Happy Mother's Day !!!

ok, I know that sounds like I'm a WEE bit late .. but that's not true, because this week I finished the 6-week Stained Glass course, at the Royal Botanical Gardens, that DD got me for Mothers Day this year. the logistics had the potential to make it impossible for me to attend the classes as it was Tuesday evenings from 7:00-10:00 .... which is our busiest night of the week. DD has 2 dance classes and I have my piping lessons. I decided to bite the bullet .... I cancelled piping for 6 weeks (which is probably a good thing as this project at work has kept me so busy most evening that I haven't practiced AT ALL !!), and Wendi was good enough to bring DD home with her after dance (and I'd pick her up on my way home after class)

the first week was very exciting, I met a couple of nice ladies that I sat with and chatted. it was a quiet class because we all didn't know each other yet (boy did that change by the end of the 6 weeks!!). our instructor was Tony, a lovely man who has a studio in West Hamilton. to say this man was talented would be an understatement, but fortunately for us he also has the "patience of Jobe". I couldn't believe that we actually came home, after our first class with a lovely finished product, this bird sun catcher. everyone's turned out SO cute, and we were all thrilled !!! he also showed us what out main project would be for the remainder of the course .... OMG, not only are we going to do a large window, but the subject is an iris which is my favourite flower !!!

week-2 .... we started to cut out and assemble our iris. this was not a totally fun class. I was deciding at this point, that although working with the stained glass was "ok", I didn't think it was "my thing", but I would (of course) finish the classes. we actually lost one lady half way thru this class, who completely hated it. it's too bad she didn't stick it out, because it got so much better.

I'm not going to bother going into details for each week, but let's just say that by the last class I was enjoying working on the project as much as chatting with all the ladies. it's amazing how fast 3 hours can go when you are busy, and how much you can accomplish.

week-6 .... we couldn't believe that this was it!! the weeks had gone so quickly, and we were all leaving with a beautiful window. Tony brought a VERY yummy box of chocolates (I tried a couple of the dark ones .. only to be polite !!), and one of the ladies brought veggies and the BEST DIP I've ever had (which she let me take home afterwards, and both DD and I've been enjoying it) Everyone's window turned out great .... it was so interesting to see how we each started with the same pattern ... but between the cutting, placement, and colour choices each window had something different and special. I can honestly say there was something from everyone else's window that made theirs stand out apart from all the others.

I was lucky, and got an added bonus out of the class ... because I finished my window early, I was able to take some of the left over glass pieces and make an angel sun catcher.

over all, probably one of the best Mother's Day pressies I've ever had !!!

stained glass is definitely not my "calling", and if given the choice I'd rather be knitting ... but that being said, by the end of the 6-weeks I definitely enjoyed working on my projects and would be willing to give it another go. both Wendi and my neighbour across the street have all the necessary stained glass related tools, and have offered them to me if I ever choose to give it another go. Wendi and I were taking about getting together for a "stained glass day", hopefully with our daughters. I can only imagine what the 4 of us can come up with !!!

I recognize the face, but can't place the name ??!!

OMG it's been 100 years since I've last blogged (and yes, I have been told a million times not to exaggerate !!) ... let's see if I can not only remember how to do this again, but remember what's happened in my knitting life since I was here last !!

July
~ I suppose the 2 big things for July were my Mum and Mother-In-Law's birthdays are both during this month. my Mum was turning 29, my MIL 30 ??!! ok, better make it 39 & 40 ..... would you believe 49 & 50 ?? (well, that's what I'm sticking with, as they are BOTH so youthful looking ... as are all the women in the family :) )

~ Cable Lagoon sock for DD ... finished the socks, the constant cabling was brutal, but they turned out lovely ..... until she tired to put them on. the ankle & cuff are too tight ... so frogged them out the turning of the heel, and re-knitted them on a size bigger needle (was NOT about to frog out the entire sock!). it's July 25, I've rushed MIL to the hospital but fortunately had my knitting with me, so was able to finish them while sitting in Emergency with her!! DD does her best to look pleased when she tries them on, but it's obvious that the foot is also a wee bit tight, but worse they are also a wee bit short. I'm not frogging them out, so I guess I'll be looking for someone with a thinner, shorter foot to wear them. there may be enough yarn left for a plain pair of socks for DD, and I promised to re-knit this pattern for her, but we agreed that a plainer yarn would show off the cables better.

~ I'm heading to Ancaster to sit with MIL who is home but in a lot of pain, and I need something to knit (that doesn't require spending money). I have some left over aran, that would be perfect for the Fashion Cable Knit Bag from Michaels ..... a casting-on we go !!! as I HATE sewing up a knitting project worse that pretty much anything, rather than following the instructions for the bag, I decided to knit it from the bottom up, in the round. it's a bloody pain to start, but now that it's going it is turning out just lovely !!

August
~ the best part of August was our trip to White Birches Cottages just outside Algonquin Park with DD and the labs. we rented a cottage for the 2nd year in a row, then visited with my Uncle & Aunt at their cottage for the weekend on the way home. it was the nicest week of the summer and we had a great time. DD hooked up with some kids she knew from last year, and met some new ones. the dogs spent as much time in the lake as they could, we hiked, and I relaxed and knitted. unfortunately it was not a banner week for knitting. my plan was to finish the cable purse that I had started in July, and I was well on my way, and finished up one side, when I realized that I had not brought enough yarn to finish the other side, NERTZ !! ok, no problem I have my started entrelac sock, which FINALLY looked like it was going to turn out to be the right size ..... got working on the sock, not as pleased with the way the colours were pooling, but wanted to give it a chance. used the solid colour from the toe, to turn the heel, and then back to the variegated yarn as I went up the leg. after a couple of entrelac rows up the leg, I decided to try on the sock ... YUCK .... I knew that I wasn't thrilled with the pooling, and I was not impressed how I went from heel back to entrelac leg pattern, but when I put the sock on that ended it for me. first of all, it was tight (yea, after all the attempts at it being too big), and when it was on, it looked like crap. the entrelac pattern just looked like random squares, and no where near the cool effect that it should have been. maybe if I had alternated the variegated yarn with the solid for each row, it would have looked better ?? I don't know. but to be honest .... even if I did finish the sock, the thought of starting the nightmare all over again and doing a 2nd one just didn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling ... so here I was in the wilds of Algonquin Park ... and the sounds of "frogging" could be heard echoing thru the forests !!! ok, now I was 3:3 (due to the cable socks for DD that I FINALLY finished before leaving but are too small for her) and frustrated about what to try next. while in town DD found a book she wanted, the latest in a series she has been reading ... turns out one of the patterns I brought was for a pair of socks based on the cover of the first book in the series. I had the base colour, but needed the red contrast colour. we headed into Huntsville for some shopping and to check out the LYS for a look around. I saw a few things that looked interesting, but nothing really exciting, but I did find a nice skein of the red we needed for DD socks. we got back the cottage, and I wanted to get something started, but both DD and I agreed that I needed a successful project, so starting another pair of socks after the 2 pairs that haven't worked out would not be a good idea ..... then I found it The Scotch Thistle Stole, using Arequipa yarn in lovely shades of purple and green .... it was a perfect match and the skein should have enough for the stole. I was off to the races, so to speak, with an exciting new project to cast on.

September
~ summer is over and it's back to the regular routines of school & dance for DD. this is a big year for her, grade-12 ... it's hard to believe !! doesn't seem that long ago that it was me starting my senior year.



~ Scotch Thistle Lace Stole is "done" ... well, not as per the pattern, because unfortunately I ran out of yarn ... BUT, it's done as far as it's going, and the 2 ends are grafted together .... now all I have to do is block it (any bets on how long this is going to take me to finally get around to do ??!!)

October

~ woo hoo ... Fashion Cable Knit Bag is done, and the handles are on ... OH MY GOSH, but it turned out just lovely !!! I haven't decided if I'm going to leave it as is, or line it with material.

~ this is another popular month for the family. DD turned 17 on October 16, foster puppies Betty & Maisie have birthdays on October 17th, and my parents had their wedding anniversary on October 20. Betty (foster puppy #3) turned 3, disqualified from the DogGuide CVC program last August because of kennel stress, and was adopted by DD. she's still a very nervous dog, but is happy to be "home". Maisie (foster puppy #4) turned 2 on the same day. she has also disqualified from the DogGuide program, and now lives with a great family in the next neighbourhood. we keep in touch with them and I love hearing how she is doing. now that she has settled in with her new family, I'm looking forward to some play dates where we can get the dogs together. it will be great to see Maisie again !!!

~ want to start the "flying south" pattern using the yarn from the September Pick Up Sticks Fleece Artist Sock Club package. it's the perfect colours for my mum, and would be a nice surprise in her Christmas stocking .... unfortunately, my 2.5mm circular's are "somewhere safe". I think it's time to go thru my stash and figure out what I have, and where everything is !!

~ I spent most of the Oct 17th weekend either sorting and organizing my yarn stash and knitting/sewing area in the basement. OMG what a job !!! I headed downstairs about noon on Saturday, and didn't come up for air until 7:00pm that evening .... and when I finally did I went upstairs to find my house FREEZING COLD and DARK !! when I headed down at noon, it was a lovely day so I opened up the house to let the fresh air in ..... well by 7:00 not only had the sun gone down but so had the temperature !!! it was definitely a productive day though. I THINK I have found all my hidden stashes of yarn .... all the bags, bins, baskets, containers and boxes all sorted thru, re-wound and assigned to it's new storage bin (based on yarn weight). much of the yarn has been entered into my "stash" on Ravelry, but I haven't taken pictures of most of it yet. I also went thru and catalogued a number of my knitting/craft related books, magazines and pattern booklets. there were some interesting in-progress discoveries ... some got frogged, some put aside to be frogged, and a couple put in my "to finish" pile. I'm also putting a bag together of "unknown" and partial balls of yarn, that can be donated for charity knitting. the good news is my yarn has been organized ... the bad news is I've discovered hidden stashes of material and other craft supplies that I still have to deal with ... oh well, another craft, another weekend :)

~ finished a cute wee baby sweater, Little Sweetie, that I started YEARS ago .... not sure if it was the right colour combination, as you really cant see the pattern ... but at least it's finally done :)

~ frustrated, bored, and don't know what to knit ... still haven't found the 2.5mm needles to start my Mum's socks .....so what do I have handy ...... cotton yarn, perfect for dishcloths. too lazy to look thru for a pattern, so I'll just wing it for a while. they are dead easy, brainless knitting and great while you are watching Friday night television !! 2 down, and unlimited number to go. I was planning on getting a bunch done for Christmas anyway, so this got me going.

~ Saturday Oct 25 was a machine knitting workshop at Cardiknits in Hamilton. it was a VERY educational day, and I was all pumped up to go home and re-setup my knitting machine and get something cast-on. (did I mention that I MAY have left the workshop with 3 new cones of yarn :) got home and headed downstairs to my newly cleaned & organized knitting area to set-up my knitting machines. had some trouble getting the carriage to slide smoothly, but I wondered if it just needed a cleaning/dusting ... APPARENTLY NOT !! I cast-on some waste yarn ready to knit my first row ... JAM!! pulled everything off, re-caston .. JAM .... JAM ... JAM .... ok, I'm REALLY getting frustrated now. I end up sliding the carriage off, and putting it back on a couple of times, when all of a sudden, it slides on as smooth as butter .... crap, I didn't have the carriage on right, and it was jamming the hooks. re-cast on again, with the carriage on properly, and knit a few rows to find the last 2 stitches not knitting at all .... turns out the repeated jamming totally bent the 2 hooks (so that they are no longer hook shaped !!) ok, no worries, I'll call Pat and ask her for a couple of new hooks ..... I'll just try to cast-on the other side of "0", it's working just beautifully, EXCEPT for ONE BLOODY stitch. this hook must be FUBAR too, but I cant tell by looking at it. I have 3 extra hooks, but by this point, I am NOT in any mental frame of mind to figure out how to replace them ..... yarn goes away, cover goes on, and it's no knitting for me tonight

~ Sunday Oct 25 .... Happy Birthday Wendi !!!

Graduation Night !!

No knitting for me last night. Although I was disappointed to miss out on our “sketchy knitter’s night”, it was well worth it !!!! I’d like to announce the new CVC team of Terry & Wolf. Wolf is the 3^rd of my grand-puppies to graduate from the Lions Club DogGuide Foundation of Canada (Waltz & Wonka both graduated from the SSD program). Ironically, their Mum Hasia was originally trained for SSD, and after she retired from the breeding program went into CVC training before she was retired for good and came back home to me …. So I guess it’s in their blood !!

Terry seemed like a very nice lady. I also met her Daughter & Grand-daughter, and her entire family seemed so proud of her. It looked that although Wolf was happy to see is foster family again, she’ll be well loved and looked after in her new home with Terry.

I haven’t seen Wolf in about a year. I happened to be at the Foundation one day, to pick up Hasia and it was heart-worm testing time. A man walked down the hallway with a black lab (a common occurrence there). Hasia, who prefers the attention of people to dogs, starting barking and straining towards this other dog. It was very strange behaviour for her. I was chatting with some of the staff, and and I had to stop and correct Hasia … then I heard Sam say something about “a wolf”. OMG, it dawned on me … it was “our” Wolf !!! Hasia knew it was one of her puppies !!!

It was a great reunion. Hasia kept Wolf in her place, and I had a great loving session with her. Neither of us had seen Wolf since she was about 8-weeks old and went off to her new foster family. It’s amazing …. With all the dogs that we have go thru our place, and they can do just about anything to Hasia …. But let one of her puppies get out of line, and oh boy, are they in trouble !!! anyone who thinks that dogs are just “dumb animals”, you don’t know what you are talking about ….. even after 2 years, and not seeing her puppies since they were 8-weeks old, if you put Hasia in a room full of labs, she’d herd out her babies without any trouble.

Hasia was a great Mum, and was bless with 10 wonderful puppies !!!

5 Black Females

• Wags
• Wave ~ DQ’d
• Wolf ~ CVC with Terry
• Whim ~ working as companion dog @ Senior Residence
• Waltz ~ SSD with Katie

1 Choc Female

• Walnut

4 Choc Males

• Willy ~ R.I.P. L
• Wonka ~ SSD with Fred
• Windsor
• Wilbur ~ DQ’d

Sock Wars III

now that the battle is officially over, I can discuss the "confidential" details of Sock Wars III.

on May 9th dossiers were sent out to each of the 1153 participating warriors, outlining our intended targets (their location and sock size). the weapon this year was "The Detonator", using the sponsor company TOFUtsies sock yarn. the object was to knit a pair of Detonator socks, and mail them off to your assigned target. once they receive their socks they are considered "dead" and must mail their SIP (socks in progress) back to you along with the dossier of their intended victim. you would then complete the socks and send them off to your new target ... etc .... UNTIL, you received your own socks, at which time you are dead.

Sock Wars III officially came to an end on June 13, when all warriors still alive were e-mailed a set of new instructions. post cards were to be mailed into our Supreme Commander and a winner would be drawn on June 21.

as of June 13, I was still alive, and therefore eligible for the postcard draw. I also had made one official kill, and a 2nd kill was winging it's way to it's intended target. the change of rules meant a new strategy was required if I was going to win .... it was time to put my network of "spies" into action.

as soon as the post card draw was announced, my first spy went into action ..... Wendi immediately sent off a postcard from her PakMail store in Burlington Ontario ... but would it get across the pond and land in Antrim Ireland by the deadline of June 21 ??!! this is where it's important to have an international team of well trained knitters in your network. thanks to Wendi's connections a quick e-mail to Máirín, who lives in Galway Ireland, asking her to send a post card for me just in case the one send from Canada doesn't make it in time. then, just to make sure, another e-mail off to Ceire who lives in Belfast Ireland, and another postcard was fired off to the Supreme Commander.

the best part about Sock Wars III was the people I "met". I had a great time "killing" my 2 targets.

Audrey was my first kill. her socks were probably the most difficult but also the easiest. I had to "learn" the pattern on her socks, and they probably got "frogged" at least 3 times before getting completed ... but they were also easy to knit because her size was just a wee bit bigger than mine so I could use my feet as a guide when knitting them.


my second "kill" was Gwyn. she was a bit of a worry for me because she has such tiny feet (compaired to mine anyway) and as I already knew how big these socks knitted up. I to make sure they were wearable for her, while still keeping the rules of battel. as it turns out they were still a bit big for her, but I understand fit her daughter well.



I also had 2 wonderful co-assassins. my original assassin was Anita, who did a lovely job getting my death socks started. before she could finish them she was "killed" by Jana who then completed the socks and posted them off to me.





this past weekend it all came to an end (for me anyway) ....... Friday, on the way to Sarnia for DD's dance competition, I stopped by Wendi's PakMail store to drop off some DPNs she asked to borrow .... and what did she have in return for me ..... my death socks!!!! it's with mixed emotions that I "officially" announce my Sock Wars death ....... the emotions are mixed because now I cann't continue with the Sock Wars III Continues group ..... but my socks are so lovely, that it really doesn't matter !!! thank you so much Anita & Jana !!! to end Friday on a high note, DD's group took the trophy for their choreography number !!! (her dance studio also took 2nd place in the same category, and also the trophy for the choreography broad sword)

DD and I stayed overnight in Sarnia, with the intent of heading across the border to Port Huron if the weather was nice. we woke up Saturday to rain, but fortunately it cleared up, and we headed over anyway. it turned out to be a beautiful day, and we had a great time walking around the beautiful historic downtown area. just before heading back, we decided to sit and enjoy a nice Dairy Queen treat and some water. DD went in and ordered, while I stayed outside with Hasia & Betty (our 2 black labs). I had a small dipped cone, DD had a candy floss blizzard ..... and Hasia & Betty shared a MILK-BONE SUNDAY !!! yes, I couldn't believe it, but for $1.25 I just had to get one for them ...... a dish of ice cream, with 2 milk bones in it! needless to day the mutts were VERY happy !! well, it was time to head back into Canada, and we didn't end up getting home until very late.

Sunday morning came WAY too soon ...... and I was woken up by the phone ringing. Wendi, the head of my spy network was on the phone ..... "YOU WON, YOU WON". ok, fuzzy head me ..... had no idea what she was talking about. Wendi had been keeping an eye on the Sock Wars sites, hoping that I'd win the big draw (for obvious reasons, knowing that I'd share the lot TOFUtsies with her). I didn't in the BIG prize of all the TOFUtsies yarn ..... this was actually more satisfying ... I won one of the two "cheeky" bonus prizes !!!

here is the e-mail from Julie, our Supreme Commander:
You get a cheeky bonus prize from Sock Wars just for sheer geographical magnificence. UK, Ireland and over the pond. Either you are a prolific traveller or have a crack network of spies. Either way for sheer boldness I am going to mail you a set of luxury dpns from signature needle arts!

this has been a great experience. yes, there has been some frustrations ..... I had some "issues" with the Detonator pattern, and unfortunately encountered 2 "flakes" (warriors that went MIA) that really delayed my progress. BUT, it was a game, I went into it with the right frame of mind (to have fun), and so I didnt let the "little things" get to me. I want to thank my 2 wonderful assassins for the beautiful pair of socks, my 2 targets for being so nice and making the war so much fun, my "2nd in command" Wendi and her network of knitting spies Máirín & Ceire without whom I could not have won the cheeky bonus prize !!! most of all I want to thank Julie, the Supreme Commander of Sock Wars III .... it was a tough battle for her this time, but she went above and beyond !!!

What's in a name ??!!

well, everything ..... when your name is different, or strange, or unusual. I'm not sure what category mine falls under, but I usually have to repeat my name a second time when asked for it. as a child, I cant say that I really liked having a not so common name. everyone else was able to get something with their name printed on it .... but I never could (technology being was it was 100 years or so ago). I was named after my Mother's Brother (Dell), so from that point of view, I've like my name ... and to be honest, I've always probably enjoyed being a wee bit different from main crowd.


ok ... so I'm on Ravelry, and as work this morning has be SO busy and fascinating (NOT) .... I decided to go lurking around the profiles of strangers. I did a People search looking for "Della" .... and here is what I found (I'm not sure if I should be offended or proud ??!!)


members: 4 (including me)
dogs : 3
cats: 2
COW: 1 (ok, first of all WHO has a pet cow ??!! and where did you think of calling it Della ??!!)
pattern: 1 (this is the coolest thing ... I've e-mailed the person designing the shawl, as I'd love to see it when she's done)

14 minute slippers .... LOL, who are they kidding !!!

ok, so last night I decided to head downstairs and re-set up my knitting machine, even if it's only in a temporary location for now. I went thru some of the patterns that I had queued on Ravelry, and decided on the "14 minute" lined slippers .... they seemed easy enough. plus, I thought they would be great for Soldier Boy #3.

well, 90 minutes later, I head back upstairs ...... now, I did use some of that time to set get everything and re-set things up, find wool, try to remember how to cast on, etc. things were going pretty well ... the slippers are lined so I was even able to change colours so that the inside would be a different colour from the outside. THAT was part of my downfall .... when doing the lining section you tighten up the tension a wee bit, and I used yarn from a cone that I had never used before, missed stitches, and had to re-pick them up, and I had a couple of jams. Pat had warned me to to start of with a dark colour of wool, and now I know why ..... they are brutal to work with when you have to correct dropped stitches because you cant see what the heck you are doing. I ended up wtih a couple of jams, and the slipper didnt seeme to be "hanging" right, but I didn't know, and thought maybe it was the short-row heels & toes that were causing it to "bunch" ...... well, apparently not, which I realized when I cast off.

SOMEHOW, I managed to catch some stitches in the "claws" that separate the latch hooks (sorry I dont know the technical names). not sure what I did, or how I did it, but I suspect this was the cause of my lining problems. all that aside it's a very easy pattern and (holes in the lining aside) the slipper turned out really well ..... except for one SMALL problem.



ok kiddies, gather around, we're going to learn about READING INSTRUCTIONS and the importance of GAUGE. what I failed to notice was that the pattern was for a BULKY machine, and used worsed weight yarn ........ I have a Singer 700 (which is a finer gauge machine) and used fingering weight (Pat recommended that this was the best weight to use for my machine). so needless to say, although the slipper looks very cute, and I cast on for the x-large size for a man's slipper ..... it would only fit a small child !!!

fortunately, I had a sense of humour, and although exhausted from my knitting attempt, I got a good chuckle out of my finished project !!!

Old enough to know better ??!! ..... apparently not :(

well, there's a reason why I'm posting on Tuesday for events that happened over the weekend .... I felt like bloody crap (and it was all my own fault).

I've joined a website called MeetUp ... it's a great place to find people with similar interests and get together. there was one group that caught my eye, but I've never been available on the days that they planned their outtings ..... that is until this past Saturday. Friday night, I just happened to get onto the MeetUp website and noticed that the Mississauga/Oakville Bicycling, Walking & Actvity Group was meeting on Saturday morning to cycle along the waterfront trail. the description read as follows "We'll pedal along the waterfront trail eastward for about 10 K. 20 K round trip about 2 hours". this sounds perfect, says I to myself, so I RSVP'd "yes" and just prayed that I'd be able to get my backside out out of bed Saturday morning to see if my bike was rideable, I could find my/a helmet and I could figure out how to attach the bike carrier to the truck.

OH MY GOSH ... Saturday was a beautiful day, and to make a long story short, let's just say that I was able to put everything together and figure out how to carry a water bottle along during the ride. everyone was great, what a friendly group of people. we all started chatting right away, and the pace was just fine (especially for someone like me, old, over weight, out of shape, and haven't been on a bike in a few years). when we reached our "goal" turn-around point, we looked across a bay and could see the CN Tower (thru the smog) and the Toronto skyline. it looked so close and we estimated it would probably take 30-minutes or so (famous last words) to get there ... so a group vote and off we went, further east towards Toronto. after all, my only plan for the day was to go home and get yard work done, so what did I care.

well ..... it was a BEAUTIFUL day, spent biking along the shores of Lake Ontario, with a very nice group of people ...... and 35km & 3.5 hours later we returned back at our cars. to be honest, although I felt a wee bit tender (some spots more tender than others) I felt great. my 1 water bottle didnt last very long, but I had remembered my asthma meds which I took before leaving so I thought I had survived rather well (mind you I was expecting to feel the physical symptoms as the day wore on). my biggest bother, as time wore on though, was my head, it started to pound and I wanted to sleep. after trip to Home Depot to get some needed grass seed & bags of soil, I dropped my bike off at the local shop for a tune-up and accessories for my next outting. by this point my head was worse, but I assumed it was just hunger, so a quick run thru the Taco Bell drive-thru and I headed home.

the rest of the day was a right-off, and I couldnt figure out why, other than I felt like crap, and my head was pounding, and I felt like I was burning up. about supper time, I happened to look in a mirror .... OH MY GOSH .... my face was BRIGHT RED and swollen. no wonder I felt like I was burning up !!! the tops of my hands were in a similar condition ..... I had done so well, under the circumstances, remembering my water & asthma meds ...... what I didnt remember was sun block cream !!! now, in my defence, we were only supposed to be out for a nice little 2-hour bike ... and on top of the breeze (very cool at times) and the smog alert that morning (the first for 2008, WOO HOO) we really didnt notice the sun.

well, I felt "hung over" all Sunday, which made doing my yardwork no fun at all, and Monday as well (nothing better than going to work, and sitting infront of a computer all day while being expected to think, while you feel hung-over). fortunately, thanks to all the cream I slathered on me, by Monday, I wasn't as red any more, but still a wee bit swollen still. fortunately today, I feel more like my old self !!! what makes this all the more daft is that as a ginger-head, in a family of ginger-heads .... I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER !!!! ( especially at my age).

ok ... and now on to a knitting update ...

my Mobieus Zig-Zag is done, except for the grafting (I hate that part). I'm pleased with how it turned out, and I think there's enough in the skein for another one. (picture doesnt do it justice, will have to re-take in day-light)

Wendi gave me some beautiful sock yarn for Christmas, and I've known from the moment I saw it what pattern I wanted to do .... Annetrelac. the problem with all entrelac socks I've seen done is that they only pattern the leg portion, and the rest is knittined around ... it looks "odd" and I dont like it, especially as I prefer short/ankle socks, it almost seems not worth the bother if you only pattern the leg. I wanted to do the pattern down the foot also, but then I knew that I was going to end up with an odd striped toe, heel and cuff .... so off we went to our LYS, Spun Fibres, for a solid to do the toe/heel/cuff in. after a huge debate about whether to compliment or blend this solid, I decided to take the safe route and "blend". the solid almost exactly matches the sock's main yarn.






Friday I balled the skeins (can you tell it was my first time??)

casting on the 2 toes was easy, I struggled thru the first one on Saturday evening, and the other was done Sunday evening ... piece of cake .... then came the entrelac part. well, the last (and only other) time I did an entrelac pattern was approx 100 years ago (ok, how about 10-12 years ago) and I honestly had no memory of how to do it. following the (cuff-down) pattern made absolutely no bloody sense, especially as I was trying to do 2 at one time toe-up. FINALLY, after deciding to work on only one at a time, and playing with it for a while, a light in my head came on, and it started to work. I stayed up WAY too late last night, but I finished the base triangle row, and 2 full-block rows of one sock.

and after all that, I'm going to pull it out. the pattern calls for a round of 72sts using 2.25mm needles .... I didnt have them so I cast on using 2.5mm which is my standard sock needle. I also only cast on 60 sts, as that's the approx number of stitches that seems to fit me. there was a note made in someone's blog, who had already made these socks that the entrelac pattern is not stretchy and she found the 2.25m needle make them almost too tight to get on over her heel, so she did her 2nd sock in 2.5, but would move up a wee bit more for the next time ...... so I cast on my 60 sts using the 2.5, then moved to a 3mm for the entrelac/foot pattern. TOO BIG !!! now that it's at a point where you can see the sock shape starting to emerge, I tried it on ..... way too big !!


so, it's frog time tonight, back to the toe, and I'm going to re-start the entrelac pattern keeping with the 2.5mm needles. I tend to knit loose, so I think I'll be ok .... plus I'll keep trying it on to make sure. apparently the tightness may show up when I do the heel, so I'll be careful. plus, now that I'm ok with the entrelac pattern I may go back to working on both socks at one time (but I haven't decided that for sure yet). I'll keep everyone posted (yea, I know you're sitting on the edge of your seats, in anticipation of my next posting !!)

yea ... and I know that the toe it too pointy .... that's what you get when you cast-on with a "hang-over" :( but I'm not frogging it again !!

WE HAVE SOCK !!!

my goal was to knit a sock. I found (what seemed to be) a wonderfly simple pattern Single-Bed Machine Knit Socks by Ruth Rogers. last night after we finished butchering the puppy coat of DD's foster puppy Emmett, and they went off to her dad's place .... and after I had a nice wee nap ... the mutts and I headed down stairs for an attempt at knitting a sock.


it was shortly after 8:00, and after 2 or 3 attempts at knitting on the ravel cord (without running out of cord and losing half of my scrap-yarn cast-on), and trying to figure/remember how to set the machine not to knit the stitches in HP ... I was on a roll !!! the heel/toe decreases were easy (I remembered them from my lesson with Pat) but I had trouble remembering how to do the increases .... I don't know if they are right, but I eventually got it.




the good news ..... about 10:10, I was heading back upstairs with what closely resembled a sock ... or at least what was going to be a sock. I was thrill to bits .... not only did I do it, but even with the re-dos, dropped stitches, corrections, and the odd exclamation of WTF ... it still only took me 2 hours !!!



OK well, with good news there is always bad news .... I learned a lot last night.

1. the sock is a wee bit small for me, but would probably fit DD
2. there's a hole on the outside heel, from a dropped stitch .... oh well, this was practice
3. my grafting (kitchener stitching) SUCKS !!!!! and it's not even like "oh well, I'll get better with practice ... because I don't want to .... I hated that part
4. HOWEVER ... what I hated even more than grafting ..... sewing/joining the inside seam .... I'd rather go to the dentist, or be hit on the back of the head with a plank !!! so, needless to say, it didn't get done !!!

so, here's the long & short of my single-bed machine knitting sock ..... it took me 2 hours to perform the actually "knitting" (including set-up, mistakes, re-trys, etc) ..... it took me from about 10:15 until I FINALLY tossed it aside @ 1:00am and went to bed to get the daft thing half sewed together !!!

and today's lesson boys & girls ..... I'd better figure out how to knit socks on my knitting machine in the round, or I'll never end up with a pair that's wearable !!!

we have knitting !!!! ...... and wine :)

so Pat at Cardiknits is my new hero. I don't feel too bad though, it took her a few unsuccessful cast-on attempts before we finally discovered a method that works with my machine. with her help I knitted this teddybear's hat (or at least it will be when I sew up the side seam), and we went thru and made this "mini-stocking" (don't quite understand how it's to be grafted together, but at least i got the idea). I picked up a "reasonable" cone of "practice yarn", and a couple of books for me to try out ... then I spotted a cone of really cool marrelled yarn, and decided to buy it too !!!

OH MY GOSH ... the weather has been absolutely marvelous this weekend .... and there's no better way to spend a lovely weekend than knitting, being with friends and drinking wine ... and that's how I spent this weekend.

Today was the Wine & Cheese Show in Toronto. fortunately, it was in the same building as the Motorcycle Show, that Wendi's DH was interested in. last year, the three of us went to the wine shoe, but as Wendi isn't (or should i say WASN'T) a big wine drinker, that allowed her DH and I to enjoy ourselves and she would be the d.d. ..... this year, DH went off to his show, and just us girls went off and enjoyed a dram or two (or 20) of wine. some good, some not so good, but we found a couple of excellent ones that we decided to re-visit for numerous taste test (just to make sure that we liked it). for the most part, we were trying local vineyards, but discovered a wonderful white from Germany, and I have a new favourite red from Australia. on the way home, we had Wendi's DH stop off at the big new LCBO in Milton, where we picked up a couple of bottles of our new favourites !!!

don't know if it's a really good idea (under the circumstances) ... but I'm going to head down stairs tonight, to re set-up my knitting machine, and see if I can actually use the thing without supervision (but if I cant, I'm blaming it on the wine)

DogGuide Open House, A Reunion & Knitting Lessons

well, the Anisette Wrap is done, blocked and dropped off. oh my gosh, I'm SO pleased with how it turned out (as you can tell by the number of pics I've included !!). not much more to say about it. I stopped by the foundation this morning while everyone was getting ready for the OpenHouse, and handed it off. I'm looking forward to hearing how much is brings in ..... if you're in the Oakville area today, please come by and BID HIGH !!!

well ..... I decided it bring Betty with me on the short trip to the foundation. she left the DogGuide program last August, so has been back home for less than a year. Betty's Trainer, Brenda was wonderful, and truly loved her. we get to the Foundation, park, get out and are walking around talking to friends, seeing lots of people and DogGuides (in various stages of their training ... from young puppies thru to ones ready to graduate). as we're walking down the hall toward the lounge, I see a number of trainers gathered, and there is Brenda ... they all see & greet me, but I wink at Brenda .... "OH MY GOSH, that's not who I think it is, is it ??!!" Betty had been as good as gold up until this point, walking so well, and not really being distracted by any of the other people or dogs ..... that is until she smelled Brenda's hand. WELL .... she started wagging, and jumping up ... i dont know who was more excited Brenda or Betty. Even Leah was happy (the Senior Trainer for Betty) to see Betty and got lots of kisses in return. it was wonderful to see how happy Betty was to see Brenda (and visa versa, of course). I think the only person that Betty would happily leave DD and me for would be her Brenda ... and I suspect Brenda would take her in a heart-beat.

OK ... enough goofing off .... time to jump in the shower and get headding out for my day. going to stop by PakMail to see Wendi for a bit, then it's off to Hamilton. I have a knitting machine lesson @ 2:00, and will hopefully be able to fit in a coffee with my Mum sometime while I'm in the area.

To Block, Or Not To Block

ok .... so I'm blocking ..... this is the Anissette Wrap (sorry the pic is blurrey for some reason). I'm very pleased with how it has turned out, even if I haven't been able to take a picture that does it justice. I dont see colours well, but this mohair is a lovely shade of dark blue, with almost a metalic twinkle. the Lions Foundation of Canada DogGuide Open House & Silent Auction is Saturday, so if all blocks well, I should be able to drop this off Friday for them to add to the silent auction.

it was a hard decision what to do with this project ... my original intent was to send it to one of my Pay It Forward recipients, but my heart goes to the charity and I'm really hoping that my wrap will help bring in some well needed funds to the program. the cost of raising and putting a DogGuide out to work is between $20,000-$25,000. the foundation doesnt get any goverment funding, all money is raised thru private donations .... and then they turn around a give the trained working dog to the client at no cost to them. I'm honoured to call a few people with working dogs my friends, and when you see how these dogs enhance their lives, the choice is easy. between DD and myself, we're on our 6th foster puppy.

1. Hasia, a black lab, was in training for SSD (Special Skills Dog) but then transferred to the Breeding Program. in May 2006 she welped 10 of the cutest puppies you've ever seen, all of who went into training. we've had 1 pass away, 2 graduate in the SSD program, and 3 disqualify (but one has been adopted by a Senior's Home, and is "working" in her own way). after retiring from the Breeding Program, Hasia went in to train for the CVC (Canine Vision Program), but at 3 years old decided that she'd rather come home so that's what she did, and we're happy to have our "forever" puppy.


2. Neung, a Thai Ridgeback, was one of a test group for the foundation to see how the breed would work out ..... let's just say they didnt, and leave it at that. Neung is now living with a wonderful couple in Toronto, and is enjoying being spoiled by them


3. Betty, a black lab was recalled and went into CVC training. ironcially, it was her class that Hasia joined. training was going splendedly, but unfortunately, as happens with some dogs, she stressed out from being in kennel, a month away from possible partnership and graduation. Betty was DD's favourite, so needless to say, she's been adopted by DD and now we have two "forever puppies"


4. Fawn, a chocolate mini poodle, was DD's first foster puppy on her own. she was recalled into the HED (Hearing Ear Dog) program, and graduated in December. Fawn is now living in Montreal with her partner, and we hear that they are doing great.


5. Maisie, a chocolate standard poodle, was recalled in October of last year. coincidently enough she has the same birthday as Betty, and they are the only 2 dogs we've had home for their 1st birthday. Maisie is currently in HED training, and I've got my fingers crossed for her (I want one of MY puppies to graduate !!!)


6. Emmett is an apricot standard poodle .... he's a HUGE 10-months old, and DD's 2nd foster puppy. he's also, the clown of the group. we dont know when he'll be recalled, or what program he'll be training in, but we have our fingers crossed that he'll do well.

so .... if you're one of my PIF people, and were hoping for this wrap ... I hope you'll understand why I've decided to donate it instead. I think you can see why I have a passion for this charity.

Anisette Wrap ~ done and ready to block

WOO HOO .. the wrap is cast off and ready to block. I'm really pleased how it turned out (I've hung it in the window for this pic, so you can see the pattern) and the colour is really pretty. I'm kind of hoping that the blocking de-fuzzes it a wee bit so the pattern will show better.

will keep everyone posted after blocking.

I'm in 2 swaps right now .... my World Yarn Swap partner is Roseanne from Australia. we're supposed to send "local" yarn to our partners, with the thought that they probably dont have it easily available to them. I'm pleased with what I've got for Roseanne, although I cheated, and am sending something not from Canada (but my LYS assured me that this yarn is not available in her part of the world). there will be Canadian content, of course, but I couldnt resist this imported yarn. the deadline to send out our swaps is April 1st ... BUT, I've order something on-line and waiting for it to be included in her parcel. I still have today and tomorrow before I'm delinquent, so everything should be ok.

I'm also taking part in a "Sinister Swap" ..... this sounds stranger than it is .... it's for left-handed people. what fun !!! (any excuse for a swap). my partner is Kandace from Montana, and we've seemed to hit it off right from the start. OH MY GOSH .. what is it with knitting people without a blog ... the ironic thing is, Kandace doesnt have a blog, but she sent me the link to her puppy's web page !!! (now MY puppies are jealous ... ok mama, why dont WE have our own web page ??!!). our original agreed upon limit was set low, but after chatting and lurking thru each others on-line lives, we've agreed to up things .... woo hoo, this makes it way more fun. a wonderful excuse to go shopping some more !!! I have some things picked out for her also, but have a special request that I'm going to hunt down for her before I package everything up to send out. we have until April 11 to mail out our parcels, so I still have lots of time to keep looking for treats :)

Happy B-Day to my baby, Easter ... and some knitting stuff too

no no no ... not the ginger one ..... the one covered in black fur. LOL, ok, for the people that know me, that wont really narrow things down, will it??!!

Our Hasia turns the big "4" today. it's hard to believe that we brought our first Dogguide foster puppy home a little less that 4 years ago. she was only 7 weeks old, and SO CUTE and so little !!! none of us realized how much this new bit of volunteering would change our lives forever. it's been an emotional experience, with us learning along with Hasia, all about puppies and what being a Dogguide was all about. I've fostered 4 puppies in total, and DD has fostered 2 more of her own, and on top of that I have 10 grand-puppies to brag about. at times, our house is absolute bedlamn at times ... but I wouldnt trade one day of it for anything .... the unconditional love they give more than makes up for the odd bit of frustration they cause or the urge to kill once in a while *LOL*.

DD and I went on our semi-annual pilgrimage to Winona to get our hair cut yesterday. DD, of course, also included a colourful dye job to the event. we're both getting shorter with each visit !! it's always great to see Carrie, and catch up ... plus I'm always able to get some knitting done while DD is in the chair. last night, I finished the final centre pattern repeat to the Annissette Wrap, and began the outside pattern. I seemed to be going thru more wool than called for, and wasn't able to knit the suggested 18 repeats of the centre pattern, but prior to the last one I completed, I felt the wrap was long enough, so adding the last repeat and then the ending pattern should be fine .... I'm hoping to get it cast-off and blocked this weekend (with the assistance of DD).

this past weekend was Easter. DD came home on Monday morning with the most beautiful bouquet of lilies. OH MY GOSH .... I cant believe how good the house smells !! as you can see, as nice as they were when I opened them, they have opened up like we couldnt believe !! have I mentioned what a thoughtful DD I have !!

We heading out to Ancaster for a quick "Easter Hello" to MIL. Hasia and Betty, both thrilled to get out visitting. (Emmett stayed home, as he had a busy weekend away with DD at her dad's ... besides, 3 large dogs is just much) MIL doesnt see the puppies as much any more so everyone enjoyed the short visit. then it was over to Hamilton for a visit and Easter dinner with my parents. as usual, the mutts got spoiled, and were fed WAY too many treats (my opinion, not theirs).

for those that have been following my knitting machine drama .... it's far from over. I was beyond the point of frustration, when it was suggested that I get my knitting machine tuned-up. a brilliant suggestion, it was in desparate need. so off I trucked, knitting machine & related bits, to Hamilton to meet Pat from Cardiknits. she's a wonderful woman, and I knew right away I was in good hands. my knitting machine looks like new, and it apparently works beautifully (I have a sample Pat knitted as proof) .... although you cant tell by the cursing that came out of my basement over the weekend. OMG .... why in heaven's name would ANYONE want to do this to themselves when you can produce beautiful results using knitting needles ??!! I'm almost at the point where I want to give up!!! I have followed the instruction book TO THE LETTER .... and still crap !!!! needless to say, I'm NOT a happy camper !! ok, I'm giving it one more shot before the entire contraption becomes the new base for my compost pile. Pat will give lessons, so I'm going to phone her and see if I can get one booked. there is a wonderful workshop in April, that's been recommended, but there's no point in me seeing what everyone else can do if I cant even cast on with the bloody thing !!

ok ... I'm going to end on a good note ... final B-Day wish to Hasia, and all her brothers & sisters out there. we've seen sister Hazel who also went into the Breeding program (and is now also retired), brother Havoc was adopted by a very nice family and came for a visit last summer. sister Hillie (Hilton) graduated SSD and is partnered with Pam. I'd love to hear from any of the other "H" puppies, but no matter where they are, and what they are doing I know that parents Daisy & Pyke are very proud of their puppies and also wish them a Happy 4th Birthday !!!

Thoughtful daughter, surprise from a new friend, CWS week-6

are these not the most beautiful roses you've ever seen ??!!! I was not feeling well on Sunday, spent a good part of it sleeping and/or in bed. to make the day worse, good friends who had moved out of town were in for the weekend, and supposed to come for a visit ..... but about an hour after they were supposed to arrive, they phoned to say that they couldn't make it. my feelings were torn, hurt that they coudn't make the time to visit us for a bit, but kind of releaved because I didnt feel well. DD took it very hard. she had gotten her knitting out for the first time in ages, and after the phone call, gatherered it all up and thru it on her desk. we had all been friends since the girls were in Kindergarden, and it really hurt DD that they couldnt find even an hour for us. we ended up going out to rent a couple of movies to cheer us up, while in the grocery store, DD said she wanted to go look at something while I was checking out. as I'm loading the cart after paying, she arrives with a bouquet of the most beautiful roses. I have been blessed with a wonderful daughter !!!


Tuesday, and just in the nic of time I finished week-6 of the Civil War Shawl. I fell behind was I was concentrating most of my time getting the socks for my cousin finished. thanks to the fingers of DD and her friend, I tried to take a picture .... but it's getting too big for the circular needle to get a decent picture that shows off how the pattern is evolving. you'll have to trust me, it's just beautiful !! so, I'm all ready to start week-7 with Wendi tonight !



THANK YOU CHARLIE !!!! I have a new lovely friend from the UK. she posted in Ravelry looking for some Canadian hand-dyed wool. I was able to find some for her from my LYS and contacted her. she asked for one colour in particular, but said she's love a second skein. so I found the one she was looking for, and send her another one I found as a surpirse. Charlie paid me for the one skein, but we agreed to to swap pressies for the 2nd skein. on Tuesday, I received a package from her ..... OH MY GOSH, it's absolutely lovely !!! YarnAddict Yarns presents Merino Lace. the colour is called "fantastique" and is just beautiful, and the wool so soft. I've spend a good part of my spair time going thru patterns to find just the right thing to make. I'll keep everyone posted on what I find.

Busy day, and a lot accomplished

Cari ~ thanks for your advice. I dropped my knitting machine off to Pat @ Cardinits in Hamilton.

Jen, dinna fash yersel ... I'll be flying on that thing in no time !!!







Spent the afternoon with Wendi, knitting and painting. now painting is not my idea of fun, but we laughed a lot and the job went quickly (there are permanent "remidners" of both of us on the wall). we arrived back at her home to find an awesome dinner being made for us all by her DH ... over all an enjoyable way to spend the day.







got home and DD turned on the Court Jester, while I worked on the socks for my cousin. DD went off to bed after the movie, but I stayed up and eventually finished the socks. the pictures dont do them justice, but I'm really pleased with them !! I think I'll re-make them, using the suggested yarn weight & needles.

Unfortunately, I was sick on Sunday, and spent most of my time sleeping .... so my cousin still doesnt have her socks. I'm aiming for a Wednesday visit, after work.

Wendi to the rescue !!!

I've two cousins that are currently fighting cancer. the one, seems to be holding her own. the other, unfortunately, doesnt seem to be doing as well. I tried to go visit her in the hospital last weekend, but she was not having a good day, and requested no visitors. my plan is to visit her this weekend, and bring Emmett our current DogGuide-in-Training foster puppy. I'm hoping that a short visit, and the distraction may help brighten my cousin's day.

on Wednesday, it occurred to me, that I had nothing to bring my cousin. flowers die, and I dont know what, if anything, she is eating. I've always had a few finished projects put away for just this occasion, but right now the cupboard is bare ....... so, what do you bring to a person, struggling with an illness, who will be spending her remaining days in a hospital environment ..... hand knitted socks !!!! the only catch is, I didnt have any heavier weight, natural fiber yarn at home, and would have to start them that night, if there is any chance of getting them done by Saturday

Wendi to the rescue ..... I was on-line with Wendi, and she offered some of the yarn from her stash. the same type that she used to make socks for her FIL. so, off I went to Chez Wendi, to grab some wool so that I could get the socks started.

there are TONS of sock patterns available on Ravelry, many of which are very nice, but I wanted a simple pattern, that would knit up quickly ... and I found one, the Gentlemans Sock (dont worry the wool is pink/purple, so it will not be too manly). I'm following the pattern exactly ..... except I'm using DK instead of sock/fingering, therefore had to adjust from recommended 2.5mm to 4mm, therefore had to adjust the number of stitches around for the foot ..... oh yea, and the pattern is top down, but I'm doing them toe-up ..... but other than all that, I'm following the pattern exactly !!

so, to make a long story short (not !!) I've finished about 5" of foot, and I'm really pleased how they are turning out. I think I'm going to make this pattern again, using the suggested yarn-weight, and see how they look when done "properly".

I'm sure everyone has someone in their family that needs an extra prayer ..... please remember my family in your prayers. I'll be doing the same for you !

The Urge to "drop-kick"

I did get some knitting done last night while watching TV. the new "Knight Rider" was on, not bad for a re-make. it made for an interesting backdrop while working on the Anisette Wrap. I was able to finish 2 pattern repeats before getting to bed at a decent time (for a change)




this is DD's new cat, and my knitting "assistant" BK .... she never seems to be too far away when I have my knitting out. you can see her here, "supervising" while I pin the wrap down to take it's picture. I have to say, the wrap is lovely, but I'm quite disappointed in how the pictures are turning out. they don't do it justice because of how fuzzy the mohair is. maybe next time, I'll try to stretch it more when I pin it out


today is absolutely beautiful out. cold, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue. have some soup simmering in the crockpot, and spent time out with the dogs. we were all in the backyard for a while, so I could gather up some "poop-cicles". then they put their collars & leashes on, and we headed to the park for a good run around. sounds like the perfect day, right ??!!

NOT !!!

well, it was until I decided to fulfill my promise to Jen and see if I could get the knitting machine that I purchased last August up and running. I've tried to cast on, which seems to work, but after the first couple of rows everything seems to jump off. I got out the manual again, dusted it off, and tried to follow the cast-on instructions (and they sound SO easy). same thing happens during both attempts. I found a lady who has some videos on YOUTUBE, and she shows a cast on. so, I head downstairs to give her method a try ... after de-fuzzing the machine, I tried again .... only to this time bend one of the needles. ok, so not I'm really not impressed (hence the urge to drop-kick the machine out the back door !) I suspect that it needs a good cleaning, as I remember when I picked it up the woman saying that it has been sitting for about 5 years or so because her arthritis got too bad to be able to use it ... to make things worse, it's been sitting in my family room since I brought it home and set it up. unfortunately, the operation manual that I got with it says nothing about maintenance except brush out the fuzzies, with a VERY week brush (included). so, off to the internet I go for research. I remove the "sponge bar" and discover that the sponge part is rather compressed in the middle .... my next quest will be to find where I can get a new one, have someone explain an easier way to get the latch hooks out (there has to be a better way than the method I used to take out the bent one), and get the machine cleaned up & oiled and ready to go.

I bought the knitting machine with the thought that it was a good idea, and would expand my knitting ability ..... but right now I'm just trying to figure out "what the heck was I thinking" ??!!