Mail from San Diego

Dear Laura,

It has been snowing here. When I say snowing, I don't mean, "a few pretty flurries and maybe enough to shovel." I mean, "scary scary bad yikes horrible driving roads closed oh my gosh the snow is up to my knees and it's supposed to snow for the next ten days." When they said we were moving to the snow belt, they weren't kidding. I love snow, but wowie....this is SNOW.

However, after an hour-and-a-half of white-knuckle driving home from work tonight, I finally made it to the post office to pick up a lovely package that has been patiently waiting there for me since last week.It was yarn! From California! With chocolate in the box, too! What more could a girl want on a blustery winter day?? I have been aching to try out some Mega Boots Stretch, too.

It's my prize for winning Theresa's contest. Thank you, Theresa! What a generous and fun package!

Next time: Germany, yarn stores, and other goodness.

Love,
Nikki

p.s. Currently reading: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Have you read this one? I'm about three chapters in, and while it seems clever enough....the jury is still out.

I'm a winner!

Dear Laura,

Well, I'm in Germany and having a lovely time (you know, but our readers do not, that my beloved has been in Deutschland since October 1st and is staying until spring to work on his doctoral dissertation and I am lonely at home.) I'm even over my jetlag in under 24 hours. I think it's my magical ability to sleep anytime, anywhere that helps out with that.

I've had a lovely time so far. We went to a toy store today and drooled over all the awesome German board games. It's so hard to find the good German ones in Canada - and they had dozens, nay, hundreds in this little store! And then we went to a chocolate store and bought truffles, and then to the gummi bear store to buy gummi bears and then to the tea store to buy tea. And did I mention that we had my favourite kind of breakfast - fresh pastries at the bakery down the street? Yes, at this rate I am going to gain 10 pounds on this trip, but I will love every calorie!

The most exciting knitting-related part of this trip is that we are going to Berlin for 3 days while I am here and they have a number of lovely yarn stores, some of which you may remember from Alison's post here. I actually emailed her for yarn store advice and she sent me some great tips.

Today's exciting news, though, has nothing to do with Germany. Would you believe I won a contest? Amazing! It's here, at Theresa's blog. She's a brand-new-doctor too, in San Diego. Thanks Theresa, you made an already-great day even better!

Stay tuned for yarn photos from my trip to Berlin!

Love,
Nikki

Change of craft

Dear Laura,


Well, the knitting progress around here has been pretty dismal lately. I have started a cute little vest for my nephew, and I've also started a thrummed mitten made with *silk* thrums (SO SOFT) for my allergic hands - but therein lies the problem. My arthritis is acting up and my hands hurt and that means knitting hurts. So my knitting is pretty much just acting as decoration for my living room right now.


Don't despair, though! I've been doing some mad sewing and have lots more projects in mind. Just thought I'd share some recent creations with you!


I needed a new bag for dragging all my stuff too and from work. I was trying to come up with something that could be bag and purse all in one, and after hunting in the stores for months, I finally just sat down and sketched out what I had in mind, made up a pattern, ordered some fabric on eBay, and went to work.


Here's the result:

The fabric is by Kaffe Fassett - I know! Here we've been thinking he was just a knitter and it turns out he designs wicked fabric on the side. Here's a close-up:

I think the print is called "planets." Cool, eh? The bag is lined in purple and it has a bunch of pockets inside which I forgot to take pictures of. It's a little more vibrant than I might have chosen - it's always hard to tell how blinding something is when you're looking at photos online, but trust me, this thing is BRIGHT - however, the brightness is growing on me.


Next up: tablecloths. When we moved here, I picked up a cute little round table to put in the corner of our kitchen. It's just a nice size for the two of us to eat at, although we have crammed four people around it once or twice. My dad even refinished the table, so it looks lovely. Of course, with a nice new finish on it, I'm always afraid it will get damaged so I keep it covered most of the time. Or I'd like to, if I could find a tablecloth that would fit. I have hunted high and low and just can't find any that are the right size, a nice fabric, and reasonably priced.


It took me long enough, but it finally dawned on me that it might be neat to make my own tablecloth! (I know....slow.) I decided circles were to hard, so I chose to make two square tablecloths in coordinating fabrics that could be layered, at a 45 degree angle to each other so that both layers show.


I saw my friend Pamela this weekend and she was mentioning Len's Mill Store in Waterloo as one of her favourite fabric stores so I decided to check it out when I was in KW today. Holy moly. That place is unbelievable. And they have yarn, too. Did you ever check it out when you lived there?


Here's the finished product, hot off the sewing machine:

Close-up, you say?
And the bottom layer is plain old ivory cotton. I'm just tickled pink about how well they turned out.

I also got two coordinating Christmas fabrics - hopefully I will manage to make those into tablecloths before December! Oh, and I got a quilt pattern. And a charm pack which is currently spread out on my living room floor. I think a quilt is taking form.

What have you been up to lately?

Love,
Nikki

Currently reading: Hary Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (I'm on a re-read of the whole series. I'm enjoying it immensely.)

Currently listening to: These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I'm into books on CD in the car these days. This is a huge blast from the past which I haven't actually started yet - just got it from the library tonight and can't wait to listen to it tomorrow morning!)

Slow knitter

Dear Nikki,

It turns out that when I don't watch tv very much, I don't knit very much. Also, when I'm in the middle of a few projects that I'm not that excited about any more (read: projects that are almost done but I'm kind of sick of but feel I should finish anyways), I don't knit very much. And when both LYS around here are closed on Sunday, I can't buy the new yarn I want at the time I want, so I can't start the fun new projects I want to knit. So, all in all, very little knitting news to report.

One thing though: Remember the Morderne-esque baby blanket? Well... how much do you think it matters if it's lopsided?

Other than that, I'm just enjoying checking my Ravelry wait list position (only about 3000 people ahead of me... I can't wait!), and not watching tv. Much. I'm trying to just watch programs I actually want to watch rather than just staring at it for hours on end.

While I'm not watching tv, I have managed to discover my local library. So, the books I have read recently (some from the library, some not) are:

• Bellwether, by Connie Willis. Still awesome.
• Stitch in Snow, by Anne McCaffrey. I picked this up at the library because I loved Anne McCaffrey's dragon books, and this was a novel with a main character who knits. Sounds great, eh? Unfortunately, it really didn't turn out to be all that great. But it was a very quick read, so that sort of makes up for it.
• Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. As per your recommendation, I'm considering reading this series. It's not super-fantastic, but it is definitely a page-turner, and it kept me interested, so that's all good.
• and I'm currently reading Passage, also by Connie Willis. Also, still awesome. Although, I must admit, as I recall, I didn't fully understand the end last time I read this. Maybe this time will be different.

What have you been up to lately?

Love,
Laura

Archaeology

Dear Nikki,

So, I started writing this post just after Labour Day weekend... and I walked away from my computer to make dinner, and apparently I never got back to it! So, sorry for the long break, but here, at last, is a post!

The labour day weekend was one of relaxation and organization for me. It was nice to get some down time just before the school year started, so I definitely took advantage of that. I reorganized my kitchen (slightly - I can still find most things), and I did a bit of an archaeological dig in my yarn trunk, looking for UFOs (UnFinished Objects). And, boy, did I ever find a lot.

The reason for the dig was mainly because I want to start 2 new projects soon: Rogue for me (are you still interested in a mini-Rogue-along, Nik?) and a pair for mittens for my friend Chau, as a thank-you for all her excellent organizing-stuff-for-me-to-do-while-I-was-back-in-Ontario. Luckily, she wants blue mittens, so I'll even get to choose yarn that I love. Yay! I figure, though, that I should finish at least a couple of the projects on the needles before I move on (new term resolutions and all that).

Without further ado, I give you my UFOs:

A felted purse, I started before Christmas last year
(because knitting a sweater and gloves wasn't enough to do!)

My friend Mary's Ravenclaw Quidditch socks. They are too big.
(If Justine ever tells you not to worry about gauge, ignore her!)

Socks that I started before driving out to BC.
Something went wrong when I got to the second toe, apparently.

Remember going to Romni Wools a couple of years ago?
This is the laceweight I bought then...

Baby blanket (loosely based on MDK Moderne Blanket).

Now, this is actually my WIP.

Moebius scarf
Mathematically fascinating, but far to scratchy. Scheduled to be frogged.

Moebius basket
Also fascinating. It's done except for felting.
See the twist in the handle? That's what makes it only have one surface!

Ummm... lace shawl. I was going to knit this on my drive out to BC last summer.
See how far I got?

Ballet Camisole
Soooo close to being done! I was waiting before I bought a crochet hook for the edging before joining the shoulders. I don't know why. I will finish this soon. Really.

Baby sweater
Pictured here all in pieces, now finished with button bands and ends sewn in. Only thing missing is buttons!

Scarf
Pictured finished. This is the same yarn as the baby blanket (cause I wanted to test it out). Very soft, and the scarf was ideal airplane knitting.

So there you have it: my extensive collection of UFOs. Except a pair of socks that's not worth seeing because I've only done about 4 rows on them. They were too big as well.

One more picture for this photo-intensive post: the two of us when we met up this summer. Not too bad of a picture, considering I was holding the camera, eh?

Miss you!

Love,
Laura

p.s. You know how I told you I was trying not to watch tv for a week (except for one show that I am video-taping)? Well, it's killing me, because I think I'm pretty hooked on it, but I am finding myself with all sorts of time for other things like, oh, say, blogging, emailing, a bit of cleaning. I also found time to order some stuff from Chapters, including Bellweather, The Other Boleyn Girl, and the six-hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD, as a treat because it's so great. I am currently re-reading Scarlet Feather while I wait for them to arrive.

p.p.s. Your Honeymoon Cami looks great! Now I'll really have to finish mine!

Fibre Fun!

Dear Laura,

Well, I'm not sure we can even chalk that one up to a little summer break, and we definitely can't pretend we've spent the past month and a half reading Harry Potter! We have been slacker bloggers, there are no two ways about it!

First things first: I loved HP7 and now need to go back and re-read the whole series so I can get all the little details. Your thoughts?


Second, on a craft-related note: did you finish your Ballet Camisole? Can I see?


And finally, some recent crafting from my end of the world. You may recall (I think I told you) that I was taking the Honeymoon Cami with me as honeymoon knitting. (This was Plan B, as Plan A to actually have it finished in time to wear it in Italy on my honeymoon - as the original designer did - proved to be a vast overestimation of my available knitting time before the wedding.) At any rate, I did finish it, right around the end of the honeymoon. And now I present:

The honeymoon cami, and a terrible photo of me. Please excuse the....general yuckiness. I thought about cropping my face out, but that's too much work. Also, please ignore the messy house in the background (hello, Mr. Iron, on the telephone stand) - it was just after we moved in.


Anyways, the details - the yarn is Dale of Norway, I think it's Svale, but the ball bands are long gone so you'll have to take my guess on that one. The colour is the off-white shade - natural or ivory or something like that.


I wildly goofed up the lacey part at the bottom, so it in no way resembles the photo on the pattern, but it looks okay nonetheless - and by the time I realized how screwed up it was, I had already finished a few inches past that and just couldn't bear to rip it out! So...it's a little unique.


I really love this top, and I think the saddest part is that I haven't worn it at all yet, except to model it for this photo. I'm just not a big tank top girl anymore, what with the penchant of my shoulders to sunburn in seconds. I'm determined to find a warm day this month (that is, before fall sets in for real, which is going to be SOON) and wear it at least once!


I do have a few other projects on the go or just finished - so there should be plenty of material for a few posts in the next little while!


Oh! And other exciting stuff - I went to the KW Knitters Fair this weekend! It was so fun! I bought some Tussah silk roving to make myself some wool-free thrummed mittens from No Sheep For You (which I LOVE - thank you!) I also got some of this, for another upcoming project. And THEN, when I got home, I called Lettuce Knit to ask them to mail me some Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton (in colour "shell") for my mittens (since I couldn't find it at the Knitters Fair) and they were pretty much the nicest people ever. It was a weekend filled with fibre excitement!


That's all the crafting news that's fit to print. How are you??


Love,
Nikki

Less than 8 hours...

... until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits book stores! I pre-ordered my copy to pick up in-store, but Chapters has no record at all of me doing that, so I guess I will be buying it tonight at midnight, and hopefully I won't be charged twice for it! (I will be sure to complain if I am, don't worry).

I am currently quite stressed out with leaving for Japan on Sunday; there sure is a lot of work to be done before I leave! My parents gave me a few neat early birthday presents which are great though: an inflatable travel pillow, which will hopefully help me sleep on the plane; an untra-light umbrella which weighs only 138g and will also be useful in my West Coast lifestyle; and some less exciting things such as a suitcase lock and a money concealer.

Two of the big decisions, of course, when embarking on a trip such as this one are (a) what will I knit? and (b) what will I read? I will be knitting the Ballet Camisole on the airplane (it's knit on circular needles, which I feel are less likely to be taken away than straight needles, even though on Canadian flights you are nominally allowed to have either) and Ravenclaw Quidditch Socks from Charmed Knits for my friend Mary (who bought the book for me).

The answer to question (b) is still a little up in the air, but I am definitely planning to take a couple of murder mysteries that my mom is lending me.

I am actually (finally) all set to get started on the Ballet Camisole. I actually knit a swatch, in the round, washed it, and dried it, and for the first time ever, I actually got gauge! I'm hoping that means that the top will fit, but we'll see how that works out. I have actually already knit one project from Charmed Knits:

Isn't he cute (if a little blurry)? He's all packaged up now and ready for his final desination (which is a surprise for the recipient, so I will not mention it here).

Anyhow, I hope you're doing well. Are you reading anything exciting these days? I have been re-reading all the kids' books I left at my parents' house, so that's not too exciting.

Love,

Laura