Friday, May 25, 2007

Forest baby


Forest baby
Originally uploaded by Spamily.
And just because the last entry didn't mention Clara at all, here she is.

We never did hear anything about the lost bouncy chair or mei tai or toys, but we've replaced just about all of them. The bouncy chair has been discontinued, so we got the floor model at a nice discount, and Grace at MangoBaby was very nice about the mei tai, too. So the Stupid Person Tax wasn't as high as it could've been.

She understands certain words now, and she has one more tooth. We are still completely, completely smitten.

Knitterati

Can't talk. Knitting.

I don't usually knit to deadlines but the Yarn Harlot is doing her (shhh) book launch in Toronto tonight, and is collecting hats for the homeless. I am blasting away at this hat in Noro Kureyon #55 (picture forthcoming, when it's done) and need it (and possibly a second one) done by 7pm. I have also been digging through my stash looking for an Elizabeth Zimmermann hat made of Lopi that has been very close to done for... what, five years now? Whenever it was that the knitting muse left me. Must find it and finish it, too.

Very happy to report that I seem to have found My People among the knitters of Toronto. Most of them have been hanging out together for a while now, and have that easy rapport that comes of longer friendship and shared experience; it's a little hard being on the outside of that, but that's life. And anyway, 80% of life is showing up. If I keep showing up on Wednesday nights, and keep going out with the Drunken Knitters once a month, and take part in the TTC Knit-a-long on June 9, I think I might start feeling a little less awkward. They're a very welcoming bunch.

It was nice to meet Swatchy and Noricum on Wednesday, too.

Anyway, back to the hat. And I have a student showing up in 45 minutes, eep.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Mindless knitting and a very high Stupid Person Tax

Last night I got so discouraged about a project I'm working on (it's a complicated little thing that may well be entirely the wrong size for its intended recipient) that I went ahead and started the Jane pullover, which is lots and lots and lots of stockinette stitch. Yay. Boring knitting.

Good thing I did, too, because at the S&B last night Jen was working on it too (in exactly the same colourway!), and was a few rows in when I asked her whether she'd used a provisional cast-on.

What? she said.

So I pointed out the bit a few paragraphs on in the directions that say to pick out the cast-on row. Oh. All righty then.

So she pulled out what she'd knitted, and Joyce showed us both how to do the cast-on, and now we're off. Hooray. Mindless knitting in gorgeous yarn. I tried on Laura's shop sample: this sweater sure is going to emphasize my rent-a-tits. Whee!

Last night was fun and I'm glad I went, even with the headache that has moved in and hung up pictures and put down area rugs. (It's still here today, five days after it started. Sigh.) There were three (count 'em) birthday cakes because there were three people who had recently had birthdays. One woman, not knowing about the weekly gathering, came in to buy yarn because she knew the shop was open late, and was quite apologetic about interrupting a party. No no no, everyone said, come on in and join us. When she mentioned that her father had died very recently she was sat down and comforted and handed a glass of wine. The knitters: they are good people.

In other news, the beautiful new mei tai is gone because of a moment's stupidity on Sunday. Dave was picking me and Clara up at Jacquie's house after an afternoon of knitting in the sunshine, and somehow the bouncy chair (with mei tai, peacock toy, stuffed giraffe, and Whoozit toy inside) made it out to the sidewalk but not into the car. I'm sure someone walking by after we'd left was thrilled to find Free! Great! Baby Stuff!

We'd had the mei tai for two days. I'm still feeling sick about losing it. Dave went back to put up signs, and I posted on Craigslist, but I'm not hopeful. The total value of what we lost works out to be just about the same as what I made doing some private tutoring last month: not very much in the grand scheme of things, but also, a lot.

At least it wasn't my knitting bag.