Warped Weaver

Solstice/Yule/Christmas

2011-12-03T16:50:00.001-08:00

Time seems to have a knack for speeding along faster than I recall it doing. Perhaps it just seems that way though.
My granddaughter, once a emotionless bundle is now a lively little girl with very definite ideas of what she likes and dislikes. On top of all that, she is starting to take some steps. So, just when I figure it is safe to put out some things and leave cupboards unlocked, along come the granddaughter.

The mobile monster-es

I started knitting a double knit lap blanket which, initially was to be ready in time for a certain fall wedding, although not as a wedding gift. When it became obvious that there was no chance of completion before that date, I set a new goal of completion by Solstice. I did not count on errors (all mine) or other obligations (Outdoor Club of Victoria, of which I'm on the board as chair of publications). Of course the error was noted after I just passed the halfway mark and it meant ripping nearly 3/4 of the completed blanket out. This all at 330 stitches per row.

Kelmscott Throw

In order to complete in time I would have to do 11 rows per day. I'm learning to relax and accept that it will get done when it is done, as long as I'm not still working on it in mid-summer.
Christmas/Yule/Solstice is coming up somewhat quickly so I decided to get my shopping done early. Hubby is done as is my daughter and son-in-law, and my mom. I still have to find clothes for the grand kids, a gift for my MIL, something for son and daughter-in-law, and stuff for my little nephews, niece, and grand niece. As far as my SILs, I'm stuck. I've been knocking myself out on creating gifts for them including home baking, crafts (weaving/knitting) in exchange for a box of chocolates which hubby then takes the chocolates to work since we don't eat them.
Question: what would you do? Buy chocolates/wine in exchange and shut up or ask them to not give chocolates and continue with the handcrafted/handmade gifts?

How we spent our summer vacation

2011-11-07T15:16:00.001-08:00

It has certainly been a very long time and, as usual there is no excuse.
P and I did spent 10 wonderful days in Kananaskis with the OCV. We hiked most days other than the Wednesday which we spent restocking groceries in Canmore and going for a shortened hike part way around Upper Kananaskis Lake.

Upper Kananaskis Lake

One other day P went to Rossum Lake with a group of hikers while I went horseback riding with some friends at Boundary Ranch. I hadn't been on a horse for years but it came back fairly quickly. My horse was a lazy girl. When I tried to show her who was boss, and that I didn't plan to plod along slowly on the back of her, she tried to scrape me off of her by edging close to trees growing along the trail. I was bossier.

Another day P and I went to Chester Lakes with another couple from the OCV. Not only did we see a momma moose with her baby and another adult moose, we also saw a grizzly bear.

Chester Lake grizzly

We had been heading back to the vehicle when we met up with a couple from Florida. We stopped near the only outhouse in the park when a group of about 7 people came by warning us about a bear near the meadow in the direction we were heading for. They continued on in the direction we had been going only to come running back yelling that the bear was swimming across the lake in our direction.

Needless to say P, B, and I went running toward the bear who seemed to be fixated only on digging up some tasty ground squirrels. S strongly suggested that we leave since she wasn't too comfortable with the bear. We figure that Mr(s) Bear was about 100 meters or so from us. (Yes, I know that they can out run us).

The couple from Florida asked if they would be able to walk out with us, as did the group of 7 who had originally spotted the bear. We agreed and headed off. Unfortunately we hiked along at our usual hiking pace and left the others in our dirt.

After leaving Kananaskis our group parted, some to head directly back home, some to visit friends and relatives.

We had planned to visit our son and daughter-in-law in Edmonton. On the way we stopped at Drumheller to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum. P was thrilled and both he and I could have spent longer there but I was eager to see my son. (Unfortunately my DIL was babysitting her brother's children in Hawaii while his wife visited her dying father).

E had made some plans to show us around Elk Island National Park which is a 45 minute drive away from his house. We were going to do a 16 km loop hike, hopefully with some bison sightings.

We saw lots of bison on the road into the park but none on the soggy trail. There were billions of mosquitoes, a few coyotes, and some birds though.

Coyotes

The bottoms of my pants after trekking through foot deep marshes.

Despite the mosquitoes and the wet hike, we had a great time. Thank you again E.

E had to work on the day after the bison hike so P and I sat in the backyard and contemplated whether we wanted to walk around the area where E lived or do some sightseeing in Edmonton. Before we could decide, E and A's neighbour peeked in and ~~insisted on showing us around~~ kidnapped us. Don't get me wrong, she was very friendly. She fed us lunch and then took us to Fort Edmonton, Edmonton's oldest schoolhouse, and the MacKay Avenue School. By then it was long past dinner time and I had to contact my son to say that we'd been kidnapped and we would be late for dinner.
After we finally escaped the MacKay Avenue School our host insisted that we walk around the Alberta Legislative Building while she waited in the car. We had just reached the front steps when, wouldn't ya know, it started to rain, so gosh darn it, we had to head back to the car without making the trek all the way around the building.
We figured that we were done but no, we then had to have a drive through town to see where not to go (too many druggies, etc.).
Well, enough for one day. I'll try my best to be good and post more soon.

Time for an update

2011-04-08T20:02:00.001-07:00

Well, things have been happening since my last posting. I fell madly in love with yoga to the point that I got an unlimited pass and tend to attend about 4 sessions per week.
My dear father-in-law passed away suddenly on February 2nd at 88 years of age. He and his wife were watching the news on television. He stood up, adjusted the television, sat down in his rocker and very quietly died. When we arrived he was still on the floor while the paramedics waited for the coroner to arrive, which is a normal thing in a sudden death. I know that he will be missed by everyone who knew him.

My father-in-law getting ready for a boat ride

The good part was that my son and his wife came home for a few days, and then stayed a bit longer when I ended up getting sick with what turned out to be influenza.

Now that life has returned to normal, I'm obsessed with sock knitting, or so it seems. I joined a "Sock of the Month" club where I receive a yummy skein (or two) of yarn plus two patterns every two months. On top of all that I purchased several sock knitting books including Cookie A's two books: "Sock Innovation", and "Knit, Sock, Love".

My grandson helped me in my obsession by requesting socks..... and mitts.

After my trip to the emergency department I figured it was time to start working out again on my exercise bike. We do hike a lot still but that generally happens about once a week due to yoga classes.

On the grandchild front, my granddaughter is growing like a weed and my grandson is becoming quite a little chatterbox. He's also figuring out stalling tactics to prevent mom from taking him home. "Hug Grandma", run to doorway to go home, turn back to Grandma, "Kiss Grandma", repeat.

Last week I went to Vancouver with my daughter and the grandkids in order to shop at Ikea. My little grandson loved the "Boat" and enjoyed seeing the ocean outside the window. My granddaughter didn't care where she was as long as she could use my fingers as teething toys.

Yesterday my daughter and I together with the kids visited GGrandma. While she was doing some chores in town with Uncle M, we went for a walk with my nephew, his wife, and their baby daughter.

On returning to GGrandma's house and finding that Mom wanted to go home instead of visiting some more, Grandson announce that he wanted to see GGrandma. We figured he wanted to give her a hug or to say goodbye but no, he ran in and announced that his stuffed bunny named Hop needed to have a bath (a variation on "Hop goes poop").

This morning my daughter phoned to say that my grandson had our evening planned. Grandma and Grandpa were to take him to the pool. Later on he planned on spending the weekend with Great Grandma.... and her piano.

Pictures of grandchildren and socks to follow soon.

A new year

2011-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping that the holiday was good to you.
The holiday was quite good to me. I got a "woolee winder" to fit on my spinning wheel. It is a gadget that allows your spun fibre to wind evenly onto your bobbin as you spin it. I'd heard of this thing but wasn't sure if it was worth it. After talking to some other spinners who'd either tried or had the woolee winder, I decided to go for it. DH would have ordered it but, as he said, he has no idea about things like spinning wheels (He did build me another wheel about 30 years ago though).
The winder arrived shortly before Christmas and I did put it to use to ply some of my yarn.

It was great to see my daughter and her family over the holiday. They are only an hour drive away from us so it isn't as if we rarely see them. My son had talked about coming to visit but, at the last minute they changed their minds. He/they is talking about coming for a visit in the Spring which could be a "mommy-appeasement" thing. I guess we'll find out.

My daughter had mentioned that they wanted to get an easel for our grandson. They couldn't find one so I got one for him instead. They set it up for him once their Christmas tree was gone and he loves it.

Did Rembrandt start out like this?

After day after day of rains it was really nice for the weather to change to where you could trade the umbrella for mittens and toques. The sunsets have been quite lovely.

It's chilly but clear out.

Pat got a MEC gift certificate toward getting snowshoes. He carefully researched them and then ordered them shortly after Christmas. They arrived a few days ago and then he researched tire chains for when we go to Mt. Washington to snow shoe. We bought the chains earlier today and tried them on the car.
We'll possibly try both chains and snowshoes some time next weekend, weather depending.

I loathe New Year's resolutions since, IMHO they are just meant to be broken so why make them but, I'm really hoping to be a bit more consistent with my blogging this year. Then again this could just be another resolution meant to be broken. :-)

and more winter

2010-11-25T14:02:00.002-08:00

Last Thursday, shortly before leaving for yoga, we had a slight dusting of snow that didn't amount to anything at all. We joked that this would be it for the winter. Right? Well, the snow returned on the weekend causing several problems for my DH who's turn it was to be on the pager.

He got called shortly before 3 a.m. on Saturday morning and was done around 7 a.m. I wasn't able to sleep so I sat up and knitted myself a hat. By 6 a.m. I was falling asleep so crawled into my freezing cold bed.

On Monday I thought I'd be the only person at yoga due to the snow and was pleased to see that 5 other persons came out. I would have hated to be the only person there although I'm sure that I would have ended up with a customized yoga session just for me.

On Friday I broke down and purchased an iPhone4. I was debating putting this purchase off until my contract expired in July 2011 but my old Motorola phone had been dropped so many times that the battery cover didn't fit nicely on the back of the phone unless you lightly twisted the phone.

Knitting wise all is going well but with the colder weather I keep finding more and more knitting projects to work on. Then there is Yule and I want to make knitted gifts for hubby and my grandchildren.

Tomten jacket for my granddaughter and modelled by her big brother.

Naturally I also found a cute shawl pattern to knit for myself and then I stumbled onto a display of pyjama pants at a local fabric store. I just HAD to buy the pattern along with 3 different lengths of flannel to make myself 3 PAIRS! Hello!!!! What in tarnation do I need that many pairs of pyjama bottoms... really? I've made one pair in size small (too big for me and too short for hubby) and have cut out another pair in xsmall for myself. The 3rd length of fabric has Betty Boop all over it but I cannot imagine hubby being caught dead (or alive) in a pair of Betty Boop pjs.

On that note I must sew my jammies, a perfect pastime for this kind of crappy weather.

Excuse my rantings

2010-11-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

Religious rant follows. If you are offended, scroll down.

I recently was talking to someone about religion/spirituality which made me think about where I stand on that subject. I was raised as a good little Christian girl. We would read the Bible every evening after dinner, I'd say my prayers before bed and, every Sunday I'd take the Sunday School bus with my friends and sibling. All went well until my father was asked to either quit smoking or quit the church. Easy choice, we quit that particular church and went to a more accepting one.
Eventually we moved to Holland and didn't attend any churches for the 4+ years we lived there. Coming back to Canada, we started going back to church... briefly.
As a teenager with friends who attended the church where my father was asked to leave, I decided to go to church with them. I enjoyed the youth group and church until I met my future husband who did not attend church. I was told by church members that I would never be happy with a "heathen", and one old soldier who had fought in France likened my to a whore he had known (I'm not sure if he was a happy customer or just knew her outside of her work). Then I overheard my friend's mom tell her in Dutch, (which I was fluent in) that, if she were to continue to associate with me, I'd lead her straight to Hell. All this because I was seeing a man from outside the church. Wow, what power!
It was then that I realized that these people all attended church but didn't practice what the Bible told them: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another". (NIV, John 13:34-35)
Eventually I met a religious man who implied that he was a bit of a pedophile by word ("I saw little 12 year old girls in white blouses with their little breasts showing through the fabric") and deed (unsupervised sleep-overs with young family members who do not live with him). Yet he criticizes non-members of his church for their lack of religion and isn't worried about his after-life. My question is: if there is a God, how could he/she allow people such as this man into heaven and why does his particular church ignore this behaviour? I suppose Catholics are similar in that priests who indulge in pedophilia are removed from their post and moved to a new one ~~with fresh subjects to molest~~.
In answer to the question of whether I'm religious or spiritual: I do not believe in any one God but lately have been leaning to Paganism.

End of rant.

P and I are grandparents again. At 3:35 a.m., October 21st, 2010 my daughter gave birth to:

Camryn Riley, 9 lbs. 1 oz.

I think her big brother is getting used to having a new sibling around.

Speaking of big brother, he was a little lion for Halloween. Isn't he the cutest lion you've seen?

As far as knitting is concerned, I've been knitting for my grandchildren plus have projects lined up for Christmas. I want to make something (Hint: they have heels and toes - and are NOT shoes) for hubby as well as a jacket for my grandson. My grandson has also requested socks and, according to his mom, he'd also like a toque.

Of course I've found some more things that I'd like to make for me! Ah, where to find the time.

Knitting groups can be hazardous to your wallet

2010-10-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a local knitting group that was formed through a Ravelry forum. The knitters I have met so far are very nice. The problem is that they have been inspiring me to purchase more yarn and patterns. Not only that, but the group is a great place for sharing tips and information. (Plus to prod me to check my blog. Thanks Shaela!)
Who knew that you could do "Judy Becker's magic cast on" when my usual toe-up socks? (Thanks Sue).
Of course then I just HAD to purchase more sock yarn to make a pair of socks for my hubby.
Next I had to order yarn for EZ's "100th Anniversary Camp Half-Circle" shawl after seeing another member of the knitting group's version of this. Of course with a brand new grand-niece plus a granddaughter who is due to make her appearance any day, there has been and still is baby knitting going on. The items for the grand-niece need to be finished a.s.a.p. since her grandma is heading out to visit her and her parents next week. The jacket and matching pants I'm making for my granddaughter just need to be sewn up. The dress I'm knitting for her is a 12 month size.
On top of all that I discovered that I still can spin which led to the purchase of fleece. In a way I'm pleased that fall is here since summer isn't really conducive to fibre related hobbies plus my knitting tends to get dirty when we backpack/hike during the summer months.
Our grandson is constantly growing. He is still able to clear out our Tupperware cupboard in record time but is now able to reach the door knob for the hall closet. It is just a matter of time before he's opening the rest of the doors. He does know how to slam the kitchen door and he gets quite irate when we open the door to let ourselves back in.
Grandson A also quite enjoys Grandma's knitting projects. One yoga sock was slipped on A's feet as if it were a pair of deformed pants. Just imagine a sock without toes and heels. The space for the heel was like the crotch of the pants and the cast-on and bound-off ends were the bottom hems. Yeah, you'd have to see it to know what I'm saying. His mom told me that she finished a crocheted hat for his sister-to-be and A ran off with it. Cheeky monkey!
I'm actually looking forward to having the little guy spend time with us overnight or for a weekend. My kids used to spend time with my sister-in-law and her husband. They'd watch videos, shop, and probably eat junk food. Whatever they did, they loved it! I'm not too sure if I'd fill the little guy up with junk food but watching movies and staying up later than at home sounds like fun.
Well, the whole object of this updated blog was to show that I'm still around and I promise pictures soon, possibly of the new grandchild.

where's Summer?

2010-05-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Even though technically it is still Spring around here, the weather has been decidedly soggy and cold. Where we would have stopped using our wood insert by this time last year and would be spending a fair amount of time outside on our patio, we are still huddling by the fire and it's the end of May!
One thing about the cold is that I'm still inspired to knit. Usually with the warm weather the knitting needles are put away and I lose any drive to knit anything other than socks perhaps.
Regarding socks, my sock drawer is overflowing due to a mad desire to knit these. Even P (hubster) and my DD got socks! Another reason for the sock knitting was that I was side lined for the last 8 months with an achilles injury and unable to hike.
Yesterday I did my first hike with our hiking group and it went unbelievably well, despite the cold and rain. I would show pictures except we didn't dare take the camera out of the pack with all the rain.

Two weeks ago I got my first shipment from the Unique Sheep's "Sip and Stitch: tea" club. There were four 25 gram skeins of their fingering weight "Green Sheep" Cotton Bamboo in the colour "Persephone" as well as some hand blended "Persephone black" tea and a tea egg from Goddess Teas.

After I received the shipment I just had to check out the ladies behind the Unique Sheep and on Laura's flickr page, which I found through Ravelry, I discovered a really cool Origami bag I just had to sew up.

The instructions call for two contrasting fat quarters, which is something most quilters know about. I was impatient and instead of heading out to get fat quarters I raided my very sparse stash of fabric and came up with 2 - 6" squares of leftover fabric from an ancient quilting project. This just was a perfect recipe for disaster and I nearly tossed the whole idea out the window except that a little voice kept reminding me that the pattern did call for fabric much, much bigger. The mini bag is cute but won't hold much more that a thimble.

Well the following day I headed to the local fabric store and brought home 4 contrasting fat quarters, squared two of them up into 19" squares and created a bag. It was much nicer working with larger fabric. I neglected to buy cord so the completed bag has a temporary length of cord scavenged from my brother-in-law's fish boat when I was working as a deck hand for a few weeks many years ago.

Origami bag

Just after dinner tonight the rain stopped and the sun came out. We hadn't seen blue sky or sunshine for awhile so it was really good to see. People were popping out of their homes with lawn mowers and other garden implements.

Hopefully it will stay nice for awhile now especially since we bought our grandson a Little Tikes car which he could sit in if he wanted. Right now he prefers to walk around the car, reach in to turn the key and honk the horn, and check the gas. (No, there isn't a real gas tank but to a toddler with a great imagination it could be real). Now that we've had the car outside for awhile it can't come inside so the only place A can play with it is outside. Oh, did I mention that A is walking? Yes, he started late but is making up for it. Last week he marched outside and straight to the fence between our house and the neighbours. He had been invited by the nice grandmother next door to come over to play with her grandson and to play in the playhouse that was being built for him. A was trying to take her up on the invitation. Unfortunately neither the grandmother nor the grandson were in the yard at the time.

A's grandpa did make it clear that there is no way that a playhouse will be built in our yard for our grandson.

Rant on

2010-04-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

Wow, Pat was telling me about an article he heard about regarding some American Evangelists who travelled to Uganda in order to spread their hatred of gays. It is so hard to imagine that anyone who dares to call themself "Christian" could hate others so much. Actually it is fairly easy to believe especially after reading other people's blogs as in when California was trying to pass the same sex marriage bill. "Don't vote for this bill if you are interested in keeping the 'traditional family'" and "I don't want my child to find out that there is anything other than a traditional family". Give me a break! One thing I did learn when I attended church on a fairly regular basis was "love your neighbours as you love yourself" (Matthew 22:39). At the same time I learned that these were merely words that were never practiced.
I do come from a "traditional family" (Dad, mom, kids) and my own family is also a "traditional family" but I have never viewed homosexuals as different from heterosexuals when dealing with them in their day to day lives. As a famous Canadian politician once said "There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation". I strongly believe that.
Rant over....
The weather has been getting more Spring like all the time. We are finding ourselves letting the fire in the insert die out during the day since it is just too darned hot!
I bought myself a 32 gig iPod Touch with the help of airmiles points. It is my poor man's version of an iPhone. I then found a whack of apps for it including some to track my points, some game ones, and best of all.... Pocket Yoga!
The pocket yoga app gives you a variety of levels (beginner, intermediate, experienced) and times (30 min., 45 min., 60 min.). The workouts are not as simple as I thought they'd be. I have never tried yoga but never realized that it was possible to get a good workout through it. I'm a fan now.

Knitting wise things are going well. The weather is playing with my mind telling me that "winter is over and summer is near". Despite that I start work on the jacket for a baby girl. As I mentioned in my previous post this jacket would be for a baby girl should one be born to either my daughter, my niece-in-law, or my friends' daughter. Bad news came last week to my friends' daughter when she miscarried. She and my daughter were both due at the exact same time.

I'm too lazy to insert photos at the moment but will make up for their lack in the next posting.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

The annual COG Easter hike just started and the hikers have been blessed with a dry but overcast day. I am still not hiking and Pat decided to take part in the OCV hike to "the four bumps of Mt. Wells".
My achilles is improving and the lump of scar tissue (?) on the tendon seems to be getting smaller and smaller. The plan is for me to try a 90 minute hike along a fairly level trail tomorrow, depending on the weather.
I just got over a sock-travagansa where Pat, Lisa, and I all ended up with hand-knit socks. I made myself 3 pair, Lisa and Pat both got one pair each. So I'm now "socked-out" and have moved on to knitting baby clothes for the various babies that are expected in the fall, including another grandchild for us and a new baby for our nephew and his wife. I took a chance and decided to knit for a girl child hoping that one of the babies is female. If not I'll hang onto the outfit in hopes that there will be a girl born in our extended family at some time. Feel free to disagree with me but in my experience boys were so much easier to raise than girls although it was tough to dress up little boys the way you could little girls... and little girls just looked so darn cute in their pretty dresses until they found a mud puddle or pile of dirt to play in.

Lisa's "Inlaid Pennants" socks

Sorry for the short, late post. I keep making plans to post more but then other things get in the way and I'm easily led astray but a good book or nice ball/skein of yarn. :-)

the finish line looms

2010-02-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I was just informed that there are 2 days left in the Olympics and in the Olympic knitting challenge.
The shawl may end up finished on time but I figured that the shawl was going to be too simple so I took on Cat Bordhi's "Stained glass" socks from "Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters". Not as simple as I had expected. I misread the instructions, lost my place in the chart (a few times) and a handicap in the form on one 15 month old grandson was tossed into the equation.
Now said grandson has been tossed into bed for a much needed nap and I'm ~~blogging~~working on finishing sock 1. Knit faster and blog later Grace!

As far as the achilles tendon problem is concerned, I finished with physiotherapy, can't seem to be able to wear my hiking boots without causing a lot of pain to my right achilles, and am finally going to see a massage therapist. My G.P. seems to be somewhat clueless about this injury. She didn't examine it, merely whipped out her referral pad and asked if I'd like to see a physiotherapist. I went back to my G.P. a few days ago and informed her that things were not improving, as in I cannot wear my hiking boots, and she suggested I hike in runners. Ummm, not doable since most of the hikes involve rough terrain. She did say that if I were to "do real hiking", then I may need hiking boots. Duh!
At the end of the visit she again whipped out her referral pad and offered to send me to a massage therapist. Grumble, grumble, grumble!
Pictures of the finished shawl will be posted before the closing ceremony as proof that I was able to complete what I had intended to do. Next time no second guessing. I'll finish the object I had set out to complete and then, time allowing, add item(s).

Good luck all knitting athletes!

A gorgeous day... again

2010-02-18T19:45:00.008-08:00

Spring appears to be arriving early this year. Now that I have said this publicly we are likely doomed to snow.
The days are growing longer; aconites, snowdrops, and crocuses are blooming, and it won't be long before our winter sweaters are put back into their vacuum sealed bags until the fall.
P is still off work due to a back injury. An MRI showed some bulging disks and arthritis. He's determined to get 100% recovered and back to work though.
My achilles tendon is not fully recovered yet and I'm considering giving up on physiotherapy and trying massage therapy instead. A fellow hiker who had also injured her achilles was very pleased with her massage treatment and only missed about 6 weeks of hiking. P did point out that my friend stopped hiking as soon as she hurt her achilles while I kept on going for another 2 months or so. Initially I didn't really mind too much but the weather is getting so nice that I don't want to sit at home while P goes hiking without me.
For the past few nights the neighbour's dogs have been barking constantly. It appears that a momma racoon and her yearling have decided to visit our area and this morning they didn't get to their home on time, possibly because a dog scared them into a tree. One of our neighbours was out with his camera early this morning so I headed outside with mine.

The neighbour who's tree they were in took his dog inside for the day and finally somewhere around noon they shuffled off home. I'm sure that they'll be back tonight.

For the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics I decided to complete a baby shawl which was started by my SIL's mom before she passed away. I agreed not to cheat by looking it over before the opening ceremonies on Feb. 12th.
Once I did look I figured that it would be too simple and ALMOST added a second project to the Olympic challenge. I swatched, and then sat with the partial shawl in my lap. The pattern didn't make too much sense to me so I put it down in frustration, looked at things again, compared the partial project to the picture and scratched my head. No matter what I did I could not see how this mass of white fingering yarn would end up like the picture in the book.

From "Beehive for Bairns, vol. 2. Page 21, Knitted shawl"
Non-plussed I picked up the needles and started working on what I thought was the right thing. After 6 rows it didn't look too much better so I put things away again, had some wine, ate dinner, and picked it up again. Until today I had been swatching, unravelling miles of yarn and threading dropped stitches back onto yarn holders.
Finally tonight I had an "ahah" moment and realized that Nettie (my SIL's mom) made an error. The shawl has a garter stitch centre which is shaped like a diamond. It is starts and ends with 3 stitches. Once the centre is done stitches are picked up from one side at a time and worked up to form a trapezoid. Once one trapezoid is done, 23 stitches are cast on and then peaks are knitted, using the 23 stitches plus one stitch from the top of the trapezoid. Yeah, you have to be here to visualize this. Once the peaks are done the remaining 23 stitches are put on a holder until the next trapezoid is done. Then the stitches on hold are used to work the next group of peaks on the second, third and forth trapezoid. I'm confused too as apparently Nettie was.

Instead of using the stitches on hold, Nettie cast on 23 stitches each time she finished a trapezoid. So, I could now either sew the cast on and bound off peak sections together or I could rip 3 of the trapezoids and re-work them correctly.
Any helpful suggestions are most welcome.
I'm also quite curious as to the publication date of this booklet. I did try to google for this and one source said this particular booklet was printed in 1940. A second source said that is dated to the early 1960's. Either way I'm considering copying out the pattern in modern terms for my own use, along with some clearer instructions.

Knitting Olympics returns

2010-02-05T16:42:00.007-08:00

Wow! The Yarn Harlot has decided to host the Knitting Olympics again. I had been waiting for this since it would not be the same to join the Ravelympics.
I considered making the Knitpicks "East meets West" bag my Olympic project but I have a shawl which was started by Nettie Brozuk before she passed away. Her daughter asked if I would be able to finish it for her and I shelved it because it had started to unravel and I was a bit intimidated by it. I'll have to swatch and it will definitely be a challenge for me. In the spirit of the games I won't start swatching until the games start next week. Even if I fail to complete this on time, I'll give it my best shot.

Winter seems to have decided to skip us this year. It has been unseasonably warm and there haven't been too many days where it has fallen below zero degrees Celsius. I don't mind too much though.
Due to an injury to my achilles tendon I had to pass on the Outdoor Club of Victoria's 5 day outing to Mt. Washington. I was quite upset about it but going there and having to spend time sitting in the condo while others skied or snowshoed wasn't my idea of fun.
Physiotherapy seems to be going well and I'm currently walking for about 40 minutes each day, depending on how much pain there is. I've been doing my prescribed exercises faithfully twice each day as well. I can now squat much deeper and I'll be able to do a 30 minute trial hike next week, providing it is fairly level ground without too many hills.
P is also nursing an injury. He hurt his back in the fall and after going to a physiotherapist without seeing too much progress towards his recovery, he started seeing a chiropractor. I'm still not seeing much progress but P can notice. A CT scan showed 3 bulging disks and some arthritis. He is now scheduled for an MRI on Monday. I'm hoping that he'll recover soon.
In my spare time, of which I have quite a bit now that I'm not permitted to hike, I've been learning new methods of sock knitting from Cat Bordhi's books "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" and "Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters".
On most Mondays my daughter comes to visit with her son who is a bit of a tornado. He used to be content with playing in one place in the living room. Once he became more mobile the rest of the house was his playground. He has rearranged our dvds and found the cookie cutters in the oven drawer. He also found where the plastic containers are stored. After he leaves with his mom the house looks like a disaster area with plastic containers, cookie cutters, and toys everywhere. Despite all that we love him dearly.

winter sneaks in

2009-11-17T18:48:00.005-08:00

With the time change at the beginning of November the days got shorter. Now there is snow at higher elevation, Mount Washington is planning to open early on November 28th due to a good snow base, and a mix of snow and rain is predicted for Nanaimo on the coming Sunday and Monday. Ugh!
All of my current knitting projects are just waiting for me to sew seams and I don't really have anything in my queue that is yelling "knit me".

We managed to get some good fall hikes in and while Pat was either working or on call I got some good hikes in on my own as well. Now Pat's back is acting up so his hiking has come to a stop until he's able to hike pain free. I know that I can go on my own but have hung back to spend time with Pat. That was easy to do since the weather was so disgusting that only the brave or those with duck feet would venture out, at least that was my excuse.
Pat and I joined up with some OCV hikers to hike Alan's Ridge and Peden Peak in Sooke.

Pat had control of the camera so I used my trusty cell phone camera to catch him.

Coffee break on Alan's Ridge

Climbing up to Peden Peak

The following week I returned to the same area without Pat who was on the pager and with some different OCV members. This time around we were not able to get up Peden Peak since the Maryvine Creek was flowing too fast. All of the rain we had been having had caused the creeks and rivers to fill up. Instead we headed up "403" (or perhaps it was called "408") and then back down to a terrible trail over fallen logs and through hidden puddles. I loved it but it seemed the rest of my hiking companions weren't as fond of the challenge.

On Nov. 3rd some of us from the COG joined up with the Wednesday Wonderers (yes, the spelling is correct), a group of hikers who meet up most Tuesdays to explore, map, and clear trails. They were interested in exploring new trails in the Cowichan area so we took them and showed them around Maple Mountain. The weather was great with no rain during the entire hike. There was a bit of fog but that didn't stop our views from the microwave tower at the top of Maple Mountain where we stopped for lunch.
Of course I forgot to pack the camera so haven't got any pictures. Now that Pat tends to carry our small camera along whenever we hike, I don't bother bringing my bigger camera.

I've decided that I can't afford not to hike so I'm planning to hike somewhere this weekend. Saturday is out since it is my grandson's first birthday party and I wouldn't miss it for the world. On Sunday I plan on hiking no matter what, that is as long as the weather doesn't cause cancellation of whatever hike is on the schedule… and I will bring a camera.

After the summer…

2009-09-16T20:01:00.009-07:00

… comes more time for blogging, baking, reading, knitting.
We had a fantastic summer spent with good friends and family. We hiked, backpacked, and relaxed. We explored new places and got to know some people better.

We spent 6 nights with the Outdoor Club of Victoria in Waterton Lakes National Park, arriving on Tuesday, August 11th. We thought of camping but ended up sharing a motel room with a friend. With the rainy, cold weather we had during our stay we were glad to have had the motel. It was a great place to dry out and warm up.
Our first hike on Wednesday was the Alderson-Carthew hike led by Mary. The day started out with a brief stop to negotiate with a bear which was seen by 4 hikers in a group ahead of us. They told us that it was a grizzly but I have my doubts since there are way more black bears in the park than grizzlies.
Early on in the hike it rained but that soon stopped and we ended up with a chilly wind on the ridge.
Mary was called away to Calgary to meet her first grandson who was born a few hours after we arrived back at camp following the hike.
The next day, Thursday we hiked to Crypt Lake, a hike which involved taking a boat across Waterton Lake. The trail was very good with switchbacks along the steeper sections. The tough part involved climbing up an 8' steel ladder and duck walking through a short, 4' high tunnel.

On stepping out of the tunnel you had to walk along a narrow ledge with a steel cable which was used as a hand rail. One of our members made it through the tunnel and then ended up turning around with her husband. Crypt Lake was beautiful and, if you were to walk to the end of the lake you'd be in the US.

By the time we arrived back at the boat we all looked a bit like drowned rats. We did manage to steam up all the windows making it quite tough for the "captain" to see out the windows.
On Friday we hiked to Goat Lake starting at Red Rock canyon. Again a group of 3 hikers joined us after they met a bear on the trail. Of course certain members of our group were convinced that it HAD to be a grizzly. We made enough noise that we didn't see any bears. One member believed that there had to be millions of grizzlies around since there were masses of bear grass. Unfortunately the bears don't eat bear grass although elk, moose and deer will. Supposedly this year's crop of bear grass was the best it had been in seven years. (It blooms in five to seven year cycles).
By Saturday our group was getting smaller due in part to the constant wet weather. Those members who had camped and hiked in Glacier National Park the week before Waterton where camped and hiked out as well. A gang of us headed to Akamina-Kishinena trail. Due to wet, cold weather and snow on the ridges we managed to get as far a Bennett Pass before heading back to our cars.

On Sunday, the last full day of hiking, our group was quite small with only the die-hards hanging on. Loretta was able to convince Katherine to lead one more hike, this one to Rowe Lakes. The weather co-operated and we had an awesome day where the only wild animals we ran into were several mule deer, a few picas, and a Golden Mantle ground squirrel.
Of course on the day we left Waterton the sun came out and there wasn't a rain cloud anywhere in sight. Four of us did one last climb up the Bear's Hump before parting. We went north to see our son and daughter-in-law, the other two went home.

Just incase you think that is ALL that we did, Pat and I also did three backpacking trips of three nights each to Circlet Lake in Strathcona Park. While we were there we climbed Mt. Albert Edward during the first trip, a circuit up Mt. Frink and around Moat Lake during the second trip, and we climbed Mt. Jutland during the third trip.
We also spent three days at Mt. Washington with the Cowichan Outdoor group. Pat and I weren't able to get the ground suite in the chalet with the other members so we rented a condo a short walk from their chalet. We did a group day hike to Cruikshank Canyon drop-off one day, a soggy hike up the West Summit Ridge trail of Mt. Washington with our "Waterton die-hard" friends the following day, and a walk along what we believed to be the Jutland cross country trail on the last day.

Where did the weeks and months go?

2009-06-19T19:34:00.008-07:00

After spending another day with my beautiful grandson, I look back and realize how fast the weeks and months are flying by. It wasn't too long ago when Ashton was a fairly inert lump of baby with not too much interest in anything except food, sleep, and cuddles. Now he reaches for toys, other people's food and fingers, enjoys chatting on the phone (while he tries to figure out how to put the phone in his mouth), and he is eating real food!
It also wasn't too long ago when my babies were little. Eric was the independent, easygoing one and Lisa the stubborn one. Lisa is still the determined, stubborn one and Eric is still easygoing and independent to a fault. This generally means that I often am in touch with Lisa and in the dark about what is happening in Eric's life.
Lisa married a man with a small, local family and Eric married someone with a large family in a different province. Got the idea? I miss him dearly and worry that he may miss out on seeing his nephew grow up or not see his grandparents before they are gone.
There are so many things that I want to talk to him about in person, not over the phone. I'd like to share with him all the "new" hikes I've been on since he was the person who inspired me to hike more. Most of all I want him to be honest with us.

Last week Lisa, Jesse and Ashton had some professional pictures done of the three of them. Spencer Brawn took quite a few pictures and made a cd for Lisa and Jesse with both web and print quality pictures on it. We've printed a few which are to be framed and given to Grandma M for her birthday on Monday. I'll probably see if Lisa will allow me to print one or two for my mom.

Whoa! Check out all the flowers. Can I eat these?

Regarding the hiking: We've been doing some good hikes lately plus I have been hiking with some friends during the week while Pat is working. On one of those weekday hikes, I ended up with a tick on my belly, about 2 inches from where another tick had burrowed in a week or two earlier. Now I'm terrified that I've become a "tick magnet". I guess I'll just have to wear bug spray and to make sure that I dress appropriately (light clothing with long pants tucked into socks and a long sleeved shirt. Right! While it is 30°C outside). Tick 1 was disease free and I have to see the doctor regarding tick 2 on Monday.

fun times :-(

2009-05-19T16:03:00.007-07:00

Pat bought himself new boots which he really needed so, after a week of wearing them around the house to make sure that they would work for him, we decided to give them a good hike. On Friday after he got off work we headed to Mt. Tzouhalem. We figured that it would be nicer to take the trails rather than following the road up.
The weather was good and it was fairly easy to find the trails despite having only gone up once and down 2 or 3 times. We stopped at the cross where I took some pictures of the scenery. At one point I was sort of on my belly to take pictures.

I guess that was a mistake because, on the way down I reached to tuck my shirt back into my pants and felt something weird. I looked and a tick had attached itself to my belly. I panicked and called out to Pat but, as I was calling him, I managed to slowly grab the tick and pull him out whole. I thought I had squished him but we thought we'd save him just in case he was still in one piece. The recommendation is that you save the tick so that he can be sent to see if he carries any nasties.
Pat phoned the BC Nurse hotline and they said for me to wash my hands and belly thoroughly with soap and water. Then I was to ice the bite for 15 - 20 minute intervals on the hour for 6 hours (or until bedtime). I was to go to ER in the morning with the tick and I was to get a tetanus shot since my last one was more than 5 years ago. Usually if you've had a shot within 10 years you are fine but with an insect bite or dirty wound they prefer it to be within 5 years.
Well, we got to ER at 8 a.m. The place was deserted so I got in right away. I gave the triage nurse my little buddy in his jar with the wet cotton ball and she looked at me as if I was a little kid with show-and-tell.
While I was in the treatment room the triage nurse walked in to say that I had forgotten my critter. Hmmm.
The doctor looked at me and my creature, said that there are currently no cases of tick carried diseases on Vancouver Island. She said that they no longer send ticks to be tested although after consulting with another doctor she returned and said that, since my critter looked so good, they'd send it off and I would be notified of the results by my GP. No tetanus shot.
In fact there are quite a few diagnosed cases of Lyme disease on Vancouver Island all due to local tick bites. A friend of ours was bitten in Rathtrevor Park and was seen by quite a few doctors including psychiatrists before he was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
A young lady was bitten while hiking along the West Coast trail and she is also suffering from Lyme disease. Her condition is not very good and her family has had to pay for her to receive treatment in California. There are many more on the island with the same problem.
I'm monitoring myself and, if any symptoms do show up I'm to go on antibiotics a.s.a.p.

Despite all this we attended a birthday party on Saturday for my daughter at her home in Nanaimo. Then on Sunday we had our annual birthdays barbecue here. The weather was agreeable for a change but, since it was the long weekend not too many people were able to make it.
Yesterday Pat, myself and two other members of the COG hiked Mt. Benson in Nanaimo with guidance from Kent. The hike started off at Witchcraft Lake. The beginning was fairly level and then climbed up and up. Eventually we reached the ridge where things levelled out before dropping down and up to the summit.
Clouds were swirling around the mountain but we still had great views.
On the way down we were hiking through some snow but not for long. Just about 2 minutes before reaching the cars it started to lightly rain.

View from Mt. Benson

time passes when you're having fun

2009-05-13T18:35:00.007-07:00

We spent a lovely (rainy) 4 days at Pacific Rim National Park on the we(s)t coast of Canada for our 35th wedding anniversary.
It wasn't raining when we arrived so we did our usual and headed for South Beach, just south-east of Wickaninnish Beach since we weren't able to check into our unit until 3:00 p.m. It was somewhat busy and we didn't see any sign of bears this time. When we were visiting around the same time last year we were fortunate to see a momma bear and her cub.

Momma bear and baby at Wickaninnish Beach parking lot, 2008

Since we arrived on May 3rd, which is our actual anniversary, we decided to have dinner at the Wickaninnish Interpretative Centre.
There was some delays in getting there since a new water system is being put in to supply the town of Tofino with water from the nearby Kennedy Lake. After a 15 minute wait we were allowed to continue on to the restaurant. Suddenly a fully grown black bear ran out of the wood on our side of the road, narrowly missed the car immediately in front of us, then also missed an oncoming truck. The driver of the truck had seen the bear so had time to slow down. I was telling Pat that, if the car in front had struck the bear and both driver and bear had died in the smouldering wreck, I would have skirted past the scene of destruction in order to get to dinner. I guess I was just hungry and irritated at the long wait.
The following 3 days consisted of intermittent torrential downpours and drizzle. Even the surfers were missing from all of their usual beaches but appeared at MacKenzie Beach, where we had never seen surfers before.

We were able to do a bit of walking along the beaches although our walk from Long Beach to Green Point was very soggy. As per Murphy's Law, the last day was the best and we were able to take a good long walk along Florencia Bay and then back along Half Moon Bay. That is one of the bad things about having to reserve; not getting the ideal weather.

I had been having trouble with a rash that wouldn't go away. My family doctor said that it appeared to be dermatitis but we couldn't figure out the trigger. While we were in Tofino I spent the first 2 days reading and the rash improved. After my book was done I brought out some cotton/linen yarn that I had brought along and started knitting a towel.
As soon as I got home I returned to working on a cotton-linen top and the rash returned. We figured it was due to the heat (we have the fireplace insert going most of the time) but, after letting the fire die for a few days, the rash was still there. That was when the light bulb finally went off. I had been having respiratory problems years ago when I put a cottolin warp on my loom. I ended up tossing the yarn into the trash. Then two years ago I had bought some linen blouses to wear to work and found that they made me quite itchy. The blouses were given to the Goodwill.
Around Christmas, when I started knitting with cottolin, I started getting the rash. Still the lights didn't go on until yesterday.
Now I've got an appointment with the doctor in order to get a referral to see the allergist. I'm crossing my fingers, toes and eyes in hopes that it is an allergy to linen and not to wool. Just to be safe, I did put in an order for 100% cotton so that I can re-knit the top I had started using cottolin.

Hello Spring!

2009-04-07T11:54:00.002-07:00

Well, it seems that the good weather is finally here although some party poopers keep saying that we are about to be launched back into cooler weather soon. In the meantime I'm enjoying the sunshine.
Last week a random email from Jacqueline, one of my Dutch cousins on my mom's side led me to Carla, another cousin of ours, one who I hadn't seen or heard of since I was about 13, which is around the time we immigrated back to Canada. Carla had sent some pictures of my mom's parents to Jacqueline and she had sent them to me and mom. Due to one thing or the other I had never really met my grandfather since he and my grandmother had separated when mom was a teen. Mom didn't want any dealings with her father so he didn't get a chance to meet although I did see him briefly when I was at my aunt's house once.

Opa and Oma v. H.

This new discovery of a long lost cousin got me involved in genealogy again, this time to piece together my mom's side of the family. Through it I learned that I have 18 cousins on mom's side. Out of the 18 I have been in touch with about 6 of them. Through them I'm learning about mom's family and eventually about her ancestors.

When I'm not working on my family tree I have been working on my knitting or hiking.
Two friends from the Cowichan outdoor group and I went for an exploratory hike on Maple Mountain yesterday. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we even noticed 2 turkey vultures enjoying the sunshine as they sat on a dead tree with their wings held out to catch the sun. I did take some pictures but, since my 2 co-hikers were fading in the distance, I didn't have time to zoom in.

Eventually I'll try to dig out some picture of my paternal grandparents to post on here.

While surfing through some knitting related websites this morning I found this cute video and figured I'd post it here. Enjoy!

Spring is here (she cautiously says)

2009-03-27T19:49:00.003-07:00

It does appear that Spring has finally arrived although there is still some talk of flurries at higher elevations. As long as it stays at higher elevations, I don't mind.

We are supposed to be hiking up Mt. Prevost (a local mountain) on Sunday and I did notice that there is still a fair amount of snow on it. I guess we'll manage fine as long as we bring our stablicers and hiking poles.
Tomorrow's hike with the OCV is for an end-to-end hike at East Sooke Park but the forecast doesn't look too promising so we'll miss it.

As far as spring flowers goes, I would post flower pictures but forgot to take them today and it is currently dark outside so, the bragging pictures will have to wait until it is light out. We have faun lilies, tulips and crocuses blooming and daffodils budding. We are a wee bit behind Victoria where the daffodils have been blooming for awhile. I will post pictures tomorrow, promise!

Our daughter and son-in-law have gone to Victoria for the evening so we are minding Ashton. We took him along on our walk figuring he'd nap but no such luck. He was quite happy to meet with some of the locals and quite enjoyed the scenery. He did end up sleeping for about 10 minutes and then demanded to be fed. I gave him a 4 ounce bottle and he seemed shocked when he emptied it. I put him to bed but he wasn't too fond of that plan so I got him up again and, after awhile gave him another 4 ounce bottle. That seemed to do the trick and he's currently sound asleep in his crib in our bedroom. Hopefully he'll remain asleep until his parents come home.
Ashton hadn't been gaining as expected so Lisa took him to see the doctor yesterday. Apparently Ashton's diapers were on too tight thus constricting his tummy. Now Lisa is to feed him a bit more, with looser diapers and then she'll bring him back to see if there was a weight gain next week.

Into every life a little rain must fall.

2009-03-23T14:08:00.001-07:00

I'm not really complaining since we do have a fairly severe shortage of snow pack in the mountains meaning possible water restrictions in the summer. (Whether there is a shortage or not, we still seem to have the restrictions). Oh well, as long as it doesn't rain when I finally decide to drive to Victoria or want to hike.
We had two great hikes on the weekend. Saturday's hike with the OCV was a 6 hour hike from Caleb Pike to Fork Lake in the Highlands. We ended up doing a car shuttle for it and the weather was beautiful. We really enjoyed the entertainment provided by the ravens once we reached the summit of Mt. Work. It appears that this is the time of year that they do their mating rituals so all types of aerial displays were happening. The ravens were swooping and diving, nearly hitting each other as they did this. Others were sitting in the trees, cawing and croaking.
Yesterday's hike was a hike to Saltspring Island with the COG and the Saltspring Trail and Nature group. Despite the weather forecast calling for a 30% chance of showers, we managed to have dry weather.
On the ferry trip across from Crofton to Vesuvius we saw a shrimp boat followed by quite a few seagulls and about 6 or 7 bald eagles ranging from immatures to adult ones.
The hike was the "Cog Wheel" trail which started part way along the road to Mount Maxwell. The earlier name of the trail was the Shepherd Hill trail. The trail went down and up and down and up, finally ending at a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the Cowichan Valley.

We did also see an immature Eagle and an adult Eagle resting in trees at different times during the hike.
At the completion of our hike we went into Ganges for coffee at TJ Beans with our hosts. The hot cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven was very tempting but my conscious, a.k.a. husband persuaded me to NOT fall for the temptation. He was also impervious to the fresh cheese scones which were calling our names. I'll have to make a batch of fresh cinnamon buns this week. At least I know that my recipe is lower in fats than the ones that most bakeries make.

Spring is springing

2009-03-03T18:19:00.004-08:00

Despite a wee setback two weeks ago (less than an inch of snow here) it does appear that Spring is putting in an appearance.
Now that my friend Mary is home she and I have been hiking a tiny bit more. Last week Friday she and I hiked up Cobble Hill Mountain. Last Tuesday we were supposed to hike on Saltspring Island but it poured plus I had a bunch of chores to do. Yesterday we did some route marking on Maple Mountain. We had hoped to find an easier route through a patch of salal which the COG had taken last week but we failed, and then ran out of flagging tape. We did find what Mary called the "million dollar viewpoint" and had lunch in the sunshine there.

View south with Eagle Heights in the background. Quamichan Lake (left) and Somenos Lake (right) are also visible.

Mt. Prevost from the side.
It was supposed to snow overnight and this weekend but I woke up to a beautiful sunny day, perfect for my neighbour's daughter's wedding.
Tomorrow the forecast has changed from snow and rain to a mix of sun and cloud. That just means that Pat and I will likely be hiking with the COG tomorrow.

bread and wine

2009-02-20T17:16:00.006-08:00

I've been on a bread making roll for the past few weeks. It all started when I read Veronik Avery's blog (a knit designer). In it she had mentioned being "fascinated by my quest for the perfect loaf of whole grain bread…". After reading that, I remembered that I had purchased a copy of Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. I had started to read the explanatory notes at the start of the book, lost interest, and then decided to pick it up again after reading Veronik's blog.
Somewhere in between the reading I found "the Fresh Loaf" which had a tutorial on bread making. I made the bread featured in step two of the tutorial, loved it and moved on to the whole wheat sandwich bread in Peter Reinhart's book. Both turned out beautifully! The whole wheat bread was light and fluffy, not at all like the whole wheat bricks I used to make.
I then moved on to making whole wheat cinnamon bread, (to die for!) and then boldly moved on to making multiple loaves of whole wheat sandwich bread. This is where I ran into trouble. The recipe said that the bread needed to proof for 45 - 60 minutes. Since I was in the midst of knitting, when the timer went off after 45 minutes, I ignored it and kept knitting. The bread over-proofed and spilled over the edge of the baking tins. It tasted just fine and it was light but there were air holes in it that were not in the initial loaf.

Yesterday I baked whole wheat bagels. Wow! I'm in love with them, so much so that I started another batch earlier today. The plan is for me to finish them tomorrow. Most of Peter Reinhart's recipes are done over 2 days. He calls it the "epoxy" method in that you have two batches of dough; one with yeast (the "biga") and one without (the "soaker"). The soaker is left on the counter for 12 - 24 hours and the biga is stored in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. The following day the biga is removed from the fridge 2 hours before using it. Then it is combined with the soaker plus additional ingredients to make bread, bagels, rolls, etc.

When not baking I've been working on my knitting or hiking. On Tuesday a friend and I went for a hike up Mt. Tzouhalem. The weather was sunny although not terribly warm although the uphill section did make us sweat.

On Wednesday my daughter, son-in-law, and beautiful grandson dropped in for a visit and the 4 of us went for a walk at Eve's Park in Westholme. The weather was really nice but it was definitely cold in the trees.

Poor Ashton (nearly 3 months old) was quite confused that Grandma hadn't bought a wrap for him to eat. He tried very hard to grab his mom's wrap every time it passed his mouth and eyeballed Grandma's wrap too.

It will not be too long before he's eating his parents out of house and home.

Today I did start some more bagels and decided that it was time to filter and bottle some Amarone (red wine) which has been bulk aging for awhile. It was amazingly clear and clean. Pat and I tasted the leftovers (after I decanted it) and it was very good. I would have preferred to sit in the sunshine with my book or my knitting but I realized that the wine had to be done.

Tomorrow I finish the bagels and watch my grandson while his parents attend a funeral for a friend's mom. RIP Kathy! Your generosity and beautiful smile will be greatly missed.

Life returns to normal

2009-01-19T16:18:00.008-08:00

The snow is actually on its way out although some folks believe that we are due to get more come the end of January. Right now I hope that Mt. Washington ski resort gets a bit more snow so that I can go and try my new snowshoes. Ideally I'd like to have enough of a snowfall which will allow a friend and I to test our snowshoes, a thought that my dear husband and daughter say is "perverted".
With the slow thawing of the snow we've finally been able to get some hiking in. Last week the COG (Cowichan Outdoor Group) joined up with OCV (Outdoor Club of Victoria) to hike up from Caleb Pike parking lot to Jocelyn Hill and back. The views were nice once we got above the clouds. At least it didn't rain on us.

View from Gowland-Todd to Malahat Mountain

Hubby and I having lunch
This past weekend we got another hike in, this one up and across Mt. Tzouhalem starting just above Bird's Eye Cove (Nevilane Road) and going across and down to Genoa Bay. The weather was beautiful and sunny. Only a few patches of snow were left on the ground. (E---, this isn't quite the starting point that you and Dad took but we'll have to take you on this route sometime).

Bird's Eye Cove Marina, looking north.

Farmland along Genoa Bay Road; Mt. Maxwell at left center; Mt. Baker at center far in the distance

The gang during lunch break
The day felt just like any early Spring day. Actually the aconites are starting to show up now that the snow is melting. Soon the Christmas Rose will be blooming too.

As far as knitting goes, I found moth larvae in a skein of yarn I had purchased in the Spring of '08. This yarn had been stored in a plastic zip lock bag along with its mates so I was quite surprised. I wound all of the remaining balls (and found one more skein with one break due to moth larvae damage) and tossed them into the freezer. Unfortunately I sadly underestimated the amount of yarn needed for a cardigan I'm knitting but was reluctant to head to the LYS where this moth eaten yarn was purchased. I finally gave in and returned to get 3 more skeins but I have quarantined them in the freezer... except for one skein which was wound into a ball and checked for moth larvae. (None found).
It isn't too surprising to find moth larvae since the store is small, crowded and dark. I hate to stop shopping there though and will be cautious in the future. As others have pointed out, it pays to quarantine all new yarn after purchase to make sure that there is no transferral of moths between yarns.

Holiday '08 or how the snow nearly stole Christmas

2009-01-05T17:28:00.008-08:00

P-- and I babysat our handsome little grandson on December 13th. We drove up to my daughter and son-in-law's house just as the snow started to fall and, by the time we went home, the snow was a few inches thick and the drive home was slow and cautious.
The snow continued off and and on right over the Christmas holiday causing us to wonder if our traditional Christmas dinner would be cancelled or, if it was, would it be with a reduced number of family members. On Christmas Eve we traditionally hold a small informal party just for my family. This year my older brother was working, my little brother and his fiancee were doing something else and my mom was terrified by the snow. Undaunted we carried on with my husband, my daughter and her little family. It was actually fun spending time with a 5-week old baby.
The following morning we had our Christmas breakfast at my house. (This used to be my mom's thing but when a power outage caused the breakfast to be moved to my place a few years back, my mom agreed to keep it at my place). Everyone was here with the exception of my older brother and his wife. R--- was fighting a flu and L----- was house-sitting for some friends. If R--- hadn't been feeling crappy L----- would have found a way here.
My in-laws did call at one point to say that their power had gone out and I did invite them for breakfast but they declined. They did ask if I could cook a ham for them if their power didn't come back on. (There are certain advantages to living near a hospital!)

'08 snowfall
Their power did come back on in time for them to cook the ham and dinner was on as scheduled. The only problem was that my brother-in-law who was visiting from Toronto had managed to get my father-in-law's car stuck in the driveway which was unplowed and we'd have to walk up. No biggie, except that my daughter and son-in-law would have to carry the baby and associated paraphernalia up a long and snowy driveway.
All of the expected family was there along with my nephew's girlfriend from Taiwan. Unfortunately the crappy weather did cause the dinner to end a bit sooner than in previous years.

Grandson in his new gym

Our nephew who is 15 weeks older than our grandson
My son-in-law was supposed to start work at 6 a.m. on Boxing Day so the play was for him to spend the night with us and to get up ~~bloody~~ early. The threat of more snow and black ice made them decide to head directly home to Nanaimo instead.
Of course the snow also wreaked havoc with our plans for New Year Eve. Every year we visit my friend's family for a night of games, food, and fun with people I consider my "other" family. I got a call from my friend's mom to say that the driveway was a "mess" and we'd have to walk up. That in itself wouldn't have been a problem but the prediction of more snow to start after midnight and the fact that hubby was on the pager caused us to miss out.
Yesterday, after the weather office promised us rain for the next 4 days, it started snowing yet again. After about 6" of the ~~damned cold~~ stuff it stopped. Luckily the roads were clear between Nanaimo and here so my daughter and grandson were able to visit us.
He is just 6 weeks old and can already roll from his tummy to his back and has the most beautiful smile!

At least it appears that there isn't any more snow predicted for the next few days and what is on the ground seems to be melting. Yes!!

Last minute Molly

2008-12-23T15:37:00.005-08:00

As it seems to go each year, I am doing the last minute thing. My aunt, uncles, cousins and their families will likely get their Christmas cards in time for New Year. The Christmas baking that I had intended to do last week will be done tomorrow.. or later tonight.
I didn't make scarves, hats, socks or mittens for any of my family members this year. I just couldn't get into the holiday spirit.
P-- and I did go to the COG's Christmas dinner on Saturday. The snow started up just as we were leaving our house and it wasn't showing any sign of letting up after we had finished doing the awards, skit, and door prizes. We did manage to sing "the Twelve days of Christmas" which is a tradition for the group before it was decided to cut the party short in order for members to get home safe.
So, I have purchased gifts for: the couple who's name I drew from my family (as in brothers and partners); my daughter and son-in-law; P--; and my nephew W---. I didn't get anything for my mom yet nor did I get anything for my son-in-law, although I only got small things for my daughter on top of a bigger gift that is for the both of them. I figure that my grandson is too small for anything although I may just see about picking up a book for him on our walk.
As far as my son and daughter-in-law, we are not buying for each other.
L--- and I are doing gift baskets for my sisters-in-law with me providing the wine and some baking. Next year I have good intentions of starting this insanity around Samhain instead of starting at Solstice.
The snow had been showing signs of melting but now we have another snow warning and are expecting 10 - 20 centimetres more of this crap.
In between the previous entry and this one I haven't been idle. I got inspired to clear out the office last week and tossed a whole lot of stuff out. Now I'm sorting and bagging my stash in sealed bags to store in the top of the closet. Unfortunately the sorting did expose some unfinished items which are now taking up space in the basket of "ongoing" projects in the living room. There are only 40 rows of ribbing to go on my sock and then I have to finish my shrug (1/8th finished) before I can finish my sleeveless top.... and A-----'s sweater.

I shouldn't have asked

2008-12-14T17:07:00.003-08:00

Winter arrived yesterday, just on the day that we were to babysit our grandson in Nanaimo in order for his parents to attend their work Christmas party. The snow was lightly falling during our afternoon walk but it wasn't looking too serious.
We headed toward my son-in-law and daughter's home in Nanaimo and, as we got nearer, the snow increased. It was sticking at their place just north of Nanaimo.
All went well despite my inability to follow directions on how to operate the dvd player thing. Our grandson co-operated as well by sleeping until the movie we were watching was nearly done. I changed his diapers while his bottle was heating up and then I fed him during the last part of the movie. By the time the movie ended, my daughter and son-in-law had come home.
The snow was quite serious by the time we headed home and P-- drove quite cautiously although the roads weren't too nasty.
This morning we woke to about 6 or 7 inches of the white stuff and it continued to fall until around noon. Now there are about 9 inches outside and the temperatures have fallen to -4℃. At least no more snow is predicted until Wednesday.
P-- and I went for a walk this afternoon dressed up like we were heading out for a stroll in Iqualuit. I had bought some stablicers to wear out hiking in icy sections, never imagining how nice they would be on icy roads. As well we both were wearing our hiking boots and gaitors to keep the snow out of our boots.
Tomorrow I have every intention of doing my Christmas baking. Next year I WILL be making fruit cake, dang it!
Sorry, I didn't think of taking pictures since my kids love to tease me about "another snow picture?". Instead just imagine snow up to your knees... if you are vertically challenged, mid calf if you are normal height.

The weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-12T14:49:00.006-08:00

... but inside it's so delightful! Rain mixed with snow is falling outside, the fireplace insert is keeping the house nice and cozy and I'm being very lazy. Inspiration for SIL gifts hasn't hit me yet and by the time it does it will be too late. Boohoo! Last Christmas the SILs got scarves, each in a different colour

and their husbands got scarves, also each in a different colour, knit in a brioche pattern
I did consider whipping up 3 foliage hats for my SILs (a.k.a. "the aunts") along with 3 watch caps for the "uncles". Maybe I should stop considering anything other than the weather outside and the potential shortage of wine in my "cellar".
Next year I was thinking of getting together with my DD to make antipasto, salsa, liquors and assorted baking. I intend to clear out my weaving room and I'll cut the "dog" off of my loom in order to make Christmas tea towels, a thing I used to do years ago.
As one of my fellow hikers said, "My idea of Christmas is a rented cabin in the Gulf Islands with a nice fire and a good view". I agree but would prefer a unit at Ocean Village Beach resort with a few bottles of wine and a good roaring storm outside. (Sorry DD, you and your little family could come along if you wanted as could my DS and his wife).
In the meantime we are going to the Craig Street brewpub for dinner.

Where's winter?

2008-12-10T18:13:00.006-08:00

As usual, I didn't intend to have such a big gap in between blogging but, life happens.
We did have a shower for my grandson. P-- went hiking :-( while I played hostess. My co-hostess hadn't ordered the sandwiches due to a miscommunication (I rarely check facebook which is where J---- had posted the question about how many sandwiches to order). My daughter, grandson and I all scrambled to buy sandwich making supplies and things turned out quite well.

The proud great-grandma (my mom) with A-----
Last week was awesome! We went hiking with P-- and my friend and met up with 2 of her friends in order to do a long hike along Gowland-Todd. L------ led from the parking lot to Jocelyn Hill and then my friend M--- took over. We hiked down to the Durrance Lake parking lot and then up and over Mt. Work to Fork Lake.
The day was foggy with sun and clouds over higher elevations. Luckily the rain didn't start until we reached S------'s car.
(Not using full names to protect the innocent :-)) Despite the fog I found that I was warm so stripped down to my long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. S------ was in short sleeves and M--- was dressed for the Arctic despite the warm temperatures but then, she says she's always cold.

The following day (Tuesday) I joined the Mac group with my hiking friend who had only had her Mac for a year. I did learn about making photo books and cards. Whee! The prices are somewhat reasonable as well. The only problem is.... ya need a Mac!
On Thursday (Dec. 4th) I skipped a hike with the Manzanita hiking group since 1. I figured they were too slow and 2. I wanted to do more than a few short hikes around Goldstream Park.
With that thought in mind, on Saturday I went hiking with some friends from COG (Cowichan Outdoor Group). We went up and around Cobble Hill (as John would say, like a string of Christmas lights).
The following day COG went to Mt. Richards, which was good.

This week is a non-hiking week since my friend is visiting family in Alberta as well plus the hiking group's Christmas party is next weekend. COG regular hikers are invited to join the light hikers for a hike to Swan Lake/Christmas Hill on Sunday, Dec. 14th, but I think I'll decline. P-- and I will probably do our own thing now that the bears have gone to bed.... I hope!

too many projects? Never!

2008-11-28T18:23:00.006-08:00

I just got some more yarn in the mail which will allow me to keep my grandson nice and warm.... next year. I've been wanting to try creating some sweater designs using Ann Budd's book: " a Knitter's book of handy sweater patterns" So far it looks fairly simple. You figure what size you want to make. Then you do a gauge swatch and, based on your gauge, follow the various columns that list how many stitches to cast on, how far to work until armholes, etc.
I've bought A some superwash yarn in a worsted weight yarn and am going to be making a saddle shoulder sweater, possibly with cables.
In the meantime I got my copy of "A gathering of lace" by Meg Swansen from the library plus I'm working on my Noro striped scarf as well as working on another pair of toe-up socks for me. I can handle it!
Poor A had his first bath yesterday and he wasn't a happy camper about it.

The bath also revealed that A is likely going to have reddish hair. A real Scottish... (Dutch, Irish, Mohawk, German, English, American) Canadian!
He does seem to like the bouncy seat I bought him though and has discovered how to make the music work.

Happy 1 week birthday baby A!

2008-11-26T13:41:00.007-08:00

My beautiful grandson is one week old today. He and his mom were freed from the hospital last Saturday.
Now that the weather is getting cooler I've decided that warm hats are needed to keep the little guy's noggin warm when he is out and about. I had almost completed a nice hat but it looked a bit like a green breast with a terra cotta coloured nipple so it was partially frogged and it should be ready soon.

As far as hiking goes, P and I went to Westwood Ridge near Nanaimo with the CVOC last Sunday. The weather was cool but dry, which was the important thing. Some members of the group had hoped to have lunch at Robert's Roost, a peak with a 360° view. Unfortunately to get there you need to cross DND property and there was an ongoing military exercise. Instead lunch was on a slightly lower peak with a view of Mt. Benson and Robert's Roost.

An immature eagle (approx. 3 years old) flew around us and seemed to like an area slightly south of us. After lunch we headed in that direction and could smell a strong smell of pot. (Slight wonder the eagle liked that area. It was a miracle that he/she wasn't flying upside down). Two gentlemen with sheepish grins emerged from that area as we passed.

Now I'm wishing that I had heard of CVOC sooner. Their hikes are a great way of working out and, as a group they do events such as snowshoeing/skiing or multi-day trips in other parts of North America. P and I are even considering joining the Outdoor club of Victoria.

At the beginning of the hike to Westwood Ridge M handed me a DVD which she had made of her trip to the BC Interior/Chilcotin. It was very well done so, knowing that M also has a Mac, I set to work trying to figure out how to create my own DVD of our trips to Strathcona (or anything else that could be made into a slideshow movie). It was a very simple procedure using iMovie and iDVD. Picture are dragged into iMovie along with your choice of music. Then, once the pictures and music are in place, you can add titles and tweak your creation before exporting it in order to burn it using iDVD. (Okay, so it isn't easy but there is a lot of how-to information available).

I'm a grandma!

2008-11-21T17:29:00.004-08:00

My daughter gave birth to a healthy son weighing 10 pounds, 7.7 ounces. He was an occipital posterior presentation, meaning that his head was facing the wrong way so, after about 12 hours of labour, it was decided that a c-section was the best choice for both mom and baby.
I was amazed that my DD was alert and able to nurse almost immediately after his birth and A seemed to catch on right away. To me he seemed quite smart. While daddy was holding him, he'd turn his head towards mom as soon as he heard her voice.

I had to laugh when the nurse put his little hospital issue hat on his head. Since he was so big, his hat kept falling off.
Needless to say I have now knitted him 2 other hats that should stay put and I'm working on a third hat which should both stay on and keep his little noggin warm when he is outside.

His parents are still thinking little A should be a hockey player but dude, the kid is a big boy, more suited to football.

The great grandparents are tickled!

Without a doubt this one will be spoiled rotten! (Isn't that the job of grandparents?)

Too much fun!

2008-11-18T12:37:00.007-08:00

I guess I was having too much fun to stop and blog.
P and I joined a hiking group which usually meets on Sunday morning. Our first hike with them was the Cowichan footpath from Skutz Falls bridge to Stoltz pool and back through the group campsite side of the river. The weather was unbelievably beautiful.
The following week a hike was scheduled for Gowland-Todd on a Saturday but we skipped it since rain had been predicted plus my friend J was told it would be too much for her.
On November 9th P was tied to a pager so J and I went hiking to Eagle Heights. The weather wasn't as nice this time and there was no view due to the fog. J found the hike to be a bit too much for her with all of the uphill travel.
The Thursday hike was another gorgeous day. We hiked to Stoney Hill overlooking Saltspring Island, Mill Bay and North Saanich. It wasn't as tough a hike as the ones we do on Sundays since there is a break to have a snack or to take pictures, remove jackets, etc.

On Sunday my friend T came along on the hike, this one to Maple Mountain. We took the blue route part way then switched to the pink route which led to the microwave tower. From there we took another pink trail to the Maple Mountain parking lot and then headed down for our lunch break. On the way we found an interesting shelter. It looked as if it would keep a person fairly dry but not necessarily warm.

M, one of my old classmates was on the hike and we talked about getting together for hikes during the week. I was supposed to go hiking tomorrow but then M had an opportunity to hike today instead. It didn't work out for me but I'm sure that we'll get together next week.

Ok baby, your shawl is done.

2008-11-08T14:14:00.005-08:00

I skipped my hiking date on Thursday to knit, although it was raining sideways outside, and I spent the best part of yesterday knitting in order to finish the shawl. I'm pleased to say that it is all done now aside from the blocking. Pictures of proof will be posted as soon as the shawl is dry, weather permitting.
Now to move on to other projects, including reading my book, "The story of Edgar Sawtelle". Then I plan to knit Jarod Flood's Habitat hat using some yarn left over from knitting Oblique.

The picture was taken before I added the buttons but the weather hasn't been ideal for taking photographs. I am even thinking of replacing the buttons that are now on Oblique with some nice wooden ones which I still have to purchase. I must admit that I really love this sweater and sort of skipped the washing and blocking part of finishing. One test try on and I was in love!

Well, bring on the grandson. He will be a warm little bundle with a wooly wardrobe.

The power of the shawl

2008-11-06T17:57:00.005-08:00

Well, there still isn't a grandchild but he really isn't due until November 7th. I'm betting on November 8th although something says that I should put my money on November 11th. Hey, not everyone has their birthday on a stat holiday!
DD figures that what is keeping her son from being born is the fact that his shawl isn't finished yet. The story is that, way back in the spring of '08 (I think) I started working on my second Fir Cone square shawl. The first one was done in emerald green for myself. I told my daughter that I was going to knit a second one for a future grandchild and the first grandchild born would get it. I poked along at it until my daughter phoned to say that the shawl would come in handy since she was expecting a child in November. I continued knitting but summer holidays and other knitting projects came in between until the shawl, needing just the last edging, found itself stuffed in a closet with other UFOs. As the date drew nearer for my grandchild's birth I remembered the shawl and started working on it in a mad fury. Now 2 of the 4 edges are complete. I'm counting on having a completed project by Sunday, November 9th.
Here is a token picture of the green shawl just to give an idea of the size.

Ok baby, you can come out anytime now. Your shawl will be done by the time you come home. (Notice my fingers are crossed?)

Back at it

2008-11-01T19:36:00.008-07:00

.... but for how long before I lose interest and stop blogging for a few months?
Well, I'm not a grandmother yet although I'm sure that my daughter is eager to get rid of her little passenger.
I've given up (temporarily) of knitting little baby things in exchange for knitting ME things. I completed Oblique and am now working on a generic toe up, short-row sock. The only variation from my normal, boring but functional sock pattern is that I'm doing a cabled ribbing at the top of the sock. I do promise pictures.
Fall has been very mild and colourful in our part of the world. We did have some rain and the occasional gust of wind which removed quite a few leaves. Last weekend we went hiking with the local outdoor club and it was very nice to hike through the leaves that were covering the hiking trail.
This picture was taken while we stopped to admire the leaves and to observe a river kayaking class going on.

Last Saturday my daughter and I attended the Cowichan Fibre Fest. I scored some nice loot including a 1 pound skein of 3-ply Superwash Merino (shawl?) and some Tencel/Merino roving in a nice blue-green colour. I'm hoping to spin that up soon.
While at the Fibre Fest I ran into several members of the weaver's guild of which I used to be a member before I decided to work. Now that I'm no longer working on the guild meeting days, I hope to return to the guild. That may in turn lead to more weaving projects and possibly more spinning.
Right now I am hoping to blog at least 2 to 3 times a week and I promise to post pictures.

Sorry for the long delay.

2008-05-26T18:04:00.004-07:00

I did really have great intentions of at least blogging weekly if not daily.
Well, I'm going to be an aunt in August (DH's sisters are late starters) and a grandmom in November. Whee!! I've been whipping up Baby surprise jackets in a wide array of colours and sizes for these two new babies. Then I decided that my 1-year old nephew needed a jacket as well so I'm making him a Tomten jacket although I'm having trouble deciding on what the chest size would be for an 18-month old. The version I'm making now is made with Tivoli Aran yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn. I figure it should be big enough to fit a 3-year old so, he'll just have to roll up his sleeves until he grows into it.
I've also been doing a wee bit of spinning using a sack of roving I had from a few years ago.
On the non-baby side I have been working on socks, hats (foliage), double layer mittens (a modified EZ design), and a sweater based on EZ for myself (still unsure if I'm doing a double layer hem or a henley neck or both).

If anyone would like to see a knitting group in Duncan, BC, contact me. I'm leaning towards either Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays at 7 p.m. at my place.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T13:11:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone and hopefully you all got what you wanted for ~~Christmas~~ the holiday.
Santa was good to me, with a little help and brought me a Schacht Ladybug spinning wheel. :-) I thought it would be hard to get back into spinning after not doing it for soooooo long but it was a bit like riding a bike. It came back to me sooner than I thought.
As far as knitting, I made a scarf and mittens for my friend in Toronto and then figured that, since I was right into the scarf thing, I'd make each of my three sister-in-laws a scarf as well. I used the branching out pattern and 2 balls of Sirdar Sublime cashmere, silk, merino DK yarn per scarf.

After completing them with 1 week to go before Christmas I madly decided to make the husbands of the SILs a scarf each as well. It was another trip to the LYS to buy some Paton's Shetland chunky yarn in 3 different colours for the men's scarves. It was suggested that I work the scarves in k2, p2 rib, alternating each rib row with a knit row. I really didn't like the resulting look so checked various books and came up with brioche stitch. Each scarf used 2 balls of yarn and I finished with 2 days to go before Christmas. Then I cast on for another scarf, this one for my 4 year old niece. It was done using garter stitch and Funny yarn. All of my Christmas knitting was completed by the time we sat down for Christmas breakfast with my family.
I even found time to knit a baby hat for my 7 month old nephew. The lady at my LYS suggested the "Faux Fair Isle" hat from Lesley Edmonson's "Knitting for babies: blanket, booties, bibs & more". The yarn suggested was sock yarn, of which I had lots so I cast on for the medium size (12 months?) and finished it off while watching "Once".

Now I'm finishing of the second pair of socks for DH. These were intended to be given to him for Christmas along with another pair which I was able to finish in secret. At least he'll get these before his birthday.
I'm also working on a sweater for myself and, thanks to Ravelry I keep finding more and more projects that I'd like to knit.

2008-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Cobblestone disaster averted

2007-11-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

I completed the Cobblestone pullover and it fit me perfectly until I carefully hand washed it which caused the sweater to grow four sizes. In frustration I tossed the sweater in the washing machine on delicate and then put it in the dryer. As it happened the sweater came out perfectly!
After this I knitted a hat for my hiking buddy using Classic wool merino. It also grew about 4 sizes after washing so I attribute it to the wool. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the hat and have yet to take one of the sweater.
I'm currently working on another sweater for myself using Briggs & Little Heritage yarn. It's temporarily put aside so that I can work on DH's christmas socks while he's on course in Vancouver. I finished one sock earlier and am working on the second one. I'll have to work on the other pair while he's at work and hope that he gives me enough warning when he comes home for coffee. It isn't too comfortable to sit on those needles.
Once I'm done my sweater I'm planning to knit a sweater for DH. He knows about that and even put out one of his store bought sweaters which fits him nicely in order for me to take measurements while he is away. The wool still needs to be ordered and I'm planning to have it ready for his birthday in March.
Another project I'm working on is a scarf for my friend. I believe that she knows about this page so no details will be posted until she receives it.
So, back to socks. I promise that pictures shall be posted soon.

Time off!

2007-11-13T20:41:00.001-08:00

I have taken a leave of absence from one of my jobs (I work as a receptionist for Weightwatchers) so now I have a bit more time to work on knitting projects on Tuesdays.
This morning I did make a fair amount of progress on my Cobblestone sweater plus I was able to do a bit of work on DH's Christmas socks. It is tough since he occasionally will arrive home for coffee or lunch breaks causing me to either end up sitting on the unfinished sock (so far no needle pokes!) or to get it put away at the last second.
It will be nice to finally get the sweater done and hopefully it will fit right this time around. The first time I made it, it was far too big for me even when it was done in the smallest size.
Once the sweater is done I'd like to work on my Fir cone square shawl as well as a toque for my hiking partner plus a scarf for my best friend. Of course I also have a "mindless" project which I have been working on. No offense Amy, but it is a fairly easy pattern which does not require a lot of concentration.
Look for pictures soon!

2007-11-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, I never realized that so much time had gone by since my last post. Knitting tends to slow down over the summer anyhow with so many other things going on like backpacking and day hikes.
Truthfully, I did keep busy with sock knitting and even brought a pair to work on while we were backpacking in Strathcona Park. Unfortunately they spent the entire trip in the pack.
On a sock note: I had been working on a pair of toe up socks for myself around the end of August (this is the same pair that had escorted us to Strathcona Park). My son Eric and his wife Alisha came by to say goodbye since they were moving back to Alberta. I had been working on the sock which I carried out as they were leaving. I was a little upset to see them leave since DH Pat, Eric and I had been getting taking a lot of hikes together and I knew that I'd miss Eric and the hiking.
The next afternoon I realized that I wasn't able to find my sock (I forgot that I'd left it outside) and hunted high and low. I thought that, in the heat of saying goodbye, the sock had made its way into the moving truck.
I still thought that was where the sock and needless had gone when I looked outside and noticed that the neighbour was holding a ball of yarn, which looked a bit like my sock yarn. It still didn't twig that this could be my missing yarn. I was just excited that there possibly was another knitter on our block.
The day after this I started finding clues like a ball band between our houses and one of my wooden Brittany needles on the lawn. I called the neighbour and left her a message to call me if she had found the missing sock.
After work the neighbor came over with a sad looking mess of sock and yarn in her hand. She had found this mess on her front lawn and later that same evening she and her husband had gone door to door with the sock. They even enlisted another neighbour to help put the stitches back on the needles. Shortly before getting to our door they had to leave to meet some friends.
I believe that their mischievous kitten took this interesting thing thinking that it was a really neat play toy just for her.
Nonetheless it was quite exciting to be reunited again.
Now, with the cooler weather, I'm overwhelmed with projects. A friend asked for a toque in lieu of gas money when she drives on hiking day and another friend would like me to knit her a scarf. On top of that I'm working on a sweater for myself, a shawl in the event that one of my children gives me a grandchild, socks for my DH and a stack of UFOs which, thanks to me getting into Ravelry, I've been shamed into finishing.
Now that my son has shown me where to find my iPhotos, I will start saving them on my macbook again so that I can post them on here and on Ravelry.
I promise to try to post more often on here, when I force myself to take a break from knitting.

2007-06-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

Well, time has flown by. The hat is (sort of) a finished project which is just waiting for a foot of snow and a pompom.
I once again indulged myself and bought a mac book. Yes, I have gone over to the "dark side". After owning the mac for only 24 hours I was considering how to toss it off the nearest overpass. After some help from my two evil children (both Mac users) I felt better and am now quite happy about this purchase.

On the knitting front I am working on the Fir Cone Square shawl from Cheryl Oberle's book "Folk Shawls". I've just completed the main body of the shawl and am starting on the outer border, which may drive me to drink. (Unfortunately I ran out of Screech over the weekend).
Last Saturday (June 9th) my lovely daughter and I headed to Victoria to see the one and only Yarn Harlot. Of course I had to forget my copy of her book so ended up buying another copy for Stephanie to sign.

Now I must get to bed since morning comes too early.

2007-04-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

I finished paying off my various frivolities (camera, iPod) so am now back to knitting.
My first purchase was some of the Drops Alpaca yarn in order to knit this sleeveless jumper. The folks in the garnstudio forum have been really helpful and I'm looking forward to wearing the jumper to work next week, weather depending.
I also ordered some Harrisville Designs Shetland yarn in order to make the Fir Cone Square Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. This and the upcoming "hiking" season should keep me busy for awhile.
I promise to post pictures of the sleeveless jumper as soon as it is done.

2007-02-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

With the current challenge of not purchasing any more knitting related items I've been working hard on finishing projects that were just collecting dust.

One of these, the "Fair Isle Sampler hat" designed by Mary Jane Mucklestone from the Winter 2004 issue of Interweave Knits was something I had always wanted to make. I ordered the yarn from Jamieson & Smith soon after receiving the magazine but, after starting on the fair isle ribbing, decided ~~that I'd go blind if I did this~~ to give it a pass until a later date.

Once I picked it up again I realised how much fun fair isle was. I'm not sure if I'd want to try a full sweater in a fair isle design at this moment in time though.

Well J, the iPod and camera are nearly paid off and I'll be back to building up my stash again soon. :-)

2007-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

I have been putting off adding to this blog mainly because I am not as exciting a read as some other bloggers in that I don't really design my own sweaters, unless you call tweaking a pattern "designing". I merely call it customizing to my own tastes.

Since the last entry I have completed a bunch of projects including: 2 pairs of fetching gloves, 2 pair of infant sized toe-up socks and 3 twisted rib watch caps which are to be sent to the Dulaan project and one teddy bear who is awaiting stuffing. These projects are all due to an ongoing bet of sorts with my son-in-law.
The story behind the non-monetary-but-honour-is-at-stake-bet is that I bought some expensive toys including an iPod while still paying off part of a camera. The intention was to pay them off using income earned from my part time job. This income also used to pay for my knitting addiction. I jokingly mentioned that I wouldn't be able to buy yarn for awhile, at least not until I paid off my debts. My SIL mumbled that I wouldn't be able to do it. Of course, with me being a very competitive type, I jumped on it. There have been some tough moments where I just wanted to run out for a ball of some yarn but stopped when I realized that SIL would gloat over his "victory". I am tougher than he is!
Hubby offered to pay off the bill but I insisted on reimbursing him (and his interest rates are better).
An upside to this yarn diet is that all my unfinished projects are now getting done.

2006-07-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! I have been lax about this blogging thing. Do I need an excuse other than we have been painting the house while we are not out backpacking?
On the knitting side of things, I finished a summer top for myself in a turquoise blue (see picture), a different summer top for my mom-in-law in a light yellow (didn't take a picture yet), and a ankle length pair of socks for myself in Kroy sock yarn.
I just got my Socks that Rock heavyweight sock yarn and am working on a pair of hiking socks also for myself. (No, I'm not greedy!) It was my hope to have one pair of hiking socks complete and yarn for a second pair to be worked on while we were camping, as if that is possible when your hands are covered in Deet and trail grime.
I did get a brand new camera for my birthday so I will be able to take more pictures to post on here. Whee!!
I'm still trying to figure out how to fancy up this page. I have my Olympic gold medal which I'd like to add so, if anyone can help me out on how to add things like my gold medal, etc. please YELL.

2006-03-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Now that I have a brand new computer, I can get back at this blogging thing. Another reason for my silence is that I had been working on knitting Rogue as a birthday surprise for my daughter. I had completed the body and was working on the hood when my daughter and her fiance came by to take me on a day trip to Saltspring Island. Rogue had been hidden away and I brought my Moebius scarf along so I could complete it.
On the way home DD asked if she could please borrow the pattern for Rogue since I wasn't going to be using it (or so she thought). She was going to be purchasing yarn soon so that she could work on it a.s.a.p. Well, I had to come clean then and admit that I was using the pattern and was making Rogue for her. She was delighted. Needless to say that Rogue will not be her "surprise" birthday present. I'll find something else to knit for her instead. (No Lisa. Not a knitted wedding gown!)
On the topic of the Moebius scarf, I used just over 2 balls of Noro Kureyon using a pattern from Cat Bordhi's "A Treasury of Magical Knitting". Now that my camera has come back from the shop I'll be able to take a picture to post here.
I wish that I had had a camera before I gave my Eris sweater away. It wasn't until it was gone that I realised that I did have an old digital camera stashed away in my closet. It is a Sony Mavica, one that uses floppy disks to store the images.
I will promise to try to update my blog more faithfully from now on. If anyone could tell me just how to put those fancy buttons and links along the side, I'd love to hear from you.

2006-02-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

I have done it! I was panicking on Wednesday morning but was able to complete one sleeve that day. Yesterday I spent the day on my butt watching movies, drinking tea and knitting... of course. I was able to finish the second sleeve just before I had to peel out the door to get to work.
This morning I relaxed and then finally sewed the underarm seams together. Then it hit me! My camera started acting up when we went out for a hike last Sunday so I brought it in to have it fixed. I called my mom in a panic and she said that her camera wasn't working either but... sometimes she could take ONE picture. The blessed lady (Mother Mary) came over with her camera which did work and took the one picture. She emailed it back to me (since a certain child of mine has my card reader at her house) and the picture came out really well.
Yeah!

2006-02-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I did start to knit Eris AFTER the flame was lit. I had bought "Wool from the Andes" from Knitpicks and had already done the sampling. I ended up deciding on using 3 mm needles for the collar and 4 mm for the rest of the sweater.
On Friday afternoon I grabbed myself a snack and sat myself outside in the sunshine. Knitting went well... for the first 28 rows of the collar that is, before I figured that the tension was making the collar look a wee bit like cardboard. I grabbed another ball of yarn and a set of 3.25 mm needles and swatched again. The tension looked a bit better so I frogged and started over.
I had also rented a movie (the Constant Gardener) but found it was impossible to concentrate on the graphs involved in Eris so I reverted back to working on some socks.
I was able to get some work done on Eris on Saturday but not as much as I had hoped.
This morning I got serious about working on Eris and finished the right side of the collar. I was a bit confused about the instructions for picking up stitches to knit the left side and am not too happy about the way the join looks but will forge on. Once I find my 4.5 mm needles I'll swatch for the body of the sweater. (LISA!!! I want my knitting needles back... please).
If anyone else out there is working on Eris and wants to compare notes, give me a shout.

2006-02-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

I had a momentary panic attack. I had purchased 9 balls of yarn for the Knitting Olympics project. This amounted to 99o yards. Earlier this evening I read the pattern and thought that it said that the pattern called for 975 METERS, which would have been 1066 YARDS or 1 ball more than what I had.
DH and I went for a walk and on getting in the door I thought I would give one more glance over the pattern to see just how many balls I would be short. On re-reading I found that it did say "975 YARDS so, I may be pushing it with 990 yards but it isn't as bad as I had thought.
So, for those of you who had read the previous post (which I just edited and removed) put it down to lack of attention on my part.

2006-02-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not updating the blog! I got carried away with cutting a ton of old jeans into strips for my rya rag rug. There are still about 5 pairs of old jeans waiting to be cut up.
On Saturday I had to go out on a call-out with SAR but I did manage to get some work done on my sock after the search.
Today I finally signed up with Team Canada for the Knitting Olympics. It is hard to believe that there are 2500 knitters taking part from all over the world. Incredible!
Once I figure out how to add the "Knitting Olympics" and the "Team Canada" buttons to my blog I'll be happy. I'm sure that it is fairly simple. I haven't had time to sit down and figure it out yet.
(Lisa?????? HELP!)

Work gets in the way

2006-02-01T14:02:00.003-08:00

I had to work yesterday and did a lot of reading as well. Some knitting was done as well but I figured I could take a break to catch up on some reading and housecleaning after work.
I've almost finished one of my felted slippers. These are to replace my old felted slippers that are slowly wearing out. DH and DD both suggested that I darn the old ones, which I may yet do. The newer ones can be used by guests until the old ones are beyond repair. One thing about felted slippers is that visitors love them.
Another future project will be to reknit a gansey for my DD. I am not sure if it was me or if the instructions in Beth Brown-Reinsel's book "Knitting Ganseys" was misleading. I took my daughter's measurements and knitted a test swatch. Armed with all this information I created my graph and started knitting. (That was the easy part).
Once all was done and the loose ends were all darned in I presented my daughter with the completed sweater. Hmmmm, it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy to tight on her as well as too short in both the arms and the body. It fit me perfectly though which caused my daughter to wonder if I had intended to make it for myself all along.
I guess I should have allowed extra inches for a looser fit. The sleeves and body could have been dealt with as I worked on it.
Now I have to frog the entire sweater as well as a scarf I was knitting with the leftover yarn. Maybe I should be doing the gansey instead of Eris for the Knitting Olympics. Hmmm, something to consider.

Wow! my first day of blogging.

2006-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

I will lay the blame for this blog squarely on Stephanie (sorry Steph) and the Knitting Olympics. Hey, I need a place to put those cool buttons once I officially join this mad event, and once I decide on which team I'd like to represent. (This was a toughie! Coffee or wine?)

Besides being an obsessive knitter I'm also a weaver although my gigantuous loom currently has a baby blanket warp draped over the front beam. Every time I wander into the "weaving room" the warp cries out to me, begging me to finish warping it at least.
My husband, builder of my fine loom (a 60" countermarch) also built my weaving room but, it is in a windowless part of the "dungeon".

On the knitting side: I have just completed another pair of socks, this one was done using Regia yarn. I've never tried Regia before but saw the cool color and decided I HAD to make socks with it.

Aren't they cool! My daughter was hoping that they wouldn't match (unmatched socks drive me up the wall) so that she could have them.
Fooled ya Lisa!

Eventually I'll be sure to post a picture of the loom on here, maybe with the completed baby blanket on it. (that will be a chilly day in hell)!