Happy Day

Friday, day off, picked up my November Sock Kit at the LYS, sat and knitted for a bit and drank tea with the girls. It's so cold out -19C ALL I want to do is drink hot things, snuggle under blankets and knit. I am proud to say I have resisted the on-line shopping urge that occasionally strikes along with a raging case of cabin fever. I had a raft of yummy sock yarn in my cart and I JUST SAID NO.

After all, I still have to pay for my new Tri-focals (yes you heard me: over $900 of, "Oh boy, you ARE getting old!!").

All Ginger wants to do is snuggle in the furry warmth of her new bed. Look at that face!

Can't really post what I'm working on, but I'm making it with this. Tilli Tomas Ruby Wine. I will say, it's going well so far.

My first attempt at lace went to its intended recipient. A fun, fast and easy project and I would make it again. Slanted Eyelet Scarf in Tilli Tomas Glampyre.

Retreat, retreat...

So I had a weekend away. That might be the biggest understatement I've ever made.

I had a lovely, amazing weekend of knitterly goodness. Starting Thursday night with a class at Make One taught by Annie Modessit. The class was awesome. I am not at the skill level some of my fellow classmates were but I got so much out of it!

I tend to be a reluctant class taker. I've dropped out of classes I paid good money for because there were people who insisted on talking all the time. I can't cope with a lot of noise, if people in the class are talking it's hard. I'm left handed which means spending a lot of time not only learning a technique but having to figure out how to do it in mirror image so when the instructor is saying "now take your right needle..." I am immediately translating "SO that means my left needle and when she's doing this, to get the same thing I need to do that....". Annie was very good about keeping the background chat to a dull roar for which I was profoundly grateful. She runs a tight ship and that's a good thing! There was a lot of information to take away at the end of the night.

Friday, I had the boy's report card interviews. Never fun. He doesn't get his written assignments done, if he does get them done, he never gets them handed in. We heard this in every tone ranging from positivity, hope that a change might be affected to total exasperation. We ended the morning by stopping by his cooking teacher. What a difference. "Your son is so appreciative of food! He is professional and efficient in the kitchen, he looks like a true chef!" I told him that passion and commitment needs to carry over. He has to find something in his other courses to be enthusiastic about.

We barelled home after the interviews, I grabbed my bags and called a cab. That's when the weekend really started. The boy went to his Grandma's, the dog had a sitter (and her new birthday bed) and I hit the road.

We met at the yarn store for a yummy breakfast, hopped on board a luxury tour bus for some quality knitting (or drinking depending) time and headed up to Emerald Lake.

What a fabulous weekend. Lots of amazing food, excellent wine, spectacular scenery, knitting by the fire, hot tubbing, more fantastic food, excellent classes taught by Annie Modessit (an excellent instructor), fresh air, cosy accommodations (every room had it's own fireplace).

I'm not a large group person, there were times when the noise level got to me, but there were lots of corners to go knit quietly and ample time to get away. Much progress was made on Greenjeans and the lace scarf. I spent one afternoon (after a much needed session in the hot tub) curled up by the fire in my room reading. I ate more than I should have, drank just a little bit more than I should have, met nice people, laughed lots, learned lots and just generally had a fabulous break! Something that hasn't happened for me in a long time.

Amy and Sandra did a fantastic job of hosting the weekend. There were nearly 50 women there needing to be kept happy, I don't know how they did it. The staff were awesome, the lodge is spectacular. It was all together amazing.

Official Stalker…

Hello, I'd like to apply to be Stefanie Japel's official stalker, is that position taken yet? I could also be her official stalker's official stalker if that's still open (apologies to Jasper Fforde). Now that I've finished one Stefanie Japel pattern (the mini wrap sweater/boob holder) and purchased the Simple Knitted Bodice pattern and as of today, am the proud owner of her book "Fitted Knits" and even joined the Fitted Knits group on Ravelry, heck even the lace scarf I'm working on is in the colourway "Glampyre" do you think I'm qualified? I want to make everything! SKB, The Elizabeth Bennet Cardigan, The Drop Stitch Lace Tank, The Wrap Around Lace Sweater and of course The Back to School Vest and V-Neck Pullover with Deep Ribbing. All her pattern are just, well they're just kind of sexy. When I realized how many patterns in my queue were from that one book, it only made sense to get it. Now I've got it so I have no excuses.

In other news, I am on the sleeves of Mr. Greenjeans. Yeah! And my lace scarf is back on track now that my beloved Glampyre is no longer a pathetic tangled mess. Double Yeah! One more week and I go on the Emerald Lake Lodge Knitting Retreat (I'm not sure I have enough yeah!s for that one). Really looking forward to the classes being taught by Annie Modesitt both the night before the retreat and at the retreat. How many yeah!'s before they just get annoying?

Well, enough chat, back to stalking SJ!

Stay on target…

My favorite line from the first Star Wars movie is when Han Solo says to Luke Skywalker, "Don't get cocky." My son once asked me, "Why does he say Don't forget the car keys?" So when ever we watch it (Star Wars is a regular feature on movie night in our home) I yell that out and we laugh our heads off. My line of the moment is "Stay on Target..." because I have finished the body of Mr. Greenjeans and am about to start the sleeves. That's lightening fast for me! And yet I am tempted to loose focus and start something else. I bought Stefanie Japel's "Simple Knitted Bodice" and I found gorgeous yarn for it (at the "other" store) and now It's taking all my will not to cast on!

I Picked up some Lang Silk Dream for the main body and Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in a slightly lighter shade for the lace inserts and trim. Don't they look Lurvly?! Of course I would love to have made it in Tilli Thomas Pure and Simple and Rockstar as the pattern recommends but they are a little dear. One skein for a gift scarf, doable, 6 skeins total for a sweater for myself, not so much. I am hoping I have enough to make it slightly longer, more tunic length for over jeans. May be if I don't make the sleeves as long. I'm quite partial to 3/4 length sleeves. I bought every ball of silk dream in the store so I'm hoping there's enough.

Any words of advice on this project? I keep hearing to go down one size. I swatched once already and couldn't get gauge so I need to go down a needle size for sure.

Still loving the alchemy scarf (speaking of fast knits) although my ball of Tilli Thomas got all tangled so now I am taking the time to detangle and rewqind it before continuing on.

And a gratuitous picture of Ginger, I am thinking about buying her her very own faux fur and leather bed (we have them at work believe it or not) just becasue she likes mine so much and it would be funny.