture on my unmade bed. I was going to make the bed this morning, but a certain Squeeky cat is having her extended morning nap and I hate to disturb her:

Cute kitty, non? And now, sadly, I have to stop goofing off and get some things done. Stew to get started in the crockpot, laundry to put away, dishes to unload and load, and then - finally! - my baking/grocery list to compile. By which time it'll be time to shower and go to work, I think. Although I think Squeeky's got the right idea - I could half-do with another nap, myself!

Christmas time is here...

At last. This evening we had the Yogi Bear Christmas, Rudolph, Charlie Brown Christmas, Garfield Christmas, and now Flintstones Christmas. And we set up our village:
Complete with Paul Bunyan Santa and a very large guardian angel. Behind it (sorry about the flash glare) is a picture that Peter's brother Gary painted of a train at the station - that will hang on our dining room wall, as soon as we get the picture wire attached to the frame. Figure by Spring. :)



And then we set up our tree, and Sandy & Dan came over to help decorate it. Isn't it pretty?
We were able to use all the "special" ornaments from Peter's mom and my collection, and filled in with some plain coloured glass balls and a whack of glittery icicles from my mom. It looks great, I think, and really made a special evening. I feel Christmassy now. Which is good, because tomorrow I have to inventory the pantry and make up my grocery list for baking. Here's the list of "to-bake":

1. Gingersnaps
2. Egg Tarts
3. Butter Tarts
4. Mincemeat Tarts
5. Suet pudding

The only really time-consuming ones are the gingersnaps and the suet pudding - tarts are easy. But I don't know what I need, so tomorrow I'm making my list and checking it twice. And then doing at least another 2 inches on my scarf. It's still mild but supposed to slip to minus two by Christmas Eve!

Do they know it's Christmas?

I heard that song on the radio today, and as always, it made me cry - had to pull the car over. Bob Geldof started a wonderful movement of world generosity some 20+ years ago, and it still continues today, in many forms. For the knitterly, it's Knitters Without Borders. Once again inspired by the Harlot, I've done my bit today, in honour of Peter's mother. What would have been her Christmas gift, is now gifted to this very worthwhile cause. Go see Stephanie's post today for the details of how you too, can help. It's Christmas.

All wrapped up

I wrapped my Christmas presents tonight - took about 15 minutes. Which, for me, is not nearly enough wrapping time - I like wrapping presents, I love giving presents. But this year, money is tight and I'm being good. Dammit. Nevertheless, all the presents are wrapped except those which have yet to be bought... ouch. See, my sister in Frederiction has two kids. My neice was easy - girly sparkly crafty stuff. My nephew, video games. Or rather, a gift card towards the purchase of video games. The problem being, the store where I need to get the gift card is in the Mall From Hell, in which I will not venture during the month of December. And my sister, herself? Also a gift card, but not yet purchased. So I will call her, explain the situation (because mailing now is TOO LATE and courier costs more than the gifts), and send prezzies after New Year. Which is a cheat, but it's been a rough month.

Knitting!

My striped scarf is now over 40" long. I'm loving it but have fumblethumbs tonight so only knit about an inch and a half. Would like to finish this by the end of the weekend, but so many house-chores to do - like find my dining room table. Actually, the whole dining room is rather buried. It's a "non-urgent area" so we've been dumping stuff in there all week. Now I want to decorate for Christmas, and I want to put my village on the dining room table, and the table is covered in plants and hiding behind a MASSIVE painting of a steam engine. Peter's brother painted it, it's gorgeous, and it needs to get on the dining room wall ASAP. However, I first need to move the china cabinet that is currently on that wall because it's too tall to hang the painting over. Which means moving the plant stand. Which means moving the OTHER plant stand. Etc. You get the drift. Tomorrow, I will find and make beautiful the dining room. Then I will go back to work at Michaels, which, honestly, I've missed the past week or so. I need my retail gang, they make me feel smart and useful. But first, the dining room.

And you know what? I have this weird urge to knit mittens for kids. I saw a post on Freecycle tonight that someone wanted warm mitts/etc. for a toddler. But I've never knit mitts, and really don't want to start any new projects now... and yet I feel guilty that there's some poor kid with cold little fingers. *sigh* Not fair, having a hair-trigger guilt response. Maybe I could whip off a quick pair over the weekend? Time to look for quick kids' mitt patterns, I guess.

Scarves and more scarves again...

In my new resolve to finish the existing WIPs before starting anything new, I finished off a Fun Fur scarf that had been sitting awhile. It's the "rainbow" print, three balls x 20 stitches on 6.5mm needles. You don't need a picture, trust me. :) Anyway, i was knitting this at our friends' place (hockey/birthday party) last night and it was decided that the recipient would be our other friend Jiff. To understand Jiff, and why a 20(30?)something 6footsomething very male, male would want a rainbow fun fur scarf - well, you can't understand it. It's just Jiff. It will suit him perfectly.

But for a slight insight, here was his Halloween costume this year:
It's just Jiff.


(Note: I donated some of the brown yarn to make Sweetums' head. Only for a dear friend would I part with yarn and allow it to be CUT UP and no longer knittable.) 2nd Note: Photo stolen from YumiKid's Flicker page. Girlfriend takes the coolest photos!

Now I'm back on my navy/cream striped scarf, which is coming along nicely. I took some time today to weave in the ends so far and it's much less daunting and more finish-able, if you know what I mean. Still a full ball of each colour to go - oddly, the cream doesn't seem to have the same yardage as the navy (this is Mission Falls superwash). I think they go by weight, not yardage, and the cream is "poofier" so there may be less in a ball. Or maybe I'm just knitting it slightly different gauge. Hard to tell, but I've a feeling I will have navy left over. No, I will not be making fringe! Fringe is evil.

And now, sadly, to bed. Tomorrow, despite the fact of being officially on vacation, I have to go to the office in the morning. Argh. But my afternoon should be reasonably free - no, wait, moving stuff. Argh again. Ok, tomorrow NIGHT I'm knittin'. That's it!

Two FO's today

This morning I was sick, sick, sick. All the everything finally caught up to me, I guess, and I just took the day to sit quietly, catch up on computer stuff, watch a movie, do some knitting. Finished off my re-knit Tosca Toque - 64 stitches on 6mm needles, k2p2 rib. The original one was about double the diameter (I had BIG hair last winter), and there was a green stripe at the top - this one didn't get that far. It fits very snugly over my ears and is (I think) going to be windproof - not a lot of stretch to it, so not a lot of places for the cold to get in! Here it is, oddly lit (my camera flash makes everything wash out, so I have to improvise with lamps and things. sometimes good, sometimes not so much).

I also finished the Christmas dishcloth that Peter's mom had started. Look, you really can't tell where she left off and I started. This was in your standard Bernat Handicrafter cotton, no idea how many stitches, but it's got a six-row garter stitch top and bottom and a three-stitch garter stitch border around the stockinette middle. Pretty. I like how it has kind of a semi-plaid/argyle look to it. I'll be using it to display some of the Christmas knickknacks, once we find them - probably next weekend we'll set up for Christmas. Two weeks from today!

And tonight, there's a CSI: Miami marathon on A&E. I have a pile of WIPs in the living room (I shoved them all in a box to move and of course my notions bag was at the BOTTOM of the box, so everything had to come out so I could sew in ends. D'oh!), so I think I'll assess them in order of "how long will it take to finish this?" and start working through them. I'd like to finish all the small stuff so I can get back at Peter's sweater (no progress since the last picture), but maybe I should keep a couple of them for "travel knitting" when I get back to work. I don't know. I DO know that I found a lovely lace scarf pattern online today that might just work up nicely in the Great Big Sea Silk. But it has a chart, and I've never worked a knitting chart before. Certainly will need more brainpower than I have tonight. Right now I need to find something 'safe' (IBS sucks, have I mentioned that?) for dinner. BRAT - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. I hate BRAT. But I love having FO's. So I guess today's coming out even?

Moving (more) day and my? cats

So it's Saturday, and in a little less than an hour (thank you, Inigo Montoya) we will have several strong backs and pairs of willing hands to help move the rest of our big stuff (and whatever little stuff we can) from house a (old house) to house b (Peter's old-moving-back-in and my new, house). I really detest moving, having done way too much of it in the past. And with everything that's been happening lately, this morning I just want to hang out in my penguin pajamas (yay for Mark's Work Wearhouse!) and vegitate. Not an option. But before we pitch into moving (more) stuff, I want to tell you about my cats.

Actually, "the girls" were Peter's mom's cats; Mush (pronounced 'moosh'), who is older than god but still kicking strong, and Squeeky, who was a rescued kitten about three years ago, if I remember right. But now, well, they kind of come with the house. Now I am not a cat person, never really. Love kittens but when they get big they get that "cattitude" that annoys me. Plus, as a knitter, I worry about what they might do to my yarn. Reasonable, yes?

Well, since we've moved in (a few days, feels like a year, gods I'm tired), Squeeky has decided that I need to rest more. Whenever I sit down, she's on my lap, and insisting on being petted for at least 10 minutes. So I have to take a break, because it would be mean to displace kitty, yes? Yes. And yesterday when I started trying to pick out my carefully sewn-up crown of my Tosca hat (which needs to be frogged and reknit - I have smaller hair than I did last winter), she nuzzled up to me and put a paw on my wrist. NOT THE YARN! She is a good kitty. Mush just shows up for food and then hides out in the bathroom vanity cabinet (she likes the heat from the hot-water supply line, I guess). But Squeeky is making me feel a whole lot more "at home". And it means a lot. So now I am a knitter with cats. But Peter's still responsible for the litter box!

Current OTN: started a Feather & Fan scarf with the Great Big Sea silk, but the colours that looked like autumn leaves in the skein look more like sourball candy in the ball and when knit up. Not sure about that, it may need to go in the bins to 'season' awhile. So the christmas dishcloth, and the to-be-frogged-and-reknit Tosca hat. Peter's sweater is waiting in the wings for some semblance of order to be restored (no way am I screwing that up in this chaos!).

But now, time to put on pants and get on with the day.

Memory knitting, and a special surprise

So, we've been packing and unpacking and moving and re-moving things to try and consolidate two houses into one, and of course "for now" my yarn bins are in a closet and my needles are in the other house and my current scarf is not giving me any joy. Total knit aggravation. Tried to take the edge off by playing computer games instead as we got the computer room somewhat functional, but not working. Damn.

Then Peter says, "There's a set of double-points in the living room". And I think, and before saying something snarky about how that does me nae good without yarn (DUH!), I remember there's also a half-knit Christmas dishcloth on the needles in the living room. Peter's mom had started and restarted it a number of times before she settled on a pattern she liked (stockinette with a garter stitch border), and it's a little less than half done. So I grabbed it, and started knitting. And I felt really connected with her, and the crazy thing is, our gauge is almost identical - you can't really tell where she left off and I began.

So I'm going to finish it, a couple of rows here and there between moving stuff, and that's going to be one unbreakable connection to her. I won't wash any dishes with it, but it might go under one of her Christmas knickknacks on a table. It's certainly pretty enough.

Now, before this happened, yesterday we went to the funeral home to make arrangements for Peter's mom. And I was pretty upset afterwards, and we came home and I said, we should pick up the mail. And there was my gift-swap gift, an utterly stunning shawl from Alison Hyde! I was, as the ladies say, "gobsmacked." My thanks to her, and her further stunning story of how I came to receive that shawl, are all in a post in KnitTalk, which you can find here.

Quite a day. And now, unfortunately, break time is over and I have to go move more stuff. But Peter's on his way home with a Starbucks mocha for me (Double-tall hazelnut soy no whip mocha - I had to write him a note!), and then we'll have some lunch before moving on to the next thing. We're getting there. Tonight we have good friends coming over (and bringing our favourite pizza, god bless them!), for a quiet relaxed evening before the big move tomorrow - and thanks again, we have a number of willing strong bodies to help us with that, so it should go pretty smoothly.

Oh, one more thing - thanks to everyone who's sent supportive emails and "comment hugs" - they really do mean the world to me and Peter. This whole experience has been so overwhelming, but equally overwhelming is the love that's come out of it. We are blessed.

Comfort knitting

I have finished two scarves and knit one whole one and started another in the past four days. Normally this would be a great accomplishment, in this case it was necessary for something resembling sanity. Peter's mom was diagnosed with acute Leukemia on Sunday morning. Today is Wednesday and she died at 11:00 last night. So swift and brutal but thank God she was not in any pain.

I used to smoke, now I knit. But I can tell you I want those scarves out of my sight ASAP. Unfortunately one of them is the gift-swap scarf; I'm mixed about sending something as a gift which has so much sadness knit into it. Maybe I'll include a note, maybe I'll send something else. I don't have to decide right away, I guess.

Thank heavens for my knitting, I could not have got through this without it.

Feeling festive yet? A holiday Meme

Got this from my poor snowed-upon pal on the Sunshine Coast (HA!), Teresa:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Can't have dairy, so Soy Nog. With Kahlua. :)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them. But I think Santa is going to be good and practise some restraint this year!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured on house, white on tree. Easier to hang ornaments that way. If you have coloured lights on the tree you have to hang complementary-coloured ornaments next to them, and it takes away the spontaneity.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yeah, but it's plastic. Still gets me kisses though.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Whenever we can. This year's all messed up because we're moving right before Christmas. I have been known to do a real tree on Christmas Eve.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Our traditional turkey dinner with my non-traditional spiked homemade cranberry sauce. HINT: Grand Marnier. Makes Sauce Good.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: This is lame LAME, but it would be my two older sisters and I dancing around my grandparents' living room on Christmas eve wearing matching mint-green feetie pajamas (the feet and trim were white). We were yelling "FEETSIE PAJAMAS! FEETSIE PAJAMAS!" I probably would have been around 4 or 5, because I can't imagine my eldest sister wearing Feetsie Pajamas past the age of 9. Although I bet she'd dig them now, she's always cold. :)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Probably when we were real small, and my folks had a pack of rowdy teenagers over from the YMCA on Christmas Eve to assemble/wrap presents and set up the tree after we went to bed. They were LOUD.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually just one - usually PJs or slippers or something like that.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? When done correctly, it's: a) lights. b) ornaments. c) garland. d) tinsel. But I am soon to be in a 2-cat household, so we may have to omit the tinsel.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it. Even when I have to clean it off my car. What I dread are stupid people who forget how to drive in it from one winter to the next!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, badly. Don't like it. Cold, hard, hurts feet. See you at the hot chocolate shack.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yikes - so many to choose from! Football (who is not a football, he is a bear *shaped* like a football), is probably the one I've had longest that I still remember. The Christmas tree ornaments Peter spent weeks and weeks turning for me on the lathe. Yes, definitely those.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Traditions - remembering old ones, making new ones. Being a kid again for a day, or at least part of one.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream. Seconded by my grandmother's suet pudding, which she doesn't make anymore and I really should get the recipe for so I could surprise my mom with it some year.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Well, we don't do it anymore, but it was always gathering around to listen to Dad read "the night before Christmas". We have a Hallmark Pop-Up Book edition of it, and being the youngest, I got to do all the pop-up stuff. Of course, when we got to be teenagers, we heard the Charlie Farquharson version and started ad-libbing it into Dad's reading - merriment ensued. As adults it's kind of gone away, although one year we were all imbibing festive beverages on Christmas Eve and it got REALLY rowdy. I think that was when Dad stopped - you shouldn't mix booze and pop-up books, even in fun. :)

17. What tops your tree? Our family tree has a light-up plastic angel that Mom & Dad bought their first married Christmas together. Her base is broken so she's always "drunk", leaning to one side. The tree isn't right if the angel isn't drunk! I have a pretty gold/gauze dress porcelain angel that I bought for my own tree about 10 years ago, but she usually sits on the mantlepiece or a shelf. She's waiting for her own tree again.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving. I love presents, yes, but if I had my way everyone would open their presents from me, first. Then I can relax. :)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? "Snoopy's Christmas", by the Royal Guardsmen. Actually, the whole Snoopy's Christmas album.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yum? Yum, in moderation. Usually two will do me for the season.

In other news, tomorrow is my sister Beth's birthday. She's 29. Again. And, honestly, still the pretty one. :)

Weird stuff on email

No knitting content today - well, ok, I finished a LB Homespun shawl for my neighbour, but that's not exciting. It's a really yuck (to me) shade of green. Now it's done, but I have two balls left over (no jokes, please!). They may go along to my secret-giftee along with the kool-aid scarf.

Now, weirdness. I've recently set up a new email account on a web-based service that I shall not name here (spam-suckers, die!). And so far, spam-free. But the site has advertising. And today, out of the corner of my eye, I saw an ad for "Breastfeeding Bands" - some kind of bracelet thingy that you can wear to help remember which side you nursed on last, for how long, etc. Which is scary, because I right now know at least five VERY pregnant ladies. But I am SO not one of them! And really, of all the weird stuff on the internet, that's gotta be top 10 for me. So, had to share with y'all.

And while I'm ranting, (ok, I'm going to start ranting...) why the holy Hades is it that one CANNOT buy a copy of ANY Erma Bombeck book in ANY of the Chapters or affiliated stores in the Ottawa area? Ok, granted, the lady (god rest her) has been dead for some time. Yeah, so's Shakespeare, and you've got his friggin' books. And granted, most of her books were written in the glorious gawdawful 70s when the phrase "stay at home mom" was a redundancy. But godDAMNit! They're timeless, funny, wonderful books and I REALLY wanted to get a copy of "Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession" for one of my very pregnant co-worker ladies. Not happening. Pissed me off.

And there I will stop, because frankly kiddies, it's been a pretty rough month and December's not looking much better. There will be upheaval and annoyance and more stress and less sleep than November had (which was too damn much and not near enough, respectively). All I can say is thank heavens for my knitting, otherwise I'd be smoking and drinking again - which would probably kill me inside a month. Now, the fact that I'll be knitting from stash for the foreseeable future is a consolation (actually, a challenge! There, how's that for positive spin?), because to be honest, my stash is LOVELY. Every time I open a bin, I get happy surprises because I've forgotten what treasures I have in there. It's like unpacking Christmas ornaments... no, wait, let's not get into that. Christmas is, to be blunt, F'd up this year. (ok, not so blunt, but I try to stay PG on here!). Yeah, my dream Christmas is right out the plasti-filmed window. Screw it. I've got my knitting.

And now, a sigh of relief...

Just got an email from the gift swap organizer. I've been reassigned to a swap-ee who is somewhat north-er than the nice Texas lady, so the original Kool-Aid-One-Row-Harlot Scarf will work. YAY! Now I have to finish it. Fortunately it is portable and I even have three "at home" evenings this week, so I could quite possibly have it in the mail within the week. And I get to keep the Great Big Sea Silk. Double Yay!

Oh crap, time to go to work. Again. But you know what? A month from now is Boxing Day.

scary, non?

Who said I wasn't knitting for Christmas? - EDIT, scroll to end

Somehow I completely spaced on having signed up for the KnitTalk gift exchange. Until I got the email from Margo-Lynn today. Oh. Crap. Now, I love the gift exchange, last year went exceedingly well. This year, I've got a lady from Texas. Which means that the Kool-Aid home-dyed pink One-Row Harlot Scarf is way too hot. Not to mention, half-finished. Hrm. That would be the upper scarf in the pictures. The lower scarf is actually a skein waiting to become a scarf, in Handmaiden Great Big Sea Silk. Which, honestly, is far more appropriate for Texan temperatures. And the colours are gorgeous. And it's likely to knit up quickly (heavy-worsted-ish weight), but I need a quick easy pattern. Dare I go for another One-Row Harlot Scarf in the yummy yarn? I've got the pattern down, I could probably whip it up in a week or two (assuming no new crises arise). Or, do I just send the lovely lady the yarn and let her make something fabulous herself? I'm torn.

Opinions please? I'll take "votes" until Sunday night, then I have to make a decision. For right now, I have to go move my laundry around and check on the nice chicken I'm making for dinner. How do I know it's a nice chicken? I don't. But I have a bottle of wine handy just in case it's not.

EDIT - Hubby says I'm not to give away the Handmaiden yarn. *sigh* He's a good hubby. So now I'm stash-diving. I do have some lovely variegated alpaca - at a loose gauge it would make a nice drapey scarf, not too warm. Stay tuned!

The Energizer bunny comes through - pictures!

Ok, I finally bought batteries for the camera - in fact, a 24-pack, so I should be good for the next year. :)

And look - it's a sweater! Well, it's most of the front of a sweater; I still need to do the left-front bit for the zipper area. The pattern is from Patons "Weekend Retreat" book, the sweater called (oh-so-imaginatively) "Zip-neck Pullover". Here's their picture of what it should look like:











I think I'm doing pretty well, don't you? The pattern calls for Patons Rustic Wool (which I'm pretty sure no longer exists), but I swapped it out for Patons Decor, and I'm really liking how it's working up. But you know what the really cool bit is? It has cables! A whole band of cables, all across his big manly chest (and around the back too). NOTE: Peter's chest is WAY more manly than the model's. He's going to look GORGEOUS in this sweater! But yes, zoom in my friends, here are my first-ever cables!













Now, the really REALLY cool bit - I did the entire band of cabling whilst sitting in the walk-in clinic, waiting to be seen by a doctor. THREE HOURS waiting to be seen by a doctor. Thank heavens I brought my knitting! And you know, people don't even sit close to you when you're whipping a fishhook-shaped cable needle in and out of your mouth every couple of stitches, muttering and counting. :) Cables in public are FUN. You know, I just noticed that the blue looks very royal in this picture - it's actually navy. And the stripe is burgundy, not that weird fuschia-red that it looks like. The first picture has truer colours.

Let's see, what else? Oh, I finished Alison's Moda Dea Aerie scarf, the ginormous pink and orange fuzzy thing. I'll try to snap a picture of her in it next time we work together. She loved it - happy day! And I have a plan for a pair of slippers for Mary, but other than that, no gift-knitting this year. Instead I'm going to try and finish up all the WIPs lying around. I've got the Harlot One-Row scarf in Kool-Aid pink hand-dyed almost half done, my striped scarf almost half done, and various other bits and pieces (ok, they're socks, I admit it) that need reviving. With all that's been going on lately, I need to get things finished, know what I mean?

test of new "beta" Blogger

Hrm, sounds like beta-blocker. Isn't that some kind of medication? Whatever. I've switched, I don't quite know what difference it's going to make, but I did change the "comments" feature so that non-Blogger people (HI KID!) can comment.

Content (and photos, dammit!) on Sunday, I swear. Right now it's beddy-bye time.

The Harlot cometh... (or, why it's cool to be a knitter)

So Thursday last, the Ottawa / Kanata area (well, the two Yarn Forward stores area) was visited by her Royal Knittiness, the incomparable Stephanie Pearl-MacPhee. I was totally prepared to skip work to attend, but didn't need to, as the Kanata event was in the evening. Stupid me, left the house without my camera, so these pictures are courtesy of Tara (thanks again!)

Stephanie arrived to a throng of knitters, packed into chairs and on the floor and pretty much everywhere. The "opening act", Louise (manageress of YF), tempted us with yummy new yarns to admire and fondle before the main performance. When I first saw Stephanie, I had two thoughts:

1) This woman looks tired. Bless her for being here.
2) My GOD, that's the WEDDING SHAWL! And with a t-shirt, how totally cool that is!

Stephanie's "talk" was all about how knitters are not cool, and how that is patently BULLSHIT! I love the idea of being a jock, not a "crafter." Woohoo!

So, the photos: First up is Her Harlottyness fondling my Knitting Olympics Shawl (which was, incidentally, admired by many there, so I had a fat head for that. Other people's stuff was gorgeous, I took the compliments gracefully for once). Notice I hold her book atop mine, as is right - she's thrice-published, I'm a novice. :)







Next, is La Harlot taking a picture of my book, which I signed to her since she was gracious enough to sign mine. Hers to me: "Obsession is normal." Mine to her: "Obsession leads to publication." I felt so legitimate as a writer! Oh, and thank GOD I was holding her sock needle-end-up. How humiliating would it be to drop the Harlot's stitches? Yikes!






Third and final is Me and Steph - two writers, two knitters, two crazy ladies with shawls that we agonized over and probably wear far too little. I'm bending my knees a bit because she was feeling short - least I could do! What a sweet person. Oh, and weird thing - for a little wee person, Stephanie has the most amazing DEEP voice! Of course, that could have been the tiredness. Get some rest, Harlot. We love you for making the trip.

Announcement! Happy News!

Ok, forget all that whiny crap from yesterday. The paper is done (and, it turns out, I was right on the mark with my approach to the topic). The work-crap that's been piling up has been whittled down to manageable and is mostly off my desk. We're having an unseasonably warm spell so the furnace is not (as much) an issue (though still not working, grumble). But none of that matters because...

MY BOOK IS PUBLISHED!!

Ok, it's not my book, it's the compilation of fifteen very talented authors in the Kanata Writers' Group, of whom I am one. (bad sentence structure for a published author, hey?) I am fourth from the bottom on the list of authors here... holy crap, I'm in print!

Now, I've been published before, in a newspaper essay contest when I was a kid, and in a few school / literary society chapbook thingies. But never in a real honest-to-dog book before. So allow me a quick WHOOPEEE! here. :)

If you're local to me, and would like to see the book (and some of its authors) in person, we are having a launch on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 7-9 P.M. at the Hazeldean Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. We'd all love to have you come. If you're not local to me, but want to read my stories (and, incidentally, support local literacy programs), you can order the book here also, and it will be sent directly to your home to share and enjoy. I recommend keeping it in the bathroom, as it's short stories and poems, good tub/throne reading.

So that's my happy news for today. Feel the love. Buy the book.

Very little knitting content - just a 'woe is me' post

Ok, this will be self-indulgent and whiny, I tell you now. If you love me and care about this stuff, read on (or if you want a dose of schadenfreude, whatever...). If you visit me strictly for the knitting, you might want to go away for now.

We have (again) no working furnace in our house. We had no furnace up until about a week and a half ago, then we had a not-quite-working-properly furnace, then we had an inspection by the gas man, who said, "THIS IS ALL WRONG", and now we have no furnace again. It's snowing outside. We have space heaters, so we're not freezing (and hell, I've got knit socks, and knit slippers, and knit sweaters and shawls abound), but it's bloody inconvenient. I'm just this minute hacking up phlegm like a fountain. I like to be warm without this futzing about. I missed work, Peter missed work, and things are still messed up. Argh. The furnace guy assures us that this will be fixed tomorrow (that would be Monday), and thank heavens our sweet neighbours across the street are going to babysit the furnace guys so we can both go to work. It had really better be warm when I get home tomorrow night. I'm tired.

Part of this tiredness stems from the fact that yes, I am working two jobs, totalling about 55 hours per week. Which really is not that much, and I'm having my sundays free. Good thing, because the term paper which is due tomorrow (Monday again), and which I took off work on Friday to do, is not done - because of the idiot furnace guys being here Friday and totally shattering my concentration. The paper will be finished today because it has to be; in order to get my concentration back, Peter is going to run away for a few hours and pick up our freezer (yay!) and a storage unit for the porch (also yay!), which is undergoing a transformation from crowded, drafty dumping ground of stuff to well-organized, insulated and weather-tight 10x12 laundry/mudroom. Have I mentioned that my fiance is the most wonderful man alive? He is, and I'm grateful for him every day. He does the dishes. :)

So, knitting. Little bits here and there. On Friday, when the paper was just not happening, I started a pair of slippers in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick. TOTALLY lives up to its name. Finished one slipper Friday, started/finished the next one Saturday morning (about 3 hours each in total, maybe less). Very warm and cozy (ahem- good thing, we've NO FREAKING FURNACE!!!). Working away on Alison's scarf also - she loves it so far and there is way more yarn than needed for one scarf, so there will in fact be two scarves - one has four blocks of colour (pink/orange/pink/orange, one ball per block), and the other I think I'm going to try alternating the colours every row. It may be too busy, I don't know yet. But that will be after Christmas. The rest of the current WIPs are piled in a Rubbermaid tote to keep them safely out of the way of the furnace guys (dirty/smelly), and from taking over the living room. *sigh* I need more time to knit - thank heavens it's only five weeks until my two-week vacation. Which is not a full vacation, but at least I'll only be working the one job, and no school, which means - JOY! - time to knit.

Now I have to write that paper. Wish me luck.

I really need photos - yet another update...

Yes, I still have no batteries in my camera. *sigh*. However:

1) Remika's scarf - done. Pink and girly, long and warm. To be posted ASAP.

2) My striped scarf - uh, hiding? I can't find the bag it's in. Oops. SO...

3) My new soft boucle tube scarf. About an inch done. Because I got distracted by...

4) Peter's sweater. Growing slowly but daily. This may take a while but I'm loving it (and knitting it with love). Maybe it'll be his wedding present... that give me until May!

5) Blanket. Uh, still in progress. But I don't love knitting it, which makes it difficult.

6) Alison's scarf. One of my coworkers scored an amazing deal on some Moda Dea aerie, the same stuff I used for my fuzzy blue shawl last year. She got three balls each of a dusty pink and tangerine-orange, and wants a long, wide scarf. Easy peasy - 15mm needles, 21 stitches. However, it may take awhile because big needle knitting hurts my hands lately. *sigh*

AND - I really need to get the camera back up, because I have stuff to take pictures of. Namely, SEA SILK! and GREAT BIG SEA SILK! Yes, I splurged at Inspirations on Friday and now have no yarn budget left (who am I kidding, I never HAD a yarn budget!). Seriously - $100 on yarn in one day? I have to stop now. Knit knit knit, but don't buy. Not 'til after Christmas... oh dear, it's another yarn fast. Yup!

Pictures soon I hope!

Still no photos, another update

God, two weeks gone and no post... things have been busy! First up in news is - Peter and I have set a wedding date! Yay!!! Sunday, May 20, 2007. Much to do between now and then, but it will be small and simple so hopefully low-stress and reasonably low-cost. That's the big news.

Now the knit-news:
1) Remika's scarf is coming along GORGEOUS. It's Freshisle Fibers softspun in cochineal pink, carried along with a strand of Vespa (colourway #1644), and it's super-warm-sparkly-girly fun. I'm hoping to finish it this week to send to her at school because it's getting darn cold out! Which brings me to...

2) My scarf. Striped denim and natural Mission Falls wool , 2" wide stripes in 2x2 ribbing, and I think it's about 4" wide. I'm into the second ball of each colour and I'm loving it - but oh, all those ends to weave in later! I'll think about it later. ;) Again, needs to be finished ASAP because it matches the toque and it's getting windy and damp in the mornings and evenings here.

3) The blanket - stalled. BUT - we're getting our furnace installed this week (YAY!) so it's a less pressing issue.

4) Fuzzy Feet - decided against. Will probably make socks of the dye party yarn, when the sock mood strikes again.

5) Uh... what else? Peter's sweater. Still to be started. I need to write out the pattern and make some adjustments and then re-swatch (Actually, I should swatch first, shouldn't I?). I am going to start it soon, honest!

6) N8an and Dan's blanket - well, I've got the yarn...

7) Sandy's shawl - in progress but slowly. Not for lack of love or interest, just really don't like the green. But she does. So it must be knit. I'll have to watch hockey while I knit it. (oh darn!)

And that's about it. OH! Yumi's shawl. That's in progress as my travel-with-to-work and such knitting. It's growing steadily but slowly. Yumi, when's your birthday again? (eep!)

Lots of other "want-to" projects in the bins but I think this is plenty for now... I have a term paper to research and write and other things to do (like, plan the wedding!), so may need to knit a little less. Dagnabit.

However, Ottawa SnB is Wednesday night - YAY! - so I get my quality estrogen time in. Love the SnB gals, they put things in such wonderful perspective for me. Now, back to the books and my scarf. Study an hour, knit half an hour. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!

No photos today but an update

First, big thanks to J. for the dye party yesterday! Whenever I get together with the local knitting gals, I always enjoy myself and this was a terrific afternoon. I brought two balls of Patons Classic wool to dye, but first they needed to be skeined. One was taken over by Jo's daughter (a precocious nine-year-old who spins and knits and knows more about fleece than I ever hope to). She niddy-noddy'ed it whilst I wrestled with the other. Note to self - you suck at skeining. Leave it to those who know. Big thanks to Jo for getting me untangled.

So we did Kool-Aid dying, which is fruit-smelling fun. As per my usual impatient mode with dye things (generally, tie-dye tshirts), I did not make nice stripes, or interesting patterns. I squirted on blue, green, purple, and pink and then smooshed it all in to a kind of muddy mauve. However, it's dry now and rather pretty - I'll take a picture and post it later. I was thinking socks, but now it may become Fuzzy Feet slippers because I think the felting will make the coloration look even better.

Peter's neckwarmer, which I had mentally designed last winter, is now knit up and ready for this winter - I just need to sew on the velcro closure. Basically it's a variation on a triangle shawl - I cast on 20 stitches (Patons classic wool, doubled) on an 8mm needle and knit in 2x2 rib, knit two rows, increase one stitch each end for the next two rows, knit two rows, and so on until it was deep (long) enough, then doubled and redoubled all the ribs (with a few work-even rows interspersed) until it was long (wide) enough to wrap 'round his big ol' manly neck. Only problem is, the ribbing makes it kind of... ruffly. Like an Elizabethan ruff. BUT - I knit it deep (long) enough to actually fold over at the top which pretty much flattens out the ruffle. Anyway it's for warmth not looks. :)

Still working away on Kid's shawl, which she made ooh-ahh noises over this evening - that's my "in the bag" knitting. And slow but steady progress on the blanket - White Buffalo, for our queen-size bed. This may be a long WIP, folks...

Now I have a NPD - New Project Dilemma. I want to make a ribbed/striped scarf for me, to match my new toque. I also want to make a pair of the aforementioned Fuzzy Feet slippers because our floors are very cold and we won't have a furnace for at least another three weeks (grumble). AND I have an idea for a pretty pink scarf for a friend who's gone off to school - it'll be chunky weight, with the Freshisle Fibers softspun held together with a strand of Vespa shiny boucle. Supergirly and super warm. Besides, R. is one of the few people I know over the age of sixteen who actually looks good in soft pink.

So I'm torn three ways - I suppose I could start them all and rotate through them an hour at a time or something. Actually that might be wise because they're all different needle sizes and my hands would like that. I should swatch up the LB Homespun I got today for Sandy's shawl too so she can pick which colourway she likes. Thank heavens there's a long weekend coming up! Although I have course readings to do too... okay, here's the plan: For every hour of reading, I get a half-hour knitting break. That's fair, right? Right.

Pictures later in the week, I promise. I'm not working nights at the store right now so I have more time (yay!) for blogging, and reading, and knitting. Life is good.

And it's hat season!

A new toque, hot (well, snuggly warm) off the needles. This is what I'd call a luxical toque - luxurious but practical. It's a very good yarn but easy care. Mission Falls superwash wool, 1 ball each of "Denim" (#21) and "Natural" (#1). 2x2 rib on 5mm bamboo needles. A pretty quick knit, less than a week in "here and there" stints with a finishing push on tonight.

The stripes are approx. 2" wide and I must say a very special thanks to the gang over at KnitTalk, especially Adele, for helping me preserve the ribbing over the decreases at the top. Adele, your math rocks and I love you for it! Although I admit (and you can see in the picture, the email printout under the hat) that I only went to decrease row 7 and then fudged it because I was running out of yarn. But it's long enough for an ear-warming foldup at the bottom, so it's all good.

I loved this colour, stripe, and stitch combination so much that I splurged and bought another six balls (3 of each) to make a matching scarf. Simple but special, and the blue is a near-perfect match to my fall/early-winter coat, so it'll be getting lots of wear over the next few months (until heavy parka weather hits and I bring my lovely Tosca set back out of storage!). So I will start the scarf tomorrow night. I may not love 2x2 ribbing over 60" as much as I did over 10", but I really want the scarf, so motivation and pure stubbornness will win out!

Now, go knit yourself a hat. You know you want it!

PS, Yumi if you're reading this, your shawl in the laceweight blue Fleece Artist is underway; it's going to be my "travel-in-the-bag" knitting for the next while. :)

PS #2 - Sorry for the sudden change folks, I've reverted to the soothing lighthouse picture now that summer is over. Hot pink just doesn't work for me in cool weather.

It's scarf season!

It's been dipping down to single digits in the overnights and mornings this week, which means time to knit new scarves. Actually, I have a new toque on the needles now too, but it's not toque weather until it goes below zero, for me. So. First up we have the Lion Brand Fun Fur Stripes scarf - 3 balls x 24 stitches (I think?) , straight garter stitch, and it's about 4 feet long by 4" wide. About. Hard to measure fuzzy stuff. Anyway it's doubled up on the shoe rack here and that's about 2 feet (ha ha!) wide, so it's a little under 4 feet.

Interesting stuff, the Fun Fur. I resisted it for the longest while because in the ball, it's nasty stuff. Not cuddly and soft, not sleek, just - fuzzy. And artificially fuzzy, too. But as I knit it (a bit fiddly to start, but then you get the sense of it), I grew to appreciate its qualities. It is "fun" - you can't be in a scowly mood knitting this stuff. And it does make a funky scarf. And, that's about it, but for the price that's enough. This one is going to be a Christmas present actually for the spouse of a co-worker, who really is the perfect person for blue-striped Muppet-y-ness. I may make another - I bought 3 more balls in a rainbowy colourway. Might be nice for spring.

Now, scarf #2 - for ME ME ME!! This is in the new Patons "Rumor" yarn, which I was very much irresistably drawn to after Nancy pointed it out to me. Nancy, thank you! This colourway is called "Hawthorn Heather", and it's a beige-y, taupe-y marl... the shiny taupe twisted around the fuzzy beige. This picture really doesn't do it justice, but it's lovely stuff.

I used two balls (last two of this colour in the store, so that was that!) and the scarf is 9" wide by 36" long. Which, admittedly, is really wide and rather short. BUT - the width allows it to be folded over and it's just long enough to tuck inside the collar of my fall coat. So it's perfect for me. Prescribed needle size was 6.5mm, which worked just fine - I did a Shaker Rib stitch which is open enough to give it some drape and which also allows for the folding to happen without bunching up. I like this yarn a lot - it's very soft, retains body heat amazingly quickly, and is lightweight. One caveat - it sheds like a puppy in springtime when being knit up. I'm hoping it will stop shedding once it's been worn a few times. But I don't mind the shedding really - it's animal fiber (at least partly - 15% alpaca) and animals shed!

I could see making a sweater of this; there's a nice leaf-green colourway called "Fern Heather" that I think would make a flattering sweater. Now I just need a pattern for a chunky-weight sweater that doesn't look like a sweatshirt (my first Shetland Chunky sweater, which I love, is a turtleneck sweatshirt - let's be honest). Actually, this would be terrific for a cardigan for the office... in which case I might go for the "Spanish Heather" instead, because it's got a red marl to it that is really eye-catching. Hm - maybe after Christmas. If it goes on sale, definitely! I don't remember the price; about $6/ball if I'm right. So a cardigan's worth would probably go about $60-$80 bucks - the scarf, draped over one arm, is a sleeve plus a little. So 4 balls for 2 sleeves, at least 6 or 8 for the body. Yikes. Time to start dropping Christmas gift hints, I guess!

Current OTN: stripe-y toque in navy blue and cream, for me, and a laceweight Fleece Artist shawl for Yumi. I want to start Peter's sweater soon, but I have to rewrite the pattern to reverse all the knits and purls so I don't space out midway and screw it up. This is probably going to be a birthday sweater (March), not a Christmas sweater. Oh well. He's gonna look GORGEOUS in it whenever it is done!

Ok, laundry and another stripe of toque-y goodness. Interesting sidenote: my head is 22" diameter. Is that normal for a medium-tall, medium-weight woman? I have no idea. Where's my Knitting Rules, I need to look this up... ok, small adult = 20", large adult = 24". So yes - I am a medium-sized adult. On the other hand, Brent Butt's head is 29" around. This is true, I heard him say it on one of his TV specials. That's bigger than my waist. Wow. I wonder if anyone's ever knit him a toque? Well, probably his mom. But as an adult, I wonder. Perhaps I should knit him a nice Corner Gas red/yellow/green toque.

Ok, laundry and another stripe. Now, really now. I can hear my socks wrinkling in the dryer. HAH! gotcha!

Update: the Kit is a gimp

I tore a ligament in my knee. Ow ow ow. Which means I'm not at the store tonight, but will try very hard to be there for tomorrow night (i'm practicing my cane walking). On the upside, being forced to sit and keep the leg elevated means lots of knitting time; I finished a pair of slippers for my grandmother yesterday. Today I'm working on finishing Alison's shawl before I launch into Peter's sweater. So if you're coming to the store tonight, just ask at Customer Service if you can have a Friends and Family coupon - they should give you one. Or see me tomorrow, I'll be in from 5-9 - easy to spot, i'll be the one with the cane!

Important Flash to Ottawa people!

Hi everyone, if you're local to me and there's a chance of seeing me between now and next Saturday, please arrange to do so. Michaels is having a special "Friends and Family" event from September 14th to 16th (so Thursday through Saturday) where, if you have one of the special invitation cards, you get 25% off your ENTIRE order (not just one item like the usual crappy coupons). I have 40 of these cards - if you want one, email me at kthurber*at*rogers*dot*com and we'll try to arrange a hook-up. Worst case scenario, I'll be working at the store (South Keys location) Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights this week, 5-closing (which is 9). So you can come see me there, I'll keep a few cards in my apron just in case.

Can I flog a few products? Of course I can, it's my blog. :)

We have the new Soy With Stripes (soy/wool self-striping) and Rumours (alpaca/acrylic) from Patons, which are yummy and very neat colours. We have Takumi bamboo knitting needles. We have lots of pattern leaflets and a few of the bigger yarn books (sorry, titles escape me). And of course scrapbooking stuff (*cough*Kid*cough*) and all manner of other crafty things.

So come visit me at work! Or email me, or something! Because really, I like to share such goodies with my friends.

That's it for now - "peace out" as the kiddies say.

And time flies...

So much to do, and the days are literally getting shorter all the time! So odd now to be finishing up at the store (or not even finished) and it's already dark outside, and it's near-dark when getting up in the morning too... the light is leaving and sweater weather is upon us. Which means I really need to knit some sweaters! When stash-diving for some shawl yarn last night (more on that later), I found the bag-o-KnitPicks for Peter's Christmas sweater, and kept it out of the bin, hoping that its visible presence with get me motivated to start the dang thing. It's going to be gorgeous, I just need a quiet hour or two to get started.

I also need to (dang quick) make yet another pair of bootie slippers for my grandmother. Apparently she's worn out the last two pairs, made of Softee Chunky, so I think it's time to move to something more durable - Red Heart Supersaver. Mom & Dad are going to visit the East Coast branch(es) of the family in about two weeks, so these slippers have to happen ASAP. Probably tomorrow before work, as my only free evening this week upcoming is Thursday and we'll be having MIL over for dinner that night.

Speaking of dinners, last night we had one of my favourite people out to eat and movie with us, the beautiful and charming and generally wonderful Kid. Kid is the rarest of all people-creatures, she can inspire me to total childish silliness (knock-knock jokes abounded last night, followed by a severe gigglefit) and can also share the most serious topics of conversation, life issues (hers and mine), and just about anything else that comes along. She loves stuffies. She's a total Buffy geek. She really appreciates a home-cooked meal (Praise for my cooking is a joy to me). She, basically, is a small burst of happiness in this odd old world. I love her like a sister, maybe more because she's never hit me with a ukelele or kneeled on my chest trying to choke me to death. But I digress.

Kid is also a wonderful person to knit presents for - I've made her a couple of hats and a scarf and her enthusiasm makes me feel terrific. So in passing the other day (it may have been at the wedding), I asked her if I had knit her a shawl yet. No. Ok. So last night after dinner and movie, we dove into the bins and came out with two balls of Fleece Artist - one is the remnant of the stuff I used for Teresa's going-away shawl (still oodles of yardage left, blue/pink/green shades) and the other is a new one just picked up last week, goldielocks in rusty/plum/gold shades. We couldn't decide which was better, so I'm going to make her one in each. She looks fabulous in pretty much everything she wears, so I'm looking forward to her wearing Fleece Artist shawls knit by me! So I need to start one of them soon too... that may become travel/lunch knitting, since shawls are fairly portable for the first while, anyway - especially that laceweight. Hm.

Sadly, I've passed out of the sock-frenzy I was in last month and did not actually finish any socks. They're all in time-out for now, waiting patiently. Probably until Christmas when things quiet down a bit. Oh, crap - look at the time. I have to be downtown in an hour for a Books'N'Brunch with my bookcrossing group. Time flies!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Well, one of my best friends, anyway. Today N8an and Dan are finally (and legally!) tying the knot. N8an and I have been close friends since oh, about 1997 or so, I guess. We've seen each other go through good and bad relationships, jobs, haircuts, roommates. Now he's in a career that makes him happy, living in a beautiful home, with the man he loves (and really, has been saving himself up for all these years). I'm beyond happy for him - I'm thrilled!

Sometimes, the good guys win. I'm glad this is one of those times. :)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to knit at the wedding - I think that's one of those Emily Post no-nos. ;) But it won't be dull, for sure - some of the guests are folks I haven't seen since our shared wild university days, and most (if not all) of us have pretty much settled down and grown up by now. So now, I have to go get all dolled up for this; I know all eyes will be on the grooms but I still want to look good! I'll be wearing my Bronze Butterfly shawl or the Olympic shawl - can't decide yet - with something slinky and black, I think.

Get me to the church on time!

Wow, 101 posts!

I just noticed that I've made 100 posts to this blog since I started it, and now this will make 101. So, to celebrate, I will show you actual photos of me - and Peter - with Joe L'Erario. We met Joe at a booksigning last year and it took me this long to (a) find the pictures on the computer and (b) get them to show properly.

You may remember Joe from the supremely educational and wildly entertaining TLC show "Furniture to Go / Furniture on the Mend" back in the early 90s. He did the nifty paint stuff, his partner/sidekick Ed Feldman did the nifty upholstery stuff. Together they wrote the Furniture Guys book, and last year Joe released "Creating the Perfect Wood Finish", which you can see in the corner of the photos. Wacky and useful goodness.


So, here we are - me on the left, Joe the Magnificent in the middle, and Peter on the right. To emphasize the special-occasion'ness of the evening, note that Peter is holding a double-tall latte from Starbucks instead of his usual large-double-cream from Tim Horton's.

And no, I am NOT pregnant - it was winter and I was wearing a big sweater. I also weighed about 20 lbs. more than I do now. But please note the lovely Tosca striped scarf, handknit by me. As usual, Peter looks all rugged and manly - "so construction-y", as he puts it. Gotta love a guy with power tools. :)

And the light dawns...

Realized today why my knitting (and other) energy has been down. I'm sick. Went to the doctor this afternoon with raging fever, pain in knuckles and back, headache and general blah-ness. I've got an unspecified virus... they took some blood. Tomorrow I go back in the morning (after fasting, NO JOY) and they take more blood.

But for tonight, no knitting, no more computer, no nothin'. Soup and sleep.

Socks and shawls and socks and shawls

This has been a pretty stressful week and not much knitting getting done. I had to frog my Clapotis, Peter's Marble sock #1 is still awaiting a try-on and toe decrease, and I have my Shetland Chunky sock #1 at about the same state. Right now all I feel like knitting is garter stitch on big needles, so I've been working a bit on the triangle shawl for Alison, in Bernat "Harmony". It's soft and pretty and I don't have to think about it.

I have a lot going on these days, and more coming soon, and I have to keep reminding myself that the knitting is for enjoyment and relaxation, so if I've only got the energy and focus for plain garter, that's okay. It's still knitting. I do need to start something simple for take-along knitting, though; while socks travel well, I don't really feel like doing socks. Maybe I'll start one of the Fun Fur scarves that Janice suggested. That will be good breaktime/lunchtime/appointment knitting, I hope. Or maybe a new circular hat. I could use a new hat, with fall coming on.

But, deadlines and knitting right now are Not Good, so I'm not pressuring myself for anything. You know what they say about pressure - it makes either diamonds or dust. Normally I tend to the diamond category, but this past couple of weeks I've been feeling dusty.

Dang and Double Dang!

Karma Chameleon Clapotis is in the frog pond. Ripped back to zero because I (stupidly) was trying to work on it while my idiot landlord was futzing about with our electrical system, and he wouldn't shut up and I messed up my stitch count. Dang!

So I threw it all in a bag (because my ballwinder was also being uncooperative) and it will be in time-out until Saturday when I can untangle and restart. I love the pattern, I love the yarn, I hate my landlord.

In other knit-news, Peter's marble sock #1 is nearing completion - just needs a try-on to check for length and then I can start toe decreases. And the second sock, of course!

But for now, bed. Two-shift day tomorrow so I need my beauty sleep.

Happy birthday to me!

So yesterday, I turned 35. Not really a bad thing, in fact it was pretty good. Spent the afternoon golfing with Peter and our neighbours, Sandy & Dan. Then BBQ / party at Sandy & Dan's later, complete with Steve singing and playing guitar, and toasted marshmallows over the firepit. Any day that ends with toasted marshmallows is a good day.

I also got $75 in gift cards for Yarn Forward; $50 from mom & dad and $25 from Peter's mom. JOY! I did spend a little already on the Marble for Carole's Clapotis (I may have posted about that already?), but the rest I'm saving for something really special for me.

Speaking of Clapotis, I've finished Row 8 (straight section) for the second time, and dropped the second stitch. I still don't like the way they look dropped; I really hope it looks better when the whole thing's done!

Working this evening and may pick up some LB Fun Fur; I've never really been interested in it but Janice at the store said it's great for quick scarves for gifts and right now we've got in on sale for 2 balls/$5. That's a good deal, so I might try to find some colours that aren't too horrific. :)

KC Clapotis - 1st picture!

This week has been pretty busy; tonight is my 4th shift this week at the store along with the usual "day job" insanity (I'll be SO glad when summer is over!) so not much knitting time. Did get out to Bridgehead Stitch'n'Bitch on Wednesday night for a little while at least... so good to see the ladies even though I did have to rush off for a "House" date with Peter. Note: "House" is quite possibly the most addictive show ever. Be warned.

Anyway, this afternoon I finally had time to start on the straight section and dropped my first stitch. No bells rang, no angels sang out. And it looks kind of... sloppy. I'm hoping more will improve the look. We shall see. Here is a picture of the Karma Chameleon Clapotis at the end of Straight Section #1 (following pattern, I did the standard # of increase sections):

It's purty. I enjoy this pattern, and (like others) I already have a second one in mind - in Marble (which you know is one of my favourite yarns) for a friend of mine who, sadly, has a "no animal fiber" allergy. Yay for pretty acrylic! That will be a Christmas gift, I hope.

In other knit-news, I got a package in the mail Monday from Marian at Freshisle Fibers - JOY! Two balls of lilacy-pink softspun and a housewarming gift - a ball of fingering weight in a really neat bluey-green... kind of looks like Lake Huron on a cloudy day, so totally reminds me of Manitoulin. I think I will attempt a lace scarf with it; some kind of waves/water pattern to play up the colour.

Still working away on Peter's socks here and there, but no photos yet. I also got a $50 gift card for Yarn Forward for my birthday - JOY! again. Spent some of it on the Marble for Carole's Clapotis, but some is reserved for a rumoured incoming shipment of Handmaiden. OOOH!

Now, off to work again. Friday night before the Saturday flyer. Should be fun!

The Karma Chameleon Clapotis is underway!

Today we finally got our front porch/storage area cleaned out and (mostly) organized, so I could get into my stash bins and start my Clappy! I'm using Red Heart Soft Touch (they call it a "4" medium worsted, but it feels more like a DK to me) in colour #4612, which is red, gold, and green - hence, Karma Chameleon. :)

I started it on 6.5 mm Addis, but the yarn/needle combination was too slick and the ktbl's were a pain in the butt, so restarted it on 5.5 mm Clover bamboo straights and it's going wonderfully! One little hiccup on the first increase attempt (but that was on the Addis, so no harm, I was frogging anyway), but now I'm sailing along. LOVING the rhythm of the pattern - I've completed my 2nd increase section and like the gauge so far - I think once I get to dropping things it will have a lovely drape. Also using the "purl the 2Bdropped" technique and that makes the fabric much tidier than the markers I tried on the first go-round.

Hoping to do another repeat or two of the increases tomorrow before work, then it will probably rest until next weekend (I'm not confident enough yet in the pattern to take it to midweek SnB!). But I'm pleased so far and the slight nip in the air tonight is certainly compatible with these autumn-y colours.

Got a couple rows done on Peter's Marble sock too, after dinner (we had my parents, Peter's Mom, my sis and neice over for BBQ - house full!). A good reward of knitting after a day of chores.

Now, bed. Working tomorrow - must not buy more yarn!

I'm sinking under WIPs!

All right, there are worse ways to go than to be buried under an avalanche of yarn, but I've really got to rein in this start-itis bout I've been on lately. Confession time: here's the WIP list:

1) Peter's Mega Boots socks: 1 at the ankle gusset, and needs to be ripped back to the heel flap because I totally buggered the stitch count. It's in time out until I get its mate caught up to the heel. Guess what? Haven't cast on the mate yet, though I did pick up the yarn and a second set of the necessary DPNs.

2) Peter's Marble socks: Actually, I'm cruising on these. Just started last weekend for fun and already down the foot of the first one. I really like this yarn and the pattern; I think I can use the same pattern for worsted, like Patons Classic. I've got my Harlot yarn in stash and I think that socks would be appropriate; her paean to handknit socks in Knitting Rules (among other places) really brings home the point about the knit-love connection. Although, maybe I should do something a little... prettier? than a plain-Jane sock? Ok, sorry, I'm digressing like mad here. Next up:

3) My Jaywalkers: pathetic. I bought the yummiest yarn, cast on and have done exactly five pattern repeats beyond the ribbing of the first sock. I need concentration for this sock and I just seem - scatterbrained, I guess, lately. Ah well. They will have their day.

4) Peter's Christmas Sweater: still a swatch. Christmas is slightly over 4 months away.

5) My Clapotis: Well, I dug the yarn out of stash today (finally!) but that was not my fault - our porch (my stash storage) has been kind of a junk repository due to some major home surgery projects in the past week or so. Will be casting this on tomorrow.

6) The office curtain: It's a valance! But growing with every hour at the computer, so at least moving forward.

7) New Shawl (for neighbour Alison): Totally did NOT plan on starting this so soon, but I stopped in to the store on the way home today to get my schedule for the upcoming week and there was a whole bin of Bernat Harmony on sale for $2.00/ball. In a really pretty colourway called "Nature's Blues", which really, just had to be a shawl. So I got five balls. Which, in fairness, is a shawl and a scarf. So I will make the shawl for Alison and a scarf to go in gifting/charity stash. Altruistic knitting! (convinced yet?)

I think that's everything that's currently live or about-to-be live. I did finish Carole's shawl last night and gave it to her today (a week ahead of our birthday, but I couldn't wait). She totally LOVED it - the "Purple Poodle" was Perfect for her. So yay! Peter took some pictures of me wearing the poodle last night, so once we figure out how to get his camera to talk to my computer, I'll post those.

Now, back to reading Knitgroups and working on the curtain. Did I mention that it's about 2' x 2-1/2' of garter, worsted weight? Bleah. But - my honey wants, my honey gets. Love makes us knit funny things. :)

It's my Knitaversary!

It's "civic holiday Monday", which here in Ottawa is called Colonel By Day, in Moncton was called New Brunswick Day, and in Halifax/Dartmouth is Natal Day. I still call it Natal Day weekend, because deep in my heart I wish I could go to the parade, the fair, and the fireworks. Nothing like a holiday to make you homesick. But I digress.

It was on this same long weekend last year that Peter and I had our whirlwind trip to Manitoulin Island (which we totally fell in love with!), and that I learned to knit. I remember I had this "I taught myself knitting" kit that I bought at Michaels (it's a Boye needles/Lion brand yarn coproduction), and a skein of Red Heart super saver in a beige/blue/orange colourway. We sat in the cabin in the woods, Peter with his book (or, most of the time, napping over his book) and me struggling through those first few rows of stitches. The tranquility of it was amazing and I think contributed largely to my newfound affection for knitting. When we got home again I made a scarf for Peter in Habs colours, and that was the week my daughter was visiting from Halifax and she was admiring how fast I could knit... I would knit while she played "Kill All Humans" on the Playstation. Not really a Kodak moment, but our family is weird anyway.

So my starting-out in knitting was all peaceful and happy, and I've carried that peaceful/happy feeling with me nearly every time I pick up my needles, or play with a new yarn, or read knitblogs and knitgroups, or go to a Stitch'n'Bitch with the gals. It's become an addiction, I admit: a day without knitting is generally a cranky day. And I have a huge stash, only about 3/4 of which is for specific projects. And a project list that will take 2 or 3 years, easy, with more new ones added all the time. But - I love it.

I love knitting the way I love reading, but in some ways more; I can be social when I knit, I can watch hockey or read knitgroups or chat with friends, the way I can't when I'm reading. And the things I have made, and will make... scarves, slippers, sweaters, shawls, socks. Hrm. Mostly "S" projects. Interesting. A couple of throws and blankies also. All that beautiful yarn, knit into warm and often pretty things for my loved ones and sometimes casual friends or even strangers. All those stitches, all the things I've learned. Turning my first sock heel, kitchenering my first toe. Figuring out how yarnovers work, and wrestling with buttonholes until I said not-nice words, but perservering because it was for someone I love. And learning, always learning new things. Someone once told me when you stop learning you're dead. No fear!

And now, on my Knitaversary weekend, another stage of my knitting life, which somehow brings it full circle. See, when I first bought that learn-to-knit kit at Michaels last year, I peeked in the book to see what kind of yarn to buy, and it said "worsted weight". And I asked the nearest sales associate, and she was singularly unhelpful: "Oh, it says on the label what's what." And now, here I am working at Michaels myself! I had my first shift this weekend, and I think I'm going to like it pretty well. I'm in General Crafts, which includes the yarn aisles, and on my first shift I got to answer a couple of knitting questions, which made me feel great - I love that I can share all the knowledge I've piled up the last year with someone else who's maybe just starting out, or is at an unfamiliar stage.

Of course, working at Michaels is also tempting me in new crafting directions - I spent some time in the decorative painting section and the beading section and thought "what if I???". So who knows where that will go. But I think knitting will remain my primary craft passion. Because, after a year, I'm more in love with it than ever (kind of like Peter after six years *wink*).

So happy knitaversary to me!

Getting on the Clapotis bandwagon

I've got 4 pair of socks on the needles, a shawl that's 80% done and a sweater in the swatch stage (say THAT three times fast!). So of course, I have to start something new. And for some time now, I've been drawn to the Clapotis - it's a shawl/scarf, which I love, and I've seen enough of them in person and pics on the Net that I'm really intrigued. Also, I've had a big bag o'yarn in stash since last fall that was going to be a slinky sweater but has decided to be my Clapotis instead. It's Red Heart Soft, in a red/gold/green variegated that Peter calls "Karma Chameleon Yarn." He's such an 80s geek, but I am too, so whatcha gonna do?

And now, since the nice people came and took the dead fridge out of our front porch (yay!), I can get at my yarn bins and dig out the Karma Chameleon Yarn. And it's a long weekend - how sweet is that? So, stay tuned for the Karma Chameleon Clapotis (now, say THAT three times fast!). And the socks, and the other shawl, and the sweater... Yeah, I've got start-itis. It's summer, the season of short attention spans. :)

I feel like knitting a sweater today

Last night the temperature dropped to a brisk 14 degrees (celsius) and it's still cool enough this morning at 11:00 to need a sweater in the computer room. I'm really REALLY tempted to dig into the bins and pull out the Bernat Denimstyle to start my back-to-school sweater today. But I have 5 WIPS on the go already... well, maybe I could just swatch for it. Swatching doesn't count as starting something new, does it?

Speaking of WIPs - progress update:

1) the charity shawl - of the original 5 (or was it 6) balls of the eBay yarn, only 2 remain. Another week of computer knitting and this puppy is done and ready to be put away for the Christmas season. I finally peeled the price stickers off the yarn tag ($1.00 at Woolco/Woolworth, marked down from $2.66), and it's Mohair Plus by Grand Moulin Yarns - 70% acrylic, 15% mohair, 15% nylon. It's a nice chunky weight and verry soft.

2) Peter's Mega Boots socks - the heel is turned on sock #1 at last! Now I need to pick up the gusset and get that foot done, and start #2 ASAP. Gusset-picking-up will happen tonight or tomorrow, and then it's back in the bag for travel knitting.

3) The Purple Poodle - yes, the beast has risen again and I was surprised to see how much I'd completed of it! Did a couple more repeats yesterday and it's coming along well - has to be ready for August 19th for Carole's birthday (it's my birthday too!) so will need a couple of dedicated evenings to finish. The yarn is Cora by Lang - lovely microfibre stuff.

4) Shetland Chunky house socks for me - past halfway mark of the foot on #1. I'm only working on these when my hands get sore from the wee needles of the smaller socks.

5) Jaywalkers in KP Sock Memories (S'mores) - shamefully, no progress since the original 2" when I started them. The pattern is not complicated but does take a fair bit of attention, and it's weeny needles too. I do want to get these done but right now am not real motivated to get moving on them. Odd, because I can't wait to wear that lovely wool on my toes!

Yes, I think I will swatch for the Back-to-School sweater today. It'll only take an hour and then I'll get back to the other stuff.

Happy Sunday, Bloglanders!