May 2006-July2006
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Flash Your Stash!
I decided to just Flash the Stash that I have aquired (and not knit) since last year.
Starting with my Sock Yarn. Here is my sock yarn from Spunky Eclectic's Sock Yarn Club.
Here is the rest of my sock yarn. Various gifted skeins from generous Secret Pals and contest prizes (thank you). Some of my own hand dyed. 1 skein of Stitch N Snitch. 2 skeins of Sundara. 1 skein of Sunshine Yarn and 2 of Perchance to Knit. Fabulous stuff.
And here is all the rest. Mulder couldn't resist the photo op!
A little closer here. The big difference in my yarn purchases is that I now buy enough for entire projects - no more skein at a time buys. Or loads of acrylic because I don't think I know how to knit properly.
When I gathered the yarn all into one spot I noticed that I was really into tweedy yarns this last while. Hmmmm...and yet I have made nothing other than a pair of slippers from tweed yarn. Interesting.
This comes right on time for the colour change at Project Spectrum 2. Now I have all mine yarns located and projects ready to begin. See all that tweedy pink on the left? Destined to be the Stacy Pullover from Big Girl Knits. Time to start!
In Other News
We have our winners! Big thank you to all 33 of you who commented at my site this month - your support and insight is very appreciated!!
Charity is our 200th comment winner.
Deb is our 201st comment winner.
And for the draw...
If you are one of the winners please send me an e-mail at lmartin7@shaw.ca
Labels: Contest, Project Spectrum 2, Socks, Stashalong
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Lucky Me!
This arrived for me in the mail today!
I won a contest at Jessalu's blog and this was the generous prize package I received. My very first skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a fabulous purple, blue and red colourway - hmmm all the colours of royalty... Some truly yummy treats and a great card with yarn and a kitty in the picture. Thank you Jess - you are too kind!
Seems the Spring pics just don't stop around here - these are from our walk this evening.
Oh, and the Hummingbirds are here!!
I know I am a strange one - I love, love, LOVE the smell of Skunk Cabbage. If I could find away to grow it in my backyard I truly would. Fortunately for me, it grows all over town. Ahhh.
ETA: Ummm yeah. The stripe is GREEN not blue. What am I? colourblind??
And it is also Poetry Thursday so here is one of my favourite poems to share with children. The fun language! Runcible spoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Owl and the Pussy Cat
by Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Labels: Contest, Garden, Poetry Thursday, Socks
Monday, March 26, 2007
I am so excited!
This little blog is very, very close to receiving it's 200th comment!! Let me tell you, I did not expect that to be happening - and certainly not before the end of this month...I thought maybe mid-April. But readership and/or commenting has grown over the last few weeks and the time is now.
The lucky people who leave the 200th, and then the 201st comment, will win some knitting swag!
200th Comment: Oregon Felted Tote pattern and yarn.
201st Comment: Scarf or Sock Kit - pattern, yarn and needles - your choice
And, because I appreciate all the commentors who visit, I will place everyone's name from this month, in a draw for 2 seperate sock yarn or felted bowl projects (winners can choose!) I will even give you a choice of colours.
Here are some of the items you may win:
If you have been reading here for awhile, you know that I refer to myself as a Slow Knitter. Am I? Really? Perhaps I am just a considerate knitter?
This was how we spent much of yesterday - lounging, finishing Season 3 of the Sopranos and trying to get some of my Ravenclaw House Scarf done. I am sure you can imagine how difficult it is to knit with a pup sleeping under your arm! But she was too cozy, not to mention cute, to move. So little progress was made - just a 2nd set of silver stripes.
I did cast with my PS2 dyed sock yarn, you know since there are like 5 days left in the month. :-D
I am going to try Grumperina's Jaywalkers. I know, I am pretty late jumping on that wagon (ummm...2005?) but they look like fun.
I hope to get more done tonight - another cheesy episode of 24 is on and we are going to start Season 4 of Sopranos. (our plan is to catch up before the final season starts April 8th -we're enjoying it - though our language has really taken a dive!)
Good luck everyone! I can't wait to announce some prize winners!!
ETA: 200 and 201 have been written! I will contact the winners shortly. I guess I shouldn't really hold the draw until Sunday morning to be fair to everyone, I did say 'all the commentors this month'. Why must I be so impatient! What do you think?
Ok. All winners will be announced on Sunday, April 1st. -- no mention of Fools --
Labels: Bloggy Stuff, Contest, Movies, Project Spectrum 2, Socks, Stashalong, TV
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Speaking of Bono...
Step out of the driving rain, maybe
Run from the darkness in the night
Sweet the sin
Bitter taste in my mouth
I see seven towers
But I only see one way out
You got to cry without weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison
From the poison stream
Then I floated out of here
She runs through the streets
With eyes painted red
Under black belly of cloud in the rain
In through a doorway she brings me
White gold and pearls stolen from the sea
She is raging
She is raging
And the storm blows up in her eyes
She will...
Suffer the needle chill
She is running to stand
Still.
excerpts from: Running To Stand Still - Joshua Tree
I am still wading through the Participants List for PS2 - I'm at Pa now!
Here are some gems I discovered over the past few days:
If you have not seen this video yet - you have got to go now! I promise you You Will Laugh. And if you don't...well, you must be a crocheter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcUjYpjKZs
Bella Knitting - Yarn pRon, pets and the cutest Viking Hats you will ever see. oh and a Scavenger Hunt.
Knittymama - The Horror! Preschooler attacks yarn! not for the squeamish
Little Purl of the Orient - Whoa: Crochet, Knitting & Quilting in one blog!
Pikku-Kettu puuhailee - You have to see this gorgeous knitting - blog is in Finnish and English.
On and Off the Needles - Lots of sock knitting here.
Baking Sheet - Can't quite remember how I got here...but Yum.
She Knits Shizknits - Mom isn't the only talented craftster - check out her son's telescope!
Sarah's Journal - Knitting, Music, Photography and the cutest toddler quotes online.
Have fun!
Labels: Contest, Music, Poetry Thursday, Project Spectrum 2
Monday, March 05, 2007
Dribs and Drabs
This is a pic that didn't make it into yesterday's post. But I really like it.
This post is going to contain a little of everything - 'signifying nothing'.
1st let me just say what a difficult time I am having with this tragic news-story. When I first saw her missing person's report on Nancy Grace I already knew how this was going to end - that it already had ended. Who didn't know the outcome before we heard the entire report?
It infuriates and sickens me that women are brutally slain by the people they should most be able to trust. There is nothing wrong with divorce. WALK AWAY. Her children were upstairs for goodness sake. It is just dreadful because there is never any punishment that can recover what has been lost. Despicable. Cowardly. Selfish. There isn't even anything more I can say.
Sorry - usually I don't post about things that upset me. But this, this is a big one.
Anywaaaaays.
I am out of the running in the KnitOff. What a relief. I was not making quick progress with this scarf at all. I do think, however, that it will be perfect for my cousin Richard. Just his colours. Here is Kira letting me know how she feels about me spending another afternoon with needles in hand! Edited to preserve her dignity!
I watched the Queen yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Initially I had no interest, but so many people I trust loved it, and Helen Mirren did win an Academy Award...I quite liked it. It is so hard to believe it has nearly been 10 yrs since Diana's death. So sad. I distinctly recall all the negative press directed at the Royal Family. I too thought the Queen should have spoken up sooner, but I really felt for her in this movie. She reminded me of my Nana a little - same generation. I loved her line to Tony Blair about the press turning on him one day. If she really said that, how right she was.
I ordered some soap from here. Go check out the shop - all of the soaps sound delightful. And she is thinking of adding bath salts and teas - if you haven't tried a bath tea, you really must. They are heavenly.
A pic of my loony cousin playing around with my camera....shhhh. She doesn't know about this blog! She hates pictures of herself. I love them.
My Mom and I watched Lifeboat. A Hitchcock Oscar winner. It was so good. Riveting from the outset. I highly recommend it. I grew up on the Hollywood greats and I was sure I would be one of those tough talking ladies who could put everyone in their place, down two fingers of scotch and then apply their lipstick just so. We've come a long way baby! ;-D
I also read a book. I didn't love the book, in fact I had some real problems with some major parts of the storyline, but I did read it in a day and a half. I cannot recall the last time I read a book so voraciously. Apparently I needed the distraction! I have a major craving for Cinammon Rolls too...they are mentioned perhaps more often than vampires in this book. Please do not take offense if you are a fan (I know there are a lot of you) but this book really reminded me of This Book - which was a very painful read for me.
Perhaps it has become clear why I was not a real contender in the Knit Off? It was fun and I will definitely check out the patterns for the next few rounds. Thanks YarnMonkey!
Spring continues to make itself known. On Thursday I saw Robins! Lots of Robins. In the morning the birds are chirping before my alarm clock goes off and...nestled next to our living room window in a sheltered spot we have this:
Flowering Plum! Check out those leaves!!! Let the gardening begin!Just realized that yesterday was my 200th post! How cool is that? Soon I will be announcing a contest for the 500th comment...stay tuned.
Labels: Books, Contest, Etsy, Family, Garden, KAL, Movies
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Strike One!
I have to apologize for the pic - it is not the best light (maybe click on it to get a better view) today.
What you see on the left is 10 balls of hunter green Lana Gato that Cindy generously gave away! When is green part of PS2? Hmmmm....lots of time to come up with the perfect pattern.
It's a very soft wool-acrylic blend.
In the very front you can see the 2 skeins of hand-dyed sock yarn that I won at KnitPastis' contest last month. Beautiful wool just right for making some much needed ankle socks.
On the right there are 4 balls of dk. blue and 2 silver/grey Merino Superwash that are destined to become a Ravenclaw House Scarf over at the Countdown To Harry KAL. They also just happen to fit right in with the PS2 colour theme. The only thing is I will have to take a strike at Stashalong - 'cause I bought these ones.
In lieu of a project pic -- Darling is coming along; I should finish the body tonight and hopefully do the collar while I 'get my Lost on' tomorrow night -- I will leave you with a few links to some great blogs I found through PS2.
Fat Chick Crafts - some gorgeous Kool-Aid dyed yarn
FrickKnits - Knitting and books: a winning combo
The Knitting Philistine - come on, that title alone is worth the visit!
The Stitchin' Wench - check out her Peapod set
Thee Handworks - incredibly beautiful quilting
Tiennie Knits - stranded colour work
Turtlegirl's Bloggy Thing - Yarn Pron Fridays!
Velma's World - Scrumbling - I would love to try that.
Labels: Contest, Project Spectrum 2, Stashalong
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Quiz Show
We had a family dinner tonight for our Aunt and Uncles 34th Anniversary.
My cousin made a delectable turkey - stuffed with apples and garlic - YUM. Her gravy was really quite fantastic and I am not much of a potato person.
After dinner and dessert we played Celebrity Taboo and gave up on that for Trivial Pursuit.
TP is a game better played when there are less people and no small babies around. It is too hard to drag your focus away from the cooing, laughing, drooling bundle of joy to answer trivial questions!
For the first time ever I used our camera to film video. Here you can see Kai is riveted to his Great Uncle who has been quacking like a duck. GU is having a hard time answering our team question as he keeps turning to talk to Kai. Kai is just waiting ready to laugh, intently watching every move on GU's face.
Our question was: What has been called Barndoors, Crockery, Ivories and Snappers?
Listen to our intense discussion in all its ridiculousness!
If you think you have the answer post a comment. 1st right answer wins a knitting prize. This is the honours system - please don't google the answer!
PS. We went with my answer and I was right.
Prize: Your choice of *Handpainted Yarn *Bamboo Needles *Silk Blend Stash Yarn
Hmmmm...Maybe there should be a runner up prize. What do you think?
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Favourites Contest: SP 9
List your favorite:
Actor - Johnny Depp
Actress - Rachel Weisz (at the moment)
Animal - Kira
Band - U2
Book - Child of the Morning
Bubble Bath - AVON's Kids Scent - seriously, I know
Candy - Peanut Butter M&M's
Color - Blue
Drink- Pumpkin Spice Latte!! Starbucks - OR Creme Caramel @ the little shop behind my house
Flower - Hydrangea
Food - Thai
Lip Balm - Burt's Bees
Lotion - Body Satin - Melaleuca
Movie - Amadeus
Place - The forest
Song - With or Without You
TV Show - Grey's Anatomy
Yarn - Severus Snape Sock Yarn made by Stitch N Snitch - it is the softest stuff
Vacation Spot - Salt Spring Island
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Home again, home again...
I'm back! Feels good to be home.
It was hot this weekend! You can see my Aunt trying to keep cool during a lunchbreak.
We had a great 4 days away. Laughed like fools together, ate too much food, stayed up late and learned a LOT.
If you have never had the Peanut Butter Pie at ABC Country Restaurant you owe it to yourself to get there and have a slice. I ordered it more than once - even though I got a stomachache if I ate the whole piece, I still finished it the next time!
When I got home I had a package waiting for me from my fantastic Secret Pal! She is so great!! Thank you very much.
She sent me blue cotton fleece to make a petal shaped (pattern included) wash cloth. Just when I was thinking of making a wash cloth too!
She MADE me 4 beaded stitch markers. She sent me 2 large darning needles - I definitely need those babies.
Sent me a great Winter edition of Vogue Knits, some lavender scented wool wash (which is so cool since I have nothing like it) and some Crabtree and Evelyn powder.
Also included were some hip thank you cards that I totally need and a humongous package of cherry Nibs -- mmmmm....I love Nibs. There was also a nice message in a little card.
Secret Pal you rock! Thank you very much!!
Tomorrow I may get around to posting some knitting pics.
Oooh - and the lavender yarn I won from Warming Grace came while I was away.
I am going to use it for Sizzle!
That just might be the project I turn to after my wash cloth...
Grey's Anatomy
Buttons
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
HP and the Philosopher's Stone
