The Stash

I have been having a blast lately organizing my stash.  There is a lot of nice stuff in there!  I’ve located the “new” yarn, or that which is not leftover of other projects, and it is all not in my Ikea bins where it is nice and accessible for patting, staring at etc. 

That is indeed the view from the couch, where I can comfortably sit for quite awhile and listen to podcasts, happily knitting away.  I have two bins for tools, one bin of (a big one!) of sock yarn, one of lace, one of sweater, one of “next on the list” one of chunky, and one of “stuff”.  The bins are stuffed to the brim at the moment, but the goal is to only have what can fit in the bins, and gradually bring them down a bit.  The wicker basket is full of the “leftover” yarn from other projects that I can dive into to make one skein projects.  All my knitting books and magazines now fit onto one set of shelves, for easy accessibility as well. 

Over the last week I entered (most) of my stash onto Ravelvry for one reason: in order to export it to the Excel spreadsheet.  Once I did that I could add up how many yards of yarn I have, and now I can also create quarterly reports and see how things are doing.  Can you see the possibilities?  Charting out how much yarn is used each month, how much goes in, how much goes out.  Pie charts, bar graphs, its going to be so much fun.  The next step is to calculate how much yarn I knit up this year, how much I still have, and then calculate the life of my stash.  As in: if this is my retirement stash, how long is this going to last?  ‘Cause I intend to retire early, and live a long time! 

I have so many nice things in my stash, so many projects I can’t wait to get to.  Other than buying some things I need to make some specific Christmas gifts next month, I really don’t need to buy any more yarn.  Plus with going to Stitches, I think I’ll avoid the Boxing Day sales this year, and wait until then to buy a few things.  Then I hope to have a bit of room in the bins for some lovely new stash!

Art in Industry

This little water treatment plant was old, old, old, but yet not old enough to be one of the lovely Art Deco facilities built in the 1910-1930.  Its being replaced, and soon.  However sometimes in decay, in age, in maintenance revealed in layers of paint peeling off the walls, there is beauty, shape and colour.

In old pipes installed long ago, even then struggling to fit into a small space, comes beautiful form and texture.

Beauty in every day working objects, mysterious patterns, and cloudy depth when looked at closely enough.

Oxidized iron and manganese utilizing potassium permanganate in the detention tank.

Today I Fell in Love With Georgia O’Keefe

Specifically this White Trumpet Flower painting on display at the San Diego Museum of Art.  Of course I’ve seen copies or images of the paintings before, but never a real one, which I found overwhelming.  It is so powerful in its simplicity. 

Having this day off, and taking a break yesterday evening even from sightseeing has helped slow life down again.  Things were going by so fast, rushing from one “to do” to another, its hard to take it all in much less savor a moment.  Slowly down again, taking the time to look at a painting, imagine how it was painted, why it was painted, and if I like it is one of life’s supreme pleasures.  Tomorrow I head home, and Monday I’m back on the road to le Bourg de Gravel, and life is due to speed up to lightening speed again.  Today I breathed, smelled the flowers, and enjoyed.

I did wander down to the zoo after awhile, giving into the hoopla.  My honest opinion is that the Singapore Zoo is still the best in the world.  All zoos however have those people banging on the glass, yelling at the animals so that they will look over for their “picture”.  Another honest opinion is that zoo photos are some of the most tedious in the world, which is why I tend to avoid taking them.  But this one, I couldn’t resist the uber cuteness:

Sorry about that, I hope the cute factor overwhelms the tedious factor.  Screaming children have been edited from the photo for your viewing pleasure.

This Weekend it Snowed Both Days, so I made a Toque

Of which I have no photos as of yet!  It is a very lovely Thorpe toque however, that will be even warmer once I felt it slightly.  It is destined to be donated for a charitable cause once the finishing touches are put on.

When I could drag myself away from the fireplace to face the cold snowy outside world, Mr. J and I did actually attend the Calgary Comic Expo.  There were comics, and figurines, and people dressed up funny.  I felt very inadequate with my non 48″ bust, and non 25″ waist.  We had thought this was much later in the year, and I had planned to knit Mr. J. a Yoda hat (to make a 6′7″ Yoda, which is funny!) but alas there as no time.  HOWEVER, we did manage to find where they were taping the “Ed the Sock” show and interviewing celebrities.  Very important celebrities that is from Battlestar Galatica, and Lord of the Rings.  And some guy that does voices, we left during that one.  (Sidenote: we did think about trying to get Ed the Sock to hold my sock for a photo, but he was very busy interviewing people!).  Long story short we heard Edward James Olmos, Sean Astin, and Dualla from BSG.  Margo Kidder was there, Ando from Heroes was supposed to be there, but we didn’t see him.  Caylee from Firefly.  Mr. J and I didn’t feel like dropping the autograph or photograph fees ($50) therefore we just walked around and stared.  We had a discussion about what we would say if we actually talked to them, came up blank, and decided gawking was good enough for us. 

In summary: snow, fireplaces, famous people sightings, getting ready for work week!

FO: Yellowberry Scarf

I’m still amazed that this took less than 1 skein of Peter Rabbit by Fleece Artist, their yummiliscious angora yarn dyed with different graduations of yellow.  The blueberry stitch from the book Estonian Knitting by Nancy Bush created an open fabric, but the generous halo of the angora keeps it warm.  I topped the points on either end of the scarf with, what else, pom-pom’s. 

Its like wearing a bunny rabbit around your neck, but one that doesn’t scratch, or make more bunnies to eat you out of house and home. Now that its finished its been a bit warm at home to wear it, but I hear it snowed again today in Calgary, so perhaps I’ll be sporting my angora scarf and hat this weekend when I get back.  One more winter knit to go, then only spring stuff! 

I got my bag back this morning, so thankfully I was able to brush my teeth before heading out to the job site.  South Dakota looks like, ummm, Saskatchewan almost.  A lot of corn and beans around here according to the operator.  Fishing and baseball are also very popular apparently.  Alright, off I go to knit a bit on Cleite now that we’ve been reunited!!!

Re-Entry into Real Life

The first day back has gone rather smoothly, if you don’t count the fact that I flew to Winnipeg Manitoba, and drove three hours west to Brandon.  Haven’t you heard?  Its the Manitoba Operators Conference and I’m presenting a super exciting paper “Maintenance Tasks in a High Pressure Membrane System”.  I know you are dying to see the presentation, but only conference attendees please!  We left Salt Lake on Saturday at noon in the beautiful warm sunshine, and drove straight north.  By the time we arrived in Calgary on Sunday there was a foot of snow, many cars off the road, and we were back in winter.  Mr. J made it last as long as he could, wearing his shorts, and bounding through the snow (again 1 foot worth) in his sandals.  All that Utah sun kept him warm I guess.  It was so nice to get a good shot of sun, fun, flowers:

 

Our “business” in Salt Lake took us to the outlet mall wherein I got some sandals and a sundress.  Its rather depressing to think how long it will be until I get to wear either again!  Of course at this point I’ll be happy when I can ride my bike outside.  If most of the snow melts I’m raring to ride to work again.  Other items brought back from the Land of the Free include three packages of Boca Breakfast Links, two tubes of Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, new bike shorts using my REI yearly discount, and a new t-shirt for my collection that reads “Don’t you wish your girlfriend could ride a bike like me”.  What can I say, Mr. J loves it.  My little bit of economic stimulation. 

And the best part of our visit to Salt Lake, of course visiting friends.  I had a lovely time catching up at Blazing Needles on Thursday night, and enjoying some new Sleeping Dragon Yarn.  Pics to be taken on the weekend.  Mr. J and I had a great dinner at the lovely Mrs. H house on Friday, and got to meet her wonderful family.  On Saturday morning I got to give the mittens to Gigi, who didn’t say much when she put them on except to smile HUGELY.  I think she liked them.  We even got to see the talented Mrs. K and her lovely family, including Baby C.  Cute to the power of 57 baby there.  I think the best part of visiting a city, rather than living there, is that you only get to do the things you really enjoy.  You don’t have to do the bad things like go to work and get your oil changed.  You get to visit, eat at your favorite places, and show them to your boyfriend.  You remember the good, and get to forget that anything bad ever happened there.  Except you always show Mr. J where you broke your jaw, cause that is history! 

And the best part?  I think I converted Mr. J into liking Moab as much as I do.  We had such a good time there, biking, hiking, eating, watching first season X-files, sitting in the sun, playing Death Rummy, going to the movies.  Southern Utah has about a bazillion things to do for everyone, its impossible to be bored there.  When can we go back?

Spring Always Begins With a Birthday

The spring is always here in  March for me, no matter how cold it is, or how much snow falls.  The month always starts off with my birthday on the second, and what a great way to start.  Unfortunately the special day landed on a Monday this year, and was a day that I had to pack up and head back to Saskatchewan.  Therefore I pretended that Sunday was my birthday, and filled the day with indulgent pursuits.  A trip to the farmers market, a bike shop, a dinner with family and friends, and a whole day with Mr. J.  A new pair of bikes shoes for the upcoming vacation, and an angelfood cake (confetti of course) with cream cheese icing, always a favorite. 

My dear nieces gave me some lovely cards, the first one from the six year old reads “Wow!  Other people your age really look like crap…….That was a much bigger compliment in my head!”.  She drew a lovely picture of a blue bird, me (with my glasses on) holding a rose, and both my cats with squiggly tails.  also a very good diagram of a Caterpillar, a cocoon, and a butterfly with arrows to show their progression from one to the other.  The second card from the younger reads “You’re holding up well”.  The three year old also drew lovely caterpillars (I’m sensing a theme) and flowers.  Apparently my dear brother picked the cards out.

There are no photos of my on my birthday, as I decided that since it was my birthday personal hygiene is overrated, and I was just sitting in the car for 7 hours anyways, and visiting piping stores.  Today we’ll see if I can get a photo of my new power saw, and whether I can keep all my fingers attached to my hands whilst using it.  There is a plastic tank in Saskatchewan that should be very, very afraid….

Of Skating and Yarn Pron

Thanks to all of you who took the time to comment on Friday’s post.  Daddio has been enjoying the comments, he loves it when other people see his paintings in new and unexpected ways.  I had a chance to talk to him briefly this morning about it, however Honduras was being attacked either by a horde of helicopters or a buzzle of bees the interference on the line was that bad.  My Mum did manage to report that “its warmed up” down there, as it was getting dangerously close to 70 oF the last few days.  Catastrophe has been averted however, and everyone can put away their toques and scarves and get the bikinis out again. 

I really can’t complain however, Calgary has been enjoying extremely, well above freezing weather that is due to last until Tuesday.  Yesterday Calgarians were out running, walking, biking, rollerblading, or simply turning their faces up to bathe in the warm sun.  I should feel bad for the rest of the continent experiencing extreme cold, but I think we deserved a bit of a break after our before and during holiday frigid temperatures.  But like true Canadians, as soon as that temperature gets near the zero degrees Celsius mark, you start to see numerous people out in shorts enjoying the warm weather. 

But skating, don’t forget the skating.  The Canadian Nationals were this weekend and I got to watch a bunch of it, which makes Mum jealous.  And she should be, the skating was wonderful again this year.  I’m always impressed by the depth of talent in the field, there were men that didn’t even make it to the top 6 skaters who had wonderful skating styles, unique and individual.  And these guys are young, 16, 17, 18, and just getting their jumps together, and when they do, watch out!  The skater in third place, who is a cutie patitue from British Columbia, landed two quads.  He needs to grow into his gangly body a bit, work on his artistry, and he will be a contender in the Olympics for sure.  I would advise all Canadian athletes however; do not put piano keys on your outfit, its tacky.  A male and female skater went this route, both single skaters, both making the same bad decision.  Patrick Chan had it right, simple navy shirt, simple sequins, not too much, not too little.  Fabulous.  I knitted, and provided a horizontal surface for a few cats:

About two more inches of stocking stitch to go on the sweater before I start the yoke, so good progess this weekend!  I also received some lovely yarn that was ordered before the official start of the yarn diet (so it doesn’t count.  Pre-ordering yarn whilst in a yarn diet is a great idea however, I highly recommend it)

From Impulse of Delight, and meant to be an Andromeda Shawl.  It may become something else, but it will definitely be a Mimknits design.  How could anyone resist those sapphire shades, or fail to picture the finished product gradually changing from dark sapphire to light.  Downright gorgeous I say.  And a good fix during the diet. 

Hope you had a good weekend!

The Week That Started Off Poorly, Got Worse, and Then Looked Up

After the last couple of days of holiday where I just stayed home and recharged my batteries in a big way, I felt really energized to go to work this Monday and conquer the world.  I was going to work hard, stay focused, and get stuff done!  Sunday I started to feel like  cold was coming on, and my voice started to go.  Monday morning I managed to drag my sorry butt out of bed, get on the bus, get my coffee, and promptly got hit by a car whilst crossing the street.  I had my parka hood up, and therefore have no peripheral vision to see the idiot speeding around the corner.  It was perfectly legal for me to cross where and when I did, and he managed to just run over the edge of my boot, not my toe.  As the parka is about 3 inches thick I really just bounced off the side of him, and spun around, spilling my coffee a bit, but keeping on my feet.  The day continued.  I had thought we were really busy the last three months, and had hoped it would have cooled off for the new year, but my co-worker remarked quite rightly that we had been working on budget proposals, and now everyone knew how much money the were getting in grants, and the firm proposals would be coming out now.  Prepare for a busy three months!  The cold got worse, but I still felt pretty lucid and alert even with my frog voice until Wednesday morning.  I headed home to nap early and try and recover quick.  When you are feeling poorly, have had a bad beginning to the New Year, sometimes there is nothing to do but give yourself a treat. 

Last year as a long planned reward for passing my exam and becoming a professional engineer (plus my Christmas gift to myself, I give myself the best gifts ever) I bought 100% qiviut from Cottage Craft Angora in Quebec.  Also some of their blends with angora and merino.  Although the Raha scarf from Estonian Lace Knitting is just one repeat in, the fabric is light as air, and warm as warm can be.  The softest fibre you’ve ever felt, the fuzziest, the most wonderful of anything.  I’m in love and I feel much better.  The week is looking up.

See You Next Year!

Like many other years, this one has passed by in the blink of an eye.  Unfortunately I feel like I’ve been rushing from thing to thing, never really slowing down to smell the flowers.  But it has been an outstanding year for me.  With the exception of the passing of my Grandmother, all news has been good.  I feel like all things are excellent, bordering on outstanding.  I have learned a few things about myself this year that are interesting, as they go under the heading “Things I can never do again”, and while this is an unfortunate side effect of getting older, this is the first time I’ve made such a list.  That in itself is sobering.  Potato chips, full fat eggnog, big meals, more than two glasses of alcohol, all on the list.  Wearing a tube top, short shorts, and mini skirts have been on the list for awhile.

As for favorite knits of the year, that is also a hard one.  (I’m almost finished my last project of the year, only an inch or so more, piece of cake!)  Of all the great things I’ve made, and worn a lot already, my lace sweater from the summer is the most versatile, and most worn piece.  As soon as it was made I was wearing it a couple of times a week to work, over skirts, dresses, jeans.  I also get a lot of use out of my pink scarf, in the office now, but it was used a lot in the fall before the bottom fell off the thermometer.

And my favorite part about 2008, while there are so many wonderful memories to think about, one has got to be at the top of the list:

Mr. J. and I bought each other our favorite teams jersey, cause yes, we are that freaking adorable.  He’s my favorite part of 2008.  AND my jersey has a burrito in the back pocket, which is so very cool.  AND I can get the matching argyle arm warmers. 

Happy New Year to everyone!