Back Tack 4 is up if you want to swap, but only till October 4th or until 250 people have signed up.
This one’s really cool, and it’s not a secret swap; you get to chat up your pal all you want to get to know them well enough to send them three things (at least one of which has to be homemade).
Swap on Garth! Swap on Wayne!
I was listening to Friday’s CBC Radio 3 podcast yesterday and heard a fascinating little song pop on, to discover it was Jill Barber; her next album is coming out on October 14 and I must buy it when it does. The song that caught my ear? Oh My My and you can hear it on her website if you click on the ear/gramaphone.
I mentioned this last month when I got back from visiting my brother in Montreal, but I was talking about it again last night, and I just need to say, I love Ariadne Knits. I enjoy the shops in my town, they offer a lot of great yarns and the service is great, but walking into Ariadne Knits was like walking into a long-lost (though never before met) friend’s house and feeling so welcome! There wasn’t any pressure for me to buy anything (though I most certainly did and I’ll update this post later with the photos of the stuff I bought scroll down, the fibres are at the bottom), I was just welcome to come in and sit and knit and chat. So lovely.
And I will always remember the kindness of Molly Ann letting me spin on her sweet little wheel. I love this little wheel (the translation for the little painted tattoo is “Let the Good Times Roll”). It’s so cute and though it’s only got one ratio, it was a joy for me to spin on.
So if you’re ever in Montreal, please go visit Ariadne Knits on 3837 Rue St. Jacques Ouest and tell them I say Hi.
I don’t post more than once a week, and now three days in a row.
I’m still sick; my left sinus and ear have been causing me pain, and now my ears feel like someone is squishing them just enough that it doesn’t hurt but it isn’t really comfortable either. I’m in my comfy pants and I’m going to finish watching X-Files season 8 while working on (and hopefully finishing) my first Aquaphobia sock which is going really quickly and is so great.
This is my friends’ dog Jack. I just love this photo; I didn’t even have to do any touch-ups on it as my friends’ house has such great natural lighting in the afternoon. Jack didn’t like my camera very much; I had it on silent mode, and the clickings and whirrings it made drove Jack crazy so getting a pic of him was tough but well worth it.
I’m going to attempt to sign up for my third and final swap of the year. Back Tack 4 is going up; sign ups start on the 30th.
Tomorrow I’m going to try to head out the the Make it Craft Fair. It looks great and I have a coupon for $1 off the ticket!
And I spent money yesterday; it isn’t difficult for me to justify books and I know this one has to be in my collection (it should have been long ago). After shipping, it came to $48. It’s out of print and I had seen copies for $74, so it’s actually a small price to pay for a book that promises a lot of knowledge and a plethura of classic knitting patterns. Yay Elizabeth Zimmermann!
I also bought the new Mother Mother album this week. I don’t seem to have the same love for this one that I had for Touch Up. Touch Up created in me an immediate connection and obsession. This one…well, as Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 put it, has a more mature sound. And I liked the immaturity I guess. I’m sure, given time, I will come to love this album, but I’m not sure that I will ever feel the joy I felt with the first album with this one. Still good though; I will always love Mother Mother.
I woke up with a cold. And I fear it is just the beginning.
Ya, I suck; I’ve not been very busy, just distracted. Or lazy. You pick.
There have been a couple more arrivals in the Swap Softly area; just waiting on news for three more and we’re done (here’s hoping they’re not lost in the mail…).
I’ve signed up for a couple of swaps myself. One is Firefly’s third installment of Boo-ty Swap (yay!) and the other is a swap through Ravelry called “Favourite Things” (that’s a Ravelry link).
And I’ve been knitting and fingerweaving:
February Lady Sweater using Cascade 220 and 5.0 mm needles:
Aquaphobia Socks using Liberty’s Yarn “A Tale of Two Socks” and 2.25 mm needles:
And the Fingerweaving using Briggs and Little (it’s a wee sample; I can tie it around my thigh):
Okay, so things have gotten interesting with buying appropriate fabric for an historic site costume shop. At first I thought it was just that the local fabric shops were just moving in different directions than what I need as an historic costumer, but then I went to a warehouse in Montreal and ordered maybe 10 fabrics…definitely less than fifteen. And I went to Quilting From the Heart in Camrose because one of my shops recommended them as they’d have more country craft styles, and sure enough, I only found 2 pieces of fabric that we either didn’t already have or were appropriate to our needs.
Today, I saw a glimmer of hope. It’s going to mean a new direction for me, and I’m a little nervous about it because I’m sure I’m going to need to figure out how to download some art programs…
I got my invitation to Spoonflower. And now I must foray into the world of fabric design.
I’m excited!
I forgot the disc of my photos from my trip at the office, so I was going to show my latest knitting, but I looked at the shots I took while fishing with my dad on Friday (I chose to continue my vacation by heading out to see the ‘rents rather than holing up in my apartment like I had originally planned) and was stunned by this photo. The only touch-ups are the size to make it work in the blog and adding my blog-name. This is definitely a photo I’m going to have to print.
Delly Bean
