Surprise ...

Imagine , two posts in a week ! I've been plagued by insomnia lately so I feel like the proverbial dogs dinner , but the resulting finished knitting makes me happy . This is the my version of the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann . I'm not sure which of her books this was originally published in , but I'd ordered this leaflet from Schoolhouse Press sometime last year . Thank God for helpful hints from the Zimmermaniacs on Ravelry ,without them this might have been a UFO . I can't, for the life of me , get a decent picture to truly represent the gorgeousness of this yarn (Colinette Cadenza in the "Dusk " colourway ) . The colours are just so much deeper and richer than these photos show . I love it ! It will probably fit for all of two minutes because babies grow so fast .

Knitting baby socks is just like eating chips you can't just knit one pair , before you know it you've started another, and then another. I've finally found a way to knit up all my bits of sock yarn remnants . I keep petting them , they're so tiny and cute . Can't wait to put them on little baby feet !

Monkey socks , you're wondering - not done yet , somehow baby things keep jumping onto my needles . Well the playoffs start tonight so maybe soon .....

Signs of Spring !

Yay ! My Irises are peeking up through the earth . Okay they're near the house in the little bit of our yard that is snow free , but it's a start . It's considerably warmer and sunnier , even allowing me to hang up the laundry on the clothesline yesterday . I'll take it !

Living in a household of men (even the pets are males ) you kind of get the hockey bug by osmosis . Our Habs finally made it to the post season after quite a dry spell . They finished first in the eastern Conference , another YAY ! If they continue to do well in the Playoffs , it augurs well for a lot of knitting getting done .

Not so much a Yay , but a sure sign of spring ... Income Tax time . This year there'll be a little refund coming our way , for a change . Wonder what I should spend it on ....

Dogs R Us

Chantal's back to teaching after being off for @ 6 weeks awaiting the test results to determine whether she has the antibodies for the Fifth Disease . This is a viral infection that can be fatal for the fetus in pregnant women . Fortunately she's been given the all clear. That means I'll be dog sitting Maggie and Gizmo when Chantal has longer days or can't get back home to let them out at lunch . God help me ! I love them all , but 3 dogs are quite a challenge. Maggie is 4 months old now and has lots of energy to spare. She's tripled in size since they got her and Bingo and Gizmo are learning to cope with this great BIG baby. They do both hold their own with her and Maggie knows her place in the pecking order .

During Saturday's Earth Hour I worked on the baby cardigan . I finished it on Sunday evening , but still have to give it a soak and blocking . I'll try and find some cute buttons to finish it off some time this week. Taking a break from baby sweater knitting , I've moved on to baby socks . As for the Monkey socks they're still in the rotation , hopefully I'll get them off the needles this week.

Well, I'd better get going . The pooches are getting restless , so a walk is in order . Who runs who in this house I wonder? Knitting continues .... sometime .

Earth Hour

Last night's Earth Hour at my house . Knitting by candlelight .

Spring cleaning

I'm doing a little spring cleaning of the knitting basket . What you didn't think I meant housecleaning did you ? Spring has still not sprung here in Quebec , so the major housecleaning that signifies the end of winter will have to wait a bit ... too bad , so sad.

There are a couple of projects on the needles that have been there way too long , so while I may be tempted to cast on new knits, especially baby knits , I'm trying to do a cleanup of the WIP . First off the Monkey socks . according to my knitting journal these have been hibernating since August 2007 . It's time to get them done - it really shouldn't take 6 months to knit a pair of socks .

Speaking of babies , thank you for your congratulations on our upcoming grand baby . I've been spending a lot of time on Ravelry searching for knit patterns for babies . There's so much info available , both free and in books and leaflets , I don't think I'll ever run out of something to knit. My Ravelry queue is certainly getting longer and longer.

Having said that I'm not going to cast on any baby knits right now, there is a little top down cardigan that I just couldn't resist starting. It's my bring along project. I've been spending a lot of time with my friend Marie . She's not doing very well health wise and this winter has been extremely hard for her. She's unable to keep up with knitting socks these days , but is knitting some plain garter stitch ribbon yarn scarves. She needs something to occupy her and for the moment they fit the bill. Once a knitter always a knitter.

Happy News !

It can finally be told , Mike and I are going to be grandparents ! We are just over the moon . Casey and Chantal had often talked about starting a family right after their wedding . Guess they weren't kidding. She's in her 11th week and after her doctor's appointment last week everything seems to be progressing normally. She's had some morning sickness and feels tired all the time , but otherwise everything is fine. This will be the first grandchild for both families . I guess there will be more baby knits on the needles this year.

When Irish eyes are smiling !

Yesterday was Montreal's 184th St. Patrick's Day parade . According to today's paper , there were approximately 300,000 people in attendance.

We were very lucky with the weather , not sunny, but mild . a great time was had by all , young and old ! Happy St. Patrick's Day !