This is totally off the topic and a bit irrelevant ‘cus I’m off to bed exhausted from the big weekend blitz, but if anyone out there is reading this and can think of the name or company that makes this please let me know? I’ve been limiting my caffeine intake, no more sodas (even diet) 98% of the time and no more reg coffee, only decaf. I’ve been chugging the tea lately and been devouring all kinds of herbals like Vanilla Pear and Peppermint. But about a week or so ago Yannick showed up at my work with a Tim Horton’s Vanilla Coffee. Evilness! It is soo good, and since he usually stops for a coffee or six for himself, he’s taken to showing me little signs of affection by bringing me coffees at work. I love the taste, but I’m wondering if anyone out there makes a sugar-free, decaf vanilla coffee? I know I can add a bit of flavored coffee to a pot of decaf or something, but I could swear that I saw a commercial for that line of cofee mixes where you just add water…International Flavors or something…International Something anyways, and I think they just added a sugar free line. If I could find that I might not mind the occassional caffeine boost, but I don’t even know where to look. I like those flavored things ‘cus you can just put some in a cup and add hot water…don’t need to brew a pot, which is good for when I’m at work ‘cus my dad doesn’t like flavored coffees. Whooo I think I’m really rambling ‘cus of how tired I am, but if anyone can make sense out of this and knows of such a thing, PLEASE let me know where I can find it!

Oh I can’t even think of where to begin with Saturday, I had suuuuchhhhhhh a good time all day!

In the morning after posting here, I left for the workshops. It was FREEZING outside, but I was smart and bought my x-l vanilla coffee from Tim’s right near my house, as opposed to closer to the church where we meet. This meant I got to hold it and warm my hands the whole way. (Yes, this also makes it apparent that I don’t have cupholders in my car, but whatever. It’s an ’87 with a kick-a$$ sound system. I can do without cupholders.)

I got to the church at 9 on the nose. It seems there was a mix-up in the newsletter, in one spot it said we started at 9, in the other, 10. But most of us were there at the right time and we begun soon after. The morning workshop that I attended was on knitting with beads. There was also a thrumming class going on at the same time, but I’ve already made my dad’s thrummed mitts and Yannick’s thrummed socks..um…sock so far. (BTW, no pics at those links, if you’re interested in clicking over. Just the stories behind the gifts.) So yeah, I’d done thrums, so I was taking the beading class. It turned that the instructor of the class was Norma, one of the guild members who also works at my LYS. She taught us really well. She was really patient and gave us some background info and hints and tips, and went to help people individually too. I was able to pick up on the patterns pretty soon after and managed to do some creative “tweaking” to it. We were making scarves and I wanted to have enough beads to do the whole scarf without having to buy more, so instead of beading every YO as in the original 2 row patt repeated, I changed it up. A bunch of people did a staggering effect so there wouldn’t be so many beads per row, others did a 4 row repeat with beads only every 1st row. I did a 10 row repeat. I’m not retyping the actual pattern because I don’t want to get into copywrite issues, but basically, instead of:

Row 1: work in patt w/beads every YO = 9 beads

Row 2: work in patt w/beads every YO = 9 beads

I did:

Row 1: work in patt w/beads every 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th YO = 5 beads

Row 2: work in patt w/no beads

Row 3: work in patt w/no beads

Row 4: work in patt w/no beads

Row 5: work in patt w/beads every 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th YO = 4 beads

Row 6: work in patt w/no beads

Row 7: work in patt w/no beads

Row 8: work in patt w/no beads

Row 9: work in patt w/no beads

Row 10: work in patt w/no beads

Rep from row 1.

I love how it came out with it stretched taut. Unfortunately, left to it’s own devices, it’s pretty loose and my sides look yucky.

Here’s a closeup, so you can actually see the beads:

Yes, the closeup sucks. Blame my Palm. Anyways, there was one girl in the class, I forget her name right now, and she was speeding along. By the time the class was over she’d used up all her beads and completed about a foot and a half of scarf. It hung beautifully because she’d used the beads the way the pattern said, and their weight kept the scarf nice and even. I think I’m going to frog mine and do it that way. There were leftover beads at the end so I bought 2 bags and will start over.

The afternoon workshop was taught by Sally, our outgoing president. She was also really good, very friendly and helpful. It kept alternating between everyone laughing and everyone silently knitting away. The class was on entrelac in the round. I’d really hoped to have been able to leave with a completed scarf, but I’d really overestimated my knitting speed. I’d also not taken things into account…like brain freezes. I had to tink back an entire square twice because I’d forgotten to include the last stitch way back on the first row. With entrelac you really need to bring your brain.

And, again, a closeup:

The color isn’t actually a salmon-y, coral-y color like these pictures suggest. In person it’s actually a very bright, thick, Christmas red color. Again, blame the Palm.

I was in such a good mood from the workshops that I actually let other drivers cut in front of me on the drive home, I helped a woman back up at the grocery store I stopped at on the way home, and I think I even hummed a bit while shopping.

I was also in such a good mood because Yannick’s 4 nephews were sleeping over again, and I love when Huey, Dooey, Looey and Bob are around. 🙂

By the end of the night things weren’t as good. Sleep came WAY past everyone’s bedtime, the youngest had a fever and 1 managed to fall down the stairs and spill chips and popcorn everywhere. Luckily he believed Yannick when he said he wasn’t mad, ‘cus everyone knows what a neat freak he is (as proven by how he took a quick look at the child while on his way up the stairs for the Swiffer and vacuum). All ended well, and after all the coughing, waking up and other excitment, I’m pretty sure that between 3:41 am and 5:26 am everyone in the house was asleep. Boy do I wish that was an exaggeration, but it’s not. As I type this Yannick is napping. Poor thing’s all tuckered out. 🙂

Whew! Finally a chance to sit down and go over the past few days!

Friday I met with Michelle from the pet accessories store. I thought our meeting went well. She seemed to really like the sweaters I’d brought her and even mentioned possibly using the one with the faux fur in their April fashion show. I left her the three sweaters for now, and she gave me 2 sweater orders and a request for the cabled aran one I was going to make as a sample.

That’s really all that happened Friday, other than the fact that I got to go to my LYS after work because I needed 5mm and 6mm addi Turbos for my workshop Saturday, along with some Alafoss Lopi for one of the projects. Ok, yes my Denise set includes the 5mm and 6mm sizes. But really, any excuse to buy an addi is a good excuse for me! I’m buying them all in 80cm (40″) sizes because I Magic Loop everything, and I’m now only missing a few sizes. Very happy me! I bought the Lopi in a bright, Christmas red, because that’s the color Yannick suggested when I asked him what color hat I should make for myself. He said red would be cute against my blonde hair and blue eyes. I think I look stupid in all hats, especially one whose pattern calls it a “tam”, but whatever. I bought the red. I also bought a second skein of Paton’s Canadiana in Pale Pink so I can do the two commissioned dog sweaters. I already had one skein.

I can’t post for long ‘cus I don’t want to be late, but this morning I am leaving for my first-ever knitting workshop with the MKG! I somehow managed to convince Yannick to fill in for me at work (thanks Dad and Yannick!) and will be spending the morning learning how to knit with beads and the afternoon learning entrelac in the round. I think once I get home I’ll have a new scarf and hat for myself!

I also have news on the dog sweaters, but I’ll post everything when I get home tonight, after I move everything in the house that’s breakable and within 3′ from the ground to a safer place…all 4 rugrats are sleeping over again tonight! I’m so happy…a fun, fun day and a fun, fun night. Can’t wait to share it with you later!

Whew! I’m going to officially say, I rock. No really, I do. Check these out:

Ok, now, if I had an actual digital camera instead of just a Palm Zire 71, you’d be able to see that these are some REALLY CUTE labels. I cut the teardrop shape out of a two-sided Bristol board (when I was younger Bristol board only came in one color. None of this fancy-shmancy two-colored boards! Ok, I’m only 27, but still, I can rant.). I used my brand new Fiskars wheel cutter thingie that came with templates and cutting board, and got 3 perfect shapes. Yes you only see two here. I really didn’t need to photograph all 3, they look the same. Why did I photograph two? Duh, ‘cus it’s the front and back. See? Gold side=front, silver=back. Both sides say “Handmade by Jennifer” and www.jeloca.com. On the fronts they have the sweater name and a credit to the actual designer/book patt is from. On the back is the size and care info. I printed those on sticker paper, and used the Fiskars thingie to cut out the circles and just stuck them on. Pretty nifty!

And here, in yet another horrible shot due to lack of real digital camera, are all 3 sweaters ready and waiting to go, all proudly wearing their little tags.

I have my pattern books ready to bring to show the owner other possibilities, I have pages I printed off the net that show all the available colors of the yarns I used for these projects and another in the same gauge so she can custom-pick her colors, AND it’s not even midnight yet.

Oh yes. I rock.

Sweater the Second is finito! And Lena had the proud honor of modeling for me again:

One button closes the “jacket” under the throat, and two attach the underpanel to the side. I think this came out so cute, very “urban” and trendy for today’s fashionable pup. 🙂

Of course, this meant that Sweater the First is the only one not modeled (unless you count Sam, who really doesn’t like me talking about this). I don’t have a stuffed animal with the appropriate dimensions. Thus, random teddy will have to do:

I hate having to use this pic, but I really don’t have anything else that the sweater fits.

Now, off to make labels!

First of all, let me just say how much I enjoy Thursdays. Thursday is, at our store, “Sushi Thursday”. If anyone is ever in Montreal I really, really recommend Sushi Mooshi on Decarie. NAYY, but it really is excellent sushi. If it’s any testament, I’ve been working with my dad for a few months over a year, and we’ve ordered from SM every Thursday since I’ve been there.

Well, my original plan for the night was to get home, crawl into bed with the yarn and needles for the fourth dog sweater, and knit away to Must See TV. Instead I have a long night of work ahead of me.

My grandmother called me at the store earlier to tell me that she’d gone into the pet accessories store that I’m preparing the dog sweater samples for, and that they’d asked when I would be bringing them some sweaters. Because of the freezing temps we’ve been having lately, people have been shopping like mad. So I called her up and arranged to meet tomorrow afternoon, and I’d bring her the three I have so far. She also told me that she has 2 orders for me as well.

Which means my relaxing night is now a race to finish the following for tomorrow:

-sew buttons on Sweater the Second

-sew “made by” labels into each sweater

-prepare “care info” and “size” labels on computer

-print said labels onto sticker paper

-cut out said labels and a background tag, make a hole, add string and attach to clothing.

See you later!

I wanted to post yesterday, really I did. But you know when you don’t feel like doing anything? After work yesterday I had to hang around for a bit then drive my dad to bowling, but I managed to not be too late to meet Jackie for our weekly Pilates class. Ok, it’s not so much a class as it is us working along with the Windsor Pilates DVDs and making sarcastic comments. Still, once I got home, made dinner, showered, went through a gazillion emails then finally managed to make it, shivering, into bed to knit (it was -34 with the windchill, and I mentioned the shower part, right? Wet + cold = CHILLY)…I just couldn’t do anything. I sat there like a zombie watching The Amazing Race. My knitting was right next to me…I just couldn’t bring myself to lift my arms and pick it up. Too cold. I finished watching TAR with Yannick when he got home from bowling (yes, my boyfriend and father bowl together. Every week. On a 4 player team. The other players being one of my brothers and one of my cousins. Oh to be a fly on the wall….). We watched the Law & Order SVU I’d taped earlier the same night, then I zonked out.

I also found out yesterday that one of my old friends’ marriage has officially been terminated. I knew they were talking about separating, but yesterday he confirmed to me that everything was official, and that he moved out last week- actually to around the corner from me. It’s weird. On the one hand, I should technically be paying homage to some kind of voodoo temple or be secretly happy because it just so happens that this friend is actually my ex with a loooooooong history, and his soon-to-be ex-wife is the girl he cheated on me with, then subsequently married. So really, I should probably be happy he got what he deserved. But I feel sad about it. We’re still friends, somewhat, and still keep in touch. I even went to his wedding with Yannick, and we’ve stayed at their country place one weekend long ago. I guess that even after everything that happened between us, I still always wished him nothing but happiness…and thought that he’d found it. Nobody deserves to get divorced, regardless of what their past was like or what kind of a person they were. I thought he’d finally gotten everything he wanted…his wife, his son…a family. It’s sad that relationships don’t always work out. I hope he meets someone, maybe the right person this time.

Today was very cool on the work front. Yannick was at the store most of the afternoon. I don’t know how I managed to get any work done! And today boasts much better for my abundance of promised knitting. I only had to stop at the grocery store after work and then since Yannick was still at the store I had a nice quiet night to settle in and knit. And I finished the third dog sweater! This one took 6 hours. (The first took 9, and the second is so far around 3.5…but I still have the buttons to sew on. It’ll be under 4 hours, anyways.)

I’ve been searching the mess of stuffed animals we have all over the house for suitable candidates for models, since the dog sweaters look really strange just lying there. I found an excellent model for The Third, in the form of “Lena”, the Gund white tiger I bought Yannick when he went into the hospital for his back surgery. She’s super soft, and growls when you squeeze her tummy. And she looks great in her pink ribbed turtleneck:

I LOVE this picture! I think it is so cute. The pattern is from Fiber Trends and is called the Beaded Rib Sweater. There are also the Hearts Rib Sweater and the Mock Cable Sweater, and I’ll be making those two very soon.

Now I’m off to put together my knitting back for Sweater the Fourth since my addis came in yesterday. I found SUCH a great deal on addi Turbos! I’d signed up with my birthday at RedBirdKnits because you get 10% off every year on/around your bday. So periodically I get emails with news and announcements from Robin of RBK. Well, right before Christmas there was an email that announced a special holiday sale: that current week everything was 10% off, the following week was 15%, etc… until from 12:00am on Dec 25 to 11:59pm Dec 27 (or something like that) whatever stock was left was 40% off. And this is a Canadian vendor. In Canadian dollars! So I set an alarm in my palm to go off, and Christmas Day as we’re leaving dinner with his family, Yannick asks me “why is your palm beeping?” It was 12:03am. I was able to move in for the kill. I got 4 skeins of Regia sock yarn (hot pink for me, brown tweed for Yannick), a copy of Rebecca magazine so I could see what the fuss was about, Fiber Trend’s felted clog pattern, and 4- count ’em 4 addi Turbos. At 40% off, after taxes and shipping the whole order came to less than $85 CAD! At my local LYS addis alone are about $20! So the whole package came in yesterday and I’m so excited to go through it all. Right now I’m grabbing the addis I need for body and ribbing and am preparing my bag with all the yarn, etc…so tomorrow I can start #4. Goodnight!

I’m REALLY tired, but had to come post this pic now or by the time I get around to posting tomorrow it will have changed. So last progress report of the day:

Again I included a copy of Interweave Knits for scale. I keep looking around for something else to use but short of a ruler which wouldn’t show up very well, I can’t think of anything else in my office that’s standard size everywhere. So for now IK is my guidepost. And if they want to give me a free subscription for the advertising…I don’t mind! 🙂

I knitted the last row after the body into a tube and continued that in 1×1 rib for 2.5″ for a turtleneck. As a final burst of effort before bed, I CO the 17 sts for the underbelly panel and did 7 of the 9 req’d rows in rib. Once that’s done I do the body rib patt for the req’d amount of inches then seam it together leaving 2 openings for the front paws to go through. So far this sweater has taken me 5 hours exactly.

Today is both Kristin’s birthday (my brother’s girlfriend) and 1 year since the date my uncle Mel passed away. I wanted to acknowledge both with their own post, not lump them into other stuff. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to mention Mel here because of the context, but I didn’t want to wish Kristin a happy birthday and not acknowledge the other reason this date has a meaning to my family. So for both reasons, today’s a day to reflect on the good and the bad that can come out of life, even on the same day, or in the same moments.