Oui, c'est chic

You Belong in Paris Stylish and a little sassy, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine, the men! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-)

Odds of a miracle

Regrettably very little knitting has been accomplished. sigh I have been very busy the last couple of days with painting. The Yarn Room has 2 coats of a very pale blue on the walls. I will be putting on the 1st coat of the trim (a very light blue) in the knitting room, then the 2nd coat of paint on the last batch of shutters. Tomorrow (after a meeting with the GM of the local Toyota dealership about the astonishingly incompetent service - but that's another whole blog!) I can put on the 2nd coat of trim paint in the Yarn Room. Why the need for a miracle you ask?
How am I going to get all of this (it's one pile - I needed to view pics for you to get the scope of it) in a room 2¾ x 3 meters (9' x 9¾')? I know - it blows my mind too if I think about it for too long. Fortunately I'm very good at denial , but even that is only good for so long.
We have company coming on Sunday, so miracle or no we'll know by then how this pans out.
I am not without certain skills, though, that weigh in my favour. We moved from a two bedroom apartment into this 3 bedroom house and - with very little additional furniture required - it's comfortably furnished.
I haven't seen it on a Pokemon card) and the more developed the proficiency of the AFRM (Ability to Find Room for More) the less planning & forethought is required and the knitter can be a master of spontaneity.

Flamingo-ing along; Nemesis

Here is a pic of Flamingo in its as-close-to-natural habitat as it's going to get in these parts. This pair is going to be for Amanda and she's loving them! I got quite a bit done yesterday as she was home sick so I didn't drive ... there goes the attendance bonus. sigh Although I think it's better to lose it now than one month before the school year is up. At least now I don't have to think about it.

I also spent much time yesterday and today painting the shutters for the house. And by painting I mean priming, a 1st coat and then a 2nd coat. They look great though & Amanda helped out a bit today with the last of the priming.

Michelle ... great minds think alike! I have been thinking that I would like to do a more than just a stockinette stitch sock. These wonderful sock yarns have lulled me into a lazy sock knitter. I really like the socks that Grumperina received in her Sockpal2za package. Something a bit lacy perhaps. Any suggestions?

The Faster Knitter time trials - and I do mean trials - were held at the spring CSNF in Toronto. I believe - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that the TKGA held such an event as did a needlework show in the UK. They were all held with the same needle/yarn/stitch count parameters.
Linda Benne is my Nemesis. She beat me. She always beats me. I hate respect her and consider her a seriously worthy opponent. It was truly a clash of knitting titans and we went back and forth for the entire day. Then Linda went to warp and laid down a stupid speed that I just couldn't get to.
I console myself that it really is only because of me that she was able to knit so fast ... and there is nothing wrong with 2nd place. The British winner was faster even than Linda, so 3rd place in the World Knitting Olympics is quite alright.

I just wish that there was an actual medal involved here. sigh

Thanks Sandy!

I love contests - just thinking about what I can do with the prize is so much fun. But when I actually win!!!
Thanks Sandy - I had a great time surfing through the other "sky watchers" blogs and it was nice to slow down for a moment to really look at the view(s) above. I have recently found a great source for LL up here in the Great White North - Lettuce Knit - and I really love this yarn. I don't have the Gold Hill colourway yet so I am really looking forward to working it up and seeing what develops.
{Don't even ask Ada}

Off to knit the night away - how can I sleep now?!

Good morning skies

Thanks to Sandy, I'm paying more attention to the skies these days and for my trouble I am blessed with these lovely pics.
The 1st picture is looking eastward (from in front of my house) @ 6:09AM. The 2nd is also eastward @7:25 and the last picture is also 7:25AM but looking westward. I don't often consider having to get up at 5:30 a good thing, but when you can get views like these it puts a positive spin on it. I am thinking of the people in the path of the oncoming Hurricane Rita and I pray for their safety and health.

Ta-Da!!

I didn't have anyone to (wo)man the camera so it's just on a hanger, but you can get a sense of the loveliness of it!! It does hit my hips in the same place as it does on the model (Fall VK) but it looks less flattering on me - lol. The ruffle is nice and light though so I think that with the proper skirt & heels my assets will divert attention from this small detail. The KSS pooled a bit in the ruffle, but not irritatingly so. I love how airy it is - the wind teased it a bit blurring it in the picture so I can imagine wearing it and having an understated a very understated Marilyn-esque moment. Okay - you try to come up with a sexy-feeling thought to go with a bulky-knit sweater!

AARR!! I be ...

My pirate name is:

Captain Anne Flint

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org

So I'll be knittin' on my ship wi' nary a word from the likes of you scurvy dogs or I'll be tossin' ya into the deep!

Thursday already! The good news is that the green Opal socks are done.

Now, I am not a stickler for identical socks. The second one gets started with wherever I left off on the ball. These started out that way. But then they skipped a bit of light green and lined themselves up nearly perfectly all the way to the toes. There didn’t appear to be any knot or irregularity in the yarn. I’m sure that this would have really annoyed someone who was actually trying to make the socks identical. Here is a closer look at the transformation point.

What’s next? Drum roll please!
Flamingo!!!
And because she asked so sweetly (and she hasn’t had a handknit in a while) these are for Amanda. I am loving knitting with this colourway. Amanda is feeling a bit under the weather today – allergy-aggravated asthma and snuffling up too much phlegm, but seeing her SIP made her feel a bit better.

My Rowan Big Wool sweater is done ~ I am just blocking out the edges. Pictures will be ready tonight or tomorrow.

And a picture of the western sky as seen from my back deck in Angus at 9:15AM for Sandy. We are expecting some rain and perhaps a thunderstorm later so there may be more interesting sky pictures to come.

I love these things!

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


You are Shetland Wool.
You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a
little on the harsh side. Though you look
delicate you are tough as nails and prone to
intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are
widely respected and even revered.

Revered?! I like the sound of that!! lol


What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.
http://marniemaclean.com

Home Improvements

The previous owners had painted the garage door a dark yet bright green, which apparently the neighbours weren't really fond of. It was then primed over. When we bought the house we were told that they would have it painted by closing, but the best laid plans ... It worked out well because Kerwyn & I had the ttime to really consider what we wanted to do and pick out the colour ourselves. Here is the result:
The colour is called "New Jeans". We are also going to paint the shutters and front door this colour with the trim in white. When that's done I will have before & after pics.

Amanda talked excitedly about planting flowers beds as soon as we saw this house and knew we wanted it. Having moved in mid-summer and with everything else that needed doing the front beds just got left. They had a lot of ground cover perennials, some overgrown bushes and neglected roses. It looked kind of like this one (front bed #2).
(sidebar) Amanda has recently decided that she wants to grow an apple tree from the seeds of the apples that she eats. Far be it from me to discourage someone from recycling & trying to improve the eenvironment.
So on our way home yesterday we stopped by Bradford Greenhouses for some potting soil so that she could start these apple seeds indoors (and should they grow we could transplant them outdoors in the spring). Then we saw the Fall Pansies. I love pansies. Amanda started wheedling and cajoling and I started capitulating. So needless to say that even though it was about 6:00PM when we got home there was no way for me to convince her that this was a serious undertaking - having to dig up all of the stuff that was in there before we could start planting. She worked her "cute magic" on me along with a "promise" spell. "I promise I'll help so hard and I'll water them and everything!" And then she smiled. So after about 2 hours of serious work - and she did do her share - we have this:
A SERIOUS IMPROVEMENT!!! Amanda remarked "it looks better with just the dirt" after we had cleaned it out and before we planted. Even though you can't see them, there are tulip bulbs at the back. I can't wait for spring because I love tulips too! The pine bush thing at the right hand side by the door is going to be cut/dug out because it's just so scraggly, spready-out ugly. It just isn't doing anything for me or for the house so I want it gone! And I'm going to have to read about Snowball bushes and find out if I'm supposed to cut them down for the winter or what. After Kerwyn cuts out that pine thing Amanda and I can finish that side of bed #1.

And even after all of that I still finished setting in the sleeve and neck edge on my Rowan sweater.

Darwin comes to mind; Progress

Sometimes I despair for the future when I see the children. Driving home last night (on the bus) one of the students tied his hood totally closed. A quarter-sized hole to see/breathe out of. And because that was so funny he tied the string around the neck of the hood (so that he couldn't just take the whole thing off over his head) then started tying knots. That he couldn't undo. Justin's not in KG or grade 3 or even grade 5. Grade 9!! sigh I offered him scissors but he didn't want to cut the string. Out comes the needle case and I give a large tapestry needle to Vance (goth-dresser and one of the nicest children on my high school run) to help Justin. Mercifully Vance successfully undid Justin. I wonder which one is the fittest and how the rest will survive?

The green Opal sock is coming along great - and an hour and a half at gymnastics today should give it a real boost. If you haven't voted on the next colour yet do it now! And we all know that every vote matters.

Here is how my Rowan sweater is coming along - I'm very pleased! It's a bit dark to see the cable, but it's fitting nicely. The second sleeve is knit and I'll be attaching it tonight and hopefully finishing the neck edging that goes around the back of the neck. Then it is just the lovely KSH frills/cuffs - I'm saving the most exciting for the last!

Brian modelling the most recently finished Naturally sweater 

Rowan Big Wool & KidSilk Haze for the VK sweater 

New Rowan Sweater

So I couldn't wait to start on the new sweater!! I decided to do it in the round up to the armholes - despite my aversion to circulars - to steer away from the bulk in the seams. I also did a provisional cast on to make it simpler to pick up 3 sts in 1 when I knit the bottom bit in the KSH.

Isn't Brian handsome? And he's not flirting with you ladies - it's a squint because the sun was blazing down right into his face. But he wore the chunky wool sweater on a gorgeous hot day with a smile on his face. And before you all write to find out his vitals - he is married to my friend Jocelyn (and she knits for him so Brian is well cared for).

The Allergies have me utterly wiped out. I might even enjoy the laying around more if my ears didn't ache all the way into my throat which feels like I've been swallowing shards of glass and my sinuses weren't so stuffed. Then there are the fits of sneezing, eye rubbing and nose blowing. I pray earnestly and often for a week of hard frost.

Fleece Artist socks 

Fleece Artist

The Sockbug purchased some Fleece Artist sock yarn and was wondering how it knits up. Recent skeins seem to be not as tightly plied as previously, but I have had no problem knitting my pair up on 2.5mm needles with a tension of 8.5 sts/inch.

Sigh - still with problems uploading pictures to my blog! Is anyone else having this problem? Or is this some sort of conspiracy against me?!

Anyway - above is the Picasa picture of the socks. You may notice that the right (lifted) sock has slightly darker/richer colours. This is not a trick of the light, it knit up that way. It seems to be a bit of a trend as the Yarn Harlot also experienced this issue. It doesn't really bother me but it is so noted. Otherwise they are great socks - sturdy without being rough and with so many self-patterning yarns I really enjoyed the randomness of these.

Hutch and new buffet  

Lattice behind the hot tub 

deck#1 

Everything but knitting

I can't believe that it's been almost a week! Picking up my bus, sorting out all of the paperwork that comes with a new job and new routes, setting up for someone to go out with me on the run because I can't make heads or tails out of the route sheet & map, wretched children getting all antsy and taking a nap because "the allergies" (Kyle always referred to his seasonal allergies like that when he was little and it's stuck) have sucked the energy out of me.

Friday was more of the same.

Saturday ... shopping for hot tub chemicals. The house came with a hot tub and you would think that that was a plus. Never having owned or needed to care for a spa or pool this is a whole new world {imagine impending doom music} of SCIENCE!!!!! Not that I did poorly in chemistry, but it wasn't my favourite subject either. And of course, even though the first store that I went to - Jacuzzi Hot Tubs - Hans took the time to explain everything very thoroughly and not treat me like the village idiot when my face went blank (and I think I actually said "huh?") I felt the need to go to another store or two, just to check prices and such. Big waste of time. Then we (oh yes, I had Kyle with me) went to Rona to pick up paint for the garage, front door and shutters (a lovely colour called "New Jeans") and stain for the back deck. Then a couple of stops at different grocery stores for the sale items and to pick up a dresser for under my hutch.
I have had this hutch for a very long time. It was a sample piece from Sklar Peppler that my father scooped for a great price. We have had it on the bedroom dresser in the bedroom of our apartment because there was no other place for it. Now that we have a dining room it only seemed appropriate to put it there ... except we have no buffet to put under it. Now, I had no illusions that I was going to find the perfect buffet in a matching wood - especially not for under $300 - but it had to at least be big enough (18"D x 66"W x 24-30"H) and not look stupid. Easier said than done. They just don't make hutches/buffets that big anymore. I finally found this dresser that doesn't look too "dressery" and even with a very different wood doesn't look stupid (it's very difficult to define that, the parameters for "stupid" are always shifting). The picture doesn't seem to want to upload (POS).

Sunday was going back to Rona to get the primer for the shutters (oops - forgot) extra brushes for staining (just in case we could Tom Sawyer the kids into helping and string (for tying together cardboard for recycle pick-up (they are Nazis about it - I swear they actually haul out a tape measure to measure the stacks to make sure that they are no bigger than the requisite 30" x 30" x 8" and that you are using a recyclable binder to tie them. I know it's important, but geez!). I also made a quick stop at Costco, Canadian Tire and the LCBO. Then after unpacking all of the grocery and beverages, cutting the bagels, bagging them individually and putting them in the freezer (I spoil these children), I started on the deck.

Kerwyn has not been idle while I've been doing all of this running around. He assembled the buffet/dresser, power washed the deck and garage door, painted the garage door and drained the hot tub (well it drained itself, but he set it up). Here is a shot of the icky, old, wore-out grey looking deck and the lovely, new, Redwood-stained deck.

Well, I don't know if it's Blogger or me but the pictures are showing up today so I've added them through Picasa.

On the knitting front, I did finish & attach 1 sleeve to the 2nd Naturally sweater. Pictures will be coming!