Today's Forecast

High 4

So- do you think the groundhog was right?

Oops I did it again........

Yup- it was nigh time to start yet another sweater- this one is out of good old Lopi. Yes, it is kind of harsh to the touch, but it wears well, comes in great colours, and I like the weight of it. I am using similar colours to the photo (from Knitters magazine, by the way), except that the blue is not quite as bright, and I have some nice lime green in there, and gold instead of yellow. I think it will be amazing.

Onto other things........................

What if I combine these two together-

Wouldn't Bear be the talk of the doggies on the street?????????? Hmmmm. Maybe not in a good way.

We will be taking the big old boy up to see his other grandparents this weekend, in Kemptville. So I will be knitting all the way!!!!!

Any knitting stores I need to go and see up there?

Any chance of a storm day tomorrow?????

You know, the one redeeming quality about February is that there is a possibility of a storm day. That one elusive "day off". I know, I know- we teachers do not have a day off. We have to get to the nearest school when it is safe to do so. And the school where I work is probably one of the three that are closest to my house. But the reality is- the snow day is a "day out of the ordinary". You are never quite sure if you are even going to have any students who show up! Of course, there are the "walkers"- the die hards who get all bundled up every day and get themselves to the school. And the other "tough parenting" kids- those whose parents belong to the "I had to walk five miles in the snow up to my shoulders, uphill, both ways" line of thinking. They are the parents who will drive their kids to school as soon as the "bus cancellation" notices are heard on the radio. These kids arrive early! And occasionally, you will have a kid who didn't hear the notice, and came to school-it is worth it to see that kid's face when he finds out!
But the day is not usually one of teaching- because over half of your class is away. So you have your lesson plans all done- for the next day- and this day is a little gift. You generally share your kids with other teachers/classes-so you end up getting a little more time to yourself to "do" stuff- either putting up that bulletin board, or getting some marking done, or...? whatever. And you get to have fun with the kids who are there- your day is filled with games in the gym, or movies, or art classes, or visiting the library for as long as you want.
It's a little gift of time from Mother Nature.
So everyone- get out there and do the "Snow Dance"!!!!!!!!

Edited later:
Okay- which one of you didn't dance?????????

my mitts- so far

Lookee lookee-these are my version of the Molas Mittens from the Morehouse Merino Knits Book. This is, of course, Big Giant Poodle Head mitten, and the other one will have my little Butterscotch Baby (the Boufman). I made the mitten itself out of Naturally Merino and Fur, knit at a tight gauge- me likem dis stuff. I haven't put the thumb on yet, since I am using the needles for the other mitten. But you get the idea.

My husband thinks I've lost it.

Little does he know- I never actually had "it".

No Sheep For You and SP 10

Oh I am so very very excited!!!!! I was over at Knitpicks, just snooping (my sister said that she just sent me a sizeable gift certificate to Knitpicks for my birthday- which is this Saturday- I will be turning thirty-eighteen) AND- I saw the new "No Sheep For You" book in the upcoming titles. AND (bestill my heart) they showed the inside pages- and there-on the first view, top right- MY DESIGN! My bathrobe. Way cool. I really like working for that group. Very very nice.
Now on to other news- I have signed up for Secret Pal 10 (I really enjoyed SP9). And here is the quiz........................................................
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Wool, silk, anything natural (as in from plants and animals) works for me. I love wool and cotton blends. And I would like to try some seacell. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? crunchy cheapo acrylics. I know there are some nicer acrylics out there, but I am still not real wild about them. I am also not a fan of that yarn that looks like it has jcloth and feather tags on it. Or fun fur. 2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Well, a tool box, primarily. I have quite a few. And my really nice ones are in a handblown glass jug. 3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I learned when I was a kid-knit my first complete sweater when I was about 14, and so that makes me a knitter for almost 40 years. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Well, I design for money, and I like to try challenging things. 4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? nope, not currently. 5. What's your favorite scent? Well, I am allergic to just about anything, but I like light florals on me, spicy things for the air. 6. Do you have a sweet tooth? And the pope would be a Catholic person, yes? Favorite candy? White chocolate, coconut things, butterscotch. 7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? embroidery, painting (pictures, not walls) Do you spin?nope- not yet....maniacal laughter.......8. What kind of music do you like? blues, Christmas music Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? Yes- my car loves MP3s.(if your buddy wants to make you a CD)9. What's your favorite color(s)? Brights, as well as black Any colors you just can't stand? beige and ecru. 10. What is your family situation? husband and daughter- one of each One is 45, the other almost 9) Do you have any pets? Yup- Bear- the BGPH (Big Giant Poodle Head) 11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, yes, yeas and no (ponchos tend to look like tablecloths on a table on me- yeah, I got me quite a rack) 12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?Lately, anything for me. 13. What are you knitting right now? Um- a modular knit sweater, a scarf, a mitten, a glove, another sweater- I am a bit loosey goosey- very difficult to commit) 14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes- but useful things 15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? either Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Depends on what I am knitting 16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes, and yes- they both get a good workout. 17. How old is your oldest UFO? oh my- I actually have a sweater I started to knit my husband in our second year of marriage (hmm- around 1995) Then he said he really didn't like brown. 18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. 19. Is there anything that you collect? uh- debts?20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Yes- but I will make a list if needed- I could get quite embarrassing. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? just about all of them 21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Uh- continental? 22. Are you a sock knitter? Yup What are your foot measurements? I wear a size 10 shoe 23. When is your birthday? February 10th

This one should be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot Dog-is it cold!

I know-that is what winter in Canada is all about. But I had gotten somewhat seduced about the whole "warmer winter thing", and the idea of "no snow, not so cold" was an acceptable way of looking at it. But today-I literally gasped when I went outside! And to top it all off, the school where I work was also COLD. We couldn't even use the gym today. A glitch in the new heating system is to blame. But I wore my entrelac sweater (the one that the Yarn Harlot herself admired!!!) and warm knit socks-I was toasty.
I am currently working on some dark navy Naturally Merino and Fur mittens-I knit them using 3.5 mm needles- the effect is almost a felted fabric. The pattern is from Morehouse Merino Knits. I am hoping to put white poodles on them with felt. Yeah, I know. I am poodle crazy. But they should be pretty neat.
Now to go watch "Stargate: Atlantis"! Ba bye!

My next project(s)

Yup-projectSSSSSSSSSS. I can't seem to commit to one thing lately. I want to work on the sweater from the Knitty surprise. It is stunning. AND I have reworked the pattern to incorporate a light worsted weight gauge instead of the fingering weight (mind you, it would be tres stunning in a fingering weight). And I also have the Fleece Artist vest on the needles (see Dec. 28 post). The yarn is Scotia Silk (half silk, half merino) and is very yummy. The knitting part is side to side-you knit one row, slide the stitches back to your starting point on the circular (or swing needles, should you have sprung for them), pick up the second ball of yarn, knit for awhile with that, eventually turn the piece and knit with the first yarn again. Makes for a great way to cut up the variegation so as to avoid pooling and weird jags.

AAAAAAAnd- do you recall Big Blue? She's back out from the marination chamber. I was going to go with no sleeves and make it a vest. Then sleeves. Then no sleeves. Now we are back to sleeves. So I am knitting away on the final sleeve (one is attached, ready to go). By the way. I attached the sleeve into the armhole by picking up exactly the same number of stitches (as the top of sleeve) around the shoulder socket. Then I lined it all up and do a three needle bind off on the inside of the sleeve. Now, I suppose I could do the three needle bind off on the outside- and I would get a much different look-sort of a designer ridge. But when you do it on the inside, you get a tailored, nicely finished edge, and no puckering or silly pinning on the sleeve.

What to do first? Hmmmmmmmmm.

Edited later.........

What do you get when you take a major snowy day, such as this

and add a big goofy four footer?

You get THIS ! (Doesn't Bear have a great smile?)

Click for BIG

Happy Birthday Ruby!!!!

My friend, Ruby, from here- http://gaspe-knitting.blogspot.com/ is having a birthday today. So zip on over there and wish her a happy day (as well as a Happy Groundhog Day) (seems Wiarton Willie popped out, didn't see his shadow, so came on out- I guess that means an early spring?) Every best wish for continuing good fortune, Ruby!

That waffle knit sweater

Oh I am truly in a state of lust now- the new Knitty surprise is up- and I am in serious "wanna have it" mode for that sweater!

Isn't it purty??? Now I have 3 skeins of Silk Stream (Fleece Artist 50% wool, 30% silk, 20% nylon) (yeah, I was insane and totally spoiled myself) (see the purple Manos sweater from yesterday). It is in the Sangria colourway (orange and fuchsia and red-oh my!) It is a heavier weight mind you- but I can deal with that. I got it from Robyn at Red Bird Knits ( http://redbirdknits.com ) Robyn is truly wonderful to buy from- have you seen her birthday special? 10% off and free shipping for your birthday.

Becky from Florida (she is Knitting Interrupted-see the side bar) has set up a Thermal KAL- loosely called a KAL because it is not as formal as that by a long shot. If you are interested, go and sign in! Now to determine size- I have a ahem- bigger boobage area than the butt- so if I go for a fit on the top, the bottom will flap. Fit on the bottom, x rated on the top. Hmm-what a decision. Probably make a gusset in the armpit to increase the top without making a wreck of the pattern. If you want to know how to do that- go and see the sweater I designed in "Big Girl Knits"-the Whichway Funnel Neck. I am pretty proud of that sweater, by the way. I do wonder if anyone has made it, though.

Now...off to go and crunch some numbers.......

Hey-a third finished object!

I'm on a roll here!!!!!!! This is the purple Manos sweater. I started out with a pattern from Simply Knit 2-and decided the best part was the inverted pleats. I used about 11 skeins of Manos del Uruguay-in the mottled purple colourway (can't remember the number) and wooden heart buttons from Mission Falls (the source is Cindy Longlade-her ebay name is nana_cindy and she is totally awesome to deal with). I love love LOVE this sweater. I wanted something girly and flirty to wear with a shirt that has some ruffles at the front and on the cuffs-loose, big ruffles- very girly. And I have black velvet jeans to complete the ensemble.

Here are the modifications.......


The sleeves are set in a modified raglan-measure about 2 1/2 inches of normal shoulder line from the neck-and that is where your raglan will start. The sleeve has raglan shaping, and then the top 12 stitches, instead of coming to a point, has a bit of a gather- (slip 1, k2 tog., psso) across the 12 stitches.

I kept the 6 inverted pleats across the back- I just lengthened the body. Really girly.


The front is quite different-I centred an inverted pleat on each front and then worked a princess seam to the waist, and then knit an inch or two, then increased again (a total of 10 stitches decreased and then increased) I can work that many, because my hip measurement is about a full size and a bit smaller than my bust measurement.

And the collar-bigger, wider (I increased 2 stitches per right side row after the first two inches) Then I used a picot cast off.


What do you think??????

Edited later: I also should add that I used the inverted pleat at the top of each wrist, and made the sleeves just a tad too long. If I hate the length, I plan on adding a casing of sock yarn inside each wrist, and running some elastic through the casings. That way I can slide the sleeve up a bit if I need to. I am NOT taking that sleeve off and redoing- I fought long and hard to get that shaping right!

This kidlet of mine......

She is 8. And can be as sweet as they come, as well as wear the devil ears and the forked tail (Lord help us all when puberty hits) Anyhow, she comes home from school and tells me that her teacher read her writing, and thought it was pretty good. And what did I think? So I asked to see what it was all about. She said that she was supposed to write a thing about what you wear on a cold day and what you might do out in the snow. Okay-sounds kinda staid, but let's have a look.

And this is what she wrote.......

Snow Breeze

When it snows. the wolf pups howl. When the wind whistles in the tree top, I watch the birds fly off. They land on the bittersweet, eating the sweet berries of red. When I walk, my feet crunch in the snow below me.

It is now the month of January. When I go sledding, I come home to a warm cup of hot cocoa. Cars zoom here and there on slush covered roads.

I put on my warm jacket, mittens, hat and snow pants and go outside. I make a snowman with big, bright eyes. I will build a snow wall around him. The day darkens. It is getting late. I go inside and take my wet clothes off.

That night, I have a dream, a nice, quiet and heavenly dream of snowflakes around me! The next morning, I wake up and look out the window. It has snowed like in my dream.

Winter is all around me!

That is exactly how she wrote it, except for those "comma things" (she wanted me to put them in).

I sometimes wonder where she came from, and how I happened to get so lucky.

My class, or how I spend my days........

It seems we have snow- the soft, clumpy, sticks on the trees, Christmas Eve kind of snow-today. (and mud for Christmas) My students (Grade 7) were all out in snowpants making snow angels in the yard. Gotta love a group of kids who are so comfortable and secure in their own skins that they will forgo the usual "cool" in order to kick back and have fun.
We also made a geodesic dome today, in class, out of 5 newspapers and a bunch of tape. It is about 3 meters across, maybe 2 and a half high. (yeah yeah- pictures. I know)
I have a pretty cool class this year.

This is the hat I made (and please- don't ask for a pattern- I designed this one as I knit it- and stopped when it looked like a hat!) My SP9-who has since revealed herself as the lovely Trish from The Tangled Arts (http://www.seetrishknit.blogspot.com/) sent me 2 skeins of Elann Highland Peruvian wool. Pretty nice stuff. So I made a hat. Bear decided to get in on the modelling-you can see the giant poodle paws. After I made it, my husband was looking at it and asked if it was for him. Of course I said it was (although it matched my green coat) so now I need to make another hat for myself. Instead of doing i-cord ties-I edged it in i-cord-I did a twisted cord. I kinda like them there twisted cords.
I just found out that a neighbour (who borrowed our cam corder) taped over all of the baby pictures we had of Annie-he just picked a tape out of the case and used it-and we now have lots of pictures of his kids playing, and none of Annie as a baby and Bouf as a pup.
I am so sad.

A Doggie Question...

My Bear is such a big sweetie. I often have to go and put my feet up after supper for a half hour or so (gotta ice my knee) and, when Bouf was around, this was his time to come and snuggle. I really missed that after he passed. And Bear, well, he was uncomfortable getting up on the bed (I guess his last owners were adamant about Bear being on the floor). So I have been coaxing him, telling him that is our special time, and this past week, he has decided it is okay to come up and snuggle! He first checks Sean, to make sure (I guess) that he is busy and doesn't notice him slipping into the bedroom. Then Bear gets up beside me, and gives me a little snuffle. The sweetest thing is that he always has to have a paw over my leg, or his nose up against me if he is going to have a snooze. So he clearly has decided to like having company! When we go over to Mom's (she lives 5 minutes away), he gets all excited at the prospect of seeing Elmo (my mom's cantankerous ShiTzu) (he was also a rescued dog). Bear tries his darnedest to get Elmo to play with him, but with limited success. My husband and I both work, so Bear has to spend time on his own. He very much likes other dogs. So-here is the question-does anyone have experience with a rescued dog (who has had some abuse/neglect along the way) and getting him his own dog? I know, sounds odd-but I wondered about getting another dog, so Bear has a companion. Would Bear see it as a replacement for him, and withdraw? Or would he likely find this a good thing? Any experience out there with this stuff????????
I have been knitting, as well. The cashmere scarf is almost done. I have a lovely, lovely Secret Pal (SP9) who sends me beautiful things. She sent me some Elann yarn(Peruvian wool) in rust and green. So I designed and knit a hat-quite cute, if I do say so myself. I will take pictures when all the ends are sewn in. And I went over to Old Navy yesterday-the stuff was really picked over, so I didn't find the sizes I wanted, but I did find a ski jacket for Bear for 9 bucks! (Yeah, pictures to follow) We tried it out on his walk last night-it's a hit!

this and that and something clever to be said

This- a quiz, here- http://services.drgnetwork.com/cgi-bin/EventHandler/EventHandler.pl?action=entryform&filename=knitknowledge1&id=drgcreativeknit - courtesy of "Always Casting On". I got 91%- the felting question was a tricky one.

That- is what happens when you are bored and have a ton of things that you are supposed to be doing (Little Lola - I think - by Schaeffer Yarns).

Oh- and that "something clever" ? I lied about that.

PS- My apologies to the knitting crowd- I got home too late from school to go-sorry. Please include me next time!!!!!!

Ya know that great feeling you all are having?

The one where you are counting down the minutes left before school starts and takes your wee little darlings away, every day, 5 days a week? You know that great feeling. Well, I am on the other side of the desk.
Gonna wear a black armband tomorrow.
All day.

First Project of 2007!

But first of all- a picture of the back drop I painted for the school's Winter Concert. Initially, the principal wanted me to make a backdrop with penguins all over it. I talked her out of it, because 1) the landscape around penguins is pretty bleak- no trees or anything and 2) I would have to make the penguins about 4 feet tall to match the size of the backdrop, and at that point, they would look like sort of scary little children. So she let me do my own thing. So I did some Northern Lights and some typical "north of Kingston" landscape. She was happy.

And the BGPH (aka Big Giant Poodle Head) (aka Bear) (aka Forest)-he loves the snow. Or rather, LOVED it- now we have a deluge of rain. And I know it has been raining all night- three of my neighbours have their sump pumps on maximum (luckily, we are dry) (for now) (well, except for that leak in the hot water heater)(just started this week)(gotta do something about that).

And my first structural failure of 2007- My PURSE! I really like this purse- it is a good vinyl, but it looked nice. And it had a failure. Right in the middle of a mall!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now the project- it isn't finished yet- but it is way cool- Trendsetter Yarns Dali, 100%cashmere, steel grey (this season's "IN" colour). My design- a ruffle on the ends, a big cable up the middle (well, actually two, turned in opposite directions, with a purl stitch up the middle), and 1x1 rib on the edges. It is a commissioned piece-I got the cashmere from the Destash blog-and had thought to make something for me. BUT- grey did very, very little for my colouring. So-the new owner is a strawberry blonde, who dresses impeccably. So- a match.

And now to finish the darn thing. I want to knit on my own stuff, dammit.

Oh- before I forget- the cable pattern came from a new book- "Cables Untangled"- that I got for Christmas. Can you feel the cable love???????MMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Snow

I kind of have a "love hate" relationship with snow. Big, soft, velevety snowflakes on Christmas Eve=love. Nasty frozen sleet and driving snow as I am fighting my way along a highway=hate. I grew up in an area with LOTS of snow. I mean lots. Like I usually had to wear my Halloween costume over my snowsuit, and usually had to go in 3 or 4 times to dry out (it usually snowed that night). And I am not a big snow sports person (is that even an expression?) I have bad knees-have had them for years (update for those who are new to this blog-I have had many many knee surgeries, and have been off either full time or part time on disability pensions, until this year. I had a total knee replacement in March, and I am not yet 50). So skiing, skating, snowshoeing-all of those things are out. Plus the issues with arthritis-the cold is an aggravator. But there is nothing like watching my daughter come in from making snowpeople, with her cheeks all red and a grin from ear to ear. Or watching the Bear romp in the snow, eating snowballs and laughing with his mouth wide open. Or the incredible satisfaction of a newly shovelled driveway, when the whole street is out after a storm. I am a teacher, and the occasional snow day is really quite a nice treat. (although our Board has a policy that even though it is not safe for the children and the bus drivers to go to school, it is perfectly safe for teachers to go, and it is expected that we get there, or lose a day's pay)(So I wait for the snow plow)(and get there when I think it is safe). Snow for me is the start of dark days, cold weather, and miserable Februarys. But snow is also sparkling cold, fresh air, little kids having fun. I have mixed feelings over it all. (But I am not ready to wear a black arm band on the day of the first snow).

Lookee what we did on New Year's Day! We all took a flight around the city-in a long "line up"- we went over Kingston, and Wolfe Island-made a special flight over the hospital to say hello to one of our members who is ill.

BY the way- you can hardly see me in this picture-Annie (our daughter) is the kidlet in the bright aqua and maroon jacket. My husband, Sean (the pilot) has his hand on her shoulder. And me- I am the floating head behind Annie. I know- not much of a pic!

I do love to see what people look like- so I challenge all bloggers to post a (good) picture of yourselves up on your blogs. Just to see who we are "talking to" everyday. Leave me a message so I can go and "meet" you.

Cheers!

Pictures to ring in the new year!

First things first-my mother-in-law is a very talented quilter, and we have been getting a quilt or a wall hanging as a Christmas present. But this year? Well, she outdid herself. I will get a better picture when I have this hanging up in my own house, but this is a shot of it when I opened it. This amazing piece is made up of about 1700 tiny squares of grey or white or patterned fabric (each square the size of your little fingernail) that has been put together as a picture-and it is Annie's class picture from Grade Two. When I first opened it, I was looking at it close up, and could not figure out what the heck it was. But a little distance, and voila-the picture cleared. Isn't it amazing????? She said that each square is glued down with a glue stick, and then a fine tulle is put over the top, then quilted. Then a fabric frame is sewn around it. Amazing, really. And I love it.

And next, we have what happens when you mix the Bear with a little bit of snow and a measure of sunshine. He loves to play, this big old puppy of mine.

And he has also learned to pull Annie on her sled-we attached the ropes of the sled to the harness (it is a lovely fur lined harness- we use it to help him sit securely in the car-the seat belt slides through a part of it and then he can be safe)

Doesn't he look like he is having fun? (and no, he didn't do that all afternoon-he mainly ran around, eating snow and dancing). I swear he is a part of the River Dance chorus line!!!!!!!!!

Have a lovely day, all of you. We had planned to go for a flight over the city(our traditional way to welcome in the New Year) and then a chili lunch at the Kingston Flying Club, but I suspect the weather will ground the airplane. We shall have to wait and see!

Happy New Year!

Something new...

Well, I got up early, and decided that I should change the look of the blog-ya know- new year, new look- and I had heard that the new blogger is easier to use. Okay, I am basically an idiot when it comes to all things techno-but I DID manage to change some things around. I am not sure how to get everything over to the new look, but I am working on it.
On to other news-Robyn, over at Red Bird Knits (http://www.redbirdknits.com/) is having a terrific sale. Fleece Artist, sock yarn, lace weight, Colinette, all kinds of lovely and beautiful stuff-go on. I'll wait. Go and look. And yes, I made a small order. And hmm-what else? Oh yes- Big Blue is definitely going to be a vest. I have tried all kinds of sleeves on it-hate them all-so vest it is. And Annie and Bear were out frolicking in the snow yesterday- I will try to get pics up today. Man, they had fun!

just...stuff

Right now I am working like mad on a scarf for a co worker. Actually, the co worker has commissioned the thing, and wants it for the first day back in January. Soooooooo- I am working on it, although I would really really rather work on my own knitting. It will be nice- grey cashmere, ruffle, small cable rib on the body-I will try to take pictures when I finish, maybe even write up the pattern for it.
I had ordered a vest kit quite some time ago, as a Christmas present to me- and it came on the Thursday before Christmas. It is the Celtic Vest from Fleece Artist. I ordered it from Rochelle, at Grand River Yarns (here- http://www.grandriveryarns.com/index.htm ). She is great to order from- you should see the 20 dollar scarf kits from Fleece Artist- way cool. Anyhow, I ordered the kit in "Origin" colourway- very similar to the swatch- more burgundy/brown in it-but very nice. I also ordered the pin to go with it- it is a pewter circle with a wooden stick through it. Good prices, and very easy to deal with.

I would like to start on it as soon as I finish up the purple Manos and take the sleeves off Big Blue. Yep. You heard it first. Big Blue is now going to be a vest- I just couldn't settle on sleeves-it seemed every sleeve I put on it looked odd. I am also going to change the buttons- I have some Mission Falls buttons that I like, so I will be changing the Fimo buttons that are on it now to some burnt bone ones.

We went to the in laws yesterday- wait until you see the quilt my mother in law made! Holy Cow!!!!! I will try to get a picture of it in the next few days-just wait until you see it. Apparently, it will go into a quilt show in the early fall (I hope to God I don't get anything on it before then!)

First things first.....

I trust everyone had a lovely Christmas- we certainly did-more later. But first of all-a big thank you to my oh so wonderful Secret Pal!

She is soo soooooooooo soooooooo good to me- she is currently newly pregnant, and still manages to get things to me (hey- don't you remember those lovely morning sickness days?) And here is what I got just before Christmas (sorry the thank you is late- technical problems)-But look at the beautiful gift! The lovely variegated looks to be a hand dyed worsted weight-lovely burgundies and roses with ivories and taupes (LOVE it)- 5 skeins to boot!. And two skeins of Peruvian Highland Wool- rich rust and olive- I have been wanting to try this stuff- wow- is it soft! And chunky Misti Alpaca-in a soft rust- oh my- buttery soft (maybe a hat?) And that lovely skein of Regia Silk Color? It did come in a ball-but the Bear thought, well, it WAS a ball, and got excited, and then thought it was fun to pull it all apart (bad dog). So now it is a rewound skein . And Bear has had a rather stern "talking to" about this bad habit. He said he was truly sorry (you should have seen how he can change his expression to look oh so sad). And what else- oh yes- two packets of Chai Tea Latte mix (yum!) Thank you, Secret Pal- you have chosen wonderful, beautiful, and very appropriate gifts for me- I love them all!

And my little one- sang her heart out in her solo at the Winter Concert (yeah, I am pretty proud of her) She said she was nervous, but she was just great!

And Bear/Forest? He has discovered the fun of Christmas presents- here he is just about to open his new Grunt (a furry hedgehog).

And here are the two of them, after everything was opened.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

and the day is almost over........

God bless us everyone........................................

Oh dear God....

It truly IS the 21st, right? And I haven't finished my shopping- I don't even have the tree up (too afraid the dog will eat it- he has had some issues about eating things that I don't consider are usually edible) Oh dear God, I gotta get the lead out- I wonder how many hours I can cut off sleeping in order to be ready??????????????????????

Number one daughter has a solo!!!!!!

I am going to the concert tonight- my daughter has a solo-I got the gingerbread houses made-will try to get a picture or two- more later..........................................................

Poodle Is as Poodle Does.......

We have decided that we need to rename our sweet poodle. He has had quite a history with names. His first name, from his first owner, was TUG. Hmm I said- how's that? Apparently, this owner was hearing impaired,and she had hoped that this guy would be a helper for him, and, as the story goes, that little puppy tugged at her heart strings, so Tug he became. But alas, she got very very sick, was unable to care for him any longer (or for herself, apparently) and Tug had to move on (at the ripe old age of 10 months). The next owner wished for Tug to become her helper (she was disabled) and so his name needed to be changed- because Tug is a command that is used doors need to be opened, or cupboards or whatever. So he became Bear-actually Care Bear-and learned to answer to that one, sort of. I guess he stayed in a kennel for 2 months. And then we got him (at the age of 13 months). He was a bit wild, not quite house trained, but truly loving and beautiful. At the time, Sean and I both felt Care Bear wasn't quite the right name for him, but felt unsure about changing his name on him again. So we shortened it to Bear (actually, we call him Bear Bear when we want to get his attention). But now that we know the beastie better, and he has become much more comfortable with us (that took quite awhile)-we have discovered that he has the personality of Forest Gump. Yup, my big white poodlehead is a Gumpster. And when he runs- legs akimbo, truly determined, as fast as the wind-he reminds me of that scene when Forest loses his leg braces. And he shares many of the other characteristics. He is guileless. And sweet. And gentle.

Life is just a box of chocolates.

I have been working on my Christmas knitting, and a wee bit on my own personal knitting (I just couldn't help myself!!!!) And painting the stage set for the Winter Concert, or Holiday Celebration, or whatever they are calling the Christmas concert these days. And also managing the building of about 27 gingerbread houses (my class project). Yeah, should have rethought that maybe.

Work

Sometimes, I go to work (I am a teacher) and I think-oh man-why oh why am I doing this to myself? But there are more days when I say to myself-gee-this is a great way to make money. But I like to believe that when a parent entrusts their child to me for 6 1/2 hours everyday for about what? 190 days of the year, that the child is safe. So my heart goes out to that school in Prescott (I think I got the town right)-an 8 year old boy was killed when some tables fell on him. At school. My daughter is 8 and I know what 8 year olds can get into. But what the hell happened here? Little boys are not supposed to go to school and then not come home. This time of the year, there are a whole lotta things going on at schools, and kids are perhaps a bit rangier than usual. But what happened? We may never know, of course, but oh my. That poor family. That poor school. So tragic.

How many projects can you have at one time????

Oh man- dis-satisfaction has hit again- I have Christmas presents to finish (not many this time- finish a second mitten, half of a short scarf, and one fingerless glove). But OOOOOHHHH I want to knit my purple sweater. And this green one that I started, but made a mistake in-I sent it to its room for awhile to let it rethink the error of its ways. And work is CRAZY. The Christmas concert (or the "Winter Holiday Celebration") is next week, and they want a backdrop-want me to paint it, and I still have to work full time!!!! So- I suggested that I need time away from my class to paint. Oh yeah- no problem. But when I suggest times, there seems to BE a problem. Oh- I just want to knit........to be fed peeled grapes by a (ahem) (add correct fantasy figure here).....and maybe some of those President's Choice chocolate truffles.......la la la la....I'm losing it, yes I ammmmmmmmmmm..........

Later- Yes, I switched to some new fangled version of Blogger- and got the post 4 times. Instead of the one time it showed. Seems the gremlins are at work.

A Public Thank you

I have been knitting for quite a long time. And I really love it. And I am proud of my ability to knit all kinds of things (some successfully, and some, well, we won't talk about those). I have also been tweaking and designing for myself (and others, but mostly me). And when Knitty (http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/index.html ) first came up, it really got me curious about whether or not I could design well enough to make other people want to knit what I saw. And Amy Singer and her team thought, yes, I did. I have 2 designs in knitty.com. And then one in "Big Girl Knits". And now, there is another one coming out in "No Sheep For You" (in the early spring, I believe). And, because I knit a little baby bikini in Knitty (in leopard print, no less), Vickie Howell emailed me and asked for a design, and next thing I know-she published one of my ideas in "New Knits on the Block"! But I never would have had the guts to do any of this if Amy Singer had not started up her knitting magazine. And got me going in this direction.
So-here it is-
Thank You, Amy Singer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How many more sleeps until little reindeer hoof prints????

This is what my backyard looked like early this morning. What is it about snowfall that makes me want to hunker down and knit like crazy? I have the back and one front done on the purple sweater. I have modified the front-it called for 6 ruffles (actually more like double inverted pleats with a little bobble at the top of the pleat) (very nice and tailored looking). But 6 pleats across my hips. Oh good Lord no. We don't want to be scaring the little children, doncha know. So I cut it down to one pleat on either side of the front, and instead of a boxy sweater (no shaping) I put in an a-line shaping from the bobble up. I think it will look very smart. And I just want to get into my jammies, with a pot of decaf coffee, and knit like a fiend with a good movie, or Stargate reruns, or something good on the tube. And not go to work. (Grade 6/7 kids are fun, but new snow and Christmas make them a little unpredictable).
PS- Bear wasn't too sure he was going to like this new white stuff (he was just a little puppy last year, and I don't think he remembers too much about snow). So he finally went out, and had a little poke or two, and then a giant crazy poodle head romp!

My SP9 Contest

We were asked to write about our favourite recipe. Tough one- I have a lot of favourites-I really do. I love to cook. And I came from a long line of cooks, as well-both my mother and my grandmother-excellent cooks. In fact, when I was in university, I heard about a rather tony restaurant requiring a pastry chef for the summer. Well, honestly- I had been baking since I was about 8 or 9, so I knew my way around a stove-so I applied. And, when that part came to say why I was the best candidate for the job, I was prepared. I had cooked some of my favourite desserts! Black chocolate cheesecake (with a solid dark chocolate crust, and a surprise white chocolate ganache layer) and lemon blueberry cipote(it's a French Canadian thing-sort of a deep dish pie)- rich, syrupy blueberries (wild ones, mind- not those farmed ones) with lots of lemon peel and a dash of sugar in a regular bottom crust-but with a sour cream puff pastry topping-with crystals of sugar over the top and cream puffs-tiny little ones with spun sugar wrapped round and round them, filled with pastry cream (made with fresh cream and half a vanilla bean). Well, I got the job. I still cook, but it took me years to make cheesecake again (that was one of my "jobs" in that kitchen). And it took me quite some time to want to cook anything fancy. But my all time favourite? Hmmm-it's something I have never made myself. Every New Year's, my mother makes this jello mold thing-in a loaf pan-red and pears in one layer, green and pineapple in the other, and the middle layer is pineapple juice and dream whip. I LOVE it- but only for New Year's Day. She didn't make it last New Year's, and I really felt something was missing. I have never eaten it any other day-it is just the tradition of it. Like my birthday cake is always graham cracker crumb cake with raspberry jam filling and sea foam icing. I have had the same cake, every year, since I was about 8. So I guess my favourites have to do with my mom. She's pretty cool for a 77 year old. (yeah, she'll shoot me when she finds out I told her age! She has been 39 for a really long time). BUt that is the reason why those recipes are special.

Today

Mr. Big Giant Poodle Head Bear is currently in the doggie hospital, having a little surgery. He will be a bit lighter tonight (Let's just say he will be less two "ornaments"). And, A. (my 8 year old) asked THE question-
"Why does Bear have to get fixed so that he can't make babies? He's a boy, and boys don't have babies." I said we would sit and talk it all over on the weekend (when I get my wits and a good stiff drink in me) She said,"Is it gross?" I said, "Well, you might think so." She wrinkled up her nose, pondered for a minute, and said,"Then I don't want to hear about it." Do you think I am saved for a little while?

Nah, I didn't think so.

By the way, I don't know why it is called "getting fixed", when BEFORE the surgery, they work just fine! So, I guess Bear is out "getting broken".

This is a knitting blog, right?

First of all-this is my Bear- the Big Old Flirt. I swear he grins at everyone- like he's got some big secret.

And on to knitting.......

I have, in my stash, a whole lot of Manos del Uruguay, in a heady mix of purples-from the deepest, richest royal, through to plum and a blueish-reddish slice of heaven- I just LOVE the colours! And I had thought to make a textured cardigan (the texture does help to break up the variegation somewhat)-started it, and hated it- it was a shapeless, heavy mass of purple that made the yarn look rather cheap and undignified (and I didn't need any help in that department, thank you very much). Soooo-enter Simply Knit 2 (I think the Simply Knit books are divine) and this little number- called Waiting for Godot- I love the ruffly bit-SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- I made the back, with the ruffly bit, but longer-and a few short rows in the centre, so the flirty bits hang a bit in the centre. And- the front is going to be Non-ruffly bit (I am afraid that the ruffle s may fit a little too well)-just plain- maybe with an icord border. The sleeves will have the ruffly bit- just one of these pleats-to hang a bit over my hand- I will include the collar-maybe even modify it a bit-and there you go. I have the back knit-to the armpits- the ruffly bits are just gorgeous- there are even bobbles at the top of the ruffly bit- and I think this will be a really interesting use of this yarn (please note- when I use the word "interesting" that doesn't always mean a good thing-this time it does). What I am hoping to get out of this is a sweater/jacket that I can wear when a slightly dressier look is needed. My staff party is in a week and a bit-but also report cards-due this Friday)(details, trivialities!)-I have a ruffled shirt (cream), black velvet jeans- and this purple sweater-I hope I can finish it!

A few years ago, when I first started printing my own business cards, I got completely silly and printed out cards that said:

Deb White

Goddess of Education

Empress of Pedagogy

She Who Controls the Stars and the Tides

(I should explain, at this point, that I am an elementary school teacher, and get my jollies where I can)

And, of course, I handed them out to people who knew me, and would get a chuckle out of it.

So today, while procrastinating about doing my @%^#**&^%(!!! report cards (how do I hate writing report cards, let me count the ways...), I cruised around my favourite blogs, and saw this quiz thing on "And She Knits Too" (great blog-go and see- http://acunningplan.typepad.com/andsheknitstoo/).

So I wasn't THAT far wrong those many years ago.

I wonder how this will look on business cards??????

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Family and Pick Up Sticks

Brr. Family. I just haven't quite figured mine out- except that when they want something-they know where I am. Otherwise- pretty quiet out there. I imagine I am not alone in this kind of set up, however.
I was zooming around, and heard that the Yarn Harlot herself had talked about Pick Up Sticks- a Canadian on line yarn store with lots and lots of pretty stuff. AND- apparently a 10% discount for the next few days. And free shipping over 60 bucks! All of the prices are in Canadian dollars. I LOVE Apple Laine yarns- so I think I might just mosey myself over there-there is a fiver kit for a garter shawl that has my name written all over it! Go and see for yourself- http://www.pickupsticks.ca/
Ta-

Wet wet wet

Holy crow- is it wet enough for ya? Last night, I had made supper, served both Sean and A. (hey- it is not a usual thing- usually it is all for yourself)- and just as I was about to sit down with my supper-the phone rang-my mom (lives about 3 minutes' drive away)- "Help Help - Emergency! My basement is flooded!" So- zoom- over we went- and oh man- she wasn't kidding. She had just caught it- at the moment when the sump pump decided not to be a stalwart little engine- but what a mess. her basement isn't finished (Thank Goodness)- but she had stuff stored in cardboard boxes (don't you just love that wet cardboard smell???) and she had area mats on the floors (they are pretty well toast). And tomorrow, we are up in Ottawa at our niece's birthday party at the NAG (National Art Gallery). I think I might do some Christmas shopping in the gift shop there- hmmmmmmmmmm.

The Bear, and a Gnome Hat

If you haven't seen the biggest sucky animal in the world yet, well, get yerself an eyeful of this guy. He likes to crawl up and get all four paws on his intended victim (usually me, but sometimes the 8 year old or the husband unit) And then he squeezes his eyes shut and plays possum, until he actually DOES fall asleep!

And this picture is one of Mr. Bear just before he starts his move upwards to find a nice warm place to snuggle.

He has absolutely no clue that he is a big galoot. And with a face like that-hmm, I suspect he will get into lots of trouble.
Knitting news- I have started a hat for my niece- she wants something warm, covering her ears and part of her neck, soft, ties on somehow, and doesn't need a pompom. Soooo- I went to see what the handy dandy world of knit bloggers had to offer me and lo and behold! I checked out Knitting Iris (a very interesting blog) and she had a hat! And here is the pattern! (RUBY! this one is the one I was talking about)http://community.livejournal.com/knitting/75126.html seemed to have all of the parameters sorted out. I had a couple of balls of the new Patons soy and wool-looks like it will take more than one ball-so I have it started- I will take a picture when it is done, because now, it really doesn't look like much. You knit a ribbed square- in a very particular way- and then graft the ends together-the hat ends up with a pointy top, you add a little garter stitch knitted band that buttons closed-LOVE IT! (pattern is apparently based on something from the 1940's-a baby hat) Oh heck- just go see it here- http://knittingiris.typepad.com/knitting_iris/2006/10/index.html
I will let you know how it all works out-
Ta.

Just how Canadian am I??????

But first of all-this is the picture from Stephanie's blog (no I didn't hot link!!!) of the sweater that I have been talking about. It was way too hot (and I am way too menopausal) to wear it that night, but since I had talked about finishing it and wearing it at the Yarn Harlot's visit, I brought it along! And if you are looking for a pattern-don't, since I made it up and didn't write anything down! But someone told me that Debbie Bliss has a pattern sort of like this.

A good Canadian born and bred in Quebec!

You are 100% Canuck!

You rock, you are an almighty Canadian through and through. You have proven your worthiness and have won the elite prize of living in a country as awesome as Canada. Yes I know other countries think they are better, but we let them have that cuz we know better than they do, eh?

How Canadian Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I picked up this quiz from the Harlot's comments-thanks!

Rowan DK

Remembrance Day-we had a perfect Remembrance Day ceremony at school yesterday. I got the gym decorated (I even painted a huge watercolour of poppies- my style-decided if I saw another bunch of red construction paper poppies and some dead soldiers again I would freak). The assembly was a bit longer than I had thought-but wow-amazing. The kids' choirs ( a primary, a junior AND an intermediate choir) were so sweet that they made me cry. The Grade 3 kids (my daughter included) got up and danced a folk lore dance to the Irish Blessing (sung by the intermediate choirs). We had some local veterans and military parents come as our guests. And the children (kindergarten to Grade 8) were absolutely AWESOME! They sat still and quiet for almost an hour!!!!!
I just picked up my package from the post office-10 beautiful skeins of Rowan DK in GOBLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah! The best. I got it on ebay-from Cucumberpatch UK -excellent price AND free shipping to boot. (Thanks Mandy!http://yanegeddon.com) I already have 10 skeins in Thor (a lovely, strong, grey flannel with a smidge of brown)-and it hasn't "spoken" to me...........yet-but this goblin green-it is like fresh peas, but with bits of yellow and blue and just a great tweed! But what to make? I was thinking of just a plain, raglan sleeved cardigan-let the yarn do the show off work. I have a store bought cardi in black cotton/wool that I love-except that it has 3/4 sleeves- I could reproduce it in the wool, right? And fix the sleeves issue. This sweater is knit at a tighter than average gauge-the result is a dense, "comfy" fabric-really easy to wear. The sweater has some pretty fancy buttons up the front with snaps on the back of each button-I am thinking some ribbon up the insides of the fronts, with snaps and buttons-hmmmmmmm. I am liking this idea. I have a rough time with buying clothes that fit-since I am about a 20 on top and a 16-18 on the bottom. But this sweater is a perfect fit-so if I just knit the pieces to match the ready-made-shouldn't be an issue. Hey-maybe I will write it up as I go, so that anyone who wants to re-create an existing garment can do so. What do you think? Anyone up for a Knit A Long with me?
I haven't worn the entrelac yet-I made it slightly smaller than I wanted, because my experience with Noro anything is stretch. So I think I will give it a bath, block it, and then do a show and tell.
Have a great weekend, whatever you are doing..............................

Added later----I was in the Cataraqui Mall today, at 11:00 am- the post was played over the loudspeakers- and everyone (except for one annoying person on her cell phone) stopped what they were doing and stood silently for two minutes. makes you proud to be Canadian. And to remember.....

I just got an email to check out the Harlot-apparently, she thinks I am far gone....... ya might want to go and see.......http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/(I didn't have the heart to tell her that I made a whole entrelac coat- and then traded it to a friend for 20 balls of Silk garden)

She

SHE was fabulous-even with hand lotion in her hair (you had to be there) The SHE is of course, Stephanie Pearl McPhee-the Harlot herself-She was way cool- gave a great talk. I got to see lots of people I hadn't seen for awhile (even my nephew's new bride's aunt) (hunh? Didya follow that?) And Amy from Napanee- send me your blog so I can add it to my read list. The entrelac sweater got itself finished-I was really pleased with the end result-but the goblins of menopause decided it had to be a much colder day for me to wear it. But I dragged it along anyway-because I had told so many people that I was going to finish it and wear it-that the idea of seeing the Harlot kind of galvanized me into action. Don't you find that? A seemingly endless sweater might become a newly finished object de wardrobe, given the right incentive. I once knit a Philosopher's wool sweater, based on the Fassett poppy sweater, in about 6 days (yup-start to finish-all 23 colours). I was recovering from knee surgery at the time, and higher than a flippin' kite on Demerol, but it was a great sweater! I will be putting up pics of the entrelac sweater this week-just stay tuned.
The Bear still has the, um, same issues he had last week with his system-vet suggests we give him acidopholus (sp?) to get his innards back in balance-BUT-the good news- he gained weight. So the idea that he has Crohn's is a little farther away today. Keep your fingers crossed-his personality is spectacular, and he is a natural comic-two characteristics that endear doggies to me. And I am afraid he has bonded-with my 8 year old (her comment after we had had Bear for a week---"thank you so much for getting me a puppy that likes me") Yeah-he's stayin'

Update on the update.....

Okay-got everything together-used some sock yarn (doubled) to sew it up -Noro is a bugger to sew with-it rips and shreds and makes me say very bad words (very, very bad words)-but now there is a problem-weather predictions say it is NOT going to be cold on Wednesday-so I may not be able to wear the new sweater to the Harlot! Oh my.

Update on entrelac.....

The parts are all knit-I went with stocking stitch sleeves- otherwise I think the entrelac sleeves would have been a little too "Michelin man"-I have joined the shoulders, knit the neck on- now I just have to sew! So maybe tonight............ (then block, dry, wear- it will be tight-but I might be able to do it)

"SHE" Cometh........

Yes, that "She"- that one! the one who not only knits, but writes about her knits! The Yarn Harlot herself- coming to Ktown on Wednesday night! Gotta go, gotta go-but this is what I need to know- if the Harlot is to speak at 7:00, and the seating is limited, exactly WHAT time should I go to get a seat? I need to know this vital information- so please, someone help me out-how long before the event should I go over? (Hmmm- if there are two trains, one moving at 70 kph, the other at 55 kph,on a 200 km track, how long........)And I'm going to have a new Silk Garden entrelac sweater to wear to it!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmm

Found this in Bear's bed today when I got home. I guess that was why I couldn't get him to come and snuggle-he just kept on hiding his big old furry head. He is one sorry old Bear tonight- he is harder on himself that I was!!!!!!!!! Now if only I can find the rest of that ball of wool..............