I love you, Nancy Drew!

Or maybe its just your fashion sense.

Has anyone else seen the Nancy Drew movie that came out this summer? I watched it on the plane between Khartoum and Amsterdam, and I was more entertained than I thought I'd be. I loved the books as a kid, and thought it would be a nice trip down memory lane. The writing is a little uneven, and I had trouble believing that Nancy was actually old enough to drive, even though she quite clearly does in several scenes, but man, does she have a (generally) good wardrobe! (I'm not a fan of there very shiny trench coat she wears getting on the train with the plaid contrast fabric, or this hat.)





I was unfortunately unable to find screenshots of my absolute favourite outfit from the movie, a red/pink top with an asymmetrical cross closure on the front, so I may have to rent the movie at some point and take pictures of the screen. Then, I'll be working on my sewing skills to create my own great fashion, because my shopping will be pretty limited for the next couple of years. But there is a fabric market...

Deep Thoughts

• Buying things does not make me happier


• I already own more stuff than I need


• Buying stuff doesn't assist the need to be creative


• Less time shopping should allow for more time to create

Wanted: Missing Socks!

I am maybe just not meant for the mail exchange. Or something. I generally don't believe in luck, or fate, or the universe being out to get people, but my experiences with the various iterations of sockapalooza are getting a little odd.

A quick recap: Sockapalooza One - sent socks, but no socks for me. Sockapalooza Two - sent socks and was a sock angel , but still no socks for me. Sockapalooza Three - was a bit tired and decided not to participate. Sockapalooza Four - sent socks and got my first pair! Yay! So that count to now (not that I am terribly concerned), is 4 pairs knit by me and one pair received.

So, when I picked up my mail from my post box the other day upon getting back to Canada, I was shocked to find a package from Norway with a customs sticker that said socks and chocolate on it! I don't know if these were from a sock angel or one of my previous pals, but I was really excited! Until I opened the package. All that was left inside was this beautiful Norwegian postcard



and this letter from Canada Post.



While they claim the package was damaged in transit, I know the truth! Someone out there is walking around with my handknit socks on, and I'd like them back, please!

Home again

Hi all! I'm home, hanging out in Ottawa for a little while, while I try to recover from my first month (and a bit) at post. For those who haven't been following along, I moved to Sudan for work at the end of August. And it has been a busy. I was covering for my boss and a colleague for a long while (and there are only 4 people in our office!), and customs is taking its time letting my stuff into the country, so I've been living out of two suitcases for at least 6 weeks. Then, there was a car accident (my out-of-town colleague had kindly agreed to let me use his car, and a bus ran into me!). I'm fine and walking around, but somewhat shaken, and my back is out of alignment. I tried to find treatment in Sudan, but haven't been successful. All in all, a crazy time. So, when some holidays came up, I decided to combine them with some vacation time to come home, rest and see if I couldn't do something about my back. I was only going to take a week (which was just over 10 days with vacation added on), but then, I realized some dear friends of mine (and others, I just don't know exactly who) were going to Rhinebeck! I decided randomly to come along, which uses up most of the rest of my vacation, but will be so much fun! (I don't have a family not living with me, so I likely won't be able to travel at Christmas anyway...)

So, I've been thinking about buying a wheel. I will be seeing the enabler extraordinaire, so I may ask some advice, and take the chance to try some out. I spin on a spindle at the moment, but generally find it too slow (and my arms too short, but that's another thing). And with my current back issues requiring frequent changes in activity, it might be nice to have around the house.

So, I will be at the knitting meetups at the 3rd Ave Bridgehead on Oct. 10 (called especially by me) and Oct. 17 this month! See you there!

In transit

I'm hanging out at Schipol again, on my way home, and I just thought I'd send out a quick message. See many of you soon!

rubgy world cup!

I'm sure that title is going to lead a lot of poor people here that have no desire to hear about my knitting (or lack thereof). Oh well, its crazy how much rugby there is on tv right now, and I have no idea what any of it means.

I have actually been knitting a bit, but my back is acting up again (I was in a car accident a few weeks ago, but am otherwise uninjured), and I have to keep putting it down. I will be heading back to Ottawa for a few days to see a physiotherapist and my chiropractor, among other things, to see if I can get some relief. If nothing else, there will be an impromtu knit night at the 3rd Ave Bridgehead on the 2nd Wednesday of the month (since I won't be in town for the third Wed, but that seems to generally be a good day for people). If you can make it, stop by and say hi! Or, send me a message, cause I'll have a lot of free time, and I'll meet you for coffee somewhere!

hmm...

There is actually knitting progress, I swear. I'm designing a cardigan with the linen yarn I bought in France in July, but I haven't taken any pictures as of yet. I do wish I weren't such a tight knitter though, as I'm already having fears of running out of yarn. I don't think its going to be easy to get anyone to ship things to Sudan, so I may have to modify my plans if yarn is scarce. Or plan a trip to France to get more, although that seems a little extreme. There are so many cool places close by to visit while I'm here. We'll see, I haven't run out yet.

I'm also working on a pair of Monkeys for myself. I'm using the Southwest Trading Company Tofutsies, which I really like! They are a little busy, given the almost stripiness of the yarn, but I'm having fun. I'm still using the Brittany Birch needles, which I love, but I am very hard on them! I had one break in my bag, and I had another one crack when it got damp (and who's hands don't perspire at least a little bit when its 40 degrees out?). They aren't really meant for knitting in the heat, but seem happy if I keep them in the house. I guess I'll have to go back to metal for in my bag, which I bend all the time, but haven't broken yet.

I do actually have a knitting coup to report: a colleague from the Dutch Embassy bet me I wouldn't take my knitting out and knit in a meeting. I did, at a meeting he was chairing, so now he owes me dinner. I got a few strange looks, but other people didn't even notice. Anyway, I've been here for hours, so I think its time to head home. I can't wait to get service at the house, although one would think that I spend enough time on the computer at work. I try to keep the personal stuff to a minimum there, hence the lack of updates.

update

Hi, I am still here, just not having access to the Internet on a regular basis. I'll get it hooked up soon, but there is bigger stuff going on now. Like getting my stove, microwave and washing machine working.

Anyway, I just wanted to post that I've finally got an account on Ravelry! I haven't done much on it yet, and I've reached my daily quota for cigarette smoke, but my screen name is knittablekitten if you want to come find me!

Cheers!

1 down, 103 to go

Augstash1
Originally uploaded by knitter_tara.

Weeks, I mean. That's mostly a joke, I haven't started the countdown yet. If I keep this busy for the rest of my time here, I won't need to.

I have now moved into my apartment, although there's still a lot of work to finish! I managed to work out the fridge, and made a first effort with the washing machine, but I still have to unpack and work out the stove, among other things. Needless to say, I've been eating out a lot.

I'm actually sitting at a cafe right now, having finally had some lunch (or maybe it was an early supper?). I'm impressed with the speed of the wireless. And apparently I will also be able to get wireless at home when I finally get things connected! Justine lives in Canada, and she doesn't even have wireless! ;)

Anyway, work has been very busy, but I have bought a few groceries, and managed to go out a few times. Other than that, I don't have much to report...

here

Augstash2
Originally uploaded by knitter_tara.

I have arrived!

The cat was decidedly less excited to get back into her carrier this morning, and there was much bad language as I pushed her in. I made it to the airport and away we went.

Now I'm at the hotel for a couple of days, at least until my furniture arrives. The cat has taken over a spot on a chair, and we're (hopefully) making do with a metal pan full of shredded newspaper until I can get hold of a more permanent option. And I'm sitting here watching High Fidelity on MBC2, which is my favourite channel on tv here. It plays movies pretty much constantly, with subtitles, so I still get to watch the original English.

Anyway, that's all for now.

The yarn above is from La Bobineuse de Laine in Montreal, from the Montreal yarn crawl early in August. The store is an odd concept, where you pick fine threads in multiple colours, and they use these crazy machines to put them all onto the same cone. This one is 100% cotton, and was $8 a pound. I have about a pound here.

In transit

sockblockers
Originally uploaded by knitter_tara.

(The above picture doesn't have anything to do with today's post, its just easier for me to post from flickr...)

Hi all! I'm posting from an Internet cafe in Amsterdam, on a stop over on my way to Sudan. Yesterday, the boy drove me to the airport in Montreal (you don't want to hear my rant about North American rules surrounding pets) to catch my flight. After a fairly uncomfortable flight for both of us (there's not enough room for anyone in economy, and my left hand is spasming again, so I couldn't even knit), we arrived in Amsterdam for just over 24 hours before taking off again.

I took a bit of a nap, and then left the cat at the hotel to come in to town to explore. I'm not much for tourist attractions generally, but I walked by all sorts of things as I wandered. I did manage to visit Beadies and H&M. I didn't have anything in mind as far as beads go, so I managed to restrain myself, but I did buy 2 cotton tops at H&M.

Then, I went to De Afstap! They sell mostly Rowan yarns, at pretty good prices. For no particular reason, I bought 15 balls of Rowan Cotton Jeans in a pretty pink-and-yellow colour (Shade name: Madras). I also bought a single ball of the new Cocoon, which is just heavenly! Its a Merino wool/Kid mohair single that is so soft and amazing that I couldn't put it down once I'd picked it up. Not that I need wool garments for the next little while, but I'm dreaming of a collar to go inside a winter coat, its that wonderful!

Anyway, I'm tired, so I'm going to catch a train back to the airport to hang out at the hotel with the cat.

Photo info: These are a pair of antique sock blockers that I bought at an antique store in a small town in the Eastern Townships (Quebec) and a Brownie camera bought from the store beside. I'll post the town name if I remember.

socks!

socks!
Originally uploaded by knitter_tara.

I promised a picture a while ago. Since I'm busy procrastinating about preparing for the movers that will be here tomorrow, I thought I'd finally get around to that! My sockpal was saffronknits! I got this great pair of red socks that I think are in the dragon pattern, a postcard, and a sock blocker keychain! The socks are the perfect combination of colour, fibre and pattern! I love them, and have been wearing them all over the house! Thanks so much!

Too many good-byes

(ETA: I have socks! From my sock pal! But no pictures yet! Soon.)


photo credit to Leanne

photo credit to betsydoodle


Me, practicing my skills with a niddy-noddy.



JoVE with her wheel.



Leanne, Lisa and Linda!



Max



betsydoodle



New kitty!



Sarah and J and just a portion of all the great food!


photo credit to betsydoodle

Done

It took me 5 days to put actually finish this post! I took the pictures and loaded them on to the computer on day 1, resized and posted them to the blog on day 2 and then three days later I am finally adding some words.

As you may guess, these are the socks for my sock pal (I figure this is semi-safe, since she likely has never read my blog, and will receive the socks soon!) I finished them on time, and was only a day or so late getting them in the mail. Woo hoo! I really hope they fit her!

Project specs:
Pattern: Hello Yarn in Maple
Yarn: Monkey Socks by Cookie A.
Needles: 2mm metal dpns
Mods: Given the fine yarn and my tight knitting, I increased the number of stitches to 96, giving me six pattern repeats instead of 4. I did 2x2 ribbing and a short row heel (I don't actually know what is called for in the pattern, as I only wrote down the stitch pattern). I increased the decrease rate on my normal toe so it wouldn't bee too pointy.

Next up: a going away/yarn dying party and a yarn crawl!

athens

athens
Originally uploaded by knitter_tara.

Dear Sock Pal, (part 2)

Venice:



Delos:



and Mykonos:



This is the last of the vacation. Very soon, I hope to have pictures of the yarn and stuff from the travels. A bit of a cop-out post, but I have to go work on my inventory...

Dear Sock Pal, (part 3)

(Yes, I'm doing this out of order - I have limited patience for uploading photos, so I'll do the middle part tomorrow!)

And Split, Croatia



Where I also found yarn!



There was lots of crochet cotton (I bought a ball of space-dyed green, even though I barely crochet) and tons of buttons, ribbons, zippers and other notions. There was also some less than stellar acrylic, which the shop keeper told me was wool - I wasn't fooled for long.

I did get some knitting done on your socks,



But I still have a ways to go!
Yarn: Hello Yarn in Maple
Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A. (with mods)

Dear Sock Pal,

Look what happens when you go away for a few weeks! (picture heavy posts follow)



The garden is a bit crazy since no one has been eating it. Those are the gargantuan tomato plants towering over everything else.

So, what have I been up to? Well, first there was Lyon:



The yarn store in the last picture is la marchande de couleurs. They had lots of beautiful, basic yarns in a rainbow of colours. I had such a hard time choosing, but I finally left with 400 m of olive green linen, needles, buttons, some random ribbon and a set of purse handles. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but you'll see them when I do.

I also visited a Phildar store (and another yarn store that we stumbled across), but I had limited baggage space (especially after all the clothes I bought!) so I had to limit myself to one big yarn purchase. I did see an Anny Blatt store as well, be we were on tram on the way to catch our train.

Well, I'm still exhausted, so I'll do another portion of the trip tomorrow.

The world goes round...

My cat presides over the deck, and is a tyrant if we don't let her outside. The boy still resists her dominance, but she is slowly wearing him down.



Our little garden is exploding! We have tons of lettuce, basil, mint and Vietnamese coriander. We've eaten our first pepper, and the other peppers and tomatoes are coming along nicely. We should have a ripe tomato within days!



It's almost done (my Gatsby Girl sweater, in progress since September)! All I have left is to sew the arms to the body and crochet around the neck hole. I've even woven in all the ends already! I put a big push on to get it done so I work on something else (more summery) during my time off this summer.



And lastly, mostly for posterity, I took a picture of this really cool sweater a friend of mine has. I think I'll keep it for inspiration and see if I can do something similar...

Scattergories!

I stole this from Yarnish. Just for fun, and to have something to post this week. Since I finished the last sleeve, but haven't sewn the pieces together yet on Gatsby Girl. And I'm procrastinating on my inventory.

Here are the rules:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up! If you can’t think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question. Have fun!

Your Name: Tara

1. Famous Singer/Band: The Tragically Hip

2. 4 letter word: true (but its not a bad one)

3. Street: (I've thought and thought, but can't come up with anything right now)

4. Color: terracotta

5. Gifts/Presents: time

6. Vehicle: Thunderbird

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: trinkets

8. Boy Name: Taylor

9. Girl Name: Tanya

10. Movie Title: True Lies

11. Drink: tonic water

12. Occupation: Tailor

13. Celebrity: Tara Reid

14. Magazine: Triathlete

15. U.S. City: Tallahassee

16. Pro Sports Teams: Hamilton Tiger Cats

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: traffic

19. Something You Throw Away: tissue

20. Things You Shout: Time! (if you're playing a board game)

21. Cartoon Character: Tom