Changes

Yesterday I went to pick up Amanda for a visit and it was also errand day.
We had cheesy bread from Domino's; our addiction.





We saw a Doberman (?) puppy with his ears being trained.




We couldn't decide if it was cruel, but the dog didn't seem bothered and the pointy, stand-up ears are a halal of the breed.
Then Costco. please feel free to remind me randomly of the folly, nay, insanity, of going to Costco on a Saturday. Although it was totally worth it for the rotisserie chickens! I also picked up an OPI mini pack.



Have I mentioned how much I love OPI?? ;) I don't know what seasoning they use or how they do it, but their rotisserie chickens are the most flavorful and moist I have ever had.
And after the debacle of the Alfredo sauce the other night, I had to have a 2^nd go at it. with real, freshly grated Parmesan I was still not 100% pleased - didn't thicken up right and still too salty for my taste - but Amanda declared, "... I'd eat it with a spoon!", so, success.
I used the sauce to bake manicotti with the Costco chicken and that was a unanimous two thumbs up from both of us!




Then Amanda set to building a cabinet.











I had plans for rearranging the living room, she had ideas and after some frustrations with the construction of the HomeTrends cabinet (calling customer service tomorrow!!), she went right to town. I don't have before pics, but here is what I came out to this morning!!

She suffers from insomnia, but made excellent use of it last night!! So fine tuning to go, but I was so impressed! This child can do anything that she sets her mind to! <3


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And the Knit Goes On

I awoke way early with a creeping migraine. Zomig and a good lie in sorted that out but put me off to a slow start in my day.

Did some errands, the puppies both have harnesses now for walking. It immediately improved their propensity for pulling. Chica is less find of it, but she'll adapt. I hope.

My knitting accompaniment has been George Gently. I think that much of the appeal of British shows for me is in the countryside. The moors and the seasides (of Northern England in this instance) make me ache to go.
One day, but for now I am content to knit to the views from my sofa.






The great thing about a Shaping Plan is that you can see how far you've come.

Chica is still dogging me with her ball. oh yes, pun intended And who could resist this wee face?


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More of the Same

Flanking a cable motif is stockinette - more simple pleasure.







I watched Bloodline today as I knit. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have all of the Netflix original series. Totally worth the price of admission.

I've had a craving for burgers this week. Sunday night found me at Crabby Joe's, nice to have a local that I can walk to and from, but tonight I went to No Frills for provisions.





Mmmmmm!!! Petey thought that I was is some sort of pain given the moaning of pleasure that was coming from my full mouth.

Petey seems more himself today, less mopeyness.

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Simple Pleasure

I love knitting, you all know that. It's not all about having a finished something, though I couldn't just swatch forever.
I love the yarn, the way each different one winds its own magic through my fingers. Thick, thin, slubby, silky, natural.
The colours, even if they aren't the ones that I would choose for myself. Muted, bright, rich, tweedy, variegated.
When a swatch is blocking, I love the smell of wet wool. I love knowing that this square will be The Key. That even though math was never my best or favourite subject, that the numbers that swatch holds will never lead me astray.
I really love the way one stitch joins with the one beside it and below it, creating a fabric with its own magic.
And I will always enjoy the simple pleasures of basic stitches - garter, stockinette, and ribbing.

Ahhhhh, I can't help it.

Here is the simple thing I've done so far today.


And then I did the Shaping Plan.


Keeps me on the straight and narrow ;)

Petey has been mopey today. Not poorly, but just going and laying in the small crate rather than laying at my feet. He's 11 months old, maybe he's a moody teenager??
Chica has been obsessed with her ball. She will play with it all day. And by "she will", I mean that as long as I toss it, she'll bring it back. And it's not like I have a lot of choice. She brings it and if I'm not fast enough for her, she'll nose it, then look up at me.





This'll happen a few times then there will be the yipping. I think that she may die of neglect and boredom when I go back to work!!

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A Tale of Four Swatches

The Naushon wrap is done.





The colourway was very popular at work and I thoroughly enjoyed working with the yarn. My row tension is tight no matter what so I had to do a few extra repeats to get the length, but I had enough yarn.

What better way to spend my vacation than a deadline!!
It has been a challenge getting gauge.








As you all know, I am a tight knitter, makes for better stitch definition, that's what I tell myself but a needle change and sorted. I actually had to go down 2 needles sizes to get this one!! I had a hankering for a burger the other night but wasn't minded to make one, so it was off to my local. my beverage of choice had nought to do with my loose knitting ways ;)
But they say that the exception proves the rule, and it's full speed ahead now.

Speaking of cooking, I *did* feel like chicken Alfredo last night. I generally but Classico but decided to do it from scratch.
Apparently when Ree says "freshly grated parm", pre-shaved parm is not an adequate substitute in this application. It was WAY salty and didn't melt and blend completely. Decidedly *not* photo worthy. O_o
But lesson learned; I will be trying again.

Yesterday was National Dog Day. Every day around here is Dog Day - LOL - but the puppies were as adorable as ever.





They love peanut butter in their little Kongs, and watching them work so hard to get the last bit of flavour out is amusing.

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Just days

Thursday's are a challenging day. I close Wednesday nights but still open on Thursdays. I get through the day but it's usually a very early night.
And I feel badly for the puppies; it is a disruption to their normal routine but they take it in stride.

On top of that I am fighting off a cold; it's staying very low grade so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

On the upside, I am on two, yes, count 'em, two weeks holidays. I told Lee that I will be knitting, cross stitching, maybe a little spinning. I will also be on my own schedule - sleeping and eating at my whim and pleasure. It's going to be awesome. The puppies won't know what's going on!!

Chica loves playing fetch. This is her waiting for me to get her ball out from beside the fridge.


She will just wait. No other toy will do. Sometimes Petey can drag her away for a romp & play, but she'll end up back on her vigil.

And when her ball lands in the water dish? Hilarity!!!

Much more knitting content in the upcoming days!!

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Joining

In general, I like splicing to join in a new ball of yarn.

However, with tubular yarns like Santorini, a Russian Join works perfectly.
And especially for a reversible and largely lacy piece, it is an effective method for alleviating ends, with the exception of the beginning and end.

I've included a link and with the following pictures, I'm going to leave off with explanations.
















Repeat as above for the 2nd end.



There will be a thicker section where the ends overlap back on themselves, but it's practically invisible in the fabric.

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And so it grows ...

Back to the work week and so little much to write about. I am trudging through my days at The Mighty Mart of Wal, trying to make a small difference in my humble department.
I have received an overwhelming amount of Bernat Blanket and Handicrafter Cotton (the large balls), the latter in some stunning new colourways. YMMV at other WM, but if you're localish to Alliston, please come and relieve me of some of the stock.

On a more exotic yarn front, Naushon grows.


Gauge is hard to measure as the fabric is quite fluid, but I think this is what will make it a nice wrap.

I made a delicious pizza tonight. Curried chicken (which I didn't cook to a dry leather), pineapple, and hot pepper. Extra cheese as well, of course.



I did go diving into my seasonal bin to commemorate the day of my people.


Happy St Patrick's Day!!!


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My Sunday.

Coffee.


We used a reusable Keurig filter and it wasn't nearly as strong as advertised. Lee and I decided that mayhap we should pack it in a bit as the structure of the reusable filter is different from the disposable pods.

Bacon butty.


A walk.


A lovely afternoon for such a thing.

Knitting.


Petey is a steadfast knitting companion. I love him.

Lee was watching football.


Very intently. He was very pleased as ManU was up early on and kept the lead.


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Happy Pi Day

Lee and I went to St Jacobs today. He'd never actually been to the Market before!!
First and foremost, he's been missing out on the apple fritters; I remedied that quickly enough. He was slow eating his because he refused to use a fork.


He only uses spoons for pudding (desserts).
I also bought some to go - the batter they use is so light they are a lovely sweet snack.
We bought some pepperettes, bacon, Manchester tarts (I asked where they were going to sleep - LOL!!), and Lee found some leather belts that he liked.

Then it was into the town proper. Lee was on a mission to find this spicy sauce shop that he'd been to previously. It wasn't where it had been so we strolled around to find it.
On the way we found some British chocolate, an iPhone cover,


(it amuses me to no end. I laugh every time I look at it. It also reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. Not funny, but still ...) and a nice mid-weather Columbia jacket for 50% off.

Then we found the sauce shop - Taste The 4th Sense. The proprietor was very personable and knowledgable. Everything on offer was available to be tasted. And we tasted until our taste buds were no longer functional, but we came away with a small variety.


If you're in the market for a hot sauce, mild, killer or somewhere in between, please considering giving him your custom.


What better way to soothe capsaicin overloaded tongues than a fine brew?

Block3 Brewing Co was on the way back to the car. Lee was quite pleased, but as we'd gotten off to a late start and we'd not yet properly eaten, we opted to get beverages to go.
I am endlessly optimistic and hopeful that when they advertise a fruit flavour that I will actual really taste that fruit in the beer. As the Cherry Pi was only available in a Growler, there was nothing for it but to take home the jug.


It didn't taste much of cherry, but it is a lovely, light, slightly crisp beer. Once the beer warms a bit, there is a noticeable but subtle cherry finish.


Still working away on Naushon while Lee sorts out the dishes and tea. He generally cooks when we're at his, but I leave the dishes for him to do once in awhile so he appreciates it more when o do them ;)


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Naushon: Take 2

I was so excited to get my pkg of Santorini from Julie!
I cast on straight away and set to.
Then the text from Julie.
She was kind enough to couch it by saying that she had made the same error, but I blame the codeine.
J


So frigging ... I mean frogging, then full speed ahead. Much better.


I certainly should have realized that Classic Elite would have been a bit more creative than a simple Seafoam stitch.

Petey has a new chew toy.


Despite his size, he is most decidedly not a "moderate" chewer. He grinds away until chips away at lesser chew toys.


Now he has a skill appropriate chew toy; the others are now Chica's. He still has a go at them, but sheepishly releases them when I remind him that they are Chica's.



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Another Pair

Woohoo!! It's been far too long since I knit myself a pair of socks, but there's another pair in the drawer tonight!!



Yes, the tops are a bit pointy, but my toes are kinda like that. Once they're in shoes, the socks conform perfectly.



Totally not identical, but socks are the one thing that my OCD doesn't rear its demanding head. I think it's because the first pair of socks that I ever made were out of a Regia that broke with patterning so it would have been nigh on impossible to match without a lot of yarn wastage. So fraternal my socks are, and my knitting consciousness rests peacefully.

With the warmer weather and all the melting, the puppies are having a sniff fest!! They love outside and have been rediscovering the neighbourhood smells. I hope that you all took some advantage of the lovely weather, even if it was sitting by a sun-drenched window.

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