Hmm.. where to start

We've been busy around here, trying to get things cleaned up and organized so that it feels like home. We're getting there. At least, we think we are. And then again.... you know how the old saying goes, right? It never rains but it pours? We have no heat.

Yup, the furnace is obsolete, quit running on Monday and the repairman has refused to turn it back on. We will, apparently, be having a new furnace installed this week, but right now it's a bit chilly. Thankfully, the weather's quite a bit warmer now than it was in January. It seems the furnace has been problematic for a while now; it's running at 40% efficiency, we've been told. That means that 60% of the gas meant for the furnace has been going directly into the rest of the house. The repairman said that he couldn't, in good conscience, turn it back on and perhaps be responsible for the deaths of 6 people in the house. I do appreciate that. In the interim, we've dragged out the space heaters for the cooler times of the day... like when we're watching TV in the evening.

Anyway... that will sort itself out by the end of this week; we'll have an efficient new furnace in the house and we can all get comfy.

On to knitting.

As promised, I have pictures of Icarus. I still haven't blocked it, but did pin it on to the bed for it's portrait.



The yarn I used is Jaggerspun Zephyr in a lovely copper colour, on 4.0 mm needles. I used about 1 1/2 skeins. It's a pleasure to work with. I love this yarn!

Incidentally, on my monitor, the colour in the above picture is pretty close to the actual colour. The colour in the next picture is somewhat washed out, for some reason.

Now, for the rest...

Do you see the "blot" with the strings coming from it? That's where one of the holes was/is. I managed to repair the other hole to my satisfaction (it was to the left of the visible blot, in the "line") but I'm not at all happy with the way I executed the repair of the hole in the stocking stitch section. Any suggestions will be gratefully accepted. As it is, I'm not going to block it until I'm happy with it and, right now, I'm not.

I was quite ready to frog the entire shawl and re-knit it at some later date. John, however, talked me out of it. He suggested that I just put it aside for now and come back to it later, when I can look at it a little more objectively. Good advice, no?

In other projects, now that Icarus is off the needles, I can concentrate on other things. John's sweater will be one of them. So will my Sally Melville top; there's still not much to show you. Picture an 8" length of garter stitch, 120 stitches in width in aqua Super 10 Butterfly cotton and you get a pretty good idea of where I'm at on that project. It makes wonderful TV knitting, as there's no patterning to work on. Just knit and knit and knit. I'm thinking I will make it slightly longer than the 9 1/2" called for in the pattern. I like my tops to reach at least to the top of the hip bone, and 9 1/2" will barely reach my waist. (This body really doesn't need to be revealing it's "fluffiness" around the mid-section.. yanno?)

Another project has made it on to my needles (all by itself.. I swear!). This one is intended as a gift; I don't think it will take too long to knit it up.

This is Fibertrends, Estonian Garden scarf. I started it yesterday and have already knitted up 4 of 41 pattern repeats. Incidentally, those 4 repeats were done while watching TV after work and before dinner. It's an 8-row repeat that's easy to remember.

The yarn I'm using is Skacel's Merino Lace in red, on 3.75 mm (US 5) bamboo needles. I'm thinking I'm going to switch to metal needles as I'm finding the bamboo too sticky for this yarn. I find the lace knitting to be very soothing and rewarding. I know a lot of knitters are intimidated by the fineness of the yarn, but once you get used to the feel of such fine yarn, it's really not a big deal.

This morning (or sometime today), I'll be sewing the buttons on the little sweater I knitted for my grandson (I knitted it at Christmas; it still has no buttons). John will be driving out to the coast tomorrow to visit his Dad and to drop off some stuff for my kids. He'll be taking the little sweater with him. I'm working Thursday and Friday, so I won't be going with him this trip. That does give me some un-interrupted knitting time for two evenings; that will be nice. ;)

Ok, let's see how much knitting I can squeeze into today.

Off the Needles!

Finally, a finished object!

Icarus is off the needles. I would post a picture, but I have to do a couple of minor repairs and block it first. The minor repairs? Well, when I finished the cast off (all 500 plus stitches), I held it up to show John and discovered two small holes. They're not dropped stitches; they're holes. With broken yarn. Two of them. To say I was horrified would be an understatement. I will repair the holes as best I can and then carefully block the shawl.

Only then will I take pictures of it. It IS, incidentally, beautiful. Except for two small holes.

Do not even suggest that they might be moth holes. I don't want to hear it!

It Isn't All About Me

Today's post is dedicated to the three ladies I taught to crochet. Our 6-week class came to an end today, and I'm pretty darned proud of these ladies! We had a lot of fun. And prolific! All three of them picked it up very quickly and have been going crazy with their hooks. Here are a few pictures I took; today was "show and tell".

Never Too Old to Learn

Or.... Why didn't I realize this when I started knitting it?

John's sweater is coming along nicely. At least, it looks good. Here's where I am now...

My gauge is good.. tension is even.. colour looks great on John... I'm happy with almost everything. Almost everything.

Last night, I transferred all the stitches to waste yarn and had him try it on to see how much longer I needed to knit it. That's when I discovered a small problem. If I went with how the sweater fit at the back, I might need about one more inch of stocking stitch before starting the ribbing. No big deal.

If I went with how the sweater fit at the front... well... really, I should be knitting another three inches or so before the ribbing. So, why the difference?

Well, at the very beginning, I forgot something very important. Humans are not uniformly cylindrical. That is, the distance from shoulder to underarm, measured on the back, may be a completely different measurement if measured on the front. That is the case here. John is somewhat barrel-chested. I should have knitted more at the front, making the piece from shoulder to underarm longer than that for the back.

I will continue knitting this sweater as is (making sure I finish the second arm before finishing the body of the sweater so I don't run out of yarn), but I will never be completely satisfied with the final result. It's a difficult lesson to learn, but at least I'm still learning.

It looks good, though.

On a different note...

I have a routine. Each morning, when I get up, I start the coffee and turn on the computer. Then, with coffee in hand, I sit down and check Bloglines, check emails, see what's new in the Yahoo groups I'm part of and then check my blog.

Each morning, I look to see how many visitors I've had. The most fascinating part of that stat occurs when I click on that number and I'm taken to the sitemeter website and I can see where people are coming from, how they found my blog and what they're clicking on. It always amazes and fascinates me.

I'm not sure which visitor to my blog is farthest away, but there have been visitors from all over the world. Literally. I've had visitors from India, Ukraine, all over Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil... almost every continent has been represented. This morning, there was one location that really surprised me... the Faro Islands. Yes, the place where Faroese shawls originated.

I think the thing that amazes me, pleases me, surprises me, the most is that I can sit here, in my little corner of the world and write something that people from all over the world can read in their little corner of the world. It certainly makes the world a smaller place, doesn't it?

To all of you who visit, welcome to my little corner of the world. Stay a while. Leave a note. I'm pleased you came to visit; I only wish it could be face to face.

Where am I and What am I doing?

Today is one of those days. You know what I mean; you can't settle in any one spot, it seems that whatever you put your hands to feels wrong. I've been up for hours and I could go right back to bed and sleep. It's gray and foggy outside and it's gray and foggy in my brain for some reason. Just one of those days, yanno?

I mentioned that I have tons of knitting to show you. And you know what? I can't think of anything to show you right now. I know I've been knitting. I know there are things I could show you, but do you think I can remember what I wanted to show you?

There is this...

I started this in December, while staying at a friend's home. It's the Estonian Garden Wrap from Fibertrends. I haven't worked on it since, mainly because of the move. It will wait patiently for brighter weather. In the meantime, I'm working on John's sweater again. Yes, I finally found it buried in the garage. Over the last 48 hours, I've almost knitted up two more balls of yarn on the body of the sweater. I still need to find my notebook, the one with the directions I wrote for the second sleeve; I haven't come across it yet.

Oh, I did finish the Baby Albert jacket. I haven't taken pictures of it yet; it needs buttons, which I'll be hunting for later today. That was a simple, mindless knitting project; it was perfect for TV knitting. For more TV knitting (and SnB knitting), I've cast on for another project, this time for myself. It is, again, out of Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book, the "Where's the Opaque" top. I'm using Super 10 Butterfly cotton in a lovely shade of aqua. One of the girls at work helped me pick the colour. I'll post pictures when there's a little more than 1.5" of garter stitch to show. After all, one can only post so many pictures of garter stitch knitting. Everyone knows what it looks like and a simple band of garter stitch isn't terribly exciting.

Things are settling down a bit here. We've unpacked the necessities; John's been busy organizing and cleaning the garage, making room for my stash and all the other stuff that won't find it's way into the house. Yesterday, after work, I cut down some of the existing curtains and made shorter curtains for the kitchen windows. As much as we love having the sunlight (when it arrives) streaming in through the windows, we also appreciate our privacy at night. To that end, curtains should look nice and windows that are only 2' in height don't need curtains that are 6' long. I'm very pleased with how the shortened curtains turned out; I haven't done much sewing in the last years.

Now, I think it's about time I got dressed (I'm still in my sweats) and did something constructive. I'm not sure just what that might be, but something at any rate. Maybe I should hunt down some inspiration for new patterns.... hmmmm.

A Little Bit of Knitting

As promised, a little bit of knitting... to start.

These two projects have been my mindless knitting for the past little while. Both are from Sally Melville's first book, The Knit Stitch.



This one is the Shape-It Scarf. When I first started it, John was rather uncomplimentary about the colour and texture of the scarf. In other words, he didn't like it. Yesterday, after I'd finished the cast off and the blocking/pressing, he very chivalrously commented that he stood corrected. It was, indeed, a nice scarf. The blocking and pressing really finished it. The yarns I used were Sirdar Country Style DK and SRK Ranee, held together.

Here's a closer look at the texture...

I'm quite happy with the way the scarf drapes. One customer commented that hers was quite heavy; this one feel just right. If I have any criticism at all, it is that the "arms" of the scarf are a little long. Just a little, though. I can live with that. I might try this pattern again, in a lighter yarn. Might.

The second project, still in the works and perfect for TV knitting is from the same book. This time, it's the Baby Albert coat. I'm knitting this one in the largest size, to fit a one year old.

I'm just finishing off the left front; then it's the sleeves, which are each a different colour. I love the construction of this little jacket. It begins with the bottom half, knitted sideways. The individual pieces for the fronts and the back are picked up and knitted up. The sleeves are then picked up and knitted down to the cuff. The only seams in the jacket are at the top of the sleeves and shoulders. Very clever. I'm not sure I'd ever knit the adult version (that's a LOT of knitting), but for a kid's jacket, this is cute. I think this would be a great knit for a baby gift, if one were to do the smallest size. And, as I said, great TV knitting!

I will have more to show you as my knitting floats to the top of everything stored in the garage. I'm not even going to try to find anything right now (although it would be nice to know where my Denise needle kit is).

To those of you who left comments on my last post, thank you. You're right. This place, though not perfect, will be made into a very pleasant little nest for the two of us. Already, two of our friends have commented how homey it feels, even though we still don't have everything set up the way we'd like.

And, it's got water. :)

No Knitting Yet

...not that I'm not knitting, but for today, no knitting content. I've just been wandering around the suite with my camera and thought I'd share our new place with you.



The kitchen, part of it actually. I was standing in the dining area, where we don't have a table yet. The table will be picked up tomorrow, along with a few other pieces of furniture too big for the two of us to move by ourselves.

The, ummm... office. It used to be a little boy's bedroom. I really can't say that I like the blue stripes, but I really don't know that I want to start painting. This little (and it IS little) room will also become my closet. John will be putting up some clothes rods (what are they called.. you know what I mean) as there are no closets in this entire suite.

The laundry and entrance area. Don't you just LOVE the floor tiles... a throwback to the 70's for sure.

The suite used to be two separate, very small suites and this area used to be the kitchen of the bachelor suite. It includes a tiny bathroom (shower, toilet and the tiniest sink I've ever seen). The furnace is also in that area, behind a wicker curtain.



And, finally, the living room. As you can see, we're certainly nowhere close to being settled yet. We're still waiting for one long (8 feet) sofa before we can start fitting everything in.

Not to worry, we have artwork that will cover that top part of the fireplace quite nicely. John's mother was an artist and we have quite a few pieces of her art. As well, I have a number of original pieces of art that will grace the walls of this place very soon. I have to tell you, this is not the "nicest" place we've lived in. We're not sure how long we'll be here, but at least it's a roof over our heads, it's got running water, it's close to work and shopping and we know it's not permanent. It will do. And you can bet, between John and myself, we'll make it cozy and comfortable. (He loves to decorate, too... did I mention he's a keeper?)

And there you have it... our new home. Nothing fancy, nothing special. A place to live. A winter of memories.

Next post.. knitting. I promise!

We're In!!

We are finally in our new place!! It took long enough; we couldn't get in (other than putting things in the garage) until Wednesday. We managed to wrangle the bed into the bedroom and while John puttered elsewhere in the suite, I made up the bed. By 10:00, I was so tired that I finished my glass of wine, laid myself down and fell asleep instantly.

I had my crochet class this morning and the rest of the day was spent in getting a few things organized (including the computer, which is being ornery), doing some shopping and picking up the rest of my clothes. It was a little difficult finding anything clean to wear this morning.

Anyway, we're here. Now, we just need to organize everything. And clean everything. B cleaned, she said. Not to our standards, I can tell you that. Later this evening (after CSI), I'm going to wash out the tub and have a nice long, hot bubble bath. We have water!!! ;)

6 Weird Things About Me

I've been tagged by Carole over at Crafty Carole. That's a first. Now, don't go thinking you can tag me for all sorts of other things. I'm not usually one for these things, really, but here goes... (This was hard, by the way. I hate having to think so hard!)

1. I can't (and I DO mean CAN'T) eat oatmeal/porridge. I've tried. I don't mind the taste. I appreciate the health benefits. I just can't get it down my throat. I gag on it. Custard, too. And mashed potatoes.

2. My eyes are two different (slightly) colours. One's more blue than green; the other's more green than blue.

3. I don't often eat sweets. Give me a choice between something sweet or something salty and I'll take salty every time (I even have a "stash" of potato chips and Cheetos at work).

4. I don't wear makeup but I love buying it. I have a makeup bag full of stuff that I can't really wear. It's not cheap stuff, either. It all irritates my eyes. But I love it.

5. If we're at a lake (and we've lived on one for 2 summers), I prefer to jump into deeper water rather than walking into the water slowly. For some reason, I get really nervous walking into the water. (Maybe I just prefer to jump into things??)

6. I have a touch of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) when it comes to multiple light switches on a single plate. They all have to be either up or down, not one up, one down. It used to me more of an issue for me, but I've got that one under control.

I'd be more than happy to tag 6 people, but I'm having a difficult time finding someone who hasn't already done this. To that end, I'll leave it open. If you want to take up the challenge, feel free to reveal 6 weird things about you on your own blog.

We are still not in the new place. There has just been hold up after hold up. We brought one load of boxes over and packed into the garage before the snow started falling. J&B are not completely moved up yet, so it will be another day or so before we can get in. In the meantime, we're twiddling our thumbs here (well, I'm knitting, John's twiddling his thumbs). Tonight, we'll go to the rec center once more as I have to work tomorrow and need a shower.

Hopefully, the next post will be from the new place. TTFN

Last Post from the Lake

Yup, you read that right. This will be the final post from this house. We are 99% ready to go. All we need now is word from J&B (the couple who are moving out of the basement suite) that we can start moving things into the garage. That will most likely be tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow morning, the computer will be disconnected and gently cleaned. That, of course, means that I'll be out of touch until the cable company reconnects us.

That's how the garage looks right now. All that's left in the house is a few dishes for us to use as needed, two sofas (one's a hide-a-bed), our bed and a few odds and ends. All in all, we're just camping here for tonight and, possibly (hopefully not) tomorrow night.

Until we're re-connected, see you all later. I promise pictures and more. Oh, while I think of it, I realize that some of the patterns on my freebie page aren't loading. I'll fix that when I get back up and running. Some of the file names got gibbled in the move across to the other blog and I just need to re-do them. It won't be a big deal, but will take a bit of time to do it and make sure they all work. At least, I'm aware of the problem.

Till then... stay warm, knit lots!

Update

It seems like forever since I've posted. There hasn't really been a lot to tell you. We've been enjoying our stay at my friend's home. Baths and laundry facilities have been greatly appreciated. Tomorrow, we will be back here; our move is tentatively scheduled for the coming weekend. For any of you living here in Kelowna, if you're willing to help (especially if you have a pickup truck), get in touch with me at the store. Believe me, it will be appreciated.

Anyway, that's not why I'm here today. I do have one picture to share with you. There should be more, but the inspiration for picture-taking just hasn't been there yet. Once we're settled, be prepared for pictures!

I decided that, since I'm the crochet teacher at the store, I should at least have a couple of crocheted items there. Sounds like a good idea, yes? To that end, I started this...

The pattern is Sirdar #8681. I'm extremely disappointed in the pattern. Don't bother even trying to follow it. There is no schematic of the shawl and the text is confusing to say the least. I've finally figured out how it all fits together, thanks more to the picture than to the actual pattern.

The yarn I'm using (working from memory here; the yarn is still up at my friend's house) is Lana Grossa (I think) Merino 2000, Cool Wool. It's 100% wool and it is a dream to work with. I'm working it on a 5.0 mm (US8) crochet hook. All in all, there will be 66 motifs. I have 21 motifs done as of this morning. I think this will be a nice store sample, don't you?

In addition to the crocheted shawl, I'm also working on another pair of gloves for me (out of Fleece Artist Merino Sock wool), 2 shawls as referred to in my last post and a variety of other little things. Like I said, just wait till we get settled. You want pictures? You'll get pictures!

Now, it's time for me to call my daughter. Today is her birthday. I called her briefly this morning to find out a good time to call her (she's in school and then has to pick up her daughter, so...). That's now. More soon.

Oh, Carole? I do have my "6 Weird Things About Me" post almost done; just have to find 6 people to tag. It will be posted soon.

So...

What's happening in YOUR corner of the world? Here, we're just marking time until we can move into the new place. Everything's packed that can be packed; it's too cold to do much in the way of cleaning (don't ask). All that's really left to do is to move furniture into the garage. Then, we just need some help to move it as soon as we get the go-ahead.

In the meantime, I'm working and knitting. It all helps mark the time. Tonight, I finished another Harlequin Cap from Elann.com. It's a child-sized hat, which will be put to good use by one of my grandchildren, I'm sure. I'll show you a picture another day. My camera's resting for the time being. (In reality, I just don't feel like taking pictures around here.. what can I say?)

I've also started (surprise!) a couple more projects. Last week on Chatters (see here), there was some discussion about lace and lace knitting. Wouldn't you know that that would get me lusting for some lace knitting! Don't ask me about the lace projects I already have on the go (like Icarus and a Myrna Stahmann shawl.. and... um... at least one other one); they're all packed away, waiting for the new house. I just HAD to!

Oh, which ones have I started, you ask? I'd show you pictures of the projects, but that would mean having to search. One of them is the Persimmon Lace Shawl from Knitters, Summer 2005. I'm working it in the same yarn as the pattern uses, Rowan Kid Silk Haze in the colour Marmalade. The other project is the Estonian Garden Stole from Fibertrends. I'm doing that one in Alessandra's Kid Silk, just like Rowan SLK, but not as pricy. I'm working it in a lovely rust colour on 3.75 mm (whatever that is in US) and it's a fairly simple knit, so far. At least, it's purl every wrong side row. The Persimmon shawl is patterned on both the right and wrong side, so it will need some concentration.

This week, we'll be staying at the home of a friend and the Persimmon shawl will accompany me. She's got better lighting in her house than we do here, so I'll be able to work on it in the evening if I so choose. I may even cast on for another Harlequin Cap.... just to keep the mindlessness going.

Oh, before I forget, John brought the neatest thing to my attention last night. It's been pretty cold here for the last couple of weeks and we're beginning to see ice on the lake, especially when there's no wind. Before we went out for something to eat last night, John told me that the lake was talking. I had no idea what he was talking about and all he would tell me was that I should go downstairs, outside and listen to what it had to say.

I bundled up and went out onto the deck and he was right! The water and ice moving together was making all sorts of sounds... cracks, pops, whines, squeaks... it was incredible! I'd never heard anything like it before. Today, we've got some wind happening and the ice has dissipated, so there are no sounds now, other than the water lapping at the beach. I don't think I'll ever forget that "concert".

In all likelihood, I won't be posting again until after we've moved at the end of the month. I will be online now and then, but won't take the time to post until we're more settled. For now, this is "see ya later"...

This and that

First, Robbyn, thanks for your offer! We're at a stage right now where we need to slow down with packing. Pretty much everything that can be packed up is already packed up. Now, it's a matter of moving some of the unneeded furniture into the garage. However, we still have three weeks to go before we can move in. We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. When moving day comes around, though, we sure could use some help moving furniture. Anyone going to be around???

One week of those three weeks will be spent house/catsitting for a friend. That will help the next few weeks go by a little quicker.

Second, you may have noticed that my sidebar's looking a little leaner. All of my free patterns have now been moved over to my freebies blog and deleted from this blog. When new patterns are posted, they'll be posted there, blogged about and linked to here. The address? Of course... http://sntfreepatterns.blogspot.com

I think that's it for today. I have a feeling today will be a knitting day for me. John has to meet with his boss (who's in town for a few days) for lunch today. There are a few groceries to pick. Other than that, there's not much else for us to be doing today. Oh, other than hitting the pool again. Last time we went, we couldn't use the big pool as some kid had had "an accident" and staff closed the pool for cleaning. The hot tub, sauna and showers were still available, and those were all we really needed to use. Now, John's more than a little leery about swimming in the main pool; can't say that I blame him and I'm quite happy just getting into the hot water of the hot tub and showers.

On the knitting front? I did hear back from the designer of Interweave's Old World booties. There is indeed an error in the stitch count of the size I'm making. It's not a big deal for me; I had already adjusted the stitch count to make it work and it just happened to be the right way. I'll have one bootie finished today and will likely cast on for the second one. The Harlequin Cap has grown another couple of inches; it will probably be finished before the week's end.

I'm off and running!

Knitting, As Promised

I HAVE been knitting. Really, I have. It's kept me sane over the last couple of weeks. I haven't been doing much in the way of designing; as a matter of fact, it's all I could do to follow a pattern. Heck, I started this little thing 3 or 4 times. I lost count.

When completed, this, and it's mate, will be the Old World Booties, Green Serf booties. I'm making the middle size in a dark green Classic Wool. The pattern is a little confusing. The stitch count for the sole on the second size and the final stitch count for the foot don't work out. There are increases on each right side row, multiples of four, but the final stitch count at the end of the sole is 26 sts. That's not divisible by 4. I've emailed the designer to ask her about that, but have heard nothing back. I've worked it out my own way, rather than getting frustrated and ripping back time after time.

The other little project is another of the Harlequin Caps, found on Elann's website.

This one is being worked from end to end again. The yarn I'm using for the patterned side is Trekking XXL in colour #106. The solid yarn is Regia Silk. I don't know the colour number; this was an unlabelled ball I found in my stash. It's not a perfect match, but it works. Like I said earlier, a mindless knit. Just perfect for right now, when the last thing I want to do is think.

Once we're settled in the new place, I'll organize my knitting, see how many projects need finishing and decide on priority. For now, mindless knitting that requires minimal thought and light is the order of the day. Besides, knitting will be on the back burner for the next few weeks. We have a house to pack up. That's moving along very well, actually. The kitchen, other than those things we absolutely need, has been pretty much packed up already. Today, we boxed up all the herbs, spices, bakeware and those things we know we won't need in the interim. Apart from furniture, the kitchen is the biggest job. In a few minutes, I'll be packing up some of my office stuff, paperwork we won't be needing any time soon, stuff like that. The next biggest thing is moving the furniture (and that won't be done until necessary... other than moving some of it into the garage). And then, the cleaning. Fortunately for me, I'll be working quite a bit over the next couple of weeks, so John will end up doing most of the cleaning. It's a good thing he doesn't really mind cleaning TOO much. *grin* (He's definitely a keeper!)

I'll leave you with a picture of some of the insanity.

Yay!!!!

We went to view a basement suite today. And decided to take it. We found out about an hour ago that the suite is ours! We can move in at the end of the month.

It's the two-bedroom, bright basement suite I wrote about in my last post. The young couple (who have two small boys, one aged about 3 years and the other 7 months) living there now will be moving upstairs and we'll have the suite. It's got a lovely big yard with lots of fruit trees, about a block from the most popular beach in town and about a 15 minute walk from the yarn store where I work. As well, our favourite shopping area is also in the same area, all within walking distance.

The suite may have a drawback or two, but nothing we can't live with. Best of all, we'll have a private garage that we can use for storage. We'll need that. Now, all we have to do is get to the end of the month. And we can do that, knowing we have a place to move to.

Are we happy or what? Thank you all for your good thoughts and crossed fingers!

Knitting content tomorrow!

Big Sigh

Well, we still have no place to move to. The places we were going to look at the other day didn't pan out too well. We will be checking out a basement suite tomorrow. It sounds promising. It's a bright (according to the ad) 2 bedroom basement suite, appliances included, as well as an attached garage. It's within walking distance of my job and "our" shopping area. The price is within our range. I've already told John that if it looks good, let's take it on the spot. As well, on Monday, we'll have a look at a 2 bedroom apartment. It's a little farther from where I work than we'd like, but that we can handle. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

One thing that we've discovered in our search for housing is that there really isn't much available in Kelowna. John called all of the available postings for apartments and all had already been rented.

In the meantime, we're coping as best we can. There are times we both feel more than a little discouraged. Knitting, right now, has been completely uninspired and uninspiring. I'm working on a pair of booties (Old World Booties from Interweave... free pattern on the Interweave Knits website) for one of the babies (did I mention my neice had her first baby, a little boy, on Jan 1?). As well, I started another of Elann's Harlequin caps (reversible toque) in a toddler size. I'm knitting it end to end again (rather than starting in the middle with a provisional caston); it's mindless at this point. After the initial shaping at one end, it's just stocking stitch for 7", then change colour and knit another 7" before the final shaping. Mindless. Perfect.

That's about it. No pictures. Little knitting. Do you think if I go to bed and sleep, by morning I might find that this is all a dream? Not likely, huh? *sigh*

Short, sweet and to the point

This is just a quick update for those of you who've been following the saga of John's eyes. On Tuesday, he got the new lens for his glasses (approximately 6 months after his original injury) and he can finally see properly again. He's thrilled, I'm happy!

We're going to look at houses today. There are four to look at today. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I'll let you know what happens. Then, tonight, we're going swimming.

There. Short.

It's 2007...

...and I have a finished object to show you. This one was started, and finished, yesterday. Don't you just love quick knits?

I'm calling it "Triangle Check Woman's Hat". Really, it's a one size fits most kind of hat. It's knitted with Paton's Decor in black and Paton's Canadiana in a crayon coloured variegated yarn on 4.5 mm (US7)circular and double-pointed needles.This one is from the ribbing up, not top down.

You'd love to see a picture, wouldn't you? Well, I don't have one yet. At least, I don't have a decent one. As soon as I do, I'll post a picture and the pattern, which is all typed up and waiting for a decent picture.

edited to add:

Here's the pic... not the greatest, but at least you can see what the hat looks like. The pattern will be posted either later today or sometime tomorrow.

Speaking of patterns, I've got SnT Freebies up. All of the patterns on this blog are now over there. Eventually, I'd like to get pictures of each item up along with the pattern, but that's a project for the future. For now, at least, the patterns are there. I'll leave the links here as well for the time being, but at some point, all my free patterns will be posted on the Freebies site rather than here.

I have one other picture to share with you. Romeo, the house cat has decided he likes us and hangs around with us when the kids aren't home. He's been seen hanging around our bedroom, perched in front of the bedroom window where he can watch the cars come and go. Now that we've started packing... well, let me just say... cats and boxes... need I say more?

It's January 2. Today, we get serious about packing and hunting. Happy 2007 to all of you!

The Last Post for 2006

Today is the last day of 2006. It has been an amazing year. I've made new friends, both online and in my everyday world. My life has been enriched by each of you and I thank you for your friendship and encouragement.

Speaking only of the knitterly aspect for a moment, 2006 has seen my confidence in my own skills soar. I've become a much more passionate knitter than I ever thought I would become. Again, it has been your encouragement that has helped me to stretch my wings and reach new heights with my knitting.

None of us is truly alone in this world, unless we choose to be. I have discovered that when you open yourself up to others, whether it be face to face or, in this case, in the form of a blog, people respond. People care. When you share your joys, they are immensely multiplied; when you share your tough times, they become just that much easier to bear. That is what all of you have done for me this past year. At the risk of sounding sappy, you have no idea just how much I appreciate each and every one of you who read my blog.

I'm nothing special. I'm a middle aged woman who just happens to like writing and knitting. When I started Strings 'n Things, it was intended to be a way for me to track what I was actually finishing. Along the way, it has grown. There are now an average of approximately 100 readers per day. That is a thrill!

To each of you, I wish I could give you a thank you hug for the part you've played in making this blog what it has become. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now, to change the direction a bit, we're back at the house now. We're actively hunting for a new place to live, but the pickings are slim right now. We're hoping that the first week of January will bring a few more listings. In the meantime, today will be spent relaxing in front of a fire. We will ring in 2007 tonight, and tomorrow we will face head on whatever comes. A couple of you have mentioned how calmly I seem to be taking all of this. Let's just say that as soon as I can sneak over to the doctor's, I'll be asking for another prescription for sleeping pills. *grin*

I do, on occasion, vent to John. Without him, I don't think I'd be holding up as well as I am. I have my moments. There have been a few occasions when I allow myself to cry, just to get it out. There's not much I can do right now to change the situation, so I do what I can. This coming week, that will include packing up everything that isn't necessary for daily survival. For the past week, it was knitting. Wine helps, too. I know that this is only temporary and that makes it all the more bearable.

I apologize for the rambling nature of this post. Today is all about writing out my thoughts. I'm looking forward to whatever 2007 may bring. I hope that, for all of you, 2007 will be a year of good things, of creating good memories, with the people you love and care about. From the beautiful, snowy, chilly Okanangan, I wish you all a Happy New Year.

See you all next year!

Let's see if Blogger will co-operate

I'm back... sort of. We're at the house for a short while today, mostly to drop some stuff off and to pick up a few things that may need laundering. And, most importantly, to blog.

Some of you left some wonderfully touching comments on my last post. You had me in tears (no, I was sobbing actually). I am not feeling sorry for myself. This is something I know we will get through. It's just not fun while it's happening. We'll be back here in the house by this weekend, primarily to pack everything up in preparation for a move. We've not yet found a place to move to, but I'm confident that the right place will come up at exactly the right time. As difficult as it is, I'm not worrying. Really, I'm not. Oh, ok, I'm worrying a little. But just a little.

On to knitting! I told you in the last (brief) post that I have knitting to show you. Here we go... where shall I start?



Remember how excited I was/am about top down hats? Well, I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm amazed at how many people find my blog via Google searches for earflap hats. So.... I've been making top down earflap hats. This is one of them that is an adult version. Here's another picture of the same pattern, but with garter stitch flaps rather than stocking stitch flaps.

...and in guy colours. And, yes, the pattern is available. For now, you can click here. It will (when blogger smartens up) be available on my freebie site as well.

I have this lovely book that I crack open now and then. I took it along to the house we're staying at right now and read through it (a little more thoroughly than I usually do). I made this little hat, kid sized, using the book as inspiration.

Oh, the book? It's "Style Your Own Kid's Knits" by Kate Buller. Love it! The only problem I have with the book is that the patterns are written only for dk weight yarn. This little hat is knitted with worsted weight yarn. I altered it to be the size as written in the book. It's such a cute design! I figure it will fit a child from the ages of about 4-10ish... or a small adult.

Because there wasn't a whole lot to do while staying at someone else's home, I spent most nights knitting. One other little project I completed (apart from choosing buttons) is this little sweater for my new grandson.



The pattern is from Sirdar's Early Arrivals 2, knitted in Sirdar Snuggly DK in a lovely dark green/teal, 3-6 months size. It was a quick knit, done in about 3 evenings. Now, we just have to make a trip to the coast to give it to Teagan in person.

I've also been working on John's sweater. The remainder of the body is a great "tv watching" project. I'm not sure how soon I'll have it finished as we'll be doing a lot of packing and preparing to move in the next week, but he will definitely have it before long. The left sleeve is complete now; the stitches for the right sleeve need to be picked up and knitted. The body, as well, needs completing, but that's the tv project. We can't be packing ALL day, after all.

Well, it's time for us to head back to the house we're staying in for now. We've been keeping the heat down as low as possible here at the lake, so it's bloody cold here (didn't take my coat off until an hour and a half after we got here); why pay for heat when there's no one staying here? As I said, next week will see the bulk of our possessions packed up and ready to move. For now, we'll be enjoying warmth and hot water for as long as we can!

To all of you, many of you who've become friends in this past year, I wish you a very happy New Year. May 2007 be a better year for all of us!

Update: no knitting content

I do have knitting to show, but that's for another day. When, I'm not too sure yet. You see, we will have to move.

We got word from the neighbour yesterday that there's no way we'll have water here until the spring. I don't think we can survive that long in a house with no water.

Tonight, we're going to the local rec center for a dip in the pool, hot tub and shower (definitely a shower!). From here on, I'll check in and post when I can. Keep us in your thoughts and send good vibes for the perfect new home!

If I don't post before then, I wish you all a blessed and happy Christmas.

A Christmas we'll remember for a long time!

This is a special post, pasted here from our family blog. Early this morning, my fifth grandchild, my third grandson was born. I'll let my eldest daughter, baby's aunt, tell the story of his birth.... She gave me permission to post it here. Please pardon the typos; after all that excitement and only three hours of sleep, I think we all understand.

Wow!

It was an amazing night last night! I received a phone call at 2 am from Alaina saying that her contractions were 10 minutes apart and that we should be on our way to the hospital, so, I got up got Trin ready and headed out the door. I had no idea what I'd be walking into.....I made it there about 10-12 minutes after her first phone call, I get in the house and there is a baby crying. At first I thought it was Oceanna, but as I turned the corner to go to her bathroom, there I see Alaina on the toilet, covered in blood with a new baby crying on the floor in front of her. Holy crap, it was crazy! I got hte phone handed to me and got walked through by the 911 operator how and what exaclty I should do, and waited for the ambulance.

Both Alaina and baby Teagan Matthew are doing just fine, he weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz, he has some black hair on his head, and he is so darn cute!!!!!

Well that's all I can think of right now, I'm sooo tired (3 hours of sleep is not enough), but we'll put some more pictures up and update how they both are doing soon!

Little Changes and Updates

I've decided to make some minor changes to my blog. I'm going to remove all the free patterns I've posted and post them to a second blog, Strings 'n Things Freebies. We'll see how that works. Just to be on the safe side, I won't actually delete them from this blog until I know everything works the way I want it to. My intention is to give each category a date, then just edit each "date" as patterns are added. I'd also like to have a picture to go with each pattern posted, so that you can see exactly what it is you're downloading before you go to the pattern. Make sense?

Updates... still no water. It's 10:00 a.m. at the time of this writing and I've not seen any service vehicles next door. I really hope this doesn't last very long. I'm feeling the need for a shower. My hair's getting fairly long and doesn't really need daily washing, but I really would like a shower... or a bath... even better. As much as mutual sponge baths could be fun, a nice hot bath or shower is sounding really good right about now. Kate suggested buckets of melted snow to help flush the toilets. That would work if we had that much snow; it's almost all gone now. We do, however, have the lake. If push comes to shove, we can use lakewater for the toilets.

Waterless shampoo... yes.. you can also use baking soda or talcum powder. All you do is sprinkle it in your hair, leave it for a few moments, then brush it out. I may have to resort to that. Our other option is to rent a hotel room and take our clothes to the laundromat until we have water again and send the bill to the landlords.

Enough whining!

John's sweater is coming along very nicely. The left sleeve is almost to the cuff; so close, as a matter of fact, that I want him to try it on again to see just how much further I need to go. I was a little concerned that the sleeve might be too snug on him. There are 75 stitches at the upper arm. A book that I'm referring to for general sizing (Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns) indicates 90 stitches for a 44" chest sized sweater, so I started second guessing my measurements. However, when he tried it on, it fit him just right, just how he wanted it to fit. I suppose I should trust myself a little more, huh?



I may have mentioned before that this house gets pretty chilly in the winter months. (If I didn't, it does.) Last winter, I made myself a pullover vest that I'm pretty happy with (other than the length... it's a bit shorter than I like, really). I've been wearing it quite a bit this winter. To that end, I've decided to make myself another one. This time, though, I'll use the original one as a blueprint... make it longer, make the V a bit deeper. Seeing that John's sweater is nearing completion (well, the end is in sight), I've started my vest. Can we say startitis?

The yarn is, once again, Online's Tessa, in a deep green. It's fully patterned with a knit/purl argyle-type pattern. This is a worsted weight yarn, so it will be a little heavier than the Country Style DK vest, but that's alright. It just means a little more warmth for me. The pattern is a 16 stitch repeat (which means it would be a good one for socks, too) over 32 rows. Once I've completed one pattern repeat, I think it will be a fairly easy pattern to read. I'll let you know. A picture? Certainly!

A final note about the water situation: we live on native land. That means we're not serviced by the city here. And that means we're at the mercy of whomever the neighbour has called to service the system. I only hope they get here quickly. I think the only thing I can do today is sit and knit like crazy. It may help keep my mind off the entire situation.

To that end, I'm off to get those needles clicking!

This is NOT fun!

Not only is it not fun, it's pretty darned annoying! As of Sunday morning, we have no water. None. It seems there may be a break in the line between the pump house and the two houses it feeds. No dishes (that's ok), no baths or showers (I LOVE my baths!), no flushing the toilets... no water. We have drinking water, as we buy bottled water for drinking.

Apparently, the neighbour (who's property has the pump house on it) has called someone to check it out, but the guy never showed up today. We have no idea how long we'll be without water and with the weather staying below freezing, who knows whether they'll even be able to do anything. I am NOT impressed!

Pattern Up!

The Top Down Toddler Hat (Trinity's Purple Hat) pattern is up. You can download it from my patterns section. Let me know if there are any errors or if there's anything unclear. It's a pretty simple pattern once you get going on it. Enjoy!

Now, back to my knitting and watching the snow fall and listening to the crackling fire.... do you think it's too early for a glass of wine??

My apologies... apparently the link to the pattern wasn't working. It should be fine now. :)

Progress and More

I have today and tomorrow off; that means I intend to spend some time working on John's sweater. When I got up this morning, coffee was first on the list and while it was brewing, I continued knitting on the first sleeve. I finished a ball of yarn and have not gotten back to it yet. I will shortly, but here's how the sweater's looking now.

It's not far, I know. From here on, though, it's smooth sailing. So far, I've incorporated three decreases. I wanted to pick up the stitches for the second sleeve at this point, but I've only got one 20" 4.5 mm circular, so I'll work this sleeve to the point of having to switch to double-pointed needles, then pick up the stitches for the second sleeve.

On to other things... I mentioned last time that I'm knitting another one of Elann's reversible hats out of sock yarn. This time, though, I'm knitting it from end to end, rather than from middle to end and middle to end. I've got the first half of the hat finished and have joined the solid colour.



It looks funny, doesn't it? I mean, it's just one long tube, really. Here's how it will look when finished. You'll have to use your imagination a little bit, ok?

One last picture...

When I knitted Trinity's hat (pattern will be posted either later today or some time tomorrow), I don't think I used even one half of the 100 gram ball. Since I don't like having half balls of yarn in my stash, I thought I might make a little scarf out of the remainder. To that end, I started this little project using another ball of James C. Brett's Marble and a ball of SRK's Baby Monkey. Trinity's scarf will be similar, but in the purply yarn with purple Baby Monkey.

It's a very simple scarf. Cast on 16 stitches on 8.0 mm needles using Baby Monkey. Working in stocking stitch (knit the right side, purl the wrong side), work 4 rows in BM, then 12 rows in Marble (or yarn of choice). Continue alternating in this manner (4 rows BM, 12 rows Marble) for length desired, ending with 4 rows of Baby Monkey. Cast off loosely. The scarf will curl in on itself; that's the intention. It will look more like a boa, or a tube, when it's knit in stocking stitch. I'll post pictures when it's further along.

For now, that's it. I've got Lentil soup simmering on the stove; there's laundry that needs to be put into the dryer and there's a sweater waiting patiently for me. I'll let you know when I've posted the pattern for Trinity's hat.

Finally!

I have some time to blog. I know it hasn't been long, but it feels like it has been. Maybe I've just missed writing. Anyway, I have a couple of little things to show you. On the way home from our trip to the coast, I knitted another baby hat. Did I tell you that already? I haven't taken a pic of it; it's another top-knot kinda hat without the top-knot. You know the type.

I mentioned in my last post that Little Miss Trinity has requested a purple hat. And that I had it done. Here's how it turned out...

The yarn is James C. Brett's Marble, on 4.5 mm (US 6?) needles. On my monitor, the colour is pretty close to what it actually is. I knitted it from the top down, beginning with 4 stitches for the I-cord. I think I'll make the pattern available for anyone who wants it, but it still needs to be written up. It really is a simple knit. Really! Beginning with an I-cord was easier than working the crochet circular cast on and starting the increases immediately. At least, there was something to hold on to.

The other small project I finished (and started) yesterday is one from Knitty. As soon as I saw Calorimetry (how DO you pronounce that?), I wanted to make it.

I love it! I love the yarn, too. It's Malabrigo. Don't ask me the colour name or number; I threw out the tag before even thinking that you might want to know the details. If you've never worked with Malabrigo, get your hands on some. It is THE softest 100% merino I've knitted with. Soft and light. And warm. I haven't even shown this project to John because I'm pretty sure they're not colours he likes... or likes on me. I love these colours. Lime green.... blue.... green.... yummm!

So, I've mentioned (more than once) that I'm really enjoying knitting hats from the top down. Kate left a comment about another knitter who likes to knit that way, too (see here). I've been to her site before and did knit a hat according to her directions. I liked it, but at the time, didn't realize the possibilities. Now, though... well, it's a whole new world!

Last year, I made each of my grandkids a reversible hat from Elann.com's free pattern section. That hat is started with a provisional cast on and worked from bottom to top, then the provisional cast on is picked up and the second part is knit from the bottom to top. I'm knitting that hat again, from tip to tip this time. I've started with a 6 stitch crochet circular cast on, increasing to the stitch count required for the size I'm making, then working straight down for the length required; then I'll be changing yarn and working the entire thing in reverse, to the final decreases. I'll let you know how it turns out. So far, so good.

Now, I'm going to go and spend the rest of the evening with my husband. (His sweater is waiting for my day off; I can't knit it in the evenings, as it's simply too dark to knit comfortably on it.)

We're home!

My concerns about the roads were unfounded, thankfully. The Coquihalla Highway and the Connector were both fine; we made it to Abbotsford in the usual 3-4 hours. The roads were a little slushy in a couple of places, but otherwise, just wet. We got in to Abbotsford early in the afternoon last Sunday and stopped in to see my eldest daughter for a few minutes, to drop off some hats and scarves she's going to try to sell. After a brief visit, we continued on to Vancouver, and John's Dad.

On Monday, after John and his dad did some shopping, I took the car and drove back to Abbotsford, where I spent two nights at my parents' house. Monday night, I cooked dinner and I knitted. And knitted. And knitted. You saw John's sweater in my previous post... well, you saw the start of John's sweater in the previous post. Here's what it looked by Tuesday morning...



It's working up very quickly! I'm having so much fun knitting this sweater. And he can try it on as I go along! I love, love, love knitting from the top!

Allow me to show you a close-up of the pattern detail...

I copied a portion of a sweater pattern I found on Garnstudio, then recharted it and changed the colours. When I got back to Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon, I had John try the sweater on. From the bathroom, I could hear "Wow, I love it!" It fits him perfectly (after I remembered to factor in the ease) and it looks good on him. Remember I said this sweater will be seamless? Well, it will have one small seam; I'll have to stitch the collar to the sweater at the base, as it will be a shawl collar (which, incidentally, is already done but the picture came out blurry or I would have showed you). Even the sleeves are not sewn in.

A detail of the sleeve...

The stitches for the sleeve are picked up and worked in short rows until you get back to the underarm. From there, the sleeve is simply knitted in the round, with decreases spaced evenly (like a regular sleeve, just backwards) to the cuff. I'm thinking I'll knit both sleeves before I finish off the body. At this point, the body is just brainless knitting down to the waistband.

I'm hoping to do some more knitting on it today. I have to tell you, knitting a sweater this way is a lot more fun than knitting all the pieces, then sewing them all together. Is there a single knitter out there who enjoys sewing sweaters together? I know I don't. With this sweater? No seams to sew up. No making sure the pieces fit together just right. No question about fit. I highly recommend Barbara G. Walker's Book, "Knitting from the Top".

Anyway, back to our trip. On Tuesday, I spent most of the day with my kids and grandkids... after checking out the local yarn store and Michael's. At the yarn store, I bought one ball of yarn and a set of bamboo double-pointed needles. Yes, that's all I bought there. At Michael's, I bought a couple balls of Paton's Canadiana in variegated colours and a set of Nifty Knitters, which I was going to give to my daughter but forgot to. Little Miss Trinity decided she wants a purple hat. So, grandma's going to make her (has already made her) a purple hat. I finished it yesterday and will mail it to her, along with a few other little hats for other (new) members of the family.

I spent most of the afternoon with my youngest daughter, whose second baby is due any time. I got to know my second granddaughter, Oceanna, a little better throughout the afternoon. She is such a sweetheart, a chubby little angel. That evening, I took all three of my kids and their kids (my five grandchildren) out for Chinese. After dinner, the girls went home and I followed my son to his girlfriend's home, where we spent a bit of time getting to know each other again (that's a whole 'nother story). Let's just say that our little family will be expanding as Julie has three children. That means three more kids to knit things for, right?

On Wednesday, I drove back to Vancouver and we spent the last night there, with John's dad. John took us out for dinner at Hy's (the most expensive steak dinner I've ever had), something he's been wanting to do since we first met. Thursday, we packed up the car and headed back to Kelowna. Again, the roads were good. Wet, but no snow, no ice. We were home by dinner time. I'm sure it won't be too long before we go back, if only to meet my soon-to-be-born grandchild.

Now, in addition to working on John's sweater today, I'll be knitting more little hats. I'm just having so much fun with them. It seems (so I heard from my son's mate) the hats I make are a hit, so I'll just keep making them. They're quick, they're fun... so, why not? I'll post pictures of the hats I've already done the next time I post.

Till then, stay warm, knit up a storm!

Sweaters, Hats and Stuff

I started John's sweater. I got about 3" knitted and realized it was going to be a little too narrow. I'd forgotten to factor in the ease needed for a comfortable sweater. Then, after I'd done the shaping for the second side (working from the shoulders down), I was unhappy with the way the provisional cast on looked after it had been picked up and knit, so I frogged the whole thing and started over using a crochet provisional cast on. It's coming along nicely now, and looking much better. As previously mentioned, I'm working this sweater from the top down (well, from the shoulders down, seamless) as per Barbara Walker's book "Knitting from the Top". The sweater will have set in sleeves (and it's seamless... yes, you read that right), and starts at the back of the neck and shoulders. The sleeves will be picked up and worked from the shoulder down as well, using short rows. I think I like this method. I'll let you know once I get past that point.

Ever since John saw a sweater that I'd finished for a friend (who moved to Australia before I could get it back to her and who I've not heard from since), he's been enamored with shawl collars. His sweater will have a shawl collar. One night this week, every time I woke up, I found myself thinking about the collar and how to do the shaping for it. I think I've figured it out. We'll see if it will actually work.

I think I mentioned that the sweater will also have a band of fair isle across the chest and back, just under the arms. I've been hunting online for an acceptable pattern (one that we both like) and found one at garnstudio.com. I'm not making the entire sweater, just borrowing the fair isle band pattern, altering the colour scheme to my own preferences.

The yarn I'm using is Online Tessa, a worsted weight superwash wool; I wanted real wool (as opposed to something with acrylic) for John as his shoulders have been bothering him lately and the warmth of wool just seems to ease the pain a little more than anything else does. There was one night when the only thing that gave him any comfort at all was my alpaca Clapotis. So, wool it is for my man. I'm using 4.5 mm (US 7) needles and getting 20 stitches and 28 rows to 4" (just like the label says I should). The main colour is a deminy/tweedy blue that has a little bit of purple and tan through it. It's really quite nice. I dislike making a large project like a man's sweater in a completely solid colour. Something tweedy just makes it a little more interesting. As you can see from my last post's pictures, the fair isle band will be done in purple, dark green and tan.

As far as other projects go, right now I'm working on the sweater. Hats have been pushed aside for the time being. I've been wanting to do this sweater for John for a long time now and am finally going to do it. Of course, progress will be monitored and you will be updated as I go along.

Monika asked me about the pattern for the green Classic Wool hat and could I point her in the direction of the pattern. I hate to tell you this, Monika, but the pattern is still in my head. Well, sort of. I have a preliminary version of it on paper, but will have to type it up and proof read it. Contact me via email, ok?

Tomorrow, the plan is that we will be driving down to the coast. Hopefully, the weather will co-operate. I hate taking unnecessary chances when it comes to life and limb. We're going mainly to check on John's Dad, making sure he's being well looked after and that he's generally okay. We will, of course, be checking up on kids and grandkids, too. This will be a fairly short trip; we expect to be back sometime on Wednesday, as I work on Thursday.

Today, I intend to spend plenty of time knitting while we watch the Canadian political system at work (Liberal party leadership convention). That, and football will likely be what's on our televsion screen today. Between the two, I'll be left with plenty of knitting time.

I leave you with a picture I took yesterday, out of our bedroom window. It's a little hard to see, I know, but those spots under the tree are quail. One of them was even jumping up to catch the berries on the stems. They're such interesting birds to watch. When they run, they look like wind up toys.