Sunday, July 27, 2008

If you need me...


this is where I"ll be.


Not really--more like chasing kids around an island.

We are off to visit hubby's family for a week--in the woods and on an island.
I have packed way too much knitting and 2 books.

See you sometime Saturday

Thursday, July 24, 2008

It's going to be really clean around here

I'm a soap making machine.
Okay not really a machine, but I'm having fun.

I made some more coffee soap the other week in my new molds (The soap got stuck--who knew you had to have a liner or something-but the soap turned out pretty good anyways)


2 nights ago I used essential oils for the first time and made Patchouli Lavender soap:

It's not the greatest picture (taken at 10pm)--but there is a hint of green (I coloured the soap) and it smells wonderful.

Last night I made Lemongrass soap--with fragrance oil and real Lemongrass leaves (?) in it. I coloured it to a nice earthy brown.
Yummy.

It's really hard to wait a month to use these soaps.

So, I have on hand:
Coffee soap
Chai Tea
Chocolate Goats Milk
Patchouli Lavender and
Lemongrass

I think either Green Apple or Cucumber is next.
or maybe Chamomile Mint

:)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Want to win a handmade quilt?

Go here, but fast, the contest ends tonight (Tueday) at midnight.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Progress

Nanners socks are done:


First actual skein for Tour de Fleece:

It's the January fibre from the Spunky Eclectic Club. It's Icelandic fibre that I spun as a single on my Antique Quebec wheel.

More Nanners sock yarn for the store:


I'm now working on the February Spunky Club which is South African Fine fibre and ooooh I love it. I've spun up two bobbins and will be plying tonight when hubby and I finally get around to watching Spiderman 3.

My son is obsessed with all things Spiderman and from the collection of t-shirts we have inherited from my nephew, he can wear a new one every day.
We found and old DVD of the tv show at the library which he watched every day for a week.
I sing the Spiderman song as his lullaby at night (he asks for it) and today we had his first dental check up, made easier by the fact that they had a Spiderman soft toy that he could hold and a Buzz Lightyear toothbrush.
(Seriously our Dentist is awesome with kids--I was expecting a fight to hold Aidan's mouth open. Dr B just said that he had to check to see if the toothbrush was the right size, and held it near Aidan's mouth and he opened right up and even let the Dentist put his fingers inside to check his teeth)

Spiderman saves the day....

Monday, July 14, 2008

To the T.dot

I had to take a trip back to Toronto this past Friday and was bound and determined to find Lettuce Knit. (Last time I got lost in the construction and then had to come home)

I dropped some clothes off at friends' house, went to my appt and then braved the busy traffic to get to the store!
(I have never driven in Toronto before. I have driven PAST Toronto, but never in the city).

So, a 15 minute drive (per my google map) took 45 minutes and I was afraid that the store would close.
I navigated Kensington market (crazy crazy--tons of people walking everywhere, one way streets, bikes that just go and don't look at cars..)

I found the store and then had to do another turn around the block to find parking.
I FOUND PARKING...a free spot.

So, I didn't spend long in the store and didn't get pictures of the actual store (I know, bad blogger) You've seen it before on the Harlot's blog)--the store is seriously tiny--but they pack in a lot of awesome yarn.

I bought one thing that may or may not be a gift so I wont' blog it.
I bought an Elizabeth Zimmerman book that I have been wanting for a year


and of course, some sock yarn.
I wanted to buy something that I couldn't' get locally--something that was different.
Some Art Yarns UltraMerino---(colour 123)


the colours they had were awesome-there was one that looked like pink and chocolate cake.

I think I had a Megan (owner) sighting on the way out--and that was it.

I was very close to this:


and then this happened:

I was driving downtown (seriously right downtown) and was stopped at a light and then a little birdie decided to land on my window, scrounge on my windshield for food and then flew away right when the light changed--it was so cute.

I had a good day. I caught up on podcast listening.
By the time I left Toronto and navigated through traffic it was 6:30pm and I had yet to have had lunch. I found a mall (the really weird thing is that it was the same mall I visited a year ago and had no idea I was in Oshawa last time--I had no idea where I was but for some reason knew exactly how to get to the mall)

I did some shopping and had some sushi (wahoo) and Starbucks (wahoo X2) and came home.

A good day.

Next time I would hope to bring someone with me, or meet up--it's much more fun that way!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

It's all about me

I just had my 100th sale in my little store!

I had dyed up some nanners yarn for myself and then people showed an interest so I dyed up some more.
One has sat in the store a couple weeks but now it's off to it's new home~!

Also, I totally forgot to blog about this previously:
My store was mentioned by a Canadian Knitting Podcast.
Chrissy is the podcaster behind the Manic Purl Podcast.
The episode is #3 and show notes are found here.

Fun!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Tour de fleece






I've decided to join again.
I did it last year when I was a new spinner.

Now I think I am able to set some actual goals.

My personal goals are to spin through my Spunky Eclectic Stash and try something different in the spinning.
I have not spun up some of my club shipments due to being frustrated with my wheel. (it's hand made and sometimes it comes apart and/or the wheel becomes difficult to treadle).

I have been spindle spinning some wool in the Toronto colourway--just spending a few minutes her and there.
I decided to finish that yarn on the spindle, as one of my goals.

I also sat down last night and played with the tension on my antique wheel and spun about an ounce of singles, laceweight from the January fibre.
I figured out the tension!
I hadn't spent much time on this wheel because it would either over twist or not pull onto the bobbin.
I loosened it fully and then tightened just enough to get what I needed.

I think the yarn will be pretty and I hope to use it for my first singles project.

I was telling someone last week about my "ghetto" lazy kate for spindling and since I had it beside me outside yesterday I decided to take some pictures.

Full spindle cop:


My supplies:


After filling my spindle I wind the singles onto empty toilet paper rolls with my ball winder.

Then I use this set up to ply:


and then I end up with something that looks like this:


I love this colourway.
I can't wait to finish it.

Princess B had a play date at our house for most of the day today and I went to help a friend with her lawn tonight (until everything died and we went inside for ice cream--too bad eh?)
So, I didn't get any spinning time today save for about 5 minutes.

I hope to get the singles done tomorrow night if I can just sit down and do it.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Where in the world..

have I been.

Actually, I've only been 15 minutes from home-but it's been busy.


It was Family Camp week this week and my family was visiting (my sister, cousins, aunt/uncle, dad/stepmom, bil/sil and 2nd cousins galore. plus camp friends, college friends).



The kids were in morning sessions, I had the chance to sit and knit with my sister, we hit the beach every afternoon and there was more knitting at night.

I finished one nanner sock and am working the gusset increases on the second. (the sock is not on my foot because I had to cast off w/out a darning needle to do my usual sewn bind-off and the cuff is too tight)


I am pretty tired from all the fresh air, late nights, early morning and general running around.

My throat feels like sandpaper and I was so tired this afternoon but unable to nap.

My newest book series addiction is keeping me well fed. I'm on book 7 and only started 3 weeks ago. (total beach trash books--brainless but laugh out loud funny)


So--the socks are the only thing I've been knitting.

I have been spindle spinning a bit.

My goal for the Tour de Fleece is to finish my Spunky Eclectic Spindle project and then spin up as much of my club fibre as I can.

This past week there was a Ladies Craft Show and tell and my sister and I brought our knitting and spinning. I brought the wheel to show a friend and ended up doing a little demo.

It was fun to show people the spindle as well.

Tonight I got almost a full ounce on at one time--and I was sure that it was going to fall off and I could see it getting into a big tangled mess--but so far, so good.

So, regular posting will return (ha ha regular) and then in another few weeks it will be another week away for hubby's actual vacation.