Merry After Christmas!

Hi Everyone,
Hope that you all had a very Yarny Christmas! I have been knitting everyday..including at our Christmas celebrations at my in-law on Christmas Day! I have been making a pair of socks for little guy - not so little anymore! They are being made from Regia, one of the new Kaffe patterns, I love it! Kinda blue, kinda turqouise.
For Christmas I was soooooo excited to received the KnitPicks options set in the Harmony! I just keep staring at it thru the pouch-- there were some people on Ravelry discussing the fact that some sets had been rec'd with a zippered clear pouch, the others with a binder style case -- I got the one with the clear pouch. I thought that the binder would be better, but actually like the pouch! This was the one thing, and the only thing that I wanted for Xmas and my hubby came thru! Apparently he had a dickens of a time getting it though, and was calling Knitpicks almost daily to see what was going on, it was stuck at customs for a few weeks! He finally got a call last Friday at about 4pm to pickup at the post office!! Given the fact that it was all I could talk about for the past 2 months, he was very relieved!! It took 1 month to get here!
We are now off to see "I am Legend" with DH, so will go and apply my face!
Pics to come soon, they are all on hubbys camera, as I always forget mine!
Happy New Year to all of you!!!!

Tis the Season

I have to say, I love Sheri's idea over at The Loopy Ewe, of telling her about a random act of kindness. I thought I would sieze the moment today, and purchased the coffee the lady behind me ordered. Tis the season for this type of gesture, although we should do it everyday.
I am finding more "bah humbugs" this year, than ever! Parking spaces, lineups, doors, everyone is out for themselves and that really is a shame. Think about it the next time you go out and just do something to help someone else, it doesn't have to cost money. Let me know if you can, I would love to hear what everyone else is doing in this season of giving!
As for the knitting, I have completed (after frogging the second one 2x) a pair of mittens for my son, I made them out of some of the Mission Falls Superwash Wool, from frogging the blanket made for little on last year....(note to self: must restart blanket!) I am going to attempt some ankle socks for some female family members as stocking stuffers, planning on starting after this...lets see how far I get! I have to get around to taking some pics. I will try soon. The gentleman who works full-time for me had a heartattack 2 weeks ago, so I have been working 6 days a week, so bear with me, I'll have some stuff soon!
Don't forget your comments, in the coming weeks I think I will have a draw!!!! Stay Tuned!

FYI, I am selling my brand new Namaste Executive Bag on Ravelry (Chocolate Brown), if anyone is interested it has never been used, I kind of looked at it as soon as I pulled it out of the box, and thought, 'how am I ever going to fill that, it's huge!' $60 plus shipping thru Paypal. My Ravelry id is kknitter.

American Thanksgiving

Just wishing all of my American knitting friends a Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you are all able to get in lots of knitting this weekend!!

Ah Ha!

There is nothing like forgetting your blogger password!! Swearing up and down for days, that they have no idea how to run this site, what a pain in the %^$#E$ etc. Well, yes, it was my fault! Too many passwords and logins to remember, my mind goes numb after a while, and I end up just staring at the screen....!
SOOOO here I am, after trying every combination under the sun...success!
Sorry I have been absent for a while, I too have got deep into this whole Ravely thang, "yes, I will just login for a quick sec...." only to discover that half the day has gone by! Ok, I'm not that bad, but I just cannot stay logged in for only a minute. One link sends you to another, etc. well, you know what I mean I'm sure, and if you are a knitter and not yet a member of Ravelry what are you waiting for? You surely must have heard of it by now!!

Ok, there's the agression and blaming gone!
As for the knitting, so much has been going on. First of all my DH and I were recently in Austin, Texas, and I checked out 2 super knitting stores. One is new The Knitting Nest, and one is a little older, but, I must say, simply amazing! It is called Hill Country Weavers.
I picked up a few "treats" at each store, I was especially excited to find Brittany DPN's!!
I also took advantage of a special on Joann.com, and since they don't ship to Canada, had them ship it to my hotel in Austin! I purchased a chocolate brown Namaste bag, the big one, it is super, although it is soooo big, I will have to start a large sweater to carry around with me, in order to make it worthwhile.
I have also joined in with a bunch of local gals from Ravelry, to a local knitting group. Our city has a population of over 150,000, and this is the only one that we know of!
We meet once a month right now, and have met twice so far, but it is fun to talk about everything knitting, and see what everyone else is working on.
If you are a part of Ravelry and live in Ontario, I created the "Ontario Knitters Unite" group on Ravelry. Please join us!
Projects that I have been working on: mittens, hats for DH and my little guy (one was already lost on the playground...an excuse to make more, not that I need one!), started on 2 pairs of socks, one for me, one for DH, just finishing a scarf our of Alpaca in a camel colour, and as we expecting the temps to dip below zero by the end of the week, it couldn't be better timing!
I started a great cat pattern, only to get confused with the pattern, and also not being able to increase from 3 stitches on 3 small DPN's, although it was attempted MANY times! Baby hat for my now 3.5 month old adorable nephew! ummm....still carrying on with my V-neck vest, and have frogged a blanket I worked on and off on for about a year for my son, as I think my knitting has improved since and I didn't like the way it was turning out.
So yes, knitting is busy, yey!!! But so is the rest of my life -- now I need some Dancing with The Stars therapy, so I will sign off...I think the winner will be Mel B next week, any takers???

Ravelry...addiction!

I had to chuckle to myself when Renee wrote "addicted yet?" on Ravelry. I thought, well, I guess I probably will get some useful information from this site, maybe meet a few people....I have just spent the past 2 hrs. doing practically nothing there!!!
I got my invite last weekend, drinking my coffee last Sunday morning, we were all just lazing on the couch, hanging out, and I figured I would check my email....BINGO!
I was right on there, had my profile done in a matter of minutes, and was surfing around!!! I have to say that it is a great site, and a great way to bring knitters together.
On the knitting front, have started a sock pattern (can't remember the name of it right now!), then was working away on a little mitten kit that I picked up at the Kitchener Knitters Guild Fair a few weeks ago, only to get to one of the last parts, and there is no indication how many stitches to cast on!! Absolutely no indication, anywhere, no designer/distributors name anywhere! So frustrating as they were going to be soooo cute! If you have any idea where to reach the person who was selling this pattern there, or have done it before (as I recall her saying that this was not her first year there) PLEASE email me!!! I really want to finish them -- I did learn how to make a bobble though, that was pretty neat.
Lastly, I think I have decided to frog the blanket that I was making for my little guy. Yes, I have been working on it for over a year, but it just doesn't do the yarn or the colours justice, the way it is now. More to follow soon on this one- whether I have the guts or not!

Labour Day Weekend

Can you believe that it is Labour Day weekend already??

Hope you have all had an enjoyable summer of knitting, and are now planning your Fall projects!
There seem to be lots of great books coming out as well!!
Yey!!
I'll have some pics to upload next week.
I am working on a Patons project that I started last Fall, and never really got started on.
My goal is to have it finito in the next few weeks. It is a dark brown sleeveless vest make from Patons Decor. I don't usually choose this type of yarn, but it has a really good look to it.
I'll keep you posted!!

Oh yeah! My thanks to Renee, for her great workshops the past 2 Thursdays at Main St. Yarns in Milton. She taught me Entrelac, and Mosaic ---really quite fun!

Not the best night!

I like to think that my DH and I have been pretty luck since our son was born over 5 years ago, up until last night though I think!
Even though he was born with a clef lip (and we had no idea until the moment he was delivered), and we had to have him in surgery to correct it when he was 3 months (it broke our hearts to let him go with the nurse, and sit there are wait for a few hours) --- we have always got away pretty easily when it comes to being up all night with illnesses.
That was until last night!
Yesterday, I had a very important client to see, for some commercial flooring work, so I dropped E, (that is what I will call our son from now on I think!) off at camp. He goes to a day camp which he just LOVES. In the car he said that his tummy hurt a bit, he thought it was just because he was still hungry. I got him a snack, and dropped him off, it was pyjama day, so very relaxed.
I raced to my appt. (in another city) and did what I had to do, my intention was to get back to the office, and work on my floor plans for the job, and get it quoted out. The sun was shinning, the a/c in the car was keeping me at the right temperature......the second I got back into the car, my cell rang, E had puked all over the floor, could I come and pick him up!!
I sped off, picked him up...all over the pyjamas, say no more.... by the time he got home, he said he felt fine, and was great for the rest of the day.
At 1:30am this morning, "Mom, my tummy doesn't feel good!", up we get (my DH and I are very good at taking turns, E was bottle fed, so we have always been used to that "schedule"), DH thought he was hungry, as he could do nothing but eat and eat yesterday afternoon. He settled after a quick snack and drink....until 3:30am, her really didn't feel good again, so into mommy and daddy's bed he came, I usually put him between us, but DH had a long week at work, and by this time was pretty grumpy, so I put him on the edge of the bed....at 5:45...well, you guessed it, all over the bed, my nightable, book, glasses...everywhere!
So needles to say, I had a rough night!! What a freeking week!
As for the project I am working on for this client, it is turning into a nightmare, not a small project, that will use up all of my manpower, just at a time when everyone else (residential) want their flooring done before school starts --- here is my hint to you, if you are out shopping for ANYTHING that has to be installed, don't do it a few days before you want it done, and then freak out when the company doesn't have room on their schedule to accomodate you!!!
I take great pride in my business, but holy crap!!

Thanks for letting me vent! I have been doing a lot of knitting, a tiny little had for Gavin, because he his so small, everything I passed down to my sister is too big yet! Working on E's blanket, square by square, hoping to complete that in the next 2 weeks. Also started a pair of socks for E, he is quite excited, he loves socks for some reason, always a big deal to choose the right pair for school each morning!

I hope you are having a better start to your weekend that I am, if you have any inspirational thoughts for me, please let me a comment, I'd love to hear from you!!

Finally, here is a picture of my sister and her new son, just about 1/2 hr after giving birth, man she looked great! She always does, lucky duck, I love her so!!


...and a picture of E with his new cousin:

I'm An Auntie!!

I am so VERY happy for my sister and her husband, as this afternoon, she gave birth to Gavin, 6lbs, 14oz! I am an auntie for the first time!
I took my knitting to the hospital today, to work on some booties, from Debbie Bliss "Simple Babies", but after a couple of hours of knitting away, I started to get distracted from the wait, 7 hours actually passes very quickly at a hospital!! I will be trying to finish them tonight.

That's it for today, just soooo excited, he is adorable, and I am so proud!!

New Stash....

Hi! Just a quick post today to show you the new items that I purchased at Webs, and another little shop in Plymouth, Mass.

This is some "Flash" above, and Soft Tweed by RY, it is actually lighter, I grabbed a bag of this! I really love Debbie Bliss stuff too, so I picked up a bag of this Alpaca Silk, it is actually a lot lighter than the picture.

These are 3 different colours of Noro Sakura (??) and some other Noro, I thought the colours were pretty!



Ultra Alpaca LIGHT!
It is so very great! New product, I am a big fan of Ultra Alpaca, so this was a big bonus!


That's it for today, hubby is taking me to a movie and dinner, so I will skedaddle! Will fill you in on how good "Chuck and Larry" is next time!

I'm Back...Yarn and All!

Hey! We had a great time on our vacation, but it was toooo short!
Knitting in the car worked well, and during the week I was able to get some sock knitting done too as we were in most evenings due to fog and rain!
The Cape is amazing, if you have never been there, put it on your list of places to visit.
The beaches are terrific, and what I think I enjoyed most were the walks on the beach! On our last been day, Wednesday, we walked about 2 miles out into the ocean, as the tide was out. We saw crabs, even a jellyfish, seals swiming in the harbour, fish being brought in off the shipping boats, all sorts.
We had a quick take-out lunch at a fish hut, at the base of a harbour, and the young man behind the counter asked my son if he would like to see one of the lobsters up close, that were in the tank. He said "ok"....you would not believe the size of this thing! It was about 3 feet long, and weighed over 12 pounds! I had never seen anything like it!
Yesterday on the way back, we stopped at WEBS - this place is the ultimate in yarn! They are located in Northhampton, Mass. Hubby took a picture for me to prove that I was there! Will post it tomorrow. I spent 1 hr. looking around the "shop" part, I found some Noro sitting by itself, so when I was checking out, I asked what the price was, the reply I got was "is this from the warehouse?", I replied "we can go in the warehouse?", she countered, "yeah, that's where all the bargains and closeouts are!" -- I proceed to send my hubby and son for some lunch up the road, and blasted into the warehouse! I will post my goodies tomorrow!



...and lastly - does anyone know how to move the Frapper map to the sidebar!!??? Anyone with answers, please let me know with a comment, thanks!

Just Before VACATION!!!

Hey everyone in blogland, a quick entry before we head off for vacation tomorrow. We are heading to the East Coast of the US, and we are soooo excited! We can't wait to hang out on the beach!!!

Baseball Sweater

Before I go, I wanted to post the pics of the other sweaters that I knit for my sister -- here they are:


Cotton Kimono

My vacation knitting are socks (is socks??), so we will see how that goes, lots of driving involved, I haven't knit in the car before, so I am not sure how I will do!
I went to a Lace Knitting workshop tonight at Main Street Yarns in Milton, and it was good. I have a little swatch piece that I will continue knitting, to see if I can make a little scarf from it or something - Sublime Yarn.
Still laundry and packing to do, so I have to dash -- back in a bit!
Happy Knitting!!

Happy Canada Day!

Yes, I was even surprised that my last entry was the 7th of June!! That is because I have been sooo busy knitting baby things for my baby sisters baby boy! He is due on the 30th of July, and we can't wait!
As for today, its Canada's Birthday here, so "Happy Canada Day" to all Canadians from coast to coast, and all expats around the world! This is also a special day for me, as 20 years ago today, I became a Canadian Citizen! My mum, dad and I emigrated from the UK in 1981, and became citizens in 1987 -- my little sister came into the world in 1983! I can remember so clearly the day we arrived in Canada, as well as the Citizenship ceremony, just a little sad today as I don't have my Mum and Dad to share it with.
As for the knitting....well, look at what I made!


He took a little while, but it was worth it to sit back and look at him in the end! He is from the book "Knitted Toys". and I would recommed this book for anyone who wants to make a knitted toy. He is for my new nephew, to go on a shelf in his room, I gave it to my sister tonight, and she was thrilled!
I also made this, and it has a little bit of a story to it:

My Mum actually started this 5 years ago for my son, and never got it finished (she did finish a crew neck cardigan for him, the we treasure!). As my Mum passed away 2 years ago, I thought it would be nice for my sister to have something for HER first child that was made by Mum, so I finished it for her. It was a Patons pattern, and made with Beehive by Patons, which is acrylic (uukk), althought this was nice and soft to work with. I didn't like using metal 3mm needles though!! My hands really hurt after this one!
My Mum was able to knit half of the back before she put it down, and left it alone! So I finished the back, and went from there. The cool thing about this cardi is that there is a line across the back where the needle had been left for 5 years, so this was a little special for my sister and I. I tried to take a pic:
Actually, (this makes is look quite dirty!), you can kind of see the line along the middle of the back.
I have also knit 2 Kimonos and a "Baseball Sweater" from "Knit2Together" that I have finished, and will photograph tomorrow, as they are still drying!!
So there you go, I HAVE been busy knitting!! I have also been reading other knitters blogs constantly, and love to see what everyone else is doing, lace seems to be the big thing!
We are going on vacation this week for 10 days, so I hope to visit many yarn stores on the US east coast!! Exciting!! Can't wait!
Talk Soon! Happy Knitting!!

Aaahh, Children!

Hi Everyone, just a little awol, sorry about that! Way tooooo much going on, and by the time I think "ah, I'll blog while online tonight", I can't think of too much stuff to write about!
Anyway, today my son and I went to the park, had a picnic and a little hike. We live on the lake, well our city is on the lake, I am not one of these lucky ones with a lakefront property! Anyway, I digress, we just spent a mommy and son day together. The weather has been beautiful today, the humidity will arrive tomorrow (uucck!) so we made the best of spending the afternoon in the garden. My son was a little stuck for something to do, so I thought I would get him a bucket of water -- he loves simple things like that, and can spend forever splashing, sitting in it (!) etc. As for me, I thought I would cast on a lovely little sock pattern for babies (auntie countdown 1.5 months!), so I got organized, plunked my butt down, and did so.
"Look Mom" was the next I heard -- and this is what I found at the end of the patio....


I don't know where the gorilla pose came from, but Mr. Dinosaur underwear, had covered himself in mud! Never have I seen him do this -- just to the right of this picture is the bucket, beside that....the veg. garden! Ah ha -- straight into the bath!!
So is the summer life in our household! I just thought that this would be cute to share, here's a more "regular" picture of him....


As for this knitting, I am still working on sock 1 from The Yarn Harlots sock recipe, and have just cast on these teeny baby socks, that are K1P1, turned cuff. I am planning this weekend is taking out a sweater that my mom started for this little guy, 5 years ago, but never finished. I thought I would attempt to finish it and give it to my sister at her baby shower on the 24th. As my mom passed away 2 years ago from cancer, I thought it would be nice for her to have something from mom. Let's hope I can continue to be creative from this point on in terms of the blog, simply the busiest time of year for my business, so I have been dashing all over -- all the time.
Talk Soon!

Here is what I want to know...

I was reading some UK blogs today, one in particular that I always think is brilliant Yarnstorm.
Take a look at what she creates...and the colours in her blog...well they would brighten up any day!
The other led me to wonder which cast-on method is preferred by sock knitters, so here is what I would like to know from YOU!

Which cast on method do you prefer to use for socks??

Please comment! I will wait until the end of the week, and if there are a substantial number of answers, then I will do the stats! I myself am confused on what seems to be the most popular or best way, maybe its just the easiest way that I am looking for? But what truly gives the best cuff?
I would appreciate hearing from you!!

Happy Day to All!

Hi everyone, I can't believe it has been a few weeks since I posted! Anyway, today as we know, is Mothers Day. As my boys know, I don't really like to think about it so much, as 2 years ago, it fell the day before my mom passed away. I remember it well, she was unable to speak, but still (as she was my best friend) we probably had the best conversation we had ever had. I joked with her, I shared everything with her, and I told her not to worry. So here we are 2 years later, and I find it difficult to not go out and buy her a card.
I sit here with tears in my eyes, thinking of all the time that we spent together, and how I would always make a point of seeing her on Mother's Day, usually buying her flowers, as we lived in the same city. The weather here is beautiful, and I am able to spend time in the garden, as I love, and was my mom's favorite passtime. Listening to the birds, and putting all of our energy into improving our garden, as we tend to do every weekend, this is what gives me peace.
I have been working on my knitting, knitting a baby hat on DPN's for my sister, and attempting socks, hey its going well! I am hoping to continue on a baby sweater that my mom had 1/2 finished for my son when he was born, but never finished. I thought that this would be a nice gift for my sister, when her first arrives in a few months.
So, for now a toast, to all the mom's out there - and to the knitting, that gives us peace, and also brings back the nicest of memories about our mom's .
To my mom, I miss you terribly, but am thankful that you are at peace and out of pain, and thankful that you taught me how to knit all those years ago, and how I never would have imagined at that time that it would turn into my passion!

Here is my family!

Hi Again, This is my hubby and son in March at my SIL's wedding!
I so love my boys!!

They take away the stress...and encourage me to knit!

Sunny Days Are Here Again..!!

Hey Knitter, yes I am being a slacker, actually took pictures last weeknd to post, but never got around to it. We finally have some nice weather, after a LONG winter, the buds are finally appearing, and my Hostas are starting to come up!! Exciting!!
So here are some recent pics:
Firstly, here is the completed sock...yes how could you tell it was my first one! I had a good laugh knitting it, maybe I should publish the pattern..NOT! As I mentioned before I didn't even clue in that I wasn't doing k2p2 rib until I was about 1/3 of the way into it!
Hey...here's a close up!! Hardy Har Har!

The heel...not too bad, but I am starting to wonder whether I will be able to do it again!


I am going to attempt today to start a new pair today (looong break here in the blog while I deal with some business issues on the phone....ok 1hr later!)

Where was I, oh yeah, the sock, well I am not knitting a mate for it, that's for sure, thought that I would use some nice spring-like sock yarn this time, I have some Trekking that I bought last weekend at the Knitters Frolic in Toronto - nice striping pale green etc.
By the way, the Knitters Frolic, was great to go to, but I thought knitters were supposed to be gentle folk! I was pushed around, and then glared at when I said "excuse me" to have access to the yarn on display -- hey, you know what, don't stand and read patterns in the middle of everyone, while at the same time discussing your personal life!!!!!!!! There are some people who want to buy .. oh yeah, and don't stand in the line up to pay, only to say "I'm not in line!!!!###%!" I did buy a ball winder and a swift though, yey!!

In other knitting I am making this for my future nephew, actually using Sugar N' Cream (trying to use up all the millions of balls that I purchased last summer!)




I think I mentioned this in the last post, I have now finished the sleeves, in white, and won't be putting the pocket on. So I just have to do the finishing, this was a very easy project for those who might want to try it.

Well, the garden, and knitting calls again!
Ummm, do I seem stressed!!!!!!! Next time my post will be involve less ranting!!! TTFN
I was in a great mood until my business call! Always on a Friday afternoon!

Umm, I Don't Know a Good Title For Tonight!

Hey Ya'll!
Well guess what...this past weekend the weather here in Southern Ontario was super!! I spent some time pottering in my garden, I planted some calla lily bulbs and some fresia bulbs, hoping that it won't be too long until they start poping thru! Right now though I am on squirrel watch - I can just see our little furry neighbours running across my porch with them in their mouths, only to bury them in the front garden instead of leaving them in the back!!
I went for a great walk with my son today, for the shopping, instead of taking the car, it was a perfect walking day, and was nice and quiet. I love these days, I am not one for the extreme humidity, it just makes me feel yuk!
I started a pattern for my future nephew, I have tried to link it but it doesn't work! If you go to this website, you can search "Baby Baseball Tee" to find it - I actually am creating it out of Sugar N' Creme - and before you ask, no, I didn't get it here, we are only about 40 mins from the US border, so it came from Micheals over there. I went crazy buying this stuff last year, thinking I would get the hang of the Mason-Dixon Warshcloths easily -- but I have still not been able to make one correctly yet!
As I mentioned, my sock is finished, now I need to start a new pair! I have some lovely sock yarn that I have purchased over the past few months, now I just want to use it! I will post a pic of the final result next time.
Received my final package from my Knitting Secret Sister today, it contained some Lopi, tea, keychain, some Bernat Cotton, and a little notebook, thanks Secret Sister!
Now I'll dash, as I am sitting here in near darkness, and the tea bags are calling me!!
Until next time....

Miserable!!

Ok, so it has been a while since I last posted anything, and here is the main reason:
-it's miserable weather!!!
As many of you are probably nodding your head in agreement if you live in North America, our weather just truly sucks at the moment, so I feel very un-creative!!
Sockie is coming along -- if I would just stop dropping stitches...it actually really looks like crap...BUT I will perciver and finish it!! Then will post a finished pic.
Shout-out to Renee!! You know who you are -- and for those who don't she is my sock knitting instructor, who I think I have driven to drink after each session in the past few weeks!!! "Renee, I think I dropped a stitch -- uhhh, about 40 rows ago!", "Renee, what the hell have I done now!" - She is great, and has quite a lot of patience - but most of all a lot of great experience!

So I think that is that for now, working quite a bit at the moment, busy time of year for us, and my main staff member has pneumonia -- soooo, it never ends does it? OH, until now that is...bye!

Everything is just Sockie!!

Hi Everyone! First of all, I was accepted to the Knitting Blogs blogsite, so hi to everyone who is visiting from there, and thanks for coming over to view my little blog!
I digress...The Sock Class -- arrgg, well the socks are being knitted on 2.75mm bamboos, with Regia. as you can see in the picture:..but as you can see, they don't quite look uniform! The pattern is K2P2, but since we were requested to cast-on using the thumb method (which I use quite regularly for other knitting), I spent the whole class just trying to ensure that the stitches stayed on the needles. My ears were up to my shoulders - and 2 minutes before the end, I dropped 2 stitches, and we couldn't get them back -- so I left with a ball of yarn and some needles!
After a days rest (I thought I better be safe and stay away from them for a day), I cast on using the cable cast-on method, and that was much better - I was now so glad that the stitches were staying on the needles, that I failed to see that I was not really achieving a K2P2 pattern!!@!!
Until last night, while watching my Season 5 DVD's of Will and Grace, I must have either dropped or added a stitch, and it finally worked!
So this is how things look right now:
I am actually now enjoying this, rather than being scared of it, I had put off trying socks for soooo long, because I was so afraid of it, I wanted someone to show me properly how to do it!!

As for other knitting things, these are what I had delivered to my door on Friday from Chapters:

I have heard good reviews about "The Friday Night Knitting Club", and the other is actually a Harlequin book, but looks like a good read nonetheless.
My Purple Yarn partner from a recent Swap-Bot swap, sent me this lovely yarn, it also arrived Friday:
No clue what I will make with it, but it is lovely!
Lastly, I thought I would include a couple of recent pics, from when we ventured down to New Jersey:

My sister-in-law with her new hubby! The wedding was really beautiful, the bride looked radiant!

and...

My son and I on a cold and snowy day, just over the river from the Statue of Liberty! Yup, that's me!

Talk Later, off to knit "the sock!!"

Sock - ing it to ya!

Hey! Tonight is the first night of my course to learn socks!!! Yey, finally!
Everyone says "Hey, its easy to learn socks". but I would rather learn from my LYS properly. As are most people, I am scared of turning the heel etc, and kitchener stitch - I have a feeling once I start them, I am going to be on an endless sock creating wave!!!!!
Well, just a quick one for today, we are STILL trying to recover from last week and the weekend, I could sleep all day today, coffee isn't even working!! Later!

Car Knitting!

Back from New Jersey, and my sister-in-laws fantastic wedding on Saturday.
Wow, their reception was at Highlawn Pavillion in West Orange, NJ - it has a magnificent view of the Manhattan skyline, and as this was my first time in the area, I was in awe!
Cudos to my SIL, and her new hubby - considering she planned the wedding from here in Ontario, while her hubby was working and living in California, it was spectacular!
We were driving around Manhattan and NJ on Friday when the weather was "bad". I say this in quotes as being a Canadian, and living in the snowbelt, snow is not such a large issue -- the east coast area where we were, had a mix of snow and freezing rain, but of course it was enough to send cars flying into the ditch everywhere, and close the schools, and a lot of stores/restaurants! I was kinda shocked at that - it even closed Newark and JFK airports, and caused chaos for a lot of the wedding guests scheduled to arrive that day!

I did find a great knitting store, Yarnware , I would recommend this yarn store, they had a great collection, reasonabe prices, but focus mostly on mailorder. They ship to Canada for about $6!! So check them out! I purchased some Berrocco Ultra Alpaca (I love this yarn! See the hat made in early Feb.), Lamb's Pride (as you cannot get it here), Addi's, and other yarn that I cannot remember right now!
As we drove both ways, with my 5 yr old (who had the best behaviour ever, as was able to occupy himself both ways - a total for us of about 16 hrs!)...I started to knit on the way home, the weather was dry and sunny, so I didn't have to help my hubby too much with directions or driving. I didn't think I would be able to do it, as I thought it would be like reading while in the car, and I would feel sick, but no! It worked, and I didn't want to stop! I finished a Mason-Dixon Kimono last week, started another for the trip, which I am almost finished, and also have been working on a teddy bear in a great fuzzy, chocolate brown yarn by Lana Grossa. I purchased the pattern on Etsy, and it is quite a simple knit.
Soooooo for now I am going to watch Deal or No Deal AND Dancing With The Stars and Knit!
Supa!! Talk Soon!

Looky, Looky!!

This is what I picked up at the post office today! It was my Book Swap package from my Swap-Bot partner in Ireland! It is super, and I was very surprised - a great chic lit book, lots of British chocolate (you cannot beat it!), a lavender candle, makeup bag, and 2 bookmarks - one of which was just like a carpet! Very fitting for me!! And some super flavours of hot chocy!!
Nina was great in enclosing a CD-with book for my son - we have already listened to it! "Puss in Boots".
I have started 2 of the Mason-Dixon Kimonos, I am making them with Cotton Tots by Bernat. I haven't used this yarn before, but it seems to be good to work with, and they have a great colour selection. They are for my sister -- who finds out tomorrow morning whether she is having a girl or a boy!! Exciting!!!
For anyone who may be interested, I have started my own swap on Swap-Bot, it is the "Knitting Book Swap" - it is an international swap, and the book just has to be knitting related, new or nicely used! So if you have the inclination, please sign up!
As I listen to Idol in the background.... these guys are really bad!! It's already getting boring!
Next week we are off to my sister-in-laws wedding in West Orange, NJ - anybody reading from that area? What are some good things to do there? Anyone?
I always appreciate any comments, I would love to know where you are reading from...just so I know there are people out there!!
I am off for a cup of tea and a Dairy Milk!!

Another Storm!!

Today, we had another snow storm, this will be changing to freezing rain shortly, then rain after that! I think I will stay in tomorow and knit, as it will be a sloppy mess!!
This picture is part of a bunch of roses that my son, age 4, asked Daddy to stop and get last Saturday when Mommy was at work! He was so very cute, coming into the store with this beautiful bunch of roses, and the little card he wrote himself!!


An this is the picture I said I would post today, from my "Secret Sister" somewhere else in Canada - this is the first of 3 packages - and wow, was I surprised with what she sent! The only requirement is a good ball of yarn... I love the notecards, I have never seen them before! Thanks Secret Sister!!! Wherever in the Great White North you are!
Today in the mail I also got my KnitPics order, just a bunch of bright coloured yarn to add to my stash - as well as the book Knitted Toys, from an auction win on Ebay. I have already looked thru it and there are some great items to make!
Well, I will flick on Idol and see who got kicked off!! TTFN!

Idol...What??

Hi! It's the girls on Idol tonight, I can't honestly say that I have watched every season of this show, but since this season seemed to start when nothing else was on - I started! Can't say I really like any of the contestants..but whatever! It's on in the background while I knit! I am not a singing expert, but I have no idea how Simon, Randy and Paula find "pitch" differentials etc!!!
Anyway, was able to get some "cross border" shopping done today, and Joanne's had on Sugar N' Cream yarn (note: made here in Ontario, but can you readily buy it here? No!), they had the large skeins on for 2/$3! So of course I stocked up! I am wanting to make some Mason-Dixon items for my sister.
I haven't done much knitting this week, I started a shawl with Divine by Patons, but frogged it, as I didn't like the texture of it - it was hard to knit with as well, even on bamboos.
I received a great package from my "secret sister" swap partner today, she sent me a skein of Pantagonia, some double-pointed needles, knitting stationary and a cable needle! I was really impressed and appreciative! Thanks Secret Sister!!
I will post a pic tomorrow, we are to get another storm tomorrow, snow, then freezing rain, then rain -- oh boy, what a mix!!
TTFN!

Tea Swap!

Well, another package in today's mail! It was my first of 3 tea parcels, from Tea Swap #6 on SwapBot. Kathy sent me this super package, when I opened it, the aroma was fantastic! I will definitely be ditching my usual Tetley decaf tonight, and opting for one of these! Kathy also knits these fantastic "Coffee Condoms"! As I am a Tim Hortons fanatic (for those of you who are getting the wrong idea, Tim Hortons is the most famous of all coffee franchises here in Canada, from here on in referred to as "Timmy's" - I usually have about 3 a day, so this will come in very handy! Thanks so much Kathy - a great package!!
I have rented "Babel" tonight, I have just noticed on the box that it is 143 mins. so I better get moving. TTFN!

Winter Scarf Swap!

I received this great package from my Winter Scarf Swap partner on Swap-Bot today! Juli in North Carolina sent me this great box filled with tea, a mug, pattern and this super yarn that she dyed herself, as well as some shiny Berocco and needles. I really think it is neat to open up a box with a theme, and have no clue what is in it! This was my first swap, I sent mine to Pennsylvainia - I had to purchase, and find a scarf pattern for a male knitter, so this was a bit of a challenge! Thanks again Juli!

Valentines / Snow Day

Well, what a site outside in our city today! As a lot of the eastern part of North America has received a wolop of snow in the past 24hrs, we really got hit! Most of the city has closed down, and it is sooo pretty to look at (hubby is so thankful that we have a snowblower!).
We received about 3 feet of snow in 24hrs, even though we are part of the snowbelt here, this is the most I have seen at one time here in a very long time -- maybe 10 years?! So, little one is off school, hubby's work is closed also. He has gone down to the lakeshore to take some pictures, as photography is his hobby. I will try to post some of them later when he gets back.
I have to say that I am so grateful today that our local Tim Hortons was open!! I closed the business today, as who in their right mind would go shopping for floors in these conditions?? We did pop out for a quick lunch (I have an SUV) - and noticed that I had probably made the right decision, as a lot of the businesses are closed as well. It looks like we are now at the end of it, as the sun is coming out..and everything is so peaceful....with the exception of the cat sitting at my shoulders snoring!!

Pictures Are Being Taken!!

...but in the meantime, I am slowly playing around and learning! Tonight I have just linked to my business on the left hand side - if you want to check it out! At least I still get to deal in fibers all day! If I don't get to post the pics tonight, I will tomorrow! I am so excited!!

Ok, we are now 30 minutes later!!!
This was my first "project" last summer, I have a feeling I will be doing a few more of these in the near future, as my sister is expecting her first baby in July!! Yey, I will be an auntie!!!!

I finished this last week, it is made from Berocco Ultra Alpaca - and I cannot wait to get more! This stuff is wonderfully soft and cozy! The pattern was purchased from The Loopy Ewe, it is by Knitting Pure & Simple #223.

These labels were a freeby a while ago, with my favourite mag. Simply Knitting!!

Finally for tonight, this is a blanket for my son, something he can grow with, and have when he is older, I have been working on it slowly for the past few months, using Mission Falls Superwash Merino. I love this yarn, it has such a great price point and knits up beautifully. It started off as the Mason-Dixon Log Cabin blanket, but it has changed as I have gone on!!
Anyway, I am so proud of myself...I can load pictures! Woohoo!!

Off to "listen" to the Grammy's as I try and finish another Loopy Ewe pattern purchase, the childrens pattern of the one above, (#253), but the earflap version. I will have pics later this week, it is being made of Magic Gardens "Buttons" in orange! He picked the colour himself!

All Flooring and no Knitting!

Can you believe me!! What did I say the last time...ummm I will post pictures and I will be updating my entries daily!!! WELL, where do I begin! The 3 of us in this house, first had the flu, then colds, and then I develped Bronchitis!! These have all just cleared up, and we got them the second week of January!! I would have thought that the cold weather would have killed all of those bugs, but since we had an exceptionally warm January - it acted in reverse I guess!
How do you get into your knitting of hats and blankets (my current WIP's) when you are wearing a t-shirt outside, and your kids are supposed to be wearing snow pants!!
Well all that changed a few weeks ago, when we dipped WAAAAY down - where -- and we have all told ourselves "that is ridiculous" -- you wrap the scarf around them so many times, they say "Mommy, I can't breath!" to which we reply "Well it just has to be like this or you'll get cold!"
Anyway, back to the knitting. You probably noticed the title - well, as I have mentioned before I own and operate a flooring business, we are mid to high end materials, so there is always a lot of work and customer consultations to deal with. Today (my day off) my full-timer called me and told me that he was sick (he is never sick!) could I go in, so I thought this will be great, as usually at this time of the year it isn't too busy, so I will take my son's hat (WIP) with me, and be able finish it up - yey! WELL...I was so busy, breakfast was at 12:45 this afternoon, at which time the coffee and egg-bagel thingy my hubby and son had brought me was stone cold, and I felt like someone stranded in the desert- I was parched from all the talking to customers! As usual, I don't have any drinks in the fridge, as when I am in the office, there is usually another staff member there, so we do runs for coffee ALL the time - to Tim Hortons of course! So I pretty much collapsed as I got home, desperate for a drink of anything, and....am still staring at the knitting I stashed in my bag at 9:30 this morning (litterally pulling my slacks on as I flew out the door!) and haven't knitted a stitch yet!
Well, bedtime for the little man in my life! Posting WILL continue, I would love you comments, just so I know there is someone out there in cyberspace reading my bletherings!!

I'm Still Here!! Still Knitting!

Hi Anyone, and Everyone, I am such a slacker with the blogging!. Although I am constantly reminded how wonderful blogging is by reading other knitting blogs, I don't seem to get mine in gear and actually write anything! So here goes, I have changed the blog name as you may have noticed (or not, I still have no idea if anyone is actually reading this!), so that is my "fresh start" of the new year. I won't say that blogging on a regular basis is my New Years Resolution, but I am going to try.
I myself, am not a Resolution kinda gal. Is there anyone out there who is holding to their resolution? If so, drop me a line. I would like to start a contest here, and probably will in the next few weeks, but need to ensure that there are readers out there??!!
In this corner of the world, we were all complaining because there was no snow, and the temps were rather mild thus far..that is until last week hit! I myself am Canadian (and an expat), but for the past 25 years, have figured that between December and March in this country, we experience a thing called Winter, where is gets really cold, and this white stuff falls from the sky, and well, makes knitting more worthwhile! Whereas there are many of my fellow countrymen/women, that feel that we should have mild temperatures year round. Ok...why?? Lets see, the mild temps at the beginning of January gave me the flu and then bronchitus, which I cannot get rid of, thus I am feeling rather rotten, thus I don't have the energy or the desire to knit as much as when I am well!!
So, what am I saying? That cold is good in the winter, spring temps...not so much! Come on people, lets get it together, plus those poor ski resort operators!!!
Ah well, on a freezing cold night like tonight, I am continuing on with Mason-Dixon log cabin, that I am creating for my little boy, out of Mission Falls Superwash Merino, have also started some little booties, a Debbie Bliss pattern, for my sister who is expecting her first in July!! (yey!!) I thought a pistachio green colour would be gender neutral?
I AM going to get started very soon with socks, I have all the tools, sock yarn, double pointed needles, instructions, and patterns galore, but am petrified to try!!! But really want to, know what I mean?? Any pointers for a newby out there???
Lastly, there are a couple of good knitting related swaps on right now at Swap Bot .
Check them out! Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to post pictures!!