Yesterday I cried a little

I didn't get much knitting done yesterday. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was busy chasing my little man around the house trying to make sure he kept something attached to his face. I didn't think it would affect me as much as it does, but I have to say I cried a little bit. Not because I feel sorry for him, or because I don't like the way he looks, but because he had changed. I would never see his face the same way again..his pudgy cheeked , full on grin, eyes that sparkle when he laughs face. My Kaeleb face. One that no-one in else in world has. But now ...it's different.He got his first glasses this week. At 19 months. And it is probable that he will wear them every waking moment of his life from now on. Maybe I feel guilty ..Man! why can't I stop crying!!! His condition is most likely hereditary. Which means out of my four children, my baby..the one that had to endure so much already in his little life is the unfortunate one, the one that will have to undergo eye surgery down the road, and the one that has to wear glasses for the rest of his life...just like his dad. My husband feels sick about it, and he of all people knows what it's like. He started crying as soon as we left the optometrist. We are both just being big cry-babies right now. Maybe it's just mourning the loss of that baby face we grew so accustomed to. So ... we took pictures... lots and lots of pictures. I won't show them all here, but there are a couple of favorites I can show



That last one was easter weekend, and I love how blue his eyes look . All in all it really isn't such a bad thing because after all he can see better right? I guess that is all that matters.
Hopefully tommorow, some more knitting content. I'm halfway through my "Large Rectangle " stole, and I'm worried about running out of sea silk. Dun Dun DUnnnnn...What will I do then?

So Cool!

Takin' Care of Business

I joined the Knitter's Coffee Swap for the first time, and I need to post some answers to questions, so I don't get a box full of chic peas and pepto Red Heart..so here goes


1.Whole Bean Or Ground? I would have to say ground...I wish I had a grinder to grind my own..but I just let Tim Horton's do it for me. More time for knitting that way.

2 Fully Loaded or Decaf? Definitely fully loaded for this gal. All I have to say is 4 kids under 11 and a full time job.....

3.Regular or flavoured? Hmm this one is tougher, cause I love both. My favorite flavored is by far any vanilla variety, I once was gifted a vanilla caramel flavor that was to die for. But for everyday use..I'd say a good strong blend is my mainstay.

4. How do you drink your coffee? This one is easy...Extra Large Triple Triple ( that's for all of you Canadian folks)I don't drink alot of alcohol, or eat a lot of junk, but I do not skimp on my coffee. It's my one treat of the day that I don't compromise on, even if I'm dieting. I find the best cream I can, and a spoon or two of cane sugar, and that's about it. I do lighten up on the sugar when I drink flavored coffees though, cause I find it masks the flavor a little.

5.Favorite Coffee Ever? No favorites here, as long as it contains caffeine I'm in.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee, or will any old bean do? See above..although I would have to amend that to say I don't do well with highly acidic coffees...my body yells at me when I drink them.

7.Favorite Treats to have with your coffee? My favorite coffee treat ..cinnamon crunchy rolls...you know the kind with pastry rolled into little mini crunchy brown sugary, cinnamony heaven. Those are the ones. A good cookie is also a close second.

8.Anything else about your coffee preferences? I think I've about covered it.

9.Yarn/fibre you love? Anything natural, ie wool, cotton, alpaca, silk, llama.

10. Yarn Fibre you hate? I really don't hate any yarn, but I use very little acrylic/synthetic. On the rare occasion I do, it's usually a baby project(with the yarn chosen by someone else)

11.What's on your needles. HA HA! That's a good one, got an hour? There are at least 15-20 of them, but the ones I am working on the most are Icarus II , My stole from Victorian Lace(which I plan to talk about later), and about 4 or 5 pairs of socks. The rest have been sitting and languishing in the pile.

12. Favorite colours? Lately it's been greens(any green but fluorescent) and natural charcoals, greys, creams. I do also have a love affair lately with reds of all kinds.

13. Any Allergies? Only Codeine, and bee stings.

14. Anything you really love, really dislike, or just want to get off your chest?. Ummm... I can't think of anything specific, but if it pops into my brain I'll be sure to let you know!

I'm putting together another post for tonight about what I've been up to, but I've been on the computer for about an hour already, so I'll post more later.

Happy monday!

So Much to say..Too Little Time

I have had a really hard couple of weeks at work, and to be honest I'm totally drained, but now, I have seven days off, and it feels FANTASTIC! I really have slacked on blogging, but when a million things are pulling you a million directions, some things get left on the side lines. Now that I have some time off, and the weather has finally improved to more spring-like conditions, I finally feel a little rejuvenated. Gathering Intentions is Done(all except for the I cord ties) and it fits pretty well, considering I have a slightly warped notion that a regular large still fits me. It came out just a touch shorter than I had hoped, but I think another wet block may fix that problem. The only modifications I made were the collar( I didn't want it quite as close to my chin as the model) and the sleeve tie has a cable all the way to the cuff cause I really screwed up when I thought it would be a good idea to do both sleeves at once. Reading directions BEFORE you start really is a good plan. Turns out the left sleeve was to have st st for the first cable repeat to make room for the i-cord ties, but dumb- ass me, in a hurry to finish this baby started both sleeves at the same time, and knit them both exactly the same. DUH. I will jimmy something up, and no-one will be the wiser. The shots I took today are not the finest quality, but once I do another blocking, I'll have the man do a photo shoot .
I'll call this one...99% done sweater on a kitchen table


I have also started a new project with my most prized of stash ( 1 skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk).
I just received Victorian Lace Today in the mail this week, and it was just the inspiration I needed to finally cast on with this yarn that I am completely in love with.


The colours are the most beautiful gold, sea foam green, copper, wine, sage all combined in the perfect way . The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it was as close as I could get. It is so soft I would swim in it. Some people have commented that it has a weird smell, but I haven't noticed any odor at all. I won't give away which pattern I'm doing until I decide if it will work or not, but I can say it is destined to become a scarf/wrap for my SIL's wedding next fall. I am standing in her wedding, and her colours will be gold and copper, so I think this will be the perfect fit for my cold shoulders in September. Speaking of this wedding, I have come to the realization that I have just gotten way too fat. So I am challenging myself to lose 25 lbs before September. It's been a while since I've stood in a wedding, and I certainly don't want to be remembered as the "Fat Bridesmaid". I've never been one to really diet, but my plan is to cut out white stuff ( breads flours, pasta sugar) drink tons of water, and get out for some form of exercise each day.
Oh and before I forget, go check out this blog. Some really great Karma going on there, and one of my favorite bloggers is one of the blog moms. Cool chicks I tell ya, Cool chicks.

GRRRRRR

You never know how much you miss the internet until you don't have it. We were hit by lightning 2 days ago, and I am just finally getting back online. Be back soon!

Winners!

I know I said I wasn't going to draw until tommorrow morning, but I'm still up, so what the heck right?My trusty Mr.Man got a kick out of being the official number picker for the contest. I am so pleased at the turnout! I hope you all come back and visit every now and then. I got a real kick out of reading all of the comments. Melissa of is the winner of the must be nice cause I bought it twice book, and Karen wins the yarn. This contest stuff is really fun, I think I may have to do it more often. It feels great to give stuff away no? Karen I need your e-mail address so I can send you some stuff! Melissa, I've already sent you an e-mail. Congrats ladies, and knit on!

Ask and Ye shall recieve

Ok so I guess this is turning out to be a real contest afterall, so I'm adding another prize so I can spread the dumb assedness love around. A big thank you to Chris for mentioning my contest on her blog. Reading all of your comments today is a ball of fun! Keep em coming. The sock yarn is Four Seasons Hot Socks Sockenwolle in colour 287, and the other yarn is a local treasure Manitoulin Yarns Wooly Harvest in some purpely/blues. I'm almost done my Gathering Intentions, so I hope to be able to post a photo by this weekend! Yay!! Have a great Wednesday everyone.

Vacationland

So, apparently, no one reads this blog, or everybody already has the book I'm giving away, cause only two of you have left comments! Cummon guys! Show me some love....I may even throw in a little something soft and squishy to knit with. Just leave a comment between now and Thursday night at 11 pm EST (cause that is about my bedtime) and I'll do a drawing on Friday. There, now that that is out of the way, I can talk about my wonderful little mini getaway.
First, some yarn *porn*:



The top photo is 2 skeins of Apple Laine Sock yarn in Winter's Dawn colourway; 1 Skein of Misti Alpaca Laceweight
Next up, A new book....Very cute stuff to knit for the guy in your life, and a pair of socks that I knit entirely on my trip (that must have been a record)
And Finally, the Piece de Resistance......A luscious silky skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk, and a sliver of Fleece Artist Silk Merino roving. YUMMMM!!!!!
Does anyone have a fantastic pattern for a single lonely skein of Sea Silk? It has to be special..I really love this stuff, but at $38/100 grams, I'm afraid to knit with it.
Suggestions Please!
Our Trip was great. No traffic on the way there, sunny skies, and about 10 degrees celcius. Perfect!

My mom had home-made meatloaf ready for us when we arrived, and it was sooooo good.
Marc and I managed to get out to the casino, just so we could lose all our money, butwe had a blast anyway. This was our first time out sans enfant since May of last year. We really need to get out more. Being the week of the dumb ass, I forgot to take my camera, so alas, no photos of the festivities. Wednesday, we shopped, and shopped till the kids couldn't take it anymore. Let's just say, thank God for IKEA ball pits. The end result of the little shopping spree, is that I decided my bathroom needed a complete remodeling all based around a really pretty shower curtain I bought. Marc was thrilled.....*not* So, this week is all about the paint, and fixtures, and bathmats to match. It's only a couple of days work, with really big pay off.

As for knitting, as you can see, I managed to knit an entire pair of socks on the trip. Gathering Intentions also saw a little face time, hopefully it will be done by next weekend. Just in time for me to return to work. Wahhhhh!

Since I'm so dumb, I'll have a contest!

Well not really a contest, but more like a giveaway, cause I have got to be the stupidest Amazon Shopper in the world! I bought myself two of these :


I thought I was being all smart using the one click shopping, until I was sent two invoices for the same book! Anyways, rather than cry about it, I will share the love, so I will randomly choose one person to win this lovely book. All comments left before 11pm EST Thursday March 22 will be entered into the draw.
I've also got lots to tell you about my trip, but I'm painting my bathroom at the moment, and was just stopping for a quick break. More tommorrow!

A Trip!

I am really exited for the coming week. We are going to Ottawa to visit with my parents, and I can't wait. Real Yarn Shops! With the kids being off for spring break, and me being off on sick leave we thought it would be the perfect time to get away and recharge our batteries. The only dissapointment is that the Rideau Canal closes today. I'm a little bummed about that, since I wanted to bring the kids for a skate, but I guess sinking through the ice really wouldn't be much fun anyway. I did however promise my Josh (my 6 yr old) that we would make a special trip for a Beaver Tail. He had a bite or two as a baby when we lived in Ottawa, but doesn't remember, and he can't wrap his head around how we could possibly eat the tail of a beaver. He'll soon see how one cannot live without this gooey, sugary most wonderful taste of the Capital. I have big plans to surprise Mr.Man with a romantic night to ourselves at a really nice hotel. We really need the break, and since we didn't really celebrate on Valentine's day, I plan to make up for it. Mom is going to babysit ( I hope) and we may even get to sleep in. Can't wait! Cant wait! Can't wait!

I Bet Ya Didn't Know

I'm not too sure if I've ever mentioned it before or not, but I make wedding cakes. It's just a little something I do on the side for some extra cash. I wish I could do it full time, but I'm not sure my nerves could handle it. Making someone's wedding cake is a very special thing. There are few "traditional" wedding ceremonies left, but cake cutting seems to be one that has stuck. If you screw up someone's wedding cake, you are jeopardizing part of thier "Day". This always haunts me when I'm travelling to the reception site, wondering if my days of baking and preparation will go flying with every bump. Today was no different, and I did have a minor mishap, but all is well now. My centre tier took a little nose-dive into the cake box during travel, but nothing my little kit of icing bags couldn't fix. Here's the cake as it was when I left the hall.....let's hope nobody stuck their thumb in it before the bride arrived. Not a perfect cake by any means, but pretty candlelight and dim lights hide all sins right?

One Word Friday

One Word for Today

SNOW DAY!!!!

A Very Special Job

Mr. Man's family is French Canadian, and with that comes a whole slew of traditions I had never heard of. My sister in law is getting married next September, and I have been asked as the "resident knitter" of the family to do a very special job. There is a wedding tradition ( look under Canada scroll down half a page, I'll wait) which involves me knitting the longest ugliest socks I have ever created, for my brother in law. I can't wait !! I figure I'll use up alot of my uber-colorful sock yarn left-overs. I may even add some jingle bells, sequins, beads etc to make things interesting. And I have a year and a half to do them! That should be manageable I hope. In other funny random things, I was reading The Harlot's blog the other day and read about a nasty e-mailer she's been dealing with. I thought it might be funny to show you this list of other "Canadian" words. I'm feeling much better today than I was last time I posted. I'm still really sore in the navel area, but I'm told that is to be expected. No more gall stones though! I'm off to catch a few minutes in my knitting chair. Nothing beats Tim Horton's and sock knitting!

All you need is Yarn

You know when you are having a miserable week, and you can't quite put your finger on what it is you need to make you feel better, or what the heck that craving is for? I was having a week like that until today. Marc walked on down to the mailbox today and brought me the best pick me up I could have asked for! My Secret Pal totally rocks! Her package could not have come on a better day. What better to fix a craving than sock yarn? Enough for 3 pairs!,Cherry Tree Hill in Indian Summer Colourway, some C*eye*ber fibre and some Canadian Colours Regia, some perfect little dpn's, the cutest keychain Hello Kitty mini scissors (a girl can never have enough scissors) oh wait! that's not all, Some really cool stitch markers (Boye) that you can leave open, or snap closed in a great little case, a tape measure set, row counters, and the best little washcloth I have ever seen. I think It's from Mason Dixon Knitting if I'm not mistaken. I LOVE IT!!! Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou Deirdre....you made my whole week.

Ouch!

So...I'm back from the hospital, in one piece ..well minus a piece, but alive and well none the less. I am in considerable pain, I can't stand up without help, and I can't pick up anything heavier than my coffee cup, but I am happy to say that my gall bladder will no longer cause me anymore agony.
The folks at the hospital were great even though I caused them a little more of a stressful day when I stopped breathing a couple of times, but all is well now. Wanna see some pictures?
If you are a little sensitive to photos with incision content, please avert your eyes, It's really not too bad to look at though considering my bloated belly is the most heinous part..



Those are three of the four cuts they made (the other one is in the belly button)
I'm told I should be back to normal in a week. Let's hope that's the case cause it hurts like hell right now. I have been knitting a bit on some socks, but anything requiring more than plain stockinette will have to wait. The drugs make me really loopy, and totally incapable of following a pattern.
Time for a little lie down I think. Night all.

Needle Love

I am a happy camper today. I just got my hands on some of these
and I couldn't be more thrilled. Finally after a ton of feedback, Addi has come through BIG TIME!! I only own a few Addi circulars, but they always seem to be the ones I turn to for comfort knitting . You just can't beat em'(while Knitpicks is really close). I do love the knitpicks needles, and have bought 3 or 4 sizes of their options circulars, but I have had 2 cables come apart on me. Addi to the rescue! I now am the proud owner of size 1 addi circulars (2 sets for my 2 socks on 2 circs)with nice pointy tips, and smooth lovely joints Hooray!! I have some FO's to speak of, but no pictures yet. They're just socks anyways, but I have 2 pair done so far, so I can cross them of the list. My Cherry Tree hill anklet socks, and a pair of STR G-rocks socks that weren't even on the list. They match my PJ's for the hospital, so I wanted to motor through them to wear when I'm there. Nurses love to knit, and I know they will appreciate my nice hand knit socks! This is my first time trying STR and I do have to say I'm thrilled about it too. Squishy, sproingy cushy yarn, that is dyed to perfection. I love it almost as much as Cherry Tree Hill (which has now become my mainstay sock yarn). I find The STR slightly thicker than CTH, which makes for a slightly denser fabric on my 2 mm needles, but it isn't quite as silky as CTH. I guess I like a little shine to my sock yarn. I love it anyways, and I'm sure I will buy more. I also bought some STR in the Terra Firma colourway, which is destined to become some socks for The Man. 3 Days and counting till I get this rotten little gall bladder out. Can't wait to be relieved of the agony it's causing me. Since I don't have any FO photos to show you, I'll pull one out of the album that I think is really cool. This is a wall hanging made completely out of silk ribbon, and woven over a mirror. I thought it was fantastic. It is hanging in a ribbon store on Queen St. in Toronto. Fabulous No?

I Hate Hospitals

Today I return (for the 3rd time) to the hospital for my pre-op tests. Yippee Skippee more poking and proding! The funny thing is, I was a nurse for 6 years, and I now currently work for our national blood service, but I detest having blood removed from my body. I bruise easily, and my arms are always left mangled. The big day for surgery is next Tuesday, so I'm sure there will be much more where that came from. As long as it doesn't hinder my ability to knit I suppose I can survive right? Wish me luck, I'll catch y'all tommorow.

Sad But True

I haven't been well lately, as some of you who read regularily know, and today I got some disturbing news....apparently, there are gall stones almost the size of golf balls trying to push themselves out of my gall bladder. No wonder I've been in such agony! My doctor phoned me today to confirm what I suspected, and to have me come in tommorow to set a surgery date in the very near future. Fun times!! The plus side to all of this is, I'll be laid up for a while, and I'll be able to start finishing up some of that ginormous list of projects I have on the go. I hope to be bed-ridden for at least a few days, so...Mr.Man has no choice but to let me sit and knit to my little heart's content. Oh...did I also mention that I get 3 weeks off work? No? Well that rocks as well. All of these health issues though have made me wake up and realize I need to take better care of my body. No more sugar filled, high fat foods for me. I plan on making this a good excuse to get off my ass and get healthy. If it wasn't -35 here most of the time I would have started walking some more by now, but It's just too cold. Skin freezes fast around here.
I have managed to knock off a couple of things from my "to knit" list. My Cherry tree hill socks are all but done, just the last inch of cuff on the second one, and I have managed to finish the sleeves of my Gathering Intentions Sweater. Hopefully I can get the front done while I'm in the hospital, so I can have a coming home squishy warm sweater to wear in our outrageous temperatures here. I also want to thank all of you for your suggestions on yarn choices for Cromarty. After reading Wendy's post, I went and ordered the Celtic Collection book right away. Once Gathering Intenetions is finished, she will be my next knit. I'm not usually much of a bandwagon knitter, but as soon as I saw that sweater, I knew it had to be mine! Now if I could just decide what I want to knit it with. I was thinking Elann's Devon yarn, but not sure. Any thoughts? So..I'm of to pop some good drugs so that I can sleep tonight without pain that would want to make you poke your eyes out. Night all.

Getting organized

I was thinking alot about all of my unfinished projects the other day, and decided it really was getting out of hand. I have resigned myself to the fact that I am a great starter, and not such a great finisher. My list may not be as long as yours, but I think I could give alot of you a run for your money. So..I'm putting it out there, for all to see, so I can keep better track of finishing things, and actually start finishing stuff. I'm designating Tuesdays for UFO's. Here's the list

Pink Butterfly beaded scarf - half done
Pomotamous socks- 1 sock done the other OTN and completed cuff
Gathering Intentions Sweater - Back done, 2 sleeves, half done
Lorna's Laces Jaywalkers - 2 at a time half done
Shell socks from Knitting Vintage Socks- 1 sock done other not even started
Plain Vanilla Socks for Mr.Man -1 sock done, other not started yet
Apple Tree Shawl (my own design) -1/3 done
Icarus II wedding shawl for a co-worker- done 4 repeats of the first chart.
Snowdrop Shawl - need 1 more repeat and a border
Comfy Cardi (my own design)- Back ,1 front and 1 sleeve done
Lizard Ridge blanket- 2 squares done
Cherry Tree Hill socks for me -1 sock 1/3 done
Cotton Cabled Tank from Summer Cast-On 3/4 done

I'm sure there's a few more tucked away in the deep deep crevasse known as the knitting closet, but I can't remember right now.
Now which ones to finish first??

I Shall Oblige

I have been really remiss in posting some photos of stuff I've been working on, so ..since my secret pal asked so nicely, I'll post a pic or
two. Here are some plain vanilla socks done two at a time on circulars YAY!!! I conquered that one! As well, we have some yummilicious sock yarn aquisitions, Lorna's Laces Sheperd sock in Watercolour, and Fall Leaves(below). I already have the fall leaves on the needles(2 at a time again) but as Jaywalkers . I'm not sure how I'm liking the colour pooling that is going on, but I'll have to see. The last shot is of the back of my Gathering Intenetions sweater by Fiona Ellis. What a great satisfying cable knit. The arems are about 1/3 done as well, but they look just like sleeves, so I didn't take a picture yet. Hopefully the next time I post about this sweater I will be wearing it. As for all of my ailments, it looks like I have Pneumonia. Lovely predicament isn't it? Not much they can do for me except insist t hat I rest alot. Mr. Man has been pretty understanding, and even though he is working full time as well, he is making extra effort to make sure I'm getting enough sleep. I caught a gem I tell ya. So...I'm off to take a little lie down. Happy Sunday everyone.