Stealth Stockings

After the adventure of knitting a lace shawl in two months, I realized that Christmas was only a month away.  And I had plans for knit Christmas gifts! 

The original plan looked something like this:
- Socks for Amy
- Socks for dear friend
- Baby jacket for Goddaughter
- Baby outfit for friend of André's (baby due in January)
- Maybe socks for second sister
- Baby outfit for Aunt of Goddaughter who is expecting in March

Right. 

What actually happened by Christmas:
- Socks for Amy - Check!
- Socks for dear friend for my father.  Yes, singular
- Baby jacket for Goddaughter - pattern and yarn picked. 
- Baby outfit for friend of André's (baby due in January) - pattern picked, yarn I think will need buying.
- Maybe socks for second sister - her birthday is in March... store bought gift for Christmas
- Baby outfit for Aunt of Goddaughter who is expecting in March - um... right. 

So I give you what I got done, and hopefully I can work on the rest of the list over new years. 

First, socks for Amy.  Way back in February I went down to visit my darling sister, and picked up two beautiful yarns which were to be converted into knitwear for her.  The first became wrist warmers.  Just.

The second was a gorgeous sock pair from Turtle Purl in Gothic Plum, destined to be a second pair of wrist warmers.  Which apparently I was going to design from scratch, and because I didn't know how long the yarn would go, I wanted to knit from the fingers down. 

Or Amy could ask for socks while we were visiting her in Toronto a few weeks ago.  So socks it was!

They are in fact Chimaera from Knitty.  Toe up, which was essential - Amy is quite tall, and I wanted to get every inch I could without having to pull back and rip out the leg to have enough for the toes.  Although, having the balls pre-divided was probably the smartest thing I have ever heard of!


Added benefit (and the reason that Turtle Purl is my current knitting HERO) - the balls are dyed to match each other exactly.  Start in the same spot and you get identical socks.  No kidding.  These are my first pair of identical socks from self striping yarn!

I wasn't sure how the slipped stitch pattern would look over the leg and foot in the self striping yarn, but the longer I knit, the more I LOVED it.  Also, the gusset detail?  Amazing!

Super amazingly happy with these, and Amy loves them too. 


These socks went so fast, I thought for sure I would have time to knit another pair.  Especially after talking to my other sister Alison and finding out that apparently socks would be a good gift for my father.  Although I think his wife meant store bought ones, but oh well.

A quick peak in the stash revealed a denim coloured self striping ball perfect for simple ribbed socks for Dad.  

Suffice to say, Christmas Eve came around and here's what I had completed...

Update: by the end of Christmas Eve I had the gusset finished. Christmas morning saw the heal turned.  But by the time it came to go to my Father's for Christmas lunch, there was only one sock wrapped up. 

More on that story later. 

In the mean time, I'm tossing the stash for baby outfit yarns.  One picked, another might warrant a trip out in the cold.  We'll see. 

Merry Christmas dear blog, and we'll see you in the New Year!

Crazy Pi? Yes Please!

I've been working at a retail job for just over two years.  When university ends, life must go on and that means that bills must be paid.  I got really really lucky with this job, and landed in a place where the work is fun and interesting, and the gang of people around me are some of the best.  Both at their jobs, and as people to hang out with for 8 hours a day.

Every year the store has, what I'm told, are epic Christmas parties.  And up to this year I hadn't gone to any of them.

I'm not much of one for office parties to start with - it's that fine balancing act of hanging out with people from work in a social setting all the while trying desperately to come up with something to talk about that isn't work.  Add to the mix that these Christmas parties are semi-formal-ish - guys in suits and ladies in dresses (or suits), and I'm way out of my comfort level.  Heck, I only own two dresses (and one of them I'm not ever likely to wear again, being my wedding dress and all), and it's only by a miracle that I haven't broken an ankle in the few times I've worn high heals.

So my first year I didn't go.  I'd only been there two months, didn't really know the gang, and wasn't sure how much longer I'd be around (because I still foolishly thought I could get somewhere with my grad degree). The next year, I thought about going, but we had a curling Christmas party the same night, and I really like those guys.

This year though, apparently I had no choice.  One of the guys even bought me a ticket to make sure I went.

Now, the dress that I would be wearing is sleeveless.  And the party is in December.  And since I'm not much of a dancer, I was expecting to get cold.  I do have a pashmina wrap in the perfect colour to match the dress, but I figured that if I was going get kidnapped asked to go to this party, I might as well take this as a chance to do something that I've been meaning to do for a long time.

I was going to knit myself a black lace shawl.

I've wanted one since my high school prom.  So much classier than the typical matching-fabric-wraps that come with most dresses.  And the vintage look is something that I love.

The party was set for December 1st.  I was informed that I was attending October 2nd.  Two months to knit a lace shawl?  No problem!

Do I sound crazy yet?

October 3rd I came home with Dropps lace silk/alpaca blend from Wool Thyme in a beautiful shiny black.  Even Andre got into the game.  I turn around for two minutes and look what happens:

He's too good to me!

After poking around for a while I settled on a tribute to Elizabeth Zimmermann with the EZ 100th Anniversary PI Shawl: Camping.

This pattern was super easy to follow, and fun to knit (once I got a few rounds in and stopped dropping my needles).  And for the first few weeks I thought I was going to make it with piles of time to spare.

Note to self, when a shawl pattern starts with CO9 and and ends with BO867, it's going to slow down each time you double the stitches.  As pretty as it is, I was about ready to strangle myself with the yarn while working through the vines. 

Thankfully, Andre and I had planned a week in Toronto in early November, and while I didn't get much knitting time while we were there, there was still the train ride out and home to put serious length on this thing.

And on November 27th, there it lay on the bed with a couple hundred pins in it, blocking away happily to itself. With two whole days to spare!

I made a few small changes to the pattern.  Firstly I used true lace weight yarn rather than the fingering weight called for.  The biggest difference (other than the damage to my eyesight from trying to see lace knitting in black yarn on a train at night) is that it came out about 4' across rather than the 5' + indicated by the pattern.  Which worked out really nicely because it hangs perfectly to my elbows and stays out of the way when I'm sitting down.

Change #2 - the spiral wheel was written to be entirely done with ssk.  Not my favourite thing to do, especially since it takes longer per stitch than K2tog.  So I reversed the pattern, K2tog-ing happily around and now the spirals twist the opposite direction.

And while I do love the rounded edges in the original pattern, I was a little bit pressed for time, so I left the edging with points rather than scrounging another several hundred pins.  You know what?  I love it.

So two days latter, off I toddled in my high heals, dress, and shawl to the Christmas party, and had fantastic time.  Turns out most of my worries of work place Christmas parties were unfounded.  My department and my store are both packed with awesome fun loving people, and we had a blast.

Now to figure out what to knit to wear next year...

A Little Fruity, A Little Loopy

Fall has always been like New Years for me.  It's back to school time, and while I haven't been heading back for 2 years now, it still seems like the time of year for fresh starts.  Especially for knitting! 

Summer's had a few last kicks at the can, and the last few days have been warm and sunny, but there have also been a few where the temperature has dipped, and the chill in the air makes me want to reach for wooly warm-ness.

About this time last year I was stash diving and pulled out some brightly coloured clearance sock yarn that I'd picked up I don't remember where (Micheal's I think) or when (Boxing Day sale a few years ago maybe?).  The colour way was Crayon, and it sure lived up to its name.  I wanted a small project that I could carry around that would be easy to just pick up whenever I found a few spare minutes - so onto the needles it went to become just plain old socks. 

Cute eh? And yes, the are fraternal sock-mates.  I don't have the patience to try and get self striping sock yarn to make identical twins. 

Knitting away in the lunch room at work, one of the other ladies was just enthralled with the colours.  Obsessed even.  Like the yarn, she's beautiful with a bright sunny outlook on everything.  I didn't really have a plan for the socks once they were done, other than to toss them in the last-minute-gift box.  And they suited her so perfectly.  And coincidentally they were even in her size. 

So as soon as they were finished they landed quietly on her desk carefully wrapped with a care instructions sticker (horray for machine washable yarns!).  Imagine the hug that I got when she came back in from her break!  And she even offered to pay for them.  Silly sunshine :)

Fast forward to August and she stops by my desk one morning.  She loves her socks and was super grateful for them that particular morning with the threats of early fall frost.  Turns out, that her daughter loves her socks too, and keeps stealing them... And would I mind knitting another pair if she dropped off some yarn?  Said daughter's birthday was in a month, and she'd just love her own pair.  Only if it wouldn't been any trouble, and only if I had time. 

Now, free yarn to knit socks with and a whole month to do it? Yeah man!  Never mind that I could never say no to sunshine. 

A few days later a ball of bright pink yarn appeared on my desk.  While I had originally been thinking that these socks were going to be plain socks from self striping yarn like the previous, this yarn was more painted looking.  Mostly pink with shots of purple and green.  The second I saw it, I knew.  This yarn wasn't going to be plain old boring socks.  It was the absolute PERFECT colour way for Fruit Loop from knitty. 

And look how awesome they turned out!

While shopping for goodie bag stuff for a baby shower a while back, I discovered that the local dollar store had the most perfect sock gift bags.  Brightly coloured and three for a buck.  And available in pink.  So off these little treasures were packed, and dropped off with sunshine almost a week before my deadline. 

I love seeing finished projects, and I admit to oogling these fellas for about 5 minutes.  Then the empty needles beckoned me back. 

Here's how I spent my weekend evenings.  That's sock number one of SlipStream, also from Knitty knit with Lorna's Laces in a colour way I'll have to find the tag to identify.  Size medium. 

I love fall!

Wheels, but not the spinning kind

I'm up a little early this Sunday morning.  Something exciting is about to happen. 

Today, I am driving myself to work.

No, it's not the actual driving itself that's got me awake without excessive caffination, it's the what I'll be driving.

Friday morning, after weeks of searching, I picked up this:

My very own car.

Think I look a wee bit excited?  Naw... flipping ecstatic might be a better way to put it.

For a long time, we didn't have a car at all.  Then 5 years ago we got a truck.  It was a short lease, and the price was right.  But the freedom! 

Then we bought the next truck.  And then André opened his business.  So much for me getting to drive much.  And once I started working retail again, it was either walk, take the bus (more expensive, and since I'd have to transfer or walk half the distance anyway, I just walked), or hope that André could give me a ride.  And errands like groceries took forever or got delayed because he'd be late at work. 

Let me tell you, André is not a morning person.  Days like today wouldn't be too bad, but 5.30 AM is not a time that he's terribly pleased to be awake, let alone be in the process of heading home having already dropped me off.

Today however, I'm going to go and get my work stuff on, grab my lunch and my keys and drive myself in.  And still leave André the truck for his work this afternoon.

Who knows, I might even go yarn shopping this afternoon.  Just because I can.

Top 30 - Take 2

They say 30 is the new 20, a time when one must figure out what is going on in life - who they are, where they're going, and how on earth they are going to get there.  Forget the mid-life crisis, the younger generations are partaking in the growing trend of the quarter-life crisis.  We are young, energetic, educated, and full of the promises of our childhood - work hard and you can be anything you want to be.

Well, I'm still not an astronaut, but that's probably more to do with my lack of interest in being spun in a centrifuge at 6G, or being locked up in a space station not much larger than a few school buses for months on end, or moving to Huston to join NASA/CSA (ugh summer all year long), than a lack of ability to try.

But that was my 10 year old self watching Star Trek with my parents and reading books on the solar system day dreaming about how cool it would be to visit other planets like Pluto.  Childhood dream crusher #2, Pluto's not even a planet any more!

Fast forward another 10 years, and me at 20 had everything all figured out.  By 30 I would have the following things: husband, house, car, PhD, career in teaching, and our very own addition to the family on the way (if not already arrived).

Well, I've got some of those things off the list - husband and house, check.  The house could use some work, and we could really really use more space (at least a garage), but they are there.  Car?  Sort of... we've got a truck, but it's André's really, he needs it for work.  The train wreck that was my career?  Yeah, still not ready to talk about that one, but suffice to say, it's unlikely that I'll ever wind up teaching.  And the family?  Again, now that I'm at the age where I had originally thought that I would like to have kids, in truth I'm enjoying my life on my own too much to want to settle down and raise a family.  I've still got a couple of years to figure that out right?

In the mean time, I've been thinking.  I've done some pretty cool things in 30 years of life, but there are a pile more things that I would still like to do.  So, in honour of my quarter-life crisis, and still trying to figure everything out, I give you Top 30 - Take 2 - 30 things that I will do in the next 30 years (or so).

1. Go north again - this time in the winter, and see the Northern Lights above the Arctic Circle.  Nunavut again would be nice, but there are 2 other territories I haven't been to yet!  Speaking of which, I'm going to cross the rest of those provinces and territories off my traveling list.  And revisit some of the others, this time with André in tow.
2. Go back to Newfoundland.  Yes, it sounds like a repeat of #1, but this time we go for like a month and tour the place properly.  And take our time doing it.  Maybe with an RV.  
3. I'm going to venture out into the world at large.  There's not many places outside of Canada that I'd like to visit but there are a few.  Alaska, New Orleans, Australia and New Zealand (more sheep than people!).  First though, I'm going to need a passport...
4. We are going to design and build a new home.  Maybe not the next one, but there will be one.  From brain to paper to blueprint to land to house.  All of it by ourselves.  Although by "by ourselves" I don't mean that I am going to dig the foundation myself.  More that after designing the foundation I am going to point at the ground and a guy with some seriously heavy equipment will make the hole happen the way I said it should. 
5. In the mean time, I am going to flip a house.  Buy it, reno it, and sell it for profit.  Sounds easy eh?  Wish me luck. 
6. Thinking about buying a rental/investment property too.  The more likely scenario would be buying us a bigger place and just renting out the place we're in now.  I'm cool with that. 
7. One day I'm going to quit working retail and work with André full time.  There is a plan. 
8. And with all the spare time that's going to give me I'm going to learn how to use a lathe properly.  
9. And then I'm going to turn my own knitting needles.  
10. With the rest of the spare time, I'm going to buy some alpacas and board them with my sister's herd (which she doesn't have yet, but again, there is a plan!). 
11. I am going to learn how to sheer a sheep.  Then maybe I'll tackle an alpaca. 
12. Which of course means that I need to learn to spin.  I've got a working wheel and everything... I just can't piece together the time (see #7).
13. I am going to design a knitting pattern for my own hand-spun yarn.  And then publish it. 
14. I am going to combine points 8-13 and go back-to-back.  Off the fuzzy back of my alpaca (or sheep) in the spring, and on to my own for the fall.
15. On the topic of one to another, I'd like to go from tree to furniture.  Chain saws and I get along well, and it would be really cool to have furniture that I build from a tree that I felled. 
16. While I'm making things, I'm going to make a quilt.  I haven't sewn in years, but it's something I've wanted to do since I was a kid and watched my mom made quilts. 
17. I am going to quit smoking. 
18. Which is hopefully going to help me be the best curler I can be.  I am going to get better, and I really want to be some sort of good.  I would love to play on an A team, even for one season, and not feel like a liability to them. 
19. I am going to the Brier Men's Championship.  Seen the Scotties, but I'm more of a men's curling fan.  (Although this list did once include taking an "I [heart] Hart" sign.  But since Richard Hart formerly of Team Howard has retired from competitive curling, I'll just have to come up with something else suitably witty).
20. On the same lines as quitting smoking and curling, I'd like to take up the bagpipes.  Might have to have a house with no direct neighbours before I actually start that one though.  
21. I'm going to get a dog.  Big dog like a retriever or lab or Sheppard. 
22. I am going to write the Mensa test.  But I'm not going to tell anybody that I'm doing it until it's done.  Too much pressure.  Hell, I might have even done it already ;)
23. Speaking of writing things, I am going to write a book.  Getting it published would be amazing, but I think I'll be happy that I did the writing. 
24. I'm going to put even more effort into this blog.  One day I am going to get comments (hint hint).  Then another even more distant day I'm going to get a comment from someone famous in the knitting world.  Actually, I'll start with even just one comment from someone that I don't already know.  Writing a blog is a lot more work that I thought it would be, any my admiration for those that have hugely amazingly successful blogs grows every day. 
25. More blogging means that I'm going to need to knit more to keep the blog fed.  See also points 8 - 14.
26. I am going to get my yarn stash under control.  I would like to have a stash where I know where everything is so there are no more cases of me turning entire rooms upside down looking for that ball of sock yarn that I swear was there just last week.  And I need to loose some of the dead weight yarn - the stuff that was bought at garage sales for $2 for the whole box.  I was young and desperate.  Stop laughing André or I will post pictures of your shop.  
27. I'm going to get a motorcycle.  A nice touring bike.  Maybe a Harley.  Maybe not.  We'll see.  
28. One day I am going to retire.  Not to say that I'm going to stop working, because André and I are both the type of people that will work until the day we die.  Rather, in the next 30 years I am going to get to a point where I don't have to work if I don't want to or where it doesn't matter what the job pays, rather how much I enjoy doing it. 
29. Before I can retire I have to keep working hard.  Our business is growing, and I have to work harder every week.  But it will be worth it.  One day our business will be large enough that I can have minions employees to do things like payroll and accounting, so that I can get on with the stuff that I really like to do - project managing and problem solving. 
30. Every now and then I'm going to do something completely and solely for me.  Last year I bought a Christmas tree.  We hadn't had one in forever, and André's rather indifferent to them, but dammit I wanted a Christmas tree.  Little things like that.  

I am going to spend the next 30 years crossing things off this list, and I'm going to do it all with André and the rest of my friends and family at my side. Who wants to come along for the ride?

Top 30

Today I have the glorious distinction of leaving my 20's behind.  No longer do I get to consider myself a carefree young adult.  I'm loosing the title of young, leaving me just an adult, with all the rights, responsibilities, and duties that entails.  There's just no more societal safety net of, "she's young! She'll learn". 

While today is my actual birthday, it can be hard to get family and friends together on a Tuesday afternoon following a long weekend.  So instead we partied Sunday night.  And what a party it was!  Friends and family from town, and even some from further out!  Amy came up for a 24 hour Ottawa stop over!!  And a huge crew of my in-laws came down, bringing with them one of the newest additions to our little crew - baby Jaxson.  One of the only babies I know that doesn't freak right out when I'm around.  In fact he laughed when I picked him up.  Of course now my in-laws are reminding me that I'm about to be not young any more and they would kind of like a little grandbaby of their own.  We shall see.


Birthdays, especially milestone birthdays like a new decade, seem to cause an interesting reaction in people.  If they are past that age they'll usually tell you it's not going to be as bad as you think it will, rather that it was really fun, and then regale you with some anecdote of their time at that age.  Or some accomplishment at or around that milestone.  Sometimes it can be intimidating to hear what others had managed by this age. 

It got me thinking.  Could I come up with a list of my most important 30 events and memories from the last 30 years?  True, I haven't sky-dived yet (and probably never will) but I have dog-sledded on Frobisher bay, and that, my friends, was pretty damn cool. 


So, I give you, the Top 30 of Jen's 30.

1.  I have been on or in all three oceans that border our country.  Swimming in both the Atlantic and Pacific, and dog sledded on the Arctic.  It's still frozen in May, so swimming, kind of not possible.
    
2. I have visited 6 provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, British Colombia, PEI, and Newfoundland) and 1 territory (Nunavut). 
   
   
3. I have seen the Midnight Sun (and been burned by it).
   
   
4. I have hiked the West Coast Trail and looked out and known that there was nothing further west until Asia.  I have stood at Signal Hill and looked out and known that there was nothing further east until Europe. 
   
   
5. I finished high school, got an undergraduate and then a Master's degree.
   
   
6. I have published in peer reviewed scientific journals. 
   
   
7. I have loved and lost, and learned to love again.
   
   
8. I have watched 2 beautiful younger sisters and a sister-in-law go from girls to young women, to adults and make remarkable accomplishments of their own.  And I couldn't be prouder.
   
   
9. I bought a house.  And a truck.  I don't actually own either free and clear yet, but it will happen.  Eventually. 
   
   
10. I have been told that I have inspired someone.
    
    
11. I co-founded a business which is growing almost faster than we can keep up.
    
    
12. I ran an organization with hundreds of volunteers, that reached thousands of kids a year, all to make science fun.
    
    
13. I have been walked on by butterflies.  And one very, very large moth. 
    
    
14. I have laughed so hard that I cried.  And just kept laughing. 
    
    
15. I have been shocked speechless.  And every time it's been because of an act of love. 
    
    
16. I have survived 30 years without breaking a bone in my body.  A dislocated jaw, but no breaks.  Sorry mom, apparently that wasn't enough to wire my 16 year old mouth shut for a month.  I know you were hoping they would.
    
    
17. I learned to curl, and met some of the best friends of my life doing it.
    
    
18. In 30 years, I have never been arrested. 
    
    
19. Although I still get asked for ID when I go out. 
    
    
20. I have learned that I can't sing, dance, or swim.  Not that I don't still do the first two, I just do it where nobody else has to suffer for it.
    
    
21. I learned how to play the flute, oboe, piccolo, and piano. 
    
    
22. I survived Ice Storm 1998.  And Y2K.  And remember them. 
    
    
23. I have skated the entire length of the Ottawa Canal.  And back again.
    
    
24. I fell in love.  I got married.  And every day I wake up next to my best friend and partner in business, life, and love.  And every day I love him more. 
    
    
25. I gained more family that I can shake a stick at when I got married.  And while I thought there were a lot of them 12 years ago, every so often they go and add another one.  And I have seen that family celebrate and love every member. 
    
    
26. I taught myself to knit.
    
    
27. I have been told by an 80 year old man that holding my yarn while I wind a ball makes him feel like a kid again.  How he remembered being 5 years old and doing exactly the same for his mother all those years ago. 
    
    
28. I've heard regret from the family that I didn't have the chance to meet Andre's Nanny.  Apparently we are remarkably alike.  Something to do with knitting all the time.   
    
    
29. I have survived times when I was so tired and broke and hopeless that it was all I could do to just put one foot in front of another.  Times when "one more day" just seemed almost too long.  But I did take one more step, and one more day went by, and then another and another. 
    
    
30. And I now live in a time where I am happy.  Things are not perfect.  Things are still hard.  I still worry.  But it doesn't matter.  I can always take one more step, and I will always get through one more day.

So to all those people out there that I have met over the last 30 years, thanks.  There are a lot of these things on this list that couldn't have happened with out you.  

Be Still My Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Sure enough, it's spring, and I've been overrun with work.  For both jobs, this time of year is like Christmas for retail stores... Home improvement peak season is April - July, and André and I are running around like mad. 

On the plus side, he's so busy that he's looking at hiring another employee.  This would be great because it would free him up for more time to do consultations and design work.  On the down side, it increases the pressure to find more and larger jobs to keep his growing crew busy.  It would also mean more paperwork for me. 

Oh, and we're incorporating.  So imagine the paperwork that I am chronically trying to dig my way out of. 

Times like this friends and family look at us and shake their heads.  We need a holiday, they say.  We need to stop and breathe and smell the roses.  Right...

Sitting on the front step for a momentary break the other morning, we took a look at the weedy excuse for a garden.  Then André pointed down and said, "isn't that a little bleeding heart bush-lette right there?"

And would you look at that he's right.  It made my day, my week, my month, and my summer, all in one glance. 

When André and I first moved out together, we had a dumpy little town house in a not so nice nieghbourhood.  But the back yard was a decent size, and I figured I'd try my hand at gardening.  Turns out that I'm not terribly good at gardening, but lucky for me, two of my favourite plants are good and hardy - lilacs and bleeding heart bushes.  Every house I've ever lived in has had these plants somewhere on the property, and I really wanted to keep the tradition. 

Fast forward a year and a half, and we've bought a house and are getting set to move.  We're in the middle of a town house row (in a much nicer neighbourhood), and there are lilacs on either end.  But there weren't any bleeding heart bushes.  No problem, I said, I'll just dig up the one that I planted at the old house, put it in a bucket, and bring it with me. 

Well, cue university life and all of the other work that comes with home ownership, and before I knew it, it was winter, the ground was frozen solid, and so was the bucket with the still-not-planted bleeding heart.  Oh, well, I said, I'll just get a new one in the spring.  Imagine my amazement when in the spring the bleeding heart just sprang right back to life in its bucket, flowering away happily.  In fact it looked so happy that I left it in the bucket for another winter.  (Ok, that's a lie, university life got in the way so bad that I again forgot about it.)

Finally, a break in the following spring and I actually planted the miracle bush in a prominent spot in the front garden.  And there it stayed happily for another few years.  The last two years it started looking a little peaky in the spring, so in my gusto to make this plant as happy as it could be, I transplanted it to a better spot in the garden away from the drier vent, and in a sunnier spot. 

And then we had a drought...

And this year my big beautiful bleeding heart bush didn't come back. 

I have no idea if there is a natural life span of these plants (they're a semi-tuberous root system, so likely they'll just keep going as long as there is water and sun and nothing eats them), but apparently 10 years (with 2 in a bucket) and a drought proved too much for this one.  I felt like I wanted to cry... despite everything else I'd done to this poor plant, I was going to miss it. 

Then André pointed out a little tuft of green amongst the weeds, just beside the spot where I had planted the old bush.  Just a wee 4" tuft of a different leafy green than the weeds.  A bleeding heart bush-lette.  There might not be flowers on it this year, but you'd better believe that it's going to be the most carefully cared for little plant on the block. 

It's perfect for the mantra that's kept me going through the last few weeks of insanity:

Next year it will be better. 

Next year I will stop and smell the roses bleeding heart flowers.

Thrown to the Lions

Just a quick post for now, lots going on, and not a lot of free time at the moment.  So some random thoughts from the last few days.

Starting with this:

Yes, people, it's April.  But this is Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  Seriously, what were you expecting?  There have been 3 snow-less Aprils in the last 50 years.  Just because it was nice for a week in March doesn't mean that our lion winter won't have cubs that will come back and bite us later. 

Although the snow on top of ice pellets on top of freezing rain followed by rain and then more snow all in 24 hours might have been a bit much for the average person to cope with. 

It's supposed to start warming up soon.  So they claim.  With lots of rain. 

So it turns out that the Classica Coat and knit socks I've been working on will still be useful if finished in the not too distant future.  Although I'll need more sock yarn... apparently not enough yarn in the left overs for another whole pair. 

The coat however is progressing nicely.  Back done, and one front panel started.  Pictures to follow should I manage to find the camera during the house clean up today. 

I had thought about tidying up the deck and getting the patio furniture out... Maybe next weekend.  When it's not snowing.

In Like a Lion, Out Like a.... Lion?

There is an expression about March:  In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.  If the beginning of March is rough (storms, cold, snow, etc), by the end of March it will be mild and peaceful.  Of course the opposite is supposed to be true too.

In truth however, this is Canada, and March is generally just lion shaped all month long.  Weather wise this year March saw yet another big snow fall, a couple of colder than normal days, and as we reach the final stretch, some rather dramatically warm days as well.  While this might sound lamb-like, ask anybody in a lower lying area how critically important it is to make sure that your sump pumps are working 100% during this time of year.  All of that melting snow has to go somewhere and basements are a common escape route.

March came roaring in in other ways too.  I was kill-me-now-please sick for a week at the beginning.  Thankfully I recovered enough to be groupie of the year for André and the curling team, but no sooner did life look like it was getting back to normal than my sinuses decided that it was their turn to be my downfall.

Now the Easter weekend is upon us, and we are trying to fit as much as we can into a couple of days off.

Advancements in the knitting world have also been on the lion and lamb side of things lately as well.  The delivery of the John Deere socks in time was quite the relief.  And all the time out watch the boys curling let me get something else off the needles too.  I give you Cable and Cross.

 

This was the hat project that I started on the train on the way to Toronto back in February.  Once Amy's mitts were done I was smart enough to remember to return the needles to the bag with this lovely wip.

Details: Knit as written on 4.5 mm circulars, magic loop.  Almost entirely 2 balls of Andean Treasure in Mystery from Knit Picks (it was kicking around in my stash).   Overall a fantastic project - yummy yarn, at just the right gauge to be dense and warm but not crunchy and tight, and a pattern complex enough to be interesting, but simple enough to memorize so that I could watch curling rather than my notes.  Although, having a chart rather than just written instructions would have been nice.

André found Exeter, so this one's mine.  And it served me well in the last few weeks.

I've also cast on a couple of new projects (hey, I finished 2 things, now I'm starting 2 more.  It evens out in the end right?).


First are a pair of Java socks.  These are a bit of a rush for a close friend who's about to go in for major knee surgery.  Right before his birthday.  I may have just jumped right in and gotten all the way down to the ball of the foot of one sock before thinking that it was looking a wee bit small (said friend is 6'1" with mercifully only men's size 9 feet).  A quick test on André (men's size 8) and they were far too small.

So I ripped it alllllll back and started over with the larger size.  I really should have looked at the pattern a wee bit closer at the beginning, but that's what I get for just jumping right in.  I'm working with some chocolate brown stash sock yarn on 2.25 mm needles.  I have 2 weeks. 

Also on the needles is a project that I've been meaning to start for a couple of years.  The Clasica Coat from Interweave Knits Fall 2009.  I found the perfect yarn while out with my sister-in-law just before New Years (the same time I picked up the yarn for Exeter).  Léttlopi in the descriptively named colour #1401.  The catch? Neither location of Yarn Forward had anywhere near enough for the entire project.  So the lovely ladies ordered some, and I picked up 18 balls (probably a slight over estimation, but better safe than sorry) in early March, along with getting my sewing machine serviced.

I want this coat to work out, so in a moment of brief sanity, I swatched.  I actually made 2 different ones on different needles, since I thought the first one with the needle size recommended for the pattern looked a little loose.  Then I washed and blocked the swatches.  And waited for them to dry before measuring them.

I thought that the one with suggested needles was still a bit loose, but the other done on needles 2 sizes smaller was definately too small.  So I figured I'd compromise and go down 1 needle size for the body of the jacket.  Well... one ball in, and the back is almost 3 inches too narrow.  Despite being a needle size up from the smaller swatch, my gauge is apparently TIGHTER by not a small amount.

Now we're back to the suggested needle size, and I've knit another entire ball, and it's looking way better.  I just have to remember to keep going on it.  The back is 19" of stst.  Not exciting.  But soon there will be shoulder shaping and the interesting pattern on the sleeves and front.  I just need to get there.

It seems fitting doesn't it?  That both of my newest projects cast on in the spring are the colours of spring?

What?  Spring's not brown?  I don't know where you live, but this is spring in Ottawa.  This early in the spring what isn't brown is road salt grey.  The green stuff and pretty flowers aren't going to be around for a while yet...

Walk On - Deere, John

Or perhaps more appropriately, Dear Kyle,

André and I met you almost 4 years ago when we started curling.  You worked at the Pro Shop at the club, and were responsible for us completely blowing our budget when kitting ourselves out for our first year.  But we forgive you, the gear we got was amazing, thanks!

You also ventured out on the ice with Dave to teach us and another beginner the basics of the game.  Brave, brave man.  You both were patient, careful, and overall exceptional teachers.  Again, thanks!

Two years ago, when a teammate of yours broke his collar bone the week before the OVCA Men's Bonspiel you asked if André could fill in.  That gave him such a confidence boost, you have no idea.  Even the "demotion" to second after your first game (yes, you do need guards where you ask for them, and Rory is far better at that than André is...), the fact that by the end of the tournament you were already talking about the next year and how you and André would need to find some more teammates, made André's entire season.  That alone made the chauffeuring of your drunk asses around all weekend totally worth it.  Thank you.

We won't speak too much of your going away party, partly cause I'm not sure how much you (or most other people there that night) actually remember.  But it was one hell of a night!  You have some pretty damn cool friends, thanks for including us in that gang!

And then you moved home, back to Owen Sound (ish).  That's far.  But you came back for the OVCA Men's with two new teammates and André, and while you boys didn't do as well as you were hoping, it was still a pile of fun.  Especially after that last game at Carleton Heights where we all just about laughed ourselves sick discussing the ever increasing elaborate game of curling on the canal with cannons.  I still smile to myself thinking about it.  And while I still didn't manage to win groupie of the year, it was super fun.  Thanks :)

This past week you and your girlfriend made the long trek back to Ottawa to reunite with Taylor, Joel, and André in Team Fail to Fail's second attempt at the OVCA Men's.  This year, I was prepared. There were cookies.  And mini-pies for pie day (March 14th for those uninitiated in the tradition.  March = 3, so 3.14... March 14th... pie day!).  And designated driving, and the wave when you guys made your shots, and hugs when you didn't.  And the careful reading of the draw boards (ok, win this one so that we don't have to drive all the way to Navan for a 9am draw on Saturday morning!!!).  And training your Jen in the ways of team groupie-ness (she's fantastic by the way).  All of this might have been enough to finally award me groupie of the year by the rest of the team, but somehow, I think that these might have had something to do with it (even if they weren't quite done when you got here).

All of your curling stuff is green.  And the last time we drove past a John Deere dealership you damn near climbed out the window to check out the shiny tractors.  And I can still see you standing up on the hacks last year in Metcalf trying to get your feet off the ice to warm up even a little bit.  So despite your 6'+ height and size 11 feet, socks seem like not enough of a thank you for all the good that you've given us. 

I wanted to make these socks really really special.  So I found some awesome people to hold the sock. 

Look! Joe (owner of Hogline Pro Shop and generally awesome person) and Dalal (our curling club manager, who in fact does not curl... figure that one out). 

Remember I started knitting those socks at the Scotties watching the Homan rink kick some ass?  Well, André and I happened to be around during their send off party for World's.  With a little bit of help (thanks Joe!) I give you Team Canada and the John Deere sock. 

Those girls think that I am probably completely insane.  Although Emma said that the socks were sweet.  I hope these socks keep you warm in all your curling adventures.

And thanks for being amazing.  Love,  Jen

Walk On - Greener On the Other Side

I'm in the process of recovering from flu-hell-2013.  It's been an unpleasant week.  I'm mostly back to my normal self, if accompanied by a deep hacking cough that I hear can hang on for weeks.  But I'm sleeping (mostly) through the night again, and the world has stopped spinning if I think about sitting up. 

Needless to say, there hasn't been much knitting progress in the last few days.  However, I have continued a time honoured tradition that I started in grad school.  The latest installment has been delivered, so at least I have something knitting related to say.

When friends graduate, we all want them to walk out into the world, get "real" jobs, and be successful and all those awesome things.  But the real world is a cold and scary place. 

So I started a tradition.  When friends graduate, they get hand knit socks to keep them warm and safe as they go.  It's not much, but it's the least I can do. 

Now that I've graduated, and most of my friends have as well, I haven't knit a pair of graduation socks in a long while.  But one of the girls at work just finished her undergrad over Christmas, and is moving half way across the province to be closer to better job opportunities (apparently Toronto has more of a market for those with International Business and Marketing degrees than Ottawa... go figure). 

Christine (not Irate Avian Christine, but another one) taught me my job.  And is smart and pretty and funny and all kinds of awesome.  So Friday, as she breezed back through town en-route to a concert in Montreal stopped by work to collect her graduation socks. 

I generally try and take requests for socks, I want people to like their socks.  Christine's only request was green.  Well, green I can do!

So walk on Christine.  Go forth, kick ass, take names, and hopefully the grass in Toronto is greener than here. 

Bring It Homan

Last night was the final game of the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.  The winner goes on to represent Canada at the World Championships in a few weeks.  And gets an automatic trip to the Scotties next year as Team Canada.  As well as an automatic entry in the Roar of the Rings in November - the competition to determine Team Canada for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

No pressure.

At the end of round robin play, Team Manitoba skipped by Jennifer Jones had clinched the top spot going undefeated with an 11-0 record (which hasn't happened since 1985 which it was accomplished by Linda Moore, now of announcing fame, although they only had a 10-0 record since Team Canada didn't automatically get the chance to come back).  Team Ontario, out of OUR curling club, skipped by Rachel Homan parked themselves firmly in second, with their only loss being to Jones and the Manitoba rink.  In third, Team Canada from last year skipped by Heather Nedohin, and fourth, BC skipped by Kelly Scott.

The National Curling Association uses the Page Playoff system.  Once the ranks are established, the quarter finals are played.  The first and second ranked teams play each other, as well as the third and fourth ranked teams.

The winner of the 1-2 game gets a by into the finals.  The loser plays in the semi-finals against the winner of the 3-4 game.  The semi-final winner goes on to the finals.

Complicated enough?  It makes a lot of sense once you get used to it. 

Team Canada beat BC in the 3-4 game on Saturday afternoon.  Or so we heard later.  We'd been taping the game to watch it once Andre got home from curling that morning.  We hit the fifth end break and I looked at the clock.  4:15 pm.  The 1-2 game is on at 7.  Kingston is only 2 hours away, and neither of us has to work in the morning.  Then I opened my big mouth.

"You know, if we leave now, we could make the 1-2 game."

And so we drove to Kingston.  Again.

I still haven't been able to figure out how we managed to pull this off, but we got there, parked, collected tickets, and found our seats with 15 minutes to spare.

Oh, yeah.  And we had ice level seats.  At the home end (which means that when it comes down to that critical shot in the last end for the win or loss, we are in the front row).

Knitting and curling watching (and associated beer drinking) go together like peanut butter and chocolate.  The rumble of the rock as it's being thrown gives the cue to look up to see the shot.  On TV the announcers just talk, so all I have to do is listen.  Until Russ starts putting arrows everywhere. Then I'm liable to drop stitches if I don't pause for a minute. 

When we went on Monday I had packed a very special project to bring with me.  Socks for our friend Kyle.  He is one of the people that taught André and I how to curl 4 years ago.  He and André have curled the Ottawa Valley Curling Association Men's Speil the last few years together.  He skips and André throws second.  The first year they curled together one of the rinks was particularly chilly and Kyle eyed the socks I was knitting for myself.  Apparently he'd like a pair to keep him warm while curling. 

It's a good thing I like him, the man has size 11 feet.

So what better project to take to the Scotties, then socks for the man that taught us the game. 

Look!  Homan and Jones!  And a giant green sock in progress.  At the page 1-2 game in Kingston.

Homan went on to with that game, leaving Jones to battle Nedohin for the chance to play the finals.  Pardon the fuzzy cell phone picture, but they came right near where we were, and the crowd crushed in.  Remember, they are Team Ontario, we are playing in Ontario, and Kingston is close to Ottawa, so lots of local fans.  Oh, and Ontario hasn't won the Scotties since 1996. And now they are guaranteed at least a silver. 

Jones and Manitoba beat Nedohin and Canada in a very exciting Sunday morning game, meaning that at 7pm last night there would be a Jones/Homan rematch.  They were 1-1 against each other.

And Homan and the rink out of the Ottawa Curling Club won the 2013 Scotties!  The coming home party at the club is going to be epic.  And there will be a Scotties banner in our club.  Unreal.

In the mean time, I continue to slave away on the giant green sock.  There's no curling on TV for now, but the Brier, Men's Nationals, starts on Sunday, so there will be time enough soon.  It's in Edmonton this year, which is a wee bit more than a day trip from home, so no unannounced trips to see the men play.  Oh well, there's always next year.

Although then it's in Kamloops, BC. 

I guess there's always 2015. 

I Wish We Had Inches

A few years ago there was a commercial that caught the essence of curling, and at least in my mind, helped lay to rest the debate about whether or not curling was a sport or a game.  Although what the commercial was actually for, I can't recall.  Nor can I find it anywhere online beyond forum references to an additional debate about whether it is genius (my vote is yes) or a petty knock at a "more popular" sport.  And why the thrower decided to go for the essentially non-existent port between those stones rather than doubling them out. 

Regardless, if someone out there can find it, PLEASE tell me.  I just lost an hour trying.  And for the failure of both You Tube and Google, you are stuck with my dramatic re-typing. 

~~~~~

Cue image of a delivery.  The sweepers are called on.  The rock nears the house.

[unreasonably calmly] "They say football is a game of inches"

The rock passes between 2 opposition rocks with millimeters to spare on either side and curls neatly to the button.

"I wish we had inches"

~~~~~

Curling, especially world championship level curling, is a sport where shots can be made or missed by literally a hair's breadth.  Points are awarded or stolen on measures with a micrometer.  It's epic. 

And I was reminded of this commercial as I knit happily along on Amy's fingerless gloves while watching the Scotties. 

Knitting away on the second mitt, as I started the thumb gusset I paused a took a good hard look at the rapidly diminishing amount of yarn I had left.  And I wasn't sure I was going to make it. 

Although, really, I should have seen this coming.  I let Amy pick the pattern and the yarn, and just shrugged when the weight called for and the weight I was holding didn't quite match.  No worries, it's not off by much.  (Karmic smack #1)  And Amy would like them to go almost to her elbow (more that double the length of the pattern).  No problem I said!  (Karmic smack #2)

If that wasn't hint enough that catastrophe was imminent, the sample couple of inches that Amy tried on before I boarded the train home fit perfectly. (Karmic smack #3)

No, I thought to myself, this project is going along too nicely for something silly like running out of yarn to happen.  This will work out. 

Or not.  Yes, that is the second mitt, 8 rows from the end.  And that little hanging tail is ALL of my yarn. 

So now what?

Option 1 - rip back this mitt to below the thumb gusset.  Rip out an entire cable repeat.  Knit back up with just enough yarn (cable repeat = 8 rounds).  THEN rip back the first mitt below the thumb gusset, remove one cable repeat.  Knit back up and have more yarn to spare.  Not a fan.

Option 2 - I'm only 8 rows short, and there is a 6 row repeat in the top part, which I'm already not that keen on since it tends to flair out right at the end.  So, pause this mitt.  Rip out the first mitt to the round right after the thumb cast off.  Reknit taking out 4 rounds of the 6 row repeat.  Cast off.  Use recovered yarn to knit 2 round repeat and ending rounds, and cast off.  I should have enough.  I like this plan better.  It has less ripping. 

And the result?

 I wish I had inches. 

OK, so in truth I have exactly 7.5 inches, not including the 1/2" tails I tucked in.  But still. 

And before I forget to post the details, Linda K's Yummy Mummy wrist warmers.  Knit on 4 mm.  Extended to have 10 cable repeats (instead of 4).  Using Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in Plum.  It was beyond nice to work with.  Soft, just a little bit squishy, and not once did it split (even after ripping and reknitting).  Although another 2 meters (to make a nice round 240 meters/ball) would have been nice. 

Dearest Amy, these gloves will be on their way to you promptly (delivery method as yet to be finalized).  I hope they keep you warm while you create beautiful things.  I'll start the second pair once my blood pressure returns to something more reasonable and I can look at purple wool without mentally trying to calculate how many stitches I might get out of that last little 1.5" piece that's left over.  

At least the next yarn comes pre-divided.  Not going to wonder about the half way mark there. 

Love, Jen

I've also got some socks that really need to be done in the next 3 weeks, for a wonderful man with size 11 feet.  For some reason I thought this was a good idea...  It'll keep me busy during the Scotties finals today and tomorrow.  And the entire Men's Brier tournament next week.  We'll see if I still like him by the end. 

Family Day Between the Sheets

Monday was Family Day in Ontario - that strange provincial holiday that causes a lot of confusion.  It was created to give families a day off together.  Yet in Ottawa, what is open and closed can be a wee bit convoluted.  Most of the federal government still works since they are only mandated to have the federal holidays off.  But local and provincial businesses are closed.  Unless of course you work over the border in Quebec.  Then you work regardless (but you get St. Jean Baptist day off in June, which those of us in Ontario don't). 

As it happens André and I have a day off together.  Which we realized Sunday night.  Now, you'd think with the piles of things that need doing between our house and his business we'd buckle down and really get some work done.  But that would be the sane people thing to do. 

Instead, we jumped in the truck and drove down to Kingston to watch an afternoon draw of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.  Work be damned, when is the next time that the Scotties is going to be this close to us?

It was great.  The drive was peaceful and the traffic was almost non-existent.  We scored parking right across the street from the arena and our seats gave us a fantastic view.  We had lunch and dinner in two different pubs less than 2 blocks from the rink.  And the games were phenomenal!  Team Canada had a blow out win over Quebec, and Team Ontario (a young rink that curls out of OUR club!!) won their game in an extra end. 

To top it all off, we met some of curling's most famous people.  And we aren't talking about the players.  As soon as the game ended, André and I made for the TSN commentator's booth.  There we met and got autographs from Vic Rauter, Linda Moore, and Russ Howard!!!  Vic and Linda have been calling curling games for as long as I've been watching, along with now retired Ray Turnbull.  Russ joined the team a few seasons back, and has added a whole new level of entertainment with the depiction of shots with arrows on the screen.  These people are minor gods in the curling world.  No matter who takes the Team Canada jackets this year or next, they will always be there to call the shots. 

All in all, sure it wasn't the most productive day we've ever had, but what an amazing break from life. 

Now, however, it really is back to work. 

Oh, and the Scotties are in Montreal next year.  We're already scouting couches to surf.  One draw was fun, but how cool would it be to make a weekend of it?

Time Out in the GTA

The last few weeks were meant to be productive in so many ways... There is a bedroom to finish, knitting to do, year end paperwork for André to complete.  We were going to be so organized, the Dewy Decimal system would look chaotic in comparison.

Right.  Not so much.

Instead, André caught a wicked bad cold/flu thing.  And I went for an impromptu visit to Toronto. 

So the house is still a wreck - tools in my living room and the such like.  The bedroom still isn't done (although while we have working blinds and super cool curtains now, we had to make some adjustments to the outlets next to the bed meaning some significant drywall patching... and more painting). 

On the bright side though, taking the train to Toronto gave me hours and hours of me time.  Me and a cup of coffee, my knitting and my thoughts.  So an entire ball of Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Mystique became this (pattern on Ravelry somewhere, I'll find it when I show you the finished item):

And that was just the 4.5 hours on the trip up!  Yes, it's another hat.  André and I have both lost ours (yes, he lost Exeter.  It took him 3 weeks.).  There've been a few more rows added since with the start of the second ball.  It's progressing nicely.  And is now on hold.  I needed the needles for a special request. 

I love taking the train places, and despite André's suggestion that I fly (with our airmiles it worked out to almost the same price), it's just as well I did.  Last friday saw yet another massive snow dump on southern and eastern Ontario.  This would be our third in Ottawa, we're used to it.  But Toronto?  Not so much.  Flights were being cancelled on both ends, and the 401 highway was a disaster (which I would have been on had I decided to take the bus.  But really... more leg room, more space, and only $16 more?  TRAIN!).  And we were only 20 minutes late pulling in, which for VIA rail is par for the course. 

I was met at the train station by my darling sister Amy.  She moved to Toronto a few weeks ago and is settling in.  What better time for a sister visit!  It was fantastic :D  We talked for hours, it's so nice to catch up with family like that.

I had a few simple requirements for traveling to Toronto.  One - there must be coffee in the morning.  No problem, Amy drinks as much as I do.  And hers is better.  Check.

Two - At some point during the weekend there would be a return trip to The Purple Purl.  André and I had visited this wonderful store a few years back as they celebrated their first anniversary.  Now I'm back just after their 5th!  It's a perfect combination of cozy yarn store with added bonus cafe.  Try the peanut butter square thingies.  Heaven!

Amy is an artist.  Illustration mostly.  Her work is beautiful and she is seriously talented.  But working long hours sketching and on the computer can mean chilly fingers.  At her request we picked up some yarn for fingerless gloves/arm warmers.

I've already lost the tag for this one, but it's been a real treat to work with.  When/if I find it I'll let you know what it is.  Most of it has already become Linda K's Yummy Mummy Wristwarmers with some modifications (shorter thumb, but way longer up the arm).

I had the ball wound up at the store, and by the time the train came in to Ottawa, I had one complete.  The other is well on its way.


We also picked up some Turtlepurl self striping sock yarn in Gothic Plum.  It's super neat - you get 2 identical balls so that if you knit one sock with one, and start the second at the same point on the second ball you get 2 perfectly matched socks!  It has not been started yet, there will need to be some form of pattern design for this one.  I'd really like to knit wrist warmers from the fingers down since I don't know how long each ball will last, but I have yet to find ANY patterns that do this.  There will be some inventing in my future I believe.

I also managed to steal an afternoon to spend with the incredible duo of Jenny and David, two of my longest and best friends in the world.   We had crepes and went to the library (Sherlock Holmes at the Reference Library = GEEK OUT!) and visited David's theater.  All topped off with the most amazing dinner with Gigi and a quick visit with beloved Rachellelala.  Every so often I wonder why we don't move to Toronto.  Then we have conversations about housing prices there.  Combine that with traffic/commuting distances, and you've got your answer.  But it's sure fun to visit!

In short, a whirlwind weekend of amazing people, much knitting, and a chance to recenter myself.  I should do this more often.

In the mean time though, it's back to the daily grind.  There is laundry to do, paperwork to file, and a never ending list of house projects to tackle.  Bring it on!

Irate Avian!!

Dear Debbie Travis,

While I was out Christmas shopping at a local "tire" themed store, my husband and I came across your artfully arranged display of Christmas decorations.  Something about the way that items were carefully aligned by colour and size spoke yelled out to me to wander through.   While we did not find the perfect tree topper that we were looking for (plaid? seriously?), I found this pint-sized darling:

This little adorable attempt at a cardinal is fuzzy and rotund and just the sweetest guy ever.  Even our cat loves him.

He in no way deserved what I then proceeded to do to him after we got him home. 

You see, I have this awesome friend.  Who does things like take me out to see the Broadway production Beauty and the Beast for an early Christmas gift, because I love Broadway and I can't even afford the back end of nose-bleed seats.  And then brings us back Hill Billy sippy cups as a thank you for baby sitting her cat while she was away for 2 weeks (yes, they are exactly what you think they are: mason jars with lids and straws - aka AMAZING).

And she loves that trade-marked iPhone game in which the players launch feathered friends at porcine invaders.

And Debbie, this precious cardinal reminded me so much of the cover bird of this game that I couldn't help but say out loud in the store how much they resembled each other.  And that it would just take a few minutes with some fabric (read yarn) and a glue gun, and they would be identical.  André thought it was hysterical genius. 

And so, I apologize.  I turned your beautiful delicate cardinal, this unique symbol of peace and love in Canadian Christmases into a creature that when catapulted at a swine will explode into a poof of feathers and take out the scenery.  He has been transformed into a non-trade-marked please-don't-sue-me

IRATE AVIAN!

Merry Christmas Christine! 

Oops, we did it again...

Just as I'm getting back in to the swing of blogging about knitting again, then we get bitten by the renovations bug!

This is a much smaller project than the bathroom a few years ago was, but it's still taking up a surprising amount of time (and space... and sanity...).

Our master bedroom has a beautiful huge closet between two windows on the outside wall.  The closet itself "bumps out" about a foot and a half, saving on its footprint in the room and providing a bit of an overhang over the front of the house.  The only down side is that the insulation, while I'm sure was state of the art 35 years ago when the house was built, is now less than stellar.  This means that the bedroom floor is freezing in the winter, and the closet trends 5-10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.

So now, dammit, we're fixing that.  Which meant that we tore out all the drywall and part of the floor in the closet and reinsulated.  While we were at it, we figured we'd build a faux wall behind the bed, allowing us to give each side of the bed its own outlet, and proper light fixtures. 

We're about half way through the job now.  Insulation is done, along with the wall build.  We're just waiting for the drywall mud to dry before applying what is hopefully the final coat. 

That means that in theory, tomorrow is sanding, priming, and first coat of paint!  Which means that I need to pick colours.  And there should probably be a dump run in the not too distant future, so that this:

Can get out of my dinning room!  Another downside of winter renovations - can't just toss the scrap out the backdoor onto the deck for disposal later... if it snows, that stuff is stuck until summer.  And there's another decent sized snowfall on the way.

So in the mean time, I'm going to finish enjoying my tasty lunch.
















Good looking eh?  Carrot, apple, sweet potato, and ginger soup and home made granola raspberry square thingies. 

Then back to the drywall...