Last Day Of November

I can't believe today is the last day of November. Although I didn't officially join NaBloPoMo I did try to post more than I usually do. I think I did a pretty good job. This is post 23 for the month. I know there were days where I posted more than once but it was fun and I am glad I made the effort.

Today I am tired beyond belief. Joseph is not well and I was up all night. I went to work this morning, waited for the courier, did a few phone calls, and then came home. I am so in need to sleep but it doesn't seem to want to come. I am just way overtired, I think.

There is one good thing that comes from being up all night. I finished the first Campanula sock. I used the p2tog cast off and then I felt it was too tight so I took it out and redid it with a regular cast off in rib since my cast off is not tight.

Now I think I am going to take a book and try to get some sleep. Joseph just went back to bed so if I try to read maybe I'll pass out in the middle of a page.

Almost There

I am almost finished with the scarf I am doing for Shannon. I love this pattern so much. It can be tedious as it gets longer because it tends to twist in the skinny sections but I still just can't get over the construction. I just have the blocking to do and I just hope I can get around to that before our next snb. If I don't, I am going to be really disgusting and give it to Shannon without it being blocked. The weather is getting colder and I don't want her to have to wait for it just because I couldn't find the time to block it.

The yarn is Rown cotton glace in colour SH723. I can't get the colour to show properly but it is a lovely lavender.

In other knitting, I've finally picked up the Campanula socks once again. I am past the heel and since I know what I did wrong the first time, the same mistake will not happen again. I should get the first sock done this weekend. I am liking the Harmony needles a lot for the Tofutsie yarn. It is much easier and I am not having as much problems with splitting as I was with the regular Options needles.

At Least I Can Spell Most Of The Time

I Scored a 93%!

Before and After

My daughter Henny's youngest had his first haircut on Sunday. Menachem Mendel is now 3. This is the before picture. Here is the after. He looks so cute. It is amazing how quickly they seem to "grow up" once their hair is cut. It is almost instantaneous. This little guy looks a lot like his older brother Shimon. Now that he has his haircut they look more alike than ever before. Want proof?
Here is Shimon. When they get older I think people are going to think their twins. Happy Birthday Mo. Bobbi loves you.

Disney Trivia

This surprised me a little. I guess I still am a kid at heart.

I SCORED A 90%

What Superhero Are You?

I saw this on Barbara's blog and had to give it a go.
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 60% Robin 52% Superman 50% Green Lantern 45% Batman 40% The Flash 35% Iron Man 30% Hulk 30% Catwoman 20% Supergirl 20% Wonder Woman 10%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

The Purple Purl

It was a very busy and eventful day today. It started off with me leaving the house at 6:30 to finally getting the winter tires put on my car. Then I went to Ramona's. We've been planning on getting together for the longest while but life kept getting in the way. We decided to go see this new yarn shop called The Purple Purl that opened last week in the Beach. You can see some pictures of the place here (bad blogger that I am, I forgot my camera). Thank you Sherri for the pictures. The place is amazing. It has a very spacious and extremely friendly atmosphere. The owners are Miko and Jennifer and they are just amazing.

Of course there was no way I was going to spend all day in a yarn shop and walk out empty handed. I bought two skeins of sock yarn. One is Araucania Ranco Multy in colour PT496. The second one is Lucy Neatby's Celestial Merino in colour Sugar Maple. I'm trying to get away from the purples and blues I tend to buy all the time. Ok, so I only half succeeded. I'm greatful for baby steps. I also bought some yummy fibre. It's an angora/merino blend and it is so soft. They also had some alpaca/silk blend I might get the next time I go. They have knit night every Tuesday so I might go the weeks I am off from my regular snb, weather permitting.

Ramona came with a lovely gift for me yesterday. I won a contest on her Campanula for the Cure KAL and this is the first time we've met since I won so she brought me my prize. The yarn is laceweight 50/50 merino/silk blend from Perchance to Knit and the colour is Midnight Rainbow/Harlot's Peacock. The picture doesn't do it justice at all. You can't see the different colours that peek through when you look at the yarn. It is gorgeous. There's approx. 1150 yards of yarn here so I have enough for a shawl. I think there is a Fiddlesticks knitting pattern that this will become sometime soon. Now I have to figure out which one it wants to be.

I really have to give a big thank you to everyone at the Purple Purl. We arrived there around 10:30 and then went for breakfast. We got back around 11:30 and stayed until past closing. They close at 6 and I don't think we left until closer to 7. If you have a chance to go there, you really should. You won't be sorry, trust me.

Harmony

On Tuesday the postman brought me my Haromony set. I think I've been spoiled. Knit Picks is an amazing company (NAYY). You can get yarn that is good quality for a fraction of what you pay for it elsewhere and the same holds true for needles. I can't even begin to say how much I love their nickle plated and Harmony wood needles. I used to be a huge Addi Turbo fan. I have a lot invested in their needles and I would trade all of them(except the really long circs like 40cm or longer) for Knit Picks needles. The other day I was trying to knit the mini socks for Sparkle and I decided to try using my 2.5mm Addi lace needle. You know that even with cable on the lace needles being more flexible than the regular Addi's they still can't hold a candle to the Knit Picks cables. With the addition of their wood needles to the line I don't think I will ever get needles from another company.

On the knitting front, I'm working on the puzzle scarf for Shannon. I've almost completed the first 9 sections but I will definitely have to make it longer. The yarn is a Rowan cotton and I'm using 3.25mm needles because I wanted to make sure the cotton wouldn't stretch out once the scarf is done.

One Of These Days

Ever since I learned to spin last year I have wanted one of these. I keep looking at them on ebay and saying I am going to get them and then don't end up doing it. Why, you might ask? Well for one thing I hate to pay the huge shipping cost to send this thing to Canada. I mean the blockers themselves are $26 US and then to pay an additional $17.30 US to send them to Canada I think it's nuts and highway robbery, to tell you the truth. I will be in NYC next month and the bug is itching me once again to order them. We'll see how long I can resist this time.

Ripples Complete

Once Sparkle was all dressed, I turned my attention back to sock number two of the Sockamania November sock. This pattern is called Ripples. Yarn used is some of Maggie's hand dyed yarn from Dyed in the Wool Handmade. The colour is Hanging Baskets. I worked the pattern from the toe up and changed the top by added a 3x3 ribbing. I tried to cast off without it and it just didn't fit right. This way it's much better.

Next up, I have to finish a project from yarn gifted by Kimberly. Knit another scarf like the scarf I did for my ISE partner, and finally two babies are due any second so I think I am going to forget about the blankets and do either Tulip or Rocketry depending on the sex of the babies. I don't think I am going to do a colour version. It will take too long to knit up. Once the little ones arrive I'll decide on yarn. For now, I'll get started on that second scarf, since I can knit that practically from memory and not have to concentrate on charts.

Quiz Time

I saw this quiz on Kathleen's blog. I definitely am a morning person but not much of a cook.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

All Dressed Up

Sparkle is all dressed up now. I've finished all the mini socks for now. I still have more I want to do but I have to find more bits of sock yarn. I just love the way he looks. Even Paul said it is adorable. Yarn used from left to right - Hanging Baskets hand dyed yarn from Maggie at Dyed In The Wool Handmade. Cherry Red from Cherry Tree Hill, Super Sock yarn. Another yarn from Maggie, Lang Jawoll Cotton, navy blue sock yarn that I don't know the yarn company, and the last one I don't know either. the last two socks are from some bits I got from Chelle.

I altered the pattern that comes along with Sparkle just a little bit. I wanted a longer sock that I had when I followed the pattern to the letter. So, I switched to 2.25mm needles hoping for a longer sock. It was longer but not as long as I liked so I added 2 rounds to the k1p1 ribbing and 1 rnd to the st st leg section. I also added 2 rows to the heel flap, and voila, a great fitting mini sock. I even got much better at avoiding those pesky little holes once I did a few of these. Now I can complete a sock in less than 30 minutes and I only have to look at the pattern for the toe.

I love the look. I think I want to get another one for my daughter and get it all dressed before I go to NY next month.

Me & My Big Mouth

I should have known years ago that when I opened my mouth and told Joseph I would not allow him to go to Mary Ward that he would choose that school. Right now I am so furious I can't even speak. This is the only outlet I have at the moment. I also feel powerless to do anything about it. I should have known the writing was on the wall. I suppose the only good part is he chose Brebeuf as his second choice but there is no way he won't get into Mary Ward. So now I will spend the next year worried that he isn't getting his work done. I will say this much, and Joseph has been warned, if he doesn't finish all the courses that he needs to for grade 9 he won't be going back to Mary Ward for grade 10. I hate my life right now.

Sparkle!

Look what the postman brought me today. Isn't it just adorable? Those of you that know me, know I am already a big fan of the mini sock blocker keychains that you see on the right. I gave them to my snb group one year and I give them as a little something extra when I send a package, like the ISE5 exchange. Well, Debbie, at Felt Up Designs has changed her name and is know Knitcellaneous. When I went to the new site and saw Sparkle I knew I had to have him. I would have gotten Flash, the full size sock blocker peacock but size, space, and cost said no. This one isn't very expensive and it's not very big so I broke down and ordered it. Hey the Canadian dollar is higher than I've ever seen it since I came to Canada in 1992 so how could I not get it right? Now all I have to do is finish the sock I'm working on so I can dress this guy. I'll take pictures once he is no longer naked.

What To Do?

Tonight was the last of the open houses for high school. The application has to be handed in next week. I must admit that I am very prejudice about the school we went to tonight. I don't like it. I don't want Joseph going there. I wasn't impressed at all with the place. I probably wasn't impressed because I don't want Joseph going there. Why, you might ask. Paul's niece and 2 nephews went there and none of them graduated. The way the school is set up is totally different. It isn't structured at all. You learn at your own pace. If you decide to slack off you'll pay by, most likely, not finishing. Joseph, in my opinion, is the type of child that needs more structure. This school doesn't have that at all. He decides what classes he wants to take on a given day. He checks in when he gets to school but there isn't attendance taken in the classroom.

The school he went to last week I was thinking would be alright. Then I started hearing things about this school. One of the teacher's at Joseph's current school has a son in the same class as Joseph. She told me the other night she wouldn't send her son to that school because she is afraid he would get beat up. The kids say the school is a gang school. So that leaves me with the choice I wanted all along. The question is, do I force Joseph to go there or not? The kids say it's a "gay" school because it's an all boys school. Aside from the school having a great learning reputation, the fact that it is an all boy school is an added plus, if you ask me. If you ask the kids, it's a definite minus. Of course, as they told us at the open house last Thursday, the parents don't realize there is an all girl school down the road so even if the kids are not in the classroom together they are not worlds apart. I am torn. I really haven't got a clue what is the right thing to do anymore. Decisions, decisions. Choice isn't always a good thing.

Time Flies

I honestly don't know where the time goes. It is difficult for me to believe how old my children are let alone my grandchildren. My daughter Henny's youngest is going to be 3 very soon and they will be cutting his hair for the first time. I wish I could be there but I have to be down in NYC at the end of December so a trip in November just won't be on the radar. Menachem Mendel is just too cute for words and the invitation my daughter sent me doesn't do him justice but it sure comes close. If you're wondering why his hair hasn't been cut yet, read the invitation. It explains it better than I ever could.

Snakes!!

I went to Gemini Fibres this afternoon and picked up a Kromski arc lazy kate in walnut. Only problem is the lazy kate was missing the spokes, or whatever it's called, that hold the bobbins. I didn't realize the kate was missing parts until I tried to put it together when I got to Maggie's. No problem though. Cheryl is giving me the spokes from the lazy kate she has in the shop and she'll get more from Kromski. I also got a little fibre to try and play with on the carder and a little fleece to play with as well.

From Gemini I went over to Maggie. That thing I've been working on and not blogging about, I'm designing the December sock pattern for Robyn's December sock club kit. I can't really go into more details than that but it's been lots of fun. Maggie took some pictures of the socks for the pattern. While we were outside I moved and Maggie noticed this snake in the grass. I was standing on the bloody thing!!!! I was sure it was dead but it wasn't. I guess I wasn't totally on it or something. Maggie picked it up with a stick and it was sticking it's tongue in and out while she moved it. Later she realized she never took a picture of the snake and when we went out to try and get one but it had already slithered away to a different place and we couldn't find it.

Ripples

I've started my Ripples sock, the November sock from the Sockamania Club. There isn't much progress but here is what I've done so far. The pattern is done cuff down so I've changed it to toe up. I don't usually do top down socks anymore because when I do kitchener stitch my hands hurt. I can't explain why that is, it just is. The yarn is hand dyed yarn from Maggie at Dyed In The Wool Handmade. It's called Hanging Baskets. So far, I am very pleased with the way they are working up and they are so soft. I might have a problem knitting some other sock yarn in my stash now.

Last night was Friday night and I'm trying to go back to Friday night spinning. Not a heck of a lot of spinning went on here last night. I was so tired I conked out in my chair after just a piddly little amount of spinning was done. I'm going to spin this morning instead of knitting to make up for lost time. I'm off to Mt. Albert and Keswick later today. I have a lazy kate to pick up at Gemini Fibres and then off to Maggie's for more goodies.

Shannon has blogged about her colour triangle from our carding class. Boy does it look good. I have to get my ass into gear and get mine done. Maybe I'll manage that this weekend.

Life is way too busy these days - open houses for high schools, confirmation meetings that were just a waste of time. I tell you I'll be a complete nut job (more than I already am) by the time this school year is over and done with. Then I get to have fun dealing with Joseph in high school. I'm still not ready for that but it's coming ready or not and will be here before I turn around, YIKES!

Fall Back?

I know we changed the clocks back on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I also know we were supposed to be getting back that hour of sleep we lost in the spring. Then why the heck doesn't it feel like I got that hour back? I've been waking up an hour earlier than I did before the clock change so I've been waking up anywhere from 4:00 to 5:00 am and I'm more tired now than I was before we changed the bloody clock. It takes me weeks to adjust every time we do this.

On the knitting front, I've started the November Sockamania Club socks. I'm using some hand dyed sock yarn I got from Maggie at Dyed In The Wool Handmade. I'll take pictures once I have more completed. This yarn has to be the softest sock yarn I have ever used. Once you knit with this stuff you won't want to use anything else. I used the same yarn in a different colour for that project I've been working on and I was amazed at the softness of this yarn. When I finished the socks yesterday I had a hard time knitting because of how different the two yarns feel.

Another One Bites The Dust Finally!

These socks are FINALLY an FO!!!! The stitch pattern is from the More Sensational Knitted Sock book and I did the same construction I do with 99% of the socks I knit. I started the first sock so long ago I can't even remember. Then I got side tracked and did a ton of other projects. When I finally went back to the first sock and finished it, I couldn't find the second ball of yarn. While looking for something else, as is usually the case, I found the second ball. I've been so sick of these socks, for some reason, that progress has been slow. Well I can finally say they are all done and now I have to find someone who they will fit so I can get them out of my site. I love knitting socks and I have not had a pair of socks be such a chore to knit as these were. Maybe it's the stitch pattern. I don't really know. I do know I am glad they are done.

Tonight was night two of high school open house. The first one I didn't go do. It was Tuesday night, and there really wasn't anywhere to park my car, so I went off to my snb. I did stay at the event tonight. We have one more to go to on Tuesday and then Joseph has a very short time to decide what high school he wants to go to. Applications must be in no later than November 23rd and Joseph said his teacher wants them handed in by November 19th. I know which school I want him to go to and I highly doubt he will choose that school. So then the question is do you force or not. I am leaning towards not forcing because when he chose the current school after grade 6 he was very happy in his decision and has enjoyed grade 7 and so far grade 8, despite the teacher problems, more than he did grades 2-6. I'll wait until after the third school has their open house and then we'll have a discussion on his options.

What Next?

I've finished the knitting on that project I can't blog about right now. I just have finishing touches I have to do and that should be done this weekend. Now the question is what do I do next? I have to make something for Joseph's teacher from last year. His wife is expecting sometime this month. I was going to make the Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket but I am not sure I want to get started with a big project right now. Instead, I am contemplating doing the Tulip or Rocket sweater in one colour. I might wait until the baby is born so I can decide which one to do.

I haven't even touched my spinning wheel since last Friday. I've decided to go back to my Friday night spinning because if I don't I'll never get to touch my wheel.

I Am So Not Ready

Tonight was snb night and as usual it was great fun. Maggie, we missed you. Hope to see you next time.

I can't believe how COLD it was out there tonight. I am so not ready for winter. I put on my winter coat but that is too depressing to even think about. We might have snow by the end of the week. Of course, I do realize it is November and we have been very lucky so far. I'm not complaining about that. I just so dislike the frosty cold temps and even worse the dirty "s" word (shhhh snow). I won't even go into what I think of freezing rain.

I know ski resorts and the like need this for a successful season. So I wish them all the FREEZING cold temps and tons and tons of that "s" word and lets just have nice clean roads here for as many days as possible until the warmer temps come back and the leaves return and life is sprung back into the trees, grass and gardens.

Here's to a short winter. Wishful thinking I know but the other alternative I find extremely depressing.

November 5th Already?

It is unbelievable to me that more than a week has flown by since I last posted. I know that November is National Blog Posting Month and here it's November 5th and this is my first post. In my defense, I guess life has been way too hectic. I'm working on something that I can't really blog about right now but I'll have more about that later in the year.

Saturday was the most fun day. I met Shannon early in the morning and headed up to Gemini Fibres for their carding class. The instructor was Wendy Whelan. I've had the privilege to take a few of her classes and they are always great. Shannon is all set and ready to go. Always bubbly and always fun. It was great having her along in the car for the drive back and forth. Thank you Shannon for joining me.

Amazing Maggie met us at Gemini. I am in such awe of her talents. Her spinning is amazing. I can't even put into words how wonderful she is at dyeing fibre and yarn. Once again, she didn't disappoint at the class. She did an amazing job of blending her colours.


Speaking of blending, look at all the colours. There was a cool set and warm set of red, yellow, and blue that we used to blend and make other colours. 50% red and 50% yellow, weighed to make sure they weighed the same, and blended to make orange, etc. We did a colour triangle of 9 colours and we had white and black to make tints and shades. Once I get my triangle together I'll post pictures. Don't hold your breath. Too much in the wings that has to get done first.

I also managed to buy the last thing I wanted to send to my ISE5 partner and another goodie for my SP11 partner while at Gemini. I am hoping that package to my ISE5 partner will go out tomorrow. Now I just have to find a box to put everything in. The package for my SP11 partner has to go out a little later in the month. This is the big reveal package so I hope she will be happy with all my choices. I have one more thing to pick up, hopefully tomorrow, and then that package will be ready to go as well.

On the non knitting front, the doctor changed the antibiotics. I've been taking Sulfatrim since the end of June. I guess the infection isn't clearing up as quickly as the doctor would like so he's switched me to Macrobid. I HATE that stuff. I am struggling with it but it's only been a day and a half and I am hoping my system will adjust. On a positive note, I'm not paying homage to the porcelain queen like I did the first and only time I took this stuff about 14 years ago. It has made me more dizzy but so did the Sulfatrim and that got better in a few days. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that the same will happen with the new stuff.