I'm swapping

So I joined a swap over on Crafster - this one is for animals. My partner likes: penguins, cats and turtles. And also likes them to be cute. I won't tell you what I have in mind as she may check my blog - but if any one has any ideas or suggestions - I would love to hear them.

When I joined I was super excited and couldn't wait to find out who would be my partner and what animals I would be making. Then when I found out, I had a flash of panic, but after looking through some of my craft and pattern books I'm back to being excited and I'm sure I can meet the deadline. Of course the anticipation of what I might get in return is also great motivation too!

In other news, JP is home. So nice to have him here again. We have the weekend together and then we fly away for the wedding. I can't believe it's all happening.

Hope you are having a good weekend too. Happy Canada Day !

Book Review - The Crafter's Companion

I've been looking through this book and thought I'd share it because it's a fabulous resource for those hooked on making things - from little stuffies to quilts to clothing to jewellery and more. But what I love about this book more than anything is the creator's profiles. First I was surprised by the number of creators many of us already are familiar with:

- My Little Mochi
- Six and a Half Stitches
- My Paper Crane
- Wee Wonderfuls
- Bird in the Hand
- Molly Chicken
- The Small Object
etc.

It is so interesting to see photos of their work spaces, or a peek at their stash, or to find out what inspires them. Plus there are projects included too - how could they not?

It is a very well laid out and very well photographed book and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see follow-up issues in the future as there are so many, many talented creators out there that we also need to see.

I've also learned that many of these regular bloggers have been very good at keeping secrets! Their blogs are read daily but only the smallest hints were dropped about this project until it was published. How's that for crafty?

Updates

1. 12 hours until JP is home

2. 1 week until our wedding

3. 1/2 a sock to go - turned the heel last night

4. more than 1/2 done on my cross stitch (show you later)

5. 25 days until my birthday

6. less than 6 months until Christmas

Wow - last night felt like a weekend night. Besides the fact that I bought some groceries so I could eat again (because I had been living out of the cupboards alone while JP was gone) which was terrific.

Then I found some chunky wool in my stash and started to crochet a purse. I used a P hook, which I believe is 11.5 mm. Wow - that's a great size to use with the chunky wool. The bad news, I had to piece together lots of little bits so I will probably have to line this purse to hide all the knots. That's what you get for trying to make something with your stash! But I think I'm going to try bulky/chunky wool again - it was kinda neat!

And, while I cropchet I watched the movie The Queen which was good, but not what I thought it was about. I didn't realize the whole movie was going to revolve around how The Palace handled Diana's death.

And when the movie was over, I didn't feel like going to bed. It was 10:30 when I stepped outside to let the dogs out. And it was still light out there! And warm too. I didn't want to come inside and I wanted to share the wonderful sky with someone. It was so nice. And it didn't feel like a Monday night.

Happy Tuesday, and it looks like we have some summer weather and only two more sleeps until JP comes how - double yay!

Happy Monday!

Good morning! It was a gloomy and rainy weekend and I didn't really do much with it. This is what I did:

1. cleaned out the laundry room
2. organized a kitchen cupboard
3. did all the laundry
4. cleaned some of the house
5. did some cross stitch
6. started the second sock
7. cleaned the fish tank
8. talked to JP who's still in Cleveland
9. played on the computer
10. helped my neighbour decorate her van for her 'ladies weekend'
11. slept - yes, for some reason I was really sleepy so I took a nap or two... I'm still feeling a little groggy, maybe because it's so mellow around here. I didn't take the dogs for a walk this morning because it was raining but they seem to be getting frisky as they haven't had much chance for exercise with all this lousy weather. Apparently being an 11 year old dog means nothing to Jazz, she has energy to spare!

And again, I didn't pull out the sewing machine! Well there's only a week and a half to go for the wedding so I'd better get that crinoline shortened soon!

And when I list what I did, it doesn't feel like a total waste of a couple of days off!

Last year on this day, we broke 19 weather records - today, we continue with a gloomy June. It'd be nice to see the sun soon wouldn't it? It is summer now after all.

A dozen days to go...

before our wedding and I'm on the track to becoming a runaway bride! Yup. I'm getting cold feet. I don't think I can do it. Oh just so many doubts. Not the part about marrying JP - I have absolutely no doubts about that - that is what I want/we want. I have doubts about the ceremony. I wish there was someone I could spill my guts to about it, but I don't know who that would be. Oh sure, JP has assured me that everything will be fine and that I'll look fabulous, and all that... but still. ..

It's odd for me because normally I'm pretty comfortable with my decisions and I'm fairly confident, but not for this. I guess it doesn't help to see all the magazines and TV shows making it into such an event - such an event that's just not ME! eek!

Last night I did a mini trial run - I put on my pantyhose, and shoes and dress and kinda fixed my hair how it would be - but I don't like it. I feel silly. But I don't know how to change it and haven't seen a dress that would be better/different/perfect.

(sigh) I guess in the end it doesn't really matter - what matters is that JP and I get married and live happily ever after. I just don't know where I'm going to put that white horse. Oh yes, in our white and pink castle - of course!

Living with Jazz (2 kinds)

There are two kinds of Jazz for me.

First there is the music. Jazz music is one of the few things in life I do that just feels so right. And it seems to be a constant craving because it's hard to come by. There are no Vancouver radio stations carrying jazz music (that I know of - tell me if you do) and not Kenny G soft jazz either. And then there is the fact that I don't know any other Jazz fans and I live way.out. here. so going to the odd Jazz club in Vancouver is a major event not something I'm going to do by myself.

My craving is even more amplified as we have the Vancouver Jazz Festival next week and people like the great Sonny Rollins or the wonderful Holly Cole are in town - so close, yet out of my reach. Which leaves me like a poor kid looking at the Toys R Us catalogue at Christmas time hoping for some miracle which will grant me a wish.

Instead I have to either listen to my CDs, my iPod or stay tuned into NPR All That Jazz over the internet.

Now the second kind of Jazz for me, is my dog. And now you know how she got her name! But this Jazz is a whole different story. She is a part Australian Cattle Dog and part - I-don't-know-what. She was a rescue dog who was given to me because no one else wanted her. And, the story I was told was that she was rescued from deplorable conditions. In our early years together she seemed to lack confidence. It took a long time to teach her how to play with my other dog Maxx. And if you accidentally hit her with the ball during a game of toss, that was it. She was done - confidence lost. She had been with me for about 1 year when Maxx suffered from a Grand Mal epileptic seizure that caused him brain damage. Maxx's brain was like a hard-drive wiped clean. We had to teach him everything all over again and somethings just never came back. I even had to house train him all over again - but Jazz helped with that. It was during this period that Jazz clued in the she was now Alpha Dog! And it seemed to be a great confidence boost.

However, another year after that I moved houses and the dogs no longer had the freedom of an enclosed yard while I was at work - they had a kennel. It was during this time that I suspect some neighbourhood kids did something to my dogs while I was away (until side gates were built) as I found odd objects in their kennel. Then Jazz developed Noise Phobia. At first it was just firecrackers - which were usually a couple weeks around Halloween and New Years and Canada Day. She would become frantic and would try to run - she would tear at the wire kennel and chew on the wood gates and do whatever she could to escape - she even snapped her canine tooth (the one that looks like a fang) in half! Now I won't bore you with all the details but let's just say that over the years she's added more and more things to her noise phobia list - and now at 11 years old - it also includes the Woodpeckers! We've tried a long list of medicines for her - including Prozac and Paxil and Valium but none stop her from panicking with certain types of noise. I've tried Tellington T-Touch and acupuncture as well. My vet has told me that I have done everything I could and that I shouldn't feel bad if I choose euthanasia. She is normally such a sweet dog but it's like a Dr. Jekyll story when the phobia strikes!

(She's the hardest dog to take a photo of, the pressure of a camera
pointed at her just makes her hang her ears,
her head and her tail, but I did manage to get this photo,
although her eyes are squinty)

So there you have it, Jazz that moves my soul and relaxes me and Jazz that sends me on a roller coaster!

You go girl(s)!

Just saw this 3/4 page spread in the Business pages of today's Vancouver Sun talking about Bodacious, the Main Street Vancouver ladies clothing store catering to sizes 10 to 24.

What great press! Congratulations ladies!

And the article mentions of plans of brand expansion and possibly franchise opportunities - it looks like these Vancouver gals are only getting better and better.

I can't wait to see what they do next.

And take a look at their website - love the peony covered dress form!

Assimilation

as·sim·i·late /v. əˈsɪməˌleɪt; n. əˈsɪməlɪt, -ˌleɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[v. uh-sim-uh-leyt; n. uh-sim-uh-lit, -leyt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -lat·ed, -lat·ing, noun
–verb (used with object) 1. to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb 2. to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust. 7. to be or become absorbed.
8. to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like: 10. to bear a resemblance (usually fol. by to or with). (edited; full definition found at dictionary.com)

Do we knitters cause our partners to assimilate?

I was listening to a podcast the other day (forgive me, I forgot which one) and the speaker was talking while watching the Oscars (yes it was an old podcast as well). And while the TV was showing various stars, the husband said: That Will Ferrell is a feral actor.
To which the podcaster replied: Is that a knitting joke? (she had knitting on the brain)
And he immediately picked up on it and said: Not Fair Isle, feral as in wild.

And it made me wonder, how much of our knitting paraphernalia is unknowingly absorbed by our spouses/partners. I know JP would know what a WIP is, or even a DPN, he would understand "knitting in the round" and know the difference between crochet and knitting.

I often think we are a quiet and unassuming bunch, but perhaps we're just very subtle about it? Knitting may often be a solitary activity but we usually do it in the presence of our families who may, from time to time, express (or fake) an interest in our project. Unlike fishermen (insert hobby/sport/trade here) who have lots of trinkets and tools for their hobby, they usually have to leave the house to do so, so unless you traipse along to the river or the lake, you might not be aware of all the gadgets and bobbles involved. But with fibre arts, we're often doing it in the car or in the living room and our families unknowingly become aware of all our craft/hobby effects.

So maybe conduct your own experiment and tell me, how much does your spouse/partner know? You might be pleasantly surprised.

Beads Indeed

Made these 4 pairs of earrings last night:

Except I'll probably only wear two of the styles.

Also, yesterday afternoon I found a crinoline for my wedding dress. I did not find the hair piece I wanted at the bridal shop - I'm just not the sort to wear a tiara! So I went to Michael's craft store and found a bridal comb for my hair. But then when I talked to my mum later on, she had a comb from the 50's that would be better, so I'll return the one I bought. While I Michael's I bough the stuff for the earrings. My new rule is to only by craft stuff for a project - no more buying 'stock'. So I bought the beads and then made them last night!

Princess Jazz, Part 2

With JP being away, the dogs have been sleeping in my bedroom so I have put the oval dog bed and a coordinating pillow in the bedroom as well. Jazz likes to claim the bed as hers. But last night, Maxx had made it to the bed first. When Jazz arrived in the bedroom she looked at him in the bed and then stood there looking at me. I told her to lie down but she looked over at him again. I firmly told her to lie down, she looked at me and looked at him and then plopped down. You could tell she wasn't happy about lying there on the floor. She wanted her bed. Then she growled! Maxx with his limited brain capacity jumped out of the bed and ran down the hall to the door (something must be there if Jazz growled, he probably thought).

The moment Maxx hopped out of the bed, Jazz jumped in it! There was nothing to growl about. Poor Maxx, he went directly to the back door and laid down because that's what his little brain tells him to do. I have to open the door so he can run out, turn around and run back again. He then returned to the bedroom where Jazz was still comfortably lounging in her bed and he had to choose the left over pillow.

Happy Father's Day

To all those fathers out there, I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Here's a mishmash of topics:

I've been feeling a bit under the weather today... sleeping an awful lot. This is not normal behaviour for me. I hope it's not going to get worse. And you know what I've been craving? FRUIT! All I want is fruit. I did have a large glass of apple juice this morning and some canned mangoes with my dinner. I wonder why I want fruit so much.

And speaking of the weather... it has been a crappy cold and rainy weekend, perhaps I have a sensitivity to bad weather because I think I often have headaches during rainy days. Unfortunately we have lots of rainy days in the Vancouver area. Time to move to Texas!

Since I wasn't feeling well, I spent some time listening to a podcast and working on my fern lace shawl. It's a 12 row repeat and I like to leave it at the end of row 12. I did post a photo once before, but as you know with lace it seems that progress is slow so I won't post too many photos of it:

I also worked on the sleeves of my mauve mohair shrug but I'll show photos in a day or so.

And finally, this is a photo of my dog, Jazz. I guess her soft pillowy dog bed wasn't soft and pillowy enough for Princess Jazz as she's dragged it onto a pillow for even more comfort! Doesn't she look content?

Happy Birthday JP

JP is in Cleveland, Ohio and I am not.
Today is his birthday.
Happy Birthday babe.

I've never been away from home on my birthday. It must be yucky - to be sitting in an all day meeting, away from home, on your birthday. My birthday is the one day of the year I try to be nice to myself and usually book it off work. What do you do for your birthday?

I did courier a card and some stuff to him, it arrived this morning so when he returns to his hotel, he can pick up up - that'll be a nice surprise won't it?

Have you ever.....?

spent hours rearranging and organizing something, only to have it look worse than it was before?

Well I just did. Normally, I'm pretty good at organizing but somehow my clothes closet is looking messier than it was. I even got rid of a garbage bag of clothes.

The one thing I thought would be good was if I put all my shoes on the top and my sweaters etc on the bottom in storage bags. That way I could see and access my shoes so I could wear more of them. As well, I wanted to use the storage bags that you vacuum out the air, but the store didn't have any - so maybe if I try again for those bags I'll be able to compress my winter sweaters and my plan will work.

So, for now, I've sort of put it back, with a big pile on a chair just so I can take a break and think about it. I don't think I can get rid of too much more, so I'll have to figure out a better organizing style. Maybe the shoes all have to return to the bottom of the closet and things can be put back the way they were - there is always that I suppose.

I'm so frustrated I could cry! waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Guess who got a facelift?

Craftster did! Have you seen it? It's pretty. Check it out here

I just had to share. I did.

Mom's socks

I've finished one sock, thought you might like a look-see:

The Soprano's (what else)

Like several million people out there - today's talk is about the ending of The Sopranos.

I never do anything during the show but give it my 100% attention as I never want to miss anything. Do you know how hard it is to sit and watch and not knit? Oh yeah, I forgot - of course you do.

The show usually wraps up around 10 minutes to the hour, so at 8:40 I started clock watching because things weren't tying together like they usually do. But story lines weren't wrapping up. I'd watch the TV, then look at the clock. I could feel my body get tense waiting for something to happen. As we neared the top of the hour the suspense was immense - then nothing. A black screen.

At first I thought 'oh, it can't be the cable!" because we've often lost feed during movies, especially PPV, and missed large scenes. So I waited. Wondering if it was just my TV/cable malfunction. And then the credits came on.

Thanks HBO. Thanks newspaper reviews. Thanks TV hype shows. If y'all hadn't made such a big deal, I wouldn't have expected anything spectacular - which is a crazy goal for TV when a couple million viewers all have really different definitions of spectacular. That was it. Anticlimactic. And so, life goes on.

Doesn't this always happen in TV land? Do you recall when everyone is surprised about 'sleeper hits' - those are events that didn't get hyped so there was little or no audience expectations. They are not inflated in the first place. How many times have you been so hyped about a party, or a present or other event and then you were disappointed because it wasn't what you expected? And how many times have you been 'pleasantly surprised'? Maybe TV should let us be more pleasantly surprised. There are always re-runs for those who missed it....

Yarn info

In case you are interested in the yarn I am using - please check out this blog...it's for a US supplier, but I got mine at Mary Maxim . Just in case you are interested. I see from the photo that my heal looks pretty much the same, the only part that's not really lining up is the brown/white section that should give you little strips - maybe because I'm making the largest size and knitting slightly loosely.

WIP - Super Socke striped socks

Sock progress: finishing the heel, starting on the instep. This striping is very interesting, I'm liking it. This was an all brand-new project. I bought the yarn and needles especially for this project (and the pattern came with it). No more bent or mis-matched needles, and no more worry through the whole project if I'm going to have enough yarn because everything was bought specifically for this project. It's nice doing it this way - instead of the backwards way I normally do it.

This morning, I let the dogs out at 5:45am, and then they started to bark like crazy, I put on my rubber boots and grabbed a shovel to see what was under my daylilies. First I saw a big of fur - hmm, strange looking rat, not cat fur.... what could it be? Then, THE TEETH! It was an opossum! Poor little thing, it was probably scared after two 50 pound dogs were barking at it! I've never seen one in our neighbourhood especially since there are more natural areas not too far from here that they could happily live in without disturbance. I left it alone, but told the neighbours. Especially the neighbour who lives closest to the siting who has two little chihuahuas!

Maybe I need to tone down my garden just a bit. It seems to be getting overgrown. It's hard pulling up and pruning some plants but it's probably better for all of us. And may reduce the frequency of wild visitors.

JP comes home today and I was going to make him a special meal, but then he tells me he wants his favourite - Chinese food! Well that will be easy tonight. Do you think that means I'm not a good cook?

Next up! Socks!

Okay, started on another set of socks. Yarn bought from Mary Maxim. Pattern came with socks. I like how the variegation is creating some very nice striping. It also makes the knitting go faster as you wait for a colour change before you stop. Progress also is better on the mundane ribbed part because of the colour changes. Here's how far I managed to knit last night:

FO - Toe-Up Socks

Here are the finished socks for my mum. Sadly, I am not as thrilled with them any more. I was making them for my mom and was very excited about them until last night when I tried them on. I guess I'm just worried they won't fit her comfortably. I'm a bit sad that I'm not excited anymore.

Also I didn't realize that the patterns were so different... not changing it now. I guess that's the beauty of a hand knitted sock.

Here's the colourway detail - forest green, turquoise and lilac:

The elusive Sunday afternoon

So yesterday JP left at 7:30am for his work trip. It was to be another beautiful, hot, sunny day and I looked forward to doing nothing on a Sunday afternoon but sit outside and knit or crochet.

But it just. couldn't. happen.

First, I had to take care of a deceased vermin that was found in the grass. (not telling that story)

Next, I was sitting in a spot of my yard where a good neighbour could see me from her balcony. She was home alone as well and kept talking to me which meant that I'd have to get up to talk to her, to prevent us from yelling all over the street and becoming the type of people I'm not fond of. I finally got the idea to move my chair and sat in another spot.

Then a guy from work stopped by to drop off paperwork - that burned up a full hour - and then some.

I returned outside to try again. However, the 8 year-old girl in the house behind me had some friends over to play in the water. Little girls + water = screaming!

I tried to listen to my iPod for a Podcast but after a while I realized it was too much work to concentrate on the podcast and not the constant screaming.

I moved to another part of my yard (yes, it's rather divided which is good) but another neighbour's dog - the Jack Russell From Hell was barking and attacking the fence and their screaming newborn was a higher priority than stopping their dog from barking.

So I went inside.

Next thing I know it was dinner time and then it was evening and the fabulous weather was gone and we experienced a thunder and lightening show. Today, the neighbourhood is quiet while everyone is back to work and school, but it's also raining.

Was I not supposed to get a relaxing afternoon in the sun? Did I save myself from skin cancer or something worse? Or am I supposed to spend all summer waiting for the perfect afternoon where I can do nothing but sit in a lawn chair and knit/crochet/sew/read?

I guess I will never know. I know I am not alone in my quest. And I know that there are many other distractors others put up with. Maybe my Mission Impossible has nothing to do with fast race cars and Tom Cruise, maybe it's just finding solitude in suburbia.

Katch-up

We've had gorgeous weather here for the past few days and it's been as hot as 32 degrees, so I've tried to sit outside and enjoy it before the June rains come. However, see previous posts to understand that I have some inconsiderate neighbours. I've been using my iPod a whole lot more to block out their noises and I am trying to use the opportunity to practice tolerance. I'll let you know how successful I am.

Sitting in a lawn chair tanning my legs makes me feel more like crocheting than knitting. You too?
So, I started to crochet the Farmer's Market Bag from the June Knit.1 magazine, except I didn't use the yarn or the hook size they suggested. I used a spool of cotton I found at the thrift store, bought for 99 cents. I've found similar cones to be over $20! I figured this yarn that looks like kitchen twine and a 5mm and 6.5mm hook would make it bigger than the pattern, but it's smaller. (No I didn't make a test swatch - it's a bag! Who needs gauge?) He's the first day's progress:


This is what I see when I sit in the backyard - my neighbour's sweet dog, Sandy. He's so lanky but gentle and he's just the goofiest.. if they ever decided they didn't want him (which they won't) I'd take him in a heartbeat. But don't tell JP, he wants to ensure our next dog is smaller and doesn't shed. Sandy can spend an hour sitting like this, watching me and my two dogs. Occasionally he whimpers to let us know he's there I guess.

And this is the sky Thursday. The clouds look like a painter dragged her brush across the canvas. Isn't it interesting? The clouds look like jellyfish. Of course by the time I ran and got my camera, the clouds weren't in as good of formation as they were.

And here's the bag/purse today which I'll finish shortly - especially since JP had to leave for a work road trip. I've just got half a strap to complete and then I'll need to sew the strap to the bag.The bag/purse is not as big as I wanted it to be (see above) , so I think I'll make another one, I certainly have a big enough cone of cotton to do so. The fishnet part goes pretty fast. I will find some funky fabric to line this one and use it as a purse. The good thing with this natural colour is that I could make it and then dye it to suit my needs - maybe a bright blue? Or a soft green like in the magazine?
Yesterday, we picked up our wedding rings. His was custom made, but from an existing style. My wedding band was made to fit snugly next to my engagement ring. After the ceremony we'll return to have them soldered together. His is larger and heavier - but mine cost more. I know, I know... they had to make a mold for mine. But still.

Wedding plans are coming along smoothly I think. 32 more days to go! I do have a list of calls and things to do this week, but it's not going too badly. That's the good part with having a very small event I guess. And I've been watching some of those bride/wedding shows and am glad I'm not insane like the TV people!

JP is on his way to Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon for work this week. It's a gorgeous sunny day and because he has so much work stuff to carry, he rented a mini-van. He doesn't want to go. But I am envious that he is because I love the interior of BC. I suppose if we had put a little more thought and conversation into it, I would have put the dogs in a kennel and taken a week's vacation - of course, I could have kept working since I'm not that far away and his laptop has an Air Card. The van is a nice comfy way to go. Well, maybe next time. Maybe this summer we'll rent the van again and take the kid up there. That could be fun too.