Let's be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Day Canada!

I’m not entirely certain why Canadians need a special day to be thankful and appreciate what they have, where they live, family and friends. Surely we should be thankful for these things every day….well, in an ideal world anyway…. Oh, OK then. We’re not in an ideal world, so we need reminding. And what better way than with turkey, turkey stuffing and pumpkin pie!

I can tell you right now that if I was a turkey, I’d be scared shitless at this time of year. OK, so you guys caught me out on that one…I am a bit of a turkey and I’m always cautious at this time of year too [laughing].

Being a Canadian import, I thought that Thanksgiving was quite a unique little tradition. For the first couple of years I enjoyed the harvest festivities. But, as far as I can tell, Canadians don’t treat each other any better on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year. It’s just another long weekend of road rage, but with a traditional turkey dinner.

[Please be seated and prepare for some blasphemy]. Personally, I could skip the whole Thanksgiving Day ritual. Truth be told [and I do humbly apologise to the patriotic for what I’m about to write], I don’t really like the taste of turkey! EGAD! And what’s more, I can’t stand pumpkin pie. Ewwww! Pie = sweet, rich, fattening, delicious, lots of cream, and umpty calories. Pumpkin = soup or baked dinner, but most definitely not pie. Yes, I make a very poor Canadian.

This year I was invited to Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday evening. My good friend, Roxanne, slaved away for a day and a half to build a meal fit for royalty. She had food for every palette. Yippee! I didn’t have to plow my way through turkey this year; I had the ham. And I brought the dessert – nope, not pumpkin pie [rather evil cackle]. Pavlova, of course. Mmmm … deliciously decadent Pavlova ….

So today is Monday, and the actual holiday for Thanksgiving. I decided it was about time I had a few quiet hours to myself [to reflect, appreciate, and be thankful, of course]. I shoved my knitting under my arm, grabbed a chair and headed outdoors. I perched myself under the beautiful maple trees, drank in the phenomenal shades of autumn, and added some rows to my Gerlinde lace scarf.

Life was buzzing all around me, so camera in hand I snapped a few pics of Mother Nature at her finest.

It doesn’t get much better than this, and I am indeed thankful.

SMUG as a Bug in a Rug

Well of course I know that the idiom should really be "snug as a bug in a rug".

But, I'm not snug; not snug at all. In fact it's getting colder and cccccolder here in SW Ontario.

Instead, I'm smug. Yes. Very, very .....SMUG. Jeez, I can hardly stand myself. And this is not the first time this year I've been so smug. Remember when I finished my Tempest? Yeah, who can forget Vicky M.... And what about when I finished the Socks of Kindness for my sister....I was pretty smug then too.

Back in September I blogged about the awesome road trip to the Kitchener/Waterloo Knitting Fair? Well, amongst MANY other purchases, I bought eight skeins of Briggs & Little Heritage bare yarn (100% wool, 2 ply, 17sts to 4ins on 5mm needles, 215 yds/skein) for $3 (regularly $5.50) a skein!!!! That's like half price - PLUS I didn't have to pay tax!

Anyhoo, I bought this yarn with a view to dyeing it for two hoodies for my nieces; Emily and Karlia. I made the Pink Confetti Hoodie for my youngest niece, Jaycee, last month. All the hoodies will be Christmas gifts.

With the Ilderton Fair over, and Christmas knitting becoming a priority, I put in an order to KnitPicks for some Jacquard Acid Dyes - burnt orange for Emily, and turquoise for Karlia.

My package arrived during the week, and with the gorgeous weather yesterday, I took the opportunity to dye the yarn for Emily's hoodie.

Awww, here's Emily with me in January 2008.


Between the customers and the phone calls [it's so irritating when business gets in the way of what I really want to do] [LOL] I dyed four skeins of my Briggs & Little a beautiful semi solid orange colour. It was a little challenging at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. I was delighted with the variegated results!



And that's why I'm so SMUG. Smug as a bug in a rug!

Violets Are Out; Knitting is In

The last seven days have been nothing short of yuck. Yup, mighty peculiar indeed. And not in a good way; more's the pity.

If I totally believed in horror-scopes, I would blame the alignment of the planets, or crappy Mars as influencing those around me and my pleasant Piscean nature....

But only half of me believes in that stuff, so what does the other half of me blame for all the headaches, neckache and backache? It's probably definitely all stress related - there are pros and cons to owning your own business! Some people can be downright mean, and others rude, and still others lazy and incredibly demanding. Thank goodness for the nice ones though! I think I've dealt with them all this week. And yet....I still go on [laughing].

About 8 years ago, African Violets (AVs) were the love of my life. They totalled about 150 in number [insane I know] and lit up my otherwise drab office. I still have a totally awesome African Violet teacup collection that comprises 60 plus collectible teacups....but that's another story for another day.

Over the years my AVs have brought me much joy and many gorgeous blossoms. Sadly, some of them had succumbed to disease, pests and neglect. Their once thriving numbers had dwindled to a mere 40 a week ago. Not even a nice one in that bunch to enter into the Ilderton Fair!

Then, following a particularly bad day last week, I threw the whole lot OUT. The mealy bugs and thrips were out of control, and I just didn't have the time for the TLC they so desperately required [sigh]. I will start a new collection next spring, time permitting. There's something very nurturing in putting down a bunch of leaves and waiting 6 weeks for all the little baby plantlets to emerge. Then mothering them for three months until they are young adults and flowering prolifically.

Amongst all the yuck stuff lately were a couple of positives. For instance, the arrival of my much anticipated KnitPicks order. I got a fabulous new book "Simply Shetland 4: At Tomales Bay", some acid dyes (orange and tuquoise) for dyeing some Briggs and Little, and a norwegian finger guide for one-handed fairisle knitting.

And then, I started my first of a million Christmas knitting projects: the La Dentelle Belle Scarf by Teresa Murphy. This is my first lace project and I've called it the Gerlinde Lace Scarf cos it's for my Mum. I'm using some fabulous Handmaiden Mini Maiden yarn in the Paris colorway! This yarn is 50% wool and 50% silk, so it's very soft and shiney. I love it!

My hope now is for a much better week ahead for me and for everybody else out there who needs me for something [laughing].

I'm still 50% convinced of celestial interference this last week [scowling skyward].........

My Fair Lady

WOW, I still can't believe it! My niece [in law] came to visit me on Saturday afternoon after having been at the Ilderton Fair. She was gushing....and telling me that I'd won all kinds of ribbons for my Fair entries!

I had entered 8 items in the knitting divisions, and 5 items in the baking divisions.

Well, I had to go and see for myself, didn't I?

And sure enough, I'd scooped 10 ribbons from 13 entries! In total, five 1st places, one 2nd place, and four 3rd places. Woo hoo! Not bad...not bad at all!

Great Cables Sweater

Black Forest Cherry Cake

Newfoundland Mitts & Hat

South Western Omlette

Bread and Butter Pudding

Tempest Sweater

Carrot Cake

Hooded Sweater for my Niece

Laptop Cover

Herbst Melodie Socks

I got some awesome prizes, as well as cash prizes. Here's my haul:

And now I get to eat, and eat, and eat, and.........

Who wants to help???

WIPless

I did it! All my Fall Fair knitting projects are complete. I finished them with a night to spare, and just as well, because this evening a friend phoned and asked me out to dinner. And that almost always means a late night.

So, last night's marathon of knitting produced a completed preemie set - hat and blankie. Following the Fair, these items will be donated to the Childrens' Hospital of Southwestern Ontario.

Earlier in the week I finished the Newfoundland Mitts and a toque - these items will be donated to the Women's Rural Resource Center.

This year I have 13 items to enter into the baking and handcraft divisions; 8 knitted items, and 5 baking entries. Tomorrow is my "Fair baking day". Everybody knows to get the hell out of my kitchen and out of my way that day [laughing]. I have to bake five items and get them to the fair grounds by 9pm the same day.

Judging starts on the Friday, and the Fair closes at 5pm on Sunday 28th September. I will blog again on Sunday to let you all know how I did and what ribbons, if any, will adorn my house!

She’s got the Whole World in her Hands

Once in a while I buy or make something for me that shouts out to the world “look at me; I’m totally awesome”. C’mon, you guys know what I mean….

Like when I got my first job and bought my first new pair of jeans. I’d broken the mould – no more was I second-hand Rose – now I was one of the “cool kids”. I rocked. I had THE look! People pointed at me and said “she’s the woman”…..well, OK, I was NEVER that cool. Usually they just pointed at me and giggled….

Memory lane aside, yesterday was MY day of smugness. Enormous smugness. I done good; real good….and woke up this morning with the same silly grin on my face.

I FINISHED VICKY M!!! Knitted, blocked, sewn and buttoned!

If I didn’t want to wear her soooooo much, I’d probably frame her. Crikey, she is one spunky shiela.....the sweater I mean!

She didn’t come without her share of baggage though. We had issues that we thankfully worked through in a very calm and positive manner [heh!]. For instance, I didn’t understand HER need for me to pick up 200 odd stitches around the cast-on edges of the cardigan to knit a facing. HER idea was that I should knit stockinet for four rows, transfer the live stitches to scrap yarn, fold the hem facing to the inside and sew the live stitches in place. MY counter argument was that I didn’t understand why I couldn’t have simply done a provisional cast-on for the back and front pieces, and knitted an extra four rows before starting the actual cardigan.

Then, SHE wanted ½ inch glass buttons…..14 of them to be precise. She drove me all over the place looking for these darn buttons; that incidentally did not exist in any store in any quantity. SHE even had me spend hours and hours on the internet to search for the perfect buttons. Well, thank goodness I found some lovely buttons at the last store I visited [that were not glass at all!]. She was not altogether thrilled with MY choice, but I assured her that resistance was futile.

Despite our differences, we pulled off the coo of the week. Vicky M not only has form, but she ROCKS!

Double SQUEAL!

Kitchener/Waterloo Fair

It's embarrassing to admit that I'd been counting down the "number of sleeps" until the KW Knitting Fair since I went last year! Ack, what's another addiction anyway!

The KWKF did not disappoint! With over 70 vendors, and two rooms dedicated to yarn, fiber, rovings, supplies, accessories, books and frenzied shoppers, it was a sensory delight to say the least! I could smell the yarn, fondle it, look lovingly at it, stroke it and talk to it - and the best part was that NOBODY thought I was nuts!!

Seems that every step I took, I bumped into another person I knew. I travelled with Nadine, her daughter Beah (possible knitting recruit in a few years...?), Colleen and Kanna. Kat and Lynn travelled together in Lynn's car, and we ate lunch with them. Right near Bedazzled and Bejeweled I bumped into Laurie and her Mum, and across from that booth I bumped into Brenda. As I walked from The Ballroom to Marshall Hall, I bumped into Sharon from London Yarns, and at lunchtime I saw quite a few knitters from the Forest City Knitting Club.

I'm delighted to say that the "bump intos" didn't impact my shopping time at all! In fact, they are all fabulous enablers [laughing]. I got quite the haul from such booths as Camilla Valley Farm, Alpaca Fibre Co-op, The Purple Purl, and Wellington Fibres.


At the back of the photo are eight skeins of Briggs and Little Heritage (only $3/skein); in the middle towards the back (pink, orange and turquoise) are three skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino (only $9/skein); right in the center of the photo are four skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite (only $8/skein); to the right of the Noro are two skeins of Alpaca Rovings; at the front of the photo and just off to the left are 15 skeins of Jamieson Spindrift; and at the front of the photo and off to the right are four skeins of Wellington Fibres 50% mohair and 50% wool.

PHEW!

The Weeks that Were...

Pant, pant, puff, puff……

Made it! Phew! Just gotta catch my breath for a minute…..OK.

My poor little blog! Oh how I’ve missed you – deprived of a chocolatey post for just over THREE weeks….

Well, there’s simply no way that I can summarise the last few weeks without writing a Ben Hur sequel; and there’s only so much "Ben Hur" that the earth can endure in its 4.5 billion years!

So……. I’m gonna have to reach for my pretty pink yellow highlighter. Oh I hate being succinct – honestly – I can’t be succinct to save my life!

As you guys read in my last post, my cousin Sina came to visit. We explored every little nook and cranny for miles. We visited St. Jacob’s Market, Kitchener Market, Waterloo Busker Carnival, Pinery Sunday Market, Trails End Farmers' Market, Kettle Point, Ipperwash Beach, Sarnia, Grand Bend, and loads of little spots in between.

The most impressive adventure was to Niagara Falls. I've been there three times before, but am totally awestruck every time!



And of course, every night from 8-24 August we watched and kept medal tally as the Olympic Games in Beijing progressed. Sina was of course encouraging the German athletes from her chair, and I was of course screaming “go Aussie go” from my chair. And the results? Australia = 46 medals; Germany = 41 medals and Canada = 18 medals. Go Aussie, Go Aussie [hehehehe].

As if our adventures and the Olympics weren’t exciting enough! Sina had some unwelcome excitement of her own. First she was bitten on the arm several times by a sick feral kitten. A staggering $800 later (= doctor’s fee and 5 hour wait at the bloody hospital) together with a bunch of antibiotics, and she recovered nicely. Although, I think the shock of the bill is still lingering!

Just after that, she unknowingly handled some poison ivy! Thank goodness there was no allergic reaction, but we still took precautions, monitored her for a few days, and got her the necessary creams.

And lastly, Dave (her car) decided to chuck a sickie in a 10min only parking zone, and had to be towed and repaired. Poor Dave was in hospital for six days!

Despite her (mis)adventures with us, Sina learned to quilt, and finished a beautiful panda pillow case. Here she is with Roxanne who taught her to quilt:



She also endured several knitting meetups [cleverly disguised as afternoon teas and dinner]. Tried everything we did – couldn’t lure her over to the knit side! Although I hasten to add she was spotted fondling a beautiful skein of rabbit and merino blend that Alana brought along to a Ravelry get-together last week…..

Thank you so much to all my knitting friends who made her feel so welcome and part of the group.

And now she's gone.... I miss her already [sniffle, sniffle].

So what was I up to "knitting wise" during the last few weeks? Well for starters, I knitted Sina a Brangelina Hat from some Sirdar Ultra Chunky that I got for 75% off at the final, final, final Cloth & Clay sale at their booth at St. Jacob’s Market. Hey, I scored BIG there! 75% of EVERYTHING that was left. Oh God I wish I had had hours to browse the boxes and boxes of books, magazines and pattern leaflets! But alas, I was not with a fellow knitter and a 20mins browsing was the most I could manage.



I did manage to scoop a couple of books, a shawl pattern and four skeins of beautiful yarn – all for the amazingly low, low price of $37 and some change. And I can tell you this: one of the books alone had a price sticker of $47.99!!

I also managed to finish the Pink Confetti Hoodie I started on 3rd August for my adorable little niece Jaycee. It turned out quite well, although I’m disappointed by two things. First of all, the pattern called for a 6 inch zipper that was IMPOSSIBLE to get (other than a heavy duty black denim jeans zipper with metal teeth). So that really sucked. And secondly, the way the pattern was written for the zipper facings made it really, REALLY awkward to attach the zipper nicely. I tried everything to fix it and finally left it the way it was.




I will knit this pattern again, but will make changes for a 7 inch zipper and I will re-work the zipper facings.

Oh jeez, I’m rambling. Time to hang up the keyboard and feed my starving fish!