Happy Holidays!!!!

Just a quick moment to wish all a happy holiday, a safe time, and a sweet time with family and friends. And knitting. Of course!

All presents should be knitting related, right? Or maybe some of them. Yeah, that works.

Good night- gotta go wrap more presents. And finish knitting that hat, yeah, the one for tomorrow morning.

Some Sunday Morning Pictures

Since I haven't posted ANYTHING for awhile- here are some pictures.......

First of all- this is a moebius cowl out of some beautiful gradient dyed BFL by the lovely Ruth from Knitting on Impulse. This particular one was a sunset type of colourway. I used maybe 2/3 of the skein-it was a gift for the long suffering school secretary.

Secondly- what the hubster does on the weekend-no, not chain saw dueling (can't you just hear the banjo music playing????) But helping a friend clear cedar from his property. You can see the house under construction in the background. (By the way-Sean is on the left in the red)

And Halloween food..........

With a devilish side.......... (amazing what one can do with dip and a bit of ketchup on a toothpick)

And, of course, a gratuitous shot of the Bear. Looking sad. I was going to work and he was trying to demonstrate his displeasure.

By the way- he puts his feet up to his ears like that. He often does that and then puts his head down under his hind legs!

I'm alive!

I swear I am- just really busy. I guess it is because I didn't really take time off this past summer (well, except those 5 days I took off-I worked all summer on a Ministry writing project), but I am finding it difficult to recharge. I am also working pretty hard at school. And what is all this insanity about the flu virus? I tend to believe the saner, wiser heads that say, "Yes, H1N1 can be bad. But it isn't as bad as it is hyped up to be. So just do your best to keep healthy."So far, the most kids I have had out are 5 (out of 25-but not all were flu related). I haven't been to an H1N1 virus vaccination clinic yet. Around here, the people who are supposed to go are those in the high risk groups. So- HERE IS MY SOAPBOX RANT....What IS it with people who are perfectly healthy but absolutely insist they have to step ahead of the high risk groups and get their vaccinations????????? I know of many seemingly normal people who have decided that the health of someone who has an ongoing risk (which could be quite serious) is not important to them. The only thing that is important is getting the H1N1 flu shot BEFORE ANYONE ELSE. Stupid stupid stupid. I realize that some people are saying there may not be enough to go around in this round. So- I am healthy- I will wait until the next round. But what about these others? The people with severe asthma, or wee babies, or people with other ongoing health issues. What about them?

I really don't get this strange phenomena-step on anyone you want in order to get what you want. but soothe your conscience by saying "I am only doing it for my kids". Hey- I am teaching my child how to keep herself healthy. When she was 3 1/2 years old, she was blindsided by a severe virus that tries to shut her liver and her pancreas down. Not something I would ever want her to go through again. However, she is healthy now. She is strong, eats the right foods, and has learned the lessons of "Wait your turn." and "Take care of your fellow man." Other parents have taught their kids "Push ahead of everyone." and "It's right if you get something out of it."

Makes me worry about the future of the human race.



Onto knitting news, since I can rant about this all day!

I have knit a hat and mitts for a newborn to be (scheduled c section for mama is the 18th) We know it is a little girlie, so the set is very pink! (Pictures to come) This wee baby also has a sister-who is 2. We got her a tutu skirt from Old Navy so she can dance for her new sister on the day she is born.

I have also been knitting hats and mitts and Christmas ornaments (they are over at Wool Tyme in Kingston- go and see!) And I have a couple of sweaters on the go. I burned my right hand fairly badly-so until all the peeling is over, I won't be knitting too many things!!!!



And that's about all for now!!!!!

Sunday morning fun

Tomorrow, I plan on making a trip up to the WILTON ROAD MOTEL to the Woolen Mill, for their annual OPEN HOUSE~~~~fiber and yarn and demos and even some alpacas!!!! Hand dyed yarn, curly locks (dyed in fabu colours) for felting or thrumming, lots of specialty spun yarn. Maybe even some lamb chili.
It starts at 10:00 and goes until 4:00-just at the turn off to the 401 in Odessa.

Be there or be square.

By the way- go on over to bea's blog, admire the most beautiful Abby and Gus, go and visit her etsy store (I have a bag or two- LOVE them!!!!!!!) and enter the contest (only open until tomorrow- in all the craziness at work- I forggot all about it!!!!!-Sorry Bea and pups!!!!) Mosey on over to here http://bea-blacksheep.blogspot.com/

This kind of says it all

Mr. Bear is not exactly thrilled with everyone going back to school this September.



Enough said.

My baby is growing up!!!!!

My baby (well, she is all of 11 going on 22) went out and babysat for an hour yesterday. The "babysittee" is a sweet little 2 year old neighbour. Her daddy was out in the yard working, and mommy had to run some errands, so Annie was called into service. Sean and I were here if she needed anything. Anyhow, she came home very happy and very proud of herself. She said she didn't want any money for it (that will change, I am sure). I asked her how everything went, and she said, "Mom, I never got how important wet wipes were, Until today." I said, "A diaper incident?" She responded with,"And how." Well, her first real diaper (she took the babysitting class last year at school. One of the teachers offered it for 10 and 11 year olds, to get them ready for taking the "real" class and getting the certificate). Then Annie said," I am going to thank Madame (the teacher who gave that club) for that class. Boy! Did I need it!!!!!" So, all is well.

And other news-my husband has long been a fan of Princess Auto. And lookee lookee-He got into the flyer!!!!! He is a tech teacher at Napanee District, and he had his kids build a bio-diesel chopper!!!! (He rides the bikes around the block- I swear it is a "guy magnet"-the men kinda swarm around them!)

The flyer date is September 1st to 13th, if you wanted to check it out yourself. (The Princess Auto flyer goes across Canada). (You can click to make it bigger)

I am pretty darn proud of him.

Onto knitterly news- I started the "Travelling Woman" scarf/shawlette (Ravelry project). I used some BFL fingering from Impulse of Delights in the "Dancing Moss" colourway.

I swear this colourway is made for being happy. I now want to make a LARGER version- using this yarn. Ruth doesn't have any left in stock. BUT-if you have some and want to sell or trade-leave me a note. It is Impulse of Delight's fingering BFL, in the "Dancing Moss" colourway.

Off I go to spend a lazy Labour Day. We had a salmon BBQ last night with some friends-it was a hoot. So today is lazy day.

Have a happy Labour Day, whatever you do!

Where did the summer go?????

I swear I was just saying good-bye to my class of really sweet Grade 6/7 kids in June! I cannot believe the summer is all over! The writing project was rather long and arduous, but I learned an awful lot. I have written curriculum items over the years, and I have, of course, developed a lot of my own classroom stuff. But this was more structured, and drew from using the Curriculum Planner (a Ministry of Education product). It was really quite interesting. And I have never written a storyboard for a professionally done video ever before. The people I worked with were really spectacular-top drawer all the way. All in all, although it ate up a lot of my summer, I would recommend it to any teacher who needs to revitalize- get charged up-make a difference. The new technologies that are accessible to classrooms are amazing. I would LOVE to have a white board set up in my room (anyone out there willing to foot the bill????) I know that there are many people "out there" who believe that teachers have a hard job and do their best. But I also know that there are people who believe teachers have a free ride, and are being paid to do very little. Elementary teachers work hard-think about it. I don't get to school for 9:00 am and boot out the door at 3:30, nor do any of my co-workers. I bring work home just about every day, and, if I am sick, I have to write down everything I was planning to do in minute detail for someone else to do. But I am not complaining- because this is the job I chose for myself when I was about 11 years old (Annie's age!) and have been doing for 28 years. I love the job. It is exciting, invigorating, frustrating, rewarding, thankless, fun, sad, wearying, tiresome, exhausting, satisfying, challenging...what can I say-it is all things at some time of the year.

The challenge this year will be dealing with the so called "second wave" of the swine flu. It is difficult for me NOT to touch-to pat a shoulder, or shake a hand, or "high five" a kid. But apparently, touch is dangerous-both to me and to the kids. Some schools have decided to "touch elbows" as a way of showing acceptance and reward. Is your kids' school doing anything about this? I think it will be an interesting year!


This is a picture from last year, but I think it says it all. It was a quiet summer. Hello, Fall!

Knitting and Kidlets

What does one do with a stash of bits and pieces of sock yarn?


ONE MAKES A SOCK YARN AFGHAN!!!! That's what! (actually, there's more that this done on it now-it is rather addictive, you know!)

Speaking of addictive- this is the shawl I made Mom, in progress. It is now done, (has been for quite some time) but I haven't taken a picture of Mother and shawl together. It was for her 80th birthday, and has 80 diamonds (my mother is a real gem).

And what does one do on a lovely August afternoon before school starts? Why, you invite your neighbour over for a Creamsicle in the pool......

And you turn into MUSCLE MAN when you puff up your Skins shirt (it is a way of keeping her protected from UVA and UVB).

Man, it must be nice to be a kidlet.

Annie's Sheep

Annie loves to draw-or sing- or dance-or play piano. She is just one of those arty kids, ya know? So when she thought she would like to make me a picture for my blog, I suggested something with sheep in it. Here it is......



Hmmm- is that me knitting the sweater off of some poor sheep?

Hair of the Dog, and the Writing has been a real DOG!

Oh Good Lord! I haven't finished that writing project yet- I have worked almost everyday ALL day-but I am getting close. And now, next week, I have to go into my classroom to get ready for school! Where did the summer go?

I haven't even really been doing much knitting. The few things I have worked on aren't really worth talking about, or taking pictures. However, I HAVE been knitting on a plain sweater, knit out of beautiful yarn. The yarn is the heavy worsted from Impulse of Delight (you can go here and see what she has http://www.impulse-of-delight.com/store/index.php). That Ruth is quite amazing- she takes photos of things she loves, and then manipulates them on the computer to get the pure colour out of them. I saw she had taken some pics of her beloved Irish Wolfhound (whom they lost, sadly, quite recently). She called the yarn colour "Guinevere", after the dog, of course. I just fell in love with the colour- a rich variety of greys, bordering on a taupe a "greige" as they call it-right down to a near charcoal. The sweater is a simple cardigan-seed stitch borders, and one button (I actually have a lovely antique mother-of-pearl carved button that will be quite nice). Sorry about the blurry picture- but it was the only one that came close to capturing the colours in the yarn!

What I wanted to do was line each front edge with a piece of brocade ribbon or braid- but do you think I could find any locally????? If anyone has a Canadian source for wide brocade braid or ribbon- leave me a message!

Anyhow-I am so close to the end of the writing I can almost TASTE it-so off I go while it is quiet in here-

I am writing

And writing. And writing. And not really knitting. Just writing. And then second guessing myself. The way I write for kids is well, playful. I try to make it sound like we are having a conversation. And well, this is school stuff, I don't want it to bore everyone. But I am second guessing what the boss wants, as well as whether or not my style fits in with all the other writers (there are 10 of us total). Because if mine is the only playful one, it would be easier for me to change than for everyone else to change. Right?
And so it goes.................................
(just a hint- my writing is on a science unit called Structures-form and function; I called it.....
"Structures will wobble but they shouldn't fall down." )
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Well, I survived!!!!!

I met the other 9 writers on the team. And they were great. I had a few "deer in the headlight" moments (okay, maybe more than a few), but I think I am on the right track. Because this is a pilot project, it is hard to gauge how much or how little to give us, or whether the deadlines are realistic, or...? On the way up to Toronto, on Monday, we were just ahead of the "parade" of the repatriation of a fallen military man. Yesterday, we watched the parade go up the other side of the highway (for the two helicopter pilots/passengers). Very, very sad. Each overpass had at least 30 people, often more, standing and waiting-police officers, firefighters, vets, civilians, ambulance attendants and paramedics, and concerned and interested citizens.
Annie and Sean spent some time together in Toronto- riding the subway (Annie said- "Hey-I saw a transvestite! White skirt and a five o'clock shadow!") and they also went all the way up the CN Tower. That was a great thrill for her (the CN Tower, not the transvestite-I think, anyway) ;-)
So tomorrow-off I go to Peterborough for my inlaws' anniversary get together. Bear will be going to his favourite Nanna!
I hope to knit soon-

Off to a new adventure.......

I agreed to a bit of a job- in Toronto and at home- to do some professional writing for the summer (and yes,get paid for it). So here I am, in a hotel room in Toronto- feeling a bit lonely. It didn't help that I got a phone call from my daughter saying she really really missed me. Or that hubby and I got into quite a spat last night.(I hate that). And the one and only restaurant in the hotel is closed-so I had to eat in the bar (listening to business men in the bar trying to out talk each other in terms of showing "their" women where they belonged (note to self- find out where these women are and tell them to run run RUN AWAY). So I will be here for 3 days- and then Sean and Annie will be back to get me.


OY. I am bored. But I am a bit excited about doing some writing again.


And tonight-I am going to do some knitting in that huge king size bed, with the TV on (hopefully there is a movie or something good) and not think about my troubles.


Oh- I am knitting a jacket from the "Knitted Jackets" book by Cheryl Oberle (very very good). It is the "Three Sisters" design, and I am knitting it out of some Red Bird Knits' aran weight Wensleydale Longwool-dyed by the Fleece Artist lady-in a lovely mottled warm olive- much like in the picture.


Isn't it pretty??????????????



By the way- still not sure of the sweater from the last post. Still doing my research on "Yvonne".


PS- I was over at Knitobsession- and she directed her readers here-http://wanderingcatstudio.blogspot.com/ to a contest. This lady has some beautifulkll colours of hand dyed yarns- and she has opened up a contest. Go and see- it is open until the 13th (? I think)

Thinking upon making something....

But I was wondering if anyone knew anything about Cocoknits. Here is what I am considering- http://www.cocoknits.com/knit/garments/women/yvonne.html I have some absolutely luscious Blackberry BFL dk from one of my favourite indie dyers (Ruth at Impulse of Delight-go check out my sidebar- you will love her, too). I am also going to go over to Ravelry (another highly addictive thing) to see if anyone has comments on that sweater!
Ta for now-

New computer, Canada Day, and Cascade Fixation baby duds

Guess what? I will be doing some writing for the Ministry of Ed. this summer, and I was afraid that they would all laugh at my elderly laptop, so I decided to buy a new one. It is really pretty- very slick, with a huge screen. It is a Hewlett Packard (which my buddies in the industry tell me is a reliable brand). And a battery that can be recharged (unlike our elderly Dell). The Windows Vista is pretty slick, as well. But here is a strange thing- the Bell security, that we pay for, is not compatible with the 64-bit operating system that this new puter has. Soooooo-what's up with that? The computer did come with a free 30 day trial of Norton, which is probably what we will end up purchasing. But I am still shaking my head.

I just got the local Wool Tyme newsletter, and Anne is featuring a pattern that I designed years ago (when I first discovered Cascade Fixation)-a wee baby hat. It is a freebie- go and see it here- http://wtkpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/06/childs-frilly-hat-of-cascade-fixation.html It makes a great ruffled baby hat (that stays on)-and takes one ball.

I "borrowed" this image-since I do not have a picture of the finished thing. I also designed a ruffled bikini for a baby (I did it in leopard print- but you can make it plain or striped) on Knitty. I called it "Jane of the Jungle". Go and take a peek- http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTjane.html

If you do use either of these patterns-send me a pic of the finished item-I would love to see them!!!

Oh- and Happy Canada Day! In a new tradition (I always do this with my friends, I just haven't put it up on my blog)- the reasons to love Canada-

Great medical care

Education at all levels is top notch!

Fresh water- we have lots of it, and I, for one, want to preserve it

Fresh air-nothing smells better

Four distinct seasons-all beautiful

Tim Horton's (I do love me a decaf coffee and a "tractor tire" doughnut (yes, we Canadians spell like that)

Canadian spelling, for that matter

David Suzuki

French and English

Burton Cummings

Tortiere and cretons (ya gotta know Quebec to know those two)

Add your Canadian loves- join a good thing!!!!!!

Yeah, I'm not dead

But close. The kids are now done, after spending an overnight at Fort Henry and then dragging around all day!!!! Luckily, I am "allowed" to take my class with another teacher, and then I stay late, but not overnight (too many arthritic issues). But all that walking still makes a girl kinda sore.
The trip was cool, I must say. The only down side was a double booking(on the part of the Fort)-an Austin Healey "convention", in which the kids were kind of rushed through some history, told to get off the parade ground, then watched while drivers from all around the world brought these cars in, then had a "shooter race" (yes, drinking), and then got back into their cars. Hmmm- what is wrong with this picture?
The good news- got myself a little job doing some writing for the ministry of ed. The bad news- takes some time away from the summer. But it will all work out- a little extra money won't hurt.
Anyhow- here is a bit of a funny- my daughter is 11. And she gets some pretty funny notions. She asked me, when we were on the way to work, if it was true that daddy didn't wear pjs. I said, well, that was true. She countered with - "I don't think he wears underwear." I responded with no, he did not. She turned to me, with great care and concern, "Oh you poor thing. Having to put up with a naked man in your bed when you are just trying to sleep."
I almost drove the car in the ditch.

Happy summer holiday.

Lookee!

My husband, bless his fuzzy little heart, has been working hard on a program with kids who, basically, weren't doing so well. He has them for three periods in a row- and he builds choppers with them. Not just any choppers- hand built and finnished bio-diesel machines- made form old motorcycles annd bits and pieces of all kinds of things. The bio-diesel is made from the French fry oil from the cafeteria. Check it out! http://www.ckwstv.com/index.cfm?page=news&id=797 He will also be on CBC Radio (Ontario Morning) on Monday.
Isn't he cool?
Love ya, baby-
PS- If you go to YouTube-andn then channel, type in kitplanesolutions, you will see other "old man" videos. Used to be airplanes, now, well, one never knows!!!!!!!!!

How do I hate writing report cards......

Let me count the ways.......................................................................

Star Trek-yes or no?

I thought to myself- how could they reinvent Star Trek AGAIN? How could "they" change who played Kirk? And Spock? Is nothing sacred in the world?

So, going to the new Star Trek movie was a big question mark- how where "they" going to pull it off?

And I LOVED it. Lt. Uhuru, unbeknownst to the rest of us, had a "thing" for Spock. And Spock let his human side hang out to show how much he hated Kirk. But James T. Kirk- with that big chip on his shoulder-was too funny! Bones was a scat- the actor portraying him "borrowed" a few of the original's best lines- with great success. Scotty made me laugh. Even Sulu and Checkov, while not quite what I had expected, had their moments. And it worked- the whole package of new faces/old names, an original character with the new updated version, and the age old quest involving bad guy with a grudge needing to be overcome by the shiny bright good guys.

Yeah, I loved it.

Star Trek lives!

Catchin' Up

I don't know why I am having such a hard time updating this blog. I used to love sitting down and writing up something, usually only of interest to me. But lately? well, there seems to be other things to take over my time.

On to other news- Easter was fun. At school, on Thursday, we hid Kinder eggs in the classroom and let the kids find their "one egg each". This is Grade 6/7, and you would have thought I had given them gold. They ate their chocolate right away, and then built their toys. And then the trading began! What a hoot! My daughter does not believe in the big bunny, but we still get a giggle over the "Clue Hunt of Ahab the Bun Rab". You see, the deal is, Mommy hides little prizes all over the house, late Saturday evening. Then the notes begin. The first one is outside her bedroom door in a basket, giving her a clue as to where to look. The second clue is attached to that first gift/surprise she has found, and on and on..... I originally started it as one more way to get her to love reading, when she was about 7 or 8, and now, well, Annie says it is tradition! It is fun to see her roar around, I must admit. On Friday night, we went to the block Easter Egg Hunt/Potluck supper that a neighbour hosts. She has been doing this for years, so, again, an Easter TRADITION. And Annie is all about traditions- she loves to keep doing things the same way, year after year, building up her own traditions, often based on some wacky thing I thought I would like to try. Hmm. That might be how traditions start anyway.

Last night was another potluck/BBQ to welcome back some neighbours who have moved to Newfoundland. They are here on a visit, but I suspect they might be returning to the area (they've been gone a year, but I don't thinks things turned out as well as they had hoped).

And now for some knitting pictures-I truly HAVE been knitting!!!!

Let's see- I will be teaching an entrelac workshop at Wool Tyme (in Kingston, Ontario) this weekend. So I thought I had better make something to leave as an original pattern. Sooo- enter a gorgeous skein of yarn- Impulse of Delight's BFL, fingering weight, in "Mountain Sunset No. 2". Oh my, she is one talented lady with her dyeing. (just see the list of blogs on my sidebar for contacts). Anyhow, this will be a soft cowl, in entrelac, with lace inserts in the top squares of the cowl. Hmmmm. Somewhat industrious, yes, but I think it will be quite pretty. It will also be a wonderful way to use a beautiful skein of yarn, when you don't want to make socks.

Mom's shawl is nearly done. Because she turned 80, the shawl has 80 squares in it (domino knitting, not entrelac). I used Noro Silk Garden Lite, 9 skeins for a reasonable size. The edging is next- I am going to use is Lana Grossa Meilenweit (fingering, part wool, silk, polyamid and cashmere) in a light grey, almost a silver. I want to do a few rows of eyelets and then a garter stitch saw toothed edge. I think it will look quite smart.

And now for yet another project- this is my knitting bag (felted Lopi). (I made it years ago- it was actually my first felting project-I couldn't believe how much I had to knit! It was like a slipcover for a car!)

Open it up and see all my ends of sock yarns- mostly mine, some from friends, some from Mom- but I am using the same concepts from Mom's shawl and making a rectangle- sort of a lap robe/afghan- depending on how much yarn I have and how much momentum I will have.

This is where I am at, so far- it's a travelling project, for now. The good thing- it isn't a heavy afghan that turns into a sure fire way to get tennis elbow, and can be folded up. The down side- this is either going to be really neat, or it will be an eyesore. Don't know yet.

And my February Lady Sweater is coming along. I LOVE it. I am making it out of Araucania Nature Wool in a striated indigo (very posh looking). The buttons are a gift from my friend , Ruby- they are hand made glass- and too stunning to believe.

And that's about it- except I just got a call from my SIL-my nephew (Grade 7) had a bad accident- he was out skateboarding and fell, and drove his finger into the gears of his buddy's bike. OW. Surgery, stitches, a pin and a tendon reattachment- looks good now.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!!!

the results.....

Nope- she didn't catch the leprechaun...this time. The dog, however, had green sugar on his toes and his face. The milk was green. AND- the bait (Lucky Charms, OF COURSE) WAS GONE! But he left some neat things. A book about dragons (with green writing, of course) some green gummies, and a green original Hex bug (look 'em up- http://www.hexbug.com/ -they are way cool). Soooo-we will plan for next year. I am a bit surprised that bear didn't catch him- but perhaps he DID- hmm- are leprechauns made out of sugar, I wonder???????
The Break was good- not much relaxing, though! We took Annie to "The Wizard of Oz" up in Ottawa (it was spectacular- how Toto got all of his cues without any problems or false starts is beyond me!) And we had some visitors (Hi Larissa and Hayley and Nat! Hi JoAnn) and some shopping (gotta love that Beadapalooza!). And then we had my mother's 80th birthday celebration. (I had fun )
And now- back to work. And from here on in, it is like we are on a slide-pretty soon, it will be June!!!!!!!!
But I almost finished my mom's birthday present- I have some time tonight......keeping my toes crossed- need my fingers to knit!

Top of the Mornin' to You!

Yes, it is St. Patrick's Day. And at our house, that means a trick or two from a little green guy (like the milk has turned green, or the water in the toilet is green, or,..........) As well, it means that A. builds a "leprechaun trap"-an assortment of boxes and tape and some strategic planning. You see, leprechauns love shiny things, and "Lucky Charms" cereal (the perfect bait), and natural objects (like twigs and pretty stones). If you leave a direction for him (such as "No leprechauns allowed" or "Do not enter") he will do the exact opposite. And if he doesn't get caught, he leaves a few trinkets, since he appreciates a good try.

Enjoy your green day, whether you can claim Irish heritage or not!

what's happening these days....

Report cards. They suck the big one. I hate them-I hate them-I hate them. There the truth is out. Local teacher hates report cards. It takes time away from lovely, lovely knitting. Or from goofing around. Or from reading great books. Watching movies. Doing all that stuff I sooooo enjoy.

I happened to get my hands on some fabulous yarn from Ruth at Knitting on Impulse (she's on my list of blogs that I read). She is dyeing up a STORM! Anyhow this is sock weight in a perfect rainbow. And I am playing around with building a lovely circular entrelac cowl. There is also another mountain sunset-and it is greys and purples finished off with golds. That one is going to be a lacy cowl for someone at work. And then thee is another sunset one for me- greys and purples finished off with a burst of reds and pinks and fuschias. Very smart! I tried to take pics of the yarns, but they just weren't working out with my little camera. Just go one over to Ruth's web store and check out the fraternal twins, gradient dye jobs- OOOOOOOHHHHHH LLLLAAAAA LLLLAAAAA!

In the meantime, some gratuitous shots of family-

This is Mr. Bear with Daddy's new hat on (no, I didn't make it- but I wish I had!!!!!!)

And this is my two sisters- the younger one is in the middle and the older one is on the right. And yup- that big smiley one on the left is me.

Yeah. Not much family resemblance. And no- no one is adopted.

Passing on the love......

I found this on Sarah Peasley's blog- a person I have never ever met but think I would really enjoy talking to. (you can check her out here- http://www.handknitter.sarahpeasley.com/) Anyhow, I jumped in, and here you go-





The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.

- What I create will be just for you.

- It'll be done in the next 12 months.

- You have no clue what it's going to be.

- I reserve the right to do something unusual.

The catch? You have to put this in your blog as well. Pass on the love!

Designing

As some of you are aware, I dabble a bit in designing knits. At first, it was out of necessity-I like to dress a particular way, but many of those designs (say, fifteen years ago) were out of reach for those with (ahem) a more Rubinesque figure. So, in order to get what I wanted, I learned a whole lot about fit and drape and design (lots of failures along the way, too).

Occasionally, one of my designs gets published (which is really a big thrill- it is like a big gold star on that English essay- a confirmation, one might say). And I do realize that there are times when designers think alike. I remember a few fiascos when it was hard to determine who created first. But I do have a question-but first, a few details. A few years ago, I came up with "Big Blue". I had some Fleece Artist Silk Stream (which is still my all time favourite yarn to design with), and not a clue as to what to do with it. Soooo- I started playing, and came up with this-

This is the picture I have in Ravelry-not the greatest pic, but I didn't want to give away all my secrets, since this is a design I might try to flog.

Although this particular picture doesn't show it as clearly, the jacket is a tunic length modular knit, with a contrasting pink diamond on the back, and the same pink diamonds all around the bottom (you can see just the tip of one near the bottom edge of the photo).

So, this morning, I was looking around, and found this picture, from a well known company. True, it is a full length coat, as opposed to a tunic length. I can't see the sleeves- I used a chevron stitch all the way down each sleeve. I felt the diamonds would look too heavy. But it is possible this designer figured out a way to make it work. i just can't see the sleeves to make out that detail.

Anyhow, whoever thought about it first is not going to be answered here. But the question is- just how much does one share on Ravelry? You want people to notice your designs. And it is a point of fact- there are only so many things you can put into a design, so some features might repeat themselves over and over again (for example- high waisted sweaters are everywhere these days-I wouldn't be able to come up with who thought of them first). It wouldn't surprise me to hear that designers use Ravelry as a "source book" of designs and trends. The question then is- has the line been crossed? Does such a line even exist (the "line" being that point at which a design is distinctive and unique). I don't know. And I also don't know if the commercial design is the first or if "Big Blue" is the first. Ravelry can certainly show what is perceived to be your intellectual property (based, I guess, on how long one has a posted design).

There are differences between my coat and this one. It looks like there might be two blue colourways and two pink colourways in the commercial design, for example.

What do you think?

NAH!

I had to go to school on the bday. There WAS some freezing rain- just enough to cause an annoying "indoor recess" kind of a day, but it was all cleared for the end of the day. Oh well.
But when I went out to the car that morning (to go to school), there was a card on my car from one of the neighbours. How nice- I thought. And when I got home after school, another set of neighbours were there with a card and a $50 certificate for a local restaurant ($50 for 50 years!). Extra nice! And then yet another neighbour came by with a handpainted scarf for me (with a POODLE on it, of course!). All extra special because they were totally unexpected. These neighbours really made my day.
And the day was made even more special because of all of the birthday wishes from my web friends.(thank you, all of you)
Way cool.

What are the chances?????

Hey- I just checked out the weather forecast for tomorrow. It seems to suggest that freezing rain is on the way. Hmmm- what are the chances- a snow day on my birthday??????

I leave my car alone for a minute........

And the next thing you know I am getting an email from a friend's computer. This would be my husband (in the passenger seat) and his buddy touring around the backroads with the top down!!!!!!!! (they look like they're having fun, though, don't they?)

We went out for Sunday morning breakfast with the Flying Club gang- and we took the convertible (we are thinking of calling it Sammy- it is like a sleek black seal). A number of people actually thought we were joking around when we told them that this is what I got for my birthday (which is actually on Tuesday, Feb. 10). We took the top down for the ride home. Got a few looks from other drivers, but MAN! was it ever cool. (and not just cool in temperature) I do love that car!!! And I can hardly wait for the warm temperatures to go and drive around!

On to other news- knitting type news-I have been working on Mom's domino wrap- I have about 46 squares, so I am well on my way. I am teaching an entrelac workshop on the 18th of April. It is meant to be a workshop for people who are quite comfortable knitting (as in everything from an adventurous beginner and up) who would like to learn entrelac. I thought I would make up some samples with self striping yarns (I have a sweater made out of Noro Silk Garden), as well as gradient type yarns and solids with each square knit with a textured patterns. But I wonder what people would like to make? A scarf?

I've got this started- it is a rayon that was dyed in rainbow- "parrot" I think was the colourway). I thought I would show that knitting in straight stockingnette with this yarn yields something that isn't very attractive, but it looks great in entrelac. I figure a scarf would be the best bet, or else make a facecloth/handtowel in entrelac, as the class project. It isn't very hard to learn, but it does help if you can purl backwards. We'll see if there are enough people interested. Let me know if you want more details!

I need to go and mark papers now-drek, I tell ya- so I had better be off. Mother is cooking me my favourite meal of all time for my birthday (roast turkey with all the trimmings, and graham cracker crumb cake with seven minute frosting-HEAVEN!) so I don't even have to worry about what to make tonight.

See ya!

It's here!!!

I came home from work this week, and noticed that my driveway had an extra "somethin' somethin" in it!!!! My new car!!!!!!! I love it. I really really do. It is all black, inside and out (hubby thinks we should call it Sammy, as in Sammy Seal) and very slick. I still can't take it to school- it needs to get licensed and safetied and all that stuff. But with the weather these days- holy cow- snow city!!!!!!

But we did take some pictures.........................................

And I did drive it around a bit on its trip permit- just to make sure everything worked and all. It did (AND HOW). I have never had a car with leather seats before. And they are even HEATED! (How I love heated seats) And it has a 6 CD disc changer, and an awesome sound system, and just everything is perfect. I figured, in the spring, we can put Bear ( a white standard poodle) and William (a neighbour's black standard) in the back seat and see how many times we can get our picture in the local paper!!!!!!!!

I really love it. Thank you, Sean.

And on to the dilemma about mother's present-I have decided to make her something. To tell you the truth- because we both knit, I usually give her yarn, not finished items. So, I have decided to make her a wrap/shawl, out of Noro Silk Garden Lite, (colour 2013 B)using domino knitting. The tie in to her birthday is that I will make it out of 80 squares. Some squares will be bigger, of course, but it's a start. I will post a picture when there is more to show.

edited later: I added a poor picture- the colours are true in the swatch (above) I don't know what happened to the colour in this picture.

It gives you an idea of what I am up to. Whaddya think?

And now for a gratuitous Bear pic- This is what I think he was dreaming about, night before last. The old legs were just flying, and the face muscles were twitching, but he was fast asleep.

Funny thing- when we first got Bear (he was a neglected animal), he didn't dream like that. Now he does. In fact, one night, he even got his howler working- and yes, he was fast asleep.

Mom's Birthday

I have a bit of a dilemma. My mother is turning 80 soon. Now, 80 for some would be quite elderly. But "elderly" is NOT in my mother's vocabulary. She still pokes me at grocery store lines to let the "older ladies" in ahead of us (I know for a fact that one such "older lady" had just retired from teaching, and was about 64). She lives on her own, is very capable (in fact, takes care of me when I have had my many knee surgeries) (I'm up to over a dozen now, by the way, on both knees), and certainly does not need anything. But what to give her?????????

I thought about making something for her (she is, after all, the source of my knitting abilities). I thought about the log cabin wrap made from Kidsilk Haze in the "Color Style" book. I was thinking of the colours, however- I think a palette of purples and mauves and greys and pinks and creams would be perhaps more fitting. Because I love to see a bright centre, I would make sure to put a bright pink in the beginning squares.

But then I thought- where would she wear it? She made herself a Koigu shawl (another gift from my sister and I) and has never blocked it (said she just wanted to know if she could do it). I gave her enough cream cashmere for Xmas to make a large wrap (over 1300 yards of fingering/sport weight), so that will probably be her wrap- she doesn't need two.

She makes afghans like it is going out of style- she has one on each couch and in each room. When she and dad retired, she actually made a granny square one (with the bright colours and the black for contrast) out of mohair (very very beautiful, let me tell you).

This is my mom, taken last summer (she was only 79 in this one) Ya see what I mean? Hey- if I could be so darn lucky to age as well as she has, I would be a happy person! She loves colour-never wears brown (apparently a brown corduroy winter coat from her childhood comes back to haunt her)- she has many interests-knitting, quilting, cooking, volunteering (her time mostly- she is always knitting for charity), her grandkids, her great grand baby, travelling (although she hasn't travelled too much since her travelling partner died), she also loves theatre and movies.

Any suggestions? Ideas?

Give up?

Hmm- something black and sexy?????


Scroll down to see what my dear sweet husband has decided to give me for my 50th birthday................................................


































A BLACK SEBRING CONVERTIBLE! Just like this!

Oh I do love that man..............

IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!

And all the buses in the county were cancelled! Thank you to all those dancers out there-your combined efforts pushed the weather gremlins right over the top!!!!!!! I did have 9 kids, but it was a pretty relaxing day.

And I have some news! I will be turning 50 next month, and my husband announced what I am getting for my birthday. I'll give you a hint-it's black and it's sexy!!!!!!!!!

And speaking of birthdays.............Today is my husband's birthday!!!!!

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

It didn't work yesterday, but.....

The evil weather urchins are getting rather rowdy. It seems the storm warnings are up again for tonight. Hmm- SHAKE THAT BOOTY! WORK THAT MONEYMAKER! MAKE ME SOME FREEZING RAIN! (but then, after the buses are cancelled, please return the weather to something nice)

Okay, here's the plan.....

Tomorrow is the first day back after the holidays. It seems the weather gods are playing fast and loose with some freezing rain. So, in order to allow this girl to have a few extra sleepy minutes in the morning, we all must do the "freezing rain dance". Shake those hips, wiggle those arms, implore the weather gods to sprinkle a little more ice into the mix. You know ya wanna.

This has been an unpaid service announcement from teachers everywhere.