Larocque and Roll

Sock it to me! May 28, 2007

Oh, that subject line has never been used before, and it’s never going to get old. Moving along…

I signed up to participate in Sockapalooza 4 this year, just one of a thousand or so to do so (and one of four Rebeccas - go us!) So far, all I’ve accomplished is picking out the pattern I’ll be using (Marnie MacLean’s Wyvern Sock pattern), and to finally decide on a yarn. Maybe.

Originally, it was an eye-searing yellow Paton’s Kroy yarn; since I had no use for such a colour, I dyed it green with some food colouring. Now it’s a fairly nice golden-green colour, shot through with streaks of red from where the food colouring didn’t dissolve properly (I’m sure there’s someone out there who can explain why the clumps turned the yarn red.) It’s a maybe because I’m still not sure this is THE yarn I want to use. I bought some backup today, just in case, and I might try the craft store in town to see what they have. The pattern screams for a green somewhere in the yarn. Or at least it does to me.

(To the other Sockapalooza bloggers who find their way here: Hi! This is my blog! It’s not so much a knitting blog as one where I occasionally post about my knitting, among other things.)

So, while I have the knitting out, let’s see what else I’ve been up to.

A second tea cozy!

The outside is a whole ball of Noro Kureyon, and some leftover Briggs and Little (I think) on the inside.

Another scarf!

It’s also using Noro Kureyon; it’s a broken rib pattern with two different balls of yarn, alternating every second row. Because it’s dead easy to work on, it sits beside the computer where I can work on a few rows at a time when I’m waiting for something to load.

The skull hat!

Done, except to iron and sew up the brim to the inside. It will look awesome when it’s done.

More yarn! Of which I have no pictures! The yarn store in St. Catharines is closing, for reasons both mundane and sorrow-inducing. Suffice to say, whenever the topic is mentioned around my sisters and I, we all start moaning and wailing and tearing at our hair. Okay, maybe that’s a bit much, but it’s pretty close to the truth. Anyway… All the yarn is on sale, and my sister bought me a bag of fun stuff.

Also? I got to see The Neph this weekend, and he’s even cuter in person! He sleeps most of the time, but he’s so soft and cuddly! Pictures of those when I get them.

Fun with government documents! May 22, 2007

I was browsing a list of recently published documents from the Government of Canada [1], and at first glance, I saw what I thought was the Coolest. Document. Ever. Unfortunately, I reread the title and it wasn’t nearly as exciting as I had first thought. What was actually “Be Careful With Lighters and Matches” I had read as…

…”Be Careful With Lightsabres and Machetes”

Tell me - how awesome would that be if the Canadian Government commisioned and published a document on lightsabre and machete safety? It would probably have stuff like:

• When turning on your lightsaber, make sure the light part is facing away from you.
• Do not throw your lightsabre, unless you can use The Force to control its trajectory.
• Under no circumstances should you operate your lightsabre or machete if you have been consuming alcohol or other judgement-imparing substances.
• Be careful when using your machete to break open coconuts - you might end up cutting off more than the fiberous outter shell!

I am totally open to other suggestions as to what would be in such a document.

[1] We’re a depository library, which means we get to order and house government documents.

I’m an auntie! May 17, 2007

This is Carl James, my brand new nephew. He is adorable, isn’t he?

April Books May 4, 2007

By now, you’re probably wondering if I was kidnapped by a band of evildoers, but I assure you, I am still safe and sound at home. It is quiet here, and no one has caused me any untoward problems. (Except for the person who picked a bunch of my tulips from the side of my house - I am going to find you and kick your ass, you tulip-stealing imbicile!)

Where was I? Oh, right…

So April was long - or at least it felt very long. But it’s over now, bringing with it May which will be…. longer, if at all possible, than April. Then June and July, which are looking gnarly, and August isn’t looking much better. This brings us to September. Can it be September already? Please? Pretty please?

Oh well…

Anyways! So, mostly I’ve been playing in my gardens - that’s right! “Garden” with a plural! - and knitting this or that, and working on a presentation for a conference. But! I also did get to read a bunch of books this month, and they were all pretty good.

~ Meg Cabot, Queen of Babel (5)
Make a liar of me, why don’t you. Okay, this one was just okay, but it was strongly reminicent of a stinker I read earlier this year, Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret?

~ Anthony Bourdain, Nasty Bits (8.5)
An excellent collection of essays and articles. Don’t read while hungry, or you may get really jealous.

~ Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith (8.5)
The third book in the Tiffany Aching series, which is a Discworld spin-off. Meant for kids, but still pretty hilarious.

~ Lolly Winston, Good Grief (6.5)
I couldn’t really relate to the grief of the main character, but I can imagine how that much sorrow would cause such distress.