It's That Time Again

I'm working on finishing Beth's CPH and I finally have the Expresscard that I need to hook up my camcorder and (cross your fingers) upload some video. So, to amuse you until a I get a good decent post together check out this quiz:

What kind of Star Trekkie are you? Your Result: You are a Vulcan or an android. Your intellegence, and opinions are excepted everywhere. You believe in logic above all else. You are normally in a second in command position. This does not matter, for you are not prone to ambition, or any emotion for that matter. You do not understand other races thought patterns at times, making you seperated from those around you.
Captain
Omnipotent being
Klingon
Red shirt
What kind of Star Trekkie are you?

I would have liked to be more Omipotent, like Sandra, but am sufficiently satisfied with Vulcan/android. Okay, fess up - who's "phaser bait"?
I'm really looking forward to the new Trek movie - hopefully, it being such a departure from the traditional sequel variety it will be excellent!

Tied to the Desk

I'm writing this from the desktop. I'm seriously tempted to leave in all of the spelling mistakes - I'm so used the nice flat keyboard on my laptop that typing on this keyboard is nearly driving me to drink!!

I can't connect to the internet through Etienne and I had to set up a new connection on the desktop. Bell is very quick to blame the Linksys wireless router so, through clenched teeth and most pissed off but not yelling voice I've requested that they send the modem/router that they will actually support when virtual shit hits the virtual fan and leaves me with nothing but expensive paperweights!!

I really hate checking my mail through the Sympatico website - I like Outlook and how I have it set up and I don't do well with change. So I have to suck it up and use the desktop (where none of my passwords are saved - how the fuck am I supposed to remember them all!?! Especially if I'm not supposed to make them all the same!!?!!) but I don't have to like it.

I'm planning on going to In the Loop Cafe tomorrow night for the official launch of Joanne's 12 Months of Knitting. Hope to see you there!!
I'll also be at In the Loop on Saturday, so if you're up for just sitting and knitting with someone, come join me from 10-2-ish!!

CPH - itty bitty step back

I found a small error in the largest (60") size of the CPH pattern. The shoulder shaping on the back is worked 8,8,8,7 and on the fronts it's worked 8,8,8,11. Yup. Unfortunately I didn't realize until I went to join the shoulders.
At first, I took 4 sts from each side of the back neck to make the back shoulders match the front ones. I was 2^nd guessing myself all the way through about 3" of the hood - because I took 8 sts from the back neck the hood would be 2" narrower than it should be.
After about the fucktillionth 2^nd guess, I ripped out the hood and then the fronts down to where I had put the center cables on hold. I'm going to use the extra 4 sts on each front to create some neck shaping. I'm totally cool with this so it must be the right decision. I emailed knitscene about this since it wasn't in the revision that they sent out.

And why yes, that is a new knitting basket! It's very lightweight and will be perfect for moving my projects from upstairs to downstairs. No, I didn't have a perfect basket for this. This basket has handles that fold up so that I can carry it easily then fold down so that the knitting is easy.

More with the Knit Out

I was thrilled to meet Maureen from Fargo - she was sitting in the front row watching us demo our knitting for fun (we totally refused to let Mary unpack the clock!!)! Okay, I'm leaning back because the nice lady who took our picture was sitting quite close - big mistake, not a good look on me. But I'm with Maureen!!!

And then I was heading into the mall to get the kids some shoes - I couldn't go home completely empty-handed!! - when someone said, "Wannietta!!" I looked around, and immediately recognized Shelly - it just took my brain a couple of seconds to send the name to my mouth. I hadn't read her comment earlier in the day so I was totally surprised to see her and The Blankie!!! And while we were making a small spectacle of ourselves and our mutual admiration thang, The Blankie was a knitter magnet!! I'm so glad that I got to meet Shelley and The Blankie - they are both so much, well more in person!!

And Jodi and I bought the last two of these mugs at Starbucks (sorry ladies!). You can write on them with a special porcelain pen, then bake them in a low oven and then it's totally permanent! Je suis désolé que j'aie manqué avoir le signe d'Ariela cela. Mon français limité nous a permis de parler et j'ai été en mesure de traduire pour Mary et l'hôtel dans deux ou trois occasions.

Knitting in the News

National Post

The Shetland News

Winners

I'm sorry it took so long for this post but it was an absolute whirlwind of a weekend!!

I am the 3rd fastest knitter in the world, behind Hazel Tindall (#1) and Miriam Tegels (#2) and Jodi is the 2nd fastest crocheter in the world behind Lisa Gentry.
We competed with the best and came out with our heads held high. Look how happy we are all that it's over!

(l-r) Miriam Tegels, Lisa Gentry, Hazel Tindall, Wannietta Prescod, Ariella Lecuyer

They are all super nice ladies, wonderful ambassadors of their countries and knitting, and I really hope that we will be able to do this again next year!

I also met up with Annie Modesitt! She totally rocked the open speed knitting competition with 170sts (if I recall correctly) in 3 minutes! We didn't have time to really talk but she was just as sweet as she is on her blog and she gifted me with her flip books. OMG - they are amazing!!!

kmkat has a wonderful recounting of the event and some great pics on her blog.

I have video of the competition and as soon as I figure out how to get it off of the camcorder and onto the laptop I'll YouTube it.

Knittingn in the News

From The Barrie Examiner

Globe trotting

I had to get my very 1st passport to come on this trip. I know, but I just a for real homebody. Yes, I do feel quite grown up!

Guess which one of these is not like the others.



I swear to whatever deity you hold on high, we left from Toronto and did land in Chicago, but I swear that we are flying over Alberta here!!!



No worries - this is obviously Chicago's O'hare airport.


Getting from our arrival gate of O'Hare to our Depart gate too a lot of walking; thank God that there were moving sidewalks!! Okay fine - in the interest of full disclosure, I nearly fell the first time getting on it and almost caused an international pile-up getting off, but to my credit, I'm a fast learner and the rest of them were perfectly normal entries and egresses.

After dropping some of our bags in the room (the direct flight that our luggage was on was late, do they were going to deliver it.

So we went for lunch. There is an Olive Garden about to (driving) minutes away and I've been jonesing for the Olive Garden since it left Canada so many, many moons ago. AND SO HAS JODI!! No problem, the hotel calls a cab and we're off. Except that the driver seems a couple of rows short of a dishcloth and went into the hotel to make sure that we were his fare/get directions/give them their cut. We both we getting an ungood feeling about this guy so we went back in and communicated that we wanted another cab.
It turns out that he had been called to take another guest on a bit of a sight see and she was trying to tell them that it was too much. "C'est trop chère!" Not being fluent, but having the less than nothing that the nice girl behind the desk spoke, I helped Ariella (yeah - later it clued in to me that she was the Fastest Knitter from France - and I just let her walk away!) cancel the cab. We still didn't want him and as the cabbie was arguing another cab rolled up. Better, and we went with him with a very low level of confidence that he knew where we were going. He had a GPS unit, but didn't turn it on until I saw the Olive Garden up ahead. Then he turns it on, "destination 1 minute ahead. Turn left. You have arrived at your destination."

But lunch was totally worth it, though my raw vegetable allergie was in full gear and Jodi was just a bit creeped out by my tongue hives. I promise that I'll see the Dr. about it when we get home Jodi.

I caught up on a few messages, IM'ed with the kids - No, still not buying you an ipod - then we had a nap and then it was off to The Mall of America! We got around the 1st level, I bought a camcorder, Jodi found some stuff and we're going back today. I'm on a mission for clear Converse shoes and the ones with sheep on them. It's the MOA people - don't let me down!!!

I had to take this picture - surely you see the oxymoronic quality in there?

Dot Jots

• Bought the Ridgeline. Love it. Am going to marry it. Big Love Northern Style.
• I have a passport now & I feel very grown up.
  
• Veronik's sweater in the mail.
  
• CPH will travel to Knit Out '08.
• Artisan Knitworks Victoria will travel too. Had to reknit a bit and making notes on the pattern.
• Elise's Tofutsie socks will travel too. Don't try to tell me that you don't take this much!!
  
• Packing delayed by trip to the hospital. Amanda has an ear infection but I've handled it and Kerwyn just has to make sure that she gets the medicine. Trip not cancelled.
• I think (and I am using that term rather loosely at this time) that I have everything that I need, may need and probably won't need. There are a few things in one of my bags that other people may need.
  
• I'll make sure that I make up for the lack of pictures today with extras over the next few days. If you see me, please remind me that I have a camera and that I know how to use it!
  

Thank you so much to everyone for your support and well wishes!! I'll do my best to represent with honour and do us all proud.

The Next Generation

I was invited to speak to & knit with a knitting club at a Barrie school on Friday. Their mentor, Christina O'Neil, had contacted me through my blog and said that the kids had a good luck card and wanted to mail it to me. How could I not go see them & pick it up in person?!?

They had all just learned to knit about 5 weeks ago - Christina started them from casting on. She said that they all went home and did their best and practiced before the next weeks meeting. They were in varying stages of garter stitch scarves but they were all enthusiastic and persevering and loving it! The boys were especially keen and Matthew was talking about turning his scarf into an afghan. When I suggested that he could make several strips (his "scarf" was quite wide) and sew them together, rather than being daunted he got this "aha" look and said, " ".

They gave me a bouquet of tulips along with the card - tulips are my favourite flower and I really love this soft pink. Thanks guys - knit on!!!

Athlete of the Week

Mike D'Aprile came by today to interview me as Rogers Local Athlete of the Week!! It'll be on the 6:00 news, towards the end of the sports segment, tonight on Rogers Cable 10 in the Barrie, Alliston, Angus area and channel 53 in the Collingwood area.

Isn't he cute? I caught him by surprise, but still ... He wore Amanda's Thorpe hat and a scarf that she knit (I know!!!) for her teacher for a humourous bit at the end.




And I can tell that a lot of you are not voting - it's just a click of the mouse. Just do it!!

Colour Me Beautiful

I've added a little poll - I am really undecided about what colour of highlights to put in. I love the look of blue with the black hair, but red would be fitting as I'm representing Canada at the Knit Out. So - HELP ME, PLEASE!!!

ETA: I've had all of these colours at one time or another and I love them all. The red is a blue-red and totally fakey!! The blue is deep and almost subtle with the black until it starts fading.

Daytime & Deb James

Well it's in the can and after reading the waiver that they had me sign I can pretty much guarantee that it's not going to show up on YouTube!! I was really nervous and while I tried to pay attention to every little detail I may have agreed to let them take my firstborn. Sorry Kyle, I'm sure that they'll be good to you. The show is repeating at 4PM and 11PM today, so if you're on Rogers in Simcoe County and can record it and make a copy - let's talk. Rogers suggested this to me - honest!!!

Or what I could do is get a list of interested people and send the DVD (which I have to buy) on tour, one friend at a time and have everyone send it on to the next person on the list. Email me kwp AT sympatico DOT ca if you're interested. Or you could contact Daytime (their email address is on this page) and order your own copy.

Here is a picture of Deb wearing the scarf that I knit using Vero Tweed doubled, 12mm needles and 130 sts. I knit it on the bias (increasing one stitch at the beginning of the row and decreasing one stitch at the end of the row) and it took about 45 minutes from cast on to sewn in ends, but I had to set it aside for a bit while I was off camera so that I didn't finish early. I don't know but I'm sure that the catastrophic ripples of finishing early would have been felt around the world. I knit on Beth's CPH while Deb interviewed me so that I could knit while I was talking and not worry about missing a strand or dropping a stitch.

I can't wait to see myself!