Thursday, January 22, 2009

You guys are super quick!

Ok so you are already answering the contest question without even knowing what the prize is? Here's what you have to do to win:
Name the Yarn
Name the Colorway
Name the Pattern
and you will win a Free Sock Club membership! Yup - 3 mos of free yarn and patterns! By the way - this contest yarn is coming to Pick Up Sticks so I'm not just teasing you for nothing.......(if more than one person answers correctly there will be a draw for the winner!)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Where Have I Been????

I was relatively uninspired on the knitting front and actually started worrying that I was really hitting a big knitting slump. In my mind, knitting slump and owning a yarn shop should not go hand in hand since there's always something to knit around here. Turns out I was getting sick - and really should have guessed that because it really is the only time that I don't want to knit. Silly me! I had the flu along with Emma, so she and I spent quite a bit of time the last few days - since Saturday - in and out of bed.

Yesterday, I spent glued to the TV watching the inaugeration - wow! Makes me kinda wish I was American - it was so amazing - we don't have anything political like that up here. Our prime minister is sworn in with some kind of ceremony but it's not really a big deal. I am excited for what I think Barack Obama will bring to the world - not just the US - he is an amazing man. My mother was a huge fan of John F. Kennedy and in fact, she and my dad went to Washington DC on their honeymoon. I remember her crying when she was watching the funeral on TV and I remember asking her why and she said because he was such a great man. I feel like she must have felt about Barack Obama - he's mesmorizing and I sure hope he can change politics the way he says he wants to.....congratulatons to all my American friends on your new President - you should be very proud of a man like that. Oh and my favorite part - watching the Neighborhood Ball on TV and seeing he and his wife dancing to Beyonce - and then when he danced with just ordinary people to Stevie Wonder - well, I could not wipe the smile from my face. There he was the President of the United States dancing and dancing well!


Not something knit by me - but something worn by me at every opportunity. Grace from Araucania Collection Book 1 knit out of Tanis Fiber Arts Aran in Spearmint - I'm in love!
And now for something knit by me - it's going to be a contest. Name the yarn, and pattern. It's on it's way to Pick Up Sticks. Along with some new Handmaiden yarns, new Artyarns, new Classic Elite La Gran, Dream in Color Starry......and lots more!

Friday, January 09, 2009

No new knitting....

to report! I'm working on another WWII hat for my dad this time. He originally wanted green and white until I pointed out to him that his coat was grey and red. So it's grey Inca Gold with a red stripe out of Cascade Superwash. Then it's on to a Clapotis out of Casbah that's sitting in my knitting bag. I kind of made this crazy commitment to myself that I would finish up what's in my knitting bag and I'm cranky about it. I want to cast on something new!
I heard on the radio this morning that tomorrow night (Saturday) at 10:28 EST the moon will be bigger and brighter than it will be for the whole of 2009. So bright in fact that you should be able to read a newspaper outside and probably take digital pictures witout the flash. I think that will awesome!


Oh well I just got a surprise....Greg stopped in with coffee and iced cappucinos and while I was helping a customer he put this on my desk. A brand spanking new iPod touch - Emma bought one of these with her Christmas money and I was so taken with it, Greg surprised me with one today. He's a keeper that boy!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

We're Bbbbaaaack!

I keep putting off blogging, thinking I'll just do this one thing and then blog. That one thing turns into 10 things and I haven't blogged so without further ado - here's what I did on my Christmas break.
Aspen Glo Wrap by Sunflower Designs (pattern available in the shop)
Maidenhair from Handmaiden in Woodland 2 skeins

I love this wrap - it's a keeper!

The new Dream in Color semi solids arrived today - they are all loaded onto the website. Gorgeous, gorgeous color!

And....I'm adding a few new yarns......so stay tuned. You guys are so lucky that I have ADHD when it comes to the yarn in the shop! :)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Christmas Spirit

My Christmas knitting is coming along very well - tomorrow is set aside for some serious knitting on the Einstein jacket - it's hanging over my head and I've got to get it done! A few concentrated hours should do the trick. In the meantime I finished Laura's hat - she doesn't know anything about it so I hope she will like it and be surprised. Her coat is dark brown with baby blue and yellow.
Here's gauntlets for my mother-in-law. They are made from Noro Cash Island, the pattern is out of the Noro Mini Knits. They whipped up in about 2 hours. She wasn't supposed to get any knitting because I bought her a set of Montreal Canadiens DVDs instead but I felt bad - I thought she might be upset with no knitting for her.
Now I'm on to another pair of Thrum mittens for a friend who I am going to see on Monday or Tuesday. They are made from some left over River from Fleece Artist in the Paris colorway with some white thrum that I had in my stash.
And on a totally different note altogether - just to show that Christmas spirit really does exist I have a little story. My daughter, Laura was at Shopper's Drug Mart on Thursday and the clerk who usually takes care of her was standing there crying with an ice pack held to her face. Laura recognized immediately that she had tooth ache - because she's had many which have resulted in her and I waiting in the hospital emergency late at night while she's crying and I feel helpless - and asked her why she didn't go to the dentist. In between sobs, the young girl told her she didn't have the money and didn't have any insurance so my daughter marched her down to her dentist (who happened to be in the same plaza). She told her dentist - this girl needs help and if you can't do it for free then call me and I will pay for it. Now the thing is Laura doesn't have any money either. She's a young mother, with 2 small kids, her husband works two jobs and she is trying to run a business to earn some extra money. There's no way she should be paying for something like this - turns out the dentist did do it for free but I am extremely proud of my daughter. She's kind and generous and gives even when she shouldn't. Some days you just feel like you did a great job raising your kids and Thursday was one of those days! To me, this is what Christmas is all about - helping those in need because even when you don't think you have enough, you always have more than someone else and you almost always have enough to give just a little.