I am on a role

Now that Zarah is done it is time to complete some of my other projects. I have picked up my Vision Coat from Sally Melville's Book 2: The Purl Stitch- using Trendsetter's Dune in colour 82 plum/rust with pastel golds. So far the back, both sleeves and one front are done. The other front is at the armhole shaping. Should get some knitting done tonight-The Apprentice starts and then The Amazing Race tomorrow night.

I am on a role. While watching movies on Saturday night I started my hedgehog. He got finished during closing ceremonies and yesterday's Nascar race. Here he is unfelted. I needed to stuff him with something so that he would sit on table so I grabbed the closest thing-4 balls of Rowan Kid Silk Haze-boy does he have a happy tummy. Before I can do the felting I need to buy some stuffing (you stuff him to dry so that he keeps his shape and then put in new stuffing when it is dry).

My mom couldn't get a comment posted on the blog so she sent me an email-

Congratulations, you have won the finishing trophy. I don't remember the last time you sewed in your own ends.
Your prize is a four-day trip for you and your sister to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with lodging and golf privileges included. Hugs.

She can't wait for us to get to Myrtle Beach. We can keep dad busy and let her have a rest. He is a going concern-up at 7am and no sitting around for the rest of the day. It will be like a vacation for her.

Done

I am proud to say that Zarah is done. It has been a bit of a journey. I heard about the Knitting Olympics and decided to participate. My first project was going to be a sweater in Rowan Biggy Print. Beth told me that this wasn't a big enough challenge so I changed to Zarah. The pattern is from Elsebeth Lavold's book three The Embraceable You Collection. I didn't have the yarn that was called for so I used Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. The yarn was great to work with. I received daily phone calls from my dad asking how much I had knit that day. In the past few days my mom even got in on the action. Mom and dad-IT IS DONE!! I even sewed in together, finished off all the ends and sewed on the buttons. This is big for me because usually Wannietta, Rhonda or Jane does that for me.
Now I can work on my Hedgehog (and have a drink). Got the front finished last night while watching a movie. I hope to be felting tonight.
Melo came with me to do the pictures. He got a new sheep to play with in the store-purple even. How cute!!

65 hours and counting

The countdown has begun.

Today wasn't very productive but knitting class was. I didn't answer any questions and just sat there sewing together. Not really but it sounds good. Both front bands are done, one sleeve is sewn in and one side seam is done. I should get the rest sewn together tomorrow. A really big snow storm tonight would be nice-that would give me lots of time to finish.

On the front one band looks wavy. It really isn't but I was trying to get a picture quickly and didn't lie it out flat. So far I am happy with how it looks but I am praying that the collar will sit properly.

Almost there

The fronts and back are joined and I have to cast off one front edge. This leaves one front edge, the collar and finishing. As you can see there are lots of ends to sew in-the yarn only has 65m on a ball.
This is my view when sitting and knitting in the store. You can see that the hockey game is on. Not sure that I want to go into this afternoon's game. What a kick in the butt for our hockey team!! They were awful. Thank goodness for the rest of our Olympic team. Great day. I woke up to news of a gold and the day just kept getting better until the hockey.
More good news today. Half of my order from Jordana Paige arrived. These are the most amazing knitting bags. I have ordered extras of the Messenger Bag (pink and black) and the Knitter's Satchel (purple) so that I can have one of each.

My parents are in currently in Myrtle Beach and Mom reads my blog to see what is going on here. Mom-please tell Dad that I am almost done.

Lots done today-unfortunately no knitting

I am sad to report that not a lot of knitting has been done. I am finished sleeve two and at the armhole shaping of the second front. Just got off the phone from my parents in Myrtle Beach. He did ask the dreaded question 'How much did you do today?' I think that I need to get call display and then not answer their calls until next week.

On a good note though
-Rowan arrived in the store today and some of it is on the shelf. The new colours look great and the new magazine is much better than the fall one.
-Louisa Harding yarns arrived today as well-this is tomorrows job. Louisa does two magazines- one for garments and the other for accessories. Her garment designs are great for casual and dressing up.

And on an even better note I think I have my website problems straightened out. The company who hosts my site also does the maintenance. This worked well until October when employees started to quit. Nothing has been done since then. I call and call and absolutely nothing gets done. I kept hoping that it would get better and they kept promising me that changes would be made but it didn't happen. I didn't receive an invoice until January and then they put the whole amount on my credit card. Visa has reversed these charges and I have paid them for the hosting but not for the work that isn't done. Now I am getting emails that my account is overdue. Unbelievable. Anyways-the good news. I finally found someone who could help me steal back my website and host it somewhere else. Hopefully this will be done in the next few days and the updates can be made. This will mean no time for knitting. Lots of new yarns to get up on the site along with the new Rowan pricing.

I have sat far too long in front of the computer today doing paperwork, etc so it is now nap time.

The race continues

I finally have a picture of my knitting so far. This is the start of the second sleeve. I finished the back and one front is now done to the armhole.

Getting up early every morning is going to kill me but I want to see the Olympics live-don't want to know the results before I see it happen. The past 2 days have been amazing!! There have been a couple of events that I watched 2 or 3 times-the men's figure skating was great. It has been fun watching them live on CBC and then watching again at night on NBC to see what the announcers have to say. I am glad that I have Monday off so that I can watch the women's hockey final without interruptions.

There isn't much new in my life to report. Mom and Dad are off to Myrtle Beach in the morning. Beth and I are flying down for a few days in March. It will be nice to get a couple of rounds of golf in.

Progress Report

I have been knitting my little fingers off. So far I have completed one sleeve and the back is done to the armholes. I am 10 balls in and I figure that the sweater will take around 25-26. Not bad on knitting time but the finishing is going to take a while so I have to pick up the pace. I haven't posted a picture because you can't see anything on the brown.
My big mistake was telling my dad what I was doing. He calls me daily for a progress report. Then I get comments like, 'Can't you knit any faster? or Shouldn't you be at home knitting rather than going out?'

Sirdar yarns arrived in the store yesterday which means I have to spend part of the morning rearranging more shelves. This really cuts into knitting time.

The cutest pattern arrived yesterday from Fiber Trends for a felted hedgehog. I would definitely be starting this except I can't because of my sweater. I think that I will knit one like the picture for my store and then a funky one that will be done in purple. I collect purple teddy bears and this will make a great addition to the collection. These bears live in my room in Myrtle Beach and so far the collection is up to 40.

The games have begun

My post this morning is going to be short-I have to get back to my knitting. Started on Zarah at 2pm yesterday. Didn't get much time to knit in the store-had customers in shopping and I was busy moving more yarn around. After work I sat down and knit all evening. Sleeve one is almost done. Of course there was a mistake in the graph but I got that figured out before I started. Gotta run-must get ready for work.

I am ready to start

My swatch is done and I am eagerly awaiting 2pm tomorrow so that I can start. This is the first time in my life that I have waited to start a sweater-usually I jump in right away.

We recieved new shipments of spring yarns today so I decided it was necessary to move things around. Today's job was the Rowan room. The Rowan hasn't arrived yet but I wanted eveything ready when it does. I washed shelves and swept and then moved the tv. Got it all done and then realized I had been really stupid. The tv is now on an angle and the view from my table isn't the best. I will be spending the next 2 weeks glued to that tv and it is in the wrong spot. Tomorrow morning will be more moving around so that my chair faces the tv straight on.

Tuesday night was our guild meeting. Here are a couple of pictures of the ladies entrelac bags so far. So far only a few have been felted but the rest should be done for the next meeting. The colours look great!!

Knitting Olympics-decision made

The decision has been made. I am going to knit Zarah by Elsebeth Lavold (from her book #3 The Embraceable You Collection). The pattern calls for her Angora-unfortunately I don't keep this in the store. There is no way for me to get it before Friday so I am going to use Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (80% alpaca, 20% silk) in chocolate brown. I have been itching to knit with this yarn for a long time so it might be a blessing in disguise.
I am actually going to do a swatch before knitting this-doesn't happen often. Or should that read never? We are allowed to swatch but can't cast on until 2pm on Friday. I then have 16 days to get this knit and sewn together. This is going to be the big challenge.

I did get lots of knitting done yesterday during that awful Super Bowl. I worked on my Manos poncho-the purple part is now complete to the neck. I am getting on my soap box now-sorry. The game started with a terrible National Anthem, the game was boring and the Rolling Stones sucked. Mick kept leaving words out and it just sounded like loud noise. I have seen them in concert and it was nothing like that. I called my dad to see if he watched the half time and he said 'They suck. Do you actually call that music?' Can't they get someone to do halftime that sounds good and everyone likes? What about Billy Joel or Elton John? They don't offend anyone and everyone knows their songs. I am now off my soap box.

Colour chosen and Olympic knitting

Thanks for your comments on the colours. I think that I will be going with the rust. Did get some more knitting done on it today-almost to the neck shaping on the Manos.

Now my problem is what to knit for the Knitting Olympics. Was going to do a Rowan sweater in Biggy Print. Quick and guaranteed to get it done. Over dinner tonight Beth said that I should find something that will be a challenge. The Olympics isn't for taking the easy way out so I shouldn't do that with my project. Tomorrow afternoon will be spent going through patterns. Unfortunately I start a project as soon as the yarn comes into the store if I like it. This really cuts down on my options.

I saw the doctor on Thursday and was sent right away for head and chest X-rays. She was afraid that I might have pneumonia. Those tests came back negative. I am also having a CT scan on Tuesday to see what is up with my sinuses. It is a good thing that we might get an answer soon and they can fix it.

I will be watching the Super Bowl tomorrow (I guess it is now tonight). Hopefully it will be more exciting than the playoffs.

Manos and good news from Rowan

Here is a picture of my poncho so far with my colour choices for the other half. I am leaning towards the green but would love some input.

Not much else to report. Got some reading done today. Still not feeling great and reading made the time go by quick. Back to the doctor tomorrow-round 3 of antibiotics.

Trying to decide what I should choose for the Knitting Olympics. Has to be something new and I have to get it done fast. Maybe a shawl. Something else to keep me awake at night.

Off to knitting class. If I cancel my Wednesday night class one more time a war could break out.

Forgot something of importance.
1. The pictures of the spring Rowan are now on the Rowan site
2. Prices of Rowan are going DOWN in Canada. Unbelievable. There is already a decrease on spring yarns and Kid Silk Haze. There will be more mark downs this fall.

Boring Sunday

Not much got done today-didn't even go outside-rainy and yucky (such a mature word).

Did get a little bit of knitting done on my Manos poncho-48 rows done now on the purple half. I haven't decided what colour the other half will be. Might be rust but might go with green.

I have spent the last hour finishing my class schedule for spring. So much for taking time off. I will be teaching 4 nights a week from now until April. If you live in the area and would like to receive the schedule, please email me and I will forward to you.

Trying out Blogger for Word

The store is now closed for the day and I am waiting to play a game of poker. Beth almost broke even in our tournament earlier so it is my turn to play. The good thing about playing online is that I can knit at the same time. I am now 12 rows into my Manos poncho. The yarn is nice to knit with. I am even knitting with 2 balls at the same time as the pattern recommends. I don’t usually do this but the colours in the skeins are very different and the poncho will end up patchy.

I downloaded Blogger for Word and am trying it out. Might not like the looks but will see in a minute.

There is another set of patterns coming into the store in the next couple of weeks. They are from a company called Knitwhits. This is one of their neat felted bags and a scarf knit out of Noro. You can see their patterns at www.knitwhits.com.

I sent the post directly to blogger. It didn't accept the pictures so I resent as a draft and then did an edit in Blogger. I guess it would be okay with no pictures but since I like having them in my posts I won't be using Word very often.

Posting at 2am isn't always a good idea

My last posts were done early this morning when I couldn't sleep. Looking back at them there are some things that I forgot to write about-and some new stuff too.

Shopping in Vegas and San Diego was not exciting. I did buy a birthday gift for Jane at Brighton. While there I bought myself a small bag. Other than that there is nothing to report.

While grocery shopping this morning I was walking the cereal aisle and a lady gave me the strangest look. When I was checking out she came running over to ask about the sweater I had on. It was Patrick from Rowan denim-my most favourite sweater in the world. This is my second one because I wore the first one out. This sweater has travelled the world with me and it still looks great-thanks Wannietta for knitting it. Someday soon you might have to do another one.

While playing on the computer at 3am I came across a cool idea for knitting during the Olympics. The Yarn Harlot has the started something called the Knitting Olympics and now a group is started for Knitting Olympics-Team Canada. Still trying to decide if I will be joining. Please don't quote me because it was early this morning but I believe that you must start and finish a project during the Olympics. Of course I don't need to start yet another project but it is a cool idea. Wannietta, Samantha, Cynthia and Nadine have all joined.

Saturday afternoon Beth and I always play a poker tournament online-time to go and hopefully make some money.

New Felted Bags

Here is a sample of the felted bags from Nicky Epstein. Her new book is called Fabulous Felted Bags and should be available in about 2 weeks. There are 15 designs in the book and the decision about which one to knit first will be hard. They are knit out of Jamieson's double knitting weight wool. This is now available in 25 g balls which works out great because you need a lot of colours but not much of each one.

Trip Pictures

Not much knitting to report. I did cast on and knit 3 rows of the Manos poncho. It was calling my name all day in the store.

Here are pictures. The first are of the zoo. The panda didn't turn out well but you can make him out. The polar bears, however, are amazing. Beth spent over 2 hours watching them play so you can imagine how many pictures she took. It was hard to decide which to use.

The next 2 pictures are from our hotel window in San Diego. The first is the convention centre and the second is the new baseball diamond where the San Diego Padres play.

The last pictures are from our hotel room at The Bellagio. The best part of our room was that we could watch the fountain show from our window. If you turned the tv to channel 31 you could hear the music that played along to the water show. If you are in Vegas, make sure you walk through the hotel registration area. The ceiling is amazing. There are glass flowers of all colours hanging over your head. The conservatory is also a must. It is constantly being changed and this must take a huge effort. It is currently decorated for the Chinese New Year. This is the year of the dog so they even had a huge Saint Bernard looking over everything.

Just arrived home

Just got in the door from Las Vegas. The first job was checking emails-I hate spam. There were over 800 emails and at least 750 were spam.

I did sent Beth to Tim Hortons for coffee. That is one draw back to travelling in the US. I am not a fan of Starbucks.

The trip was great but tiring. Flew to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Spent Wednesday and Thursday night at Treasure Island. Friday we flew to San Diego. We stayed at the Omni hotel which was steps from the convention centre. Tuesday we checked out and flew back to Vegas and stayed at the Bellagio.

I am starting to feel a bit better. Saturday was spent in bed-didn't even see the show-but the sleep was needed.

There isn't a lot to report from the show. I did buy
-new hardcover books
-patterns for felted bags
-new Nicky Epstein book for the most fabulous felted bags (plus some kits to go with the book)
-some Mountain Colors yarn
-new Trendsetter yarns

Spent time catching up with friends and having lots of laughs over drinks-they drank and I had water-antibiotics and alcohol don't mix.

Pictures will be posted in the next couple of days. Back to work tomorrow so I will be tired tomorrow night. The 3 hour time difference will catch up with me.

Beth's day at the zoo

Hi - this is Beth writing in with guest commentary. We are at the TNNA show in San Diego. The show has been interesting and Julie has found some new items for her store. The best part of the trip for me was going to the World Famous San Diego Zoo yesterday. It may be the greatest place on earth! I saw the Giant Pandas including the 15 week old little guy who looked exactly like every stuffed Panda you've ever seen. I asked to take him home, but they said no - how mean. Julie had been to the zoo before and had told me that the best part was the polar bears - well as usual she was right. I spent more than two hours at the polar bear exhibit watching them play. I asked if I could go in and play with them, but they said no - there are a lot of bad rules at the zoo - they won't you let do anything really fun. I'm sure Julie will be writing in soon.

Vegas here we come!!

Our flight is early tomorrow morning so it is a rush to get everything done. Nails were done yesterday. Hair cut this afternoon. You know, all the important things.

Just got a shipment of new yarn-Manos. I have been wanting this for some time and now we have it. There is a poncho (Vagabond) just screaming my name!!! Could be my airplane knitting. People are always telling me that you can't knit on an airplane. I fly at least 5-6 times a year and have never had the needles taken away. Small tip though-take bamboo circular needles. These don't show up when they scan your bags. Also, don't tell them that you have knitting needles. I have had Air Canada flight attendants in the store and they tell me that knitting is allowed on airplanes.

I have written down all the important information so I will try and post while away. Can't guarantee that there will be time. Might be partying in Vegas and sleeping in San Diego.

Already have dinner reservations at our favourite restaurant in the whole world for Wednesday night. N9NE at the Palms Casino. Amazing steakhouse. Desert is S'mores. Bev barely eats steak so that she can eat all the desert. They bring out a small bunson burner so that you can roast the marshmellows!!

It is now 8pm. I am watching the Barrett-Jackson Auction on tv. So far there has been more than one car that I would love to drive. I really need to win the lottery. Have been contemplating my knitting. There will be no knitting on the airplane-I am going to read. Don't get much time for that so I will put on my Ipod and relax. Knitting is packed in the suitcase-you just never know when you might want to knit-like during football on Sunday afternoon. The green Sirdar aran has won. I hope to get some done for a good picture when I get home.

Have a good week-I get back late Thursday night so I will try and get pictures up on Friday.

Shoes, knitting and Melo

Nadine was upset that I didn't have pictures of my shoes so here they are. Bev-the black boots are mine-you can't wear them. Bev and I have the same size feet-I have request that she leave me her collection (close to 200 pairs) in her will.

I did get a bit done on my aran sweater. Here it is so far. I didn't say that it was alot. Melo wanted to be in the picture so here he is. He then sat up and posed, almost asking to have his picture taken. He is growing quickly-the breeder told us that he has to go on a diet-no more Timbits or cookies!!

While watching football yesterday I knit a Taste of Trendsetter scarf. This is 2 strands of eyelash along with Joy-a component yarn with fabric flags. No pictures because it is all black and you won't be able to see how it looks. It is to go with my new suit-must look good at the trade show. Bev and I are known for always being dressed up. No jean skirts and birkenstocks for these girls!!

This was posted and then I had to add something. The floor came with the apartment-I didn't pick it.

Great patterns with great service and new shoes

I got a surprise in the mail on Friday. I ordered 2 patterns from a company called Got Knitted in the UK and they arrived much sooner than I expected. These are neat felted bags that I hope to knit when I get home from Las Vegas/San Diego. The bag on top is knit out of Noro Kureyon. The other bag uses a yarn from Southwest Trading but I will be using Kureyon for it as well. Now I will have to find some great purse handles at the trade show.

The shoe store down the street is having their annual sale to get rid of winter shoes. I bought a great pair of black suede cowboy boots. Not sure if they will ever come off my feet. I also bought a pair of brown dress shoes, pointed toes but not a very high heel. Now I will have great shoes for the trade show. I did need these because I bought a new suit on Friday to wear at the show and didn't have the exact right pair of shoes. Almost impossible but it was a dilemma.

I am sitting watching the football-Indy is losing and they better get their butts in gear!! Can't complain about having a tv beside the computer. Now I am moving into the living room to watch the game on the big screen and work on my Sirdar aran sweater.

Finally some pictures

Been saving up so I have lots to report today. There are even pictures. I find that I like reading a post better when there are pictures-doesn't make sense but that's just me.

The Hamilton Spectator is publishing a new magazine called Ruby. The first issue came out in September and the next issue in February or March. They are going to do a little piece on the store and sent out a photographer to do pictures. After an hour she was happy with what she did. There were many, many pictures of me and yarn. She even had me knitting in some of the pictures (thank goodness I had my nails done just before she came in!!)

Here is a picture of my sleeve so far. I am really in love with the colour. Hopefully I will have some cables to show soon. The back is cast on and the ribbing is started.

I must admit that there hasn't been much knitting done because I have been reading. I started a book on the flight home from New Zealand in March and it is about time to finish it. There are almost 700 pages and I am now at 500. The author is Penny Vincenzi and the book is called Sheer Abandon. This is the description from the author:
"One night in 1987 an abandoned baby girl is found in a cleaning cupboard at Heathrow airport. A year earlier, three girls, Martha, Clio and Jocasta had met by chance, at the start of a backpacking adventure: they travelled together briefly and then separated to go their different ways, swearing to meet again when they return home. But it would be a long time until they met again: not until Kate, the foundling, is a teenager, and the three women are all leading successful lives. Martha is a fiercely single, highly paid corporate lawyer, Clio a doctor, locked in an unhappy marriage to a surgeon, and Jocasta a reporter for a tabloid newspaper, in love with a charming commitment-phobe. Which of them is Kate's mother? Why was she desperate enough to do such a thing, and how did she survive it?"

As you have noticed I am not much of a sock knitter. I have knit a one pair in my life and they were two socks in two different colours so I can't even wear them. However, we just got some new Opal sock yarn in the store. The colours are phenominal and it is almost enough for me to try again. This might be my airplane knitting next week.

I was back at the doctor yesterday. My sinus infection is not getting better so I have started another round of antibiotics. These are stronger and hopefully in 14 days I will be over the infection. My doctor is concerned about me flying next week but nothing will keep me at home.

How about the Bachelor on Monday night? Talk about some psycho women!

Absolutely nothing to report

I have barely picked up needles in the last week. Almost done sleeve one on the Sirdar aran sweater. The stitches are cast on for the back and one row of ribbing is complete. The great thing about owning a yarn store is that there are always needles available so you can start on each piece of the sweater at once. I am afraid to see how many needles I will end up with if/when I choose to close the store.
The coughing is still going strong. I sleep sitting up on the couch at night-not the most comfortable but it helps. Can't wait to get a good night sleep. I predict that will be next Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
The Bachelor is about to start-great tv so I've gotta go.

Guild Meeting

At our guild meeting tonight the ladies showed up with their bags at different levels of completion. They all looked great and the ladies are doing well picking up entrelac. Once you get going on it the technique really isn't that hard. The most common mistake was not keeping track of what row they were on so sometimes a row was repeated or forgotten which can totally throw off the size of the rectangles. I forgot to bring my camera-will make sure that I do for the next meeting. Most of the bags should be finished by then.
I was coughing like crazy so I didn't stay for the whole meeting. This wasn't so bad because I got home in time to see Canada win their semi-final game at the World Juniors. Now I can't go to bed because I have to watch the semi-finals.
Not much knitting to report. A bit of work done on the sleeve of my new cardigan. Maybe more will get done tomorrow.

Happy New Year

The holiday season has been busy which means that there hasn't been much time for knitting. I did get one sleeve finished on Jack (Rowan Tweed).

Mom and Dad left three days before Christmas for Myrtle Beach. Dad got to golf on Christmas day-we were very jealous. Beth and I tried to fly down on Saturday afternoon and come back on Monday but the flight times didn't work out. Mom does much better in the warm weather so we urged them to leave as soon as they could. She actually goes out of the house there-better than being inside every day here. She will call home and tell us that she is in the PT Cruiser with the top down-nice when it is snowing here.
We had Christmas dinner with our friends John and Jen and their families on Christmas eve. Christmas day I went to my parent's best friends for dinner-Beth was in bed with the flu.
The store was busy during the week. Lots of people visiting from out of town and many people are off work giving them time to come and browse. Many people finished their Christmas knitting and they wanted something new for the new year.
I started to feel crummy on Wednesday night and actually went to the doctors on Thursday afternoon. I don't do doctors so this tells you that I really was sick. I have bronchitis, an ear infection, sinus infection and possible a kidney stone. Beth worked for me on Thursday (this will cost alot because she hates working in the yarn store) and Cathy worked yesterday and today. I am only sleeping a couple of hours a night (coughing too much) so I don't have much energy but I did get the urge to knit this afternoon. I am starting a new sweater-you know that working on something old doesn't inspire you when you feel like crap. It is from Sirdar book 295 and I am using Jamieson's Shetland Heather in Pippin. Working on the sleeves-not too much thinking. I won't be going partying tonight but there is great tv. Canada vs US in World Junior hockey, the Leafs are on as well as an NFL game.

The good news is that there is just over 2 weeks until warm weather. We (Beth, Bev and I) are going to a yarn trade show in San Diego. Unfortunately you can't fly directly to San Diego from Toronto which means that we have to go through LA. Didn't want to do that so we are going through Vegas. We have 2 days before San Diego (staying at Treasure Island) and 2 days after (staying at Bellagio). Nothing like a few days in Vegas to make someone feel better. San Diego will be fun as well. Our friend, Oliver, from New Zealand will be there. We were in New Zealand in February for his wedding and we just found out that his wife is pregnant.

Have a Happy New Year.

Minneapolis is bloody cold!!!

Just got home from our shopping trip. We had the most amazing time. I don't think I will be complaining about cold weather here anymore. You had to be bundled up any time you went outside. We would wait in the hotel for the shuttle, run out and get on, run into the mall and do the reverse going back to the hotel. You still had to have on a ski jacket-it is that cold.

We left Toronto at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, arrived in Minneapolis at 6:30 their time and we were at the Mall of America that night. Stopped at the hotel bar for a drink before retiring for the night. They charged us $8.50 for a Kahlua and milk. Unbelievable. We shopped on Saturday from 10am until 9pm. Luckily Nordstroms had a bag check. We were continually going back adding more bags. Beth and I had to buy a suitcase to get our purchases home. Bev bought us a bottle of Kahlua ($19) and a carton of milk so we had drinks in the room and played cards before bed. Sunday morning Beth and I decided to go to the football game (Pittsburgh vs Minnesota) The young girl working at the desk of our hotel suggested taking the train. It left from the mall and dropped us off right at the stadium. Didn't have tickets but there were lots of people scalping. The seats were okay-second deck but the game was awful. Left in the third quarter to beat the crowds to the train. Dinner was at The Cheesecake Factory. That was a bit disappointing-they took my favorite thing off the menu so I had to try something new. It was good but not what I had been dreaming about. More cards before bed. We were going to go to the casino but it was a $50 cab ride each way and then we would lose more money there. Back to the mall Monday morning-the stores opened at 8am. Because the mall is so big it never felt like there were crowds. So much better than shopping here.

The shoe shopping didn't turn out as good as I would have liked. Did get 2 pairs of UGG slippers/slip on shoes. You can wear them outdoors but I will be wearing them around the house-very warm (one pair is on my feet right now). This is DSW (Discount Shoe Warehouse). It is the size of a grocery store filled with rows and rows of shoes. It takes quite a while to walk the aisles and trying on shoes.

The mall is phenominal. It is a huge square with a major department store on each corner. There are 3 levels of stores. My map was quite beat up by the time I got home. The centre of the mall is an amusement park. Lots of rides for kids and adults. Great place for the family-mom can shop while dad takes the kids on the rides.

I didn't have time to knit. Did pull out my sleeve and do one row but there were so many better things to do.

I hate snow!!

It is almost 4am and I have been up for an hour. We are supposed to be flying to Minneapolis this morning but Air Canada called at 3 to tell us that our flight was cancelled. They have booked us on the only other flight today at 4:30 this afternoon. One small problem-I have to get in touch with Bev and Lisa. Do I want to call them at 3am? I decided to let them have as much sleep as possible so I am waiting until around 5 when we would have been getting ready to go to the airport. Pain in the ass.

I like to have knitting with me when I travel. It usually doesn't come out of my suitcase but I want to have it there just in case. Now my decision-what do I take? My Sally Melville jacket is almost done. If I take the last front then I have to take the other one to make sure that they match. This takes up too much room so strike that one. I can take a scarf but I vowed that I wouldn't knit another one so strike that. I could start a new project but if I don't do much kntting then I have yet another started sweater in a bag. Jack was the final answer. I am going to take the sleeves. Got one cast on last night, the ribbing done and started into the pattern. Of course, the chart is wrong so I had to sit down and figure it out from the picture. There is a left and right sleeve-sewn into the sweater opposite of the charts. Wanted to make sure that I get the cables going in the right direction. One sleeve goes front and the other back but they are both going back in the pattern. I haven't shown a picture of the finished sweater so here it is.

I do have the camera packed and hopefully will have some pictures next week from the mall. Might even get my Christmas shopping done while there.

Finally finished!

The store was a mess today but I put on blinders and sat down to finally finish my Swing Coat. In the pattern there is one button at the top of the jacket to hold it closed. I decided to leave this off and close the jacket with a Knit Stick from Trendsetter. This way I can change it as my mood changes-also the stick can be placed further down should I choose.

Beth, Bev, Bev's daughter in-law Lisa and I are leaving for Minneapolis, MN on Friday morning. Look out Mall of America. I have an empty suitcase ready to fill. The weather forecast is for cold and snow. The highs are from -6C to -10C and the lows from -11C to -16C. Unfortunately I no longer have a ski jacket (my father wore it when he and Mom went on their Alaskan cruise and it is covered in paint-a really long story) so I had to go out today and buy a new one. $200 before I even get on the plane. Not much planned other than shopping. Maybe a visit to the nearby casino. Beth and I hope to get to the Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday afternoon. Thank goodness for a dome.

Speaking of football, our Fantasy Football is now in playoffs. We won our first match and play again this weekend. If we can pull out a win we are in the finals. Not too bad for a couple of girls.

Tonight was my last knitting lesson for the year. Not much knitting was done-Susan and Cathy both brought baking so we had a small party. A little different from my Thursday night class. Sparkling apple cider was served.

Late night rambling

Sometimes I really hate my computer. I work with Netscape because Internet Explorer won't work on my computer. Goes back to a virus and now nothing makes it work. Today Netscape decided to delete all my bookmarked pages. Pain in the ass!! I have spent the last hour rebookmarking important pages (banking, etc).

I did spent a bit of time (about 10 rows) knitting today. It was one of those days when my needles weren't calling my name.

The big event for this evening was watching the Survivor finale. I have been rooting for Dani for the past couple of weeks so I was glad to see that she won.

It was a busy weekend - Christmas is coming. Beth and I never know what to buy my parents so we took them out to dinner on Friday night with 15 of their friends. They had a great time. Worked out to an expensive gift-their friends can really drink!! Saturday night was dinner at Jane's. Jane has worked for me for almost 10 years now and she is referred to as Mom #3. From there it was off to another Christmas party.

Guild, Swing Coat and New Yarn

From my kitchen window it looks beautiful outside-3" of fresh snow. I haven't been outside yet so I can make this comment. Once I get out there and have to clean off my car I won't be so generous in my observations.

We had our guild meeting on Tuesday night. Everyone was ready to procede with their bags. They learned how to do the tuck and then started into the entrelac. The comment I continued to hear was 'this is so cool'. Here is a picture of some of the ladies working away. The meeting was very quiet-everyone was concentrating.

I didn't get my Swing Coat finished yet. Here is a picture so far. Just have to sew up under one arm and add the collar. Maybe tonight.

Got a parcel from New Zealand yesterday with some yarn (called Vero) that is going to be available in April. (Remember that their seasons are opposite of ours.) UPS has had the parcel for over a month but claimed that they couldn't find it. They wan't us to describe what it looked like. Beth's response was 'It is a box. What more can I tell you?' Then UPS wanted to know what was in the box and how we would know that it was ours. Beth's response 'It is yarn. If you find any box with yarn then it is ours. I am sure you don't have many of those hanging around.'
This is 100% wool made in Italy that will stripe. The colours are great. I have swatched one colour and the yarn is very soft-nice to work with. Am going to do another swatch to felt and see how that goes.

Where did the day go?

Do you ever get to the end of the day and feel like you accomplished nothing but you never sat down during the day? That was my day today. Friends were in Toronto from New York City so Beth and I met them for lunch. Of course it wasn't a quick lunch-2 hours later we got out of there. We were close to Romni so Beth wanted to stop in and talk with Marilyn the owner. I spent time tidying shelves and picking yarn up off the floor. If you have visited there you will know what I am talking about. Then the long drive home from downtown. If you aren't on the road by 2:30 you are into traffic-blew that one. I am now on my way to teach knitting. One more week and then a little time off.

My dad is arriving home from Honduras tonight. Mom talked with him this morning from the airport and he begged us to bring him a winter coat. It is cold out but when you have been in a tropical climate it is really (you know the word) cold here.

Also getting ready for tomorrow's guild meeting. The bottom of everyone's bag should be done and we will be starting the entrelac. This should be interesting because most of the guild didn't know what it was let alone know how to do it. I am including the picture again for those who haven't seen it. This is a bag that I designed and Fiber Trends will be publishing the pattern in 2006.

I have the shoulder seams sown on my Swing Coat (Nashua) and one sleeve almost done. The sleeves are knit from the shoulders down. This means almost no sewing when done-makes any knitter very happy. I hope to finish the sleeve during football tonight and if the store is slow tomorrow I can get the other one done. Hopefully pictures tomorrow night.

I learned a neat knitting trick

My dad called from Honduras last night. He is doing well but says that the weather is very hot. Their construction is completed so now they can go to a resort to rest for a couple of days (showers, toilets and laundry facilities). Sunday was a bit of a scary day for them. Elections for president were being held and they were told not to leave their compound-there could be unrest. Luckily all went well.

While knitting the Swing Coat from Nashua (no more progress made) I learned the neatest trick for knitting the shoulders. I am not big on knitting short rows-no real reason but just can't be bothered. Mari Lynn Patrick wrote the pattern and in the stitch glossary it describes doing the sloped bind-off method. To avoid the 'stair-step' effect of binding off, work as follows: on the row preceding the bind-off, slip the last stitch on the needle with yarn in front; turn. On the next row (the bind off row) slip the first stitch over the second stitch (first bind off stitch) then continue to bind off as usual. This gets rid of that big gap that normally occurs when doing shoulder shaping.

Tonight was the last of my Thursday night class until the new year. We had wine, cookies and carrot cake-what a mix. Not much knitting got done. Lots of talking though. I really, really tried to get them all to quit but no go-they have all signed up to come back. (They want to start next week but I decided on January.) There is a list a mile long of people who want to take class but can't fit them it with the full load that I already have.

I hope to get back to my knitting tomorrow night. The newsletters are all done and in the mail. 750. What a job!!!