Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A time capsule

This is how far I've come along on my sockapalooza knit . I'm so frustrated with the barber pole striping . It seems no matter how many stitches I cast on and what pattern I knit , this is what I get . Apparently Lorna's laces does that quite frequently . I guess I'll just keep plugging along to the gusset and heel and see what happens . I still have time to find an alternative knit as these socks aren't due to be mailed till August.






Knitting time has been at a premium this week . I'm desperately trying to catch up with the garden work . When I have the time it's raining , and naturally when I don't it's sunny . Looks like rain again today. Ah well , more knitting time .






Here's photo of the crew that's been working on the house construction . The new home owners to be are seated on the bottom step. My DH and and son Max are directly behind Casey . They've all worked so hard and it's been an amazing experience in so many ways . A couple of copies of this and another photo of the crew have been have been laminated and placed in behind the dry wall as a sort of time capsule . Everyone signed the pics and Chantal wrote a small dedication on the back . Will be interesting for whoever finds it in the future . We're still not done but it looks like they'll make their target date of July 1st. I think that life after this will seem awfully quiet . Oops, there's wedding plans to be made , how could I forget !

Sunday, May 27, 2007

We have a pattern !





After much knitting and then subsequent ripping , I think I've found my sock pattern for Sockapalooza . After doing one and a half repeats of the crosshatch lace pattern from More SKS , I'm satisfied that this yarn isn't pooling as with all my previous attempts . The pattern isn't getting completely lost in the colour . My sock pal likes hot colours ; hoping that this " Tickled Pink " colour from Lorna's Laces qualifies.


I had my breakfast outside this morning . It was a little cool yet , but a good start to the day . Birds singing , good cup of tea and a little knitting . What more can you ask !

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Marie's Socks

I love to knit socks . Among friends and acquaintances this is considered to be odd. After all you can buy socks , usually much cheaper than hand knitted ones. Non knitters are unaware of how comfortable , colourful and long lasting these hand knit socks can be . Until they receive a pair , that is .








Yesterday I spent a good part of the day with my friend Marie . She was one of my mother's very good friends . Since my mother has passed away , I've become close to Marie . She has severe health problems and limited mobility , as she has to be on oxygen more and more these days. She celebrated her eightieth last month and believe me that was a milestone in more ways than one . Marie has begun to knit socks again . Often when I'd visit her I'd bring along my sock knitting . We'd chat , have a cup of tea and spend some very nice time together . She was always commenting on how nice the sock yarns were. She had some yarn , not really appropriate for socks though , and before long she'd cast on for a pair of socks. She hadn't knit socks since she was a girl , when every young girl learned how to knit . On another visit I brought her some needles and several balls of yarn . She was like a kid in a candy store . I couldn't believe how quickly she was producing socks . It seemed that just about every time I'd go over she had another a pair done or almost done. She's knit for herself , myself and my family as well as some friends . Marie is one reason I keep buying sock yarn . My mission is to keep her going. This sock knitting is very therapeutic for her . It keeps her quiet and settled when she needs to be. It gives her a focus on something other than her disease ; helps her to deal with her pain . It makes her feel useful in that she can still do things for other people . She had been a nurse and would volunteer at our local hospital after her illnesses forced her to retire . In the last months it's given her so much pleasure . These socks are just a few of the ones she's done for Mike and me.


Lately Marie has become more frail and it's becoming more difficult for her to fight her illness . I can't express what a remarkable and courageous woman she is and how lucky we all are to know her. And benefit from her sock knitting . Marie's current WIP - a pair of socks for Chantal .

Monday, May 21, 2007

Checking in

Here we are into our third weekend of construction. Everything is going really well . This photo was taken yesterday morning , all the windows are in and they're working on the interior divisions . Plumbing and electricity are next . It looks like they'll be able to move in by July 1st , which is when they have to be out of their apartment . We've been so lucky with the weather, a little cool , but no rain . In between meal preparation yesterday , I took the dogs for a little walk by the river . It was just so nice . I really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.





Not much new on the knitting front . I'm feeling a little scattered these days . I can't seem to finish anything . I picked up some gorgeous yarn last week . I'd had to go into town to try and find a dress to wear to Casey and Chantal's wedding in January . Of course there was a pit stop at a yarn shop along the way . I treated myself to a skein of Fleece Artist sea wool , Some Colinette Jitterbug and another Fleece Artist sock yarn . No luck on the dress , but my yarn purchases made my day. I still haven't decided on the pattern for my sock pal . Keep starting a sock , not liking how it's working out , then ripping it . I think I'll try and focus on getting some of the WIP off the needles this week .

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

We have a roof !

Well the roof is on Casey & Chantal's house. I can't believe how quickly this is all going. The roofers came yesterday so even the shingles are on .Will post another pic sometime soon , but I'm just too darn tired to upload any today.



Yesterday I took advantage of the gorgeous weather we're having to get some yard work done . I foolishly decided to expand the perennial bed in front of the house. I have quite a few flowers that need dividing; I'd like to clear out the ones I don't like anymore or aren't in the right spot . One thing leads to another and before you know it you're buying more plants , earth , fertilizer etc. What started out as a small project has taken on a life of it's own. Mike is not a gardener , he cuts the grass , that's it ; he regards it a danger sign when I start to dig out the gardening books and plant guides. Today my back and arms are telling me to give it a rest , Rome wasn't built in a day , and my perfect garden won't be built in that time span either . Lucky for my back it's raining today .


While out running a few errands this morning I picked up the latest edition Of Interweave Knits. There are quite a few nice projects in this issue , but I have to say that the article on how to knit toe up socks made my day . I'm a self-taught knitter and never even attempted cuff down socks until a couple of years ago. I now never wear anything but hand knit socks . I'm currently knitting Mike some socks from Lorna's Laces shepherd sock . Looking at how much yarn I have left and I still have quite a few inches to knit till the toe decreases . I wish that I seen that article sooner . If I should run out I might just go with a contrasting solid colour toe , or might just rip it completely .

Friday, May 11, 2007

Introducing Alaska




Introducing Alaska . Doesn't he look ever so comfortable ! Don't we know he's special and so deserves the couch ? He's the younger of our two dogs , actually he's not really ours , he's our son Max's dog . He spends his days here with me , where he can get the run of the back yard , go for walks with me and keep Bingo company . I love him to bits , so does Bingo , even though there's such a big difference in size . Bingo's a shit-zu . We kind've inherited him from my MIL . Mike had bought him for her because she was on her own and missed having company in the house. She was suffering from cancer at the time and really had a difficult time taking care of him , so I "inherited" him .He is my first ever dog and we've had him for 10 years. I think he thought he was a cat when he first came here , because he was the same size. They quickly showed him his place . No regrets on my part ; not so sure about the cats.


Ordered yarn today for my Sockapalooza pal . Step one done, now to decide what to knit . Better get going - have to make about 10lbs of potato salad for tomorrow . Get a break on Sunday for Mother's day as Chantal and the girls are doing a lunch for all the moms .

Thursday, May 10, 2007

My week










Such an imaginative title ! It''s been very busy , Thought I'd post a few pics so that you can see what I've been up to.The first one is Emma enjoying her new sandbox . An instant hit ; we had a hard time getting her to come inside for her nap time.















This next pic shows the progress made on the house as of Sunday afternoon . They've added a second storey since then . We're hoping to get the roof trusses done and possibly even a roof by the end of this weekend . The weather has been perfect been all week . Keeping fingers crossed.












On the needles there been some knitting done for Dulaan . The brick red coloured one is the latest finish .




I've joined the Sockapalooza sock exchange this time around . My first one ! When I signed up , I really didn't give my pal too many specifics about yarn , colours , etc. I usually knit more for friends and family than my self . I thought a pic of some of my socks in the sock drawer might be a help , should my pal happen to drop by here . I hope that whoever is knitting for me just has fun . You can be sure I'll appreciate and love whatever you knit for me.
I'm hoping to get a bit of a breather next week to focus on the socks for my pal. Some yarn purchases are on the horizon and I have a few ideas in mind . I haven't posted to the knit pligg yet , but have read some of the entries , Such enthusiastic sock knitters !

Monday, May 7, 2007

Family Bonding

We survived ! We had a great weekend house building . I'm probably feeling all the good vibes you get when starting something new , but I'm hoping that the next few months go as well as the past of days did. It sure is a great family bonding experience and a good way to get to know the future in-laws. I forgot my camera at Chantal's parents so I'll post a progress picture later . I'm hoping to put all the pics on CD and make a keepsake album for Casey and Chantal . I should say that I'm not helping out with actual building , but Lily (Chantal's mum) and I are responsible for the re- fueling of tout la gang . Boy can they eat !

In between meal preparation I had a chance to go over to my good friend Shirley's to celebrate her grand-daughters 2nd birthday . Emma is such a sweetie and a real smart cookie . She loved her gifts and it was a joy to see her and share part the day with them. We are a very small family , as my parents emigrated to Canada , all my relatives are in Austria . My husbands' parents are originally from New Brunswick , so he has a lot of family still there . Actually he has a lot of relatives spread throughout the US , as many of them went to the States for work years ago. We're the Quebec branch of the Canadian cousins . All this is by way of explanation , to say that Shirley is not just a good friend , but really more like a sister .

I did find a few minutes here and there to cast on and finish a child's sock for Dulaan . Quick and easy is what I'm about right now.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

A Building Project

The last week has been so hectic . I'm still getting over a cold ; as usual it's gone to my chest . I'm still coughing , but really the worst is over . I just need for the weather to warm up a bit. This week-end looks like I might get my wish . Sun and temps in the low 20s C ( @ 70F) . We had to have the liner on the pool changed. Thought that the company that installs them would come in May to do it , but they came on Monday to do it . We are ready for summer !



The exciting news is that Casey and Chantal (my future DIL) are finally starting to build their house . This will be a family project ; a real do it yourself. Chantal's family have experience doing this as they've all helped build at least four homes for various relatives . Guess what we'll be doing on the week-ends for the next couple of months . Should be interesting !

I haven't done very much on the knitting front . I'm stalled on the Spring Things shawl , made a mistake on row 5 of Chart B . I don't really have the patience to try and figure out where I went wrong at the moment. I did finish April's socks for the SAM3KAL . I cast on for a child's sock in worsted weight . This will count for the Magic 28 charity knitting .

I'm slowly figuring out how this blogging business works , (with some help from Casey) and enjoying myself hugely . Which just goes to show that you're never too old to learn something new .