18 years .... how can time go so fast ??!!

no knitting today ... it's all about my baby ...

18 years ago today, I wasn't doing so well, but quietly laying in the nursery of Markham Hospital was a perfect wee baby girl .... ok, maybe not so wee, and apparently not so quietly. my parents came to visit me in the ICU, but stopped off to visit with their first (and only) grandchild (that should have been my first clue as to where I was now on their priority list *LOL*). I saw them coming from across the unit, and was so excited ... had they seen the baby??!! they said oh yes, but then completely irrational panic on my part set in .... are you SURE it was MY baby??!! how can you tell, babies all look alike, and you hear of them getting switched at birth. OMG .... how do I know that it's MY baby ??!! I calmly (NOT) voiced my concern to my Parents (and probably to most of the staff and any conscious patients in the ICU with me) about the chances of them not finding the right baby .... but not to fear. My Dad, in his unique (blunt) style reminded me that Markham Hospital Maternity was a "rooming-in" facility, meaning all babies stayed with their Mother's for their entire stay ... unless there is a medical reason why they cant. the only babies in the nursery were preemies (itty-bitty ones) and jaundice babies (who were usually on the small side). apparently my parents had no problems finding their new Granddaughter ... she was (only) the 10-pounder, and on top of that what little bit of hair she had was read red and she was screaming at the top of her lungs (obviously healthy). that made me feel better :)

well ... 18 years later and my baby is all grown up, and is now away at college. where has the time gone ??!! I'm sure every Mother feels the same way, looking back over the years at their grown children, but still sees the the wee babe that used to need them. it's such a strange emotion to be so proud of them you want to burst, while at the same time wishing they were wee again and wanted to crawl up into your lap for a snuggle.

DD is heading home from school today to spend the weekend at home. she'll be spending the day with her Dad, and then coming home for a "Girl's Night" together .... dinner & a movie *WOO HOO* !! Saturday maybe some shopping together and then we'll be meeting my Parents for a late brunch at Cora's.

October ~ Breast Cancer Awarness & Knitting

I cant believe October is almost half over already .... where has the time gone ??!!

we ended August in our favourite way .... spending a week at a rental cottage just outside Algonquin Park. it's a great way to relax, get some reading & knitting done, play some boardgames, and go hiking with the dogs.

September was a huge month for DD and myself ..... Labour Day her Dad and I moved DD into her dorm room. the day turned out really well, the move went smoothly, we spent the day putting things together, then out for her first grocery shop and a nice lunch. the house is going to be quiet with her gone, but I'm very proud of her and going to enjoy watching this next phase of her life unfold.

Tuesday September 8 ..... first day of college for DD, and first day of my new job. dont know which one of us was more nervous, but we both survived, and seem to be settling in just fine.

just when I thought I was getting used to my "empty nest" ..... I end up with a houseful. Wendi and her hubby go off to the great (not so) white north on a hunting trip, and I acquire 2 teenagers and another dog while they are away. the kids are more than old enough to look after themselves, and pretty much did their own thing, but boy did I enjoy having them around for that week!!! I think I found the house harder to adjust to after then left, then when DD went off to college.

I have some earings that you can get from SKWD Creations and wanted to point out their breast cancer pink-ribbon items ..... if you're looking for any Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon items go check them out. they also have a great selection of earings, shawl pins, stitch markers, and a few necklaces & cellphone charms.

Knitting Update .... this is going to be big, as it's been ages since I blogged

Scotch Thistle Lace Stole ~ a lovely lace stole that I knitted last year, but only recently got around to blocking. the good news is, it turned out lovely .... the bad news is, I must have dropped a stitch back in the beginning, so as I blocked it a hole started to emerge. it turns out that it was a wee bit small for my liking, and with the un-fixable hole, i decided to frog it out and re-use the yarn

Blender Socks for DD ~ well the blender socks that I did for me turned out so well, I decided to give it a try for my DD (who wanted to scoop mine). I used some left over yarn that I had done a previous pair of socks for her, and put solid (kettle dyed) black toes and cuffs on them (I would have done a black heel too, but didnt think I'd have enough yarn)

Los Monos Locos ~ these socks were for me!! a "crazy" version of the famous "monkey sock", with a toe-up reverse heel flap that I wanted to try. love the socks, love the yarn, not impressed with this style of heel

Hug Me Boucle Shawl ~ I got some acrylique boucle from a yarn swap. the colour is lovely, but not really a type of yarn that I really knew what to do with .... thank goodness for Ravelry and their wonderful pattern search. entered some critera, and up pops up some suggestions ..... I ended up making this really awesome shawl. I'm so pleased with how it turned out, the colours are just lovely, and it really works with the type of yarn. with it being made of acrylique, it will be really easy to look after. I'm not a shawl person, and the ones I like are much bigger than this, so it will be gifted to someone (or a charity organization) that I think will get some use of it

Bored, and dont know what to knit .... get out the dish cloth cotton and whip up a dishcloth using a basic no-thought required pattern. and to match the dishcloth, how about a crochet market bag. everyone is so concerned about plastic bags, and them ending up in the dump, here's a great alternative ... they are strong, expandable, can be thrown in the washing machine, and are kind of cute.

Cropped Raglan Sweater ~ while away at the cottage I wanted an easy knit, but something practical. this is an easy raglan (neck down) sweater, that was brainless to knit ..... just to add some character (and because I dont do anything the way it was written) I added a "lace" pattern down the front, and made to hang just below the waist band of my jeans. I love how the sweater turned out, but I think it's a wee bit large .... so guess that means that I'll get to knit it again for next year !!

Sketchy Shawl KAL ~ well the girls all got together and decided they wanted to do a shawl KAL. I dont think any of us did the same shawl pattern, but we all had our "ceremonial cast on" together at our meeting. I had a hard time choosing what pattern to work on because I'm not a "lacy shawl type of person", and I wanted one that would actually wrap around me ... I found Wild Flower Shawl. it was just what I was looking for, and I thought it would be perfect with the lace weight yarn that I had already decided I want to use (no matter what pattern I found). both the yarn and shawl are on the casual side, and I joined the group and cast on ..... by the end of the night, I was NOT impressed. although the pattern was nice, you couldnt see all the work I was doing because it was too loose .... so frogged out, and down I go in needle size, and then again frogged and down another needle size. at this point, I've decided I not only hate lace weight, but all shawls. fortunately Wendi suggests some lovely yarn that we both have, and knowing that I wouldnt have enough for the shawl, she offers me the remainder of her skein (aren't friends great !!). the shawl turned out lovely, and as worried as I was about then knitting on the edging, it turns out there was nothing to worry about, and the edging really makes the shawl .... and now that it's finally blocked, I love it even more !!!