oh Pooh!

It's December 5th already!! I hate it when December sneaks up on me and I'm not ready yet. No homemade fruit cake this year. Just did not have the time. I really should be putting stuff like that on my calendar..."Make Fruitcake - August 20, 2009" "Start advent calendar - Oct 15, 2009"

I don't think I'm alone in my obsession of Advent calendars. I absolutely love them! Especially hand made ones. There's a group on Flickr that shows so many super cool ways you can do an advent calendar.

Things that makes me happy:
1. December
2. Bright shiny Christmas lights
3. Christmas music

WotLK in 2 more sleeps!

Wrath of the Lich King will be out in 2 more days...technically 1 more day as it's past midnight here. It should be interesting with all the problems Blizzard has been having with their updates & patches. They've been running special events to promote the release. Today, the regular maintenance encountered a huge glitch and all the servers were down until late this evening. WoW players from all over were experiencing withdrawl symptoms.

Interesting note to add that, out of 8 people on Ravelry who plays on Moonrunner, 5 has now joined Dropped Bears. Knitters are taking over.


Ah! Some people are just poor party guests!

Things that makes me happy:
1. The ball of KSH slowly turning into a lighter-than-air scarf.
2. Tomorrow is Wednesday...much better than if it was Monday.
3. Leftover Halloween chocolates.

It's Monday!

This past year has been very busy and very very rough for me, work-wise. I can't see things changing until well into 2010 or later. It may never get better. Overall, I do enjoy what I do. I can deal with stress but not to the point where I'm working 6 days a week or more on a regular basis. I never manage to take enough time off to compensate...there's always something else looming up around the corner. Everyone at work are in the same situation. Last week, people were walking around looking white with stress.

I took three weeks off in the summer. During my time off, I was called regularly 2-3 times a day or more. Honestly, I didn't mind because I was so damm grateful just to have three weeks off in a row. That is really sad. I've been seriously thinking about my options.

Anyhow, on to cheerier things. I have today off, it's not raining (in fact, the sun just came out), and no one else is home. Just me, the dog, and a whole lot of fibre stuff to do. When faced with all the possibilities of how to fill my day today, I'm overwhelmed. I'm going to go finish my coffee and take the dog out for a stroll and see what I feel like at that point.

I noticed I've stopped doing a Thankful for list. I don't know why...it just happened. I think with everything at work, it has been affecting me in my Real Life more than I thought. I've been grumpy for way too long and it's wrong.

So, to revive and revise a good thing, I'm going to make it my Things that makes me happy list...

Things that makes me happy:
1. Sunshine peeking out from rain clouds.
2. A ball of pale, pale lavender Kidsilk Haze sitting on my desk.
3. A dog waiting by the door because I said the W-A-L-K word.

Optim Merino Handspun - Hyacinth

Date started: can't remember ~ 4 weeks ago
Finished Date: Oct 5/08
Fibre: Optim Merion - 100% wool - dyed by Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks
4 oz - 270m

I love working with the Optim Merino. The fibre spun up very nice and smooth. I did noticed as I was spinning that there was still a faint smell of vinegar on the fibre. There were also bits of second cuts in the roving but they were easy enough to pick out. The yarn is very soft to the touch. There should be enough yardage for a scarf or a pair of mittens. I love the sheen on the yarn.



Hmmm...I'm beginning to notice that I have a lot of yarn in the purple tones.

Clapotis Revisited

Start date: Sept 1/08
Finished date: Sept 15/08
Yarn: 3 x Silk Garden Sock Yarn #S252 Lot A (Blue/Green/Yellow)
Pattern: Clapotis

As much as I love Noro, I absolutely hate all the knots in their yarn. I have yet to use 1 one of Noro without knots. Every single one of these balls had at least 1 knot. One ball had 5 knots!!!

Other than the knots, I love the Silk Garden sock yarn. I would NOT recommend it for socks, though. Even with the high nylon content (25%) I would really be doubtful of using this yarn for socks. Some bits were really thick and some thin bits were really thin. It would make a very uneven sock and would not wear well. I love the way the colours flow from one to the next and the thick/thin-ness of the yarn for the shawl. For the Clapotis, it was perfect! I would consider using this yarn for a light sweater.

I wanted this to be more of a shawl than a scarf so I added extra repeats. I didn't bother counting the repeats. Knit until it looked wide enough, knit the body until it was long enough, and start the decreases to finish.

It was such a nice warm day today that I thought I would leave it outside to dry as it's blocking. A quick wash on gentle cycle in the washing machine after work today and masses of pins and the job is done. I was a bit apprehensive about the washing machine part but it turned out well. As long as the dog doesn't try sleeping on top of it, it should be dried in a couple of hours.

No such thing as too many bags!

Last February I went on a hunt for the Nameste Laguna bag. I wanted the lime green one. Lime green to match my lime green shoes. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it was on back order. The colour was so poplular the bags would sell out immediately. The store I was going to order it from had no idea when they would get more. They would add me to the waiting list and let me know when it's my turn.

Months went by and I forgot all about the bag...until I walked into Black Sheep Yarns, a new LYS that just opened a few weeks ago. They sell Nameste bags and I promptly ordered one...in Olive Green. After looking at them again, I think the olive would be a better choice if I'm dragging this thing on trains & busses. The bag came today and I love it!



It's not Lime green but it matches my shoes better! The bag really does have room for EVERYTHING!

Husband: How many bags do you need?
My answer: One more than I already have.

My Summer Vacation (so far)

I think it's time for an update...what have I been doing?

1. Dyeing. Lots of it. Mostly silk fibres that I have kicking around for eons. The weather has been nice the first week I had time so it seemed like a good idea. I look at it as stocking up for winter spinning.

2. My BFL came in the mail. I knew it would show up the day after the Twisted met up. Yup, it did. I got my weeks mixed up & thought we weren't meeting up last Wednesday but it was this Wednesday that everyone is away. Sorry ladies, you'll have to wait to get your fibre.
It's so tempting to throw all this into a dyepot and go wild. BTW, it's not all mine. The big bag is mine...5 lbs.

3. Knitting Olympics. Well, this year's Knitting Olympic was less than stellar for me. It was a rough start with me getting my dates mixed up. The yarn was spun up and ready to go when I discovered I misplaced the magazine with the pattern. I ended up winging it which wasn't difficult. The Ribwarmer vest is pretty basic. The problem was that I didn't start knitting until Monday. The Monday in the SECOND week of the games. Oooo! I was cocky! Should be no problem. Then I got distracted by sushi and lunches and fun outings and dye project and other stuff. It's almost done but close enough doesn't win medals. It's going to be hit & miss if I have enough yarn to finish the vest.

4. Played WoW...a lot. My druid is a smidgeon away from level 70. I never thought I would ever get this far when I started playing. It's been fun. You get to level up crafting professions like cooking, fishing, first aid, etc. It's quite an amazing game. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at 70 though. At 70, a whole new game world opens up. I can start playing the high level instances that the BIG BOYS play. You start playing with people who takes the game much more seriously than I do. Ack!

I've been thinking that I might hold off hitting 70 for a little while longer. You get bumped up to the next level of battlegrounds and it's going to be harder going up against other level 70 with their purple epic gear. At 69, I'm at the top of the heap right now. This way, I can get a bit more honour points before hitting 70.

I've also been busy leveling up alts. One of my favourite is the little Gnome Rogue. She's going to be my battleground pro. :D She is such a cutie pie!

Franzenstein, if you're reading this, those are your legs sticking out in the snow.


And it doesn't help that Ravelry has a WoW guild too. Of course I had to start a toon (or two) to play with the Ravelry knitters.

So that pretty much sums up my first two weeks of vacation. Much better than camping in someone's field.

Summer stuff

Other than winning a zillion $$ lottery, having three weeks off in the summer and a new LYS opening soon (if not today) is right up there under PERFECTION!

I finished spinning the yarn for my Ribwarmer for the Knitting Olympics. Whee! I'm hoping that I will have enough yarn for it. *cross fingers & toes*



It was a last minute decision as to what "event" I was going to do. My first thought was the shawl but realistically, I knew it was not going to be likely. I completely lost track of my days & thought the Olympics started 2 Fridays ago & thought I missed it. It turned out that it was only last Friday. With the yarn finally spun, I can cast on today. A few days after the Opening but better late than never, right? Despite the rough start, I think I might have a chance in finishing.

No plans for my vacation except to knit, spin, weave, & play WoW. I'm a little glad we don't have any set plans. Originally, we thought about going back east to the land of giant mosquitoes. Attending a school reunion with a bunch of people I've never met or will ever see again. And the worse part of it is CAMPING. That's the reunion. Honestly, I am just not the camping type. Been once (and I was told it wasn't real camping) and I almost had to kill people.

World of Warcrack

Somehow, I managed to get a co-worker hooked on WoW. Heh! Honestly, it really didn't take any convincing at all. I just mentioned that I play and she said oh? next thing you know, she's on a trial account & signed up a week later.

:D

The next step will be to get her knitting.

BBWWAAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!

DPNS

Did I mentioned that I started a little Rogue on WoW? A little tiny Gnome Rogue named DPNS. My son nicely informed me that it's supposed to be DPS (Damage Per Second) but I said no, it's a knitting thing...Double Pointed NeedleS. Appropraite in so many ways as the Rogue will be dual welding and specializing in swords and daggers.

Figures in Silk

Last week, I picked up Figures in Silk and read it through in one sitting. I wasn't expecting to like the book. Historical fiction is usually not my first choice for a book but it did say SILK WEAVING on the cover. I was expecting it to be badly written, along the lines of Maggie Sefton's books. There were a few weak spots but overall, really enjoyed the book and will defintely read it again.

Over the weekend, I finished plying the first skein of the BFL from Yummy Yarns and started spinning the second skein. It was nice spinning in the morning because it was still cool enough that the fibres didn't stick to my sweaty fingers. As far as weekend goes, it was perfect. The mornings were nice and cool so I got a fair bit of fibre stuff done. The afternoons & evenings were spent with family & friends, bbq'ing & relaxing.

How I spent my Friday night...

I'm at work...I'm actually hiding in my office. We have an event happening and I'm waiting for my family who are here to watch the event. I'm going to get some food, put on some music, and finish my sock. I will have 3 hours of uninterupted knitting time.

I was just thinking it's too bad I can't load up WoW on my work computer.

Silk

Hand-dyed silk tussah ~ 100 gms (give or take with all the fluff sticking on clothes) and no idea on the yardage. I lost count somewhere past 100 wraps on the the niddy noddy. Again, Navajo plyed. I love Navajo plying. I love the results.

It's hot today...~ 29 deg here. Not complaining but it would have been perfect if the change was a bit more gradual. Nothing like going from heavy winter clothes to summer tank tops in 3 days or less. Tried to do a bit more spinning but the silk kept sticking to my fingers.

Sunshine!

Ok, sunshine can hide a multiple of faults. The skein doesn't look too bad...at least I can tuck the faults inside. It's Navajo plyed to keep the colour blocks a bit more together. There were a bit of barber poling but not too bad. It still needs to be set and whacked.

Didn't get around to do any dyeing today. It was too nice to work that hard on a day off. I did finish spinning the silk I've been working on FOREVER and even started plying it. A little silk really does go a long way. It's going to take a while to ply all this.

Pst! Angela, can't remember the name. Do you know where T&T is in Chinatown? The restraunt is in the Tinseltown mall, upstairs near the food court. They have a dinner buffet too (haven't tried it but heard it's good too) with lots more selection and lots more seafood.

All you can eat Sushi

...is a bad idea for lunch. It's scary how much one can really eat at an "all you can eat" place. Good sushi, good selection, good service...all for $9.99. That's a lot of sushi.

I feel like crawling under my desk for a nap now.

Woohoo!! Long weekend!

Technically, next Tuesday is the Stat Holiday. July 1st is Canada Day. As much as I wish I was taking Monday off to make it a super long weekend, I'm ok with just taking Friday off and making it a normal long weekend. Monday will be fairly quiet and hopefully the rest of the week will be uneventful. <--wishful thinking on my part with the upcoming game happening on July 4th.

As usual, no big plans for the weekend. I was thinking of dyeing some fibre on Friday. Sunday morning is the Fibre Party at the Farmer's market. I needed to pick up fresh veggies anyway...and hubby is going kayaking so I don't have to worry about him.

BTW, just finished plying the Yummy Yarn fibre last night. I won't bother with pictures. It does reinforce my thought that I need more practice spinning wool again. I've been spinning so much everything else that I can' remember when I spun any wool last. BFL is REALLY easy to spin and there will be fibre for sale there on Sunday. (I know...I know...it's not like I don't have any wool...it's just that I don't have any handdyed BFL fibre.)

I've been trying to figure out if I have enough heddles on my loom to weave the huck lace project. Counting up how many heddles I'll need on each shaft, I'm short. I've ordered extra heddles but wondered if it would be a good idea to dress the loom and add the extra heddles when they arrive? Ok, after reading this over, even I can see it's not a good idea. I'll have to be patient and wait.

WoW content...
It's the Fire Festival on WoW right now. That has been a lot of fun, running around putting out fires...you get really good xp for just doing that. Hit 60 and got my super fast mount! Man! It really is fast! It's a bit nerve-wreaking to think that I'm getting up there...almost high enough to play with the big kids soon. I do need to do more battlegrounds for practice and honor points but I just can't bring myself to do that yet. Thanks to Drop Bears and my son, my druid is ready gear-wise but I'm not sure I have enough experience yet. I keep telling myself a few more Outland quests and I'll do battlegrounds.

International Knit In Public Day

...was a big success. Knitters all over the world got together & knit in public. Locally, we had groups meeting up on the Skytrain, beaches, & community centres to knit. A lot of the information got out word-of-mouth through Ravelry, an online knitting forum.

*photo courtesy of Inara

Yup, knitters come in all sizes and colour and there are girls on the internet.

Highlight of the event was me winning the draw from Yummy Yarns.

It's being spun up right now.

Thankful for:
1. A few hours of sunshine today.
2. Roses are blooming.
3. It's summer!

A Very Full Weekend

It was our 21st wedding anniversary, Internation Knit In Public day, Father's Day, and my son's high school graduation. Luckily, the weather was nice.

I wish I could say I was organized enough to bring my camera to the Knit In Public but I didn't. Forgot I had my cell phone camera with me. It was so much fun! Lots of local knitters came by. Some of us brought our spinning wheels and we have a new wheel convert now.

(Sorry Maryhanna...it was just a matter of time, you know. Did I mention that the Little Gem is a great accessory for your new Suzie?)

For a knitting function, I got very little knitting done. Lots of talking and socializing happened. And Yummy Yarns did a prize draw at the end and I got new fibre for my stash. :)

The commencement ceremony went well. The kids all had a great time and it was a little sad to see them all so grown-up looking.

Thankful for:
1. My son for turning out so well despite having a crazy woman as his mother.
2. My understanding hubby who puts up with my obbessions.
3. Everyone at the Knit In for all the fun.

Oh Dear!

Last night, after playing many hours of WoW, I stayed up later than usual knitting...just so I wouldn't dream of killing giant spiders all night long. Top that off with a very full lunch and your eye lids will droop in the middle of the day. I have two very long and boring meetings this afternoon and I'm not sure I'll survive.

Help!

Better go get another coffee...

The new shafts are here! Picked them up Saturday. It was a busy day but I had to insist that we make a stop at Rusty's place to pick up the stuff. It was hard waiting until I had time to put it all together though. Finally, on Monday it was done!

It was pretty straightforward. One thing I didn't think of was to order extra heddles so I don't have to move them around. I'm lazy that way. :)

Everything works and everything looks great. The only problem I ran into was removing the old rod from the treadles. It has a locking washer on both ends which the instructions say to pound one end of the rod with an hammer. Not a good idea as it mashed the end so the treadles can't slide out. I ended up using pliers to pull off the washer on the other end and everything slid out.

No warp on the loom yet.

Sometimes my husband surprises me. I was looking at the apron on the table loom, wondering if I should move it the floor loom. He looked at it and said that it's just a piece of cloth so can't you just make one?

Light bulb moment. I have canvas...lots of it.

The rest of the day was spent quietly spinning & knitting, with few rounds of WoW in between.

Leveling up on World of Warcraft is going slower now. I've been playing "tourist" and exploring a bit more. For me, the game is not all about getting to level 70 as fast as you can. It's a fun game with so much going on that you want to take the time to play and poke into corners and buildings to see what's there.

Thankful for:
1. Rain - I love how lush everything is.
2. A week off - no explanation needed.
3. New toys. :D