Little Gems

Have you seen this little gem? No? Well, do yourself a favor, and have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vasc8ghyu1g


Because it's one of the funniest things I've seen on TV in a very long time... Even Gandalf perks up whenever he hears the music.


Heh.

"Oh c'mon, that song was so written for me! I mean, look at me...Danger! Danger! "

I got into one of those weird modes last week, and decided that I absolutely had to re-organize my stash... Because. You know. It makes the ridiculous volume of yarn that much more easy to sort through when you get into that must-use-it-now mindset. I have to chuckle though. How is it that I can remember (for the most part) what yarn I have and where it is, but I always loose my pen at work and can't remember where I put my head on any given day?? Anyway, as I was putting things away, I noticed Little Dude Gandalf lounging amongst the Mission Falls.

Sinks. Behind toaster ovens. Under rugs. Knitting bags. It's all fair game to him.

So, I had every intention of posting this past week, but one thing or another got in the way, including a nasty bee sting (I'm not allergic, but I do get a reaction after after being bitten); an allergic reaction to mineral makeup face powder (who knew that one of the ingredients, bismuth oxy-chloride, would actually be pushing chemical particals into my skin...); a surprise party for my boss' upcoming wedding; and so on...

Anyway.

But it didn't stop me from doing this...

You see. Now that Columbia is waiting to be seamed, I decided I needed something relatively simple to work on while "distracted" (watching TV) - enter Hearts Tunic, from Jamieson's Simply Shetland 3 book. I'm knitting it using Jamieson's Heathered Aran in "Lacquer". The colour is actually a deeper red than what appears above. Anne's shade chart is a better representation of the deep red. Now that the bottom trim section is complete, it is moving along quite quickly.

And not to worry!

My other WIPs - Laleli, Delores, Fulmar and Arangenser? They haven't been forgotten - they just require a bit more...attention. Something I don't always have at the end of work day. And if I'm really feeling particularly hazy, then I just work on the straight 12" of stocking stitch required for the body of my Dale - Sapporo 2007.

(Oh, ow! Musn't allow small black cats to jump directly on bee sting while sitting in this chair. Ow ow ow!!)

"...*snore* *snore* mmmpphhhhmmmmffff *snore* *snore*..."

And Atticus would like to thank everyone for his birthday wishes. Also. Now that he's 10, he has earned the right not to have to put up with silly birthday hats.

How Time Flies

It seems like just yesterday.

I was still a natural strawberry blonde *cough cough*. I thought knitting lace was kinda cool. I had no clue what a blog was. Probably because I was still using dial-up. And a Gandalf? What's that?

That's because it was all about this little man.

My Baby Atticus!

(Hey Lorraine, those eyes have NOT changed, have they?!)

Do you think he uh, grew into those ears??!

"Funny, I don't feel old..."

He turned all of 10 years old on Saturday! I look at him now and think - wow, you were once the size your head is now.

He's been my constant companion and best friend since then. A little wild as a kid. And sure he thought his name was "Psycho-stop-it" there for awhile. But a more loyal and loving cat I've never known. He may be grumpy, crotchety and slow sometimes, and he likes for Mae and Gandalf to clean his head just so, but he's kind and tolerant towards them.

We sang him happy birthday, and he whacked at my hand with his paw, and hissed when I tried to do the party hat thing on him. So he got some Creamy Dairy treats and a piece of cheese instead of tuna, seeing how that really doesn't agree with him any longer...


Then the thunder started up again, and he went and hid under a chair. The first time he ever heard thunder, he peed on the rug, so I suppose the chair thing is much better all around.

Na-Nu Na-Nu


Hey! Look at these! My Mork socks are DONE.



Actually, the striping came out somewhat even on both socks. But still nowhere near what the shows up on the picture... But hey. That's what handmade socks are all about - being unique. And boy are these puppies unique...


Next? I'm using some sock yarn dyed for me by Chris last year. It's a yummy mix of pinks and purple - colours up to now sadly missing from sock wardrobe. I'm going to be a bit bold and actually try a pattern this time around - Wendy's Cabletini sock pattern. So these shall be my "Chris-tini socks"...


Hee hee.

Errors in Knitting Judgement


Oh, c'mon! We all have them! And I have a few...um, memorable ones. Chris showed off her "Gimme 5" vest. And really, I have nothing but sympathy for her. I once made a corset style vest from Knitty out of some Big Blue thick/thin yarn from Fleece Artist. Which, on paper should have worked out. But man, was it ever hideous. The yarn was totally wrong for the project... Oh, and the colour? Actually almost the same as the one Chris used on her ill fated vest.


But, the #1 ghastly error in judgement, for which I'm still wondering about myself, is the pink stole I made with 2 strands of this fluffy (albeit really soft) icky pinky pukey fake velour knock off crap that I still to this day cannot believe I thought would look good. Or bought. I can honestly say that the colour did look different in the store (that big, dark dungeon of a store on Queen West here in Toronto...). Which has happened to everyone. What cannot be excused however is the fact that I STILL MADE THE FREAKIN' STOLE. Complete with long, I-cord knitted fringe.


Oh Lord. At some point, one of the cats, probably Mae, mercifully barfed on it, and that was that.

Even if I still had it around, you couldn't pay me enough (well, I could maybe have been bought with a few VY kits...) to post a picture of all it's hideousness. I tip my knitting cap to Chris for having the 'nads to show her error in knitting judgement. Although her guys were all over that thing... But, I'll go halfway, and show you a "partial" picture - here's one of Atticus sleeping on it. And he's sweet enough that it distracts you from what he's sleeping on...




OK. I have to know that there are others out there who have knit equally hideous bright baby pink velour stoles with long scary looking fringe somewhere in there past. Yes. Even Marina.

Consider this a "tagging" to anyone who reads! And if you post the pictures, even better.


Heh.

The Heat Is On

"...stupid storms...making all that stupid loud noise..."



"...*blink blink blink*..."



"...*slurp* *glug glug glug* *slurp*..."

Although we're not quite at the height of summer yet - it feels like we are. I'm OK, but the guys have had better days... Poor Atticus becomes a big puddle of cat-goo when the summer thunder storms roll in. Gandalf becomes confused, and then freaked out when his curiosity gets the better of him and he peeks out the window to see what all of the commotion is about. Mae? She LOVES it. She'll sit by the window, rain could be pouring in and she's not the least bit afraid! She may have hated the old vaccum, but thunder? Lightning? Heavy rain? Bring it on.

My nifty dual window fan is working like a charm... It has one fan suck the stale air out, and another to circulate the air within the apartment. And it does an amazing job of getting rid of the humid air. And it won't be a drain on my electricity bill.

And who knows? I may be able to actually get some heavy duty wool knitting done. Because, let's face it. Cotton? Just doesn't work for me.

I found out the hard way this past week that organic cotton and rain really doesn't make for a winning combination. It was cool enough this past Thursday for me to wear my Gingko Leaf tunic (thanks everyone for the thumbs up on finally finishing it!). However. The rain thing, and being caught in it. Not only did it dry to shape on me - it uh, smelled. Really bad. Not quite wet silk bad. But close. And no. It wasn't me. It was definitely Gingko Leaf. Why didn't I notice the smell when blocking it? Probably because it was outside while drying, and then spent 30 minutes in the dryer. Well. I'll just have to soak it a lot longer when I wash it next, and wait until a sunny, cool day to wear it again.

Needless to say, I've zzz-ed any current cotton or cotton blend WIPs in Ravelry...

In case you thought the funky Mork socks had been abandoned.

Not at all! They match up...somewhat. I would have tried them on, only I, uh, kind of made the cast off edge of the finished sock a wee bit too tight. So, I'll be redoing that. Now that I see them side by side, I like them much more. The colours may be a bit off, but hey! They're handmade socks. They're allowed to be different.

A Hmmmm Question:

If you had a second copy of AS' "Book of Fair Isle Knitting", where would you sell the second copy? eBay? Ravelry?

I've recently come across a second copy of the book, and I'm thinking - this could be lucrative... Should I hold on to it?

Hmmm...

What Does A Gingko Leaf Look Like Anyway?

You may want to sit down for this one. I know I can hardly believe it myself.

Here she is - my Gingko Leaf tunic. Only took me 3 years, but it's done!

DONE!

What - Gingko Leaf Tunic from Fiddlesticks Knitting

Deets - Knit with Ecoknit organic cotton, using 3.5mm needles. It's knit in the round to the underarm, and the sleeves are knit flat.

Now. Don't get me wrong. The pattern is perfect. No errors, no omissions, and everything you could think of is explained to you clearly. The yarn, although splity and "fluffy", does wash beautifully and comes out even softer after a 15 minute run through the dryer. But, let's face it kids. It took me over 3 years to finish this thing - and it has nothing to do with the design or the pattern. The lace work was fine - you can't go wrong with the pattern. I worked on it in spurts. It's just that cotton...and Brigitte...ehn. I'm just not a cotton fan. But I do love this, it really is a beautiful piece and it fits nicely. It will stretch out - after I washed it, it had doubled in length.

Still. I'm wondering why I have nearly 4 skeins left of the Ecoknit...?

Who cares?? IT'S DONE!!!!!!!!!

Look what I received from the Sheriff!

Is that not the cutest little teapot?!! It has a little replica Atticus on the top of the lid. And Lorraine is bound and determined to have me beading. The kit in the back is a little beaded Christmas Santa scene. There were a few other gifties including some yarn and Christmas ornament (Lorraine knows how to spoil her friends!) - and of course some treats for the Little Dudes.

"Auntie Lorraine rocks! She says I'm handsome and her darling and never says I'm chunky."

Atticus obviously loved the treats.

As did Baby Mae. Who actually stuck around for a bit and didn't run and hide the minute her Auntie Lorraine came into the room.

"I may have had to beat back Gandalf for my share, but just try and keep me away from my Creamy Dairy treats."

"What's chunky? Do you mean tubby, Atticus? What? You want me to come down and say that to you? Um...why? Oh... No, I'm good. I'll, uh, stay up here..."

Lorraine also mentioned in her latest post how off the wall the weather has been here... All over the place. It's hard to believe that it's the first of June today! Regardless, it hasn't kept me off my bike.

On my way home from work one day last week, I ran into my neighbour. I hardly recognized him at first - his face was covered in bandages. While riding his bike on a downtown Toronto street (Carlton, in front of the old MLG, for you Torontonians), he hit a pothole and went sailing over the top of his handle bars. As a result - his jaw is wired shut, and will be for 4 - 6 weeks; he had one tooth pulled; a broken nose; 27 stitches from his lip up his cheek and various other scrapes and scratches; and two huge black eyes. Not to mention the road burn and bruises on his legs. The impact cracked his bike helmet.

And he's an experienced rider.

He said he doesn't remember the accident. He does remember getting up off the ground not realizing what had happened, ready to get back on his bike. Bystanders had to restrain him from getting back on his bike until the ambulance arrived. Adrenaline... They kept him overnight at the hospital for observation.

You can never be too careful, regardless of where you're riding. And wear your helmet!

(Ugh, Gandalf is being all goofy and licking the backdoor screen again... ) *sigh*

Have a good - and safe - week everyone!

Dog Days

It was a lovely time in St. Catharines. The wisteria and lilacs were starting to bloom, and everything was green and refreshing. Nice after a long, long winter. And if you needed more proof that warmer weather was close at hand - a little surprise waiting for me on my sister's back deck.

A robin's nest with 4 squawking baby robins! If you look closely, you can see the fuzz on one of their little wee heads.

It's amazing how quickly they grew. In 4 days, the went from fuzzless little rubbery balls, to having wings and feathers, and being able to see their heads from the top of the nest. Mom and Dad birds spent their days catching worms and other...gross...stuff.

Yum.

Finnegan acting shameless. A small dog...a large cat...pretty much the same.

Here's Finnegan sleeping another one off. He's somehow managed to wedge his head under his favourite Sheepie (um, yes, that would be from me. Yes. It's a sheep.).

It may have rained, but that's OK. I had a great time, full of yummy eats and good laughs! It's great to get away and spend time with Finnegan and his Moms. And it's also nice to come home!

"Hey, you're back. Well woop-dee-do."

I was well received, despite the long-ish absence...

And while I was away - a little someone had a birthday!

Look at how tiny he was!

"Happy birthday to me...happy birthday to me...lalalalalalalala...and I look like one too..."

And as far as knitting... I did finish my first Mork sock, and got started on the second one. I also made good progress on my Twice as Nice t-shirt, however I'm growing less and less fond of the colour. Stay tuned for that one...

Finnegan is pooped out after my visit. You know, the life of cat and that of a dog - pretty similar in some ways.

Next post - I'll show off some gifties from Lorraine, as well as my flowers. And hopefully an FO. Hopefully...

The Home Stretch

Guess what? No, really - guess. Lorraine ran all the way over to my place and tagged me. So, while she's catching her breath...

The rules: Posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Play nice, children.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Um, let's see... Oh yeah, I had just moved in to this apartment, after a "major life event".

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today - in no particular order? OK - clean the bathroom, brush the little Dudes, find the cheapest price for a new tire/inner tube for my bike, make my travel list for my trip to St. Catharines next weekend (shhhh, the guys don't know yet...) and re-do my toe nails (Diamond Strength my ass).

3. Snacks I enjoy - chocolate pudding, chocolate mint anything, gluten free fig newtons.

4. Places I've lived - Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vienna, Austria.

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire - Spread the joy to family and friends, travel, buy a house in the country, give to animal charities and hire a cleaning lady and private chef. Because I can.

6. Peeps I want to know more about - Let's see... Nicole, Carrie K., Shannon, Sonya and Bridget. I'll say Tracey too, but you know. The due very soon pregnant thing...

My little bud Stewie. The cheeky little guy now comes up to the door, waiting for me to put something out for him... At least he's not looking so scruffy.

"But...I...Wait! Stewie! I just wanna play! I'm sorry I chased you that one time, honest..."

So, as I alluded to above, I'll be heading to St. Catharines to visit with my sister and sister-in-law next weekend, as it's a long one up here in Canada. And of course, I get to cuddle and play with the little Dudes' cousin, Finnegan! There hasn't been a Kitty Counsel meeting yet on whether to allow me to go guilt-free or not... So, I plan on letting them know 2 minutes before I'm out the door. Heh.

You know what I discovered this past week? Gingko Leaf is a 3-year old WIP, and not 4 years, as I'd thought! The published date on the pattern is 2005. I feel that much better. Just a smidge. It's the home stretch peeps... I'm on the last pattern repeat of sleeve #2. It does look a bit shortish, but will stretch out after a wash. Heh, this is the only knit I've ever done that instructs you to throw the FO into a washing machine AND dryer in order to block (gentle, of course). It will soften up even more.

But hey. Um. I have a question. Should I be concerned that I'll have nearly 4 skeins of this stuff left over...? My gauge is...OK. So I may have started off a bit tightly, but not 4 skeins worth. Oh well. *sigh* I'll just be glad to finish it, I suppose.

"Atticus?"

"What?"

"Is Mom really our Mom? You know, like Mom-Mom?"

"Wha'?! Dude, of course she is! OK, so she's not a cat Mom, but you know. She feeds us and stuff."

"And picks up poop and barf too!"

"Um. Yeah. You really have to slow down when you eat. But, she also brushes us, and plays with us, and gives us treats just because, and we can cuddle with her and lie all over her knitting and she doesn't get mad."

"::cough:: You've been getting a lot of treats ::cough:: Well, that's good enough for me! Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!"

Change Is Good...And All About Sleeves

Well, for me it is. A little change on the layout, and I feel as though I have a new wardrobe. OK, maybe not a new wardrobe...just a few new things. It's spring, what can I say.

Don't be deceived by her sweet, soft face and gentle disposition. Mae snores.

"Yeah, and sometimes she gets windy too, if you know what I mean!"

Gandalf on his "It's-Easy-To-Be-A-Tough-Guy-From-Up-Here" perch, looking out the window.

In my books, it's a good week when I actually make tangible PROGRESS on my WIPs. They may not be FOs, but they are that much closer to being finished:

Columbia is on the bottom. She's a Starmore design from "American Portraits". Marina has a completed one. We may have started knitting Columbia at around the same time, but Marina has considerably more discipline than I do when I comes to sticking to one or two projects. Because, you know. I'm not known for doing that.

And if I had, my Gingko Leaf tunic from Fiddlesticks Knitting would have been done sometime in 2004 when it was started. I really don't know why it's taken me so long to finish it up. Oh wait, I do actually. Lace. On both the right and wrong sides. And knitting with the Ecoknit cotton. It's incredibly soft yarn, but it tickles the nose... The finished sleeve is on top.

Laleli and I have decided to kiss and make up. I started work on the first sleeve yesterday. Every time I start knitting stranded/Fair Isle after having been away for awhile, I'm amazed I stayed away for as long as I did. It's love, kids... I made it through the day without messing up the chart or the colour placements. AND I remembered the differences between right and left, up and down, and how to count.

And the Mork socks? No, I haven't given up on them. I'm actually enjoying them, funky weird colour stripes and all. Um, they've actually been frogged (again...) and restarted. I tried to do a slip stitch on the top of the foot as well as the leg, but decided I didn't like the way it was turning out. So...once again. At least I know this is some pretty tough yarn. Despite all the pulling (and swearing) I've put it through, it's holding up quite nicely, with hardly any splitting.

So...have you heard about this? A new (to english North America) knitting magazine out of Europe - Verena Knitting. I haven't seen it yet, but as soon as I do, I intend to pick it up. Has anyone seen a copy yet?

Have a good Sunday everyone!

Enchanted

Voila! My lovely Enchanting...

(Sorry...you can't really see the eyelet pattern...)

Enchanting, by Dorothy Siemens of Fiddlesticks Knitting.
Knit Size 2, using Fiddlesticks Knitting Lace Sensation (100% silk), in the Robin's Egg colour.

I love her very much. She is a tad snug around the chest, but with wearing loosens up. Another lace thing I didn't know about...


And now what?


OK. Here's the plan (as of now anyway). I really, really, really (REALLY!) miss knitting with my wool. Yes Marina, I have come back to the fold... After perusing (and making a few purchases...) the She Ewe Knits Clearance page, I realized that I miss my Fair Isles! And I miss my Arans and my other wool projects *sniff*.


I *think* my brief affair with the non-wool is almost over. I'm going to finish up my three remaining lace projects - all are Fiddlesticks, go figure! - Endless Summer, Gingko Leaf (remember her?!!), and this one:



I also love her very much. It's the Twice As Nice Tee, in Shell Pink, and also from Fiddlesticks Knitting. A very easy, and very lovely pattern.


So, apart from the odd deviation (and startitis, of course), I hope to remain somewhat on track to CLEAR OUT my WIPs. Dammit.

Speaking of deviations... Weird thing about me (who knew?!). I really don't like wearing sunglasses. Odd when you consider how long I wore glasses/contacts up to 5 years ago when I had Laser Eye surgery. So, thinking I have to do something to protect my eyes from direct sun, I pulled out my summer hat. And I also remembered I had this pattern in my stash (only mine is a non-felted version, which I can't seem to find on the site) ...and quite a few odd balls of summery yarn in the ol' stash. I'm going to whip up a few; ok, probably more like a couple.

Cute? Hopefully. Stay tuned...

And in other hopeful updates. My Mork Socks have been transformed into Mork Slips a Stitch socks. I received a suggestion from LadyLungDoc (thanks again!) to maybe work a slip stitch around the leg to break up the colour nonsense. So - I thought I'd give it a try, and reworked the entire sock. Come to think of it, Chris has also used this design on some of her socks.


I'm nothin' if imaginative...

And In Gandalf News...of course.


And I wonder why he sometimes comes when I call him Dork.


There's a little squirrel that always comes on my deck. During the winter, I threw him a few pieces of gluten-free bread, and he gobbled it up. He looks a little weary... grey tufts in his tail and bald spots. So, when I see him, I put out some nuts for him (did I mention I nicknamed him Stewie? *cough* It was a long winter... *cough*).


Anyway, last week I was opening the back door to my deck, about to put out some stuff out for the squirrel when who should tear past my feet and after poor Stewie.

No really. Guess.

He didn't go beyond the end of the deck, but still scared the crap out of me. And the squirrel too.

I know, I know...just doin' what a cat does. But, knowing Gandalf, he probably wanted to play and sniff butt. So distinguished.

"Woke up...got out of bed...dragged a comb...across my head...na na na na na...and drank a cup...na na na na na...made the bus is seconds flat...made my way upstairs...and had a smoke...somebody spoke and I went into a dream...AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH AAAAAAAAHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAA...na na na na na...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH AAAAAAAAAHHH...na na na na na..."

"Shut. Up."

Mork Socks

"Hey."

"Mmmmph..."

"HEY!"

"Goway...Atticus..."

*smack*

"OW! Atticus! What the...All right, I'm up..."

"Chop chop, Lady."

Which is why I was up at 5:25am this morning.

"I want what I want when I want it."

Mork from Ork Socks

I have given them a name, at least. Maybe I should do that to all my socks. You know. That way I won't be so quick to ditch them when they don't work out.

Oh, and they are that bright orange. Now. Again I ask you. Why is it that my stripes look NOTHING like the ones in the picture??! Um. Does the fact that I'm making mine from the toe up matter...? Even so, the pattern should fall in line at some point... *sigh* Oh well. I guess instead of a funky self-striping sunset colourway, I have my very own Mork from Ork suspender-coloured socks.

So far, so good...

Hey! So in other "Am I At The Right Blog?" happenings:

I've finished knitting up Enchanting. Now, the pictures above aren't so much to show you the finished product as they are to demonstrate HOW MANY PINS IT TAKES (ME) TO BLOCK LACE.

Whoa.

Again, I guess I'm used to rolling my wool FO's in a towel, and setting them on a flat surface to dry. Enchanting used up all of my T-pins. You may be shaking your head saying - well duh, of course lace does - but keep in mind I'm relatively new to this lace business. Fair Isle? Not so many pins required...

You know, I could really get into this lace thing... As long as every pattern I knit is from Fiddlesticks Knitting. I know, I know, I've gone on about it before. But hey. I'll say it again. Patterns? IDIOT-PROOF. You cannot go wrong! They are so well written... And as long as I have my gazillion and one stitch markers, I'm actually able to do these without my stomach twisting in knots. Everything is charted! And the Customer Service? Amazing. I e-mailed Dorothy Siemens for a clarification, and she got back to me within an hour. Explained everything. Clearly.

So, all that's left of Enchanting is to seam the cap sleeves to the body, and knit up the borders at the neckline and sleeve edges.

And yes, I will post a modelled shot.

And what of my other FO's??

Take your pick. Which one?

I've just taken a small break. I get like this in spring, where all I want to knit are light and airy. But hey, I'll get back on track soon enough. I hope. No matter how I try, I cannot stick to one project. Project monogamy?? What? Me?

Heh. Knitting bags in my house are usually what you can find, and/or whatever is cat-proof.

OK. Time to go and remove the pins from Enchanting. Should take about, oh, the rest of the morning... 'kay, maybe not. Just feels that way.

"...I love you, Blankie of Invisibility..."

Hiding In Plain Sight

"Whoa...I have found THE perfect hiding spot. No one can see me! Hee hee! Hey! Atticus! Yeah, I ate your Dental Diet food! Watcha gonna do?? Man, I am SO. Clever."

Not so clever - no batteries for my camera. *sigh*


So, imagine if you will that Columbia has a front, back and one sleeve. And that - whoops! Hey! Look what just forced itself on me! Made me knit it, it did. Cute little Enchanting top from Fiddlesticks Knitting! How'd that happen?? And it's almost finished?? WOW. And - it's lace. But not just any lace - just lace knit from the best darn patterns ever. You don't even need to think about it - just follow the chart.

And I started some socks too? What the...? Who knew! The OnLine sock yarn I picked up last week knits up pretty quickly. Mine is the last colourway on the right hand side, #930. Believe me - mine looks NOTHING like the one in the picture. Nothing. Instead of nice, neat stripes - mine look like those suspenders Mork used to wear on Mork and Mindy. Hee hee...oh well. I'll show you...next time.

"See Gandalf? I can so touch my nose with my tongue! Don't bet on stuff like that with me, I'm the champ at nose touching. Dork."

"Is it true Auntie Lorraine is coming to visit with me??!"

Last Friday, the organization bug bit me, and I went through my yarn stash and decided that it needed a bit of... organizing. You know - like yarn with like yarn, kits together... Because, as simple as that sounds... Who knew? I found stuff I'd forgotten I even had (of course), and other stuff I wondered WHY I even had. And patterns I'd been looking for and others that again, I'd forgotten I had. Most of them lace. They've been queued in Ravelry. Whether or not they get done is another thing altogether.

I did manage to snap this picture off before the batteries conked out.

Left overs. Although I'd like to pop the bag somewhere and neglect them, it has me thinking instead of what I can do with it all...


And that wow...that represents A LOT of projects.

If you get a chance, go pop by and say hi to Michele! She just had her lace projects on display at her local LYS. Beautiful stuff! And, if you haven't already - wish Lorraine a happy belated birthday!

Stuff I Bought and Will Be Buying

It's April!

"Big whoop. I'm hungry."

Well, I'm happy! The grass is actually sprouting nice green shoots!

Yesterday, I boldly headed into the Naked Sheep for "something springy". Oh hush. I know, I know, I need more yarn like a hole in the head blah blah blah. Heard it all before. I just turn up the volume on my MP3 to drown out the sound.

Anyhoo.

A big sign in the window announcing the arrival of Noro sock yarn didn't help keep me away. And of course, there was a sale bin next to the cash, so I kind of had to rummage through that as well.

So...this Noro sock yarn has a funky texture. Kind of thicky/thiny and string-like. Not at all smooth. Should make for some interesting knitting... I think I'll start a pair using the OnLine orangey/blue/pink/really bright coloured yarn resting behind it. I don't know. When it comes to sock yarn, I'm not too familiar with the different types, but I'll tell you, the Noro doesn't look like it'll hold up to much ripping. And if there's something I know - it's ripping out socks.

Heh.

After paying for those 2 balls of sock yarn, and calculating that they will be the most expensive pairs of socks I'll probably EVER own, I resisted roaming the rest of the store. Besides, the Captain was waiting for me outside, with a glazed over look in his eyes.

So, my journey into the world of sock knitting continues.

Oh, and by the way, the most-expensive sock yarn in my sock yarn stash is resting on the completed body of Columbia. I've started the sleeves, and who knows? Another FO? At some point.

My cute little Nordic Sweetheart hat! Resting on a dozey Gandalf (yes, His Looniness does relax the odd time)... I'm so happy with it! I've only had a chance to wear it once, and most likely won't be able to until next winter. Which is fine.

Gluten-Free Stuff

So, did you read about Chris' review of gluten-free beers?

Well. Let me tell you! How happy was I to read that my favourite delivery pizza now offers GLUTEN-FREE pizza crust!? Very, very happy. (OK, so there's an extra fee, but I can live with that.)

Pizza is one of my favourite foods. Of all time. Forever and ever. And ever. And that I can now order it with a gluten-free crust? Brings a tear to my eye...

It's a very good thing.