A new toy

With Mike's impending retirement not too far away I could see a conflict of interests on the horizon with only one computer in the house . So to preempt that problem , Mama's got a brand spanking new laptop . I love , love , love it ! I love the portability , the little red mouse , ahh just everything about it . It works great , didn't break the bank and it's mine (mostly ) .

Lounging on the keyboard is my current sock in progress . It's Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace Socks . These socks have been a work in mind for forever it seems . Scouring the stash after finishing the toe ups I came across this ball of "Strumpfwolle " (generic term for sock yarn in German ) a gift from my Dad , and for some reason this pattern came to mind . I started out on dpns and not too far into the socks switched to 2 circulars . No one's more surprised than me , who'dda thought ! Loving the pattern and the yarn .

The weather here has been a mish mash , with some sun but thunderstorms and torrential rain later in the day . Canada Day was not a complete wash out . We had a low key celebration with the kids over for a BBQ . Thankfully the rain held off till after we'd eaten . Jessey had a dip in the pool , swallowed some water and like a natural spit it out and kept playing . He's so close to walking. I had to hold both of his hands and just walk and walk with him . He just wanted to explore . I think he's going to be hell on wheels when he gets to be mobile on his own . That child is curious about everything and has oodles of energy . I love him to pieces !

Anyway , wish you all a good weekend !

Happy Canada Day !

Have a great Canada Day , with blue skies and good times !

A finished object !

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth . I was just too busy to post . Add to that the fact that we actually had some summer like weather , which has all changed for this week . Rain , rain , and more rain for the next week .

These are the toe up socks that I started on June 1 st . I finally finished them yesterday , just in time to qualify for my various monthly KALs . After knitting these I've come to the conclusion that I'm more of a cuff down gal . That's not to say that I'll never knit another pair of toe ups , but it still seems to be the wrong way around for me . I learned a couple of new techniques , the Turkish cast on , Russian bind off and how to knit with 2 circulars . Knitting on the circs was actually the one thing that I really enjoyed . It didn't start out that way but I've started my July KAL socks on the circs. Go figure !

I've still got Isbel on hold . I just haven't been in the mood to tink back mohair /silk . Ive ordered some lacewight from the Loopy Ewe that looks like a better match colourwise for my dress for the wedding . Hoping it gets here soon as time is running short .

My morning chuckle

I couldn't resist sharing this . It certainly brought a smile to my face. Mike retires in 3 1/2 weeks . Could this be a taste of things to come ;-) ?

A Summer Sampler

A summer Sampler
Originally uploaded by crzy4stchn

A few photos from a glorious weekend ! Family brunch ,a bike ride along a local trail , ended up with Jessey dipping his toes into the lake. Even took a dip in the pool to cool off . Cold , but refreshing !
Doesn't get any better !

Friday

It seems like a week just zips by around here . One minute it's Monday and blink , it's Friday . Not that I lead such an eventful life , pretty ordinary actually, but the days are always full with one thing or another. Summer is slowly showing it's face , the temps are just a tiny bit warmer and the sun came out again today . Yippee !



There's not much knitting progress . I'm working on both Ishbel and the toe up socks in rotation . Ishbel is stalled right at the moment though . I'm having some trouble with the 2nd repeat of chart A , can't find my mistake , tinked it , knit it again , same thing , tinked again . So it's on hold till I'm clear minded enough to figure out what's wrong . Could be awhile ;-)) .



The socks are coming along swimmingly . I'm still ambivalent about the toe up process . Ditto for knitting on 2 circulars . The next challenge on these will be the bind off . Coming up soon , I'm further along than the photo shows .



Thanks to Monika sharing her tempting recipe for apricot cake I did some baking today . I sampled some with a cuppa tea , while it was still warm . Ohhhh, so good ! I just love apricots , fresh , dried , in a jam , in a cake , doesn't matter , they're my absolute favourite fruit ! I don't think the cake will last the weekend , between Mike and his sweet tooth and my love of apricots .

Anyway, off to have another cuppa and maybe knit outside for a bit , before I have to think about what's for supper . Apricot cake can be a meal , right ?

Have a good weekend !

Relay for Life

The Relay for Life on Friday night was a great success . The community raised just short of $200,000. We were so very lucky that the nice weather held through the night . It could have been a touch warmer , but it was comfortable for walking .

This whole event is just so amazing , with families and friends coming together to show support for the victims of cancer . Mike & I lost our mothers to cancer . They both died way too early and left a big void in our lives . This photo is the first lap which only cancer survivors and those currently suffering with the disease walk alone ,then the rest of us fall in behind them . They receive a huge round of applause when they begin . This part always brings me to tears , just seeing the numbers walking this first lap .This is a photo of Jessy clapping along . He started spontaneously tap, tap, tapping along with us . Too funny !

I spent Saturday recovering . My hip joints and leg muscles were a bit the worse for wear , but by Sunday I was fine . Those suffering with cancer have a much more difficult walk ahead of them .