Stash Flash

I've been asked a few times in the past week to show off what I've got. No, not that. Be nice.

This.
You get only one guess as to what this is. My stash, in all its glory. How do I even go about putting it up on Ravelry?!! OK, so what's not in the picture - um, there are two small bins sitting under the laundry basket with my work stuff. And my basket of sock yarn is on the floor, below one of the big honkin' Ziploc bags. Oh, and the shelf? Is actually a bit bigger than it looks. It holds all the stuff in kit form. Although the stuff in the bags in the upper left hand corner of the picture is actually sitting on my dryer, so it's not as bad as it looks.

*silence*

OK. It is. Yes, in upcoming posts I will show you how it's *somewhat* arranged. As much as I can arrange it.

And to be fair: My WIP table. Which would probably be somewhat less busy if it weren't for Marina queuing pretty much the same stuff I want to make. Like now. (Say in Jerry Seinfeld voice - "Marina!" like "Newman!".)

Oh, ok. Because someone is bound to ask:

Most of my knitting books. Most of them... You know, because some are in use...

Yesterday was a banner day! I had visitors from Knittingham, as in Lorraine and her daughter Laura. As always, we had a great day. We went on a yarn crawl, Atticus and Gandalf successfully sucked up for treats, and I got pressies!

"Look! I rearranged everything for you Mom! You're welcome."

It's near impossible to get a half decent picture with Gandalf around... But, you can see pretty much everything - a huge honkin' hank of Brooklyn Handspun Superwash merino in "Earth", 2 skeins of Lorraine's handdyed yarn (the stuff I coveted in the summer - it has orange, pink and fuschia! Love!), some Body Shop stuff, tea, treats for the Little Dudes (not pictured for obvious reasons) and a super special pressie -

No, not Gandalf. The pretty shiny thing resting on him! It's not easy to photograph, but it's a handmade necklace. The little shiny things? Cat heads. The dangly thing at the bottom? A mouse with a movable tail. And what I'm stupidly covering up with my hand at the top? The clasp, which is a cat. It is too cute, let me tell you. I'll have to lock myself in a room, and take a better picture next time around. It's just so funny!

"Funny? I'll tell you what isn't funny, and that's that camera. Let me relax a little. My life is hard you know."

The cat bed is a hit. I think they have a rotating schedule - Atticus in the morning and during the day, Mae is usually there after dinner and throughout the evening, and Gandalf during the night. For the most part. Unless he feels the need to muscle in on Atticus.

He doesn't muscle in during Mae's rotation though.

"He wouldn't dare. Punk..."

Mae would send him away with a growl. He listens to her...

Oh, and before someone asks about what I picked up yesterday during our yarn crawl. I didn't show it for a reason - you'll see next time around. Yes, that means another WIP.

Heh.

Where Did My Self-Discipline Go?

"Hi. Are you my big brother?"

People ask me all the time - was Mae really that cute a kitten?

What do you think? She was adorable (and of course, she still is). And she LOVED Atticus - she followed him everywhere, and just wanted to be around him.

"Must...reach...big...brother..."

These were taken on her first day in her new home. Did I ever mention - Atticus and Mae had the same Mom.

And yes, Atticus was much slimmer back then.

"I still rock."

As a little experiment, I picked up a "pet bed", and see how it would go over. I figured if the guys went for it (cats and change...you know...), I'd pick up some more.

"Oh yeah."

I'll be picking up some more. Right now, Mae has taken over the bed, and Gandalf is trying to muscle his way back in. Atticus, ever the Mama's boy, naps behind me, even though this room is a tad cool.

"I am NO Mama's boy. Go show your knittin' stuff, and get that camera out of my face. And vacuum this place, geez...mama's boy...pffft..."

Heh.

Apart from this lovely bit of fabric, I have been all over the place with my WIP's. Isn't she purty??! I am now about halfway to the underarms, and you can really get a sense from the picture above how it's going to look. I can't tell you how lovely it really is, and the picture really doesn't do it justice. The colours fit perfectly together, and the peeries and Fair Isle patterning flow so nicely... *sigh* I love her. Lorraine did such a great job in designing this vest.

But as for everything else...I wish I was as enthused. Actually, to say I'm not enthused is not a fair assessment. I'm just not able to concentrate on any one project. I'm all over the place - I want/need a pink scarf/wrap (which I may have started...); I need/want a flowy cardigan (which I may have started...); I want to use up this stash yarn; what's easy for TV knitting? And so on...

Then there's the whole mittens situation. I really want to make the Druid mittens - I have more than enough Shetland Spindrift in pink - but one strand of 2-ply just won't cut it. I have delicate girly hands, and they won't be warm enough. Yes, I could use a double strand, but they will end up way too big, and I don't know if I want to rewrite the pattern to decrease the stitch count. So, I'm on the hunt... Lorraine has these queued - actually, they're done now (damn those knitting monogamists...!) *sigh* I confuse myself. I'll have to hunt through my sock yarn/2 ply stash. I'm pretty sure I'd have something, somewhere.

And yes. I have other WIP's. I blame it on the time of year, you know? This weather makes me want to just knit everything I see.

Discipline? Who? Me?

Have You Ever?

You know... Have you ever mentally prepared for a post, only to discover that you can't seem to find one important piece? Like, your camera cable?

"What?...Why do you assume it's ME? Here. Lemme help look for it. Atticus, move out of the way, you're blocking my search grid."

Pretend if you will that Windsor Waistcoat has 4 inches or more of patterning. Just think of how much more there will be next week! Bonus! And, you're guaranteed to see something new. Just sayin'.

So, in lieu of our regularly scheduled knitting photos, I bring you a 20-questions sort of thingy (courtesy of Bridget) to keep you interested.

Have You Ever…

1. Gone on a blind date? Um, yeah. One, and only one. Ew.

2. Skipped school? Well, I never skipped school, but I did skip the odd class in high school.

3. Been on the opposite side of your country? Sadly, no. Either direction. But soon I will be a regular visitor to Nova Scotia!

4. Swam in an ocean? Yes! The Mediterranean. Cool. AND I got stung by a jellyfish. NOT cool.

5. Had your booze taken away by the cops? Um. No. What the hell? Who wrote this stuff? I didn't get drunk for the first time 'til I was 18.

6. Lettered in a high school sport? Huh? I'm guessing this means participating in high school sports? No. Although I did really like playing soccer.

7. Cried yourself to sleep? Sure. Who hasn't?

8. Played a musical instrument? Oh, that is FUNNY. But no.

9. Sung karaoke? Yup. I was working on a kibbutz in Israel when I turned 20. I remember singing to Tina Turner in our little volunteer's pub, which was in an old bomb shelter. The other volunteers were there, as well as some of the locals, and we had a grand ol' time! Best birthday I've ever had.

10. Cheated on an exam? No! Not too toot my own horn, but high school didn't exactly challenge me. So, I didn't really need to cheat... However - even in math, at which I excelled at sucking at, didn't inspire me to want to cheat either.

11. Played spin-the-bottle? I think so...

12. Laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? Dudes. C'mon. Of course. This is me we're talking about. I once laughed and coughed so hard at the same time a Tic Tac I had in my mouth came out of my nose. Seriously. Like last year.

13. Watched the sun rise with someone you care about? Sure!

14. Ever been arrested? Nope. Although I did get pulled aside and had my luggage thoroughly inspected when I left...somewhere. Can't remember where. Oh wait, it was at LaGuardia airport in NYC, and I was coming back from Israel.

15. Gone ice skating? Oh. C'mon. I'm Canadian. Have I gone ice skating!? I only grew up in Ottawa - home to the Rideau Canal, the longest outdoor skating rink in the world.

16. Been skinny dipping? No. Sorry, not even a funny story to go along with that one. Not to mention the answer to #4. Once burned...

17. Been on television? No, but I did accidentally walk onto a set of the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" when it was being filmed in Vienna, Austria in the late '80's. What? They should have marked it off better.

18. Thrown up in front of a date? No, but I have afterwards. Maybe one day I'll tell you about the time I threw up after a dinner date, which consisted of eating some very fine Hungarian goulash and red wine. Um. Only I was uh, kinda asleep when it happened...

OK! So, it's actually only 18 questions.

Let's ask the guys a couple of questions.

"Atticus, what would you say is the most destructive thing you've ever done?"

"Hmmm...Well. We'd have to go back to my younger days... But probably the time I got up on top of the fridge, then made it over to the shelf where you had your cookbooks and some crockery pots. Remember? Oh yeah! Then I knocked them down! On the floor! One was full of rice, and the other was full of like, dried something or other. That was back in your serious vegetarian days. I seem to remember you vacuuming rice and stuff for a long time after that. Come to think of it... Even though I was pretty pleased with myself, I don't remember you being that thrilled..."

"And what about you Mae? What's the most destructive thing...oh wait. You haven't really done anything. Um. What's your first memory, Mae?"

"Oh, I remember being 7 weeks old, and following Atticus EVERYWHERE. I was so. cute. A little fluff ball. Didn't you always say that the cutest thing I did back then was flop down the stairs after Atticus? Remember? I was like a little grey puff ball rolling down the stairs, with little back feets sticking out? I was awesome."

"So, what about you Gandalf? Uh, what do you have to say for yourself? What silliness have you been up to?"

"Gee Mom, that's a loaded question. Let's see... Um, I like dogs, especially my cousin Finnegan; I've fallen into the toilet twice; eaten fruit, sweet potatoes, bread and licked curry sauce from your plate (that was on a dare from Atticus); I've hidden behind the toaster oven; fallen asleep in the kitchen sink; gotten sticky packing tape caught on my nose (and I couldn't get it off!); bonked my head a few times against the window... Oh! Remember the time I scared you when you found me hiding in your back pack?! And the time I fell off the bed when I was rolling around? Oh, and Atticus once sat on me! And then there was the time I meowed to the TV everytime that dog food commercial came on; oh and..."

Right. That was a loaded question.

Tune in next time for more excitement, and pictures!

Something New

Of course.

I've never been one to let something like a table full of WIP's get in the way of casting on something new. Especially when that something new is full of amazing colours meshing perfectly together.

Doesn't it just scream autumn?! Heh. I know the designer would love that description!

Any ideas?

It's Lorraine's lovely vest design - "Windsor Waistcoat". And it's the perfect time of year to make this, I think. I'm making the XS size, but using a 3.25mm as opposed to the 3mm called for in the pattern. XS is a bit too snug, where as the Small size would be a bit too big for my liking, so by my calculations, going up a needle size should have it come out to exactly my size.

Then again...I did fail Grade 10 math.

Thanks to everyone for your Laleli compliments! *blush* So, get this. I'm stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street, when I see a woman on the other side of the street wearing this lovely cardigan (Ravelry link...).

"Hey! Nice Starmore sweater!", she says to me.

"Thanks! And I love your Philosopher's Wool Jacket!", I reply.

And this was said while crossing the street in the opposite direction from one and other.

So, what's scarier? That I recognized the Philosopher's Wool design? Or that she could recognize a Starmore design that quite frankly, is not one of VY's better pictures?

Of course, the fact that 2 knitters somehow know that it's cool to comment on a total stranger's outerwear without sounding loony is not scary at all.

Speaking of loony... Gandalf LOVES burying himself underneath his blanket. After dinner, he'll stand on it, waiting for me to come over and fold the blanket on top of him. Then he goes to sleep, and is happy as a clam.

Mae has her ratty ol' comforter, which will not be shared with ANYONE.

But Atticus knows to wait it out, because he gets the best spot of all, snuggled up next to me on the couch.

Oh! And yes, I'm feeling a whole lot better! Thanks to everyone for their good wishes.

Laleli

When you're stuffed up, it's hard to pronounce.

But, that doesn't really matter, because I just need to see and touch this piece of loveliness to appreciate it.

*sniff*

The deets:

Laleli, by Jade Starmore, size Small. Knit on 3.25mm using 3-ply Hebridean. Started? *cough cough who cares*. Finished? This past weekend, so let's say October 3rd.

As stranded projects go, this was a fairly easy one. The pattern and charts were clearly written with no errors, and it all flowed nicely into place. The buttonband was a bit tedious at nearly 400 stitches, but ehn. What are you going to do. I really enjoyed this project, and what can I say? I loves her. She fits perfectly, and is comfy and warm. I think I may change the buttons though, they're a bit small. Which is a shame really, seeing how I only bought the same buttons twice, they were so perfect for this design.

Heh. Now it's on to finishing poor neglected Delores. Well, at least as for as colourwork goes. We shall not speak of the other poor, neglected projects...

Moving on.

So, I spent the better part of this week hacking and coughing and moaning. I came down with a cold late last week, the first one in a VERY long time. How long? Well, the only cold remedies I had in the apartment expired in 2005. Yup. I really shouldn't complain, but. I will. Damn cold. I'm still feeling kind of blah, but definitely better than I did earlier in the week.

I've said it before, and will say it again - not a good sick person. At. All. Sure, I may get some epic ear infections, but when it comes to colds, they are few and far between. And the flu? Knock wood - but I've never in my 40 years had the flu. Like I said - bum ears? I've got them. Colds and the flu? Knock me out and turn me into a snivelling, shuffling, snotty little child. Heck, I even fell asleep on the couch and missed Family Guy on Sunday night.

Now that is bad.

"Look, I fit just fine on this."

Somewhere under all of that...cat is my sock yarn. Obviously makes a comfy sleeping spot. He arm wrestled Mae for this spot; she had dibs on it until Atticus decided he was bigger and well, bigger.

"Wha'...?! Honest, Big Guido started it! He's sitting on the back deck and flippin' me the bird! Mom! He thinks he's such a tough kitty... Why should I get off the counter?! He should be getting off the deck... Lucky for him I'm not an outdoor cat... Oh alright! I'm getting down!"

A very happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!

It's Fall...Time For Little Joys

It doesn't take much to make me happy, especially in the Fall.

8 hours slow cooking in a crock pot - happy!

Apples and gluten-free crumble in the oven?

Mmmmm, happy...

How about a birthday care package from a good friend?!

Chris, Chaos and Mayhem sent pressies for my birthday! There are 2 books, both with a Minnesota twist, some "Socks That Rock" in "Fairground" (mmmm...), some Cherry Tree Hill laceweight Suri Alpaca yarn in a discontinued colour (pink!), a coaster, stitch marker and...this knitter's best non-human-or-feline friend in the whole world - pink Post It Notes! Gandalf tried to snack on them, but hey, I'm faster.

Thanks Chris! Packages? A very big joy. And being thought of for your birthday? An even bigger joy!

And speaking of Gandalf -

"Gandalf, come here for a sec. You have goop in the corner of your eye."

"OK Mae."

And finding a comfy place to snooze?

Always makes Atticus happy. Actually, he can pretty much snooze anywhere, and he's happy.

"Gandalf, hold still!"

"No Mom, I gotta go and let everyone know that Auntie Raven shaved her head! And I'm thinking you need to vacuum, cause there's fluff on the floor!"

"Yeah well, whose fault is that?? ...mouthy little cat...i'll get the vacuum out all right..."

That's right! And as promised - a link to Brian's "Luxography" blog, where you can go and have a look at the pictures he took of the big event. Raven did exactly as she said she would - cut off her more than 5 feet of hair, all in support of cancer research, and the Annex Cat Rescue. So go, read all about it!

And you know what's going to be another little joy?! When I get to show you an FO next time around that I'm absolutely tickled about.

I LOVE the Fall.

From 5 Feet to 0!

Oh. Hello everyone.

Mom said I could take over the blog writing today, and for good reason! I have stories!

So, guess what?! My Mom? She's not my real Mom! I KNOW! I was surprised too. I thought for sure she was like, the first and all. But no.

It turns out that not only did I have a cat-Mom, I also had a foster Mom! Well, I says, Gandalf, you are one lucky kitty then.

Do you know what a foster Mom is? Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. She's a nice human who looks after you after you are born, until she finds your forever Mom. Cool, huh?

I'm lucky, I still get to see my foster Mom. She's my Mom's friend Raven. I call her Auntie Raven. Because I can.

Last week, Auntie Raven did something pretty cool. Like way cool!

Lookie for yourself!

(Photograph courtesy of Beau Monde Photography - http://www.beaumondephotography.ca/)

She has really, really long hair. About 5 feet! Can you imagine??

Well, Auntie Raven decided that this year she would make a huge donation - she decided to cut off ALL of her hair for charity.

You can read all about it here - http://sites.google.com/site/ravengoesbald/

And she did it! Last Friday, she had it all cut off! And she collected all kinds of money for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research, and my favourite charity, the Annex Cat Rescue. I really like the Annex Cat Rescue, because these are the nice people that rescued my other-other Mom (I know it's confusing, but stick with me).

That's my cat-Mom, the other-other Mom. Auntie Raven helped her when we were all being born. I think I'm number 2. I was known as Number 2 until I was named Aston (I know, it's bad enough I have all these Moms; now I confuse you with my names. Stick with me, humans.). See, I was born during the World Cup, and Raven and my foster Dad Simon thought we should all be named after some English Football (or soccer) Clubs. Then my Mom named me Gandalf because in the first picture she ever saw of me, she thought I looked more grey than black. But when she saw me for the first time, she said I looked like a Gandalf, and decided to call me that anyway.

Anyway. Look at me! Look how cute I became!

"Hi."

And this one too!

"Hello."

If it weren't for the kind people at the Annex Cat Rescue, I don't think I'd be here, people. My cat-Mom would have stayed on the cold streets of Toronto, and I probably wouldn't have survived very long. But, they really care for cats, so they rescued my cat-Mom, and me and my cat brothers and sisters.

And then when we were big enough, they found all of us new and loving forever homes!

Here I am meeting my new big brother Atticus!

He only looks tough, but he's really cool once you get to know him. It didn't take us long to become friends. See?

By the very next morning he was letting me eat out of the big kitty food bowl. My sister Mae, even though she loves me now, took a little longer to come around though. But not too long!

So. Wow! Can you believe it? Auntie Raven cut off all of her hair, to not only help humans with cancer, but to help all the kitties at the Annex Cat Rescue! Thanks to them, I have my Mom, who's the coolest, and my big brother Atticus and big sister Mae, who I really love. And I have a nice warm home, my Blankie of Invisibility, lots of toys, and good food. And I get treats! And I get to tease Big Guido the outdoor cat from the window, (hee hee, he got shaved! neener neener Guido's a baldie, Guido's a baldie...! whoops, sorry, got distracted) and he won't come after me and give me a whack or two! You know, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the Annex Cat Rescue and Auntie Raven.

That's why I'm so proud of my foster Mom. Not only did she help me live, but she's doing some really good stuff for other cats too!

And before you say - hey Gandalf! This is a knitting blog! Well. Um. Hey! My Mom knit Auntie Raven a beanie cap to wear! And she's going to knit another one too. But I don't have a picture of that. Next time, I'll have Mom post a picture of it.

Me happy.

OK. Bye!

Good To Be Home!

Hi! I missed you guys! I realized just how much as I caught up on my blog reading.

Thanks to EVERYONE who wished me a happy 40th birthday! There were some who unfortunately didn't leave a return contact e-mail address - so to all of you, thank you! It's nice to be thought of so kindly.


I wuv my blog friends!


I had a great time visiting with my sister and sister-in-law, and of course - the little man Finnegan.

"Oh, Auntie Brigitte! Come back! I miss you! Look at me! Look at ME! LOOK AT ME!"

Finnegan is so funny.

Finnegan in the morning: OMGIT'SAUNTIEBRIGITTEIHAVEN'TSEENYOUINSOLONG! ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!

The Little Dudes in the morning: Hey. Hey. *whack whack* Hey. Nope, she's not getting up. HEY! HEY! Lady! We're HUNGRY! Hello?

Finnegan when you come through the door: OMGIT'SAUNTIEBRIGITTEIHAVEN'TSEENYOUINSOLONG! ILOVEYOUILOVEYOU! ILOVEYOU!

The Little Dudes when I come through the door: Oh. Hi. *yawn* *stretch* Nice day? Good. Oh look, it's almost 5pm. You know what that means.

Finegan when I'm knitting: Please Auntie Brigitte, may I sit on your lap? Please?

The Little Dudes when I'm knitting: Comin' through. Sittin' on your lap, move this thing. Hey! Did you POKE me with your needle??! Watch it. Sheesh...

OK. Maybe they're not that bad... Wait. Yes they are.

But they were happy to see me, and they were well looked after and spoiled by their Auntie Raven while I was away. Mae even allowed Raven to PICK HER UP. Amazing for the little Miss Shy Girl.

Aw Shucks!

Look what I received from both Lorraine and Michelle!

Awwww....!!

I'm supposed to nominate 4 fellow bloggers in return - but why stop at just 4?

Let's see... There's of course Lorraine and Michelle themselves - Lorraine is such a good friend, I know I'll always have a laugh (we have the same twisted humour...). Not to mention she's a really good cook. And such a cool Mom... And Michelle? Totally buy my Avon stuff from her if I lived in the US. And believe me. I'd be her best customer!

And then there's Carrie K., I love her wry sense of humour, and we ALWAYS have something to talk about (and talk, and talk and talk...), she's a great shoulder to lean on; and my lovely, wonderful friend Chris, whose blog brightens my day and who's there to support and encourage me no matter the issue (we're both gluten-intolerant. Oh, and computer geeks. As a matter of fact, our lives are parallel in so many ways, it's twilight zone-ish.); Anne for being my source of all things Jamieson's, as well as being a friend (how lucky is that?!!); Shannon for trying out new stuff and having *such* a cutie puppy; Tracey for her humour, her adorable kids, and for being a fellow redhead; Bridget for her hilarious stories and writing style (not to mention having the coolest name. In my humble...); Michele for being a super knitter (not to mention modest) with the most talkative, yet strangely inanimate, housemates; Carolyn for inspiring me to knit on with my Starmore projects, and being so passionate about hers (wow, go have a peek - she just picked up a 1st and 2nd prize at the Alaska State Fair!); Jewel for being...Jewel - always funny, always kind, and with great taste in colour (pink!) - and Mia of course; Nicole, who expands my mind and makes me smile with her thought-provoking posts, and an adorable kitty; Brenda for encouraging me that I will be a better sock knitter (one day), and for sharing some pretty yummy cocktail recipes... And last but not least - Marina. For being Marina - one heck of a traditional knitter, and someone I can e-mail and say - "what the hell!", and she'll know EXACTLY what I'm referring to.

WOW. You guys make my day! I'm very lucky.

I thought this would be a very fitting Memory Lane picture this time around. With my sister looking over, I'm about to blow out the candles on my Smarties birthday cake! I would be...2? By the looks of it. (Man, was I really that blonde?!!).

"Mom's home."

"Really? Get away from my butt."

"Well, I'm going to say hi to her. You guys just lie there like lumps."

No, really, they were happy to see me! And there was very little destruction while I was away, although Gandalf did discover my latest tomato hiding spot... What is it with that boy and tomatoes??

Have a great week everyone!

Whoa, Has It Been That Long?

Gee, I thought for sure I had posted last week! Phew... I need a break.


Isn't this lovely?!! No, it's not an early spring picture - I took this a week ago. It's hail, and it has effectively ended my tomato planting experiment (and pretty much the rest of my flowers). What the hail didn't claim, the squirrels have... At one point, there were nearly 30 tomatoes growing on the vine, in various sizes. I think I've had 2 maybe? Possibly 3, if the ripening one that was hanging on the vine when I left for work this morning is still there when I get home. Oh well.


I've had to cut it back so much that it's really looking rather homely. I've since had to hack off one of the "branches".


*sigh*


Wow, it's pretty slim pickings on the knitting front! I have done alot - but it makes for boring pictures. But Loreli is done!


...just not blocked or seamed.

And the Hearts Tunic has both a front and a back! I could show that, but it looks pretty much the same as the last picture...


And the Summer of Socks sock? Um. I ended up having to rip it out, and start all over as it just wasn't *working*. I couldn't get it to not look so droopy.


*Grumble*

Socks. I've decided to stick to plain ol' boring knit socks. It's about all I can manage right about now.

Look what I picked up!



No, not various kitty body parts (hee, look at Mae's little nose!).

It's some Socks That Rock sock yarn in a special-edition "Lettuce Knit" colourway! Nice colours, aren't they? Right up Lorraine's alley - earthy moss green, rust and cream colours.


Memory Lane

Can you see me? I'm seated on the middle camel, taking the picture. These are the dunes of Erg Chebi of the western Sahara desert in Morocco.

Camel rides? Not the most comfortable, but after awhile, you really don't notice it. Seems everything else around you pulls you in, and and your discomfort at being atop a crabby animal shrinks when you contemplate the vastness of the Sahara desert. And that you are standing at the western-most edges of this amazing marvel. A dropped stitch suddenly doesn't seem that big of a deal.

Have I mentioned before how much I love Morocco?!

...And What's Next?

A visit next week to visit Finnegan and his Moms!

"...zzzz...mmmph...wha'...?..."

For a special, milestone birthday! Lordy, Lordy, look who's...no longer going to be in her 30's (yes, that would be me!). Can I tell you though? Turning 40? ROCKS. I'm really, really looking forward to jumping feet first into this next phase of my life (corny? oh well...).

And besides, I love celebrating my birthday.


Who wouldn't?!

What I Woke Up To

I woke up on Sunday morning to this little squishy surprise.

"Oh...wow. Hey! Don't look at me, I can't quite make it up onto the counter..."

"What?!! Mom! WT... I mean! Look at what happened! How did...? Do you think they rolled off of the counter on their own? Whoa...that's trippy... Cherry tomatoes jumping out of the basket and rolling onto the floor... Now I've seen it all."

Uh huh.

Of course, that was after I stumbled out of bed, seconds before the Little Dudes jumped to the ceiling. I don't remember hearing it, I just know I woke up as it happened (a good 10 km away from me), and the cats definitely heard something.

Sunday was a trippy day, to quote Gandalf.

And it was all about the sleeves.

OK. So it's one sleeve... But, I have started the second one! And look how purty Laleli is...! (Well, I think so.)

And Loreli, my cute little cardigan from Fiddlesticks Knitting (now, why isn't there a Fiddlesticks Knitting group in Ravelry?). And probably a record holder for the fastest project in the "Lace Details Non-Wool" category. Heh. One bell sleeve down, one to go!

(No, I'm not a crappy photographer. It's "artsy". Yeah, artsy. As in "fartsy".)

(Oh, I really have to stop posting after crappy work days...)

Heh.

Memory Lane

In this installment...

Why, who is that? That would be me, in 1971. I would have been 3-ish.

I don't remember exactly where we were living (and if I did, boy would that be a loaded story...), but I do remember Sabrina, the cute little doll I'm holding. It was a gift from my grandparents for my birthday. I can still remember what she looked like - the pink bonnet, the soft face with the big "smiley" eyes, and the polka dot pink dress. And I remember she had little sewn-on booties, and a soft stuffed body. Oh, and the perpetual smile and oh yeah, she also had rosy cheeks and eyelashes, although I think they were painted on.

And, I also my sister trying to flush her down the toilet.

I loved Sabrina... I do seem to remember having her for a few years after that, but I don't know what happened to her.

She was the first doll I was attached too, and I still look out for one similar to this day. I'm sure there has to be one somewhere (have you seen Toys 'r' Us??). After Sabrina, I was in love with my Oscar the Grouch hand puppet. That's another memory though.

If you haven't already - drop by Carrie K.'s blog and wish her a happy birthday! She is a wonderful blogger I'm proud and happy to say is a friend, and I hope she gets the castle she so deserves for her birthday! And the Bentley. Oh, and Don Draper too.

Lorelei

I keep meaning to show pictures of my little tomato plant.

I've had one ripe grape tomato so far, and I have about 12 or so in various stages of growth. Not bad for a container plant!

I love my little deck garden...

Oh! And guess what else I've been wanting to share with you!

Lorelei! Another beautiful design from the very talented Dorothy Siemens of Fiddlesticks Knitting.

The cardigan is worked in one piece to the armholes, where you then start working the left and right fronts, and the back separately. Very easy going. And I'm thoroughly enjoying this project, it's moving along so quickly. Of course, the fail-proof instructions mean you don't have to spend any time scratching your head wondering what to do next...

I haven't abandoned any of my other projects. It's either been too hot, or the progress doesn't look too...progressive. I'm thinking by next week I may have a significant update...hopefully...

Memory Lane

I've decided that every so often, I'd like to post an old picture on this blog, and recall what was going on, and what was behind the taking of the picture. I was going through my photo albums the other day, and so many of them popped out at me, I had to smile.

It's a bit of a blurry picture, but still a goodie. It's one of my favourites, as it was taken in one of my favourite places in the whole wide world - Marrakech, Morocco.

I took a trip there in 2002 for 2 weeks - and a wonderful experience it was. Here I am; and this was taken near the end of the trip, inside the "hidden" gardens of the Sa'adian tomb in Marrakech. The tombs had been walled in and forgotten about for years, until the age of flight and a chance sighting by a pilot flying over the city. They were re-discovered, restored and re-opened to the public. And just beautiful... Of all the places I've visited, Morocco remains my #1 spot in beauty, culture and the friendliness and hospitality of the people.

So Sad...

"Um. Mae?"

"What's up?"

"Why did that poor man die on the bus?"

"Well, humans do bad things sometimes."

"But, that was just really bad! I mean really bad. I think it really upset Mom."

"I know...and a lot of other people too. Sometimes, well, sometimes humans do things that don't make sense. Actually, it's more than sometimes it seems."

"But, cats and other animals, like the ones on Animal Planet, we don't do bad stuff like that!"

"Humans do. Who knows why? Humans don't always make sense."

"But, his poor family! His friends! And for what? I don't understand humans."

"Neither do I."

"It makes me sad."

"I know. Me too..."

"You know what Mae? Sometimes I think we kitties have it good. We may live in the world of humans, but we seem to be much smarter than them."