Saturday, December 16, 2006

Weekend Update...

First and foremost, it's exactly one week today until Stu and I tie the knot.

Yesterday was a short day at work, and I left at 1:15. Before going out to do some Christmas shopping, I figured I'd stop by home quickly to grab the mail. I walked in the door just as the mailman was leaving, and he looked at me and said, "215, right?" As soon as I said, "Yup, that's me", he pulled out a package.

I wasn't expecting a package, but I figured since we're getting married, maybe someone sent us a package. When I looked at the customs label and it said yarn, I was really confused. My first thought was, "is it getting that bad, did I buy yarn without realizing it?" I thought about it for a minute, and no, there was no way I bought yarn.



My next thought was, "maybe someone has sent me a bomb." No, that couldn't be it. I don't think I'm that important. Not important enough to be sent explosives anyway. I decided to open it, and the whole time I was really hoping that I wasn't more important than I thought.

Upon opening it I realized that I was important, just not in a bomb sending way.

Abigail from 1870 Pearl sent us a wedding present. It's two skeins of sock yarn.

Words cannot describe how shocked I am by her kindness.

I am very grateful and lucky that I have people like her in my life. We've never met, but I feel like I know her.

Thank you so much Abigail. I'll begin knitting socks for us as soon as the wedding's over.

As far as the wedding goes, it's getting closer. Almost everything has been taken care of so far. I have a 4 hour hair appointment today, which I'm not really looking forward to, but it has to be done.

At this point, all the necessities have been looked after, which is quite relieving.

Last weekend we bought a new bed. For the last 3 years, Stu's been sleeping on his super hard futon in the living room, and I've been sleeping on my "too short" full size bed in the bedroom. We finally got ourselves a king sized bed. We're going to get the frame today. So rest assured, I'll be swearing at Ikea furniture tomorrow. Ikea furniture hates me, and believe me, the feeling is mutual.

It'll all be worth it to have a real living room.

I'm feeling a little cramped right now, since neither of us have had time to clean the house. How do two people create this much clutter. Ugh.

Also, my old bed is lining our already small hallway. We're not really sure what to do with it yet. I think my parents want it back, so eventually it'll end up at their place.

Today's to do list--
  1. Gill's B-Day---Take for coffee.
  2. Acquire bed frame.
  3. Pick up tuxes.
  4. 4 hours of hair.
  5. Pick up veil from parents' house.
  6. Dinner with parents.
  7. Finally decide whether or not I'll wear a tiara.
  8. Wrap Christmas & B-Day presents.
Yeah, we'll see what actually gets done.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

In 16 Days I Will Be A Married Woman...

Why does that give me butterflies in my stomach? I'm sure that all this wedding stuff if getting a little monotonous, but really, there's been no knitting. Only wedding stuff.

My Mom and I went out shopping last weekend and found flowers, a cake, and a strapless bra. Woohoo! I'm so glad to have found a strapless bra. We also found a marriage commissioner. We met with her on Monday, and she is an exceptionally nice lady. We both feel really good about her marrying us.

More good news---The jewellery store called to say that Stu's ring will be in next week, so we'll definitely have it for the wedding.

I have something strange that's been sitting in the back of my mind. When I put my wedding dress on, I feel like I'm wearing a Halloween costume, and it makes me really uncomfortable. Is this normal? I mean, it fits great and looks great, but it just doesn't "feel" right. Do you know what I mean? I think I just feel a bit silly in it. Ya know, women today just don't get a chance to become accustomed to ball gowns.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Things Have Been A Little Crazy Lately....

I've been intending to blog for the last few weeks, and it just hasn't happened. There's been so much to figure out, and very very little knitting. Ok, there's been absolutely no knitting, but I've been thinking about it. That counts, right?

A few weeks ago, we were thinking about doing a big wedding in March. We were going to do it on the 17th, which is the day before our 8 year anniversary. Unfortunately, we were having trouble finding a place to do it, and couldn't get that date anywhere.

We weren't super attached to the 17th, so that wasn't really a problem, but the planning of a larger wedding was starting to get overwhelming, not just financially, but in time and thought as well.

Stu and I are fairly low key, and we were quickly realizing that a big wedding was just not "us".

We talked about doing something smaller, but did not want to disappoint any of the parents involved, so we were going to go with it.

I finally got a chance to talk to my mom last Sunday, and she said she liked the idea of a smaller wedding. I think I said something about not wanting to wait til March, and really wanting to do it near Christmas, when all the pretty decorations are up. My Christmas Eve idea had already been vetoed, so I wasn't thinking that I would get a Christmas wedding.

But Christmas is by far my favorite time of year, so I suggested the 23rd, which just happens to be a Saturday, and Christmas Eve Eve (Yes, I celebrate starting on the 23rd!).

This idea seemed to work for my family, and Stu as well. The next challenge was getting a venue on this short notice. Our first choice was the club that my family belongs to.

My Mom wasn't able to get in touch with the social director guy until Tuesday night, but amazingly they had an opening on the 23rd. (I'm taking this as a sign that it's meant to be).

Venue Check!

Two weeks ago, I found the perfect wedding gown. The store where I got it buys all the sample dresses from the bridal shops in Vancouver, so they've been tried on, but that's about it. It was the first place I looked, and the third dress I tried. It fits perfectly. It doesn't even need alterations. Actually, it's a tiny bit too long, but with heels, it's perfect.

Dress Check!

Last weekend, Stu and I went in search of wedding bands. We looked at a couple of jewellery shops before we found the right ones. Mine has channel set diamonds, and his is stainless steel. It's all shined up, so it looks like white gold, but it's much stronger. We also got my engagement ring re sized, and went to pick up my wedding band, and engagement ring last night (his won't be ready for another couple of weeks).

Rings Check!

Shoes were really holding me up. I was torn between beaded satin that were $200+, and finding a shoe I could wear again. I ventured into the mall on Thursday after work, and in the first store I went into, they were selling 3" high white leather pumps. Apparently, they're super "in" right now. They'll work under the dress (like anyone's going to see them anyway), and they look really awesome with jeans. I can't wait till after the wedding when I can wear them with jeans!

Shoes Check!

There are only a few more things on the list that must be found.

-strapless bra (hopefully will find one today)
-marriage licence (we're going to get it today)
-marriage commissioner (someone to marry us).
-cake (going to find one today)
-flowers (going to find some today)
-book wedding night hotel room

And what would a wedding be without something to overcome?

I was given something to overcome last night. The day after we got engaged, I asked a friend of mine to be my maid of honour, and she accepted. She was so excited. When we told her that we wanted to do a lunchtime wedding, she was less than happy (this was Sunday), and said something about it not being a "real wedding". I was less than happy at this reaction, but I thought I'd give her a day for it to sink in. At this point, I said that if she didn't want to do it she should let me know now, and there'd be no hard feelings. She assured me she wanted to. She called me on Tuesday and left a message for me sounding happy, and excited about the wedding. I returned her call, but got voice mail that night.

On Wednesday night, I found out that she was supposed to get together with Stu's best man to plan a party for the two of us (a Jack and Jill) on Tuesday night, but she never showed up, and just stood up the best man.

When I still hadn't heard from her last night, I left her a text message saying "Did you fall off the planet?". She sent me one back a couple of hours later saying "no, sorry, I've just been really busy". Then, an hour after that, we had just walked into the jewellery store to pick up our rings and my phone started vibrating because I got a text message. I thought it would be her, saying she'd give me a call later (we were supposed to go strapless bra shopping today, and she promised me she'd be there when we made the plans last Saturday). Instead, I got a message saying, "sorry, I can't be your maid of honor" and that was it! W...T...F...????


What?!? I couldn't believe that she text messaged me that sort of thing. Don't you think that's something that should be done in person? So now I'm left without anyone to stand up with me when we get married. I'd ask another friend of mine, but I wouldn't want her hating me too! I wasn't ever even one of those crazy control freak brides. I wanted her to wear whatever she wanted, and not get something she'd only wear once. I was sooo easy going! All she had to do was show up and hold Stu's ring until I needed it! Oh well. It's time to move on.

Must. Move. On.

So, Stu is going to have a very good friend of ours be his best man (and he's being an awesome best man too!!), and then my brother as a groomsman. Here's my thought --- I'm thinking about asking my brother if he'd stand with me instead. I know he'd never abandon me. Even when we were younger and didn't really get along, he was always there for me when I needed him. I'm going to run it by him today.

And what does all of this leave? Me with a touch of insomnia. It allows me to see beautiful winter sunrises though. Notice that there's still snow on the ground? Now, that's not normal at all. I just thought the sky looked really pretty. My camera's pointed south, south west. Apparently, that's where the sun rises now. No, I'm not insane.

Friday, December 01, 2006

A Very Very Quick Update...

Stu and I have decided to get married on December 23rd of this year. Yes, the same December 23 that's coming up in 3 weeks.

More details very soon.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Where Do I Start?

Let's start here---
Yup, you guessed it. That's my engagement ring! I woke up to this sitting beside the phone (the table that the phone's on is beside the kitchen). I walked by it, and it didn't really register. I went and flipped the coffee machine on, then it sunk in. Oh my God, that's my ring! Talk about shock.

He did it this way, because he remembered that about a 6 or so months ago, I told him about a dream I had where he left my ring in that spot, beside my keys. He even pulled out my keys and put them beside it for this morning.

There's a story behind this.

A few years ago we decided to get engaged (3 years ago maybe), which we did, then about 2 years ago we went through a really rough patch, called it off, and weren't even sure that we would continue to be together.

We worked through it, and things have been great for quite a while now. We've both grown a lot, and we know that we want to be together forever, because that's what we want, not because of outside pressure.

So, I haven't seen that ring for over 2 years. It turns out that he's been keeping it in his parents' safety deposit box, and he'd been trying to get it from them for a few weeks.

Oh yeah, and he's had it back in his possession for about a week, which explains his Dad's glimpse at my ring finger last Thursday. I thought that was odd. The only reason I even noticed was that I've been really self conscious of anyone looking at my ring finger since I stopped wearing my engagement ring.
So there's the story in a nutshell.

We're starting off our lives together "for the right reasons".

(Just in case you're curious, it's a little over a carat)

Monday, November 06, 2006

Meet My New Hat...

A great yarn and a funky pattern really can turn a "non hat person" into someone who's excited about her pretty new hat!

While on our shopping trip to Washington, I remembered that I had seen a hat pattern that was a bit intriguing. I couldn't remember where I'd seen it. I only knew that I had the magazine the pattern was in at home. I knew it called for Lamb's Pride, but was it worsted or bulky? I gambled with the worsted, and thankfully I was right.

It may be hard to believe, but this is the first time I've ever used Lamb's Pride. I am in love! I'm already plotting my next trip down to the States to acquire more.


I guess you'd like to know about the hat?

The Pattern: The Spiral Hat from the Holiday Special 2006 Interweave Knits (but it didn't turn out dorky like theirs did).

The Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Pine Tree ( PS. Pine Tree is so my color). Less than one ball.

The Needles: 5mm throughout.

The Changes: I didn't use the contrasting color of yarn (sock yarn), and I didn't go up a needle size at any time.

The Time: I started fairly late Saturday night, and only spent about 30-45 minutes on it. Sunday, I spent most of the day on it, but was done before bedtime. It would have taken me significantly less time if I was using non-torturous needles. I have a set of 5mm Addi dpns, and they are 10 inches long, and weigh a ton. Must replace with Crystal Palace!!

The Outcome: I love it! It didn't turn out Beret like at all, but I think it looks great. It's much more like board gear. Love love love!!!

Maybe I am a hat person after all...

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Just A Few Of The Reasons I'm Lucky...

I've received two amazing packages in the last couple days.

The first one I received was a package from my Knitter's Tea Swap pal. It still blows me away that someone I've never met can pick out so many things that I love.

My swapper's name is Julie and here blog is called Jewel Tomes. She is awesome!

Look what she sent me!!Clockwise from the far left --- 2 boxes of chocolate mint cookies (guess why one isn't pictured), these are super yummy!, a box of Darjeeling tea, a cinnamon black tea, a tin of tea called Paris (black tea, vanilla, citrus), this is perfect!, Arbor Hill Rose Wine Jelly (I can't wait to have this with bree & crackers!), a super cute teapot shaped spoon rest, Valentine's blend tea (chocolate & rose hips), this is the cutest tin ever! Cherry cordial soap (yummy!), Crabtree & Evelyn goatmillk hand cream (this stuff is awesome!). Last but not least, we have the beautiful Koigu. The colors are so pretty! I can't wait to knit some socks for me!

Thank you Julie!!

Package two isn't from a swap or anything, it's a show of how generous bloggers can be. This package is from Abigail at 1870 Pearl. She heard the Milk Duds and good dishcloth yarn are hard to come by in Vancouver, so she sent me some. Actually, "some" is an understatement! I have a ton! It's all in beautiful colors. The Milk Duds didn't make it into the pic. Mmmmm.....


Thank you, Abigail, for your generosity.

I'll be sending out a little thank you package to Abigail, but I haven't gotten my butt in gear.

Last but not least, I've got knitting progress---


I'm making socks for my brother's size 11 feet. Yes, that's 80 stitches around, on 2.25mm needles. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock (I can't remember the color). Surprisingly, it's going pretty quickly, but every once in a while, I have a moment where I think I'm insane for knitting men's socks on 2.25mm needles.

I've actually got another inch done since this pic was taken.

Today, we are going down to Bellingham again. I just can't stay away from the U.S. yarn stores. I'll be sure to show you what I got when we get back.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Time For Me...

As I sit here on a Sunny and extremely windy Sunday, I've been thinking about "me time". The house is quiet, and I'm in my comfy pink flannel pj's (complete with teddy bears on them). I am exhausted.

My first week at work went really well. I really like this job, and the people I'm working with are awesome! Trying to learn everything quickly has left me feeling a bit drained though.

My plan is to drink some yummy blackberry tea, listen to the newest episode of Cast On (linked in the sidebar), and knit. Just thinking of this makes me feel more relaxed.

I've fallen in love with the garter rib pattern. It's easy enough that it's mindless, but not so easy that it's totally dull. Pictures will be forthcoming shortly.

I was at my parents' house this morning, and I weighed myself (I don't have a scale at my house), which is the ritual every second weekend or so, and there's super good news. I'm down to 128.5! I've now lost 36 pounds since the end of January. It's been my goal for as long as I could remember to get my weight into the 120's again.

The lightest I remember being in the past was 136 when I was 11 or 12. And I'm now almost 24. You could see how I'd be excited.

I think it's time to start heading to the gym once in a while, since my new job isn't as active as the old one.

I'm off to knit, so I can finally post some worthwhile pictures. Happy Sunday!!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Aren't First Days The Worst?

But not really.

Today was my first day at my new job. Let me just say that if first days are the worst, then I can totally handle the worst!

I still don't really have a clue about what I'm doing, and I can only remember about 3 of 15 names (one of which is my name!), but everyone is sooooo nice!

And when I talk to people they all say how great the owners/management are! How refreshing!

The coolest part of my day? I only spent 11 minutes on the bus to get home after work! 11 minutes! And I only spent 13-14 minutes on the bus this morning. To put this in perspective, if you add both times together, it would have taken me longer one-way to get to my old job in the morning (when traffic is lightest, and travelling times are the best). I love my new commute!

Oh, the other cool thing----I can wear jeans to work. Any day. Even on a Monday, or Wednesday, or whatever. Not just Friday. When the woman training me said this I thought she was joking. I'm having a really hard time wrapping my mind around this concept. I think I'll wear jeans tomorrow, but I'll put dress pants in my bag (just in case). Okay, maybe I'm a little crazy.

In (sort of) knitting news---

My tea swap pal got her package! Her name is Lorena. Here's here blog. I am SO GLAD she likes what I sent her. I'm actually going to be sending her another small package, because I forgot to put something in the package I already sent.

I was going to send in last week, but things haven't been getting done because of the whole job transition thing. Oh, I almost forgot--I have a package to send to Abigail too.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

This Week In Dishcloths...

...Well, from Thursday onwards, anyway....

Thursday:


This one is a reversal of Wednesday's dishcloth. I used the black Sugar 'n Cream for the squares, and the white for the background. Again, this is from the Mason Dixon book.

Friday:
Another classic, and my favorite dishcloth pattern. It's the Garterlac dishcloth (there's a link in the sidebar). It's made with Lily's Sugar 'n Cream in Country Side Ombre. I love the colors in this yarn (it's really hard to photograph it though). It reminds me of a spring garden.

Thursday & Friday:

I've been slowly working on this one---



It's also from the Mason Dixon book. It's the Moss Grid Hand Towel. I'm using the Euroflax Linen sport weight that the pattern calls for. The color is called "Natural".

I'm actually really excited about this one! It's working up really nicely, and I have visions of making myself a whole collection of these cloths.

This one's a gift, but I'm quickly realizing that I need to make some for myself. I have another hank of this yarn in an off-white color, and I'm thinking about doing a hand towel in a basket weave pattern, with a moss stitch border.

Why all the dishcloths?

I've been finding it really hard to cast on for a pair of socks lately. I have lots and lots of awesome sock yarn, but for some reason I just can't do it. The last time this happened, I made a bunch of dishcloths, and then I was able to knit up a sock storm! 3 pairs in about a month to be exact.

I love dishcloths, because I get a lot of use out of them, and I enjoy knitting them, but I also use them as a knitting palate cleanser.

Long live the dishcloth!



Here are some random, funny, out of the blue, unprovoked things I've blurted out in the last week---

1) I think we should find a way to have turkeys produce their own cranberry sauce.

2) My ideal man would be made entirely out of various kinds of cheeses.

3) Sometimes I wish burritos had feelings.

These all earned me some weird looks, because the conversation was either silent, or on a totally different topic when I said them. I just thought I should share. The funny thing is that I didn't think these things were all that weird until I saw the reactions of the people I said them to.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Today Was One Of Those Days...

...Actually, I've been having a lot of those days lately.

(You don't have to read about the work issues, but I'd love to hear your thoughts)

Don't you love how much easier it is to leave a job when you are hit hard in the face with the reasons you're leaving everyday. That's what's been happening to me lately.

I've been really trying hard to not let stuff bother me and to just not care, but I'm not like that. It's just not me. Stuff does bother me. I don't think that it makes me a bad person to get upset when people are being treated badly. Especially when that person is me.

In a nutshell, here's what's bothering me most....

My supervisor is unprofessional. 1) She is the queen of the eye-roll, which drives me nuts.

2) I (along with a few other co-workers) got to listen to a 20 minute rant yesterday about how bad 2 other people in the office are. I couldn't believe it. Actually, I could believe it, but I really didn't want to think she was that unprofessional.

3) She is in charge of training, but does not know how to do most of the stuff, so she makes it up as she goes along, and then tells the rest of the team that we are wrong. I hate that!!!

4) No one can tell her anything. When she thinks she's right, there's no changing her mind. Even if it's her supervisor who is telling her that what she's doing is not procedure!

You may be wondering why she's still there! I'll tell you---

There has been a mass exodus from my office since I started (and I hear it's been going on for longer than that), and they will not fire anybody. You don't have to be competent at what you do, or a good employee in any way, and they will not get rid of you. Ever!

Even when the crappy employees get new jobs, they try to convince them to stay.

We've been doing a little poll over the last couple of weeks, and in our office of 250, we've managed to find one person who likes her job. This is not an exaggeration.

I'm sick of being treated like crap, and I'm thinking that I might be coming down with something ;) (Cough, cough). What do you think? Justified?

Oh, I should add that I am absolutely unable to avoid this person. She is sitting right beside me "training" all week.

Sorry, I know this is not knitting related at all, and it's funny, because I purposely did not blog last night, because I knew it was going to be a work rant. Tonight, I figured I might as well blog, because work at this job is not going to stop sucking!

I finished a dishcloth this morning. It's a gift, but I can't say for who, since it's for Christmas. See, I learned my lesson from last year, and I'm starting my gift knitting early.


It's the pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting and is knit with Sugar 'n Cream yarn in Black and White (shocking! I know!).

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Day Trip To Seattle!

On a whim, Stu and I decided to take a day trip down to Seattle. Do you believe that he's never been to Washington State?!? I couldn't believe it! I spent a ton of time down there when I was a bit younger, but I hadn't been in about 7 years, and I'd never been without my parents.

I had planned to document the whole trip with pictures, but I lost interest just outside of Bellingham. It didn't help that it was really foggy from the time we left home, until we returned.

We left Vancouver at 10:15am, and we didn't get home until after 10:00pm.

Our first stop was the Peace Arch Border Crossing where we were greeted with a 45 minute wait.

After getting through the border, our next stop was Bellingham to visit Marilyn's Yarn.

This was an awesome yarn store, and I know it'll be a bit temptation, because it's not too far from the border.

They had an absolute ton of stuff! Including lots that you wouldn't find in Vancouver. Amazingly, I only bought one thing from them. The reason is that it was really early in our trip, and I didn't want to spend my all of my budgeted money in one spot. The one thing I did get was amazing though.

It's Socks That Rock in Sedona! Believe it or not, I'd never actually seen this yarn in person before. I'd heard lots of good stuff about it, and it is just as amazing as I'd heard.

Upon the acquisition of this, there was lots of squealing, and happiness. Stu thought I was nuts.

They had a couple of other skeins that I am wishing I bought, but that's the price you pay for being budget conscious! Damn budget!

Our next stop was in Arlington for gas, and we went to Target too. I think I was in a Target about 12 or so years ago, so I wanted to go in again. Also, I figured I'd already been in the States for too long without consuming Milk Duds, so I needed to get some of those too. I'm sure people thought I was insane for taking a picture of Target!


Look---We have a holder in the car that's the perfect size for an XL box of Milk Duds!

Once we were back on the road, we decided to go to a "Real American Walmart", we have Walmart here, but I wanted to see if it was any different. We went to the one in Marysville. It seemed pretty much the same to me, except the "greeters" actually greet you. Also, they don't sell that Bernat dishcloth yarn, they sell Peaches & Cream. This was just the beginning of my dishcloth yarn acquisition.

After this, we made a break for Seattle to go to The Weaving Works. We were thinking about doing some other touristy things in Seattle, but we were both kind of tired, so we opted to turn around after this stop.

I hate to say it, but I wasn't all that impressed. Yes, they had lots of things, but not much more than Marilyn's Yarn had. Also, I was pretty much ignored. I was in there for half-an-hour, got no acknowledgement of my presence, and when I walked up the the cash, the only thing they said was, "You ready?" "That'll be X dollars". That was it!


The only bright side to this was that I finally found some Trekking XXL that I wanted. The had some at Marilyn's, but it wasn't the color I wanted.

At this point, I was thinking, "I can't believe I came all the way from Vancouver for THAT!" I mean, the reason I went in the first place, is because they have a good reputation.

Anyway, that's enough about that!

The thing on the agenda, other than yarn, was a new winter coat for me. I've had my old one for 7 or 8 years now, and it really needs to be replaced. I'd been looking here and there during our travels, but hadn't found anything.

On the way back, we decided to stop at any mall that we thought might have a good coat, that wasn't going to cost me a fortune. After 4 or so stops, we ended up in Marysville again, but on the other side of the freeway this time. They had a JC Penny, a Bath & Body Works, & some place called Craft Mart.

We went into Bath & Body Works first, and I didn't find anything to buy. I think it was because I had the coat thing on my mind more than anything.

Next stop was Craft Mart. This is where I hit the mother load of Sugar 'n Cream!

Woo Hoo!!

Anyway, we walked into JC Penny next, and honestly, I didn't have very high hopes. It was a little hole in the wall. Once I found the coat section, I saw the perfect coat! It was even more perfect, because it was half off! I tried it on, and I knew that this was the perfect coat for me.

It was a really fun trip, and I really like going into the smaller towns.

If you enlarge this pic, you can see where we went. It's quite a distance for one day, and I think that next time we'll stay over night.

As for today, I can't wait to start knitting with my new yarns!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Road Trip!!!

I'll tell you all about it tonight!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Baby Hat. Cat Hat. Same Thing....

I cast on for a baby hat for my co-worker who's expecting. I only started last night, but I'm already done.I have no idea how many stitches I cast on. I really just winged it on this one. I can't even remember what kind of yarn I used for it. Sorry, I know I'm useless right now.


I decided to try it on Redd, and he really didn't seem to mind. I think it looks really cute on him.

Don't ya just love a cat in a hat? I'm really glad to know that I have a willing baby hat model.


I had a great conversation this afternoon with a woman on the bus, who knits, but wants to get more into it. She was really nice. I pointed her to knittinghelp.com, because I've found their videos useful in the past. She said that if she sees me again, she'll pick my brain. That's cool. I like to help.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Something Special For Someone Special...

There's a very special blogger out there (actually there are many, but there's one in particular right now), who is very supportive and thoughtful.

Here are the goodies--

I've made her some little stitch markers that'll be perfect for socks. I'll let you know who it is when she gets them. She'll probably know who she is, but just in case, I'm not going to say right now.

Yes, they are almost identical to the ones I made for my tea swap pal.

On a totally different note---

I gave my notice at work today. It was scary, but it had to be done. I can't believe how stressed out I was, and still am, about it.

It is kinda funny though, because in the next couple of weeks, about 5 people are leaving. I just found out about all of these today.

When a company jerks you around, it's amazing how much joy can be taken from watching your department crumble. I thought our department head was going to lose it today! All has been well deserved though, so save your pity.

I'm just about to dive into my stash to make something more for my co-worker who's expecting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Weekend Goodies...

We headed down to Granville Island this afternoon for a little shopping. I good friend of mine is selling olives at the market, and we had to stop by to check them out. They are phenomenal! They're stuffed with cheese, and they're super yummy.


We also headed to the Net Loft building on the island (I call it the "crafty area"). I've been wanting to check out Maiwa. It's a store with many many fibre dyes. They also have an online store. I found the staff to be really helpful. I've been wanting to try out some acid dyes, and they have a huge supply. They also have a lot of natural dyes, which I'd like to try next.

Here's my bag full of goodies---

Here are the goodies---


This is pretty much all I need to dye my own yarn. I'm really excited! I've got lots of colors, and I can't wait to start experimenting.

As far as knitting goes, here's what I've been working on---

I'm making this sock for myself for Socktober. I'm using a 2.5mm Addi Turbo, and doing the magic loop. It's a simple 2x2 rib. The yarn is from Sunshine Yarns, and is called Grasshopper. I've hardly had a chance to work on it, but it's still progressing a bit.

This is the sleeve for the Central Park Hoodie from the Fall 2006 KnitScene Magazine.

I decided to start with the sleeve, because it would be some nice quick progress, and it is! It's moving along very quickly. This has got to be the simplest pattern ever. Again, it's Cascade 220, with a 4mm needle for the ribbing, and a 5.5mm needle for the rest. I like it with the bigger needle size, because it makes it really soft.

Friday, October 06, 2006

P.S.

I had a second interview tonight at 5pm, and got an offer before 6pm.

This is going to be awesome!! I'm super excited!

It's a great company with actual managers (which will be a nice change), and they're paying me more than I was making before.

Thanks to everyone who crossed their fingers for me! I think it worked!

I'll be giving my 2 weeks notice on Tuesday morning (Monday's Canadian Thanksgiving).

I'm too excited to type right now!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Ode To A Milk Dud...

Oh Milk Dud, chewy and sweet.
You arrived with sock yarn, but
will never adorn my feet.

Hours and hours I've thought of you,
All the while, my addiction grew.
But four Milk Duds, I've ever had.
And for those few, I sure am glad.

Your shiny chocolate makes me dream.
Your chewy centre makes me gleam.

How I envy those in the U.S. borders,
who can buy your satisfaction with but
a few quarters.

Your Canadian lover must make do,
and suffer silently while dreaming of you.

Ack! Busy!

I'm just checking in to let everyone know things have been busy! I've hardly been able to catch my breath!!

Here's the news---

I had an interview yesterday, which went well, and I have a second interview for it tomorrow. Yay!

The prospect of a new job scares the crap out of me!!

The person I've been interviewing with has been really understanding that I work all day, and across town at that, which is really nice. Really really nice.

I think people are going to be wondering about me being all dressed up for an interview tomorrow (casual Friday!). Oh well, most of them know I'm looking for a new job.

I haven't been doing much knitting lately, but I plan to knit like nothing else this weekend!

That's all for me right now. I'll let you know how it goes!

Emmie---If you're reading this---I'm going to call you this weekend! We must hang out!!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Chocolate Swap Goodies!!

I received a very nice package from my Chocolate Swap pal, Lori!


Did I mention I *love* chocolate?


I got tons of chocolate goodies! She even hand-dyed some beautiful chocolate colored sock yarn for me. She's got talent! I really hope she decides to sell her creations in the future.


All I can say is that white chocolate body butter is heavenly. I smell like white chocolate! Actually, it's more like white chocolate icing. Yummy!!

She also included some pretty, soft, and silky Knitpicks yarn. I can't wait to make socks out of that one too.


Lori's kids helped make the labels for the yarn, and I just had to post them. Don't you just love the bird in the corner! Thanks guys! It makes the yarn extra special, and I'll be putting these pictures on my fridge.

THANK YOU SO MUCH LORI!!!! YOU ARE AN AWESOME PAL!!!

Now, Just when you thought today wouldn't get any better for me, it does!

I got a call back from one of the resumes I sent out yesterday night. I did a telephone interview at lunch today, and I have an in person interview after work tomorrow. I'm really excited! Hopefully, by Thursday I'll have given my notice.

I'm off to stuff my face with chocolate and slather myself in white chocolate body butter! Sounds good, huh? Yum yum yum!!!

PS. I've been knitting, but that'll have to wait til tomorrow.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Socktoberfest Begins!

Happy October 1st! I hope everyone's ready for a fun and productive Socktoberfest 2006!

I participated in October 2005, and I don't remember being all that productive. This year, I'm making a list of goals to help the productivity along.

I was going to show some pictures and tell you about my list, but I've had a busy day, and it's almost 8pm now.

I'll be back tomorrow with some updates though.

I will say this---

I am actively looking for a new job. I've had it up to my eyeballs with this one, and I've realized it's time to move on. I'll explain after I find a new job. I don't want to get into it while I'm still with this employer.

Job hunting is time consuming, and that's what I was doing with my day today. I'll let you know about any updates.

I'm off to wind up a ball of sock yarn. Talk to you tomorrow!

Saturday, September 30, 2006

A Short And Quick Journey Into The World Of Beads...

I've always been a crafty person. I've always enjoyed various arts and crafts, but I just hadn't found the right medium before I found knitting.

Knitting feels like home to me. A place of comfort and belonging I've never found elsewhere.

Nothing brings this feeling home more than venturing into another crafting medium, be it sewing, painting, crochet, or, like today, beading.
I stand in a bead store and I have to remind myself that some people feel as strongly about beading as I feel about knitting. The reason I must remind myself of this is that I do not enjoy the bead store. It's not the place of inspiration and hope that I find in a yarn store. To me, it is cold and uninviting.

The staff may be nice and friendly, but the craft itself does not welcome me with the promise of warmth and comfort.

I've found my medium and realize that it is all I need. I have found home.

With that being said, I did find my way to a bead store today, but it was knitting related. Knitting will tempt you to try another craft, only because it knows you will always be back. I was in search of supplies to make some stitch markers for my Knitter's Tea Swap pal.


I'd never made stitch markers before, but they were fairly quick to assemble. The hard part was picking out the beads.I went with some glass pearls, a blue cracked glass bead, and a nice metal heart. I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and I really hope my pal will like them.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Yummy Sock Yarn!

I found my order from Sunshine Yarns in my mailbox on Monday, but I haven't been well enough to post about it til now.The blue one is called Stormwatch, and the pink one is called The Cure. I got The Cure specifically to knit in October, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I'm not sure which pattern I'm going to use yet though.

Sunshine Yarns is great. I'm currently drooling over this. If I hadn't just bought those other two skeins I definitely would have bought this.
I've managed to finish two pairs of socks for September for Sock-A-Month II, and I think I may end up finishing another pair.

These socks are from a Fleece Artist sock kit. They're for my brother. I gave him the first one last December for his B-Day, and he's been waiting since then for me to finish the second one.

All I've got left to do is the toe. I think they're going to need some serious blocking, because I think the ankles are significantly too tight, and the foot of one of them is wider than the other. I'd rip it down, and make it narrower, but I think that if it gets ripped down, I'll never finish this pair. I'd really like to give this pair of socks to my brother before this December.

Oh yeah, as of today, I am officially back to work. The vertigo is minutely less intense, and I couldn't spend another minute at home with the cats. They are so bad! You know it's time to go back to work when you're contemplating returning the cats to the SPCA.


Edited to add: As of 7:30pm tonight, I've finished the socks for my brother. That's 3 pairs for September!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Second Pair For September...

This pair of ankle socks marks my second pair of socks for October. This is yarn that I dyed and made the RPM socks out of earlier. Can you believe I still have yarn left over from these projects?

The heels look significantly more holey than they actually are.

I've been knitting with my eyes closed, because I still have really bad vertigo, and knitting aggravates it.

I am getting fairly good with knitting with my eyes closed.


I'm still off work because of the vertigo, but I'm really hoping it'll be a lot better in the next couple of days. I'm getting bored. The vertigo is also why I haven't really been blogging much lately.

Oh, I almost forgot. I got the yarn I ordered from Sunshine Yarns etsy.com shop. It looks fabulous! This includes the yarn I got specifically for October. I promise to give a full update on this as soon as I'm feeling a bit better.