PayDay… a day late and… er… never mind.

16 October 20088 Comments

Yes, yes – I know, I know. The last time I was here, I said that I was in the midst of stashbusting.

However, this morning the gloom of the grey sky and the fallen dead leaves…

… plus the completely foreseen (but no less crippling) bad mood engendered by Tuesday’s election results…

…led me and my iron will (HA!) regarding PayDay purchases astray.

It all started off rather innocently. In light of my stashbusting goal – which involves the winding of approximately 5 kilometres of Super 10 cotton yarn – and a recalcitrant JJ (“Who do ah sue if ah get that carpal tunnel thingy from doing all these yarn balls??? Eh??? Eh???”), I decided to break down and buy a ball winder and swift.

A very economical purchase, really, considering all of the labour costs (which, at present Legal Aid lawyer rates, comes out to approximately… er, never mind. And which, at JJ rates, led to too many whisky empties!) I will save.

Or would have saved, had I not come across this at Romni, where I bought the ball winder, at the same time:

This is brand new laceweight stuff! It’s called One of a Kind (indeed!) and made right here in Canada. The price, at $7.95 for a 600 yard skein, was actually quite reasonable (it’s a wool/angora/nylon blend).

Plus, the colourway is called Kaleidoscope. How could I resist, really?

When I got back to the office after this little lunchtime foray, imagine my surprise to find this waiting for me!

This is the latest instalment in the Year of Lace 2008 club series which – horrors! – I had forgotten was on its way. And Handmaiden cashmere to boot! I must say the colourway is not one that falls within my preferred range, but I’m sure I’ll find someone who would like a shawl made with it.

I also rediscovered this lovely yarn that fellow blogger extraordinaire Clarabelle had winged my way from the UK back in the summer… (please do not think me ungrateful, C. – I had left it in my office to show everyone and it ended up as a decoration in my new office):

Now, one would think that all this largesse would have kept my @$$ in the tram seat on the way home instead of popping off to hit Lettuce Knit (notionally, in search of a swift). But no.

Why, oh why, Handmaiden, did you have to come out with silver Sea Silk yarn?!?!?

Sigh.

After all of this, of course, my former past true love Super10 looks…er, rather dull. But here is an in-progress shot of the Election 2008 Log Cabin quilt:

My goal: to finish it off before the US elections. Given that the finished size should be 60″ x 50″ or so, I may well have bitten off more than I can chew. Nothing changes, eh?

Well, off to make dinner… the easiest Greek pasta recipe ever. Stay tuned!

Felted Clogs!!!!

28 July 200828 July 20089 Comments

Hey!! Wait a minute!!! I just finished both pairs of Felted Clogs and already they’re walking away?

Man alive!

Ingrates!

You're grounded!!!!

Ah, no… not really. You see, I like my new clogs very much – and JJ is well chuffed too. He was ~~prancing around in them~~ breaking them in most of yesterday evening.

After a few setbacks, the knitting of the clogs went swimmingly. Mine were slightly easier than JJ’s – I can’t decide whether that’s because I preferred my colourway to the one I picked for him, or because they were smaller. Hmm.

I highly recommend this pattern to anyone looking for fabulous slippers – it’s very clever as it incorporates a double sole. Who needs Air Soles, anyway?! And, I knitted my pair in just one evening!

JJs were men’s medium (size 11 US/Cdn), mine were size small (6 US/Cdn – quite a bit smaller than my true shoe size, so thanks to Amy for the tip to knit a size smaller than I needed.

Yarn for both was by Brown Sheep. JJs were made with two strands of Lamb’s Pride Worsted, one Turkish Olive and one Kiwi. Mine were made with Lamb’s Pride Bulky, so I only had to use one strand – the colours are Lotus Pink and Limeade.

(If you’re planning to make these and can get ahold of Lamb’s Pride Bulky, I would highly recommend it. It’s great for felting and I found it easier to work with the one strand.)

I used 9 mm needles for both.

Actually, I’m thinking of wearing mine to work tomorrow as I happen to have matching accessories:

Then again, it might be a tad hot. But they’d look really fancy at the Summit of the Tenant Advocates planned for tomorrow after work – and yes, I know it’s Monday. Is there some rule that you can’t go drinking on Mondays?

In preparation for the toll that deep fried spring rolls and copious amounts of Moosehead will inevitably take, I made sure and got my Vitamin C all day yesterday with my new favourite summer thirst quencher: salted lime drink or “Indian limeade”.

I know that might sound odd. Try it. Miles better than Gatorade or Lucozade for killing thirst. This drink originated in India and I first tried it years ago at an Indian buffet place – and loved it. However, I never actually thought to try making any myself… until I came across a recipe for it in an excellent cookbook by Sybil Kapoor called Taste. (This book is fabulous – she combines all sorts of tastes you wouldn’t even dream of mixing, to great results.)

I’m now making it in litre jugs – approximately one cup of fresh lime juice to three cups of water. Then add salt to taste (I probably put in two teaspoons per litre, but I’m addicted to salt). Chill and serve over ice. Ms Kapoor suggests grinding in some black pepper – an excellent suggestion.

So, I’m now feeling all cool, comfy and exotic with my new beverage and my fabulous clogs!

Happy Monday!

a knitting post!!

27 July 200827 July 20089 Comments

I thought I’d make an exception to my summer hours policy and post this weekend because – I’m knitting again! And with a vengeance..

First up: the Felted Clogs (pattern by Bev Galeskas) for JJ. The knitting is finished but felting is as yet unaccomplished. I’m a bit worried about the size…

… but hope that the felting will work its magic. After some initial setbacks, I was so jealous of JJ happy about the pattern that I decided to make a pair for myself as well.

This, of course, entailed a trip to Knitomatic. I was very glad to see that Haley has taken up a “Beautify our Community” project and trust she won’t mind if I reproduce her photo here:

(original photo at http://frayedattheedges.blogspot.com, by Haley Waxberg)

I went into the shop and picked up this Lamb’s Pride Bulky for my own Felted Clogs:

I also spied some new Handmaiden Lace Silk but left the shop with head held high, saying “I don’t need any more Lace Silk”. However, I made it approximately one-half block before I went back in and bought this:

Haley’s comment upon my re-entry was “Well, that was quick!”. But I will note that I showed great forbearance indeed – I only bought one of the three skeins in this fantastic colourway. I don’t know what it’s called, but I’m calling it “Cool Aqua”.

(And yes, I know that I said recently I wasn’t buying any more laceweight. Oh well.)

But where was I?! Oh, yes. I also discovered a brilliant use for those carry bags they’re selling at the liquor stores in lieu of giving you plastic bags:

You know the bags? (Maybe those of you who live in a part of the world where liquor sales are not government controlled don’t… sigh) Well, check this out!

(And if any knitters living outside Ontario want these, they cost $1.99 and I’d be glad to post you one for that price plus postage!!)

Before I started work on my own clogs, I decided to try to assuage my guilt about letting JJ’s last pair of slippers get into the poor pathetic state that they had…

So, I decided to try to re-felt them. The holes were clearly way too big to mend with yarn and needle, so I managed to find a crochet hook…

… and attempted with my lame@$$ crochet technique to mend them. Here is the result, pre-felting:

I’ll let you know how it comes out. And, if it actually works, I’ll splash out for some suede slipper bottoms, which clearly I should have done in the first place.

Anyway, I’ve already finished one of my own Felted Clogs – but I’m still worried:

I’m off to the laundromat later today to try to felt these things (my building only has huge front-loading washing machines at $2.00 per wash… and Amy kindly advised that it took her eight or so rounds in her washer to shrink these puppies down! The laundromat only charges $1.10 a load and have better options on the washers. I must really talk to my landlord about providing adequate machines for felting… sigh.)

But I’m of half a mind, actually, to leave JJs slippers as is and make some nice tricorn hats instead:

Could we start a new fashion trend?!

Happy weekend.

slip slidin’ away…

22 July 200821 July 20086 Comments

Well, His Excellency JJ, Ruler of the Remote, has finally managed to guilt me into making him some new slippers. Admittedly, the last ones I made him, depicted above, have seen better days.

In this regard, I had bought a new pattern … um… two months ago or so. And then I went off knitting for a while (and I’m still not 100% back on my previous zealous track, I must confess). And then I started two lace shawls while ignoring forgetting about my promise to JJ to make some slippers.

That’s when the above sad looking tattered specimens made their reappearance on the otherwise pampered feet of JJ. He is nothing if not subtle. He didn’t bother to mention that he was wearing ragged slippers, but waited patiently for me to stop ignoring this notice. And then waited some more.

Finally, last evening, he stuck his feet up in the air all of a sudden while we were watching Food Safari, waving his puir wee nekkid wee heels which were sticking out of the chequerboard slippers and bellowed said in his usual dulcet tone:

Lassie, when am ah gettin mah new slipperrrrrrs?!?!?

So, today after work, I stopped in at Knitomatic and finally bought some feltable yarn:

Lamb’s Pride Worsted, in Turkish Olive and Kiwi. The colour choice, thankfully, has met with the approval of His Nibs.

And, I’m proud to announce that I was completely selfless in this mission – I did not buy any yarn for myself!!! Hard to believe, eh?

I should, however, mention that I did have to buy this mag and I suspect that there won’t be much content there for JJ:

I was taken in particular with two of the patterns I saw within, and couldn’t resist:

These Europeans know what they’re doing with design, I tell you. And – such stashbusting potential!!! I’m picturing this in either a rich blue (Madil Eden) or poppy red (Dalegarn Svale):

And as for this beauty…

…well, maybe, just maybe, I can finally start dipping into that ridiculously large Super 10 stash.

Great. Another thing to feel guilty about… cheating on my beloved Butterfly Greek Super 10 cotton because I discovered the loveliness that is laceweight silk. I’m a terrible person, really.

More evidence of this home truth: the only real reason that I didn’t buy myself more yarn was because I had already gone on a shopping binge on the lunch hour.

But hey – since I’ve been off knitting, I’ve started to run out of clothes!!

Besides, they’re just so colourful I couldn’t resist… and they’re nice and cool.

And the best part – they cost only $10 apiece! So really, I couldn’t say no, could I? Does it count as selfish when you get such a great bargain?!?

JJ: It counts as “selfish” so long as ah’ve no got mah new slippers on mah feet, ye wee bampot.

Hmph. He’s obviously getting a bit too full of oats sitting at home all day. I’ll have to hide the remote before I leave for work tomorrow just to teach him a lesson, eh?

JJ: More paw, less jaw, lassie!

OK, OK… how’s this for a start, then?

Does anyone know if they have a Bigfoot Monster in Scotland?

Happy Tuesday!

more radical knitting and UK/Canada road relations

14 July 200813 July 20087 Comments

Funnily enough, after I put up my post last Friday I happened to get a card in the mail from a colleague outside of Toronto, sporting the following image:

The knitter/artist is Lisa Anne Auerbach… and clearly I think that she is just fabulous. This sweater series had real gold knitted into it, apparently… the amount of gold influenced the price point as you will see here:

And I’ve got to make a pair of these driving gloves that I saw on her website as well:

WTF? you ask? Well, exactly. These are driving gloves that I could very much use in Toronto to illustrate some points:

In talking with Amy, however, we decided that we would have picked a different colour for the middle finger. My preference would be traffic cone orange, for that little authentic highway touch.

(photo from http://www.featurepics.com)

Now, I’m not certain that my UK friends will get the traffic cone reference. Their traffic signs are quite different from ours…

I still can’t stop laughing about this for some infantile reason, although I assume that my UK friends know what “humps” means in North America. As a result, here they are called “speed bumps”.

I must confess, however, that I find the UK/North America reversals about traffic direction a bit curious. It seems even to be evidenced in DVD covers. Viz. this, which is the cover of a DVD I just got from the library (and JJ is still hee-hawing as I type about it):

When I looked it up on Amazon, I was amazed to learn that the UK cover looks somewhat different:

So now I’m wondering… are all of the Britcoms we get over here flipped over before we see them?!

I’d best sign off before I get too far down that particular path. Wishing you all a very happy, tranquil and non-topsy-turvy Monday.

Cheers,

PS. Oh, and if you’re looking for something to ~~kill time at the office~~ do today, check out Lisa Auerbach’s blog, The Little Red Blog of Revolutionary Knitting Whether you knit or not, I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

Knitting – it’s radical, man.

11 July 200810 July 20084 Comments

OYes, yes, I know – my lingo is slightly behind the times. What exactly did you expect from someone who prefers musical selections from old dead British crooners a la Rat Pack?

However, I’m prepared to be wowed by new concepts, particularly when I’m in a bit of a knitting funk. So, I was very glad to come across some web pages yesterday with some fresh knitting ideas.

First, how about some radical lace?

This is a photo taken at an art show in New York back in early 2007 – the work is by Cal Lane. I wish I’d thought of that, frankly.

It reminds me of some of the art knitting in this book that I had bought some time back:

And no, they don’t mean this kind of New Wave:

Tainted looooove… doo doo… tainted loooove…

Sigh.

But I digress…(and hey, at least it’s not the Rat Pack!)

It all seems a bit closer to this, actually:

And, after all, what’s a little madness between friends?

Now I want to start working on some fancy lace creations, such as this one by Anne Wilson…

In my virtual travels, I also came across some funky knit “graffiti” type stuff by a group called Knitted Landscape. How about a tulip in the snow, for example?

Or, perhaps you prefer the idea of a day on the beach?

Now I’m full of ideas all of a sudden. So many, that I’m not quite sure what to do.

Ah – eureka! Given some of my obsessions, it should have been quite obvious, no?

A knitted rubber duckie! Although, is it truly a “rubber duckie” if it’s knitted??? Hmm….

Well, why not? I just found a website called Unifly Rubber Yarn Products!!!

I guess it’s official… the possibilities are, in fact, endless.

Sigh.

So, if you could knit any object you wanted, what would it be? Tell me… come on… don’t be shy!

Happy Friday!

reward for PayDay forbearance!!!

4 July 20084 July 20089 Comments

No, no – I did not rush out and buy something else. Instead, I got a lovely surprise in the mail today – the latest package from my Year of Lace 2008 subscription! And lovely it is indeed!

However, since some people have still not gotten their kits in the mail, I feel obligated to put up a spoiler warning…

… and also to engage in a wee digression (that’s today’s excuse, anyway). So, bear with me for a minute or so.

I know it will be very, very difficult to believe this – but on occasion I do get accused of having a rather narrow outlook on certain things. I can be prone to rather myopic behaviour sometimes, as it were (not to mention “obsessive”, but that’s a topic for another digression). It is a trait that serves me well in my vaunted profession of top notch hard working lawyer …

JJ: Ah, go oan, sell me a bridge, would ye, lassie?!?!?! D’ye actually think your blog readers will believe ye tae be hard-workin’?!?

KB: Um… er… (searching for witty response, then muttering) Ah, shurrup, wuid ye?

JJ: Ah telt ye, stop makin’ fun of the way ah talk.

And so on, and so forth.

Man, a digression within a digression. I’m really firing on all cylinders today!

… but it can tend to be a rather unlikeable quality, or so I’m told.

However, I intend to demonstrate to you that tunnel vision can sometimes be a beautiful thing indeed. The other day I took these photos of a field…

Isn’t that pretty? Let’s zoom in just a wee bit more, shall we?

But in fact, I just lied to you above (and yes, yes, I know – lying is another unlikeable quality in a person. However, I’m Greek. It’s genetic. I can’t help it. Really.) when I told you that these were pictures of a field. It is actually a photo of the garbage depository area of my building.

See? Far better, in this example, to take the narrow view, don’t you think?

Well, enough of that… time to show off my latest yarn acquisition!

First, a wonderful pattern by Joan Schrouder!

Blueberries!!!

And – my first ever skein of Lorna’s Laces laceweight (half silk, half wool):

I suspect it won’t be my last, though… look how soft it is!

And the yarn even comes with its own free shawl pattern…!

But now I’m torn!! Should I make the fan shawl, or Joan’s creation with the Lorna’s?

Help!

Oh – I forgot – I still have this radiant Claudia’s Handpaints in the stash…

I think the fan pattern would look very flash in this colour – perhaps I could call it “Daedalus“?

Yes! Yes!

Oh – but another dilemma. What to do with my other fabulous blueberry coloured yarn?!

And no, none of you can have it. Sorry.

Hmm – I guess tunnel vision is not my only unattractive quality. Apparently I need to work on generosity as well.

Sigh.

Wishing you a wonderful, wonderful weekend – and a happy 4th of July to my American friends. The Tenant Advocates and I will be raising several glasses to you this evening…

fun crafts and weird phone hotlines

20 May 20082 Comments

Well, it’s back to the grind – but what better to kick off my working week with some craft ideas, one quick, one interesting if you’ve got a tortured brain like mine? (Besides, I figure I’d better have some craft content on here before my 10 or so regulars wander away).

First up: you, too, can look like a lace knitting genius in ten minutes or less* by making yourself a
fancy lace bracelet:
:

* more than 10 minutes if you actually want to knit the lace… but why not just pick some up and say you knitted it! and don’t quote me, either!

And now for another tip which has haunted and fascinated me since I came across the concept: a tutorial onHow to knit backwards:

And speaking of “backwards”, now for a wee rant. Sometimes I just hate reading the paper. You see, I learned this morning that our Minister for Public Safety, the Honourable ~~Doris~~ Stockwell Day:

in his infinite wisdom, had started up a snitch line for us upstanding citizens to report illegal immigrants by way of anonymous phone call. The Canadian Border Services monitor this line, and they say that “no information, however trivial it may seem, is too small.”

Well, guess what? According to today’s Glib and Stale Globe and Mail, that endeavour has apparently generated a large number of bizarre calls.

Why? Well, some people apparently like to make crank calls. Others, no doubt, are mentally challenged, wandering aimlessly without treatment since they started to defund certain medical services and close beds in certain facilities and are merely looking for company.

And… some other people like to make crank calls. I know this might be shocking to you, but it’s true. Of course, I personally have never made a crank call – unless, of course, you count those ones that we made from the church hall payphone when we were all about 12 and resenting having to go to Greek lessons – we’d phone 411 information and ask for “Hooker Heaven”, etc. and hang up giggling. And let me tell you, the priest was not best pleased when he found out we were doing this. But I digress.

Anyway, here’s the types of calls they’ve been getting:

Caller wants personal information about her husband, but doesn’t know when or when he was born.

Caller says that psychiatrist is forcing caller to take illegal medication

Caller says he is illegally in the country, and demands to be deported.

Caller states he has a problem. His wife’s family is interfering with his marriage and he doesn’t want them to come to Canada.

Caller would like to deport a couple of people from Canada and she would like the website address to fill out the proper forms. Caller is advised that it is not her decision who gets deported. Caller does not care.

I particularly like that last one. I can think of a few people I’d like to get deported, Stockwell Day and his boss Stephen Harper being at the top of that list!

Hmm… where is that website? I need to get hold of that hotline number!

Happy Tuesday!

“Advised him to speak with his wife.”

a lovely spring afternoon…

11 May 200810 May 20088 Comments

…part of the loveliness courtesy of Michaels Craft Superstore!

We scored lots of goodies there yesterday. For example, since I didn’t already nearly have enough beads for knitting…

… I needed to pick up some more. Approximately 12,000 more by my calculation:

And what am I going to do with all these beads, you ask, shaking your head? Well, a girl can never have too many chartreuse beads, can she?

These ones are intended to replace the gold beads I bought for the Moroccan Days shawl kit:

…which calls for 5,000 or so. However, I poached some of the gold beads for the Sherwood I’m working on now:

(which I’ve decided, by the way, will be my mother’s belated present for Mother’s Day. Hi, Mom!)

And these ones?

Well, I think they’ll go quite well with this Handmaiden Sea Silk in the Ocean colourway:

This, by the way, is the Ocean that I just had to have last August. Yes, it’s still in the stash. I’ve earmarked it for a “stealth project” (as Soo would say). Stay tuned.

In keeping with the oceanic theme, I also picked up some sea glass:

It looks like pastel ice!

But don’t worry, JJ didn’t come home emptyhanded. The reason for the trip in the first place so that he could pick up some stuff for the seasonal door decoration. Here it is:

Isn’t it lovely? Almost as lovely as this stuff…

Happy Sunday – and a happy Mother’s Day to those brave souls out there who have earned that title.

some knits for summer – and a free pattern!

8 May 20089 May 20087 Comments

Well, summer is coming (says she, groaning at the thought of venturing out into a miserable cold rainy day) and the summertime knits are parading along right in front of it!

Ever wanted to make your own Converse sneakers? Here’s the pattern.
And don’t say I never gave you anything!

(I love Craft Magazine!)

I also like this pattern in the Interweave Knits Summer 2008 edition:

The pattern is by Barbara Gregory, a local designer and artist who also created the fabulous Bacardi cardigan:

As for Vogue Knitting, none of the patterns in the current issue really spoke to me (probably a good thing as I might start speaking back and people would look at me funny). However, check out this rib/cable pattern!

The instructions are available for free on their website here.

But what am I plotting? Well, I’m still awaiting my order from Blue Moon – in typical indecisive style, I changed my request for Sapphire to (love the name!) Lover’s Leap:

(What I really wanted to do, of course, is write back and say “Just give me one… no, make that two… of everything please. But I haven’t won the lottery. Yet. It won’t be very long until I’m famous though, as I’m sure the phone will be ringing off the hook today with calls from publishers who have seen my letter to the editor today and want to offer me a book deal.)

As well, in addition to the Sherwood, I’m working on the lovely Moonshadow stole by Sivia Harding (the kit is available at Earthfaire online):