Where did the week go!!??!!!

I don't know what it is but I always get caught by surprise that the week has simply flown by.

I had a lovely surprise last Tuesday after work. My daughter was in town and met me as I was coming out. We had a lovely supper at a local sushi restaurant to follow the unveiling of many many balls of yarn she brought for me. She hit a literal jackpot at one of the many secondhand stores she frequents in Mississauga. And I end up being the recipient of this veritable bonanza of yarn!

Such gorgeous yarns. I especially like the green skein, no clue what it is, but it feels nice. And the other yarn I really like is the Patons Nuance is shades of greens. It feels delectably soft, so does that one ball of red yarn in the foreground. Again, no clue what it is, but I like it. You may notice the two wee beasties in the yarn. Yes, I admit it, I collect Neopets. I am a Neopet addict. I have a lot of the little guys and I do mean "a lot"

I also reknit the Calorimetry hat. I didn't like how much the original one stretched so I did a new one with a different yarn. This one is definitely tighter but it keeps slipping off my ears. I can't seem to win at this! The yarn is a merino blend in brick red from Elite.

For anyone wondering about the drawings behind my new hat... I attended a Magic the Gathering competition 8 years ago in Toronto and met 4 of the artists. I had all 4 of them do a drawing on a single sheet of paper of Angels after my name. I absolutely adore the angels they drew. I also guess admitting this makes me a prime nerd since I also played the game.

The Weekender

Let's see, how about I do some updates before moving on to new stuff.

1. job interview: As I thought... didn't get it. Doesn't surprise me, they may have had poker faces, but their body language spoke volumes. I guess they didn't want a bbw around their office filled with dainty, latest fashion clad admins. Their loss!

2. I forgot to mention my darling daughter also brought me some lovely gifts. 2 books, Picture Knits & I Love Knitting. There is new knowledge to be gleaned from both. I especially like the first one, lots of lovely charts for children's clothing plus a how to read a chart tutorial. I can definitely use that part as well. Knitting left handed creates some interesting problems when reading a chart. I have to keep reminding myself that the row going in one direction goes in the other direction on my knitting. Confusing? heck yeah but I'll learn!

3. She also brought me more Neopets to add to my growing collection. Yes, I'm addicted to these cute little plush animals. They are sooo cute!

4. And last but not least, a package of tape measures! I'm forever misplacing my one and only cloth tape measure. My favorite from the 4 she gave me is this nice small red one that when you press the button zips right back inside with a very satisfying "snick!" I love that!

5. Finished the fingerless mitts for the co-workers friend. I hope he appreciates the work that went into them. I used a generic wristwarmer generator, made some adaptations and went at them. I just have to weave in the ends and hand them to her.

Now for new stuff

1. I cast on another cloth in basketweave, I'm aiming for a hand towel with this design. Pictures to come as it grows.

2. Need to buy US8 circular needles for the gilet Twirl found in Minnowknits, Too by Jil Eaton. I have 2 nieces and a sister in law who would love this feminine gilet complete with fancy wrists and collar. I will change one thing on it though and that is what I'm going to use to knit the wrists and collar. I am going to use furry novelty yarn to give the impression of real fur. All 3 will appreciate it I'm quite certain.

3. I cast on and finished a Calorimetry hat for myself. Put it to the test yesterday in -20C weather and it was perfect. Having long hair makes tuques impossible to wear or give you hat hair which I hate. This hat is like a hairband but has a button in the back so no slipping over the head dragging your hair down with it. I love how it covers my ears and doesn't slip and slide around. Only took me 3 hours to knit from CO to sewing on the button. I also added a smaller button on the inside to anchor the main button better so the buttonhole won't slip off. I didn't cast on the 120 stitches since my knitting seems to be a tad more relaxed. I cast on 115 and it fits perfectly! I also love the shape when it's laying flat. Reminds me of a leaf.

That's it for now. More to come in the next few days.

Neopets

Well dip me in chocolate and call me a sunday!

I entered a Holiday Sweepstakes on Neopets and today, I got this in my email.

"Congratulations! The National Sweepstakes Company (an independent judging organization) has selected you (or your child) as a First Prize winner in the NeoPets' "NeoCash Card Holiday" Sweepstakes subject to the Official Rules. The prize you will receive is a $10.00 NeoPets Prepaid Neocash Card that may be redeemed on Neopets.com for ten dollars worth of Neocash."

So I submitted my information and clicked submit and got this:

"Congratulations! Your prize claim form submission was successful!

Remember, please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your prize.

Thanks again for your participation!"

I am about as tickled pink as anyone can be!

December Blahs... no, make that Blues

Well folks. I must apologize for not posting for a while now.

If you heard a loud thump a few weeks back it was me. I was happily knitting along when it finally occurred to me that all these great presents I was knitting would not get to their destination. Once that realisation had sunken in, my happy mood dissolved to sadness.

Why won't they make it to their destination you ask? Very simple answer... Money. The green stuff or aka Monopoly money aka Canadian dollars or lack thereof. With my latest job placement ending on Christmas eve and no prospect of employment for at least the following 2 weeks means our meager budget suddenly became non existent. So sending presents is definitely not on the list of must haves. Oh well, at least this way I have more time to knit everything and I guess I'll just send them all post Christmas when I have steady work again.

It just kind of took the wind out of my sails to put it mildly. So yes, it took me 2 weeks to snap out of it. At least I dug my way out of that pit of despair :)

I have been knitting! Almost finished the mystery present for my darling daughter. Will only post pictures after she's received it though since she reads this blog :)

Also working on a cabled hat of my own design. Currently figuring out how to line it and I think I'm just going to do a straight knit in the round after I've done the k2, p2 hem and fold it to the inside and attach it at the top. That should work to keep the wind out. It looks pretty neat so far.

I also knit a jubjub to enter in a competition in Neopets. I could not figure out for the life of me how to embroider eyes on the thing so my darling husband photoshoped the eyes, mouth and eyebrows on. Looks pretty neat!