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 !