Wow

I was doing so well with the posting, and then I fell of the face of the earth again. Actually, the problem is that I never get home until 9ish on weeknights, and I had an intense bout of lethargy last weekend, which resulted in my not leaving the house or doing anything else for two days. It's actually a sad waste of a weekend, but sometimes there's nothing to be done.

The other reason for my lack of posting is my lack of knitting. I've been working on some Mega Boots Stretch socks, which need to be frogged (too small, although I'm toying with the thought of turning it into a pair of fingerless gloves). And Jamesay will still be another 10 inches of ribbing, and I'm finding it difficult to work up the enthusiasm. I feel the need to knit something in pieces, so that I can have different things on different sides (if that made any sense at all).

So, its hot here today. I finally set up the fans I bought a few weeks ago in preparation for this weekend. The cat doesn’t like them, but hopefully they will help me be slightly more comfortable this summer than last. I wonder if a dehumidifier would help even more, as feeling mildly damp all the time makes the heat even harder to bear. Actually, given the orientation and size of the windows in my apartment, I’m thinking not. (I actually installed the blind and the curtain rod in the bedroom today. Now I just need to get curtain rods up in the living room before my parents show up in July. And the saddest part is that I've lived here for 9 months!)

I ran in the 5K race for the Ottawa Race Weekend on Saturday. According to the official results, I finished in 33:35, and I came in 2576th place (out of more than 6500). It was definitely a learning experience. Next time I’ll start much nearer to the front, cause I was frustrated trying to get around the many walkers for the first half (after that, it was slightly more spread out). They were very well organized for the number of people, though.

Soon to come, a draft about socks...

lull

Yay! Cynthia received the socks I knit for her! And if you haven't seen it yet, you should check out her Warming Grace project.

So, I don't have much to show as far as recent knitting. I've been working on nothing but my sockapaloooza socks for exclusively since March, so I had to start some new projects after I sent them off on Wednesday. I've started a new pair of socks, and a Jamesey. Nothing worth photographing yet.

And, although J forbid me to post the photos from her bridal shower yesterday, I'm going to break her rules...


J's shower

(I don't think this is the one she objected to anyway...) Anyway, this is near the end of the party. You can see the tops of the many wine bottles (for the August party, assuming they last that long).

Muse

So, I was at the Hawksley Workman concert on Monday, and I had an amazing time! It was in a theatre, which felt a little odd (it was different than previous shows that I've been to) but really fun! I find him really enjoyable to watch, and I highly recommend going if you get the chance. This was my third Hawksley concert, and I own three cds, so I am a bit of a fan. However, no performance is ever the same, and he rarely plays the songs in the same way they're recorded for the cd. He uses his voice as an instrument as well as singing, so it can seem a little odd (there's a lot of howling/screeching/warbling etc.) the first time you hear it, but now I think its interesting to hear how many different ways a song can be transformed. And then there's the conversation with the audience that flows through the performance. It has to be experienced to be understood.

Tonight was my first soccer game of the season (it was an exhibition game against the WR1 team from my club (that's one division higher than the team I play on))! I remember why I love playing. At the same time, I felt much more fit than I did at the same time last year, so that makes me happy. I've been working on running for around 2 months now, and I'm doing a 5K at the end of the month, so its good to feel the improvement. Yay!

Finito

off the needles\

and on my feet...

Dear Sockpal,

They are done! And I love them! So I'm going to put them in the mail right after work. The envelope is already addressed. Only then will there be no fear of my "losing" them...

Sock Specs
Pattern: Pomatomus with minor modifications to make them fit a human being when knit with my tight knitting
Yarn: Fleece Artist 100% Washable Merino Wool, Colour ?

Saturday morning

I need to try and get back to some kind of regular blogging schedule, for all my devoted readers .

So, its 9:00 am, and I've already cleaned my bathroom and done the dishes. My cat has started waking me up right around sunrise every day, and since that's about when I get up on weekdays, I find it really difficult to sleep later on the weekend. Thankfully, since its the weekend, I'll be able to have a nap after I go get groceries.

I actually have a pretty packed weekend ahead of me...

1. Grocery shopping. I plan to stock up and get my order delivered, so I have to go today. I actually plan to buy fans today, because I sweated through the whole summer last year without (I was totally unprepared for my first Ottawa summer).

2. The gym - twice. I would go for a run outside, but the weather is not overly appealing.

3. Bar-b-q at Sarah's? (see above - rainy grey weather makes being outdoors less fun) Given the weather, there will still be a party indoors later, but I know myself. If I'm at home, cuddling under blankets and watching a movie, the likelihood of me getting off my ass to go out into the rain to get somewhere else is not high. Besides, with the waking up at 5:30ish, I tend to be in bed by 10 pm most nights.

4. Knitting. I need to finish my sockapaloooza socks this weekend, so I invited people out to knit at the Bridgehead in the Glebe (108 Third Avenue) starting around 2pm on Sunday. Anyone reading this is welcome to stop by.

5. The National Gallery. I've lived in Ottawa for almost 2 years now, and have been woefully negligent in taking in the sights since I've been here. It's time to put some effort into exploring the city and the surrounding region. I might even go to Montreal next weekend!

And then there are the assorted sundry items, like vacuuming and dusting/organizing, cooking for the coming week, and all those other things that pile up.

Anyway, I should get started...

I won!

I got a package in the mail today, all the way from Cardiff!


prize

This is the prize I won in the Knitting Olympics draws, generously donated by Fyberspates. I have 200g of laceweight mohair and fancy star stitch markers!

So, since I've never knit anything with laceweight anything, does anyone have any pattern suggestions for patterns? I have approximately 850 m of the grey and 450 m each of the purple and the blue.

my progress, May 2