Secret Projects

I've been a bit busy wrapping up a few secret projects that have occupied my mind and hands for the last while. Since November, I've been working on a committee to bring about a 10th Anniversary edition to the Ottawa Knitting Guild's newsletter, The Tangled Skein.

Along with Anne Goodwin, Ann Thacker and Victoria Leslie, we toiled and slaved to create this...
It's a 30 page magazine with new articles commemorating the guild's history and activities and reprinted articles from the last 10 years.

I wrote one of the articles.

And although I don't often toot my own horn, I am responsible for bringing about a new logo for the guild. Now, I did not design it, but I had a hand in its creation and it was my idea to replace the old logo. I feel very proud of what we all accomplished.

And I'd also like to say that the ladies at the guild were all raised very well. We received unlooked-for gifts as thanks for all our hard work, sweat and tears (yes, there were tears to produce this thing, but what birth doesn't?). Each of us received a lovely little bouquet of fragrant red roses and a basket filled with goodies. The committee also celebrated with burgers, salad and wine and flan. What an end to a great project.

In other news, I'm designing again. Another sock. They seem to be addictive. I finished this one up and showed my girls. They each had their own reaction to it.

One asked, "Mommy, are you going to knit another one?!"

And they other asked, "Oh Mommy, are you going to knit us some?"

And both questions can be answered with one word: "YES!"

I'm taking my notes and will have the pattern written up soon. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to post this patterns for sale. Until then though, enjoy the fruits of our labours.

The other thing that I've been doing for the last 6 weeks is taking guitar lessons at work. Tuesdays at lunch had given me blisters. But in return I have boned up on my chording, learned some strumming patterns and was introduced to finger picking and flat picking patterns. I really enjoyed it and I think it might be time to tune up the old 12-string again.

Fiona Style and a Homicidal Fish

I present you my child, Fiona, second born of twins. First lady of the scissors. You know, it only takes 15 minutes for a parent to shower. It takes less time for a 3 year old to hack off her hair. (I was not the parent in the shower.)

This is what Fiona’s hair looked like May 24th.

And this is what it looks like after having been to the hairdressers for what I’m sure is a regular event of their utmost artistry. Doesn’t every kid do this? I remember going to bed without supper the night I decided I’d had enough of my bangs.

That is not a comb over. There is only scruff there at the top of her head. She still looks cute.

Also, these are the ponchos that I made for the girls. True to fine knitting form, I put the collars on them (so that Calla’s will not fall right off her shoulders and on to the floor anymore) and the temperature is set to go into the 30s later in the week. They will fit for several years though. Maybe someday I’ll even put flowers on them.

Loosely based on the Urban Poncho pattern from (I think) Lion Brand yarn. Calla's is made of Patons Canadiana colour 420, lot 02/03 from the Fairy Yarn Father. Fiona's is made from Patons Decor and I don't have the ball bands at the moment. The yarn was supposed to be bulky, so since I used worsted weight, I held the yarn double and hoped for the best. It's not like it was a cabled vest we shall not name for the now. And because they are a little on the large size, the children can grow into them for a few years. Easy to knit. A very pleasing, mindless knitt.

A killer swims among us

Some time ago, I bought a fish. It was a beta that was not a happy fish. And not long lived. This may have been my error, not ever having owned fish before. However, it was a dissatisfied fish and the children (who were the recipients of “Nemo”) did not care a whit about him. I secretly believe the fish knew his name and committed suicide from the shame of being a Disney creation.

So I went to Walmart and bought new fish. One of which flourished. The other two, not so much. I changed the water when I should. I fed them. I said, “Hi!” every day. One day, my mother watched the orange and white one bunt the others as it lapped the bowl. It either worried them to death or they fell into merciful concussions and were “flushed”. For all I know, they have now recovered and are living very happily in the Mississippi watershed. I’d like to think so.

Without further ado, I present “Killer”.

I know he doesn't look like much, but you are not a fish sharing the bowl with this menace.
Please spare a moment for a couple of the fallen (Blackie and the Rodeo King). And do try to remember, when you are in a bowl with a fish who has delusions of grandure and thinks it's a shark, the plastic weeds offer no cover.

Surviving the Time Warp

This past weekend, I entered a black hole. A vortex of frenetic activity that actually bent time itself and allowed me to get more stuff done than any one household should be able to achieve in 3 days. Strap on your helmets and sit down. I’m not sure how I’m still standing, but you’ll be tired when you’re done reading.





On Friday morning my Dad arrived for a visit. We almost immediately jumped in the car and headed off to Ikea to buy some mattresses. I had picked up the girls’ new Big Girl beds. Pine bunk beds from Sears and decided that Ikea foam mattresses would just fit the bill. I did have to explain that no one would “on top” because the girls are not old enough to have the beds stacked. But when the time comes, let the record stand: Calla is going to be on the top bunk. (I figure this is quite fitting as Fiona was the twin who was on top before they were born.)

So while I got the groceries, Dad started to put the new blinds and curtain rods up. Buy the time I was finished the shopping (more shopping…god I hate shopping) and put away the food and hid the surprise for the girls, we were ready to put together the beds. Pine bunk beds are heavy, so Dad and I took 15 trips up and down the stairs to load everything we needed into their room. We got the frames together and the girls helped us spread out and secure the slats. They put all the screws in the holes and we were able to quickly fasten them with the drill. Already the children’s eyes glow when they see power tools. It brings a tear to my eye just to think about when I can get them their very first power tools.

As soon as the mattresses where down, the new sheets went on (damn me, they’re expensive) and the girls were into their beds faster than I’ve ever seen them move. Finally, after a year and a half, their room is complete. Well, they could use a few pictures on the walls. I’m working on that.

This is how happy they are with their new room.

With that job done, we enjoyed dinner, the girls had a bath and then they were off to their new big girl beds for the first sleep and Dad and I collapsed on the couch and stumbled upon Transformers which neither of us had seen. What a score! The computer graphics were amazing and the story is pretty good too. I vaguely remember there was a cartoon and the toys when I was a kid, but let’s face it, my track record with the toys was not good then and it hasn’t improved any. Why is it when I pick up one of those things I don’t get a cool vehicle or plane. I get a severed head or an arm or a wheel. Really, it might just be for the best that I leave the toys alone and enjoy the movie. I’ll watch it again for sure, even though I know very well that no knitting is possible while its one. That should tell you something.

Saturday many things happened all at once. The grass got cut. It was in danger of swallowing the children, so I cut it just in time. The veggie garden was widened in the hopes that it will produce vegetables this year. Last year was a bit of a fallow year for the garden. I purchased last year’s seeds at the dollar store. That was a bad idea. The only thing that came up were inedible radishes. Seriously, there were like fire. This year, I smartened up and bought seeds every grocery trip for a month. And the number of seed packets meant that the postage stamp garden needed to be bigger. So I set Dad to work with the shovel turning over the sod. And I spent the rest of the day on my knees in the garden shaking the dirt out of the sod and throwing it into the wheelbarrow and emptying it onto the compost pile. I could have put it elsewhere, but then I’d have to mow it too.

While I was shaking the dirt (with the help of the girls who were treasure hunting and flinging dirt around in the garden), Dad went and got me my birthday present. Two new screen doors for the kitchen. Now we can sit with the metal doors open and fewer bugs will come in. Must get a couple of magnet sets to ensure the doors stay closed in the breeze.



And the guys showed up to install…drum roll please…the air conditioner!!!!! This summer the house will NOT become an Anasazi bake oven. I will sleep through the night in July! I swear it.

Three Cheers! to Carleton Clean Air Technologies!!! Rubin, Shawn and Chris did a fantastic job and I would recommend them to anyone for any of your heating and air conditioning needs. They were honest, efficient and cost conscious. They did good work fast. I am totally happy with my dealings with them. Thanks also to Gaynor and Adrian for putting me on to them. Fantastic!

Then we got out the surprise. My kids love to jump up and down. So now, they can.

So I shook dirt out of clumps of grass all day and then cleaned myself up and got ready to do a gig in Almonte at the Naismith Pub. Yes, I played drum for 4 hours with the same arm that shook out all that dirt. And I can still move it now!

And on the way to the gig, not far beyond the tracks on Hwy 29, Dad and I saw something very interesting cross the road. I kid you not. We saw a wolf run across the road in broad daylight. I’ve never seen one of those before.

On Sunday, Dad went home (after letting me sleep in a bit…bless you man). The girls and I planted our veggie seeds (broccoli, lettuces, carrots, beans, peas, tomato plants) and they ran through the sprinkler while I weeded another bed and got wet the more I pruned the roses. And we laid plans for the afternoon. Nicola, Andrew and Harry were coming over for a play (and a relax) and BBQ. A very nice way to round out the weekend. I learned again (after 30 years) how to play Crazy 8s and man, it is crazy. Somewhere around 10 pm I kicked everyone out (except my children who were blissfully sound asleep) and lost consciousness.

When I checked on the kids I discovered that they had decided that their night lights no longer needed to be in their windows when they’d work much better perched up here.

Surprise!

You know, sometimes, when you least expect it, a party breaks out. This is a driect cause from having musicians for friends.

What a great birthday I had. At lunch, I was treated by my friends at work to excellent Vietnamese soup and then a Second Cup iced coffee thing (I'm not a regular and has anyone noticed it is now impossible to order a simple drink at these so called Specialty Coffee shops? I mean without attending their unversity programming to learn the names of drink types and sizes).

Anyways! Many thanks to Dan, Sabine, Gaynor and Dave for a lovely lunch.

Later in the day, Bruce met me for dinner at Lonestar in Kanata where we gorged on tex mex and Corona (OK I was the one who ordered the humungous Corona) and then headed home to what I thought would be a nice relaxing evening with a couple of friends over for cake.

A couple turned into 10 in a hurry. Thanks to Bob, Arlene, Gord, Johanne, Charlie, Nicola, Andrew and Harry for making my birthday special. And extra special thanks to my dear Bruce who arranged a very tasty cake and set the whole thing up.

Music and friends. What more can someone ask on their birthday?!

Let Them Eat Cake

There’s been a whole lot of music and partying going on around here.

Corkery Road played a gig at The Old Mill at Ashton a couple of weeks ago. It was our first time playing there and it was a treat. I had worked overtime that day and was pretty wiped out by the time I got to the pub, but I had revived myself with a bit of new yarn from Kelly at the Ashton General Store (which I have yet to take a photo of, so stay tuned) and a new shawl construction book. Thank you for letting me in eventhough you were already closed!!!

When we got to the pub, we discovered it packed with a whole tournament’s worth of rugby players. What an interesting crew rugby players are. For all I know, they are accountants and computer programmers by day, but put a jersey on their backs and they become something else entirely. On the field, they can become testosterone driven animals intent on two things: killing things that get in their way and scoring goals. But afterwards, they return to the social element…beer. And lots of it.

Just before we ate, we watched these men choose the winning teams’ “man of the match” which was followed by an amazing chug contest. The trick, my lovelies is not to swallow. Just tip your head back and try not to let it come out of your nose.

When that was finished, one of the props came up. And how do I know he was a prop? Simple, he was the biggest bastard in the bar and had size 14 (or so) feet. This is important because he was there to recognize and celebrate a player’s very first goal ever. The man’s prize? ¾ of a pitcher of beer. Drunk from one size 14 “well seasoned” rugby shoe.

I would much rather have watched them perform live sex acts on a goat.

Luckily, despite these manly, barbaric acts, every one used their utensils to eat and some of them even stayed for the show. In fact the table with the big prop supplied John with a hat to wear while he sang one of his tunes. Considering the number of get-ups I’ve seen John wear in the last 2 years, I am not surprised they wanted him to put on the tam.

The Barley Shakers have been active and making much music in the last couple of months. I haven’t had the opportunity to play much with them because of conflicting schedules but on Sunday May 4, we took part in the Almonte Kitchen Ceilidh to help raise funds for the Danny O’Connell Memorial Fund to help up and coming local fiddlers. From what I heard, the show was excellent. The Old Town Hall filled up so fast during the Barley Shakers performance, we didn’t have any where to sit, so faced with the thought of nothing more to do, we went back to Bruce’s and jammed away the rest of the afternoon and then headed over to the Ironworks Pub to jam some more. Great night.

Since the weather has turned beautiful, almost an instant summer, I have been mucking around in the gardens. Because of the business of last summer and the amount of rain we had, little was done last year. One of my gardens wasn’t weeded at all, causing it to make my place look a bit like a crack house. Well after much toil and sweat, I have 4 of my 5 gardens cleaned up and some of them even mulched. I have a few more to go, but the black flies are out in a plague and are making it so gardening is a bit of a blood sport after the sun goes down. Again, no pictures yet. I promise, if the sun is still nice when I get home, I’ll take some and post them later.
This weekend past, my mom was up to visit. We had a great time doing a bit of shopping for gardening things, and she’s responsible for one of the gardens looking so nice. While she was here, we celebrated both Mother’s Day and my Birthday. Although my birthday is tomorrow, I have always been fortunate enough to spread the joy over a week or sometimes two, if I’m lucky. It’s not about the gifts, but the good times and we all like them. So there was cake, and there were flowers and there was much good cheer.

Can It Be Spring Now?!

Pattern by: Jennifer Hoy

All 9 Muses

These socks were born out of an intense desire for winter to be over during one of our many January blizzards. The five columns of twisted stitches provide extra stretch so fewer stitches are needed for these socks. And an eye of the partridge heel lends just a little zing.

Size: Woman’s medium (size 7.5ish)

Finished measurements: 11 inch leg and 9.5 inch foot length (but tailorable to fit any length)

Materials: 100 gr On line Supersocke 100 in Tropic colour

Needles: set of 5 3mm dpns

Gauge: 9 sts per inch

Notes: Twisted Stitches are created when you insert your needle into the second stitch and knit, then knit into the first stitch and draw them both off the needles at the same time.

Pattern

Cuff: Cast on 60 sts loosely. K1, P1 for 2 inches.

Leg Pattern

Row 1: K7, P1, K2 twisted, P1, *K8, P1, K2 twisted, P1, * (repeat from * to * 3 times) K1

Row 2: K7, P1, K2, P1, *K8, P1, K2, P1, * (repeat from * to * 3 times) K1
Repeat these two rows until leg is 9 inches long.

Divide for heel by placing stitches from the back of the leg (the ones where the column of twisted stitches run up the back of the leg like a seam) onto one needle and proceed to do a partridge heel flap thusly…

Eye of the Partridge Heel Flap

Row 1: *Slip 1, K1* repeat. End with K1

Row 2: Slip 1 purlwise, Purl to the end

Row 3: *K1, Slip 1* repeat. End with K2

Row 4: Slip 1 purlwise, Purl to the end

Repeat until your heel flap is square. End with right side facing for heel turning.

Turn the Heel

Work across half the heel flap stitches + 2 sts, K2tog, k1, turn Slip 1 purlwise, P5, P2tog, P1, turn Work to last stitch before the gap, decrease, k1, turn Work to last stitch before the gap, decrease, p1, turn Repeat until all the stitches have been worked.

Pick Up the Gusset
Pick up and knit 16 sts along the edge of the heel flap, work across the front of the sock in pattern, pick up and knit 16 sts along the other edge of the heel flap and knit to the middle of the turned heel. Rearrange your sts so that you have an even number of stitches along the gussets and heels. Proceed thusly…

Row 1: Knit to the last 3 sts of the first needle, k2tog, k1, knit across the front of the sock in pattern, k1, ssk, knit to the end of the 4th needle.

Row 2: Knit all sts on first needle, knit across the front of the sock in pattern, knit all sts on the 4th needle.

Repeat these two rows until there are 15 sts remaining on each needle. Proceed down the foot, keeping continuity of pattern across the top of the foot and stocking stitch for the bottom of the foot until the sock measures 6.5 inches (or try it on and stop knitting when the sock reaches the base of your big toe).

Decrease for Toe

Round 1: Needle 1: Knit to the last 3 sts, K2tog, k1 Needle 2: K1, ssk, K to end Needle 3: Knit to the last 3 sts, K2tog, k1 Needle 4: K1, ssk, K to end
Round 2: Knit all stitches

Repeat these 2 rounds until there are 24 sts left.

Kitchener stitch remaining sts off the needles.

© All 9 Muses 2008. This original pattern is for personal use only. You are not permitted to sell it or distribute it or sell socks you make from it. Permissions may be granted for the use of this pattern or the picture used herein.

Overall, I really enjoyed designing and knitting these socks. The pattern is easy and fun. Fewer stitches per row (even if it is only a savings of 4 sts) made them zip right along. This was my first partridge heel as well. The yarn was a good buy from Textile Traditions on a dark, depressingly snowy (no really blizzardy) Saturday in Almonte. After partaking of a good solid meal at the Superior Restaurant, I slogged across the street and proclaimed that only sock yarn would make it all better. Sunny, happy sock yarn. On Line self-striping sock yarn fit the bill and at at about $13 for 100gr, it fit the pocket book too.

I designed the socks for the Ottawa Knitters' Guild Sock Challenge (well, I would have designed them anyway, but this gave me the nudge I needed) and will be passing them over to the judges tonight. I won't see them for a month (sniff)!

I did notice, however, that when I washed them, some of the blue dye ran a bit. Something to watch out for. I think I'll dunk them by hand until they stop that nonsense as my superwash socks usually go into the regular wash.

Special thanks to Bruce, for taking the pictures of socks on the foot.

What Book Are You?

You're The Mists of Avalon!

by Marion Zimmer Bradley

You're obsessed with Camelot in all its forms, from Arthurian legend
to the Kennedy administration. Your favorite movie from childhood was "The Sword in
the Stone". But more than tales of wizardry and Cuban missiles, you've focused on
women. You know that they truly hold all the power. You always wished you could meet
Jackie Kennedy.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Well, maybe not all that, but how could I resist posting this?! Funny, I've read it at least 3 times all more than 15 years ago now and usually when I see something like this I want to rush right out and do it. However, as this is well over 500 pages and I'm averaging about 1 chapter a night out of a kids book (The Dark is Rising Sequence) it might be imprudent to start Mists now.