Long, long overdue — but old post

This is from April 27th!! I swear there will be a new post - with up to the minute details this week!

I am finally getting around to posting about Brandon’s Comfort Blanket.
Squares have come pouring in over the last 2 weeks - thank you everyone!
We are 4 away from our goal number and preparing to assemble the blankets later this week — right before my brother’s wedding (Yay!)

    
Along with the squares came this cozy hat from Jessalu.

We have new pets - who have given birth 3x since we got them. Kira pays more attention to them than the cats do.

End of old post.

The blankets have begun to be sewn, my brother is married and I have way too many blog posts to read! I swear I have no clue where the time has gone. My sincerest apologies to all I have neglected but…since my bloglines is over 600 posts I am going to have to mark all as read and start over. Please forgive me!

Shocking Developments

This knitter has completed a project.
And then photographed the project.
And actually posted it - on her blog.

So very flattering, taking your own picture in a bathroom mirror.

You can see I couldn’t wait until I had added the collar and woven in the ends. I had to try it on. I did have someone else take my picture in my new sweater - but they were even less flattering. They all turned out to have either a vacant expression or my mouth open explaining how to work the camera.

Here is the best of those attempts:

See what I mean? Call 1-800-TIPS is what I’m seeing.

It is done, reblocked and resting - waiting to be worn to work tomorrow. If I ever get a better picture than on the back of a chair…I’ll put it up here.

I’m really, really happy with this sweater. It’s cozy, it’s comfy and I made it in less than 1.5 months! I might always work with Size 11 needles from now on.

I love the Sand Stitch that embellishes the cuffs and the fronts. Excuse the poor lighting - the colour is exactly as pictured on the back of the chair (for some reason seeing my sweater laying there like it’s just been taken off feels so good! like this is a real sweater)

I watched a record amount of television programming and movies while knitting this. But probably I will associate it with Knocked Up - which I watched two nights in a row (thank you Movie Central) as I finished the collar, redid the collar and then wove in those ends. Seth Rogen is so adorable. But, to quote B-Nessa, “I digress.”

I am still struggling to catch up on my blog reading (sorry folks - I’ll get to you - though it may not be safe). Some of my reading is leading to immediate action.

Mmmm….Elvis cake.

A rich, moist banana cake with incredible Peanut Butter icing. Honestly, I am tolerating the cake so I can have more icing! I never thought I would be the weird person in line at the grocery store with a jar of Marshmallow Creme but people - one taste of this icing has let me know it is worth cringing in the baked goods aisle as you add this totally kitzchy ingredient to your basket of organic snap peas, soy milk and eco friendly dishwasher detergent (though I’m thinking the energy it takes to run our old dishwasher probably negates the benefit of phosphate free soap).

Anyways, if you want some of your own you’ll have to go here and then get in line for the Marshmallow Creme.

 

WiP’s? on a Wednesday?

What next?

I have made some real progress on my Alaskan Jacket. Look!

Not only did I finish the back and the 2 fronts, I washed them and blocked them!! There’s a first time for everything. Oooh was that water dirty too - and now the pieces don’t smell faintly of iron (I have no idea what that was about!). I was sold on this process by the dirty water alone.

Here are the 2 sleeves just before posting:

I should finish them tonight while I watch the sobfest I taped last night - otherwise known as Biggest Loser.  Spring Break, the house to myself and watching shows like In Treatment (brilliant){Gabriel Byrne with his accent} and No Country for Old Men (bloody brilliant - ha! literally but that is not what I meant) gave me lots of time to knit. The Size 11 needles didn’t hurt either.

I have adapted the pattern a little - the double moss stitch just looked like nothing with this yarn — Briggs and Little Heritage, a major steal on E-Bay — so I wound up using Sand Stitch (thank you Barbra Walker!) on the cuffs and the fronts. I’m really happy with how this stitch shows up.

Also over Spring Break: New Pets

And on a field trip:

How cool is that? This was one of 2 wood/stump carvings outside of Science World.

ETA: Just took Kira for her evening stroll and what do I hear? Frog Song!! Spring, spring, spring is here. Last night - no frogs to be heard. Tonight - serenaded.

PS3:Elements - Fire

The first segment is finished.

I tried to add some Fire to my food choices this month. By adding colourful foods (raspberries, red peppers, red lettuce) and heat (mmmmm….cajun) with spices and soups.

Earth should be a cinch to explore with the coming of Spring.

Isn’t it supposed to go out like a Lamb?

This is what I woke up to this morning:

These two had the perfect response:

(I borrowed this quote from Bella Dia.)
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

It describes perfectly what we found later on our afternoon walk:

          

Leading us home to a gorgeous evening.

Next post will be knitting/fibrey related - I swear! Perhaps even a little Yarn Pr0n?

The Letter N

Top to Bottom
Left to Right

1. That’s my Nana - when she was a young girl, just dating my Grandpa
2. Nutmeg — recently discovered how fabulous this is freshly grated over sweetened, milky tea
3. Love, love, love the Nine Inch Nails!
4. A smattering of Natural Wonders - I prefer most things natural: food, gardens, tea
5. A Neuron - incredibly beautiful and so powerful
6. Naan - just yummy especially with butter chicken…
7. Novels - my favourite type of literature
8. Nonsense - refreshing & restorative
9. Nebula - part of the Eagle Nebula here: the astonishing beauty of interstellar gases and dust
10. Nancy Drew - some of my favourite childhood reads, along with the Bobbsey Twins & Trixie Belden. I also loved Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe - what kind of a kid?
11. Narcissus - Mythology. Imagine dying of thirst lest you shatter your own image?
12. Aren’t Nurseries the most calm and peaceful rooms? you know, when there is no crying baby in them?
13. A stunning shot of the Nightsky.
14. Numbers - I have an affinity for remembering telephone, visa and address numbers - I have an aversion to math.
15. I could spend hours in garden Nurseries - the steamy, earthy warmth and all of the growing things feel like coming
16. Noodles - love them from all nations and in all sauces — with the exception of most spaghettis

Maybe this time it’ll stick

I’m back again - for good? Life has just been way too busy lately - I haven’t blogged, I haven’t read blogs…but I have been on Ravelry…and Facebook…and watching Lost and ‘Vivor.

It’s Spring Break - and while that means time off for most people, it means more work for us! But that’s alright, we have a lot of fun. In the last few days we’ve been on 3 field trips. Yesterday we had a blast at PlayDome - an indoor carnival at BC Place.

The day before we went to the Aquarium. We had a gorgeous day for it.

           

For once our kids were actually into watching the fish/sea creatures - so we weren’t rushing from one exhibit to another. I have to tell you - in the Tropical section (which is really beautiful - ponds, flowers, butterflies, birds, a sloth) it’s an entire eco-system. Fabulous right? Except…that includes spiders. Spiders as big as an adult’s palm! Literally.

No pic - I was worried it was an escapee and actually spoke to an employee (I bet they get that a lot! spiders aren’t most people’s favourites) It was crawling up a wall just outside the tropical eco-system. Ughhhh….I quickly diverted our group to the pygmy monkeys because there was no way I could keep my cool while they examined that spider closely.

Aside from the belugas and dolphins (not together) - this was one of my favourite guys to watch.

They seem so calm. And wise.

I’ll share a few Overheard at Work with you from that day:

6 yr old boy: It’s getting complicated in here. he points to the singers performing They’re singing, that lady’s blowing bubbles and now this guy comes. he points at a person in a beluga costume It’s just getting complicated. he shakes his head sadly

7 yr old boy: Just to warn you - you’re ex boyfriend’s here.
9 year old girl: Who?
7 year old boy: looks around to be sure he isn’t overheard You know, The Slob.
9 year old girl: Ohh…. looks worried.
point of interest - 7 year old boy is wearing baggy pants, 3 mismatched shirts, his hair is uncombed and his shoes are untied. Don’t even get me started on the ex-boyfriend bit and the need to determine which ex-boyfriend.

On our way out we had to walk one foot on the sidewalk, one foot on the lawn (yeah - people are pushy) and it had been raining the past few days and was kinda muddy and sinky
6 year old boy: Michelle! Get out of there - it’s Sandquick! You’re gonna suck down in the Sandquick!

8 year old boy to teacher: My friend’s are always telling me to hug my girlfriend. And I say: Dude! That’s sick.
Teacher: Are they? Why is that sick.
8 year old boy: rolls eyes Ummmm…her B-words are like out to there!
Incidentally, this fictional girlfriend is…a teenager! At least I hope she’s fictional.

In the meanwhile there has been knitting — I really will post about it soon. And squares have been rolling in:

These soft, squishy yellow squares are from Pam in St. Paul Minnesota

These lovely blue squares are from Charity in Northern BC.

Thank you ladies! There are more I need to photograph and post. Thank you all so much - my Mom is on vacation right now and knitting squares like crazy. So…there should be at least one blanket in the next 2 weeks.

Its Been Awhile

Even I don’t know what’s been keeping me from blogging! Ravelry? Facebook? Actually reading books? (check out the new entries on my 2008 Reads page) All of the above with a virus that just kept hanging on has kept me from blogging - but I’m back.

I will have knitting related pics, news and wips coming up but for now here are some photos from a family game night.

For a 5 and 4 yr old - these two were really good at Pictionary.

Mouthing something yummy.

So shy!

Charlie was out of there about 2 seconds after this pic was taken!

Comfort Blanket Update: Squares are starting to come in! We could still use quite a few more - squares and participants. Don’t be shy!

It Begins

Sorry for all of you on the East Coast - I just had to share my excitement. And…yesterday when I walked Kira we saw…ROBINS!

Incidentally, this is how much knitting you can get done watching the Oscars!

btw - there are some new entries on the 2008 Reads page.

Meme on a Monday

I was tagged by the Yarn Slayer! 

 The rules…

1) Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ok. Here goes.

1. The first time I read one of these I thought it was a typo - for some time afterwards I thought it was some insider-jokey-reference thing that was supposed to be written about Me Me Me

2. I still don’t really understand the word - couldn’t there be a simpler explanation? or a different word?

3. I love cheesy, overblown, overacted Hollywood musicals like Gigi or The Unsinkable Molly Brown

4. But I hate West Side Story. Ugh.

5. I also hate The Outsiders - or most gang related youth tragedies and I say it is because they’re so pointless and the people make such ridiculously doomed choices….

6. but I love The Departed and Gangs of New York? Am I agist?

7. My politeness is practically a compulsion. There are people I detest with vehemence whom I cannot be rude to. I will have vowed to ignore them (I don’t want to start fights!)but I run into them, I smile and ask how they are - and the scary thing is, I think my interest might be sincere!

I’m not going to tag anyone because I’m like that. I have also been known to step on cracks, walk beneath ladders and welcome black cats to cross my path.