| You Are a Ring Finger |
 You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Who comes up with these things?????
No, really, is there someone sitting in an office somewhere, coming up with strange ideas into which we can fit our personalities? I have an M.A. in psychology, and might actually be qualified - can I sign up??? It's like the folks who name paint or crayon colours - I could so totally come up with descriptive names ... bile green... diarreah yellow...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A little pre-senile dementia, anyone?
According to the Journal of Neurology, knitting is one of 13 activities shown to reduce the risk of developing dementia by as much as 38%.
Given that, why am I having so much frigging trouble making a sock that fits? I studied pre-senile dementia in grad school, and well, I'm just wondering...
I finally figured out the Grasshopper pattern from last month's Blue Moon Fiber Arts kit
and I don't like it.
I don't think this has happened to me before, but I finished the sock, put it on, and I don't like it. For several reasons. The fit is a little baggier around the ankle than I like... the top is a little snugger than I like. But I think that the most likely reason of all (yes, I am quoting the Grinch a little) is that the pattern doesn't do justice to the yarn. The yarn, a silk/wool blend, is absolutely gorgeous and knits into the most beautiful fabric with a soft sheen. With the lace pattern, the sheen is lost.
So, I don't like it.
I started the second ball as a Monkey sock, and much prefer it. Of course, I got to the heel before realizing I couldn't pull the damn thing over my foot - too small... so I frogged and am using slightly bigger needles, and am finally making socks that fit!
I started these a couple of weeks ago
, from the Pick Up Sticks sock club.
Again, beautiful yarn ( bamboo/wool/nylon),interesting pattern (see the shell motif at the right end? works with the pattern name - Beach - get it?) - but it doesn't fit. Too small. Only one size was given for the pattern and in my enthusiasm I didn't bother checking. And it's too small. So off to the frog pond with this one, too.
sigh.
However, I do like how you can take something like this:
,
add a little of these
and come out with this
The sweater is now done and ready for mailing to Artisan Knitworks... yay!
And remember the nest in our euonymous vine? Look who showed up...
The mom is in the middle, flanked by two babies! I can't tell you how much fun the boys and I have been having watching them, and talking to them - the boys so much so that they TRY NOT TO SLAM THE DOOR - this is significant progress, let me assure you!
So now I must try to get my brain cells back in order - I cast on a sock on June 21 for Summer of Socks, which I will post later, and am hoping, praying - actually, I'm measuring - so that it fits...
Given that, why am I having so much frigging trouble making a sock that fits? I studied pre-senile dementia in grad school, and well, I'm just wondering...
I finally figured out the Grasshopper pattern from last month's Blue Moon Fiber Arts kit
and I don't like it.
I don't think this has happened to me before, but I finished the sock, put it on, and I don't like it. For several reasons. The fit is a little baggier around the ankle than I like... the top is a little snugger than I like. But I think that the most likely reason of all (yes, I am quoting the Grinch a little) is that the pattern doesn't do justice to the yarn. The yarn, a silk/wool blend, is absolutely gorgeous and knits into the most beautiful fabric with a soft sheen. With the lace pattern, the sheen is lost.
So, I don't like it.
I started the second ball as a Monkey sock, and much prefer it. Of course, I got to the heel before realizing I couldn't pull the damn thing over my foot - too small... so I frogged and am using slightly bigger needles, and am finally making socks that fit!
I started these a couple of weeks ago
, from the Pick Up Sticks sock club.Again, beautiful yarn ( bamboo/wool/nylon),interesting pattern (see the shell motif at the right end? works with the pattern name - Beach - get it?) - but it doesn't fit. Too small. Only one size was given for the pattern and in my enthusiasm I didn't bother checking. And it's too small. So off to the frog pond with this one, too.
sigh.
However, I do like how you can take something like this:
, add a little of these
and come out with this
The sweater is now done and ready for mailing to Artisan Knitworks... yay!
And remember the nest in our euonymous vine? Look who showed up...
The mom is in the middle, flanked by two babies! I can't tell you how much fun the boys and I have been having watching them, and talking to them - the boys so much so that they TRY NOT TO SLAM THE DOOR - this is significant progress, let me assure you!
So now I must try to get my brain cells back in order - I cast on a sock on June 21 for Summer of Socks, which I will post later, and am hoping, praying - actually, I'm measuring - so that it fits...
Friday, June 15, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Late on the bandwagon
Finally, some time to sit and think, and do the 7 things about me post for which I was tagged by both Miss Scarlett and Riggwelter... I found this fairly difficult, because first, I had to actually sit still for a sec to think of 7 things, and second, had to think about things about me, which I find really tough...
so -
1. I have very ugly feet (so naturally I am posting a photo of them for all the world to see), but what is notable about them is the two webbed toes on each foot:
No, they do not improve my swimming, nor do they have any effect on me other than precluding toe rings, which I don't like that much anyhow.
2. I am a hard-core, lifelong animation, especially Looney Tunes fan, and sometimes at night, when I can't sleep, I come down and watch old cartoons (pre- and during WWII are the best for animation quality) all by myself...
3. I am much more upset when animals are hurt in movies than when people are.
4. Despite the fact that most of my house is in a state of perpetual uproar, I am actually an organized person, and once something has a designated spot, I will almost always put it back where it goes. Seems that finding the spot is the hard part, sometimes.
5. I am petrified of lightning and snakes, and not much else. I think I was okay with snakes until someone brought one for show and tell in Grade 1, maybe?, and it slithered up my arm and through my sleeve, coming out at my neck. Now I can't even watch them on TV.
6. Okay, I lied. I am also deathly afraid of being trapped in a car underwater. No idea where that comes from, but I am unable to watch movies like "The Abyss" - I tried to watch it and had to stop because I held my breath through the whole thing. I know what to do should my car plummet off the side of a bridge into deep, dark water, but I am terrified nonetheless.
7. French was my first language, and by the time I was three, I'm told I was fluently bilingual. Then we moved to Ontario and, according to my mother, I refused to speak to her unless she spoke to me in English. So she did, and I lost my French for the most part. I can understand reasonably well, but am unable to retrieve the words to converse.
What I really want to know is why my mother would have caved to me as a three year old. Was I that tyrannical? Or so strong in personality and will? Was she overwhelmed with her new baby, my brother Pat? There is no way I would have given over that much to my three year old, especially if I knew what benefit it would have been to her down the road. Just sayin', Mom, that's all...
Other items of note this week:
Ben is playing softball, two 2-hour games EVERY WEEK, Wednesday and Friday nights - he's having fun but it is putting a real crimp in our traditional Friday night pizza/movie thing - of course, he's very cute in his team shirt and cap
What I like about this picture is that he was way across the field, and still managed to see me with the camera and smile perfectly - so camera conscious...
And for the third year running, we have a mourning dove nesting in the vines surrounding the front door:
I can't imagine why they would pick this spot, because the front door is always opening and closing, often with a bang, but we are watching eagerly for babies...
and yes, the euonymous vines are mostly dead, thank you for noticing - I am thinking of planting clematis plants on either side of the door, and having them wind through the vines...
so now you probably know more about me than you wanted to, and I have decided I probably need a pedicure. But I will probably buy plants instead...
so -
1. I have very ugly feet (so naturally I am posting a photo of them for all the world to see), but what is notable about them is the two webbed toes on each foot:
No, they do not improve my swimming, nor do they have any effect on me other than precluding toe rings, which I don't like that much anyhow.
2. I am a hard-core, lifelong animation, especially Looney Tunes fan, and sometimes at night, when I can't sleep, I come down and watch old cartoons (pre- and during WWII are the best for animation quality) all by myself...
3. I am much more upset when animals are hurt in movies than when people are.
4. Despite the fact that most of my house is in a state of perpetual uproar, I am actually an organized person, and once something has a designated spot, I will almost always put it back where it goes. Seems that finding the spot is the hard part, sometimes.
5. I am petrified of lightning and snakes, and not much else. I think I was okay with snakes until someone brought one for show and tell in Grade 1, maybe?, and it slithered up my arm and through my sleeve, coming out at my neck. Now I can't even watch them on TV.
6. Okay, I lied. I am also deathly afraid of being trapped in a car underwater. No idea where that comes from, but I am unable to watch movies like "The Abyss" - I tried to watch it and had to stop because I held my breath through the whole thing. I know what to do should my car plummet off the side of a bridge into deep, dark water, but I am terrified nonetheless.
7. French was my first language, and by the time I was three, I'm told I was fluently bilingual. Then we moved to Ontario and, according to my mother, I refused to speak to her unless she spoke to me in English. So she did, and I lost my French for the most part. I can understand reasonably well, but am unable to retrieve the words to converse.
What I really want to know is why my mother would have caved to me as a three year old. Was I that tyrannical? Or so strong in personality and will? Was she overwhelmed with her new baby, my brother Pat? There is no way I would have given over that much to my three year old, especially if I knew what benefit it would have been to her down the road. Just sayin', Mom, that's all...
Other items of note this week:
Ben is playing softball, two 2-hour games EVERY WEEK, Wednesday and Friday nights - he's having fun but it is putting a real crimp in our traditional Friday night pizza/movie thing - of course, he's very cute in his team shirt and cap
What I like about this picture is that he was way across the field, and still managed to see me with the camera and smile perfectly - so camera conscious...
And for the third year running, we have a mourning dove nesting in the vines surrounding the front door:
I can't imagine why they would pick this spot, because the front door is always opening and closing, often with a bang, but we are watching eagerly for babies...
and yes, the euonymous vines are mostly dead, thank you for noticing - I am thinking of planting clematis plants on either side of the door, and having them wind through the vines...
so now you probably know more about me than you wanted to, and I have decided I probably need a pedicure. But I will probably buy plants instead...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
I got it, I got it!!!
Finally, after much twisting and ripping and cussing and cramping, I got it!
There are a couple of glitches here and there - this is not a pattern that lends itself to dropped stitches, and since we got back from Mexico the dogs have been a little less understanding of my knitting than usual, hence the dropped stitches...
however, I am inordinately pleased with the fact that I figured it out, and it fits! I was up till 12:30 a couple of nights ago figuring it out, but still...
The yarn, STR 'Silkie', is a silk/merino blend which feels completely decadent on the toes, and I absolutely LOVE the colour... the problem was with my YO technique, as was suggested by Riggwelter and Lv2Knit in the comments, which brings me to another thing I love about knitting - no matter how much you think you know, you don't, and there will always be a humbling kick in the arse when you get cocky... so I turned to Eunny Jang's fabulous arsenal of knitting techniques, and discovered I have been doing my YO's wrong forever... always something new to learn...
Yesterday's mail brought a couple more sock kits, which also look totally yummy:
On the left, the latest from Pick Up Sticks, with merino/bamboo/nylon yarn from Seacoast Handpainted Yarn, and on the right, this month's offering from The Loopy Ewe, with another merino/bamboo yarn from All Things Heather...
We've had a scorching couple of days here in Southern Ontario, but the temps are much cooler today, with mondo-thunderstorms expected tomorrow... which means I will be getting myself out to a couple of garden centres today to buy flowers - I am SO EXCITED!! I'll be buying annuals to jazz up the front of my house a little (it's way too GREEN and so far the only thing with colour I've been able to grow is a hockey net)
, and hopefully some new, exotic but yet low maintenance and dog-proof perennials for the back (yes, I ask a lot of my plants).
and this? Well, this is what I was looking at 2 short weeks ago...
sigh...
the dock from our resort, with Isla Mujeres in the distance, and ocean, ocean everywhere... there's no place like home, though... right?????
There are a couple of glitches here and there - this is not a pattern that lends itself to dropped stitches, and since we got back from Mexico the dogs have been a little less understanding of my knitting than usual, hence the dropped stitches...
however, I am inordinately pleased with the fact that I figured it out, and it fits! I was up till 12:30 a couple of nights ago figuring it out, but still...
The yarn, STR 'Silkie', is a silk/merino blend which feels completely decadent on the toes, and I absolutely LOVE the colour... the problem was with my YO technique, as was suggested by Riggwelter and Lv2Knit in the comments, which brings me to another thing I love about knitting - no matter how much you think you know, you don't, and there will always be a humbling kick in the arse when you get cocky... so I turned to Eunny Jang's fabulous arsenal of knitting techniques, and discovered I have been doing my YO's wrong forever... always something new to learn...
Yesterday's mail brought a couple more sock kits, which also look totally yummy:
On the left, the latest from Pick Up Sticks, with merino/bamboo/nylon yarn from Seacoast Handpainted Yarn, and on the right, this month's offering from The Loopy Ewe, with another merino/bamboo yarn from All Things Heather...
We've had a scorching couple of days here in Southern Ontario, but the temps are much cooler today, with mondo-thunderstorms expected tomorrow... which means I will be getting myself out to a couple of garden centres today to buy flowers - I am SO EXCITED!! I'll be buying annuals to jazz up the front of my house a little (it's way too GREEN and so far the only thing with colour I've been able to grow is a hockey net)
, and hopefully some new, exotic but yet low maintenance and dog-proof perennials for the back (yes, I ask a lot of my plants).and this? Well, this is what I was looking at 2 short weeks ago...
sigh...
the dock from our resort, with Isla Mujeres in the distance, and ocean, ocean everywhere... there's no place like home, though... right?????
Monday, May 21, 2007
Happy Victoria Day!
It's the first LONG WEEKEND of the year, which means summer isn't too far off, which means... well, YAY! Kids are playing road hockey right now, then off to their dad's for the afternoon, which leaves me to, oh, I don't know, check out a garden centre or winery or two... I always miss the boys when they're not with me, but I have learned to appreciate my time alone...
Anyhow, I finished the twins' socks in time for the party on Saturday - with about an hour to spare -
, and the good news is, they like them and they fit!
Funny how, after all these years of knitting - 38, I guess? Oh, that's right, I actually learned to knit while still in the womb - I am still completely panicked over the fit of things I make for other people... hmm, might be a sign that I need to work on that? D'yathink?
Earlier on Saturday, we had our first meal of the year outside, which always tickles me - even though the grass is long and the shrubs are shabby right now, I would rather be nowhere else than out in my yard...
We took advantage of the gorgeous sunlight for a small photo shoot:
the dogs watching a french fry fly by:
Ben and Maggie having a moment
and Tanner and me:
I HATE pictures of myself, but thought it might be nice for y'all to have a face to go with the stories... to clarify, I would be the wrinkly, crepey-necked one in the front...
I was so excited to start my Grasshopper Socks, pictured in the previous post - made the toe, love the yarn and the needles are great, perfect weight - I cannot get the pattern to work. I can do the first two rows, but have tried 4 times and am so far unable to get further along. The first row is YO, P2tog, then row 2 is P2tog, YO. Easy, peasey... my ass...
I'm going to try a few more times before giving up, but I cannot adequately express how very PISSED OFF I am with these damned socks right now - and lots of other people are making them, are FINISHED them even - I am thinking it might be something with my YO technique, so will have to investigate further.
I shall go and vent my frustrations on my plant pots, which are still being scraped and sanded, and will return soon with memes a-plenty... I'm not avoiding them, really, but they seem to take a lot of thought, and I am in short supply of thought at the moment...
Enjoy the weekend, my fellow Canadians, and, oh yes - GO SENS!!
Anyhow, I finished the twins' socks in time for the party on Saturday - with about an hour to spare -
, and the good news is, they like them and they fit!Funny how, after all these years of knitting - 38, I guess? Oh, that's right, I actually learned to knit while still in the womb - I am still completely panicked over the fit of things I make for other people... hmm, might be a sign that I need to work on that? D'yathink?
Earlier on Saturday, we had our first meal of the year outside, which always tickles me - even though the grass is long and the shrubs are shabby right now, I would rather be nowhere else than out in my yard...
We took advantage of the gorgeous sunlight for a small photo shoot:
the dogs watching a french fry fly by:
Ben and Maggie having a moment
and Tanner and me:
I HATE pictures of myself, but thought it might be nice for y'all to have a face to go with the stories... to clarify, I would be the wrinkly, crepey-necked one in the front...
I was so excited to start my Grasshopper Socks, pictured in the previous post - made the toe, love the yarn and the needles are great, perfect weight - I cannot get the pattern to work. I can do the first two rows, but have tried 4 times and am so far unable to get further along. The first row is YO, P2tog, then row 2 is P2tog, YO. Easy, peasey... my ass...
I'm going to try a few more times before giving up, but I cannot adequately express how very PISSED OFF I am with these damned socks right now - and lots of other people are making them, are FINISHED them even - I am thinking it might be something with my YO technique, so will have to investigate further.
I shall go and vent my frustrations on my plant pots, which are still being scraped and sanded, and will return soon with memes a-plenty... I'm not avoiding them, really, but they seem to take a lot of thought, and I am in short supply of thought at the moment...
Enjoy the weekend, my fellow Canadians, and, oh yes - GO SENS!!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Beware - knitting content ahead...
Why, yes, I do still knit, and I have the sticks to prove it...
Beautiful bronze sticks, handcrafted by Molly at Celtic Swan, which were my birthday gift to myself, and which I am chomping at the bit to use on my next socks, the April Kit from Blue Moon Fibers Socks that Rock club:
Sorry for the flash effect - this is a much better representation of the truly edible colours in this wool/silk blend:
But first, I must finish the twins' socks, which are due this Saturday... hmm, sounds like a test or paper or something, doesn't it? Not like the relaxing, satisfying activity we all know knitting to be...
They should be done tomorrow, and I did do the second pair while we were away last week:
Project: My own generic sock pattern, size 7, for the twins
Yarn: KnitPicks "Bare", dyed with orange KoolAid and received in a yarn swap some months ago
Started: May 5, 2007
Finished: May 14, 2007
These are the red and blue Bemidjis, knit for Artisan Knitworks and mailed the week before I left, all cuddled up on the couch:
Hmm, funny how you don't necessarily see the chaos surrounding you until someone comes to visit unexpectedly, or you take a picture of some of it and get an objective look - remind me not to take pictures anywhere else in my house...
Today's project has been to wash and scrape our old plant pots, so that the boys can paint them in their own personally selected colours, and then fill them with their own personally selected flowers - so tired and old looking, huh?
They were here when we moved in, must be older than dirt, but for now, they do the job just fine - and WAIT till you see the colours the kids picked - this will be one glow-in-the-dark kind of garden...
speaking of the kids, Ben had a project a couple of weeks ago wherein he had to build a real structure out of common household items. He chose the Skydome in Toronto:
and opted to make it out of... are you ready?... marshmallows.
BEHOLD! Edible Skydome:
You have to picture, us, sitting around our table, stringing endless amounts of mini-marshmallows ( couldn't use the BIG ones, oh, no) on toothpicks, stranding them together, and then glue-gunning them (and they actually didn't melt like I thought they would). We had a tough time coming up with the dome part, but I had a flash of inspiration at the grocery store and asked if I could buy one of the plastic tops they use on vegetable trays. No, apparently they don't have a code for those and can't sell them. Could they give me one? What, am I NUTS? GIVE something away? For FREE???? So, I paid $15 for a veggie tray, the contents of which I then jammed down the throats of my kids and their friends who were lucky enough to be visiting that day, and we had a dome.
Which was too small.
Saran wrap does, in fact, have a million uses, and I would gladly offer a testimonial to that fact.
All in all, a fun project, and so damn creative - however, it will be a long, LONG time before I can eat another marshmallow.
and now I will leave you with the latest addition to my fridge:
Am I the only one who finds this pee-in-my-pants funny? My girlfriend and I made asses of ourselves in the cardshop with our uncontrollable laughing, but apart from her, no one else really gets it...
sigh
Meme tomorrow, Scarlett, I promise...
Beautiful bronze sticks, handcrafted by Molly at Celtic Swan, which were my birthday gift to myself, and which I am chomping at the bit to use on my next socks, the April Kit from Blue Moon Fibers Socks that Rock club:
Sorry for the flash effect - this is a much better representation of the truly edible colours in this wool/silk blend:
But first, I must finish the twins' socks, which are due this Saturday... hmm, sounds like a test or paper or something, doesn't it? Not like the relaxing, satisfying activity we all know knitting to be...
They should be done tomorrow, and I did do the second pair while we were away last week:
Project: My own generic sock pattern, size 7, for the twins
Yarn: KnitPicks "Bare", dyed with orange KoolAid and received in a yarn swap some months ago
Started: May 5, 2007
Finished: May 14, 2007
These are the red and blue Bemidjis, knit for Artisan Knitworks and mailed the week before I left, all cuddled up on the couch:
Hmm, funny how you don't necessarily see the chaos surrounding you until someone comes to visit unexpectedly, or you take a picture of some of it and get an objective look - remind me not to take pictures anywhere else in my house...
Today's project has been to wash and scrape our old plant pots, so that the boys can paint them in their own personally selected colours, and then fill them with their own personally selected flowers - so tired and old looking, huh?
They were here when we moved in, must be older than dirt, but for now, they do the job just fine - and WAIT till you see the colours the kids picked - this will be one glow-in-the-dark kind of garden...
speaking of the kids, Ben had a project a couple of weeks ago wherein he had to build a real structure out of common household items. He chose the Skydome in Toronto:
and opted to make it out of... are you ready?... marshmallows.
BEHOLD! Edible Skydome:
You have to picture, us, sitting around our table, stringing endless amounts of mini-marshmallows ( couldn't use the BIG ones, oh, no) on toothpicks, stranding them together, and then glue-gunning them (and they actually didn't melt like I thought they would). We had a tough time coming up with the dome part, but I had a flash of inspiration at the grocery store and asked if I could buy one of the plastic tops they use on vegetable trays. No, apparently they don't have a code for those and can't sell them. Could they give me one? What, am I NUTS? GIVE something away? For FREE???? So, I paid $15 for a veggie tray, the contents of which I then jammed down the throats of my kids and their friends who were lucky enough to be visiting that day, and we had a dome.
Which was too small.
Saran wrap does, in fact, have a million uses, and I would gladly offer a testimonial to that fact.
All in all, a fun project, and so damn creative - however, it will be a long, LONG time before I can eat another marshmallow.
and now I will leave you with the latest addition to my fridge:
Am I the only one who finds this pee-in-my-pants funny? My girlfriend and I made asses of ourselves in the cardshop with our uncontrollable laughing, but apart from her, no one else really gets it...
sigh
Meme tomorrow, Scarlett, I promise...
Hola, Amigos!
Well, I was going to do this way back at the beginning of the week, but I don't even remember the beginning of the week! We had a wonderful trip, even under somewhat, um, awkward circumstances - 'nother post
Weather was perfect - 90's during the day, low 70's at night (sorry, I will always be farenheit at heart), and the toughest decisions were things like: which bathing suit should I wear today? Should we start with the beach, or the pool? Margarita or colada?
So, a few pictures to pique your interest:
(probably the most exercise we got - this or playing water football)
A little homework...
A day spent across the bay on Isla Mujeres, checking beaches and
dolphins, and
signs... oh, my
No, we didn't stop there to see if it really did hurt our teeth - took all my willpower not to... and we actually swam with the dolphins, which was totally amazing!!
This is what we saw from our balcony, and while I realize it looks fake, this is actually how it looks...
We were stalked one afternoon by this guy, who came after us when we dropped some food on the ground - we were told they only eat flowers, which they do
but I know, deep down, he wanted a french fry...
and now that we are home, my decisions include do I need socks, or can I put up with freezing feet? Which sweatshirt or JACKET should I put on?
Am I glad to be back? Any guesses??
Knitting content to follow in the next post, as well as my first meme (thanks, Michelle, I'm so excited - I DO want to play!)
Weather was perfect - 90's during the day, low 70's at night (sorry, I will always be farenheit at heart), and the toughest decisions were things like: which bathing suit should I wear today? Should we start with the beach, or the pool? Margarita or colada?
So, a few pictures to pique your interest:
(probably the most exercise we got - this or playing water football)
A little homework...
A day spent across the bay on Isla Mujeres, checking beaches and
dolphins, and
signs... oh, my
No, we didn't stop there to see if it really did hurt our teeth - took all my willpower not to... and we actually swam with the dolphins, which was totally amazing!!
This is what we saw from our balcony, and while I realize it looks fake, this is actually how it looks...
We were stalked one afternoon by this guy, who came after us when we dropped some food on the ground - we were told they only eat flowers, which they do
but I know, deep down, he wanted a french fry...
and now that we are home, my decisions include do I need socks, or can I put up with freezing feet? Which sweatshirt or JACKET should I put on?
Am I glad to be back? Any guesses??
Knitting content to follow in the next post, as well as my first meme (thanks, Michelle, I'm so excited - I DO want to play!)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Sunshine, here I come!
I am off this morning - it's now almost 4 a.m. and my shuttle arrives in 20 minutes - to sunnier, warmer, more margarita-ish climes...
Two Bemidjis are done and in the mail, and if my camera wasn't packed I'd show you - hope the suspense doesn't kill y'all... the navy bamboo is slogging along, the twins' socks are travelling with me, the pair with metal needles in my checked bag, and another with bamboo needles in my carry-on - hopefully there will be no problems bringing them with me...
so, I will see you all in a week's time, hopefully tanned, relaxed, and... well... tanned...
Two Bemidjis are done and in the mail, and if my camera wasn't packed I'd show you - hope the suspense doesn't kill y'all... the navy bamboo is slogging along, the twins' socks are travelling with me, the pair with metal needles in my checked bag, and another with bamboo needles in my carry-on - hopefully there will be no problems bringing them with me...
so, I will see you all in a week's time, hopefully tanned, relaxed, and... well... tanned...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Frolic-ing through fields of...
well, yarn, of course...
Just in from the DKC Knitters' Frolic, and my goodness, how it has grown! I last went maybe 6 - 7 years ago? And it was in a church, I think, downtown, maybe 15 - 20 vendors, some workshops - just a nice, small, local-feeling kind of event.
Today's yarn-stravaganza was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, with over 70 vendors selling all manner of yarns and tools and books and just STUFF - way overwhelming! And of course I forgot my camera, so you will have to rely on others' reports for the visuals...
But I started off with a 9a.m. drop spindling class, taught by Lorraine Smith, who was just wonderful (the link takes you to a recent article she wrote for Knitty)!
I have tried this before with absolutely no success, but for some reason this time there was a little more clicking happening. Maybe it was the new drop spindle I had to buy for the class, made from cocobolo wood:
.
Maybe it was the myriad of fibres we were invited to play with, ranging from shetland wool to merino to alpaca to silk/wool hand carded rolags...
or maybe it was finally explained to me in such a way that I GOT IT... yes, I made some kaka yarn:
Actually, there are some patches in the second attempt, the bicolour, that look like real yarn - very exciting!
So a very satisfying morning - and then, of course, there were the vendors...
and I was SO GOOD - so well behaved, so restrained...
I HAD to get this - the colours are just too rich, too wonderful, and the jacket will be the perfect thing with my 'uniform' of jeans and t's:
I think this is the jacket that Tanya was working on in a KAL at her LYS...
And, of course, the mandatory sock yarn purchase... because, as we all know, sock yarn doesn't count as stash... and this is one I don't see in shops, so it was totally okay:
The yarn is from Seacoast Handpainted Yarns, and the colourway is Sea/Sky/Sand - how summery is that?
You know, for someone with only two feet, I seem to have an awful lot of potential socks...
The other thought that crossed my mind was how much smaller the world seems because of blogs. They seem to create an overfamiliarity which strikes me as kind of funny. I poked around the Lettuce Knit booth, saw some scrumptious yarn which I did NOT buy (although it pained me physically to put it down) after asking the price - I then realized that I was speaking to Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits! fame and was all set to start chatting with her when I thought for a second, hell, I don't really know her, I just read her blog faithfully, but I feel like I know her. She doesn't know me. I wonder how many well-known bloggers find themselves facing people who think they know them so well, and how they feel about it. This sort of instant comfort must be nice on some level, but maybe a little unnerving, too... I don't know, just wondering...
so there's my Saturday morning - came home to find that Maggie had eaten a WHOLE loaf of bread and an ENTIRE package of hot dogs buns, while foregoing the cookies and chocolate on the same counter - she is the Carb Queen, and unfortunately, on her hind legs, is tall enough to reach right to the back of the counter... naughty girl...
one Bemidji done for Artisan Knitworks, another blocking and the third of this batch about to be cast on - pics tomorrow - I must go and spindle... I'm so afraid I'll forget, and it won't work anymore!
Just in from the DKC Knitters' Frolic, and my goodness, how it has grown! I last went maybe 6 - 7 years ago? And it was in a church, I think, downtown, maybe 15 - 20 vendors, some workshops - just a nice, small, local-feeling kind of event.
Today's yarn-stravaganza was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, with over 70 vendors selling all manner of yarns and tools and books and just STUFF - way overwhelming! And of course I forgot my camera, so you will have to rely on others' reports for the visuals...
But I started off with a 9a.m. drop spindling class, taught by Lorraine Smith, who was just wonderful (the link takes you to a recent article she wrote for Knitty)!
I have tried this before with absolutely no success, but for some reason this time there was a little more clicking happening. Maybe it was the new drop spindle I had to buy for the class, made from cocobolo wood:
.Maybe it was the myriad of fibres we were invited to play with, ranging from shetland wool to merino to alpaca to silk/wool hand carded rolags...
or maybe it was finally explained to me in such a way that I GOT IT... yes, I made some kaka yarn:
Actually, there are some patches in the second attempt, the bicolour, that look like real yarn - very exciting!
So a very satisfying morning - and then, of course, there were the vendors...
and I was SO GOOD - so well behaved, so restrained...
I HAD to get this - the colours are just too rich, too wonderful, and the jacket will be the perfect thing with my 'uniform' of jeans and t's:
I think this is the jacket that Tanya was working on in a KAL at her LYS...
And, of course, the mandatory sock yarn purchase... because, as we all know, sock yarn doesn't count as stash... and this is one I don't see in shops, so it was totally okay:
The yarn is from Seacoast Handpainted Yarns, and the colourway is Sea/Sky/Sand - how summery is that?
You know, for someone with only two feet, I seem to have an awful lot of potential socks...
The other thought that crossed my mind was how much smaller the world seems because of blogs. They seem to create an overfamiliarity which strikes me as kind of funny. I poked around the Lettuce Knit booth, saw some scrumptious yarn which I did NOT buy (although it pained me physically to put it down) after asking the price - I then realized that I was speaking to Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits! fame and was all set to start chatting with her when I thought for a second, hell, I don't really know her, I just read her blog faithfully, but I feel like I know her. She doesn't know me. I wonder how many well-known bloggers find themselves facing people who think they know them so well, and how they feel about it. This sort of instant comfort must be nice on some level, but maybe a little unnerving, too... I don't know, just wondering...
so there's my Saturday morning - came home to find that Maggie had eaten a WHOLE loaf of bread and an ENTIRE package of hot dogs buns, while foregoing the cookies and chocolate on the same counter - she is the Carb Queen, and unfortunately, on her hind legs, is tall enough to reach right to the back of the counter... naughty girl...
one Bemidji done for Artisan Knitworks, another blocking and the third of this batch about to be cast on - pics tomorrow - I must go and spindle... I'm so afraid I'll forget, and it won't work anymore!
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