At any rate, it's snowing. Fine, powdery snow. When I left the office this evening, there was a surprising lot of it on the ground. I have officially switched to winter sneakers (much easier to navigate icy sidewalks and slushy bus floors).
*(props to Goodwin Berlin McKay law office in Calgary for that downtown webcam. The other shot is from Shaw.)
I made myself a second capelet (pics later...maybe on the weekend) in that light green Araucania Nature Wool, with good results. And today is certainly a day for wearing it! A coworker would like one in blue...so that's being added to the list of knitting. And I have to make a hat for the office holiday party gift exchange.
How glad I am that we're not doing Christmas presents at home this year. The holiday pressure is gone, so I can work away on hats for dad (who sent me a wistful email about the lack of a good wool hat - it can't be found) and that shawl for mom (still ongoing). But I don't feel any guilt over working on a sweater for me. Mom and Dad and I will still do the family dinner and enjoy Christmas day, and the lovely thing about that is that it won't be hectic or rushed. Which, I think, is the perfect way to spend a holiday. No need to set foot in a mall, no mad list making. Just peace and quiet.
Our office has done one of those 'adopt a family' things, so I can knit for that, too, without pressure or obligation.
(t's perfect.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Grandpa-not-your-own.
Grandpa-not-your-own.
It was a gray, dull day in Heatherland. Weather-wise, that is. We've reached that time of year when it's dark in the morning when you leave for work, and dark in the evening when you come home. I feel like a troll. Or possibly some kind of goblin. I don't think I'm tall enough to be an ogre.
At any rate, I did manage to catch my second bus, although it involved a dash across the road (with the crosswalk signal in my favour, of course). That always starts the day off on a positive note. There's another bus in ten minutes, but if I see one turning the corner, I absolutely must Get On That Bus. Yes, capital letters and all.
When I miss it, I usually stand at the stop with Grandpa. Not my grandpa. There's a couple of kids that take a school bus in the morning, and for several years now, Grandpa has been walking them to their bus stop and waiting with them. They appear to have reached that age where they still need an adult to walk with them, but they're painfully aware of having that adult along for the trot, so Grandpa now walks to the lights and waits across the street. With me.
He speaks English, but not so well that I can understand him all the time. He's as old as the hills (maybe older). He must be all of four and a half feet tall (maybe less). I gather he likes to go to Las Vegas, but the last time he did, his plane was rerouted through Minneapolis (I think) and Phoenix (I'm not sure). And it snowed when he came back, and he felt much colder because the desert is much warmer. He says he'd like to go to Mexico this year, but he likes to go to the Philippines to see his family. And there's too much traffic in Calgary.
I think he doesn't always understand me all the time, which leaves me wishing I spoke Tagalog, because I'm sure he's got some interesting stories he could tell. We end up talking about the bus times and traffic a lot. It seems to be the common ground.
There's nothing like getting a handshake and a hug in the morning from a Grandpa-not-your-own. Especially when it's not a gross-old-man Grandpa. I do wonder, though, what the kids must think about ancient Grandpa chatting it up with strangers at the bus stop.
At any rate, I did manage to catch my second bus, although it involved a dash across the road (with the crosswalk signal in my favour, of course). That always starts the day off on a positive note. There's another bus in ten minutes, but if I see one turning the corner, I absolutely must Get On That Bus. Yes, capital letters and all.
When I miss it, I usually stand at the stop with Grandpa. Not my grandpa. There's a couple of kids that take a school bus in the morning, and for several years now, Grandpa has been walking them to their bus stop and waiting with them. They appear to have reached that age where they still need an adult to walk with them, but they're painfully aware of having that adult along for the trot, so Grandpa now walks to the lights and waits across the street. With me.
He speaks English, but not so well that I can understand him all the time. He's as old as the hills (maybe older). He must be all of four and a half feet tall (maybe less). I gather he likes to go to Las Vegas, but the last time he did, his plane was rerouted through Minneapolis (I think) and Phoenix (I'm not sure). And it snowed when he came back, and he felt much colder because the desert is much warmer. He says he'd like to go to Mexico this year, but he likes to go to the Philippines to see his family. And there's too much traffic in Calgary.
I think he doesn't always understand me all the time, which leaves me wishing I spoke Tagalog, because I'm sure he's got some interesting stories he could tell. We end up talking about the bus times and traffic a lot. It seems to be the common ground.
There's nothing like getting a handshake and a hug in the morning from a Grandpa-not-your-own. Especially when it's not a gross-old-man Grandpa. I do wonder, though, what the kids must think about ancient Grandpa chatting it up with strangers at the bus stop.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Zombie movies are good for Heather.
Zombie movies are good for Heather.
Whew...long day. I'm working to update a website, and it's taken some doing. The major infrastructure of the page is the same - from a previous designer's work - but I always find that it's a job and a half to start updating and reworking somebody else's design. Everybody has their own quirks and tricks when it comes to design. I know I have mine. I suspect every geek, like me, has an inner geek that strives for clean design and seethes at unnecessary head code. I draw the line at misspellings and 'interesting' tables.
Also, I hate using gifs for spacing in tables. Bah! Bad! Bad! Use a non-breaking space instead!! And no more with the dark background and white text! No more! No!
But the page is looking good, and now I know the underlying structure of the site. The owner is happy, I am happy, and now I will go and watch a zombie movie and knit. Land of the Dead is waiting for me. Zombie movies are entertaining. And the scarier they are, the faster I knit.
Both of which are good for me.
Also, I hate using gifs for spacing in tables. Bah! Bad! Bad! Use a non-breaking space instead!! And no more with the dark background and white text! No more! No!
But the page is looking good, and now I know the underlying structure of the site. The owner is happy, I am happy, and now I will go and watch a zombie movie and knit. Land of the Dead is waiting for me. Zombie movies are entertaining. And the scarier they are, the faster I knit.
Both of which are good for me.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Another literary meme.
Another literary meme.
I've been tagged by Melanie of Caffinara for the latest literary meme:
Take the first 5 novels from your bookshelf....then do the following:
1. Book One - take first sentence
2. Book 2 - the last sentence
3. Book 3 - second sentence on page 100
4. Book 4 - next to last sentence on page 150
5. Book 5 - Final sentence of the book.
Make the five sentences into a paragraph. Feel free to cheat and make it a better paragraph. Name the sources and then post.
Here's my paragraph
Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theatre. He wondered how badly his hitherto perfect accent had suffered from the past month's exposure to so many odd variations of the language. "Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus."
"Yes. Any other reasons...Gerald?"
The anxiety and confusion this causes has relevance to today and the future.
Book one - The World According to Garp (John Irving)
Book two - On Stranger Tides (Tim Powers)
Book three - The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare)
Book four - Mordecai Richler 'A Liberal Education' (Paris Review collection)
Book Five - In the Wake of the Plague (Norman F. Cantor)
Hmm. Very weird paragraph.
I'll tag Amy at Knit Think and Allie at Walks like Summer Rain. Go to it, ladies!
Take the first 5 novels from your bookshelf....then do the following:
1. Book One - take first sentence
2. Book 2 - the last sentence
3. Book 3 - second sentence on page 100
4. Book 4 - next to last sentence on page 150
5. Book 5 - Final sentence of the book.
Make the five sentences into a paragraph. Feel free to cheat and make it a better paragraph. Name the sources and then post.
Here's my paragraph
Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theatre. He wondered how badly his hitherto perfect accent had suffered from the past month's exposure to so many odd variations of the language. "Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus."
"Yes. Any other reasons...Gerald?"
The anxiety and confusion this causes has relevance to today and the future.
Book one - The World According to Garp (John Irving)
Book two - On Stranger Tides (Tim Powers)
Book three - The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare)
Book four - Mordecai Richler 'A Liberal Education' (Paris Review collection)
Book Five - In the Wake of the Plague (Norman F. Cantor)
Hmm. Very weird paragraph.
I'll tag Amy at Knit Think and Allie at Walks like Summer Rain. Go to it, ladies!
Friday, November 25, 2005
Day off, snow warning, and a missing dvd.
Day off, snow warning, and a missing dvd.
A day off today, which was very nice...it included a trip to Swiss Chalet for the quarter chicken dinner and the running of a few errands (which included feeling dizzy at the mall. Boo! Hiss!). We took a quick trip up to poke our heads in and look at niece number the second, now two weeks old.
We're under a weather warning right now:
A vigorous disturbance is tracking northward across southern British Columbia this afternoon. An area of snow associated with this system will begin to affect the Jasper National Park area this evening and the Nordegg area overnight. This snow will be heavy at times tonight and Saturday with accumulations reaching 15 cm in some areas.
The area of snow will spread southeastward into regions just northwest of Calgary and the city itself on Saturday. Snow will begin in the morning and accumulations of 5 to 10 cm are forecast before the snow starts to taper off late in the day.
Dear me! There is a definite snow sky out there, too. The weather has been pretty nice these past few days...it's uncommon to be walking around with one's coat open and no scarf. We're more than overdue for some colder, snowier weather.
I had to report a dvd missing with Zip. It's the Canadian equivalent of Netflix, and I know that a lot of people have been unhappy with it. But I've had a pretty good run with them. The selection of movies is great, and I get them quickly (faster now that there is a depot in Calgary - before that, the dvds were being returned to Ottawa). The customer service is pretty good (though there's never an online agent to talk to, even during service hours).
This is the first missing dvd I've had, though. I returned it on the fifteenth. I always take my movies to an indoor postal station - I figure it's safer that way - and it was a truly awful movie. Titus. Have you seen it? Don't. It's awful. I sent it on its merry way, but it still hasn't been received.
So having this be the dvd that goes missing is like adding insult to injury. I waited until today to make the report, and you have to fill out a form online that warns you that they'll take it very seriously and contact Canada Post and the police and all.
I can't believe that, of all the movies I've returned, that is the one that goes missing. I mean, if you're going to steal a movie, Titus isn't the one to take.
I'm upset that it's gone missing - I know I don't have it, so it's either gone missing and is stuck behind equipment somewhere, or somebody snitched it, thinking it would be something interesting and got a terrible surprise. I find myself hoping that it's the former, and not the case of a thief.
We'll see how this all goes. I have high hopes that it'll be handled quickly by Zip.
We're under a weather warning right now:
A vigorous disturbance is tracking northward across southern British Columbia this afternoon. An area of snow associated with this system will begin to affect the Jasper National Park area this evening and the Nordegg area overnight. This snow will be heavy at times tonight and Saturday with accumulations reaching 15 cm in some areas.
The area of snow will spread southeastward into regions just northwest of Calgary and the city itself on Saturday. Snow will begin in the morning and accumulations of 5 to 10 cm are forecast before the snow starts to taper off late in the day.
Dear me! There is a definite snow sky out there, too. The weather has been pretty nice these past few days...it's uncommon to be walking around with one's coat open and no scarf. We're more than overdue for some colder, snowier weather.
I had to report a dvd missing with Zip. It's the Canadian equivalent of Netflix, and I know that a lot of people have been unhappy with it. But I've had a pretty good run with them. The selection of movies is great, and I get them quickly (faster now that there is a depot in Calgary - before that, the dvds were being returned to Ottawa). The customer service is pretty good (though there's never an online agent to talk to, even during service hours).
This is the first missing dvd I've had, though. I returned it on the fifteenth. I always take my movies to an indoor postal station - I figure it's safer that way - and it was a truly awful movie. Titus. Have you seen it? Don't. It's awful. I sent it on its merry way, but it still hasn't been received.
So having this be the dvd that goes missing is like adding insult to injury. I waited until today to make the report, and you have to fill out a form online that warns you that they'll take it very seriously and contact Canada Post and the police and all.
I can't believe that, of all the movies I've returned, that is the one that goes missing. I mean, if you're going to steal a movie, Titus isn't the one to take.
I'm upset that it's gone missing - I know I don't have it, so it's either gone missing and is stuck behind equipment somewhere, or somebody snitched it, thinking it would be something interesting and got a terrible surprise. I find myself hoping that it's the former, and not the case of a thief.
We'll see how this all goes. I have high hopes that it'll be handled quickly by Zip.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
A mess of yarn!
A mess of yarn!
There's a whole mess of yarn at my house tonight. A huge box was awaiting my return from work, and in it, I found a most wonderful thing.
No. Not a gnome.
Better!
Yarn!
It's hand-dyed lopi spun yarn from Virginia van Santen of paintedyarns.ca. Dyed to order, no less...I told her what kinds of colours I liked, and she made this batch with that in mind.
It's fabulous.
I'm probably going to make myself a pullover sweater...very simple, I think. Possibly ribbed, but I'll know for sure after I knit up a test swatch. And with this stuff, I'll be doing a swatch and then washing the swatch to see. But I'm envisioning a pullover sweater with a vee neck, and a shawl collar - but not too much of a shawl collar. But a nice, thick sweater...it'll be perfect for a cold winter. Better start rolling balls of yarn!
Thank you to my secret pal! There was a lovely box of interesting things...some nice soap and lip gloss, a 'fat blue cat' stamp pad set, a kit to knit a halter top, a little pink bag (which the cats really liked!), some potpourri stuff, and a little box. Oh, and a funny little hair tie!
Looks like Canada Customs had a look in, too, but I guess it met with their approval.
Thank you very much!!
No. Not a gnome.
Better!
Yarn!
It's hand-dyed lopi spun yarn from Virginia van Santen of paintedyarns.ca. Dyed to order, no less...I told her what kinds of colours I liked, and she made this batch with that in mind.
It's fabulous.
I'm probably going to make myself a pullover sweater...very simple, I think. Possibly ribbed, but I'll know for sure after I knit up a test swatch. And with this stuff, I'll be doing a swatch and then washing the swatch to see. But I'm envisioning a pullover sweater with a vee neck, and a shawl collar - but not too much of a shawl collar. But a nice, thick sweater...it'll be perfect for a cold winter. Better start rolling balls of yarn!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Thank you, secret pal!
Thank you, secret pal!
Thank you to my secret pal! There was a lovely box of interesting things...some nice soap and lip gloss, a 'fat blue cat' stamp pad set, a kit to knit a halter top, a little pink bag (which the cats really liked!), some potpourri stuff, and a little box. Oh, and a funny little hair tie!
Looks like Canada Customs had a look in, too, but I guess it met with their approval.
Thank you very much!!
Monday, November 21, 2005
Rhapsodic post about Filezilla.
Rhapsodic post about Filezilla.
I'm going to be doing some web stuff for a fellow knitter, and may I just say this: I love me some Filezilla.
I love me software that lets me set up passive FTP with no fuss.
I love me open-source dev tools.
I love me some geekosity.
That is all.
(oh, and the second lace-collar capelet thingee is almost finished).
(oh, and props to dad who ambled through to remind me about passive transfers when there was a general bemoaning of mine about a list command that wouldn't list. Thanks, dude. Err..I mean, dad).
I love me software that lets me set up passive FTP with no fuss.
I love me open-source dev tools.
I love me some geekosity.
That is all.
(oh, and the second lace-collar capelet thingee is almost finished).
(oh, and props to dad who ambled through to remind me about passive transfers when there was a general bemoaning of mine about a list command that wouldn't list. Thanks, dude. Err..I mean, dad).
Sunday, November 20, 2005
A new niece, a new bed, and a new credit card balance.
A new niece, a new bed, and a new credit card balance.
Went to see the new niece this afternoon.
She's very small and very swarthy. Absolutely perfect.
Also new today...I ordered a new bed. One of those fancy-pants coils and space age technology deals. I'm not sure what it all means, but it's supposed to give me a better sleep, which would be decidedly nice. I had to split it up over two credit cards (gulp), but 2006 and 2007 will be debt reduction years. I know I said 2005 would be the year of the credit card. The timetable has been adjusted.
Ahem. At least I have enough yarn to see me through the next millennium. There's something terribly reassuring about stash in great quantities.
Look at that! Twenty thousand visits to the blog since November 2003. That's pretty darn nifty.
I had decided yesterday to wait and see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but Dad got an early retirement package yesterday, and he and mom headed out to Banff today, so I figured I would head out, too. Forgetting, of course, that today was the Santa Claus parade. Whoops! By the time I remembered, I was on the bus and halfway to downtown.
I was pretty surprised by the number of young children in to see Harry Potter. The ticket machine even reminded me that it had a parental caution on it. Oh, well. Bumped into a coworker and we sat together and ate the Jelly Belly beans I had smuggled in with me (I'm so bad). About a third the way in - just as Mad Eye Moody was demonstrating the unforgivable curses - the film went kind of blurry, and then seemed to melt.
A harried and harassed-looking teenager finally burst into the theatre to say that the film had been 'like, totally screwed up, and it like never happens, but it did' and offered us all free passes if we'd be so kind as to wait ten minutes for them to get things fixed. It was closer to fifteen, but I had brought sock knitting with me (if it's good enough for the Yarn Harlot, it's good enough for me!)...and got almost an inch on the sucker by the time the lights went down again. It was rather exciting...the film was on fire! Well, maybe only smoldering. Or maybe just a little melted. Who knows. It was like Heather and the Film Strip of Fire.
Or not.
It was definitely a darker movie. I thought the end sequence - Harry's battle with Voldemort - was a bit too drawn out, although it was probably one of the better emotionally charged scenes. Of the challenges, the underwater one was spectacularly filmed, but the dragon scenes were also pretty great. The maze...well, it wasn't all that a-mazing (ha, ha). Not as creepy and scary as it was in the book.
If you're up to date with your reading of the Potter books, you'll find yourself glaring at some characters and wistfully watching the others. It's a strange thing - to have the the events are foreshadowed to such an extent. There's no Dobby the elf (and no Winky, either) in this film...a bit of deviation from the book, but nothing so serious as to seriously offend a normally indignant thirteen year old.
Ralph Fiennes is a seriously creepy Lord Voldemort, and the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup are downright scary. The actor playing Viktor Krum is exceptionally well cast, too.
The bus didn't show up - between all the kids on their way home and the construction on 6th Ave, there's easily a forty-five minute delay. I ended up walking back to the theatre, taking out some cash, and then catching a cab at a nearby hotel. Twelve bucks later, I'm home...and really, when you think about it, the cab only cost me about four dollars, since the movie was free (thank you, Cineplex Odeon!).
She's very small and very swarthy. Absolutely perfect.
Also new today...I ordered a new bed. One of those fancy-pants coils and space age technology deals. I'm not sure what it all means, but it's supposed to give me a better sleep, which would be decidedly nice. I had to split it up over two credit cards (gulp), but 2006 and 2007 will be debt reduction years. I know I said 2005 would be the year of the credit card. The timetable has been adjusted.
Ahem. At least I have enough yarn to see me through the next millennium. There's something terribly reassuring about stash in great quantities.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Heather and the Film Strip of Fire
Heather and the Film Strip of Fire
Look at that! Twenty thousand visits to the blog since November 2003. That's pretty darn nifty.
I had decided yesterday to wait and see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but Dad got an early retirement package yesterday, and he and mom headed out to Banff today, so I figured I would head out, too. Forgetting, of course, that today was the Santa Claus parade. Whoops! By the time I remembered, I was on the bus and halfway to downtown.
I was pretty surprised by the number of young children in to see Harry Potter. The ticket machine even reminded me that it had a parental caution on it. Oh, well. Bumped into a coworker and we sat together and ate the Jelly Belly beans I had smuggled in with me (I'm so bad). About a third the way in - just as Mad Eye Moody was demonstrating the unforgivable curses - the film went kind of blurry, and then seemed to melt.
A harried and harassed-looking teenager finally burst into the theatre to say that the film had been 'like, totally screwed up, and it like never happens, but it did' and offered us all free passes if we'd be so kind as to wait ten minutes for them to get things fixed. It was closer to fifteen, but I had brought sock knitting with me (if it's good enough for the Yarn Harlot, it's good enough for me!)...and got almost an inch on the sucker by the time the lights went down again. It was rather exciting...the film was on fire! Well, maybe only smoldering. Or maybe just a little melted. Who knows. It was like Heather and the Film Strip of Fire.
Or not.
It was definitely a darker movie. I thought the end sequence - Harry's battle with Voldemort - was a bit too drawn out, although it was probably one of the better emotionally charged scenes. Of the challenges, the underwater one was spectacularly filmed, but the dragon scenes were also pretty great. The maze...well, it wasn't all that a-mazing (ha, ha). Not as creepy and scary as it was in the book.
If you're up to date with your reading of the Potter books, you'll find yourself glaring at some characters and wistfully watching the others. It's a strange thing - to have the the events are foreshadowed to such an extent. There's no Dobby the elf (and no Winky, either) in this film...a bit of deviation from the book, but nothing so serious as to seriously offend a normally indignant thirteen year old.
Ralph Fiennes is a seriously creepy Lord Voldemort, and the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup are downright scary. The actor playing Viktor Krum is exceptionally well cast, too.
The bus didn't show up - between all the kids on their way home and the construction on 6th Ave, there's easily a forty-five minute delay. I ended up walking back to the theatre, taking out some cash, and then catching a cab at a nearby hotel. Twelve bucks later, I'm home...and really, when you think about it, the cab only cost me about four dollars, since the movie was free (thank you, Cineplex Odeon!).
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Handknit Holidays-along
Handknit Holidays-along
Okay...so I took down the November Novel Writing challenge button. It just wasn't happening. I'll try again next year, I guess. I've replaced it with a button for the Handknit Holidays-along...much more realistic, I think, because I'm makiing something for my older niece. I have forty-some odd skeins of Patons' Astra in various colours, and four pounds of polyester fiber-fill on the way, so that should give you a clue.
Okay. One more clue. It involves Jean Greenhowe patterns.
(She's two. I guarantee you she's not reading my blog.)
Edit:
Oops. The perils of blog reading while tired. Apparently, the knitalong is to go along with a book. Oops, indeed.
Happy birthday to me...
Okay. One more clue. It involves Jean Greenhowe patterns.
(She's two. I guarantee you she's not reading my blog.)
Edit:
Oops. The perils of blog reading while tired. Apparently, the knitalong is to go along with a book. Oops, indeed.
Happy birthday to me...
Happy birthday to me...
Yesterday was my birthday. I'm not thirty yet, but I'm getting ever closer. My brother sent me a nice big bouquet of flowers - I'll bring the digital camera to work to get a picture - that includes a bird of paradise. I've never seen one up close, but it really does look like a bird.
Mom and dad presented me with clothes from Eddie Bauer (yay!) and some bubble bath from the Body Shop (also yay!).
Birthday supper was a bust, though...a cousin from Quebec phoned to say that great-aunt Winnie had died, and I have to say that it took the wind right out of the sails. I'm not especially upset about her death - she was pretty old, and we weren't close for a variety of reasons. Still, though.
The second capelet is moving along at an astonishing speed. I've almost memorized the lace pattern, which is great...now I can spot my mistakes within a row, rather than two or three rows later. Also, my birthday shipment of yarn from Red Bird Knits arrived, and it's absolutely wonderful. Next up for me is the Charlotte Bronte shawl, which I think I'll do in Fleece Artist 2/8 Leicester. The pattern is calling for a 3 ply yarn, and I'm told that it's closest to a fingering or lace weight...or something in between...but I'll see if I can hit the gauge with the Fleece Artist. If not, I've got other lace weight yarns to try. We'll see.
Life goes on. It was a nice birthday.
Yesterday was my birthday. I'm not thirty yet, but I'm getting ever closer. My brother sent me a nice big bouquet of flowers - I'll bring the digital camera to work to get a picture - that includes a bird of paradise. I've never seen one up close, but it really does look like a bird.
Mom and dad presented me with clothes from Eddie Bauer (yay!) and some bubble bath from the Body Shop (also yay!).
Birthday supper was a bust, though...a cousin from Quebec phoned to say that great-aunt Winnie had died, and I have to say that it took the wind right out of the sails. I'm not especially upset about her death - she was pretty old, and we weren't close for a variety of reasons. Still, though.
The second capelet is moving along at an astonishing speed. I've almost memorized the lace pattern, which is great...now I can spot my mistakes within a row, rather than two or three rows later. Also, my birthday shipment of yarn from Red Bird Knits arrived, and it's absolutely wonderful. Next up for me is the Charlotte Bronte shawl, which I think I'll do in Fleece Artist 2/8 Leicester. The pattern is calling for a 3 ply yarn, and I'm told that it's closest to a fingering or lace weight...or something in between...but I'll see if I can hit the gauge with the Fleece Artist. If not, I've got other lace weight yarns to try. We'll see.
Life goes on. It was a nice birthday.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Making another!
Making another!
I like that collared cape thing so much that I'm making another. When I ordered yarn for it, way back when, I bought enough to do it in that dark brown, and also in a lightish green. I'm just about ready to start the lace portion, so I'd say that I'm about a third of the way through. It'll be interesting to see what the lace looks like in a lighter colour. Better defined, maybe?
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Finished: Laced Edged Cardigan Capelet with Collar
Finished: Laced Edged Cardigan Capelet with Collar
One last picture from the photo album. Dad had the scanner out, and I found this one while I was flipping through (it goes with the goat picture from Thursday).
It would appear that my fascination with fiber arts began at an early age. I think I'm about six in that picture. It was taken at the Agricultural Museum in Milton, Ontario (which I think is now the Country Heritage Park...who knows. I'm not sure)...as I recall, it was A Very Special Thing to be allowed to sit at the loom...it was a heritage loom - still working - from the eighteen hundreds.
So. There you have it...hooked for life.
I finished a nice capelet. My secret pal had sent me an Amazon gift certificate in September, and I bought a copy of Wrap Style with it.
Behold my giant hand!
Here's a detail of the lace:
The details:
It's the 'Lace Edged Cardigan with Collar' from Wrap Style. I used two and a half skeins of Araucania Nature Wool, which is a little less than a worsted weight, but more than a sport weight. I managed to get the gauge I needed (sixteen stitches and twenty-eight rows to four inches), which was good. The pattern calls for 599 metres (655 yards) of a worsted-weight yarn and three 7/8 buttons, so it's not likely to break the bank when shopping for the right materials.
The yarn was a nice one to work with, if a bit splitty at times. That might have been the needles I was working with, though.
The pattern is very straight-forward and easy to knit. I really wish they'd mentioned that the lace in the picture doesn't look anything like what you're knitting until after you wash and block. I was really concerned as I was working - the picture is a scalloped type pattern, and when you're knitting, it looks very pointy.
I didn't find any errors in the pattern (what a relief) and the collar was easy to put on. Another issue I had was that the collar doesn't lie really nice and flat until after blocking...which was cause for concern again. Given the amount of blocking this pattern needed, I wouldn't advise using an acrylic. You need the kind of give you get with wool or a wool blend.
It's a nice capelet to wear...works really nicely under a coat, and you can flip the collar up to act as a scarf in a pinch. I really like the way it stops just below the elbows...leaving your hands free, and no trailing edges that you get with a shawl. You can do the dishes in this capelet without dragging the tip in the sink. Definitely a plus...and it keeps my shoulders nice and toasty.
As I was knitting, it occurred to me that this kind of capelet would be excellent for somebody who was ill and spending a lot of time in bed or a wheelchair, or in hospital. It won't bunch up around your waist, and it would be comfortable for sitting in bed because you don't need to pull the blankets up around your chin to keep your shoulders warm. It's also easy to take on and off - no sleeves, which is nice if the person you're knitting for is feeling weak or sore - and you could easily substitute the three buttons for a single tie at the top.
A luxury blend yarn would be nice, but if you're knitting for somebody who's ill or having surgery, I'd recommend something that doesn't require a lot of careful handwashing - a good wool can be handwashed in the sink without too much fuss.
And...the final and...it's the kind of thing that both a granny and a hipster would wear. It doesn't look too fussy, and it's not an outdated design. It can be knit up fairly quickly - mine took about two weeks, but I wasn't spending a ton of time on it. I found that I could get one lace pattern repeat (six rows, 217 stitches per row) done while watching The National or Seinfeld. I finished four pattern repeats while watching Spanglish.
So there you have it. I liked the pattern, and I'm thrilled with the end result. I think it's a versatile piece, and I'll be wearing mine through the winter, I'm sure. Many thanks to my secret pal for the gift certificate that led to the book!!
It would appear that my fascination with fiber arts began at an early age. I think I'm about six in that picture. It was taken at the Agricultural Museum in Milton, Ontario (which I think is now the Country Heritage Park...who knows. I'm not sure)...as I recall, it was A Very Special Thing to be allowed to sit at the loom...it was a heritage loom - still working - from the eighteen hundreds.
So. There you have it...hooked for life.
I finished a nice capelet. My secret pal had sent me an Amazon gift certificate in September, and I bought a copy of Wrap Style with it.
Behold my giant hand!
Here's a detail of the lace:
The details:
It's the 'Lace Edged Cardigan with Collar' from Wrap Style. I used two and a half skeins of Araucania Nature Wool, which is a little less than a worsted weight, but more than a sport weight. I managed to get the gauge I needed (sixteen stitches and twenty-eight rows to four inches), which was good. The pattern calls for 599 metres (655 yards) of a worsted-weight yarn and three 7/8 buttons, so it's not likely to break the bank when shopping for the right materials.
The yarn was a nice one to work with, if a bit splitty at times. That might have been the needles I was working with, though.
The pattern is very straight-forward and easy to knit. I really wish they'd mentioned that the lace in the picture doesn't look anything like what you're knitting until after you wash and block. I was really concerned as I was working - the picture is a scalloped type pattern, and when you're knitting, it looks very pointy.
I didn't find any errors in the pattern (what a relief) and the collar was easy to put on. Another issue I had was that the collar doesn't lie really nice and flat until after blocking...which was cause for concern again. Given the amount of blocking this pattern needed, I wouldn't advise using an acrylic. You need the kind of give you get with wool or a wool blend.
It's a nice capelet to wear...works really nicely under a coat, and you can flip the collar up to act as a scarf in a pinch. I really like the way it stops just below the elbows...leaving your hands free, and no trailing edges that you get with a shawl. You can do the dishes in this capelet without dragging the tip in the sink. Definitely a plus...and it keeps my shoulders nice and toasty.
As I was knitting, it occurred to me that this kind of capelet would be excellent for somebody who was ill and spending a lot of time in bed or a wheelchair, or in hospital. It won't bunch up around your waist, and it would be comfortable for sitting in bed because you don't need to pull the blankets up around your chin to keep your shoulders warm. It's also easy to take on and off - no sleeves, which is nice if the person you're knitting for is feeling weak or sore - and you could easily substitute the three buttons for a single tie at the top.
A luxury blend yarn would be nice, but if you're knitting for somebody who's ill or having surgery, I'd recommend something that doesn't require a lot of careful handwashing - a good wool can be handwashed in the sink without too much fuss.
And...the final and...it's the kind of thing that both a granny and a hipster would wear. It doesn't look too fussy, and it's not an outdated design. It can be knit up fairly quickly - mine took about two weeks, but I wasn't spending a ton of time on it. I found that I could get one lace pattern repeat (six rows, 217 stitches per row) done while watching The National or Seinfeld. I finished four pattern repeats while watching Spanglish.
So there you have it. I liked the pattern, and I'm thrilled with the end result. I think it's a versatile piece, and I'll be wearing mine through the winter, I'm sure. Many thanks to my secret pal for the gift certificate that led to the book!!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
My brother.
My brother.
Roughly twenty years ago, my brother and I had our picture taken sitting on a cannon somewhere in Nova Scotia.
How strange it feels to look at that one and then at a picture of my brother, holding his second child.
It seems like we were kids just a little while ago. My brother, who was always telling me 'look over here, Heather!'
And now, he's got two little girls.
Welcome to the world, Evelyn Margaret.
How strange it feels to look at that one and then at a picture of my brother, holding his second child.
It seems like we were kids just a little while ago. My brother, who was always telling me 'look over here, Heather!'
And now, he's got two little girls.
Welcome to the world, Evelyn Margaret.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Baby day!
Baby day!
Well, it's baby day. I'm blogging from my brother's living room. Baby central. Niece number the first is standing in the middle of the living room, in her pink pajamas. She's holding a stuffed animal in each hand, looking concerned. Brother and sister-in-law are at the hospital, preparing for niece number the second.
I'm watching an ebay auction right now (thankfully, brother left his computer for me to use). Blithe Dance posted about a neat Christmas pattern in the November issue of Simply Knitting, and I can't seem to find the magazine locally. I like the look of those Christmas elves. So confidant am I...I ordered four pounds of polyester fiberfill for making knitted stuffed animals. Niece number the first likes stuffies, and I've got that Jean Greenhowe pattern series for the villagers...I think that with the palette sampler from Knitpicks, I'd be set. Just have to figure out the right gauge.
No babies yet, but I'm sure we'll have a new one soon.
Update
Seven pounds, ten ounces - baby and mom are fine, but brother says that he almost passed out when they started working on her for the c-section (I would have, too!). Niece number the second - Evelyn Margaret - has arrived.
Niece number the first is slowly running out of steam. She warmed up after a few hours and came to life...never under-estimate the power of a hand-knitted pink pig. Works over all commercially manufactured stuffed animals.
She's not too happy about eating lunch, so rather than have a repeat of Saturday (blech!), she' walking around eating dry cereal and drinking some milk. Easier this way...and it's almost time for a nap. Phew!
I'm watching an ebay auction right now (thankfully, brother left his computer for me to use). Blithe Dance posted about a neat Christmas pattern in the November issue of Simply Knitting, and I can't seem to find the magazine locally. I like the look of those Christmas elves. So confidant am I...I ordered four pounds of polyester fiberfill for making knitted stuffed animals. Niece number the first likes stuffies, and I've got that Jean Greenhowe pattern series for the villagers...I think that with the palette sampler from Knitpicks, I'd be set. Just have to figure out the right gauge.
No babies yet, but I'm sure we'll have a new one soon.
Update
Seven pounds, ten ounces - baby and mom are fine, but brother says that he almost passed out when they started working on her for the c-section (I would have, too!). Niece number the second - Evelyn Margaret - has arrived.
Niece number the first is slowly running out of steam. She warmed up after a few hours and came to life...never under-estimate the power of a hand-knitted pink pig. Works over all commercially manufactured stuffed animals.
She's not too happy about eating lunch, so rather than have a repeat of Saturday (blech!), she' walking around eating dry cereal and drinking some milk. Easier this way...and it's almost time for a nap. Phew!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Review: The Penelopiad
Review: The Penelopiad
Just finished reading Margaret Atwood's new book, The Penelopiad. Now, I'll admit it...I never made it all the way through The Odyssey, but I understand the basics of it. Odysseus takes off to rescue Penelope's cousin, Helen (of Troy), and gets delayed on his way home. For about ten years.
Atwood chooses to tell the story from Penelope's perspective, giving her a voice and a personality that's missing (naturally) from Homer's original tale. We begin with Penelope speaking to us from the grave - well, from the underworld, I suppose - and recounting the story of her life.
I loved her tone of voice. It's both matter-of-fact and sarcastic, and it's just how I imagine Penelope would sound. Even a little annoyed. Like this:
At this point I feel I must address the various items of slanderous gossip that have been going the rounds for the past two or three thousand years. These stories are completely untrue. Many have said that there's no smoke without fire, but that is a fatuous argument. We've all heard rumours that later proved to be groundless, and so it with these rumours about me.
The charges concern my sexual conduct. It is alleged, for instance, that I slept with Amphinomus, the politest of the Suitors. The songs say I found his conversation agreeable, or more agreeable than that of the others, and this is true; but it's a long jump from there into bed.
It's a very modern voice...and I think that's what makes it so easy to read. The way the narrative is set up, Penelope is speaking to us from the present day - apparently, time in the underworld parallels our own. The word that comes to mind, I suppose, is updated. It's very updated. That might not appeal to all readers, I think, but it certainly makes the myth much more accessible to the average reader.
Atwood really hits her stride with this one. I had read interviews where she had commented on the difficulty she had in writing this book, but I really think it represents one of her better pieces. It's classic Atwood - cynical, clever, and liberally sprinkled with dry humour. Wonderful!
As bus stop reading goes, it'll give your seat neighbour pause as they glance and try to figure out what the heck you've got, but it doesn't raise eyebrows. It's very conducive to the stopping and starting necessitated by transfers, windy roads, and the inevitable reading-induced motion sickness.
I have to say, too...the book is beautifully bound. The typeface is lovely, and the chapter headings are in red ink...reminds me of the Loeb classics, those little volumes of Greek and Roman texts that were always red or green. I have the accompanying book by Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, lined up and ready to go.
Definitely worth reading!
Atwood chooses to tell the story from Penelope's perspective, giving her a voice and a personality that's missing (naturally) from Homer's original tale. We begin with Penelope speaking to us from the grave - well, from the underworld, I suppose - and recounting the story of her life.
I loved her tone of voice. It's both matter-of-fact and sarcastic, and it's just how I imagine Penelope would sound. Even a little annoyed. Like this:
At this point I feel I must address the various items of slanderous gossip that have been going the rounds for the past two or three thousand years. These stories are completely untrue. Many have said that there's no smoke without fire, but that is a fatuous argument. We've all heard rumours that later proved to be groundless, and so it with these rumours about me.
The charges concern my sexual conduct. It is alleged, for instance, that I slept with Amphinomus, the politest of the Suitors. The songs say I found his conversation agreeable, or more agreeable than that of the others, and this is true; but it's a long jump from there into bed.
It's a very modern voice...and I think that's what makes it so easy to read. The way the narrative is set up, Penelope is speaking to us from the present day - apparently, time in the underworld parallels our own. The word that comes to mind, I suppose, is updated. It's very updated. That might not appeal to all readers, I think, but it certainly makes the myth much more accessible to the average reader.
Atwood really hits her stride with this one. I had read interviews where she had commented on the difficulty she had in writing this book, but I really think it represents one of her better pieces. It's classic Atwood - cynical, clever, and liberally sprinkled with dry humour. Wonderful!
As bus stop reading goes, it'll give your seat neighbour pause as they glance and try to figure out what the heck you've got, but it doesn't raise eyebrows. It's very conducive to the stopping and starting necessitated by transfers, windy roads, and the inevitable reading-induced motion sickness.
I have to say, too...the book is beautifully bound. The typeface is lovely, and the chapter headings are in red ink...reminds me of the Loeb classics, those little volumes of Greek and Roman texts that were always red or green. I have the accompanying book by Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, lined up and ready to go.
Definitely worth reading!
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Thank goodness for the cat, the cartoon network, and grandma.
Thank goodness for the cat, the cartoon network, and grandma.
The niece was over this morning while her parents were at the hospital for tests (new baby is supposed to arrive on Wednesday by c-section).
She arrived clutching a giant gorilla (the niece, not the sister-in-law), all dressed in pink. My brother left, and we had a very sad, very woebegone toddler in the house:
Thank goodness for the cartoon network and the cat.
So woebegone that she threw up her lunch - we think she had a tummy-ache from being sad and woebegone. Afterwards, though, she announced that she was okay.
It was a stressful day for the niece, auntie, and grandma. And thank goodness for grandma who doesn't feel woozie and gross when children vomit their lunch. It was a truly awesome sight to behold (grandma in action, not the sick. But the sick was pretty awesome, too...not in a good way!!).
She arrived clutching a giant gorilla (the niece, not the sister-in-law), all dressed in pink. My brother left, and we had a very sad, very woebegone toddler in the house:
Thank goodness for the cartoon network and the cat.
So woebegone that she threw up her lunch - we think she had a tummy-ache from being sad and woebegone. Afterwards, though, she announced that she was okay.
It was a stressful day for the niece, auntie, and grandma. And thank goodness for grandma who doesn't feel woozie and gross when children vomit their lunch. It was a truly awesome sight to behold (grandma in action, not the sick. But the sick was pretty awesome, too...not in a good way!!).
Friday, November 04, 2005
New tv!
New tv!
Friday again. I'm heading off for a massage tonight, and then to coffee with a friend afterwards. It's been a quiet week - still getting over that cold and the flu shot, and just generally trying to take it easy.
I ordered a Toshiba 14" flat screen tv last night. I have a small thirteen-incher, and the curve screen does not lend itself well to the playing of Xbox games. I'm looking forward to the extravagence of a nicer set, and I got a better price than the one listed on Toshiba's website.
Woohoo! It'll be here early next week. Can't wait!
Holy moly. If only that weren't in pretend dollars.
Vaccinated.
I ordered a Toshiba 14" flat screen tv last night. I have a small thirteen-incher, and the curve screen does not lend itself well to the playing of Xbox games. I'm looking forward to the extravagence of a nicer set, and I got a better price than the one listed on Toshiba's website.
Woohoo! It'll be here early next week. Can't wait!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
A whole lotta pretend money.
A whole lotta pretend money.
My blog is worth $37,259.64.
How much is your blog worth?
Holy moly. If only that weren't in pretend dollars.
Vaccinated.
It's been a few days since blogging...I had the flu shot on Monday, and my immune system took exception to the insertion of deadened virus into my muscle. I was reading a story in the Paris Review (actually, a compilation volume of short stories), and there was one about little soldiers marching in somebody's head. It was a great description of a headache (I'll find it later and post). That is how I felt.
Suffice it to say that I am now recovered from the flu shot, and still getting over the plague. The doctor - before sticking me with said syringe - commented that it's a parainfluenza virus making the rounds...hence my extreme plague-y-ness. No ordinary cold, this.
I'm feeling much better now. Just tired in the evenings. And I have been vaccinated, so I can go forth and boldly ride public transit during flu season. I hope.
Ooh. And I subscribed to The Paris Review this morning. Yay!
Suffice it to say that I am now recovered from the flu shot, and still getting over the plague. The doctor - before sticking me with said syringe - commented that it's a parainfluenza virus making the rounds...hence my extreme plague-y-ness. No ordinary cold, this.
I'm feeling much better now. Just tired in the evenings. And I have been vaccinated, so I can go forth and boldly ride public transit during flu season. I hope.
Ooh. And I subscribed to The Paris Review this morning. Yay!