You know your a knitting nerd when...

...the first thing you do after you get home from school is open up blogger to post about what? Well, knitting, of course.

On Sunday, I phoned Make One just to make sure that they got my email and resume, the woman I spoke to (I'm so sorry, I'm absolutely horrible with names) said that she didn't really take care of the email stuff so she'd ask Amy and get back to me. I got a call as soon as I got home today from them, they can't really hire anyone right now (which I pretty much already knew, Amy said they'd just hired three new people) but they'll keep my resume handy in case they get really busy in the fall and need more people. The woman I talked to today (I'm pretty sure it was the same girl, again, horrible with names) said that they were always looking for new teachers though. Wow, it's a great idea, but... I'm such a novice, what would I teach that anyone wouldn't already know? That and, would anyone want to be taught something by a teenager? Pondering commences.

Look what I did yesterday after school! My mom bought me a poster from IKEA a while back. But, like any good child, I'm more interested in the box the toy came in! Or rather, the big sheet of cardboard that the poster came wrapped with. Look what I did with it:

It's far from done, when it is done (that wont be for a long while) it'll have a border of bottle caps (they're like fortune cookies) with the inside all being the labels. Jones Soda=Yum Forever.

This used to be an ugly pink sweater, now it's a pile of nice pink yarn, fingering or lace weight I think. I have no idea what the fiber content is, there was no tag on the sweater. It's got a halo like wool does, I'm pretty sure it's got some acrylic content, but it's got this really nice shine to it too, to much shine for acrylic, so I'm thinking maybe some silk in there as well?

I want to wait until I get a niddy-noddy to skein and wash this stuff. I might have to make one, I have a very small budget right now, I need to save up for my Halloween costume. but yeah, I want to try and fit that all into one skein, does that seem viable?

What else... knitting knitting... Oh, dad I took your sock off the needles because I need them for a Christmas present, don't worry, as soon as I'm done, they'll go back on. They have to because I just joined Socktoberfest 2006!

Yay! This is a great KAL for me, I have a lot of unfinished socks on hold at the moment, as well as half pairs.

I've been working on the razor cami a lot, it doesn't seem to be growing... I made a boo boo a couple rows back that I didn't have the energy to go back a whole row and fix, I might drop the stitch and fiddle with it later, but I'm not sure how comfortable I feel about doing that with a yarn over column. What I did was accidentally make an extra yarn over, so to fit it, I just knit two together, but now it looks funny. I'm worried about dropping it and just making a weird, big yarn over there... It's difficult to explain, and the more I try, the less it makes sense so never mind.

The weathers been getting chillier around here lately, I smell my first sweater coming around the corner. I must finish all of my Christmas projects first though, gah! So hard to resist.

I forgot to mention, on Sunday, I visited Gina Brown's near Chinook Mall. It's a wonderful place, I wish I had had more time to look around, but we had to get going to my hair appointment. They have a ton of yarn there, really nice stuff, not bad prices either. I think I'll send Diana my resume today and apply there as well, they look like they could use some help. The only complaint about this place was from my dad, 'they need couches,' he says. Ha! How great is that? He usually gets a nap a Make One on the big, white, leather couch. (that is a nice couch!) Oh well, at least this time he was involved in the process, he really loved all the bright colors that they had, he loves bright colors.

By the way dad, I figured out your Christmas present, no I'm not telling, but I think you'll like it... You'd better. :)

I never know how to conclude these things so... conclusion!

Here We Go

I just found the best new way to post pictures... it's so bloody simple. Thanks Flickr! Just copy and paste! Yes.... So happy now.

This is my giant chocolate bar. Seriously, it's 4" x 9", I measured it. It's so delicious. Its orange flavoured milk chocolate, with nougat crisps in it. I wish I could share it with you all, I probably could too, with some to spare. Swedish people are brilliant, I got this from IKEA.

I like orange chocolate a lot, my first orange chocolate experience was a very good one, making everything after it also good, it was a dark chocolate covered orange peel, so very good, Bernard Callebaut.

These are some very skinny, bright pink taper candles. I think they're absolutely adorable. I really love candles, I have a tonne of them too. At IKEA they sell refills in packs just like they sell their regular tapers. Here you can see them still attached by the umbilical cord.

Another Before and After picture. On the left are my three little plants, an avocado pit (it hasn't sprouted yet), a begonia (I think that's what it is, I always forget), and my ornamental pepper plant (the coolest plant ever, its got purple, red, yellow and orange baby peppers. You don't eat them though). Before they only had their plastic pots and some drain plates that I stole from our actual dishes.

On the left, you see them after, they are now in brightly colored pots/drain plates. The pots act as drain plates because they just suspend the existing pots and hide them at the same time, the plastic pots fit in perfectly. There's one in pink, blue, green and orange. And no your not crazy, there is one more plant there, it a baby tree with a braided trunk. At IKEA they sell them about teenager sized too, but this is much more reasonable for my space. I think the new pots compliment the plants well, pink for the yellow begonia, blue for the avocado (which will just be green when it sprouts), green for the peppers (they have so much color themselves, green works well) and orange for the plain green braided tree. I really need to stake that tree though, it got a little pushed over on the way home from IKEA.

Now for a new, extra big, issue of Christmas Yarn!

Above, you can see some 100% wool yarn, one is an earthy green (much warmer than in the picture), the other is the same kind of yarn, but variegated. It's got the same green with brown and taupe.

This is a beautiful 100% alpaca yarn, the color is pretty dead on, maybe a little darker, I had to use the flash.

Same yarn, but in a very rich red, it's not blindingly bright, which is good, but it is still very striking. It's quite lovely.

This Christmas Yarn series has had me pining for a camera with macro mode... For the relatives out there reading this, this camera is on my wish list. Of course, I don't really expect to get it, let's be realistic, is anyone going to spend 300 bucks on one gift? Yeah I don't think so.

Yesterday I made my own google map! Go see! I've mapped out all of the yarn stores that I've been to in Calgary. At first, I had all the yarn stores I had heard about too, but in the posts, I put reviews and I didn't like not being able to review those places that I hadn't been. I might put them back later if I can find a way to make them a different color or something.

And, is it just me? Or does anyone else think that an all-American 49 year old should know the difference between 'through' and 'threw?' It's unfortunate people with good, wealthy lives should be so uneducated. (no, I'm not talking about all people with good, wealthy lives, just one in particular whom I will not disclose)

I have recently found this blog called 'Abusing of God's patience and the King's English.' I don't quite understand the title, but I find her absolutely hilarious. I found her through an article in the new Knitty and she made me laugh endlessly there as well. (that article is very good but the technique she teaches just makes my eyes glaze over, it's so very complicated, I must learn it) And she can spell! Well, Jesus, she better be able to, she does write for Merriam-Webster after all. (how cool is that?) I'd love to play Scrabble with her, what a fun challenge that would be! (although I would insist on myself having a dictionary and not her)

I believe I'm finally done, learned some great stuff today.

Umm, I lied?

Okay, so this isn't 'tomorrow' per say. But at least it's happening, right?

I'll start at the beginning.

In a minute. First, I must tell you about the dinner that mom and I had tonight. Made entirely from my recipes.Alright, so the pictures don't really make it look too appetizing, bad lighting... mediocre camera. (sorry dad, I definitely couldn't live without it but it is from air miles after all)

It's my two signature dishes. Well, my only dishes really. My avocado burgers and my 'magic mushrooms.' Let's start with the burgers (picture on the lower-left, sorry about the mayo in the way.), These are just regular ground beef with diced onions and avocados mixed in. The greener the avocado, the better, as it softens up quite a bit when grilled. This is a good thing for me because, as of late, we have had a crappy (and expensive) avocado selection, they are all very under-ripe and hard. Today, there were either hard, bright green ones, or nearly purple, deflated basketball-like ones. FYI: when choosing an avocado for anything else (ie. guacamole) you should look for a dark green color and a very slightly soft feel when you squeeze it. If you have never tried an avocado, I encourage you to do so, they are wonderful. I also encourage you to try my recipe.

Next, the mushrooms. They're really nothing special at all, only three ingredients and a frying pan or skillet. You have your mushrooms, sliced. I usually buy them whole and then slice them because there aren't as much that way, you can pack a lot of sliced mushrooms into those little blue boxes, too much. Turn the heat on to just over medium, olive oil your pan or skillet, (I usually use my electric grill which is pretty much just a skillet, but mom was using it to cook the burgers tonight) throw your mushrooms in, drown them in olive oil, (and I do mean this literally, I love my olive oil. If you find a dry spot, soak it.) and just shake some celery salt over the whole shebang. If your using a frying pan, toss them around a bit, keep them moving, they should only take about five or less minutes. They'll be a little brown and they'll have reduced quite a bit. (I know 'reduce' isn't the right word, that's for liquids, what the bloody word?) If you don't have celery salt, (I didn't tonight, it mysteriously disappeared on me, I searched hi and lo.) you can just use that 'seasoning salt' that you see all the time, or you can just use salt and pepper, I imagine that would work as well. Oh yes, did I mention I love olive oil? I really do mean it, drown your mushrooms in the stuff, it makes the meal, and olive oil's good for you, don't you know?

I plan to write these up on Ysolda recipe cards as soon as I get new ink cartridges, aren't they just darling?

Also, later this week, I plan to make salmon steaks with avocado puree. That was inspired by the smoked salmon and avocado sorbet that Anna spoke about. I shall have pictures, and they will still be mediocre but I plan to get a new camera soon...ish. It will be wonderful, the meal and the camera.

So, knitting! Lots of it! Two finished scarves... uhhh, well that's a lot to me. I could have sworn I'd done more than that. Maybe I've just forgotten it. Here goes.

The striped blanket that you see on the right is a baby blanket that I've had all my life. I don't remember who it was from, I think it was my aunt Wendy. (drop me a line, Wendy, if you recognise it.) I deciphered the stitch pattern (which I am so very proud of myself for doing) and I made it into a scarf one repeat wide. I stash-busted the yarn, it's really a beautiful color, grey-blue-green. This is a really meaningful scarf for me, with the stitch pattern being from the blanket that I still sleep with sometimes and the fact that the scarf goes perfectly with a brooch that I gave my recently passed granny when I was a child, my mother brought it back from the funeral for me. I'll have a picture of it with the scarf at a later date.

The stitch pattern is as follows:
Over a multiple of 29 stitches
*k2, yo, k4, k2tog, ssk, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, k2tog, ssk, k4, yo, k2 repeat from * to end of row

Next up is my Yorick scarf. Remember that Highland Wool from Elann? The stuff destined to be the NIN bag? Yeah, that project has been turfed for now. If I decide to try it again it'll be just a felted bag with the design needle felted on. The purple has been turned into a Yorick. I'm quite taken with it, I've already worn it a few times. Yeah, we've have some crappy weather lately. Cold and rainy, but no snow yet.
I'm going to use the charcoal Highland Wool to make another one, to match my skull and cross bone mittens.

I've got to show you the stencil graffiti that I found on the bike path that I take home. I like it, it's George Bush with a gun target sprayed around him. Now keep in mind, I don't hate all Americans, just George Bush and his groupies.I love graffiti, stencils are my favourite. There's a great one that I need to get a picture of on a pedestrian overpass on the way to the movie theatre from my dad's house.

Speaking of which, I went to stay at my dads on friday night, we met at Eau Claire mall for a movie. We were early, so we went to Good Earth and got some dinner, he got a beef panini and coffee, I got a grilled cheese with Canadian cheddar (tasty) and some organic lemonade (also tasty), I love me some grilled cheese and lemonade.

The theatre didn't open for another 45 minutes so I stopped at Amos & Andes, beautiful handmade clothes, jewelery and other cool stuff, while dad went to look for a birthday card at Card Shark.
And I spent ten bucks on funny gum:

Gay GumOn the front it says 'Gay Gum, straight from the USA.' On the back, it says 'If It's Gay Gum, Its Got Great Taste." The sides say 'Easy to Handle, Compact Package' and 'Perfect After a Hard Day.' It's even fruit flavoured! I got cus it's just hilarious.

Emo Kid GumI got this mostly to show my friends at school, I think they'd find it hilarious. On the sides it says 'For Those About to Hug, We Salute You' and 'Specially Formulated for Those With Sensitive Souls.' It's mint. Yeah, if you don't get the Emo thing, I don't blame you, only people from the age of 13 to maybe 24 get it. Emo is short for emotional. Here, check it out on Urban Dictionary. (great site, very helpful too, especially if you have a teenager)

Clinton GumI like Clinton, I don't like Bush, I want Clinton back, I don't care who he sleeps with, he wasn't an idiot politically. It's mint

Dum GumThis is, by far, my favourite. On Bush's hands, 'dam good' is written. The ends say, 'As Seen In The White House,' and 'The Corporate Sponsored Brain-Child.' The sides say, '8 Idiot-Proof Pieces,' and 'Minty Madness.' The back is my favourite, 'Endorsed By God *****' 'Don't Debate, Manipulate!' 'Just Chew, Smile, Nod & Profit!' and 'Warning: May Be Harmful To Future Generations' that one is my favourite.

We saw The Illusionist, while we were in line for the tickets, we were talking about it, trying to remember what it was called because all of the movies began with 'the.' This woman in front of us say 'Oh don't see that, my mom and I could hardly stay awake, it's so boring.' I kinda wanted to smack her... I really hate it when people do that, that's why I don't read movie reviews, they ruin the movie for me, and I really think she kind of did too. I loved it, but don't take my word for it, go see it and form your own damn opinions, kay?

I love gouda... and coffee...
I got a haircut today, I love it. Heres a Before and After shot, I'll have another one later with curly hair after. Hopefully it'll look just as good.
Theres more, but blogger wont let me upload any more pictures, since last night actually... so yeah, I'll save it for another post. Buh-bye.

What??

My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?

Ummm, I don't think that's right... I would say maybe they're talking about all of blogger but I think it'd be worth more than that.

How come I'm worth so much and yet I still don't have any readers?!

And, hey... Where's my share? Hmm?


Oh, by the way, I figured out that it wasn't Grumperina's blog that I originally found the info about Synthrapol on, it was Purly Whites. In this post, she reviews Elann.com Baby Cashmere and tells us how she washes it and what she washes it with, Synthrapol. It was, however, a very freaky coincidence that Grumperina has used synthrapol as well.

Holy Progress!

On saturday, my dad and I were off to The Hat for a surprise bash for my g-parents 50th anniversary. What a ball, there was Chinese food for supper and DQ ice cream cake (the fudge is the best part, I eat it last) for dessert. I got a lot of knitting done and again had a chance to talk to my aunts and grandma about knitting. It's refreshing to talk to people who actually understand what I'm saying. My uncle and his wife, dad and me and my aunt Wendy were all there.
On the way there, we drove behind this for about twenty minutes. Sloooow.Then we passed another one on the highway.

Wendy's dog Gracie was there, we gave her a yellow party hat too, she promptly shook it off and chewed it to peices.

The g-parent's cat, Mo/Maurice, got a hat too, he wasn't exactly thrilled...

The ice cream cake was great... but very, very frozen. The knife got stuck in the cake as you can see. (hey, you can see my reflection in the china cabinet!) My uncle was working hard, chiselling away at his peice, using his hand as a hammer.

Knitting news:
In the course of about a day, I managed to start-over and finish one pirate mitten. I'm proud of it. More details when the second one is done.Snazzy, no? It still needs to be washed and maybe blocked, or at least fiddled with a little bit.

Now, for the second edition of Christmas Yarn. It's bright pink, it yarn... that's it.

The other day, I moved my [huge] printer off of my desk and on top of my bookshelf (which, incidentally, has no books on it, just yarn) and put, in it's place, the kitty pi that I made eons ago. Both of the kitties love it and now they can hang out with me without shedding all over my knitting!

Stay tuned to the blog to hear about more Christmas Yarn and whatnot.