Happy Canada Day!

To all and sundry – today may you be blessed with BBQ, beer, and good clean polite fun (in a canoe if at all possible).

Still Lives

But it has been an… interesting couple of months.

There was the wedding (during which I made a new best friend – and didn’t get to sleep for two weeks before 2:30AM).

While down Boston way (for the wedding), I finished my thesis, and according to my instructions from my supervisor, I sent it in. After a few weeks, I got a note from one of my committee members saying they would not sign off [much to everyone's shock]- so I went through a period of discerning whether I even wanted to finish the … thing, or just move on with my life. After much angst and ranting and thinking and praying and a decent talk with my supervisor I am going to finish, but not this summer nor likely this fall even. So now I am in the process of figuring out whether I have to register for the fall or can take the semester off and deal with re-registering when I actually finish (again). Grrrr!

I’m taking some time off from academic stuff (or at least I’m trying too, but today I was drafting stuff for the thesis and an article on Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of a Nordic studies person… don’t ask – that new best friend is a theatre person… and well, the things we talk about tend to evolve into academic papers on my part and new plays on hers, well see whether this one ever comes to term).

Knitting-wise I got seriously burnt out by the secret project of increasing vastness (more below) and after it was finished, I took almost 2 full months off from knitting anything (worked a little on my Viper Pilots socks on my travels but that was it). In the last week I’ve got back into knitting a bit (again more below).

Specs: Super-secret-project AKA: the Wedding Blanket

Pattern: Balmoral
Designer: Marianne Kinzel
Source: Second Book of Lace Knitting

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian Wool (worsted)
Yardage: almost 19 skeins
Needles: 4mm circs

Mods: I knit the pattern as written until the end of chart F, then used chart M from Rose of England (in the same book), followed by the Cream Edging from p80 of Gathering of Lace.
Cast-on: January 23 2009
Bound-off/Blocked: May 13 2009
For: J&J’s wedding May 23 2009 (but needed to be done for my departure for Boston on the 16th)

Notes: It would have been way easier if I had the cable connectors before it was finished. I probably should have gone up a needle size or two, the fabric is super dense, which makes it warm, but really, a bit much. This is one of those projects that can only be considered a testament to the affection born for the recipient as it was crazy – really crazy. I’m not sure I’ll do another like it, ever, (just wait in a couple years I’ll come up with a reason why one would be a cool idea and then I’ll find this post… after I’ve finished it…). But it is pretty darn cool.

I’m currently working on a triangular shawl (this pattern) out of some of my hand-spun. I have no pictures … sorry, but the transitions from light blue through turquoise to darker blue is turning out quite lovely. I’m not sure how big it will end up being, probably somewhere between scarf and shawl sized.

I also finished knitting and blocking the neck warmer from the most recent issue of Spin-off (and also don’t have pictures of it either), but I still need to find buttons so it isn’t actually done.

In utterly unrelated news, my mother, my sister A. and I saw Bon Jovi in concert on the weekend (here in Moncton).

We weren’t allowed to bring cameras -not that it stopped some people- so this is the only picture of the day, once my sister got done with it…

The show was awesome (though whoever did the logistics for the concert site and city needs to be replaced or exposed to a large-scale event and smoking should not be allowed. period.) We were about 50 feet back from the stage and had a great view of the stage and the screens (well at least we did when 6ft moron in front of me wasn’t leaning in my way – I screamed loudly – as Italians trained to yell in hockey rinks are very able to do- in his ear during appropriate moments). There were 4 opening acts, all Canadian. The first two were from Quebec, the first of which was almost entirely in French and were not really that impressive to me (partially because they were all in French… and also because their lyrics were really repetitive), the second was better, but not amazing (their drummer was spastic and kept loosing drum sticks). The third act was State of Shock, which I very much enjoyed (esp. the drummer… A. and I determined that he looked like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine if he had been raised by Mr. T – not that I’m objecting, not in the least). I’ve been listening to them on YouTube for the better part of today, need to get to HMV soon! Bachman and Cummings were the final opening act – I was excited to hear them do American Woman, but otherwise wasn’t thrilled by them (and someone should have given Cummings a white towel… he had black towel fuzz all over his face for most of the set…). Bon Jovi was AMAZING! Between the show and the encore they covered my favourites (old and new) so I left a happy girl.

This is my current favourite State of Shock.

Dyeing To Show You

Obviously, I’m running of of titles…

Knitting of late has been confined almost exclusively to the super-secret project of increasing vastness – so not a lot to say.

I’ve also done some work on Cumulative Effects, particularly as I scored some leftovers at the yarn dyeing party on Saturday. (Thanks L. and S.)

Saturday the Moncton Knitters (formerly those who met on Monday, but increasingly those who meet on Monday and/or Wednesday) got together to dye some yarn and eat some amazing food (I may have eaten way too many cookies and chicken pin-wheels, but that is up for interpretation). L. and I were the only ones with experience in this area, she does amazing things with food dyes (food colouring and cake colours). We ended up with multiple different methods (kettle dyeing, over-dyeing, dip-dyeing, hand painting) and different dyes (acid dyes, indigo, food colour, and cake dyes) and many yarns (roving for thrumbs, sock blanks, sock yarn, worsted weight) and got some beautiful results. Much fun was had by all. Naturally I didn’t have a camera with me so my only pictures are of the yarn I brought home.

Remember the kind of yucky yellow-brown-green dye job? Well I finally fixed it, amazing what an over-dye of purple can do.

The new and improved Boston and St. John’s colourway

I also dyed up the 4 skeins of natural Louet Gems. Two matched skeins in each colourway. They turned out gorgeous (what an amazing base yarn), I can’t wait to see how they’ll knit up. I tried to go with colours that were a little outside my usual. Which worked with the Pink, but I’m not so sure with the Purple…

Purple Rain

Pink Rock

FO and Much Ado About Nothing

So first off, I finished the Malabrigo Nanners I was working on. So yeah me, one whole pair of socks this year….

Specs: Malabrigo Nanners
Pattern: Nanners
Designer: Wendy D. Johnson
Source: Wendy (the pattern is now available from her blog)
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Colourway: Stonechat
Yardage: probably 85-95% of the ball

Needles: 2mm Harmony dpns
Size: Large (at least a 9, maybe a 10)
Cast-on: Jan. 21.09
Bound-off: Apr. 19.09
Modifications: I used a turned toe instead of whatever the pattern one was.
Notes: The pattern was great, and there is something cool about doing a heel flap toe-up (much cooler than top down). But alas, they don’t really fit, they are too big for my size 8.5 feet, so I’ll either give them to my sister when she is home in the summer or just wear them around the house, since they aren’t particularly comfortable in socks. I have size issues apparently knitting toe-up, which I’m not really sure I care to remedy. We’ll see. [Also, I had better pictures but my sister deleted them...]

In other news

*The project I can’t talk about, is huge, like… well huge things. And getting huger… though I’m also nearing the end, which is a very very good thing.

* KnitPicks interchangeables are also carried by the English site www.getknitted.com, under the name KnitPro. They have few things that KnitPicks doesn’t carry, including crochet hooks (which are interesting but not useful really to me), and connectors for the cables. The connectors are very interesting particularly in light of the increasing hugeness of the above mentioned unmentionable project, which might explain why I ordered 5 sets. I got the shipping notice today, hopefully they arrive soon.

*And, we went to the beach on Sunday. It was very windy and chilly, but it was fun.

*And then we went and took pictures with the giant lobster (seriously, the world’s biggest). I think 1. he needs a name, for some reason George comes to mind… and 2. we are going to have to take everyone who comes to visit to meet him and take their picture with him, he is just that cool.

*I had my dress fitted last week, it’ll be ready on the 8th. The ladies there were awesome, and all agree with me about the dress (it is awesome) and attendant drama (they are sooo wrong).

*My thesis continues. I’m adding a couple of paragraphs to chapter 4 (in a hopefully-not-vain-attempt to make it less lame), and then it is basically wait for (and strongly request) feedback from two committee members, proof read, and cross-reference. (oh, and I need to add a few more things to the bibliography…) But, it is sort of, almost, done… I think…

Shoes and Stash

Yesterday I had to go shopping, you know for the necessities that arise with the purchase of any new dress.

Gold (and white) shoes for the wedding, which are both cute and comfortable

And since I was in town I decided to check out the yarn store, I mean I have already been living here for what… a month, and I had not yet visited the yarn store. And, I don’t know about you, but I rarely go into a yarn store and come out with nothing.

First, a review of the shop.

Name: Cricket Cove
Type: LYS chain, in the Maritimes, in fact in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Location: Moncton
Comments: The store is a good size, not spacious (ie. not Romni, but really what is), but not tiny either. It has a solid selection of yarns – including: Noro, Briggs & Little, Cascade, Debbie Bliss, Lopi, Manos, and even a store brand (with among other things 100% cashmere) – but a pretty weak selection of books/patterns/magazines. They have a plentiful number of kits (for all manner of things from alpaca thrummed mitts, to hemp bags, sweaters, shawls etc – and I did not buy the one with all the little balls of sock yarn for knitting a scarf but which would work in my blanket), as well as a goodly number of finished items available. Briggs & Little is prominent not only in yarn available, but also (poss. especially) in the pattern selection. Prices are about average and the woman who was there was friendly and helpful.
Pros: decent selection, carries yarns from the workhorse to the extremely luxurious (yes that is Qiviut behind the counter), pleasant environment and staff, free parking, and nearby. Oh, and their ’shopping bags’ are pretty polka-dot cellophane bags that could be re-purposed as gift bags.
Cons: Indie dyers not in evidence (which on the one hand I shall miss, but on the other may just save me from myself….) and no malabrigo sock [that one could be a problem]. There is not much by way of lace yarn and there is basically no spinning fiber [there is a little bit of felting fiber, and Briggs & Little's Country Roving, neither of which is specifically for spinning].

In sum: I’ll certainly be back, though I might have to stock up on malabrigo sock back in TO (or order it…).

Now the haul -

* 2 skeins of Ranco Semi-solid, by Araucania in a lovely purple. Either these were on sale or they normally sell this line really cheap (as in less than $14 – I think it was on sale), I bought to in case I want to knit a shawl will it, otherwise, I’ll get two pairs of purple socks out of it.

* 1 skein of Briggs & Little Regal [100% wool, worsted, 272yds], in grey – this is for knitting a pair of thrummed mittens.

* 1 ’skein’ (really more of a disk… or cake…) of Briggs & Little Country Roving in dark green (the colour in the picture is really washed out) – this will be the thrums for the mittens, and any left over will be part of a spinning experiment (as in – how well does the stuff spin up and what is the resultant yarn like).

* and the B&L pattern for thrummed mitts, not even sure why really other than it will save me printing an online pattern for the same…

Knitting-wise -

* The secret project continues to grow out of all proportion.

*I’ve been working on the Cumuluative Effects blanket, which is now a full 3 rows and 4 in parts (NTS – knit more socks… I don’t like to have too many squares the same near each other, sooo…. I’ve got plenty of yarn, but not that I can use…).

Oh, the ends to be sewn in…

* I finally cast on the second Nanner Sock, and am now about to begin the gusset increases (at this rate I just might have a pair of socks finished before the year is half over…)

Dress Post

This post is devoted to The Dress, which is actually this one.

It has arrived – intact, in time and the right size! It is a fabulous hunter green (the darker pictures below show the colour more accurately). V-neck, with shirred bodice, fully lined; flutter sleeves; empire waist, with wide waist band/sash; full length skirt; the back has a shallow V; the whole thing is in chiffon and charmeuse.

It fits (even in the chest-mostly), and I have a little bit of room either way (though I’d prefer to loose rather than gain before the date).

The dress is well made and beautiful, GO J!! Awesome choice.

Here are the pictures, ignore the fat model and concentrate your attention on the awesomeness that is the dress and the fabulous scenery.

… looks like I’ll need to find something with a little more lift to go with it…

Sorry about the expression on my face… I was really windy and my hair was giving me grief

This is a slightly better angle, apparently my good-side is my left, with my hair in my face…

J. see what I mean about the waist tapering towards the bow?

PS. I won’t be wearing the shoes seen in the pictures (well, almost visible in the first one) as the heel is loose, but the height is about right.  Shoe store here I come!
PPS. A. wishes to point out that the shadows were all wrong on the deck.
PPPS. Holy Cow, I look just like my aunts… don’t tell them I said that…

Oyster Bay II

I have FO! Actually I finished it last week, but I’m only now getting the pictures up.

Specs: Oyster Bay II

Pattern: Oyster Bay Shawl
Designer: Lori Law
Source: Oceanwind Knits, via Ravelry
Yarn: Dye-Version, Silver (Merino, Nylon, Silk, and Sterling Silver)
Yardage: just over 2 skeins (I probably could have gotten away with 2 if I didn’t add the extra repeat of chart 2)
Colourway: Tickled Pink

For: Dad’s boss K.
Needles: 4.5 mm circs

Cast-On: Mar. 1.09
Bound-Off: Mar. 30.09
Size: about 100″ wide, by 40″ long

Modifications: One additional repeat of chart 2
Notes: I love this pattern, just complicated enough to keep my interest, yet easy enough to move quickly. I think I’ll be making another one. The Tickled Pink didn’t run as much in the sink as the Lagoon did.

One last gratuitous picture of the shawl

Other than the shawl my knitting has been mostly confined to the super-secret project of increasing vastness. For which I have ordered more yarn and worked out a different edging than that which is prescribed. This will eliminate 2 full charts from the original pattern, but require 2 (smaller) additional ones, I don’t know if or how much yardage I really save this way.

I’m also getting a little bit done on my scrap blanket (so far to the tune of one additional square, but hopefully a bit more today).

In other news- House:
* I’m getting used to my bathroom, it is still small but functional.
* I have a desk… well a cart and a “utility table”
* I have catalogued the contents of all the boxes labeled Kate’s Books, Kate’s Comics or Kate’s DVDs, the final counts are:
book entries: 873 (I was really hoping to make it to 100 – though I still have some journal yet to input so it might make it);
comic entries: 428
movie entries: 201. I’m actually still missing a significant number of movies (mostly tv box sets – grr) and some comics.

This is the pile of most of the boxes with my books in them – several more were removed for other things and two big ones never made it into my room
* The stairs are still a death trap.
* Most of the snow is gone now.

This was the snow fall from the morning of March 30th

In other news – Wedding:
*My dress came!!! *does dance of relieved joy*
*It Fits!!! *does dance of joy and relief (not to be confused with relieved joy)*

In random other news:
* We have traded in Herc and now have a bright red Durango, which I’m still working on a name for

Moving: Fully Loaded

and almost fully unloaded.

Hotels are not good for my blogging – the rooms make me want to lay around and do nothing.

Quick general news:

* I just bound off the second Oyster Bay shawl, I’ll do a proper FO post once I can get it blocked and get some good pictures.

* My brides-maid dress for the wedding in May has shipped, please God it arrives in good time and fits me (oy vey this move has destroyed my diet and exercise plans).

* I’ve already met local knitters!!!

* We are the first people with our last name in the province, no others appeared in the system when we went to get our NB driver’s licenses.

*Monsters vs. Aliens is amusing.

On to the Main Attraction – The House

We got to see the house (finally) on Thursday… that would be yesterday… for the inspection in the AM. In the afternoon we got the keys and the house was officially ours, then we went back in did some laundry and watched a movie.

First Impression

Frankly, the first impression (which A and I shared) was that it looked smaller than the pictures suggested (the pictures my parents took were very isolated -ie. the swing set, or the garage, but nothing that showed how close these are to each other).

This is the kind of picture they did not take

It is the same with my room, but that has as much to do with lack of furniture as anything else (though the bathroom gives new meaning to water closet…). The view is pretty damn impressive and we are way out in the middle of no-where. In fact we are on the road to no-where heading west from Moncton after the cow-crossing sign to just before the horse-crossing sign.

Pros:

* It has a theatre, not a ‘home theatre’, but a theatre… with theatre seats, black curtains, movie theatre carpeting, and a projector – and movie posters (including Terminator, Mr & Mrs Smith, the Goonies, and Gone with the Wind). It is really cool and fun, we watched Chicken Little last night – the sound and picture are great and it is super dark and movie theatre like.

* The kitchen storage is very plentiful and cool including: a pantry with four sections of shelving (on the back of the doors, and double sided unit inside which swings out to reveal the last one in against the wall); a cupboard specially built for spices; a spice rack that pulls out of the wall; a cook book stand that comes out of the upper cupboards; and a desk for menu planning with view of river…

Kitchen… and some of the (closed) cupboards… the pantry is on the other side of the wall of cupboards

View from the kitchen… or living room… almost the same thing… also almost the same as the view from my room

* The library has a really neat swing out book shelf which is much like the pantry. What it looks like is a book shelf in the back wall, if you pull it out there are shelves on the back of that and then more on the wall behind.

* The dinning room chandelier is really cool, with these frosted tulip shaped bulbs (it is also quite low, so I’m looking forward to the table going under it…)

* The workshop in the upper portion of the detached garage is very cool and well laid out (some finished flooring and water and it would be the ultimate fiber workshop).

* The kids are happy (generally) with their rooms.

Look!! Elena is happy!!

* There are no electrical outlets in the exercise room! (This makes my hope that it might be able to stay and exercise room more remotely possible)

* The washer and dryer are even more space age than the ones we already had (though, Nick, the doors need to be switched)

Cons:

* My ‘bathroom’ is really a closet with a toilet and shower stall in it (I have not idea of the real size of the stall since I have not attempted to use it), the sink is in the top of a dresser (!) inside the bedroom…. Liz, Julie, girls… you’ve seen my bathroom… I have a feeling I’ll be storing a fair amount of stuff in the upstairs bathroom.

This picture shows the sink, and actually captures all of the bathroom door – and also shows something of the number of outlets in the room… there are 7 light switches, 3 phone jacks, and 5 or 6 electrical outlets

the ‘upstairs’ bathroom, or me and some of the storage in said bathroom

* The closet has one of those wire organizer units in it… the thing is completely unsuited to my wardrobe or my other storage needs (seriously wire racks… um… books and DVD’s fall through…). Thankfully dad has assured me that my big book shelf fits in the room. It (the organizer thingy) will have to go or be seriously modified.

* Anna is concerned (as am I for that matter) about the lack of space for desks in our respective rooms. I suggested that the library might be a good place for ‘resident scholar’ set up – but was glared at… A. might be able to fit a make-shift desk of sorts in one side of her closet.

This is A’s room, note double door-ed closet, which has a really well thought out, wooden organizer inside… just sayin’

* The stairs are cool looking, but well… I think St. Joseph must have designed them originally for some cupola in Italy somewhere… they are narrow, very twisty, and un-railed on the inside of the turns – try taking those with anything in your hands.

Overall, I’m excited. It is going to be an adventure, a change, and a challenge.

And last but not least:

Moving Day II – Return of the Packers

It is 8:32AM and the packers have already been here for almost half an hour. Yesterday, they were here from 8 to 3 and they packed an amazing amount of stuff (as in our whole basement… including cold room and storage areas… and the garage, and the main floor except the kitchen).

Today they are already well into on the kitchen and the bedrooms, and will be packing away our computer stuff (ergo cutting of my wireless network) soon.

Living in a model home was a pain, living in a fully packed home – even more so.

Thankfully, we’ve been able to farm out my younger siblings for most of the time (they’ll be leaving shortly for today’s excursion). And I spent much of yesterday helping run errands, first with my dad (taking stuff to the dump) and T. (who needed a new bike tire and inner tube). And then walking, in totally I think T. and I walked about 15k yesterday.

Today, looks like lots and lots of knitting. Advantage #8297975838073 and -4 of Knitting – low tech and portable.

Moving I – The Calm Before the Storm

Tomorrow the movers arrive to start packing. Today, we are going about preparing things for that arrival.

Today involves:
*putting things back out that went away for the ‘declutter’ but which we want the movers to pack
*packing our suitcases for the time we will be between houses, which includes prep-ing our carry-on
*emptying things – trash, freezer, fridge
*packing things we want to pack, rather than letting the movers do it
*trying to arrange the things the movers need to leave
*and otherwise organizing our lives for the next few weeks, including various contingency planning.

I have to admit to not contingency planning anywhere near what I normally would (I think I pack more for weekend than I have for the next couple of weeks), given we will be staying … next to the mall. Underware? Don’t worry about how many pair, I can always pick up some. Books? Um, well, two, if I need another there is a Chapters attached to the hotel. Clothes? Well, I won’t bother packing a ‘nice’ shirt, I can always get one.

One thing I’m not so blase about is the packed knitting. It has been arranged thusly:
*Nanners and Viper Pilots in my purse
*Oyster Bay is in my bag of varia which will probably eventually contain my computer
*Secret Project and Stricken in my suitcase

This, of course, does not mean that I won’t be yarn crawling as soon as I arrive…

More tomorrow – I have to go put two boxes of stuff back out in my room…