What's That?!

Now that the days are getting shorter, and the weather cooler, She-Who-Does-Not-Photograph-Well - aka Miss Mae, graces me with her presence in the evenings. Usually, when settling in for her evening snooze (not to be confused with the night snooze, of course), she plops down in the kitty condo, which is in another part of apartment. Now, she settles in on the old quilt bed I have down for them, which sits next to the couch.


The other night, while sitting and knitting and watching TV, I noticed a funny rumbling/buzzing kind of sound. I thought it was the neighbours? No. They're always quiet. Is it the fridge? No. The furnace kicking in? Nope. Gandalf snoring on the couch next to me? Uh uh. Something on the TV (and I got up to listen up close)? No.


When I finally muted the TV to try to figure out what was rattling, I realized that the oh so dainty and sweet Mae had fallen asleep on her back, mouth open a la Gandalf, and was snoring away. Loudly. Enough that I couldn't figure out what the sound was!


My little girl.

"Hmmmph. Well, undignified that may be but at least I don't announce it to the world after I've used the litterbox like some little black cat I know!"

Look what I finished!

"Notice if you will the attention to detail and the different patterns on the front and palm sides of these Norwegian mittens. The detailing continues on the thumb, incorporating different patterns on either side. I believe Mom mentioned something about these being so warm she will probably pass out regularly if she doesn't take them off. Wha' the?? Enough of being cheesy - eeeeeeee!!! Mittens with lots of lanolin! Hee hee hee heeee!"

Of course, after this picture was taken Gandalf reverted to his true self by flipping himself over onto the mitts and rolling around on them.

On Thursday night, I'm going to check out a new yarn shop opening up here in Toronto, conveniently located half way between work, and home. On the streetcar line. Cool, thanks! And Chris - you'll love this name! (Marina, not so much.) It's called The Purple Purl, and it's part cafe, part yarn shop. It's all good to me!

Gandalf flashes Mayhem!

" *sigh* I can't believe Mae told everyone that I like a good rawwwwr after I go to the box."

The Smell of Wool and Leaves

Just because you live in an apartment, doesn't mean there aren't leaves to clear.

"So, really. I'd help you, but I don't do outdoors. So, you know. I'll watch, cheer you on... Go Mom! Way to rake those leaves!"

This is one of the piles I swept up from my deck - two large century-old oak trees in the front yard means a LOT of leaves landing on my deck at the back of the house. I actually filled two large paper leaf bags, and this won't be the last of it either! I love this time of year - the temperature is cooler, the leaves change, and we finally get to wear all the knitted stuff!


So - good times! Look at the lovely stuff I got in the mail yesterday:

Yummy sock yarn from Rebecca's "Bellamoden" shop on Etsy! There are 2 skeins of merino in the "A Circle of Quiet - sedimentary" colour way, and my surprise skein, in "A Night to Remember - graffiti". The colours are just so vibrant, and the whole package was so nicely put together. And the Circle of Quiet is going to be made into my *hopefully* first pair of non-plain ol' stocking stitch socks.

Thanks Rebecca! Go check out her yarns (she's got some great stuff!), and...she now has some up for sale at the Loopy Ewe as well. (And - she's a Stephen King fan too! Which is very cool.)

OK...so, knitting...knitting...oh right. Right after I comforted Carrie K. for going through a knittingless phase, I went through a couple of days where only a few stitches were done...again with the work thing. *sigh*

But look! Ooooo, I have one of my Vinternatt mittens completed -

"Pat us Mom!! C'mon! Pat us...oh, hey... I like this... *sniff*...Oooo Mae, lanolin..."

"Move it squirt, I want to check it out too...oh...wow..."

What is it with those two and the smell of wool? Not all wool - but this particular brand, the Rauma Strikkegarn yarn - make Mae and Gandalf goofy. Well, goofier... That and Bartlett yarns (remember Lorraine?!). I had a bag of it for Lorraine, and Gandalf pretty much shredded the bag just to get into it. Atticus? Ehn, he's more of a 2-ply Hebridean man.

Speaking of 2-ply Hebridean... I'm a few rows away from casting on Laleli's armhole steeks, however my batteries conked out before I could get a picture. :( And poor Fulmar hasn't budged, every time I picked it up something ended up distracting me and I really haven't done more than a few rows in the last week.

This week - a bit of stealth knitting, and hopefully a second finished Vinternatt mitten!

And of course...Ravelry. Duh.

Ravelry Intervention May Be Required

Have you noticed?! Judging by what I've been reading - I'm not the only one who'll require a sit down and talk to regarding Ravelry.

Sweet, sweet Ravelry...

*sigh*

I do consider it time well spent. After all, it's helping me plan my knitting future (a good thing), and it also allows me to air my dirty WIP laundry. Also a very good thing...

Delores. We've officially kissed and made up. I have found some of the colours I need to keep soldiering on, and seeing her again makes me realize how much I missed her. I love Fair Isle.

(By the way - have you seen Marina's latest? Elephants? Beautiful! And of course - yours truly (I really have to say - I looked like poop warmed over that day...) modelling the very lovely and stylish Guinevere, the latest addition to Lorraine's Twisted Traditions line.)

Gandalf helps me show off the nearly completed back of the "Cricket Cabled Sweater" from Debbie Bliss. I've finally decided that this design is the keeper to use the Woolie Silk from Fleece Artist. The original design I had hoped to make turned out to not have the most flattering shape for a short person. But the yarn is soooo lovely, and the colour so warm that I couldn't bear to stash it away. The little cables are perfect.

This is the back and the left side of the Caped Cardigan that I'm making using Cascade 220 in a deep red. A very easy and quick knit, I usually work on it while commuting.

And why not knit socks while commuting? Isn't that what I used to do?? Well, yes it is. And why am I not? Oh, that would be because I somehow managed to LOSE MY KNITTING BAG on the way home from the train station last week. I'm pretty sure it fell out of my bag, which was overstuffed with my laptop, work stuff, lunch bag, stuff I had picked up at the drugstore, and other crap. It was stuffed in on top of everything else, and I hadn't been able to zip my backpack up. So, it was resting precariously on top of everything else, with the flap only partially closed. When I got home - it was gone... :( Slipped out, and when I retraced my steps I couldn't find it. In it was the sock yarn I was using - Lorna's Laces, my 2.25mm needles, and everything else that goes with it. And the only half decent knitting bag I have! I have a tendency to just use whatever I have laying around - even shopping bags if that's all that's available... Oh well. All that say - I'm knitting Caped Crusader on the train home now.

(Gandalf is out for the count on my lap right now - so funny, he's snoring with his mouth open, sleeping on his back...hee hee!)

In other cool news - have you seen AS' "Oregon" in the new VK? I for one am pretty happy about it! Something else to add to the queue. And, as luck would have it - you can also pick it up from Anne at She Ewe Knits. She's put together the yarn packs, and is offering it at a special price until the end of November! Have a peek at her blog, you'll see her swatch. I for one am sold... (Fair Isle...love...a few paragraphs up...remember?). I'm not even going to TRY to resist this one. Really, there's no point.

"This Ravelry thing has to stop. Sit down Mom. Sit. Down. OK. I'm going to have to monitor your activity, because it's cutting into Atticus-time, and that's not a good thing. And no "buts" lady! Can't you control yourself? I mean, all I hear is "ooooo", and "aaah", and then click click. Another "Favourite" is added to the list, or another "Add to My Queue". I mean, c'mon..."

"Yes, but I'm meeting a lot of new people and..."

"Who are just as addicted! Mom, what if you forget to feed us in time? It won't be pretty..."

The Big Adventure

"Lalalalala... Hi Atticus! Hi! Whatcha doing? Are you trying to sleep? Atticus! Look at me! Hi!"

"Lalalala...lalalalala...alalala...I'm playin' with nothing...lalalalalalala...nanananana...oh, hi Mom!"

"So... Are we going to play with someone? Is it Kitten-Chow? That would be cool! Oh, wait, what about Chaos and Mayhem?!! No? Suzy? Um, Hezekiah? No? Oh, I know!! It's that California hottie Meems!!!! No? Oh, I KNOW!!!! WE'RE GOING TO PLAY WITH COUSIN FINNEGAN!!!!!! No? Um, so where we going then...? How 'come Atticus and Mae aren't coming? We're they bad? Um..."

Hee hee... Silly boy. Falls for it every time. The little treat in the cat carrier trick. It was time for Gandalf's yearly physical on Friday, and I have to say - he hasn't quite grasped the concept of "cats don't like going to the vet". He was a little out of sorts being outdoors, but once inside, he was sniffing around everything, getting friendly with the resident cat, eating treats, walking all over the phone on the front desk, rolling over on his back on the scale (I kid you not) and purring for the doctor. Who also said he was a very healthy boy. At 12.4 lbs.


Next up - Atticus in 2 weeks. Which is always an ordeal. The only time he holds a grudge - he does not forget, although unlike a certain Kitten-Chow...doesn't poop in inappropriate places!


Yet...


As for knitting...it was a bit slow this week, thanks to throwing out my back while bending over to feed the Little Dudes. It was the first time that ever happened - it just refused to budge as I was bent over. Then I was being head butted for being in the way of the food dish...thanks guys... It took awhile before it loosened up, and I'm still a bit paranoid every time I bend forward to do anything. I'm thinking this may be a sign I get back into yoga. Think so?!


So, look what I'm making!

I've jumped on the Norwegian mitts bandwagon. I'm working on a pair using some yarn and pattern I purchased from...from... (ooooo, I'm bad I can't remember...)... I think I may have picked it up at one of the Knitter's Fairs in the Toronto area a couple of years ago. Anyway - they are grey and white, and work up really quickly! And they should be quite warm too.

I do have progress pictures of Laleli (which is moving along quickly!), and Fulmar (which is NOT moving along too quickly!). But Fulmar is work in progress...

Have a great week everyone!

Somewhere...

...in Ohio, last night, Marina must have picked herself up off the floor, and wondered - ow! now why did I fall to the ground??? Well, that would be because I felt the sudden urge TO WORK ON WESTERN SEAS!!!

Yes, the long neglected (but not forgotten) and little known Starmore gansey (it's the adult version of a gansey from "The Children's Collection") was pulled out and worked on last night. And, I am this close to having the back finished. You know what that means? Two sleeves, and a collar.

*oooooooohh*

Baby steps. That's all I can ask for with this project. I love it, but I certainly question my sanity in working it in the first place. And I don't even remember when that was. I think it's pushing 2 years...

Speaking of baby steps...

She who does not photograph well because of the pale colour aka Fulmar. I love her. She's just taking awhile... You know, 236 stitches will do that. But, Michele mentioned how she's going to shorten hers, which is what I think I'm going to do as well. I'm not sure of the finished length yet. It's still a waaayyyy off. What you see above is 2 full repeats. It's just so fascinating to knit up! There are so many different cable motifs.

Let's see...what else have I been doing... I spent the day with Lorraine on Saturday! As always, a great time. She had me model Guinivere, her latest Fair Isle design. Again, I contemplated making a run for it, but I had no clue where we were (I don't know that area of Toronto...). Oh, that and the fact she would have had my St. Brigid, which I wore to the location. Plus I was getting hungry, and Lorraine's a good cook. OK, so I wouldn't have gotten far. But let me tell you, it's another excellent design, and I think it should be out soon.

I've been working on little things - a bit of Mermaid, a bit of some stranded Norwegian mittens, and far too many incarnations with my lovely pumpkin Fleece Artist yarn I picked up at the Knitter's Fair in September. I think I'm on my 4th try, and I'm pretty sure I'm good now. I think. But if it does stick, I'll post a picture the next time around.

And look at what was waiting for me at my door yesterday!

All sorts of goodies from Chaos and Mayhem's Mom! There's a mixed cat-themed CD, some PJ's with black cats on them, very cute socks with a black cat on them, a kitty fridge magnet, a note pad (pink!), some pink highlight tape (which has already replaced my pesky Post-It notes on small charts - what a great idea!), a black cat measuring tape, a bumper-sticker, AND - some very soft and snuggly pink sock yarn! Dyed for MOI!!! AWWWW, thanks Chris! It was such a wonderful goody box! (Canada Post decided to keep it at the border for close to 2 weeks. What is up with them???)

"Aww... I was expecting Mayhem to jump out of the box. She said she'd try, but I guess her Mom caught on. *sigh*"

So - how much time are you spending on Ravelry?! Can I tell you? Me? A lot. But wow, am I ever seeing a lot of great stuff. I guess that's the beauty of it all! And it certainly is organizing my life for the next, oh, 25 years, with all the stuff I have lined up in my queue. You know what's really great? Seeing all the finished designs made up of yarns/kits in my stash. It is a lot of fun.

(My ID on Ravelry (wait for it, 'cause it's a tough one to remember) is "Brigitte". Wow. So, if you haven't already, pop on by, drop me a line, I'd love to see more stuff!)

Small Gauge Knitting Can Be Fun!!

It's been a busy week here at the Little Dudes abode in Toronto. They continue to enjoy the good, well rounded life, complete with sleeping, eating and cuddling.

Gandalf is quite oblivious to the fact that it takes two hands to type.

Knitting has been all small gauge, all the time. I've been working on Mermaid:

"You're lying all over it...I'm telling! Mom! Gandalf's lying on Mermaid and he's playing with the yarn!"

Um, don't know if you can tell with the furry little animal draped all over Mermaid, but what you see represents the left front, back, and right underarm section. I'm now up to the first right front gusset. The end is near! And for you ladies doing an unofficial Mermaid KAL later this year - nowhere near as complicated as it may seem. The worst part will be having to weave in the stray bits at the bottom. You need to clip the main colours when changing to the medium blue for the gusset. The part I'm least looking forward to? Figuring out how that i-cord is attached on the last row of the body. You start with an i-cord on the left front, easy enough, and then you end it all with an i-cord on the last row. Still got to figure that one out...

And Laleli! Ooooo! How I love her! The colours are so vibrant, and the design so addictive. The above picture represents the first 40 or so rounds of the main pattern, and around 8 short of the completed chart. Very, very lovely... I'll say this much about Jade's designs - they are colourful, imaginative, and brilliant. Whereas her mother is more "traditional", she takes the traditional and makes her own splashy mark on it. Despite the 10 different yarn colours, I don't think this one could be classified as a true Fair Isle (Lorraine, Marina or Anne could probably say for sure); this seems to me more of a stranded design due to the lack of Fair Isle motifs.

Moving on.

What else?

Now, this is going to be difficult to photograph - but for now, that's all you need to see. 'Cause that's all there is. Fulmar! My dream Aran, finally. After having the yarn in my stash for what seems like forever, I took advantage of a Fulmar KAL that started up on the 1st of October to get her going. OK. I have a bit of a secret here. She's not as difficult as she looks. Seriously. There is nothing too complex as far as the cabling is concerned. But, I'll say this much - at 236 stitches a row (yes, 236) on 3mm needles, she won't be done in time for Christmas... And that's what makes it seem overwhelming. But, AS separates each chart, and gives you the chart sequence you need to follow. All you do is follow the charts (with my trusty Post-It notes), and that's it. There are no charts with more than 20 stitches. I always say that the best way to tackle what seems to be a complex project is to break it down into smaller bits, so that it doesn't seem so overwhelming. It's just going to be looooong knit. The ribbing? Done on 2.75mm needles, at 196 stitches a row. Took around 7 hours total.

*sigh* I loves her too...

Now, if I could only apply the same principle to lace knitting... Thanks for all your support re. the debacle that was Grace! Ugh... I don't want to even contemplate the simplest of eyelet patterns at this point.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada, giving us a nice long weekend. I'm thankful for a lot in my life, and particularly happy this year that Chris came out of her surgery just fine! Yay Chris! So, if you haven't already, go pop by and say hey!

To all my Canadian friends - Happy Thanksgiving!

The Demise of Grace...Or Why I Should Stick to Simple YO's

"Oh Mom...oh, man um...hey, it happens to everyone! Right Atticus? Oh...no...oh that sucks..."

I went to block Grace last week. And I was SO happy that my tension was perfect! Yay me *pats on shoulder*. And then back was pinned down, the ribbing lace slightly stretched and pinned into place, to match the front. Yay me *pats on other shoulder*. Then, it dawned on me that the length between the top of the ribbing and the beginning of the armhole shaping wasn't lining up... It seemed so much smaller than the front. And no matter how much I willed it, it wasn't a design feature either. It just wasn't matching up.

The fact that I had forgotten to knit a whole 30 row repeat on the back between the top of the ribbing and the start of the armhole shaping may have had something to do with it. Because it seems that in LaLa Brigitte Land, "repeat twice" can be loosely interpreted to mean "once".

So, I calmly packed her away in a bag, and intend to never look at her for a very long time. No, I do not have the heart to rip her back and redo the back. Yes I'm sure.

If anyone out there who's between a 36" and a 40" would like to finish her up - she's yours! Just drop me a note. There is one sleeve to complete, partially redoing the back, and then the collar. Yes, I'm sure. I'm knitting it in a black wool/silk blend from...elann I think.


Should just stick to cables and Fair Isle. Unless it's a simple lace simple (and I mean simple), I blow. Oh well...

"Hello darkness my old friend...I've come to talk with you again..."

"Oh Titania Queen of the Fairies! Wait! I do want to join your merry band of nymphs!"

"...so I says, I would knit if I could by I can't so I don't but I wish I could and then I saw my cousin Finnegan and he was saying he wished he could do stuff like quilt but he can't so he doesn't but sure wishes he could and then the TV changed channels I didn't know it could do that but if you click on the hand thingy the channels change to whatever you want and when Mom's at work I sleep on Atticus' head and he lets me but not always did you know that if you keep playing with the roll of paper in the bathroom eventually it runs out and then there's the magic cardboard roll to play with that I love so much..."

The Little Dudes and their treats. 'Nough said about that. Gandalf went psycho with the catnip! Whereas Mae goes silly and stares into space, and Atticus just uh, stares into space, Gandalf is pretty much BOUNCING of the walls. I could barely get a picture of him until he'd calmed down. Hee hee...

As for knitting, I intend to finish up Mermaid (I know, I know, I owe you pictures of her), and keep working on Laleli. So pretty...wait to you see how she's looking! I'll post progress pictures the next time around.

Have a wonderful, cool Fall weekend!

Ode To My Chullo

Oh Chullo!
You are so soft.
I just may never,
Take you off.

I'll wear you by day,
I'll wear you by night.
(Am I just weird,
Or is that alright?)

You're knit from Polwarth,
And cashmere too.
50/50 the label says,
20 sts=10cm, or 4" to you.

Um, but there's just one thing!
(Don't worry, you were never a hassle!)
Can someone please tell me,
How I attach these damn tassles?

Right. I'll continue with my day job, I'm a much better Technical Integrator than I am a poet...

While I was under the weather earlier last week, I decided I wanted something small to work on that wouldn't 1. impale me (so ixnay on socks), or 2. confuse my fuddled mind (ditto for Mermaid, Grace and um, pretty much everything else I have on the go). The chullo was the perfect choice - worked on a 16" circular, there was no risk of an unfortunate accident. And oh my stars that yarn is soft. Unreal. I mean it - I may never remove it from my head. Ever. OK, maybe to shower, but that's IT.

I love my chullo.

"I love your chullo too, seeing how I slept on it every chance I got..."

And thanks to everyone for your kinds words - I feel much better now! Apart from chullo knitting, I worked on Grace. I'm half way through the second sleeve, and will be wet blocking the front and back this afternoon so that I can start on the collar as soon as I'm done.

No, I did not block Kiri. Yes, I keep forgetting.

And - for Marina:

My lovely Laleli... Oh, speaking of love... The not-so-great picture above shows the 12 rounds of ribbing, and around 15 rounds of pattern. You can see the beginning of the developing flower pattern. The greens and blues together are incredibly vibrant, as I get further up the pattern, you'll see more of the purple shades mix in with the greens. Beautiful combinations...
*sigh*

Isn't knitting just the bestest?

(Oh, and I meant it - I really don't know how I'm supposed to attach the tassles, so if anyone can pass along a tip or two...I'd appreciate it.)

This Post Brought To You By...

"Whoa! Oh, hey! Um, right this is kinda embarassing... Anyhoo. So, Mom's been feeling poorly these past few days. Something about her stomach. She's been keeping a "low profile", whatever that is. She seems pretty much higher than me, so I don't really know what a "low" profile is."

"Auntie Brigitte feels crummy! Aw, that sucks... But I ask you - does she have to get these ridiculous haircuts, and have someone ::cough::Mommy Susie::cough:: make funnies behind her head? Oh, probably NOT."

"Eeeeeeeeeee! Heeeee heeeeee! Eeeeeeee! Hangie thingie! Heeee heeeeeee! Ah nuts, I'm stuck..."

"Such. A. Dork. Anyway, Mom has been knitting, she finished the front of Grace, and one whole sleeve! But, speaking of dorky, she keeps forgetting she has to block that shawl, Kiri. I keep telling her it doesn't count as an FO until she does. She's spacey these days... Anyway. She also is upset with Delores because she's already run out of yarn. So, to make herself feel better (you know how it is), and because I told her that Fair Isle is the cure to most ills (I know, I rock), she started "Laleli". You know, from Virtual Yarns. It's a cardigan with purples and greens, but the picture on the site is all funky, so it's kinda hard to tell what the design is. Seems all flowery to me...oh, tulips! Anyway, where was I... Oh right, Grace. No. Was it Fair Isle? Oh. I'm tired now."

"I'm helping too! Look! I'm typing on the computer while Mom drinks coffee and multi-tasks with the camera! I'm a star! Mae tells me I'm space cadet all the time, and this proves it!"

Normal blogging will resume, once we're up from our nap!

I Showed Restraint...Really

OK. So it's not as orange as it looks in the picture. Who knew orange was such a tough colour to photograph? And Korbis I am not... Just one of the lovelies I picked up at Saturday's Knitter's Fair in Kitchener-Waterloo. And this stuff is YUMMY. Some new Fleece Artist "Woolie Silk 3-ply" goodness, in a wonderful rust colour. AND - I got a freebie pattern called "Celtic Touch" from the shop "Linda's Craftique". *Note to self - rope Lorraine into going to this shop.*

We had a wonderful time... *sigh* And I was very good, all things considered. Getting there early was a good thing, it got very busy, very quickly. Lorraine, her sister and I did the rounds, saw all the goodies, and made a quick exit just as it was getting crazy crowded. We then headed to St. Jacob's for some more shopping, after a hearty (and I mean HEARTY) brunch.

Here are some more yummies!

Ooooo... Some Cashmere and Polwarth wool for a chullo (a funky hat with ear flaps - I have a lot of hair...). This was from a wonderful booth called "Rovings" out of Dugald, Manitoba. Wow. They had a lot of nice stuff. And this Polwarth wool has to be fondled to be believed! Unbelievably soft, and it's not just because of the cashmere either. Their 100% polwarth wool was just amazing. *sigh* It's going to make for one really warm hat.

And, to the back - some lovely 2-ply Shetland wool from Hopeful Shetlands (no website!). And the pattern to go with it. A simple lace pattern (oh please let it be so...) for a scarf. So, I should be ready to go and warm for another upcoming winter.

And that. Is all. I know. Let me give you all a moment to pick yourselves off the floor...

Alrighty? OK?

I WAS going to pick up some more stuff, but the retailer who normally brings in her selection of Peace Fleece decided not to bring it along.

*crickets in the background*

Not. Pleased. But, Lorraine and I swapped some yarn later in the day, so it was kind of like I received something new... My stashed Peace Fleece for some of her Aran Donegal Tweed.

In other knitting news... Grace almost has a front now. The pictures are black lace. Picture it, ok? I haven't touched Mermaid since I got home last week, simply because I want to make quick work of Grace before embarking on Fulmar in early October. My plan, which is do-able, is to have both done before then. *fingers crossed* ...

*and toes*

Speaking of Fulmar, I came across another Fair Isle knitter in the Fulmar KAL Yahoo bloglist! And she knits Dale of Norways AND Arans! So, go say Hi to Carolyn - how cool is this - she lives in Alaska!! (Well, I think it's cool, she can practically wear wool ALL YEAR ROUND! Ok, so it's pretty cold and snowy and dark in the winter, but she can knit and wear wool ALL YEAR ROUND!)

"Man, Mom's loosing it. She'd better not move us up to Nunavut or the Yukon because someone's gonna have poopers in places not meant for poops..."

(Knit and wear wool ALL YEAR LONG!)

OK, I'm off to make a pot of brown rice to go with my yummy ratatouille simmering in the crock pot. I love this time of year...

Adventures With A Dog

"All I hear is "Finnegan!" this, and "Finnegan!" that! All freakin' day long... Man, I'm pooped. So, Finnegan is now going to lie here, in the path of everyone, and basically play the cat. And look cute. Wow, hey! I am a cute little fellow... Look...at...me..."

Now I ask you. How great is a trip when one of your hosts looks like that? And greats you with tail a-waggin' and wet puppy kisses everytime he sees you? And I mean everytime. Getting up in the morning? At least five minutes of "I Love You" tail wagging and belly rubs. Coming home from a walk? More slobbery kisses. Went to the bathroom? Why, it's like you've-been-gone-so-long-and-wow-I-love-you-love-you-love-you-tail-a-waggin'.


I had such a cool time in St. Catharines! Relaxing, fun, and a great time as always. Let's see...we did all sorts of stuff - hung out, watched movies, ate like it was going out of style. Oh, and went on a Ghost Walk of Niagara-on-the-Lake.


And birthday pressies! Look!

Mmmmm...Fleece Artist...

And it came directly from Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, purchased at a lovely little shop there called Have A Yarn. Oh, look at all the goodies in the store! Apparently, a whole WALL of nothing but Fleece Artist. Which makes sense, seeing how it's produced in the area. *sigh* How wonderful would it be to be able to visit such a lovely yarn shop, in such a lovely area of Canada, and fondle Fleece Artist yarns to your heart's content? *sigh*

I think it's going to be super dooper exciting! Because I'm going to be able to do that in the future!!! Because my sister and SIL are buying a home in Nova Scotia!!! A "summer home" on the seashore!! With a guest room!! And Finnegan!! In the vicinity of Mahone Bay!!!!!!! And Fleece Artist!! And aren't you jealous?!?!!!! Am I excited, or what?!?!!!

Oh, I'm soooo thrilled for them! It's going to be fabulous, I'm going to LOVE coming out for visits.

So, what else did I do in St. Catharines? Why, knitting of course. I did get a good chunk of Mermaid done, I've almost completed the back. If you're thinking of knitting Mermaid ::cough::CarrieK::cough::, or have one in your stash ::cough::Chris::cough:: - trust me - Mermaid is nowhere near as complex as it looks. And yes Carrie, I pinky-swear it is!

And look what else I did!

"...*sigh*... Whatev... I'll sit here, model your damn jacket, pass out from heat stroke, just so you can go all "ooooh" and "aaaah" over me. Atticus warned me stuff like this happens. One minute you're asleep, and next minute they wake you up and doll you up like you're the next Canada's Top Model. All I want to do is watch "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and eat cheese...*sigh*"

Finnegan got a little jacket for the fall! Awww...although he's pretty much indifferent to it. All it needs is a bit of velcro to keep it snug around his chest, and he's ready for anything the fall and winter throw at it.

Isn't he just the cutest?! I shudder to think what the Little Dudes would do if I tried to put something like that on them...

Speaking of the kitties... They behaved themselves quite nicely while I was away, thanks to their Auntie Raven coming by to feed and play with them. Very little was trashed. That I've seen. So far. They seem to have forgiven me for having left them for a few days, and that I came home smelling like Finnegan. Greenies and new toys will that, you know...

"...she's a maniac! ma-ni-ac on the floor...doodeedoodoodoodoodeedoo...never dan-anced befo-ore..."

"All right Mom, I've got my report right here. Gandalf ate paper, knocked around some fridge magnets, and I'm pretty sure he gave me the finger once or twice. Mae was OK...try as I might, I have nothing on her, the Goodie-Four-Shoes."

"You guys are such dweebs..."

All is right with the world.

Vacation Time!

Have you ever heard the saying - "Some people are like Slinkies - they don't do a whole lot, but it sure makes you smile when you push them down the stairs."?

Much like my interactions at work this week.


But, all that doesn't matter! Because as of now I am on vacation until September 10th! Yay me!! And during that time, I will be visiting my sister and SIL in St. Catharines; turning 39 (on Sunday); and going to the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair with Lorraine (have you seen her new design, Guinevere?!) on Saturday the 8th.

And guess who I'm also visiting with in St. Catharines!

"What? Why's everyone staring at me...?" - Finnegan

Much to the chagrin of these fellows...

"So, I'm in charge? Right? While you're gone? Can I abuse my power? No?"

"Neener neener Atticus! Pffffttttt! Neener neen...oh hey, a hangie thing..."

But they will be in good hands, no worries there. Mae? She knows who's really the boss...

So, I've been happily knitting away on Grace:

Of course, black is not the easiest colour to photograph. Here's the back, in it's unblocked state. Once blocked, it'll bloom out nicely. I LOVE this pattern. LOVE. Dorothy Siemens is just a genius. Her patterns take all the guesswork out of absolutely everything - you don't have to figure out how to shape along the armhole and shoulder. It looks much more difficult than it actually is. I'm going to get a good head start on the front.

LOVE IT!

And here's another one I haven't posted about before:

Persian Tiles Blanket, from Virtual Yarns. It's from Jade Starmore's "A Collector's Item", and is going to be spectacular when it's done! WHEN it's done. Because you need to complete 10 repeats of the 50 odd stitch pattern (3 repeats per round, 179 stitches per round). Which is completely doable, however I finish this when I finish it. It's a project I'll work on when I can. I do love it - it gives me the satisfaction of stranded knitting, yet is only 2 colours throughout and simple enough to work on while watching TV.

I just can't think of the 500 rounds I'll have knit by the time it's completed. Or I'll never pick it up again.

My colours are Kittiwake (the light blue) and Shearwater. Both Michelle and I are working on this, although I think Michelle has a deadline...brave, brave girl. Because it's a long knit...

So, that's it! I'll be back next week, a bit older, a lot sillier and just as happy!

Nothing Says I Love You Like...

...kitty scratches.

So, our little friend Gandalf was dead to the world asleep last week - you know the kind where there are little kitty paw twitches and air-boxing moves. Snoring. On the couch, next to me, where I was minding my own beeswax, knitting and watching "Family Guy". Just out of the blue, something must have spooked him in his sleep, because he woke up, jumped 2 feet in the air, and landed feet first, CLAWS OUT, on my leg.

And then proceeded to use my leg as a springboard to the floor. OK, so it doesn't look too bad in the picture; this happened last Sunday. But let me tell you - the scratches on my leg bled, and those dots on my foot and leg are bruised, and gouged. Not scratches - gouges. And they HURT. Once he landed on the floor, tail all puffed out, he blinked, looked around, found Atticus, snuggled up with him and went right back to sleep. I needed Polysporin.

"...I'm a lil' tea pot...nananana...an' stout...lalalalalala...here is my spout...nananalalala..."

It's been that kind of week. Everyday I said "I'll post tonight!", and something else came up. Which is probably not a good thing, because that something else usually entailed knitting something not meant to be... So, I really haven't much to show for myself.

Except for making an even bigger mess of my WIP table.

But! I've been doing all sorts of cool stuff on Ravelry! It's amazing how much time you can, uh, spend on it, searching through a ton of neat projects, and seeing who and what's out there.

Let's see, in the last week I have:

* Joined the Clapotis Second Wave KAL (starting September 23rd).

* Joined the Fulmar KAL (starting October 1st).

* Not blocked poor Kiri yet.

* Started a Caped Crusader cardigan (link to Lorraine's completed one from last November).

* Started "Grace" by Dorothy Siemens.

* Reached the halfway point of Mermaid. I'm going to hold off doing any more until next weekend when I head out to my sister and SIL's for my birthday. I'll be there for 5 days, and I always get some good knitting in.

I know what you're thinking! But I came clean. It's the time of year, I suppose. I start to get antsy for the fall, and fall knitting. And I can't stay focused on any one thing as my mind begins to race when I start seeing all the new yarns and designs for the fall.

*sigh*

"Um, whoa. Back up the truck, sister! What's this going away next weekend business?? That is so not cool..."