- I'm almost finished cutting out all the pieces for my new purse. There are so many! I got out a roll of painter's tape and labelled rectangles as I cut them out. I've still got one pocket to cut but I'm a little undecided about how big it should be. I think I'll start sewing first and make my decision when I get to that pocket.

- We got Abby a new chew toy today. It says it is best for dogs over 60 pounds ... our 25 lb. pup is a powerful chewer. Fortunately she pretty much sticks to her toys.

- My blog was listed in a post on Canadian Living's Make+Do Blog last month. I can't express how utterly cool I found that. I highly recommend looking through the list; there are a lot of other fun spots to visit.

- I'm debating whether or not to participate in the Knitting Olympics. It would be pretty fun to participate and I think Christina's pattern in my Rockin' Sock Club kit would be a good entry - it involves several new techniques for me. Under normal circumstances I think those socks would be a good challenge for me to finish completely in 17 days but we'll be on vacation for most of those days so I'll probably have way more knitting time than usual and that doesn't seem quite fair.

- If I don't participate in the Knitting Olympics I'm still planning to make those socks as my vacation project. "Happy go Lucky" is a pretty good motto for a February vacation the whole point of which is to relax and bum around a different city for a week.

- I spent part of this evening over at my sister's house. We dreamed up our summer gardens and ordered some seeds. I loved doing carrots last year and want to add tomatoes (that actually produce something), peas, beets and maybe spinach, beans and strawberries this year. I'll need to figure out where everything will go and probably build at least one raised bed in the back yard.

- I took pictures of me in my new blouse at lunch time today and will try to share them this weekend.

If you are a Notorious Sock Knitter who has not yet received her kit (and doesn't want it to be spoiled) or have a violent aversion to sock related blog content, go no further!

If, however, you need a dose of colour in your day, could not possibly get enough of socks, are a former Notorious Sock Knitter needing a bit of the fun or, you know, just feel like reading something silly instead of whatever you were supposed to be doing right now, read on!

This year I decided to join the ranks of Notorious Sock Knitters world wide and signed up for the Rockin' Sock Club with Blue Moon Fibre Arts. I've considered it before but always chickened out: it's a bit expensive and I've never been sure if a club that picks my yarn and patterns for me was really what I wanted. What changed this year?

1) The Yarn Harlot mentioned the club, and that sign-ups were open, at the precise moment I was trying to come up with strategies to get me through the rest of the winter (the world doesn't start to get colourful around here until nearly June).

2) My friend Liette, who has been a member for past years, has the most beautiful stash I have ever seen (and keeps part of it in an awesome old-timey trunk in the middle of her living room).

3) I had the startling realization that if I didn't want to knit the pattern they gave me with the yarn they gave me .... that was totally okay. I can't believe it took me so long to come up with that but it really made all the difference. I still plan to try out the patterns they send because I think that's part of the fun of the club but I'm not going to feel guilty if it turns out I just don't like one.

I signed up at the beginning of January and then waited to hear when the kits were going out and watch everyone receive them. It's a lot of fun to watch the forums while you're waiting for your kit (though every once in a while someone would slip and mention something that should have been labelled "SPOILER"). It seemed to be taking ages but really I think it was only the two weeks it usually takes for things to arrive from the States.

My parcel arrived Wednesday night (and went unblogged because I couldn't get any really nice pictures until this afternoon). Wednesday was really cold but Abby and I went out for a short walk to the mailbox anyway, just to check. There was nothing exciting in the mailbox but as we were walking back down the street I saw our mail carrier drive past and stop near our driveway. Abby and I did a little jogging  (a tricky thing on an icy road) and caught up with her just as she was getting some packages out of the back of her truck.  I asked if she had anything for me and she said she had two parcels (there was also a box of Murchie's tea we were not expecting until next week). I opened up my sock kit as soon as we were inside and spent the rest of the evening squeezing yarn and reading patterns.

I know, I know ... "get on with the pictures all ready!"  Here you go:


The yarn is "Happy Go Lucky." The inside of my ball band says "Heureux" which the internet tells me is French for "happy, glad, fortunate" (I'm Canadian - I should know that without looking it up - at least I realized it was French). I love the bright cheerful feeling I get from this yarn. I'm really looking forward to knitting with it. The parcel also included some fun extras: there is a tiny skein of yarn (perfect for darning in my opinion) and a "Rockin' Sock Club Member" pin (unfortunately my winter coat is too thick for it to go through and I haven't figured out where best to put it yet).


Next to the bag of yarn and tiny goodies was a cardboard envelope with even more stuff. I think I'll use my bumper sticker to decorate whatever binder I get to store my patterns and things in (I told Rob I'd honour him by not sticking it on our car).


I found the "Dyer's Notes" really interesting and love that Tina spells colour with a U (and wonder why).


This year each kit comes with two patterns: one from an established designer and the other from an up-and-coming designer. For January we have Cascadia by Sylvia Harding and Flabella by Christina Bain. I can't decide which pattern I want to knit first (because, yes, I'm going to get some more of this yarn and knit the other pattern - I like them both). At the moment I think Flabella is prettier with its little fans and bobbles and all over pattern but the bobbles will mean I can't wear these socks until I switch to my spring shoes (note to self: get new spring shoes - old ones have holes) and that's a ways away still. Cascadia is smoother (meaning they'll go under winter boots more comfortably) but I'm not totally sure about the different patterns for the front and back of the leg. Both sock patterns feature elements that are familiar to me but include plenty of new things so both will be nicely challenging. I've still got some time to make up my mind though.

We're going on Vacation for the last week of February and I've decided that this yarn will be vacation knitting. When I signed up I thought the timing would work out nicely for our trip and the hours of airport/airplane time it will involve. Plus, I think they will be a fun souvenir when we get home.

One last yarny picture - just because.

A whole new month this week. How exciting!

I can't believe we're already into February. It usually feels like an unnaturally long month given its twenty-eight days but this year it is going pretty quickly; we're having a spell of unusually warm weather this weekend and into next week and then Rob and I are taking off at the end of the month for a bit of vacation. But first, last week:



We ran out of our French Granola and I had to make more (there really wasn't an option - I don't think I'll ever be able to go without this stuff again). Rob got me a wonderful large, high sided baking sheet especially for making granola in. It made stirring it around so much easier.


I was home by myself for lunch on Tuesday and went over my new purse design while making and eating pizza. Both turned out well: the pizza was finished with salt and pepper (wonderful if you haven't tried it) and I caught a mistake in my purse math and corrected it.


I was feeling the need for some more sock needles (more on that later) so Rob and I scooted over to the Arctic Farmer shop so I could get a set of Knit Picks needles. They're so pretty. I've decided there is no way I could possibly have too many sock needles: I break or loose them far too often and there are so many more socks I could knit if I didn't have to wait for the right needles to be free.








My first missed day of 2010. I'd intended to take a picture of machine stitching the binding onto our new quilt but Abby was being funny and needed someone to sit on the couch with her. I did some knitting for a while (that Endpaper Mitt is slowly moving along) but after a difficult day at work a puppy dozing on your lap has special powers and I was asleep before 9 PM.


Snowflakes on my mitten. To really appreciate their tiny beauty you'll have to look at the full size version over on Flickr.


Gratuitous puppy shot.

The binding was sewn onto the quilt on Friday night and I spent bits of Saturday sewing it down by hand. Almost any time I wasn't working on it (and sometimes when I was) Abby was curled up on top of it.


Some more hand sewing today. I've got 3/4 of a long side left and then there is just the label and a little bit of applique for the back.