This time vacation karaoke was fun. No Idol wannabes, just people having a good time making fools of ourselves. Picked to sing a duet with a Scotsman in a white tuxedo, I was rewarded with a bag, perfect for large projects:   In Juneau, I increased the numbers in my bag collection: Not generally a lap sitter,…

Picked up my Hanami, and Chuck observes, "You're working on your 'Oh Crap' again." I guess that's all I say out loud when it's in my hands. Hanami, in silk and toothpicks, is not a knitting while talking, watching TV or drinking wine kind of project. I reach the end of the row and take…

Alaska for a vacation in the sun? We live in Vancouver, home port for summer Alaskan cruises and have hosted many visitors in advance of their ship boarding. Everyone gives themselves the same pep talk – it's not a sun vacation, hopefully there will be enough lifting of the fog to view the glaciers and…

Seduced by the outcome (refer to last post) of knitting thread with toothpicks I thought I'd push the envelope with thinner yarn and narrower needles yet (see two posts ago). This is Hanami in progress: Seven 31 row repeats from hell, followed by calm waters, perfect cruise knitting. Reminds me of the Mediterranean/Trans-Atlantic voyage of…

That's how long it took me to finish my Print O'the Wave shawl: The details: Pattern: Print O'the Wave by Eunny Jang, a free pattern. I added an extra repeat to the width, but it  blocked so well I wouldn't have needed to go through the extra effort. I omitted the center graft by completing…

When I was a little kid I used to wonder how the medicine knew where to go to cure various afflictions. Now I know it's more a matter of marketing than science. Headache formula pain reliever is the same compound as arthritis formula, either one would do for either pain. It all works the same.…

Get it? Another Clap pun. You won't have to put up with many more because this time the Clap is done:   The particulars: Pattern: Clapotis, abbreviated to make a scarf: the setup section two full repeats of section two, plus the required partial amount of the final increase row. 17 repeats of section three…

A cheesy introduction to – you guessed it – another version of Clapoitis, the mini version. This will be #4 made from my leftover Lady Eleanor silk Garden, colourway 279. I think this is a step in the right direction for Noro, having concentrated too heavily on the darks: It could have been worse. Remember…

Thank you for the positive thoughts and the comments on the comfort food. Some of you guessed correctly – they are Golabki, the cabbage rolls of my half Polish heritage. I might have thrown you off because when I have more stuffing than cabbage, I make the rest into meatballs and cook them all together.…

Poor Ms.Grace had her eyelid surgery, I've never heard this tough little Scottswoman cry until she was reduced to wearing a cone. She whimpered for a solid hour until she found an acceptable sleeping position. This has been a hell of a week with 13 hour days at work (major proposal writing deadlines), Gracee's operation…