Fireworks are Banned in Surrey

Diwali started yesterday. I guess there were big celebrations at all of the Sikh & Hindu temples with a big parade in Vancouver to the main temple on Ross street. Surrey's parade will be next weekend. I've always wondered why there's TWO Diwali parades but no one can tell me - not even the people celebrating. But Diwali calls for lots of food - sweets especially - and lots of fireworks. I'm beginning to think fireworks have become popular across all cultures!!
I live in a neighborhood where the majority of residents are Sikh & Hindu and most seem to celebrate with fireworks. Last night, there was a major bombardment from all sides from right after dinner to about 9:00. One of the neighbors must've invested in a huge amount in Roman candles!! Glorious colored balls of light lit up the overcast skies for almost an hour!!!

And in a couple of hours, we start on Hallowe'en. I wonder what the neighbors saved for tonight????  And for those who like to stay IN for a Treat, here's a couple for you to knit. 

 - My Vampire Boyfriend Sock  by Kate Atherley
 - Revenge of the Mummies Sock by Janine Le Crais
 - Black Widow Spider Sock by Janine Le Crais
   

And the Time Just Speeds Away

I meant to check into the blog & report on things  sooner but I tell  ya, the days & weeks are really speeding by. I have no idea where the time goes these days, but it sure hasn't been very productive. But I have accomplished some things.

I had this itchy, black spot between my shoulder blades that I kept on scratching. It got to the point where I was using anything long to scratch my back, including the office scissors!! My freckles are usually pale greenish brown not black, so I figured I was growing a melanoma -  Gah!! Well, the Doc thinks it's only a sebaceous cyst but it will be removed, just to make sure, whew.

And - after several years of having no money & making do - I made it to the Optometrist and have new glasses on order!!! My Driving glasses will be hot pink & I'm able to reuse my Purple frames for the bifocals for reading & watching TV. I won't mention how much they cost. It's horrifying. I have a massive correction .  .  .  .  Maybe, just maybe, I'll actually be able to see to drive after dark!

I have reached the toe shaping on the second of my Scrappy Socks that I'm trading for Tillamook Old cheese.
I've enjoyed making these socks which are made with two or three strands of different balls of yarn. The yarn changes every row so it's a nice way to use up all those single balls of sock yarn in the bin. I've found that it's not a good method for short balls or bits & leftovers - too many ends to weave in - but it's great for whole single balls or half balls but works best with a light & a dark yarn.

Nothin but a Crab Ass

Yeah, that's me, the Crab Ass. All this rain, wind & damp has made my basement cold & clammy which has made my joints all ache & burn. And to go from too hot to too wet & cold in a couple of weeks - AND add the poisonous American election jacking of the media waves to the mix - it's . . it's . . . well, it's . . . . unreasonable. And unseasonable. Where's the gorgeous Fall weather we usually have this time of year??? Where are all the new shows to knit to???? The rains don't usually fall till Hallowe'en in this part of the world, fer gosh sake. So I'm crabby.

I've also been chipping away at my new sweaters -  yeah, sweaters, plural!! I still have both on the go as well as a pair of socks on the needles for a man with swollen ankles. He's offered to trade Tillamook OLD cheese for scrap socks. Yeah, I still have to knit

every stitch but I'm using up all the blue leftovers so it isn't costing me anything but waiting time - this is car knitting. I'm using the Spiral Sock method from Cabin Fever - I made several pairs of Pink socks this past summer the very same way.

No photos of the sweaters - they're in bags beside my chair in front of the tube all scrunched on short cords for knitting the main part of the body. My V-neck Cardi from Cabin Fever is halfway down the body - still thinking about knitting that lace skirt on the bottom for fun. And the Knitted Sweatshirt is about 3 inches below the armhole & still getting extra bust increases that I learned from Cabin Fever!! I am knitting that side panel from under the arm to the hem in garter stitch which will be split & finished in garter as well.

The damn Tree Rats are burying nuts in my plants again!!! I've been making sure the soil in their pots is damp so the squirrels stay out of them but someone's taken a big chunk out of the main Jade Plant stalk when digging a hole in the nice clean dirt!!! One year, I found a whole Hershey bar buried in my hanging Rock Plants!!! It must've been a hellova job hauling that thing into the yard & up the stairs to the hanging basket to bury it too. I wouldn't mind so much if they used the outdoor plant pots & bins but NOT my indoor darlings who are vacationing outside!! At least the Spider plants are loving this weather. They're waaay bigger in person than they appear in this picture!!! They've got branches shooting out all over with babies on the ends which may be big enough to save for next year. Maybe they'll survive outside if the weather stays mild & I cover them this winter because I sure don't have room for them indoors.

Baby, It's Cold Down Here

My basement is chilly & I've dug out the old woolly sweater & the garter stitch lap blanket I knit last year for my knees when I'm working at my desk. Since I live on cement floors, it feels colder inside than it does outside in the rain. I went out for coffee around lunch time & was surprised at how warm it is out there considering it's grey & dark & wet. The house plants are still thriving outside - the Jade plant is almost black with health & the spiders keep putting out  stalks with babies on the ends in all directions. And there's still a couple of almost red strawberries hanging off the Everbearing plants. It's been a good summer for the ferns too, even the one hanging out of the bottom of the Hen & Chicks basket.

The Woolly Sweatshirt is coming along quickly. I'm almost ready to put the sleeve stitches on a string & move on down the body. I put it all on a l-o-n-g cord to try it on yesterday & tried my best to take a picture. I must be horribly uncoordinated or something because I could NOT get the sweater in the picture without my big hand with the camera in the middle of it. In the end, I took it off, laid it on my messy desk & took a picture of it all stretched out. The color is bad - it's Royal Blue - because it was too dark inside but I got a damn progress picture anyway. Looking forward to wearing this thing, the sooner, the better!!! There's nothing so nice as a warm wool sweater when it's damp & cold. Unless it's a hand spun woolly sweater, of course!!! And I have one of those on the needles as well.