And Another Pose, Just Because
Don't you just love them? I know I said I wouldn't talk about them but that was yesterday.

This One Is My Lunchbag 

May I Present...The Buttonhole Bag
This one is a gift for a 1st Communion on the weekend. I plan on filling it with gifts. I did this one in Paton's classic wool (grey), Lamb's Pride (pink) and Philosopher's Wool (purple). As you can see the LP and the Paton's felted remarkably well and the Philosopher's could have used another few minutes in the washer but I didn't want it much smaller than that. The pink is not really that Day Glo looking in real life, I had a hard time capturing the exact colour wherever I moved it, grand photographer I am not.

I give you the coveted Fiber Trends clogs 

FIL's scarf and Cool Hats 

Complete and Utter Denial

I won't tell you what is in the washer right now. I will not talk about, write about or link to anything that has to do with the Buttonhole Bag. I know you are all sick of reading about it just as the children and DH are about ready to stuff that felted thing right up my... well you get the picture. My mother is just as fed up as they are, apparently if I swing that thing one more time in front of her (with its oh so beautifully formed buttonholes) she's going to thrash me (whatever the hell that means but she's been saying it to me since I was this high).
~~~~~~~~~~
On another note, the mystery is solved. My Fiber Trends slippers went missing. I have been looking for them since I got home from my knitting group last night. Now don't worry, I found them about 9:30 this morning and no ransom note was ever found, BUT I have the distinct feeling that they did not get lost on their own. This is my theory and deductions thus far:
• DN1 initially laughed hysterically when I began knitting these, at first, behemoth slippers
• after completion, said daughter began commenting about slippers with little phrases like "they look real cozy" and "what other colours does that wool come in"

• eventually, DN1 eats a huge piece of crow pie and asks if I will knit her a pair. My answer is that she makes fun of almost everything I knit/wear/say/eat/like/buy and that the hat I knit for her never gets worn so no I will not (although I really am going to after I complete my husband's but she doesn't know this yet)
• she replies with "well, I like my Laura Ashley ones more than those anyhow" but there is something in her eyes that tells me different
• more comments follow, such as "you really love those slippers don't ya mum?"
• slippers go missing and are later found under huge pile of laundry in basement (she knew chances were slim I would find them there since laundry gets done here only on a "need to use" basis)
Nobody pulls the felted and blocked wool over my eyes.

PS Blogger is all screwed today so excuse any mess that shows up here
PSS Great blog for Scarf Style disciples
http://scarfstyle.blogspot.com/

fait accompli

I feel a Buttonhole Bag frenzy coming upon me. Finished that little sucker in one day. I am using it for a little lunchbag type thing. When I do errands I take a water bottle and banana or granola bar and this is perfect for it. Older daughter looooves it so I am making her one for Easter in spring colours and I will fill it with chocolate and funky stuff 15 year olds love. I think I will make a gazillion of them since it only takes a day. I used some wool I had in stash, one of which I am not even sure who made it but the other two were Lopi and Philosopher's Wool.Gotta go, I am heading to Village Yarns to pick up some Lamb's Pride for more bags and a pair of clogs for DH. Happy Easter! PS Go visit MasonDixon and knit yourself one.

Sittin', Knittin', Bitchin'

We did some show and tell at my knitting group last night and doesn't everyone just love my Fiber Trends slippers/clogs. Of course everyone wants to knit them now. I must say they are very cosy and comfortable and DN1 actually thought I bought them so I guess that is a good thing. Next on my list, which I have already started are these. And another picture. How cute and adorable is this? Thanks to Mason Dixon for their pattern. I have about half of it complete. (easy enough to do during a SNB). The felting thing really is addictive.

Now for some knitting humour. You simply must go here under Madame Defarge Strikes Back. I read about this in this book and really could not believe it happened. I tried to find a picture on google to show you guys but no luck. Wouldn't you love to see a picture of it? What do you do if it rains?

I Have Survived...

Another March break. Started off kinda hazy (I am trying to delete last week, too many bad memories) but it slowly got better. Wish I could have done more with the kids but seeing as our house was under quarantine, well you know how it is. Lots of this and that.

Knitting is rolling along nicely. My clogs are almost done but I can't take a picture as I am still waiting for a tall, dark and handsome IT guy to darken my doorway. I finished the alpaca silk scarf for hubby from here and am very pleased with the result. I am also working on a fur stitch scarf, from here, for my MIL so it's happenin' here baby, I am a machine.

Took a little grammar test today and must say I scored "Advanced". Wanna give it a try? Come on, I know you, just go. (Hope the author of this test never reads my blog and my constant grammar mistakes and my oh so annoying slang)

I Got Tagged!

Last Book Read
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

You all know the story right? Damn, had to get tagged while reading something so blah. Where were you people when I was reading Lady Chatterley's Lover?

Where It Came From
DN2's bedroom. I was really desperate for something to read one night and raided her library. Was either the Potter series or one of 30 or so books on hockey.


Books Read Per Year

I used to read about 3 or 4 books per week. That was before the knitting addiction. Now it is about a book a week, depending on what's on the needles. I also tend to read more than one book at a time.


Favourite Genre

By far, British mysteries. I just don't think anyone (Canadians included) can do murder, mayhem and misery like the British can. That being said, I have exhausted almost all of my best loved authors and am patiently waiting for them to release their newest. I also make myself read something non-fiction every 3 or 4 books to keep those little grey cells healthy.


Favourite Books of All Time

1. My Left Foot by Christy Brown

Riveting tale of survival and achievement. Nothing can really compare to this tale. I am a fan of Irish authors as they are some of the greatest storytellers in the world.


2. Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Mesmerizing story with a touch of mystery and psychological suspense. I know there were some people out there that really didn't enjoy this read but I found it very moving indeed.


3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Historical fiction based on the biblical Dinah. Fascinating subject matter (love history and the study of Judaism) and really enjoyed being in a place and time I had never traveled to before. I also have enjoyed, Living a Jewish Life co-written with Howard Cooper.


4. All Miss Marple Books by Agatha Christie

I am never more at home than when I am reading Christie. I am there. I can feel the oriental carpet beneath my feet, smell the wood burning in the fireplace and and hear the knitting needles clicking behind the wing of the chair.


5. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Although I profess not to be, I guess I am a romantic at heart. I don't think many of us will ever be lucky enough to live and feel this kind of love. It really is one of those must reads.

Michele was right, this was very difficult. I did not include any of my favourite non-fiction such as The Psychology of Interpersonal Behavior by Michael Argyle or The Explosive Child by Ross W. Green cause I think it would bore the pants off of you people but they help me see through a window that I find fascinating (and sometimes scary).

Thanks for tagging me Michele, now I have to think of someone to tag, mmmm?

Blech

Typhoid Mary aka DN3 has struck again. I got it, DN1 just came home with it. DN2 has gone to Grandma's to try and run from it (big play off hockey game tonight, wants to stay healthy) and DH is waiting for it to strike any minute. Anyone else suffering? We're really to blech to blog.

The Univomiter

For those that need to revel in my misfortune and/misery please read on.

Where to start? Let's go back to Friday. Loaded the washing machine and started cleaning. DN1 has a day off school and goes down to the laundry room and comes upstairs and asks me why the floor in there is flooded. I race down there to find that the sink that takes the overflow of dirty water from the washer is plugged. It has overflowed and flooded the room. I mop. And mop. Do the Drano thing twice. Nothing. No laundry for Friday. Step ahead to Saturday. DH tries to no avail to unclog clog. Coat hanger, plunging, you get the idea. (Around this time I do a very stupid thing that directly results in another flood in there but I can only divulge so much of my imbecility). Sunday we decide to call contractor and get his plumber over. Left message, no response. Sunday I take three loads of laundry to MIL house and my mum takes two loads to her house. Monday rolls around and no call from plumber. DN2 has hockey game and DH takes her, I will meet them over there with DN3. Right before we leave, DN3 says her tummy is upset. Don't go to game. Game finishes and DH invites the usual 5 or 6 people over for coffee. Chris, friend and all around handy guy comes over and offers to look at clogged sink. Within 5 minutes (after banging pipes, what the hell does that do?) clog has unclogged.

Days of hell over? Not on your life, baby! And what would my blog be without the usual cataclysmic entries? But I digress...

As we are all enjoying coffee(I am happily knitting away another "Cool Hat"), got a load of washing in (life is good) and then DN3 comes up to the kitchen and says she reeeeally doesn't feel well, she thinks she's going to... you guessed it. I try and push her into the back powder room while my husband cups his hand under her mouth (did I tell you today how much I love him?) but this is not helping. It is everywhere. Kitchen, back hallway (where there are BOOTS in the way), bathroom, you get the idea. DH gets her up to bed and I proceed to fumigate 50% of our main floor. After complete sterilization process is completed, friends (spectators?) have gone home, we are just getting ready for bed and more explosions. In bed, main bathroom upstairs, (thank God I had the presence of mind to remove the oriental rug in there) it ain't pretty.

I now, at this moment, have 11 loads of wash. But hey, at least I can use the washing machine right? Come on people, I need a bit of positive karma right now. I know I should look on the bright side because we had only two floods this week but I can hear Negativity and
Pessimism knocking on the door.

Maybe I should go knit. That'll help.

Did I mention I think I'm coming on my period?

It's Better Than Being Bree...

You're Betty Grable!

brought to you by
Quizilla

~~~~~

And a well deserved congratulations to Elizabeth for her creative ingenuity. Go see what she has done. And just when you're learning to cope with wet socks, wet dogs and wet floors you see this, and start to wonder, " Why is it again you live in Canada?"

Thanks

Ya, I mean you. Thanks for checking everyday to see if I am up and running. My Kodak Easyshare doesn't want to cooperate though so, alas, no pictures. I have been busy knitting though. I did a couple of these (thanks for the encouragement Mary Beth) and just have to block this beautiful scarf for my fil. Next on my list are these slippers. When I have all my ducks in a row, I will post some pictures, til then, Knit On!

PS Whether you love or hate Debbie Stoller's Stitch'N Bitch franchise, you simply must read this forum (wow, some people have some really passionate opinions about her!)

Jobs/Employment

Large family looking for in-house IT Specialist. Must be able to conquer all viruses as a direct result of children constantly surfing net and 5 hour msn messenger marathons. Being tall, dark and handsome, definitely an asset. Apply within.

Therein lies the problem folks. Hijacked homepage, firewall issues, you get the picture. Til I'm back to full power, I will leave you with this reason to fear acrylic and all of its derivatives.

Who is on your "Sleep With" List?

My husband and I have a "If you ever had a chance to sleep with list." You know the kind that the celebrities all have, if you had the opportunity to sleep with someone famous who would it be, no questions asked? Here are mine in very particular order:

1. Yummmm
2. Yessssssss
3. Oh Baby! (it must be the name that draws me)

Well, there you have it. If you need me I'll be in the cold shower...

PS Thanks, Jussi, for the help!

This is why you won't hear from me for a wee bit. Anyone else's calendar look like this? I just know I'm going to forget that "Ortho" thing at 2:45. Wrote it on my hand just in case. Keep Knitting! 

Look at that Beautiful Cast On!!!
Okay wool first, water later. I love this cast on (is it possible to develop emotional attachments to knitting techniques?), it really cranks my chain. It is neat and clean looking not too tight and matches better with the cast off edge, what do you think? The British magazine "Knitting" had a great article teaching you all these different cast on techniques and I am loving this one. (If anyone can teach me how to link to sites by just showing magazine, on blogger that would be great cuz for the life of me I cannot figure it out). I have also learned in the last couple of weeks how to properly pick up stitches AND the 3 needle bind off which I think is frickin amazing cuz sewing up sucks big time and anything that eliminates the most shitty side to knitting, I want to be a part of.

I am very happy with the scarf. It is the Men's Cashmere Scarf from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" and although I am not using the recommended cashmere, it is coming out simply stunning. The texture created by the alpaca silk and the simplistic pattern is very appealing and the two work harmoniously together.

WATER UPDATE

Things are semi normal here. The water main was capped Wednesday afternoon at 1:00. My councillor told me that if I hadn't been bothering him on an almost hourly basis, and he in turn bothering the Works Commissioner, it probably would not have been repaired as quickly as it was. Go figure. There was no water damage from that here or at my neighbours (that I know of) so some of you must have been praying *hug*.

Still waiting to hear back from my contractor on the estimate for repairing the ceiling/fixture/floor etc. Haven't heard from him since Tuesday (imagine that, not hearing from a contractor/tradesman when you expect to, weird eh?).

And to top matters off so well this week yesterday, as I am preparing for DN3 seventh birthday I started feeling so tired. Went to the grocery store and it exhausted me. Got home, put the groceries away and laid down with a cup of tea. I could not get warm. Got up an hour later and every bone in my body was aching. It was downhill after that. Hubby handled the grandparents for coffee and cake while I learned more reasons to avoid public bathrooms on CSI (gotta love that Spike! Network). So I am wrapped up in flannel pajamas, undershirt, wool socks, wool cardigan, chenille housecoat, duvet and wool rug and I still have goosebumps and teeth are still chattering. Check my temperature and it is 101.6. Now this is really something for me cause I haven't had a temperature since I was pregnant with DN2 and had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (13 years ago). So took acetaminophen, did the sweat/chill cycle all night and woke up and the fever had broken. I seem semi normal now, just a bit achy. Maybe it's a 24 hour thing? I don't know, just getting sick of being sick (especially if you're so sick you can't knit).

That's it. Thanks again for your happy thoughts.

Knit On

Added Later:

If you are interested in the Last Minute pattern please make sure you check the errata page at:
http://store.purlsoho.com/purl/book_corrections

Again, added much later:

Thank you Claudia, to alerting me of my utter stupidity. I didn't even tell you what cast on method I used for shit sake (thank you Norma, for the lessons on my ever expanding vocabulary). The cast on was the "cable cast on" and it can be found on video clip here.
http://www.knittinghelp.com/

Water

Water. It gives us life. Cleans us, refreshes us. It feeds us longer than any food can. It baptizes us and washes away impurities. It warms us from our aches and and if you are devout enough, it can even cure diseases. But what if water became your enemy? How you ask? Well let's give you a purely hypothetical situation. We'll say about two years ago, you get up in the morning, get the kids ready for school, hustle hubby off to work and you leave the house say around 8:45. You do what you have to do (work, shop, what have you) and come back at 12:00. You open the door to the house and as you do this, you can hear your smoke alarm going off. What is this you ask yourself? When you open the door, you see your cat, soaking wet and the dog also dripping and doing that very nervous "circle" thing. You proceed through your kitchen and realize you are wading through about 2 to 3 inches of water. Your heart beats faster and your stomach lurches. You look above at the ceiling and see water flowing from the light fixture. It is coming through at such a torrent that the fruit bowl directly below the light is overflowing like a fountain, almost staged looking. You fly upstairs at the speed of light searching for that cloth that must have gotten stuck in a sink by a careless child. No cloth. Both bathrooms seem clear but wait, your bathroom is flooded, How? The faucet. It has broken at the hot water handle and is spewing water faster than the Trevi fountain. You quickly call for back up and 4 months and a $70,000 insurance claim later, you move back into your newly (again) renovated home and say "Thank God" we're back to normal and had our "major" flood/claim/disaster for a lifetime right?
Wrong.
Let's go back to last week. One morning you're lying in bed waiting for DN2 to come in and cozy up before the alarm goes off. As she cuddles up to you she says "the bottoms of my pajamas are a little wet and I don't know why?" and you figure because hubby was snow shoveling outside that she must have walked by the back door and gotten her cuffs wet. You are still kind of dozy and haven't really computed the facts in your semi-conscience brain. You get up and begin making the lunches. As you're reaching for the smoked turkey, you feel something dripping on your head. Your gaze slowly drifts upwards and chaos reigns in the Btchwstix household once again. In the main bathroom a slow leak has sprung from the pipe leading up to the faucet. It has been going on for quite a while as the carpet in there is soaked (we all wear slippers so I guess we didn't feel the wet). The ceiling in the kitchen is ruined. The bulkhead running through the kitchen to the livingroom is also damaged. Insurance was not called as our deductible is now $2000 and we figure why bother. So this has to be it right?
Wrong.
Yesterday morning, I go to flush the toilet in our ensuite bathroom (the site of the first catastrophe) and the water in the bowl is, how do I phrase this delicately...shit brown. Great, that means somewhere close by there is a water main break. Run the water for a few minutes to clear the pipes, hop in the shower and get on with other tasks. Leave the house about 20 minutes later and as I drive out of the driveway there is a river of water flowing by my house from the neighbour's lawn two doors away. The water gods have struck again. As of now, 10:30 am the break has NOT been capped. Apparently there is 33 water main breaks in Etobicoke alone and we do not seem to be a priority. You would think after almost 26 hours of wasted water we would be but there still isn't anyone out there.
In conclusion, I would like all my readers to pray to the water gods for me. Mine have gone unanswered, also, those that practice the "evil eye", if you would be so good as to do a "counteraction" spell that would also be appreciated, in the meantime please send water wings.

Once Upon a Time in the Btchwstix Household...

there were no children. There was a husband and a wife. There were no children, no dog, just a cat. It was quiet there, almost...peaceful. This was a sweet time for Btchwstix. Why you ask? Well, I was just about to tell you.

Back when there were no children I could:

• go to the washroom without an audience (many people just do not understand the luxury of solitary elimination)
• eat chocolate for breakfast without the third degree
• buy clothing for myself without guilt (or wise cracking comments like "Did you buy that to wear?")
• wake up in the morning and find the kitchen in the exact same state I left it in the night before, that is to say clean, without peanut butter fingerprints and strange unrecognizable smells
• sleep til noon without emergency disturbances like "it's ten o'clock, can I eat a cookie now?"
• stay out til all hours, drink, carouse and be merry without worrying about who may be at home with daughters that want to stay til all hours, drinking, carousing and being merry
• eat a whole meal, without any interruptions, while it was still hot
• watch my bank account actually grow
• not worry about teenage sex, drugs, teen violence, house parties, grades, homework, hockey, exams, acne, meningitis, and a whole slew of other teen maladies

Sometimes, after a very long and tiring day I miss these times just a little, itty, bitty bit.