Choosing

This is why it’s really important to choose your neighbors wisely:

Really, we do have the best neighbors.   On a day when the city snow removal crews weren’t apparent even on main arteries (including one near our house where there was a fatal accident three days ago),  we  were at the mercy of the elements.  Andy took my jeep to work (and had to drive a few people back and forth) and reported little or no road clearing happening.  We only see a city grader on our cul-du-sac every three or four years, and this isn’t the year, so imagine my joy when Dale from next door snow-blowed (snow-blew?) our driveway on his rounds.  A little while later, however, he looked like a sissy when Brent from the other-side next door brought home one of his company vehicles.  Too bad we can’t compete, but perhaps heartfelt thanks will suffice.   I don’t want to seem petty, but we were hoping this weather would happen while we were away…

Big news.  I knit!

This is the Flared Smoke Ring Cowl.  I used Ella Rae Lace Merino that I purchased in Ottawa last year.  It spent some time in the timeout bin, after an abortive attempt at some Victorian Lace Today.  Victorian Lace Never, more like it.

It matches nothing I own, no jacket, no sweater.  I do love it, though (even though it will never be pulled up on my head like this), so I’ll have to improvise.

I ran into a rather snooty person at the gym this week, who poo-pood my loom.  She of course weaves on a “grown-up’s” loom.   After she told me that I couldn’t weave patterns on my loom, just one-by-one weave, I ran home and warped up for a basketweave scarf.   I think it turned out quite nicely.

He insisted on the sunglasses in case any of his friends recognized him and gave him grief about the nice purple scarf.  He’s such a wuss; not in touch with his feminine side at all.  I told him that this shouldn’t be as threatening as the cowl, but he just set his jaw and refused to talk.  To add insult to injury, I made him go and sit on top of the china cabinet with a ball cap on sideways and a pair of 3-D glasses from Avatar.   You want silly?  I’ll give you silly.

The ultimate in silly has to be last night’s movie fare.  In my own defense, I left the room.  Almost immediately.  Crank High Voltage .  I really hope that everyone involved in this movie did it tongue-in-cheek, because from what I heard and saw on my few trips past the television, well, it would be too sad if they thought they were making an art film.

Mike has very kindly finished cleaning the kitchen after supper, so the table is cleared and I am ready to resume weaving.  I know I keep saying it, but I am having way too much fun.  Housebound because of the weather?  Bring it on.

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Early thaw and success from frogging

What a difference a week makes!  The cold weather we were ahem, enjoying, has disappeared, and in its stead is an uncharacteristic warm snap.  Warm enough that we are quickly losing the little bit of snow that we had.  I’m sure we’ll get dumped on later- perhaps when Mike and I are down south.

I have finished my first non-scarf piece of woven apparel.  Do you remember this?

It was going to be an ostrich plume shawl, then when I realized that it was too small (Swatch?  I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.) it was going to be an ostrich plume scarf. Then I decided that it wasn’t so much ostrich as frog, which brought us to this:

A couple of months in the time-out bin, and I decided to try this really cool vest.

Notice the purloined tape measure from that Swedish furniture store.  What a great way to measure the cloth as it’s wound!

The pretty multicoloured weaving is actually waste yarn- this area was cut out for the armhole.  I may be mentally prepared to steek some knitting now.

The cloth is mauve and green, and the vest is a little short for my liking.  The length is limited by the width of the loom, so I may start to save my pennies for a wider loom.

To keep Mike happy (even if he hadn’t considered the lack of knitting in the context of all that knitting paraphrenalia that’s been lying around gathering dust since I got the loom), I have started a Flared Lace Smoke Ring.

It’s called “Judy’s Ottawa Smoke Ring”, since the yarn was purchased in Ottawa last May.  I tried to coax it into a scarf from Victorian Lace Today, but it seemed to want to lean to the left, so I frogged it.  It seems to be cooperating better for this project, and is clipping along at an alarming rate (oh, that’s the kiss of death, isn’t it?).  Who knows how far I’ll be after tonight’s 2-hour episode of 24?

Now I’ve gone and put a hex on the whole thing.  You’d think I would know better than that by now.   At least I haven’t set a deadline.

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Thursday Afternoon Notes

It is minus 30 today, plus whatever windchill is blowing around.  It’s too cold for the sparrows and finches to leave the comfort of their commune in the front-yard cedars to eat, and Attie needed help back onto the deck when she was outside for her constitutional this morning.  In other words, it is Cold.  Didn’t we just do this in December?  I don’t remember.   All I know is that in exactly 4 weeks, we will own and have possession of a winter retreat down south.   Yay.  Now that Christmas is over, I can obsess about the new digs without distraction (except knitting, weaving, and cleverly avoiding housework at all costs).  Mike thinks we’ll be making no changes, but I think a couple of rooms’ worth of painting and refurnishing will happen with or without his enthusiasm.  After listening to him change his mind on a daily basis about whether to drive down (30 hours each way) or fly down, and nodding my head and agreeing to whatever he decided, he finally booked flights down.  I can’t say I am disappointed, although this does mean that taking down dishes and assorted kitchen stuff will have to wait until we drive to Arizona, probably in March or April.  So, interim paper plates, I guess.

The reason I am all het up about taking dishes from here mainly has to do with these:

Pretty good match with the dishes, yes?

thick and thin= wavy texture.

I whipped these up in early December, taking not-too-long, although I must admit that the hemming took a back seat to Christmas preparations.  Slip stitching the hems was a royal pain, and I am sadly out of practice with that kind of needle.   I am pleased with the texture from the thick-and-thin yarn, and the fact that they are all the same size give or take an inch.   Technical info:  warp is Moda Dea washable wool (purchased a few years ago for a knitted Christmas tree skirt that refused to be knit and has come in handy for ever-so-many smaller projects), weft is Sirdar Juniper, which likewise refused to cooperate as a sweater.   I thought 6 was a good number, since I knew I would lose interest before I hit 8, aqnd 4 placemats just isn’t enough.

Geoff and Courtney were home for Christmas, and we had a great visit!  I know that 10 days with in-laws can be overwhelming, and I think Courtney did a great job of not rolling her eyes in front of Mike and me.  (I don’t have any proof that either Geoff or Courtney were rolling their eyes, but I am projecting my remembered reactions onto my children).  We did trick them into the car one night (with Andy too) and drove through the Enchanted Forest, which for those of you who don’t live here and have no clue what I am talking about, is the longest outdoor drive-through Christmas light display in Canada and maybe North America.  It winds through our local zoo grounds (although not where the animals are) and looks best when there is snow on the ground.  Some years that takes until the second week of January, but we lucked out and got visually pleasing weather on January 1st.  Even if there were snide comments and rolling eyes from Geoff and Andy  (and there were),  Courtney enjoyed it and so did I.  It’s not like we drag them through it every year- more like every four or five years- and Courtney did say she wanted to learn our family traditions.

Speaking of traditions, we get together with Mike’s in-town siblings every Christmas Eve, eat and drink too much, and sing the first line (or more if anyone knows more) of many Christmas carols.  Andy and Mike were on guitar this year, and after the first 15 minutes or so, Andy suggested that perhaps we would be interested in the Christmas Karaoke channel on t.v., so there we were, gathered around the tube singing carols.  It was surreal, but not so surreal as when someone changed the channel and we ended up singing Abba karaoke.  Nothing says Christmas like “Money, Money, Money”.  And a new tradition is born.

After taking a break from knitting (it’s all loom-related), I actually knit a hat. It turned out okay, but it is not a good style for me.  I don’t really do hats that well, and I have always blamed my hair- it’s too short or too long, too flat or too poufy, or not really that cold out.  (Like today.)  So, it’s into the tickle trunk without so much as a photo, but at least I’m knitting.  I am almost finished another facecloth for my Spa Experience Bathtub and may weave a few kitchen towels next week.

Loving the colours here.

Oh yes, and I did whip up a couple of quick scarves:

Linda, I'm sorry your Christmas present was late.

and

I warped this one at 10:30 in the morning, and cut it off the loom at 1 in the afternoon.  Too much fun.

The saddest part of dismantling the Christmas decorations?  Saying goodbye for another year.

I always have a chat with her on the way to the top of the tree, feel slightly guilty when I jam the tree up her dress, and then apologetic when I take her down and put her away.  By the next year all is forgiven.

Speaking of forgiven, I have broken all my new year’s resolutions (all of which involve sugar and exercise- you figure it out), but am not beating myself up over it.  Life is too short, and if I had a bucket list, there would still be too much fun on in.   So, to all of you in Blogland, happy belated Christmas, and I wish you a healthy and prosperous new year.   This is a fun ride we’re on, isn’t it?

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Be it Resolved…

that this year I will post a little more often.

Does this count?

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