high/low

Hey all! I'm sorry to have disappeared for so long. I do have a lot of knitting content to post, but things have been a bit crazy. Somebody is committing fraud on my account (writing large cheques to themselves, I'm not certain how they got the cheques) so its been taking most of my energy to deal with that for the past week.

So, since I have a plethora of photos to post, I thought I'd start with some of my Christmas knitting, now that its been given. I made five felted bags, based on the Sophie pattern, with modifications to each. They are all knit in Patons Classic Merino.


red


cable detail

I increased the size of the red, added the cable up the sides, and had three strands for the handle with a flat section where they meet in the middle (so I could continue the braid on each side).


blue

This is the original size knit with one strand of mohair held with the wool. It didn't shrink as much during felting.


grey w/ eyelets

This bag has an eyelet pattern around the top, which is difficult to see in this photo but looks alright in person.

I made knit flower pins for the blue and grey out of white yarn from the stash. Sadly I forgot to photograph them before I came back to ON.

(Yes, I know there are only three pictures. I'll have to find the other three later.)

thanks

I have to give a shoutout to my Secret Pal Kelly! I just received my last package, and let me tell you, she is fabulous! I will try to post a photo and a proper description on Saturday (when its not pitch black), but given the amount of stuff left to be done before my flight Sunday am (early!), I'm not promising anything.

As well, I wanted to reveal my Secret Pal Mel. I swear, your last package will be on the way soon (although probably not until next week).

Hmmm... I think that's all for now.

standby

Sorry, but I think the blog is pretty much on standby until after Christmas. I leave for home a week today, and I have just realized that I have a lot of stuff to do before I my flight. I've also been preoccupied with a personal situation that I'm not quite ready to discuss here.

Rest assured, I have been knitting. The Ribbed & Fair Isle Vest is taking forever, and I have a whole post worked out in my head in which I complain about the construction and charting, but that will have to wait until I have time to write it all down. I'm also making another pink baby sweater. I know I already have one, but I know a lot of pregnant friends, and I wanted to see if I could improve on the pattern. After that I'll have to make something for a boy, because while I'm all for non-gender specific colours, not everyone would be willing to dress their boy in a bright pink cardigan. I guess those are the main things.

busy!

I'm sure everyone else is feeling it too! Sorry for not posting though. I haven't been home before 9 yet this week.

In knitting news, I've finished the baby sweater. There are also details of the yoke and lace bottom.


baby finished

I think it looks pretty good. I'll now be keeping a feeler out for someone to give it to (I do have some potential receivers, in mind). I'm now working on the Rib/Fair Isle Vest from the Vogue Knitting Fall 2005 issue. I've finished the ribbing for the back and haven't worked on it since Sunday.

So, did I mention that my Secret Pal is absolutely fabulous? Cause she is! She got real Grecian items sent to her for me! Cause I've always wanted to go to Greece! Isn't that amazing? I got postcards, a key chain, lavender soap, and perfume, lotion and body wash in a fragrance called Greek Waters! And it came all the way from Greece!


SP Gift

I don't normally get political here, but Tuesday was the UN day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and I went to an event put on by CEPAL. I was quite impressed by the program they run in the refugee camps in Lebanon (they send teachers for the summer to provide English instruction and other activities).

Parcels

I love getting packages! First, I ordered this yarn from kpixie with the help of a gift certificate from my great secret pal! I'm thinking of making an Hourglass Sweater with this.


peace fleece

Then, I got this package from my favourite boy in the whole world!


giftee

I actually bought most of the movies from him (he had doubles) but he added surprises to make it that much more fun.

sitting pretty

coffee table art

1. I can't do a post without pictures lately, so when Hello wouldn't cooperate yesterday, I just didn't post (especially since I'd taken pictures especially to post).

2. I lose track of time easily. Whole days fly by without my realizing. This is my excuse for why I didn't stop in to either of the spinning workshops at the Ottawa Valley Weavers' and Spinners' Guild these past two weekends (Hi Daisy!) I'm not good enough to be willing to spin for a full day, but I really should have gone just to see what good spinning looks like.

3. I have been knitting away on the baby sweater, and surprise! Someone I know is pregnant! I'm curious to find out the gender. Maybe I have some kind of sixth sense?


baby sweater with sleeves attached

The pattern is interesting, although I'd make a few changes next time (like joining the sleeves before doing the raglan decreases instead of after)

4. So, I don't like winding yarn by hand. In fact, I sort of hate it, which is why my chair has been out of commission for almost two weeks.


winding by hand

Often in a situation like this, I'd ask Daisy (hi again!) to bring her swift and ball winder to knitting night, but she hasn't been coming and the coffee shop has been really busy the last few times. Anyway, I think I'm ready to spoil myself (although not until after Christmas). Any recommendations for brands/types?

5. I have been swatching. (This is mostly for my information, so if you're not interested, you can stop reading now.) First, there is Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk on size 6. I get 25 stitches and 26 rows to 4". Then, the wool mohair Duet from Rhinebeck on size 7.

Interesting

Has anyone else heard about this? It's a 101/1001 blog, where one must define 101 goals and then try to achieve them in 1001 days. It sounds interesting, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to try it too. The problems are that 1) my goals are often big and undefined and 2) I'm not necessarily ready to talk about them on the internets. I suppose it would be a helpful goal setting tool (since they are easier to achieve if they are more defined rather than less), but I would also want to have control over who could read it. Is there a way to do that?

In knitting news, I've come to a conclusion. Samus is too big.


(And don't I look dorky when I try to take pictures of myself? I never know what to do with my hands)
Or at least its much larger than it was before washing. The length is nice, but it goes halfway around me again widthwise. The arms are good to the elbow, but I can almost fit football pads in the shoulder area. I think its a combination of a large gauge change during washing and my slightly unrealistic expectations about the pattern. I knew that it wouldn't be fitted. But falling off me is a bit much. However, I've just measured it and my sweater is actually smaller than the schematic says it should be. I'm going with my initial impression that it needs a belt and two belt loops along with the zipper, and it should be good.

Sunday pm malaise

It's Sunday afternoon again. Tomorrow will be a little rough. It's been almost like a four day weekend for me, as I had (easy) training on Thursday to transition into the long weekend.

Well, even without a new project, I found something to work on this week.


baby sweater

I'm knitting this from some random nylon yarn from the huge stash of baby yarn and patterns I inherited from my grandmother on 3.25 mm needles (from my secret pal!). I don't have anyone in mind for this, I just needed something to work on. I have finished both sleeves to the point where the join the body for the raglan shaping. Now I'm working on the lace panel around the bottom of the cardigan. I'm having problems because I'm not really a conscientious knitter a lot of the time (see lace detail). I've had to fudge one row to make things line up, and I now need to frog almost two rows to do another fudge. Things aren't lining up because I somehow have two extra stitches.

I have knit a pair of fuzzy feet, which will be felted soon. I need to figure out how they fit once felted so I can make any changes needed to pairs that I will actually give away.

fuzzy feet

I have also been Kool-aid dying my Knitpicks Colour Your Own.

kool aid
The top skein was dyed with 1 package each cherry, strawberry and orange. I used my Deep Dutch skillet and heated the water to warm, and used warm dye solution in a measuring cup with spout and poured over the surface.

The bottom skein is 2 packages strawberry kiwi and 1 package orange. I used a similar dyeing technique except the dye solution was refigerated prior to pouring. The dye didn't disperse as much as compared to a warm solution, leaving more lighter and white areas.

Stash revelation

NY Yarn purchase

I bought this yarn on my trip to NY in early September, and am just showing it off now. From left to right: a Cascade Magnum (colour unkwnown, can't find the ball band right now) from Purl, 12 balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (colours 26009, 26004, & 26002) and a skein of hand dyed kid mohair Expressions from Kaalund Yarns, both from the Yarn Co

I'm trying to decide what to do with the alpaca silk... any ideas?

FOs

So, my secret pal wanted to see what I did with the yarn in my last package. I made a scarf (don't mind the messy hair - actually, that's another wardrobe question I have. I'm growing my hair out, and I'm finding it difficult. Is the current in between style work appropriate? Know that I never style it in any way.)


secret pal yarn in action

Right now its a garter stitch scarf knit on the long edge, knit on a combination of 11s and 15s, with a couple of rows of double wrapped stitches. I think I may redo it to make the fabric looser to show off the ribbony quality of the yarn better. If I make it significantly shorter next time, I will join the short ends to make a drapey shoulder wrap.

Samus


samus done


sleeve detail

In other news, I have finished and blocked Samus! This was actually a quick knit, but the finishing took me ages (well, a couple of weeks, anyway). Now I have to find an appropriately sized zipper and ribbon to do the final finishing. Actually, the sweater ended up being a little bigger than I expected (I guess I could have made the small) so I think it needs two belt loops and a belt too. That might get done before the zipper installation.

Things I learned from this pattern:

1. Applied i-cord is not my favourite edging, although the blocking helped out some of the unevenness. I also should have used fewer rows around the cuff, as it flares out a little from the cable.

2. I would pick up a few fewer stiches around the bottom cable, because there are two bumps at the hip area, which isn't flattering to many.

3. As much as I appreciated the lack of side seams, I hated seaming the sleeves into the arm scyes when the shoulder and underarm seams were already sewn. It's six of one and half a dozen of another, though, so that won't really affect future sweater choices. Maybe next time I can try picking up stitches around the arm scye and knit know from there.

4. The Knitpicks Wool of the Andes is lovely and soft, although not quite next to the skin soft. It did bleed a lot on the first was, but the colour didn't fade.

let down

So, I finished Samus. After working on it for over a month, I finally sat down to work out the seaming and the finishing last night, and gave it a bath this morning. Does anyone else get this sense of let down at the end of a project? I've been at a loss all day as to what to do, since I didn't have another project waiting. I mean, I always have 5 or 6 little projects to work on, but that's not quite the same thing.

So, I've been scouting out new projects. I like the Hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and the Jacket as seen on Claudia's blog. I've started looking for a copy of Rowan #27, and some yarn that goes well... But really, I should be using up some of my stash... but really, nothing is grabbing my attention right now.

Random

Apparently I mostly speak general American English, even though I'm not (American, I mean). They had a couple of questions I couldn't answer, so I guess there are some differences between Canadians and Americans

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

15% Yankee

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

sigh (of relief)

I feel much better now. I had a really good day. First training ended early so some of my classmates and I had a really good dinner at par-fyum, a bistro on the Gatineau side of the river. The food was amazing! I've decided that its worthwhile to pay a little more and go out less often to really enjoy the food. My favourite was the creme brulee trio. (I would put the accents in, but I can't figure it out right now...) They were tiny but delicious, in ginger, vanilla and citron. Then, just to avoid work for a little longer, we went for a drive in Gatineau Park. It was my first time heading out there, which reinforced for me that I need access to a car. I don't want one full time, but I've lived here a year and haven't seen any of the surrounding area. I'm thinking about looking into one of those car sharing things. I think virtucar has a drop off spot near my house.

After work, we had knit group. There were about 12 people tonight. I only talked to a few people because I have difficulty hearing in large groups, but I did get to have more in depth discussions with a few people. It was nice just to get out and be around others. I also made some progress on my fuzzy feet! I did the heel and the gusset decreases on the first foot in forest green Patons Classic Merino. It's a good thing these things are a fast knit, as I'm really slow when I'm chatting.

For any Ottawa located knitters/spinners, the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild Annual Exhibition and Sale, "Feel Your Fibre", will take place at the Glebe Community Centre (175 Third Ave.), November 4 (4 to 8 pm), 5 (10 - 4 pm) , and 6th (10 - 4 pm).

morose

This is all a bit 'woe is me,' so if you're not interested, come back another day. I'm currently fighting with the seaming of the sleeves to the armholes of samus, so I expect it to be done soon. And I have socks, scarves, and fuzzy feet in production too.

I'm feeling a bit like I'm disappearing. I moved to Ottawa a year ago, and I just haven't found my groove here yet. I know people at work and at knitting group, but I haven't really found a group of people I'd call friends. I recently realised that I went a whole month without talking to anyone from the group of people I hung out with during training last year (and we all work in the same building now), and not one of them really noticed. And as much as I love hanging out and chatting with the ladies at the knitting group, I don't think they would really notice if I stopped showing up either. And if no one would notice if you were not there, aren't you already partly invisible?

Not that this is anyone's fault but my own (and even that is somewhat arguable). I know that I'm the one new to the area, and that sometimes really building a community takes time. It just makes me a little sad when I realize I've spent (almost) the whole weekend in my apartment because I didn't really have any reason to go out.

Anyway things aren't that bad, as I'm easily able to entertain myself most of the time. And there are things to do when I make the effort to go out. There's another meeting of the knitting group tomorrow, and there will apparently be new purchases to see.

Spoiled!

That's what I am! I picked this up today, while mailing off a package for my secret pal.



And this is what's inside!



(Sorry, I haven't arranged this list in any particular order) 2 24” Clover bamboo circular needles, sizes 3.25 mm and 3.5 mm, David and Goliath (of “boys are smelly” fame) sticker, magnet and key chain, Care Bears stickers (2) and Magic 8 ball, gummy bears (now how’d she get that through customs? When I was at the post office, they questioned me at length about food. Apparently we can’t even send gum to the US!) and 3 balls of Filatura di Crosa Sesamo in colour 15 (an orange-copper-pink mixture, very nice for fall). I have some ideas about what I’ll try with this, but I need to swatch to see what the fabric will be like.

In other knitting news, I have finished the sleeves for Samus! Now all I have left is seaming and knitting the rest of the applied i-cord. I hope I can finish it this weekend to wear next week, although new may win out over finishing.

Surprise!

What could this be?


surprise

Actually, It could be a number of things. A belated birthday present from a friend? Movies I bought off another friend? Sockapal2za socks? Or, a new Secret Pal package? Well, it could be anything, but since it might be a Secret Pal gift, I'm making myself wait until I have my package ready to send to go pick this up. I'm thinking Saturday. Although that's also the only day I can really get to the pickup, so its not really a choice on my part.


samus sleeves

Here is my update on the Samus sleeves. I have progressed since this picture was taken, but its just a whole lot more stockinette, so this is good for now.

Finally, I saw this in the window of a local bedding store. Isn't it cute?


cute

Besides the animals knitting, there are sheep wearing scarves!

daffodil?

Here's a photo of my newest sock. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do a pattern or ribbing, but I like how the turkish cast on worked out. However, I'm not certain the colours look like a daffodil to me. I think the yellow is a little too light.


daffodil sock

I have to admit, since I know the chances of my getting home during daylight hours during the week are slim at best, I stockpiled pictures on the weekend. I'll spread them out over the week, even if they don't show my most recent progress to avoid big gaps. Hopefully its still interesting.

krazy socks

Well, despite not doing much knitting, I have managed to finish my third pair of socks (ever)! They are knit on 3mm needles from Patons Kroy Socks Stripes in Krazy Stripes. I didn't follow a particular pattern, but I used a short row heel.


from the side


from above

The one thing I would change next time would be the toe. I didn't think to do some decreases when I switched from ribbing to stockinette, to I have two corners. Lessons learned.


toes

I have already cast on for a new sock. Since, I've got this cuff down thing figured out, I tried the Turkish cast on for toe up socks. The first couple rows were a little tight, but its going well now. I'm using Knitpicks Sock Garden in Daffodil. And, I knit the cuff cables for Samus on the trip last weekend, so I've been working slowly on knitting up from there.

In other news, I've finally started giving family and friends my blog address. I waited because I wasn't sure it was going to stick this time (I had a blog when I was overseas and then stopped posting when I got busy. I didn't want to mislead them again.) At a couple month of regular posts, I think its time, since many complain that I never tell them what's going on in my life.

slow down

Wow. I was so quick off the mark with the Rhinebeck post, and now I've completely dropped off the map. I've been tired still from my busy weekend, and work has been busy (I just found out that I'm on call this weekend too, so no respite for me). I haven't been doing much knitting either. I knit a bit on my sock at the knitting group last night (It was crazy! There were twenty-odd people there! It was the largest crowd in a while as we joined up with some people from the knitty board). Justine and I spent a lot of time winding our purchases from Rhinebeck on Daisy's swift and ball winder, which she was kind enough to bring. We got a lot of stares with that contraption set up in the middle of the coffee shop (there are pictures available on the yahoo group if you want to see). There was one point where her skein kept tangling and we were both sitting on the floor babysitting it and we were giggling like mad... It was a nice moment.

Other than that, I've been reading a new book! That's pretty new for me, since I haven't read much lately. I'm reading The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, which I picked up from the Bookcrossing meeting that was going on during the last knitting group I went to.

Rhinebeck

Well, the adventure started about 10 am on Friday morning with Justine, her partner, Patrick, Jo and her daughter arriving at my place to pick me up. And, we're off!


my travelling companions (well, this picture was actually taken near the end of the trip, cause I didn't think to take one earlier)

Mapquest had said the drive would be about 6.5 hours. Well, what with the vagaries of travelling with an eight year old, stuffing 5 people in a smallish car and the torrential downpour we were driving through, it was 7 pm before we pulled into the Pleasant Valley Motel. (When we talked talked to a local later, he said it had rained 20 inches in the past week! All of the rivers had left their banks. And the basement of the hotel was flooded, so they had a generator going all night Friday to keep the water from reaching the electrical panel!)

Jo and Justine were largely going to meet up with Sara and Cate, so we found them first near the petting zoo.




We met lots of other people too, including, but not limited to, Wendy, Christine, Melanie , Moth Heaven, Norma, Steph, Alison, Jenn, and Juno. There were so many more that I've forgotten names of or talked to without even introducing myself, but everyone was so nice! Not that I'm surprised, but it made everything so much fun. Say hi in the comments if I've forgotten anyone.

Aminals...


sheep


llama

Then, there was shopping. I tried to take pictures, but my efforts never really showed off the sheer enormity of this event. Let's just say that there were 20 buildings worth of fibre-related goodness, with over 220 vendors!

My stash enhancement:


yarn

Two hanks of alpaca from Staghorn Valley Alpacas and two hanks of Duet from Brooks Farm. The Duet is 55% Mohair and 45% Wool and is incredibly soft!


roving

And the fibre for spinning (since I don't really know the difference between roving, batts or other forms of fibre)... from left to right, Tina's Hand Painted Fibers in Bittersweet and Lemon Sherbet and batt from Grafton Fibers

I think this is good for now...

I'm back!

Guess where I was this weekend?

Autumn colour

autumn colour

Well, as you may have noticed, I've had to skip Wardrobe Wednesdays this week. It will return next week. In the meantime, I'm placating you all with a lovely shot of the fallen leaves.

Now, for a knitting issue. I have finished the body of Samus, and I decided to starton the applied i-cord edging before the sleeves (I had high and misguided hopes to wear the body as a vest to Rhinebeck this weekend). At this point, I've ripped it out once and am on the verge of doing it again becuase the line where I'm applying it to the sweater is so uneven.


samus edging (with cat for scale)


samus edging close

I know its hard to see on the photos, as it really is a little thing, but sometimes there is a ridge where I'm applying the cord to the knitting, and sometimes there isn't. I don't really like the ridge, but I'd accept it either way if it were just consistent. Any suggestions?

In other news, I think my cat is jealous of my knitting. On Sunday, I was knitting away and the cat came over wanting to be petted. I put the knitting aside for a minute to pet her and she climbed onto my lap. This, from a cat that has never sat on my lap willingly in the four years I've owned her! She's affectionate, loves to be petted and sit beside me, but generally dislikes being held. Then this morning, I was trying to photograph the dastardly i-cord and she would not get off the knitting. But as soon as I stop with the photography, she went back to sleep. Weird that.

knitting news

Lest you think I don't actually knit, I thought I'd post some pictures of actual knitting. I've started working on samus in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Stream.


samus

I have finished the cable along the bottom and am now working my way up the body for the second or third time. Since I'm not using the yarn called for in the pattern and I decided to add a wee bit of shaping, I've had to rip out once or twice, but I decided it was worth getting it right. Especially if this turns out to be the first thing I make that fits me.

It's knit flat, so its long.


samus again

I have three Denise cords joined together so I can stretch it out to see how it will fit as I go. I'm using a size 10 needle (recommended size is 7 or 8) to get somewhere near the pattern gauge, but also because I like how the fabric drapes at that gauge.

In other news, I finally took pictures of some of my secret pal gift. You see why I loved this card?


card from my secret pal


tattoo on my back

Side note: Yet another annoying thing with this camera. It was suprisingly difficult to get a picture of this tattoo. I know I'm so pale that I glow on occasion, but the camera wouldn't really focus on the tattoo. This is one of the few (of many) shots that was even close to being in focus. I only have a few more days to make a decision...

Wardrobe Wednesdays

I know its already Thursday, but there's not much I can do about that now. I've been thinking about adding this as a regular feature, and Wednesdays make for nice alliterations.

So, now that I'm actually working and not a student, I find that I have a hard time judging what constitutes a work appropriate attire. And, since I had questions about the outfit I wore to work today, I thought I'd put it to blogland. And I think I'll try and do it regularly as I purge my closet of the clothes I no longer need and try to build a nice, compact wardrobe (without looking too conformist - I don't really like wearing suits). So, for background, I work for the Federal Government in Canada. My office is fairly dressy, although we do have casual Fridays. Lots of people wear black suits every day, but lots of people don't as well.

So, what I would like would be for people to comment to let me know if this outfit is fit for work. Sort of like Hot or Not, but not really. So, are these outfits a "workplace wow" or a "workplace woe"?


Option A


Option B


boot closeup

Live from the Skatch

So, I was supposed to be on a plane right now, but when I arrived at the airport, the ticket lady found me a better flight that leaves a little later but gets in earlier. That was just fine with me, so I'm hanging out the Saskatoon airport (as opposed to the Calgary airport a little later on). I thought I'd do a quick post, as I have some interesting pictures from the weekend.

First, in knitting news, I finally finished the first sweater I ever started!


My first sweater

I had been knitting for a while, but had only really made scarves (and maybe a first try at a hat) when my sister asked me to make this for her. She picked out the pattern, and I decided to use some yarn my grandma had given me. It was Eaton's Sayelle, the yellow colour in the picture. Of course, I finished a sleeve and the back and then realized that I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the front, never mind the second sleeve. So, I frogged the sleeve and finished the front and hood in the yellow. Then, I gave the sweater to my sister for her birthday in May so that she could decide how she wanted it finished. She picked out the gray yarn for the sleeves, and I designed the pocket to tie the two colours together. I actually sewed the pocket on this weekend, and then made sure to get pictures. Yay for the FO!

I actually had a pretty good weekend, despite coming down with the cold that's been circulating through my office. It was my cousin's wedding so almost all of my family was able to come to Saskatoon to celebrate. I flew in on Thursday night, and now it's time to head back. We're not all getting together for Christmas, so it was worth the plane ticket for a short trip.

I bought a digital camera because I've been talking about it for a while, but I'm not sure I'm terribly impressed with it. I will take the time to read the manual when I get home, but I'm finding the picture quality uneven, even under the same circumstances. For example, these two pictures were taken from the same spot in the same (poor) lighting conditions, but one is completely out of focus. I'm finding that I'm having a lot of focus problems. I'll see if I can figure it out, but I'm also glad I've had a chance to test it out before the return period is done.


camera woes


better

Presenting...

Miss Spooky Cat's debut to the world.

Yay digital camera! I promise, there will be a whole photo shoot of FOs when I get home, but right now, I'm struggling to pack and clean up my apartment before I go to work, since my plane leaves tonight! I wasn't feeling great last night, so I ended up sleeping instead of doing the dishes. I'm regretting it now though.

A good (long) weekend to you all.

Bits

Just a quick run through some things I've been meaning to mention.

First, I also got a Knit Pixie gift certificate from my Secret Pal. I'm having so much fun browsing through their catalogue trying to decide how to spend my loot.

In other news, my sock pal, Kat finally got my package!

Finally, I found a ride and a room for Rhinebeck. It would be a crazy trip, but I'm so tempted. Now I have to see if I can get time off work.

Catch up

Alright, so I was having some problems with blogger yesterday. And I didn't have internet at home until yesterday. So I haven't posted much lately. But I promise to do better now.

My secret pal is spoiling me like crazy! I got my first package (a birthday present even!) today. I got Mandara candles with mystical oils that smell faboulous, incense matches and a flower shaped nail file! I also got this great card! It's somewhat ironic, and I will try to post a picture to show why later. Anyway I haven't sorted out the camera yet (see below to find out why).

So, it was my birthday on Tuesday, so it's been a week of excitement. I had several people over for brunch (potluck) to celebrate on Sunday, which was nice and relaxing. Monday night was the knitting guild meeting, which was big and intimidating. I don't know that I'll go regularly; I prefer my smaller knitting group where I get to talk to and know most people. Tuesday night was dinner at Haveli Indian, which I loved! The food was really good, and I had leftovers for lunch the next day. Wednesday was knitting group. So, tonight I had to come down from the high and actually do some laundry. And catch up on emails.

So, the highlight from knitting group was that there is a slim chance that I could go to Rhinebeck! I don't want to say too much, as it is a very slim chance, but I can always hope. If I end up going, that will consume the back pay money I wanted to spend on a digicam, but I think it will be worth it. It will just mean working harder to borrow a camera for pictures, especially with my secret pal sending me such great things!

And finally, a picture of my friend's cat... just to add some visual interest.


Sappho, the many toed cat

Bad Blogger!

Let's just say I'm having computer problems today... This is my third effort at posting and it gets shorter every time. My internet is working at home as of today (yay! it only took Bell a week to sort it out!) I will post more later and more frequently.

Secret Pal Survey

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
My yarn snobbishness is variable. I love great natural fibers, but if it needs to be washable in any way, then only acrylic will do. For example, I will never make children’s items out of wool.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I am now learning to spin on a spindle. I’m very slow, but I like it so far.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Off and on for about three years, somewhat obsessively for at least 6 months.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, and it can be found here, or on my profile on my blog.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love vanilla and fruity scents and jasmine, and strongly dislike other floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Sort of. I’m more attracted my muffins, cookies and ice cream than chocolate. Oooh! And gummy candies. All right, yes.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I can sew, and I’m in the process of setting up a sewing area in my new place. I have also done a lot of photography in the past, which I’m trying to become more involved with.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My computer can play mp3s. My musical tastes are varied, although country or really poppy music (Christina, Britney, ‘Nsync) are not my favourites.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love bright colours. My favourite colour is probably red, orange or yellow. I dislike pastel colours.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I’m recently newly single. My boyfriend of over a year moved out in June. I have a cat named Suki (affectionately known as Spooky Cat).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I love to travel, and I want to go almost everywhere. I really want kids (just alerting any future husbands out there. :)) I want to have a job I enjoy that allows me a good balance to live my life outside of work.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I like Patons Classic Wool, and I love Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn. I’ve recently bought some Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk that feels great, but I haven’t started swatching yet.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t really like scratchy fibers, at least if they’re going to be against my skin. I can’t think of anything else that I really don’t like.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I find myself making a lot of felted bags (for Christmas presents) and cardigans (none of which are finished, and they’re all for me).

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I knit socks, because I spend lots of time on the bus. I see beautiful clothes that I want to make for myself, but I keep planning and knitting gifts for other people.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Baby blanket for my cousin, sweater for my sister, felted Sophie bags and Tychus hats for Christmas, two cardigans (one from White Buffalo, and Samus from Knitty in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Stream). I also have a hat and a shawl in my basket that I haven’t worked on for a while.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I would never know where to carry my purse, although they might be good for my office.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I use my Denise set for a lot of things, so circular I guess. I don’t have any circs smaller than 5 US.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Plastic is easier on my hands. I’ve never tried bamboo. Although I like bamboo yarn.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Yes, I’m currently completing my third pair ever. And my second pair went to my sock pal.

22. How did you learn to knit?
My grandma taught me as a child, and then a friend and I decided we wanted to learn in university. We took a class at the Alberta College of Art and Design which ended up being more about colour theory and material choice (including cutting up old clothes to knit with) instead of basic knitting, but I’ve been going strong ever since.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
2 years. Sometimes other things take over in priority.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I like the Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite, for nostalgic reasons.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I love Christmas, although I sadly may not make it home to see family this year. :(

26. Is there anything that you collect?
No. Unless you count yarn and patterns. I have an aversion to items in my house that sit on shelves, so I’m trying to weed them out slowly.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I love the Teva Durham and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee books.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
I can’t really think of anything right now. Although someday I may make a foray into lace, and there are some very pretty options out there.

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
My feet are 25 cm long and 23 cm around. I love all kinds of hand knit socks, since I’ve only ever owned 1.5 pairs. Again, someday I will try out some lace.

A Day Late…

All right, so it’s not Friday right now. As always, life is crazy, but I have some time to do up a good post right now.

So, I’m noticing things about myself. Number one right now is that I can be incredibly impatient! My birthday is approaching (the days are flying right by right now). My mother, being the plan ahead type, knowing that she hates paying to mail parcels, gave me my birthday present when I was in Alberta at the end of July. With the understanding that I wouldn’t open it until my birthday!

So, I’ve had my birthday present sitting in my house for the past month, and I haven’t been able to open it. And it’s driving me crazy! Until the crazy move, it was hidden in the second bedroom closet, which was passable, although I still thought about it from time to time. Since the move, its sitting right inside my bedroom door, because I don’t want it to get lost in the crush of stuff. (Really. I have piles of stuff waist deep covering the majority of my bedroom floor. Thank goodness this apartment is actually bigger than the last one.) Every time I see it sitting there, I really want to open it. There’s no earthly reason my mom would know if I opened it early, but I love surprises on birthdays! One year, I found, opened and re-closed all of my presents before my birthday, and I know there’s just no replacement for opening a cool package on the big day.

So, since we’re talking about my birthday, I’m thinking of celebrating by hosting a Birthday/House-warming potluck brunch on the Sunday before. The real questions are, how many people would come, will they all fit in my living room, and can I make my house presentable before they all arrive (next weekend)? I’ve actually already made significant progress in the unpacking and rearranging this morning, and I still have tonight and all day tomorrow (and Saturday next week, if it comes to that). So, I think I will print up invites at school on Monday (I’m in training for a week, which should be a nice break from work) and give those out. Once I’ve invited people, I kind of have to go through with it, don’t I?

In knitting news, I’ve been out every night this week, as well as working a lot, so I haven’t gotten a lot done. I just bought a skein of mohair to do my sister’s bag for Christmas. I’ve also finished a prototype for the kangaroo pocket for her sweater, but it needs to be frogged. At least I learned a lot from the first attempt. I’m also working on a think wool sweater (from White Buffalo, in a pale teal colour) and a pair of hand warmers. I’ve started to feel a chill in the air, so I thought I’d add to my outerwear wardrobe. That and the socks didn’t fit over my heel, but they fit my wrists nicely.

All right, and now a random picture. This is my cousin’s daughter (not quite my niece?), wearing a hat I knit for her. It’s the first had I made that fit anyone, sort of by accident. I learned to make up patterns by watching other knitters long before I learned to read on, but it did take a lot of trial and error.



happy monkey

Quickie

I know, I know… yet another short, hurried post. Everybody’s busy these days, it seems.

Anyway, New York was great! I didn’t get as much knitting done as I hoped, partly because a lot of the driving happened in the dark. I did manage to finish my sockapal2za socks. Now to find a way to take a picture of them! I also did some knitting on the train from Connecticut to New York and back on both days.

New York wasn’t all about knitting (though I did go to a couple of yarn stores – The Yarn Co. and Purl, which were great! I had to limit myself to only buying things that aren’t regularly stocked by my LYS.) We walked a lot, shopped a lot, saw a musical, went on a harbour tour… all kinds of exciting things. I may even have pictures later, as the friend I was traveling with has a digital camera. On the way back, we stopped in Burlington, Vermont, for dinner and Ben and Jerry’s. It was a great way to end a great trip.

Since I’ve been back, work has been crazy, as always. I’m at a coffee shop now trying to type something up before my knitting group arrives. And tomorrow is a friend’s birthday, and I’ll be going out for that. So, I promise a good post on Friday (and maybe I’ll have my modem for internet at my house by then!) Until then, good knitting!

Shhh...

I’m writing up a quick post at work, because otherwise it would be at least another week before I managed to post. (And a quick break to share some baklava with my office mates. I really needed a sugar rush.) And even though I don’t think anyone reads my blog, I’d like to keep myself in the habit of posting regularly.

So, I’m tired today (and generally unmotivated). I moved on Sunday, and my new place still looks like it has exploded. (Even though it’s a new apartment in the same building, it was a lot of work!) I’ve been at work late every day this week, so I haven’t gotten a lot of unpacking done. And almost no knitting. I have been knitting my sockapal2za socks on the bus to and from work, but the toes require more attention than I can provide, so I decided to work a bit last night when I got sick of unpacking. I was going along nicely until I dropped a number of stitches which I couldn’t rescue (they were all of my decreases on one side, and I’m not that talented with a crochet hook yet) so I frogged several rows. By the time I picked up all of the stitches, it was bed time.

And, on top of not having a lot of time to unpack this week, I am going away this weekend. A few friends and I are renting a car and driving to Connecticut. There will be a few days in New York City, and then a long, leisurely drive home on Monday. And, since it would cost too much to add me as a driver for the rental car, I will have lots of knitting time! Since I’m going with non-knitters, I will only be able to hit one or two yarn stores, but it will be nice to see all of the yarns we don’t normally get in Canada. This trip is going to be a birthday present to myself, since I don’t really have the money for it. You only turn 25 once, though, right?

And, while we only got a half day of rain here in Ottawa out of Katrina, lots of people are suffering, so if you want to make a donation to the Red Cross to help those affected, let them know here and you may win a prize!

tag

So, nobody tagged me, but I thought this might be an interesting post, so here goes... I stole it from Elisa.

10 years ago... it was 1995 and I would have been starting grade 10. I would have been 14, as my birthday isn’t until later. I had been dating my boyfriend for a year (2?) at this point. Hmmm… apparently the life of a 14 year-old is not that exciting, as nothing else pops out at me.

5 years ago... it was 2000, and I was doing a co-op term for university at a small tech startup called Apps On The Web (I just looked them up, apparently they still exist, but not as I knew them). I was getting ready to start year 3 (of 5.5) at university.

1 year ago... I was moving multiple times. I had been working for an NGO in Jericho, Palestine, then returned to Alberta for 2 weeks for my sister’s wedding, then moved to Ottawa to start language training for my new job.

Yesterday… I worked all day, did some cleaning for the impending move, blogged while watching So You Think You Can Dance (this is my idea of a reality show, as I love all things dance related) and knit (another square for the baby blanket, and some more rounds on a modified Sophie).

Today... Work, and then I have my second last soccer game of the season. I don’t usually manage to accomplish anything after soccer, so that’s about it.

Tomorrow… More work and more moving… it’s Friday, so the moving can start in earnest.

5 snacks I enjoy... I’m pretty random in my snacking… I like sweet things (ice cream, baked goods (mmm, muffins), chocolate (especially Lindt Lindor milk chocolate) and gummy candies) and salty things (cheese, pickles, chips, pretzels), but I don’t snack on anything regularly. When I do snack, I always prefer a little bit of the real thing over a lot of a reduced fat/calorie version.

5 bands/singers that I like... I’m really bad about music… I like listening to it, but I don’t often buy cds or choose the music I’m listening to… that means a lot of radio, and only knowing the popular songs, and not knowing who sings what. Honestly, I like so many different things, I would spend a fortune on cds if I bought them all, so I just stick to buying yarn.

Things I would do with $100,000,000... Pay off my debt, buy a house/condo or two (one in Alberta, near my family… I talked to my parents last night, and I really miss being there for daily life), travel the world (extensively), donate to charity, give to family and friends, and invest a lot so that I could only work at things I want to.

5 locations I'd like to run away to... Sub-Saharan Africa, India/Pakistan, Vietnam/Thailand/Cambodia, Italy/Greece/the Mediterranean/North Africa, Latin America… these are actually regions, see above (and yes, I am aware that this covers the majority of the world).

5 bad habits I have.... I procrastinate… a lot…, I’m messy, I’m overly critical… those are the only ones I can think of. I’m actually really bad at forming habits, especially good ones. I can go to the gym every day for months, and if I skip one day, all of that habit-building work is gone, and I never go again (true example).

5 things I like doing... Spending time with family and friends, knitting, reading, shopping (if I’m in the mood), cooking.

5 things I would never wear... tapered pants, stirrup pants, shoulder pads, pleated front jeans, anything horribly oversized. That’s not to say that I haven’t worn these things, but that I will now not wear them again.

5 TV shows I like... teen shows (Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Instant Star, the OC) cop shows (Law & Order, CSI, Cold Case), and some CanCon (Canadian Content: Robson Arms, Corner Gas). (my options are limited, I only have one channel… and it doesn’t have Gilmore Girls or the OC. I only put them down because I used to watch. However, this has shown me that I probably watch too much TV even with my limited options. And that I like to use parentheses too much.)

5 Movies I like.... Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride, and I have a startling affection for most teen movies (e.g. Mean Girls, Josie and the Pussycats, 10 Things I Hate About You etc. This is also often reflected in my TV viewing habits.)

5 famous people I'd like to meet... As a kid, I was always more interested in the characters in shows than in the actors that played them. I would always daydream about being a character in the show (not an actor playing a character, just someone from that environment). I think I still have that ability to really like a character and still realize that I know nothing about the person playing the character. However, these people always seemed kinda cool to me: Natalie Portman, Julia Stiles, Seth Green, Albert Einstein and Susan Sarandon. Before, I would have added Katie Holmes, but not so much anymore.

5 biggest joys of the moment... No humidity (and thus cool sleeping weather at night), my birthday coming up (yay quarter century!), upcoming wedding of my cousin, where I will see most of my extended family, moving to a new place (this is a mixed blessing), and living on my own for the first time.

5 favorite toys... my laptop, my minidisk player, my camera (although I haven’t used it much lately), my Denise needle set, my cat (that doesn’t quite seem right, but it’s true)

And, since I don't have any pictures of knitting, I thought I'd include interesting pictures from my last trip...
Egypt...

testing

me...

I'm just having fun learning how to post photos. This seems to work pretty well. This picture was taken by my then-boyfriend just over a year ago when we were in Egypt. It was sunset, and I'm looking down at the Nile.

I'm not knitting a lot tonight... I was turning the heel on my sockapal2za sock and I ended up with stitches left on only one side, so I frogged the heel and did it again. Unfortunately, my hands are limited in their tolerance for knitting at a small gauge, and they are feeling somewhat claw-like today. (Not that typing is that much better). Anyway, what I should really be doing is cleaning/packing, but again it's getting late and I haven't done much. The friends helping me move are going to be in shock when they get here Sunday!

knitting monotony

It's terrible to say this, but I feel like I've been knitting on the same projects forever... It's probably because I have so many projects on the go, and they all have fast approaching deadlines.

Sockapal2za socks - September 15
The Hooded Pullover from Patons' Weekend Retreat book - September 30 - I gave this to my sister for her birthday in May, and am just seaming it now. I started it with yarn from my grandmother (that came with Eaton's ball bands) and ran out after the hood, but before the sleeves. I did show it to her on her birthday, and then made her pick out the contrasting yarn for the sleeves and a front patch pocket.
A mitred-square baby blanket - September 30 - The baby is due on the 13th, but I have to deliver it when I'm out west. It's mostly just the seaming left, although I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to do it. I'm thinking about learning to crochet...
Christmas presents - September 30 - I'm going home for a wedding then, and I'm not sure that I'm going home for Christmas, so I thought it would be good to make my gifts for family and deliver them then. Aren't I a genius? I've finished two Sophie bags, with one more to do, and two Tychus hats for the men (my dad and my brother-in-law) in my life (I think I'm safe, as no one from my family reads this blog.)

Despite being a little bored by the knitting I have available, I keep knitting instead of getting ready for my impending move. I'm only moving up four floors in my building, but I seem to have a lot of stuff! My ex moved out two months ago, and it doesn't seem to have made the slightest difference in the volume of things in my house. And right now? I'm blogging instead of packing. I think this weekend is really going to suck, what with the packing and moving and cleaning all still to be done. At least I'll have help...

whirlwind week

It has indeed been a crazy week... I can't remember when my last post was, so I'll go over at least the past four days. Tuesday I went to Ikea in search of lamps. When my ex moved out, he left a lot of his stuff here until he found a permanent apartment (as opposed to a two month sublet). When he came to pick it up, it turned out that all of the lamps were his. This apartment (and my next one, I move next weekend) doesn't have any overhead lighting, so it has been pretty dark. Today I set up my living room lamp, and it's much better!

Wednesday was the regular Ottawa Knitting Group meeting (the third Wednesday of every month, at the Bridgehead on Third Avenue in the Glebe, anyone can come join us!). A lot of our regular members were out of town, but we had a lot of new faces, which is always welcome. I didn't learn everyone's name (that is definitely one of my biggest weaknesses!) but I had fun chatting. I only brought two projects with me, my sockapal2za socks and a Sophie bag I'm working on for a Christmas present, and they're both in the endless circles of stockinette stage. I'll have to remember to bring a bit more variety in the future.


Suki cat thinks she needs to eat right now... I guess it is after my bedtime, when I normally feed her. She can wait for a few more minutes.

Thursday night, I had my regularly scheduled soccer game. We lost 1-0 to the second best team in the league. Our team would be doing much better if we could just score goals, but then again, that's probably a problem for a lot of recreational soccer team. There are only two games left in the season. I'll be sad when it's over... but I don't think I'm going to make the effort to play indoor this winter. We'll see.

Tonight, I wanted to finish spinning and plying the roving I bought at Knit Knackers two weeks ago so I can take it in tomorrow to show the woman who taught me how to spin my first work (and to buy more roving!) I think I'm surprisingly even, considering this is my first effort. I have a small hank of two ply yarn hanging in my bathtub right now. I still have a lot to learn, though, as I don't even remember the name of the fiber I bought. And I'm thinking of going to Rhinebeck...? I guess I would probably learn more there. While spinning, I watched Shall We Dance, with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. I love movies about dance, and this one was lovely, but I think I prefered the Japanese original. I found it amusing that they had a preview for the original on the dvd.

I'm ba-ack...

Sorry for the lack of posting. I decided that my blog reading/posting at work was getting out of hand, and I decided to stop (for my productivity, as well as my job security). I just got a computer for home, so I can now post again. Which is exciting since I'm hoping to join SP6! Hopefully I will be able to get a digital camera by then too, so I can actually take pictures of my projects.

I should update on my WIPs, I guess. I have just casted on for my seconde Sockapal2za sock, and they are coming along nicely. I am yousing Kroy Socks Orangina for the toe, heel and cuffs and Kroy Socks Paintbox for the rest. The cuff is cabled and the heel is an afterthought kind, so it can be replaced if it wears out. I have had a lot of trouble with these socks since it's the first time I've made socks for someone else, and I'm having fit issues. I'm so concerned about them being too big that I keep trying to end too soon. I seem to have got the measurements right for the first one, so it should be good now.

I have been knitting a sweater for my sister for ages, and I just bound of the arms (knit flat at the same time). Nothing left but the seaming, and knitting a kangaroo style pocket if I have time before October. Other things to finish before October include a mitred-square baby blanket for my cousin and Sophie bags to be included in Christmas presents, as I won't be home at Christmas. I'm hoping to deliver everything in October so I don't have to ship it. And, maybe a present for my (other) cousin for her wedding, if I can think of something suitable. I think that's everything that I'm actively working on right now.

knit fit

So, I have determined that I’m a winter, not a summer, at least temperature wise. Ottawa has been experiencing a cold snap (15 – 20° C), which I have been thoroughly enjoying, and I find myself dreading the return of the heat (forecast for today, to reach 30° tomorrow). Not only is it nicer to knit when it’s cool out, but its also nicer to sleep, read, go outside, stay inside… the list could go on and on. And yet, I’m in the Canadian Foreign Service, and the areas where I would most like to work are generally warm.

On the knitting front, I have several projects on the go, as usual. I’m making: Little Black Top from Stitch ‘n Bitch, only my gauge is way off from the pattern, so I’m making adjustments as I go; socks for my sockapal2za pal; a yoga mat bag for my friend’s martial arts sticks (I don’t actually know what they’re called, but they’re almost 28 inches long); felted purses for Christmas (none of my family read this blog); a mitred square baby blanket in acrylic rainbow colours I had lying around; and a long-worked on sweater for my sister. And now I see everyone making the One Skein Wonder, and I want one too! Although I’ve yet to talk to anybody that has actually completed it with one skein.

My knitting group (S’nB?) just placed an order with KnitPicks (to share the shipping costs, since the US dollar factor mitigates the good price factor a bit), so I’m anxiously anticipating more yarn so I can start more projects. Although I really should limit myself so that some day something gets finished. We’ll see how that goes.

I’m not sure this blogging thing is going to go very far, at least until I get a digital camera and computer of my own. Blogs with pictures are just more interesting, but I can’t really justify the time to post pics since I’m supposed to be working.

weird weather

So, after days of crushing heat, we’re now having back to back thunderstorms. I love a good thunderstorm, don’t get me wrong. I really liked how cool my room was last night from my open window, and I didn’t mind being woken up several times to listen to/watch the show. However, right now it looks like we’re in the middle of a tropical storm outside! I’m not impressed by the thought of walking home in 45 minutes, cause its foggy, windy and pouring rain. Sheets of it! And I, the ever-bright one, didn’t even bring a jacket today, because it was still pretty warm when I left for work this morning. I’m going to be soaked (and everything I’m carrying) by the time I get to SnB tonight, as I don’t think my umbrella is going to help much.

Yeah, so I’m going to the Glebe to the Stitch ‘n Bitch tonight. Should be fun! I may have to have something warm after all the rain (and I was so looking forward to trying one of Bridgehead’s iced drinks). I keep looking at patterns and dreaming of the cool things I can make (and all the cool yarn I can buy). Completely ignoring the huge stash of yarn I already have at home. I'm trying to fight the urge to buy more, as I have the wool for several projects at home that I haven't yet started. I'm even looking at wool for cardigans, cause I know with the pile of projects I have, I won't be able to finish new projects before summer is over.

And, I'm in the sockapal2za! So I already have to buy more wool for socks. Nothing else until I make a substantial dent in my WIP/projects piles.

Soccer practice last night seemed way too long. I have this incredibly short attention span (or maybe just a really poor internal clock), so a two hour practice seems so incredibly long, and I can’t wear a watch so I can’t even check and tell myself that it hasn’t been as long as I think it has. And it doesn’t even seem to depend on the activity. I can sit down to read for a half hour, and I keep checking my watch because I think the time must be up (usually cause I’ve set a time limit that is the last possible minute I can leave the house and still be on-time). Usually I start looking after 10 minutes, and look every few minutes after that.

getting started

Hmmm... getting started at this is taking some time...

So, I had a rather uneventful weekend. Went to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Steph on Friday. Did some cleaning and grocery shopping. I went on a cooking spree Sunday evening, so I have most of the food I’ll need for the next couple of days done. I also baked some surprise muffins, cannibalizing my banana muffin recipe to include blueberries and orange juice. I’ve decided that next time I experiment, I should also change the spices too, as I’m not sure orange juice and nutmeg are my favourite combination, but overall they turned out well.

I got new shoes! Did I tell you about the escalator eating my shoe? Well, it did, so the mall is reimbursing me for a new pair. I have to drop off the receipt and old shoes today. If I owned a digital camera, I would take a picture for posterity, but I guess I’ll have to do without.

Other than that, I barely moved. It was soooo hot here! And humid, and smoggy (we had a smog alert! I’ve never experienced one of those in Canada before!). Overall, the weather sucked. I have to say, the weather here isn’t my favourite. It’s known for being damn cold and humid in the winter and damn hot and humid in the summer. And we had freezing rain all winter, which leads to crappy snow for winter sports, although I’m told that that’s not normal. And all the smog and humidity prevents it from being truly sunny out, but it’s still hot!

So, the Internet is a wonderful thing. I’ve joined a knitting group on-line that is doing a sock exchange. So, the idea is I knit socks for someone else and then someone else (not the same person) knits socks for me! I’m just finishing up my first pair of socks (knit for me!), so now I have yet another project to keep me busy until mid-September. If I had my own blog (that I updated regularly) I could join other fun projects like the Secret Pal group. Actually, it’s probably good that I don’t get too involved in these on-line swaps, cause you never know what will strike my fancy next.