Look What Points Can Do!

You know those pesky cards that a lot of stores have these days? The ones where you accumulate points for purchases you make in their stores? Thanks to Maggie, I found out that Shopper's Drug Mart carries the Wii and the Wii Fit. Not only that, I could use my Optimum points towards the purchase of said Wii Fit. So, tonight on my way home I stopped at one SDM and no go. They didn't have the game console or the Wii Fit. On to the next SDM that is on my way home. I saw the console in this store so I had a little bit of hope. I asked at the check out and the girl checked and was told nope. I asked about putting my name on a waiting list and she said I would have to come back between 9am and 9pm because the people that did that would be in during those hours. Ok, I'd do that tomorrow. As I am about to leave the store her phone rings and she tells me to wait. They might actually have one Wii Fit in stock. Yup they did!! I was able to redeem my points for the Wii Fit and was able to buy it for a whopping $11.70!!!! Can you believe that? All I had to pay was the taxes! When I walked it the door and showed it to Paul he couldn't believe it. He said he's been wanting to get it for quite some time but the $100 price tag was just too much right now. The price at Shopper's is $10 less than either Future Shop or Best Buy so not only did I redeem points I saved more because the additional $10 would have been another $1.30 in taxes. Thank you Maggie. I never would have known about this if you hadn't told me.

Tour de Fleece Done!

Here's the finished spinning challenge I set for myself in the Tour de Fleece. I wanted to spin a minimum of 10 minutes per day and finish the 225 grams of fibre. Well, I spun 225 grams of the Northern Lights in colour cotton candy and did spin at least 10 minutes per day except one rest day because my knee was really bothering me. The picture on the left is the skein I finished yesterday. The picture on the right is both skeins. I took Maggie's advice when I plyed the second singles and didn't bother to count treadles and just watched the yarn as I plyed. I am very pleased with the final result. I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be but this was some good spinning (IMHO) There was one curley "q" from a single that managed to skip past me but that's alright. I had one in the first skein as well so now they match. I want to work on getting more consistent singles. I need to keep playing with the drafting methods to see which one works best for me to spin fine yarns but I am trying not to be so hard on myself. This spinning I am proud to say I spun.

Final Bobbins Done

I finished spinning the second bobbin of singles from the Northern Lights Cotton Candy. Now all I have to do is ply it. I should be able to get that done tomorrow and Sunday while I watch the ride into Paris. As always, I never know what the plying with bring. I hope to get over that one day. I need more practice. I want to finish two other fibres I started spinning. I have the purple fibre from Lorna's Laces that I started and the silk merino blend. I have the merino blend but for some reason I can't find where I put the remainder of the purple fibre. I guess I have it in one of my gazillion bags. I'll have to start going through them and find it so I can call it a done deal.

Spring Forward

Not much knitting has gone on around this place lately. I've been busy with the Tour de Fleece and when I am not spinning I've been too hot to have this alpaca shawl in my lap. Then it dawned on me that if it's too hot I should go back to the doily I was working on. That's cotton and not in my lap. I brought it with me to snb on Tuesday but I wasn't able to concentrate so I put it aside and cast on a sock. I wasn't sure what pattern I was going to do but since I do it toe up it didn't really matter. Yesterday I decided I would knit the Spring Forward socks. The yarn is something I had never heard of before. It's called On Your Toes by SRK. I was attracted to the colours so I bought one ball. So far it is knitting up nicely and it's easy to work with.

The pressure is on to finish the Tour de Fleece. I have very little singles left to spin but I have to ply as well. My right knee is bothering me a little today so I am not sure if I am going to give it a rest tonight or not. Everything has to be done by Sunday. I just hope I finish.

Joseph has been telling me for awhile that his braces will come off soon. I was sceptical because he hasn't had to use those bands some kids need. He had another appointment today so I asked. It might not be more than another 2 months or so. That's pretty good considering it is just the 2 year mark next month since he had them put on. He's not a happy camper because they want one of his bottom teeth to move another millimeter. To him if that's all that's left then he could forget about it and have the braces off tomorrow. To be honest, I can't wait until they come off as well. We are going to have some soft of party when the are removed.

Another Year Over

I can't believe it's been two full years since I started this blog. The time just seems to fly by.

Yesterday I had the spinning wheel class at the Purple Purl. It was great just like to spindle class. I have to say that anyone that has a chance to take a class with Lorraine I would jump at the opportunity. Now I look forward to taking her next class sometime in September, I think. That's going to be on carding. I look forward to a plying class she might do as well.

I'm still plugging away on the Tour de Fleece challenge. I finished the third bobbin of the Cotton Candy today and am now working on the last bobbin. I hope I can get to plying by Thursday at the very latest.

I did a little tour of my own yesterday of downtown Toronto. I needed to go to this shoe store on Yonge street to bring in my Birkenstocks for repair. I google mapped it out and was all ready. Well I don't drive downtown much. I just figured that it would be better for me to go from The Purl than from home since I was almost halfway there. Downtown is way too confusing for me and busy beyond belief. No wonder I don't drive there on a regular basis. I took Danforth and that eventually because Bloor St. E. The construction sort of made things a little more difficult and my sense of direction stinks. I figured Bloor should be close to Yonge. That was my first mistake. I should have stuck to the maps I had. Well I did some driving around and finally managed to get somewhere that had a sign for Bayview and I took Bayview north until I found Merton and then I knew where I was. I actually don't mind when these things happen because it's how I learn my way around. The only down side is how hot it was.

Not much knitting has gone on around here lately. As I said, it's been way too hot.. Can you believe that I brought zero, none, nada, knitting with me to the Purl yesterday? It was so odd sitting there after the class with no knitting to work on. I don't think I will ever do that again. I should have at least brought socks. I have the Noro socks on the needle but I haven't touched those in a very long time either. I'm going to get some knitting in this afternoon when the laundry is getting done.

Teena in Toronto, thank you so much for the blogoversary wishes.

One Skein Done

Yesterday I finished plying the first two bobbins of the Northern Lights Cotton Candy. The results are so so. Overall I am pleased with it. There are still a few spots that look either underplyed or underspun. I am going to bring it with me to the spinning class I have on Saturday and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. Having said that, it's been such a long time since I've been spinning that it could have been much worse. I think I just need lots more practice.

Spindles Anyone?

Yesterday I went to the Purple Purl for a spindle spinning class with Lorraine Smith. The class was lots of fun and thank you to Jennifer at the Purl for still holding the class even after the flooding that took place on Tuesday. I learned so much in a short time and I can't wait for the wheel class that is taking place this coming Saturday. I just need to decide which wheel to bring.

Two new spindles found their way into my bag today. In my defense, I haven't bought new spindles in a long time. They are both Houndesign spindles.





These lovelies only come in two different kinds for a top whorl spindle, the Dervish and the Lace. I bought one of each. The top one is the Dervish spindle. It's 30 grams and it's Canary wood. The Lace is Padauk wood and it weighs 13 or 14 grams. I love the colour of that wood. I have about 3 or 4 spindles from that wood. I also love the little hounds on the underside of all their spindles.

I stuck around The Purl until just after 6 but not much knitting got done. It was just way too hot to work on the alpaca Forest Path Stole. I tried but I started falling asleep and had to put it aside. I'm still almost done with tier 16.

The spinning is coming along as well. I am almost done with the second bobbin in the Tour de Fleece challenge. I should start plying by tomorrow.

Knit Witch Contest

Knit Witch is having a contest on her site to celebrate the opening of her on line shop. You could win free yarn. Head over there and check it out.

Bobbin One Done

I've completed the first bobbin in my le Tour de Fleece challenge. So far I think it's pretty good. We'll see how it looks when I ply it. The single could be more consistent but on the whole I am happy with it. I've been checking the twist pretty often and I am hoping it has enough twist. When I ply I never know what to expect.

I didn't fill the first bobbin to capacity because I want the yarn to fit onto one bobbin when I ply it. We'll see if I manage that soon enough. I've started the second bobbin and I hope to get it done by early next week.

Aren't these two skeins of yarn gorgeous? It's laceweight that I bought from Oceanwind Knits. I bought one skein of lace at the Frolic and I've been waiting for more stock ever since. Kimberly knit the Oyster Bay shawl with the Ice Blue colour and it is gorgeous. Purple being my favourite colour I couldn't resist the Vino as well. Now I just have to decide what they want to become.

On the knitting front, I've started tier 16 on the Forest Path Stole. I have a spinning class this Saturday and I'll probably hang out at the Purple Purl after the class so I'll take the stole along and see how much knitting will get done.

Let The Tour Begin

I've been working on the Forest Path Stole as often as I can and I've made some pretty good progress. I went to The Purple Purl yesterday and brought it with me. I finished 1 and a half tiers while I was there. I am now in the middle of tier 15. That means I am well past the halfway mark.

I might not get as much Forest Path knitting time over the next 3 weeks because I am starting the Tour de Fleece today. I just am not sure what fibre I want to use. It is going to be from my stash. I just don't know if I want to do a semi-solid or not. I'm going to decide soon because I have to get some spinning in today. My goals for the tour this year is the same as last year. I want to be able to spin between 10 and 30 minutes daily and see if I can finish the fibre in the colour I choose.

Speaking of The Purl, they are having two spinning classes on July 12 and July 19th. The first is spindle spinning and the second is wheel spinning. When I was up at Gemini Fibres Wendy Whelan told me if I had the chance to take a class with Lorraine Smith I should grab it. Since Lorraine is going to be the instructor, I did just that. The wheel class is going to be limited to only 10 people because of space limitations when everyone brings their wheels. I am really looking forward to both classes. Now to decide which wheel to bring. Decisions, decisions - could be worse though - I could not be attending the classes at all.

Another Meme For You

Anyone who has kept my with my blog knows I love these things. I saw this on Sherie's blog and, well, you know the rest.

1. Where was I 10 years ago?

I was in the same apartment I am living in now. Joseph was only 3 back then. I can’t believe how the time has flown by.

2. 5 things on today’s to-do list.

Go to work
Go to LYS to pick up pattern.
Get dinner ready.
Work on the Forest Path Stole.
Spin for at least 10 minutes.

3. Snacks I enjoy.

Chocolate
Ice cream
Cookies

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

Give money to each of my children.
Buy a house.
Pay off my debts.
Quit my job.
Go on a real vacation.
Hire a maid so I wouldn’t have to do the housework anymore.
Buy a custom made spinning wheel.

5. Places I have lived.

Bronx, NY
Queens, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Potsdam, NY
Toronto, ON

6. Jobs I have had.

Office clerk for the City of NY
Receptionist / Data Entry Clerk
Domestic Engineer (How’s that to a fancy way of saying housewife)
Cashier at grocery store
Cashier at department store
Sold lottery and bus tickets at lottery booth
Office assistant

7. Who would I like to know more about?

Everyone – if you read this consider yourself tagged. If you decide to do it let me know via a comment so I can come over and read your answers.

Happy Canada Day

Today Canada celebrated its 141st birthday - Happy Birthday Canada. I had a very relaxing day and actually managed to get some spinning done. I finished the first 50 gram sliver of Fleece Artist merino/silk I bought at the spin in. I had a difficult time spinning this stuff because the fibre was pretty badly felted. Now I am trying to decide what to do with the second 50 gram braid of fibre. I don't know if I want to card it or not. I'll decide once I open the braid. As you can see from this first bobbin, I need to get back into regular spinning. My spinning can use a lot of improvement.

I found the rest of the purple fibre so I am going to finish the second bobbin and get it plied before I start working on the second braid of red fibre.

Paul, Joseph, and I also went to see Prince Caspian today. The movie is a lot different from the book, if I remember correctly, but I still enjoyed the movie. I don't think Paul and Joseph liked it. I was surprised by how many people were in the theatre. I would have thought it would be mostly empty since the move was released so long ago. Next movie I want to see is Indiana Jones. I know I'm behind in my movie going. That's the way it usually happens around here.