Sunshine At Last!!


I spent most of today in the car, on the road & in and out of Starbucks. Its tax season again. I'm running all over town picking up, delivering & dropping off tax stuff. I have envelopes, boxes, bags & binders in my home office. I have a deep pile of printed tax returns in front of the printer waiting to be put together & stuffed into envelopes for Revenue Canada. I'm so glad it was sunny today! I actually stayed outside & soaked up some extra rays when I finally got home - I'll see how many rays in the morning when I see what color my face is . . . . .

I have 8 new squares in the Blankets4Canada basket. They're all in the rose/turquoise/green/yellow combo yarn from Bernat that I found in the stash. I decided to just knit it all up into squares for now & then find some nice grey or black in a compatible weight to make the rest of the blanket. I'll sprinkle the colored squares around so they show off like jewels in the solid background. This is getting to be fun!

And - I've traded my little white car for a loaded Safari Van. I confess my little car has developed some problems which need to be fixed but I don't have any money. Since ICBC STILL hasn't paid my partner ANYTHING for rehab, drugs, wage loss or medical treatments in almost TWO YEARS, we live day to day. Needless to say, my car has suffered. I broke a spring on the Pattulo bridge a couple of weeks ago - the curb lane is full of potholes which can't be dodged!! and the exhaust manifold is venting into my car because it's cracked. One of my clients offered me this van at a price I couldn't refuse - FREE. It has some minor problems but no one has to lay on the wet or cold ground to pull a tranny to fix these ones. Now I'll just have to learn to parallel park a van again . . . And now I have plenty of room to haul around a couple of spinning wheels, baggage & comfy chairs for several spinners . . . Whoooooeeeeee!

You Asked For It!


My Purple Glasses are here at last - I can read very, very well, I can watch tv very, very well but I can't walk very, very well with them. I have the progressives from the old prescription, which hasn't changed all that much but I can't read the fine print at all. Seems I need a much bigger lens to properly place everything but a bigger lens is waaaay too heavy & has too much peripheral distortion. As a result, I'm reduced to plain bifocals. So, I'll wear my old glasses to drive & use the new ones to watch tv & knit.

And I now have my new Denise needles!! I just love them! They're so light & warm! I've been using circular needles for years because they're easier on my hands & shoulders. I thought they were light but the Denise ones are so much lighter I can't believe it. I have two projects on the go where I've changed to the Denise needles as you can see. I love the fact that I can just add another extension or take one away as I need them. Too bad they don't come in the smaller sizes but I guess I'll cope!!

I've started knitting squares on my Denise needles - everything is so smoothly finished that the yarn moves really nicely - who knows, I may be working on strips before too long! Three down & one more on the needles - who says it takes a long time to knit a blanket??? These don't take any time at all in the Bernat worsted yarn on Denise needles! I'm using the old ball-band washcloth pattern knit from corner to corner on the diagonal. And, I'm using the 5mm needles so the fabric is a little thicker than I would make if it were an afghan for snuggling on the couch but the folks at Blankets4 Canada asked for a firmer fabric so I decided to use the smaller needle. I'd like to find one of the colors in the square or maybe even black to make the rest of the blanket. I think I have enough of this color to make about a dozen squares which I'd like to scatter here & there like jewels with the rest in a solid color. This is soooooo much fun!!

ITS RAINING CATS & DOGS


Woke up on Saturday to this pounding rain storm that has continued more or less for the whole weekend. Good time to stay home, make soup, do the laundry, finish my latest pair of socks & get started on the pile of tax returns in my office. It is now Sunday afternoon & the rain is STILL coming down! But, I finished my latest pair of socks. Aren't they great with the red toe???

I dug around in my stash baskets & found tons of old Bernat acrylic yarns - I used to make afghans for all my pals when they moved into new homes & have lots of odds & ends left over. I seem to have bought at least 3 one pound balls of red too! Wonder what I was going to do with that??? I have 2 one pound balls of shades of blue & 1 two pound ball of denim blue - I know that one was to make an afghan for my BoyToy when he moved to his new place but he hasn't moved yet . . . . I also found some nice balls of children's yarns in the same weight - I always have those on hand for kid's gifts but I guess they will soon become squares or strips for Blankets4Canada. Why not?? They've been in the basket for almost 9 years now . . . .

And then, there's all those nice creamy skeins spun out of Brown Sheep roving. Whatever to do with them??? I'm thinking of spinning up at least 10 of them & then dyeing them at the same time so I have enough in the same colors to actually make something for me. I may use them in a felted bag project - I still love Gail's Booga Bag. I'd love to have one bag for my wallet, keys, reading glasses & knitting!!

So, Saturday nite, I spent my time adding another skein to the giant bobbin on my spinner! I find spinning sooooo soothing & relaxing after a long day pounding on the computer!!

Oh by the way, the Purple Glasses are here at last but they won't photograph as purple!! I'm still trying to get used to them too. Its been a long time since I wore bifocals & I'd forgotten about stairs. If you aren't falling UP, you're falling DOWN!!

I can't believe its almost Wednesday!


The time is really speeding by these days - have you noticed its still light at 6PM??? And it was 17 outside this afternoon!! It was actually warmer outside the warehouse where I was working than inside today. I think spring is almost sprung, or trying its best. Remember my clematis?? Here's a little reminder of spring to come.


I got my new Denise Needles on Monday. I had to rush home after work to cast-on a dishcloth just so I could try them out. I like them. The joins are smooth. Other than being afraid I'll break them, I have no problems with the connectors, buttons or ends. Too bad the cord is too thick for needles smaller than the 3.25mm - I'd like to have these for socks too!
But, I very cleverly found sets of bamboo DPs in sizes 2, thru 3.25 on Ebay for 99 cents US + shipping. So, for 6 bucks US, I got four sizes with 5 needles in each. They look an awful lot like my Brittany's which cost me $10 for one size. So, I went back & bought the same four sizes in 40" circs as well for $15 US including shipping. I do like to knit some things on small needles & these seemed too much like a bargain to me.

The heels are turned on both of my new socks! This is the one that looked very pink in the photo but you can see its actually red. And it will have a red toe!

And it looks like I've joined Blankets 4 Canada. Seems like a very worthwhile cause to me. Contributors knit squares or strips which are joined together into blankets which are donated to shelters & places where people need warmth & comfort. What a great way to contribute to a fellow human's comfort, don't you think??? Just think of all the times you knit up a swatch. Make that swatch an 8" square & send it to me. I'll find it a good home!

So??? I've been busy, dammit!


Remember the Heatbeat sweater I was lusting after???

Well, I ordered it & started knitting on it right away! I had an idea for a light summer sweater in a yarn I had found in the Baby yarn department at Zeller's or Wallmart. I bought a couple of balls in several colors intending to make something for a friend who was pregnant. I ended up doing something different & I had these balls of Bernat Baby in the stash. I particularly liked the lavender & thought it might work for this sweater which was designed for a poly/cotton. I wanted something very light & drapey because I'm making a LARGE sized sweater!!! TADAAA It's actually a very simple, garter design that can be adapted to any yarn, any needle & any size! Jill designed a real winner in this sweater! Go to Http://www.justonemorerow.com and look under patterns! Jill has a lot of interesting bags, a hat or two & lots of specialty yarns designed for her creations. I love the fact that her sweaters come in multi-sizes & include small to MYsize!

I've also been working on my next pair of socks out of some of the bargain yarn I got from Elann. I've finished the heel increases on one sock & am now doing them on the other. You know how I like to work both socks at the same time!!! Not sure if these will actually go on my feet or if they'll go into the box of socks for charity. Maybe I should just do what Gail does & have a big box of socks knit up & let the recipient choose the ones they want! I have a great solid red that goes with this yarn to make up the toes! Yes, this is not pink, its RED.



Speaking of socks - Gail gave me a nice 100 gm ball of yarn for my birthday last year. I've wound it up into two balls - thank gawd for ball winders - & found the perfect hot pink for the toes too. The pink is a little brighter than actual in this picture - hey, I don't pretend to be a photographer!! - I know a lot of people think I'm weird after seeing some of my color choices. But, the camera lies!

And, speaking of lies - I haven't even got dressed yet & its almost noon. I lied to a client this morning - I croaked, coughed, sniffled & pinched my nose to simulate a condition I don't actually have - well, not that bad anyway. I did wake up sneezing, snuffling & blowing but I think its actually paper dust from all the stuff I'm working on. Its tax season. Let the fun begin!!