Lucky few days at the post office! and other happy things!

Yesterday, this arrived in the mail for me from Pick Up Sticks

(I took advantage of her 25% off 'pre-moving to a physical store' sale last Thursday. I love all of it! The roving is so pretty -- a 4 oz. bump of Fat Cat Knits roving in On the Town. My Friend J got the 'Lounge Lizard' colourway ... so pretty!

The yarn is Fleece Artist's Somoko in U and W- I think. Sooo soft! It is a washable silk/kid/merino blend, and I am keen to get a pair of socks knit, or maybe a funky scarf. The purple/plum, rust one just screamed my name, and at 25% off, I couldn't leave her there! All alone.)

Today I went to check the mail, and lo and behold, there was a package for me from Yellowknife, North West Territories -- it turns out my pal for Sockapalooza 4 lives there! Her name is Anne (Natural Fibres) and she is a sweet thoughtful woman!

She sent me a lovely package -- a postcard of her town, a pretty photographic card of an Inukshuk, a NWT pin, a bag of buffalo droppings (actually chocolate covered coffee beans - I can't wait to tear into them - coffee and chocolate are my 2 favorite things, and I love choc covered beans!!) -- and the piece de resistance -- my socks!!!

They are gorgeous ... knit in a beautiful turquoise Opal Uni Solid sock yarn (Colour #29), they are Anne's first attempt at lace (but I think she might be fibbing -- she has done a gorgeous job!) The pattern is Hedera (by Cookie A). They are so soft, and the colour is so pretty ... and to top it off, they fit me to a T.

I will try to get a better picture (taken by someone other than me!) later or tomorrow -- they are gorgeous and I want to show them off, and can't seem to get a good angle while they are attached to me -- not bendy enough!)

Thank you so much Anne for the very thoughtful package! I love it all , and really do appreciate everything!

In other happy news, the renovations are progressing along nicely ... T is on vacation this week (I am not) and he and his dad seem to be able to do anything! I came home Monday to no stairs at lunch time, and at 4 ... Curly was testing out the first of our new pine stairs. Once it had met with Curly's approval, the fellas could proceed with the work at hand. All 12 steps have been built now and the varathaning will begin tomorrow (we are aiming for at least 5 coats, but would like more since we have 4 critters who like to do the time trials for the Indy on the stairs.Every. Night.)

Speaking of critters ... our old lady dog, Elvis, turned 14 years old yesterday. We got her when she was only 2 weeks old (she was a rescue) , and her eyes had just opened a day or so before! She had no teeth, and we had to feed her from a baby bottle (carnation milk) for the first 6 weeks we had her -- every 4 hours , just like a baby. And she is my baby, it's just now she's getting to be my old lady baby dog. She's my beauty and I love her to bits. Happy birthday Elly!

Tomorrow, a few WIPS.

Secret pal 11 Questionnaire

Getting to know me ... getting to know all about me (well, the yarny parts mostly, but at least now we aren't strangers, eh?)

The Questionnaire
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
* I like all natural fibres that I have tried and also have no issue with natural/man made blends. If it is soft, I love to knit with it! I am not a big fan of acrylic - unless it is blended with a natural fibre --and don't enjoy scratchy wool (there are so many nice soft wools now ... why bother with the itchy stuff!).

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
* I have a Laurel Burch pouch (with 3 funky kitties on it) that I love for my sock dpns. All my other needles are stored in an old knitting needle roll that my mom had years ago, and also in a big plastic zip lock baggie if they won't fit in the roll

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
* I tinkered with knitting as a kid in Brownies but retained none of it! I learned to knit 5 years ago to make a gift for my unborn niece. I taught myself from the "Susan Bates Learn to Knit" book (I still use it if a pattern calls for a stitch or technique I am unfamiliar with).

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
* No , but I wish I did ... there are a lot of books on knitting I am covetting (I may get ambitious and change this answer! Check back!) I love books.

5. What's your favorite scent?
* I like vanilla and most other food scents -- LOL! I prefer them to florals and strong scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
* I love candy -- enjoy especially anything chocolate (dark and milk are favorites), skittles, gummy anythings, and any candy in general -- I do have a hazelnut allergy and have to be careful when buying candy that it doesn't have them in it as an ingredient (alot of nice quality chocolate and other bars have hazelnuts (aka filberts ) in them) -- I used to love hazelnuts before I got this stupid allergy (and am a little bitter that I can no longer have them!) If it has sugar in it -- I am there!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
* I sew, quilt, paint (very occasionally), make jams and jellies, do pysanky, and am willing to try any craft ( itried stained glass a few years ago -- cool, but I am a little clumsy - if you have followed my blog, the clumsy thing is a no-brainer - and was scared I would slice off a finger and not be able to knit, so stopped doing it, even though I loved it!) -- I have a tendancy to "get really into" a craft, then move on after a few years, this was before I discovered knitting -- now I find it hard to take time to do another craft! I think knitting is "the One" for me!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
* I like the Rolling Stones, 80's music, and a lot of the poppy fun stuff on the radio ... I have no ability to play MP3s. I also really love Harry connick Jr., Michael Boublais and all of the old crooners - Frank Sinatra, Dean martin, Bing Crosby ... voices like silk!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
* I like a lot ... and my taste changes daily! right now I am into jewelly brights ... orange (actually with orange, any shade, tone, hue is instant and total love for me!), lime green, hot pink, turquoise, purple (pretty much any shade, tone, hue).
I am also loving the colour combo of orange, tan and turquoise, and the blue brown mix that seems to be so popular. I like most colours ... just not a huge fan of yellow (it is ok in things, just not a big enough love of it yet to have it alone!), or pastel, pale colours. Blacks, browns, navy, burgundy are all great neutrals too!

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
* I am married (for nearly 8 years!) with no children. We have a black and white cat (she's our old girl, Louie), a flame point Selkirk Rex kitten (he's called Curly), a Valley Bulldog (she is a sweet 2 year old, Duffy) and our old lady dog, Elvis, is a brown dog. We also have a lot of fish -- quite a few tanks (mostly cichlids, but some smaller fishies as well)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
* Yeppers, I live in Nova Scotia and wear all of them -- although I have a brown mohair poncho that doesn't get a lot of wear, so probably won't need another, thanks!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
* I love knitting ... generally I like socks, purses, baby items ... things that are completeable in a relatively short time!

13. What are you knitting right now?
* Socks (Hederas -- giving me grief, and have a cuff cast on for a pair for my father in law - not sure of what I want them to be yet!) , a purse in SWS by Patons, a sweater with a tractor on it for my 3 year old nephew, and there are a few things buried at the bottom of my WIP bag that should move back up to the top!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
* Yes I do

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
* For socks I like straight short needles, and like them in anything but metal (they make my finger joints ache!) For everything else, i alternate between like straight and circular ... my husband bought me a set of those needles that have the metal needles and the attachable flexi middle bits (can't remember the brand or what they are called - but I think you know what I mean!?!)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
* No -- I plan to get one someday. I know someone with a winder and her balls always look neater than mine (for skeining, I use the legs of a footstool -- that works well!)

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
* ummmm , will you like me any less if I tell you the truth? Hmmm, let's see ... I have the back of a cardigan and 4 inches of the right side that was being knit for me -- that is at least 4.5 years old (i have been knitting 5 years!), and i have the arms, back, front and 1/2 the hood of a really cute infant sized hoody in chocolate brown fun fur for my nephew 9he's turuning 3 in a week or so! -- eeep!) Yeah -- sometimes I fall off the horse BAD!

18. What is your favorite holiday?
* I love all holidays -- Christmas of course, and Canada Day is nice (I loves a day off with fireworks in the middle of the Summer)

19. Is there anything that you collect?
* LOL! Tricky! Lots of stuff -- yarn! things with knitting on them, blown glass fish, I have a thing for cows, Rolling Stones stuff, shiny sparkley trinkets -- I am basically a crow and a packrat

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
* I like the Nancy Bush patterns, I haven't read the Stitch & Bitch books, as much as I rave about Lucy Neatby - you'd think I'd have her books - I don't, -- I am self taught from a book, and have only discovered all the fun knitting stuff on the net recently
I do read the magazines , and buy a few -- Interweave Knits, Knit Simple (very seldom), Vogue Knitting, but have been on a magazine diet lately -- trying hard to resist the pretty pictures

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
* I haven't tried a toe up sock yet, or any fancy heel (I have only knit the flap ... nothing else!)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
* I am a sock knitter ... I wear an 8.5 shoe (North American sizing) and measure 9 inches around the ball of my foot, and 9.5 inches heel to toe (not sure if my ankle is fat - it is 9 inches around)

23. When is your birthday?
* I am a Groundhog Day baby -- Feb. 2nd -- and this birthday is gonna be a big one! Gack!

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
* I am hoping to be on soon ... there are only 7717 people in line ahead of me (getting close ... lol!)

I met "The Mick Jagger of the knitting world"

Tonight was the night -- Stephanie Pearl McPhee came to Halifax as part of her book tour! J. and I travelled in after work (even had time to pick up a slice of pizza at Nick and Willy's on Quinpool Road! Yum!)

The Lord Nelson looks quite swanky as you approach it (very exciting!), and the man at the door seemed to find it amusing that I was snapping pictures of the entrance.





When J. & I went inside at 5:15 p.m., there was already quite a group of knitters formed outside the room the Harlot was going to speak (what do you call a group of knitters? a group of geese is a gaggle, lions = pride, elephants = herd, whales = pod, crows = murder, sheep = flock, monkeys = troop, knitters = ?) We waited and knit a bit, the lot of us standing around the lobby of the Nelson. The crowd grew, and shortly before 6, the room was opened and we filed in ... past the sign that someone in line ahead of us had very carefully corrected (and amended!)

Dave, one of the staff at the Lord Nelson, laughed and said he liked my knitting shirt, and joked that he hoped that the crowd would be calm with no riots. He said he heard that Stephanie is the Mick Jagger of the knitting world.




We got good seats ... 5 rows back and could see were she would be speaking ... knit a little more, and at 7:05 p.m., she entered the room, and was introduced by a lady who I think was from the Loop.





When Stephanie took the mike, she took the obligatory sock/crowd shots (for her Mom), and then began her talk ... she is really a funny speaker (and I can't wait to read/listen to her books)
She did a q&a session, then moved into the autographing. I bought " ... Casts Off", and "Knitting Rules" in paperback, and ""At Knit's End" on cd, and got her to sign them ... J. took pictures while we chatted as the Harlot signed my books. (I just realized that I didn't take a single picture of J. -- oops! sorry J - I am not very nice!)



(me , being totally cool and chatting with Canada's favorite knitter)
(me and Stephanie and the sock -- it is very soft, and I am clutching it as though I am scared it will escape!)

We had a really good time (and I don't think I acted too much like a star-struck stalker type! ... although I did manage to get a shot of her while we were waiting in line 20 minutes before we got into the room ... I have enhanced the photo - the blurry woman-type shape on the right is Stephanie, laughing as she tries to escape from the stalkeratzi and get into the safety of the elevator) (that's not very stalkerish, is it?)

* just a quick post ... no time for links tonight - I will put them in tomorrow, when i have some time! I just got home and am too darned tired to be frigging with the internets!

Sockapalooza socks ... done!

As of Friday evening at 7 p.m. ... they are finished!




Specs
Pattern: BFF by Cookie A (the internet won't let me kink to the pattern! sorry! you'll have to google it yourownself)
Yarn: Garn Studio's Fabel Superwash, Colour 677
Needles: 2.75 mm Brysun, 5 inch length (I love them .... my total favorite needle. Ever.
For: my SP4 Pal -- can't say who she is until she gets her package! I hope the colours and pattern suit her! The picture is a little brighter than the colours are live and in person -- but it is quite close.
Mods: Just one ... I like the look of a wide cuff folded in half ... so made a 2 inch cuff instead of the 1 incher the pattern called for
Again? definately ... the pattern is not only pretty, but it is a really "quick learn" which makes it almost as easy as a Vanilla! I really like the look of the finished sock, and think they would be nice presents for Christmas. I would probably make a different heel, as the pattern calls for a stocking stitch heel, and i usually knit (and prefer) a thicker heel -- I knit it according to the pattern

I have several goodies to put in with the socks ... some treats from my area and some other knitterly things, which will all go in the post tomorrow (** Edit: it got reeally busy at work and in life, so I missed the post office and the store for paper -- but it will definately go ASAP.) It has been a lot of fun to knit the socks and a little challenging to try to get to know someone through their blog and via email, but it has been an interesting 'Palooza. I will be happy to finally be able to send the socks on their journey.

Last night we went on an overnight trip to our camp with my sister, her husband and 2 of their friends. Thew camp is a small cabin on an isolated island, and this trip was T and my first overnight of the season. We had a lot of fun ... ate 2 yummy meals that T cooked (for supper, bbq ribs, corn on the cob and a blueberry/peach danish that my sister'd friend brought along , and breakfast, scallop fritters, home fried hashbrowns, bacon and eggs), told scarey stories and toured around on the boat. There is no power there, or running water, and it is a very relaxing place to go -- very rarely is there another person on the whole island when we are there.

When we arrived Saturday afternoon, T discovered that someone had broken into the camp ... smashed the door in (a really big piece of wood was smashed away from the doorjamb ... whoever did the damage must have taken the wood with them - it was nowhere to be found, so we couldn't fix it last night). The weird thing is -- nothing in the camp was touched! Not a thing was out of place or missing. Peculiar! My sister was a little nervous that the break and enterers (hereafter known as "the man with the hook") might come back through the night to get us (I figured - its an island ... we would hear any boat that entered the harbour, it's located in the Atlantic Ocean - not easy to sneak up on us!). When we woke up this morning we were all please to note that the man with the hook hadn't come back. My FIL & MIL are staying the night tonight, so they are working on the repairs this afternoon.

How to thank someone for the gift of painting in the heat?

Yesterday T and his dad primed and painted the hall that never ends ... when I came home from work, they had nearly finished the first coat, and had the clic-floor almost fully laid in the upstairs hall. And it was stinkin' hot yesterday!

T went back to work today, and last night when we were admiring the first coat, I realized it might be a long time before the house gets back to order because we are "very busy" all week, and the chances of squeezing in another coat of paint are pretty small. I don't like to nag, so I kept my mouth shut ... but I didn't sleep well worrying about it.

Well, when I came home for lunch, I noticed the smell of latex paint as I walked into the house, and thought that a few things were out of order ('cause the house was so tidy last night when we went to bed -- NOT!) -- but there was a mat that wasn't were it "goes" and some other things that weren't "right", despite the mess of renovations. Then I saw it --

the sign on the stairs :

In case you can't read it it says "Heather, 12 noon upstairs might not be fully dry . BC"

Aren't those the sweetest words you have ever heard? My hardworking father in law, left his day job as a financial whiz at the investment company he owns and pulled on his painting clothes to paint our unending hall -- ALONE (and on a plank -- in one part the walls are about 18 feet high) -- on a very warm day!

How do you thank someone for the gift of painting? I don't know if there are adequate words to express the gratitude! Thanks, Butch! (Edit: I wonder if he would like an autographed copy of a Yarn Harlot book? By the way, only 6 sleeps until She comes to Halifax! I am doubtful that he would enjoy it, but it was a good segue into the Harlot countdown!) *giggle*

A week to go ...

The Yarn Harlot is in Halifax a week from tomorrow -- woo hoo! All the details are up on her tour page, and I am getting off work early to go. I think we should be there in enough time to get a seat (the ballroom at the Lord Nelson can hold up to 300 in a theatre set-up, so hopefully they will prepare for lots of us! Even with getting off early, We won't get there until 5 p.m. at the earliest (and we'll be hitting Halifax at rush hour!) I hope we get a spot!

This is almost as exciting as when the Stones came to Moncton!

Ah, yes, we are currently doing a home improvement thingy with our house -- T. wants to redo the stairs and replace them with oak ones and paint the front hall which, because of the mostly open concept of the house, has no ending point until you hit the bedrooms upstairs, so it is a giant job. It hasn't been done since we did the whole home renovation/rebuild 11 years ago (at which point I recall hearing "I hope I never have to do that again"), so he is having to do a lot of crack filling, chip and hole repairs and other general fixer-upper stuff on order to paint before he gets the stairs ready (11 years of wear and tear).

While watching him work when I got home, we (well, it was me, but it sounds less bossy if I say "we") decided that it would be easier for him to paint the walls if he took up the carpet that is on them, since it will have to come up anyway. He tore up carpet, and I removed the underlay and pulled the staples that held the pad down. It looks better ... and wow , was it ever gross under the underlay (carpet is so dirty and disgusting ... about a 1/4 cup of sand/dirt had seeped through the carpet and down through the underlay onto the steps ... yuck! I guess that's what you get from having an old lady dog who loved swimming when she was a young 'un!)

No carpet on the steps now, and tomorrow the painting begins of the hall that never ends (ceilings up and downstairs were done today!) ... the house is a mess from shoving stuff everywhere out of the direct line of work! And the little bit of helping I did gave me blisters on every finger of my right hand -- but the house will look great when we are done! (I hope I can knit with blisters!)

Hot Hot Hot ... oohhh baby, it's hot!

I know talking about it won't change it ... but have you noticed it's been pretty hot these past few days? Yeah ... yesterday it was almost 91 F at 2:30 in the afternoon, tonight it is 86 F in the house and 79 F outside (it is 8:40 p.m. as I write this!) ... we have leather furniture -- and I am tired of hearing the "thhh-weuck" sound as I get out of it as little pieces of my legs stick to the leather.

Thankfully , our local weather is calling for rain this evening (40%) and rain or drizzle tomorrow (60%) - anything to help break the humidity! It is hard to knit when the yarn sticks to you everywhere it touches!

And I have some serious knitting to do - I am almost done my SP4 pal's socks. The yarn I needed following the "incident" finally came in and T picked it up for me yesterday. Now just to ream off the yarn to the point I ran out (we will not discuss why I ran out - oh, the trauma, and I can't go through the drama of it all in this heat!), and start knitting again.

Without looking at the sock, I think I ran out shortly after the gusset decreases and quite a ways before the toe decreases. So it should take a few hours, depending on what's on tv, to finish them off tomorrow evening (I am working tomorrow through the day -- and the humidex and temp had better go down, or I will be too cranky to knit when I get home!). I really want to get them in the mail on time ... I have most of the goodies to tuck in with them, but want to pick up a few other last minute things (I am a little concerned as it has been weeks since my pal has posted anything on her blog -- I hope everything is well in her world. I am a worrier).

I have heard from the person knitting for me - got a note from her/him a few weeks ago , letting me know the socks were done and waiting to be mailed! Keener! It is pretty exciting to know that not only will I get the excitement of waiting to see if the person I am knitting for likes their socks, I also get the surprise of a wonderful pair of socks knit for me! My Grandmother is the only person who ever knit socks for me (big thick scratchy Briggs and Little socks that I loved dearly! I think I still have a pair), so it is pretty exciting to anticipate what I will get from my mystery knitter - colour, length, pattern (I like all socks, so vanilla, cables, lace, sideways, toe up , cuff down -- all of them would be welcomed gratefully!) -- not knowing anything at all about them really adds to the fun of it for me -- it is fun to look at the blog and imagine which one might be mine. I can't for the life of me figure out who is knitting for me (and with a thousand members in this swap, I am not trying too hard to be a detective! I'll just fidget and wait!)

Although if the temp stays up, I will stay off the leather as i fidget - the noise is distracting!

Angels all around us!

that is really how hot it is today - which translates to 32.5 Celsius, which translates to "hot sticky gross heat and humidity". Today is the hottest day of the Summer so far.

But guess why I am wearing a scarf?

That's right ... my scarf arrived today from the ISE4 swap. Ivy, my Angel, seriously spoiled me - the scarf is made from Plymouth Baby Alpaca dk, in the pattern "Midwest Moonlight" from Scarf Style ... and is a gorgeous softy smooshy scarf, with a fun lacy garter stitch pattern ...it's really purdy! and soft, soft soft ... and weighs absolutely nothing!

I was expecting a scarf only (Ivy is my Angel ... stepped in to knit for me when my original pal had to leave the exchange for personal reasons) ... my Angel already gave a scarf to another pal, but was sweet enough to offer to knit for someone who was partnerless, and i thought that the scarf was more than generous. But when I opened the package, there was so much more in the box, I was floored.

She sent me 2 balls of Noro Kureyon in colour 182(not on the chart, but quite similar to 180). I have never knit with Noro ... and the colour is soooo me (orange, green, turquoise, purple, pink! all my favs!)! I would have picked it out myself - I love it, and can't wait to get it on the needles!

Also tucked in there was lime green (my favorite of all colours) Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. Soo very pretty -- I will need a special pattern for those socks! To go with the lime theme -- I also got some delicious Movarian Keylime cookies ... so thin and limey, and yummm! (and now sadly - just a delicious memory!)

And to top it all off ... and I don't know how she knew this -- 'cause I don't recall writing about it anywhere -- but I love stationary (take me to a note card shop, and I am in heaven! and hours slip by in what seems like seconds) and I adore handmade quilts ... my grandmother was a huge quilter and I too have tried my hand at it -- I got a box of 25 postcards "the Quilts of Gee's Bend" (a community in Alabama!). Beautiful quilting, and interesting history!

Thank you, Ivy! You have so exceeded my expectations for this exchange ... the scarf is so soft and beautiful, and -- wow! the gifts are way too generous! You really are a sweet person -- I feel guilty having so much wonderful stuff! But I love all of it so much -- it is like you have known me for years!

*hugs to you!*

Edit:

Contests out there in blogland ... the heat is rising and people are hot to give stuff away to fellow knitters ... check out these contests:

** Sheri at the Loopy Ewe is looking for your favorite childhood story (you could win a Loppy gift certificate!)

** Adam is looking for guesses as to how long it took him to read the final Harry Potter book (yarn is the prize!)

** You have until Friday to enter Turtlegirl's contest ... all you have to do is comment on her blog - in the contest thread, and you could win yarn -- the more entries she gets, the more yarn she'll draw for -- get over there!

** Alyson has a few contests going on -- help her to write her bio for the courses she is teaching in the fall, or tell her your worst knitting mishap (and back it up with a picture if you can) -- one of her courses is about being a strong brave knitter, and not being scared to try things (and she wants to show that sometimes knitters do screw it all up!) Email her your entries -- don't post them on her blog please.

** LaVerna at Ridiculous Obsession has a contest too -- name the movie her blog is named for and you could win yarn . Post about the contest on your blog with a link to hers and you get another chance to win.

** And I think a few of the contests listed a week ago on my blog are still going on (not promising anything -- check it out for your own-self!)

** There are more I have seen lately -- but I can't find them now - and it is stinkin' hot, so enter, be happy

Time flies ...

Only 5 months 'til Christmas ... have you got your Christmas knitting started yet? Me neither! Eeek! I also have 2 craft sales coming up before Christmas that I knit, do up jams, and paint for -- where is the time going? Gotta get myself organized and get started ... any suggestions for something fun and funky to knit for the craft shows? I have knitters block! (one year I sold a whack -- like 30 - of the eyelash scarves, another year girls hats in Sidar Snowflake were a hit, felted purses, hats and slippers another year) -- I am not sure yet what this year's theme/concept will be.

For last year's Christmas sale, I didn't knit anything new, but sewed an army of 20 snowmen ... sold every single one of them! Now I have to start brainstorming and thinking (I hate thinking ... lol!)

The Yarn Harlot comes in 12 days ... and I can get the time off work to go! Wooo! Hooo! Now comes the difficult part -

what to wear? too warm for wool socks, or cotton socks for that matter! And Aside from a Fleece Artist Goldie Locks shawl or a Patons Divine poncho (way too warm, and the poncho isn't really in style anymore -- plus -- MOHAIR IN AUGUST!! ugggg!), both knit years ago, I don't have any "clothing" knit for me (so may feel horribly out of place! I wanna be like all the cool kids!)

I didn't ask permission to use this but it is from the Yarn Harlot's blog ... and is Alyson of The Yo Yo Knits modelling her wedding stockings; A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE "COOL KIDS ARE WEARING"-- it is too stinking hot here now to wear something like that, but even if it wasn't , I have never knit myself anything fabulous like that! Aside from a few pair of socks, all my stuff has been given away to family or friends - I don't knit for me, and now I am kicking myself, wishing for a cute little short sleeved cardigan, or a pretty little tank top ... who'd have thought the Harlot coming would be so stress inducing?) gahhh.

what to take to knit? I want to knit something fun that I will keep, so I can remember "that was what I was knitting when I saw Her" but not something so complex that I will need to be focused on the pattern and distracted from Stephanie, but not something so simplistic that if she were to ask me what I am knitting (if I was one of the lucky ones who gets to speak with her) that I wouldn't be embarrassed and hold up a needle with 12 stitches cast on and no knitting whatsoever - ahh the pressure! And i think I would probably be very distracting to the Harlot and the people there to see her if I took the drop spindle (with my arm flailing in the air and the muttered "Dammits", it would probably take away from the experience for everyone), so no spinning that evening.

what to buy? I have none of Her books - just started blogging in January, and discovered Her shortly after and want all of them (well, I guess then, that is one worry I won't have -- I will get all Her books! whew! I love it when decisions are obvious!)

Luckily, I don't have to try to figure out who would want to go with? My friends J. and K. both want to go, and seem really excited to go on another knitting adventure (it is soooo cool to have knitting friends - my boss looked at me really oddly when I said I wanted some time off to go to a book signing for a woman who writes knitting books -- I guess it's all what you are into! I wouldn't get excited if he told me he saw Jean Gegare (is that how you spell it?) or some other hockey dude somewhere.)

I am so psyched! This is going to be a lot of fun (and I am joshing about the stress .... mostly). It is quite exciting to have the one and only Yarn Harlot come to Halifax, NS!

Am I a twisted sister? Well, I am a little unbalanced!

It's been 2 days since I have had access to the net -- stupid computers! and of course I had news to share ... so it seemed even longer!

On Sunday, as reported earlier, I went to the Fisheries Museum to learn to spin with a drop spindle. What a hoot -- I was really a bit nervous to learn (it looks really hard to do) but I LOVE it! I am sure this can be largely attributed tot he company I keep when spinning ... Sharon Orpin of Boulder Brook Spinning in Lunenburg, is a great instructor (and very funny too!), Linda and Ann were very inspirational (they, along with Sharon, spun some very beautiful fibres on spinning wheels), and J. was learning right along with me (J. is fun and adventurous -- and is the reason I took the lesson).

(Ann combing some wool -- earlier in the day a hooker was there, but she left - see the mat she was working on? Mind out of the gutter people! LOL!)

We started the day learning about the drop spindle (did you know it has been around for 9,000 years and is probably the oldest hobby in the world? The spinning wheel has only been around for 1,000 years -- so I stuck with the tried and true method all day. I'm not into all these new fangled high techie things like Sharon, Linda and Ann were!).

Learning to spin is a little challenging ... starting with the language - who knew that "draft" is not drawing up plans, or an unwanted cool breeze? That a "bump" is not something that is sustained after a fall, or to accidentally touch someone in the grocery store? how about "parking" (not involving cars), "roving" (not meaning to eye-up people other than your spouse), "single" and "double" (when they mentioned that, I got thirsty! especially when they mentioned "plying" -- I'd spin with or without the use of a drink, but by the end of the day, you could have plied me with drinks ;) ).

We learned how to spin a single ply, carded fleece (I can't recall the type of wool we spun), to get the knack of how to do it -- my first attempts were pretty wobbly, but by the end of the afternoon, my ply was getting more even with a tighter twist to it. (This is J. drop spindling on the back right side of the picture, and Sharon, spinning in the foreground)

We then learned to spin the 2 ends of single ply we made together to make a double ply yarn, then wound it onto a niddy noddy to make it into a skein -- just like what you buy at a shop!

(J. and Sharon are using the niddy noddy to wind the wool off the spindle and into a skein - I know I said niddy noddy already, but, darn it, niddy noddy is fun to say, so I am trying to work it into conversation as often as possible -- plus - look how cute Sharon's little niddy noddy is! Awww!).

It was pretty exciting to do, and I was really pleased we had made that sort of progress, that I had something "finished" to take home. When Sharon held it up to look, it twisted a bit around itself, which means it isn't well balanced (is that a reflection on me? hmmm ... ) J.'s yarn was perfectly balance, hung without a twist ... she is very good at it.

(My first hand-spun skein of wool -- please disregard the debris on the braided mat at the Museum ... instead, bask in the yarny goodness! and try not to giggle at the uneveness and unbalancedness!)

When we got home, I spun up the rest of my natural coloured roving and after supper plied it together. This one was much better than my first skein, the plies were more even throughout and it actually looks like yarn when you look at the skein ... although it is not well balanced either - not sure why but that will come in time!)

Yesterday, I attacked my supply of coloured, combed roving and spun some up -- although I didn't have the "aha" moment they were talking about in class (the moment of clarity where the "why and how" of spinning all suddenly makes sense, I did have a "uh hah!" moment (where I figured out how to keep too much fibre from being spun at once) and since then, it has gotten easier, and my single ply is turning out thinner with fewer bumpy lumpy bits.

(the foreground skein is my second one, and my first is behind it ... I can see a difference)

It is interesting to note that Sharon just handed me a kit for the lesson, with natural roving, some coloured roving and a hot pink spindle -- she picked it all for me (and the colours of my roving and spindle couldn't have been more to my taste had I selected them myself! It's like Sharon is psychic! ) (This colour is soooo me!)

I LOVE spinning ... I may give up knitting to spin (now I see why people who spin love it so much). I am quickly working my way through my coloured roving ... and have questions and will need more roving, so I think a trip to Lunenburg may be in order (I should give Sharon a call and ask some questions, then hit the studio!)