Brouhaha Has Spoken!

Another moving annoucement...

2008-06-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

hi all! I see there are still people visiting my new page from here, so just thought I would remind you of the direct link:

http://bespokebybrouhaha.com

See you later!

the water's just fine...

2008-05-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

...over at my new home, Besopke By Brouhaha!

Come on in for a dip.

:-)

Kristina

I've moved...

2008-04-24T08:59:00.002-04:00

Hi all: sorry to repost this but I notice there are still subscribers to this site. I've migrated to wordpress and can be found here: http://bespokebybrouhaha.com!!!

Thanks to all who have been dropping in over here, and I hope to see you at the new and improved site!

Cheers,

Kristina

www.bespokebybrouhaha.com: MY NEW HOME!!

2008-04-16T22:09:00.007-04:00

(and by now surely you're thinking, "She's taken complete leave of her senses. One day, she acquires four rubber duckies, the next she kidnaps a baby").

Don't worry, folks. No baby. Just a new webspace, hosted by Wordpress - and I now have my very own domain name, for the price of a skein of Super10!!):

www.bespokebybrouhaha.com

I'll be posting from there starting tomorrow, Thursday 17 April 2008!

Had to leave Blogger because I was running out of webspace... too many pics! I'll warn you that the unpacking is still in progress and (judging by my last seven or eight apartment moves) may take some time.

However, you should already notice some fancy new features on the new blog... ! And I get to have some galleries for my stuff so I can really bore everyone.

So, I do hope to see you all at

www.bespokebybrouhaha.com

I'm not taking this page down as my other stuff is still linked to it, and will check in occasionally in case anyone is lost :-). Thanks for hanging out with me and hope you like it in my fancier digs!

Cheers,

Kristina

ANNOUNCEMENT - blog move coming up!

2008-04-16T11:26:00.004-04:00

Hello faithful readers:

Please note that I've decided to move my blog. The move will take place sometime on the weekend and so I likely won't be posting on Saturday 19 April or Sunday 20 April.

(Haven't moved apartments in a while, but thought this might be easier!)

If any regular readers want me to include them in an Email providing them a link to (my new web home), please drop me a line at BespokeByBrouhaha at gmail dot com! I'll also put a goodbye post here, of course...

(If you comment here regularly, don't worry - I've got you covered already).

Thanks so much for continuing to stop by, and I do hope you like the new space.

Cheers,

Kristina

... and then there were... SEVEN?!?!

2008-04-16T06:01:00.006-04:00

Well, things have clearly gone out of control in the House of Brouhaha.

I only realised this when I got home from work yesterday, only to find JJ (who was off work) out on the balcony in a "right stushie" as he would call it (English translation: having a royal fit.)

At least, a "right stushie" as befits a calm, cool and collected Scotsman. That is to say, he was pacing up and down the grounds of his estate, muttering under his breath:

"That wee lassie has gone way oot of contrrrrol now. Ah'm starrtin to wonder aboot her, really ah am. This is just way over the top."

(Why is it that, as household Mediterranean, I always get blamed for irrational behaviour?! Sheesh).

I had no idea what he was talking about until I approached closer and saw this:

How strange. Apparently Daisy had gone and gotten herself pregnant again. I mean, she was complaining about some stomach problems... but triplets?!?

Er... make that quadruplets. I wonder what happened to this one? Must have been all the second hand smoke in the house. Sigh.

JJ then glared balefully at me and said "Would ye get that one to shurrup, already?!?"

You see, despite being less than eight hours old, this one was already talking loudly (QUACKQUACKQUACKQUACK - I guess that's why Daddy was looking after her - she knew daddy's name already! How cute), not to mention glowing:

Hmm. Not so sure that Daisy's the mother of this one, actually. Separated at birth, d'ya think?

Hmm... nah. I don't think even Susie, fabulous as she is, could manage this feat all the way from Australia.

I guess that the little one is just a second-hand smoked out mutant. Guid to know that Health Canada hasn't been lying to me all these years, I guess.
Sigh.

Anyway, in time honoured Brouhaha Lapsed Greek Orthodox tradition, I decided that a baptism must immediately take place. The last kid, after all, had been dunked immediately.

Father ... er, Sir John Eh?

was reluctant at first. His excuse was that that it is still Lent and the Greek priests are not supposed to conduct baptisms or weddings during that time.

However, judging by the rough state of him, I think that the actual truth was that he just wanted to get in all his drinking in before Holy Week starts next week. And as regular readers will know, I'm not too big on all that stuff.

So, I simply reminded him that, as he was not actually a Greek priest but was just playing one on the blog, the usual restrictions did not apply for him. He's a lawyer himself, but found it hard to argue with that indisputable logic.

And hence...

(The little one advised me just before the dunking that she is an atheist and that I would be offending her religious freedoms under the Charter if I forced her to go through with it. At least, I assume that's what all that irate quacking and light show was about. An excellent point. But she earned herself the name Quack Junior after her proud father for her troubles.

So, I have a little pagan mutant on my hands. This should be interesting. Hmm.)

And the names of the other three? That, in fact, is why they needed a quick baptism - it's bad luck in the Greek culture to use their names beforehand.

Introducing, from left to right (with photos of their namesakes beneath):

James...Sparrow...

and Liz.

Where was the nouna (godmother) by the way?

Aphrodite was there OK, just standing by. She couldn't fit on the counter next to the sink. But check her out dressed in all her finery: not one but two Brouhaha lace creations. Obviously a woman with impeccable taste.

(There was an honourary godmother as well, unbeknownst to her: Clarabelle. This is because by happy coincidence the postman brought me a lovely week package from the UK this morning!

This is my first skein of cobweb weight [or "eye-strain weight", as Clarabelle put it] yarn - by Posh Yarns [I've posted a link although it's apparently hard to come by and Clarabelle will now most likely come over the pond to kill me in my sleep when she can't get hold of any because of the flood of orders from the millions of people who read this blog]. It's a 50-50 silk/cashmere blend.

The colourway is simply amazing: Mulberry. This photo does not do it justice, I can assure you.

Thanks, Clarabelle! And you even included your address, so I know where to send the bill for the trifocals that I will need to upgrade [downgrade?!] to when I get addicted to cobwebbing. Sigh.)

When the baptism was over, the festivities commenced...
... but I soon noticed Bubbles, back home from Queen's University for the occasion (man, they grow quickly, don't they? I don't know where the time flew. Sniff. Sob) pouting in the corner.

Now, as you know, I'm new at this parenthood thing (or is it grandparenthood? Hmm) but I've heard that kids can be jealous when a new arrival shows up.

(I do hope my mother doesn't take this opportunity to post a photo of the first photo of me with my ~~squalling, screaming, ugly~~ little brother. But maybe if she's reading this she could scan it in and Email it to me, just for a laugh. My mother, by the way, having just learned how to use a computer a few years ago, now has more tech gadgets than me, including a scanner. How embarrassing!)

I guess I should have picked up that something was wrong when I saw Bubbles glowering earlier at the babbies (as JJ would call them) earlier.

So, I asked what was wrong. Man, that Bubbles is a real drama queen, I must say. Hir issues:

(a) they got a bigger baptismal font than he did:

(KB's INSIDE VOICE: there were three of them, dammit!!! What the $#*@$&^@#*& do you expect?!)

(b) they got a bigger candle than he did. And it was silver coloured.

(KB's INSIDE VOICE: but you got my all time favourite purple candle. Bloody ingrate.)

I managed to explain this to Bubbles in a more or less rational way. But s/he still insisted on whining:

(c) they got hats and s/he didn't!!

Actually, good point - but easily solved.

I even threw in hir favourite fruit for good measure.

But this still wasn't good enough. Guess I caved too easily on the hat issue. S/he wheedled, begged and whined about the fact that hir little sibling got a gun too:

FINE. JJ, just to shut hir up, donated his pigeon-chasing implement:

Man, this grandparenting thing is difficult. But all is quiet this morning - I guess everyone's content, thank goddess. And I can just toss them in a drawer if they act up, I guess. Hmm.

Happy Wednesday!

Beware the Ides of... April!!!

2008-04-15T05:46:00.001-04:00

On the day before the Ides proper, the postman was guid to me yet again...

Hours of amusement! Oh, and for those who are enslaved by that wicked taskmistress, Lace - you would do very, very well to order the book to the right, Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller. There are already, I'm reluctant to tell you, some drool marks on it just from me perusing it on the tram on the way home. It looks an excellent instructions/ideas manual for every level (including my level, Idiot).

I got both books from the Needle Arts Book Shop, a mail order service located right here in the fair T.O. Close by though it is, I was still amazed by the service offered by Marsha. I mailed a money order on Wednesday (I'm not allowed to have a credit card, perhaps for obvious reasons!). She Emailed me Friday afternoon saying that she had received my order, and the books were with me by Monday morning! (And this via evil Canada Post. She is very clearly some kind of magician.)

In addition to the books, she enclosed all sorts of little extras:

Book plates! Such a nice touch. I haven't had book plates since I was a kid, and demanded some which read "Kristina's Library. Take this and DIE" or something along these lines.

(I won't tell you how many years ago that was. Suffice it to say that it was around the same time I conned my long-suffering mother into buying me a "Keep on Truckin' " bumper sticker at the Kingston Fair (on the sole basis that it was holographic)... then, much to her horror, affixed it to my closet door. I tried to take it off a few years later with no success.)

And stitch markers... goody. Now I don't have to clean underneath the chesterfield cushions for another...oh, month or so at least! Thanks, Marsha!!

Anyway, what with all this lace inspiration, it was inevitable I hit a yarn shop, really. This time, it was - the only yarn shop in Toronto that sells... (drumroll please)...

Blue Moon Designs Yarn!

I really, really wish I'd never discovered this line of products. I mean, check out the name of the yarn!!

Not to mention the colourway - Motley Hue! It is a mohair/mulberry silk (whatever that might be - but sounds mighty guid to me!)/nylon blend and soft soft soft. 910 metres of lusciousness.

Oh, and then of course I felt guilty for cheating on the Handmaiden, so had to pick up some raspberry Sea Silk:

Sigh.

But as if these riches weren't enough, some stuff I'd ordered on interlibrary loan came in en masse:

Swoon. Colours galore. Kaffe rawks! Also, a lovely book by Candace Bathouth:

And before you ask, no, I'm not taking up needlepoint again any time in the near future. I just like all the pretty pictures as well.

However, I do actually know how to read... and I found some reading materials while at the library well suited to my Mensa-like brain:

Given my hatred of most things television these days, also couldn't resist picking up this one:

And I scored two DVDs of one of my all-time favourite TV shows!

"I am not a number, I am a free man." Gotta love Patrick McGoohan, although his judgement has arguably been impaired in past - Sean Connery has him to thank for the James Bond role, because he turned it down first. Seriously.

(Speaking of Bond James Bond:

That's me on the left. Really. I cut my hair just before putting up this blog.)

Phew. Where was I? Oh yeah.

And finally, I lucked out in the Treasures from Trash department when arriving at my building last evening.

A much needed addition to help organize the spare room. You can probably tell from the rest of the photo that it needs it. I thwarted Mario the superintendent

in this acquisition, by the way. He appeared quite miffed, really. Hey, whose fault is it that the person who's out of the building all day scores the treasures while the person who's purportedly working in and around the building every day loses out, I ask you?!

(Mario did, however, endear himself to me by engaging in a round of "Bash the capital L-landlord" for about 10 minutes. I think he thought I'd hand over the bookcase. Wrong... he should know better, really, as I'm both a tenant and a lawyer. However, I did give him a couple of smokes, so don't feel too sorry for him).

And... the sun even shone all day!! All in all, a better Monday than I've had in a long time.

Here's wishing you all an equally fabulous Tuesday!

Advocates' Corner - Spring Auction/Fundraiser!

2008-04-15T04:21:00.008-04:00

PLEASE NOTE: the auction/fundraiser in this post is open only to my work colleagues (and their friends, if they should happen to have any extremely wealthy friends...). Apologies to anyone else for any inconvenience in having to slog through a second Brouhaha post - although who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see my fabulous goodies a second time, really?!

Hello all:

Well, it's that time of year and I've been ~~excavating~~ the spare room and trying to adhere to our new Clean Desk policy at the office.

In this regard, I've come across some stuff I've made over the past couple of years that are not getting the use they so richly deserve. So, I thought I'd offer them to you, my biggest fans.

(At a price, of course - because nothing in life is free!)

So, welcome to the First Annual Brouhaha Spring Cleaning Auction/Fundraiser!!!

Mother's Day is right around the corner. Stuck for gift ideas? Doesn't your mom deserve a one-of-a-kind handmade original which will be worth thousands one day? Huh? Huh?

Any Jewish or Eastern Orthodox people on your gift list for Passover/Easter?

Skip all those May 2-4 Weekend/Week/Month sales at the Bay and Sears. Your one-stop shop is right here!!!

Oh, and let's not forget Father's Day coming up in June. It's never too early...

And two thirds of the money will go to the New Outlook program - right here in the building! So you can feel good about giving on so many levels...

Here's how it works!

The auction starts today, Tuesday 15 April 2008. (And yes, I know it's PayDay for most of us. There is a method to my madness.)

Check out the items below. Most of the items (aside from #2, #3 and # ) are available in my office for viewing, so if you're in the building, come on by!

If one or more tickle your fancy, Email me at the work Email address or (if you happen to be in the building) phone me on ext. 5411 with your bid. Each item is numbered below for your convenience.

Please note that I have put a minimum bid on some items. Those items are all originals, and I thought this fair.

Each day, I will post such bids as I should get underneath each item. The bids will be anonymised, rest assured. So, keep checking back!

Bids will close on St. George's Day (a big Greek National Drinking Day, although sadly not this year because it's during Holy Week): Wednesday 23 April 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

All items will be delivered on Thursday 24 April or during the week of 28 April. I'm flexible regarding payment terms.

What should you bid, you ask? Whatever your little heart desires - and whatever your conscience can live with considering that 2/3 of the money raised will go toward helping street youth at risk. The other 1/3 will go toward the support of the local artisan scene*!

* the Benevolent Association for Provision of Lace Yarn to KB

Oh, by the way, please do not feel any pressure because I've linked you to this site. I won't be offended if you ~~sniff~~ don't ~~sob~~ bid. Really, I won't.

(In all seriousness, if you want to bid, great. If not, please don't feel you've got to or anything silly like that... but do feel free to pass along the link and my Email addy to any friends you think like this sort of thing!)

Please also note that everything below has been very, very gently used. Some items, only once or twice.

And now... (drumroll, please...):

The fabulous works of Brouhaha!

(I've added links to the titles of some of the pieces - click on those if you want some info about "the making of..."!)

1. Homage to a Gerbera

Mosaic with broken teacups and saucers and a gerbera. 9"x9" approx. Made in November 2007. Perfect for a little colour in the office, no?

Highest Bid to date: $50.00

2. Papillon Mini Birdbath

Mosaic with tile, stained glass and glass beads. Watersafe and good for outdoor use. Approximate size: 22" high, 12" water bowl diametre.

Birds love this! Great for your balcony or backyard.

And check out the pretty opal glass!

Made in Summer 2007.

Highest Bid to Date: $100.00

3. Crazy Melon Plate (vegan!)

Mosaic with mirror tile (clipped, NOT broken!), tile and glass beads on a glass base. Great for looking at on those days when you're feeling a bit wonky. Made in Summer 2006.

Highest Bid so far: $50

4. Crazy Paving Felted Bulletin Board

Repurposed sweater from Goodwill, felted and embroidered. Wouldn't this be a funky bulletin board for the office or for home?! Huh? Huh? 24" wide x 22" deep, roughly. Made in Summer 2007.

Minimum bid: $30.00

5. Fuzzy Plaid Bag

Repurposed sweater from Goodwill, felted and sewn. Great for trips to the market - and reusable ad infinitum! Forget those ones they sell at the grocery store. It's about the same size as those ones they're selling at the LCBO, combining strength and lightness. Snap it up as someone who shall remain nameless already has their eye on it... Made in Summer 2006.

Highest Bid to date: $25.00

6. Spring Has Sprung! purse

Repurposed sweater from Goodwill, crochet edging and handle, felted and embroidered with funky button applique. You must know some fashion queen who'd like this one! The colours make me happy... small handbag size. Made in Spring 2007.

Minimum bid: $25.00.

7. Memories of Cage Au Lait - A moebius scarf

Hey, if it works for Galen Weston...!! The scarf is lighter in colour than shown in the photo, hence the name. It is knitted in the form of a Moebius strip... remember those from math class? Can be worn as a headdress or a scarf - very versatile. Knitted by me over the Atlantic in December 2007!!! 50% wool, 50% silk blend.

Minimum bid: $40.00 (that's what the wool cost, plus three bucks for my labour. Not bad, eh?)

8. Silk Garden - Moebius scarf

Another Moebius scarf, like #7 above. Silk/wool blend. Knitted by me in jolly olde England! in December 2007. Silk/wool blend.

Minimum bid: $25.00 (that's what the wool cost, plus three bucks for my labour. Not bad, eh?)

9. No Mirrors in My House!

Mirror retrieved from the trash (cut, not broken!), sea glass, glass beads, broken crockery (OPA!). The link above in the title shows better close-ups and perhaps a bit more than you want to know about the artisan's thought process... don't say I didn't warn you!

Now, if I were a really deep and pretentious artiste-type person, I would tell you that the symbolism of this piece involves a deep sociocultural commentary on the fate of many young women who spend hours on end looking at themselves in department store mirrors, hating what they say, and feeling fractured and very blue as a result...

The link also explains the title. November 2007.

Highest Bid to date: $100.00

The following are not original patterns of mine. So, no minimum bid.

10. Santa Fe Felted Handbag

This is a smallish handbag - it can accommodate housekeys, a wallet and a pocket novel. Click on the photo to see the cool sun button!

11. Little Slip of a Thing Felted Handbag

Don't you love the periwinkle and espresso colour combo? This bag, with an i-cord strap, is a smallish purse size but surprisingly capacious.

Highest bid to date: $45.00

12. French Market Felted Bag

On the shallow side but holds quite a bit. Good for trips to the market.

13. Periwinkle Bag

Great fun for an afternoon garden party. I think the right brooch or pin would work wonders - if I find it at the Goodwill before the end of the auction, I'll throw it in. How about that!

14. Buttonhole Bag

This is the bag I've used the most, and some of you will probably recognize it. Very handy for schlepping stuff around - and funky!

Highest bid so far: $30.00

Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed viewing the Brouhaha Auction Gallery. Now, what are you waiting for...!! Get onto that Outlook and start bidding, already!!!

Thanks in advance... and happy day!

KB

Brouhaha's Guide to Frogging Without Tears

2008-04-14T07:07:00.002-04:00

I had a very traumatic experience this past Saturday. I'm sure any knitter who's stopped by here can relate.

Imagine this: here I was, carrying merrily along on my Icarus Shawl. Knitting on autopilot. The dulcet tones of Chris Noth of Law and Order fame playing on the background were half tuned out by that grandiose gloaty voice in my head singing "You rawk. You are the knitting Lace Queen. This is so easy. You're a star. Man, you kick knitting @$$. One day, everyone else will realise what you know to be true already: you rule the knitting world. Yarn Harlot??!? Who the hell is she anyway?"

And so on and so forth.

Until, that is, Little Ms Knitting Genius decided to stop and admire her creation, some 20 rows after the last time she had bothered to have a look at it. At first, all looked fabulous, as expected:

Until, all of a sudden, I spied with my little undeluded eye:

this.

(Now, I know that this photo does not point out the sheer horror of what I had done. I can't explain why - the best I can think is that the vale of tears which ensued after seeing a HUGE GAPING HOLE CAUSED BY AN EYELET ROW IN THE WRONG $(#(*$&@(#*$&(# PLACE flowed over the camera lens. Suffice it to say that the little white blob in the lower left hand side of the photo is not supposed to be there.)

The little "you are Queen of the Knitting World voice" was almost immediately replaced by a huge booming thunderclap stating:

ENEMY THY NAME IS...

I mean, really. Look at Frogman himself, laughing at me in several iterations.

After screaming, effing and blinding for twenty minutes or so, I headed out to the balcony with the offending UFO in hand. The landscape looked like this:

...and the inevitable happened.

By this point I was clearly weakened by my little hissy fit, and so Icarus did not manage to clear the balcony (in retrospect, my vindication for having always been the last to be picked for softball in public school, I guess).

Luckily for Icarus, JJ the Wise soon came home from work. He immediately knew something was wrong as I was not parked in my usual position on the couch knitting. A walk on the estate (as he calls the 32 foot balcony, in his weird British Isles way) soon shed light.

He came back in, Icarus in hand, and said:

It didn't quite sound like that, but you get the point.

After another 20 minutes or so, during which JJ explained to me the folly of blaming a puir wee Muppet for my screwups, reminded me that he had left this

out on the balcony for pitching practice the last time I had tried to sacrifice a recalcitrant UFO to the forest ("D'ye really think the raccoons can eat silk, hen?") and exhorted me to take full responsibility for my mistake ("Look in the mirror, lassie, and see the world!"), I was finally able to stop whingeing and start thinking about solutions.

(And really, no one ever died ripping back a piece of knitting... did they?)

So I settled down to the task at hand. In penance for my bad behaviour, I'd like to share with you what I learned in the event that it might help others in future.

The Guide:

1. Make sure that you have all your frogging supplies gathered and close at hand before starting to rip.

These include:

(a) a knitting needle one or two sizes smaller than your working needle. In my sample, the needle to the right is the 3.0mm working needle. The needle to the left is the "pick-up" needle and is 2.5mm.

If you don't happen to have a smaller knitting needle, find a small crochet hook. In fact, it's helpful to have both at hand:

And if you don't have a small crochet book, go out and buy one now. This cost ... I don't know ... $3 or so and has been a UFOsaver too many times to count.

Oh, and don't forget your stress release tools:
(Yes, that's the soundtrack from Zorba the Greek in the background. I don't have a turntable any more so can't actually listen to it. It will be used in a future project though - stay tuned.)

2. Start to rip.

And yes, you will feel sad when you do this. (If you don't, please drop me a line and tell me your secret.) There is little that looks more forlorn to me than all those vulnerable little stitches hanging open in the air.

Some pointers about ripping:

(a) Do it very, very slowly. This is because if the yarn sticks to itself at all, you will need to tug at it very gently and patiently every so often. Otherwise, you will end up having to rip out more rows than necessary when big huge eyelets start to appear below the row you are actually ripping, at the sticking points. Learn from my mistakes.

(and, by the way, can someone explain to me why silky smooth laceweight silk acts as though it has a fine coat of Krazyglue on it when you're trying to rip it back?!?!)

(b) Save all of your stitch markers in a handy place. (I have not found "in between the chesterfield cushions" to be all that handy, really... but if it works for you, good - because that is usually where they end up. However, this position works better for me:

Aren't they lovely? I like how the green ones match the knitting, actually. But I digress.)

(c) Make sure and stop every so often to wind the yarn that you have ripped. This is especially important with laceweight yarn, to avoid nasty fankles that lead to this:

"This", by the way, is two balls of Handmaiden Lace Silk where once there was one. Sigh. (But on the upside, this finally motivated me to try the Russian Join technique for joining balls of yarn. Try it. It's magic!)

(d) If you are ripping back lace, it is easier to pick up stitches on the right side of the work due to all those pesky little eyelets. Trust me on this one. This means that the last row you rip should be a wrong side row and that the yarn should end up at the end of a right side row. (Sorry if I'm belabouring the obvious. I'm probably stupider than you are.)

(e) Keep count of how many rows you are ripping back and, when you've finished, figure out what pattern row you are at. If it is lace or involves decreases or increases, it will be helpful to have a general sense of the pattern to avoid picking-up booboos.

3. Pick up your smaller needle and start picking up stitches, one by one - and SLOWLY.

Now, it will be helpful at this point if the work you have messed up is done in variegated yarn so that you can actually tell the difference between the yarn you are continuing to rip and the loose stitches. (Another reason to rejoice in the multicoloured world, in my opinion).

In this photo, the brown strand at the top is the yarn that I am pulling back, and the green loops are the loose stitches. If all goes well, this is the last row you will have to rip.

Pull gently on the strand of "working" yarn to release each stitch one by one if possible (if you're dealing with YOs, however, note that two stitches will come loose at each decrease point) and pick up with your needle.

(The eagle eyes amongst you will note that I didn't end up actually using the smaller needle after all. This is because I'm an idiot. But it was a good idea at the time, I thought.)

Oh - it's a good idea to know where any yarnovers were in the original row, as these can be a bit tricky. This is where the crochet hook can come in handy - simply grab the little wee thread that will be sitting inside the hole, and put it onto the needle. It's as easy as that!

Another reason for doing this S-L-O-W-L-Y: ~~more often than you would like~~ from time to time you will find that a stitch will unravel two down, especially if you are working with silk. This is easy to fix if you catch it right away... just grab the other end of your needle/other needle or your crochet hook, grab the offending strand and pull it through.

You will also save yourself some sanity if you don't worry too much about how the stitch you've picked up sits or twists on the needle. Just get it on there. This is easy enough to figure out when you start knitting again, in my experience.

This is another photo further along. I'm feeling much happier by this point, although I don't know if you can tell that or not.

And, 300 odd stitches later, success was mine!!

4. Doublecheck your reconstituted row to make sure there are still no loose stitches hanging.

You will be glad you took the time to do this, trust me. And it's simple - just take a good hard look at your top row of knitting. Any stragglers or offenders should be obvious, like so:

See naughty little stitch no. 7 from the left!??!?! Bastard.

(Actually, I'm quite chuffed to report that I had no loose stitches hanging. I actually went back and did this one on purpose for the photo. Seriously. You see how I suffer for my art?!)

And this is how to go back and fix it.

(I confess, I was a tad stressed during this whole process. I'm sure you'll note this from the state of my thumbnail.)

Oh - and you may find that your loose little bastard stitch is much further in than the one I recreated for you here. Fear not. All that you need to do in that event is secure it with a removable stitch marker or safety pin so that it doesn't ravel down any further.

5. Start knitting your first new row.

You're almost finished fixing your UFO now!! So, some tips to make sure your frogging experience finishes smoothly:

(a) Do this slowly. And count your stitches as you're going along.

(b) Replace all your stitch markers at this point. This will help you ensure that your pattern is in order.

(c) Keep a look out for twisted stitches. It's usually easy to tell when you've done this as your needle does not slide in as easily to the stitch as it usually would. If you find this, simply remove that stitch from the needle with your right hand needle, twist, and replace onto the left hand needle.

(d) Study the work as you're going along to make sure everything looks OK and that there are no little pesky bastard loose stitches still hanging around.

And that's it!! You're back on track. Huzzah! Huzzah!

(er... sorry. I digress yet again. The "Beer" episode of Blackadder was on again yesterday. You know, the one where they all get plastered and carry on like fools and nearly all get executed by Queen Elizabeth I?!? A personal favourite.)

Back to our regularly scheduled programme now...

6. Go have a drink or a fatty snack, or even both. You've earned it!

And there you have it - a rather half-@$$ed guide to frogging success! I hope it's somewhat helpful. No need to see red any longer, really...

(The art is by Maggie Barnes. Man, I wish I could paint!!! Sigh.)

As proof of the pudding, I offer you my latest photo of Icarus, approximately 45 rows after the frogging schmozzle:

I'm liking this knit more or less, although am getting rather bored with this pattern sequence. There's either another 24 or another 46 rows to go, depending on how many pattern repeats I decide to go with.

And, stay tuned for a Brouhaha Design Feature. One hint... it involves this:

(And no, this is not a blurry photo of yarn - although, given the usual quality of photos on this blog, I certainly wouldn't blame you for thinking so!)

Hey, that Kermit isn't that evil looking after all:

Rather swish, eh?

My only remaining problem: I really feel like calling in sick and working on Icarus, but that would be a dangerous precedent to set, methinks. So, time to sign off and get out the door.

Happy Monday!

the two solitudes of the Brouhaha realm

2008-04-13T02:00:00.004-04:00

For those who ~~were lucky enough not to go to high school in English Canada, and therefore were not forced to~~ haven't read "The Two Solitudes" by Hugh MacLennan, an explanation might be in order.

One reviewer, who obviously had a different view of this book than I, describes it as follows:

A landmark of nationalist fiction, Hugh MacLennan's Two Solitudes is the story of two races within one nation, each with its own legend and ideas of what a nation should be. In his vivid portrayals of human drama in prewar Quebec, MacLennan focuses on two individuals whose love increases the prejudices that surround them until they discover that "love consists in this, that two solitudes protect, and touch and greet each other."[emphasis added]

The bolded part of the book is the only part I actually liked. And only for a selfish reason - it describes very well the relationship between myself and JJ.

How else to explain our usual outings to the grocery store?
No, we are not having a party. These are provisions for the two of us. Life can be very difficult, not to mention expensive, when living in a bicultural household... and never is this more apparent than at the biweekly expedition to Loblaws.

This is because JJ and I cannot agree on many food choices, necessitating multiple purchases for ongoing household harmony.

Some examples (and I'll let you guess who chose what):

Why anyone wouldn't choose olive oil over yucky, weird tasting butter is beyond me. (Oh, sorry - I said I was going to let you figure it out. Should have known that wouldn't work out...) Next...

Stinky smoked fish and canned meat, or yummy pasta? Hmm. The choice seems clear to me... but others would beg to differ. Sigh.

Even when we agree on a particular food choice (which typically comes from somewhere radically different from either Greece or Scotland, I should note), we can't get it together on the appropriate heat level... (what the hell is the matter with hot food anyway, I ask you?!?!? Sheesh!)

...not to mention that we fight over who gets to scarf down most of the naan.

But, happily, we do share some food choices in common. These typically involve the slaughter of little baby yarn giving creatures that run around going "bah bah":

(And one point for me... JJ actually likes some Greek food, whereas I like no Scottish food whatsoever. Heh heh).

Another variant on a theme: the humble lamb shank.

(is that JJ I hear in the background saying "Dinna ye photograph them bloody lemons next to mah lamb shank and tatties. And whar's me whiskey, lassie??" It's MORNING, JJ - do try to control yerself, would ye?!?)

Oh, and let's not forget the craving for processed pork products in common:

Damn that evil, evil Loblaws, by the way. How dare they put bacon on for $1.99 a pound? I have a mind to send them the bill for the new clothes I will need after eating all this bacon. Note, however, that I picked the healthy salt-reduced bacon...

Not to mention the even healthier smokey bacon potato chips. (And on that topic, may Loblaws be double damned AND blasted for putting chips on sale. I just can't control myself, obviously!!!)

This, by the way, signals another difference between me and JJ on food choices. The above photo represents my notion of vegetarian cuisine (after all, it's not real bacon flavour in those chips... is it?!?)

If I had my way, the vegetable crisper in the apartment would look like this:

JJ: It's called a VEGETABLE crrrrrispah for a reason, ye know.

KB: Oh... and who tiefed those butter patties from work and stuck them in with my champagne, barbecue sauce and bacon, then?!

JJ: Ah, shurrup and gi'us a whisky.

So now, it looks like this:

Triple damn, blast and condemn to almightly hell the dastardly Loblaws for selling vegetables! I think that JJ just wants to keep reminding me that I am no longer, in fact, a bachelor. Sigh.

Just as well, really - because if I were still a bachelor I'd be pining over this guy and wanting to invite him home to cook for me - and he's married:

This is Michael Smith, a.k.a. Chef at Home and Chef at Large. He had an idea on his program yesterday which I had to try immediately: Smashed Potatoes.

The recipe is simple: take two leftover baked potatoes (or if you, like me, live with a Scot and never have leftover tatties as a result, put two potatoes in the over for 1 hour at 375 degrees F. Oh, and prick them all over with a fork first. I learned about this the hard way once).

Next, press down on them with a potato masher (or, if you don't have one, the bottom of a plate will do). Mikey says to do this until they are approximately double their diametre.

Garnish as desired. Mine, on the left, has olive oil, parmesan and Montreal steak spice. JJ's has (yawn) butter and salt. Oh, and I snuck some pepper on it too. Heh heh.

Then bake at 500 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Delicious! Guaranteed to promote harmony even in the most recalcitrant British Isles vs. Mediterrania debate.

(But just tell me that the one on the left doesn't look tastier... I dare you. Um... oops... forget I said that.)

This recipe has the Brouhaha Seal of Approval for sure. You can cook for me any time, Michael!

So, anyway, another grocery store trip without incident - and we're both happy campers now, until the next sortie to Loblaws, anyway.

Happy Sunday!

back to mosaic, maybe? or... maybe not...

2008-04-12T00:05:00.001-04:00

While searching for something in the spare room this morning, I tripped across the following stuff and a plot was hatched.

You may recall that I scored this window outside the apartment building down the street some time back. I had a half-@$$ed plot to try to combine knitting and mosaic with it at some point...

Anyway, the yarn is Habu Stainless Steel. I figure it might make a nice black spider web - I thought I had traded this yarn off but apparently not!

The rocks are amethyst. I ruined one of my favourite candles (which was chock full of these) by inadvertently leaving it on the balcony for most of the winter. However, I boiled the candle to melt it down and rescued the amethyst...

Pretty, eh?

Oh, and I also came across another Treasure from Trash...
No idea what this was supposed to be. It's a bit cracked, which makes it perfect for covering up with this lovely stained glass...

...and some grout, of course. So stay tuned. I'm hoping to work on some of this stuff next weekend if the weather is fair (I like doing mosaic out on the balcony, which diminishes the mess factor somewhat!

I think that perhaps getting away from the lace factor for half a day or so might also inspire my creative juices with respect to Project Purple, which I seem to have lost interest in for some reason.

Perhaps this is just because I just can't seem to stay away from the LYS?

Well, you knew (even if I didn't) that I probably couldn't let a week pass without some shameless yarnploitation. Here's one of the latest acquisitions... Cherry Tree Hill merino/silk blend in the Fall Foliage colourway!

(If you can believe this, I last spotted this three months or so ago in the sale bin at Knitomatic. I've since seen it several times - I don't really know why it took this long for me to snap up!)

But now it's MINE. Heh heh heh. The weather was cold and dreich yesterday, but this sure cheered me up...

And I don't know how this had escaped my eagle eye on past trips either:

Handmaiden Silk Maiden! This would appear to be Handmaiden's take on Noro stuff... but much softer and without those little prickly bits. I think it's in the Renaissance colourway.

Heavy on the midnight blue, which as you know is one of my favourite colours. And so it should be - I just spent the better part of three months knitting with it!

Oh, and I had to snap up the new Norah Gaughan pattern book from Berocco...

All of this luxury makes me feel very glitzy!

And, although the weather is dreich (as JJ would say) today, spring is still in the air and I feel like a statue coming back to life.

Well, off to read some magazines while trying to decide what to do with the Icarus. Not only did I figure out that I will definetely run out of yarn, but I noticed a huge boo-boo some 20 rows back:

Argh. And did I use any lifelines?! Did I hell. I'm the Lace Queen, I don't need life-lines, right! Never mind that this yarn is very slippery and virtually impossible to rip back. Sigh.

How ironic, given that the project is named Icarus. He was Greek too, wasn't he!! Can I pass this off as a design feature... the wax on his wings melting higher up?!

Anyway, I'm at the point where I need to decide whether to cut out some of the repeats, or just make the full size and finish with a different yarn. I have some espresso-brown Kidsilk Haze which might work.

Wish me luck - and happy Saturday!

frivolities for a Friday

2008-04-11T07:28:00.015-04:00

Today was one of my favourite days of the month... Magazine Shop Day. Left to my own devices, I would spend as much on magazines as I spend on yarn... and this, as those who know me have gathered, is no small feat.

However, this month, I did attempt to exercise some restraint, given the continued reminder of last month's pile, mocking me every evening from my living room table:

However, as usual my generosity knows no bounds... so rest assured that the other denizens of the Brouhaha household were regaled with treats.

Three guesses who this lot is for, and the first two don't count:

Gotta love these British tabloids, with words like "yobs" featuring every week in the headlines! JJ is off tomorrow, lucky wee bugger. This should just about see him through until I make it home from work, don't you think?

And never let it be said, by the way, that I am not a permissive spouse. One of these mags features... a centrefold!!!

And I foresee yet another mail order session by JJ in future...

(See? In case ye thought ah made it up... they actually dae speak like tha'!!)

So, JJ's all set for hours of amusement and entertainment. Ah'm so guid tae him, no?

Now for the rest of our little family... I know that every time I buy Toronto Life, that increasingly irritating chronicle of gentrification and excess in the Big City, I say that I will never, ever, ever spend my hard-earned pinko dollars on it again. However, Daisy "Bling" Brouhaha made a demand for it last evening, and I just can't say no to Daisy.

At any rate, this issue should be good for a rant or two next week. For example, as you might well imagine I have some thoughts on the "Baby Invasion". None of them, shall we say, constructive.

But I digress. For the intellectual in the house, I also brought in the Walrus. Generous of me, considering how frustrated I get when I can't even get one clue in the cryptic crossword...damn and blast Fraser Simpson!!!

But hark... what's this???

The answers!!! Don't you just love the internet? And Quack, genius that he is, hasn't yet cracked my computer password. Heh heh.

But, despite the pile, I couldn't leave myself out, of course. So, while Quack figures out what exactly is ailing the Nation's Capital...

...I'll be tee-heeing at my version for dummies.

Oh, and of course I couldn't pass up the requisite knitting pattern mag:
Not sure quite why I continue to buy this, but if the past few issues are any indication, at least I won't add to my project queue...

I also picked up a copy of one of the local weekly leftie-ish entertainment mags:

The photo makes me feel rather lazy. I don't even own a bike, which makes me a bad, bad Torontonian. Since I moved to Toronto, I've had one bike which lasted approximately 3 months before it was stolen right out of the entranceway of the building I lived in then - an old Victorian house with three flats. It had a wooden stairwell with thick banisters and I had locked the bike to that. The thief sawed through the bannister and took the bike, expensive Krypton lock and all.

(Don't feel too sorry for me, though. I managed to get Stan the landlord to waive a month's rent in exchange. Stan was an old Polish guy who was going through some problems at the time, and I took shameless advantage. One day, I'll post the sorry story of my tenancy at 12 Maynard... it's quite funny, actually).

Anyway, why the hell should I feel lazy? I think I should actually feel quite intelligent... if I were to write the Commuter Cyclist's Handbook it would have one sentence only:

Don't cycle to work in Toronto, unless you enjoy taking your life in your hands.

And I wonder why Now Magazine never publishes my submissions!!!

Happy Friday to all...!

I wish I could be a hausfrau...

2008-04-10T07:05:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone recalls my last attempt at housewifery.

Well, if so, I have a big confession to make. It didn't quite take.

But you know me... I like to keep a positive approach to failures:

(Hey wait! The glass is not just HALF empty... it's completely dry! Sigh. (The photo, by the way, I found at Susan's blog.)

Where was I? Oh yeah... anyway, I thought I had been magically given a second chance on Wednesday when I magically came across these books lying out in the street on top of a broken bookcase:
I had already, for some unknown reason, bought this earlier in the day:
So, this was all some kind of sign, no?

I accordingly came home last evening prepared to cook myself and the long-suffering JJ a healthy, nourishing meal.

Well, here's what I did end up cooking:

Hmm. Not quite what I'd had in mind... but check out the fancy chip pan!

Obviously a big international hit. I love these things that come with instructions in six languages, none of them correct. For example, it said to cook the frozen fries at 200c/425F for 30 minutes!

Now, I'm not as far gone as I might have thought, because even with the magical properties of the Mr. Chips pan I realised that 30 minutes was way too long. I tried 20, the usual cooking time. The chips ended up slightly burnt at that. Sigh.

But this is something that JJ, being a Scottish/Irish tattie lovin' fiend, just had to have. I'm sure he was wowed by the description:

If you must use frozen fries, then they might as well be as good as they can be. This oval steel pan with two coats of Teflon® non-stick has ridges and perforations on the bottom to allow moisture to evaporate from underneath, keeping frozen potato shapes crisp. ... you can put most of a 1 kilogram bag on it [emphasis added].

He ordered this from this place:

This is a fancy kitchen stuff mail order company. You know, all the little gadgets that make sense and look so useful, and then sit in the drawers or on the counter collecting dust.

I must say, however, that they have some pretty cool stuff. Check this out:

Wouldn't you like to have a Pirates of the Caribbean cake?!

(For those who haven't seen this beauty before, it is actually my Fit to be Tied Straightjacket...)

Well, easy-peasy apparently, as long as you have this fancy cake tin:

And, here's a choo-choo train cake!!
Cool.

Oh, and my mouth watered when I saw these beauties...

...but then I realised that they didn't come with the popover pan - you would have to bake them yourself.

Well, I was almost tempted. I mean, just because cooking didn't work out this time, why not take up baking?!?

Until I saw the price of the tins: $34.95. For one set. And that's what the cake tins both cost two. Man, for $34.95 I can buy a jumbo sheet cake or a chocolate truffle bombe deluxe at Loblaws AND a case of Diet Coke to wash it all down with. Pig heaven.

So, I guess for now I'm sticking to the tried and true fare in the Brouhaha household:

Oh well.

Happy Thursday!!!

money and where it gets you

2008-04-09T06:20:00.000-04:00

Last evening, while sitting on the patio (!!!!!) at the pub, JJ had occasion to ask me "What the hell are ye doin' lassie?"

Nothing all that interesting, I suspect... I had three loonies in my hand and was just fascinated at how they represented the various ages of the Queen:

From left to right: 1987, 1994, 2007.

My, but hasn't she aged a lot in 20 years! Either that, or she looked extraordinarily young at 60...

So, because this wasn't quite obsessive enough, I had to haul out the UK change collection from our holidays in December (JJ casting his eyes heavenward and tsk-ing severely at this point).

Here are the UK equivalent portraits from the same year (top).

Very curious. She aged faster in the UK then here. Then again, she lives there and I guess we don't see her all that often in comparison.... Also, I noted that Canada and the UK coinage had identical portraits of her until...

I think she looks friendlier in our loonie, no?

But before you say "Speaking of loonies...", there is a method to my madness. If I weren't obsessing about the Queen's image on our coinage and comparative studies with the "mother country", I would be scheming about how to get my hands on this:

"This" being a kit for a pattern by Miriam Felton called "Mountain something or other" (that's my name for it... too lazy (or scared) to look it up again. It's available through Renaissance Dyeing. Just look at the colourways when you click on that past link and see why I'm frightened to go there!!!!

Not that I'm short of laceweight yarn, by any means. Au contraire. This is what Mr. Postman brought today to the office...

Whisper Merino lace yarn, in the Tupelo Honey colourway (1900 yards!!!)....

... and in Moroccan Nights (1000 yards). This colour in particular is very hard to photograph: think "Deep dark shades of inky blue with rich shades of raspberry swirled here and there."

The description comes from Kim at the Woollen Rabbit in New Hampshire, US, who created the yarns as part of a kit with these lovely patterns by Susan Pandorf: Magic Carpet...

(magic indeed!) and Arabian Days Moroccan Nights:

One is essentially a smaller version of the other, with some modifications. I couldn't decide so of course went for both of them. The larger one calls for 5,000 (!!!) beads as well....And so this is how approximately 100 loonies got spent.

I'm so tapped out now that I have to raid the UK collection to buy my coffee this morning:

(The coin on the right is my favourite ever coin - a commemorative coin for the 350th anniversary of the Johnson's dictionary. I know. I'm a nerd.)

But all is not in vain. One day, I will become a world famous knitter and start a political knitting party... I will then become World Prime Minister and have my face on the coins like so:

(and I would venture to say that my elegant Greek profile on the coins will not be interfered with by the head you see beneath my chin... the talking head who was muttering "what in the hell is that lassie up tae now?" as this photo was taken...)

But until that point we are stuck with:

Liz.

Happy Wednesday!

unearthly pursuits

2008-04-08T09:45:00.001-04:00

I wish I could tell you that I had woken up this morning and lost completely my increasing servitude to the harsh taskmaster that is Lace... but no.

Last evening, after several misstarts on Project Purple, I decided to go back to the Icarus which was languishing sadly on my bookshelf:

This is being knitted in Handmaiden Lace Silk. Funnily enough, it is in the Rainforest colourway which I just finished working with - but doesn't this look different from the Fleece Artist Rainforest in the April Showers?

Also, yesterday I purchased yet another lace pattern, the Scheherazade by Melanie Gibbons:

... and decided to order the book Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller. Sharon is responsible for such gorgeous patterns as these:

Man, I wish I could knit that!

Swoon.

In other news, was I ever surprised to read in the Toronto Star this morning that Bill Clinton is a huge hit in Canada - and making huge bucks accordingly:

WASHINGTON–Bill Clinton landed at Pearson International Airport one day in the autumn of 2005, and by the time he boarded his plane at the end of the day the former president's excellent Canadian adventure had earned him $475,000.
In that one day in the GTA, he had earned double his annual salary as president of the United States...
In three days in mid-October 2005, he earned $900,000 for four speeches: one on Canada-U.S. relations in London, Ont.; two Toronto speeches – one to The Power Within and another to the International Centre for Business – and a speech to The Power Within in Calgary.
Similarly, the following winter, he earned $1.32 million in six days of Canadian speeches in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Regina and Vancouver.

This article also mentioned that he has made approximately $24 million billion squillion dollars in public speaking engagements since he left the White House. I don't know about you, but at a certain dollar figure the amounts of money become so high that it is almost meaningless - you know, what's the difference between $10 million and $100 million? that sort of thing.

Yeah right. And why can't we find some Canadian role models anyway?!?

(Like who? Steve-o and Muldoon?!?

On second thought, forget I said that.)

But Bill Clinton, although he might be richer than God, is after all only a mere mortal. And I also read in the Star today that there might be scientific proof of the existence of God in the next while.

GENEVA – The father of a theoretical subatomic particle dubbed ``the God particle" says he's almost sure its existence will be confirmed in the next year. British physicist Peter Higgs first postulated the existence of the particle in the makeup of the atom more than 40 years ago...

Well, I'm ahead of him. I already have proof of the existence of God, as signalled to me while out for a walk the other day...

Here is God's work in all its splendour!

Happy Tuesday!

April Showers

2008-04-07T00:34:00.002-04:00

Actually, although it's April it wasn't showering yesterday - which is a good thing, because look what I found when I went out for a walk!

Lo and behold, a lace shawl... here, of all places:

OK, OK... I know I can't fool you all that easily - especially not any of my dozen or so faithful readers who are by now bored rigid by photos of this shawl in progress.

So - might as well get right down to the specs.

Introducing: April Showers, in all her finery!!!

Pattern: heavily modified from the wonderful Hanami pattern by Melanie Gibbons. The only method to my madness in messing around with this pattern was that I had just finished the Storm Water Scarf

... and was dying to knit the Hanami but couldn't face any more basketweave for a while. One day I will knit the pattern as written though - I love it, especially the seeming randomness of the cherry blossoms/droplets.

Yarn: Fleece Artist Italian Silk, in the Rainforest colourway. I used the better part of two skeins (each skein has 115 g and 350 m).
Needles: Addi Lace - 3.5mm and 3.75 mm

Beads: clear seed beads from Arton in Toronto - approx. 650 (I lost count).

Size: 70" at widest part, 26" at deepest part

Date Started: 26 March 2008
Date Completed: 3 April 2008

Notes:

- I am very challenged mathematically and so it took some time for me to figure out how to go about this. I ended up changing gears somewhat halfway through as the yarn actually grew much faster than I had thought!

- For those who have the Hanami pattern and would like to try this at home:

(a) I strung on approximately 200 beads to start. I used these for the border only. All the other beads were put on as I went with a .75mm crochet hook. (There is a very useful tutorial on how to work with beads here).

(b) I then cast on 20 stitches (the 16 stitch repeat plus two at each end for a garter stitch border). I used the beaded cast-on as per the pattern.

Isn't it pretty?!

(c) Throughout the project I did a beaded edging by inserting one of the beads I'd strung in between the two first stitches and the two last stitches on every right-side row.

(d) I started the pattern from the bottom/end (Chart G) and did 32 rows each of Charts G, F, E, D, and C in that order, then the first 4 rows of Chart B. That's when I started to run low on yarn and had to pack it in.

(e) My initial plan was to increase by 4 stitches every two rows by making one stitch immediately before and each border sequence on each side:

RS: K1, place bead, K1, M1 ... [pattern to last 3] ... M1, K1, place bead, K1.

WS: K1, place bead, K1, M1P ... [pattern to last 3] ... M1P, K1, place bead, K1.

However, by the time I finished Chart E (again, going backwards) I realised the shawl was growing a bit too disproportionately horizontally. For the rest of the shawl, until the last 4 rows, I only used the increase sequence on the RS. In the last four rows for some reason unknown to me, I reverted to increasing two every row as above.

I'm not sure if this resulted in the little pointy ends or not - that was not planned, nor was the downward curve of the edges. But we'll just call that a little design feature, shall we?

(f) At the same point that I stopped increasing every row, I switched to the 3.75mm needles. This was primarily a practical call as my 3.5mm needles have a far shorter cable. I suspect, however, that that resulted in part in the little pointy ends - the top part stretched more during blocking.

(g) I started placing beads again at Chart E (74 rows in) - I wanted to create an effect of raindrops hanging in the air. At first I placed them more or less at ramdom where there was space. Later in the pattern, when the spaces between the yarnovers grew larger, I placed one or two beads in each 16-row sequence on both RS and WS, depending on where the plain stockinette spaces were. Oh - thanks to Amy, by the way, for giving me the idea to use clear beads. I like the effect!

Well, that's ~~more than~~ about enough design blather from me for now, I should think. Except to say that the shawl is apparently a hit with the Brouhaha household.

Hey, even my harshest critic seems delighted!

shininess

2008-04-06T05:31:00.005-04:00

Thinking about getting back to some mosaic work has been haunting me of late. So, I was very happy when my friend G. brought me some photos of a piece I had made for her many years back:

I had forgotten how pretty it was! Now I want it back. The piece is approximately 20 inches in diametre. To the best of my recollection, it was made using an old tabletop I found in some garbage area or other.

Speaking of garbage, I just learned about the work of Rod Humby, who is a real genius when it comes to making mosaics out of found objects. For example, this piece uses old chair backs:

This one was made using blocks stacked one on top of the other:

And this?

~~Everything but the~~ kitchen sink! Anyway, check out his website,
The Joy of Shards Mosaic Resource. If you don't immediately rush out and buy some tile grout and cover a table or two in your place after that, there's something wrong with you.

Having said that, I won't be able to get back to any mosaic work today. Why not? Because I started work on Project Purple yesterday and am now obsessed. Sorry, no pics: I'm thinking about trying to get it published. It should be done in the next couple of days, everything being equal.

(What's that? You thought I was going to start on the Pheonix Rising by Sivia Harding? Hah! Approximately 23 minutes after deciding that, I changed my mind and hauled out the Silken.)

Speaking of Sivia Harding, she has just published a new pattern for the River Rock scarf, which was previously only available in the No Sheep for You book. This was my version, made last year:

This year, Sivia has outdone herself, coming up with four variations on the theme and providing a great bead tutorial as well:

The pattern is available for sale on her website. And, not to blow my own horn of fabulousness, but I have a small connection with this version: Sivia asked me if I had any suggestions about the pattern before publishing it, and has very graciously given me a credit!!

Which makes me feel all shiny and happy...

Happy Sunday!

decisions, decisions...

2008-04-05T10:13:00.010-04:00

Well, I'm in a bit of a stushie this morning, as JJ calls it.

Why? I can't decide which project to start on next. Should it be the Muir

using Kidsilk Night:

or Phoenix Rising with Claudia Handpaints' custom colourway "Sivia's Hot Brick Orange"?

You can appreciate, I'm sure, what a tough choice this is. My first instinct is to go with the Muir, simply because I keep meaning to knit it but never quite get around to it.

But as I look around the house, preparing to go find the Kidsilk Night (the stash, having grown to epic proportions, is now housed in several locations throughout the apartment), I keep seeing brick orange:

Is Carmen Miranda trying to tell me something?!?

And then I spot this other piece of mine:

Hmm. And what's this on the Globe and Mail today on the photo page?

It's rather spooky, actually - seems as though brick orange has evolved into the only colour, taking over the world. Is this a sign?

Hey, where is that little voice coming from telling me to listen up? JJ's at work and I'm alone here, aren't I?

Oh. Quack has just told me that I'm being extremely selfish in even dickering over this decision, given that Phoenix Rising would go so well with his beak.

Well, that settles it - Phoenix Rising it shall be.

But hold on a minute! What about Project Purple, my top-secret design project?!

Sigh. I really must stick to my decision for once, I think. And anyone, all those brick orange must have meant something. Besides, the Phoenix Rising project has beads too!

Er... but so does Project Purple.
And orange beads to boot!

I'm so confused... well, I think I should sign off now and make my final decision.

treasures in springtime

2008-04-04T05:57:00.015-04:00

I'm in quite a guid mood this morning, as I finished knitting April Showers last evening!

Now, has anyone figured out yet which pattern this stitch sequence comes from? Come on, I know a couple of you at least have knitted it.

ED. NOTE: Soo won the prize! The answer: the Hanami by Melanie Gibbons. I had posted: "I'll sweeten the deal - whoever can tell me the name of the original pattern will get a little prize of two skeins of Noro Silk Garden and one of Noro Kureyon (perfect for whipping up a little felted hangbag or two for that special someone!). Post a comment here or Email me with the answer. A hint: the name of the pattern has less than seven letters."

Anyway, last night was a good night all around, even though it was Laundry Night in Canada. Why? Because I found these two beauties for JJ in the laundry room in the swap pile:

Won't he look preppy! And... Eddie Bauer to boot!

(I do hope, however, that JJ doesnae decide that the April showers shawl would match one of these two beauties perfectly. Sigh.)

I also picked up a copy of this book on the way home from work:

Holly put me onto this little gem. It's a book that someone came up with for the sole purpose of trashing, doodling on, spilling coffee on, etc. - with instructions! Perfect for those long drawn out staff meetings.

Too bad I can't take projects to block during the staff meetings, though:

Since I took up lace, it has never ceased to amaze me how much blocking improves the look of the finished piece. Look at the photo above, and then at this one:

Ooh ahh!

So, what is on the agenda for the weekend, you ask? Well, this, for starters:

As well as a project incorporating this in some way:

(I have been obsessed with this image ever since yesterday morning's shower. I know... I'm very strange.)

I also hope for fair weather so that I can take April Showers here for a photo shoot:

And who knows? Maybe finally it is springtime! And if you think I'm strange, check out this example of spring fever:

Some farmer in Devon UK got the sheep to hang out in formation for this photo. Too much, eh?

Luckily I wasn't looking at this photo AFTER tonight's debriefing session at the pub with the Tenant Advocates: I would probably have just assumed that I was hallucinating.

Happy Friday!

blankies, yarn and other obsessions

2008-04-03T07:12:00.001-04:00

Well, Bad Kristina is clearly holding the reins these days. I went AGAIN to the LYS today and bought two skeins of this Zephyr laceweight:

It's the Ruby colourway. I simply couldn't resist.

And... I felt vindicated when I came back to the office and checked the Globe and Mail website only to find this photo:

Isn't the colour similar? Me and a cowardly bullfighter... lots in common!

Oh, and despite hanging out with these reprobates last night:

...I managed to make some progress on my April Showers. No pic today because the camera is at the office. But she's getting quite big!

And - I do have some self-control after all when it comes to yarn. When I was at the LYS today, they had JUST had a shipment of Handmaiden stuff... sitting there on the floor, winking at me through a huge clear plastic bag, even (I swear to this) calling my name.

They told me that it couldn't be sold yet as there was no price list. I was sorely tempted to pay for what I was buying, take out my huge keychain, bop the salesperson over the head and run with the yarn... but I didn't. That earns me some kind of knitters' medal, no?

Um...

No. I guess not. I do feel, however, that I will deserve a medal if I don't rush back there ~~tomorrow~~ before the next PayDay (15 April) to check out the new Handmaiden wares. I have spent my yarn budget for the first half of the month (and probably have at least 10 km of yarn in my apartment as a result - including probably 5 km of Handmaiden products) and don't have a credit card... so this shouldn't be so difficult.

In other news, I'm having a difficulty finishing off my April Showers shawl. Tonight I just figured out why. The Italian Silk is so luxurious and soft...

Hard to knit when you have an adult blankie that you're knitting, eh? (and perhaps this is the secret attraction of knitting. To think I made fun of my little brother who carried a piece of his blankie into his ~~twenties~~ teens...

sigh.

(I did catch JJ sucking his thumb with my shawl in progress as well - but he won't allow me to publish the pics. Oh well.)

Anyway, here is a photo of the shawl - I hope to finish it by Friday ...

Stay tuned...and in the meantime run, don't walk, to find some Fleece Artist Italian Silk!!

various types of sunshine

2008-04-02T07:25:00.002-04:00

Well, the sun was shining (for part of yesterday, anyway) and it started to feel almost like spring!

As well, there was lots of good sunny energy at my office what with what the postman brought.

First, there was my parcel from Sivia Harding with all the goodies I had bought in her yarn auction:

crabapple red linen!

Blue Moon lace merino! And lots of Handmaiden (gasp!) mohair... now discontinued, by the way:

It's even all wound up! I was so chuffed.

And then, as a surprise, I got a package from a friend in Ottawa containing a pattern, the Estonian Garden shawl by Evelyn Clark:

AND... (drumroll please): not one, but two skeins of Malabrigo laceweight in the Jewel Blue colourway!!!

(Methinks the friend is hinting that I should make her a shawl. Sucker!)

So, that's my personal news... but what about the rest of the world?

Well, one of this week's hot news topics is the annual publishing of the list of people known as the Sunshine Club - public servants who get paid $100,000 or more per year in the province.

Last night on the news there was the usual back and forth and jumping up and down in Parliament over this issue. Defending the government: our esteemed Deputy Premier the Honourable George Smitherman. His most recent claim to fame was announcing a plan to wear a diaper in order to see how seniors in care homes live - and you can imagine how this went over.

No idea where the Right Honourable Dalton was for the Sunshine Club debate - maybe he was hanging George out to dry?!

(I know, I know... I couldn't resist).

Anyway, George of course defended the huge increase in salaries. He had a tough time of it from the Honourable Bob Runciman:

(doesn't he look happy here!!?! I wonder why...?)

... big-time small-town Tory, who kept shouting how ridiculous it was that the number of people on this list has increased by 110% since 2003 when the Liberals were first elected.

But Bob has a short memory. He certainly wasn't complaining last year around this time when all the MPPs got together and voted themselves a 28% pay increase.

Hmm... let's see where they're at on the Sunshine list:

RUNCIMAN ROBERT Leader, Official Opposition $143,303.03 plus taxable benefit of $260.00

SMITHERMAN GEORGE Minister, Health & Long Term Care $161,039.88 plus taxable benefit of $292.15

Oh - now I see why Bob's pissed off!

What continues to amaze me about this list (although I don't know why it should, really) is that well over 50 per cent of people employed with the power utilities are making more than $100,000. Obviously I'm in the wrong gig....

Oh - and by the way, the salaries shot up immediately the government (Mr. Runciman's party at that time, mind you) allowed power provision companies to privatise in the late 1990s.

Like I said, a short memory. Ah, politics.

PayDay, redux

2008-04-01T05:26:00.008-04:00

PayDay came twice for me this time around, at least on the expenditure side.

Why? Because I've decided that I must make the Muir shawl

right after I finish my little mystery project, April Waters.

But don't you have all that lace yarn in the stash? you might well ask. Well, yes, I do... but I didn't have any Rowan Kidsilk Night...

...which is what, in my tortured mind anyway, this shawl begs for.

But just look how it sparkles!

Can't decide whether to put beads on as well (I have some plain crystal ones that would do nicely) or whether that would just be over the top.

While I was at Romni, I just had to snap this up as well...

Because, after all, I don't have enough lace patterns in my Ravelry queue - I might run out by 2015 or so and by that time, what if this book has gone out of print?! Sheesh.

Anyway, imagine how glad I was when I got back to the office to find that my first kit from the Year of Lace 2008 had arrived in the mail!!

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

Check it out!!!
This lovely pattern is by the fabulous Sivia Harding. My great good luck to have an original and otherwise unpublished pattern from one of my favourite designers!

The yarn is by Claudia's Handpaints in a colour created only for this particular kit, and is called "Sivia's Hot Orange Brick". 1100 metres of it. I love it!

And it's a good thing I love it, actually... because the colour came off on my hands when winding it yesterday. Oh, I also learned something new - this phenomenon is called "crocking", not "bleeding" as I would have thought. Anyway, I figure that while I'm knitting it I'll just look like I've had henna tattoos on my hands.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with the kit, although I may have to sell this valuable gem from my collection in order to pay the rent today...

Just kidding. It's not mine. This is a 72.22 carat diamond, worth somewhere between $10 million and $13 million according to today's Globe and Mail (hey, what's a couple three million amongst friends, really!).

The Globe and Mail also told me today that it's OK to go to work and pull some April Fools jokes on the colleagues. Seriously. If you don't believe me, read this:

Playing a prank on a colleague today can "encourage creativity and teamwork," according to the executive jobsite TheLadders.co.uk. Some favourite pranks, it says, are unplugging a keyboard, moving the contents of a desk and fibbing that it's "crazy shirt day."

Creativity and teamwork through pranking? Wish I had known about this when I was a manager!

(Actually, that word "teamwork" is one of the words in the English language that I have come most to despise. Anyone who has been in a corporate workplace, or especially a not-for-profit workplace, has no doubt come across those schmaltzy motivational posters:

I used to have a boss who was right into this crap, and even wore a "Teamwork" tieclip every day to work. Augh.

Now, this is more like it:

...but I digress.)

Anyway, I'd better behave at work today. I'm not a manager any more (I gave up all that power and the high life making $35,000 a year in non-profit to get called to the Bar and make slightly more money some time back), and they might just put me in the corner again:

Hey, did you know, by the way, that the dunce cap originated in the 13th century as a tool to promote learning by funneling knowledge to the wearer? Seriously. If you don't believe me,
check out this link

Well, on that happy note it's time to get to work and start...

Happy April Fools' Day!!!

a lecture, er ... message from Corporate Canada

2008-03-31T05:32:00.010-04:00

Well, I lay awake all night thinking about my latest work-in-progress:

In fact, stewing about it. Why?

Because I don't know if the lovely Fleece Artist Italian silk is organic or not.

I think I've really taken to heart all of the advertising recently in which large multinational corporations are telling us that we should care about the environment and global warming.

These ads (and please tell me they exist outside of Canada - surely we can't be the only caring country out there!) usually feature cute video footage of little kids playing (and, depending upon the ad, a dog or two) in a large field with the type of green grass that only comes after huge daily watering sessions.

Overshadowing the giggles of the kiddies, however, is a sombre voiceover telling us just what bad shape the environment is in, and what we can do to change all of that. You typically don't even know what the ad is for until the last moment when a logo flashes up onto the screen.

I got so curious after seeing such an ad that the Hudson Bay Company has been running for the 512th time this week that I had to find out what it is they're selling (all that the ad refers to is a mysterious programme called "New Renaissance").

Once at the website I had to search long and hard to find out what I was looking for. A link from the home page called "New Renaissance" looked promising, but clicking it simply led to their online shopping catalogue. All roads lead to shopping, I guess.

(I'm reminded of a conversation I had some 15 years ago when the term "organic" was still in its infancy as a marker for luxury products. We were in a Greek restaurant on the Danforth where, ahead of their time, almost every meat was advertised as "organic". My father didn't know what the word meant. After I went on for a few minutes explaining about free range chickens and all that, he paused for thought, and then said "Oh, eet means expensive."

Indeed.)

I finally found out what I was looking for under the (get this!) "Social Responsibility" tab on their website. "New Renaissance" is the Bay's codeword for a whole new line of products made from organic cotton and bamboo - mostly luxury linens and towels.

Finding the prices was yet another challenge. Finally I was successful, though - and most of the prices were in the three figures. This is what the website told me about that:

That's why we can pay our organic cotton farmers a 30% premium above conventional cotton prices. We also commit to buying the cotton before the crop is grown, so farmers have security of income too. Our cotton is produced by a group called Agrocel in Gujarat, India, which works with 20,000 small-scale farmers, using Fair Trade principles to support them in the conversion to organic farming. We think that makes organic cotton all the more worth the extra money.

Well, that's nice, isn't it? The farmers get 30 per cent more, the Bay at least 100 per cent more. Does that sound like "Fair Trade" to you?

Now, don't get me wrong. Protecting the environment is an admirable goal, trust me - as is taking steps to pay farmers better. However, it seems that priorities are still skewed on some level. The Bay, after all, seems to feel that its customers are willing to pay luxury prices for such everyday household items as...

...the humble vacuum cleaner!

(Everyday, that is, unless you live in my apartment. Maybe we just need one of these to solve all of our housework issues!)

Now, just when did they start making vacuum cleaners that look like racecars? And - $500.00?? For that price I'm not buying one unless they throw something like this in to operate it for me as well:

Oh, and on this very same website where they lecture on (and on, and on, if you care to visit enough links - there seem to be more links on the Bay website about how much they care for the environment than there are telling you the prices of what it is they're actually selling), they carry useful environmental educational toys for the kiddies such as these:

(Would that be the fuel efficient Hummer, do you think?)

Oh, and check this out:
This is a toy intended for children 18 months through five years of age. I like the subtle messaging about learning to keep that car filled up all the time. And, with the price of gas these day it could wind up being a really good educational toy on how to add (although I don't know that your average 18 month old could actually count that high).

But my favourite part?

Comes with a hose, pretend nozzle, credit card swipe and special cut-out credit card [emphasis added].

I wonder if the cut-out card is a Bay store card? Three guesses, and the first two don't count.

Anyway, am I the only one out here who sees a bit of a mixed message? However, it is instructive to remember that, notwithstanding all the preaching by the corporations (and the Bay is by no means the only one, just the one I'm picking on today because I find their ad the most obnoxious), they exist for one reason and one reason only. That is, to sell things to dupes like you and me by making us think that we need those things to be better people.

Which brings me back to my original topic, as pretty much the only thing I buy that makes me feel like a better person is... well, you know:

...lovely yarn. Oh, and shiny beads.

(This is my April Showers shawl in progress. Can anyone tell what pattern I modified to make this, pray tell? I know a couple of you out there have knitted the original pattern.)

The Fleece Artist website has no "Social Responsibility" tab, unfortunately. But then again, it is only a small cottage industry.

So I will have to continue losing sleep over the provenance of the silk, I guess. At least the beads are safe... or are they?

Wishing you a wonderful (oxymoron?) Monday.

Earth Hour and beyond

2008-03-30T08:56:00.008-04:00

What did you do yesterday during Earth Hour?

No, these aren't fireworks. This is my attempt at taking a photo of all the big houses on Millionaire's Row across the ravine from me... who did NOT turn their lights off. Indeed, in four or five houses every single light in the house appeared to be on - and these are some big houses, let me tell you. Sheesh.

Well, JJ and I did turn off our lights, and we were in good company apparently...this is downtown Toronto:

Weird to see the CN tower in complete darkness, but pretty cool nonetheless. And this is the Peace Tower in Ottawa (our capital city):

... and, for my American friends, Detroit as viewed from Windsor, Ontario:

Anyway, I rather liked this Earth Hour thing. I think they should actually do it once a week... but also make shutting off all the cell phones, blackberries, computers and televisions mandatory. And yes, we can live without these things for an hour. Really.

After Earth Hour was over, JJ and I hopped into a cab and headed downtown to see the Axes of Evil play!

The Axes of Evil is a local band made up of a bunch of leftie lawyers and other leftie folk. I'm one of their groupies...

...and we were all out in force last night bustin' our moves on the dance floor, cheered on by our admiring audience:

Fun was had by all ... and I got lots of great comments about my springtime purse:

Don't know if I've posted a photo of this one before - I made it some time back. It's a bag made out of a repurposed sweater from Goodwill. I felted it, cut it up and then crocheted this part together with spare yarn from the stash. My favourite part is this little flower:

Anyway, the bag cheers me up and lets me think that spring is actually on the way.

So, on the agenda today? No huge plans. I hope to continue hacking away at my latest piece, April Showers:

Looking a bit odd right now, but I have high hopes... and I really love this colourway. It actually glows in person. Ah, Italian Silk!

Time to get back to it ... wishing you a very happy Sunday!

PayDay! and Earth Hour

2008-03-29T10:36:00.005-04:00

I know I mused aloud somewhere about not observing PayDay as usual yesterday given that I am awaiting yarn in the mail...

HA!!!

Instead, I decided to check out a new (to me) shop called Americo on the basis that I had been in there once before, and left with nothing.

Well...

Not this time. Ahem. This lovely stuff is laceweight llama!! The colourway is called kyanite. I've never had llama before, but it is wonderful soft stuff. Approximately 1400 metres of it is now mine.
And...

Laceweight cotton, which I've never seen in such quantity.

The white nearly blinded me - turning it almost into a real colour. I had to snap some up.

I thought that one of these might be perfect to make a stab at the Laminaria in the near future...

What say you?

This is a stunning pattern, in my humble opinion. It looks quite difficult, but hey!

So, that and some drinks at Fynn's then ribs and wings at a new joint near work was all the excitement I could handle last evening... I then sat and fondled the llama all evening.

And tonight - blackout night! What are you all planning to do for Earth Hour anyway?

I have no idea. We're meant to go to a dance tonight which was rather poorly planned, I suppose. The original start time was 8:00 p.m. - which is the Earth Hour shutdown time in this next of the woods.

I suppose I could try to knit by candlelight - but given that I already have bifocals at the age of 37, that mightn't be the wisest plan.

Anyway, however you decide to observe Earth Hour... have a good one!