The Happy Child

Her teacher always seems in awe when I stop to chat. "Brianna is sooo HAPPY today!" I hear those same words each time. Isn't a good thing for a child to be happy? The thing is, my daughter loves school and everything about it. Even homework. She was totally shocked that she didn't receive any on her first day of primary! It just goes to show how ready she really was for school. She missed the cut-off last year by 20 days.
Tomorrow is her 6th birthday. To surprise a child that's such a little party planner will be no small feat. But I will do my best! I will bake (after she's sound asleep) and I will decorate until I drop. There cannot be any holding back!

Ottawa Senators

Still undefeated...

Setting Goals

• First things first. The Senators are playing tonight against Toronto. A walk in the park, that should be. But I might be biased. Whatever. Ottawa Senators RULE!
• And about setting goals: highly over-rated. I was going to crochet at least 2 rows every day on the blanket from hell. Not a huge commitment but a commitment all the same. Didn't happen yesterday. Instead I started a The Hunting Sweater for hubby. Plain, boring stockingette stitch. In "bleached oak", a plain, boring, mind-numbing colour. What is it about men? The goal for this project?? Knit a full ball per day. I thought that would get things moving nicely and possibly result in a completed sweater for the start of deer hunting season (October 28). Obviously I should read less Harlot. Especially should have skipped the entire chapter "Cracking the Whip" in her new book. And listening to her SOS Knitting line? Well.... #2 got me into proper panic mode. Thank you very much, Steph. I think I will let the cramping fingers be the judge how much knitting per day is enough.

Dumbass knitter! Dumb and incompetent.

What am I ranting and raving about? How about knitting the extra-long tail into the sweater instead of the start of a new ball of yarn? Duh.

Leaf Peepin'

It's that time of the year again.
Thanksgiving in Canada. Columbus Day in the States. And Leaf Peepin' season everywhere! Forget driving anywhere in any big hurry!
I had to snap some pictures of nature's colours before the wind and rain knocked them off this weekend.
And it's Hockey Night in Canada! No stretch of the imagination to figure out where the rest of the family is sitting right now. Ottawa is my team; my husband's is Boston; son likes to think Toronto has a chance (HA HA HA HA!).

In My Knitting Basket...

...what better place for my newest reading! Yarn Harlot. She's hilarious, even if she does have some serious issues with yaks. And yes, the wool. The Lopi is direct from Iceland (!), oodles of which I brought home with me when I was still in the Navy. Destined to be slightly felted thrum mittens. I promised my family they would all get a pair before the snow started flying. I made my pair last year during the Harlot's Thrum-Along, and I think everybody else wore them more than I did. Fantastic things. Can't live without 'em here on the farm. And the pink? That's 100% silk by the Hand Maiden. Lovely. My new fancy shmancy long johnies-to-be. I found a pattern in Rowan Knitting Book #4. I'll just have to figure out how to adjust it for the finer gauge of the silk. And then there is the bit of orange peeking out... That's a pretty lace wrap I started a while back. It's not that I don't like it anymore, or it's too difficult a pattern... Just kind of got bored with it. But that's not even the whole truth. Lace is very difficult to knit, I discovered the hard way, when there is a bouncy (nicest word I could come up with for my kids' unruly behaviour!) 5 and 7 year old in the vicinity. Not enough time in the day for my favourite hobby.


And then there is this wool crochet nightmare I've gotten myself into. My dear husband loves heavy blankets in winter. That's fine. He especially loves wool blankets. I finally got the hint when he started using the 3 meters of heavy wool fabric I had in my sewing room as a blanket. Does anyone know how many single crockets it will take to make a blanket large enough for a king-size bed? I don't want to think about it. I'd have to open a bottle of wine and I have to get ready for work now.