Yarn, knitting patterns, it's all here.

A new washcloth.

Cast on 50 sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Row 5: Knit across.
Row 6: K4, *Purl* to last 4, K4.
Row 7: K4, *K2tog* to last 4, K4.
Row 8: K4, *K1, M1* to last 4, K4
Repeat rows 5 - 8 to within 1/2 inch of desired length.
Cast off.
Weave in ends.

A hand towel with contrasting bands. Well, it will be when I get finished with it.

Cast on 75. With MC
Knit 15 rows (or 2").
Drop MC - Knit in CC (1 knit row).
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K2, *YO, K2tog* Repeat to last st, K1.
Row 3: Knit
Drop CC - Knit in MC (1 knit row).
Knit until you wish to strangle yourself with the yarn. About 135 rows (or 18").
Drop MC - Knit in CC
Repeat Rows 1 - 3 of Pattern.
Drop CC - Knit in MC
Knit 15 rows (or 2").
Cast off.
Weave in ends.

Another prize for the dishcloths/washcloths/handtowels/dishtowels thing for my friends.
Meet Pumpkin Patch. It's a pretty skein of Briggs and Little Durasport. About 430 yards. In orange (Kool-aid/food dye), green (Kool-aid/food dye) and brown (coffee).


Second prize. Four skeins of Emu Superwash DK weight wool about 119 metres each. Kool-aid and food dyed yarn. The winner gets to "Name that Yarn!".


Part of the Grand Prize.
Meet Winter Boreal. Six skeins of Emu Superwash DK weight wool about 119 metres each. Kool-aid/food dye and coffee coloured yarn.


So, get knitting and you could win one of these fabulous (if I do say so myself ;-) ) prizes.

Just a quick re-cap:

My friends lost everything in a moving van fire (it really did burn they have the emergency response records to prove it). I am collecting knit dishcloths, face cloths, dish towels and hand towels to give them a bit of a boost and something special for their new home. I hope to make a bad experience just that much better for them.

The deadline to send them is August 31st. I'll be mailing the care package out to my friends and doing the draws on September 15th.

Anything received after that deadline will be put into little care packages and donated to the local women's shelter to give abused women(and children) something nice for their new (hopefully violence-free) homes. Since most of these women have nothing either. Most have to run and don't have time or resources to take much from their old homes.

It's Sunday, I'm putting off folding the laundry.

I wish the closets and dressers would send out memos before they decide to throw their contents at my couch. Not that the place would look any better, just so that I would know what days to pretend to be blind.

Hey, lady, we're bored. Better get us something to do if you know what's good for your stuff.


Get lost! I'm going to destroy that! No I am!


The light ...


It's calling me.


Okay, I'll wreck these flowers, you shred the mail. Right on, buddy!

A really awesome offer!

Ok, here's an AMAZING offer! Check out today's posting on the Chip N For Dale Blogsite Chip N for Dale!!

WE’RE SPICING THINGS UP!!!!

We know any knitter would love to own this fabulous Colinette Stash Pack which retails for $225.00 but this price tag may make one hesitate. So.....thanks to the generosity of Wendy, Yarns 2 Ewe, Inc., we are able to offer this kit as a Bid-Offering.

Minimum Reserve: $50.00

Submit your highest bid to: chipnfordalebids@yahoo.com by noon on Monday, July 31. Include your name, email address and maximum bid. No bid received after noon on Monday will be accepted.

The highest bidder will be notified by email Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. EST. Payment must be made to Paypal by noon Tuesday, August 1. Follow the link from

*****Please note, failure of payment by noon, Tuesday, the second highest bidder will be declared the winner.*****


What is a Stash Pak?
A Stash Pack is a selection of 10 skeins of Colinette Yarns, hand-picked by color experts into fabulous Color Families. Make whatever you like or use the enclosed FREE pattern for a super-easy throw, shawl, or scarf.

The selection of colors varies and each Stash Pack is unique. The colorway we are offering is #10, Toffee.

This is a GREAT pack - photos are available on the blogsite. If you're looking for a potentially good deal on some amazing yarns, here it is!

Looking forward to receiving your bid.

Jackie and Janette

All kinds of stuff today. Knitting too!

First my Saturday Sky picture. It's going to be a nice one. I'll finally get that dyeing done and be able to show the prize I had planned to show Wednesday and never managed to get dyed. Slacker that I am.


My Highlight for Hope. It's a weave so it should last about 6 - 8 weeks before my hair has grown long enough for it to start looking weird. I've been wanting to get this since I first told you about this new charity and this is the first chance I've gotten. Funny how living keeps getting in the way of life, eh?
Kelly Ruberto is the founder and she still hasn't gotten a webpage so I don't have anywhere to link to. The whole premise is that you get this weave, and half of the money goes to Cancer Research. Pink is the only colour you can get, but it comes in straight, wavy or curly. You can have it cut to the length you want. If you want one, talk to your stylist. I have Kelly's e-mail so I can get in touch with her and pass along names of stylists and they can talk and make arrangements to set this up in your favourite salon too. duchofb at yahoo dot ca


My Paton's Cotton Top face cloth. So soft, so nice, so discontinued yarn. Damn it!


Another dishcloth. Bernat Handicrafter. The basics:
I'm using 5mm (US 9) needles.
Cast on 44, Knit 4 rows,
**Row 5: K4, *YO, Sl 1, K2tog* repeat * to * to last 4, K4
Row 6: K6, *Sl 1, K2* repeat * to * to the last 5, Sl 1, K4
Row 7: K4, *K2tog, YO, Sl 1* repeat * to * to last 4, K4
Row 8: K5, *Sl 1, K2* repeat * to * last 3, K3**
Repeat ** to ** until you're about 1/2" from desired length.
Knit 4 rows then Cast Off.


I really have to get this book. So much inspiration in here! I might even give crochet another go so I can make some pretty edgings or little decorative touches.


The best for last. Do you know who knit and sent these for my friends? Kay Gardiner! The Kay Gardiner!


I had to take them around and show them the whole place. Warshrags, in my house! How cool is that!

Knitting stuff tomorrow. Promise.

I've seen this floating around Blogland so I've done it too. I "Canadian-ized" it though and of course, since I can't leave well enough alone, I commented on it too.

If you want to do this, there are neater versions out there. Charity's for one. Her's is the U.S. version. Just copy, paste to your blog and bold all the things you've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink. There were only four people in there at the time.

02. Swam with wild dolphins. That’s the same place sharks live. Not happening.

03. Climbed a mountain. Climbed a large hill and massacred a yodel. Went on a hike on a mountain.

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive. Not my thing.

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid. Be kind of cool.

06. Held a tarantula. Not a chance in heck.

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone. Yep, but the water was too hot and he was too tired. Isn’t that romantic.

08. Said 'I love you' and meant it.

09. Hugged a tree. Then pushed it over (I was eight)and it was dead. I didn’t know they were called widow-makers. My parents nearly had one less kid. Don’t think I’ve hugged a tree since.

10. Bungee jumped. No thanks, if I'm going to do something that scary, I'd rather not be in a position to get pee in my hair.

11. Visited Paris. Just put the ticket in my hand. I’m there.

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea. Does it count if you’re on land? If it does, I saw one coming in over the Atlantic while we were in Newfoundland.

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise. I used to work the midnight shift for three different jobs. I have stayed up all day after a midnight shift and watched the sun set.

14. Watched the Northern Lights dance. They do. They’re usually icy greenish blue in the winter and reddish, purplish, green in the summer.

15. Gone to a huge sports game. Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the Edmonton Eskimos. Bombers won.

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa. When that ticket gets put in my hand.

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables. There were times where if we didn’t, we didn’t eat any vegetables.

18. Touched an iceberg. Drank Iceberg Water while we were in Newfoundland. Nice, well worth the money.

19. Slept under the stars. Our tent blew into the lake before we could anchor it. I’m just glad we hadn’t put our stuff in it yet.

20. Changed a baby's diaper. Loads and loads.

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon. This would be a really cool way to tour a city.

22. Watched a meteor shower. Amazing.

23. Gotten drunk on champagne. Not that that took much.

24. Given more than you can afford to charity. I remember
being poor. It sucks.

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope. My Uncle Phil named a star after his wife. He showed us where it is when we were there. The prairies are an awesome place to stargaze.

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment. My boss got stung by a bee while giving me heck. He was one of those really uptight people. I didn’t have that job for long.

27. Had a food fight. If throwing crabapples and pincherries at each other counts.

28. Bet on a winning horse. I’ve seen the races though.

29. Asked out a stranger. Too chicken.

30. Had a snowball fight. Tons.

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can. Why would you not? At least once if you haven’t, do it right now. Very relieving.

32. Held a lamb. Egli's Sheep Farm was a school trip every year until we were about 10. They're really wiggly, but so soft.

33. Seen a total eclipse. We had to bring sunglasses to school and our teacher did a whole science lesson outside.

34. Ridden a roller coaster. No thanks. Not even close to interested.

35. Hit a home run. I was happy if I got to first.

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking. On the speakers at a nightclub. It was the same night I had champagne.

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day. Irish. When I went to Tennessee to visit my sister. I had a five hour layover in Minneapolis and figured it might be fun. It was. I quit when I got to Chattanooga though.

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment. I’m often contentedly happy about it now.

39. Had two hard drives for your computer. I have enough trouble figuring out one.

40. Visited all 10 Provinces as well as the 3 Territories. I still have to get to New Brunswick, P.E.I., the Yukon, The Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk. Been taken care of too.

42. Had amazing friends. God love them.

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country. Sounds like fun, sort of.

44. Watched wild whales. We’re saving up to go to Newfoundland in two years. He promised me a boat cruise through Iceberg Alley during migration.

45. Stolen a sign. A few street name signs.

46. Backpacked in Europe. Sounds like too much exercise. I’d rather take a train trip through Europe.

47. Taken a road-trip. Loads. South and west.

48. Gone rock climbing. Not my thing. Too much like exercise.

49. Midnight walk on the beach. Midnight skinny dipping too.

50. Gone sky diving. Not even remotely interested.

51. Visited Ireland. Love to.

52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love. It’s funny now. It wasn’t then.

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them. A few of my friends and I did. The restaurant was really full, but the food was so damn good, we didn't want to go somewhere else.

54. Visited Japan. Love to. Especially during cherry blossom time.

55. Milked a cow. And a goat. It’s really not all that fun. Especially the goat. She was mean.

56. Alphabetized your CDs. No, but I have categories. Single male vocalist, single female vocalist, male band, female band, and mixed bands. All in their genres of course. I’m really not all that much of an anal dork, am I?!

57. Pretended to be a superhero. Superman and Wonder Woman. Does it count if you were kids at the time?

58. Sung karaoke. I have not actually inflicted this on anyone yet.

59. Lounged around in bed all day. Those were the days.

60. Posed nude in front of strangers. No thanks. Not for me.

61. Gone scuba diving. There are sharks in there. No, thank you!

62. Kissed in the rain. It only sounds romantic. When you have crazy long, frizzy hair, it’s not all that great.

63. Played in the mud. As a child. All the time.

64. Played in the rain. Soft ball (I'm not very good), golf (Many, many, many, people played through), fished (not when there's lightning though), soccer with the dog.

65. Gone to a drive-in theater. Are there any left?

66. Visited the Great Wall of China. Love to.

67. Started a business. Someday.

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken. Married August 17th, 2002. He's still stuck with me.

69. Toured ancient sites. This town was built on the site of a great victory for the Ojibway people. Legend of Sioux Lookout. I’ve hiked up the "mountain" where the battle took place.

70. Taken a martial arts class. I’d like my daughter to though.

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight. Haven’t ever played.

72. Gotten married. August 17th, 2002.

73. Been in a movie. Lived in Winnipeg when The Arrow was being filmed though, we went and stood outside the set.

74. Crashed a party. Bar parties. Crashing is expected.

75. Gotten divorced. Better not either.

76. Gone without food for 5 days. Been pretty close though. I still can’t stomach those cheap noodle packages. It took a while before I could eat Oatmeal again.

77. Made cookies from scratch. Love doing this.

78. Won first prize in a costume contest. Maybe someday.

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice. I really want to do this.

80. Gotten a tattoo. Needles freak me out.

81. Been on the St. Lawrence Seaway. We got to take a tour boat through the locks too. Really cool.

82. Been on television news programs as an "expert". Most people don’t want to know how to be dorks.

83. Got flowers for no reason. He’s a good Mr.

84. Performed on stage. In the church Christmas play. Nearly every year until I was 15.

85. Been to Saskatoon. Very pretty city. No trash on the ground!

86. Recorded music. I’m pretty sure recording off the radio onto your tape deck doesn’t count.

87. Eaten shark. Haven’t really wanted to. I’d try it if it was given to me though.

88. Had a one-night stand. Glad I’m not still in that part of my life.

89. Gone to Thailand. I’d like to though. I hear the cuisine is excellent.

90. Bought a house. It’s a trailer on leased land, but it’s ours.

91. Been in a combat zone. We are very fortunate. I count my blessings on this one every day.

92. Buried one of your parents. I don’t want to either.

93. Been on a cruise ship. I’m hoping Mama E. will considering doing an annual knitting cruise though so I can save up and go on one, one of these years.

94. Spoken more than one language fluently. My ears to brain connection just doesn’t work. I can figure out how to ask for something in French, I just hope they never answer in French.

95. Performed in Rocky Horror. I never got this whole thing.

96. Raised(ing) children. I’ve gotten her safely to 2 thus far and we are well on our way to 3.

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour. Nah. Not my thing.

98. Created and named your own constellation of stars. I’ve made enough of a mess of the ones that are there.

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country. Sounds like a lot of exercise.

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.
When I was 18. I came back so I could have a good paying job when I was 26.

101. Walked the Hartland Bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick. Looks pretty though. Might be too much exercise for me. I'd probably just drive across it with the windows down.

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking. Funny thing, I was at a stop light in Thunder Bay and I think the guy in the next car was listening to the same radio station, because it looked like he was singing the same song.

103. Had plastic surgery. I wouldn’t choose to either unless it was to repair damage from an illness or injury. I’m mostly happy with how I look.

104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived. “… but for the Grace of God, there go I…”

105. Wrote articles for a large publication. A couple of Letters to the Editor for our local paper though.

106. Lost over 100 pounds. I went from 130lbs to 192lbs when I was pregnant and now I’m 145lbs. Not too far off.

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback. That would be really freaky.

108. Piloted an airplane. No, thank you. The Mr. has. They have to perform test flights to make sure everything is working after they fix something electrical and the pilots let him have the throttle every now and then.

109. Petted a stingray. Saw one in the Toronto Zoo when we were kids and again in Tennessee at the Tennessee Aquarium.

110. Broken someone's heart. It was not a nice break up.

111. Helped an animal give birth. Been there while one has though.

112. Won money on a T.V. game show. Be fun.

113. Broken a bone. Two. Left arm at the elbow and right wrist.

114. Gone on an African photo safari. Be interesting.

115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced. No thanks.

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol. Rifle and shotgun. Got a nasty bruise and hit the ground after shooting the shotgun.

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild. Every year.

118. Ridden a horse. Took lessons for two years when I was a preteen.

119. Had major surgery. Had a bad leg vein removed to prevent clotting. Felt major. Not sure if that counts though. Had to be put under to fix my arm too.

120. Had a snake as a pet. Not even under threat of death.

121. Done an Ice Walk tour in Alberta. Looks really cool. Maybe a future winter road trip.

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours. I don’t think I’ve ever been that tired.

123. Visited more foreign countries than Canadian Provinces. Just the U.S.

124. Visited all 7 continents. I’d really like to.

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days. At summer camp one year.

126. Eaten kangaroo meat. I hear it’s actually really tasty.

127. Eaten sushi. The all vegetable kind.

128. Had your picture in the newspaper. My daughter was the first baby born to a resident of Sioux Lookout in 2004.

129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about. He’s beginning to understand how come women need feminism.

130. Gone back to school. Just finished an exam. On-line schools count don’t they?

131. Parasailed. Not sure about trying this one.

132. Petted a cockroach. A fake plastic one maybe, if I was forced to. Real ones would get stomped.

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes. Yep, and green tomato relish, green tomato salsa, green tomato pickles, green tomato mincemeat …

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey. English class. Grades 10 and 11, respectively.

135. Selected one "important" authour who you missed in school, and read. Who decides the importance of the authour?

136. Killed and prepared a wild animal/bird for eating. The Mr. and the father do the killing and prepping. I’ll cook it though.

137. Skipped all your school reunions. Going to keep skipping them too.

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language. I don't know sign language and complete deafness from childhood counts doesn’t it?

139. Been elected to public office. Depends on how you define public office. I was elected to the Health and Safety committee at the mill as well as the Negotiating Committee for the contract between McKenzie and it’s employees.

140. Written your own computer language. Only if swearing about/at computers counts.

141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream. Dreams change. Right here, right now, as other blogger’s and fellow knitter’s read my thoughts and respond in kind and my daughter snuggles on my lap, it feels pretty happy-dream like.

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care. I don’t want to have to either.

143. Built your own PC from parts. That would be some PC. If it even knew it was plugged in, it would be a miracle.

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you. Maybe someday. Knitting is artwork so it could happen.

145. Had a booth at a street fair. Having a booth at the local farmer’s market is a definite possibility in a few years. This year is a no go. Next year looks pretty grim too.

146: Dyed your hair. Once. It got a really brassy orange one year so I dyed it back to my original red-brown.

147: Been a DJ. Not interested. I’d rather dance foolishly.

148: Shaved your head. I’ve thought about it.

149: Caused a car accident. I hope not.

150: Saved someone's life. I don’t know. Not on purpose. You never truly know how you can affect other people’s lives though. We may all have saved someone’s life and never know it. The speeding moron who nearly rear-ended you may have hit a little kid if you hadn't been there wanting to make a left turn. You just never know.

SP8 Stuff.

1) What is your favorite season of the year? Spring

2) Where is your favorite vacation spot? Newfoundland.

3) If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be? Scotland. Most of my anscestors are from there. I hear there's a lot of sheep in Scotland too. ;-) Norway is close second though. More ancestors and some great yarn I hear.

4) If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I'd like to think I'd be a beautiful silk, but those who know me would laugh their arses off at that. Probably a nice comfy wool or soft cotton.

5) If you won a shopping spree to your favorite yarn store, what would you get? Bamboo, Sea Silk, Banana Silk, Linen and wearable cottons. All the stuff I can't normally afford and would love to try out.

Now, I'll larn ya.

The exam fried my brain. Not that it was overly hard, but my it-has-to-be-right-or-I-just can't-do-it-at-all, tendencies were out in full force. I'm going to show my age and stupidity here by saying that it has been 15 years since I last wrote an exam. I'm 32. This means that I did not go to college or university. I was very stupid.

At the time I had reasons. You see in school, I was the loser. Things were not all that fun for me and I didn't see that college and high school were two different things. I chose not to go, because I couldn't stand the thought of another four years of misery at the hands of other people. A lifetime of student loan debt was not very appealing either.

Now, I see that I can change people's opinion of me, not by getting them to like me, but by getting me to like me. Confidence is all a state of mind and it starts inside you.

I am getting an education, because I do not want to have to sweat/freeze all day long in order to make a good dollar. I want to have a nice job where I don't have to jump in the shower right after work just to be presentable, or at least so I don't leave a trail of kiln dust behind me as I walk. Not having to wear steel-toe boots would be a definite bonus.
Nothing wrong with working in a sawmill making a good wage. It's just not what I want anymore.

Now, on to the stuff you came to see.

Here's the larnin' I was trying to upload yesterday. Katy asked Dipsy how she achieved tension while holding the yarn in her left hand and how she actually held the yarn. I thought pretty good question. I don't know how Dipsy holds her yarn, I would be interesting in seeing though. In the meantime, I can tell you how I hold mine. I've been told it's a bit different. Works for me though.

Here's how I wrap the yarn around my fingers.


Here's how I hold the needles. In my fists sort of like oars. I tried being all feminine-like, but I never really got the hang of it so, back to the way I felt most comfortable.


Here's with the other needle inserted. Not a good shot, but I still can't figure out the timer thing on the camera. We've only had it for four years. That's not enough time to learn anything, is it? Yeesh, my hands look old.

I just sort of scoop the yarn and pull through.


Don't forget, I knit Eastern Uncrossed style so my knit stitch starts in the back of the stitch not the front. Yours will probably look a bit different.

I'll larn ya!

Well, I was going to, but Blogger is not letting me upload pictures. I'll try again tomorrow. I have my exam to write tonight so I can't spend too much time in Blogland.

For those who have asked, I'll be accepting dishcloths, dishtowels, face cloths and hand towels for my friends up to August 31st. I plan on packing them up and sending them off September 15th. That will give packages from the US and Overseas time to get here and be included I hope. September 16th will be the day I draw names for prizes.

I'll be making care packages for women at the local Women's Shelter for Christmas with any extras I get so if you wish to send some, but don't think you'll have time to get them here before the deadline, I'll still be happy to get them and they'll go to good use.

Thanks all. I appreciate how many of you are willing to help make the day of people you have never met. You are all so awesome!

Busy ... so busy. Too busy.

Tomorrow is my Exam. Send good wishes, say prayers please.
Today, finish one assigment (one more tweak) and complete the last assignment. Hello, last minute.

Not too mention all the dyeing and dishcloth knitting.

Paton's Cotton Top has got to be the softest cotton I have ever felt so far. Not that I've had a lot of contact with 100% cotton other than Sugar 'n Cream and Bernat Handicrafter.

Hope your day is more relaxing.
Hopefully, another prize posting on Wednesday.
Probably be a late post tomorrow if at all.

Saturday Sky, Friday Swamp

Here is my sky at 9:07am this morning. It rained most of yesterday afternoon and they're calling for more for today. Thank God. The rain helped to get six forest fires firmly under control yesterday and put out two of them. Bring on the rain!


Hard to imagine that just a month and a half ago, a pair of ducks were swimming here. They come every year and make their nest at the lake nearby when it warms up a bit.


We went for a walk when the rain stopped last night.


Look, look, look!! I actually have sunflowers coming out! If you knew what a terrible gardener I am, you'd know what a momentous event this is for me. Now, maybe I should pull out the carpet of weeds underneath them and give them a better chance eh?


Some dishcloths ready to send. More on the needles and some beautiful, generous people have promised more. This makes me so happy. You are helping to make the day of my friends and if I get enough, some women who really need a good day.


I'm off to the yarn store today to get more wool for dyeing. Another prize or two soon.

Rain, rain, come and stay ...

I know it's not Saturday, but after a month of next to no rain and a dry lightning storm, we are so happy to see this coming in.

We hope it pours for the whole day.
I don't think it will though, I saw some blue sky on the other side as I was coming back from town.

Another prize for the wonderful people who have offered to help so far. This is Johnny-Jump-Up. It's what we call Jack in the Pulpits. He's a skein of Briggs and Little Durasport (80% wool, 20% nylon about 430 yds).

Special thanks to Kay for putting up a link and the offer to send some dishcloths. Their site rocks! Go check it out if you haven't already. Order their book, beautiful patterns and easy enough for me to try and make some of it. Lace still scares me though. Well worth the money.
Thank you also to the people who have already so generously offered to knit up and send care packages.

Ambercake mentioned in yesterday's comments that the moving company could be trying to rip off my friends. We thought of that too so she is checking the traffic reports and the insurance company is filing for police reports and fire department records to make sure.
They still don't have any stuff though. If the moving company did steal it, they've already sold off a bunch of stuff or they may try to collect a "ransom" in order for my friends to get it back. Either way, my friends are going through a really rough time and getting gifts from people who care would really help to improve what can only be a bad outcome no matter what the truth really is.

I think if I get a lot of packages, I will put together little care packages and donate the extras to the local Women's Shelter to help get other women in need off to a decent start in a hopefully violence free life.
So send as many or as few as you like they will all go to help someone start a new life in a new home with a little love and caring.

Please, help my friends.

This morning as friends of mine who were moving from here to Gander, NF pulled into Ottawa, they got a phone call that they had just lost everything they owned when the moving copmany's truck burned to the ground. The moving company has told them they will pay them $5,000 dollars for everything they lost. That doesn't even come close to helping them out. I of course told them to sue the pants off the company (well-maintained vehicles that are properly packed don't just up and burn to the ground) and assured them they would get a much better settlement if they did. That won't make them feel any better about losing all the things that can't be replaced, but at least they would have decent furniture to sit on in the meantime.

I would like to send them a knit care package of dishcloths, dish towels, face cloths and hand towels. If you can, I would really appreciate your help.

I was thinking warm colours for the kitchen and cool colours for the bathroom.
I'd also appreciate it if you would include a picture of something from your city/town/municipality of residence with your name on it. It can be a developed photo or a printed digital photo.

I think that Double, Double (both skeins) and Glacier (both skeins) will be draw prizes for people who are kind enough to help ease the devastation that losing everything brings. Your name will go into the pot one time for every knit item you send.



Double, Double is Briggs and Little's "Heritage" (100% wool about 216yds/skein) coffee and tea dyed yarn.
Glacier is Briggs and Little's Tuffy (80% wool and 20% nylon about 220yds/skein) it was originally grey but I use food dye to colour some of it.
If I get a lot of participants, I'll dye more yarn and put it up as prizes.
I'm going to put together a Grand Prize for one lucky draw prize winner (it will definitely include two skeins of Briggs and Little in one of the weights available to me, of your choice dyed to your specifications) so keep and eye out and please, tell everyone you know about this so I can send them a really great package.

You can send everything to:

Dorothy Broderick
Box 3119
Sioux Lookout, ON
P8T 1J8
Canada

Edited to add: I'll be collecting for my friends until August 31st, 2006 and mailing stuff to them September 15th, 2006. However, I will continue to accept knit items after the deadline to make little care packages and donate them to the local women's shelter to help women who are trying to start a new hopefully, violence-free life. You can email me at duchofb at yahoo dot ca if you have any questions.

Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate all your help for my project.

My newest creations and a plea for help. Chip-n-for-Dale

Say hello to "Double, Double". I am Canadian. I love (not strong enough), I LOOOVE Tim Horton's coffee. Even Seattle, the self-titled coffee capital of the world doesn't have anything like it. Tim Horton's coffee is so good, our soldier's posted all over the world have to have it. A new portable Tim Horton's recently opened in Kandahar. Starbucks, you bitter, overbrewed, worst-coffee-I-have-ever-tasted, eat your heart out. Timmie's is where it's at!

This is the yarn that I used strong tea and coffee to dye. What better name for a caffeine dyed yarn than that I tells ya!

Next up is "Glacier". She used to be grey and feeling cold and lonely, then she got highlights and now, fans everywhere are clamouring for her new look. Salons will be jumping now, eh b'y.


The pets think that pink water dripping into a bowl is pretty darned interesting.


The star of the show today is "Pink Leopard". She's a real winner of a prize and if you want her and her mate, go here and read about how a couple of good friends are trying to help a fellow fibre artist pay for the costs of a bone marrow transplant. They could use a bit of help since the pay-us-money-if-you-want-to-be-healthy system isn't cheap. Five dollars U.S. will get you in on the draws and one of the prizes is two of these beauties and a set of 3.25 mm handmade DPN's.


Pink Leopard loves her close-ups.


The Leopard is often used to symolize the unknown, stillness, silence, stealth, night, healing, darkness, hidden truth, fearlessness, swiftness, perseverance, beauty, cunning and strength.

Say a prayer for Dale would ya she could use some good knitter's mojo. To read about the start of her journey back to health, go to the beginning of her blog and just start reading.

Say one for us up here in Northwestern Ontario too, especially our firefighters. Look at this Current Fires map for our area. It's a really windy day today. Not good conditions for firefighters.

Forgot to add the new winner of the Canadian A?! sock yarn. PBnJ, come on down! You're next winner in the first ever contest on this blog. Blogger's been such a crank lately, it may be the only draw on this blog.

Nothing to see here people, move along ...

Really. There isn't. I've been so busy doing this and that and some more of this that I've really accomplished next to nothing.
A little more laundry, a few lines of the dishcloth KAL, a line or two of my charted dishcloth, started a bit more dyeing, cleaned up a little, referee'd a few fights, and chased a few fur tumbleweeds that appeared three minutes after I vacuumed.
No pictures. Results of the dyeing tomorrow.

Martina asked if I used food dye or Kool-aid.

Both. I'm the type that just can't leave well enough alone. I like to tinker with the colours a little. If I add food dyes though, I also add a splash of orange juice or lemon juice for some extra asorbic acid and citric acids, vinegar for general acidity and coarse sea salt. I don't know why I add the salt. I just did one time (what's boiling water without salt) and the wool came out a bit softer. Not really all that noticable and it could just have to do with being lightly boiled, but there you are.

Today I'm trying strong black tea with food dyes (equal parts red and yellow with 1/3 part green make brown) and really strong coffee with just lemon juice, salt and vinegar.

Tomorrow the redraw for the Canadian A?! sock yarn and handmade DPN's since I never did hear from Manise.

A perfect way to begin a day.

A cool wind blasting through the house chasing away the stale A/C air and last night's cooking smells, the first 20 lines of my Dishcloth KAL, some coffee and some blueberries that I bought at the grocery yesterday. I can't wait until there are some fresh local ones I can buy. Yep, I said buy. I have zero interest in going out into the bush and fighting the blackflies and mosquitos for hours trying to pick my own. I only like the pretty, cute and easy part of nature.


Meet Archean Bedrock. I'm still working on the other skein. This wasn't how it was supposed to come out, but I like it. A very happy accident.

To me, dyeing is like cooking. I love to cook. I very rarely use a recipe because I just like to throw things in a pot or pan and see how it all turns out. Usually it's pretty good, but I do get the odd stinker. Same goes for dyeing. Throw your colours into a pot. Stir it up then put a little bit into a white cup. If you like how it looks in there, you'll like how it looks on yarn. The rest is a bit of work and does take time, but I like that part. I like the process of creating. Dyeing and knitting for me, is all about the doing, the creating, the journey to get somewhere. It may be just what I had envisioned or it could be something entirely different. It doesn't matter, so long as the journey is interesting.

Yesterday seemed to be all about napping. Sam came along and just plunked himself down right there. Apollo was a little confused and not sure what to do about that.


I came out of the shower to find this. Awww. It's enough to melt your heart and give you the warm fuzzies.


Tee what an interesting site you have. My Grandfather Oltmann flew the mail plane during WWII and knew many of the pilots as well as the navy and infantry men. Unfortunately, he died not long after my Mother and Father got married so I never had the opportunity to meet him.

Lots of yarn, no knitting.

Manise? Are you out there? Have you e-mailed me and Blogger sent it off into Hither and Yon? I haven't heard from you. Please try me at duchofb at yahoo dot ca substitute the usual symbols for the words of course. Your yarn awaits.

Ilene, look what was at the local grocery. This is what kind of treasure you find when shopping with a two year old who wants to help Mommy put stuff in the cart. It's Clubhouse Neon food dyes. They come with pink, purple, green and blue. I'll post another dye batch tomorrow that uses these with a few packages of drink mix.


The yarns I have dyed so far. On the top left to right, Laurentides, Iceberg Alley, Northern Backyard and Roselea. On the bottom, left to right, Canadian A?! and Northern Point.


A preview. The start of a new colourway using the neons and no-name drink mixs. This skein turned into a snarl so I am currently playing "Chase the ends through the tangle." with the hope of eventually reskeining and overdying with two more colours. This is Briggs and Little's Tuffy. It's dyeing really well so far.

Saturday Sky and Lawn

Yep, that's the Moon. At 8:26a.m. Howling at the moon isn't quite the same at this time of the day.


For Katy, whose lawn lost the battle. May it rest in peace.

Ahoy maties!

Captain Feathersword's (The Wiggles) influence. Although I have noticed a bit of a "Pirates of the Carribean" theme going around.

I've skeined seven balls ...


I've dyed six skeins ...


and thar they be! Two more "Canadian A?!", two "Iceberg Alley" and two "Northern Backyard"

Five more balls to skein then six more skeins to dye. Next up are some greens and hopefully a pink/red combo.

My boys having a go at each other. What is it with boys and rough play?


They fought and pestered each other all morning and then fifteen minutes before naptime ...

Another weird one.

It's been another one of those weird days. You know the kind that makes you begin to contemplate whether or not you are developing Alezhemier's. I've caught myself putting flour in the fridge, ketchup in the cupboard, standing by the garden wondering how to get the plants watered (there's a 100' hose less than 75' away) and looking absently for my glasses. The ones that I stuck in the neckline of my shirt. I'm going to be the Grandma looking for the glasses on her nose I just know it.

I did manage to get a few things done.

I tied up my poor sunflowers. Finally. It's only July. How come the ones in the farmer's fields stand up so beautifully but the ones in Joe Shmo's garden have to be tied up?


A new dishcloth design and the test dishcloth to write the pattern out with.


Tonight I dye a skein or two before bed and finish off an assigment while they steam. I hope. The child laying on the floor bawling and screeching about having to pick up a few crayons before bed may have another say.


In other news, the Mr. came home tonight. One out of three ain't bad. The instructor did say she hadn't seen anyone try to write three exams in two days after only a month of studying. She was impressed that he had passed even one. He got a 65.3% on one and a 45.8% on the other. He needed 70% to pass. Ah well, he can write them again after the middle of August. At least he knows what he did wrong and how to change that now.
He says "Thanks for the mojo!"

Ooh! The child just got up and started picking up her crayons! Yay!