I'm Getting Blasts

The first is a Blast from the Past. High school has been awhile and I've totally lost track of anyone that I went to school with - well except for Daphne, but she's family. So it was totally cool when Andrew emailed me out of the blue!! He was easily my best friend while I was at J.D.S.S.(I spent some time at a high school in Port Elgin, but the name escapes me). Way smart, wicked sense of humour and as atheletically inclined as myself. Just seeing his name in my inbox gave me this moronic grin and as I started reading I could hear his voice like it was yesterday. He's married (high school sweetheart) and has beautiful kids and works in IT. I hope that we'll be able to get together for lunch eventually and catch up in person. Nah - nothing like that! It's just a nostalgia thing.

Then there is a much more tangible Blast - the first Blast of Winter!! It started at about 2:30 PM on my way to my first school. The winter was blowing so ferociously across Cty Rd 10 that I had to really fight to keep the van in my lane. I could see what looked like fog about a kilometer ahead but knowing the forecast I knew that that was highly unlikely. As I got closer I saw the above. Freakin' sick for October 12th.
Then tonight - like just 10 minutes ago - I took these pictures!! It's sticking!! We haven't finished raking the leaves & we're going to have to shovel snow!!! (And when I say "we" I mean the Patronizing Royal "We" indicating Kerwyn & the children)
I know that it will melt tomorrow, but it's still a psych-out having it out there tonight.

On again Off again

Let's start with the On part. Saturday I attacked the back corner flowerbed. (And when I say "attacked" I mean "went at with passion & a shovel and very little mercy".) Before a scary jungle. Hours later and with Amanda and a little girl that wandered over from next door (I Tom Sawyered her a little and had another helper) packing the detirtus into bags for taking to the dump (they compost) the flowerbed is now ready for flowers. I think that I will move that pine tree out and move it along the fence line (the better not to see the neighbours through). Not visible in the "after" picture is my pain. All up my arms, around my shoulders, both ass cheeks and through my thighs. Perennials are pernicious. Finding the ends of those deep & spreading roots so that they won't come back (and I know that they will but I have made it more challenging a task than it otherwise may have been) took strength that I didn't know that I had. But it was worth it!!

Then I finished Elise's cardigan and took it down to her on Monday. She loved it (phew) and gave me some more yarn to work into a new and - not to be a tease or anything - very interesting vest.

I started a new project for Bonne from Chicknits. Yes, I'm name dropping. Here is what I have accomplished so far. Due to local blackout restrictions photos of this project cannot be broadcast. Please stayed tuned for alternate programming.

So, all very good "On" things. Now for the "Off".
The following paragraph contains language that may not be appropriate for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.
This looks very innocent. They are microbeads from a very excellent pillow. Yes Ada, that pillow. Anyway, it needed washing and I read the label. No really, I did. Hey, I've got kids; I don't need to lie to you. "... Warm water ... air dry ..." Somehow I managed to miss the wash by hand part. Especially since my stupid old machine seems to like eating (and when I say "eat" I mean "chew up and spit out") anything large-ish. So, imagine 167 fucktillion of these microbeads all over the top and inside of the washing machine. And they're light - they float so they didn't just wash out of the machine. I have vacummed - yes, vacummed - out the washing machine after each load and I've done about 20 loads trying to get them gone. On top of that I have to put everything in the dryer to try to get the beads out of the clothes. FUCK!! Fuckety-fuck fuck fuck. AND I have to go buy myself a new pillow. It's a great pillow. I will love it and take hand care of it in the future.
So I'm up to bat for more "On" agains - I'm looking forward to that!!!

Watching AR with Wannietta - part IV

"Dong" jokes - boys will be boys.
I'd sure like to see how the teams spelled the names of those places.
Asking Rob to not freak out is like asking the sun not to rise in the east. Even in Vietnam you're not allowed to just run over slower motorists. Dude.
Of all the cabbies - must be karma that Rob is getting the crooked ones.

Beauty Queens & Models found it first. This just proves that things do come a little easier to the beautiful people.
Sarah looks so cool running on that artificial leg! And I'm totally loving her "can do" attitude.
"It's tight on my crotch". LMAO Yup, that's how a safety harness fits.
One of the amazing things in all of the Amazing Races is that the competitors coming in who work out, compete and seem athletically inclinced whine the most during the intense roadblocks and detours.

Do you hate seeing Peter laying back, sucking back a soda shouting out lame encouragements while Sarah does the hard work?
If you don't know how to row a boat yet you're going to learn real fast today.
I know you don't want David to boss you Mary, but maybe taking a load off of your ankle would help.
What a bunch of land lubbers!!!
Oh, when it's your turn to do something you don't want encouragement. Poor Peter.

Yeah Rob - we can all see how well you know how to row. Shut up!
You too Peter - Shut Up!!
Geez Peter; do you think that maybe you'd like to help the lady out first?
Uh huh - dragging the heavy metal anchor along the sea bed will certainly slow you down. LMAO
Oh God Mary you've made it this far. You're not going to die getting from the row boat onto the junk.
Good looking but don't follow directions well - take the junk to the pit stop.
LOL - nice try yelling for the junk to come get you. And that is seriously sad that pulling the boat is faster than rowing it.
I wonder if Phil practices his "You're team #" rountines in front of a mirror. He's a good faker.
Tom & Terry are the best losers that I've seen yet. You 2 rocked it!

In the Burr House

Don't let this slightly fuzzy picture of outwardly normal ladies fool you - they are as sharp as tacks and are filled to the brim with skill & talent! They were all very receptive and interactive while I explained the insanity of speed knitting contests and demonstrated my method then segued into my Back to Back Wool Challenge experience. I stayed for some of their show & tell and I'm so glad that I did. While my own weaving experience is limited to the Klutz Potholders and even for that I need to refer to the book to help Amanda, what these ladies are making is awe-inspiring.
This is Joan with one of her L-shaped shawls. No, there is no easy way to turn a corner on a loom. This involves doing a rectangle then leaving long weft (or warp - I dunno. I'm lucky that I picked this much up and kept it in my pretty little head 'til now.) threads - long enought that when she is done the next rectangle the threads from the 1st rectangle get woven into the 2nd rectangle. I know, but she does it really well and seems to have retained her sanity and her love of weaving!!


Jo-Ann showed these lovely linen placemats. She explained how she had not worked with linen for awhile so her first piece wasn't very good. Apparently linen is tricky to weave because is has zero memory and is best worked wet and/or in humid conditions. Yes, I asked. So she turned it into a very nice bag with hand woven handles!!! I know!!! Let me just say that the bag was very nice and the placemats were exquisite. For me to even consider using them for their intended purpose there would have to be a layer of plastic between the works of art and the life-sustaining but permanently-staining food.

Velma showed a number of beautiful woven pieces that she purchased on a trip to Nova Scotia and this shawl that she is knitting from her handspun. Isn't it a great colour? Beside her is Anna who has moved from Russia. She is a very talented knitter & designer - I'm sure that we'll be seeing her work around soon.

Sylvia should us a kitestick for holding warp threads. (And when I say "kite stick & warp thread, it is said with authority like I know what the hell I'm talking about!) While she was explaining how this helped a weaver do weaverly things better other weavers were nodding and ahhhhing, so it must be a very cool thing.

Then there is Kathy; we met at last!! After being on the Knitting in Canada list together and reading each others blogs it was cool to meet someone for the first time that you feel like you already know. I explained blogging to the rest of the group - apparently it's not so much a "thing" among spinners & weavers like it is with knitters. Kathy is hiding behind the baby shawl that she recently finished desiging & knitting. It was beautiful - and she spins & weaves. I forgot to ask about her sleeping habits; I have a feeling that she doesn't much.

Today's mail brought me this irresistible pattern. Michelle has started on hers; I will have to content myself with the pattern for the time being. Though the pattern isn't available from her website, Aurora Alpacas, Sharon can be reached via e-mail or phone and was a pleasure to deal with. There is a Yahoo Group doing a KAL for this shawl if you're looking for a new group to join.

Mr Postman Bring Me A ...

Nothing that comes Air Mail can be bad. I've been indulgent very naughty lately - but it felt soooooo good - and it's starting to roll in. For me, buying online is great. I get the nice little rush that shopping always gives me (I even like grocery shopping - I know but I'm a harmless weird), then the high continues every time I think about the "whatever" coming and it all comes to a climax when "it" arrives.

Rowan has an awesome online sale on their Debbie Abrahams kits. There are only a couple of choices left - Rowanettes swooped in and scooped up these kits seriously fast. The boxes took the brunt of the abuse, but the yarn is none the worse for it. This is the first shipment - I'm still waiting for 8 more boxes!!! OMG - this much anticipation could be medically unwise, but I'm willing to push the envelope here. This is the Denim cushion kit - I'm not going to take pictures of all of them - unless you really want me to. No, they are not all for me, some of them are ear-marked as gifts. The kit will be the gift not the finished cushion/bag.

What will tomorrow bring? I don't know and that's a large part of the fun!