Photo happy knit blog entry

So since I'm really behind in my blogging, I figured lots of photos will make up for it right? So right, yeah, lots of photos! First is my Grandma's toque that once again reinforces that I need to follow patterns for a little bit longer before I just rush off all happy into my own little 'why, I'll do a gauge, but then I'll change my idea, and disregard the gauge, but I won't do another gauge, cause I mean, I already did a gauge so....' It still is really quite pretty isn't it?

I had to introduce another yarn because I realized for the incredibly large head I was knitting for, I was going to run out of yarn. The green is a wool/acrylic blend and the autumn coloured yarn is 100% merino, and as it turned out a tad thicker but it worked out. This picture is when I marked the areas for decreasing, where I contined the thinner cables. I will admit I am really proud of the organization of the toque, even though I made it way to big, I will knit it again definately.
I'm missing a photo of the decreased part, but I'll take another photo of it on my Grandma's head at Xmas. Sidenote- my Grandma has assured me I don't need to worry about her seeing these photos, since she doesn't even go near the computer. This is the toque after all the knitting, in order to do the size thing I cast off a big chunk of the cable, still trying to keep the cable pattern. It still was too large. Meh


So this is the streek I sewed in. I sewed two lines and sewed over the lines twice . I was concerned because most things I've read about streeking involved really fine yarn so I was worried about the bulkiness of the yarn causing badness afterwards. You know, after I cut into my beautiful hand sewn cabled toque. And here I am cutting! Aaaaahhhhh!
Eeeeeeek!
Gasp!

And here's a fuzzy bad lighting photo of the finished toque! Wheeeee! One may be saying... why doesn't Leone just take another photo of the toque? That's because it is wrapped and already at home for Christmas. Don't worry, at Christmas you can get photos of the toque and my beautiful Grandma too.And just when you think 'wow- you did that all on your own?' But no! I had helpers! Two of them! Two amazing helpers! And they help at every stage of the knitting too!
And we interupt this knitting to bring you hot chocolate cake! Oh that's right! HOT CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! And here is the newest introduction to out family. My swift (for those who you know, aren't preoccupied knitters, a swift is a knitting tool you use to hold your shank of yarn and rotates it so you or a ballwinder can put it into a nice little tidy ball of yarn). My swift may not be spectacular, but it was a free generous gift from a knitter who I've never met! Her name is Grace and she saw it at a garage sale for 2$ and couldn't let it go, so she bought it and brought it to Darlene's yarn store and Darlene knew I wanted one so she gave it to me! I carried this sucker six blocks home. I loveth it so. I have also bought a new ballwinder that winds the yarn so you can pull it from the center and the outside... I know you knitters out there understand how great that is!
The above is a picture of the swift with yarn on it, the top swirly moves up and down to the length of the shank. (I hope shank is the right word for yarn coiled like that, it could also be skein I think) That's my beautiful alpaca, mmmmmmmm. And least we forget, my helpers. This is the first skein of yarn I put on my swift which of course was the only one I've tried that has turned out to be too large for the swift. It's hand dyed 100% rayon, like caaaandy. The kitties were so pleased I brought them back another toy to play with (you should have seen them when I got the ballwinder and swift going, poor Chuck nearly went out of his head).

So these following photos detail a conversation between Spike and I.
Spike: Just turn away okay?
Me: Spike...Spike: It calls to me
Me: No it doesn't. Don't be bad.

Spike: this thingie here swirls if I hit it with my paw!
Me: you are just so bad.
Thus mostly ends my insanely knit photo blogness. I will end with my current (one of) project which I have very mixed emotions about, but it's fun to knit. I promise to have a more actual word blog entry about the other things going on in my life, like you know, psychological journal articles that go on and on and on and on.... and on........

School? Nope- doesn't ring a bell.

So over here in denial land, I'm doing quite nicely thank you! I've done lots of knitting (one glove down, one more to go), lots of shopping (two winter jackets! Two, mwahaha), lots of coffee (wheeeeewheewheewheeeeee), lots of sleeping, reading a fasincating book called The Girls-more about that when I finish it, lots of visiting with friends and chatting, lots and lots of eating (I think I can honestly, without a doubt, say that I have consumed more sugar in my time here than all of September combined), watched TV with the Bears, and have also gotten my hair done. And by done, I mean streaked. And by streaked, I mean my whole head in reds, browns, coppers, and a few dark blonde streaks as well. I also got it cut- I have bangs! They are sooo cute. Asymmetrical in length and volume! My most amazing hair ever.


School?



What school?

Oh, you mean that homework assignment due tomorrow on a chapter I haven't read yet and still have to email to my friend, the interviews I need to type up and code and write on, the five journal articles that need to be 'thoroughly analyzed' by Monday, and the quiz I will have on Wednesday?

Mmm... don't know what you're talking about.

I'm going downtown soon! See you later!

So... that was fun

But then again, travelling on Greyhound is always fun.

Yes, I'm now at my original home, living off my parents for a week and pretending I don't go to university. Instead of a black and white Spawnkitty (he posted by the way, around a week ago), I have a black and white Snazel kitty who is very loud. Very very loud. I also have two bears with me: Ellaphante, who is a not a New York bear but has never been to Vernon before, and Spike! They are watching TV with my Dad right now, still a little groggy from the trip.

Just a short blog before I go watch Jag with my dad. I just wanted to let you know the oddities of this particular greyhound ride.

So I'm in line for my bus ticket, it's half an hour before my bus leaves, and the bus terminal is uber crowed, and of course, you have your typical greyhound bus residents: the child from hell who is way to young to be exploring* the terminal by himself but his mother is busy doing nothing to pay attention, the scary looking massive man who is drunk who goes straight to the front of the line to get his ticket, the people who don't necessarily speak the best english who are arguing with the one person selling the tickets, and the scary people who you just don't make eye contact with.

Anyhoo, the line is barely moving, and sure enough, before I can buy my ticket they start loading my bus. I've got a little panic flutter, no biggie. The line starts to move faster after some troublesome customers, so I try not to panic. Then-woohoo- get my ticket! Then I turn around and see the line up for my bus that is massive despite the fact that the bus has been loading for quite awhile now. Not good- but I figure, I have my ticket, they can't take it back now! But I don't really know that for sure so I'm still kinda worried. Finally, the bus driver takes my ticket and I board the bus... second to last person to get on the bus. The bus looks like a really bad movie or something. People have walked to the back looking for seats and are now walking back up the aisle, and the bus driver has already given up the two reserved seats for his belongings. There is a vacant seat right there, right at the front, so you are looking out the massive window that the bus driver looks out, and the lady has her purse all over it.
me: is anyone sitting there?
her: no (doesn't move purse)
me: can I then?
her:... (moves purse)
Despite this inital greeting, she turns out to be quite nice and I'm thankful I'm sitting next to her cause I can hear people in the back 'move your stuff' 'not enough room' and other fun bus conversations. This is bad.

But then, complete reversal caused by the crappy conditions! A bus driver comes on and says 'this bus is too full, all of you going to the okanagan get on that bus over there'. So your truely grabs her stuff and is the first on the nicer bus where she gets two seats to herself because there were way more people going to Vancouver and we didn't even have to transfer! HA!

Okay, I'm going to go now. That wasn't a very short blog was it?



*and by exploring, I mean running into people, running in and out of the bathrooms (the downtown bus terminal bathrooms people- DOWNTOWN), knocking luggage over, and opening lockers.