Clever Lefty

The discovery of Mr. Pickles

Must visit Mr. Pickles. I love the t-shirt that offers excellent advice: "Friends don't let friends get scurvy". Eeeexcellent.

In Transition

I love hot chocolate!

Things around here are weird, and disorganized (at least more disorganized than I'd like). I begin the new job on Monday, so I'm trying to get as much prepared as possible.

The new computer comes in next week (had to give my current one back to my previous employer), so hopefully I'll get everything up and running in a short period of time.

During the Holidays, I've been working on some things from my UFO pile. Shamelessly, I did start a new project - paid for by my husband. The top is half done:

It's a surprise lap quilt for someone that will be having knee surgery next month. I'm fairly new to the quilting thing, and it still surprises me that no mater how careful I am, some of the seams don't match up quite right. I suppose perfection will come with practice. Perhaps I'll look into a class...

I picked this up at Chapters a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was so nifty.

It's a notepad on the right, and a little file thing on the left. I think I'll use it to jot down some project ideas. It's only about 4" x 6 1/2". I had a dream last week that my sister wanted one.

Knitting news is too depressing - I've had to start the same project over and over again due to learning the tubular cast-on method. It certainly produces a nice edge, but grrrrr! Pictures to follow.

I live in an Arctic Tundra

This is me this morning, freezing my tooshie off.

Yesterday the high was -25 degrees celcius, which felt like -44 degrees celcius with the wind chill. My car whined the entire way to work in protest.

I'm feeling extremely ambitious. These are my baking supplies, which I will be using in the next few evenings to make some cookies/bars as gifts. I'll also feed the needy cube farm inhabitants at work. Where did I put my mixer?

Quilt momentum

How could anyone not like these fluffy fellows?

I just received the knitting book "The Knitted Teddy" by Sandra Polley. I'd like to make every bear in the book.

I sandwiched the Jailhouse ho-down quilt today, using spray adhesive instead of safety pins. I'm pretty impressed, so far. It certainly cut a lot of time during the sandwich process, and I'm guessing the quilting will go faster as well since I won't have to stop often to take out pins.

I haven't started quilting yet, because I want to get fairly comfortable with the new machine before I do any free-motion quilting.

Speaking of Lola, I fired her up today to begin piecing McBlankie (it's plaid, it's a blanket=McBlankie).

The plan is to quilt oak leaf and acorn patterns in the squares when the top is complete. I've so far pieced together 1 row of blocks and 1 middle row.

La-la-la-la-Lola

I have finally taken Lola out of her protective nylon sleeve, and here she is in all of her mechanical finery.

I haven't even sewn anything with her yet. I spent all day cutting the remainder of the McBlankie squares. Now my neck hurts from straining over the cutting board for 5 hours - it's time for a break. This week looks to be pretty busy, so I probably won't get a chance to work on McBlankie again until next weekend. I'm nervous about starting the machine for the first time when I'm tired. Definitely something that will require a clear head.

I was able to get some more done on the basketcase sweater last night.

I'm really liking the pattern. It's worked in 12 rows, just knit and purl stitches which makes it easy to memorize.

Brrrr.....

It's blizzarding outside. Maybe the neighborhood kids will make some snowmen tomorrow.

These T's rock. I'm thinking of a "Mr Bubble" one.

Rebel Tortoise

I now officially have a "stash" (not the illegal kind, the wool kind). I just received this bounty in the mail yesterday, all the way from the U.K. - enough heavenly yarn to keep me busy until 2008!

Left top: Rowan Magpie in "Charcoal", Left bottom: Rowan Magpie in "Float", Middle: Rowan Kid Classic in "Reed", Right: Rowan Wool Cotton in "Tulip"

Ribby Cardi Status:

I'm a rebel. I started the sleeves first, instead of the back. The picture above depicts all that I've completed so far. It seems that I knit veeeeery sloooooowly.

I've also begun my "basketcase" sweater for my husband, because he's nice to me.

The pattern (picture on the right) is from the '04 Fall Interweave Knits. It's knit in Patons Classic Wool, Tree Bark Mix. You'll note my progress on the left. This is only the ribbing for the back. To reiterate, sloooooooow knitter. One can only get so much done between late-night spoonfuls of ice cream, right?

The Burning Bush

No, I haven't fallen off of the face of the planet.

I have been busy this week getting back into a routine, since we returned home from Thanksgiving in Michigan. Everything went off without a hitch to bring Lola across the border. I actually haven't had any time to take her out and give her a spin. I'm aiming for this weekend. Pictures are forthcoming.

Wintry weather has hit us in Ottawa. I'm glad, actually - I think there are few things more depressing than a brown Christmas.

I have been in an ongoing argument with 2 co-workers regarding Winter tires. Personally, I think that they are overrated. Careful driving and all-season radials with good traction work just as well. When I made my opinion known, it was like World War 3. I think that there is a winter tire cult, creating a huge panic among the population to "...put your winter tires on, or else you will slide your way into a horrible mangled death!". I'm not falling for it.

Marc saw a giant papier mache likeness of President Bush during the protests downtown on Tuesday. He said someone was carrying the top half of the body, while their friend was carrying the legs. I wondered what they were planning to do with it. Marc suggested they may have intended to set it alight in flames and dance around it. Well, that would have been interesting.