Alison's Bits of Knits

There's an app for that

2012-01-29T23:03:00.001-04:00

Moving on...

2011-01-01T13:03:00.002-04:00

So I'm not blogging here much anymore. I'm not blogging much at all, but if you're interested, I'm now mostly posting over at http://nosila.dreamwidth.org/. And I will try to post a little more often over there. The latest on Doodle's medical journey is over there right now, but not a huge amount more, yet anyway.

Happy New Year y'all. Hope it's a good one for ya!

October...

2010-09-21T13:29:00.005-03:00

I can't believe it's almost October already. I think my New Year's Resolution will be to blog more often. That gives me 3 months to think about blogging more often. Maybe in three months we'll have figured out our new routine.

Yes, we have a very new routine that we're still trying to come to grips with. The Boy is now in Grade 2. All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth, his two front teeth, his two front teeth! Yes, both front top teeth are missing. The gap is almost as wide as his smile (Note to self--take picture soon!). He has a variety of activities (too many, seriously) including karate, swimming, skating (seriously, if you live in Canada, you need to learn to skate!), Beavers, and extra help for reading.

Doodle goes to daycare each day, where she charms everyone. Oh yes, she's a complete charmer. Her activities include swimming, accompanying her brother to karate, and we're at the beginning of a whole bunch of medical appointments. Doodle has been diagnosed with hemiplegia, or hemiparesis. It's mild, yes, but so far the referrals have included Pediatrician, MRI, and Physiotherapy. We're still waiting on OT, Neurology, and Orthopedics. And she has daily stretches that she has to do. Well, that we have to do to her, to be more exact!

I'm at work. Although I suppose I was at work last time I posted, back in February. Been back almost a year now! How time flies. I'm still dealing with the depression, but things feel almost normal now.

But the biggest change to our routine is that House Man has gone back to school. He's taking Occupational Health and Safety at NSCC. It's a ten month course, and it's full time. For the first time ever all 4 of us are leaving the house at the same time every morning. I'm actually very, very happy for House Man. He needed a change, and this is an area that he has been interested in at previous jobs. It's retraining that makes sense for him.

And although they don't read this blog, I'd like to give a shout out to my parents. Seriously. They take BOTH kids every Saturday night now. For the WHOLE night. Yes, I do know how lucky I am!

So. my lunch hour is over, and I have to go to a meeting. I'd much rather be outside on this blustery sunny first day of Autumn, but such is life. Anyway, I'll leave you with a photo taken at World Wide Knit in Public Day this past summer, taken by the absolutely wonderful Hellcat, of my Doodle.

It's been a while

2010-02-23T14:40:00.011-04:00

So last night as I wrangled a wide awake Doodle, it came to me that I had to blog. Literally, a voice told me to blog. Okay, I'm pretty sure she was only babbling, but it certainly sounded like she said "blog now". So I'm blogging. It's only been, what, 7 months or so since I last updated! So, what have I missed? Let's see.

North Carolina in September.

The Boy at the Battleship North Carolina. Doodle with her grandparents on the beach. House Man having a surfing lesson. A nice trip, but then North Carolina really is a nice place to be in September.

What else? Oh, that's right.

Doodle's first birthday. That's my girl, knows exactly what to do with a piece of cake, even though she'd never seen one before!

And what else? Hallowe'en maybe?

No, seriously, if you have a child small enough at Hallowe'en, you owe it yourself to cut some leg holes in a pumpkin. It's absolutely priceless. And you can borrow the little pumpkin hat from Ann!

So, where are we now? October? Then next would probably be Christmas.

Matching Christmas clothes from Granny and Grandpa. Notice Doodle's is too large, so we should get next Christmas out of it too!

And then came the snow.

So, that's things pretty much up to date. I left out all the icky stuff, like H1N1 (me and the kids), pinkeye (me and the kids), gastroenteritis (all of us) and assorted coughs, colds and fevers (all of us). And I did do some knitting too, although I haven't taken photos of that yet. Matching socks for Doodle and The Boy, and as soon as they get washed, I think they'll make a very cute photo!

The year did get off to a sad start, with the earthquake in Haiti in January. While these natural disasters occur around the world, there's something more real about them when they happen close to home. For those who don't know, we lived in Haiti from my grade 3 to grade 9 years, leaving the summer after the revolution overthrowing the Duvalier regime. Seeing this terrible thing unfold on television truly took me back to a time in my life that I take very much for granted, and made me realise how lucky I have been to spend time in a place as lovely but tragic as Haiti. Here's a photo from those days:

My sister, my dad, and my brother, in 1979 or 1980. This photo was taken from Boutiliers, looking down over Port Au Prince below.

Okay then. That's me for now. I'll post again, next time Doodle reminds me!

A pleasant surprise

2009-08-14T23:00:00.004-03:00

Today we went to the spray pool on the Commons. I don't know why we've never visited it before, both Doodle and The Boy loved it. House Man dropped me off in a parking lot near the Commons, and took off to do groceries. As I left the car park and headed for the street, I came across this on a railing

Is it too geeky of me to say that I think my heart may actually have skipped a beat? I was way too excited by this. It's my first guerrilla knitting find! Knit graffiti! Looked like acrylic to me, blue and green. How exciting! I immediately grabbed my phone and took a photo, and then I tweeted about it. While it doesn't quite make up for the horror that was yesterday (broken glasses, sudden illness, overtired 6 year old, and seeing House Man getting out of a police car after being driven off the road on his motorcycle by someone who just didn't see him sitting there in the right hand lane-thank you to the lovely policeman who drove him home, BTW), it certainly made my day today!

And the spray pool you ask? Well, it was lots of fun.

Please excuse the quality of these photos, they were taken with my mobile.

Knitwear model

2009-05-17T16:42:00.002-03:00

Seriously, this girl knows how to work with the camera!

My babies...

2009-04-14T14:00:00.003-03:00

Aged 6 and 6 months.

And I do have some FOs to post, I just haven't been fast enough to take pictures before Doodle spits up on them!

Just a quick photo...

2009-03-03T15:21:00.001-04:00

Taken last Sunday, by Lara, with her iPhone. Just to let you all know how cute the baby is. She now has a blog name. It's Doodle. Chosen by The Boy, of course!

Long overdue...

2009-02-05T13:03:00.002-04:00

So I haven't blogged much lately. I haven't actually done much of anything recently. For those who don't know, I've been battling with post partum depression since The Girl was born. And yes, depression does seriously eat into knitting time. However, with lots of support and some medication, I'm feeling much better these days, most of the time anyway. It's still not always easy, but I'm getting there, I think.

For me, one of the signs that I was starting to feel better was that the desire to pick up my knitting needles came back. Another sign was that I started carrying a book from room to room with me again. Reading and knitting are now almost daily activities again!

So, an update. I'm finished the babywearing poncho from Little Turtle Knits. It needs blocking, then I'll take photos. I still need to finish the op art blanket from Knitty for The Girl. And I've cast on some socks for me. First project I've cast on since The Girl was born in October, so that's a good sign that I'm on the road to recovery, I think.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their support. I don't think it's been easy for my family or friends. Those of you who deserve thanks know who you are, and I want you to know how much it meant to me. Oh, and Charlene, we finally drank the pumpkin ale last night!

The Boy and The Girl

2009-01-08T14:46:00.001-04:00

Somebody just loves his little sister!

I can has cheezburger

2008-11-06T19:19:00.001-04:00

We're big fans around here. And they even have occasional knitting content!

Introducing...

2008-10-24T22:52:00.003-03:00

The Girl

Tuesday October 14th
7:44 am
7 lbs 6 oz

The Girl and The Boy

I didn't get the blanket done on time. She was two weeks early. I'm sad and happy and sore and tired, and a bit of a mess, everything all at once. I don't know when the blanket will be done, but it doesn't really matter. Somehow, I have a little girl, and our family is complete. It feels like she's always been here.

Sorry...

2008-10-08T10:30:00.002-03:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for so long. I haven't had much to say. Three official weeks left before official (but absolutely meaningless) Estimated Date of Delivery. Feel free to send early baby vibes, because I'm so ready for this to be over, and 37 weeks on is considered full term anyway!

I'm working on the OpArt blanket from the latest Knitty, and will eventually post photos, if I get it done before Trevor arrives. If I don't get it done before Trevor arrives, well I may post photos in six months or so when I do finally get it done. Although I didn't get The Boy's blanket done til he was three.

Giveaways (and I mean free!)

2008-08-16T09:44:00.018-03:00

I'm still decluttering*. I think it's actually redirected nesting (I'm too superstitious to do anything that could be considered nesting until baby's practically here. I'm still feeling uneasy about the baby knitting I've done...).

Anyway, I've found some knitting stuff to give away (it's not yarn, so no fear of moths!). I have the following:

a) 3 issues of Vogue Knitting--winter 99/00, winter 00/01, spring/summer 99. Oldies but goodies folks! All former library copies, but they seem to have all their pages. And two of them are even hardcover library editions.

b) Style Your Own Kids Knits by Kate Buller--simply choose a pattern and select a motif! It's new. Has lots of motifs if you're not into designing your own, and you don't need to put them on the basic patterns in the book--you can use whatever sweater pattern you prefer. Or put a motif on the back of a soaker or pair of longies or something.

c) The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench. Learn the rules of knitting and dating, including rule #2--Don't wear itchy fabrics on your first date (they recommend cashmere) and rule #3--Don't take your knitting on your first date (guys will want to feel that your attention is on them). Also new. Okay, it's pretty trendy, but there are some nice (albeit trendy) patterns in it. This one would be a nice gift if you know a teen knitter, actually.

d) Knitting in America by Melanie Falick. It's an ex-library copy, so not new, but also not missing any pages.

e) A Year of Afghans book 2 from Leisure Arts--I just have to face it, I'm not an afghan knitter (or crocheter). New.

g) The Book of Knitting: from beginner to expert, the best knitting book for you. A nice beginner book, older, so pre-trendy knitting revival. New (well, it was new, a while ago! I guess I should say "original owner").

h) Ready Set Knit by Sasha Kagan--again, library discard but no pages missing. Little bit trendy, but not too bad.

i) Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting--another library discard not missing any pages. According to the cover it has 150 stitch patterns and 22 projects. Again, a Leisure Arts publication.

If anybody wants any of these, let me know, I'll bring them to KOL or we can make other arrangements.

And finally:

j) Loads and loads (and I mean hundreds) of other books on everything you could possibly think of from fiction to history to parenting to motorsports to whatever (you name it, there's probably something about it in there). If anyone wants to come and have a look, let me know. They're probably going to end up on freecycle eventually. As will the knitting books if nobody here wants them.

*Funny thing: my spell check doesn't like decluttering. Suggested options? Cluttering, spluttering, fluttering, and muttering. How does it know? I'm doing all of those things as I try to declutter!

Single handedly...

2008-08-08T20:29:00.004-03:00

Today while playing in the stash (officially, I'm moth hunting, but, well, it's yarn stash, so there's a certain amount of playing going on) I found a mitten. I only ever made the first one. It's a convertible mitten--a glove with cut off fingers underneath, with a big flap to turn it into a mitten on top. The problem you ask? I don't have any more of that yarn, I don't know what size I made, I can't find the pattern anyway, and everyone in the family has two hands.

And yesterday, House Man found yarn in the freezer. He thinks it's the pregnancy hormones, and that I'm now officially a crazy hormonal pregnant woman. Hasn't he been listening to anything I've said about moths?

Moths...

2008-08-06T20:17:00.003-03:00

I have been battling moths since Sunday now. I'm using heat (well, the dryer, since we don't have any sun) and neem oil mixed with castile soap (as an emulsifier) and water. Apparently, neem oil is non-toxic (humans use it both orally and topically) but it's pretty much death to bugs, including beneficial bugs. Smells a bit like onion and garlic, not chemically at all, just very, very organic!

I think that there will always be moths in my house. What I want is to keep them from my wool. I'm tempted to spray the wool with my neem oil solution as well--according to various sources on the internet, it doesn't stain clothing, and it can also be used as an insect repellent.

To finish, a fairly recent (as in I'm pretty sure it's from 2008) self portrait by The Boy:

Some thoughts on seaming...

2008-08-04T10:35:00.003-03:00

So I'm going through the stash, looking for evidence of moth, and I find a sweater to fit a three year old (The Boy is 5 now). Or, at least, it will be a sweater as soon as I seam together the completed front, back, and two sleeves, and then knit up the collar.

Do I really hate seaming so much that I could call a sweater a UFO after all the parts were completed, waiting to be seamed?

Obviously I do.

Disaster.

2008-08-02T23:14:00.004-03:00

Moths. I think I has them. Help.

Okay, now that I've made Lesley dizzy, I should clarify. They're in the basement, in the closet, mostly in House Man's winter sweaters, since he isn't wearing them much right now, for obvious reasons. The stash is upstairs, and well stored for the most part. But I still think we need to do some "moth control" downstairs, and some stash investigation as well.

Steph, I don't really want to call an exterminator, because most of what gets used for moths is either toxic to cats or possibly carcinogenic, and then there's that whole pregnant thing, and this is all going down in my bedroom closet. Although someone out there on the innerwebs somewhere suggested using neem oil and soap in water--apparently it's not toxic to any mammals, just all kinds of bugs! I might look into that.

Deb, I've made sachets, based on an innerweb recipe, using lavender, peppermint and rosemary. Will be placing them liberally in the stash when I start going through it bag by bag. But the freezer, well, it's pretty darn tiny, and just isn't going to happen. Apparently, again from the innerwebs, you can heat to 120 for at least half an hour to kill larvae and eggs, so I might try the dryer for the sweaters--dry wool sweaters won't felt in the dryer will they? Felting needs water as well as heat, right?

Arr.

2008-05-23T18:28:00.005-03:00

Click to embiggen so you can read the authors' and illustrator's names.

Last night we went to a book launch for this book. Just so happens that this was written by two coworkers. Anyway, the launch was a load of piratical fun. The Boy came along. He had a blast.

He and Jack Sparrow are great friends now. At one point, I looked over to see The Boy kneeling down while Jack knighted him. Lesley, I wish Cam had been there to see it!

So, if you have any little people in your life, do rush out and buy a copy of this wonderful picture book. Written and illustrated by local talent (the illustrator is amazing!), it's definitely worth a spot on your bookshelves.

What's that? You want knitting content? Well, see, here's the thing. I seem to have misplaced the new camera. And The Boy has taken possession of the old camera. So I really need to find the new camera and get some photos downloaded. I am knitting, I swear!

I know you love me...

2008-05-17T10:15:00.005-03:00

Yesterday was Friday. We all went to my parents' for dinner, as we do every Friday. As usual, The Boy stayed for a sleepover. As we got ready to leave (me driving the car, because I'd come straight from work, House Man riding his motorcycle, because he'd come straight from work too), The Boy and his Gran were standing at the top of the driveway waving goodbye. The Boy's parting words to us, while jumping up and down and waving both hands, were

"Bye mum, bye dad, I know you love each other and you both love me. Bye!"

2008-04-28T18:48:00.004-03:00

What I'm knitting:

What I'm reading:

What I'm wearing:

Obviously that's not me in the photo. I'm not that tall, that skinny, or that pregnant (yet). But I hadn't realised how much maternity clothes have changed in the 5 years since I had The Boy. And these are so much more comfortable than the maternity clothes I had 5 and a half years ago!

Yes, I have officially hit the second trimester, which means that my superstitious side will let me knit baby things. The baby sweater is made with 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino. It's very nice to work with, and the resulting baby cardigan is extremely soft to the touch.

The book is by Sheila Kitzinger. I would like to recommend the Kitzinger book to those of you who have yet to have kids. Seriously, get this book instead of That Other Book that will scare the pants off you! It's a much more reasonable account, offering both sides of the birth argument (ie natural vs medicalized). For the crunchy amongst you, I'm also reading this book. If you think you'd be the sort to have a homebirth or have a midwife to attend you instead of an obstetrician, then try this book, it's the one.

An emerging new talent...

2008-04-17T21:14:00.007-03:00

We recently bought a new camera. The Boy was given the old one, a small bottom-of-the line digital point-and-shoot. It's older than he is. Well, he is enraptured with photo taking. Some of his masterpieces include:

Sleeping Cat

Blue Denim

Slinky Dog

Indiana Jones

Glass of Orange Juice

Me. I actually think I look pretty good, considering the angle and the fact that I'm 12 weeks pregnant and feeling like carp!

House Man

And the piece de resistance, he managed to figure out how to shoot video!

I'm thinking with this kind of raw talent, I can make a lot of money from The Boy. How much do you think these would go for on e-bay? Or maybe his true talent lies in directing. That's it, he's the next Steven Spielberg. Ah, yes, that would certainly enable him to keep his parents in the style to which they have yet to become accustomed.

PS Fiona, I finished your mitts. I swear I'll post them soon, you'll definitely have them in time for the next batch of cold weather in, say, November!

Happy Birthday...

2008-04-07T18:41:00.006-03:00

The Boy had a birthday party this past weekend. There were some illustrious guests in attendance.

First, Cinderella graced us with her presence:

Of course, no party is complete without a dragon:

And just in case the dragon was an issue, the Good Fairy was there for when happy wishes needed granting:

There were a few pirates there, including Captain Jack Sparrow, but for some reason, they wouldn't stay still long enough to have their photos taken. Although they did successfully lead the hunt for treasure:

and find the pirate swag hidden in the back of my sister's car:

Okay, you say, get to the important stuff and tell us about the loot! Well, the haul was good, starting with this from Grannie and Grandpa in North Carolina:

and this from Auntie LaLa:

And a good old fashioned datsun from Uncle A-Rock (it's a 1971 Datsun 510 for those who care):

As for The Boy's behaviour on his birthday? Well, he did really well, only getting slightly over-excited when the other pirate arrived--swords were quickly confiscated. He did find the cake a little hard to resist, and swooped in for a quick lick after blowing out his candles. Needless to say, that was his piece!

As for me, well, I survived my baby turning 5. Helped a little, probably, by the knowledge that we will, if all goes well, be welcoming another baby into our family sometime in late October or early November. I had been keeping this a secret, but, you know, pregnant brain and all, I let it slip at work a few weeks ago. So I may as well make it public here. The working name for this baby is Trevor (after The Boy's imaginary baby brother) so that's going to be this baby's Blog Name. If Trevor ends up being a girl, I will need to come up with something else after she's born!

2008-04-05T14:22:00.002-03:00

I haven't been blogging much lately. I do manage to keep my facebook up to date, so make sure you add me there if you want to keep up with the adventures of House Man and The Boy. If you really want to add me as a friend but don't know my last name, well, just tell me in the comments and I'll e-mail it to you.

The Boy is having a birthday very soon. I'll try to post pictures from the party sometime next week.

I think I'm going to have a nap now.

Hey Henry!

2008-03-02T10:01:00.003-04:00

Here's looking at you kid.

Neville and The Boy, March 2008

New reading material

2008-02-28T19:41:00.006-04:00

Well, after the rather smug comment I made on Mrs. Yes's blog the other day, a parcel showed up in the mail. It seems I must have ordered books in my sleep, because I really am supposed to be on a yarn and book diet. Anyway, they came all wrapped up in brown paper with blue and purple ribbon, two free bookplates, and three packets of those black rubber stitch markers. I can highly recommend the customer service at The Needle Arts Book Shop!

Here are my purchases:

If you look closely, you'll see it says for kids 0-6. Luckily, The Boy is a bit on the small side, and Debbie Bliss's designs tend to be roomy, so despite the fact he's almost 5, there's lots in here that will fit him.

My second purchase is absolutely worth drooling over:

Has anyone seen this book before? It's lovely, wonderful, and absolutely inspiring. I think the next thing I make will be from here!

For Fififolle...

2008-02-15T18:10:00.001-04:00

Swiped from Fiona. I'll be really upset if she doesn't answer in the comments!

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
A.

2) What was your dream growing up?
A.

3) What talent do you wish you had?
A.

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A.

5) Favorite vegetable?
A.

6) What was the last book you read?
A.

7) What zodiac sign are you?
A.

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A.

9) Worst Habit?
A.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A.

11) What is your favorite sport?
A.

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A.

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A.

16) Do you have any pets?
A.

17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A.

18) What was your first impression of me? (hmmm...careful!)
A.

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A.

22) What color eyes do you have?
A.

23) Ever been arrested?
A.

24) Bottle or can soda?
A.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A.

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A.

28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A.

30) Do you swear a lot?
A.

31) Biggest pet peeve?
A.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A.

35) Do you believe in God?
A.

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A.

Can anyone guess..

2008-02-06T18:51:00.001-04:00

...where House Man and The boy went?

Setting off:

Upon arrival:

In action:

Looking pleased with himself:

His score? He opened with two spares for a high score of 98.

ETA There's a better video clip, but for some reason House Man turned the camera sideways when filming it. Sadly, Picasa can't rotate video clips, and when I tried to rotate it with our movie making software, the boy got shortened and widened! Anyone know how to rotate a video clip without doing that?

I think I'm in love...

2008-01-19T17:45:00.000-04:00

Smooth. Colourful. Long tapered points. Made from wood. Did I say smooth? And they come in six packs! I'm only about two inches down the first sock, but if these needles hold up, they are on their way to becoming my favourite sock needles ever.

I have also fallen in love with this:

It came in the mail yesterday, ordered from the clearance page at www.paderno.com. It's only 0.8 l (why does that zero look like an o? I swear, it's a zero, I've checked three times now!). You can't tell from the photo, but it's tiny! It fits three eggs to boil nicely, 4 at a squeeze. It's so darn cute! I hate using a large saucepan to boil an egg or two, so it's exactly what I wanted, and a really good deal at that!

Knitpicks...

2008-01-15T17:28:00.000-04:00

My order came. But there was something I wanted that I forgot to order. So, if any of you KOL ladies are planning a knitpicks order anytime soon, can I piggyback? I just want a 2.5 mm circ long enough to do magic loop on socks, and I'm willing to pay for it. I just don't want to pay the flat rate shipping that makes the needle as expensive as an addi turbo!

I swore I'd never try magic loop again, after the last time I tried it. But, it turns out, it's not the technique that's a problem, it's that I was using the wrong needles for it! So, if you've tried magic loop and failed, get thee some knitpicks circs and try it again.

A meme, because I'm having a hard time with motivation...

2008-01-14T17:51:00.000-04:00

I'm really not motivated to blog right now, so here's a meme for you all. Leave comments, remind me that people read this, maybe I'll feel motivated again (after I wash my newly completed orange Cat Bordhi socks and take their photo!). Anyway, I was tagged by fififolle. Here's the meme:

List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
Tag seven people to do the same.
Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it".

1. I iron even less than the person who tagged me claims she does.
2. I only wear handknit socks now, unless it's been a loooong time since we did laundry, and even then I might choose laundry-pile handknit socks over store-bought socks.
3. I was born in Dunfermline.
4. I'm still in touch with my very first best friend forever, we met on the first day of elementary school in 1976 (was it 1976 Fi? I'm getting old, my memory is going!).
5. I really enjoy watching Treehouse with The Boy, but don't tell House Man!
6. I hate mushrooms, avocado, and bananas for their texture. The flavour's not that bad, but I can't stand the texture.
7. I've only had my hair cut three times in the last 18 months. I really need to get it cut more often!

And in return I'm tagging the first seven people to read this, except of course Fiona. That's if seven people read this. If you do though, be honest, and play along! It'll really help my motivation and self esteem!

Six degrees...

2008-01-07T21:09:00.000-04:00

So I took The Boy to a park to hang out with Nat and L. yesterday. When The Boy and I arrived, there was one other family present at the playground. The mum looked familiar, the kids looked familiar. I'm trying to place them--not from daycare, I'd know the kids' names in that case. Library maybe? Hmm, not sure, and which branch anyway, I've worked in so many... Then I saw the dad, and realised I was recognising a family I've never actually met in real life, but only ever seen in blogdom. And they're not even knitters! So, being in Halifax, where everyone's favourite game is "who do you know that I know and how are we possibly connected?", I introduced myself and said I was a friend of Steph's. It was Mike's wife who made the connection between Steph and the toque!

Anyway, Mike, it was nice to meet you and your family. Us knitters have heard a lot about you from Steph, and we're all following the photo stalker challenge with interest(surely time for another entry? I noticed you had your camera yesterday!).

Yes, it's a small world, here in the Maritimes.

Something else stolen from facebook...

2007-12-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

At least two of my facebook friends have posted this. I'm posting mine in my blog instead, cause it's another attempt at upping my post count without having to be original or witty. I cut and pasted this from Sarah, and 3 of her first 6 answers are the same as mine, so that lets me be even lazier!

1.) Where did you begin year 2007?
Lara and Mark's house.

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Same as it's been since 1995.

3) Were you in school anytime this year?
No. Well, we did go visit some schools to promote SRP, but that was fun.

4) How did you earn your money?
Youth Services Librarian.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope. Except to visit people who'd just had babies.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Nope. Well, they did drop into the library rather a lot this year, and some of the staff seem to have a thing for men in uniform. Poor police officers.

7) Where did you go on vacation?
Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Manchester, Loughborough, York, Cockermouth, Corsock, and back to Dunfermline. It was fun.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Three plane tickets, but they were only $500 each, so maybe they don't count. Although I did buy them all at once, and still have the credit card balance to prove it.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Some work acquaintances, but I think that's it. We're into the all our friends are getting a separation or a divorce age bracket. Rapidly approaching the all our friends are getting remarried age bracket.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
My Great Aunt.

12) Did you move anywhere?
Nope.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Thomas the Tank Engine Live on stage. I think that's it.

15) Are you registered to vote?
Absolutely. If I don't vote, then I can't complain about the government, and I want to be able to complain!

16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
Can honestly say I've never watched it.

17) Where do you live now?
Same place as last year, Halifax.

18) Describe your birthday.
Can't remember. I think I was at home. Did we do anything? I don't think we did.

19) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
Magic loop knitting. And I didn't like it much, so maybe I was right about thinking I'd never do it.

20) What has been your favorite moment?
Of 2007? The surprise on The Boy's face when we went into the train station in Loughborough and he saw Thomas in real life. Classic.

21) What's something you learned ?
Well, since you can't teach an old dog new tricks, I probably didn't learn much! Although I made a mean ham and lentil soup on Sunday, which is something new for me.

22.) Any new additions to your family?
No.

23.) What was your best month?
October--UK, family and friends, and Thomas the Tank Engine. It was a blast.

24.) What music will you remember 2007 by?
Probably not by any music. Haven't been able to put a date to a song since my university days.

25) Who has been your best drinking buddy?
Not much of a drinker.

26) Made new friends?
Yes, those KOL ladies who just joined this year.

27) Best NEW friend?
Not sure, really.

28) Favorite Night out?
Tuesdays at KOL. Probably one of the ones with things on people's heads, and anatomical terms being shouted loudly. Or maybe the one where we went to see the Harlot and had beer with her. Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure I actually had a beer. Oh wait, I did, and the shock of paying $8 for a glass of draught (It wasn't even bottled!! It was draught!!) nearly killed me.

29) Someone you liked?
Yes.

30) have you kissed the one from question 29?
Yes, but then I should hope I have since he's been the one from question 29 since the mid 90s!

31) kiss any one of the same sex?
No.

33) something you look forward to before 2008?
Before 2008? Week off from work. Playdate with Nat and Liam. Getting to spend a Thursday morning with Mrs. Yes, Cate of the no Sheep, and Charlene and Miss R.

34) where will you start 2008?
Well, since we have NO invitations yet, probably at home with House Man and The Boy.

Traditional Christmas Cookies

2007-12-11T21:46:00.001-04:00

CanKNITian had this up on her facebook. Very good recipe, tried and true, tested by many over the years. Enjoy, and let me know how yours turn out.

Traditional Christmas Cookies (Very Good)
Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Smirnoff Vodka

Sample the Smirnoff to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Smirnoff again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer... Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar... Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Smirnoff is still OK, try another cup .. just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick the frigging fruit off floor...Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Smirnoff to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Smirnoff. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Smirnoff and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

A meme...

2007-12-10T21:05:00.000-04:00

Swiped from Fiona. Because I really need to waste time like this, a meme is a lazy way to come up with a blog post, and I know you all really, really, really want to know these random things about me!

Do you have any pets?
Angus and Kitty. Angus is a cat. Believe it or not, so is Kitty.

What color shirt are you wearing?
White t-shirt with denim "Public Libraries" shirt over it. It's cold, I'm thinking about adding another layer or two.

Name three things that are physically close to you
Kitty (yes, she's a cat), my Wallace and Gromit address book, a stack of 4 empty Quality Street tins (I was going to freecycle them, but haven't got around to it yet)

What is the last book you read?
Wait, let me check my LibraryThing. Looks like the last book I added was Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson which, come to think of it, is the one I put down before I came to the PC to check my e-mail then got sucked into this meme thing.

Are you or were you a good student?
I was. I sat in the front row until I took Physics in third year university, and suddenly I got to be one of the crowd in the back of the classroom who always seemed to be having fun. Would I be a good student if I went back to school now? Probably not.

What's your favorite sport?
To watch? Or to take part in? Walking is nice.

Do you enjoy sleeping late?
To be honest, no, it gives me a headache. I'd like to sleep til 7:30 without being woken up by The Boy though.

What's the weather like right now?
Dark, cold, there's snow on the ground, but not too much.

Who tells the best jokes?
Not The Boy. His only joke goes like this:
Knock knock?
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Banana Shell, that's who!
followed by hysterical (or perhaps it's maniacal?) laughter.

What was the last thing you dreamed about?
I can't remember. I'm usually woken up suddenly by The Boy, so tend to forget what I'm dreaming about.

Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?
Yes. And yes again. Twice. But at least I hit or was hit by other moving objects, not things like next door's house, or the tree down the driveway. Or the ticket booth at Atlantic Motorsport Park. Those were all House Man's. That poor ticket booth never stood a chance.

Do you believe in karma?
Not sure.

Do you believe in luck?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up?
Over hard, actually.

Do you collect anything? If so, what?
Not really. Not as a collector. I do have lots of books, but I wouldn't call them a collection. I have lots of yarn too, but again, not really a collection.

Are you proud of yourself?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Are you reliable?
Most of the time, yes.

Have you ever given money to a bum?
Occasionally. Have also handed over tins of cat food to a bum with a dog, and in Haiti have handed over clothes and toys to children begging.

What's your favorite food?
Fresh baked bread.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?
Yes, once, I don't even want to go there, it was completely out of the blue and still weirds me out to think about it.

Do you like the smell of gasoline?
I used to when I was little, til I put my nose right up against the gasoline hose when someone (mum or dad probably) was filling the car and took a big sniff. Now, well, no, I have to say, I really, really do not like the smell of gasoline. Or petrol as I would have called it at the time.

Do you like to draw?
No. And you wouldn't like me to draw either!

What's your favorite invention?
Knitting needles?

Is your room messy?
No, but the rest of my house is.

What do you like better: oranges or apples?
Apples

Do you give in easily?
Usually, yes, unless it involves getting my own way on something that I really want.

Are you a good guesser?
I'm good at predicting plot twists in movies and books. Terminator? Totally saw that coming.

Can you read other people's expressions?
People that I know I can. Strangers, well, it's more hit or miss.

Are you a bully?
I don't think so, but someone did once call me a bully.

Do you have a job?
Yes, and most days I really enjoy it.

What time did you wake up this morning?
3:33 am, then 6:21 am, then 7:00 am. The first two were The Boy, the third one was the alarm clock.

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
Frosted Flakes.

When was the last time you showered?
Probably 7:11 am (alarm clock plus 9 minutes on the snooze button, and two minutes to get upstairs and turn the water on!).

What do you plan on doing tomorrow?
Vacation day, take The Boy to the doctor. Unless I'm sick, in which case, send The Boy to the doctor with House Man and stay home and feel sorry for myself.

What's your favorite day of the week and why?
Tuesday. KOL!

Do you have any nicknames?
Well, you can call me Al. Although nobody ever does any more.

Have you ever been scuba diving?
Once, in the pool at the Sportsplex for a free lesson.

What's your least favorite color?
Not sure. Puke green probably.

Is there someone you have been constantly thinking about? If yes, who?
No comment. Right now, since I'm not feeling well, I'm mostly thinking about myself and whining.

Would you ever go skydiving?
No. Never. I'd turn down a million dollars if you offered it to me if it involved me having to skydive.

What toothpaste do you use?
Sensodyne. The green box.

Do you enjoy challenges?
Depends what kind.

What's the worst injury you have had?
Never broken anything yet, knock on wood, nor had stitches for anything that wasn't intentional. Had some nasty bruises, but that's about it so far.

What's the last movie you saw?
Ratatouille. You know, my spell checker underlines Ratatouille, and when I right click, the suggested spelling is Bouillabaisse.

What do you want to know about the future?
Nothing that I care to share with the internets.

What does your last text message say?
Yeah. We just touched down. Can I call u while you're at work?
In the spirit of full disclosure, it's the 6th of 6 text messages I have ever received. And it took me a while to compose the stunningly witty reply "Yes. Please do". Which I then thought I'd sent, but found out two hours later, was actually sitting in my outbox waiting for me to send it.

Who was the last person you spoke over the phone to?
Mum.

What's your favorite school subject?
History and biology.

What's your least favorite school subject?
Art.

Would you rather have money or love?
Duh. Love of course.

What is your dream vacation?
Madagascar and lemurs. Or maybe Costa Rica. The Boy and I have been watching Are We There Yet? World Adventure and Sam and Molly seemed to be having a really awesome time in Costa Rica. It's currently The Boy's dream vacation as well.

What is your favorite animal?
Cats. Lemurs. Those little foxes with the big ears--fennecs? Yes, fennecs. Aren't they adorable?

Do you miss anyone right now?
Yes. Don't we all?

What's the last sporting event you watched?
DTMs on Speed.

Do you need to do laundry?
You know, I think we're caught up right now.

Do you listen to the radio?
All the time in the car.

Where were you when 9/11 happened?
In a training session at the library. I found out what was going on when we went to Tim's for break, and the Commissionaire in the ferry terminal had a tv on, and everyone was standing round watching it.

What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
I mostly try to avoid vending machines on principle. Not sure what principle, but still.

Have you ever caught a butterfly?
I don't remember. Certainly not recently.

What color are your bed sheets?
White.

What's your ringtone?
The one that came preset on the phone.

Who was the last person to make you laugh?
I just read a blog by someone who has designed knitting patterns for the whole team of Top Gear presenters. As in you can knit your own mini Richard Hammond. She made me laugh, so I added her to my bloglines.

Do you have any obsessions right now?
Not really.

Do you like things that glow in the dark? Yes. Especially when you didn't know they glowed in the dark, and they surprise you. I also love sparkles of any kind, but not sequins.

What's your favorite fruity scent?
Strawberry or watermelon.

Do you watch cartoons?
All the time. With The Boy. We love Little Bear and George Shrinks right now.

Have you ever sat on a roof?
Yup, a few. We used to jump from our back veranda to the roof of next door's garage. A two story drop onto concrete below. In a country not known for ambulances or emergency medical care of any kind. Kids.

Have you ever been to a different country?
Yup, a few.

Name three things in the world you dislike
Snobbery, racism, inequality

Name three people in the world you dislike
No.

Has a rumor even been spread about you?
I don't know, but probably.

Do you like sushi?
Only vegetarian things like kappa maki.

Do you believe in magic?
I believe!

Do you hold grudges?
I try, but I'm not very good at it.

Wow. You're still here. In that case, you're tagged!

Dear Santa...

2007-12-02T17:34:00.000-04:00

The Boy is four and a half now. Each Christmas he becomes more and more aware of what's going on, and the anticipation becomes harder and harder for him. This is the first year he's asked to send a letter to Santa. The Boy, however, can not write. The Boy isn't actually that interested in writing, and I figure he'll come to it in his own good time, so I haven't been pushing it. This is the first time he's ever been concerned about his inability to write. So, because he's a bright kid, he came up with this idea:

Yes, this year's letter to Santa is a photo collage. I told him I'd post it to Santa, but I think I might just e-mail this scan instead, and cc it to some of Santa's little helpers. I believe that most of these were cut out from the Scholar's Choice catalogue, which is quite convenient, because Santa has been known to shop at Scholar's Choice, possibly because they do free gift wrapping as well.

Collage seems to be the new thing at our house. There are now four collages on my kitchen table to be sent to Santa. This one, I have been told, has the BEST stuff, because it was first.

Thank you...and more Thomas!

2007-11-24T17:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Ninja for the dyeing fun today. And thanks to the Ninja's husband for building a tree house that The Boy will be talking about forever. And thank you to Mr. Munchkin for letting The Boy play in the tree house. Thank you to Mrs. Happy for letting The Boy hold Henry all the way home (oh, and sorry about that coughing thing, I hope you didn't get too, uh, you know, splattered!).

I can't wait til my freshly dyed yarn is finished and I can take a photo!

And now, for the pleasure of a little boy who's mother is a knitter, more pictures of Thomas and friends. Enjoy!

Imagination meets reality...

2007-11-22T18:13:00.000-04:00

Loughborough Station, October 2007

I just wanted to share this photo from our recent trip, for all those of you out there who doubted him. In the words of The Boy just before this picture was taken, "He's really really real!"

For those of you with small children--if you ever get an opportunity to spend "A Day Out With Thomas", it's worth every penny. Not much chance in Canada, although he does visit Ontario, Alberta and BC.

Another fingerless mitts update

2007-11-17T13:59:00.001-04:00

I have completed 6 fingerless mitts in 6 days. Pictures to follow at some point soon, when I can get the camera back from House Man who has taken it to the Model Train Show with The Boy.

The fingerless mitts update

2007-11-14T14:34:00.000-04:00

I have 4 mitts done, I'm on the 5th. Christmas knitting here I come!

For those who have asked, the pattern is a freebie that I found on the internet. It's a very nice pattern, easy and the finished result is a great mitt. You can find it on Ravelry if you know me there (I'm Alison on Ravelry as well). If not, then here is a link.

Christmas Knitting.

2007-11-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

No, seriously. Those of you who know me also know that I swear that I never do Christmas knitting. Well, somehow, this year, I have been sucked into the bottomless pit of despair that calls itself Christmas knitting. It started with these:

Hmm. That's not a very attractive background, is it? Maybe this one is better:

The socks are for the only non-knitting commenter on this blog. She's seen them, and even tried the first one on, so I'm not worried about her seeing them here. No surprise for you this year Fi! Also, according to her blog, she's just started knitting again. And this coming a mere two weeks after I visited and let her try on the socks? Coincidence? I think not! Muhahahahahahaha! (ETA--read the comments--she just outed herself as a knitter! Fiona, you can live in denial no longer. Knitters will have world domination, and you are one of us now!)

Then I found a blanket that I started years ago (possibly for my niece before she was born--she's almost 6 now, so it really has been a long time!). I have no idea what size I meant this to be, but I still have 3 balls of the yarn left ( Lily Sugar Babies cotton), and they're each 140g. Anyway, I decided that I would just cast off right then and there and have an almost instant finished object. It's cradle sized. I also decided to continue with the black and white cat motif:

Well, when will I learn not to put blankets next to cats?

I'll never get that blanket out from under that cat! Literally, he's a very heavy cat.

Moving on to the next bit of Christmas knitting:

I've finished the first pair. I need to do two more pairs. Somehow, I had the brilliant idea that I would knit them for The Boy's daycare teachers--he has three daycare teachers. One of them saw my fingerless mitts when I dropped the boy off the other day and remarked that they would be great for tying shoelaces out in the playground in the cold weather. Anyway, you can see that the blanket is still firmly attached to the cat. The yarn is from Mirasol, and is lovely. And only $8 per skein! A skein is just enough to finish these fingerless mitts. I have 300, 303, 306, and 308 in the Hacho.

Anyway, I'm off to knit some mitts.

PS I organised my stash on Saturday night. The Boy informed me that I had made a big mess and needed to clean it up! I have 4 rubbermaids, 6 individual bags of a sweater's worth each, and some other stuff hiding under the couch that I don't yet have the courage to confront! I have an entire large rubbermaid container of acrylic in my house! How did that happen? Who brought that acrylic in here?

PPS I just confronted the yarn under the couch. Barely enough for two adult sweaters and three child sized ones, so not as bad as I feared. Found I had this hidden under there though. That's the entire kit, not just the pattern.

PPPS I'd actually like to finish with this photo:

I can't take credit for this. I got it from the Daily New's website. You can find the entire slide show here. The photographer was Paul Darrow (funny Halifax-isn't-it-a-small-world-story, he's the brother of the boyfriend of a friend of mine!). I hope he/they don't mind my stealing this photo and posting it here. The Boy has been to a Remembrance Day service every year since he was born This year he actually asked questions: Why do we wear poppies? Why do we need to remember the soldiers? Why didn't they come back from war? What is war? I wish I had better answers for him.

The Mysterious Ticking Noise

2007-11-11T09:25:00.000-04:00

Enjoy.

My apologies

2007-11-01T21:48:00.000-03:00

It's been busy. We went away. It got even busier when we came back. I swear I'll have an FO soon, and I might even post some vacation pictures. Maybe even vacation pictures with sheep. Definitely cars and probably trains. Soon, I promise, I just need to get over the jet lag, and the training sessions I'm giving next week, and the Fall Fair at the daycare, and the Therapeutic Paws of Canada evaluation session that I volunteered to take The Boy to so he can help out. Then I need to pay all the bills that have come in during the last three weeks. I think maybe things might slow down around Remembrance Day!

See, I told you there would be sheep...

My excuses for not blogging much lately...

2007-09-18T22:33:00.001-03:00

We are dogsitting:

Mikey

I won't tell you how much he weighs, but he probably outweighs you. Easily outweighs any single founding member of KOL.

Jani

She just looks cute and innocent. She's actually like that kitten in the youtube funny cats video, the one that squeezes under the door. You know the one I mean? Yeah, no gate, no fence, no rope, nothing can keep her in. She must be free...

Mocha

Mocha is a sweetie. She's just insane, that's all. Yes, truly, but in a happy way.

I'm dog-tired these days, because someone's not sleeping very well.

Hmm, I guess it's not the dogs. Mocha certainly looks comfortable enough.

Yeah, that's the one. He's been having nightmares. Last night it was about the carrots*. I guess they were coming to get him. As a parent, I can't tell you the horror that the words "mummy, the carrots, don't let them get me, the carrots, noooooo" can bring when they pierce through the night to awaken you from a sound sleep. Your heart stops and your blood runs cold. Carrots can be scary, you know.* I found the carrot monster here. Also check out the Love monster, the Woolen glove monster and the Chair monster. You'll think twice before you sit down again!

Look at this...

2007-09-09T13:42:00.000-03:00

That's from Jan Messent's Knitted Gardens. Do have a look inside when you get to amazon. They have little knitted monks in there!

Oh, and this one:

Again, make sure you click on the search inside option. Lookit the little knitted knight, and the teeny knitted wizard!

Sadly, I do not own either of those. However, if anyone wants to knit teeny tiny animals and barns and bales of hay, I can lend you this one:

Again, have a look inside. There's a little mama slinging her little baby inside, and teeny tiny dogs and cats and chickens and horses and barns...oh my!

For those of you who don't read Lime and Violet's daily chum, I strongly recommend you add it to your bloglines. That's where I found out about Knitted Gardens, which of course lead me to other titles. Oh, and didn't you always want a turkey?

Done and blocking...

2007-08-30T23:23:00.001-03:00

So it turns out that I don't have anywhere to block FOs that isn't needed for someone to sleep on.

Those are the cushions from the couch, moved to the floor. I could have left them on the couch, but that's where the cats like to sleep.

Looking more closely:

Please note the pedicured toes. That's I'm not really a waitress from Opi. Someone actually said that to me on Monday, "Is that I'm not really a waitress on your toes?" I think I have trendy toes.

And a closeup:

Carp. In my excitement I've managed to blur it.

This is one of the Diamonds on the Diagonal patterns from Ilga Leja. It's meant to be a scarf, but I've added repeats to make it wider, and used two skeins of Celestial Merino in bittersweet chocolate instead of one. I love the way that it looks, and I hope it's long enough. If it's not, I'll have to reblock it somewhere longer, which might mean House Man and I will have to sleep on the couch while the bed gets used for blocking!

And because I love them:

The Boy, Provincial Ex, Truro, 2007

House Man, portrait by The Boy, Provincial Ex, Truro, 2007

Stash Swap at KOL

2007-08-29T11:01:00.000-03:00

Dramatis Personae:

Ninja Knitter--swap organiser and chief swapper
Mrs. Happy--chief assistant and Vanna White to the Ninja
Assorted KOL Knitters

Act 1

NK: Who wants this lovely skein of Very Desirable Silk/Cashmere/Platinum/Diamond/Merino Yarn hand spun by Famous Yarn Person, from her rare breed of sheep only found on the top of a single mountain in Wales, sheared at midnight on Midsummer's Eve with golden shears, and then hand dyed by Other Famous Yarn Person using dyes from plants found only in the deepest reaches of the Amazonian rain forest, that she picked herself at the last full moon of summer?

Mrs. H: Holds up yarn and waves it around

Assorted Knitters 1, 2, 3: (waving arms in the air) Oh! Me! I do! (look around at each other, slowly lower hands)

AK1: Oh, that's okay, I don't really need it.

AK2: Oh, you should have it, I already have lots of yarn.

AK3: Well, I only want it if nobody else does.

AK1: Seriously, one of you guys take it.

AK2: Well, if you're totally sure, but I think you should have it.

AK3: I'm okay, I got this skein of crappy acrylic already from the swap, I'm fine, really.

NK: Somebody take this yarn!!

Knitter's Honour

2007-08-27T19:04:00.000-03:00

Okay, thank you to Mrs Happy for pointing these out, or I might have missed them (I'm a bit behind on Cast On now that I'm not on the bus every day, the bus, of course, being my podcast-listening time). I present the badges that I believe I've earned so far:

The “Proselytize Knitting” Badge

The “Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention” Badge
(Level One)

Okay, I admit, I didn't actually seek medical attention, but I did apply a bandaid. Those knitpicks dpns can draw blood!

The “I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application” Badge

Baby mittens. The thumbless kind. Only I was trying to teach someone to knit at the same time, and forgot to measure. Might have made a good thumbless mitten for an octopus. Or maybe a thumbless baby arm warmer. I only made one.

The “MacGyver” Badge
(Level One)

Paperclips rock.

The “MacGyver” Badge
(Level Two)

Straight needles to unlock doors that The Boy has inadvertently locked behind him and can't manage to unlock.

Haircut

2007-08-20T20:09:00.000-03:00

Before:

After:

life sucks so i knit

2007-08-20T13:39:00.001-03:00

I've been obsessing over my site meter lately. Well, ever since the day the Yarn Harlot linked to me and over 2000 people visited my site in 24 hours. It's interesting when site meter shows somebody finding you through a google search. On August 18th, somebody somewhere in Texas googled life sucks so i knit and found my blog. Specifically this post from last summer. Well, I tried the google search, and sure enough I popped up in the results, right near the top.

Today, it seems, my life no longer sucks! Yes, try googling life sucks so i knit. Go on, I'll wait.... I'm not there, am I? Not in the first five pages at least, which is all I could be bothered to scan. So, according to google, my life no longer sucks. Thanks google, showing up in your results for "life sucks" wasn't doing anything to help my current slightly sucky frame of mind!

Disappointing road trip to Gaspereau Valley Fibres

2007-08-11T17:19:00.001-03:00

Cate of the no sheep, Mrs. Yes and her family, Charlene & Miss R, The Boy and me all went on a road trip today. The ultimate goal was Gaspereau Valley Fibres, but we managed Just Us along the way, as well as a yard sale where Charlene and Miss R. picked up an awesome wagon and trailer (that's not what they paid for it!). How we fit three adults, two car seats with children in them, and a wagon and trailer into a small mazda, I'll never know, but we did it! Cate might even have pictures!

Gaspereau Valley Fibres was disappointing. Before heading out, I had read this blog post by Ariannah from a year ago. Doesn't that make Gaspereau seem like a lovely place? The shop itself is lovely, full of wool and other fibres from all over, a nice book selection, spinning wheels and other tools, all in a lovely setting with some sheep and some very attractive chickens. The service, however, left something to be desired. Certainly, no staff person offered us the service described in Ariannah's post!

Nobody greeted us when we arrived in the shop, even though there were no other customers there at the time, and two staff people. Charlene, Cate and I had arrived early, which meant we had to wait for Mrs. Yes and family, who were "cottaging", and therefore not coming from home. We had a quick look around the store with The Boy and Miss R., then went outside and waited quietly, down behind the store where we had parked the car, sat under a tree and ate our picnic lunch. The Boy and Miss R. had a quick game of hide and seek--our children are nice kids, and both very cute, and were laughing and playing. When Mrs. Yes and her family arrived, we left Mr. Yes outside with the children so that we could browse around the store without them. There were 4 children aged 2-8 (newborn Gabriel came in with us), and they were quite happily chatting away at a picnic table conveniently located under a tree outside the store.

When we returned to the store with no children (except Gabriel) and started browsing, I found a lovely row counter bracelet, that I decided to purchase. I picked it up and continued browsing the yarn. I was taking my time, enjoying the freedom to browse a yarn store while somebody else minded The Boy. I picked up many different yarns, browsed some books, looked around at various things. There was some Misti alpaca that I was seriously considering purchasing.

After a while, I realised that one of the two ladies working in the store seemed to be hovering, in fact, she'd been following me around for a while. Not actually saying anything, mind you, not making any conversation, asking if I was visiting, or if I needed any help finding anything. No, just hovering, and had been since I picked up the bracelet. Finally, she asked me if I was intending to buy it, to which I said yes. Her response was to tell me that we should go ring it in now, because it was turning into a bit of a picnic in the store (I think she was referring to the fact that Mr. Yes had just brought the children in to see if we were ready to leave yet--we'd been there for a good twenty minutes at this point, without actually being approached by either staff person until now). So, a staff person finally approaches me, but it's not to ask if I was finding what I needed, but rather it's to tell me that she thought I should pay for the bracelet in my hand now.

I'm a little dense, so I didn't realise right away how odd this was. As I was paying for the bracelet, I realised what was going on. SHE WAS WORRIED I WAS GOING TO STEAL THE DAMN BRACELET. I was nowhere near the door at this point, and was actively browsing yarn. In fact, I had fully intended to buy yarn at the store today, but she rushed me to the cash register without asking if I was done because she thought I might forget to pay for a $20 bracelet. Gaspereau Valley Fibres lost a sale from me today, at least $30 in Misti alpaca for sure, possibly more yarn if I'd been left to browse longer, or better yet, been asked if I needed any assistance or engaged in friendly conversation of any kind. I am stating right now that I will never spend another penny at Gaspereau Valley Fibres after my experience there today. I am very glad that Gaspereau is not my local yarn store, and thankful that the lovely people who run my local yarn stores would never make me feel like a thief.

It gets better too, but I'm going to let Mrs. Yes blog the next part, because it's her story to tell! Lesley, I hope you tell it well, because I'm still fuming about the whole experience today!

However, the day was not a complete loss. Just Us is lovely, and the wagon, well, the wagon will serve Miss R. well for a long time to come!

Brush with fame...

2007-08-09T22:45:00.000-03:00

The. Yarn. Harlot. Linked. To. Me.
Must. Try. To. Breath. Slowly.

Okay, for those coming from the Harlot's blog, the post you're looking for is 3 posts down from here.

Ravelry again

2007-08-09T18:27:00.001-03:00

I'm in. My username is Alison in case anyone wants to know. Not that it matters, I'll hunt you all down anyway!

Ravelry

2007-08-08T23:37:00.000-03:00

106 people ahead of me. Just sayin'.

A Harl-lot of fun in Halifax

2007-08-08T19:57:00.000-03:00

Okay. The bad part about the Harlot visiting Halifax? I had more fun last night than I've had in ages but today at work, I couldn't tell anyone about it! Yes, I work with a library full of muggles, and they just would not have understood. Thank goodness I have the KOL girls to share this with. We may not have anything else in common, but we'll always have yarn! Have I told you before how much I love them all, despite how impatient they might be?

Okay, I'm not feeling particularly creative right now, so I'm just going to share my favourite pictures from the night.

A young knitter (Miss R.), enjoying herself immensely

Ladies, boobies forward

Gabriel, plum tuckered out

The mandatory picture of me and the Harlot (Stephanie, you are taller than me, I have like 2 inch soles on those shoes!).

I don't look that happy, but that's because Lesley blurred the first picture, where I really was smiling!

See what I mean?

Knitters out on the town: the Master and Commander (possibly not a knitter??), the Harlot, Hope and the Pharmaceutical Speed Knitter (I can't believe I actually caught her not knitting in this picture!)

The Ninja Knitter and Mrs. Happy having fun (I think they were having fun. Does that look like a fun face? I'm not really sure!)

And all who have been following her blog will be pleased to know that Mrs. Yes did regain the power of speech before the event

Jesslyn had fun too

Jesslyn, I said fun!

Much better!

Moe tried out the latest fad, invisible knitting

She's quite good at it!

Okay, I'm done. Somebody e-mail me a picture of all of us, would you? I didn't get one, because there were just too many cameras, it didn't seem fair to push the kindness of strangers too far!

Okay, stole it from Mrs. Happy. Thank you Mrs. Happy!

And Lesley redeemed herself with a picture of me that's both blur-free and smiley, taken with her own camera

See?

what to do when facebook is down...

2007-07-30T18:07:00.000-03:00

Well, facebook won't let me in, and I had to find something else to do online. So I just spent my elann.com credit (see this post--darn i-cord machine!). I ordered this:

I hope it's good. Elizabeth hasn't let me down yet!

Three more months!!!!

2007-07-16T19:54:00.000-03:00

Canada Student loan. 1999-Oct 2007. RIP

Yes, my student loan will finally be paid off in October. I've been carrying that baby around for a loooooong time now, and will miss it when it's gone. Not.

Also, from the weekend (House Man's weekend, not my weekend--mine wasn't this exciting!):

"Look ma, no hands!"

Photos are by Gordon Sleigh--thanks Gordon, wonderful photos!

2007-07-15T16:59:00.000-03:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I don't really have anything to post now either. For those of you without school age kids (but especially those of you with school age kids but who haven't heard about it), it's Summer Reading time at the library, and that means busy. If you read Mrs. Yes's post, you'll see the sort of thing we've been up to at the library lately. Apart from the carnival, we had a Teddy Bear's Picnic the week before, and have registered a few hundred kids for summer reading. Including my very own Boy, who has chosen 20 books as his goal for House Man and he to read together this summer.

We went to visit Mrs Happy at the yarn store last week (or was it two weeks ago?). When we walked in, The Boy found Mrs. Happy and immediately asked if Henry was around. He then proceeded to help customers make colour selections (I think the customer was happy with The Boy's colour choices!). When he asked me which basket Grace had played with (scroll down about halfway), I should have known what was coming. We had an instant replay of the whole yarn-on-floor-basket-on-head thing that Grace has perfected. Sadly, no camera with me. I need to learn to travel with my camera!

Anyway, there hasn't been much knitting going on around here, to be honest. Sore back (gone now), sick boy (seems better now) and lots of evening shifts for the House Man (with more coming next week!) have all conspired to create very little knitting time. And I've been Boy-wrangling all weekend, while House Man was here, racing a borrowed one of these. He's not back yet, so we're waiting to find out how it went.

I now have a $23 US credit sitting at elann.com. Any suggestions for how to spend it?

Pictures later, I promise. Well, maybe, if I can remember to take the camera with me...

In the meantime, here's an old one:

A little bit of heaven

2007-06-20T20:16:00.001-03:00

Update: Elann will post a credit to my account with them, which I can then spend at my leisure. So far, their customer service has been prompt and pleasant. And in Canada, which counts in their favour as well.

I-cord. About a foot or so. 5 minutes. Ignore the hot pink acrylic, that's the "practice yarn" that came with the machine. I received a gift certificate from elann.com for my birthday. This little gadget is the Bond Embellish Knit, and after I spent 10 minutes cursing at the instructions, I finally figured it out and cranked out this i-cord in about 5 minutes. Sadly, it doesn't take worsted, only up to about DK, based on this practice yarn. But what a timesaver! I also ordered this to complete my Walker Treasury collection.

Fiona, thank you, thank you, thank you! This little gadget is tons of fun!

And now for some gratuitous Boy content:

That's the aftermath of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends live on stage. Cam was there too:

Why, you ask, are those pictures so terrible? That was the result of cotton candy. They lost their ability to stand still for photos. And they seemed to be operating on fast forward! Lesley and Phil, sorry about that, but the walk back to the car after the show was entertaining to say the least! Those are the good pictures, here's a sample of the rest:

ETA: Darn thing broke two minutes after I posted this! We'll see what Elann's customer service is like now, since I've e-mailed them asking about returning it for a refund!

Ways to save...

2007-05-28T20:09:00.000-03:00

You could subtitle this post "Exactly how are we supposed to afford a race car anyway?", and you wouldn't be far off, but it's not just that. For a while now I've been looking at ways to cut what we spend. Some of the things I've implemented so far include using hankies instead of kleenex, cloth napkins instead of paper ones, reuseable menstrual products (you wouldn't belive how much money I've saved since discovering this particular product!), and, of course, I shop for myself and The Boy at this very exclusive boutique. I can't remember the last time I dropped $1.50 at Timmy's for tea. I make my own at work for $5.00 a month to the tea and coffee fund. Yes, I feel very virtuous, thank you!

It's interesting how House Man and I come at this from different angles. I see frugality and saving as a goal in itself--by spending less, I'm consuming less, and that in itself is a goal worth striving for. It's a good thing all on its own, and the financial benefit of having money set aside is just incidental. House Man does not see saving or living simply as a goal in it's own right. For him, if he's going to save, it needs to be for a reason. Anyway, I think that the race car might be just the incentive for him to start saving!

I'm looking for some good book or website suggestions to help with the quest to save more money. Anybody got some good places to go for ideas?

linen, anyone?

2007-05-27T10:20:00.001-03:00

I need some suggestions for what to do with some laceweight euroflax. I have lots. It was going to be a flower basket shawl, but now I think I'd rather have something rectangular, not another triangle. It's red, real red, deeper and redder than the berry red looks in the link (at least on this pc). Any suggestions?

Also, I've found a pattern for the fingerless mits that Rose wears during the tearful last episode of the second season of Dr. Who. Those of you who watched it, I'm sure you noticed those mitts. Anyway, that'll be my next project!

Warning: Knit Content !

2007-05-24T18:43:00.001-03:00

Finally, some REAL knitting content--for those of you who are following this, it's been a while. I've been scrambling for entries, and those haven't had much actual knitting in them. So, without further ado, I'd like to present waving lace socks:

And a pirate:

For Steph...

2007-05-23T19:19:00.000-03:00

This is the car:

It's a Lola something or other. That's the driver in blue with the beard and the ball cap.

This is the pit crew:

Racing is expensive, so you have to save where you can. Child labour is cheap. That's not The Boy, that's Cousin G.

This is the track:

For those of you still with me, this is why House Man was in Wisconsin last week.

Seven Random Things

2007-05-21T17:06:00.000-03:00

Okay, I got tagged by Miss Me, so here are seven random things about me. I'm not tagging anyone specifically, just anyone who reads this who hasn't played already, consider yourselves tagged!

1. I've had my rabies shots.

2. I once fell from the roof of a moving car. The driver was 8 years old.

3. I like to count steps as I climb them. There are 51 steps from the parking lot to the pedway at the Dartmouth ferry terminal. There are 13 steps to my basement.

4. I've never lived further than about 25 km from the sea. Not always the same sea either.

5. I'm still in touch with my first ever best friend--we met on the first day of primary school thirty years ago (Thirty years ago!!!! Fi, if you read this, isn't that the craziest thing ever? We've been friends for three decades!).

6. I used to watch Dr Who with my grandad every Saturday, and once met Tom Baker (yes, the Doctor with the long scarf) at Woolworths, where he signed my paperback of Doctor Who and the Dinosaurs. His hat is really green, not black like we thought, and my brother was too shy to try it on when the Doctor offered it to him!

7. My brother and sister and I watched the movie Beastmaster with Marc Singer so many times after taping it (with our first VHS, where the "remote" was actually attached with a cable!) that we still have many lines memorised, 25 years later.

So, there you go, more than you ever wanted to know.

I'm nearly done a pair of socks using Cherry Tree Hill, which is lovely yarn. So, maybe there will be some knitting content soon. What with House Man in Wisconsin for the last week, and trying to watch the entire second season of Doctor Who in a week so I can get it back to the library in time, I really haven't got much done this week!

I made a new friend...

2007-04-30T19:20:00.000-03:00

I had a meeting on Friday. We got out a little bit early, so another knitting librarian and I made a pilgrimage of sorts. You see, she lives on the Halifax side too, but unlike me, isn't lucky enough to work in Dartmouth. So yes, our pilgrimage was to Tangled Skeins. Where I made some new friends. They were so cute! Some of them even followed me home! Can I keep them, please, pleeeease, can I keep them?

Aren't they just the cutest?

In other news, The Boy needs a haircut.

Stephen Harper is on facebook!

2007-04-21T20:22:00.000-03:00

Yes, it seems that our prime minister is on facebook. At least three times. Oh, and the premier is his friend. Well, friend to one of the Stephen Harpers anyway. And they both have more friends than George Bush. Well, some of the George Bushs at least. There's only one Hillary Clinton though, and she has them all beat hands down with almost 20 000 friends.

Facebook is highly entertaining.

I should really be knitting instead. Nearly done a pair of socks, birthday knitting, deadline April 29th. Almost through the gusset on the second sock. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Meme from the Ninja, who got it from someone else

2007-04-19T20:53:00.000-03:00

Meme swiped from the Ninja .

james brown or marvin gaye? James Brown

chinese or indian takeout? Indian

fleece or knitted blanket? woven, cotton

girls with makeup or without? Without

costco or whole foods? Never been to Whole Foods, but it can't be worse that Costco, so I'm going to say Whole Foods.

wildflowers or arrangements? Wildflowers.

tradition or shakeups? Probably tradition.

cello or trumpet? Cello.

watch-wearing or no? Can't remember the last time I wore a watch, so no. Definitely no. However, I need my cell phone to tell me what time it is.

salt water or fresh (for swimming)? Saltwater if it's warm and Caribbean. Actually, salt water or swimming pool. Fresh water lakes in NS creep me out--I hate that thing where you can't see your feet when you're standing in the water, cause it's all brown. Creepy.

pants or shorts? Pants.

chatspeak or absolutely NOT? sorry, what? Can you repeat the question, I'm not cool enough to understand?

digital camera or old-school? Both. Digital is great, but we haven't had a single photo printed since we got one, so we need to take the old-school photos or we'd have no proof of anything!

wireless or plugged in? Plugged in.

waltz or tango? Waltz.

brian williams or anderson cooper? Brian Williams. Just cause Canada rocks.

time or newsweek? Time.

waterbed or mattress? King sized mattress.

cream and sugar or not? Milk and sugar. No cream, no way, not in tea!

CNN or BBC News? BBC. The accents take me back to my childhood.

iTunes or something else? something else--winamp with an ipod plugin. I hated how iTunes would do stuff to my computer without permission.

scented candles or unscented? Unscented. If I want scent, I'll sniff the costco sized bottle of pure vanilla extract in the kitchen.

prairie or mountain? Sea and coast. As long as it's got the sea, it can be mountain or prairie.

socks or barefoot? Socks in winter, barefoot in summer. I spent almost 8 years in Haiti only wearing shoes to go to school, and only wearing socks for phys ed. But that just doesn't work well in Canada!

matt damon or ben affleck? Neither. Jennifer Garner--she's a rockin' breastfeedin' mama, too bad the baby is Ben's.

brass or pewter? Copper.

wool or cotton? Depends what for. Cotton for underwear, wool for outerwear.

willow tree or pine? Willow.

gerald ford or jimmy carter? Jimmy Carter.

france or italy? Haven't been to Italy. Normandy was wonderful though. Can I say Normandy?

electric or gas stove? electric. I grew up with gas and it scared me!

thrift store or outlet? Thrift store. It's anti-consumerist, and environmentally conscious. Plus, if you wear something from a big name designer but you bought it at the thrift store, you get to be cool and ironic at the same time. That's like uber cool. Plus the whole cheap thing appeals to me on some very basic level. Yes, I am Scottish, why do you ask?

japanese garden or english garden? English. No, wait, Scottish.

sophia loren or liz taylor? Oh. Do I have to choose? Freddie Mercury.

Information Morning Listeners Unite!

2007-04-18T20:12:00.000-03:00

Okay, if anyone reading this is a listener of Information Morning, you need to go to Facebook, sign up if you have to, and then add Don Connolly to your friends list. Anyone else been paying any attention to this? Our premier Rodney is on facebook--the media have been poking a little bit of playful fun at him. Don needs to out-friend the premier! Come on, you know you listen to Information Morning, admit it, it's a great show! Get out there and facebook-befriend Don. Do it now!

Update: Well, the premier is winning handsdown. Even though he's got staff looking after his facebook site, so you're not really the premier's friend. Sorry guys who think the prmier is their friend, it's just some office staff accepting your request!

false advertising

2007-04-18T18:25:00.000-03:00

Okay, I decided to call a new place for pizza today. It's on Quinpool Road. I checked out the yellow pages and the website for this place, and both say "free delivery". When we order a pizza, we just get a medium--The Boy doesn't eat that much. So I place my order, ask for delivery, and I'm told that there's a $15 minimum charge before taxes for delivery. This isn't in their yellow pages ad. It's not on their website. No conditions in either of those places, no "minimum order applies" or anything , just "free delivery". So, I'm starting to feel like Mrs. Yes, but I think I'll be e-mailing their corporate office about this. I'm actually surprisingly annoyed!

Anyway, I'm not going to name them, I'll gave them a chance to at least admit that they're wrong (because we all know I'm never wrong!). But, if anyone has eaten at the new place on Quinpool that is named after two guys, let me know if I'm missing something good, would you?

Meegie started it...

2007-04-17T13:04:00.000-03:00

People shouldn't link to things in Cafe Press. It's so easy to get sidetracked. My favourite Henry shirt would be this one. Followed by this one. But most definitely not this one.

And I spent last night home along getting to know my new digital cable. We have all the digital channels free for two months as well. BBC Canada is my new best friend. Did you all know that Colin and Justin have a wedding show??? I mean honestly, Colin, Justin, a wedding, what more could one want?

The Birthday Boy

2007-04-08T17:02:00.000-03:00

On Good Friday, The Boy got to be The Birthday Boy for a day.

That's him after his birthday party. My baby is now 4. I'm not sure how that happened, because it certainly wasn't four years ago that I gave birth. No way, I won't believe it. And it certainly wasn't snowing, that's for sure--I'm pretty sure it was spring when The Boy was born, I remember walking to the hospital without my coat on. However, this is what we did this birthday weekend.

Before:

After:

Yes, that's how far you go if you take a pair of downhill skis and bolt them onto something like this

It's known locally as the Death Sled (mark II--mark I was based on a GT Snowracer with even longer downhill skis, and I don't know what happened to it!), and that's what you find in your back yard if you're 4 and your Uncle C is an engineer. The co-creators of the Death Sled, Uncle C and his good buddy Steve, are now responsible adults (or at least pretending to be responsible--they are both, after all engineers) with families of their own, so the Death Sled has been passed onto the next generation. Well, at least this generation has been brought up wearing helmets!

Rappin'

2007-04-01T22:58:00.000-03:00

I'd like to point all you knitterly types to this page. Be sure to watch the video as well, it's certainly worth a giggle.

Tagged by L

2007-03-25T08:31:00.000-03:00

All answers must start with your first initial.

Your Name: Alison
Famous Music artist/group: Aha
3 letter word: ark
Color: azure
Gift/present: alcohol
Vehicle: aveo
TV Show: Antiques Roadshow
Country: Antigua
Boy's Name: Andrew
Girl's Name:Ailsa
Alcoholic drink: Ardmore (another scotch)
Occupation: architect
Flower: Amaryllis
Celebrity: Avril Lavigne
Food: avocado
Something found in a kitchen: ants
Reason for Being Late: The Boy (his real name starts with A)
Something You Shout: Argh!

KOLers, consider yourselves tagged again!

Sad days...

2007-03-17T10:28:00.000-03:00

We are missing Henry here. The last few days of his visit were such a whirlwind of activity, and The Boy misses him immensely. After Henry's adventures at the go kart track, then at daycare, he spent a quiet day at Granny and Grandad's with The Boy. Nobody got into trouble, and nobody was chewed by the dogs.That evening we went shopping

The next morning we went out for brunch. Henry really seems to like his caffeine!

After brunch, we went out to Pete's where Henry fondled the produce. I'm afraid that was probably House Man's influence.

And on the way home, everyone was so tired after getting up an hour early for the time change, that some people (and monsters) decided to take a nap:

In fact, they were so tired that they slept all the way home and then some!

On Monday Henry went back to daycare--he'd been so well behaved there, hiding in The Boy's backpack and only coming out for naptime, it seemed like the best place for him!

Tuesday was Pirate Day. House Man and The Boy went to the Martitime Museum of the Atlantic. It looks like they had a wonderful day checking out the displays

playing with boats

and dressing up

That's Cap'n Henry Hook to you!

Of course, no day out would be complete without a stop at Tim's

Tuesday night Henry had his Last Supper with The Boy

and then went to KOL and was reunited with Rose and Junior. I believe that Henry went home to the Happy household, and that Rose and Junior went home with Mrs. Yes. But the rate those knitted monsters get around, I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up somewhere else...

Oh, I completely forgot! On Sunday we took Henry shopping at Junk and Foibles. Henry had great fun checking out the pins

and the ties.

Day 2--Thursday

2007-03-10T18:03:00.000-04:00

Shortly before bedtime on Wednesday night, I caught Henry trying out The Boy's driving wheel.

At the time I thought "Oh, that's so cute!". However, while reading bedtime stories Wednesday night, Henry somehow managed to convince House Man that it was "Take the Visiting Small Green Monster To Work Day" on Thursday. I must say, I had my misgivings. For those of you who don't know, House Man works at an indoor gokart track. Now can you see why I was worried? After catching Henry practicing his driving the night before? However, House Man was determined, and The Boy thought it would be a good idea as well, so after dropping The Boy at daycare, and me at work, House Man and Henry headed for the track.

To start with, Henry helped out with cash

However, he soon realised that he didn't actually get to keep all the money that people were handing over, and decided he'd like to try out the merchandise. For his work at cash, he was awarded a lifetime membership and given some refreshments.

I know, I know, it wouldn't have been my first choice for Henry, the whole idea of a highly caffeinated small green monster at a go kart track..I don't even want to go there, but it was beyond my control!

Anyway, this track is a very hygienic establishment, so getting Henry ready for a drive involved his hairnet

and then his helmet.

Henry's first lap went quite well.

But then he gained some confidence and got a little cocky.

Luckily, that's what the tyres are there for anyway. Things went a little better after that, and ended on a high note.

Henry was happy.

The staff were happy.

The customers were happy.

However, I really didn't think I could handle another day of Henry-induced anxiety, so on Friday he went to daycare. After all, they're professionals trained in coping with little monsters, aren't they?

How much trouble could the little darlings get in to anyway?

Yes, The Boy is wearing a bathrobe. It turns out that Friday was actually Bedhead Day at daycare. On Friday night, The Boy (and Henry!) went for a sleepover at Granny and Grandad's. As far as I'm aware, a good time was had by all. Tomorrow, I think we might all go out for brunch.

Steph, you might want to hide the car keys before Henry comes home...

Day 1

2007-03-08T19:58:00.000-04:00

Well, Henry came home with me on Tuesday night. When we got home, The Boy was already asleep, and House Man was watching TV. I decided to introduce Henry slowly, the way you would any new member of the family. First, he met Angus.

That went remarkably well, but Angus is pretty easygoing all around anyway. I was a little more worried about Kitty.

But that didn't go too badly either. Wednesday morning, The Boy was absolutely delighted to find Henry at our house. The Boy has been following Henry's adventures on the internet since the beginning, so he recognized him instantly!

Henry begged to come to work with me on Wednesday. Since I have the great good luck to work in a place full of small monsters anyway (some people call them children), it seemed like a good idea at the time. I had forgotten, however, that Wednesday is Shake Rattle and Read at the library. Henry, it seems, had heard Mrs. Happy gush about her fond memories of Shake Rattle and Read. He was a little impatient for the show to start...

...and was first in line after waiting from 9:00 am on. Needless to say, he made himself quite at home.

That's Henry in the best seat in the house. He doesn't know it, but that's Papa Bear's chair. Luckily, the Three Bears were out for a walk at the time!

Henry, of course, couldn't just sit quietly. No, he had to be the star of the show.

Luckily, Cindy didn't mind sharing the stage with a small green monster! I didn't take any photos of them, but there were more than 80 people sitting in that audience watching Cindy and Henry. He's certainly not afraid of crowds!

After the show, Henry decided to treat my friend Jean and I to lunch. We found ourselves at Ducky's on the Waterfront. I had the soup and sandwich special, Jean had the vegetarian pita pizza. Henry couldn't decide, so he just helped himself to some from each of our plates. He's a real charmer!

While desert looked good, we decided against it (I think Henry might be watching his figure!) Henry insisted on paying the bill...

Henry's treat! Mrs. Happy, I was thinking about this--have you checked your wallet lately?

After lunch, I really had to get some work done. Henry decided to help out.

As you can see, while Cindy was busy on the phone, Henry decided to help out some patrons. I'm not sure, but I think he did an okay job. I did hear a young man leaving with his mother saying "Did you know that the first person to walk on the moon was a knitted blue monster? That's why he said one small step for man, cause he only had tiny little legs!". But I'm sure that was just coincidence...

Anyway, after we got home that night, Henry and The Boy played with trains for a bit. Mrs. Happy, did you know Henry was a big Thomas fan?

After that, it was time for a story and then bed.

I swear, I did wash The Boy's face. That's really a Thomas the Tank Engine tattoo on his cheek!

We all slept well last night! I'll post later about Henry's adventures from today (Thursday). I'm warning everyone, be very, very afraid. Henry managed to pick up some new skills today, and the world is a little less safe than it was before...

So, last night at KOL....

2007-03-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

New Moe photos added at the bottom...

Moe had a little tantrum when she arrived late and there were no seats left...

However, she cheered up immensely when Mrs. Happy showed us her latest yarn score...

In other news, Henry came home with me last night. He's currently attending Shake Rattle and Read, where he seems to be stealing the show. Pictures to follow!

Moe announcing her candidacy for President:

Moe with Mrs. Happy and Mrs. Extremities:

That was just before the pouty session when Moe and Mrs. FE realised that the guy taking up the entire couch by himself wasn't going to give it up so that Moe could have a seat.

Mrs. Once More showing her support for Moe's candidacy:

Yes, a good time was had by all.

The Boy Names His Dad

2007-03-05T19:06:00.000-04:00

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will be aware that I don't have a name for The Boy's Dad, at least, not a nice catchy one like Mr. Happy or Mr. Yes. Well, tonight in the kitchen The Boy finally came up with His Dad's new name. I'll set the scene:

The Boy, His Dad and me, in the kitchen, the adults clearing the table while The Boy helps himself to a plum (this is after he stands on a chair in front of the open freezer for 5 minutes to make sure that there really isn't any ice cream lurking there anywhere).

Me: So, The Boy's Dad, are you going to take care of that police thing (more on that later!) tonight then?

The Boy's Dad (TBD): Yeah, I think so, I just need to take the paper and the other paper in and show it to the commissionaire, the cop said they're open 24 hours for that sort of thing.

Me: Really, 24 hours? (to the boy) Let's get you a plate for that plum before you drip all over the floor.

TBD: I'll get it, I'm closer.

The Boy: Yes Mummy, your House Man will take care of it.

Me: My what???

The Boy: Your House Man, he will take care of it for you, he will take care of everything for you.

The House Man: ROTFLHAO

Yes, while some of you may have Mr. Ninja or Mr. Moe or Mr. Geek, I have House Man, and it seems that "he will take care of everything".

And a piece of advice. If your car insurance sends you new insurance papers, get them out to your car right away. If you get pulled over, and you only have the ones that expired yesterday, Mr. Policeman will tell you that it's $1250 and two years without your license, before he takes pity and tells you that you actually have until May 20th to take the new insurance papers (the ones that your House Man forgot to take to the car in the first place, since it's not like you ever get to drive the car anymore) to the police station to prove you're insured. And then it will only cost you $10. Oh well, at least now that I never get to drive the car anymore, my chances of being the one pulled over are greatly reduced! House Man isn't best pleased with himself today!

An FO!

2007-03-05T18:23:00.000-04:00

Yes, I did finally finish something. And this came from the long-time UFO pile. I started this at least six months ago. It's 100purewool from ebay. The pattern is from "Top Down For Toddlers", which I have to say is a great book. Please ignore the ends that I haven't woven in yet. And the missing button. I didn't say it was perfect, I just said it was done!

It's done...

2007-02-19T18:18:00.000-04:00

What did you expect? It hasn't been blocked yet. I can't get my hands on it. Other people keep playing with it!

Counting down the meme...

2007-02-16T18:14:00.000-04:00

I was going to swipe this from the Knitting Sailor, but then Mrs. Yes tagged me specifically, so here we go...

This is a work in progress, I'm struggling with movies, artists, and songs!

Ten movies you’d watch over and over:
These aren't in any sort of order!
1. Local Hero
2. The Curse of the Wererabbit (the boy really likes that one!)
3. Toy Story
4. Cars
5. Serenity
6. White Christmas
7. My Fair Lady
8. The Little Mermaid
9.
10.

That would have been easier if it had been ten books you'd read over and over.

Nine people you enjoy the company of:
There are more than nine, so I hope I don't offend anyone that gets left out!
1. The Boy
2. His Dad
3. My parents
4. My sister
5. My brother and his family
6. Lara M.
7. Zipworth and her kids
8. Rachel and her Mama
9. Everybody at KOL!

Eight things you’re wearing:
1. my glasses
2. checked shirt from Old Navy via Value Village
3. jeans from Value Village that could have been made for me
4. pink socks I made with Cascade Fixation
5. my live, love, laugh bracelet
6. white t-shirt
7. necklace from The Queen's Hermit that I got at the Dalplex Christmas Craft Fair
8. brown leather belt from Value Village

Phew, made it without having to mention undies!

Seven things on your mind:
1. My head hurts
2. Is dinner going to burn as I sit here and blog?
3. I hope The Boy doesn't throw up again, poor thing
4. Wonder if The Boy could keep some advil down right now to bring his fever down?
6. Must remember my appointment with the osteopath (still not sure what osteopaths do anyway) tomorrow morning
7. I probably won't get to knit tonight, and the shawl only has about 20 rows to go!

Six objects you touch every day:
1. the phone
2. the computer
3. the door handle
4. a book, whichever one I'm reading
5. the fridge
6. the taps

Five things you do everyday:
1. Snuggle with The Boy (and usually with his dad too!)
2. brush my teeth
3. shower
4. check my e-mail
5. drink too much tea

Four bands or musical artists that you couldn’t live without:

1. Chris Isaak
2. Runrig
3.
4.

Three of your favourite songs of the moment:
1. That song from the Backyardigans episode with the vikings and the mermaid--while I wouldn't call it a favourite, I can't get it out of my mind!
2. Behind The Clouds from the Cars soundtrack (blame The Boy for this one!)
3.

Two people who have influenced your life the most:
1. My family
2. The Boy (although he's a more recent influence!)

One person who has been nice to you today:
1. The volunteer who works with Cody at the library--he presented me with a gift and a plaque from Therapeutic Paws of Canada to thank me for helping them out getting started in Halifax!

Brush with Fame!

2007-02-16T16:49:00.000-04:00

The Yarn Harlot e-mailed me in response to my comment. She said all hope is not lost for an East Coast visit! So if you haven't e-mailed her publicist (and Mrs Yes e-mailed that address out to a bunch of us, so if you don't have it, just ask) do so now!

Thank you Mrs FE

2007-02-15T18:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, thank you to Mrs. Frozen Extremities. She's the one that told me about Site Meter. And I'm addicted! Who is this mysterious IP address 24.222.223 in Bridgewater who checks my blog regularly? And who in Missouri was googling "Moe and Barbara Walker" and ended up on my blog? What do you think they were looking for anyway? And Morgan, someone from Uruguay came to my blog from your blog. Uruguay? And why would anyone check my blog every day anyway when a bloglines subscription can do it for you? Plus, my blog is pretty darn boring--even I don't look at it every day!

So many questions! So few answers! Please, Bridgewater Person, leave a comment and say hi. Oh, and PEI Person too, whoever you are!

Mrs. FE, it's all your fault I'm going crazy. I wish I'd never heard of Site Meter.

On the plus side, someone, somewhere actually reads this blog!

Falling by the wayside...

2007-02-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

I have been remiss in my posting. Mostly because I've only been working on one thing since the last FO. And progress hasn't been that fast--remember, I don't get much knitting time now that The Boy doesn't go to bed until 9! Anyway, I'm working on this:

It's the Shetland Triangle pattern by Evelyn A. Clark, from either Scarf Style or Wrap Style, I can't remember which. I'm using lace weight and smaller needles than called for (the pattern is written for fingering weight). Anyway, I'm on my 13th lace repeat. I think I've actually managed to memorize the pattern as well, it's not difficult. I like it. I think others like it too:

I'm using my knitpicks yarn (this one in Oregon coast). It's nice. I haven't quite finished the first skein yet, so I think this shawl may end up being bigger than the pattern calls for as well, since I'm planning on using most of the second skein as well.

Well, that's it for now. No really exciting news or anything. I did finally meet Cody yesterday, and he's just lovely! Cameron was taking part in an evaluation session yesterday for more Reading Therapy dogs ("The library needs a few good dogs..."), I must ask Mrs. Yes how that went!

First FO of 2007

2007-01-29T20:23:00.000-04:00

I finished my stretchy pink Cascade Fixation socks. I may wear them tomorrow. Here they are:

I worried and thought and calculated and you could even say obsessed over the gauge with this yarn. You know, in the end, I don't think it matters much. You end up knitting it slightly stretched. So if your gauge is too loose, it's okay, it'll shrink up when you're done. And if your gauge is too tight, well, that's okay too, cause it'll stretch more when you wear the sock! Very forgiving yarn. The pattern is based on this one. I say loosely because the only thing the same is that I also used the dayflower lace pattern from Barbara Walker. Repeats, gauge, needles, everything else is different.

And, just because I've been looking through old photos and getting all broody, I thought I'd share some with you.

The boy in April 2003:

The Boy in April 2003 again (please note the hand gesture--they learn these things very, very early!):

The Boy in October 2003:

Other People's FOs

2006-12-29T22:01:00.000-04:00

I made it to my old weekday morning knitting group on Thursday. In fact, we had a mini reunion, with me there, and an old member visiting from out of town (out of country even!). The kids were wonderful. The Boy is still talking about the great time he had playing with Cam's pirate ships! Anyway, someone finished this while we were there:

Yes, that's Catherine's foot wearing her first ever sock. I know, it looks really good doesn't it? I almost hate to break it to you, but that's acrylic self striping sock yarn!

And then there was this, the piece de resistance:

Okay, here's the story. This baby's mama really loves her. Not only did she knit her a beautiful hat out of lovely merino, but it's handspun. Yes, Mama spun the yarn for her baby's lovely hat herself. If that isn't love, I don't know what is! By the way, Mama R., the baby is a pretty darn cute FO as well! Welcome back, and we miss you when you're gone!

By the way Steph, the Thursday morning group is at Mrs. Yes's place. Rose and the baby were there--he's growing like a weed. They were wondering why Henry hasn't been round to visit recently?

Here's mine, just cause.

That's The Boy on the right, and The Cousin (on his Dad's side) on the left. I don't know what the hands are all about--I said "Say Cheese" and that's what they both did! Don't they look cute?

I was wrong...

2006-12-26T14:30:00.000-04:00

I got two of my "Things I want for Christmas" from the last meme! Yes, I got one of these:

So far I've spent Boxing Day transferring all those CDs that I don't listen to anymore because Someone (and it's not The Boy, he'll listen to anything!) doesn't necessarily like my taste in music! I'm currently listening to Runrig, whom I haven't heard in ages!

And I even got some of the peace and goodwill I wanted as well! No new pots and pans, but at least someone else washed most of the ones we used yesterday. And only two fights to break up between small children. The Boy always tends to come of worse in these, he just doesn't have any killer instinct, and tries to talk his way out of things!

I also got some Cascade Fixation. The Boy chose it. It's pink. Any tips on exactly how to determine gauge with this stuff?

Happy Ho Ho!

Things I want for Christmas...

2006-12-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

I think Steph gets the blame for tagging KOL with this one.

The Rules:The player of this game starts with "3 things he/ she would love to get for Christmas" and also has to list "3 things he/ she definitely does not want to get for Christmas". Then he/she tags 5 friends and list their names. The ones who get tagged need to write on their blogs about their Christmas wishes, as well as state this rule clearly, then tag 5 more victims. And the one who tags need to leave a comment that says "you've been Christmas tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

I'm not going to tag anyone, because anyone I would tag has already posted this! If you read this and you haven't done it, go ahead and consider yourself Christmas tagged.

Three things I want for Christmas

1) an iPod
2) new pots and pans (we've successfully burned each and every one of ours now, over the years)
3) peace, love, goodwill (please, Santa, please deliver this one!)

Three things I don't want for Christmas

1) Norovirus (probably too late, The Boy is currently sleeping this one off in front of the TV, poor little mite, he's all feverish but can't keep the Motrin down)
2) chickenpox (probably too late, The Boy was exposed 12 days ago, so we're just sitting here with crossed fingers--at least his Dad and I have already had it!)
3) candy, chocolate, food of any kind, except maybe an orange in my stocking

So that's it. Not too complicated, really. Except I'm probably going to get at least two but more likely all three of the things I don't want, and only probably one of the things I do want (probably the orange)!

Once more with feeling (and rule-following)

2006-12-15T23:22:00.000-04:00

Year in Review the Alternate Version

Please note: I've just reread Moe's instructions. I didn't grab the first sentence, I summarized in as few words as possible. I'm going to post the alternate version below, done properly, and we'll see which one is most entertaining!

January 2006
It seems that blogging your knitting is now a cool thing to do.
(yes, I jump on the bandwagon...)

February 2006
I didn't blog, so this one doesn't change!

March 2006
Okay, acrylic has a bad rap sometimes.
(see, I'm raving about acrylic)

April 2006
I'm bamboo, what are you?
(that's not really the first line, I just had a cut and paste what sort of knitting needle are you thingy, so that's the subject heading that I gave it...)

May 2006
There's the ghetto Malabrigo sweater
(yes, that's the one that shrank!)

June 2006
Hooray! I got a 2 year subscription to Interweave Knits for my birthday!

July 2006
Yes, it's another UFO.
(that's from before the swearing, the race car, and the "restructuring")

August 2006
Okay, I have successfully recharged rechargeable batteries (wouldn't think it was that hard, would you?)
(see, the sympathy yarn was more important, but it came later...)

September 2006
Yes, North Carolina is gorgeous at this time of year.
(that's from before things got a little tense! Oh, and before I fell in love...with cashmere goats!)

October 2006
Actually, I'm quite torn up about missing Debbie Bliss.
(this is where I show cute pictures of The Boy on his first Halloween in a Debbie Bliss pattern teddy bear all in one outfit. Yes, he was so cute that Morgan's comment consisted of three words "I want babies". So I referred her to the July swearing entry!)

November 2006
Not bad...for someone who has only been Canadian since 1991!
(turns out I'm 99% Canuck)

December 2006
The perfect toy...Well, not really
(yup, decapitated horses!)

Well, if everyone else is doing it....

2006-12-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Moe for this one!

Please note: I've just reread Moe's instructions. I didn't grab the first sentence, I summarized in as few words as possible. I'm going to post the alternate version ina new post, done properly, and we'll see which one is most entertaining!

Year in review:

January 2006
I jump on the bandwagon with my first blog post ever.

February 2006
I didn't blog. Not once.

March 2006
I rave about acrylic.

April 2006
It seems I am bamboo--warm, cozy, and thoughtful.

May 2006
I share my grief at a horrific felting accident.

June 2006
Socks.

July 2006
UFOs, socks, more UFOs, and the dangers of swearing in front of three year olds. Oh yeah, someone gets "restructured", there's a race car involved, and I post my first and only cat photo.

August 2006
I post some FOs, and the Ninja gives me sympathy yarn.

September 2006
Cashmere goats. I want them.

October 2006
I reminisce about when The Boy was tiny and cute. Yes, that's the same Boy swearing in July's posts.

November 2006
Someone finds a job, and I learn never to look gift yarn in the mouth.

December 2006
Decapitated horses.

Funny how things ended up back where they started. I jumped on the bandwagon in January by blogging, and then I jump on it again now with this "Year in Review"!

The perfect toy

2006-12-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Well, not really. My niece would like this for Christmas:

According to amazon.com it's Fur Real Friends Butterscotch Interactive Pony. For some reason amazon has a $699 US price tag on it, but you can get it at Toysrus.ca for $299 Canadian. But the best bits are in the "product features" listed on amazon. Get this:

"This amazing animatronic Pony moves head and ears, and blinks its eyes! This fantastic creature responds to touch and voice, 'eats' a carrot, and makes real pony sounds".

Sound great, right? Oh, not so fast. The "product features" go on to let you know that

"Adults take note: Pony comes unassembled in box with head detatched."

Okay, I can get past that. Thanks for the warning. However, just to make sure you get their point, the next "product feature" goes on to say

"You may wish to not open the box around your children if they may be frightened by a box with a decapitated horse inside."

Uh, yeah, thanks for that tip!

View the entire product listing here.

And if you decide to buy this for any kids you know, keep two things in mind:

1) Buy it at Toysrus and save more than $400 US (WTF?)

2) And please, please, for the love of all that is good and kind, don't open the box around the child! That whole decapitated horse thing can't be good for them!

Not bad...

2006-11-30T15:39:00.000-04:00

...for someone who has only been Canadian since 1991!

You are 99% Canuck!

You rock, you are an almighty Canadian through and through. You have proven your worthiness and have won the elite prize of living in a country as awesome as Canada. Yes I know other countries think they are better, but we let them have that cuz we know better than they do, eh?

How Canadian Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Stolen from Steph who stole it from someone else!

PS Steph, I got 100% on the grammar quiz too!

Ears!

2006-11-29T09:09:00.000-04:00

For those who asked last night, here is the link to the felted yoda hat. Lynne, if you read this, you should also check out this pattern from the same blog. If Henry was just your rebound amigurumi (again, please tell me I spelled that right), this guy could be the real thing!

Holy pooling, Batman!

2006-11-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

Remember this? Well, you won't believe what it looks like knitted up into a sock. It's wierdly insane, actually...

What I don't understand is why it changes? It changes twice. And I don't think it's my knitting, because that's got a short row heel worked using the other end of the ball of yarn. So the main yarn is always worked over the same 64 stitches with no interruption. Then it changes again halfway down the foot. Why? Nothing happened to the stitches, it wasn't even like I laid it down and came back later with different tension. I think it's the yarn. I think it's designed to make you go insane. There was some evil genius at work here. I can't wait to start the second sock and find out what it's going to look like. Ninja, did you know it would do something like this? It's wierd yet strangely compelling!

Gentlemen, start your engines....Again (or not...)

2006-11-11T19:01:00.000-04:00

Good news in our house this week. Yes, The Boy now has two gainfully employed parents! His Dad will start working here as a manager on Monday. Now, if only the bus schedule out there was a little better. Sadly, I'm the one who can get to work with no transfers and door to door service.....oh well, more knitting time for me!

Okay, I spoke too soon. In fact, I think that my choice of words ("start your engines") might have cursed us. The alternator light came on while driving to work, and it's not cause the belt is loose, so that means we probably need a new alternator. I hate irony. "Start your engines" indeed.

Gentlemen, start your engines.....

2006-11-10T15:58:00.000-04:00

Remember this guy?

Well, now he's got the right clothes for the job! The Boy was a race car driver for Halloween this year. Now, if you race him, when he wins he asks you for a trophy and champagne, and pretends to spray the champagne everywhere. Michael Schumacher, you retired just in time. This Boy wants your job!

No Bliss for me....

2006-10-26T11:07:00.000-03:00

Actually, I'm quite torn up about missing Debbie Bliss. I just don't have $65, not with Christmas coming up, and us trying to do it on one salary. We're managing, but sadly there's no room for visiting knitwear designer wine and cheese events! Anyway, Debbie Bliss was the person who got me started knitting again. I hadn't knit since junior high/high school. My SIL had announced her 1st pregnancy (my nephew K, who is now 7 ). And I saw this at Chapters.

Well, I didn't see that. I saw the book with the pattern in. Anyway, I decided to knit this for my unborn nephew. Bear in mind (ha ha) I hadn't knit anything in probably ten years or so, and I'd never knit anything that complicated. Anyway, that outfit has now been worn by my nephew, my niece, and by The Boy (the photo is The Boy in 2003, wearing the outfit) on their first Halloweens. In fact, I think that we might have a new family tradition in the making here, thanks to Debbie Bliss.

Anyway, because he was so cute (he still is, and no, I'm not biased because I carried him in my womb for 10 months and then ended up having to have major abdominal surgery to get him out, and haven't slept for more than 5 hours straight in the three and a half years since), here are some more pics:

Happy Halloween!

Fours...

2006-10-16T07:59:00.000-03:00

Okay, the Yarn Geek tagged KOL as a whole, so that includes me. Here we go, more useless information about me than you ever wanted to know...

Four jobs I’ve had:

* Muffin baker
* photocopier (well, they called it Student Assistant, and it was a federal summer job, but all I seemed to do was photocopy!)
* Scanning Electron Microscopist
* Librarian

Four movies I can watch over and over:

* Local Hero
* Star Wars (Episode 4, the real first episode, Luke and Leia and Han, not that new crap)
* The Sound of Music
* The Little Mermaid (yes, I know, it's part of the evil Disney empire!)

Four places I have lived:

* Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
* Petionville, Haiti
* Waverley, NS
* Halifax, NS

Four television shows I love to watch:

* Red Dwarf
* Little Bear (Hey, Little Bear is a great role model!)
* Corner Gas
* How not to decorate (or any other show with Colin and Justin)

Four places I have been on vacation:

* The Dominican Republic
* Lots of places in Scotland
* Alberta
* North Carolina

Four of my favorite dishes:

* Mac and cheese (homemade, not KD)
* Roast chicken with roast potatoes
* Butter chicken
* bread, bread, bread, any kind of bread

Four websites I visit daily:

* Bloglines
* Halifaxpubliclibraries.ca
* Mothering.com
* Amazon.ca

Four places I would rather be right now:

* The beach
* The Highlands and Islands of Scotland
* outside enjoying this glorious autumn day
* Believe it or not, that's all I can come up with!

Four bloggers I am tagging:

* Anyone who reads this
* Anyone who reads this
* Anyone who reads this
* Anyone who reads this (hopefully there are at least four bloggers who read this!)

Beach photos...

2006-10-12T18:02:00.000-03:00

Just kidding! Turns out we didn't take a single beach picture! In fact, looking at what we took, I think that DH must have had the camera the whole time. We have 92 photos and only 13 of them have nothing to do with cars. And the photo of Don Cherry looks like this:

Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that I took this photo.

On the knitting front, I have now missed Mary Queen of Scots and Lady Jane Grey in the parade of beheaded amigurumi (tell me I spelled that right?) at KOL. I can only hope that they will reappear at some time in the future.

Sorry, can't hear you over the waves and the pelicans...

2006-09-27T23:55:00.000-03:00

Yes, North Carolina is gorgeous at this time of year. Get this--average temperature is still in the high 70s, and the water is also somewhere in the 70s, warmer than I have ever felt it in Nova Scotia, but the season here is over? It ends at Labour Day. You can't buy a pair of sandals or a bathing suit anywhere! It's insane, they're so spoiled by the 80+ degree water and the 90+ degree air in July and August that they think it's cold right now! Wish I could show you photos, but we can't get the camera to talk to this computer. Anyway, just imagine this--we were using boogie boards to catch some waves, watching the fish jump out of the waves, the pelicans dive bomb the fish and the DOLPHINS were there too! I love this place, I may not come home!

Oh yeah, and at the airport in Halifax we saw Don Cherry. While The Boy was unimpressed, His Dad had his photo taken. That was when we were all still happy, before the missed connection in Dulles, the rerouting through Charlotte, the arrival in Raleigh after midnight, the car rental place closing at 11, and having to spend the night at the Holiday Inn before driving to Wilmington. Oh well, once we hit the beach, we forgot all that stressful stuff.

Tomorrow we pack up the race car and head to VIR where we will be staying at the Lodge. Anyway, I think it will be fun this time, I quite enjoy being considered part of the pit crew!

Oh, I do wish I had pictures of Wrightsville Beach to show you. Google it, please, it's gorgeous. They filmed Dawson's Creek here, and One Tree Hill. We may get to see a bit more of the state this time too, The Boy wants to go here, while His Dad wants to go here, both of which are quite close together, although about a six hour drive or so from here.

Sorry, no knitting content whatsoever!