A Good Time Was Had By All

Learning Japanese -- knitting patterns

Wow.  I've been back from my knitting cruise to Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and Japan for weeks now, and there are places of the trip that still leave me speechless.  Our group was approximately 50 in number.  We had terrific classes with Gayle Roehm on the topic of all things related to Japanese knitting and crochet patterns.  (Yes, I crochet, usually under duress, but the classes were fun, so I crocheted.)

On our first day of class, I sat in the middle row, which is why only two people appear in this picture.  We were learning how to read the symbols for this pattern for a knitted, smocked tunic.

The cruise was with Holland America Line, and we sailed on the Volendam.  She's an older ship, but she still has some lovely attributes.  The accommodations on our "floating hotel" were quite comfortable, and the staff at HAL are truly top-notch.

Apart from classes on board, our excursions included yarn shopping and sight seeing expeditions.  In Shanghai, we "hit" no fewer than six yarn shops and one book store in one day!

Shanghai is an enchanting city, and I'm not just saying that because of the yarn shopping!   It is the fashion capital of China, and there was beauty everywhere -- from the Liuli (glass art) museum to the women on the street.

A misty night in Shanghai

At night, the skyscrapers are lit up, as are the cruise boats that glide up- and downstream.  This photo, taken on our first day in the city, doesn't show the full height of the building on the left, which is a communication tower called the Pearl Tower.  It is so named because its five spheres are separated by "chains" that make it resemble a string of pearls.

I booked this cruise with Craft Cruises out of Colorado, USA.  Our trip leader was Lily Chin, well-known knitting book author.  Gayle wasn't officially a trip leader,  but she was generous with her knowledge of  Japanese.  She helped us navigate not only Japanese knitting patterns, but also yarn labels, subways, and conversation with the staff and students at Nihon Vogue, Japan's major pattern publisher and craft school.

Lily Chin: Wallflower!

Lily and Gayle showed us many wonderful sights in the Orient.  In addition, I booked other trips through Holland America Line and Viator to see historic sights such as Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park in Nagasaki, and Mt. Fuji.

Craft Cruise excursions included yarn shopping in Shanghai, a kimono fashion show and more yarn shopping in Kyoto, and the Silk Museum in Yokohama. Each one was a feast for the eyes, from the yarns themselves to the patterns in the terrazzo flooring.  (Tip:  If you ever go to Japan, you need to remember Yuzawaya).

Over the coming weeks, I'll be blogging about this incredible textile adventure.  I hope you will join me!

Toques and Office Update

Absence alert:  The Canadian Guild of Knitters office will be closed until April 22.  Please call or e-mail and we'll respond to your inquiry after that time.

The 25 000 tuques program is winding down for the season.  Knitters in the area of the CGK office donated over 200 toques!  A special shout-out to the gang at the Purple Sock in Coldwater, who knitted the lion's share of this number, and to the group at Grey Heron in Collingwood, who provided another huge bag of hats!

Once the office is back open, I plan to blog my way through a hat book.  It's a natural fit!

The Gift of Giving

In honour of the 25 000 tuques movement, I created a new phrase.  We have a gaggle of geese, a pod of whales, and a school of fish.  Now, we have a family of toques.

Early last week, I attended a meeting of the Barrie Knitting Guild to talk about GTA Knits 25 000 tuques #GTAKnits.  Not only did they hear me out, I learned that the main part of their meeting was to do a "show and tell" of the goods they had knitted for the local Christmas Cheer campaign.

Knitters all over Canada knit for charity year round, and it's gratifying to get out and see just how much kindness and giving resides in knitters.

Today, I received word of another knitting initiative for Syrian refugees.  Kind Canada Genereux has started a campaign to make scarves for the refugees.  You can register on their website, http://www.kindcanada.org/scarves-for-refugees/.

Of course, you can also support other groups with regard to the Syrian refugees, such as 25 000 tuques, of which I belong to the GTA Knits chapter, 1000 Stitches for Syria, and Lifeline Syria.  This blog post is merely to bring awareness to those who want to help.

Whenever I speak about GTA Knits, I note to the audience that the Syrian knitting effort is there to provide a handmade welcome to people who have lived under very unwelcome circumstances for several years now.  It is not intended to detract from other campaigns that a knitting group might have, rather it is an immediate, and hopefully temporary initiative. 

While it is temporary, it has been an incredible feat of organization, one that I hope will continue and go on to help other Canadian charities once this need is over.

The Power of Many

The 25 000 tuque movement marches on, and it grows every day.  Today I learned about groups in Newfoundland and Muskoka, Ontario. 

These are the first donations received by GTA Knits 25 000 tuques, which I've signed on as a section co-ordinator for the Barrie/Simcoe County area.

Our group is working with local sponsoring agencies to try and determine numbers so that we can give volunteer knitters good information.  We are also looking for dropoff locations, and we would like to have co-ordinators in a few more areas of the GTA.  If you're interested in helping, please drop me an e-mail at info@cgknitters.ca.

Personally, I would like to have more time to knit, but at least I got a toque cast on early today and by the end of our online organizing meeting this evening, it looked like this:

Knit on, dear knitters!

#GTAKnits, #25000tuques

The Power of One: 25 000 Tuques

Today, I tip my hat to Danielle Letourneau.  When she learned that the province of Quebec was to receive upwards of 7500 Syrian refugees, and that Canada was taking in a total of 25 000 refugees, she put out word to fellow knitters by creating a Facebook page called 25 000 tuques.  Within a week, there are "chapters" all over Canada, from Nova Scotia to BC.

Some groups are keeping their efforts local -- they are donating their knits to families being sponsored in their own communities -- and other groups are sending their knitted wares to Québec for distribution on the families' initial days in Canada.

In the past week, I've been contacted by two organizations wanting to do something along this line, and I'm liaising with Heritage Canada to keep them apprised of what's going on.

Canadian Guild of Knitters is not recommending that people stop supporting their local charities, nor are we requesting your support; we merely offer the following information in case you want to join this effort.

Personally, I've linked with one of the four Ontario groups I found today (the GTA group).  There is a group in Toronto, one in Ottawa, and one in Bruce-Grey-Simcoe.  All have Facebook pages, and you can find them by doing a search on Facebook for 25 000 tuques.

If you want to help, please contact me through the website, or through Facebook.   The Calgary group Calgary's 1300 Stitches for Syria put some good information on their page as to guidelines for the knits, which I'm offering here for your reference. 

DONATE: Help by donating one or more of the items we’re collecting. Please note these items MUST BE NEW due to health restrictions. They can be purchased or handmade items. Also please be advised that currently these are the ONLY items we are able to accept.

We also ask that you ensure the items you donate are suitable for our cold winter.

We are accepting donations of the following items ONLY in sizes from infant to adult:
•Mitts
•Gloves
•Toques
•Scarves
•Cowls

Please make sure your donations meet the following criteria;

 1.All items must be void of any possibly offensive religious or political graphics, phrases and or comments.

2. Please include the suggested care of your donation. (ie. hand wash in cold water, machine washable etc.)

3.Please include the fiber content of the item you’re donating. In the event of items made with wool this is critical information for those with allergies to it.

4.Please place the donated item(s) in a clear Ziploc bag (one per hat, pair of mitts etc.) to protect them while also allowing the contents to be visible for easy handling and distribution.

Please Note: If you would like to include a brief message or welcome message for the recipient of your donation please feel free to do so. Each family will be working with a translator.

Already there are photos of some of the work done by some of Canada's knitters.  Each of us is also the power of one, and with the co-ordinating efforts of Danielle Letourneau, the people on the way to us will get first hand knowledge of that power and of the warmth of Canadian knitters.

It was an Artist's date

I'm a fool for a good play on words, and this is the one I really enjoyed this weekend:

What a GREAT name for a flower shop! Not to mention the creativity in the Celtic-looking hearts interlinked to resemble carnations.

This weekend, I got away for a couple days.  My journey took me north, to Sundridge Ontario.  Sweetie had a barbecue up there, and we decided to make a weekend of it. Zoey, my little dog, was sent to her "second family" for the weekend, so the grownups wouldn't have to worry about stopping for meals and points of interest.

One of our first stops was the "town" of Burks Falls, which is now little more than a village.  While there, we found a studio containing works of local artists.  There were egg cups hand-turned from  ironwood, quilted placemats, and some really interesting works by local artists. It is worth the stop, if you're ever up there.

At the barbecue, we learned that there was a Sunflower Festival in Sundridge, where we were staying.  We headed over there and were treated to all kinds of inspirational things -- solidly-built Mennonite furniture, metal sunflowers (I'm still kicking myself for not buying one of those for my garden), some beautiful, abstract watercolour paintings, and a rustic bench with bear-themed upholstery on its back. 

This morning, I awoke, refreshed, and got to enjoy morning coffee on the dock of the resort with some knitting.  Sweetie took a picture of me "knitting in my natural habitat", but it's on his phone... it may take a while to get it.  In the meantime,  here's one of me knitting in my natural habitat back in 2006:

(This was Newfoundland, I believe up toward Bonavista)

On our way home, at Huntsville, we stopped at a lovely souvenir shop that had lots of signs to hang around the house, beautiful hand-turned and polished wooden bowls, beeswax candles, shaker boxes made in New Brunswick, and pillows, with faces fringed with strips cut from old knitted garments. "I could make that", I observed.  (Huntsville is a must-stop if you're travelling through Muskoka -- it's downtown rivals many of the pretty ones in the province.  And, there's a chocolate shop!)

As we drove home I said to Sweetie, "You know, it has been good to get out this weekend -- we can get pretty stuck in our little box called home, and I've spent far too much time in the house so far."

Being a proponent of The Artists' Way, I like to get out once in a while and have an "artist's date".  (An artist's date is an opportunity to feed the creative, right side of the brain.  It could involve tasks that are routine or mundane that take your mind off things and allow your brain to float off on its own (gardening is a good example of this), or getting out and feeding off of the creativity and inspiration in the world around us.)  This weekend's jaunt certainly qualified as one.

This weekend, I got out there. And it was good.

Flatstock Dyeing, Anyone?

You know, no matter how much you know about a craft, there's always something else you can learn.

Last Sunday, I joined some of my colleagues from the Severn-Muskoka Knitting Guild for a flatstock dyeing workshop with Lynda Gemmell of Shelridge Yarns. 

In the interest of full-disclosure, dyeing isn't "my gig". It's too much like cooking, to me, but when we do it in a workshop setting, I can play along.  This is the second dye workshop I've taken with Lynda -- the first was hand-painting skeins.

The results of the day turned out like this:

My pieces are the ones with the pink in the foreground over the middle bar and the purple/iris blue over the back bar. 

Workshops are amazing things to go to with a group of creative people in your circle.  I can't recall who made the two pieces in the middle, but I know that Denise made the piece on the bottom left of the photo.  By Lynda's guidance and Denise's colour-sense, these will make some great socks!

Terry did the piece in the background with the sunset tones.  Like me, she did two pieces, and plans to make a sunset-themed piece.

The day after the workshop, once my work had dried, I unravelled the dyed blanks to create skeins.  This is how they turned out (forgive the low light of the photo):

After that, I washed the skeins to relax the yarn, then, after they were dry,  I wound them into cakes so that I can do centre-pull balls.  Because of the way I chose to paint the knitted blanks,  I got this cool-looking knitted cake that looks like a very expensive yarn kit that is currently on the market:

I'm pretty pleased with the result, and am currently working on a pattern to make a stole from the centre-back outward to the ends using a provisional cast-on.  Stay tuned to this blog.  I'll let you know what happens.

Weaving in Ends

To  me, weaving in ends are part of the process of knitting.  Sometimes, they are a little more than that.

Several times in my life, now, I've been graced to receive the nearly-finished articles made by another knitter who has passed away.  When an aunt passed away in 2000, I received two unfinished sweaters, one of which only needed the pocket bands and button bands.  Well, Canadian Guild of Knitters, a full-time job, and my own knitting projects kept me away from completing that one for a long time, but I did eventually get it done.  The bonus was that it fit my father (Aunt Linda's brother-in-law) perfectly.

Several months ago, a lady contacted me with some "scraps of yarn" she had received for me to donate on to another cause.  Yesterday, I took some time to go through the bag, and discovered this partially finished pair of booties and a matching bonnet. The yarn was cushy old Paton's Carefree Baby Sayelle.  If you've never had the chance to work with Sayelle from the 1970s, you've missed out on a soft, comfortable knitting experience.

This morning, as I threaded my tapestry needle and started to sew up these wee articles of clothing, I wondered about the lady who had done the knitting.  Was this set for the hospital gift shop?  Were they for a specific baby?  Was she just using up yarn, as I myself have done with so many baby things?  Was she older? (the style of the garments would suggest that she was probably a little older than myself.) Did she intend to make a matching coat for this?  There was an extra ball of yarn, but only one -- not quite enough for a jacket.

Just as happened when I worked on the final stages of Aunt Linda's cardigan, these questions floated through my mind.  All the while, I knew that I wasn't only weaving in the ends of this project, I was helping to weave in some of the ends of another knitter's earthly existence.  It felt good.

And, as if finishing these items weren't enough, once I've added the ribbons (I think white, don't you?), I will donate them to charity.  I think the knitter, whoever she is, will be pleased.

It was a rainy day...

However, instead of sitting under the shelter of the front porch, knitting, I was inside with my laptop, updating a bunch of things while sipping a nice cup of tea.

Yesterday I had a great meeting with Carla Canonico of A Needle Pulling Thread.  We talked about information she plans to include in upcoming issues, and things I could be doing to "spread the word" for her, as it were.

First on the list is blog more.  This was my commitment to myself this year, and, to have this be only  my third post of 2015, I am clearly being lax about it, so I promise, dear reader, to do better.

The second was to upload some information on Ravelry about recent knitting patterns that have appeared in the magazine.  The editors of the magazine have created a store with patterns for all kinds of projects that have appeared in the magazine.  My humble offerings are there, too.

So, this early afternoon, I spent some time on Ravelry, creating posts on the ANPT group (Yes, there is an ANPT mag group on Ravelry) and some links to various patterns.

There is a lot going on at ANPT, including KnitMuch, an on-line presence just for knitters that complements both the magazine and their other on-line initiative, QuiltSocial.

I just love the swirly heart logo on the KnitMuch website.  It reminds me of my own tag line "For The Love of Knit".  The KnitMuch tag line is "to k is to love", and both sentiments sum up my feelings nicely.

Do you want to know a secret?  The inspiration for this logo actually comes from a beautiful hand-hooked heart that Carla made years ago that graces the door to a room off her entryway.  If, like me, you think this logo is pretty, you should see her original piece!

The summer issue of A Needle Pulling Thread is nearly ready to hit the mail and newsstands.  It's always exciting to see the colourful offerings each new issue brings.

Now, I think I will go and sit on the porch, and work on some knitting.  Enjoy the day.

Welcome, Spring

I can't believe it's almost 4 months (give or take a day) since my last blog post.  I so intended to be a good blogger this year! But, I'm finally chiming in with this entry:

I was driving around the countryside the other day (actually, I was on my way home from a visit to my parents) when I saw this FABulous sign.  It does my heart good to see young people doing something as constructive as knitting.  Go, SBPS knitters!  I'm very certain that your  knitting club does rock!

There are knitting clubs in many schools.  I've spoken at several schools over the years about knitting and spinning.  These "little chats" help plant seeds of interest that may one day germinate into an interest in our craft.  Whether the interest is passing or it becomes passionate, that's up to the student, but I find that often, if the teacher is passionate, that passion can be shared and ignited in the knitting newcomer.

We older (okay, experienced) knitters have a responsibility to teach our young.  I learned to knit (and crochet) with the hands of my paternal grandmother guiding mine as I stumbled with foreign objects like needles and yarn.

Next week, I will begin a class with several young knitters in it, and I hope I am able to guide them as Grandma guided me.  And I hope I create several knitting "grasshoppahs" who go on to knitting greatness.

2015 - The Year of the Hat?

Happy New Year, Knitters!  I hope your Christmas/ Holiday Season was as blissful as mine was.  There was lots of time to rest and relax and still sufficient time to enjoy the people who mean much to me.

Two weeks of vacation left me with the required time to finish several projects. First, I finished a weaving project -- the first one in about ten years.  The loom was warped in July, on my summer vacation, and I cut the warp off in time to wash and finish the table runners and placemats I'd made for Christmas presents.  Setting up the loom takes a lot of time, but it's really rewarding to see that strip of fabric, months later!

I also got an inherited knitting project finished.  Last summer, my mother handed me a bag containing a nearly-finished cardigan that her sister didn't get done before she passed away.  It just needed the pockets and bands, and there was LOTS of yarn, so I got this finished in December, and now my Dad has a sweater made by my Aunt Linda and me.

Designing continues in my world.  You won't see any of my designs in A Needle Pulling Thread in 2015 -- I'm taking the year off to work up new designs.  In December, I finished the first prototype for a vest.  The first draft of the pattern is done, and I'm checking the numbers.  This vest is made in an acrylic yarn, which makes it a most affordable project.

Stash busting took the form of two pair of fingerless mitts.  One pair was done before Christmas, and another pair materialized the day after Boxing Day.

Since then?  Well, I've started a large project, but it's hard to argue with the instant gratification of hats.  Three have come off the needles since December 27, and there's a fourth one that just needs cap shaping.  What's your "go to" project to knit when you can't think of anything else to do, or when you need a quick little "in between" project?

While I'll probably go on to other projects in another hat or two, so far, 2015 is "The Year of the Hat."

Here are two toques.  Both are made of wool superwash yarn, and both are destined for charities.

Time Marches On

It's late, we've just changed our clocks, and I've spent the whole day in the office on paperwork.

So much has happened since I last posted to this blog.  I had to say goodbye to one of my favourite knitting designers, Bernice Vollick, aka Mamabearknits.  Bernice has passed away, but her patterns are still available through Ravelry, I understand.

I'm still a website neophyte, but I discovered tonight that the interface that's come into play since the last time I did a website update is much more user-friendly!  I think I only spent 3 hours trying to do an update of several pages.  But, every time I go into "website land", I learn something.

I also acquired a full-size keyboard for my laptop computer, and am learning to fly over the keys once more.

Knitting wise, there's been a lot of progress... In the last couple years I've made several pair of socks, two or three shawls, about 6 pair of knee-high baby bootees (see Bendy Bootees in the Spring, 2014 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread), two jackets also for the magazine, and a blanket for the magazine.

This blog is being revived because we're looking for a following for a new initiative I'm helping A Needle Pulling thread with.  So, come along, and keep your ear to the ground -- good things are coming!

At long last, a Website Update!

OK, it's not perfect, but there is finally new information on the website! I'm so excited!

Unfortunately one of the things that precipated my having to delve back into the realm of html code was a rate increase. Yes, after five long years (and they were long, now that I think about it), we've had to increase our rates. Effective March 1, 2012, a one-year Canadian Membership will be $35.00 (in CDN $). For information about other rate increases, visit the Join Today page of the website, http://www.cgknitters.ca/.

A member from Calgary Alberta had asked me to post information on the website about the tool kits. We found these nifty little items back in 2007. They have lots of pockets to hold everything from change to stitch markers. They are available exclusively to renewing members of Canadian Guild of Knitters at a cost of $11.00 plus $4.00 postage and handling (after March 1 - currently the P&H is $3.50).

The one challenge I could not overcome today was the retailer page. No matter how many times I uploaded the new file, it wouldn't show on the website... there must be two of them out there somewhere... maybe I'll go take another look.

A New Year - Let's Roll!

Welcome, 2012! This year promises to be a year of calmness and productivity, and I'm looking forward to it.

So far this year, the work has begun to get the CGK books ready for the tax man. Membership renewals for the new year are nearly ready to send out. There's going to be a membership increase this year, so we want to give members as much opportunity as possible to beat the increase.

I'd hoped to get to a website update this weekend, but it won't happen today. I've had two inquiries about Level 2 this week, and that's going to be job-one tomorrow, and the next couple weekends.

My knitting mo-jo took a bit of a hike toward the end of last year. After gardening season, I worked on a series of face cloths for the Spring, 2012 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread - here's a sneak peek:

The set is a trio of a round, square, and triangular cloth. This sample was made with cotton DK weight yarn.

Five or six face cloths later, I moved on to hats. Since mid-December I've made six hats, and I think I'm about done with that, too.

Next on the needles is a top-down sweater to replace one I LOVE from a Paton's leaflet. This time, I'm making it in Briggs & Little Regal. The yoke is only about 1/2 done.

May the New Year bring you the best life has to offer!

It was a Rainy Day...

...perfect for doing paperwork!

I prepared some new and renewing membership cards for mailing, and sent out another Level 1 package today, and took a look at my ad for the magazine, which is past due for an overhaul.

Speaking of overhauls, the website is also past due for one, and while I was working today I had an idea to get the gallery updated: Ask our members for photos! So, here's the request: send me low-resolution photographs of your knitting projects, especially ones you've made from patterns published in Knit Together or A Needle Pulling Thread. Send them to my website e-mail which is on my contact page at www.cgknitters.ca/contact.html with the subject "Photos for CGK".

Photos that have 'models' will need to be accompanied by permission forms -- I'll provide one. I'm very cautious about putting up photos of minor children, so permission forms are necessary.

The gardening (ahem, weeding) continues, but it's worth it! This rose is called Grenada, and it is in its second blooming. I have also photographed my peace rose, but don't have a photo on the hard drive yet. The buttercream daisies I bought at Zehrs are putting on an awesome show, too!

I'm also trying to get some knitting done. My computer is getting old and slow, so I keep a pair of socks (for Dad) on the desk to work on while I'm waiting for uploads, downloads and overloads!

This Faroese shawl is now finished -- the ends have been woven in, and it's actually already doubled as a blanket when I fall asleep in front of the TV.

The other project on the needles is a hemp top with 3/4 length sleeves designed by Lanaknits Designs in British Columbia. I'm still ensuring I support our Canadian Knitting designers.

One day in the office, though, is the tip of the iceberg! There's still much to do, including finish planning for the knitting classes I'll be leading through Parks and Recreation starting in mid-September.

I have to shut down the computer soon, though, because there's a salsa party tonight!

Where Does the Time Go?

I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post. The last time I posted was before a rain. We did have a fair bit of rain at the end of May and into June, but July has been drier than February in Arizona! Even the rain that has fallen in the last two days has been south west of us. But the weather channel is promising rain next week (When I'll be back at work).

The gardens have grown up, and nicely. This ground-level photo of the west "curb" bed was glorious. The galardia (centre in front of stump) is still in bloom. The geranium is very happy, and the butter-cream daisy (on right) has a new batch of blooms. I've learned that the wood "sculpture"in the centre this bed is actually a piece of a chestnut tree that was in the back yard. The delphiniums can just be seen peeking out from behind the "stump".

The entryway bed has grown up, too. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the bee balm/ monarda with the red blooms is over 4 feet high. What a show! I found the bench at a garage sale, and have enjoyed many mornings looking out toward a nearby park.

I've taken literally hundreds of photos of the gardens this year, 8 of which have made it into matching frames on the living room wall.

This summer has been all about preventative maintenance on the house: Dad came in and pressure washed the front porch, back deck and garden shed, then I watersealed the decks and stained and painted the garden shed. Yesterday we black-topped the driveway. Next summer, I'll be able to kick back and relax!

Here are before and after shots of the garden shed:

This is after the pressure washing

and this is after the staining and painting:

The only thing left is to add a finishing touch of a happy face on the left wall. :-)

All this has happened during two weeks off over the first three weeks of the month. Once the postal strike was over, the Summer issue of A Needle Pulling Thread was mailed out. Renewal notices for this issue will be following soon.

Another Canadian Guild of Knitters undertaking was to mark yet another Level 1 package. It's heading back out in tomorrow's mail.

The vacation wasn't all work: Zoey spent a couple days in day care so Mummy could shop! When you have a dog with separation anxiety, it's a real luxury to get to spend 3 hours browsing through Wal-mart! The two of us went to an arts and craft show in Bracebridge where we spent a little time in the Greenelf Wild Woolens booth. Today, the last day of vacation, I took Zoey (aka the Ming Princess) to the Barrie waterfront where she got a walk, and I got some knitting done. When we heard the skirl of the bagpipes, I moved us to a better vantage point and enjoyed some celtic music. Today was one of the most temperate days of the vacation, and it felt good to get out and enjoy some of it, now that the painting is over!

Before the Rains Came

The holiday weekend enabled me to get the gardens in before the rains came. This bed, one of five in the back yard, was made more colourful by adding the mum Marie bought me when I separated last fall, a new rose bush (Grenada), and some yellow and cream marigolds. The bush in the centre was thought to be a standard lilac, but turns out it is a standard hydrangea (no wonder it isn't blooming yet)! The chrysanthemum will bloom about the same colour as the ground phlox in the background.

The front gardens were planted on Monday. This one is the west curb bed, with the entryway bed showing in the background. Already blessed with sedum, echinacea, coral bells and this very cool tree 'sculpture', I added a buttercream daisy, a red geranium (behind tree part), some orange asiatic lilies and some gold day lilies, and a pretty gold mum (on the right.) The shade on this garden is courtesy the flowering crab apple tree that belongs to the city.

Speaking of the flowering crab, a few of its branches can be seen at the top of the photo below.

This is the east curb bed which came equipped with a Lady's Mantle, Liatrus, rambling rose (all on right), some echinacea, ground phlox, a toad house, and sedum. Last weekend's additions are the hosta at the front left, flanked by two harvest moon echinaceas, a gold day lily, and a red geranium (fleck of red in top corner).

I'm learning that at this age, four hours of gardening requires a nap of some sort afterwards. That really cuts into the knitting time!

Speaking of knitting, I now have a shrug and a ruffled scarf off the needles. The former needs blocking yet, and the latter just needs two ends woven in. This week I'll be working on knitting samples for the upcoming article in the Fall 2011 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread.

And, speaking of A Needle Pulling Thread, the summer issue went to the printer's last week, and will be in the mail by the middle of June -- hopefully by then we'll be having sunnier days and be able to enjoy reading it on the back deck in a chaise longue with a cool drink on the side!

Happy Knitting

May 7 was a special day here at Canadian Guild of Knitters. It was the birthday of the lady who taught me to knit (my paternal grandmother), and, since it fell on a Saturday this year, I decided to celebrate!

I invited a few knitters I know in my home town and brought in a yummy banana cake with cream cheese icing. We sat, and chatted, and knitted, and ate cake, of course.

Sunday, the 8th was Mother's Day, which I spent at my brother's farm with our mom, dad and sister, and his wife's family. Zoey got two walks in the country that day! Happy girl!

After a weekend of socializing, I got cracking here in the office again this past weekend. Saturday was a paperwork day -- filing, processing membership renewals and generally reducing the size of the paper stacks. Sunday was KAP day: I got nearly two of the three packages that have arrived in the past month marked. All three will be done and back on their way home after the long weekend.

Of course, some time will be devoted to the gardens as well. Hopefully the rain will stop long enough to get the lawn mowed!

Hello, Spring!

Spring is teasing us along. Yesterday I got to spend a good two hours outside in a chilly breeze, tidying up the back yard and teasing out the front flower beds. I filled 3 paper yard bags! This is going to be big, but once the initial raking and pruning are done, it will come down to evening primping on a 'yard tour' after work, if my old habits are anything to go by. Last weekend I bought some perennials to add the colour described in my last post. I've got some of them sprouting inside to give them the jump start in the garden. None of them will bloom this summer, but they'll be healthy! Friday, I received another Level 1 submission, and got a couple more hours of edits in on Level 2. Today, I've cleaned a few to-dos out of my inbox and will spend the afternoon on Level 2. My, it's good to be back! Last night, I got to go dancing again... I've taken a few salsa lessons, and am trying how to figure out how to keep doing them without the additional dog sitting costs crippling my effort! I. just. want. to. dance! So much to do, and the same time span as always! Sigh.

And we Danced

It's been a busy few weeks here at CGK. The mailing list for the Spring issue was finalized, and they are all in the mail now.

The renewal notices for the past two issues have been sent out to our members, and I'm waiting for renewals to return.

A test knitting package for Level 2 that was received just before the turmoil in the Fall was finally marked and returned. From it, I've made some edits to the introduction, before sending out more of the Level 2 test packages.

Speaking of test knitting, I learned that the potholder I had test knitted for the summer issue wa made in the theme colours for the spring issue, so I've re-knitted it in the summer colours, which, coincidentally, will work in my new kitchen, so all is not lost. Carla will get to keep the spring coloured potholders, and I'll get to keep the Coppertone Summer and brown coloured ones! Plans are in the works to make a complementary oven mitt using double (2-sided/ jacquard) knitting technique for publication.

Also for ANPT, I've finished my article for the Summer issue. This one will focus on yarn nomenclature. It's provided an opportunity for me to put together some information I've wanted to consolidate for years.

And, of course, it's time to prepare everything for the tax season, which is how the lion's share of today was spent.

Next on the to do list are website updates (long past due), writing the article for the Fall and Festive, 2011 issues of A Needle Pulling Thread, and finishing mailing list updates.

I'm trying to get as much done as possible before gardening season starts, as I've got my work cut out for me with my new yard. The photo shows one side of the back yard... there's a matching garden on the other side, and 5 more beds at the front of the house! I'm hoping to get some colour into all those greens. There may be some spring bulbs... I don't know. This summer is going to be a bit like a gardener's Christmas, so I plan to stick close to home to see what happens!

Summer vacation plans include preparing class material for the parks and rec classes I'll be starting in my home town in September, and getting a warp on the weaving loom, now that I have it in a useable position. I had hoped to go to the East Coast, and I've got a bead on Knit East, and might be able to squeak a week there the end of September. That would be GREAT. It would be better if I could stay long enough to take in Celtic Colours the week after, but I'm pretty sure the work schedule won't permit that! Someday, I'll get there.

Of course, all work and no play makes Cynthia a dull girl, so Friday night Zoey got a sleepover at the dog sitters while her mommy went dancing. It was a positive ending to yet another rollercoaster week.

Speaking of all work and no play, it's time to turn off this computer, make a cup of tea, and go do some knitting.