Daylight Savings

Dear N,

This was the first year ever that we had forgotten to re-set our clocks. Poor T had a brunch to welcome the prospective students this morning and was, of course, late by an hour. The extra hour did give me time to clean the house, mop the floors, make chocolate chip muffins and finish the Presto Chango.I did miscalculate the button hole rows and ended up having to add an extra row but I still like how it turned out. Baby can go out for visits in style.

Anyway, I must make this a short post as it's time to get to bed. We've lost that hour after all.

-T

On Fire

I woke up this morning very sore with a headache. I must be fighting off something vicious because my entire body feels like it's on fire. But things need to get done. El had a friend sleeping over, and B had an afternoon playdate, so I cleaned the house - washed floors, made beds, tidied up, baked my stand-by butter tarts, and threw on a pot of tea. I thought that would make me feel a bit better, but truth is it briefly diverted my attention from the fact that I was in pain. Depsite all this, I survived. Crafts were made, socks were knitted, company was hosted, and the driveway got shovelled (this was no easy task as snow fell fast ALL day!). Here are some cardboard eggs we decorated for Easter, and one day of knitting the Monkey. I am using Patons Kroy 4-ply sock yarn that I had in the stash, and it is knitting up quick! The pattern is easy to memorize even though it is 12 rows. This was the first time I followed a chart - are you shocked?

I should head to bed and at least appear ill. Toodles.

N

All the Trees are Hers

The concert rocked. Even J shook his head grinning that he hardly expected 'that'. I can honestly say Hawksley is 100 times better live than recorded, not that I don't enjoy listening to his albums all night and all day because lord knows I do. It's just he exudes something on stage that I can't explain. I forgot my camera in all the excitement, so I can't even show you.

Picture the band deep into "Striptease" breaking into "Crazy in Love" - the crowd just lapped it up. It was hilarious. Check out this interview - it's Hawksley talking about his new album. He's so dreamy!

The Charade socks are complete! I am so thrilled. I would wear them tomorrow, but I have a 'function' to attend bright and early in the morning that requires something a bit more dressy. They will just have to wait for the weekend for prancing and parading.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's the last day of school before March Break. I am not sure who looks forward to the time off more - me or the girls - but I do know that I will cherish each of those five mornings in which I do not have to pack nary a lunch or school bag. Five mornings to sip my coffee and read the news on-line and dress for work at my leisure. It's gold.

Cheers.

N

Between the Beautifuls

I am elated with my new camera! I have had a difficult time thinking of anything else the last few days. Please be patient with me as I would take pictures of dirt if it meant holding the camera a bit longer. Here is an extreme close up of my go-to hat for my cold noggin. It's Manos del Uruguay wool in the wildflower colourway. Feast your eyes on that fuzz! Now that's a macro.
It's not all picture-taking around here though. I have a few rows of pattern left on the foot, and I can begin to decrease for the toe. This is the Charade pattern in high-stitch definition!
To T's envy, I scooped up two tickets to go see Hawksley Workman at the Aeolian Hall tomorrow night for J and I. I am not really a concert-goer type of person - I would rather spend my money on a CD, and settle on the sofa with my knitting, but Hawksley is a true entertainer, and he is so much more than just the music. His conversation with the audience is captivating. One can't help but be completely mesmerized with his song and dance. I just wish you were here to drool with me, T. I seriously doubt that J will want to relive the entire two hours for the countless weeks ahead, but then again, maybe he just needs to see him in person . . .

N

(Un)Finished Business

Finally, a new set of wheels.We walked into the Honda dealership on Saturday morning, two test drives, a cup of tea and some minor haggling later, we drove off the lot with our new little Civic. Who knew that T was such a good negotiator? Of course it helps when your salesman is a former Edmonton Eskimos football player and a CFL Hall of Famer. What are the chances?

Anyway, my Mother Bear Project bear is almost done. I just need to purchase some polyfil and get him stuffed. He was a very easy knit and I can't help but think about the child who will be getting my bear. I've made sure that lots of good wishes and kind thoughts were knit into every stitch.I've also cast on for a Presto Chango that will be going to T's godparent's very first grandson. They've already got four granddaughters but their first boy will be coming along in April up in Ottawa so this little sweater is for him and possibly a matching hat.I love Cotton Ease yarn for baby knits. Easy to care for, is soft and comes in lots of very nice, muted colours. This lime green isn't as bright as it looks.

Well, another weekend over. Hope you enjoy your new camera. The pics look great!

-T

The Untalkative Bunny Visits a Knitting Circle

B used to watch The Untalkative Bunny all the time. It cracks me up!

N

Back on the Horse

Look! A new haircut and a new camera, and I love both!
Here's my Handmaiden Mini Maiden I bought in Newmarket
. . . and my Fleece Artist Basic Merino Sock Kit! It's GOLD!

I am over-the-moon thrilled with my new camera. A part of me thinks that on some level I may have wanted to break the shutter on my old one in order to get this. J talked me through a bunch of options once I told him what I needed the camera to do. For example, I needed to shoot pictures with my sometimes shakey hands. I wanted high stitch definition. I wanted lots of knobs and options. He took all of this into serious consideration without any rolling of the eyes, and he translated my specs into electronic lingo with the sales assistants. He didn't pull out any stops. We got the best camera at the drug store. That's right. The pharmacy. Shopper's has a really fancy electronics counter at most stores, and today I got 20 times my points, so after buying the camera, I went over to the cosmetics counter and bought a $100 bottle of Dior Miss Cherie Eau de Parfum with all my points! I believe this may be when J finally rolled his eyes.

Something else that terribly excites me is the Parkinson's Annual Cut-a-Thon! This year it happens to fall right on my birthday, and I have scheduled appointments for El, me and my mum. Fancy hair will need strutting, so I need to pick somewhere 'cher' for lunch. If you live in south-western Ontario, and you have hair, I seriously recommend you make an appointment. You get a fabulous cut and style at a trendy salon, a heavy loot bag from Revlon, and to top it all off, you are supporting a very worthy organization. It's only $35, and ALL of the money goes to charity because the salons and hair stylists donate their time, skills and resources for the day. Book now to get the most choice salons!

G'night!

N