Sad

After a long, three week struggle of force-feeding, disgusting medications and an overnighter at the vet's, Pointdexter gave up the fight last night on the rug in front of the fireplace.

I miss him like crazy.

Sept 10, 2007 - Dec 30, 2008

Holiday Review

There was Christmas baking.







There was knitting at Christmas concerts (4 of them in all!). Not to mention an unfortunate incident with a runaway ball of wool, which eventually did get rescued with help from strangers sitting a row in front of me. (boy, oh boy, did that sucker roll!)











And post-concert photo ops: my two are on the left and their best buddies are on the right.

One ginormous Christmas tree.












A wool/mohair/bead shawl.









New sweater, scarf and mittens.





Some handknit socks at AliP's Boxing Day Party. There were others too, but wouldn't stay still for a photo op. More about the party (and alpacas) another time, or I'll refer you to AliP's place if she gets her update done first.

About Simplicity

Simplicity is my friend. I just have to embrace it. Get over the need for the glitz and sparkle.

I recently signed out Mason-Dixon Knitting from the library. Now, admittedly, I have signed this book out before, flipped through it and was not in the least impressed. Not so this time. I read every word, envisioned yarns that I could use from stash for the projects. I was completely charmed. I enjoyed the straight-forward, conversational text, the simple but snazzy patterns. I've developed a yearning to knit hand towels with Euroflax; frankly, knit anything with Euroflax, which seems to be the yarn of choice for several of the creations. Maybe it's the quilt-inspired blankets (I'm still working on my first ever quilt and it's stealing time away from the knitting, and with these patterns I could combine the two), or maybe it's the grand idea of using recycled material for knitting. What's not to love? For now, I have to decide which of the great patterns I will try first. Also, I can't wait to get my hands on their new book.

A while ago I may have mentioned taking pictures of Christmas knitting completed. It's not going to happened. I wrapped everything and put the gifts under the tree. It's the only way I could reclaim my closet. I am pleased as punch to say that most of the gifts have been knit from stash, and even though my hubby will swear that the said stash could still qualify for its own postal code, it has been significantly reduced. 2 pairs of socks plus another pair almost done and another needing a mate, a shawl, a sweater, 3 berets (one already delivered and being worn) plus another half done on the needles, a pair of thrum mitts, 4 pairs of kid mitts, a long scarf, 2 hats. Also my Debbie Bliss sweater that only needs the sleeves. I meant for it to be my Christmas sweater but I wanted to make sure the real Christmas gifts were knit first. Not too bad for a couple months' knitting.

How is your Christmas knitting coming along?

BWAHAHAHAHA!

You Should Be a Politician

Confident, assertive, and dedicated - you know what you want in life and how to get it. Stubborn and opinionated, you can stand your ground... even if it's unpopular. And while you have strong views, you never overwhelm people with your opinions. A true charmer, you subtly influence people into seeing things your way. You do best when you: - Work according to your own rules - Can change the world with what you do You would also be a good lawyer or talk show host.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

Hey Dorothy

For Dorothy, and others that may be interested, the purse is from this book (with my own variations as mentioned before):

Ready Set Knit Cables:

learn to knit with 20 designs and ten projects

by Carri Hammett

10 on Tuesday

This week's ten on Tuesday: 10 Ways You Can Save Money.

Here's my list, although I don't necessarily follow it to a tee (but I do try):

1. Borrow books from the library. Also magazines, CDs, DVDs, movies for kids, special order books...
2. If you must buy books, check out the used book stores first. They usually have a huge selection at about a quarter of the original price.
3. Gas prices got you down? Ride a bike or walk. Better for you, your wallet, and the environment.
4. Obviously, turn the lights and electronics off when you're not in the room.
5. Turn the heat down at night, or when you leave your home for an expended period. I turn ours down to 10 degrees Celsius, and have extra blankets on the beds. Plus the cats tend to snuggle more!
6. When shopping, make a list and stick to it.
7. Brew your own coffee at home. Good quality coffee is still less expensive if you brew it at home than if you buy it from a coffee shop. And there is no paper or styrofoam cup to throw away.
8. High-speed Internet too expensive? Surf the web at a C @ P station. You may have to book your time slot in advance.
9. Borrow a cookbook from the library and create a special meal at home, instead of eating out. You're bound to learn a new cooking technique, feed a family for the price of one restaurant meal, and don't have to wait in line for your table to be ready. Bonus: enjoy that glass or two of wine without needing a designated driver.
10. Shovel your snow. Forget the air-polluting snow blower. Get some exercise and fresh air at the same time. But don't wait until the snow stops falling: that's just asking for trouble. Shovel every couple of hours to save your back.

She Liked It

I put my PIF for Dorothy in the mail on Friday afternoon and she already received it. At least Canada Post can get the job done right within Nova Scotia. But that's a complaint for another day.



Now that this is in her hot little hands, I can show it off. I am glad Dorothy liked it. I love it myself. I want one for myself. It's a good thing it didn't stay in my possession a moment longer, or it might have stayed with me permanently. The flap cables came from a really neat book (which I can't remember the title of to save my life) that I borrowed from the library, and the rest I sort of fudged my way through. The original pattern was turning out quite wide and making the bag heavier, and much bigger, than I intended since I was using two strands of wool throughout. I felted it gently and I really like that this bag will be quite waterproof without any nasty plastic. I lined the bag with a cotton print fabric and light-weight fusible interfacing to give the bag some body. I did machine stitch the lining in, because I was worried that hand-stitching wouldn't hold up to the wear and tear. I think it's safe to say that this won't be the last bag of it's kind to come off my needles.





In other knitting news, first born has caught the knitting bug and I am thrilled. His single minded focus is a joy to witness. My youngest, on the other hand, has learned to cast off this morning. Oh, the thrills have no end here today!





Look at that concentration!









In other news: I had a "slight" quilting accident. I am blaming this one on the husband. I was using a rotary cutter while he was standing over me and watching. You ever get that feeling of extra weight on you when someone is watching you craft, whatever it may be? Yeah. I was trying to ignore him, but I was in a hurry too. Bad combination. "Supper will be ready very soon", he says and finally walks away. Within 30 seconds (I would kid you not!) I sliced that cutter right across the top of my thumb. I moved fast, let me tell you! I ran up those stairs to the kitchen and got my thumb under cold water.... The blood was already dripping into my other hand as I tried not to bleed all over the floor (no, I did not need extra housework, thanks for asking), while husband is freaking out "what happened? Let me see... LET ME SEE!...."

I just wanted a band aid. "Let me SEE..." while now the tea towel was turning a lovely shade of red. Right about then I lost it, told him to get out of my way (while he was starting to head for his truck for "his good first aid box". Grrrrrr. I managed to cut some gauze and fold it up to fit my thumb, slapped some antibiotic ointment on the gauze and sealed the mess with a couple band aids. Holy throbbing pain. To my credit, I did not bleed a drop on my daughter's quilt in the making. I am down to a single band aid today. No, I am not showing you guys the damage. It's gruesome. I can still knit, thank my lucky stars.

Get this: when I told hubby it's a good thing that I could still knit to keep my sanity, or things would be rather unpleasant until I recovered, my first born says, and I quote, "it's OK Mom, I can knit for you, you taught me how."