It’s Friday

Posted on January 27, 2012 by patricia

Wednesday night was our weekly dinner date at Moxies. The rest of the week has been very quiet.

Today, I started to work on the first draft of the Winter, 2012, Clan Ross Canada newsletter which is sent to our members quarterly. I have edited the newsletter for the last six years, and this is my second-to-last issue. I have been hunting for a good photograph for the front cover.

Knitting: I have knitted the first skein of Camelspin yarn. Seventy-two stitches on 3.75 mm needles produced 40 ” (101.5 cm).

Now the project is at the stage where I knit and knit, and the scarf doesn’t look any longer. I’m determined to finish this before I cast on for another. I will probably make the scarf 60 to 70 inches in length.

Half marathon training: 6.5 km on Wednesday. For the last two days, the sidewalks have been dry, icy, slushy, wet, and slippery – a good time for two rest days.

To the finish line

Posted on January 24, 2012 by patricia

Today I decided that it was time to start finishing projects that are almost complete.

Needlepoint: A gift for my son is almost complete. A black border, a check for missing stitches, then a trip to the fabric store to buy black denim fabric to make the pillow up.

The needlepoint is a Chris and Claude design.

Knitting: I have completed knitting Ruana, a Sweaterkits design (#1212) and kit that I purchased at the Downtown Knit Collective Frolic last spring. It was knit with on 5 mm needles with four skeins of Silk Whisper. Silk Whisper is 30% silk and70% kid mohair.

First it was soaked.

Then it was wrapped in a towel to remove excess moisture, then pinned out on blocking wires.

When it is dry, I will sew up the seams.

Next, the second skein of Handmaiden Camelspin is now a yarn cake.

Half marathon training: Five km this morning which left my afternoon free to accomplish the above.

Tonight, more work on the scarf.

It’s official

Posted on January 22, 2012 by patricia

8th decade:

Yesterday, I celebrated the birthday that places me in my eighth decade. Last night, My husband, son, and I attended a traditional Burns supper and had a great time.

The meal was traditional, starting with Scotch broth soup, followed by haggis, neeps (turnips), and tatties (potatoes),

followed by Scottish steak pie and vegetables,

then desert, a clootie dumpling with custard.

Stitching: The threads have finally arrived, so I can continue working on the Christmas stocking pillow.

Knitting: I managed to complete a few more pattern repeats on the camel spin scarf, but ended up unknitting two rows this afternoon after discovering that I only had 10 stitiches to kinit instead of twelve (an excellent example of why I use stitch markers) and also an example of the perils of knitting when tired – see below.

Half marathon training: It took most of this morning to complete 16 km. Lots of ice and snow on the sidewalks meant slow walking, but fortunately the roads were mostly clear. Enough said.

Mid-week

Posted on January 18, 2012 by patricia

Somehow, I have lost the original format for the blog, but will sort it out later.

I like the look of the latest attempt at the Camel Spin Scarf.

The 3.75 mm straight needles and the tighter gauge make a big difference that is plainly visible here.

The yarn overs were catching on the joins on the circular needles, and the straight needles have less friction and solve the catching.

Todays walk was 5 km. The temperature was back to – 6 degrees, but it was sunny, and most important, the sidewalks were completely clear of ice and snow. I will add another few km to that after dinner when I go downtown for the monthly meeting of the Downtown Knit Collective. These meetings are always inspirational, and the talent of many of the knitters is awe inspiring. More on the meeting later.

The Celebration Begins

Posted on January 18, 2012 by patricia

This morning I received my first birthday card from a friend in Florida. It was funny and appropriate for my upcoming 70th birthday and it put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. This year, with parties and dinners, I will be celebrating until the end of the month. As Martha Stuart says, A good thing.” I am going to enjoy every minute.

This afternoon’s training distance was 5 km. It was very foggy, damp, and relatively warm, 25 degrees warmer than it was on Sunday. For the rest of the afternoon I worked on the Camel Spin scarf (pictures tomorrow).

Current reading: The Longest Climb: The Last Great Overland Quest by Dominic Faulkner.

Week’s end

Posted on January 15, 2012 by patricia

Another week has passed. Yesterday, my husband, son, and I took another two hour class learning Scottish country dances in preparation for the Burn’s Dinner next week. Everybody had a lot of fun and the two hours went by very quickly.

Earlier this week I cast on 111 stitches of Hand Maiden Fine Yarn Camelspin to knit a Camel Spin Scarf. Camelspin is a blend of 70% silk and 30% baby camel. The yarn is amazingly soft and is a delight to knit with. The yarn and pattern were purchased from Linda’s Craftique in Mississauga, the first stop on the Downtown Knit Collective’s Annual Bus trip in early November.

Subsequently, I have ripped out the scarf twice. The pattern is for a shawl, so it was too wide. I decreased the number of pattern repeats to get the width I wanted. The gauge on the second attempt looked to be too loose for the pattern and I have decided to use smaller needles than the 4 mm the pattern called for. I hope to cast on later today.

This morning’s walk was 16+ km in frigid – 16 degree cold. At least there wasn’t much wind and the sun was out. I envied the runners who covered the distance in half the time. I really appreciated the jacket my daughter loaned me for the winter. My legs were very red, but OK at the end of the walk. It is mid afternoon and I am still thawing out. Hopefully it will not be that cold for the Chilly half Marathon, but – I am prepared.

The week begins…

Posted on January 11, 2012 by patricia

So far, a busy week. Monday is my shift at the CNIB where I narrate audio books. I am currently reading Smart Medicine for Your Eyes by Dr. Jeffrey Anshel. I am fortunate to work with an amazing group of volunteers who come from many backgrounds and who love reading. The discussions before our shift begins and during break are always interesting – reviews of the latest films and shows and discussions of current books, travel experiences, politics, and other topics of interest.

Yesterday, I visited the Maya Exhibit at the ROM with a friend.This was my second visit and I enjoyed it far more than the first.The first visit was constantly interrupted by a ~~teacher~~ “specially trained ROM facilitator” who was constantly bellowing her lecture to a group of Middle School students who were also touring the exhibit. Not only was she vocally loud, but her tone and questions aimed at the group were extremely condescending. It was all very distracting. This time the tour was peaceful and without interruption, and after a a visit to the gift shops, we ate lunch at Pho Hung, a very popular Vietnamese restaurant on Bloor Street. The food and the prices are excellent. When we left, there was a line-up half way down the stairs of people waiting for seats.

Today, I caught up on housework and paperwork, then went for a 6 km walk. The weather was amazing. I also managed to work on the Christmas stocking pillow.

Now to wait until the fibres I need to continue to stitch arrive from my LNS. Time to cast on a new knitting project and watch the People’s Choice Awards.

Life back to normal

Posted on January 8, 2012 by patricia

Yesterday we said goodbye to our daughter as she flew back to Vancouver after a wonderful three week Christmas visit. We then proceeded to the Granite Club to take the first of two two hour sessions of Scottish country dance lessons. We had an excellent teacher and the dances were a lot of fun. We learned five dances: Gay Gordons, Cumberland Reel, Long Live the Queen, Eightsome Reel, and the Waltz Country Dance. This is in preparation for the Burn’s Dinner later this month.

This morning was what is referred to as the “long slow walk”. Every Sunday morning since November, the distance has increased during training for the Chilly Half Marathon which takes place in early March. This will be the third time I have participated in this race, the first of the season. The distance today worked out to just over 15 km. The weather was sunny and the temperature hovered around zero.

This afternoon I started work on a new stitching project, Expectations, designed by one of my favourite designers, Carolyn Mitchell.

The design is stitched on 18 count canvas in Victoria green. Carolyn is also an excellent teacher and her instructions and documentation are among the best I have seen.

Tonight I will hear all the details about my daughter’s return flight to Vancouver.

Beginnings

Image

This is a year of two significant events, my seventieth birthday in a couple of weeks and my husband and my forty-fifth wedding anniversary .

This blog will be a chronicle of my life as I journey through my 8th decade. I thank my daughter for setting up the blog and for a lesson on how to navigate the blog software. It will take a while to become familiar with all the bells and whistles that are available, but, here goes…

HOBBIES: Two of my favourite pastimes are canvas work and knitting. Two of my latest projects are the rabbit from Cindy’s Needle Art stitched for my daughter and the Chevron lace scarf knit for myself.

The scarf was knit with two balls of Debbie Bliss Angel on 5mm needles.

CURRENT READING: The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gilbaldon.

That’s it for my first post.

8th-decade

My Life…..

Monthly Archives: January 2012