Fortoul, For SMF

Got some new things in the mail the other day. Here is one of the items. Pardon the really bad photos! Thank you again Sabrina.

My Favourite Things...

If Oprah can do it, so can I. Although I am sure my list won't get as much attention as her list usually does.

I always feel very good this time of year. I get to go to the outdoor farmer's market that opens every spring and runs until the end of October. We can run out of the house without first gearing up in coats and boots. We can enjoy the park, and sunshine, and wind. There isn't a lot of humidity yet, so it is bearable outside. It seems that we get to enjoy our friends more this time of year too. There seems to be a BBQ every other week-end.

I feel that my posts have been lacking photos lately and since I appreciate a visual blog as much as the next person there are a lot today.

Here are photos of my, incomplete, list of favourite things: Clean laundry hung on the line to dry; my butternut/beechnut tree—we're not sure which; hostas under my tree; my daughter going head-first down the 'big' slide; my other daughter climbing everything; my iris bed about to burst open into a display of beautiful and sweet smelling blooms; blue and yellow pansies; finally getting to the armholes on the 'mile-long' bath robe pattern.

In the Name of Progress

I have finally gotten to within an inch of my 17 inch goal for the bath robe. Yay!

No picture—very sorry—it just wasn't in the cards today. I was doing some serious house keeping today. Not much else new to report. Except that I am very anxiously awaiting the arrival of two packages. The first from So Much Fun—can't wait! The second from aeroplan. We had some points to use up and there is no chance we will be travelling this year, so, my husband is getting an ipod (finally) and I am getting a le Creuset set which goes great with my mother's day gift to myself a Mac santoku knife—it is soooo slick, makes me feel like a chef! When they arrive I can't wait to whip up a ragu in my new cookware, while wearing my clock-to-pus shirt and carrie hoodie.

The Deadly Number Seven

All right I have been tagged. Thank you A.D.D Knitter!

I don't mind sharing these seven things about myself. Usually I am fairly chatty, so sharing is second nature to me. Hopefully you are all still interested to know more about me.

1. When I was in grade one my mom and I were hit by a deer crossing the highway we were driving home on. It totalled the car we were in, but we made it out o.k. When I see deer along the highway I feel nervous and weepy. It has definitely shaped who I am and how I drive.

2. I lost the tip of my middle finger in the double hung window at my Nana's house. I was three, thought I was being helpful and lifted it, only to have it slice my finger when it came down by itself.

3. Clowns scare the bejesus out of me.

4. In addition to yarn stores, love stationery stores and kitchen supply stores.

5. One of my favourite things to do is watch t.v. with my husband. We find the same things funny—others might not find us nearly as amusing as we find ourselves—and it makes us laugh that we were thinking the same thought. See, t.v. can be good for you.

6. I like 60 Minutes—the show, not the allotment of time.

7. I have been lucky enough to travel to Germany, Austria, Holland, Lebanon, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and various parts of the U.S. Although I enjoyed each trip, ,y favourite place by far is my home—Canada. I hope to see every part of it in my lifetime.

Here is an unsolicited fact, I do not usually follow the rules of a chain/tag. Haven't since I received my first chain letter when I was six years old. So, rather than tag you, this is what I will do. If you read me, and you are willing, please feel free to list seven things about yourself, on your blog, which I would be glad to read about you.

And, in keeping with the power of seven, I will list seven blogs which I enjoy reading in no particular order:


So Much Fun
A Few Things to Say
Strands of Me
January One (not really sure if she reads me, but I find her obsession to be very interesting)
A Friend to Knit With
Big Girl Feet (also not really sure she reads me, but she is a kick ass Graphic Designer and artist)
Musindigo (got her awesome, yummy yarn in last post, she may not read me either. probably you have already sensed that trend)

The A.D.D. Knitter (doesn't count in the list of seven because she tagged me for this post! But it should be said that I enjoy her blog too. And her current post, which includes her seven things, has a point about blogging and our blog personas that I was just thinking before I read her today. Point of contention: is that not a picture of you from the yarn festival with your daughter?)

What Colours are They?

I should have mentioned this before, I left the yarn colours out of my last post. They are, in the picture from yesterday's post from left to right, 'ahoy', 'shiraz', and 'sweetgrass'.

A Lot of Yarn

This photo does not do the yarn justice. I cannot wait to knit something with it. I bought two of skeins of each in case I knit socks, but I really have no idea what pattern to knit. I am sure I will have fun figuring it out. Also, i am really running out of space to stash my 'stash'. I must get going on my knitting!

Hope you all had a wonderful time as, or with your mothers.

Knitting and the V&A

"Ruth: I learned to knit about 3 years ago, when I was about 22. I knitted a (very long) striped scarf in garter stitch. When I took it home to show my mom, she commented 'It's like something a five year old would knit!' (she started knitting when she was 2, apparently). I was slightly miffed at such a comment and was proud of my scarf. However, I was not put off. I am still knitting today and have even joined a knitting group that I go to every week. I have progressed from scarves to bags, and am now making one for a friend. To please my mom, I have now learned how to do moss stitch!"

Taken from Your Stories of Learning to Knit

I found this today while looking for a fun anecdote to relay to you all because I didn't want to bore you with the details of my bath robe—it is like watching grass grow to knit it. I am 7 inches into a 17 inch length on the back but thanks to a really gripping episode of Lost I had to stop knitting and watch. (Wasn't Jacob creepy?)

The reason Ruth's story struck a cord in me was that I can't imagine this happening in the blog-o-sphere. Even though my bath robe might be a bit (no, VERY) dull unfinished, I feel your support and thank you for not saying so. I am sure we have all had to contend with a fairly boring knit. And can you imagine a mother poo-pooing any sophomore knitting effort? By the time my girls are 22 I'll feel pretty good if they feel a shared interest in anything I do. After all knitting a scarf in garter stitch (which as I am learning is all purling, right?) must have required a lot of stamina.

I leave you with a visual on the bathrobe progress. The photo may look familiar, I doctored the original photo until I could come up with an interesting way to shoot it although it looks pretty accurate.

Got My Pottery Fix

Once again I have nothing to show you as far as progress on any of my knitting projects. I have been unusually busy with design projects. Bear in mind that for me two projects at the same time is busy. I have been squeezing in the work after 9 p.m. when daughter two goes to bed so I have had some really late nights. Plus, I was forced (it didn't take much really) to join Facebook, which isn't my favourite past-time so far. I get the novelty of finding out what people have done in their life, but then what? Still I just can't help but login every day to see what's to see. On the other hand it has given me a new perspective on my younger sister. I get to see her from her friends' point-of-view. O.k. maybe that made it worth while.

This past week-end I got to indulge my pottery-tooth. Twice every year the local pottery guild has a sale with over 100 potters in attendance. There is something for every taste. Here is my taste:



Thank you for the support. Apparently I am not the only 'bad' blogger who hates to purl. Sabrina's efforts to avoid it sounded quite inventive, I have had those thoughts too.

I am eagerly anticipating my new yarn purchase which will arrive this week. I can't wait!