Yesterday I drove to Perth, with hubby in tow,  to check out the advertised sale by Janie H. Knits called “101 Yarns You’ve Always Wanted”. I had seen the ad in the little local newspaper, plus received various phonecalls and emails from knitting buddies spreading the word about the sale. I had no idea what to expect. The sale was being held at the Legion hall rather than the store, and Janie referred to it as “clearing out the yarns I have in the basement”. I’m glad that I didn’t get there for the opening at 9:30 AM because there must have been a huge lineup (and with my poor mangled knee ligaments, I could not have stood in line even using the cane).  Anyhow, by the time I got there at 10AM the place was packed, and already a huge lineup for the cash!  She had TONS of stuff - yarns, notions, bags, patterns, books, you name it…And, most everything was at least 50% off.

The plan was to meet up with my sister-in-law (with my brother in tow), so that we could shop together while the boys went out for coffee.  Well…it didn’t work out that way. They got lost in Perth and we basically talked them through the directions while we were standing in the LONG lineup to pay. It was at least 45 minutes or longer to get to the cash. That’s where DH came in really, really handy….He was holding my place in the line, while I hobbled around looking at more stuff…He is a Saint!! Apparently, other knitting ladies “borrowed” him to hold their places in the line up as well. Needless to say, the deal was that I would take him out for lunch afterwards! (We were going out to lunch with SIL and my brother afterwards anyhow…..so, geez, I got off pretty easy!)

Here are the sock yarns that I scored:

Colinette Jitterbug in Raspberry

Lucy Neatby Celestial Merino Dream in Sunbeam

Prairie Fibers wool/alpaca blend

Opal Rainforest

Opal

Berroco Sox in nice 'manly' colour

And, for a skinny scarf I found this stuff:

Zitron Unikat in Bulky Weight

“Unikat” Yarn

From the moment we first touched “Unikat” from Zitron we knew this supersoft merino was just crying out for felting. As a high-end, cutting-edge option, “Unikat” has received the highest ranking in textile artistry & the highest wool rating in the world. Its development took 2 years of careful testing & research until the yarn aficionados at Zitron were satisfied they had a spectacular hand-dyed option for discerning yarn enthusiasts around the world. 100% extrafine merino beautifully crafted in Germany with generous yardage & quick-to-knit versatility.

That’s pretty cool!

BTW, the sale is still on today — so, if you are a knitter and get there, it’s well worth the drive.

Look outside the window, and what do I see? Adirondack chairs sitting lonely and unused, the deserted gazebo,  potted herbs growing thin and scraggly, the pool sitting cold and abandoned, and a hummingbird feeder that’s seeing less business than a MacDonald’s after 8pm in a rough part of Calgary town (that’s a whole other story). Every day the skies are grey, rainy and early mornings, usually alive with the sound of chirping birds, are quiet, cold and depressing………..This is and has been our summer so far. Hey, GLOBAL WARMING PEOPLE…..WHERE ARE YOU ALL HIDING??? What we’d give for global warming over here!!! That means, hey…our summer would actually be warm, and we’d actually be outside doing summery things!  Not wearing jackets, pants, and wool socks in our Birkies (but, really that’s okay),  hiding in our houses and watching the days getting shorter and shorter, without having had our fill of barbeques and margaritas….(That’s another thing sitting unused…our brand new purchase of a Margaritaville slushy drink maker…)

And, hey, global warming people…this is not an anomaly….last summer was pretty much the same, and, the one before that not so great…and the winters have been colder and snowier….I’m very sorry, but I am not seeing, nor am I living through any kind of warming trend….sheesh…AND, there does NOT exist a floating island of plastic grocery bags…sheesh….AND, the polar bears are thriving, and Lake Ontario is cleaner than it ever was…AND, I DRIVE A HONDA CIVIC!!! Hey, Mr. McGuinty, where’s my handout for buying a fuel miser car? Why are you giving out $10,000 to people who can afford the trendy $40,000 battery-powered cars (made OUTSIDE OF CANADA). And, the battery-powered cars are going to need POWER (which apparently is in shortage in Ontario already), and where are those god-dammed used batteries going to be hauled off to??  Oh…yeah, we’ll stick them all on the floating plastic bag island and watch them float away…And, geez, while we are at it and for good measure, we’ll throw onboard all the disposable poopy baby diapers apparently that apparently have a hand in this “global warming catastrophe”, because we are really being conscious about our planet  using a diaper service that uses the most harsh bleaches, chemicals and detergents known to mankind to clean the yellow & brown poopy diapers . ..(have you every seen the colour of a pre-solid eating baby’s poop??  No scientific team in the world could devise a dye that  is so deep yellow and permeating if they spent their entire careers trying to formulate it)….Do you think that cold water and mild, little meek Ivory Snow baby clothes detergent is going to get that yellow-stained cotton cloth diaper clean??? And, what do you think makes water HOT?? POWER!! Which we are apparently running out of… Just think about it….(well, that was my little rant for this morning…I sure feel better now…)

It’s getting really depressing looking out my backdoor window every day seeing the usual icons of summer sitting unused in the cool, rainy grey days… It doesn’t help that with my poor sore knee, I cannot walk this year. Yep, that would have been the silver lining in this cold, grey clouds of this summer - Erwin and I would be able to hit the trails to hike and walk to our heart’s content without having to wilt away in the heat, and sweat like little piggies….(memories of an 11km hike on Mizzy Trail in Algonquin Park when Erwin, Justine and I got dehydrated and mosquito bit to death, several years ago, but then, that’s another story as well)…

My only solace is that I’m waiting for Chris & Anna to come home for a visit in August, and that at least I can still knit and quilt with bum knees…

My little pretties all sit in a row….waiting to be worked on…(that’s Kiwi waiting for me to go down to my sewing room)…

Erwin's Winter socks in Opal Handpainted

Regia Cotton Weekender socks

Pattern: Sleepwalker Yarn: Socks that Rock in Rose Quartz

So, not is all lost - a lot of people in my family are going to get a lot of socks and quilts this winter…Because we do FREEZE our asses off here each and every winter, and my Honda Civic can hardly make it through the snow covered roads to work in the morning….

I leave you with Ollie…unhappy with the wet day and as miserable about the weather as I am..

C’mon Kiwi let’s go down and get some sewing done….

Ollie whining

Yes, it’s been a long, long time…A long, long time since I’ve posted that is. Too much to do, too little time. Plus, my knee troubles have worsened and I’m pretty miserable most of the time.

Since I last posted, I received the June shipment from Woolgirl - the theme for June 2009 is It’s Raining Cats & Dogs:

Lovely package from Woolgirl

Dream In Color Smooshy

The contents of the June sock kit are awesome, so much swag:

Dream in Color Smooshy yarn in “It’s Raining Cats & Dogs” colorway

A bone calculator

Cute cat & dog notecards

Cute cat & dog stitch markers

Cute animal theme pattern tamers

Bunch of cute little cat/dog pendants

Stickers

Umbrella tape measure

Wooden “paw” needle size gauge thingy

Two patterns (sock & shawl)The yarn is super soft, the colours so look like a brindle dog coat — not a colour I’d specifically would go out and buy, but, hey…that’s what sock clubs are for…to break out of the box a little. Great thing about it is that I  see a pair of socks for Erwin in the future with this yarn. It’s perfect for him!

Speaking of Erwin, I finished his summer weight cotton blend socks

Lana Grossa Cotton blend yarn

And, I’ve already started a new pair for him using some handpainted Opal

Opal Handpainted yarn

Talking about cotton, I also finished my pair of Flame Wave socks done in Cascade Fixation cotton in the olive colourway

Flame Wave socks in Cascade Fixation

I really didn’t like this yarn. It was supposed to knit up very quickly, because it is thicker and the pattern called for 3.5 & 4.0 needles, but with the slight amount of elastic in it, I really struggled with the yarn. It just wouldn’t slide on the bamboo needles…Note to self: why didn’t you try your nickel plated needles duh?

I also finished up a pair of Monkey socks - yes “the” Monkey sock design by Cookie A using super smooshy Indigo Moon yarn

Monkey socks knit in Indigo Moon Yarn - Wine Country

As June wrapped up, and July came barrelling in, the July sock kit from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (Rockin’ Sock Club) arrivedI love the sticker that I got….sorta sums me up pretty well “I like poetry, long walks on the beach and poking dead things with a stick”…

The colourway is called “Garden Daze” and the colours represent those found in heritage tomatoes

BMFA Socks That Rock "Garden Daze"

I really love this colourway, and can’t wait to cast on. The pattern is for a shortie sock — anklets — but I’m not sure if I want to use that pattern for these socks.

What else have I been up to? Our weather in Ontario has been total pits….Bummer Summer as I call it.  But, thank goodness most of the gardening was done before I busted up my knee, everything is blooming away without very little intervention from me….

Asiatic Lily

Except for having to control these bugs….

Asiatic Lily Beetle

Asiatic Lily Beetle Larvae

Which means squishing their larvae by hand….encrusted in the parent’s feces….yummy…..I’m on a mission now…and you don’t need knees to do this!! Like, my sticker says, I like poking dead things with sticks - this is even better, squishing crap-encrusted larvae by hand - no stick between me & the poop covered babies…

Yes, it has been a long, long time…I’m happy to catch up. I leave you now with my bone calculator - forget about diamonds being a girl’s best friend…(the buttons are little paws LOL!!)