Some of you will laugh and some of you won't...

Those of you out there who have actually lived with me/visited my house know that I'm not by nature ( and/or personal choice) a neat freak. I don't mind mess, chaos and generally can handle living in a pigsty most of the time. I usually clean when I have to because there are people coming over, I am procrastinating, or occasionally because the mess has started to drive me around the bend ( which happens very rarely).

It's Friday, I'm not working today and as much I am "dying" to cast on a toe-up sock ( for the first time) I feel the need to get the mess in this house under control. We have spent the better part of this last year renovating and currently the only room that we can actually use is our bedroom ( and even it has some work going on in it). All of the other rooms of the house are either missing pieces (like ceilings, walls or floors) or are being used for storage for the stuff that was in the rooms that are missing ceilings/walls/floors. So I am going to go and actually do something about the the mess, first I have to dust the vacuum off ( yes I know that is bad sign but the vacuum, like everything else we own is covered in dust from sanding and drywalling) and then I am going to going to commit to a few hours of getting something done so that at the end of the day I cast on that sock ( to take with me tonight to something we said we would go to with some friends...) as a reward for actually cleaning up so that more of a mess can be made next week.

* note to self* when searching the world for an appropriate partner, finding and then marrying someone who cares as little about cleaning as you do can be disastrous when it comes to the home you share...

ok an update in 10 minutes or less

Thanks for all the congrats for the wedding and such, we both really appreciate it.

There is no album yet, I am teaching this week but it will be quiet again after school ends.

I owe some thank you's to Jess and Mardel for the great treats that I got in the mail while I was away and I will take a picture of the wool, pointy kitty and other assorted green treats that i got ( the candy is all gone)

I got some great new wool in Victoria thanks to KIP day. As well as some great shower gifts that included wool and some books including the Harlots new book - I am rather fond of it

I am looking forward to the summer and the party we are planning, the guest list is up to 126 - just a few of our closest friends!

The knitter's are arriving ( for knit nite) and I think that is rude of me to type and ignore them so I shall be off for now but I will be back, hopefully sooner rather than later.

There will be an album soon, maybe this weekend but until let these captionless pics speak for themselves. It was an amazing day and I can't believe that it was a week ago already!

all done

treats

I heard last night that I have treats that came in the mail. Thanks to my colourswap and backtack partners, I havent's seen them but I am sure they are amazing! I am off to make wedding booklets, thanks for all your congratulations and such. I really appreciate it. I'll be back with pictures soon, I promise.

wedding prep steps 1 to 10

Step 1 - invite folks over to paint wine glasses for the wedding

Step 2 - continue painting and taking photos of wee people who do not want to be in the pictures

Step 3 - admire the handiwork of many fine artists

Step 4 - bake the glasses inthe oven and pray that they don't break in the process

step 5 - carefully remove hot glasses from oven and allow to cool

Step 6 - finish the skirts for the flower girls now that the length has been decided

step 7 - admire the finished and blocking wedding shawl (even though it is a bad photo)

step 8 - admire more of my moms sewing, I can't wait to see it on the littlest miss but she is not here till wednesday

step 9 - be amused by the ball of fluff that enjoys chasing his tail

step 10 - go glue some flowers so that I can post the next 10 steps before the wedding on Friday

I think I missed something

Everyone keeps asking me if I am stressed yet or nervous or my feet are cold as the wedding is just around the corner.

I must say that I'm not, I mean there have been a few things that have caused me some stress but nothing major. Nothing life altering that's for sure and as for my feet (as long as I am not downstairs in the reno dust without shoes on) they are nice and warm, really they are. Everything is just about organised, people are coming to the wedding, there will be food and drink, we will all be wearing finely crafted garments ( thanks mom) and I am knitting the picot edging on my shawl. I still have heaps of time before the actual day and I feel as though there is very little to do. There are a few crafty things that need to be done once I get home for the decorations and stuff but really there is not to much left.

I think this is the way it is supposed to be, calm and quiet. It is only one day and as much as I want it all to go swimmingly I know that there are things that are beyond my control ( like weather and small children) and I should just roll along and trust it will all fall into place. That being said the wedding is still 2 weeks away and there have been no major bumps yet and hopefully there won't be. Let's see how calm I am this time next week.

P is leaving for Texas on Saturday, I am leaving for Victoria on Monday the puppies are staying here, my poor girls. I think I will miss them more than they will miss me. I will keep posted on the lack of wedding stress and I promise there will be pictures when the 9th finally rolls around.

Almost there

So I am leaving for Victoria in a little over a week, I think I have most things under control and hopefully everything will go off without a hitch. There have been a few curve balls in the last few weeks like P getting a job ( which is great) but now he has to go to a conference in Texas next week. This means that all the stuff he had planned on getting done in the 3 weeks before the wedding has to be finished before he leaves for Texas next week. But, it will all happen and it is great that at least one of us has a job with a consistent income.

In other news, I finally got my contest results organised, Tara was the first to answer correctly and she gets some lovely peace fleece ( I saw her today but I forgot it at home so she will have to wait a little longer) and Grace ( who may or may not have a blog) name was drawn from among all those who entered, some treats will head her way soon.

I also got my colourswap package mailed out and finished my softie for backtack, I just need to take a picture and get it in the mail.

Dads, dogs, deliveries and dolls

Okay first things first, yesterday was my Dad's birthday. For some reason I was stuck on the fact that the 15 was today, not yesterday so he gets his blog entry today instead. So Happy Birthday Dad - a man who still tolerates... my crazy behaviour, my all hours phone calls ( the one from Korea at 4 am was the best), my requests for favours, picks me up and drops me off at airports and other assorted locations ( even ones half way across the country) and in 3 short weeks is going to listen to rant and rave as I try to get those last minute wedding things finished. he's a great Dad and as you can see in the photo a popular Papa as well

Dogs - sleeping on the bed - there is little room left for anyone else. Chud almost fills up the whole length, she is over 30 inches tall now.

Deliveries ( okay it is my wheel but I needed a pic) Cate sent the last of my wedding shawl wool back with Jo, I am off to pick it up shortly. I will keep you posted about my progress.

Dolls, I got these little beanies on sale and thought my niece would love them but their clothes sucked, so me and the polar fleece have been busy, the goal is to sew as few seams as possible while making it easy for a little person to actually change the clothing

Toronto and back... Again

Yes I did it again, a 28 hour trip to Toronto but as usual it was worth it. On Thursday I drove my friends Dad down ( a long story, he lives there but was here for a conference)
so that we could go to her convocation, she got her masters. It was a great day with great company and good Indian food. Then she had to work on Friday and so while I waited for the school day to end I had to find some way to spend my time. Any guesses as to were I ended up - Yes Queen St. W would be correct, I spent so long at Romni I had to move my car so I wouldn't get a ticket. I got to stroke some fiber, buy some treats for other people and look at all those great pattern books that have come out lately. After Romni and a Vanilla Latte I picked up Joelle and we flew back to Ottawa to go to my wedding shower. I number of my friends got together and had a wine shower for me - we had a blast, I forgot my camera - Tara had one but she is not allowed to post the pictures... we all had a great time. Sadly Joelle had to go back to the big city today and so I dropped her off at the bus and now I am enjoying a Chai latte and catching up on my email and such.
Last weekend P and I had to go to marriage prep class so that we can have a church wedding - don't even get me started about how I felt about being there, I could write for days about the absurdity of the whole situation - REGARDLESS I was there and I decided I would use my time wisely, so I knit. I played around with a few patterns for this wool ( I got it in CA in January) and finally decided to use a pattern I have done a few times, it's a slanted eyelet scarf pattern from Alchemy. I like the way that it looks and it works with lots of weights of wool. I took this picture last Sunday and it is about twice that size now as I worked on it at Joelle's convocation as well.
This the pillow I quilted, I need to sew up the edge but really lack the motivation, it's now quiet as bad as knitting seams but I just can't seem to do that last step. I made up the pattern from a few others that I found online, it is FAR from perfect but I like it.

I have winners fromthe contest but I have to get moving, I will let you kno who you are later this week, I promise!

a few of the many pictures I have to share

The other day Chudder ran away and after chasing her through the front pasture for 20 minutes I caught, she likes to run ( that's putting it mildly) and although I am fairly confident that she would come home the traffic on the Trans Canada Highway might interfere in her plans. Anyway when she came in she was banished to her bed and Tai thought that it would be a great chance to play with some of the toys she never gets at anymore because Chudder takes them away from her.
She had a great time and rolled around for quiet awhile.
And then she put herself to bed because she was exhausted!
I have signed up for a few exchanges this month, as if I didn't hve enough to do. So this is an almost finished softie for backtack - with some of my now blooming bulbs that I planted last fall. I also signed up for this months colourswap and I got someone I already know via cyberspace, Jess. I have her treats but must get them in the mail, I must admit I strayed a little from the green theme but only a little.

This is your last day to get in on the contest, send your answers, it's not to hard!

okay

Okay, the contest question was a little hard but the answer does exist here in the blog. It doesn't matter though because I made it easier, I changed it in the orginal post so scroll on down.

That contest I have been talking about

I taught everyday this week, it's great that I am working but it takes away from my blog time...

Just a short post to tell you that I am having a contest! Hopefully all you quiet lurkers will particpate as well as all those people that I have come to know as friends. I can't believe that I have been blogging for almost 2 years, amazing how time flies.

Please email me the answer to the following question , replace the brackets withthe correct symbols - bagknitter (at) yahoo (dot) ca

**Edited to change question** because I think the last one was to hard!
What country did I live in when I started my blog?

No hints on this one as it is much easier.

There will be 2 prizes, one for the 1st person who responds correctly and second one drawn from the remaining correct answers. Prizes, a envelope full of knititng realted treats and goodies - I am not sure what exactly will be in them but it will be good

Contest closes one week from today on May 7th. Good Luck

Random ramblings

I had said that I would post after Easter and fill you in but to really do that requires pictures and that would have meant getting my camera out of the car this morning and taking them. I didn't, so I can't really fill you in properly but I'll do my best in a no pic kinda way

* The shawl is coming along, I am about 2/3rds of the way through, 5 or so more repeats.

* I am quilting a pillow for my nephew to carry in the wedding, it's got a butterfly on it. It's my first quilting attempt and I think that I am doing a pretty good job. It's basted together and I just need to actually sew and then design some funky quilting for the wings.

* I decided today to add thank you cards to the list of things that I am making myself, they are so much nicer that way.

* I also decided today that things like taxes can wait until after the wedding! They really won't care one way or another when they have to send me my refund, it's not like I owe them money.

* I have gotten a lot of the the little errandy things done like gifts for the bridal party, toys and games to keep the little kids busy during the reception,

* We picked up the rings today, I love them but mine is tooooo small. I am hoping that it is because of the ugly peeling swollen hand (a result of last weeks scalding, don't argue with boiling water, you will lose) that it doesn't fit and once it looks normal again ( my hand) the ring will fit as well. We had them made from rings we already had, we melted them and put them together to make 2 new ones. It was a good way to keep that which is precious to us both and always be able to wear them.

* I found out yesterday that one of my favorite people in the world is coming to the wedding and I must say I am soooooo excited to see her, it has been at least 3 years since we saw one another.

* I have also been spinning some great roving that I got in San Francisco, it needs pictures to do it justice.

* The bulbs that I planted last fall are up, not in the order I thought they would come up but I am not complaining, I think the tulips will bloom before the snowdrops at this rate though. These too need pictures to really see what is happening as does the all the painting that I have been doing in the house. The house is happening, slowly but surely


and last but definitely not least tomorrow is my Mom's birthday and since I am at the cafe now and they have high speed she gets her Happy Birthday a day early



Happy Birthday Mom, a woman who is single handedly outfitting myself and the rest of my wedding party in custom made outfits, who always candy in her purse for a crying kid ( yes my mother gave me candy when I was sad and I turned out just fine!), who puts up with my constant worrying and hasn't disowned me yet, who encourages me to spread my wings and fly even if it means that she won't see me as often because flying takes me far away from home, who is a great woman and great mom. I love you and hope you have an amazing day.

Blogger is about to go down, I gotta go!

I loves me a contest!

Kat is having a contest and I just had to enter!

List 5 places that you have knit other than home or a knitting store.

1. On a 2 day boat trip down the Mekong river in Laos
2. On a 26 (straight) hour bus ride in Vietnam
3. The subway in Seoul, South Korea - I got lots of strange looks here
4. At Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok and on the night train from Bangkok to Chaing Mai - it's a toss up both are good ones
5. In Rhinebeck NY at the Marriott Hotel with Tara, Cate, Sara and Jo

Edit - I just came back and added in the links, now you can see the pictures of me knitting in some of those places, I don't have one in Seoul or onthe bus but you'll just have to trust me.

Happy Easter

When it rains it pours in my world! I have become super busy with teaching work which is great but takes away from blogging/knitting/wedding prep/painting time and thus I am trying to shove everyiting that needs to get finished into some very busy weekends! It will all get done, it always does. The next week looks calmer, so I'll be back to fill you in on the last 2 weeks some time after Monday.

Aside from being busy I had a fight with a pot of boiling water this week, the pot won and I have a very sore and very burnt right hand which makes typing a little challenging. It's slowly healing and hopefully will be back to normal in the next day or two.

Have a good weekend everyone.

If your squeamish or a vegetarian you might not want to read this one.

Dear Resident wolves and coyotes of Conc. 2A

This is your neighbour, the one from the farm with the vast woods and fields which you seem to love so much. I have a request, a small request really and if you could do your best to try to fulfill it I would really appreciate it. I am aware that there is a cycle to life and that you being carnivorous depend upon other species of animals to provide you with your next meal. I love that you hunt at night and usually do so deep in the woods so that I am not a witness, you are usually very efficient and don't leave a trace of your activities.

Today I encountered a small problem, as I was walking the dogs this afternoon I discovered that you have not been so good at cleaning up after yourselves lately. Could you please refrain from leaving anything in the fields which my dogs may find appealing. Please remove all evidence of your evening activities and deposit them deep in the woods where we never tread and where the dogs can not sniff anything out

I appreciate your consideration in this matter and trust that you will do your best in order that we maintain a peaceful co-existence.

Yours Truly
Ms. J and her dogs

shhhh, don't tell

I should be painting, shuffling junk, umm I mean boxes, vacuming and or cleaning the kitchen. See I have heaps of useful things that I could be doing today. But, I would rather read blogs ( glad to see that everyone is alive and well) and generally waste time. I mean I am wearing my painting clothes, I have paint on my hands and the paint can is open with the brush laying across the top... waiting for me. Do I want to paint the rest of the kitchen, no I don't. I mean it is only primer and I am still going to have to paint it and actual colour at some point. I want to waste my afternoon doing nothing productive in preperation for my evening out, alone. Yes I am alone this weekend. P is in Montreal packing up his mother's house, it's a long story and that I won't go into. Let it be said that Quebec law regardingthe probating of will's is a pain!

So, because P is not here I can sit and play online all day and not have anyone else need the computer, why would I want to continue painting. Life is good and painting can happen anytime but awhole afternoon othe computer, a rare occasion that I believe I should cherish and remember fondly as it may never happen again.

Aside from painting the kitchen life is good. Wedding plans are coming together. P is almost finished school and I have some days as a supply teacher booked over the next few weeks... hopefully it will lead to a job for the fall. I can't imagine how great life would be if both of us managed to have jobs at the same time - then we could pay someone to paint and vacum and I would not feel like I had to so it on Saturday.

My catholic guilt is kicking in, I am off to paint.

Sing along with me will you - to the tune of the Brady Bunch theme song

Here's a story, of a lovely lady, that was knitting up a very pretty shawl. She was happy and half way through, then it all went wrong

Here's a story, of how she frogged it, pulling out all those pretty little markers. She pulled and pulled some more, till it was all gone Till the one day when the lady discovered, that she could knit it with only 2 repeats, she began again, and is now knitting, the new Wedding shawl.
The Wedding Shawl, ( do do do do doo) The Wedding Shawl, (do do do dodo) that's how it became the Wedding shawl.
Yes ladies and gentlemen I frogged the first attempt, it was a square which I liked for many reasons and disliked for a number of others but I love the butterflies. After a few independent attempts at starting again with a triangle I sought out some assitance at the LYS and got some traingle shawl 101, it's all clear to me now and I shall go forth and continue knitting. Sadly it has been a busy week of teaching and I have little knititng time but I don't have many days booked next week yet so I might get a day in somewhere. I was at Jo's this morning and we had a lovely time chatting and knitting. I must say that she is just flying along on her baby shawl. I, on the other hand discovered that the other night when I knit 3 rows I moved things along by 3 stitches and thus no longer had a center, I frogged it back a little and am now back on track.

Aside from that nothing to exciting to report, I am thinking up idea for a blog contest, it's almost been 2 years of blogging, to think that 2 years ago I was living in Seoul, South Korea! It's amazing how time flies and life changes. 

Finally finished

So I started this hat over a year ago and when I discovered that it was not going to fit me I stopped knitting it. It was a kit From KnitWhits and I knit the largest size but htere is no way that was going to fit me. When Catherine asked for hats for Lesotho I decided this would be a good one to finish and send along, so on the 20th it will be flying towards some deserving person with a head smaller than mine.
Here's the inside, I am rather proud of myself, ignore the ends sticking out!
Here are some of the hats that are leaving my house tomorrow. The 2 on the far right were sent by Michelle and the green felted one was sent by Maureen. A few others are on there way to my end of the world but will have to wait for the next trip, someone goes every few months. If you enjoy charity knitting and would like to knit some hats for children and adults in Africa email me or leave a comment. You can find more details in this post

FYI - In the background of this photo you can see the colour of the logs in my living room, complete with axe marks as they were hand hewn.