Mail Call

My Whimsical Little Knits 2 arrived in the mail the other day. I pre-ordered the collection on spec several weeks ago. Ysolda Teague has a very clever system whereby you purchase the collection and then are sent weekly email links to download the patterns as they become available. For a few pounds more, you also receive the printed book at the end of the run. I chose the book option but began having doubts about the economy and environmental friendliness of ordering the hard copy as well.
As soon as I opened my package, all doubts disappeared. There's just something about holding the little paperback in my hands and flipping through the patterns. The colour quality of the photos is lovely. If you're like me, you read knitting pattern books for entertainment. After all, you can't bring pdf's on the morning streetcar ride.
My next queued project from the collection is Smith the Hedgehog. It will be a gift for my former babysitter. The girl, or I guess I should say woman, minded my child years ago and is now having her own baby. We all know time flies by but the fact is brought home more so when someone I think of still as a sweet, somewhat awkward teenager, is now a beautiful, self-possessed career woman expecting her first child. Wow.

The Little Lost Shawl

Damson was literally off the blocking for about three hours when it went around the neck of The Daughter and out the door. That was two weeks ago and I haven't seen it since.

Hey Kid! Don't forget to bring it back when you return from Daddy's house!

This was a fast and fun knit. I particularly enjoyed knitting the final border and casting it off. So rhythmic. Ysolda Teague is fast becoming one of my favourite designers. She's mastering the whimsical (Hence her collection title "Whimsical Little Knits") and the feminine. I've already got another of her designs on the needles. It's a Christmas gift for The Daughter so I can't say anymore except that she'll not get it if I don't get my Damson back!

Song To Make Me Still

Lower your eyelids
over the water
Join the night
like the trees
you lie under

How many crickets
How many waves
easy after easy
on the one way shore

There are stars
from another view
and a moon
to draw the seaweed through

No one calls the crickets vain
in their time
in their time
no one will call you idle
for dying with the sun

Leonard Cohen
The Spice-Box of Earth 1961

Goats, Sheep, Llama

I made my annual visit to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair today, where I actually bought Christmas presents! On November 8! Pretty impressive.
I like the Royal for it's shopping, food tasting, and for the opportunity to pat goats and sheep. Though each year I find I'm a little more bothered by the animal agriculture for meat areas. It's weird to pat a pig then walk ten feet and buy back bacon on a bun for lunch. I'm not vegetarian though The Daughter is. We keep a veggie kitchen and I've become quite the good vegetarian cook. Frankly, I'm happy to let others deal with cooking the meat products. I only eat meat now when I'm out but, lately, even in restaurants, I choose the veggie option. I think it's only a matter of time before I stop eating meat altogether.

Cute goat, n'est pas?

The source of LYS stock.

My two new friends. These girls were super friendly.

Of course, there was yarn. This is Llama from Ontario.I also
counted three booths selling locally raised alpaca fibre.

Happy Halloween!

Here's hoping everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. The Daughter and I sure did, rocking out to scary tunes, handing out candy on our porch (she, heavily bundled under her fairy wings, fighting back the feverish flu). Costume highlights include a headless man, three Oompa Loompas and a fuzzy zebra. My favourite however, had to be the swashbuckling princess. Seriously, the little girl wore a traditional pink princess dress with a black plumed hat, boots and sword. Chalk one up for girl power!

Check out the house across the street from our building. These people were decorating for days. The house literally stopped traffic. Hard core.