I saw the Y arn Harlot!

Friday night was the Canadian launch of the Yarn Harlot's fourth book, titled "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off." The event was held at the Indigo Books at Bay and Bloor, beginning at 7:00 pm.

For a variety of reasons, which will be explained at a later date, I arrived at precisely 7:00 pm, the scheduled start time. Seating had been gone by 6:15, and the standing room only area was a bit crowded as well. I don't know how often Indigo hosts authors speaking about their books, or how many people attend these events. But they were seriously short of space.

As usual, Stephanie was hilarious. She connects well with those of us who knit. She claims to be nervous about speaking in front of a crowd, which could well be true. She did seem nervous in the beginning. But then she hits her stride and the crowd loves her.

The newest acronym coined by Stephanie is the group C.H.O.K.E. This is a sub-group of T.A.K.E. (Team Against Knitting Enjoyment). C.H.O.K.E. represents Cultural Humiliation Of Knitters Everywhere, and is evidenced by the general lack of respect accorded knitters world-wide. Stephanie even relates how her very own loving mother succumbed to this insidious group. (Fortunately, Mom has generally recovered!)

Finally, Stephanie began signing books. After an hour in line, it was my turn!

The sock in Stephanie's hands is the current sock in progress. A sock originally destined for my husband Doug. Now that it has been touched by the hands of The Yarn Harlot, I'm not so sure ... I wonder if he'll have the proper respect for the sock. And I got to hold Stephanie's sock. Way cool!

The After-Party was at the Spotted Dick, a pub down the street. My wonderful husband met me there, and we were able to visit with other folks who had attended the Launch. Much to my surprise, at the table next to us were a couple of ladies who had driven in from Lansing, Michigan. They even knew where Bellevue (my hometown) is. If you are interested, you can say "Hi" to Lynn here. (Note to self: See how to get Lynn to come in for a class or two...) I also met Rae who owns the Rae's Yarn Boutique. I will be sure to find her next time I'm in the area.

In keeping pace with the Knit-Along over at Knit 'n Chat, here is a photo of my May socks.
The employees of the Ontario Ministry of Finance are currently seeking donations for their annual charity bazaar fundraising event. I donated these. Knit from Regia Java in the Champion colourway, by way of magic loop. One week from start to finish.

My life will never be the same

This is my car.

These are my keys.

This is my daughter. Isn't she beautiful?

This is my daughter's new driver's license.

My life will never be the same.

The Sounds of Summer

It's Victoria Day weekend, which means that where I live life gets busy.

You see, I live on Lake Scugog in a "cottage community." Every Friday night, the road fills with cars. You hear the sounds of motorboats on the lake, waterbikes scooting up and down, crackling fires in the firepits and the voices of neighbors. Dogs barking. ATVs racing up and down the road, legal or no. Not to mention the birds singing, the humming of the insects and the gentle pitter-patter of raccoon feet on the roof.

The joy of living in a cottage community on the lake, however, comes on Sunday evening. Or on Monday of a long weekend. Everyone goes home. The boats are berthed, the waterbikes parked. The ATVs are garaged. The cars go home.

That is when you truly get to hear the sounds of summer. The loon calling on the lake. Again, the pitter-patter of raccoon feet passing over your home. The birds calling early in the morning.

The sights of summer are splendid. Sunsets over the lake are often breath-taking. Occasionally we catch sight of the local heron flying up and down the lakeshore. Friends paddle by in their canoes or kayaks, often stopping by the dock for a wee visit. The trees are green, as is the grass. The cats love to sleep outside on the deck, in the sunshine. Even the daughter goes outside to study in the sunshine.

And me? Well, I do enjoy the summer sun as much as anyone!

I am reading the book my daughter got for me for Mother's Day. Victorian Lace by Jane Sowerby. Eye candy for sure, awe-inspiring, and dare I say it? Tempting. Yes. I am tempted to try one of the patterns. Haven't decided which one as yet, but that's part of the dreaming.

Knitting pictures next time. The lace shawl for daughter's prom dress is finished, but not blocked.

What are the sights and sounds of your summer?

Spring is here!

Spring has arrived in my corner of the world. How do I know? The grass is green; I've raked the yard; and the silly cats think that 4:00 am is the perfect time to go outside. Pace, pace, pace. From one window, over the bed and the sleeping bodies to the next window, repeat ad nauseum. Makes me want to be catless--except that she is so good at catching mice.

Another sure sign of spring is the Knitter's Frolic. This is always a good time, even if you do happen to own a wool store. This year my wonderful husband watched the store for me while I frolicked. I saw lots of heavily-discounted novelty ribbon yarns, which is a sure sign to me that they are losing their appeal. (Finally!) I saw lots and lots of hand-painted wool as well as space-dyed wool. I browsed at a lot of patterns and books, some of which will be making their way into my shop.

I did, however, break down and make a few purchases.
Yes, indeed, that is a Fleece Artist sock kit. I've wanted one for the longest time and decided that this year I was going to do it. And I did. There are two skeins of Koigu as well, for the same reason. And finally, a whopping big hank of SeaSilk from the Handmaiden. 150 grams--600 metres. For a shawl. I'm not allowed to talk about it ... yet ... so you'll just have to wait to see what pattern I use and why.

I also finished a sweater for the store.
Patagonia from Auracania. This is a thick-and-thin cotton yarn, hand-dyed. Interesting. Knits up well and quickly, which is good. But not my cup of tea. Fortunately, this is a store sample. The pattern came from Auracania Moments, a book filled with many delightful designs.

Finally, just for myself, a pair of completed socks! Will they become Christmas gifts? I'll never tell!

Remember Dr. Suess?

The daughter is taking drama this term. This means that she frequently has presentations--including the need for costumes and props. In honour of Earth Day, the current project for her story-telling assignment is the Dr. Suess story of the Lorax.

This necessitated a stage set, which she and her group constructed during and after school. Then came the props and costumes. Could I make a Thneed?
Yup.

Could I make Bar-ba-loot ears?
Yup.

What you don't see here is the efforts to construct the Swome-swan wings. Sorry.

All in all, it was a lot of fun to help her with her drama project this week. Too bad I don't get to see it being portrayed.

In other news, I spent Monday with a couple of friends learning how to make hand-dyed and patterned yarns. We made self-striping yarns. We made fair isle yarns. We made zig-zag yarns. And then we made rainbow yarns. All in all, it was a great deal of fun. Actually, it was a blast. I just might have to do this again--after I knit up all this sock yarn!

What's happening at the store?

I remember when I opened the store that I promised that I wouldn't make the blog into a marketing tool for the store. I think that I've held true to that promise. Until today's post. Because today I have to tell you what a wonderful guy my honey is.

You see, he was at the store for the two weeks that I was recovering from my appendectomy. While there, he decided that there were some changes that needed to be made. For instance, see these baskets?
There are 14 of them. Previously, they held all the non-bamboo knitting needles, crochet hooks and circular needles that I owned. It was a mess. When someone came in looking for a specific size, one had to dig through the baskets to find the needles. If I had them. Which I didn't always, because keeping track of what I had was difficult.

In addition, I had one of those twirley-magazine display racks. It had 48 slots for books, and assumed that all books would be approximately 8.5 x 10.5 inches. In a perfect world, this would work. However, in the real world in which I live, only some of the books were the proper size. And I had more than 64 different titles.

So Doug decided that I needed a better way to display my magazines and needles. He scratched his head, sketched, scratched some more, measured, and sketched. He came up with a great idea, and he built it. This is what my pattern books look like today:

He even made allowances for the booklets which aren't 8.5 x 10.5 inches! Isn't he wonderful? I especially LOVE the way he utilized every last bit of space to make the needle display. Now my customers can select their pattern, and pick up the necessary needles without taking more than a step or two.
We discovered that I had lots of needles. Lots and lots of needles. So he built another needle display for me!
I do believe that he must be the greatest and most supportive honey in the world. (If yours is better, don't tell me. I want to continue to live in my fantasy world!)

I was interested in playing around with some more felting ideas, and using some Noro as well as the Nature Wool. So I tried this idea on for size--a mitred square with a cabled handle running around the exterior of the squares. The colours are just wonderful. The Nature Wool really brings out the jewel tones in the Noro.

The big question is what will happen when I felt it. Will everything shrink uniformly? (In my fantasy world, yes!) Will the bag lose its shape? Will the washing machine die? Stay tuned for the answers to these and other questions.

I keep remembering stuff

I know that I wrote about the wonderful weekend I spent visiting my brothers and sisters. But there were so many activities, so many people to see, that I didn't tell everything about the weekend. And I keep remembering things that I wanted to say.

For instance, on Friday evening my husband and I joined my youngest brother and wife and attended a concert at the State Theater in Kalamazoo, MI. My brother told me that the theatre was worth the price of admission. He was right. (Fortunately, we enjoyed the show as well!) The theatre was built back in vaudeville times, and has been lovingly restored to its period splendor. The ornate plaster, the lights, the roomy seats. And just to top it all off--when the lights go down, the "stars" in the ceiling light up. Truly, if you have the opportunity to visit this venue, I would strongly recommend it.

Accompanying the wonderful blues music was a veritable feast of "cajun cooking." There is a gentleman who comes to provide food for concertgoers. His prices may be cut-rate but the taste is out of this world. Doug had beans and rice, which was tasty although not my favorite. Then he tried the seafood linguine, which was yummy. I polished off a piece of BBQ chicken that was to die for. I even licked my fingers, in public, all the way to the second knuckle.

On Saturday night, we were invited to a Battle Creek Knights basketball game. Turns out that my brother is the head IT guy for the team, which position comes with season tickets. My elder brother and his wife scored 4 tickets, and shared them with Doug and I. Just to round out the evening, my third brother also came. The first half of the game was OK in that the home team was out-scoring the visiting team. At half-time, however, the visitors got a royal arse-chewing from the coach. They came out just smoking. That 16-point lead the Knights had disappeared in a heartbeat. The fourth quarter was a nail-biter. The Knights finally won in the last 5 seconds or so. It was an exciting game--even if I don't watch much basketball and didn't know anyone on the team!

Sunday was spent relaxing and visiting, which was greatly enjoyed by all. Well, I know Doug and I enjoyed it. I hope the brothers and sisters did!

In knitting news, I finished a store display.
I started this sweater just after Christmas, knitting with Paton's Chunky Shetland from the Creative Knitting shown. The pattern itself is rather simple if you can count to 15. I kept forgetting which number came after 12, so had a difficult time with the knitting. Then when assembling the sweater, I discovered that the sleeves were MILES longer than the body. This in and of itself is not unusual because one's arms are generally longer than the waistband of the sweater. And the sweater really is a bit on the short side. (At least that's how it appears in the magazine.) However, 10 inches was excessive in my humble opinion. In a fit of pique, I threw the sweater in the project bin, closed the magazine and started something new.

Months later, I decided that the time was right to finish off this bad boy. The problem with having a hissy fit and closing the magazine is that you now don't know which magazine the pattern was in. And I look at a lot of magazines and patterns every week. Do you know it took me a good two weeks just to find the pattern again?!

Anyway, I did persevere and finish the sweater. If you ever make this sweater, I cannot caution you enough about being careful with the measurements. The zig-zag effect makes measurement interesting. The sleeves are still about 2 inches too long, and this was AFTER adding approximately 7 inches to the length of the body. Maybe this type of pattern shrinks when no one is looking?

In home knitting, I am so very pleased to show this wonderful little knit:
This beauty comes from Paton's Around the Seasons (#548). I used 15 balls of royal blue Zara and 1.5 balls of light blue Zara. (I did have to make allowances for the fact that Zara is a DK and the pattern was written for worsted, but that was just a matter of changing needle sizes.) The fair isle was a breeze considering there were only two colours and I had been taught the best way to perform the maneuver. (Thank you very much Irene and Cathy!) The stitch definition that Zara provides is just phenomenal.

The best part of finishing the sweater? I had a mere 48 inches left of the blue yarn. Yes, you did read that correctly. 48 inches. There may have been enough to knit one more row of the neck-band ribbing, but I didn't want to take any chances. It was enough to cast off and say "I'm done!"

My daughter (who is 16) is known to claim that she "wants to marry" whatever it is that she has seen and she really, really likes.

I'd marry Zara quite happily.

Happy Easter

In the absence of my wonderful daughter, my husband and I were able to travel this past weekend. Finally!

My sister delivered a wonderful baby boy in the first week of November. 5 months ago. We saw the original hospital pictures. Then nothing. Now, I understand that life gets pretty busy when you have a baby. But -- five months with no pictures? What kind of mean trick was my sister playing on me?

We spent the weekend visiting with my brothers, sisters and father. On Saturday, I was privileged to meet Sam. Remember how important it was to not wake the sleeping baby? With her first baby, my sister was foolish enough to frequently wake the sleeping baby. Didn't bother Emery at all. She'd visit with all and sundry, smile a bit, and go back to sleep. She learned to sleep all night at an early age. She napped very well.

So now my sis is paying the piper. Little Sam finds sleep to be something which must be avoided At. All. Costs. During the night, during the day, doesn't matter. Sleep is to be avoided. Sis states that if she'd had him first, he'd be an only child.

My opinion? He's a keeper, and cute as all get out. But then, I'm prejudiced.

Today I'm going to talk about my sister's knitting. Remember--she's sleep-deprived and the mother of two small children. She fears that her brainpower is diminishing. She set herself a challenge: two socks, one needle. One inside the other.
Note that she didn't even use two different colours. She found the inspiration on Knitty, and is working diligently. Personally, I'm in awe. THIS girl has knitting mojo all over the place.

Her husband, on the other hand ... well, let's just say that he gave her another challenge:

If socks can be knit one inside the other, why can't sweaters be done the same way?

Bon voyage, mon cher!

Departure day finally arrived as of Wednesday, April 4. Yes, I know that was almost a week ago. I've been busy.

Carrie had been warned to travel light. In fact, the school advised the students to pack everything into a suitcase of a size that the kids could haul up three flights of stairs. Carrie took this advice to heart, and packed as instructed. As we walked into the school, with her carrying everything, she even commented that perhaps she had packed too heavily. What do you think?

Yes, this is everything that she needs for a 10-day trip to Europe. When she saw what the other kids were bringing, she was amazed. They were even more amazed at how little she was bringing.

I haven't heard a peep from her, which I am interpreting as good news. I've checked out the trip blog, didn't see her photo, but have followed the tour's progress across England and France. What an amazing opportunity for these kids! I can't wait to hear all about it when she gets back.
I couldn't post last Wednesday evening because Doug and I had to go to T.O. to view his daughter's artwork. It was opening night at some gallery (location forgotten, unfortunately), and she had work displayed. It was really cool, and I hope to be able to post some photos of her next gallery debut. (I think the big day for th next dispay is the 19th or 20th of April.)

In knitting news, I finished a sweater for a friend. The friend's daughter was having a baby, and the baby gifts had progressed without incident. The sweater for the big brother, however, was a totally different story. She slaved and laboured for four months over the silly thing, and finally got most of the back completed. Since the baby had already arrived, she asked if I could help her with it. I did.
This is Sirdar Toddler Aran, and the design is from a discontinued Sirdar booklet. Probably a good thing as I found several errors in the pattern instructions. In any event, I did finish the sweater. The cables on the front were really cool:
The photo doesn't really do them justice, nor does it show the colour well. It is supposed to be a sage green.

We spent Easter weekend visiting family in Michigan. Some time this week (depending on how busy I am in the daughter's absence) I hope to post photos of the trip--including the challenge my sister set for herself.

Happy knitting!

April Fools Day -- no joke!

I really don't know where the time goes. I know. I say this same phrase every week. And every week, I REALLY mean it.

For example, my lovely daughter leaves for her big trip to England, France and Belgium in three days. THREE DAYS!! Wasn't it just yesterday that we went to that meeting where the trip was announced and we had 15 months to prepare? No? Wasn't it just yesterday that ... well, I'm sure you understand. And it's really tough for an over-protective mom to let her darling daughter venture so far from home, without my eagle eyes keeping watch over her. Plus she's told me--she can't wait to see all "those French guys!" Is it any wonder that I have difficulties sleeping?!?

In other news, Doug and I have gone back to the pool and started swimming. Tomorrow is my official last visit to the surgeon, but it's been 6 and a half weeks since surgery. She promised me I'd be close to or at 100% at the four week mark. So it didn't seem unreasonable to venture back to the pool. The week of my appendectomy, I was swimming 11 laps at the pool. Tonight I did 8. Not too shabby when you consider that I haven't been getting much exercise of late. Mountain bike season is coming , and I do so want to be ready.

In knitting news, I have been working diligently on the Zara sweater for myself. The body is finished. And the first sleeve--The colour-work was finished and everything! Rather than use double-pointed needles, I tried to work the sleeve using Clover bamboo circulars and magic loop. Unfortunately, there was no cooperation from the needles. I have resorted to doing the sleeve on two circulars, which seems to be working well. The reason? I seem to be all thumbs and no fingers when using needles other than circulars. I get tired of bending over and retrieving needles all the time. I have only 1/2 inch before I slip this sleeve onto the holders and start the second sleeve. Possibly even tonight.

If time slips away from me yet again, Happy Easter!

A busy week

Another week has passed me by. Bringing warm weather, sunshine, a pleasant evening at the Uxbridge Music Hall watching Amadeus, and a quiet evening with friends. I really don't understand how time gets away from me so quickly. Is time going by as quickly for you too?

I got some Sirdar Just Bamboo into the shop for summer knitting. The samples looked really nice, so I ordered it in. Got each and every colour, along with some very nice patterns. I debated and debated, and finally decided on which top to knit, and colour. And knit. The truly frightening and interesting thing about this yarn is that the ball band warns you that "This yarn does not knit to standard guage." Intriguing, yes?

I knit up the top, and brought it home to block. On the needles, the yarn was amazingly soft. I did the wet block technique (dump the garment into a sink of water) ... and was immediately terrified. That beautifully soft top suddenly became ... wood-like is the best description I can find.

Undaunted, I spread the top out on the towel to dry, and waited (im)patiently. Gnawing my fingernails. To my absolute surprise and delight--I found that the yarn dried to its former beauty. Having one project off the needles meant that I needed to start another. I decided it was time to spotlight the Luxury Fine Merino Superwash. What a cute sweater for a baby, eh? And not only is the yarn delightful, the pattern was excellent.
And how's this for a teaser? I should have Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's new book in my store by the end of the week!

For those interested, I now have the Knitting in Ontario web-ring functional! Yahoo!

March Break -- and the end thereof!

Another March Break has come and gone at my house. My daughter enjoyed a nice, quiet week. She had a movie party one day, hung out at the shop a couple of days, and generally slept, read and worked. All in all, a nice week she declared. Albeit too short, which is a common complaint from everyone. Except most parents.

The truly startling realization which arose from March Break is that her trip to Vimy Ridge with her school will occur in two and a half weeks. Yes, indeed. Two and a half weeks. A mere 17 days! Now THAT'S exciting!

As a result of her quiet March Break, my week was likewise quiet and relaxing. So relaxing, in fact, that I finished another babyset for the Durham Crisis Pregnancy Centre. Once again, the set comes from directions contained in a McCalls Baby Knits publication from the 1970s. This little set qualifies as my March socks of the month, as well as the Lenten knitting challenge at the Knit & Chat board.

Since I had finished a home project, it was time to start something new. Always a delight to be able to rummage through stash and ponder the possibilities. While I would dearly love to make the Entrelac socks in the newest Interweave Knits, I don't have the yarn in hand. I'm trying to be good and use up stash. (I'm not sure why, it just seems right so to do. Possibly this has something to do with the upcoming Knitter's Frolic on April 27.)

So I decided to try my hand at fair isle again. Now that I know how to do it better, it should be far more enjoyable.
This luscious blue yarn is Zara, acquired at last year's Frolic. I had purchased some coordinating colours of Zara from my friend's shop before she closed, in multiple colours. But the design that called to me most clearly was this one, titled "Weekender," design 11 from the Paton's book shown. It features two colours only--the main colour and the contrasting. I'm about half-way up the body already, and I'm switching between Continental style and English style.

I'm also working on setting up a web-ring for Ontario knitters, called interestingly enough, Knitting in Ontario. It's a little more complicated than I thought. I've managed to create the ring. But not to set up the home page, nor a sign-up mechanism. Patience is a virtue, and I do have a couple of children who can do good things with computers. If push comes to shove, I'll enlist some assistance.

A Windy Monday

While I'm still recovering from the appendectomy (just in case the doctor is reading this, I'm resting lots and taking life easy!), I have been doing a fair bit of knitting. Some for the store, and some for my projects.

This is a pullover destined for the Dulaan shipment. It's a size 4, knit with 6mm needles and Pinguoin yarn that I inherited from a friend. There wasn't quite enough of the Pinguoin, so I added a mystery (albeit probably Paton's chunky) yarn for the ribbings. Orginally, the pattern was for a hooded sweater with a kangaroo-type pocket in the front. Running short of yarn meant some modifications. The collar turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself. (The link provided is a newer blend of the tweed. Mine is 53% wool, 41% acrylic, 4% viscose and 2% poly. It is an interesting blend and quite a nice knit.)

When Christy visited my shop a while back, she brought along a friend. The friend loved the lonely Noro sock on display and wanted a pair of socks just like it. Unfortunately, there was only one ball of that colourway remaining. So what does an enterprising and helpful shop-owner do?
She knits a second sock to match the first, sort of, and sells both balls of wool. Especially helpful to the plan was the knowledge that the friend didn't knit. Whew!

About a month ago, a very nice lady came into the shop and inquired about the felted bag hanging in the window. I explained that it was a sample bag, not for sale, and assured the nice lady that she certainly could make one herself. I taught her to knit, sold her some wool, and she was off to the races. In record time, she completed one bag, only slightly discomfited by my emergency surgery. She came back in with the finished bag, which I brought home to be felted. She then purchased more wool to make another bag. This is her second project:
Paton's Classic Merino topped with Brazilia. Of her own design. Blythe, you are a talented lady! Well done!

A plethora of finished objects

Finally, I have been able to gather in one place the camera, fully-charged batteries, and the finished items which I've accomplished in the last little bit.

Firstly, I offer the Accursed Sweater. Knitted from a pattern in Paton's Around the Seasons (#548), I used Smart Superwash (11 balls) for the main colour and Zara for the contrasting colours. The superwash was a mite thinner than the Paton's Super Wool called for, so I had to go up two sizes in needles. The sleeves are just barely long enough and I'm contemplating picking up stitches from the bottom cuff and adding more length there. Maybe. Maybe not. Here is a close-up of the yoke. The colours here are far closer to reality as there was no flash used with this photo.
Doug has worn it both during and post-skiing and pronounces it delightful.

Secondly, I offer the February socks. These were knit two at a time on a very long Addi Turbo, while recovering from the appendectomy. Waiting for the morphine and codeine to clear the brain tissues. Slightly muzzy-headed. And I only screwed up once and knit onto the second sock with wool from the first. Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself.
The socks were made with Regia 4-fadig Strato Color no. 5738. There is sufficient left that I can make cuffs, heels and toes on another pair of socks. Nice.

Finally, I completed the mat and mitts I was designing for my knitting class in Uxbridge. Cables galore. I am particularly proud of the decreases at the top of the hat. I managed to complete them while keeping the ribs and cables pretty much intact.
The pattern is available, if desired, by sending me an e-mail. I'll be happy to share.

That's all--for today. I have one more hat for the class, but I'm not quite ready for show and tell. Hopefully this week ...

We're having fun now!

I've survived the week in pajamas, a miracle in and of itself. An entire week, wearing pajamas. And I didn't go crazy!

What I did do was figure out how to knit two socks at the same time, on the same needle via magic loop. My intention when learning this technique was to use two different colours of wool to reduce the tendency to knit across both socks with the wool from sock number one. I didn't do that. (This might have something to do with being too easy, and wanting to give my brain cells an opportunity to function. Or perhaps an attempt to distract myself from the scratchies and itchies that the stitches in my belly wrought.)

All went well, until I got just to the toe shaping. I did the ribbing. I did the calves. I turned the heels. All with no problem. I knit the gussetts, picking up the necessary stitches, and then decreasing. All with no problem.

Then there was the one lapse, at the last row of knitting before beginning the toe stitches. Fortunately, there was no one around with a camera to capture the moment. I felt pretty silly as I sat there and looked. And looked. And looked. How could the wool be here, and here? When I realized what had happened, it was as if the sun rose in my living room. A sudden brightness ...

I tinked back the necessary stitches to repair my mis-step. And then I couldn't resist! Here you see me modelling the two-socks-on-one-circular socks in progress!
They are complete today, but alas, pictureless. Soon, there will be a photo of the completed socks.

In other news, I visited my surgeon today. The stitches have been removed, and I have permission to rub vitamin E on the scars. (Obviously this lady does not know the value placed upon scars by my family!) She encourages me to remain in my pajamas for the upcoming week, although she does say that I can now chase dust-bunnies using the dust-mop, and possibly load the dishwasher. And change the sheets on my bed. Under no circumstances am I to use the vacuum cleaner on carpets.

I was able to visit my store this afternoon. I miss it. I checked the inventory in the store and closets, and compiled an order. I fondled wool. I put together the purchases for my knitting students for class next Monday. I putzed. I watched my dear husband work diligently at his efforts to renovate the bathroom. (It looks amazing! Smooth walls, clean primer, absence of the clunky and nasty baseboard heater. He does good work!) I may try some afternoons this week, and for sure I'll be there on Saturday. Possibly not the whole day, but we'll see.

And then I came home and napped.

Pajama Party -- Day 4

Last Friday morning I awoke at 3 am with a stomach-ache. I was able to sleep some more, finally, but when I awoke for good at 7:30, the ache was still there. Nothing serious, mind you, but still there. I had breakfast and trooped into my wonderful wool shop. All morning long, my stomach ached. I finally stopped trying to pretend that the coffee tasted good and dumped it by 10:00.

At noon, my tuna-fish sandwich didn't sound remotely good, but chicken noodle soup did. I called home to request my wonderful husband bring me some, but he didn't answer the phone. When he called me back (note that I did not say "finally") at 2:30, even chicken noodle soup didn't sound good. In fact, a trip to the doctor sounded good.

He was not able to reach the doctor's office. Who knew that they would stop answering the phones so early on a Friday afternoon? (Note to self: Must check into this.) Doug dutifully called the after-hours clinic to which our doctor belongs, only to discover that not only was the clinic not answering phones (it was before 5:00 pm), it wasn't open on Friday.

Doug called me back to report his findings. I didn't care. I needed to see a doctor. My stomach really hurt. Folks who know me will realize that I don't get to this point often. Usually I am the equivalent of a dead body before I consent to visit the doctor for an illness. I don't run fevers, and I had been having chills and chattering teeth all day.

Doug raced in and met me at the shop. The next question became which hospital emergency room to visit--the dreaded Port Perry (that's a very long story which I'll save for later), the much-reviled Oshawa General (which is likewise a long story), or traipse into one of the Toronto hospitals at which my doctor has privileges. Besides not wanting to ponder such decisions (and also because I had self-diagnosed appendix issues), I told him to just get me to the nearest hospital.

Port Perry saw me at 4:10. By 4:30 the surgeon had called in the team and a time of 5:30 was decreed. She decided that an ultrasound would be torturous beyond belief and a CT scan a waste of time, especially since it was a Friday evening and my condition was worsening. She could tell best by a quick peek into said offending belly ... and went at it.

I was correct in that my appendix had decided it was time to leave this body. Fortunately, there was no rupture and recovery has been uneventful. I have spared you all the delight of reviewing the incisions and bruising--but if you are a family member, just let me know and I'll send you photos. (For the uninitiated, we are a strange bunch and regularly have discussions over who has the biggest owie {that would be the Daughter, since she has visibly missing body parts}, who has the most impressive scars {Mom was the leader here, but in her absence it is the Eldest out in Missouri currently} and the like. Apparently, it is a badge of honor to have multiple broken bones at the same time {Andy and Jason}. As I said, we are a strange bunch.)

Kudos to Dr. Karolyn Dobbin and the nursing staff at Port Perry Hospital. They were awesome!

During my recovery, I finished the Sea Silk scarf. Viola!This iteration of the scarf is 71 stitches wide--a 3-stitch garter border, 65 stitches of Fishtail Lace and another 3-stitch garter border. It is approximately 4 feet long, so will be just right for the keeping the evening chill off my delicate shoulders this summer. I must admit that I absolutely LOVE how the colours make those gorgeous diamonds along the length of the scarf. Seen here, the scarf is not yet blocked as I am not really able to crawl around on the floor much yet. Even in its unblocked state, however, the finished project is fabulous. This yarn is truly a delight with which to knit and a joy to watch as the stitches flow past. I highly recommend everyone try even one project with this yarn, even though it is expensive. After all, everyone is worth one very expensive project.

Having completed the scarf, it was time for another project. An amazing discovery ensued--hold on to your hats, folks, because this is momentous!

I have grown bored with plain-jane socks using self-patterning yarn.

Yes, you did read that correctly. I have grown bored just going round and round and watching the yarn do all the work. Since I am prohibited from lifting (and that includes darn near any and all weight) and all my yarn is stored in stacking tubs, I was relegated to using these poor, lonely balls of sock yarn which have been sitting, abandoned, on top of the stack. But how to make them more interesting? I had been planning on the Jaywalker socks, but am tired of trying to make the diagonals work (there's a store project sitting in the bottom of a workbasket because I'm frustrated with it!), and besides I'd heard that the socks don't fit all that nicely.

In my drug-induced haze, it made perfect sense that I should attempt to figure out the 2-Socks-1-Circular technique. I'd tried it before, and given up. So with less than full capacity in the mental area, this should be a real challenge.

It was and is. It does, however, make the plain-Jane sock pattern far more interesting.

What a day! (Or why I need my shopping gene examined!)

Monday is the one business day a week that my shop is not open. This day is reserved for doing important stuff--like getting the daughter's passport renewed because she is going to France in April. Monday was P-Day (otherwise known as passport day). Aside from being beastly cold, the day dawned just fine.

We got up super early and headed down to Oshawa to catch the GO train. No problem, except that all the commuters had arrived prior to us. Which meant that we had to park way the heck out in the boonies and walk up to the station. Did I mention that the train arrived just as we did? And how cold it was? The wind had nothing to block it as it blew across the parking lot. We were pleased to have a reason to walk quickly.

I am not too bashful to admit that I enjoy taking the GO train. It means that I am on my way to an Adventure in the Big City. Monday was no different. Once on board the train, we began filling out the passport application. She already had a passport, so it should be a breeze, right? Wrong. The silly application requires her Social Security Number (the American equivalent to a Canadian SIN). No problem. We'll call home when we get to Union Station. We sit back and pull out our knitting.

Upon arrival at Union Station, we stop at the first pay phone (thank goodness THEY still exist!) and make the collect call home. Daughter had a call-home card ... does she have it with her? Nope. So collect it is. Explain to the husband what I need and where to find it. Several tax returns later, we find a year wherein I claimed the daughter, complete with SSN. Whew.

Now to find a pay-locker so that we can leave our knitting and purses. Why? Because the U.S. Consulate website claims that you cannot take any bags of any type into the Consulate with you. Did you know that there are no lockers at Union Station any more? Deemed a safety risk, they were removed in the post 9/11 security craze. OK, fine. There must be some in the PATH, right? Nope.

Daughter and I trudge onwards, heading always north and parallel with University Ave, looking fruitlessly for a pay-locker. Finally, we run out of walkway. Arriving at street level, I confirm with a friendly security guard that we are, indeed, just one block away from University Avenue and that the Consulate is still north of our location. Does she know of anywhere we could leave our bags? Nope. But then I had a brilliant thought--could she watch them for us? She thought about it for a minute, and then said sure. I handed her my purse, claiming there was nothing of value therein because I had to take my wallet with me. The REAL valuables were the knitting projects in the second bag.

Away we went in search of the Consulate. I did mention that it was cold, right? Two blocks directly into the wind to University Avenue, two blocks north to the Consulate. No problem, except that it was "blowing like stink" to quote my husband. Brr.

We U.S. citizens have an awful lot for which to thank George Bush. The Consulate has had concrete posts in the sidewalk to prevent cars being driven into it for a long time. And the bullet-proof glass has likewise been present for a long time. But the requirement for U.S. citizens to enter the building at the rear? To stand in line with visa applicants, a safe 15 feet from the rear door and guard area, while everyone is questioned closely before being allowed into the building? The demand that you enter with only your wallet and documents in hand? The demeaning treatment rendered by the security guards, attempting to safeguard the safety of the building's employees?

Did you know that a jeweler's screwdriver is a lethal weapon? I didn't either. I carry it on my keychain because my glasses frequently fall apart. The jeweler's screwdriver is small enough that it will work with the teeny, tiny, microscopic screws used to hold eyeglasses together. The security guard insisted it was a lethal weapon and not allowed. To make things more difficult, he was not very fluent in English, and could not understand that I was asking him to discard the offending weapon. Daughter, meanwhile, watched the discussions with bated breath, and wondered how she could get herself home after I was arrested for assaulting the guard.

Not to worry. I resolved the problem by snatching up the screwdriver, stomping to the nearest door, flinging said door wide open and hurling the screwdriver as far and hard as possible.

"NOW can I come in?" I demanded. Apparently so. The car keys were then put back into my coat pocket and run through the x-ray machine. After being scanned with a handwand, I was cleared to enter the building. I must then gather my possessions and IMMEDIATELY go through the next door, leaving my daughter behind. Not a problem when the child is 16; the family ahead of us had a two-year-old, and she was distraught at having to watch her mommy disappear behind a door, and walk all by herself towards a strange man who held something in his hand.

Anyway, once clear of the first security hurdle, U.S. citizens have the supreme pleasure of getting to bypass the line of visa applicants and proceed directly into the first waiting room. Where you are greeted by a security guard who demands to know why you are coming in through this exit door. He escorts you to the next locked door and opens it for you, whereupon you are accosted by yet another guard who likewise demands to know why you have come through the apparently forbidden doorway.

Once we finally reached the appropriate floor and department, everything went swimmingly and without problem. Daughter will have her passport in two weeks or less. Whew. Explorica will be happy.

What I find terrifying is that Canada is a "friendly" country. Truly it is. Daughter and I have felt very welcomed every day of our presence. And the U.S. feels the need to take these draconian steps to insure the safety of its employees. How difficult is it to access the Embassy or Consulate in a not-so-friendly country? Thank you, George W., for your diligence in protecting U.S. citizens, at home and abroad. (Please note--heavy sarcasm used here!)

Then, since we were in town and there was really no way Daughter could attend her afternoon classes, we decided to do some shopping. Of course, to do this we had to retrieve our purses and knitting from the friendly security person. Two blocks south to Adelaide, two blocks east (with our backs to the wind!), and we are at the right building. We retrieve our bags with no problem, and put our minds to shopping.

After all, the Eaton Centre is in downtown Toronto and that is exactly where we are. Shopping here we come. After walking back down to Union Station, looking in vain for the mall, we patrol Front Street, searching for clues. All to no avail. Undaunted, we return to Union Station and head back into the PATH. We should be able to find the mall this way. Right?

Two hours later, we still have not yet found the mall. Plenty of shopping on the PATH, but no mall. We finally succumb to hunger and head for the nearest coffee shop. The kind lady sells us warm beverages and sandwiches, and assures us that if we head north we will find The Bay within two blocks. I know The Bay is part of the Eaton Centre, so we are good. We sit down, have lunch, and knit for a while. To soothe our nerves ... also to convince ourselves that we really know where we are headed.

The nice lady was right. The Bay was only two blocks north. Along the way, I have tripped and stumbled to my knees and crashed my eyeglasses onto the ground. (It was a far better choice than a face-plant onto the looming light pole.) Fortunately, the glasses did not self-destruct--especially since the security guard had forced me to discard my screwdriver. Also fortunately, I did not grab onto Daughter as I went down. She still had some warm coffee in her hand.

We found The Bay. We found the PATH. (It looks strangely familiar. Have we been here before? Don't answer that!!) Did we find the mall? No. We wandered in circles in The Bay. We felt extremely foolish. How can two reasonably intelligent women not be able to find a MALL? For crying out loud, we had credit cards with us!!!

In an effort to salvage some resemblance of pride, we refused to request directions. I suppose that technically speaking we WERE in the Eaton Centre. It just didn't look or feel like it.

After another half hour of wandering fruitlessly, we gave up. Daughter then said, and I quote, "If you can find Nathan Philip Square, I can find the Eaton Centre." Well, I had seen several signs on the PATH that directed one toward City Hall. Nathan Philip Square is right in front of City Hall.

If only she had thought of that option earlier. Say two and a half hours earlier?

Shopping ensues. We find a shoe store with lots of shoes that Daughter finds cute. And her favorites are not only cute, but inexpensive! Does life get any better? Only if they have the right size in stock. Test fits follow, and three pairs in the appropriate sizes are decided upon. We pay up and head home. Via the PATH, which does indeed take us directly to Union Station.

A mad dash to catch the next train, leisurely knitting on the GO, a quick drive home, speedy dinner, and I race out to teach my knitting class in Uxbridge.

Know what happened at home in my absence? Daughter discovers that we brought home two pair of shoes in the wrong size.

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!

New Project Ecstasy

I have ADD. I'm pretty comfortable with this little-known fact, and I have, in fact, learned to live with it pretty well. I have actually learned to become super-focused, so that the ADD doesn't control my life and I become a total flit-about.

This tendency to super-focus has resulted in my being pretty much a one-project-at-a-time knitter. You know--one project from beginning to end, even when it becomes a slog. When you begin to despise the project. But I persevere, because that's what I do.

So I started and finished a(nother) baby set for the Crisis Pregnancy Centre, complete with a pair of baby booties. Baby booties are important because I have joined a Sock Knit-along over at the Delphi forum, Knit & Chat, wherein we are supposed to knit a pair of socks each month of the year, preferably from stash. And baby booties count. For January, I am safe. Whew.

This is one of my usual patterns, from the 1978 McCalls Baby Knits book. A tried and true pattern, with which I rarely have problems. If problems do arise, I can state fairly safely that the problem is an 1D-10-T error. (Computer technical help desk technicians recognize this as the safe way of saying someone is an IDIOT.)

In any event, the baby set is done, complete with ribbons.

Of course, this means that I get to start a New Project. I've had a skein of SeaSilk since I attended Stephanie's birthday party at Lettuce Knit. I've pondered and pondered what to make, especially since I only had one skein. I'd heard that a one-skein shawl pattern existed, and I dutifully obtained same. It didn't really light my fire.

Then I flipped the page on my Pattern-a-Day calendar to January 15. Fishtail Lace. What could be more fitting? Except that I am a one-project-at-a-time gal, and the baby set wasn't finished. So I knit furiously on the baby set, and finished it last night.

At 8:00 pm, I started winding a ball. At 8:30 pm I cast on. At 11:15, it was clearly time to go to bed, but the scarf is so enchanting. I didn't want to put it down. At midnight, I forced myself to bed.

This morning when I opened my eyes, I raced to look at the scarf. What if it wasn't as enchanting as I thought? What if ...?

Not to worry. The scarf is still enchanting. I love the way the colours zig-zag their way up the scarf. I love how airy and light the pattern is. It's only a 6-row repeat, and the even rows are purl every stitch. I love that I have memorized the pattern.

You know what I'm gonna hate? When I have reached the end of the ball of yarn. What then?

Think anyone would notice if I frogged the scarf just so that I could reknit it?

Exciting times for me

2007 has started out with a bang. First I see Christy mentioning that she was going to be in my area and would try to stop by my store. Now, THAT qualifies as a red-letter event. I first started blogging because I was lonely; I missed a knitting group with whom I had formed wonderfully close ties. Then life interfered and I moved to Tennessee, where I knew no one. Moving to Canada was a step in the right direction for my life--at least in the cold, snowy north one would expect to find knitters. And, of course, the internet is a wonderful medium for making friends.

Yesterday I found out how true it is. Christy made her way to my store and I got to shake the hand(s) that created the wonderful Noro sweater shown on her blog. She pronounced my shop "lovely," which also endears her to my heart. Here is a picture of the big event:
Christy was able to view Gyrid, the shell made from the Elsebeth Lavold's Book One--The Viking Knits Collection. It has been finished for a while ... ever-efficient that I am, I kept forgetting to bring it in to the shop. The Silky Wool is a great knit. It's soft without feeling mushy. Knits into a lovely light-weight fabric that will be a dream to wear. (Remember, I made this as a display piece for the shop.)
I followed the pattern without deviation, and pronounce it good. For my next feat (from this particular book), I will be attempting the hat and mittens pattern. Possibly (hopefully) as projects for the intermediate knitting group in Uxbridge.

Finally, with the advent of winter weather (finally), the cats have been searching for warm sleeping spots. Henry has found the best one ever--
right on top of the floor vent. Good thing there are two more that heat that room, eh?!

The Accursed Sweater--Part Two

Or is it part three? I can't remember. What I do remember is that I had to frog the first attempt because there was no way the sweater was going to fit my lovely husband. Several friends suggested that perhaps he should go on a diet ... or perhaps I should find a smaller recipient for the sweater. Nope. I dutifully frogged it and started over.

Things went well for the body and first sleeve. When I finished the second sleeve and started to assemble everything on the needles ... The second sleeve was much longer than the first ... A more careful perusal of the pattern indicated that the problem was in my interpretation of the directions. (Note to self: Read patterns carefully even when you think you remember what you are doing. Memory plays tricks!) So I ripped again.

By now, my poor husband was beginning to fear that his sweater would take the road traveled by Joe's Gansey (see various of the Yarn Harlot's posts about said gansey). Not that we've had much winter thus far, but he WAS hoping to be able to wear it this year.

Then my sister had her baby early. Three weeks early in fact. So the Accursed Sweater was put on the back burner while I made a gift for Sammy.

Returning to the Accursed Sweater, I finished the second sleeve and assembled the project on the needles. And began the colour-work. Only to discover I had too many stitches. A more careful review of the pattern directions indicated that I was required to perform some decreases before the colours started. (Apparently I did NOT remember the note to myself made above!) So I ripped again.

By now, my husband was getting seriously worried. He would inquire anxiously if I was all right, did I need anything, perhaps a glass of wine or some Guiness. Through clenched teeth (apparently disregarding my vow to never grind teeth again so as to avoid root canals) I would state firmly that I.WAS. FINE.

After the requisite decrease rows, I began the colour-work. A tremendous sigh of relief when the first row worked out properly. A sip of wine and row two commenced. An even louder sigh of relief. I worked several more rows without incident.

And then a miracle occurred. Lizzie-Kitty, who is NOT a lap-cat, settled in for a long winter's nap. And stayed for almost an hour. This, folks, is right up there with the Virgin birth and making-wine-from-water stories. She NEVER sits on laps. And not only is she on my lap, she is stretched out, tucked in and purring.

2007 is gonna be a great year.