December

It's almost Christmas -- in fact, it's almost the end of 2015. It's been quite a year. It started out just fine, and I was enjoying my new number after last December's birthday. It was an odd one -- not divisible by anything without a decimal point, and I always find that fun. However, apparently life felt compelled to challenge me this year and threw a couple of hurdles in my way. Nothing I wasn't able to overcome, but it did throw me off my planned route for a bit...or at least a little off stride, but thanks to my friends and family, it all remains unseen to the public, and that's just the way it'll stay for now.

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks at home with family and friends, and getting some quality knitting time to finish some projects. The start of this holiday was marked with two departures -- the first, my "rent-a-kid" (he's not a kid, but a sensitive, responsible young man I've known since his birth 23 years ago). He's been hanging out with me for the past few years as he finishes his post-secondary career path, and he's been a real pleasure to have around. His future decisions may steer him back to education, and he knows he's welcome any time! The second departure will see one of my brothers away for Christmas -- and not with our family. This will be a change in our routine, but will be an adventure for him, so I hope he enjoys it!

For my friends and family, here's my Christmas and New Year's wish for each of you:
May the fond memories of the past year rise to the surface and help you float above all the challenges and issues that may have tried to sideline you.
May you invest time with friends and family this season -- and all year long -- because the rewards are long-lasting and not subject to recession.
May you find good health, happiness and a sense of comfort in your heart when you reflect on what you've accomplished and where you are in your life.
And may you look ahead -- not back -- with a smile on your face, a willingness to explore, and a graciousness to help.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight...

Knitvember

I may have mentioned in a previous post how much I like this time of year. The warm yarns come out of the stash, new squishy projects are cast on, and the handknits take a front row in the closets.

This summer I had the distinct pleasure of joining a test knit team for an incredible knitwear designer -- BooKnits -- and have had the honour of test knitting two of her patterns. One was a refresh/update of a previous design, and you've seen those pics in this post.

The second knit has just had the pattern released today. It's a flashback to musical memories the designer experienced a number of years ago -- this one of The Monkees "Pleasant Valley", hence the name of this design.

Here is my "Creature Comforts in Pleasant Valley"... a lovely easy knit, and it is just as warm and squish as it looks -- great for this time of year.


There are a few more things on my needles, so hopefully a few more pictures in the near future...

Been awhile

We're about to turn the calendar page, saying goodbye to October 2015. Clocks get turned back. Darkness envelopes our mornings and our late afternoons. The anticipation of snow is in the air, and heavy frost settles on our windshields awaiting the scratching of our early morning scrapers.

We can't complain about this fall. It was warm. It was sunny. The vibrant reds in the sugar maples were an outstanding salute to our Canadian forests. And now the golden glow of the tamarack resonates against the coniferous that retain their rich green needles at this time of year.

This is the fleeting moment where the poppy pinned over our hearts to display our honour and respect for those who have fought and given their lives for our freedom is challenged by the garrish displays of witches and goblins marking Hallowe'en -- and all in direct contrast to the brash commercialism of decorated trees and lights in stores harkening the start of the holiday frenzy.

It's like the "back to school" ads that start in July, a scant few weeks after the start summer break for students here in Ontario. I realize other school year calendars differ, and commercialism knows no bounds, but for Remembrance Day there should be a period of respect.

From Thanksgiving to November 11 -- and really, all year-long is not unrealistic -- should be a mandatory period to wear a poppy, to honour those who have fought for our freedoms, given their lives in pursuit of something too many of us take for granted.

Take a moment. Reflect. Wear your poppy proudly. Celebrate being Canadian; being free.

A name is not just a name....

My brothers (of which I have two), and I have been given two names in addition to our surname. That in itself is not singularly unique. What is distinctive is that we use our middle names. That is intentional. It was the intention of our parents. We do not, nor have we ever, used our first names in any formal capacity.

In fact, my first name appears nowhere other than my birth certificate -- not on my driver's licence, health card or my passport. All that represents the fact that I do indeed have a first name is a singular initial. That's it. A lone letter.

Government offices do not like me for my non-conformist nature. They believe I should use my first name. Everyone uses their first name. They don't acknowledge those of us who don't. They don't acknowledge the use of initials as a replacement for a first name. They don't acknowledge that we may have a different approach to the use of our names. They see this as unacceptable. Ironically, I see their intolerance as unacceptable.

But here's the kicker... if I want to "officially" use my middle name -- the name, I might add that I've been using for more than five decades without incident -- I have to incurr costs to seek legal counsel and fill out reams of paperwork to officially "CHANGE MY NAME".

What?!

I'm NOT changing my name. I'm asking you to use the name I've been given; the name chosen by my family to honour who I am. I won't call you Harry or Jane if it's not your name, and I would ask you not to call me by a name that is not the one I use. My name is not a nickname; it's an official name on my birth certificate and every other piece of documentation that identifies who I am.

Sounds reasonable, right? So why is everyone so insistent that one MUST use their first name? What about the representation of new Canadians and their cultures where naming conventions may not dictate "first" name use?

Wow. Just wow. Maybe our politicians can consider a law about this too -- just as they ridiculously think there needs to be a law to see people's faces at citizenship ceremonies.

Really???

Signed "Just Gail"

Purple elephant -- and other musings...

My holidays are coming to an end for this summer. It's time to reflect on my accomplishments, and set out some goals for the fall (one of my favourite times of the year for knitting). To do that, I took a scan back through the pictures of my recently finished items and was amused to find this -- a purple elephant!

Ravelry has been a great boon in holding me accountable for my finished projects -- and taking pictures of them. Some projects are a little onerous in trying to show in a photograph, and this shawl was one of them (80+"x28") and while I have some great close-up shots of the beading and lace edging, trying to capture the entire shawl was a bit challenging... and funny when I end up with this subliminal image!

Ironically, this is not an "elephant" at all (size issues aside!), as I started and finished this project within six days. Trust me, there are many other projects that languish a lot (an understatement!!) longer than a week! That is the case with two projects I didn't get to cross off my list this summer, so they remain on the "must finish" pile for the fall: my second "fluffy cloud" scarf (made from Shibui Silk Cloud in a gradated method to incorporate the greens/taupes I chose), and my second "Be With You" shawl made from two different kinds of yarns (Solstice Changeling and Osiris) in a weird copper/taupe/with specks of blue combo.

Both of these projects are half-way completed, but have taken a second seat to a sweater I'm working on -- and that has a specific deadline. It's a sweater project, started by my dear Knit Night friend, Susan. Before Susan passed away in February, she had started this project progressing on the sleeves in two-at-a-time fashion -- a new endeavour for her. She was quite pleased with being able to accomplish this, until she discovered she had done the knit-through-the-back-loop incorrectly, and "tinked" back to the cuff to reknit the sleeves! She managed to get them up to the elbows, but that's where her energy left her. I had made a commitment to help her with this sweater, and that offer has now extended to her daughter. In essence, I'm knitting the sweater for both of them.

Sleeves are done and I'm half-way up the body of the pullover. I hope to have the sweater done in time to enter it in a local fall fair, given Susan and I used to await the outcomes of the ribbons on handknit items at these events. My goal is to be able to hand it over to Carolyn (with a ribbon) for her October birthday!

After that, it's back to those other two projects -- oh, and the sweater I started for myself, plus two scarves that are about 20% started/finished (that's my version of cup half-full/half empty!). There will definitely be no trouble in finding something to knit this fall!

Crossing them off my list

You may remember my "deal" with myself: for every two WIP projects I finished, I was allowed to cast on something new. Well folks, that's worked out very well this summer!

My finished projects amount to four shawls (one "mystery" knit single skein project, another single skein item, and two 700m lace items) and a sweater -- and that allowed me the opportunity to help with a test knit as part of a revamp of a designer's pattern.

Let me explain.

Shawl 1: A Grant Creek Yarn in the pattern "Mustardseed" (with beads) -- a lovely spring green that translated into a frothy lovely! Finished June 2015.

Shawl 2: Hazel Knits Entice (merino/cashmere blend) in "Zest"! A one-skein mystery knit with the pattern being released in weekly "clues" by the designer "VeryBusyMonkey". Finished mid-July.

Shawl 3: A DyeForYarn mulberry silk in "Nocturnal Maelstrom" (light fingering weight), knit in "Out of Darkness". Finished early July.

Shawl 4: A recently released pattern called "Chasing Rainbows" done in Hedgehog Fibres merino lace ("Truffle" colourway). Finished late July.

Sweater #1: Hazel Knits Lively (DK) in "Citrus Blossom" in the pattern "Storm Mountain". This has been on the go for a while, so nice to have it blocking...

And these entitled me to cast on -- and finish -- this lovely pattern. "Cloud Illusions" by BooKnits in DyeForYarn "Queen Maab" (fingering weight)...

I have one more sweater to finish (sew in the sleeves and block), and then work on my late friend Susan's sweater (for her daughter Carolyn). After that, there's a new pattern to cast on August 11, and a few more WIPs.

I think I'm winning!

Knit faster....!!!

I never quite got the right-brained/left-brained thing -- particularly as it pertains to knitting. There's as much logic, math and structure to a design or pattern as there is creativity in colour, design placement and artistic techniques. What I do get is that the speed at which my brain is working -- both left and right -- is definitely quicker than my hands' ability to carry out the knitting involved!

There are no lack of projects I would like to see finished this summer, and I'm finding it very difficult not to let my mind wander as I'm forming the stitches on my current project. My mind is wandering into dangerous territory -- all the delightful projects that would result from a combination of yarns in my stash and patterns I've seen knit (or available) on Ravelry.  It's all I can do to maintain my focus on what's my needles, and stave off a full-blown case of start-itis!

So here's my plan.... (and positioned for easy access right beside my chair): finish two sweaters, two scarves/shawls, and be ready for a new shawl pattern on August 11.

If I can accomplish that, then I'll work on another sweater simultaneously, and maybe branch out to finish two additional scarves...  There's no doubt that I'm anything but a monogamous knitter!

Now, back to the needles...

The finishing has started....

Sounds cryptic, right? Well, not if you'd seen the number of WIPs on my knitting needles (WIPs, for the uninitiated, mean "works in progress", and at the risk of sounding like a Dean Martin song, I had a few!).

This weekend, three were graduated from WIP status to FO (finished objects -- in case you were thinking something else!).

Solstice Yarns (Etsy) had two complementary skeins of Osiris and Changeling (silk, and silk/mohair) in a colourway called "Wild Irish Seas". Those skeins were transformed into Boo Knits' "Be With You" (and yes, it was released on May 4th -- for those with a quirky sense of humour!)... and this is the pre-blocking result (post-blocking pics to follow):

I had some leftovers of Dye For Yarn's Tussah Silk (Etsy) in "Freezing Mountain Air" from an earlier project ("Wintersweet" -- another Boo Knits project), and combined with another knitter's leftovers, those were transformed into another Boo Knits beaded shawl/scarf entitled "Fragile Heart"...   (I'll replace this photo with more of a "glamour shot" in a few days).

I just added another one instead of replacing it! This one shows the beaded picot bind-off!

And because I needed some plain knitting to offset the lace, I used up some Knit Picks leftovers from my friend Susan's stash, and knit this little person sweater...

So, that's three down..... and you really don't want to know how many more remain. But I have taken an honest look at those that are awaiting my attention and have relegated two of them to the "frogging" pile (translation: rip-it, rip-it). My goal is for every two items finished, I have "permission" to cast-on/start something new. That should mean the end game is a zero sum!!

To be, or not to be....

In a previous post, I mentioned how I enjoy attending plays, theatre, concerts, etc. Living outside of a major urban centre was not always conducive to getting to these events, but now I have the good fortune -- being able to afford, and to access --  so, away I go!

When I attend plays at Stratford, or see concerts or theatre in Toronto, there's something that amuses me. It's rare to see people attending -- or in advance, eating -- alone. Does one's need to appear socially acknowledged or accepted prevent the freedom of coming and going whenever they like? Is companionship during entertainment outweigh the individual pleasure of the event?

I'm amused when people ask me "who are you going with?" Grammar aside, I shake my head at that question. By going by myself, I can arrive as early or last minute as I want; I don't have to worry if the person I'm with likes my choice of seats or begrudges the cost, or whether they like the music, the plot or the location.

This week in Stratford, I watched groups of people make inane small talk, feigning interest in what the person seated across from them at dinner was saying. At the theatre, they worried whether their seats were okay and if their group could see, or why someone was late, and would they be seated on time.

I people watched. I wandered through the garden at the Festival Theatre at my own pace; I drove around Stratford looking at the older homes. I wasn't concerned about time, where to park or what kind of restaurant to choose for dinner.  I had a quick, pleasant conversation with a resident about her garden; a mother and daughter drew me into their conversation briefly while we were waiting for service; I had a great chat about feminism in Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" with the person in the seat to my left at the theatre, and a lovely stranger on the street told me not to overpay the parking meter because I smiled at and said hello.

Would these things have happened if I was one of two, or in a group. I think not.

It's an interesting world we live in, and maybe it's maturity or the confidence instilled by my parents, but I'm comfortable with a table for one at a restaurant, or a single seat in the audience. It's better than staying home!

The warmth of summer...

As much as I love the brisk winds of November, there's a deep welcome warmth to the start of summer. Being able to sit (bug-free) outdoors and feel the sunshine warm up a piece of dark clothing, like it's embracing you in a heartfelt hug; turning your face to the sky so you can close your eyes and still see the sun happily dancing in bright orange and coral spots. It's a great time of year!

This is the time of year I enjoy trips to Stratford to see the staging of their Shakespearean offerings or musicals; a quick train ride into the city to see a play or a concert; or a drive north to listen to the birds and knit in the warm Saturday morning sunshine, as the breeze blows through the corner of the livingroom.

Again this year, I've succumbed to startitis with a myriad of knitting projects awaiting the final few rows (or so!), and those are now my "what I did on my summer holidays" projects. I have a few lace scarves/shawls and two normal striped ones to finish, two sweaters, and a couple of other things (like a wayward mitt, a kids' project.... fun things to distract me when plain knitting becomes cumbersome).

I'm sure there will be more substantial things to do this summer as well, but I'm really looking forward to the uninterrupted time to focus on a project! Happy Summer!

NO excuse for Bell Canada's lack of customer service.....

Today's Rant:
How is it possible in today's world that a MAJOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS company is not held to a higher standard for CUSTOMER SERVICE?

Or.....

BELL SUCKS!

Bell Canada apparently has stopped using ePost for distribution of its billing statements. Did they communicate this? Nope. Instead they chose to send me a random email with name, address, account information and amount due without any way of validating it wasn't a phishing scam.

I was unsuccessful when I attempted to find a customer service email address on their website so tried a "live chat". That was 22 minutes of my life I'll never get back, but it did raise some amusing anecdotal evidence of the literary skills of Bell's customer service reps -- like this gem in response to my reluctance to give out personal information in a chat: "I understand that you are concern of the security of your information as well." Wow.

So I succumbed... I called their "HELP LINE" (the true definition of an oxymoron!) at 310-BELL.... and was put on hold. Every 60 seconds I repeatedly heard two recordings saying "We will be with you in a moment" (their definition of a "moment" needs revisiting!); and "Please stay on the line and it will be our pleasure to serve you".... and so I did.... for 62 minutes, until 2:10 p.m. (thank goodness or hands-free), when the phone was answered with yet another automated recording telling me Bell's offices were NOW CLOSED and their office hours were 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. SIlly me for thinking 2:10 p.m. fell within that window!

Now it had become a game.... I called back and keyed in the French option. Anyone who knows me also knows my French skills are limited to the back of a cereal box. A lovely lady redirected my call in under TWO MINUTES!  I asked the customer service agent who took my call for a customer service email address in response to the Bell email I was sent, and was told "Bell doesn't do email".

Yup... BELL DOESN'T DO EMAIL......and apparently they don't do live chat or phone calls either, but I digress!  So, after some additional (and incredulous) responses to my questions, I opted to cancel my home phone 'cuz "I don't do Bell!"

I also suggested my hourly rate for the 1.8 hours I spent waiting for any intelligent sign of life within Bell, be creditted against any outstanding balance on my home phone. I'm still awaiting an answer on that one.

We should not toerate this abhorent behaviour from BELL. We don't tolerate it in other areas of our life. I wonder how people would react if Canada's major airline said "we don't do email", so after booking your flight, just stop by your nearest international airport to pick up your ticket!?!!

Stepping down from my soapbox now...

Adventures abroad...

There is nothing like spring! In Canada, it's the anxiety of waiting for the last bit of the snow to melt, seeing the spring crocus, and watching the leaves emerge from buds on the trees. There is joy in hearing the first chirping croak of the creek frogs at dusk. In Europe, it's more people-focused -- sauntering in the warm sunshine in the old towne square, sitting at a cafe enjoying a lemonade or iced tea made with real fruit and garnished with a sprig of mint, or walking beneath the castle by the river while watching swans diving and playing.

This year, I had the luxury of enjoying both... and because pictures are worth a thousand words (and because we're all sick of snow), let me share the European version of spring. This is Rynek Glówny, the main square in the old town of Kraków, Poland. I'll leave it to Wikipedia to describe the factual details, while my pictures capture the "feel" of the square...

The description of Rynek Glówny from Wikipedia:  

The main square (Polish: Rynek Główny) of the Old Town of Kraków, Lesser Poland, is the principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and at roughly 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²) is one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. 

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) lists the square as the best public space in Europe due to its lively street life. The main square is a rectangular space surrounded by historic townhouses (kamienice), palaces and churches. 

 The center of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall  (Sukiennice), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance  style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet, decorated with carved masks. 

On one side of the cloth hall is the Town Hall Tower  (Wieża ratuszowa), on the other the 10th century Church of St. Adalbert and 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument. 

(Gail's Additional Notes: Sukiennice is  a great place to shop for amber and other Polish items. Outside, on the Town Hall Tower side, you can usually see festivals and other community activities. On the right side near St. Mary's Basilica, you will often find flower stalls and buskers).

Rising above the square are the  Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica  (Kościół Mariacki).

(Gail's Additional Note: If you're in the Square at the top of the hour, be sure to listen for the trumpet sounds coming from the towers of St. Mary's. The sound will stop mid-song, just as it did years ago when the trumpeter, warning residents of an impending invasion, was shot, interrupting his warning and the song.)

And at night, the Square is no less lovely...

Next time..... seeing the Square around Christmas!

Thursday nights, and much more....

I've lost my dear friend, Susan.

Those six words don't come close to portraying the loss, nor do they do justice in describing the compassionate, moderate and patient person who was much more than my Thursday night Knit Night friend.

A little more than three years ago we were members of Ravelry, totally unaware of each other's presence, but both knitting on the same mystery sock in one of the groups. It was a quirky pattern, and Susan was having doubts. I noted she was from the same town, so offered to meet her at a local bookstore/cafe and we could work it out together. That was the start of our beautiful thing.

Almost every Thursday night since that first January evening, we'd meet for a cuppa', lots of laughs and a bit of knitting. We talked about family, friends, news, tv shows -- and of course knitting and yarn. And we would plan road trips. Susan was the analytical one; I was the who often proffered "It'll be okay", and we'd keep knitting, wondering if we really would run out of yarn on the bind-off! Those three words had us both in stitches (pardon the pun!) one evening when Susan was dangerously close to running out of yarn on the cast-off on a shawl. Forever the optimist, I offered "I'm sure it'll be fine", and we both laughed when Susan (after a trip to the ladies) told me she had seen those very same words written on the bathroom door! (And unfortunately, it wasn't a sign -- again, pardon the pun -- because yes, she did run out of yarn!)

Susan was always willing to go on new adventures -- to North Bay to see the Yarn Harlot; to Stratford to see a play; to Toronto to do a rainy Saturday afternoon tour of yarn stores; to Ancaster so she could introduce me to the sensory experience of the yarns at The Needle Emporium; to Huntsville to support a friend who was hosting a soup bowl event for literacy. Rarely was there a lull in our conversation; more often it was peppered with laughter or little gems of wisdom that would prompt another story. There were times when we were on the same thought  -- impromptu ordering of needles or yarn --  or would say the same thing, and laugh at the coincidence.

I am so thankful for all those opportunities, those evenings of laughter, the shared knitting projects, and the encouraging words when we were working on separate things. I am thankful for the people I met thanks to Susan, and can only hope I enriched her life as much as she did mine.

I will miss Susan.

And again, those four words don't begin to describe just how much.

Let's Do the Time Warp....

There may have been an unintended influence from all those technological gadgets first portrayed on the original Star Trek series in the late 1960s... and in every subsequent sci-fi series since. The influence has been on time perception, specifically what we (or in this case, me) perceive as possible in a period of time, and how that relates to reality.

You may recall my earlier post aboutt celebrating the Year of the Sheep (Ram/Goat) by "culling the herd", referencing of course, my ever-growing stash of yarns. First let me say after two weeks into this endeavour, I have a very good success rate! Not only have I added yarns that I'm willing to part with to my "trade/sale" page on Ravelry, but I've also managed to knit two skeins of yarn from my stash

The next step requires reviewing patterns and pairing them with the appropriate yarn intended for the project. It's not a tough task, in fact it's rather enjoyable -- it's like a walk down a familiar path, or a refresher course for a well-loved subject. You get to reacquaint yourself with what appealed to you about a yarn in the first place, remember what it was initially intended for, and re-evaluate whether it was really meant to become that item, or if you've come to your senses and see it purposed in a different way.

Right now, I have a queue of knitting projects that is almost within reach of 100 items. These are things that caught my eye, I knew I had the "perfect" yarn for, or were recommended by another fibre artist. I also have yarn for every one of these projects -- and a few more, if the truth be known. It's been fun matching them up, switching them around, eliminating some queued items and replacing them with the "perfect" pattern for a yarn. I'm not done yet, but am well on my way, and have prioritized the top 15 patterns I'd like to get through this year. That, of course, is in addition to the five or six already on my needles and in some stage of progress.... and that's where the concept of time shifting comes to mind.

Why does the mind trick you into believing it'd be quick to knit something small -- a shawl, mitts, socks -- or just to finish those WIPs (works in progress)..... no time at all. Ha! And when faced with a bunch of "Ohh... I'd like to knit that -- now!", that time warp happens again. Maybe that's why I have five or six things on my needles right now and don't seem at all phased by it!

Well, that may be a bit of a stretch.... just as there are times when I'm bitten by "cast-on-itis" and think I can use a time fluctuator to my advantage, there are also times when seeing pictures of my WIPs on Ravelry can create a bit of a sense of overwhelming panic. It's a tough balance.... trying not to succumb to the lure of something fresh and new while slogging along on the last bits of a project whose shininess has long since worn off.

Where's that time warp fluctuator hyperspace thingy when you need it!!?

Year of the Sheep

According to the Chinese structure, this is the Year of the Sheep. How appropriate, since I think I have the equivalent to a herd in my fibre stash! Time to cull the herd. Time to cast some of those lovelies onto needles. That's my goal.... to knit from stash this year....to go "cold sheep".

To set the parameters, here's how I'm going to proceed:
1. Shop the stash when starting a new project.
2. Cull what yarns I know I'll never knit. A friend of a friend works with newcomers to Canada, teaching them how to knit. That's where previous "cast offs" (pardon the pun) have gone, and that's who will benefit from future donations.
3. If there is something lavish that would be better served if sold to a more experienced knitter, then those proceeds can be used for yarn purchases. Those purchases must not exceed the amount garnered from the sale, and must be for a specific project (not stash because they may come in handy some day).
4. Projects that are on the needles must be finished, and no more than four projects should be on the go at one time.
5. Knit one pair of socks a month.

Wish me luck.