Garden of Fuzz

FO: Argosy

2008-03-11T12:19:00.004-04:00

And here it is. See! I can follow a pattern to the letter...

It's for a scarf exchange, destined for Cairo.

As promised, photos of the newest member of the family

2008-02-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

Here's Russell on the first day. He was pretty snuggly, having been separated from his family...

And Russell on the second day, rehydrated, with his eyes open now. What a cutie, and he'd grown overnight.

In this picture you can see just how small Russell is (since you don't know how big my hands are, necessarily). He's peeking out of the fold of a facecloth.
He's now in flea or leaper stage, so we haven't been handling him much until he's a little less jumpy. Good news is that he is doing much better than yesterday, having joined us in celebrating Pancake Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday, not that we're religious, we just like that there's a day specifically to have pancakes for dinner!) and being full as a tick. He's been spending a lot of time running on his wheel now that he's big enough to make it turn. His ears are getting bigger and bigger, though he still looks a bit like a little bear.

Bored. Bored. Bored bored bored.

2008-02-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

That pretty much sums it up. It's not that I haven't had anything to do...in fact, life's been rather annoyingly busy at work and at home and really, everywhere.

I had to rip back the Intolerable Cruelty skirt, a mere four inches from completion. I knew one of these days, the modifications I tend to make to patterns would get me.... So, back it went, aaaalllll the way back to three rows after the turning ridge. Sigh.
So, I'm kinda bored with knitting stockinette in the round with 3.75 mm needles or whatever the hell they are. Actually, I normally like that size, but...not today. I have, however, made pretty good progress over the past couple of days, so it's possible that I'll almost finish it before my friend Kirsten gets home from holidays (she has set me a challenge to finish it). The knitting that is, not the sewing in of the lining; that will be an adventure for the fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants-sewer.

The Jackyll and Hyde hat I finished (minus the black embroidery) turned out to be a bit on the small side (filthy lying gauge), so that's got to be ripped back and reknit. Fortunately, the intended recipient has just moved to a tropical island and won't be needing his hat for some time, but still, it will mean more in-the-round stockinette.

We're also raising another mouseling, a house mouse this time, courtesy of a friend's boss who caught the poor little thing (10 days old at the time and still nursing). He's on solid food, pretty much just oatmeal right now, and he's in 'leaper' or 'flea' stage, which makes him pretty much next to impossible to handle. He gave me a real scare this morning when I found him in torpor. Me, panic much? Nah. (Nothing to do with knitting, this little guy, whose name is Russell. Pic later, and if you can't wait, check my Facebook or MySpace profile.)

My 'sabbatical' to Norway in May is on track. I have an apartment lined up and have already bought tickets to see a couple of shows in London, plus there's a little side trip to Denmark in the works. More on that later. There shall be knitting; what, I'm just not sure yet. Something that doesn't take up too much room... Already a month doesn't seem like long enough!

R.I.P. shy Cirra

2007-12-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

Little mouse who did not like us, at least not demonstrably so, we miss you and hope there is a mouse heaven where you are already being groomed by your three sisters already there.

Cirra is the first pet we’ve had to bring to the vet for the final sleep. We waited too long.

Cirra is in here, in this pile of loving and warm sleeping mice, somewhere. We were unable to ever photograph her alone…

Today’s Earworm: Farewell, by Apocalyptica

Munchkin Beetons

2007-11-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

Yet another pair of these delightful wristlets, but yet again not for me.

Modelled by the lovely Rosebud, who will hopefully pose for a better photo when our photographer is not so sleepy.
Yarns used:
Alchemy Haiku, in Montreat Path
Artfibers Kyoto, in bronzy-olive

Beads from Arton on Queen Street West, Toronto.

These are destined for my secret Santa recipient in Norway, along with a beaded still-on-the-needles Wisp in the Haiku. I do hope she likes them.

I also hope there's enough of the Kyoto left for a pair for me!

Today's Earworm: Monochrome, by Collide

MM

2007-11-02T16:12:00.000-04:00

Meet Mini Magne, aka MM.

MM was my excellent summer project this year. Actually, I don’t usually have a “summer project” per se, but then this challenge came along, and I was consumed. One of the people whose “friends” list I am on in MySpace issued a call for people to knit or sew a simulacrum -- erm -- doll of him, for inclusion in an art show he was due to have at the end of August in Kristiansand, Norway. I bit.

I was unable to find any suitable patterns online to help, so I sallied forth into the unknown territory of doll-knitting, and wrote the pattern down as I went (I may post it at a later date). When I began, I didn’t have a clear vision of body construction, so he actually turned out a little “sculptural” – that’s how one person put it – as his limbs are quite shaped and he is very much anatomically correct. Those little bits – the scrotum specifically – were so satisfying to have turn out nicely!

He’s pretty much seamless, being knit like a sweater completely in the round, aside from grafting his armpits, fingers, toes, nose and “nose”, and cinching closed the top of his head and scrotum. I had several parts on stitch holders at various times, coming back later on to continue knitting them into shape.

I did knit his hair separately though as it was just not turning out otherwise, and sewed it on, and embroidered on his eyes, lips, nipples and body hair.

I had planned on including a complete knit set of clothing, but in the end the little dude flew off to Norway with just one pair of jeans, one short-sleeved button-down collared shirt, one t-shirt, and a pair of shoes (all knitted of course). He went commando, which is how I prefer my men anyway… LOL … and had no socks. Hey, it was summertime.

I had hoped to make it to the show in Kristiansand, but Michael and I had just completed a two-day 40 km kayak trip covering a couple of shorter fjords and traveling to the south coast from the Nærøyfjord was just not realistic, so we had to miss it. Fortunately, the artist has recently posted photos of all the dolls he received on his website. Have a looksy at the slideshow if you like; there is some real talent in there. And have a looksy at the artist’s stuff too; he works in different media and tends to embark on things he’s got no experience working with.

Yarns:

Flesh - Nashua Natural Focus Ecologie cotton yarn in colour 0080 Chestnut. It was somewhat difficult finding yarn
that resembled Caucasian flesh in colour…
Hair – various fluffy offerings from Romni’s basement; eyelash, fun fur, that kind of stuff
Lips and nipples – Nashua yarn as above, dyed with food colouring
Eyes and tattoo – random embroidery thread I had lying around the house
T-shirt – Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in colour CW475 Olivette
Variegated mystery yarn in olive, dark red, and ultramarine blue, probably wool, from Romni’s basement
Collared shirt – Variegated mystery yarn in cream, olive and tan, probably wool and cotton, from Romni’s basement
Jeans – Berroco Suede in just the stressed navy portion of colour 3796 Abilene Mix
Shoes – Berroco Suede in dark brown, possibly colour 3717 Wild Bill Hickcock

Needles:

U.S. sizes 0, 1, 2

He was a lot of fun to knit, and in the end it was difficult to give him up. I’d carried him everywhere with me for two months; to work, the hair salon, the bar, anywhere I was going. We spent many summer evenings on the front porch with a bottle of wine…

Went to the beach...

We baked scones one morning…

And got drunk watching Doctor Who.
This is in fact the final photo before he went off to Norway. Michael said he was relieved to be the only man in my life again.

I really owe Michael another sweater. He was, after all, the model for the doll’s lower half… ;)

Today's Earworm: Whalebone, by Savoy

What I've been up to all this time...

2007-11-01T11:38:00.001-04:00

Knitting a doll for an art show in Norway (June & July) -- Hint: mine is completely knitted and has three different pics in the slideshow. I'll post some pics shortly.
Taking up sea kayaking
Taking up another style of bellydancing -- Love my new teacher, Audra! Her teaching method rocks.
Three weeks in Norway (August)
Spontaneous weekend trip to Kiel for a concert (invited, in a manner of speaking, by the lead singer -- September)
Laproscopic surgery and on-the-fly appendectomy (September)
Nursing sick mice (October)

And lots of knitting of course… Check the sidebar for an update.

I've really got my finger in too many online pies to pay each one the attention it deserves, which is why this blog has been neglected for so long. I hope to remedy that over the next little while.

Today's Earworm: Just One Fix, by Ministry

RIP Strata

2007-06-18T10:16:00.001-04:00

Strata left us rather suddenly very early Saturday morning, and she did not "go gently into that good night"; she tried to run away from it, and I believe she was in great pain and very afraid.

You are very much missed, my sweet and cheerful girl.

Lazy Meme Post...

2007-05-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Taken from Michelle, who took it from Mim.

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting (is this)
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

RIP Cumula....

2007-05-15T10:12:00.000-04:00

It is with great sadness that I announce our sweet Cumula's passing this past Sunday evening. We believe she died in her sleep, with her sisters Pilea and Strata piled up close.

Cumula will be very much missed.

Also, Oslo Rocked

2007-05-11T11:06:00.000-04:00

But more on that later. I am working on photographs, but today belongs to Cumula and Pilea.

Today's Earworm is still Andvari by Sigur Rós.

Kisses and gentle pats to Cumula and Pilea.

Trouble in Mouse Paradise

2007-05-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, and especially if you have viewed my photos, I have several pet mice; one colony of PEW (pink-eyed white) sisters and one lone wild mouse.

Pink-eyed white mice (also known as lab mice) are prone to disease, having been bred to be especially susceptible to it for the purposes of medical study. Respiratory disease and cancer are the predominant ailments, in my experience. It has been many years since I chose a mouse as a pet; they tend to choose me through various avenues, and when I do chose a mouse, I tend to stay away from PEWs as the heartbreak of losing them only comes sooner. That said, this little colony of sisters has been, for the most part, with me for nearly three years (quite good for mice). We lost one of the sisters, Nimba, to respiratory trouble last summer.

Now it seems I am about to lose both Pilea and Cumula.

Pilea has had two bouts of respiratory trouble in the past four months. Both have cleared up, but often a bout of this kind of trouble means a weakened immune system. I had noticed before leaving for Oslo that she looked and moved "differently" -- hard to explain, but if you've ever had a relative or pet fall ill but not tell you, sometimes you just know because they are different in minute ways.
After arriving home, and being greeted by the mice, I could suddenly see that Pilea had lost weight, and there is now a large lump visible on her left flank/belly. She is in good spirits, but it is only a matter of time.

This being bad enough, while spending time with the Cloud Mice (as we collectively call them) yesterday evening, my husband noticed that Pilea, Strata and Cirra were missing their whiskers and eyebrows! Cumula has barbered them in the past, but usually their regular fur between their eyes (so they look like they are wearing spectacles) or on their cheeks; this is the first time she's trimmed whiskers. Nibbling off whiskers is a common trick a mother cat or mouse will do to her litter to keep them from wandering off when they are too young. Obviously, Cumula for some reason didn't want to be left alone... But why?

This morning, I went downstairs to say good morning and give Pilea her medicine. None of the mice came out of the nest right away, and one of the mice seemed to be having trouble rolling over to walk. She became more distressed, as did I, so I detached their nest pod and opened it up (the other mice had run down for breakfast already).
Sure enough, Cumula is paralysed from her hips down. We thought she was just kind of fat (well, she was), but I believe she also has a tumour pressing on her spine, and last night or the day before it finally pressed down enough to paralyse her. I feel just terrible having thought she was merely a pudgy mouse, and a lazybones yesterday in not getting out of the nest. I have done what I can to make her comfortable today in moving the main nest down to the ground floor, and putting food and water within reach, but she is quite upset and dragging herself about trying to hide. I can only hope that her sisters pile up around her today (as they did with Nimba last year) and groom her frequently (this is how mice show they care about you). We have an appointment this evening with our favourite mouse vet, but there won't be anything he can do of course.

The coming days and weeks will be very difficult. I had hoped this year we would not lose any of our beloved pets.

Today's Earworm: Andvari, by Sigur Rós

Busy busy busy

2007-03-26T16:48:00.000-04:00

That about sums it up.

Busy planning two trips to Norway this year, busy at work, busy knitting, busy, busy, busy.

In between all this business, I decided I was not happy with the sleeves of the Twined Von. So I have reknit them, or mostly. I have 10 rounds left to go on the second sleeve, then I will block again, and see how things go. Because of the twined knitting, the little join where I reknit is currently visible, but I am going to try a cosmetic fix -- in effect "embroidering" or "cross-stitching" over the trouble spot (in which one side of the stitch "v" seems to be sitting deeper than the other side). I optimistically believe that this, combined with the blooming of the wool during blocking, will look just fine.

Also, I've been working on my very own Clapotis, in the autumn leaf coloured Alfabetto I bought in San Francisco last year, which knits like a dream for the most part. It will not be finished before my trip most likely, but that's okay; it will be good plane knitting, and I like the idea of knitting something almost universally known in a city I've never been to. Perhaps it will be an icebreaker and I'll meet a local knitter or two...

Today's Earworm: Goodbye Sweet Sorrow, by Furia

"Fear is the mind-killer..."

2007-02-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

Words to live by.

It has been over a decade since I read that book. If you were to have a look at the date card in the copy at the Mackenzie High School library, my name would appear at least six times, and more than likely ten. It is one of my favourites.

Behold, the Twined Von, shaping up nicely and mere days from completion. And please ignore the frizzy hair and lack of makeup....

“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

Behold, the Twined Von, shaping up nicely and mere days from completion.

Today's Earworm: Glosoli, by Sigur Ros

Waking Life

2007-02-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

I do always forget just how busy life is at this time of year. Work aside, I'm up to my eyeballs in knitting, volunteering, socializing and planning not one, but two vacations -- oh, hell, make that three. But more on that later, this is about knitting today.

The Twined Von progresses slowly this week; I am working out how to knit an endless knot into the back of it using the technique in Viking Patterns for Knitting. Because I am twined-knitting, I have to go through some err... acrobatics and I am still knitting test swatches to be sure it's going to work as I hope it will. I have actually, truth be told, knit the body of this sweater three times before, to various lengths (most recently and heartbreakingly to my ribcage), since I am flying by the seat of my pants until I join the sleeves to the body to knit the shoulders and neck. I have learned so much though. That's what I tell myself, anyway. ;)

My Alchemy bamboo in Scarlet's Dark Secret arrived two weeks ago at Village Yarns and a big thank you goes out to Karen at VY and Gina at Alchemy for getting me on my merry way to knitting Intolerable Cruelty in time for my trip to Norway in May. The yarn is such a gorgeously decadent deep bloody colour... Now all that remains is for me to a) finish the Twined Von first and b) pick a size to knit. I am holding off as long as possible in choosing a size in the hopes that I'll be able to knit one smaller than I am currently. To the gym I go tonight.

I am also hoping to knit a Clapotis from stash yarn, perhaps the Alfabeto I got in San Francisco if there is enough of it, in time for my trip, since we'll no doubt be taking the train out to Bergen (windy and rainy) and be poking about some chilly fjords. I'm really looking forward to meeting some Norwegian knitters and the Clapotis seems to be worldwide, it would be a good icebreaker I think. I haven't worked up the courage to leave a comment on any of the blogs I read enquiring about Oslo stitch 'n' bitches, but I may become bolder as the date approaches.

Today's Earworm: Kathy's Song (VNV Nation Mix), by Apoptygma Berzerk

Year-end financial documents have made me their bitch.

2007-01-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't even get time to knit at lunchtime! Un - f**king - believable!!!

No knitting pics, again. However, here are some of my friends at the Toronto Humane Society: Brioche, Tartine, and Eclair (she does in fact have a head...).

Yes, they are all named after French pastries. We gots lots of animals to name....

Today's Earworm: Supernaut, by Black Sabbath

Resolution: Post a little more frequently...

2007-01-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

...we shall see how that one goes. The others, well, I have to write them down, but a couple of them have been kept thus far.

Work and volunteering (THS has a turkey! - pics to come later) and dance classes have been keeping me pretty busy so far this year. In between all that, there is knitting (duh) and language lessons and pets and family and friends and damn, it's good. I need somehow to find more sleep, and better quality sleep. I have signed up for an additional night of dance classes each week, and it's my hope that it will make me better, stronger, faster.

I thought I had finished Juan's scarf, but he's asked if it can be made a bit longer, so I've got another skein, and as soon as I can locate the bloody needle, I'll finish it up. I am so anxious now about getting this scarf out of the way. I've been working away at the Twined Von for the past couple of weeks -- we'll call it a learning experience -- reknitting the same 10 inches of body. I suspect I'm close to being able to knit onward and finish it up by the end of the month. It was freaking huge the first time, then the second time, a bit more snug than I was comfortable with. Third time's the charm, as they say. I'm also figuring out some waist shaping as I go. I've kind of put all my eggs in one basket with this sweater...it's to be my main warm item when we travel to Norway in early May, and I want it to be toasty warm and flattering and funky (shapewise if not colourwise) all at the same time.

I've got quite a knitting schedule on the go. I've ordered OMG-so-many skeins of Alchemy Bamboo yarn in the colour Scarlett's Dark Secret to knit Intolerable Cruelty for the trip; it should turn up at Village Yarns later on this month. Then there's a Stitchdiva bodice I want to make if I have time, and I'd really love to knit up my very own Clapotis before we leave. I haven't started on Todd's slippers yet, though I have the yarn; I want to finish the Von first.

Projects to be brought on the trip are still being considered; they have to be portable and not too fussy, plus I've been toying with the idea of knitting smallish things while there to give to the friends I am meeting in Oslo...maybe some Fetching wristlets. Hmmm. Maybe something smaller, what, I don't know yet.

Bla bla bla. Here's a cute, sleepy mouse. Knitting pics next time. Rosebud is cuter.

Check out those whiskers and tiny pink paw.
Today's Earworm: I Feel It, by Lorraine

2006, We Hardly Knew Ya

2006-12-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Another year gone; why do they seem to fly by so much faster now that I'm older? I thought that by increasing the sheer number and types of events in my life I would somehow make the year appear to last longer. It has not made the year longer; more importantly, it has made the year fuller and more vital.

Some contributing factors to making 2006 the year it was:
More knitting and more complex knitting
Developing friendships
Making new friends (always a bit hairy for me)
Married life rocks!
Fabulous pets!
Loss of some of our fabulous pets.
Volunteering at THS
Burning Man #5
Vacation in France
Rediscovering a band I used to love, still making music
Fabulous family
Cute Overload and Dances With Wool (Finnish blog)
Mosh pit of November 29
Change of perspective, infecting everything I do (infect is indeed the word I mean to use!)
Heady anticipation of 2007

I am planning our next two vacations, one to a place we've been many times before, and one to a place we've never been, but where I've been wanting to go for 20 years. I'm learning a new language and have no fewer than six largish knitting projects scheduled for the next two months, enjoying the bittersweet experience of volunteering at the Humane Society and entertaining thoughts of living in Europe one day. I am more open to possibility now than I was at nineteen. And I am scaring my husband with all of this.

I'm also STILL knitting Xmas presents! I ran out of yarn for Juan's scarf, so poor Juan got a nicely wrapped gift of half-done, basketweave stitch, moss green alpaca scarf, still on the needles, which he had to give back to me. Todd's slippers -- well, Michael is picking the yarn up for those today, and we'll call them a birthday present next week since Michael's gotten him something else in the meantime.

Below, Juan's scarf, three-quarters done:

Also in this picture, a little slice of my life at work.
Computer #3 (I manage to destroy one every couple of years, but I scored a flatscreen this time), my little stuffed mouse buddy on top of the computer, work in progress on computer screen, Quark bible to the right of computer, frog toy from Oregon that Mike said made him think of me (???).
K.I.T. sign -- Bowfinger reference, essential for my sanity in the next four months, dancing Anime rabbit/bat creature sticker, new language label (I am putting these all over my life to increase my vocabulary), stuffed lamb toy from Laura C., drink vessels denoting drinks of choice at work (coffee and Perrier).
And just at the extreme right, cut off, my snowglobe with photos of Michael and I on our extreme temperature vacations. The side visible is us at the kissing booth at Burning Man, while the other side is us at the Ice Hotel in Quebec.

Well, I'm feeling all misty now. Time for more coffee.

Today's Earworm: Battle of One, by 30 Seconds To Mars

Quickie

2006-12-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

Update. Not the fun kind of quickie. I am at work, you know...

I finished the baby bolero for my hair stylist while in the chair at the salon, minutes before she came over; she is going on maternity leave next week and I really squeaked under the wire this time. However, she did seem pleased, and I was pleased for the most part with it (I'm never pleased with my finishing skills).

No pics of this one as I forgot my camera at work on Friday before heading out to Jingle Bell Rock at Union Station (tonnes of fun were had by all, including unsuspecting commuters).

Specs for the baby bolero, from One Skein:

• Yarn was the recommended Blue Sky Cotton, in colour 628 Azul (a greeny ice blue)
• Needles used were U.S. #8 and #9 (5 mm and 5.5 mm) circulars
• No modifications to the pattern by moi -- shock of all shocks. I even remembered to include washing instructions.

Work resumes on Juan's Xmas scarf (we're on take #4 now as I've been unhappy with how the yarn's knitting up and the patterns I've chosen, and probably I'll rip it back another couple of times), and I've also got to get going on some felted clogs for my friend Todd. My darling twined Von lies hungry for human contact on the coffee table... Wait for me, O Twined Von, I shall soon be with you again!

Today's Earworm: Change (in the House of Flies), by the Deftones

Still kicking...

2006-12-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

Alive and, that is.

Poor little blog, I've been too busy to write. Well, I have no photos and I guess that's the main reason I've been absent; I always think I've got to have photos.

I've got lots of stuff on the go, and will report tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out the progress bars to see what I've been working on.

Today's Earworm: Jeg Kjenner Ingen Fremtid, by Morten Harket (note: Yes, I can actually understand some of it!)

Fetching, finished

2006-11-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

But no photo today, I've still got to block them. Do they still qualify as finished?

Modifications to Fetching:

• Yarn used was Wellington Fibres 60% mohair/40% wool, colour: variegated periwinkle. One skein of this is 100 yards; I used nearly one whole skein for the pair, I think I have about five feet of it left. I picked up this yarn at the November DKC meeting.
• Increased length so they are really more like gauntlets; they now have six cables before the hand part.
• Addition of glass beads to each point of the picot edging.

The official colour name of the yarn is not how I would describe it. Periwinkle to me has always been a lilac-ky pale blue. This yarn reminds me nothing more than the old Crayola crayon colour "cornflower blue" (the new cornflower blue is a good deal paler on the Crayola website). It's a deep rich night blue, and is just barely variegated. The mohair makes it a bit on the fuzzy side, so the cables don't have the nice definition the recommended Debbie Bliss Cashmerino gives. I plan on picking up some of that and making a few pairs (some with the extra length) as gifts while I am in Norway next year. I'll need something portable to knit and I think they'd make nice gifts to the folks I'll be meeting there.

When I put them on, both the colour and the beaded picot points remind me of a story I wrote as a teenager about a mermaid. J. may or may not remember this story... Probably best if she doesn't as it was merde, albeit better than the other ones I wrote at that time (beaucoup de merde).

Progress continues on the twined Von. I am working on the body portion, but it is slow going with 354 stitches on the needle. Soon I will have to start the shaping. Tonight we're heading out to see the new Bond, so I should get a fair bit knit before the movie really gets going!

No knitting photos as mentioned previously, so here instead is the first photo I took in France.

We were quite taken with the pigeons in France, as they seemed to behave like other birds: roosting in trees, hanging out in flocks, waiting patiently for crumbs. This was our first morning in Paris, and we were breakfasting on crepe-stand Nutella crepes. They were delicious and I so miss those stands!

Today's Earworm: Did Anyone Approach You, by a-ha
(Yes, yes, more a-ha. Get used to it. I'm having an early mid-life crisis. :P)

MIA, and A Plumbing Adventure

2006-11-15T15:02:00.000-05:00

Poor neglected little blog…. More boring than usual (insert Chrissy laugh), but here’s a quick little update until I’ve had some inspiration to share some more. Part of this awakening thing is that my mind is going a hundred miles an hour and I’ve found it difficult to sit and pay attention to this.

Work continues on the twined Von sweater, albeit at a slower pace than usual, but I’ll blame the twined knitting method. I have completed one sleeve and am nearly halfway along on the second one, with little aggravation, other than having to untwist the two yarns every round or so. The fabric produced is lovely and thick, with a softer feel to it than the regular ribbing at the cuff, perhaps from the amount of manipulation of the yarn. It is a bit stiff, my only concern, that this sweater may not be so flattering on me. This is my next job, to calculate where and how I will do the decreases and increases for the shaping.

Oh, pardon me, also aggravating is that this type of knitting is not conducive to TTC knitting, nor standing-in-line knitting, so I must also blame this for my slow progress.

I am… Still. So. Excited. …about this sweater and method. I thought I’d picked out a design for between the shoulderblades, but I now am second-guessing myself and thinking of choosing something else – though I have no clear idea on what that will be. At least I have some time to decide as I expect it will be another week or two before I am anywhere near the centre back. Now, if only I can get myself to the library and stay there (goddamn it, sit still), and do some research…

Brief report on the TTC Knitalong: I had a rawking good time, but since others have written so much about it and they did not forget their cameras, I will not elaborate too much other than to say I met some really nice people, did not finish my socks, had WAY TOO MUCH coffee, bought the yarn for my twined Von, and oh yeah, met some really nice people. Kirsten and I are looking forward to the next one, in spring I think.

And on the home front, my husband would like me to tell the world that it has finally happened….

…

My bad habit of removing my earrings at the bathroom sink, and leaving them on the shelf, has finally resulted in an earring plunging into the murky depths of the drain. I maintain that it was he who knocked it in, although I was the one that furthered its descent, in trying to fish it out in drunken clumsiness. It is a pull-through (anyone remember those from the first time around?), and its long straight part had caught lengthwise over the “X” of the drain two inches down. No matter how small and nimble one’s fingers are under normal circumstances, Strongbow turns those fingers into groping sausages….

Michael was less than pleased, did in fact say “I told you so”, did not do the “I told you so” dance, and asked me to go back to the place I bought them from for another pair so that he would not have to risk cracking the drain pipe while removing the trap.

As you can see, he removed the trap

With the help of Simon

And behold!
Currently there is only one pair of earrings loitering by the sink. I must remember to move them this evening.

Dull subject matter here, but subject matter at the very least.

Today's Earworm: Memorial Beach, by a-ha

Awakening

2006-10-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

I feel as though I’ve been sleepwalking, at least part of me, since I was 19. And I’ve been tossing and turning in a half-sleep, just under the surface, for the last three years. It is the creative and wild part which is awakening. And it is exhilarating.

Perhaps it is my age… I have recently turned 33, which puts me in that traditional female awakening period (in more ways than the obvious). Certainly some of the responsibility for the sleepwalking feeling rests on the shoulders of becoming a contributing member of society and chasing a stable job (it just can’t be called a career); some of it belongs to the need to please…everyone, especially my parents. This has been a struggle for me as I’ve had only the vaguest ideas of what to do in life: create, help, live, learn. Somewhere along the way, fear became a stowaway, deep in the holds of the ship.

Some sappy greeting card I bought some time ago and kept for myself says, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” I have latched onto this phrase, because I know I will never root out all the fear from its dark corners; I will keep tabs on it and use it as I can, even as just a list of things I will work towards over time.

I have the will to create again; it is slow and creaky as seldom-used things are. To learn. I am learning a new language and it will be a long road and the reward will be slight if any, but I want it. (Insert Gollum-voice here: I wants it.)

Who knows how long this will last? At 19, I thought it would last forever. I will ride it now for as long as I can.

This little sock has faith. It wants to be done in time for the TTC Knitalong so I can be working on something new and exciting. It thinks it has a chance, having only just begun a little over a day ago.

Today's Earworm: Kickstart My Heart, by Mötley Crüe – Throw up the horns, mofo.

Back At It

2006-10-23T17:52:00.000-04:00

Knitting action’s been scarce here lately, due to a string of unfortunate events, and plain old ennui with the summer shawl mutant I have been trying to finish up. Since my hands are officially cold while at rest (my indication that it is well into autumn), I have put the pretty UFO aside until the new year.

I knit myself a nice warm scarf instead; haven’t knit/finished anything for myself in a while. Haven’t blocked it as I haven’t checked to see if one is supposed to block angora…

Specs:
2 balls Anny Blatt Super Angora (70% French angora, 30% extra fine wool) in Mineral -- purchased in France!
Straight needles, size US9 / 5.5 mm

Pattern:
Modified Lopi Lace Scarf, from Weekend Knitting

Modifications:
Increased number of cast on stitches to 37, increased number of lace holes to four from two.

This weekend I also took as spin with two-end or twined knitting and I love it! I decided last week to knit myself (myself!) a sweater, and have chosen a nice yet simple pattern from Lopi #24, the Von 4. However, being me, I plan to modify it…. There are two lengths in the pattern, but I would like something in between, that hits me mid-hip, and I’d also like to nip it in at the waist and add a surface pattern using special stitches in twined knitting, which would appear right between my shoulderblades, and shorten the neck so it doesn't fold over double. Not to mention I may put in a second, contrasting colour for the inside of the ribbing on the sleeves and bottom and perhaps carry it into the pattern…

I have the book by Anne-Maj Ling, and practised -- practised! -- all the stitches on Saturday night while convalescing on the couch after an encounter with a lath nail Friday night. What's next, gauge swatches???? For this sweater, you bet your ass.

Twined knitting produces a very warm, firm and sometimes wind and water resistant fabric. It is suggested to use an s-spun z-plied yarn, which is proving difficult to find in this hemisphere. I may have to use standard yarn and keep an eye on twisting and tension. If I go this route, and this is looking likely, I am considering Lett Lopi or an alpaca mix as I’d like a very light but warm sweater, preferably using a worsted or sport weight. I’m open to suggestions from the two or three of you who actually read this blog! :)

And as autumn sets in well, here we have Rosebud, aka The Munchkin, fattening up for the winter.

Today's Earworm: Daymalhum, by Natacha Atlas

Rest In Peace, Nimba.

2006-10-11T17:50:00.000-04:00

Nimba left us yesterday afternoon on the heels of Kitt. She is shown here having a nap on Monday, while Pilea comes in to groom her.

(He was a good-looking mouse, but really, Nimba…)

We hardly knew Nimba, despite caring for her and her sisters for over a year. Nimba was our little thundercloud; quick and tempestuous, and prone to strikes (with her teeth). Even when she was a mouseling at the Toronto Humane Society, she would not approach an outstretched hand, except to give it a warning nip. Her sister Cirra (cousin? With different fur texture, we think so) is just as fearful, though runs and hides instead.

We always knew when Nimba was on the exercise wheel; she was so fast and so … thunderous. We could hear her two floors up in the house, such a happy noise: a mouse running on her wheel.

Lately Nimba had been living alone with her sister Cumula. The other three mice (Strata, Pilea and Cirra) had been showing signs of barbering, a type of bullying, so we separated the groups until we could tell who the bully was as both Nimba and Cumula were a bit aggressive. When we got back from our vacation to France, it was obvious. Nimba was now showing signs of being bullied, so I put her into her own cage in transition to rejoin her sisters. It was the next day I noticed she hadn’t eaten her seeds from the previous night, so I put her in with her sisters right away, thinking she was lonely. She seemed to be feeling better, but still I noticed she seemed unable to locate food or water. She would see or hear one of her sisters eating or drinking, and run right over to get some, but would stop with her nose millimeters from her target, unable to find it. Our intention to go to the vet did not come soon enough and the following afternoon we came home to find her spinning round and round backwards, with her head and shoulders twisted nearly 180 degrees behind her. The vet thinks it was some kind of inner ear infection (aggravated/accelerated by a fall the day before, I think, for which I will feel eternal guilt; I should have been more careful), leaving her with no balance and nausea. She did at least stop spinning and begin to rest after the medication took effect – or extreme exhaustion – and after her sisters tended to her.

Nimba died in her sleep (I have to hope this), warm, safe and clean within the mouse-pile of her sisters.

We will all miss you, Nimba. Your sisters continue to search for you in their Habitrail, thinking you are just around the corner, in the next series of tubes.

Rest In Peace, Kitt.

2006-10-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

Early this morning we lost our magnificent Kitt. It was quite sudden, and we suspect a heart attack. Kitt had been on several different medications over the past year, and it was only a matter of time before his little body gave out.

I brought Kitt home from the Toronto Humane Society, where I volunteer with the small domestic animals, socializing them (loving them, really, ultimately, and preparing them for loving homes), to increase the level of care he received. Kitt had some kind of chronic itching; we initially thought it was mites, but over the past year we never nailed it down, putting it down to some kind of developed neurosis. He almost died several times from blood loss, shock, or infection, and at one time last Christmas was missing a band of skin and fur across the back of his neck and shoulders almost an inch square. He lost his ears to his affliction.

Heartfelt thanks go to the staff of the Animal Hospital of High Park, most especially Dr. Jen Thompson. They went above and beyond in their care for Kitt.

Brave Kitt had been as stable as we could expect for the past six months, occasionally having a bout of itching during which he would scratch off his fur and lacerate himself. During these periods we would affix booties of fabric bandaids to his back feet to prevent him from doing further damage. He hated it, and would pull them off, losing the fur on his back legs in the process – otherwise we would have kept the booties on most of the time. He had been scratching again off and on for the past month, so perhaps he was finally weakened to the point where the usual routines would not save him. He was approximately a year and a half old, which for lab mice can be anywhere from middle to old age.

Yesterday afternoon he was his cheerful but nervous self, enjoying a bit of time sitting on my wrist inside my sleeve, just hanging out. I wish I had had him out to play just once more last night before bed.

We love you, and will miss you, Kitt.

Nous sommes retournés!

2006-10-03T17:41:00.000-04:00

Je suis très fatigué.

So here's one photo from the 900 or so we took and need to weed though. It's dark but it is knitting related and shows the view from our hotel suite on the last night...

(Click to see it bigger and slightly less crappy.)

And in light of how things went at work while I was away, behold:

Which Programming Language are You?

Today's Earworm: Haram Aleyk, by Natacha Atlas

Avast ye swabs! We're off to France!

2006-09-19T15:43:00.000-04:00

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, mateys. And this is me:

My pirate name is:

Mad Ethel Bonney

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

We're off to France for a fortnight, arrrrrrr!

Today's Earworm, Arrr: Ace of Spades, by Motorhead.

A rip in the fabric of the space-time continuum...

2006-09-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

On our trip, we met ourselves thirty years from now.

Actually, these are our fabulous, still-in-love neighbours, Joyce and Clair. More on them later, and on the whole whirlwind trip.

I also found some bunnies.
They are not fuzzy, but they will do in a pinch. Bunnies were the shiznitz this year; they were everywhere and they even had their own theme camps...

Today's Earworm: I am too embarrassed to say. Since my birthday last Wednesday I seem to be having an early midlife crisis and am stuck on my favourite music from my early teens -- not that there's anything wrong with it, I just seem to be a smidgen focussed/obsessed lately.

And we're off...like a herd of turtles

2006-08-29T15:48:00.000-04:00

Last day before we leave, still so much to do.

My SeaSilk was waiting for me at home last night, two skeins snuggled side by side in the envelope, kind of like kittens. Same size and shape as snuggling kitten-loaves anyway.

I have packed an extra circular needle in my checked baggage, just in case airport security decides my current bamboo one is a dangerous weapon, and will be threading a small zip tie through the live stitches just in case. All of my belongings are divided into ziplock bags with a list of what each bag contains, to make life easier for the secret police, and hopefully tidier on the other end for me. What is the world coming to? Next we'll all be travelling in airline supplied paper jumpsuits and booties. Mark my words.

My pets all know something is up. Even the mice.
Simon has had several "snuggle emergencies" the past couple of days; this morning he accosted me the moment I sat down on the commode, pinning my foot to the floor with his furry body and snuggling his muzzle into my ankle.
The Cloud Mice run and line up along the front of their cage with their tiny paws up on the bars (well, three of them).
Kitt bobs up and down on his hind legs, paws against his tummy. (I can't seem to post a photo of Kitt right now...)
Rosebud sits in her mushroom loft and pops her head out, then extends a paw to draw my attention, or just mills around and leaps occassionally up to rattle her door. When she comes out, she grooms my hand and arm madly then rests her tiny chin on my thumb.
Sufa and Freckle camp out in any luggage left open, and protest when removed.

We will miss them so much.

Scrape me off the ceiling...

2006-08-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

It's not even 10:00 a.m. and I'm so happy it's taking every inch of self-control not to (continue) running around the office squealing with delight!

Good thing #1: My friend Kirsten gave me my birthday present early: It is a bag of wool roving from Narnia II Farm in Chilliwack (she recently was in BC on vacation).
Shades of Narnia, sprinkle-dyed and the most juicy colourway, if that is an acceptable term for roving, like delicious cranberry and grape juice with lilac swirls and a speckle of sky... It is sooooo beautiful, I'll have to practice my spindling a bit more so I don't spindle this lumpy. What will I make with it? Mittens? Scarf? Handwarmers? One of the characters on Deadwood, Trixie, sports a pair that I've taken a shine to. Or trim for something larger?

Good thing #2: My SeaSilk is ready and will be shipped today!! Two skeins dyed to match the sample I sent last week. Thank you thank you thank you to the folks at Fleece Artist!! If I am lucky I will have it before we leave for Nevada; they are shipping it Express post. I was concerned, to put it mildly, about all that knitting time on the shawl that might be lost... something like 16 hours total there and back, plus time in the car...
I won't be knitting the shawl at all once we arrive, due to the fine alkali dust that gets everywhere and is impossible to completely remove. I'll have to choose another small project, something I don't mind being ruined, something to keep the fingers busy.

Good thing #3: We have both tickets now for admittance into BRC. One from a friend and the other unfortunately for pick up at the Will Call office; I just couldn't wait any longer for things to fall into place. A shame, since I got an email with a second less expensive ticket from a local burner just hours after I bought the Will Call ticket... Folks who are selling stuff on craigslist this close to the event really ought to check their email more often that every five days... a loss for both parties concerned. *jumps off soapbox*

Good thing #4: Saturday is my sixth wedding anniversary, and we are still madly in love after being together a total of fourteen years.
I have no idea what to get the man for his present. Something useful? Traditional, like iron (American), sugar (British) or wooden (modern)?
Dinner is in order as well, perhaps I will take him to La Palette.

EEEEEeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

At the suggestion of Kirsten:
Today's Earworm: Song 2, by Blur

Commence Snoopy Dance

2006-08-18T15:53:00.000-04:00

The stars have aligned and we are able to go once again here:

I am elated.

And I wonder if I will have to check my sombrero on the flight? I brought it as carry-on last time, but in these times it may be considered a dangerous item…

Today’s Earworm: Universal Mind, by Psychopod

Disaster Strikes!

2006-08-15T17:46:00.000-04:00

But Fleece Artist may yet save my ass.

I misremembered how much Sea Silk I needed for the Convertible shawl, and then further miscalculated for gauge differences, and then procrastinated going back to Lettuce Knit for the rest of the yarn in the same colourway that they had in stock. Guess who’s taking the “Math for Knitters” course at the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival next time?

My patient and loving husband was good enough to drive me all over the city comparing skeins on Saturday, to no avail. The closest skein looked like a knitted bruise next to the golden subtleties of my shawl. The shopkeeper at The Naked Sheep suggested I contact Fleece Artist and – lo and behold – they asked me to mail them a length of what I have and they will see what they can do.

Question is: Will the new yarn arrive in time for me to finish Convertible in time for our trip to France at the end of September? And if not, will KLM allow me to knit on the plane? Only time will tell, I guess. I am strategizing as we speak.

It’s been a while since I posted, due to the strains of my day job, but I did take some nice photos while we were up visiting my parents for Civic Holiday weekend recently.

Here you can see the shawl on my parent’s beach, enjoying a bottle of mead by the Ottawa River:

We had some company on the beach, the shawl and I. Sufa, one of our cats, came to see what on earth I was doing to make my mother call down to see if I had fallen over (I was trying to get a good shot of the shawl).

A while later, Michael arrived.

As the sun weakened, the flies chased us in. It seems the deer flies have crossbred with the houseflies to make a wicked hybrid that looks harmless but has the same big choppers. Note the flyswatter on Michael’s chair.

We had a fire that night; fires are big fun where I come from.

My poor camera skills yielded a fun result: the cool fire. A good deal of my pictures of the Saturday night Man burn at Burning Man last year turned out like this.

The drive home yielded a few inches of progress on the shawl, and it was then I realized my predicament after a glance at the shrinking ball. While I wait for a response from Fleece Artist, I guess I’ll have to address one of the UFOs. But which one? I have decided I don’t like the way the lace camisole KidSilk Haze was knitting up, in stripes, rather like fuzzy lacy pyjamas. Not the look I’m going for.

Today’s Earworm: Minor Earth, Major Sky by a-ha

The Fourth Level

2006-07-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

Trapped in the fourth level of hell at work these days, and so exhausted I've been neglecting the blog more than usual...

So here's a meme. (Stolen from Michelle's blog)

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything.
You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life.
You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you.

Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace.
You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life.
Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times.

At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you.
You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others.
You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperment Are You?

So, melancholic. Who would've guessed it? *wink*

On the bright side, I finished the Mrs. Beetons sometime last week. I'm so tired I can't remember when. Pics will come later on this week (I hope).

Oh, and I started knitting the Convertible shawl with my Sea Silk. Not sure what the colour is described as, but I think it looks like Black Hills gold spun into yarn. Rumplestiltskin, anyone?

Today's Earworm: A Forest, Ron Van Den Beuken Remix of the Blank & Jones mix of The Cure's classic -- taken from Euphoric Jim's Life set (whew)

Isn't she lovely...

2006-07-11T19:24:00.000-04:00

Meaning the addition to my header bar, of course! Now, sing it in your head à la Stevie Wonder.

"She" is my little mouse Rosebud, posing graciously for a mouse glamour shot with my spindle, some roving and my re-spun first batch of yarn.
What a good girl! A round of applause (quiet applause) and a treat, please and thank you. One of these days I'll relate Rosebud's story in detail, but for today, this will be a short post as I am due at the bar in half an hour...

Saturday, I respun (meaning evened out the slubs and reset the twist) my first batch of yarn, spun some more yarn for the Mrs. Beetons at a friend's barbeque, with strangers present -- they were bemused -- and got knitting. Last night I finished the first one:

The Kidsilk Haze is predictably soft and delightful; my own yarn much less so, but it is pretty to look at and fun to knit with as it feels quite springy (too much twist?). The colour of the handspun reminds me of the alien ship at the end of the movie The Abyss, or plasticine. Actually, mixed up plasticine is what the alien ship reminds me of, too. But I digress.
Today I cast on for the second wristwarmer, but don't expect even the first ruffle to be completed tonight (see bar date above).

Last week a friend and I went to the reopening/yay-Knitty-editor-Amy-quits-her-day-job party at Lettuce Knit. We didn't know anyone (as usual) and being quite shy, didn't get up the courage to push our way into the groups to introduce ourselves (as usual), but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless (as usual) and the cherry cake was delicious.
We have agreed that we'll wear "Hello! My Name Is..." nametags next time. Maybe we'll make some new friends.

Today's Earworm: Isn't She Lovely, by Stevie Wonder

As the Heel Turns...

2006-06-30T14:22:00.000-04:00

...on the first sock I've knit.
It is a humble sock, but I am pleased at how the mystery yarn is looking (patterning?). It's generated some interesting thoughts about knitting such readily available and cheaply purchased items, all of which have been covered by other people, but still fun to muse on while working away. I expect to be picking up stitches while at the hair salon later on this afternoon (I am still not used to this business of dying my hair: dying it after so long, dying it a human colour, having it dyed by a professional). We'll see how that goes.

I've decided to knit the Mrs. Beeton wristwarmers for my mom out of my handspun. She broke her wrist last January after slipping on some ice and the wrist aches from time to time and likes to be warm. I had started a single wristwarmer out of some fine cream mohair from my stash that same spring, but ran out and the next little bit I found was paler and the colour change noticeable, so I never finished it (it was quite plain anyway).
I'll be unplying the handspun so that the slubs look more "on purpose" and also to give me more yardage. Some of the Kidsilk Spray will accompany it, I'm not sure in which order, inside cuff or outside cuff, and I've still got to pick up some beads, perhaps on Saturday. Work will probably not begin until Sunday or Monday, realistically, but I'm excited.

Until then... Happy Canada Day! Don't forget to ingest something decorated with red icing or sprinkles containing everyone's favourite -- or mine, at least -- red dye #5. Mmmmmmm....

Today's Earworm: Winds of Change, by the Scorpions, courtesy of the guy who whistles (quite beautifully, in fact) metal ballads in Keele subway station on some evenings.

Frogwalkers, and a Productive Weekend

2006-06-26T16:23:00.000-04:00

Much progress made on the jaywalkers this Saturday at a backyard party.

Tried on the first one (okay, half of one), and lo and behold, it didn't fit past the arch of my foot. Did not check gauge, did not measure foot circumference, do not pass Go, do not collect $100.00. Ah well, old habits die hard. So, Froggy went a courtin', so to speak. I've decided to save the dark, autumn colourway for a really big pair of jaywalkers for Michael, and have started knitting again with some other mystery yarn I bought at the same time from the Romni basement.

My homespun -- homespindled? -- finally got soaked and dried and seems to be a bit softer.
Still inconsistent and slubby though; I really regret plying it, I think it would have looked "on purpose" as a single. Anyone know if it's possible or advisable to UNply?
No idea what to knit with it as there's not much of it and it's not exactly delicate, as might suit a small cuff or bracelet. Of course, Mom is away on an Alaskan cruise with my dad and her sister, so I've got another week or two to work on her gift.

In between knitting and visiting, we made the following improvements in the back yard.

New cedar bedding frames and lots of weeding and trimming, and we even enjoyed the first four raspberries from the early-fruiting patch. The mice now have pink-stained toes, but Simon seems to have forgotten how much he loves raspberries.

Today's Earworm: Godd, by Marco V, from Euphoric Jim's Into the Light mix

Random blatherings

2006-06-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I haven't been knitting that much recently -- what's wrong with me?! I haven't even had a flower facecloth (my equivalent of the ever-present sock of other knitters) on the go since last week.

I am working on, no, struggling with, to be honest, this lacy camisole from Weekend Knitting.

I have begun and ripped it back three times, meaning I've had to throw away the snarled mess of the cast-on edge. I think I've gotten the hang of the stitch pattern, but as this is my first time with something truly lacy, I am having a good deal of trouble with gauge consistency. My cast-on edge seems to be waaaaay tighter than the next few rows (I used the long-tail method as there wasn't a specific one mentioned), and if I continue with it, will likely not fit over my - ahem - ample hips. I'm currently using a bamboo circular, thinking it would grip the Kidsilk Spray better than those other standard grey needles, but things are still really slip-sliding around. The bamboos are also not as pointy as I think I'd like for doing a psso; this may be one of the reasons why my stitches are so frigging loose - it's easier to pick up the slipped stitch if I leave a little more room. And of course, now that I've knit a few inches, I'm able to see how the Spray is coming together, and I don't think I like the way it is striping vertically (I thought it might be more spotty or patchy). I'm considering exchanging the unused balls for a different colour, a solid colour.

Le sigh.

On a lighter note, the wedding I went to last weekend was lovely. The bride, while sick as a dog, sailed through the ceremony and reception with great poise (aside from a wee coughing fit during the vows), and looked absolutely gorgeous. The groom was handsome and dignified, and the bridesmaids wore stunning baby blue saris (the bride is from Trinidad). Apologies go to those who suffered through conversation with me... on top of my usual social handicaps (and a bit of hearing loss from a previous job, to boot), the lovely mirrored walls of the ballroom made for terrible echoing and I was forced to either nod politely when unsure of the topic of conversation, or constantly request a repeat.
I did not end up knitting during the reception party as it was quite dim (although the Harlot gave me her blessing for reception knitting!). Probably better that way given the problems with the project as noted above.

So it's a long weekend for me starting today at noon, during which I will probably cast on a less stressful item, hopefully finish up processing the handspun, progress on the camisole, and -- oh, yes, let's not forget -- get some serious housework and yardwork done. The house needs a purging to Goodwill and the yard needs a complete till and new sod near the house.
I noticed the huge pile of lumber Michael bought yesterday which is destined to become raised vegetable beds and a border for the front garden. Thank god knitting requires mostly just the forearms and is generally done sitting (preferably with a cold beverage nearby).

Today's Earworm: Surprisingly, none at the moment, although I did wake up with The Phantom of the Opera from that musical in my head. I was dreaming I was on a slowmoving, motorized raft approaching a cruise ship; I remember looking into the water and seeing weeds just below the surface (I have a phobia about waterweeds), my heart racing, then approaching the side of the ship and reaching up anxiously to be pulled aboard...

What the hell is going on with my subconscious?

Vests for Vermin

2006-06-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

Last Monday or so, Cute Overload posted this little guy in his jaunty vest.

Months ago, when our rabbit Simon was going through his first moult of the year, Michael suggested I save his fur and learn how to spin it into yarn so I could knit a wee blanket for The Munchkin (aka Rosebud). Nevermind that a) she would "improve" its loft by chewing it up or b) that rabbit fur is incredibly difficult to spin and c) Simon is not an angora so his fur is way too short.

Then we see the squirrel. Talks resume about perhaps a wee vest for The Munchkin, perhaps in some of the unspun angora/silk roving I have in my spindle bag. It is a stunning bright blue, lavender and lilac mix which would look lovely on her, and my spindle is good for spindling finer yarn (fortunately I am better with the thinner yarn right now, kind of like fingering weight or a little less). She is the tamest pet I have ever had, with the exception of our old patient pekingese, Tanya (such a lady she was); taking her measurements will be a breeze. This project may not happen for a few weeks, as I have just started on a saner endeavour in the form of the lacy camisole and cowl set from Weekend Knitting.

True to form, I want to make adjustments to the pattern,which has your basic box shape for the body of the camisole. Being decidedly un-box-shaped (and long-waisted), it's my intention to add waist shaping and lengthen the body a bit. Cool. Simple. But the whole thing is in a very open lacy pattern and I'm not certain how to handle that.... I know I'm to decrease and increase in pattern, but haven't done this sort of thing in anything but stockinette. Suggestions? Tales of woe, anyone?

Work has also resumed on the Jaywalkers, so hopefully I'll have a photo of those next week showing good progress. These two projects are in contention for being possible wedding reception knitting, for the knervous hands. We are attending the wedding of one of Michael's fencing buddies this Saturday. I will know several of the guests, but haven't really seen much of them over the past few years, as I've not been going to the tournaments as much as I did before scoring a full-time, salaried (exhausting, soul-sucking) position. Sucking hard at small talk as I do, the knitting will give me somewhere to put that nervous energy that maketh the dumb shit overfloweth from the mouth. I'm really hoping to see M. & J., whom I've known since university, but I have no idea if they'll be there.

I won't knit at the ceremony of course, but is it rude to knit during the party part of the reception in between dances? I've been trolling the Interweb, and I'm going to ask the Harlot's wisdom.

No knitting pics today. How about some Cloud Mice?
In this sleepy pile are Strata, Cumula, Nimba, Pilea and Cirra. I tell them apart mostly by their personalities, a little by their waistlines, and even less by minute differences in their faces. Oh, and Strata has a teeny scar on her tail, but by the time she has climbed into my hand so I can see it, I know it's her.

Today's Earworm: Night, by MIDIval PunditZ

Knervous Hands

2006-06-12T17:03:00.000-04:00

So I’m in the ‘dressing room’ Sunday night, waiting for my turn onstage at my bellydance student recital with my classmates, all dolled up and ready to go, with the familiar feeling that my diaphragm is shrinking slowly. I whip out the knitting to give my hands something to do other than flitting about checking pins and fluffing hair for the umpteenth time; one would think I’d pulled a live chicken out of my bag and begun trying to French braid its feathers. I was quick to say that it was only a simple pattern (the flower facecloth) using the most basic stitch, something I could do without paying much attention/screwing up. This began an enlightening get-to-know-you conversation; one of the girls is an embroiderer (if that is a word), although she says she has not picked up a needle in several years, when she was at home in Bulgaria. I estimate her to be in her early twenties! She has completed, among other things, a Mona Lisa and “The Secret Dinner” – a direct translation from the Bulgarian for The Last Supper (love it!) – which took her a year and a half to finish. She says they were ‘picture-size’ which we all took to mean average size of a painting on a wall. Wow.

On the subject of less common fibre pursuits, I have taken up drop spindling and the basics seem to have come naturally. My first yarns are quite rough and inconsistent in thickness, but show marked improvement with each tiny skein. Last week I finished spindling some very pretty merino/silk confection in brilliant blues and lavenders and have only to let it bloom underwater and wind it. I quite liked it as a single, and now that I've plied it, the flaws are more apparent. Also it is not as soft spun as it was as roving, so I am hoping it may improve after a quick soak. I plan to knit some little trifle for my mother as part of her birthday present; it will be the first time since I was a child that I have put something together for her quite like this…

Sadly I am behind in my photos and have none to accompany today’s subject matter.
I do have photos from last week’s subjects though. Behold the booty from San Francisco!

Scored from the sale room: The red-copper-gold yarn on the left is Alfabeto (76% silk, 19% superkid mohair, 5% wool), originally 6 balls (one has been given as a gift). On the right, the golden pink yarn is Kyoto (69% silk, 25% superkid mohair, 6% extrafine wool), as is its neighbour, the bronzy-olive. The centre yarn is the aptly named Inskein Asylum (Nylon paper, nylon – no percentages listed on tag), and there are 1300 yards of the stuff. Check out the closeup, if the photo is not too crap…
Also purchased after much deliberation (and desire for something handpainted from this store), perched atop the Inskein Asylum is the handpainted Rosetta (100% cotton), which is flat and has a beautiful colouring reminiscent of Rococo art. No idea what to make with this…suggestions welcome. And oh, yes, a set of Brittany dpns, nice and short for socks.

Here also is a photo of one of the Ugg booties in the iris patch in my front yard. Both sets of booties, I hear, are much appreciated by their small recipients.

Today's Earworm: Awedouny, by Amr Diab (practice to a song a hundred times...).

Giant butterflies

2006-06-05T18:01:00.000-04:00

As in, in my tummy. Really though, they are not good butterflies and perhaps feel more like giant moths trying to get out and fly around the fluorescent lights. Now, I like moths, but not flapping around madly in my insides (figuratively). My weekend had less than ideal repercussions; I thought I had made positive steps in a direction but I seem only to have dug myself a deeper hole.

But on to the knitting, the personal shall not be aired here.

My trip to San Francisco was fabulous!
We had incredible weather, not too cool, not too warm. Two of three days were mild and the third, while it rained, made for a nice cross-section of San Francisco weather (as I understand it to be). Much (too much) delicious food was had, a little local wine, good experiences with the city folk and a pensive final day rounded out the excursion. We dined at Chaya by the water (seafood and Cal-Ital, with the freshest ingredients and death-defying dessert constructions) on Friday, breakfasted at the Sunflower Cafe and relaxed at the Magnolia Brew Pub for dinner on Saturday, and got lost but then found at Herbivore in the Mission. Sunday night saw us at Millennium, foolishly attempting the tasting menu with wine pairings. Devine, but too much food! Monday was more modest with breakfast at a little cafe near the hotel and tea in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Well, that all turned out to be about the food.... I did actually go to Artfibres, the yarn store I mentioned previously. It was inspiring. All of the different yarns had not one, but two or three different swatches knit up: the first of just the yarn in question, and the others of that yarn in combination with others. Each swatch included small labels attached to the yarns noting the name and the needle size used. I flitted from yarn to yarn and back again, and the young woman minding the store that day was so friendly and knowledgeable, as were the two knitters hanging out in a comfortable seating area by the front window. Hugs go to husband Michael for being so indulgent of me, and reading or chatting with the knitters while I fondled all the yarn.
I scored huge in the sale room, and picked up a couple of gifts for some knitting friends from the main room. Hard to believe that I haven't taken photos of this yarn yet, but it has been busy since arriving home. I will do my best to squeeze in some photography (or reasonable facsimile) this evening and post again tomorrow. I know I've been neglectful of this blog...

I dutifully carried my sock-in-progress with me everywhere, but just couldn't get up the guts to haul it out for photographs. I did, however, finish my crisscross shrug on the plane and got much use of it (and many generous compliments) in the evenings and on the rainy day.

Wordy Progress Bar Substitution:
Penguin jumper:
complete

Crisscross shrug:
complete

Tubey:
10% complete

Curly toed kids' slippers from Weekend Knitting
10% complete

Ugg baby booties (2 pairs):
complete

Jaywalker socks:
5% complete

Flower petal facecloth (2), also from Weekend Knitting:
complete

I got a kind comment from übercherry directing me to a progress bar (and noting that she liked the colour combination of the Man sweater - thanks!), which I will hopefully soon put to good use.

...so much other news, which I will expound upon tomorrow if time permits.

Hmmm. Blogger doesn't seem to want to upload photos of San Fran.

Until then, here is
Today's Earworm: The Dark Dance, by Mr. Merrill

In lieu of a progress bar

2006-05-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

An update, in words, on what I am knitting. Try to imagine some pretty green progress bars.

Penguin jumper
95% complete
Crisscross shrug
70% complete (got more yarn at last, and it almost matches perfectly)
Tubey
10% complete (I frogged it back from 25% due to sizing issues)
Curly toed kids’ slippers from Weekend Knitting
10% complete (first time with turning heels…)
Ugg baby booties
5% complete

I believe this is all. As you can see, I was casting on willy-nilly on the weekend. I have been to Romni four times in five days and there is going to be more casting on before the week is up. I need something engaging to knit on the plane to San Francisco this weekend and I am not entirely sure what that is going to be. There could be another trip to Romni this week, perhaps for some bamboo yarn…

Michael is already in San Fran at a Java conference, and has invited me to join him for the long weekend to play tourist. I hear that Artfibres is a neat store, but when I tried to look at their website at work, my computer blew up shortly thereafter, and I blame some kind of evil stowaway. I suspect their website due to the immediate blowup of a colleague’s computer (also a knitter) after she viewed their site. So, if anyone has suggestions of neat yarn stores to visit in San Fran, let me know. My IT guy had stern words and I don’t want to push him. I did score a nice flat 19” monitor though and a faster computer.

I didn’t make it out to the TTC Knit-A-Long this past weekend as my mom was in town after all; I hope to get out to the one in the fall. I hear it was a blast this time and I am sorry to have missed it.

No photos of knitting this week… When I’m back I’ll post photos of knitting on safari in sunny San Fran – à la Harlot. In the meantime, here’s a photo of Rosebud, looking for attention.

Today's Earworm: Jump, by Madonna

Migraines are Bad for Knitting

2006-05-05T11:56:00.000-04:00

All those little stitches, and I’m just not that good yet at knitting without looking (sunlight bad), I still have to peek once or twice during a row… So not much progress this week on the wraparound fencing shrug I was working on last Sunday in Ottawa. It is a simple garter stitch affair from the Lion Brand website, using some very slubby wool I got on sale from my LYS just before it changed hands. The wool is a beautiful pale periwinkle colour, and sadly, I ran out only 50 inches into the 90 required, so I’ll be hunting for some more this weekend now that the migraine is subsiding (a three day record for me).

The shrug was going well at the tournament, and my knitting-without-looking improved greatly (I’m better at purling-without-looking for some reason) and allowed me to watch the fencing. I finished 40 inches that day, although admittedly the shrug is only a foot wide, but not bad for my slow not-looking-knitting. One of the other fencing widows’ interest in knitting was renewed, so I may have some company at Easterns or Nationals later on this month.

I am considering joining the TTC Knitalong next Saturday, but haven’t decided what project to work on. I may choose something that doesn’t require my utmost attention, such as a penguin jumper or two, or I may choose something more ambitious, perhaps some lace or something summery from the recently arrived (!) issue of Interweave Knits.

Hopefully I’ll make some new friends too.

Today's Earworm: Copacabana, by Barry Manilow

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s…

2006-04-27T11:30:00.000-04:00

…the Man Sweater!

He likes it, he really, really likes it. He’s worn it every day since I finished it on Easter Friday. Even though I’ve been knitting in fits and starts since I was nine years old, this sweater is the first actual garment (not including scarves, shawls or hamster clothing) completed for someone else. Well, the first successful garment anyway.

I made Michael a sweater in our second year of dating, way back in 1993. I did not check gauge. The thing was enormous, the neckline off-the-shoulder, and because it was superwash, would not shrink down. I frogged it the following spring and began to knit a different pattern, but never completed it; the yarn still sits in a basket in the basement, needles removed for some other long-ago project. No hard feelings. It’s been thirteen years, after all.

But I am soooooo sick of stocking stitch. This sweater took me two months to complete (yup, I’m slow). I took it everywhere. I even took it to the pub on St. Patrick’s Day where it interfered with me getting my drunk on. I started it at the Jet Fuel just before Xmas, knit a couple of inches, then got distracted by the Tubey sweater, then the Knitting Olympics, and returned to it during the closing ceremonies. But it’s done and he likes it.

I am currently without a project, but I’m thinking I’d like to do a little lace next. I’m thinking I’d like to have several projects on the go again.

Today's Earworm: Traffic, by Tiesto

Earworms

2006-04-26T14:33:00.000-04:00

Not the ones from Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan. Thanks to my brother telling me those were actual rare sea creatures called “sea mice”, I had nightmares for weeks and I still have some trouble watching those scenes.

Earworm is a term brought to me via my knitting friend and coworker Kirsten, meaning the songs that get stuck in your head sometimes, often just snippets that run round and round, perhaps not even having the correct lyrics (Common with me, witness my take on Black Sabbath’s Paranoia, which includes a part of the chorus referring to the “muffin might”. Oh, those mighty muffins. Or my husband’s favourite: Big Mouse Strikes Again by the Smiths.).

I’ve noticed other people adding their current mood to the end of a blog entry, so I think I’ll add the day’s earworm to mine from now on. Perhaps in being consciously aware of my earworms from now on, I will be more frequent in my entries.

Something for the three or four people who actually check this blog on occasion to look forward to. Ha.

In other blog-improvement news, I haven’t looked into making myself a projects-in-progress graph yet. Work has eased up lately, so this seems like a good thing to read up on that could possibly be work-related, should my studies be noticed. I also need to personalize the heading section of my page; I have several willing models at home to pose with yarn (so long as there are muffin crumbs provided, mighty or otherwise).

My camera cable rests on the dining room table today, so the photos taken this sunny morning of The Man Sweater must remain unposted for today.

Today’s Earworm: One, by Metallica

The Answer is Yes

2006-04-19T12:45:00.000-04:00

This is taken from Kimli, whose site I found on Michelle's blog...
A score 40 or higher indicates that you are spoiled.

(1) your own cell phone
(2) a television in your bedroom
(3) an iPod (But it's a mini and it was a present "from" my pet mouse Rosebud for saving her life. It is engraved with her binomial nomenclature)
( ) a photo printer
( ) your own phone line
(4) TiVo or a generic digital video recorder (free trial from Future Shop/Rogers 'cause we bought ourselves an obscenely large lcd t.v.)
(5) high-speed internet access
( ) a surround sound system in bedroom (although husband wants one - boom-shaka-laka-laka)
( ) DVD player in bedroom
( ) at least a hundred DVDs
(6) a childfree bathroom (so far...)
( ) your own in-house office
( ) a pool
( ) a guesthouse
( ) a game room
(7) a queen-size bed or larger
(8) a stocked bar
(9) a working dishwasher (saved our marriage)
( ) an icemaker
(10) a working washer and dryer
(11) more than 20 pairs of shoes (no surprise there)
(12) at least ten things from a designer store
( ) expensive sunglasses
(13) framed original art (not lithographs or prints)
( ) Egyptian cotton sheets or towels
(14) a multi-speed bike
(15) a gym membership
(16) large exercise equipment at home (geez, you'd think I'd be in better shape)
( ) your own set of golf clubs
( ) a pool table
( ) a tennis court
( ) local access to a lake, large pond, or the sea
( ) your own pair of skis
(17) enough camping gear for a weekend trip in an isolated area (hell, yeah)
( ) a boat
( ) a jet ski
( ) a neighbourhood committee membership
( ) a beach house or a vacation house/cabin
(18) wealthy family members
( ) two or more family cars
( ) a walk-in closet or pantry
(19) a yard
(20) a hammock (handmade by my MIL)
( ) a personal trainer
( ) good credit
(21) expensive jewellery (Daddy lurves me)
( ) designer bag that required being on a waiting list to get
(22) at least $100 cash in your possession right now (hey, it's Wednesday; pub night and the weekend's just around the corner)
(23) more than two credit cards bearing your name
(24) a stock portfolio (does a mutual fund count?)
(25) passport
( ) a horse
( ) a trust fund
( ) private medical insurance
( ) a college degree, and no outstanding student loans

Do you:
(26) shop for non-needed items for yourself (like clothes, jewellery, electronics)
( ) at least once a week
( ) do your regular grocery shopping at high-end or specialty stores
( ) pay someone else to clean your house, do dishes, or launder your clothes
(27) go on weekend mini-vacations
( ) send dinners back with (almost) every flaw
( ) wear perfume or cologne
( ) regularly get your hair styled or nails done in a salon
( ) have a job but don’t need the money OR
( ) stay at home with little financial sacrifice
( ) pay someone else to cook your meals
( ) pay someone else to watch your children or walk your dogs
( ) regularly pay someone else to drive you/take taxis
( ) expect a gift after you fight with your partner

Are you:
( ) an only child
( ) married/partnered to a wealthy person
(28) baffled/surprised when you don’t get your way (ONLY under certain circumstances/with certain people...)
( ) been on a cruise
(29) traveled out of the country
( ) met a celebrity
( ) been to the Caribbean
(30) been to Europe
( ) been to Hawaii
( ) been to New York
( ) eaten at the space needle in Seattle
( ) been to the Mall of America (gosh, you've been to MINNESOTA? y'all must be movie stars!)
( ) been on the Eiffel tower in Paris
( ) been on the Statue of Liberty in New York
(31) moved more than three times because you wanted to
(32) dined with local political figures (hey, only finger-foods at a post-election party)
(33) been to both the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast

Did you:
(34) go to another country for your honeymoon (Black Rock City was like a whole other planet that first time!)
(35) hire a professional photographer for your wedding or party
(36) take riding or swimming lessons as a child
( ) attend private school
( ) have a Sweet 16 birthday party thrown for you

And the special edition part from Kimli:
Do you:
(37) own more than one console gaming system?
( ) own more than one portable console gaming system?
( ) have a PDA?
(38) have any sort of gadget that does double duty, ie: a cell phone/mp3 player, a PDA/cell phone, a dildo/coffee grinder? (my cellphone has a mirror on the front instead of a time display)
(39) own more than one camera?
( ) own more than one digital camera?
(40) have both a desktop and a laptop? (one desktop, two laptops, and a server in the basement -- I married a geek)
( ) use dual monitors?
( ) use dual LCD monitors?
(41) own a television larger than 27"?
(42) own a plasma/HDD/LCD/projector TV?
(43) have furniture not from Ikea? (only from family and the curb)
( ) own anything with a pedigree?

Well, hell, that's definitely spoiled.

In other news, I finished Michael's Man Sweater last Friday. I am happy to report that he has worn it every day since!

I also knitted myself the hooded capelet from Loop-d-Loop on that Saturday. Pics to come later on this week.

Things that make you go Hmmm.

2006-04-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

So, my friend Jo posted her tarot card on her blog the other day. I went to check mine out. This is what my full name yielded.

You Are The Hanging Man

You represent the seeking of enlightenment and spiritual clarity.
You tend to confuse others, but your oddities seem deeply satisfying.
Self sacrifice is easy for you, especially if it makes you a better person in the end.
You are the type of person who is very in touch with your soul and inner spirit.

Your fortune:

Right now is a good time for reflection and meditation.
You should stop resisting the problems in your life, and let yourself be vulnerable to them.
You may need to sacrifice something important to you to move ahead in your life.
Accept your destiny with courage, and learn to let go of what you think you need.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Hmmm. My first name only yielded first the Hermit, then the Magician, and then Strength. I wanted to know if the site was just random, so I entered my name in a few times each to see what would happen. So far these things all could be interpreted as matching various aspects of my personality, some of them a bit too close for comfort. The Strength's animalistic nature was one of those: I am actually fairly comfortable with it, but my husband says it can be a bit weird (I guess I can agree with him).
Using my first name and middle name got me the Star, which didn't seem to be on the money much; must have been the middle name.

So, what does this have to do with knitting or other fuzzy things like pets? Maybe how one might interpret my choices in projects, my knitting style, or preferred places to knit, or my choices in pets for that matter.

My knitting projects are all over the map, but a common thread is to make unusual things, or "usual" things with a different colour scheme/yarn/tweak, and always with a great deal of consideration for the intended recipient (to a fault).

Speaking of projects, the Man sweater should be finished any day now. I am adding a couple of inches to the bottom to accommodate my extra tall fellow's long torso, then it will be ready to sew up. I really hope he likes it. He seems to be cautiously excited. After all this stockinette stitch, I am excited that Knitty's new issue is up. I think something lacy next...

T.F.G.I.F.

2006-03-31T16:20:00.000-05:00

Need I say more? You can guess what that extra ‘F’ stands for.

What a week. I finished P’s birthday present, but couldn’t find my camera last night before delivering it. I made him a surprise flying spaghetti monster, and he promises to send me a picture of FSM, which I will happily put up. Many thanks go out to the creator of the pattern, Sherry W. raMEN.

Michael’s sweater is going well, though I’ve only finished the front part and half of a sleeve since last week. I expect much knitting to be done the next couple of days – VIVE LE WEEKEND! -- and hope that my lovely man will be wearing his new sweater next weekend as we peruse the sad condition of the back lawn and garden.

Due to the AWOL nature of the camera this week, instead of a project in progress, here is one of our many fuzzy pets, reclining beside our wool rug (at least there’s some wool – Simon’s fur is too short to spin). Simon is a Holland lop, weighs about 4 pounds, has the run of the house, and frequently buzzes as he hops along. He’s very affectionate and shows his jealousy of the knitting by snipping any yarn left within his reach. He doesn’t know the words to “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings” (song link here), for which he was named. But we sing it to him anyway.

Tuesday only?

2006-03-21T18:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I thought it was Tuesday, today, even though I know it’s Tuesday, feels like a Wednesday. Wednesday means west-end pub night, during which much knitting gets done and good friends are seen.

However, today is Tuesday.

What to report? I am not so diligent with this blog as I suppose one should be. I really must figure out how to get one of those lovely “In Progress” bar graphs like Michelle has, up on this page. Some visual appeal would certainly help.
St. Patrick’s Day was pleasant, not the usual loud carousing, but still a good time overall. I knit about eight inches on Michael’s sweater, gave J her knecklace, and was pleased to see some folks I haven’t seen in a while.

The knecklace loops were a bit fiddly to shape; I wound up using some teeny tiny dpns to work them, after several spritzes of water throughout the process; it reminded me of louse-checking day in primary school (ahh, memories). Once the loops were shaped, several gentle blasts of steam from the iron kept things together. No word on the current state of the knecklace from J… hopefully wee B has not gotten her pudgy little paws on it just yet.

Last Wednesday evening, I went to a meeting of the Downtown Knit Collective with some friends. It was stimulating to see all those knitters, and I came away promising myself I would give cables a try in the near future thanks to the guest speaker, Fiona Ellis. I even recognized several people that I see frequently on the subway, most notably a lady with a really original and fun dress sense – love that furry spotted coat and fish purse! I managed to escape the meeting with only one new book in tow, Loop-d-Loop, and am currently leafing through it several times a day trying to decide which pattern to begin. Once I figure out how to put up that progress graph, I’ll add that to it as well.

Tonight I am dropping off some yarn at the Toronto Humane Society, where I volunteer cuddling and socializing their small furry animals. THS accepts donations of yarn for their group of senior knitting volunteers; these ladies (and perhaps some gentlemen) knit up cozy blankets for the many cats in the shelter. Since spring is just around the corner, there will soon be dozens of kittens all needing blankets. Go knitters!

Knecklace Knot Knitting Knicely…

2006-03-15T10:06:00.000-05:00

…at least for me. I am on my second attempt with the knecklace, having had a few problems. One, the gauge swatch I knit and the calculation I derived from it for my substitute yarn did not jibe; two, despite having very small mammals as beloved pets and otherwise being very dextrous, I seem to be an absolute brute when it comes to manipulating slipped stitches.

The silk yarn fuzzes and pills; perhaps I am manhandling it as well. It is my first time working with silk yarn and I am not sure if there are any rules for careful handling. Now I am keeping everything in its own plastic bag, and unraveling from the ball only as much as I will knit in a half-row instead of pulling free several feet so as to knit merrily along for several minutes.

Tonight I will try very carefully to manipulate those dropped stitches into the lovely loops shown in the picture on the pattern.

In other fuzz-related news, I had a disaster with hair colour on the weekend, such that my hair is now very close in colour to the yarn used in the knecklace. I haven’t dyed my hair in ten years…. The dear woman at the Shoppers Drugmart thinks that my “virgin” hair grabbed too much of the colour and thus my attempt at dark auburn has gone horribly awry. This would be fine if I were still a student, and did not work for a mutual fund company. Last night I tried redying it to a “dark copper brown”, only to end up with a darker burgundy. Apparently, red colouring is stubborn. There used to be a product called Metalex that would strip recently applied colour from hair, but I have so far been unable to find it. Methinks I will be reduced to another trip to the drugstore. My hair is so fried right now.

Sigh.

One! One distraction finished!

2006-03-10T16:51:00.000-05:00

I finished the coffee cup cuff last night and it had its inaugural voyage this morning protecting my fingers from the hot wrath of my ridiculous yet delicious half-sweet, non-fat, extra-foam, vanilla latte. It’s a bit on the hairy side. Actually, it looks like it’s knit from steel wool, but really it’s pretty soft.

It’s made from Berroco Quest on US #2 dpns. I pretty much followed the pattern, but stuck in two stripes of seed stitch (two rows, then six rows later on) and made it a bit wider to compensate for my terribly tight gauge. It was my first time knitting with such tiny dpns and I was nervous about slipping stitches.

And I have found another distraction, for friend P’s upcoming birthday, but since he is aware of this blog, I will not post it until it is finished and his birthday is past. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah. Nyah nyah.

Project Update (and isn’t that the most boring title, but there it is)

2006-03-09T18:28:00.000-05:00

Not doing very well here with frequent updates, are we? One of these days I’ll set myself up properly at home and/or stop forgetting my camera cable on the kitchen counter.

But on to the projects at hand.

Michael’s sweater (SnB's The Man Sweater) is coming along nicely; the knitting Olympics taught me to focus on one project – and I was doing well, really, until some birthdays came up. Laura turns a secret number today (does anyone really know how old she is?), and J, my oldest friend, is gaining another year next Wednesday. J and I have known each other since kindergarten, when we skipped our first class together by hiding under the coats in the cloakroom. It was French, for the record, and I think we didn’t like the teacher.

Here we see the ingredients for J’s present. She is getting a knecklace, and probably won’t read this before then as she’s got a shiny new daughter. Shout out to The Squee!

I haven’t started the knecklace yet due to Laura’s impending appearance at a group birthday party on Saturday. I have been working on this:

This hairy little confection is well on its way to becoming a take-out coffee cup sleeve. Laura has moved out of the city and I miss our coffee breaks together. I will put up the finished cuff on its test run tomorrow (provided I remember the camera cable). Laura, I promise not to spill!
I will end this longish post forthwith by sharing a snapshot of the completed back of it, guarded by our eleven year-old kitten, Freckle. Freckle likes yarn.

Olympic gold, after a fashion

2006-03-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

So yes, I was one of over 4,000 knitters from all over the world participating in the Knitting Olympics. Hey, we made The National. I was watching (and knitting). Then jumping up and down, pointing at the t.v., "Hey, we're on the news!" Our rabbit, Simon, seemed impressed.

I finished the shawl on Friday night, a day and a half before the closing ceremonies, despite being taken down by the 'flu for the first week of the games, and made an appearance at the Team Canada closing ceremony event. It is a simple pattern, but was the first thing I'd knit in all the years of knitting where the aim was to in fact have holes! In order to break my alpaca habit, part of the challenge of this exercise was to go acrylic. It's still soft, but it just doesn't drape. So without further ado...

The finished Olympic shawl... awkwardly photographed.

Wood mouse beauty, Rosebud, checks out the detail in one of the new shawl's points.

And the way my husband sees it - the Green Bat Cape.

Much to say about Rosebud, our handraised-from-a-fuzzy-pink-bean wood mouse, but that's another story, as they used to say on Hammie Hamster.

Next crazy project: knit this.

First Day on the Bandwagon...

2006-02-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

So this is me, jumping on at last with so many others.

A bit of explanation for the title of this blog, then. My name is Eden. A friend's dad used to call me "Garden" or "Garden Of"; also, this is the phrase that follows when I introduce myself to people, as in "Nice to meet you. My name is Eden, as in, garden of." Inevitably I also follow this up with something like, "Yes, it's my real name, not a stage name, or a rave name or anything. I don't lead an interesting enough life to require an alternate name."

"Fuzz" is something I had to add on as "Garden Of" was taken, and fuzz it was due to my liking (obsession?) for fuzzy things of all kinds. Animals, yarn, sweaters, you name it. All of these things will eventually become apparent in later days when this page has a bit more to show.

Bandwagon, here I come.