Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Maggie turned 7 yesterday, making her (technically) a senior.






Somehow, I doubt that very much...

A moment of silence, please...

as seen in our local newspaper...



Fare thee well, Mr. Squishy...

Wow

I mean, really, WOW!!!

My Loopy Ewe sock club installment arrived today, and well,

WOW!

Live, in person, Wollmeise sock yarn (people, do you have any idea how hard it is to find this stuff??!)

And a new (to me) gadget - Lord, how I does love a good gadget....


So, WOW...

I was looking at the socks I have on the go right now, and have finally come to realize that I like small - small needles - 2.25 or smaller -
I currently have three pairs in action, and I got to comparing the yarn and needles...

First are these Toe-Up Monkeys, for which I have either totally buggered up the pattern, or made up my own design. I am using red Darn Pretty Needles made by Grafton Fibers (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these needles), 2.25mm, and Sock Pixie yarn in the "Toni Morrison" colourway. I love this sock - I love the needles, which are very firm, very smooth, and look awfully pretty with the yarn. I don't think I've really appreciated the aesthetics of yarn and needle together till now, and I have to say, this one pleases my eye. Both eyes.


This is the first sock for the first installment of Woolgirl's Seven Deadly Spins club. 4 colours of Verve by The Unique Sheep put together to make rainbow socks. Again, I love the yarn, and LOVE the needles - more of Grafton's DPN's, size 2.25mm.


My second pair of socks from Flat Feet by Conjoined Creations, made with 2.5mm Brittany birch dpn's. These needles have been my stand-by for years, but now, compared to the others, I am finding them rougher on the surface, and, well, a little large. The yarn actually calls for 3mm needles, but I just couldn't... and the yarn... well, it's totally fun watching the pattern unfold beneath your hands, not knowing what exactly you'll end up with. But the yarn itself is almost plastic-like, not nearly as soft, or firmly spun, as the others I'm using.

So, I guess what I've learned about myself is that I like small knitting. Very small knitting. I like fine, tightly spun fingering weight yarn and 2 - 2.25mm needles, preferably needles which are made from hard, smooth wood. And looking good with the yarn is a bonus.

I have also learned that I belong to several sock clubs. And that I like to knit socks.

Wow.

Well...

well, where to begin?

We are recently returned from two (uh-huh, TWO) weeks of this

and this
and this
,
where I was also able to to this
,
and to read all this .

I have never, in my life, read 5 books on vacation - and that doesn't count the two audiobooks I listened to ("Tweak" by Nik, Sheff, and "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult).

Why, yes, I am a little more relaxed, actually... thank you for noticing.

And then we came home to this

,
and these


Lord, how I love vacation... and as glad as I am to be home, I want to know where the guy is who just knows that, by 3 or so in the afternoon, I am in need of a dose of mango daquiri... we don't seem to have those here...

sigh

on the plus side, we have a long weekend coming, so a little more recovery time is planned...

He's a Tween!

Today Ben is 12 - I cannot believe I am saying that about my baby, but there you go - he's 12!! Twelve years ago today I felt my water break at 4 in the morning, dropped Tanner off at my mom's and rushed to the hospital, thinking that this time I might get to deliver naturally. We waited... and walked... I had some labour pains and decided that another c-section might actually not be so bad... and waited... and walked... and finally around 7pm, they brought me in for surgery.



They inserted the needle for the epidural, which prompty snapped off in my spine - I remember a lovely, kind nurse holding her forehead to mine, speaking calmly and soothingly, assuring me everything was fine. The doctors tried again, successfully this time, and they went to work. I remember the surgeon howling with glee at the size of Ben, 10LB 1OZ, after having just delivered two 5 LB twins. I saw the size of his head and said a HUGE thank you to the powers above for the c-section. He was actually holding his head up in the recovery room, which frightened another nurse to bits.

It was kind of weird, but I knew he was a boy, and I knew his name was Ben, the instant I figured out I was pregnant. His father was worried that I hadn't even considered other names, but I just knew. Never argue with a pregnant woman.

Now, at 12, Ben is almost as tall as me (5'7"). He has a wild sense of humour, which keeps his brother and I in stitches. He has a huge heart, and is very sensitive to the needs and thoughts of others, sometimes to his own detriment. Ben will try almost anything once, and as his teacher told me, marches to his own drum while maintaining a close-knit group of "peeps". He loves hockey, playing and watching, performs magic, can knit, likes reading, and will still give me a hug and a kiss even if his friends are around. What a blessing this guy has been - I am so proud of him, and love him with all my heart...

Happy Birthday, Ben!

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...