On the Road to getting Caught Up

This can only feel good. I'm moved in, the office is organized, and I'm finally getting things accomplished!

Today I spent the entire day catching up on paperwork and preparing this lovely stack of mail. So, if you've been waiting to hear from me for the past few weeks, stay tuned... your membership card/knitting bag/Level 1 should be on its way to you soon. I feel like my receipts are in the right place, and I'm ready to spend the next rainy day (which will be tomorrow) writing on Knit Together.

There's a certain amount of guilt that goes along with unfinished paperwork. I suppose that comes from being a secretary for over 30 years. Doing the paperwork before sitting down to write is kind of the grown up equivalent to eating your veggies first.

Oh, We're off to see the Wizard

Not really. The only reason that phrase comes to mind is because this little vest is the Oz Vest from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. The photo isn't the best. I converted this pic from 300 dpi to 200 dpi. I'm still trying to figure out resolution. I know I don't need even 200 dpi for a website, but whenever I convert a photo, I loose clarity.

I made the vest from Cabin Fever Aran Tweed yarn, 50/50 cotton/acrylic (the leftovers from Darling's Daylight in Hofsos sweater in the Knit Together November, 2007 issue) with a few bits of brilliant orange and neon green Patons Canadiana. It's all done but for sewing in a few ends and locating two green and one orange button for the top right shoulder (as you're viewing it)

This is the first project I have ever knitted entirely in bed. No, I haven't been ill, it's just that my new night table affords me a drawer in which to hide a little project, and the bedroom affords me a nice view, so, while I'm sipping on my morning coffee on weekends, I am also puttering away on this little project.

Darling is getting used to me knitting at all hours of the day, and apart from the finials on my walnut Brittany needles, he doesn't mind a bit.

Once I've cleaned out that drawer, I might just put a UFO in there to putter away at.

Oh, that feels better!

Well I just got to spend a couple hours in my newly organized office digging through some of that mail I mentioned last night. It felt really good to get some memberships processed, some bills paid and some rudimentary paperwork done. I even got to return a call or two.

I used to have a photo of two cute little bichon-frises puppies dressed in little matinee coats. The caption under them said "Now that we're organized, what do we do?" Tonight I got to answer that question and it felt goooooood.

One Work Weekend, As Promised!

As promised in my last post, the CGK office got two full days of attention this weekend. Truthfully, as this photo will attest, I was a candidate for Clean Sweep, or Neat, or pick another clutter-bunny-with-attitude show. Even Zoey looks disgusted!

With much help from Darling yesterday, shifting filing cabinets and storage units, and getting advice on where to arrange things (this was once HIS office afterall, and it's good of him to share!) we had the 'bones' set out and I was even able to unpack a few boxes.

Today, I tackled the desktop and the filing, and I filled out some paperwork for Olds College for next year. So, after two days, the office now looks like this:

Oh, there's still a stack of mail to go through, and I really just stashed the rolley-cart away, but I got a few things done, and a lot of filing put away. Next weekend is a long weekend, and I'm looking forward to spending it in my new organized space!

"But what's happening with Knit Together?" you ask. Well, there's actually been a lot of knitting going on. Leanne Dyck of Olavia's has another design for us, a vest, this time. Leanne did her piece in a hand-painted yarn by Hummingbird Fibre.

I tried three of the samples in the photo below: First I tried the Malabrigo, pictured top right, then I tried the Sirdar Silky Look (top left) - great for summer! Then I tried the Paton's Astra (bottom left), a considered failure which I attribute to the long spans of colour (the other two yarns have really short spans of colour). But, nothing would have it, I had to try the original yarn. The folks at Spinning Wheel Pro came through with a one-pound skein of Falklands Merino dk: you can see the result in the bottom right of the photo and I'm most happy with it. This flash photo doesn't do it justice: it looks spectacular live.

Sometimes you simply must use the yarn the pattern calls for, although, I think the Sirdar Silky Look was a really close second, and -- if I didn't know any better -- I would have been really tempted to buy the $96.00 worth of Malabrigo, too.

Thanks to all those who bore with me through the move. I'm happy with the new office, and look forward to answering your queries over the coming days.

Getting Ready for the Big Move

Well, my memories of Calgary are already distant, for reality smacked me upside the head as soon as I got home. Sigh.

Since the day after the family 'do' (which was the day after I got home), it's been back-to-back moving stuff. Last Friday Dad and Darling and I tore apart (literally, at times) the garage, and did the "three pile" thing -- keep, sell, and give away/toss. I have to admit this purging thing is getting a little easier as time goes by. I guess it's like knitting, or playing the piano: practice does make perfect.

The garage sale is a bust; I could have better spent that time packing! However, a few customers went away happy, and I sold a bed.

Next step is prepping the appliances for the movers, and we're working on it.

So, if you haven't heard from me as promptly as you would like, this is why. I promise, as soon as this is over, I'm going to have a work weekend in the CGK office!

Wasn't That a Party!

From the time I stepped off the plane, I learned one thing: Alberta knows how to party. This entire week has been nothing but a great big party. Between Fibre Week and Stampede week, well, all I can say is WHOO HOO!

From the time I met Lisa and Rosemary and we went to our first dinner, we partied -- in a fibrely way, you understand. They enjoyed having a 'newbie' at the merchant's hall, and I enjoyed having somebody showing me the 'ropes' at Fibre Week.

Another, more subtle party was found in the grounds at Olds College. My townhouse-shared-with-three was fully across campus from the buildings our workshops were held in, and my lack of transportation gave me leave to stop and smell the roses (which I did, along with the peonies and lilies, too). Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures right now or I'd show you some of the scenery.

The party continued with the supported spindle workshop and the goodies that resulted from payment of our class supplies fees. Do they not know some of us have to fly this stuff home?

The keynote speaker was Nova Scotia's own Lucy Neatby, and next day I was in her various variegations class. My choice of colours for the one swatch qualified me for teacher's pet, and if you know Lucy, that is to say it was colourful with a capital C.

Once Olds was over, and my hands were aching from the diligence put into our double knitting class, I discovered the joys of Stampede Week in Calgary -- with yarn shops. WHOO HOO!

As I am wont to do when on 'vacation', I got lost. Several times. Now, I knew I was in the general vicinity, I just didn't have detailed enough maps. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

But, as always, serendipity rocks, and first thing I knew I found myself in the parking lot next the the Calgary CBC centre, listening to a country band, being dished up FREE pancakes and sausage by a dog, and Miss Alberta, (!) watching a group of line dancers. Really. LMAO, still, and it's the God's honest truth! I even got a CBC Kids hat for the grandson-by-proxy.

After that, I visited no less than SIX yarn shops in ONE day, a new personal best. I'm not tellin'what I spent, but Beehive was the winner, closely followed by Knit One Crochet, Too. Now, when you visit six yarn shops in one day, you quickly learn that yarn shops have as much variety of style and content as knitting guilds do. It was a pleasure and honour to get to see them all, and if I missed one, write and tell me and I'll fix that for the next trip. WHOO HOO!

Now, I stayed at the Radisson, which is my hotel of choice for as long as I have a full-time job and can afford such a thing, and wouldn'tcha know there was a free rib buffet complete with yet another country-and-western band. Two, actually. What a good time! I joined four ladies, one of whom was about the same age as me and could relate to such songs as Lady and You May be Right. Ah, the songs of our youth, and music so loud you can sing along and nobody knows but for your lips moving. Eventually I needed something to do, so I drew out my knitting, and again, if Blogger would let me post a picture, you would see me, knitting at a Calgary Stampede Sneak Peek event. WHOO HOO! The only problem was I didn't get a chance to clog a step. (Little known fact: Cynthia knows a few clogging steps.)

So, I tip my girlie cowgirl hat to the hospitality of Albertans. I've had a great week, and while it will be good to get home, there's the reality of moving and the day job ahead. Sigh.

I thought Easterners knew how to party, but it seems this hosptality thing is country-wide. And I love it! Go, Canadians!

A quick look back

When your last issue was already too far behind schedule, you don't want to take a lot of time for reflection, however, I hope you'll indulge me this one look back at the February issue...

We knitted the pattern for this issue twice. Once in Select10n acrylic and mohair blend, and again in crochet cotton, about size 10. Here is a comparison of how the two looked on the blocking board...

Exact same pattern, just done with different yarn on different needles.

This weekend has been spent preparing the house for a 'family do' a couple weeks from now. I love it when the hardwood shines! I, however, am not beaming, but aching.

The yarns have already been selected to feature in Knit Together's next issue, as have a couple of the books. Now that the website updates have been done, it's time to go and write a couple of notes to include with those long-distance magazines, and make up a yarn swatch and, perhaps, dinner.