May.. now with extra snow!

It snowed today, and I dislike it when it snows like this. I had to stumble out of bed, shivering my butt off, and go dig out my winter gear (packed away the past weekend). Brrr.

This was the view out my window this morning:



and this was right beside my house.





It broke the light right off the light standard, but that and the tree appear to be the only casualties. Unlike other places in town (and not that far from myself either).

So I needed a summery project, said screw it, and started this:



I might need to figure something else for pictures. These are rather big. They'll just stay this way for now though.

Oh! And for the seven utterly random factoids meme.. I rememberd an eighth. How I could forget, I don't know.

I am a character in a novel. A published novel. If you pick up EE Knight's Valentine's Rising (book four of Vampire Earth) you will find a character by the name of Arsie/RC.

That is me! Not pulling legs or nothing, he wrote me in. :)

Busy as a bee

is what it seems like lately.

So much to do, plus it's so nice out I don't want to be inside and my friends want to get out, as does my son. And it's hard to take knitting on a hike up to Stewart Canyon by Lake Minnewanka!

So no real knitting has been done in awhile, nor finishing either (the sweater will be done soon, I guess I'm just dragging on it because.. well, I don't know why. I guess I don't quite want it to be done).

But, Gina fingered me in this meme so I figured I'd do it and here goes.

7 Utterly Random Factoids About Me:

1) I seem to have inherited somehow a crafty gene and can do a variety of crafts (huge surprise there, I know). I may not be wonderful at them, but I can do the basics in many. Lots of this was gleaned from Grandma, Aunt's, Friends of the family, Guides and Mom. I have all sorts of samples of my works kicking around (or long since disappeared) and was complimented on my small even stitches and suggested I take up quilting (by hand). I refused, as I rather enjoyed my cross-stitch at the time (another craft put on hold until little boys learn sharp needles = pain)

2) Paleontology has been my dream since I was small. How small? I'd say I was 4 or 5 when I first saw a dinosaur exhibit at a museum (in BC!) and I was hooked. Over the years I had plastic models, books, tons of those crafty kids books where you did stuff like trace a map of the world in a certain way to create Pangaea or Gondwana. And, to be quite honest, it still is my dream. I see it as put on slow for the moment though.

3) The previous one leads into the next one. In grade 4, I won first place in the science fair when I did my project on, you guessed it, dinosaurs.

4) This one is also led into from the paleontology love.. I got to go on a behind the scenes tour at the Royal Alberta Museum and got to hold this Wooly Mammoth Tooth. It was a wonderful day.

5) All scars and major injuries were caused by really silly things. Not even silly things that are amusing or just childhood craziness.. I mean really.. really.. silly things, like I broke my collarbone by falling off a swivel chair and I have scars from a parrot, helium tank, fridge and grocery cart. Need I say more? I was fairly clumsy as a kid, but especially during my teenage years. I blame it on getting so tall, so fast. I'm not as clumsy anymore. Thank goodness.

6) In grade 9 we had something called a 'Turkey Trot' at school, where we walked or ran around the field (1.something km) after telling our guess of how long we thought it would take us to the teachers (who wrote it down). We started all at once and at the ending line a teacher told us our time and we went in to give it to the original teachers. Well, I was the one closest to my guess for my grade.. and I won a frozen turkey to bring home. If I had gone with my gut number, I would've been exactly on but I gave a slightly different number (that matched the girls I was planning on walking with) instead.

7) I have been on both coasts of Canada (and traveled a fair bit in Alberta and the East coast), but nowhere between Alberta and Nova Scotia except for a few hours in an airport in Ontario.

I tag.. whoever wants to do this.

Oh, and I picked up the newest Interweave Knits today (at the news store I pass on the way home), and am extremely excited to discover a pattern for a gorgeous scarf using the Handmaiden Sea Silk.. of which I happen to have a skein that I bought awhile ago, in the amount needed for this pattern. I started the scarf pattern that came with it, stalled out and just left it while I did other things despite LOVING the yarn. But now I know what to do with it.

Is this where the excitement of stash shopping comes in? I've never truly done it before!

Finally! A finished sock!

Or not..

I finished a sock. I truly did. Thing is, once I finished the kitchener stitch and tried it on I realized.. it's too small.

Ok, not TOO too small, just my feet are big (since I am 6'1, and inherited high arches and wide feet from my Mother).

So that got ripped out and frogged back to where I started the toe decreases, so I can add.. oh, say another couple centimeters. I could have worn it, but the heel (specifically the BACK of the heel) was pulled under my foot and it was pretty stretched out. I figure a couple of centimeters, then the decreases and the heel will sit properly and it won't drive me batty.

Then I just have to knit the next one.

Once I've got them done, I will post a picture of them. I have to show off finished socks!

Oh, and I bought some new sock yarn. Didn't get to the store for stitch n' bitch (and thus missed out on the Oceanwind) but when I went the next night I got some real nice stuff that they haven't put out front yet. Or hadn't really planned on.

I already wound it into a ball, and it's such a pretty blue (they had some wonderful greens and a rust and reds there too, but I kept myself to one skein). I'll get the name later, I left it downstairs in my bag and I'm a little lazy at the moment (considering I should already be asleep..) but it's nice. I like it, and I'm looking around for a pattern to use with it. Maybe this one?

But now I'd better get some sleep.

Spring has finally sprung! (I think)

Last week was just crazy.

Between the snow/sleet for 3 days making everything mucky, studying like mad for the final exam yesterday and no time to do anything knitterly I'm amazed I survived.

Thankfully it's warmed up now though, no more snow on the ground (except in the odd small patch in very shady areas), the final exam is done (won't get marks back for a few days so I'm all nerves about that) and.. I have lots more time for knitterly things.

Well, more than I did before.

So I'm working diligently at the Chill Chaser. In the 24 hours since I finished my exam, I have finished the button band and the button holes and now all that remains is all the sewing. Thankfully, I don't mind sewing by hand. I even have a stuffed toy that I made that way (it was a kit, in junior high, but I took it home to cut it out and got bored so when the next class came around it just needed to be stuffed and finished).

So it should be done soon, which will make Velociraptor happy. Me happy too, because then I can start on the project for myself. Or, work on it rather. I did start it, but I haven't gotten very far (only a couple of inches along the back) because I want to get the other done first.

And it'll be perfect weather for him to wear it.

Easter

Joyous Easter to all out there in blog-land.

It's a low-key event in our household. A little chocolate, a new stuffed animal or two and a quiet day spent with family.

May it be a good one.

Me + extra money + yarn = crazy

When I've got extra money (like, say.. my tax return) do not let me loose in the yarn store.

Yeah, I wandered over to Make1 the day I got my tax return since I had also seen on their blog that they had this new yarn from Sublime, an Angora Merino in DK weight that is ohhh so soft. It looked so yummy in their picture that I just had to check it out.

So of course I went over, and ended up spending lots of money since I bought enough for a cardigan, and needles for it (because I buy as I go and I knew I didn't have that size at home yet). You see me and.. uhm the one I talked to at the store (I'm so bad with names, forgive me) figured that it would work beautifully for the Dollar and a Half Cardigan in Spring Interweave. I also bought yarn to make this for my uncle, whose birthday is coming up. Actually the guy who designed it looks a little like him, only younger heh.

And of course I bought a new bag, by a local designer. It was just so cute and spring-like that I didn't want to put it down. So I didn't.

I was shaking when I bought the stuff lol. It was like a yarn fix. That happen to other people? Or maybe it's just because I was spending so much. I was shaking like that when I bought myself a a Jone New York suit (because it was the only one I could find that fit me right at the time.. but worth it).

I really really want to start on one of my sweaters, but I promised to finish my son's before I start on one of mine. That way I'm not distracted and he'll get his sweater before he grows out of it lol.

You figure I could finish most of it this weekend? I only have the top of the second sleeve and the hood to knit (I finished all the decreases last night during Top Chef, we're a season behind up here). I figure finish the sleeve and watch a movie tonight and knit.. then I can block it and do the finishing in the evenings (when not doing homework of course). Hmm need some buttons too.

Pictures!

Yes, I got pictures. Gina bugged me, so I did it lol.

I must admit why I probably don't put pictures up is I'm not that confident in my photography skills. Sometimes I manage to get some really nice shots but mostly I think they're not that great. (Remind me to find some from the summer I went hiking in the rocky mountains and scan for you. That was an amazing summer camp, very tough for me but I learned some things about myself. I know I have one already scanned somewhere, but I should find another one or two that I thought were good from that and other, easier, camps.) I do realize that even good photographers don't take great pictures all the time, but I don't like to admit that they can be fallible too. ;)

Buuuut on to the photos.

As per usual, the crimson sheet backdrop. Really, it's the best place I have to take pics that's not covered in paper or toys. I must get better organized. Working on that.. slowly.

The much talked about Chill Chaser.

Front and sleeves:


Back:


Obviously it is not blocked yet. I planned to get it all together before I did that, because I don't think I'll have the patience to knit while parts of it block. Once it's blocked I'll want to finish it right away. For those curious, the yarn is Rowan Cashsoft Aran in Kale (main colour) and Burst (obviously the contrast colour, which is also what I plan to do my seater out of). I have a thing for the rowan cashsoft. I love it.

What else? Well, the Pithy Hat for one. Which really, I should just finish it. It's practically done, just needs a couple more rows I figure then finish it up which is the work of a minute. Why haven't I? Because I'm nervous. Wondering how it will look on me, if it will work, or if it will just end up on my 'not a good look for me' pile of hats (hats don't usually look good on me).

The model is my penguin, Sigmund, and yes it is a little blurry.





Love the colours though. This is that Lorna's Laces I was talking about. I could really fall in love with this yarn too, though it takes a harder hit on my pocketbook.