Christmas wrap up

Christmas has come and gone . We had a beautiful Christmas Eve with the family , lots of good food , laughter and special moments . As you can imagine our Christmas was extra special with Mason's early arrival . Mason pretty much slept through the whole thing , even though he was passed around like the proverbial hot potato with everyone oohing and aahing over him . One of my favourite pictures from Christmas Eve is this one of Jessey having a closer look at Mason . He's completely intrigued by his little cousin . He kisses him every chance he gets . Just think , next year if all goes well , there will be one more baby here at Christmas . What fun !

My bathroom scale is showing me the results off all that good food. One of the resolutions for the new year will be to get rid of those couple of extra pounds that I put on this fall and over the holidays . To that end Mike and I bought ourselves some cross country skis as our Christmas gift to each other . God knows we live in a place that generally gets enough snow over our long winter to make it a worthwhile purchase . We used to go skiing often , but somehow got out of the habit the last few years . We haven't tried them out yet as I'm still got that damn cold . I cough and cough and have absolutely no energy . If I'm not feeling any better in the next couple of days ,and the cough doesn't let up , I'll head over to the clinic early next week . Thankfully except for New Years Eve , this a quiet week . I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a little rest and lots of fluids will kick this cold .

As for the knitting most of what was important got done , the rest will be taken care of in the next week or so . I did finish the socks , pictures next time ....

Catching up

Firstly , thank you so much for all the congratulations and best wishes on Mason's arrival . It meant a lot to me . I should be thanking everyone personally but the last week has been unexpectedly hectic and crazy . Added to the usual holiday craziness I've come down with a miserable cold that is sucking the energy right out of me . So please accept my heartfelt thanks here instead .





Little Mason is home and thriving , but not without giving us all a scare just to keep us on our toes . He'd no sooner arrived home then he had to be rushed back to the hospital after experiencing some difficulty breathing . It turned out to be nothing serious and he's back at home . He's an absolute sweetie , doing nothing but eat , sleep and poo . All the things a healthy baby does . A nurse from the CLSC (community health centre ) dropped by yesterday to do a followup to assess how mom and baby are doing . She's basically there to help if needed . She was pleased to see that Mason has regained and surpassed his birth weight already . So far so good . Now if I could just get rid of this cold so that I can hold him and breathe in that sweet baby smell .






I've been trying to keep up with all the holiday baking , wrapping , decorating , not to mention the few unfinished Christmas knits , but it's been a slog . After putting up the Christmas tree yesterday I came to the realization Christmas was going to happen even if certain things weren't done . So I might as well go with the flow , prioritize and let the rest go . Of course the two glasses of Caribou that I imbibed might have helped with the go with the flow feeling . It remains to be seen if I can keep it up ....






As for the knitting I'm still working on the baby blankets . A hat and scarf set are almost done but won't be sent out to Alberta in time for Christmas , but the winter's long and getting it in early January will be okay as well . There's also a pair of socks on the needles that look like they might be gifted after Christmas . So be it . How's that for the new go with the flow me ?!

Introducing

Mason Emerson , who arrived at 5:28 pm yesterday. He weighed in at a healthy 6.8 lbs and is nineteen inches long . Pretty good for a little guy 4 weeks early . Mom , dad and baby all doing well . Guess the little man was anxious to see the Christkind /Santa and get himself some Christmas gifts . For the rest of the family and friends he's the best gift ever !

Random

Gosh , can it be the end of November already and Christmas less than a month away ! I've got nothing new to show knitting wise . I'm still plugging away on the baby knits . There's two blankets in progress. The lilac/purple one from the previous post has progressed and there's another on the needles intended for Jessey . Pictures next time ....

Mike and I went down to Vermont for a few days over the American Thanksgiving weekend . I experienced Black Friday for the first time . All I can say is WOW , not even our Boxing Day craziness can match that . It was fun , we had a nice weekend away and got a lot of our Christmas shopping done . I found a Carter's outlet for children's clothes and bought a whole bunch of baby clothes for the babies on the way .

Speaking of babies on the way , while we were in Vermont Max called to say that Stef was in the hospital experiencing contractions and that there was a possibility that the little guy might make an early appearance . We'd gone down with Stef's mom and step dad . You can imagine the phone calls back and forth , hoping that everything would be alright . It was . They were able to stop the labour with medication . The doctors at the hospital did recommend that she stop working right away and take it easy . She's got a prenatal visit with her doctor on Wednesday . I'm pretty sure that he'll recommend the same thing , especially if she tells him that she drove herself home while experiencing the contractions , got stuck in a traffic jam and that she , the usually unflappable Stef , had a meltdown . Anyway all's well that ends well .


I think one of the reasons I was so worried for Stef was that just few days before the young couple next door lost their baby . The baby died from complications during childbirth , a perfectly healthy , beautiful , at term , baby girl . Needless to say they and all of their family were devastated . Things like that don't happen often , but they do happen . You can't take things for granted even with all the medical means we have at our disposal today .

Well that's all that's new in my world . Must get back to the knitting ....

Friday's FO and a sneak peek

Liam's hat and scarf were finished yesterday . One more gift done ! Keeping fingers crossed that the hat fits . It's smaller than Jessey's but bigger than the ones for Max's baby (newborn ) . Sounds like a page out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The yarn for the hat was Sirdar's Country Style DK and the scarf was a mix of that with Berroco Comfort DK . I couldn't get 2 shades of grey in the Sirdar so I compromised with the Berroco. I think it worked out okay . Both the hat and scarf are as soft as can be and should be fine for a baby .

As an aside here, I've had a few people voice an opinion about babies and toddlers wearing scarves with the scarves being a possible choking hazard . That really took me by surprise as both of my boys wore scarves all the time when they were babies , toddlers and older children .They wore them inside their snowsuits or wrapped around their mouths when it was bitterly cold and they were outside for a longer time . I generally don't make them very long for that reason , just long enough to be tucked inside a coat . Chantal mentioned to me that Jessey's daycare no longer allows kid to wear scarves , even tucked inside a snowsuit . I can understand the precautions to a point , but to ban them even inside a coat ! Come on ! They allow neck warmers , so why not a scarf ? What do you think ? Scarves or no scarves .....

Here's a sneak peek at the new project on the needles.....

Have a good weekend !

Baby knits r us

It seems like all baby knits, all the time ,these days . The two blue ones were finished just in time for Stef's baby shower last Saturday . The grey one will be a baptism gift for Jessey's cousin Liam . Chantal's mom was quite taken with the hat and scarf that I'd knit for Jessey and asked if I could knit another for Liam . The scarf is in progress . I had a few requests for hats from some of Stef's friends at the shower . Flattering , but truth be told I'm ready to move on . I have two more in the queue, one for Sydney and another for Jessey and that's it , I'm done . For now anyways .

This is the little cardi that goes with the hat . I'd like to knit some bootees or socks if I get a chance . There's still 2 baby blankets and one other baby sweater , plus one more person to knit a pair of socks for as a Christmas gift . I can do it ....right ?!

Calming the Baby Beast

I dare you not to smile ....

Another Christmas gift done

I'm calling these Denis' Speckled Trout socks because the colourway reminds me of that species of fish . The recipient , our friend Denis is an avid fisherman so it seemed appropriate . I've promised to knit him socks ages ago and till now he's never received any . Better late than never !

The yarn is Regia Mosaik Color 6 ply . The pattern is a very easy one from More Sensational Knitted Socks called "Ridged Squares " . The colourway hides the ridges somewhat , though . I would have finished these much sooner but I got sidetracked by baby knits , not surprisingly .

Mike and I had an unexpected trip to Maine over the weekend . Mike's Uncle Paul passed away last week after a long battle with Alzheimer's . He suffered greatly , these last 2 years especially , so in the end it was a blessing . While this was a sad occasion it was so nice to see all the family . We hadn't seen Mike's cousins children for years . It was wonderful to meet them again and see them all grown up . They are a fantastic bunch and we should make the effort to get together more often .

Thank you all for the congratulations on our expected granddaughter . Casey and Chantal have already picked out a name - Stella . That's a name that's becoming popular again in Quebec these days , or so I'm told . All I could think of when they told me was of that famous scene from the movie ' A Streetcar Named Desire ' , Marlon Brando's ".....STELLAaaaaa.... ". Bad Omi ! I do like it but it's not a choice I would have expected from them .

Anyway back to the baby knits , oh , and maybe get some supper on ....

Thought I'd share

some good news . Yesterday we found out that our third expected grandchild will be a girl . Yippeeeee! I can finally knit some cute girly things in pink !

In the more good news department , I came across this item about a Nova Scotia couple who won 11 million dollars last July and gave it all away except for about 2% of their winnings . That brought tears to my eyes , thinking about how many people they helped with their generosity . Nice to see something like this in these days of bad economic times . Bless their ever lovin' hearts !

Two weeks

Apple picking with the little guy , resulting in an overabundance of apples which needed either eating up or baking . Here's one of the eight apple strudels in progress . Add to that a couple of apple cakes . Guess what , I still have more apples . That's the usual ,' eyes are bigger than the stomach ' thing . What was I thinking? That there would be an apple shortage due to unforeseen circumstances . And lest you think that there are some baked goods still lurking somewhere in this house , forget about it . My boys loaded up while the getting was good . Just as well otherwise I'd eat them ...

Then there was this visit from the Cookie Monster . He was a little disappointed that no one was giving out cookies , but all the chocolate and candy made up for it . I'm not so sure that mom and dad were quite ready to deal with the two year old hyped up on candy . Ah , brings back memories .

Yesterday I accompanied Stef to her appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound . Max couldn't get time off from work so I offered to go if she wanted company . Lucky me , she said yes and I was able to get a glimpse of the expected grandson . All is well and it looks if he'll be a big guy when he decides he's ready for the world .

Last but not least , there is some knitting going on . It was inevitable .... baby v cardi number 8 . I suddenly realized that the baby shower for Stef is only two weeks away . What better to knit than something I've already knit seven times before and that I could probably knit with my eyes closed . So there you go another one on the needles . The socks from the last post are almost done . I'm just getting to the toe decreases on the second sock .

That's it for now . Back to the sweater ...

One off , one on

Off the needles with toes grafted , ends sewn in , are Mike's Skyp socks . Finally ! The yarn is Austermann Step , lost the ball band so I couldn't tell you the colourway . Mike is a very happy camper to have another pair of hand knit socks . More coming , just not right away . I need a break from knitting socks for man size feet , albeit they're not overly large feet .

Last week was the week from hell as far as knitting goes . I cast on for these socks by Phyll Lagerman . These are intended to go into the Christmas knitting box . I was looking for a fun and funky sock design and these certainly fit the bill . I even had yarn in the stash . I'd chosen some Marks & Kattens Fame Trend that had been in the stash for at least a couple of years . What a disaster ! This yarn has beautiful colours but the yarn itself is so badly spun with so many thick(almost unspun ) and thin (barely there ) bits . The colour repeats were too long for the pattern . I 'd knit to the heel , hoping that perserverance would somehow win the day . Not to be ! Called it a day and ripped them out . Cast on with another yarn from the stash this was much better BUT got all the way past the gusset decreases on the foot and didn't like the fit . It was too loose , I should have gone down a needle size , so ripped that too . Gave up on that pattern for another day .

This is what I have on the needles now . A simple pattern , a nice yarn and mama's happy !

Snow boarder hat , toddler version

With the cooler and rainy weather last week I decided to cast on an ear flap hat for Jessey . I had enough yarn left from my Maine Blue scarf to knit the hat but not quite enough for a matching scarf . Off to the wool shop I went searching for some more Berroco Vintage . The blue that they had in stock was a different dye lot so I settled on a red , thinking I'd knit a striping scarf , then use the rest of it for another hat and possibly some mittens to match . This is the first half of the plan accomplished .

Here 's the little monkey modelling them for Omi . It actually fits ! This was my first attempt at an ear flap hat and I'm thrilled that it came out so perfectly . Gotta hand it to the crowd at Cabin Fever , their patterns are so well written . The book that I used is this one . Each design has two sets of instructions , one for a specific weight of yarn and another set you can use with the provided gauge and size charts that are adaptable to whatever weight of yarn you have on hand . Plus a chart for how much yarn you'll need . Makes it all easy peasy .

So now it's back to Mike's socks . After all it is Socktober ....

A rainy Friday

Makes a perfect day to hunker down , knit on a WIP and cook up something warm and delicious to eat . We're being deluged with rain today and I mean deluged . Mike had to go out and let some of the water out of the pool because it looked like it might overflow . Not good if it all runs toward the house and the foundation . The sump pumps were working full time overnight at Casey and Max's houses .They were worried that the power might go out so that the pumps wouldn't work . Luckily that didn't happen . We're not that deep so a pump isn't a necessity .

For some reason bad weather always puts me in the mood to cook or bake . I got up this morning , looked outside and decided to try a new recipe for breakfast . This is kind of a cross between a pancake and a souffle . I modified it slightly by adding some vanilla and sliced apples to the bottom of the pan . It was absolutely delicious ! Big hit with Mike and definitely one to make again .

Knitting wise I've been a busy bee . I finished another baby blanket , started an ear flap hat for Jessey and am busy with Mike's socks . Actually the hat is done except for the sewing in of the ends . The pattern is called the 8 Hour Baby Blanket from booklet put out by Plymouth Yarns . I found this booklet on our recent trip to Maine . I was so lucky as this was their last copy and the lady had to look awhile to find it . Guess it was meant to be ! It's a very quick knit , I used 8.00mm circulars . The yarn is Patons Decor which is an acrylic /wool blend , making it easy care . There are a bunch of other really nice blankets in this booklet so I'm set for when I need a quick knit for another baby gift .

That's the wrap up for this week . I'm off to start some soup .....

Have a good weekend !

Pretty , pretty Rosamond

These are my recently completed socks . They are Kate Blackburns' Rosamond pattern . I don't remember how exactly I came across this gorgeous design , but am I ever glad that I did. It was love at first sight and I love , love the finished socks . They're lacy and feminine without being overly fussy. As Goldilocks would say they are just right . And best of all they're for me ! Some of my hand knit socks are starting to be the worse for wear and it's time I knit some new ones .


The added bonus with these socks is that I'm slowly using up my Elann Sock it to Me 4 ply stash . This is a sturdy , adequate and inexpensive yarn for socks . It leaves a little to be desired in the softness category . The problem being that since I bought this yarn I've acquired some truly spectacular yarns and have been spoiled by them for this more plain and everyday yarn . I still like it overall , but it's true what they say , you get what you pay for . They're knit cuff down using 2,25mm dpns . I like this pattern so much that I can foresee me knitting another pair in a better quality yarn that would truly do it justice .


On to the next pair which will be for Mike who's definitely experiencing a shortage in the hand knit sock department . As he keeps reminding me ;-)) . But hey , I've only got two hands and there's so many projects , so little time . I'm not called restless needles for nothing ....


Have a wonderful weekend !

Scarf love

I'd lost the blogging mojo for a while but found the knitting mojo to replace it . I 've been suffering with a severe case of startitis and couldn't wait to cast on new projects before finishing the ones in progress. Usually this spells disaster with a plethora of unfinished knits in the knitting corner . Not this time , things are actually getting done , will wonders never cease !

The first one is a scarf I call Maine Blue , not because it's a blue ( as in sad ) project but because the yarn and pattern were bought in Maine on our recent visit . It reminds me of the colours of the ocean and sky on a beautiful day spent at the beach . An good image to keep in mind on a snowy winter day . The details are here on my ravelry page .

Second up is a stash buster . I've had some Noro Kureyon in the stash since 2004 . I'd bought some on impulse mostly because of the gorgeous colours . I came across 4 balls of 2 different but somewhat similar colourways . I'd cast on simply to see how the colours would work out and before I knew it I had a completed scarf . I don't have a recipient in mind , it'll be going into the gift basket . It'll need a good soak in a wool wash to soften up the scratchiness of the Noro . I wouldn't want to gift it as is . So the yarn is technically out of one stash but into another . Oh well ....

There is one more finished knit and two in progress to show but I'll save those for another day . Back to the knitting before the mojo disappears !

Finished socks and the birth of a knitter

We've been back from our vacation for almost 2 weeks and I still haven't posted my finished socks . I've been too busy knitting , baby sitting and watching the US Open . Oh and the house also had a quick once over just to get rid of some dust bunnies . But truthfully thanks to the tennis I've turned into a real couch potato this week . But a productive one !

These socks just missed the August deadline for the socks a month KAL . I finished them on Sept 1st . Love the pattern , but I'm not sure if my yarn choice was the best one for it . The yarn was new to me , it's a super wash bamboo . It's very splitty and slippery to work with but the finished socks are really , really soft . These are for Mallory . I consider her our almost niece ,but actually she's our friends daughter . I've known her since she was 2 years old and she is the sweetest 14 , almost 15 , year old you could ever hope to meet . She started knitting this summer and is working on a garter stitch scarf made from some of my leftovers from various projects . She calls it the Ugly Scarf , it's so ugly its cool . It's certainly funky but in the best way . When Mallory and her mum come over she always brings her knitting and proudly shows off her progress . I think this knitting thing might just stick .

Specs on the socks :

Yarn - Happy 4ply from Wendy a UK company . It's 75% bamboo , 25 % nylon .

Pattern - Circle socks (ravelry link ) by Anne Campbell . I knit them on 2,25mm dpns .

There are some more knits to show but I'll save them for another post . I also have some stash enhancements bought in Maine , also for another post . Before I forget , thank you all so much for the good wishes for the upcoming grand baby . I'm pinching myself , I can't believe that in the new year there will be 3 little bundles to cuddle . Lucky , lucky me !

Back home

and doing the happy dance . We had a very nice time on our week away in Ogunquit . I should add , despite the weather , which was rainy , stormy and windy for five out of the seven days of our stay . I did get 2 hot , sweltering days at the beach , so it's all good .

The big reason for the happy dance is that there's another grand baby on the way . That will make three ! Chantal and Casey are expecting another baby , as of now the due date is late March 2011 . Jessey will be a big brother !!! I see more baby knits on the horizon .

Heading out

I've been meaning to post all week but just couldn't get it together . Mike and I are heading out tomorrow morning for Maine . We've rented a house with some friends and are hoping that the gorgeous weather that we've had all summer will continue for another week . I'm dying to stick my toes into the ocean ! We're mostly packed and ready to go , actually the knitting is ALL packed , reading material is organized , clothes , well I'm still doing laundry ...

This is what I have planned to work on while Mike drives . I'm at the toe decreases on the first sock so should be able to get a good start on the second sock on the way down . They're called Circle Socks . These are another pair earmarked as a Christmas gift .

We had some very nice news yesterday , Max and Stef found out that they were having a boy . I'd kinda been hoping for a girl but it will be fun for Jessey to have a little buddy . Guess the little pink sweater goes in the gift basket . Someone is bound to have a girl sooner or later !

I'll be bringing my computer but I'm not sure if I'll be able to have access to the Internet so I'll catch you all in about a week . Have a great week !

Kisses cardigan

It took me longer to seam this little cardigan (details here ) than it did to knit it . I'm not completely happy with it . Seaming is not my strong suit and I had no end of problems with the set in sleeves . Also , my tension was uneven in spots and even with blocking it shows . So , glad it's done but not happy . At least I got gauge !


Well back to socks and the shawl in progress , those don't need seaming .


Have a great weekend ....

Taste testing

Grandpa sure has lots of tomatoes . Wonder which one should I pick ...

Grandpa says this one looks good enough to eat

Yup , the man knows his tomatoes . Do you think I can have more than one ?

Ta Da....

Mission accomplished ! The ends were sewn in this morning but it was finished over at Max's this past weekend . The first finished knit for the new grandbaby to be ! Stef has her next ultrasound on Aug 19th . We're hoping that they'll be able to tell whether they're having a boy or a girl . She'll be 20 weeks along at that point .

I love this little blanket . The pattern is the Pine Forest Baby Blanket on ravelry .The yarn is Berroco Comfort DK . The finished size is 30"X 28" . I wanted a blanket that would be easily carried along for the car or the stroller . I know that someone else is knitting larger blankets for this baby but wanted him/her to have one from me too .

Next up , the pink sweater is ready to be assembled . Brushing up on my finishing skills ,wish me luck ....

Is July almost over !

I've been in a bit of a funk lately , feeling kinda meh , which has meant no blogging . Mike is away on a fishing expedition up in northern Quebec for a couple of weeks . I'm always a little out of sorts when he's away . Anyway enough of that .

I haven't been knitting very much , still have the baby blanket , a baby sweater and a shawl on the needles . Just to make life interesting I cast on for another pair if socks . At least Mike's socks are done so I feel a little less guilty about starting another project . Speaking of which ....

I'm disappointed in the yarn . There was a problem with the colour sequence about half through the ball . You can see the wheels fall off the bus at the midpoint of the foot of the top sock in the photo. Till that point they matched up pretty well . Mike had seen them in progress and said that he's quite happy just to be getting them and that the matchiness is not an issue for him . Isn't he good , I think I'll keep him !

This weekend I'm staying at Max's to dog sit Zeus and Alaska . They have a beautiful deck and a pool and with the weekend weather looking promising , let's see if I can get at least one more project finished by Monday .

Have a good weekend !

After the heat

It's finally cooled down a tiny bit after last week's blistering heat . To think that I was looking forward to reading, knitting and enjoying the pool . We did enjoy the pool for the first couple of days till it got so hot that even going for a swim to stay cool was an exercise in futility. The pool temps last week were in the 90s . With no air conditioning the inside of the house was decidedly like an oven . Th main floor wasn't too bad but the upstairs was unbearable . After a week of this we bought an air conditioner for our bedroom which will help to keep the upstairs cool enough to at least get some sleep . The upside of the heat last week , I sweat off a few pounds .





I did more reading than knitting last week but I did pick up the sticks to work on the baby blanket for the Max's expected little one . But I gotta say that having a blanket on your lap doesn't help you to stay cool , so I picked up Mike's socks in progress . I cast on for these after seeing Manda's June socks in the sock a month KAL . The pattern is available as a free download on ravelry .




An interesting aside . As some of you might know my method of knitting has always been to hold the yarn in my left hand and also to throw it with the same hand to knit . This weird method comes from me being a self taught knitter , reading the instructions and feeling more comfortable doing it my way . It works . After always having to explain why I knit that way I decided to try and change it up . After a lot of practice and perseverance I now knit continental . I'm hoping to keep at it so that it becomes second nature . So far so good . I like the way my knitting looks , the tension is more even and it seems to me the stitch definition is nicer .





Off to search the Internet for some good zucchini recipes , dessert or otherwise . I used to have a really great recipe for chocolate chip zucchini cake but can't find it for love or money . Any you'd like to share ?

A rare weekend post

I just had to post because I finished the red blanket . I finished it a couple of days ago and it's packed away in Shirley's suitcase . She's leaving for Red Deer tomorrow morning . She's so excited to be visiting her son and his family . They'll be having a big party to celebrate Sidney's first birthday . I 'm looking forward to talking to her on Skype and getting to see the changes in the little guy since Christmas .

Speaking of Skype , have I ever mentioned how much I love it ! I'm able to video call my dad in Austria whenever I want . It costs nothing from computer to computer . You can call landlines or mobile phones for a minimal cost . I have a subscription for unlimited minutes to Europe for $5.95 CDN /month . I'm saving a bundle on long distance calls . Plus it's so nice to be able to see the person that you're talking to .

It'll be quiet around here as Casey and Chantal have rented a condo in Hampton Beach NH for a week . Jessey will get his first taste of the beach and the ocean . I'm missing the little guy like crazy . Casey promised to call on Skype so that we can get our Jessey fix . I looked at the weather forecast for Hampton Beach , boy , did they ever luck into perfect beach weather , sunny and hot , hot , hot . Ditto for here . That means that without air conditioning very little real work will get done here . Yours truly will be enjoying the pool , sipping cold beverages and trying to find a cool shady spot to read or knit . Such a hard life ! Man , I love summer !

Emma's socks

Finally, Emma's socks are done ! They have been hibernating since May ; they were put aside for the baby blankets, which BTW are still no closer to being finished . The deadline for the fluffy red one is this weekend . These are done just in time for the socks a month KAL and could also be counted in the Summer of Socks KAL .

The yarn for these socks is Regia Flusi 4 ply . All the colours in this line of yarn are so bright and cheerful . I ended up using only one of the two balls that I had with only a few yards left . I might try and get another one of the same dye lot to knit a pair of adult socks later on .

The pattern is the waffle rib from Sensational Knitted socks . I really like this pattern for child size socks and striping yarn . It's interesting enough , but not too busy . I've already cast on for the July socks . Off to work on the blanket !

40 inches or so

It's all baby blankets all the time . The two blankets measure up to about 40 inches or so . I say or so because every time I measure the darn things the measurements change . What's with that ? The red one is 21 " long , by my calculations another 9 " and I'm done . A couple of people asked about the yarn that I'm using . It's Bernats' Soft Boucle , beautifully soft , light as a feather , easy care , wears like iron , but a b***h to knit with . . The blanket for Max and Stef's baby is coming along nicely too . With that one there's plenty of time before it's needed so I can take a break with other knitting .

Last week I splurged on some new yarn . Valerie & her mom ( Wandering Cat Yarns ) had been busy dyeing up some new yarn for their etsy store . I had a peek and saw this beauty . It's the prettiest lilac / mauve colour . It was a must have . It arrived today and completely lives up to my expectations . I have 2 shawls in mind for this , it's a toss up depending on yardage . So far the frontrunner is Arabella . I just have to get done with the other WIPs . I MUST NOT cast on for anything else !

Happy Father's Day

.... to all of my boys ! Life wouldn't be the same without you ...

Wishing all the Dads a very happy day !

Catching up

Last week ended on some high notes after the sad beginning . On Friday evening , Jessey's cousin Liam made his entrance into the world . It was a surprise , he's a month early , but hey when you're ready , you're ready ! All went well for mom and baby . He is on the tiny side, weighing in at 4.7 lbs , but he's healthy and at home with his parents . It'll take a few months till he fits the sweater that I knit for him .

Saturday we attended a wedding of one of Max's friends . It was a beautiful wedding .We had a blast at the reception afterwards ! It's been a long time since I danced so much .

Max and Abe have been buddies since elementary school . They were always hanging around together here and at Abe's moms' place through high school .They always kept in touch later even though their lives diverged . Max had moved to Alberta for a couple of years and they still kept that bond. Max always called him my "other brother " . His bride Annie is a real sweetheart , funny , down to earth , kind and pretty . Can you believe that her grandmother made her wedding dress ? I wish them many years of happiness !

Knitting wise there are now 2 baby blankets in progress . One is for my grand baby -to -be , and this second one is for Shirley's grandson Sidney in Alberta . She'll be heading out west in a couple of weeks to celebrate his first birthday . She'd started this blanket , but is totally overwhelmed with the end of the school year reports , meetings , planning for next year and is running out of time to get it done . I offered to get it done before she leaves . I'm rotating working on them . If you add them together I have about 30 inches of baby blanket knit . That would be almost enough for one complete blanket . I'm anxious to get them done so that I can get back to regularly scheduled shawl and sock knitting . There's also a cute little baby sweater waiting in the wings . Knit , knit , knit .....

Passing the torch

Yesterday minding my own stitches nominated me for a beautiful blogger award . It was a complete surprise and I must say a very pleasant one . Thank you ! I started reading knitting blogs in 2006/2007 which was probably the heyday of blogging according to some pundits . I read them mainly as a means of inspiration and also improving my knitting skills . I discovered the myriad of yarns , patterns and techniques thanks to other bloggers .

When I was younger I had a romantic notion that pen pals from around the world would be so cool . It would be a way of connecting with other people from faraway places . The Internet has made the world so much smaller and it is so much easier now to find a connection with people /community . Initially , and it probably still is to a large extent , this blog was an experiment and a journal of my knitting . A bit of my life and family crept into it bit by bit . The most wonderful thing though has been the connection with the friends who leave their comments and visit . Because that what it feels like , a virtual visit from a friend , who shares my love of knitting . I love to hear what they do in their lives , their stories , their knitting and how the world is in their corner of it .

Ten things about me you might not know about me ....

I can't swim .

I love the ocean , go figure.

I don't like seafood.

I also don't like salads , have to force myself to eat one .

I' m a current events junkie , who loves to follow politics and could probably qualify as a bleeding heart liberal .

I love movies !

I love flowers in a garden , but can't keep a houseplant alive to save my life . With the exception of the Christmas cactus that my mother gave me almost 30 years ago . I think cactus is the operative word here .

I don't like housework ,but do it because I really don't like the alternative of a dirty house either . I do enough to keep the place decent , but don't look in the closets .

I love to play poker . I play online , but not for real money , too cheap for that . We used to have a weekend game with the kids and their friends , till they had better things to do than play poker with the old folks . I miss it .

I'm a klutz , period , point finale .

Passing the torch to some of my favourite bloggers , in no particular order .

Just in the Knit of Time

NovaKnitter

Wildflower Wool Knits

Strickmuse

Smoking Hot Needles

Celtic Cast On

Only Socks

Stop , Breath , and Knit

Knitting is in My Genes

Tangled up in Sticks and String

PS , Blogger is being a PIA today and keeps messing up my spacing no matter how I edit this post . Sorry for the run on spacing . Just make me look stupid , it'll work this time or not ....

Random Wednesday

Whoosh , and it's already Wednesday ! First , thank you all for the congratulations on Max and Stefanie's big news . It's wonderful news to be able to share and it's really nice that you took the time to extend your good wishes .



On Saturday , I couldn't resist a trip to my LYS for some baby yarn . I had an idea of starting a baby blanket , but there was nothing suitable in the stash . The "candy stripes blankie " from this book was my first choice . After a lot of browsing , I ended up buying some Berroco Comfort yarn and two gorgeous Sirdar pattern books , and also enough yarn to make a girly little baby sweater . Yes , I opted for the "girly" as a change of pace . I cast on for the blanket , didn't like it as much as I'd expected and came up with this instead . The inspiration was Lynn's blankets for the Warm Hands Network , which are absolutely gorgeous .




The start of the week has been a little rough as I'd learned of the death of a friend's son . Gwen is the mother of one of my dearest friends who passed away suddenly in 2000 .In 1995 , her youngest daughter died from cancer , in 1998 it was her husband , also from cancer . Then on Monday morning her son and last surviving child also died suddenly , presumably from a heart attack . It doesn't seem fair that one person has to suffer so many loses . She's a strong and capable person with good network of friends ; she'll certainly need them .




On a less sad note , the annual "Relay for Life " for the Canadian Cancer Society , was held last Friday night . Other than raising a little bit of money for the cause , I didn't stay and walk the relay through the night , just a couple of hours. Casey , Chantal and Jessey represented our side of the family . The good news is that our community was able to raise over $230,000 , with our group contributing just over $4000 of that . Not bad at all . Apparently the total was a record for the local event .

Doing the happy dance

I'm going to be an Omi again ! Max and Stef are expecting their first baby . We (the parents) have known about it for a few weeks , but as it was early days , didn't want to announce it to the world . The waiting was so hard , I wanted to shout it from the rooftops . Jessey will have a cousin ! Yesterday Stef had her first appointment with the doctor and he gave her the good news that all is well and she should be okay to tell friends and family . On Stef's side this will be the first grandchild . Her mom phoned me after Max and Stef announced it to them , she is thrilled to pieces ! We were all hoping that 2010 would bring us a new addition . Looks like it will 2011 as her due date is Jan 4 . Could still be this year as babies arrive when they're good and ready .

Off to search ravelry for baby knits . I have some in mind , no not the basic baby v cardigan (again) . Keeping fingers crossed that this will be a girl . I would just love to knit something feminine and sweet for a baby girl ; there are so many cute designs for girls . It really doesn't matter though as long as everything goes well for Stef and this baby is born healthy ....

Have a great weekend !

Summertime !

Summer has hit with a vengeance and I'm loving it ! Like much of the eastern part of Canada we've been experiencing a heat wave , with temperatures in the 30s . We've gone from snow on Mothers' Day to heat like it's July already. Fortunately for us the pool has been up and running for a couple of weeks .Can you believe that we were able to go for a swim on Victoria day weekend - unheard of ! Jessey is not a big fan of the pool yet but managed to find some ways to stay cool .

The only thing that marred this otherwise perfect week has been the elimination of our Canadiens in the playoffs . I guess it was inevitable that they run out of steam at some point , but we're still sad to see the dream of the Stanley Cup back in Canada have to wait for another year . The boys gave us an exciting run and hats off to them . I'll be cheering for Phillie , while Mike supports the Blackhawks , go figure ....

Just in the nick of time , I finished another little baby sweater . This is for Chantal's brother's baby , Liam expected in mid July . I say in the nick of time because the shower is tomorrow afternoon . The pattern is the basic baby v cardigan (again ). "Again " is what it says on your ravelry page whenever you knit the same pattern more than once. Laughed when I saw that , apparently I do that quite often . I love this pattern and I love the yarn (Berroco Comfort DK ) . Perfect little baby sweater if I do say so myself !

Have a wonderful weekend ....

Quick Friday post

It seems that I'm on a roll with blocking shawls these days . I finally got around to blocking my Ravelympics project , the blue Spinner's Lace shawl . It only waited in the knitting basket for almost 3 months . Bad, bad , bad !

Yesterday I received a package from Valerie of Wandering Cat Yarns . This was a thank you for helping her niece in fundraising for the Heart & Stroke Foundation . It was so very nice of her and so much appreciated . She emailed me and asked me to choose a yarn from her etsy store . This superwash merino arrived yesterday afternoon . How gorgeous is that ! Thank you very much Valerie !!!

Hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend !

Ishbel

She's done ! I wanted a simple , cosy shawl to put around my shoulders when I'm having my first cuppa on a cool morning . This fits the bill to a tee . The pattern was a dream to knit , and the Regia Hand-dye Effekt sock yarn was a nice surprise . It was nice to work with , didn't cost an arm and a leg and can I say , I just love this colourway .

Specs : Regia Hand-dye Effekt sock yarn colour azurit .

Knit on 4,00 mm Addi- Turbo lace circular needles .

finished size 68" w X 31 " deep .

With two other projects on the needles I'm all set for tonight's hockey game . I need some knitting to calm the nerves as our boys are down 2 games to 0 and it's not looking good .Tonight it's on home ice so hopefully that will bring them some luck . Go Habs Go !

Just when you think it's safe

to take off the flannel sheets and get rid of the winter jackets Mother Nature throws you a curve. Imagine , snow on May 9th AND on Mothers Day to add insult to injury . It's been so freaking cold ! So much for the family BBQ and sitting outside on the patio .

I will say though that it was an excuse to stay in and knit . Late yesterday I cast off the playoff socks from last week . I used this basic ribbed sock pattern , but made quite a few modifications as I went along . Starting with the cuff , I did a k1, p1 rib for an 1 1/2 inches before starting the k3 ,p1 rib . I also lengthened the heel flap and modified the toe decreases . I knit them on 2,25 mm dpns . As mentioned before I used Fortissima Colori yarn from the stash . These will be heading out to Alberta come Christmas this year . I know it's early but I'm trying to beat the Christmas knitting stress this year .

Next up are some socks for Emma , my friend Shirley's granddaughter. I wish I could say that I dug this out of the stash , but it was a fairly recent purchase . I just loved the colours and immediately earmarked the yarn for Emma . I'm convinced knitting on socks has brought a good vibe to these playoffs . Hopefully these will bring the Habs some luck tonight in the match against Sid the Kid and the Penguins . God knows they need it with all the injuries . I'd love to see a game 7 . BTW , we're also rooting for Vancouver in their series . Gotta cheer on our Canadian teams ...

Hockey playoff knitting

It seems that the NHL playoffs have increased my knitting productivity . Witness these socks , one done and one already at the heel flap . I'm continuing my stash smackdown with this ancient Fortissima Colori Socka yarn . If memory serves me correctly this was one of my first purchases of sock yarn . That would date it circa 2004 . About time that it was knit up don't you think ...

As for the Ishbel shawl , its coming along really well . Lace knitting and watching hockey are not necessarily compatible . To save my sanity and avoid tinking back I knit on it only when I have a few minutes spare time here and there .

Mike and I are working on a major overhaul of the perrenial beds in the backyard most days , weather permitting . The garden has been sadly neglected in the last few years in favour of house renovations . Consequently this has been a week of digging , enlarging some of the beds cleaning out weeds , dividing and transplanting , adding new earth , fertilizing , mulching , etc. There's still lots more work to do but I have visions of sitting outside on the patio this summer with a nice glass of wine , a good book or some knitting , enjoying the fruits of all this hard work . A gals gotta dream right...

With this Sunday being Mother's Day , I wish all the moms a very happy day with all the blessings of family to surround you !