"Last Minute Knitted Gifts" almost bought myself but DH finally understands my addiction 

Deck Of Knitting Cards (So Cute!) 

Girl Knitting Christmas ornament given to me by Barb from my knitting circle while she was vacationing in Bar Harbor, Maine, she was thinking of me!

I am a lucky girl. And a good girl too, apparently. I received some lovely gifts from friends and family. My assorted loot includes sweaters and books from DH, a whole array of items from Crabtree and Evelyn, kid leather gloves for my new coat, Laura Secord Chocolates, paisley flannel sheets (all from Mom and Dad), DVDs, and a stocking full of cashmere socks and gum (Santa must have a fetish about warm feet and fresh breath, but I digress). Again, I am truly thankful for a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends. I have basically been in my pajamas for the last 3 days, watching movies and every CSI ever recorded *note to self: never, ever touch bedspread in hotel room again*

Suffering from slight chocolate overdose and have visions of giving blood and seeing milk chocolate flowing through tube. I have been eating it before breakfast, as breakfast, at lunch, while cleaning, in bed, before sex, after sex (thought about it during sex) and am starting to think I have had a leeeetle bit too much. Found 22 empty wrappers in my night stand and I think it was me that put them there in some kind of chocolate induced trance. My six year old wants to know why I get to eat it at 8:00 in the morning and she can't. She now knows mummy needs it to keep her sugar count up, God forbid if she repeats this to my diabetic father.

Trying to finish Harry Potter scarf and have two more stripes to do then I am done. Looking to maybe do a doggie sweater for our dog and some mittens, but that's about it in the knitting department. Should go now, DN2 has a hockey tournament game in the morning so I have to find some real clothes to wear for tomorrow.

Knit On

As The Year 2004 Comes To A Close I Wish To Thank...

• my husband for letting me knit everywhere and anywhere without rolling eyes and the earlier sighs
• my mother (the "Stitch Doctor") for teaching me to knit and being so patient with my "emergency" calls to help repair/decipher/frog my first pathetic attempts
• my father for accepting the above phone calls without bitching while I was clearly disrupting "your mother's CSI"
• my children for not freaking everytime they say "Mum?" and I say "I'm counting, hold on"
• my various friends, neighbours, relatives and other assorted victims that have simply gushed when I have given them my pathetic attempts
• the earlier yarn store employees that answered my stupid questions without totally cracking up and losing control of bodily functions
• again, my husband, for not really looking too hard at the credit card receipts and wondering how you spend $202.02 at a place called "The Yarn Tree"
• and finally all the bloggers that take the time out of their busy days to read the mindless rubbish that I post once or twice a week

Merry Christmas, everyone and may 2005 be healthy, happy and fulfilling to all of you.

Are 14 Pairs of Boots Too Many?
I know you can only see 13 pairs but I couldn't find the black suede ankle boots. So the question is "how many pairs of boots/shoes is too many?" I am a shoe/boot-aholic, or am I? Most women I know seem to have a lot of footwear. They almost all serve a purpose (I admit there are two or three pairs I haven't worn in a couple of years but I just can't seem to justify getting rid of them). Why are women like this? My husband seems to get by just fine with two pairs of boots so why do I need 14?

Knitting? oh right, this is a knitting blog isn't it? Fantastic, most of my Christmas knitting is done and just have to fringe the shawl and finito. I caved on Saturday at Village Yarns and bought my Silk Garden #34 that I have been panting after for months. Decided to make a scarf for myself with it. I am doing the Farrow Rib again from The Little Box of Scarves and it is looking beautiful. Anxious to see how my knitted items go over with the recipients. I think I knit six items this year for gifts. Not bad for an amateur I guess. May post some pics later if anyone is interested.

Added Later:

Shit, this could be a problem


Take the quiz, which Desperate Housewife are you?
http://quizilla.com/users/gerigrrl/quizzes/Which%20Desperate%20Housewife%20are%20you%3F

"You Want Me To Put My Hands Where?!"

Yep, those were the words spoken to me by my eldest daughter. What would cause my daughter to rail at me with such venom? Apparently I asked her to do something that nobody, especially 15 year old girls do. It's disgusting. It's despicable. Indeed, I told her to clean the downstairs bathroom. Here is the conversation:

"DN1, can you please clean the bathroom downstairs?" (Have asked this of her before but for some reason, the toilet and floor were not washed, so I was way ahead of her this time)

"And make sure you clean the toilet AND floor this time" (heh, heh almost there, so close)

"Sure mom" she replies, bouncing down the stairs.

(Feeling real good but can you feel something coming?)

"Where do you keep the toilet brush?" (have never, ever owned a "toilet brush" and you would think that teenage daughter would probably, at some point have seen said brush after cruising around this house for say 15 YEARS)

"We don't have a toilet brush, honey you have to wash with your hands".

(Ya think it's now don't you? WRONG)

"Oh, well where's the rubber gloves, under the sink?" (now maybe it's just me but I never feel like I can clean properly with a layer of latex between me and the E. coli so armed with a jug of javex, I go commando)

"No babe, I don't use rubber gloves..."

(Wait for it...)

"Well, what do you use?" (said with total innocence, honest to God)

"Just my bare hands, babe just my bare hands."

(NOW)

"YOU WANT ME TO PUT MY HANDS WHERE?!"

Sink was semi cleaned. Toilet still had ring. Floor has more hair than Don King. I am refusing to clean said bathroom. The stand off continues...

An Excerpt...

"I have seen some changes. Knitters increasingly combine contrasting fibers for distinctive textures, work with several colors, adapt patterns by varying sleeves, neckline, length etc., experiment with higher style, knit more for themselves than others, knit less when the economy is good because they stay home less, knit less for men who are pickier and won't tolerate that "loving hands at home look," knit less for children since most modern mothers want to throw everything into the washing machine and dryer, count on knitting to keep their hands busy and out of food or off cigarettes, enjoy knitting's "social image" that attracts conversation, knit to reduce travel tensions over late departures, late arrivals, late room check-ins, late meals and gridlocked traffic and still perceive European designs more stylish than American ones."

Page 360

No Idle Hands

by Anne L. Macdonald

1988

After cleaning up outside a bit last week, I decide to sprinkle some grass seed from last spring down on the lawn... 

And lo' and behold... I find I can't sprinkle grass seed because it's ALREADY GRASS!!! Is this a testament to great grass seed or what?

Just one of those tiny things that somehow seem to amuse me to no end.

Busy, busy weekend. Too much hockey and bustle and not enough knitting time. Almost finished the Grand River Yarn shawl, I just have to finish fringing (is that a word?) the other half. Also finished the Feather and Fan scarf and that turned out beauteeeful. These are both Christmas gifts so this pleases me to no end. Also, started and completed a scarf for my new coat using that loop method to produce an all loop kind of boa. The pattern seems a little odd at first, but once you get the hang of it, the item knits up very quickly. Still need to figure out what to knit for the kids' teachers. One is a young female so that really poses no problem but the other is an aging Scotsman and I have no clue what to knit for him. A pair of knickers for under his kilt perhaps? Any suggestions in this department would be seriously considered. I really want to knit more items for the baby charity as well so I better start looking at some easy and quick infant patterns.

Picked my mum and dad up from the airport on Saturday and my uncle loved his slippers. So glad he was pleased. I guess this knitting thing does benefit more than the yarn shop owners...

Thinking of Babies

I have added a link to my sidebar for those that may wish to donate knitted or crocheted baby items. My neighbour, Rose, works at this organization and has recently told me they lack knitted/crocheted baby items. If you wish to donate, please mail items directly to them (Attention: Rose Lintner) or drop off at the address on their site.

I'm sure the young mums would appreciate anything you have to offer.

Knit On

Added Later

Just checking the weather on my site and Holy Crap! Weather Pixie is such a ho! Check her out today

• belly top
• mini skirt
• thigh boots

That's all folks!

What you thought you were getting a 2fer? Fat chance, one posting a day is all you can handle.

Leavin' On A Jets Go Plane...

This morning I woke up at 6:30 am to take my parents to the airport for their flight to see my ill uncle in Lethbridge. Did you know the sun is not up at 6:30 am? I also did one of those "I'm not going to hear the alarm so I better check it every 5 minutes" thing for the last hour of sleep. Needless to say, I am t-i-r-e-d. Sorry early risers, but I am not a morning person.

So I am very happy my father decided to go with my mum. He was pretty busy there for a while and I thought I would have to go with her, but they delayed going for a wee bit and now they're off. There was absolutely no traffic at the airport which just blew me away. I assumed at 7-7:30 am there would be quite a bit of traffic but it was very quiet and I was in and out of there lickety split.

I knit a pair of slippers for my mother to take with her for my uncle. She also knit her first pair of socks and is giving them to my aunt. I knit them in Toronto Maple Leaf colours knowing my uncle is a Flames fan.

Knitting is going okay I guess. Still working on the shawl, HP scarf, Fan and Feather scarf and want to start working on a scarf for myself. I got this beautiful coat from my husband for my Birthday and I need a scarf to go with it. I'm going to try that loopy method and see how it works out.

Also was thinking about those knitted pot cozies featured in the new Knit 1, but as I discussed on Knitomatic, I may be skidding dangerously close to the crocheted toilet paper topper things. I dunno, it's up for debate. Where is the classy/kitchy line? Where is the separation between cute and senior craft show like?

Other than that not much happening but will post some pics soon as I get batteries for the camera.

Knitting Forever,
Housework Whenever

Remembrance Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae

Ten Things That Really Piss Me Off! (In No Particular Order)

1. People that blow their leaves onto the road and leave them there.
2. Dog walkers that do not have the dog on a leash and that don't pick up the crap.
3. The dog walker that will not pickup the crap and makes his wife do it instead.
4. Parents that let their young children stay outside playing, after dark, and couldn't see them even if they wanted to because sunset was 4 hours ago.
5. Shoppers that leave the cart at the end of the cash and expect the next person to move it.
6. Shoppers that shop with their young children, on a school night, after 9:00 while they grab/touch/eat everything it sight.
7. Cold sufferers that still use an old disgusting "hanky" and blow their noses repeatedly into this germ infested fabric.
8. People that park in "Absolutely No Parking" zones because they think their time is so much more important than mine.
9. People that blow snow onto the road and again, just leave it there for you to skid through.
10. Telemarketers that call, after 6:00, looking for my husband, then not telling me what they want or why, because they can only speak with "the cardholder." What a laugh, do they not realize as long as I am breathing and able to answer the phone they will never ever personally speak to my husband?

Put Right Needle Through Stitch

Dear Jane:
Here you have me in all my knitting glory. I got a pedicure on Friday just to do these pictures. Now I am not admitting to great knitting with my toes, maybe not even good knitting but dammit I can make a stitch and that's knitting in my books. Notice the sock lines on my legs? And btw, in the second picture my legs look ENORMOUS and I must assure you they are not that big, it must be the angle or something (***Disclaimer: Not that there would be anything wrong with legs that are like that I just don't think these look like my legs)

PS If you look closely you can see a free-spirited ball of yarn by the chair that somehow I always miss when I vacuum

Wrap Yarn Around Needle 

One Knit Stitch Made 

Shawl~ making with Grand River Yarns "Babi" 

Harry Potter Scarf and Feather and Fan Scarf from "The Little Box of Scarves" 

He has conceded

He lost.
I just can't understand it. With all that positive Knitting Karma out there, he still lost.