Saturday, February 24, 2018

It's Looking a Lot Like Christmas

At 7:14 this Saturday morning, I had 6 & a quarter inches of snow on my drive. I couldn't help myself & had to go outside with my ruler & check. It was lovely, soft & light. And brought the entire town to a halt. 
Although we were warned that snow would fall on Friday morning, most of what fell in my yard, fell after dark. I was supposed to take the Ex to an eye appointment around 3:00,but it was falling very heavily so we canceled. His little suburb has only one way in & out to the main road with deep ditches, narrow streets, few lights & no sidewalks. I was concerned about getting back OUT with all that snow falling!! Good thing I did MY shopping on Thursday so I wouldn't have to go out for the next few days!! The weather office promised SUN for Saturday & my lunch date, it now looks like it won't be here till Sunday although our temps are above zero for the next few days. And once again, I am so glad I no longer have to commute anywhere!!

Knitting - I finally finished my 'car' socks in Hopscotch. I always have a pair of socks in the bag in the car but I'm thinking about changing it up a little for Spring. A few years ago, I fell in love with a cowl/shoulder wrap in Knitter's magazine. It was made simply from the top down in random rows of knit & purl  & in three weights of the same colorway, fingering, sock & worsted. The Designer used a yarn which really appealed to me. Since I couldn't find the yarn, I asked Linda at Sunset Fibers create some roving for me so I could spin my own. Linda's roving is not as screamingly bright but I think it will do the job. It's called 'Red Hat'. The yarn has been spun up for ages so I think it's about time I got started on the knitting before it gets too warm to need it.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Just a memory of summer past
Snow in February!! Although this last couple of small snowfalls haven't been a total surprise , this is the month we're most likely to get snow. Or sunshine for that matter!!  Remember the Winter Games in 2010 when we got summer in February, all wore shorts & they had to truck in snow??? hahaha This snowfall wasn't as disastrous to the suburban streets of Vancouver as it could've been, but it's been cold enough for the mice to come indoors, that's for sure.
 I remember a couple of days of huge snowfalls - for Vancouver, that is - about 30 years ago when I worked in West Vancouver, about 40 minutes away on the other side of  two bridges & a freeway. One dump was on Valentine's Day. So much snow that people working downtown were trapped there because everything stopped running. And so much snow that all the people who planned to go out, couldn't! Hotels just opened the doors. People worked double & triple shifts because they couldn't go anywhere anyway.
I left work early because the snow was getting deep & it took me almost 7 hours to get home!! People just abandoned their cars in the middle of the street. I had good winter tires & kept it in second gear all the way home. My new husband was waiting anxiously, we didn't have cell phones in those days so he just had to wait. By mid afternoon the next day, most of the snow was gone & all the roads were clear .   .   .   a week later, it  happened all over again! Only the second time they closed the second bridge & left me stranded a mile from home. Lucky for me, I had a friend just up the road & a couch to sleep on. I am so glad my commuting days are over!!!



Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Just a Box of Magazines


Red Hat 
A Box of old magazines came my way last week! A box of old Spin-Off magazines that is. I love Spin-Off & bought it faithfully every time a new issue came out until my favorite magazine shop went bust. I also bought Knitters & Interweave Knitting as well. I looked forward to each issue with great excitement even when I didn't make anything from the patterns on their pages. I learned new things, new stitches & read about new yarns & equipment. Then I ran out of money & couldn't afford to buy any of them for a few years. When I could afford them again, I couldn't find Spin-Off anywhere. So I was delighted to find a box of old issues, back from before I knew about the magazine, up for grabs.

It's fun to see all the adverts for Spinning machines! I know quite a few people with Wheels but most of them have similar ones. It's fun to go to a spinning related event & see all the Joys & Louets lined up in the spinning area!! I once saw a Columbine in the flesh, so to speak. And I got to try it out!! It was heavy but spun like a dream. I liked taking my old Indian spinner to those events because it often was the only one there - people think it can only spin plain, heavy yarns but I can spin silk thread with mine .  .  .  .  I like to think of the Indian as an ideal machine because it can spin anything, has a wide orifice - no fiddling around with pulling yarns through with a piece of wire - and a huge bobbin - no extras needed!!! It's light, comes apart into three pieces for carrying & stays quietly in it's corner when not being used. I once spent a lot of money on a Suzie Pro from Majacraft but in the end, sold it on. I just couldn't manage the double treadle after I wrecked my knee & I'm just not a production machine type of spinner.
Rainbow leftovers

It's fun to see what people were doing with their handspun. A lot of them were weavers. I am not. I can't imagine the boredom of warping a loom .  .  .  .  although, I did buy a small tapestry loom & enjoyed making wall hangings & pillows. But my real love is knitting. I have to admit that knitting your own handspun yarn is wonderful. I should do more of it. I like to spin woolen with lots of color & texture. Knitting that woolen yarn is a joy - soft & sproingy in your hands. There's no other way to describe it. 

It's too bad I got this box during the busiest time of my year because all I want to do is get my nose back into that box again. And I can't. It's year end & tax time. But I can dream about May & spinning outside on the patio. I have two little dark grey fleeces to spin. And a bag with a couple of pounds of  poorly processed Merino full of neps that's dyed neon pink. And four pounds of light grey alpaca/wool - don't know what breed. I think it's going to be a spinning summer this year.

Sunday, February 04, 2018

Chrome Wheels

Yesterday, I learned all about chrome wheels. I never did learn to check my tire pressure very often but did try to remember to do it when I filled my gas tank. And then Mr Lube & Action Tire told me to come in every 5000 miles & leave it to them. I was relieved. My knee is temperamental nowadays & I can't even get close enough to DO anything about it if it IS flat anyway. Most days, if the car starts, I take off.

Friday I realized I was starving after a hard morning of banging on the keyboard & ran out with my wallet & book in hand to get a coffee & a wrap before the kids got out of school & took over the place. Never checked anything before I left!!  Got my food, backed into a sunny spot & got waved at by a truck load of fellas who pointed at my 'flat'. Oh shit time!

Now I've been a BCAA member for eons, especially back in the day when I not only commuted to work but drove more than 10 miles away from home all the time. I have no idea why I continue to pay them since I have at least two friends with tow trucks who will rescue me any time I call much faster than any BCAA truck could. BCAA's waiting time was 47 minutes at 2:28PM. My tow-truck buddy said 15. And then I watched a BCAA truck go through the drive-thru, get a coffee & park two slots over from me while I waited for the tow-truck. Yessssss, he has the right to take a break too .   .   .   .

The tow truck showed up before I finished my coffee, blew up my tire & followed me down to the tire shop - love that guy!! Action guy takes off my wheel & snorts. His co-worker checks the back wheel & pronounces it bad, too. They tell me it looks like I've been driving on the rims, take off the tires & give me the real bad news. All four of my wheels are fawncy chrome wheels. But chrome wheels have a problem - cheap chrome jobs. Cheap chrome peels, wheels rust where the chrome gets loose which pushes more chrome off. The wheel under the peeling chrome builds up a huge pocket of rust which pushes the tire off the wheel. My problem exactly. So the boys ground off the rust & chrome, painted it all with some primer & put the tires back on. Perfect they said. Don't need new tires at all. Just need new rims ALL ROUND soon. Wonderful. There goes my yarn budget again. Good thing I know tow-truck drivers!!! Got my order in for a good set of steel rims already .   .   .   .