setback

The second Kroy sock has taken a big step backwards. I divided the stitches to do the heel and I couldn't get the right number on both needles. After a quick count, I realized that I must've cast on the wrong number of stitches when I started the toe. Doh! I tried the sock on and it's too small so I had to frog the whole thing and start again. A whole MacGyver DVD wasted!

Thanks to my friend, Angela - I am now the proud owner of a set of Susan Bates Silvalume sock needles. I bought some sock yarn awhile ago and I needed size 00 to get gauge (no, I'm not a loose knitter - it's just a fine yarn). So now, I have no excuse. It'll be interesting to see how I like them. Grumperina loves hers.

Ricky is ok. The tests didn't show anything weird so the vet thinks he's got a sensitive stomach. He prescribed some hypoallergenic food - venison and rice. My cat is eating venison!!! And for the price that I'm paying, it better be good venison.

I have spent 2 solid days working on my youngest niece's quilt. It is going well but I had to undo a few pieces when I discovered that I'd sewn the wrong ones together. It's a sure sign that it's too late to be sewing when your brain stops functioning. I hope to finish piecing the top this weekend. I'll have pictures next week.

I am currently addicted to this flash game (click at your own risk - don't say I didn't warn you). My highest score so far is 272.

Sheep to shawl event this weekend

I'm taking Andrew to a birthday party, otherwise we'd probably go to the Sheep to Shawl competition in Surrey this weekend. Take a sheep, shear it, and turn it into a shawl.

I'm not sure if they can do that all in one day. Should be amusing.

Yes, I am still knitting, just not blogging about it! I've got a noro entrelac bag that's almost done — finished the bag last night, and I'm just trying to decide if I want two short handles or one long one.

And I've got a pair of cashmere anklets on the go for my sister-in-law. Photos to come tonight, hopefully.

Tony was out of town most of last week, and then he was off on his bike ride last night, so I've been on major kid duty.

socks, cat, quilt, lawn (in that order)

I finished the first sock using the Paton's Kroy yarn. I wove in 8 ends. The socks are really short but I couldn't stand all the breaks in the yarn so I stopped knitting. There should be more quality control for yarn that's made in Italy. I've started the toe on the second sock. I got a MacGyver DVD in the mail today so that means the sock will get lots of attention.

I took Ricky to the vet this morning. He hasn't been doing well and at first, I thought it was the change in diet but I've switched him back to his old food and he's still not 100%. The vet shaved a little patch of fur off his neck and took some blood for testing. I'll hear the results tomorrow. I hope it's nothing too serious.

This weekend was busy busy. I went to the FVQG quilt show. It was crowded. I thought it was a ho-hum exhibit. Only one quilt stood out - the rest were just nice. I picked up some brown & pink fabrics from the merchant mall. Plus they had quilting magazines - 5 for $1 so I got 5. I didn't see anything from the boutique that I wanted. I took my Mom to the show and afterwards, we went out for lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Yum! On the way home, I stopped at a fabric store that was having a sale and I picked up the Peace Quilt pattern by Margaret Rolfe. I might go back and pick up the Dresden Ring pattern by Patchworks Studio.

Sat and Sun were consumed with lawn work. We raked up the moss, top dressed, and overseeded. It was back breaking work even with the help of the thatching blade on the lawn mower. Luckily, it's going to rain most of this week so I don't have to spend too much of my time watering.

sock mojo

I have found my sock mojo.


Yarn: Trekking XXL (my very first!); colour 140
Needles: 2.25mm dpns
Pattern: toe-up; cast on 60 sts; 2x2 ribbing on the leg
Notes: I made sure the 2 socks matched. Normally, I wouldn't care but these will be gift sox.

And since I don't have any other knitting to show you, here's a cat picture of Ricky trying to eat my squid snacks.

261

Skeins of sweetgeorgia sock yarn? (I wish) Skeins of yarn? (I've probably got more) Knitting days til Christmas? (close but it's actually 250)

261 is the number of tulips in my backyard (yes, I counted) give or take a few. The total number of tulips on the property is probably over 300. I can't really take credit for the red and yellow ones since they came with the house. I have some Queen of the Night (black purple) tulips out front that haven't started blooming yet. When they do, I'll post pictures.

I did lots of yard work today. I spent 2 hours top dressing and overseeding part of the front lawn. We still have to deal with the rest of the front lawn plus the side of the house. I also went out and bought plants for my hanging baskets. I only make 3 - one for shade and 2 for full sun. This year, I bought voodoo fuschias for the shade basket. I bought blue nemesia, blue bacopa, white verbena, pink nemesia, apricot petunia, purple swan river daisy, and pink verbena for the full sun ones. It's a little too early for hanging baskets since it can still get quite cool at night but it's easy to bring them under cover when I need to.

I broke down and started a plain stockinette sock yesterday. And I didn't use the sweetgeorgia yarn. I have a few skeins of sock yarn lying on the coffee table taunting me. One of the skeins is my very first sock yarn purchase. It's nothing exciting - just some Patons Kroy socks that I bought from a craft store (probably Lewiscraft since no other craft store sells sock yarn). There were issues with the yarn - lots of breaks so I put it away after trying to knit with it. Now that I have more sock experience, I'm going back to it and I've rewound the skein so that I'm knitting from the end with fewer breaks. When I reach the "breaking point" (ha ha), I can cast off and just have shortie socks.

done shopping

I am finished shopping for my Knitter's Treat Exchange treatee. I picked up the last few items today. I can't quite send the parcel just yet. I am waiting for some stuff to arrive that I ordered from eBay. I also bought fabric to sew up a little something which I should do this afternoon.

We've got 6 DVDs rented (technically, we should only have 4 since that's all we've paid for) so there's been lots of knitting time in the evenings. I have 7.5" of the indigo ripples skirt done. Am I making fast enough progress, Anne?

The skirt monogamy might end soon. The siren song of the sweetgeorgia sock yarn is calling to me. Will Fondant be the first on the needles or Afterglow? Hmmm....

And I want to be the first to post this picture (beat you, Simon!):

This is Simon (my husband's second cousin from Germany) posing in front of Shannon Falls just south of Whistler, BC. So that you understand how tall the falls are, Simon is 6'4". He had his very first pit toilet experience while we were there. He's been living in the Rockies almost an entire year and he has never used/seen a pit toilet? Anyways, I drove him up to Whistler so that he could see all the sights along the Sea to Sky highway. The weather wasn't co-operating but we didn't get too wet. Simon likes climbing so we stopped at the base of the Squamish Chief but there were no climbers out that day. We walked around Whistler village and did a little shopping (rock candy - yum!). Simon also dives so we stopped at Porteau Cove so that he could see where the local divers go. There's an artificial reef there so it's a very popular place. He was surprised that diving is free as long as you pay to park your car. In Germany, Simon doesn't live near the coast so he's forced to do most of his diving in an indoor facility. I'm sure that gets expensive.

finally!!!!!!!

I have been waiting ages and the last (as in, there-may-never-be-any-more) shipment of Sweetgeorgia finally arrived at my lys this week. They sent out a newsletter yesterday announcing the arrival and I read it during my lunch break from lawn maintenance today. Not willing to risk missing out on all the good colours, I told hubby to keep raking without me while I dashed out. Some of the colours were already gone but I bought 2 skeins each of Fondant and Afterglow. Aren't they pretty? I am going to miss her (yarn) a lot.

And an Indigo ripples skirt update... I've got about 6" of stockinette knit up. But it's curling so much that it doesn't look like much on the needles and it's hard to see my progress. See what I mean?

I dropped off our house guest at the airport yesterday so we've got the house to ourselves again. I am officially off tour guide duty. On the way back from the airport, I stopped at the fabric store and bought this fabric:

There wasn't much left so I bought the rest of the bolt. I am currently in love with pink and brown. Don't ask me why.

I am busy assembling goodies for my Knitter's Treat Exchange recipient. I went shopping all day yesterday looking for things. I was only partially successful. I hope to have better luck next week.

The clerk at the local postal outlet is getting to know me. I've been giving away yarn on Good Yarn Karma and in the last week, I've mailed 3 packages. And some of it is going to far away places. The farthest is Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. But get this - it's cheaper to send yarn there than it is to send yarn to Minnesota. Go figure.