Another trip to Alpha Crafts and I discovered why I was so unhappy with the way the Fantasia was patterning. Upon close examination of their knitted samples I realized my scarf was not wide enough to allow the pattern to happen. The labels probably indicated this, but I can’t read Japanese/Chinese characters at all. The…

Thanks to Beth and Christine, I have a new section on my sidebar of buttons for blogs I read. Trouble is, they were OK when I initially put them on, but then several disappeared leaving funky little symbols in their place.  Through trial and error I rewrote the code for the links and now they…

My office, at a local community service agency, is located in a shopping mall. Malls are like little cities with unique environments and people who consider the mall their home of sorts. There are the mall walkers – the healthy heart people who walk the halls for exercise prior to opening; the mall rats –…

What am I ? I am three stitches neither knit nor purled. Give up? I am the three stitches on Li’s pinky finger, placed there as the result of an onion chopping accident. In our house we have an event dubbed "the Cutco cut." Chuck’s had one, my mother has done it and now it’s…

This family drama took place a while ago. Dramas this past week include one daughter breaking up with boyfriend, another boyfriend moving to Edmonton to be close to the other daughter, and a sick boy who missed all his midterm exams. Scene 1. Setting: Chuck and Li for a rare night on the town at…

All year I had been saving a quote on which I was going to base my Valentine’s Day post. I heard it on the radio in the middle of the night and was so touched I scribbled it on a scrap of paper. It has surfaced from time to time in my pile of task…

That’s right, listen up, Vancouver knitters, Koigu is FINALLY coming to us! I was at my knit night at Knit and Stitch in West Van, and Inge, the owner, proudly told me after all my pleading to stock it, the owners of Koigu paid her a surprise visit. Initially they told her they weren’t taking…

Even after my recent Fleece Artist project fiasco, where my Garter Stitch Jacket reacted to blocking with steroid-like growth, it is my favourite yarn company. I have made their narrow fringed scarf and the Garter Stitch jacket, and am starting another Kid Silk multidirectional scarf. My stash includes their Triangle shawl kit. Most of their…

No knitting, just Gracee learning to knit in her sleep through osmosis:

I was listening to a dog behaviour expert on national radio. He was explaining that humans have to respect the animal’s doginess and give them opportunities to indulge in the purpose for which they were bred. Greyhounds need to run, retrievers need to fetch, shepherds need to herd. Scotties were bred to kill rodents and…