I love swatchy...

Never in a million years did I think it would happen. I have fallen deeply and passionately in love with some yarn. Not just any yarn, but a special handcrafted little something sweet named Swatchy.

I had been reading about Swatchy for some time, but was really thrilled to have met him/her in person recently at you guessed it - The Yarn Harlot's book launch. She/he is even cuter in person than you can imagine and we even got a great picture together - thanks to Swatchy's partner Noricum.


Really aren't we a cute pair. :)

Aurora Borealis - my northern light...

Thanks to my Northern light - Aurora from Ottawa, who I met at the Yarn Harlot Book Launch for sending along some picture of me & the Harlot, and the Yarn crawl....its keeping the book launch very fresh for me...although, I want Stephanie to do another one - just to bring all of us knitty folk back together.

Here's one of the beautiful Aurora:


Me - prior to the Yarn Harlot's appearance.


Me once Stephanie took the stage and I calmed down a little. (Thanks Aurora for sending me the clean shot - as the original had major boobage)

Can I just tell you, that man does the camera ever add 10 - 20 lbs...ha ha ha. No more Rye and ginger's for me.

This pic is from the yarn Crawl at Alterknits. {Sigh} Looks like I missed a super fun day. The good news is that the TTC Knit-A-Long is happening in T-10 days. :)


If you haven't read through all of Stephanie's comments yet, someone (I'll have to read through to find you again) posed a link to Doug Savage's website for today. Now I can can admit that I have a limited and still developing sense of humour, but I continue to laugh at this cartoon...to the point of tears and peeing and have printed it off to post at my desk to just make me smile. HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! So needed that today...

Excitement!!!

Here's my list of PYHBLR (Post-Yarn-Harlot-Book-Launch-Resolutions):

a) get back to knitting daily...even if its just a row

b) learn more about Yarn...as everyone around me can always tell me what brand/weight/colorway/gauge etc they are using...and after a year and a half I probably can't call myself a Knitting newbie anymore

c) be better prepared for spontaneous yarn shopping experiences... you just never know when a good yarn sale can fall in your lap, and you really should have a few pattern names/yarn weights/yardages handy just encase...perfect example will be the TTC Knit-a-long

d) identify what yarn I have in my stash - there's nothing like buying more yarn only to realize that you have nowhere to put it

e) finish outstanding projects - otherwise they will never get knit and I can buy more yarn to replace them

f) donate yarn from my stash - that I will never use (mostly because I bought it in the beginning of knitting life when I had no clue what the 'good stuff' was and thought that fun fur was 'cute')

g) be more forgiving to myself - 'startitis' is a disease, thank G-d its treatable - go back to point (e). The more you finish, the more you can start

h) Blogging is good - for the first time, people actually commented (did I mention I am excited and shocked by this), perhaps there is something to the whole effort in = output theory...either that or it was a momentary blip in my blogging world...(I will convince myself that its the first rather than the second point)

i) have more fun with knitters (I nervously put my hand up again at Stephanie's speech when she asked who in the room had more friends now because of knitting. Because of my Monday night meetup group I have met so many new faces and so many terrific new friends. Knitters are such high quality individuals - quirky, fun-loving, outgoing and incredible artisans. I feel really fortunate to have gotten involved with such a dynamic community and look forward to many more years of growth and friendship.

Just to add to the coolness...

Courtesy the Yarn Harlot's website.

I think this is even cooler that my shot in yesterday's entry - probably because the sock is in it as though it is taking the picture. :)

Work be damned!!!

Ok so realizing that work has been the all consuming force in my life, I have been very sorely neglecting my blogging and knitting duties. However, I will try to make up for my neglect a little with this super post.

All day Thursday and Friday I spent all of my time getting caught up in the Yarn Harlot's book release in Toronto.(You have to admit that sounds super exciting!!!!)

I had originally started typing this entry some time Friday morning, only to have to quash that idea to you know...finish work. - ARG!!!

The rest of my day flew by and I left work at 3:30 to go to Thornhill, retreive my son, get hime home and meetup with Janet and Shelley by 5pm at Yonge & Eglinton. I arrived at Y & E around 5:05 and we hurried ourselves down to the subway to get to the Manulife Centre & Indigo's encase there was a massive line up. Of course I left the fully charged digital camera at home and so after much procrastinating I finally went and purchased a disposable camera - so I apologise in advance for the graininess of the pictures.

As it turns out there were a few knitters all ready there like Erin from the Naked Sheep,


and Tanya and her sister in law (sorry I don't remember your name) from Ottawa.


For those of you who know me, it could be said that I have a gregarious personality or that I am a little tenacious...so when we arrived and no line up was started we asked the manager on duty to start it then because we wanted to be first in line and to be able to get a seat.

It should be said that as expected the mugglish staff really didn't anticipate the amount of knitters that would come to support one of their own and only planned to have a small seated area for 80 people. We kept telling them as the line grew that they really should have planned for a larger space...but as all of us have come to understand - they just don't realize what a large community of us there are.

Janet, Shelley and I were incredibly fortunate (and dare I say happy) as we were able to go in and get first pick of the seats...choosing to be right in front of where Stephanie would be speaking on the left hand side of the chaired section front and centre.


As you can see, I am rather excited about this fact and really the energy in the room made for great build up. (Not that I need much)









As you can see the crowd kept growing and growing and growing until every nook and cranny, every stair and available space around where the Yarn Harlot would be appearing was flled with excited knitters, busy working on some fabulous knitty project.

I found the group very warm, very friendly and a lot of fun - there was a great deal of catching up between old friends, the joy of meeeting/making new friends and a lot of laughter. I tried to capture some pics of familliar faces...

Carol...


(left to right) Nadia, Susan and Peggy...


And new friend...Joey from Ohio.


I also met Swatchy and Noricum although I didn't capture them in picture form. What a treat - thanks for the postcard Noricum!

Right before Stephanie arrived...


The time really flew by one everyone was seated and then Stephanie appeared. It was amazing to hear the crown swell up and cheer. I am not sure if that frightened Stephanie more, but after her introduction, she finally got to the stage.

Stehanie being introduced...


After saying hi nervously, Stephanie did her formal group shots....

I thought it was cool to capture her taking our group shot as I took hers...and yes I know very nerdy.

Then Stephanie launched into what was a very humour packed 30-40 minute speech which had her petting her pet kitty/wool...

...and more or less keeping the group in stiches, really bringing to life the Yarn Harlot as we all know(kinda) and love her.

Once the speech was over, then the autograph session began. I really liked that Stephanie gave first priority to mom's with babies on the outside or the inside. To me that was very thoughtful....and I had the warm-fuzzies.

This darling little one held the sock and let Stephanie capture a few really cute shots of her...I'm sure to appear on her blog some day soon.

Finally it was my turn...

I think I mumbled a bunch of stuff...but can't really remember...besides asking her which beer she would like waiting for her at the Dick.

After some small amount of coaxing Carol, Shelley and Janet we made our way to the Spotted Dick, where a rather large group of Drunken Knitters had all ready arrived and were awaiting the hoards of other knitters. In the picture above with Janet and I, you can see that I have started a project as I had only cast on the first row. This was me starting the back side of the Blue Skies Alpacas "Ribbon Shell" that I have been working on somewhat slowly.


After finishing the front,

I realized I had made a fatal error, not knitting the front high enough to fit my chest...and rather than frog it back to fix it, I decided I would start the back and then once that was finished go back and fix the front.

I am really enjoying knitting with the baby alpacas/silk mix and think I am leaning towards becoming a yarn snob, as it feels like butter in my hands. I can't wait to finish the shell and get the ribbon through it... :)

Also got to see beautiful and blooming Jen from My Sensitive Girl hole. Congratulations again - you are looking fabulous....too bad we didn't get to chat.

So, I left the Dick and got home around 11:30 thankful that David (my partner) had graciously watched the whole caboodle of kids and that I had the opportunity to socialize with such a wonderful and warm group of people. I was a little sad not to be going on the yarn crawl yesterday, but that's life. I had a hectic work week and also took Thursday evening to catch up with dear friend Teresa, eating yummy italian food and seeing her fab not-so-newsish house...so taking Friday evening out too mean that the rest of weekend needed to be family time.

The good news is that Yarnaholic's Anonymous is meeting tomorrow night and I am looking forward to my knitty time again.

Beautiful babies....

My actual little baby - Taylor who is 11. He's not really little, but at least he's my youngest baby. *sigh*


My not so little 16 year old baby - Olyvia - in all of her natural radiance. :)*Sigh* *Sigh*

Time flies.....

Post Frolic recovery & Spring is finally here...

Some reasons to smile this morning...


Baby Rhubarb has appeared in my garden...


Our family pet/creature Java enjoying newly green grass...


Our backyard pear tree coming into bloom....

I had sweet dreams about yarn, fluff, high whirl drop spindle's, and other good wooly items...and as of this morning we are 364 days to next years Frolic.

No longer a Frolic Virgin...

Waking up at 7a.m. on a Saturday morning is never my version of fun, enjoyable in the slightest or amusing in any way, but I have to tell you that after looking forward to the Downtown Knit Collective's Knitters Frolic for more than a year now, I had a very hard time sleeping last night and was really looking forward to touching, feeling, smelling and being around all things woolly.

As I was a Frolic virgin this year, I had planned my day out with time for classes and time for shopping, time for knitting and finally time for socializing...in that order.

I have been particularly looking forward to the workshop with Lorriane Smith (editor of Spinner's Quarterly) on spinning.


The class did not disappoint me in the least. Lorraine's method for teaching was relaxed, informative and most importantly enjoyable.


This was my sad and extremely pitiful attempt at two ply made out of chocolate brown Shetland roving from Ontario.


I played around with all of the roving stash that Lorraine provided as part of the class materials and was really surprised at how differently everything spun. I have determined that I do not like to spin cotton - I was just not made with enough patience for that...and highly doubt that any level of meditation will get me there.

I really couldn't wait to get home and play with the fabulous roving I purchased from Black Lamb.


This is me experimenting with the beautiful hand carded mix plus some fabulous alpaca I got at Creativfesitval last weekend from Helga at Green Acres Farms.




After running in Shelley & Richard and then Janet after my spinning class I was feeling energized and ready to shop. After a good twice through, I felt completely overwhelmed and had no clue where to start or what I wanted to buy. In fact, I was too busy focusing on something else that Shelley and Janet had told me......

It seems that the Yarn Harlot was at the Frolic...and me having a small case of the starry eyes for her in an entirely yarny kind of way wanted to get a picture with her. Janet of course found this quite funny and was looking forward to laughing her ass/relentlessly teasing until the end of time. So after a little while she crossed my path (honestly I didn't hunt her down), there she was....

...and yes that's me looking like I am in shock and stunned and Stephanie looking fabulous!!!....***Sigh****

So maybe not my best look, but they can't always be perfect and as mentioned above I was in shock. I have never met Stephanie prior to today nor have I ever heard her speak. She is a very petite woman, with a very earthy voice and personality. She was very gracious to me for allowing to snap this picture - although she was in a rush to meet up with a friend....thank you Stephanie - you made my Frolic! :)

In addition to some spinning supplies I also bought eight of the most beautiful blush coloured baby alpaca/silk blend wool skeins (Blue Sky Alpacas)


...to make a fabulous summer ribbon shell.


I expected my day to end with a workshop on Crocheting with Cachet - but found the workshop way too challenging as the instructor was moving about 10,000 miles per minute. You absolutely needed to be an advanced crocheter to keep up. A bit disappointing - given the $40 workshop fee, but what can you do except know better for next year.

Overall, I think the day was smashing and I really enjoyed my experience there and would absolutely recommend it to any knitters in Ontario - well worth the drive to Toronto.

A day of sadness and gratitude....

Where does one begin to articulate one's thoughts around a tragedy such as that which occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. As a mother, step-mother, aunt and cousin to children who attend universities across Canada, I am saddened beyond belief for all of the victims, families, friends, colleagues, and community of Virginia Tech. I send my heartfelt wishes for all of their recovery from such an atrocity and pray for them. I feel grateful that my family and friends were/are safe.

I am angry at the easy accessibility of handguns around the world and this event only strengthens my convictions that gun-laws need to be reinforced for the safety of all humanity. I also feel tremendously sad for the family and friends of Cho Seung-hui,as I am sure that no amount of time or space will allow them to have understanding and peace for the actions of their child.

Watching the events as a shocked spectator, I was so moved by the actions of Liviu Librescu - protecting his students to the end. I was proud to be a Jew in that moment. After surviving atrocities of the Shoah that none of us can truly imagine, Mr. Librescu truly lived a life dedicated to the service of others - his family, friends, students and peers should feel that proud as well.

Pondering the ' We don't leave our sons behind campaign'...

So yesterday, as I was sitting in synagogue as part of the seventh day of Pesach, I was thinking about the 'We don't leave our sons behind campaign' that the United Jewish Appeal has put out this Spring.



I have to admit that since doing my conversion classes (I was once Roman Catholic) that I have a heightened awareness of current events and world issues especially as it pertains to Israel and the middle east. Seeing these signs and billboards up the past month have made me feel a tremendous sense of compassion for people living within Israel and the surrounding areas as well as for those families who have had a child lost/taken or not returned during the war. As a parent to five children, including three who are Jewish by birth - being confronted with the reality that perhaps these could be my step-sons, or sons of other Jewish mothers I know causes me to feel a combination of emotions including anger, resentment and sadness.

Upon reflection, I know that any mother would feel this way if their child's life was sacrificed during a war, including those of the Palestinian people, Iranian people or any people for that matter. I have been thinking that I was proud that Israel has a proactive approach to not leaving their soldiers behind, however my world was shook yesterday as my Rabbi discussed in his congregant speech about how the Israeli army will sacrifice healthy/active soldiers to retrieve the bodies of the slain/killed/captured soldiers and that this in fact is a very controversial issue within not only Israel, but for every Jew regardless of where they live.

This shook me because I had felt proud of Israel. If I was a mother to one of these children - I would want them home, to be buried in peace and have closure. I hadn't really thought about sending someonelse's child in a high-risk situation to retrieve my child. That's something else - and I have no clue how you work through the moral/ethical dilemma surrounding that issue.

In the end, I feel...I don't know how I feel...except maybe torn.

Mother Nature is S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y confused....or...

has an awesome sense of humour. It snowed this morning. I was shocked as I settled into a volunteer-a-holic-catch-up-a-thon, which largely means dedicating some serious time to my volunteer commitments, I was in awe at how mother nature never seems to surprise me. It sure was pretty that flash snowstorm although I hadn't realized MN's full-mental breakdown until I went outside - damn it got cold.

Thank goodness my day only involves, completing expense reports, identifying faculty for a fab new program, creating lesson work plan's for the same program, creating a board agenda etc...none of that involved going out. That was until my almost sixteen (next Sunday boo-hoo!) asked to get dropped off at a friends house. Recently said teenager has been exhibiting some seriously hormonal behaviour which has me her hormonally challenged mother worrying a great deal more than normal. I have been spending a lot of time since January coming to terms with the fact that she is not a child anymore, that she is growing up, that she needs some space and that I need to step back a little and give her some freedom to move about, make mistakes and generally experience life.

I always thought I would be a cool, laid back mom, but it seems that I have turned into a mother like many generations of mothers before me...overprotective, over concerned, over involved and under needed. Its a sad day for all mothers when they start to come to terms with what they feel is the end of their role as the director in their child's life-play. I now am stuck like many others in that awkward state of 'I don't want to talk to you, I'm fine, nothing's going on' state of being where our daughters turn against us and no longer see us as an ally, a friend, a confidante, someone whose widsom can save them from a great deal of pain. It sucks! But I shall endure.

On a slightly sunnier note, I found two great new blogs today with some really really beautiful knitting on it...the kind of stuff that makes you smile uncontrollably and desperately wish you could jump right through your computer monitor to touch their beautiful knitting. It is honestly that beautiful. The second blog has the most incredible vegetable dyed eggs I've ever seen - just lovely and springy.

My day overall was a quiet one. I am still in Pesach/Passover recovery mode. The last two weeks have been a major blur for me with balancing client travelling with trying to get our home ready for Pesach. I got home Friday, March 30 at 10 pm from a couple of days in sunny and extremely pretty North Bay to land myself in the midst of Passover meltdown as my house was still yet to be finished getting Kashered for Pesach. This is a laborious process which always throws me for a loop and involves removing chametz from your house as well as changing over all of your meat and dairy dishes/cutlery/pots/pans/etc and cleaning every single spot in your home/car etc...that might have chametz in/on/near it. Anyways I got through the Kashering, got down to cooking for about 40 people and preparing myself to be charming and entertain all of those people over two days. When I woke up on the second seder day, this past Tuesday, Mother Nature had started to get in a mood and I knew this because I had a splitting headache. Given that we had 9 people coming for dinner, I had no choice to get up, finish cooking, prep the dinner table and be ready for a fun-filled night. Overall, it was a very nice evening, but by the time I had gone to bed a tornado couldn't have awoken me and Wednesday was another day filled with migraine hell. I am not sure what has gotten MN is a tizzy, but man Thursday was a very long day and I just couldn't look more forward to a second long weekend. And then as mentioned above - snow today.

The good news - is that is was a perfect day to stay inside, to get a lot accomplished. And that I did. Overall not really such a bad day after all. My reward for a very productive day - knitting time tonight. :) I am still working on my cherry tree hill socks and I'm using the Yarn Harlot's never-fail sock pattern int the hopes that I will actually be able to finish a pair fo socks. I will say this - its been slow going on 2.25 dpn's....man they're small.

Newbie Knitter Fun...

Friday night Olyvia and I went to the sneak peek, premiere of The Rocky Horror Picture Show being put on live by Can Stage. Besides being a midnight show - well past my typical Friday night bedtime, it was a blast. Olyvia and I spent our time marveling at everyone is costumes having fun. It was great for the two of us to spend some quality time together and she really seemed to love going on the opening night. Lifelong memories.



Last night David, and I had a quiet night alone as Olyvia was at a girlfriends house for the evening. We had a romantic dinner out and then came home to watch a couple of movies. We only made it through "Stranger than Fiction" - which was a charming and comical story, where I actually enjoyed watching Will Farrell on screen.



I had gone out earlier in the day to Knitomatic to treat myself to a yarn winder. I have been searching online to find one, but just decided I didn't want to wait to buy and have it shipped as I had all of the yarn from the Knitomatic sale a few weeks ago and just badly wanted to wind it. So all during the movie, I balled hanks of yarn - and had a blast. I know sounds kind of sad, but really it was a lot of fun...even with the occasional knot or series of knots.



Here's the finished product:



Yes above you should count 12 balls, plus I also, wound a my hank of cherry tree hill sock yarn (in colorway: Quarry Hill)- which makes 13 balls, as I have been having fantasies about knitting with it. This was actually the first yarn I used my winder on and ended up spending a good 1.5 hours having to undue the million knots...as I wasn't used to the over-the-chair method of holding the hank while you wound. Thankfully I had it finished about 10 minutes into the movie, which meant the other 12 went by in a flurry of activity. David was as marvelled as I was at the efficiency of this little plastic machine, although he couldn't understand why the hand painted/dyed hanks didn't come pre-balled and after trying to explain to him "handpainted yarn" let it go and just said because it would be too expensive.

This morning, I couldn't help but start a new pair of socks with it, as it is just so lovely to knit with.


Its' going to be a crazy week of travelling for me, but at least I accomplished something at home this weekend and can take a new and very portable project with me while I'm busy away this week.

On an unrelated note - they have broken ground on the property behind us finally. It was strange to come home after being away for a weekend to find the house imploded and now to have the ground broken. I am anticipating a long-summer of banging, dusk and construction folk while this house gets built. The only good part about it is that new houses continue to help develop the area and increase the value of our home. Many small reasons to smile.

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