Buddha Says...

Enough already!!

With all of this going on and ON , we've had to work hard to keep our spirits up.

There have been sock clubs in spring colours , and knitting in spring colours ...

there has been water activity, which speaks to warmer weather ...

We've been doing all we can to help bring spring along, in spite of dire predicitions that there's still another 3 - 4 weeks of cold and snow likely. Some of us have sought solace in the arms of our dogs, and sadly, some of us have turned to less socially acceptable means of coping - thievery and gloating .

Desperate times and all that...

Things are looking a little better now, but we continue to watch and wait patiently , because it has to come eventually....

right?

What? could it be....

Well, if there are flowers, and chocolate (in an edible box, no less!), then it must be Valentine's Day!

Oh, and cupcakes... lots and lots of cupcakes...
I love the little hearts with the cheesey sayings...

I just hope kids in Grade 6 find them as amusing...

and in the midst of this, there is an FO to report - things have been slowly but surely wrapping up on several fronts, nothing major to show yet, but these:
, made from Duets sock yarn which my wonderful friend Kelly picked up on her trip to Seattle last year. I don't think she's made hers yet - we have matching skeins - but let's not pressure the poor girl, shall we?

I have started another pair of socks, which I am utterly infatuated with, but as my camera battery is in need of help, I'll have to post a pic later.

Funny, as I set up the socks for the shot, the dogs were just fascinated with what was hanging in the tree - they had paid no attention to the socks till then - wonder what they were thinking?


and happily, Maggie is well recovered from her surgery, back to being her usual perky self, and loving the white stuff, with which we have been more than amply supplied this year... enough already!!!

So I hope that your Valentine's angels are treating you all well today - I am not a big fan of the day, never really liked the fuss made over what is just a big commercial event... but when there are flowers and chocolate involved, wellllllllllll, I can sacrifice my principles a little...

that doesn't make me a bad person - just a chubby one...

I approve...

I feel pretty much the same as the Yarn Harlot with regards to winter - don't much like it, not a fan, and every winter I ask myself why the hell I live in Canada... I mean, really...

But today, I approve. We are in the midst of a storm, a big, nasty storm - it's been snowing steadily since last night, and there's been some freezing rain and heavy winds thrown into the mix. Some of us are enjoying the white stuff
more than others


I took the pictures from inside, largely because I am of the latter mindset... but we'll go out for a walk later, just because it's white and clean and fun for a bit...

Unfortunately, we were robbed of a snow day because this was already designated as a Professional Activity Day... not complaining or anything, just, well, I guess I am...

you may notice the large bald patch on Maggie's back? She had surgery about 1 1/2 weeks ago to remove a large cyst - cost the same as the club chairs I was eyeing for the living room, but at least now Charlie isn't chasing her around, thinking she's accessorizing with a chunk of raw meat on her back. She's recovered very well, and I, I myself, the mom, took out the stitches...

No, I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV...

In other news:
The school choir, of which Ben is a member, sang both national anthems last weekend at a Hamilton Bulldogs game at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. To put it in perspective, Michael Buble sang there on Tuesday night, so it's a big-ticket venue (although I am not a fan, so his presence there didn't impress me - I think he's a Harry Connick Jr wannabe-but-neverwillbe). Ben was hard to spot, as he was standing right on the edge of the carpeting in the back row, and was deathly afraid of a misstep on the ice... sure, he would have been embarassed if he fell, but think of the picture!

He didn't fall, they sang beautifully, and a good time was had by all...

I am poking through my stash this afternoon, while forts are being built and snowballs are being hurled... bread is rising in the kitchen, I have the makings of a cozy casserole for dinner, lots of wood for the fire, wine in the wine rack, and later the boys have promised we will play Monopoly without coming to blows (don't ask) -

so in spite of my inherent dislike of things cold and snowy (and soakers, God how I hate wet socks!), I have to say that today, I approve...

These darned quizzes...

silly, meaningless, but still entertaining -

this one courtesy of Wannietta:

Deirdre --

[noun]: A real life terminator

'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

And you know, depending on the time of day and hormonal levels, well, I'm not saying anything more...

except that it's defined as a noun, a noun of termination... let's just take a minute to think about that... did anyone hear Arnold asking for the deirdre in any of the Terminator flicks?

I thought not...

Happy, Happy!

I've had to let the idea of a new year gel a little before I could write about it - I'm not sure if it's a sign of age, but MAN, is time going by quickly! Makes my head reel...

I do have an FO to report, first of the year, all done but for the blocking (which, I think I've said before, doesn't count to me because once it's laid out I have nothing to do with it - once the knitting is done, it's done):

Project: Wonderful Wallaby, Cottage Creations

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Yarns Bulky Merino, Blues

Needles: 4mm and 5mm

Started: October 2007

Finished: January 5, 2008

Made for my 9 year old niece, Jackie, upon whom, with her white blond hair and clear light blue eyes, it should look stunning... as long as it fits - it should, but it wouldn't be a gift from me unless there was huge anxiety around the fit...

I FINALLY zeroed in on something to make pour moi - last night I cast on the Neckdown Wrap Cardigan from Knitting Pure and Simple with Dream in Color Classy, the Chinatown Apple colourway, purchased from Connie at Pick Up Sticks:

This is actually a better representation of the colour:, and wait! What's that? Could it be... well, I think it is probably the most adorable stitch marker ever! I cannot for the life of me remember where I got them from, but I know that Sabine Mills makes them, and they come in a set of 5, with 4 white and one black sheep. They make me laugh every time I pick up my knitting...

So, a new project on the needles. Another thought came to me while I marinated / ruminated / luxuriated in the holidays... I made a sweater a couple of years ago, from an older edition of Interweave Knits - it's a Kathy Zimmerman design called Hello, Old Friend. I had the yarn, a rich brown Chelsea Silk tweed by Tahki, for a long time before I took the plunge, and I loved knitting it. Cables are by far my favourite thing to make, the more complicated the better. I followed the directions exactly for my size, understanding that the sweater should be oversized. Somewhat.

When I tried it on, I found myself swimming in a sea of brown cables, unable to find my hands under the sleeves, and looking like I was hiding at least one more of me underneath. I was heartbroken, and put the sweater away. I include the photo, which is not at all close to the real, deep brown, just to show you the cables... Lord, how I love those cables...

So it has come to mind that perhaps I will dissemble my sweater - take a better picture first - and use the yarn for another cabled beauty that has caught my attention, the ubiquitous Central Park Hoodie from KnitScene's Fall 2006 issue. I hate to be making what everyone else seems to be, but I think it would be a fitting testament to this poor brown sweater... the frogging will be difficult, will likely call for copious amounts of alcoholic soothing, but I think I can do it...

Goodbye, Old Friend...

I know I promised stash updates, but this is a tough act to follow, so I'll go with those next time...

What a ride...

Well, once the gifts were wrapped,
the cookies decorated (with assistance, of course), and the blackmail efforts put forth , we had ourselves a wonderful Christmas! I only hope yours was as much fun - I now find myself the owner of an iTouch, which, for a wannabe-techie like me, is a total blast to play with!

The kids got an XBox 360, with Guitar Hero II, and this has proven to be the hit of the party - I pretty much suck, but get such a kick out of it that I don't care...

Handknitted gifts were finished on time (okay, one with only about 1 hour to spare before being handed over, but it was done, okay?!):
Grinchy socks from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, with my own label, thanks to Carole ;

Loskins socks, made with Dream in Color 'Smooshy', Happy Forest colourway (which I will have to make something from for me because I am totally enamoured with the colour - and I don't usually like green...);

and a Felted Striped Tote from One Skein, using STASH Lion Brand Wool and Paton's Classic Wool (it's functional and virtuous).

Stash enhancement has also occurred, but I'll save it for the next post...

I am still slogging - yes, that's right, it's now a slog - away on my niece's Wallaby - sleeves attached, so just shoulder shaping and the hood and I'm golden, and then comes the hard part - deciding what to cast on for me. Too many ideas, too many possibilities, swirling around in an already overloaded, hormonally kicked-to-shit mind... I am hoping to make a decision soon, and cast something on -

silly, isn't it? To have this much trouble finding something to make for myself? I have the makings for many wonderful things but can't seem to narrow my focus... I may have to ask my sons to help me with this, and then I'll do what my mother has always done - take their suggestions and do the complete opposite... or not... I can't decide...

Not Wounded, Sire, But Dead...

Okay, not quite dead, either, but it has been a rough couple of weeks from which we are still recovering - ailments ranging from stomach flu (Tanner) to head colds (Ben), to a viral imitation of strep throat (uh-huh, that would be me).

I am still trying to get back on my feet from this, and am hopeful that within the next couple of days, I will have the energy to post and describe the last of my Wisconsin pictures, as well as what I am hoping to get through before Christmas...

and around here, hope springs eternal, donchyaknow...

My American Thanksgiving, Volume I

I can't believe it's been a week since this:



See the dashboard clock. You can't see the A.M. after the numbers, but believe me, it was there.

See Kelly in the parking lot.
See the parking lot behind Kelly. Too dark? Well, there are NO SPACES. The parking lot is full. It is 4:07 A.M., and the parking lot is full.

See Deirdre standing in line at the store.
The line ends at the store entrance. It is a very long line. It is 4:30, and Deirdre's arms are full of deals.

See Kelly and Deirdre still standing in line.
They have more deals. It is almost 6:30, and Kelly and Deirdre are still standing in line. They are also still smiling. They may be a few stitches short of a full repeat (I know, some of you may recognize this from The Knitting Guild of Canada's t-shirts years ago, but since I coined it for the shirts, I believe I can use it).

Kelly and Deirdre are almost at the end of the line. They will soon be going here.

They are not sure which of the goods offered to enjoy, but they will enjoy whatever it is.

And notice the orangey light on the sign. That is the sun. Rising. It has been dark and black since Kelly and Deirdre's adventure began 4 hours ago.
And that, boys and girls, is why it is called Black Friday.

Volume II - the sights and yarns of Minnesota/Wisconsin - to follow... stay tuned...

Thanksgiving, here I come...

I had such plans for a bigger, better, more photo-filled post - but, well, I am leaving in a few hours for Kelly's home in Wisconsin, where we shall yarn/wine/latte crawl, celebrate Thanksgiving, and venture out on Black Friday for some shopping...

and I don't even like shopping!

I'll be back, photos and stories a-plenty, on Sunday - Happy, happy...

Shocked and Saddened

This just came in on the Knit U list:

"Monday, November 19, 2007
Dear KnitU Members,

It is my sad duty to let you know that our List Aunt Gail McHugh passed awa=yFriday after a short illness.
For those who may wish to do so, the funeral home web site has a guest bookto sign and virtual candles to light for Gail. I think it would mean a lot to Gail's sister if the members of our list were to visit the web site and add a candle.
The URL is:www.keefefuneralhome.com

Speaking to XRX CEO Benjamin Saturday, Gail's sister mentioned that the knitting charity in New Orleans that Gail and Dez Crawford were working on was very special to Gail. She suggested that if knitters wanted to honor her memory, that she was sure that Gail would want people to remember the work that KnitU was doing for the Covenant House:http://www.covenanthouseno.org

Here is the address as well:
Covenant House New Orleans611 N. Rampart St.New Orleans, LA 70112

A little later today, our List will be passed to the capable hands of a newModerator, Anne Claxon, a long-time member of KnitU, probably now known to many KnitU members as the person in charge of sifting the KnitU posts on behalf of the Tips & Tricks section of the XRX Athena Database. Anne is very aware of our traditions as a group, but she will certainly need your assistance as she begins her task. I hope you will join me in welcoming her as we all begin the difficult task of adjusting to the loss of Gail, someone who has been a part of our lives for such a length of time.

With my deepest respects,
David Xenakis
List DadKnitU"

I have been a Knit U member possibly since it's inception, and had occasion to email Gail personally several times over the years about topics ranging from Stitches events to both of us walking around with wool samples stuffing our bras to try them out for softness.

I am shocked and so, so sad - I don't know what happened to Gail but she did such a phenomenal job of running Knit U, I just can't imagine it without her...

Reality Check...

So I started this sweater last year?, maybe the year before - in any case, the poor thing has been languishing because in an unusually cocky move, I failed to check it as I knit and instead of having a nicely shaped neck, with the same number of stitches front and back, I was in fact knitting the Quasimodo special...

I have been frantic with desire to knit something for ME, but I don't yet have the right needles for Thermal although I have the yarn, and I don't have the right yarn for a wrap ballet-type sweater although I have the needles, and I just don't have the requisite brain cells right now to even attempt the Dickinson pullover from the Fall '07 Interweave Knits - so I thought I would revive Quasimodo, and try to make him mine...

I tried it on, and I think I may need to re-measure myself... a little reality may be in order here. I am not a small person, never have been, just not my destiny. So, I always tend to knit big, buy big, way big - always large or x-large. I am slowly coming to the realization that bigger may not always be better. My sons rolled around laughing at me, swathed in this massive wooly partial garment, and suggested that maybe I should check the size again. For once, I agreed, and I am now in the process of undoing entirely what has been done, and starting over again. In a smaller size. And you know what? That makes me utterly happy! I have to size down!

I have also cast on yet another Wonderful Wallaby, this time for my youngest niece, who just had a birthday. I am particularly happy about this one because I am using stash yarn, purchased some years ago from one of Cherry Tree Hill's New Year's sales - the colour is absolutely perfect for Jackie, with her white-blond hair and clear blue eyes. The only catch will be my sister-in-law, who prefers acrylic for ease of washing. This is not acrylic, but I am hoping she'll be so taken with the colours that she won't mind.

Some absolutely lovely stuff in the mail this week - this from Wendee at Hazel Knits, which she and I both agree would look fabulous together as the Chevron Scarf in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, as well as some of her gorgeous stitch markers, two of which may well become earrings - I love them that much! Oh, and please note the detail - I found my macro (kinda like my mojo, I guess...)!!

More to follow - I am off for a haircut, where I will enjoy another reality check as we observe the creeping in of the grey...

I think I'm not too wild about this whole reality thing...

We Remember...

and we thank you...

Never believe your own press...

I am smarter than 98.48% of the rest of the world.
How smart are you?

although I must say that I'll take it as a bit of much-needed ego stroking for today...

Happy, happy

Criss Angel and Harry Houdini hope you had a sincerely spooky Halloween
-
they did...

Since last we spoke, I have been witness to sites only seen in Toronto:
- it's hard to make out, but there's a guy walking with a canoe on his shoulders, under the new Michael Lee Chin Crystal at the ROM.

I have appreciated the juxtaposition of old and new

I have accompanied Ben's grade 6 class to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, where we enjoyed lunch under the bomb bay of a Lancaster plane, and I experienced the best field trip ever!
(Yes, Ben is trying to look thoughtful, perhaps even pensive, here)

I finished and sent off my Sock Wars weapon

Project: Sock Wars sock, "Scar" Pattern

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Mini-Merino - from STASH!!

Needles: 3.5mm

Started: October 13, 2007

Finished and Mailed: October 27, 2007

I have cast on new socks, hopefully for myself, using absolutely scrumptious Dream in Colour 'Smooshy' sock yarn purchased from Connie at Pick Up Sticks, in the Happy Forest colourway I am not a green person, but I cannot tell you how deeply I love these - the subtle variations in colour are just wonderful - I may have to wrap these socks around my head so that everyone can appreciate the depth of colour...

I have made yet another trek to the magic stores in Toronto with my sons, and found this label on a box, which opened up a whole whack of interesting questions.

And because we felt touristy, we also took pictures of a billboard I have always liked,

found at the corner of Queen and Bathurst...

I hope I never outgrow my touristy side...

now I must de-Halloween the house before we go to see Jerry Seinfeld's new film, Bee Movie - I love Jerry Seinfeld with all my heart, because he makes me laugh - please, Jerry, don't disappoint me...