Tuesday - A Day Off and Snow AGAIN!

Well it's snowing AGAIN! I can't believe how much snow we have in the past few weeks. I feel like I am living in the arctic! There is nothing wrong with living in the arctic, if you are actually there but I am in Burlington...we are not supposed to get this much snow. Even Tiger has been sleeping in his bed under the covers.

I have been productive knitting wise. I finished the RPM socks that I was working on. They are done in Colinette's Jitterbug in the Kingfisher colourway. It was the yarn that I received in the World Yarn Swap from Mairin in Ireland. I really like how they turned out and I LOVE the colour. The fit is pretty good and they are soft too. I would definately use the yarn again, as well as knit the pattern again. It was interesting enough to not be boring, but easy enough to do while watching TV or sitting as a passenger while DH was driving.

I also finished week 5 of the Civil War Shawl. I transferred the shawl to the larger needles and was able to take a better picture of it. Della and I will be starting week 6 tonight while our DD's are in dance class. One of the other dance mom's has started to knit socks while waiting for her DD to finish in dance class. It is really nice to see others doing what I enjoy and enjoying it too!

Last week I finally received the zipper box pouch that I ordered from Japanese Hand Made on Etsy. I absolutely love this bag. It holds my sock project and I can take it anywhere. It is perfect. The colour and fabric is beautiful! Satomi did a great job on it. I will definately order more in the future. My DD has hinted at wanting one...maybe for an upcoming occassion.

I started another pair of socks Sunday evening. I looked at my stash and the available patterns that I have and was totally confused. I wanted a pattern tath would work with the yarn that I have. I finally found it. I decided to knit the Kaibashira socks. The designer, Chrissy Gardiner, was inspired after a trip to Japan. They are named after sushi and knit in Tofutsies. I just happened to have some ToFutsies yarn in my stash in a sort of pink orange colourway and I thought it would be perfect for these socks. They are starting to look neat with the lace effect. The yarn also lends itself to a lace pattern. It is light and airy and will look great as these socks.

Well, I am going to go and enjoy my day off. I want to get a bit more of these socks done before tonight's dance class and the Civil War Shawl. Enjoy the Day...I know I will!

Drop Stitch Knitter is having a contest...check it out!

Knitting Meeting and the Lunar Eclipse

Last night Della and I went to our regular knitting group get together. This time we changed it up a bit and met on Wednesday ( so my DD could attend). So from here on out we will meet every other week, one will be Wednesday and the other on Thursday. My DD really enjoyed herself. We talked about everything under the sun. It was very nice, the company was Excellent and the food was good too! I worked on my Civil War Shawl for a bit then switched to my RPM socks. DD was working on a pair of leg warmers for her cousin (who is 5). DD has, in the past, knit quite a few different hats, in addition to a pair of legwarmers for herself and a scarf. She is doing very well and wants me to take a few pictures of her stuff and post it here. So here they are.

I have been working on my Civil War Shawl. Della and I are finishing week 5, however I was having some trouble with row 94. We were going to try to figure out what my problem was. I ended up frogging that row out twice!. But then I went to the group on Yahoo and found the answer to my problem, complete with photo. So alas, the problem was fixed and we are back on track. We decided to wait until Tuesday to continue onto Week 6, as we both have other projects on the go and would like to get them done.

I have turned the heel on the RPM socks that I am knitting. They are looking really neat. The colour is really looking rich.

I received my order from Sheri at the Loopy Ewe. I was so excited when the mailman arrived with my package. I believe that I actually squealed! It was a good thing that I had no customers in my store at the time. I swear the mailman thinks I'm nuts! I ordered Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the colourway 'Pickle Juice' and Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in the Colourway 'Twilight'. They are beautiful and so soft.

Last night was also the Lunar Eclipse. It was amazing. DD and I got home from our knitting get together in time to see it happen. The moon was full and the colour was phenominal. DH was outside with his binoculars looking at the craters on the moon. I could only stand outside for a few minutes as it was far too cold for me. DS even took some pictures of the eclipse. I will have to get one and post it here. (tonight!) After looking at the moon I went into the house and sat in my chair to watch TV. I was going to knit but my dog Tiger had other plans for me. He ended up on my lap, all curled up under the blanket I had on my feet. He never moved until I went to bed about an hour and a half later.

Tonight I get to knit while I wait for DD at her dance class. That's 2 1/2 hours of uninterrupted knitting time! I can hardly wait. My only complaint is that the chairs are not the most comfortable around. Oh well I guess we have to sacrifice things in life. One of the other mom's at the dance studio has started to knit socks too!. She is using DPN's and has asked me to show her how to Magic Loop 2 at once. Her socks are nice. They are in a self striping yarn.

Yesterday - A Nice Day if You're a Duck!

The rain, the rain! It didn't seem to want to stop. Yesterday morning started with freezing rain then quickly changed to regular rain. I drove my daughter to work for 8 am and it was doing nothing. By the time I got home at about 8:10 it had started to freezing rain. By 11am I watched my son walk/skate down the street to the bus on his way to work. After that it just seemed to rain heavily. There was a pond in our street. We went to DS's hockey game last night at 9pm and the arena parking lot had a 25 foot pond at the entrance.

I finished the Fluted Banister Socks yesterday morning. They are for DD but I got to wear the first! The yarn is very soft. I would DEFINATELY use it again. It was KnitPicks Essential yarn in the Peacock colourway. The colour pooling is really neat and DD loves it!

We, DH and I, went to visit the FIL and MIL on Saturday evening.When we arrived I noticed that the FIL had on the socks that I knit for him. It's a nice feeling to know that people are wearing and using the things that I make.

I cast on another pair of socks yesterday too. I am knitting the RPM socks in Colinette's Jitterbug yarn. It's the yarn that I received from Mairin in the World Yarn Swap. I LOVE the colourway, it is Kingfisher. The pattern is pretty easy and is good for watching TV.

Today is the very first FAMILY DAY holiday in Ontario, and I have closed my store for it! I am going to spend time with my family today. My kids are going to visit a few friends for an hour or 2 while I get caught up on some work, then we will all go and visit Della and her DD and their many dogs. Tiger is looking forward to his run/visit with his girlfriends, Hasia and Betty!

To everyone in Ontario, Happy Family Day! and to everyone in the US, Happy President's Day!

I hope you get to knit on this great day off. I know I will be!

Enough Already!

Enough already! We have enough snow! I have shovelled it until I ache! The snow can go now. It looks pretty when it is falling and the trees are covered but that's about it. Driving sucks and shovelling sucks.

My daughter and I tried to go to our dance class last night and waited at the stop lights for 20 minutes. There was so much traffic and the roads were crap. The highway was parked in both directions for as far as the eye could see. So we turned around and went home.

DH had a fire going when we arrived back home. It was lovely in the house...nice and warm! He and I sat down on the couch and enjoyed the fire while we watched TV and I knitted.

Since I didn't get to my Tuesday dance class, Della and I didn't get together to work on our Civil War Shawls. But we talked on the phone and agreed to continue with week 4. I knit last night and got to row 78. Week 4 ends at row 89 so I still have a bit to go but I shouldn't have a problem with it.

Yesterday morning I worked on the Fluted Banister socks and managed to turn the heel. I am working my way along the foot, they are going fairly quickly. I decided not to give my DD the Jacobean socks (I liked them too much!) so I told her she could have these. She is so in love with the colour pooling!.

Well I should get back to work...I still have to shovel oout front of my store!

Socks, Socks and More Socks 2!

OMG! I think the north pole has relocated! It is freezing out there today! This arctic blast of weather really needs to move on. I am really not built for this. Even the dog won't go out for more than a minute. I swear if he could pee off the back door step he would.
I arrived at my store this morning and the windows are totally frosted over. There is ice on the INSIDE! I am tempted to go and get my car scraper and clear them. No I think I will leave it alone I don't want to go outside.


These are a few picutres that I found of the socks I made for Christmas and didn't post earlier. The top 2 little ones went to my Neice and nephew, Madeleine and Michael. The blue ones went to DH.



The black pair on the left belong to DH too and the other pair went to the MIL. I just wanted to post them.

I did a bit of knitting this weekend. I am halfway through the Fluted Banister socks. I am about to turn the heel. I like the colour and the way it is pooling. Sydney, DD, is really looking forward to wearing them. They are her favourite colours, purple and blue. Between the weather, my work, the kids work, dance with my daughter and hockey with my son I'm surprised that I got anything done this past weekend.

Tomorrow evening, Della and I are starting week 4 of the Civil War Shawl. I am looking forward to seeing the next section. I am really liking this and can hardly wait until I can use it. Even if it is just in the living room! LOL

Tired From Knitting!?

Good Morning!
This is my daughter and Tiger sleeping together after a rough night of knitting!. I don't know who has more of the bed! Tiger does not know that he is a dog, he thinks he's human and that this is his bed.

Here they are...the FIL's socks. I hope they are ok. I made them a bit short so that they can be worn more as a slipper. They are really stretchy and warm.

This is a not very good picture of my Civil War Shawl. I have yet to switch it to larger needles and can't really get a good picture. But I am finished week 3. It is looking pretty cool at this point. You can see the different starburst patterns appearing when it is flat. But right now it looks more like a shower cap on the needles!LOL I will be starting week 4 on Tuesday.

In the meantime I have cast on another pair of ...you guessed it! SOCKS!
This pattern is called "Fluted Banister Socks" It is a past pattern from Six Sox Knitalong. I am knitting them in KnitPicks Essential "Peacock" on a 2.5mm Addi needle. I am really liking the pooling of colour. I think these are going to be for my daughter, Syd, but I could change my mind at any time!

Hot and Cold and Dissappointed!

Well the past few days have been sort of hot and cold for me. Work has been painfully slow and with the snow storms that we have had that has been the main problem. I have tidied up my store and cleaned out alot of crap that seems to accumulate. I have shoveled a tonne of snow that accumulated too! Maybe I am in spring cleaning mode! It's a bit early but with the wishful thinking maybe Spring will happen faster.

Knitting has been productive. I started (Monday) and finished (Thursday) my FIL's socks. The are just a plain rib K3/P3 pattern in On Your Toes DK Yarn. He was looking for a really stretchy sock that wouldn't bind on his feet. I figured that ribbed pattern will give him the most stretch. I hope he likes them and that they keep his feet warm. I will post the pictue later on today.

Della and I are on week 3 if the Civil War Shawl. It is looking very nice and seems to be easy enough and straightforward. Although I hate P3tog! I am finding it is a pretty quick knit. It is just easy enough to be able to watch TV but not too easy that I am getting bored!. We are working on a Tuesday to Monday schedule for our weeks. We start a new week or pattern rounds on Tuesday nights while our daughters are in Highland dance class. We get to sit and knit in peace , enjoying our tea and each others company for 2 hours. It really is a nice break. I will try to post a photo later.

Della and I went to our Burlington Knitting meeting last night! There were 8 1/2 people there. One lady brought her 10 year old daughter. It was really nice to see Heather interested in crochet. My daughter is 14 and is very into knitting hats. She is looking forward to coming to one of our get togethers in the near future. We talked, laughed, nibbled, knitted and had fun. The Cafe that we meet at is a really great place. The people are excellent and the food is great! I already have the next few get togethers marked on my calendar so I don't forget!

I was dissappointed the other night when I didn't receive an email from Alison at the Simply Sock Yarn Company. She put out a request for Volunteer Sock Test Knitters and I didn't get chosen. Oh well apparently she had over 80 responses and only chose a few. So I won't give up ...I will try again next year!. I think it would be fun to try out new and different yarns and give my opinion.

I broke down and ordered some yarn from the Loopy Ewe. I had to stop the downward spiral I was on from the test knitting rejection. I can hardly wait for it to arrive. The photos on Sheri's website make everything look so appealing. I want it all! Hopefully Canada Post, the US Postal Service and the Yarn Gods will work together to make my parcel arrive faster.

Well I have to get back to my spring cleaning, wishful thinking morning!

A Visiting We Will Go!

This past weekend was quite productive for me.


I worked on Saturday and actually had more business than Friday (the snow storm day) which was a good thing. I met my DH after work and we went out for supper. It was very nice. We went to this little chinese restaurant and had Cantonese Noodle Soup. It is sort of a combination of wonton soup and cantonese chow mein. It is to die for!


After dinner, we came home and I got to knit. I was working on the Socks of Kindness. I did a bit then but not really much. Sunday morning we got up and DH and I dropped my daughter off at work and continued on our way to visit MIL & FIL. We had a nice visit and I got to knit! While sitting there visiting and talking... I finished my socks!.

We decided to leave there at about 4:00 and head home. We picked up my kids and went out for dinner. Again a really nice little restaurant around the corner from home. It was empty which was nice for us but not for the restaurant since it was SuperBowl Sunday! Service was good and the food excellent. When we finally got home the dog was waggling his butt off. So happy to see us, as we had abandoned him ALL day! Once Tiger had been out to do his business, everyone settled in for the night. DH was listening to old music on the computer and I sat in my chair knitting a new pair of improvised socks for FIL. He wants them very loose and stretchy. So THAT is what I am making...I am using On Your Toes DK yarn and 4mm Addi needles. I am hoping to finish them by Tuesday or Wednesday so that we can bring them back to FIL (he is not well)

Well that is all for now, I must get ready for another day at work!

What a Week! Slow and Quick at the Same Time!

Well this past week was painfully slow at work and extremely quick in life. I actually had 3 evenings at home where I didn't have to drive anyone, anywhere. I spent my time knitting of course!

I did quite a bit of knitting ...I finished my Jacobean socks. I like how they turned out, however they are a bit large for me so I think I will give them to my daughter Sydney. She has been harassing me for them anyways.

I managed to get the second week's schedule of rows done for the Civil War Shawl. It is surprising simple and I am really enjoying it. Della and I have decided that we are going to do it at pretty much the same pace. That way we can cheer each other on! I am trying to knit a few rows on a regular basis so that I can keep to the schedule.

I also started the Socks of Kindness in Lorna's laces Shepherd Sock Amish colourway. I LOVE this yarn. It is wonderful to work with and so soft!. I think I am keeping these.

Today was a snow storm from hell. Work at my store was so slow that I knit for part of the day. I saw 5 people all day. Even my dog slept in his bed under his blanket!


IT ARRIVED!!!

I joined the World Yarn Swap a few weeks ago, however I was too late to do it with the group so I met a Wonderful Irish woman who said that she would swap with me on the side. We chatted back and forth a few times. I sent her my package this past Monday and she received it on Thursday and...well GUESS WHAT I got my package today! When the mailman came into my store, he was holding my package. I nearly pushed him over to get it. I can't thank Mairin enough.

The yarn is beautiful and the extra goodies are great! I want to knit the sock yarn up next. The sock yarn is Colinette Jitterbug in Kingfisher colourway. The other 2 beautiful skeins are Kilcarra of Donegal. It is an Aran tweed in a very rich purple colourway. It is wonderful and soft. The chocolate bar will be enjoyed later with my tea and tote bag will be put to good use! Thank you so very much Mairin! It has been fun swapping with you. I hope we can do it again! What a great First Swap!