Lucky Day Diary Feb 20, 21, 22, 2011

I'm still playing catch up with my lucky days and here is the update..

1. Luckily JM posted to my Facebook wall that National Knit in Public Day, June 11, 2011 is also National Yarn Bombing Day, so I decided to post about it!

2. Fortunately, although it has turned cold again -15C some days, it is still bright and sunny.

3. Luckily also, I got a call from a store reminding me to order fibre from Nepal. I'll get that done!

4. Fortunately also, I 've had lots of orders for Zephyr - Thank you!!

5. Swatching for Pisces is almost done. Pictures soon.

6. I had a burst of energy and rearranged lots of "stuff" at the office.

7. Luckily, my friend Mary Pat dropped in and lent a hand to the re-arranging. Many hands make yarn light or something like that.

Now I just have to learn something new x3 for my post to "Learn Something New Everyday" and I will be caught up! Thank you for being there and reading; it makes me post and the very act of getting something "done" creates the much needed luck for those days that aren't that lucky!!

Yarn for Bombing!!

Want to stage a "Yarn Bombing?"  These are great events which can be promoted on Facebook and Twitter and/or in your local media - newspaper, radio, TV. They bring loads of traffic to your store and create a lot of excitment and anticipation!!

Yarn Bombing

Just select a day - National Knit in Public Day is June 11 - or perhaps there is something "happening" in your community at another time.

Select "something" to bomb -  local monument or point of interest, set something up in a park etc. (get permission) or just the front of your store (your permission) and decide how you are going to "cover" this with yarn.

Enlist the help of local knitters - use yarn from stashes and/or order some of our fabulous chunky Alpacalicious yarn on the cone to really get things going. Think of the cost as very inexpensive advertising.

This yarn is a very sturdy yarn - perfect for coats, outerwear and oh, yes bombings. The yarn on the cones is white, but accepts dye wonderfully. You may even have your bomb white to start and then dyed with Cool Aid after installation.

Chunky Ammunition for Yarn Bombings!

Pictures of Yarn Bombings on google

Optional - add a charity twist - we still have the site "knitforthecure.ca" - if you need a platform.

Have a great day! - Carol - www.infiknit.com

Lucky Day Diary Feb 18, 19, 2011

Sorry, I've had to do a bit of catch up because.....

1. Luckily, I've been busy since my daughter arrived home for reading week from Halifax.

2. She requested a dinner of tacos & tortillas.  We haven't had this in ages and it tasted great!!

3. It was again a balmy +10C, we could really dream of Spring!

4. I spent most of Saturday swatching for my lace shawl - Pisces.  It's coming along.

5. I managed our 3 - mile walk, which I hadn't done in a while.  Great to be back at it!

6. Vacuumed the house on Frday so Saturday was a free day. Sunday, I'll do the "bathroom."

7. Kids got home at a reasonable time in the evening - 1:30am - clubs stay open late!

Hope you had a great two day too!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 17, 2011

Sagittaruis Shawl from Queen Anne's lace

It was warm to-day - close to 10C. Here is my luck while waiting for Spring.....

1. I went to a midday meeting wearing a sweater - no heavy winter coat - what luck!

2. Sagittarius is blocked and fortunately, I like it! Now onto Pisces or maybe Gemini! P.S. It looks better on a person than a door!

3. Luckily, my car was ready for pick up today. It just took 11 days to put on a bumper. She may be 13 years old - but I love having her back!

4. I let the cats out today - so they could "shed" outside! Luck is a furless house!

5. Dinner, stew was made. Froze the soup stock for 2 more meals. Made fruit salad - lucky I had this burst of energy at the end of the day!


Tomorrow is lucky Friday!!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 16, 2011

Today it was about 5º or 6ºC - so mild - so lucky and....

1. I managed to get almost all of the Queen Anne's Lace patterns up on Patternfish. I have been meaning to do this for a long time! I just had a lucky spurt of energy!

CN Tower - Toronto 2010

2. Fortunately my son got accepted into two programs at George Brown College - Architectural Technology and Graphic Design!!! The pictures are part of his winning portfolio.

3. Luckily I remembered to make my lunch today - salmon salad sandwich - saved $5.00.

4. My husband opted to drive our son to his evening assessment at another college and we decided to make an evening of it, by going for a quick dinner during the 2.5hr assessment. Lucky timing!

Subway Toronto - 2010

5. Fortunately a friend of mine dropped in with her baby - lovely visit - thank you Meredith!

6. Luckily my husband didn't mind retrieving the day's papers which he inadvertently threw out, so I could do the crossword puzzles - comfort food for the mind!

Sorry, I'm a day late with this post - somethings aren't so lucky!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 15, 2011

It has turned cold again today - but sunny, luckily and today....

1. I had a nice chat with the 28-year-old at the office - lucky to be able to connect for longer than just "ships passing in the night."

2. Several shipments came in and patterns went out - I do like the regular rhythmns of life - I rarely find them boring - they are more comforting - lucky to not be angsting over something "else."

3. Someone posted to my FB that it was National Grover Appreciation Day. I have to believe that we were very lucky to have grown up with the quality programming of Sesame Street etc. I think that it may be another way of relating to people - a shared experience!

4. Lucky that my son mentioned that if I were planning to go more than a mile today, that I needed gas. Somehow I thought that an unlimited supply of gas came with the rental car.  I hadn't even found the gas gauge - lucky he did.


Not bad - well we can't have every day over the top and it's still February.  Hope you had a good day too!

Spirit of Ecstacy

Spirit of Ecstasy

What does a hood ornament have to do with knitting?  Well, first of all,  it isn't just any hood ornament; it is the hood ornament on a Rolls-Royce. The picture here is of the ornament on the Queen's Phantom VI. Now I understand that this figure on the Queen's car actually curtseys.  I'd have to see the ones on the common-garden-variety Rolls to compare.

Secondly there is a love story behind the figure. Apparently a certain Lord Montagu (1916) fell in love with Eleanor Velasco Thornton, a model. Well, because of his title, he could not marry her, so when he eventually married, within his class, he paid tribute to "Ellie" by having a silver nymph, cast in her likeness, mounted, as the hood ornament, on one of the most prestigious cars in the world!

Time passes and we find that the relationship didn't end with the marriage. Both the Lord and the lady (Ellie) were on a cruise to India when their boat was torpedoed. Ellie was lost at sea; Lord Montagu was rescued. All that remains now is a movie - coming later this year.

Dusk Shawl from Queen Anne's Lace

Now, the knitting part. When I saw the nymph, the flowing robes, the silver, I thought of lace - well that's true I am always thinking of lace - but I love the idea of a free spirit, riding around on the hood of a car, with her hair streaming behind, clothed only in a whisper of silk. The image is ethereal and knitted lace transports us to another world.

Dream in silver and lace and drive a Roll-Royce - or reasonable facsimile :)

Lucky Day Diary Feb 14, 2011

Well, today is Valentine's Day, so that in itself is lucky and I...

1. Luckily remembered it was a special day and decided to get something nice for dinner. I went to the "upscale" butchers (Cumbrae's) and bought a small piece of butterflied leg of lamb for dinner and some prepared brussel sprouts that were cooked with bacon and walnuts, yum. I decided to save on the potates, so I just did home fries with onions and mushrooms, because for some reason we had a lot of leftover potatoes.

Valentines Day 2011

2. My son did manage to get his portfolio finished in time, so we spent the morning at George Brown College, after we found it of course - you entered from an back alley off some tiny street, downtown - I did get a parking spot, though!

3. I also went out for a coffee, while at the college and found this little cafe that was right out of the 50's. It had a long counter with stools and a row of booths on the other side.  There may even have been a juke box with each booth, not sure. N. E. corner of Richmond and George, if you are near there. What luck!

4. Fortunately, I also managed to finish Saggittarius - pictures after it is blocked!!

5. My husband brought home flowers - tulips - and since we had cleared the kitchen table for portfolio making, we put everything on the dining room table. Here's the picture. Lucky to have an indoor garden!

6. Fortunately, I also remembered a friend telling me about a Scottish Fish & Chip place in Toronto that not only does deep fried Mars bars, but it also does deep fried Oreo cookies - thank you, Daniel - I could then post to my FB group - learn something new everyday - with this tidbit!

All in all it was a very good (lucky) day. Happy Valentines Day!!!

Valentine's Day

Chocolate Covered Cherries from Heartstrings

Originally known as St Valentine's Day, this day was set aside to honour various early Christian martyrs named Valentine, one of whom apparently wrote letters to parishioners explaining how God loved them. The tradition of sending "letters of love" on this day, obviously caught on and was firmly entrenched by the middle ages, with many references in Chaucer and other authors of the time to St. Valentine's Day and courtly love.

The idea of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day, came later and may somehow be linked to the belief that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Incidently, the term aphrodisiac comes from the name of the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, whose roman name is Venus - her son is Eros(Greek) or Cupid(roman). Chocolates may be love incarnate! Remember "Baci" means "kiss."

Falling in Love Scarf

Now, if you add in the various fertility feasts that were observed by pagan cultures at this time of year, you have quite a few reasons to celebrate in February. Also, I think that there is something about February that says, I need a "hug" or a "pick me up!"

Red Rose Shawl

And what better pick-me-up than the colour red, some roses, a box of chocolates, a pretty card and an "I Love You" greeting.  Knitters may want to try the sock and fingerless mitten patten form Heartstrings called "Chocolate Covered Cherries". It is a richly beaded set just perfect for the occasion.  Add to it Falling in Love scarf from Fiber Trends and you have a great match. At the risk of repetition, I have also added Red Rose Shawl, for the roses - because it's all about hearts, roses and chocolate!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 13, 2011

Today was quite a lucky day in the sense that...

1. It was about +5C and the snow was melting!

2. We had a lovely birthday party to attend in the afternoon!

3. My husband had made dinner the day before, cassoulet; so that was made!

4. We were able to get into my son's school to retrieve his sketch books for tomorrow's portfolio evaluation at George Brown College!  We were almost ready at midnight! Just a few things to finish off in the morning

5. Although we were a little short on submissions for artwork, I re-read the requirements and he could submit photography.  Well, he had spent the summer doing two credit courses in photography (we had to keep him busy) and he had a computer full of some amazing pictures -what luck! -  I'll ask him if I can (may) post a few tomorrow.

Not bad in the luck department and, of course, there was all the other luck that we just take for granted - not sick, no accidents, no major disruptions....just humming along is lucky in itself! and tomorrow is Valentine's Day!!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 12, 2011

It was a little grey and overcast today, but milder - it warmed up to zero- that was lucky and my other luck was...

1. We finally threw out the dead Paperwhites that had been on the table too long and decided to see if we could still plant the other 6 bulbs left over from Christmas because we didn't have a pot for them at the time. Well, what amazing luck.  They were still firm, hadn't sprouted and potted up well, with a view to blooming!

2. There was a lovely article in the paper about the hood ornament on a Rolls-Royce - Spirit of Ecstasy - it began with a love story and this year it celebrates it's 100th birthday. I will be doing another post on it's relation to knitting, soon.

3. Marta McCall posted to my FB wall picture of a handbag made of raspberries. This gave me an idea to do a post on knitted fruit hats - a lucky boost in blog creativity!

4. Fortunately, I remembered that I won't be in the office on Monday, so I could get a few things set up now, for then.

5. Also fortunately, we decided to get the 17-year-old started on the final stages of his portfolio submission for 9:00am Monday morning at the college. Just as well we did, because we discovered that, not only did the photographs of his artwork have to be printed, they also had to be mounted, with written description of the work. Plus he needed 15 pieces, not 10 (he was reading the instructions for another college) and he needed his sketch books, which were at school (closed until Monday morning, unless we could work some magic). It was 5:30 Saturday afternoon and the stores close at 6:00 - mad dash to get more photographic paper and mounting boards, xacto knife, tape, etc..etc...

I am lucky that I have survived, so far - but since I still angst over the 28-year-old - I know that I have years of this ahead! Where's that little engine that could...?

Hope you had a great day!

Berry nice knitting

Fulvio Bonavia

After seeing this bag which was posted to my FB wall, I decided to look at how knitters have interpreted fruit in knitting.

The most classic of patterns is Fruit Caps from Ann Norling.

Strawberry Hat from Ann Norling

This is a pattern to knit a child's strawberry hat, with variations that include a raspberry hat, as well. You can also turn the hat into a pumpkin with the addition of ribs of purl stitches.



Another pattern from Ann Norling is one that looks like a watermelon - very lovely.

Berry Cute from Fiber Trends

Fiber Trends has also interpreted the raspberry hat in a very different way and added a pumpkin and pineapple version too!

There is something very irresistible about a hat that looks like a berry or a flower or an animal. Not only is it the element of surprise - a handbag made of berries! - but we can bring all the delicious sweetness of the berries to the hat or bag. With animal motifs, we bring all the "cuteness" of the animal to the garment.

Patrick's Pumpkin from Fiber Trends

I remember once seeing a scarf that looked like a school bus. It had all the fun of the first day of school or a class trip!

The demand for "style" probably trumps this type of playfulness in adult hats; but kids still understand the idea of fun and that's why knitting for them can be so much fun!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 11, 2011

It's Lucky Friday - still cold; but the forecast is for better weather and my luck today is....

1. I'm very lucky in that my insurance company has decided to pay for the repairs to my 13-year-old car - hurray!!! She's not a write-off!!

2. I was talking to a knitter, whom I have  known for a long time. She was saying how much she liked the Queen Anne's Lace Patterns (she didn't know that they were my designs). Her closing comment was: "Boy, Queen Anne's Lace and Fiddlesticks have to be the best in lace patterns!" I felt very lucky to be able to hear this comment, first hand.

3. Marta McCall posted to my FB wall a picture of a handbag made from raspberries and I went to look for some more and found this broccoli bag. They are part of the cover of a book about the culinary achievements of Fulvio Bonavia. Lucky to have seen these - they are just so cool!

4. The seventeen-year-old vacuumed the stairs, without being asked. Well it turns out he needed money. This may have been a $5.00 job, which he decided was a $10.00 job, which he then escalated to $15.00, because he did it while he was "sick" (not sick enough to stay in, though). Lucky he did it with a sense of humour, which put me in a good mood and I let him get away with it this time! Lucky we can still rationalize!

5. BBq'd chicken from the supermarket with shawarma spices - I'm not wild about the taste of cinnamon and chicken - but it's really all about the fat anyway; isn't it! Lucky to be able to have this at all - no complaints!

An interesting Lucky Friday and tomorrow is Saturday!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 10, 2011

I'm a little late in the Good Luck review of my day yesterday - it took a little longer to sort out the good from the not so good; but.....

1. Fortunately today, I found out that they were finally going to appraise the damaged bumper on my 13-year-old Honda Civic and tell me whether the car is a write-off or not!

2. Luckily I had a bit of a free day yesterday, as I took my son to write an English test for one of the Colleges that he has applied to. (or to which he has applied)  I just sat around and knit until he was finished the test!

3. Fortunately, it was sunny again today, though still cold -15C.

4. I have remembered to make my lunch every day this week and have luckily saved about $25.00.

5. Also, fortunately, a friend of mind found out that a friend of hers is someone that I had worked with about 25 years ago. What I coincidence, so I was able to get a quick update, always lots of fun!

6. Finally, when I was backing up, while looking for a parking spot in an already "full" lot, I backed into a parking standard with the rental car - my heart sank, because I could see another deductible of $500.00 on top of the deductible that I was paying for the repairs to my old car - I could barely get out of the car and look - well, I couldn't see a mark - nothing - nada - whew - was that ever lucky!!

I promise I'll be earlier tomorrow - have a great evening

Lucky Day Diary Feb 9, 2011

Another bright sunny day; but -15C and my luck today was....

1. With the help of my husband and two sons, we managed to get the rental car out of the parking spot!  What luck!

2. Also Julia was in to help today because the orders were piling up! We may luckily be out of the recession.

3. Dinner was already made - stew - tasted great!

4. I had to make a few sensitive business calls today and fortunately they went well. I have been putting them off - glad I finally made them!

5. Beacuse I have joined a FB group, for the  month, with the focus of learning something new everyday, I pulled out the dictionary and found "neologist," which is a person who uses or invents new words. It was a lucky find!  Please give me your new words and I will endeavour to use them!

6. Fortunately, my son takes ages to get "ready" because I was able to complete this post!  Luck is where you find it or look for it!

Getting closer to lucky Friday!  Hope you had a good day too!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 8, 2011

Today my horoscope wasn't as grim as yesterday so it should be a luckier day!  Let's see....

1. Fortunately, my husband's office is not that far from home, so he was able to come back and give my son and I a lift to school/work, when the rental car didn't make it out of the parking spot. I'm sure old Betsy would have!

2. Also, I'm lucky I didn't have to walk to work. Although it was lovely and sunny, it was around -20C with a wind chill.

3. I was thrilled when one of the designers, whose patterns I distribute, said that I had sold more of her patterns in one month than the competition has in three. Lucky to have made two people happy today!

4. Fortunately, OCAD (the art college) rescheduled their trip to the cadaver lab, so my eldest wouldn't miss out on this event. Yes, Virginnia, luck may be found almost anywhere!

5. I had a meeting after work and got home about 8:00pm. Luckily I remember to look up into the sky - there was Orion, resplendent, in the south sky!

A much better day than yesterday and tomorrow is "hump" day!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 7, 2011

My horoscope said that I would need "help" today.......so this is the luck we found amid the "gloom"....

1. It was a lovely day, fortunately, with thick fluffy flakes of snow creating lots of magic.

Serena Gundy Park - Feb. 2011 Toronto

2. Luckily the my car's bumper, which had become dislodged, didn't completely fall off while I was driving to the dealership to have it fixed.

3. Fortunately, also, I have car insurance, which covers a rental car and some hefty charges to stick a bumper back on!

4. Because of the snow, I was, luckily, able to take some nice pictures to put towards creating a slide show of my lace designs. Here are the pictures for Snowy Evening Shawl.

Snowy Evening Shawl

5. Made two dinners tonight from left overs - chili and curried lentil soup, luckily I had enough leftovers for both.

6. Also we were quite fortunate to be able to contact the guidance teacher at my son's school, after school hours, because one of the colleges that he had applied to said that he didn't have the required courses to register. There had apparently been a computer glitch and his marks were not showing. Got my fingers crossed that there will be no other problems as a result.

I did need help today and knowing that I had to focus on the positive for the diary helped immensely!! Tomorrow is another day!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 6, 2011

It's Sunday and a little milder outside so...

1. We could fortunately take an hour's walk to the Indian restaurant that is part of Winterlicious and have a great three course lunch for only $25.00. We could then walk back for another hour and hopefully wear some of it off!

2. Luckily, I was also able to find a cone of yarn that was the same dye lot as the lace weight yarn that I was knitting Sagittarius in, because with just 32 sts. to go before the knitted on border was finished I ran out of yarn!

3. In spite of the snow, my husband still manages to BBQ outside, so fortunately we were able to have BBQ'd salmon for dinner which always makes it feel like summer!

4. I happened to peek into my son's room and actually saw him with a text book on his lap, doing his homework. This is amazing!!

5. Luckily when the police came to the door just before mid-night, it was because my husband had left the interior lights on in his car and nothing worse - still a little unnerving!

Not bad for an unauspicious first week of February - now for the second week!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 5, 2011

It's Saturday so that is lucky in itself; but also.....

1. Today I learned the term Festina Lente - make haste slowly, so fortunately I was able to post to the FB group that has challenged members of the group to try to learn something new everyday. I also answered my friend who posted it with "tempus fugit" - time flies.

2. Fortunately, also, the weather held and I could do my three mile walk.

3. It snowed in the evening and freshened up the old stuff. Fresh snow is always pretty, unless it's in April or May - not there yet!

4. I just felt like watching a movie and luckily we had one available.  It was a little old - "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" - I read the book years ago while on holiday in Hilton Head - near Savannah. - but it was so nice to see sun and people wearing summer clothes - very enjoyable!

5. Fortunately my husband was able to book a table for lunch tomorrow at an Indian restaurant that is part of "Winterlicious." This is a two-week event which a group started a few years agao to deal with a down time in the restaurant industry. Restaurants that are part of Winterlicious offer a 3 course, fixed price, menu at $25.00, $30.00 or $35.00. It has really caught on - so much so that it is really difficult to get bookings even for lunch.  It's an amazing marketing idea that has turned an otherwise dismal time into a real crowd pleaser!  Now if I could only do that with yarn in the summer!

Not bad for early February and I will cash in my winning lottery ticket ($20.00) tomorrow!

A Hat By Any Other Name.....

Alveare

Since I'm sitting here, just needing to write - (I wonder what is passing through my House of Letters today?) - I thought that I would define some of the names that Woolly Wormhead has given her amazing hats. One of the first is Alveare, which in Italian means "beehive" or in biology, "snail". The image is of a graceful conical shape. Think "Chambered Nautilus" and you have the romance of the swirl.

I think that this is the perfect slouchy hat. Subtle changes in the knit and purl stitches create the idea of a swirl, which is so flattering in any form and especially a hat. Knit one in DK cotton for the summer.



Ironically this year is also the 50th anniversary of the year of the "Beehive" hair-do. Shown to perfection on Audrey Hepburn

Arabacia

The second unusual name is Arabacia which is a type of spiney sea urchin. Woolly Wormhead has certainly taken the sting out of any urchin in this lovely hat with bobbles for accent!

Arabacia is a little more formal than Alveare, perfect with suits and Sunday bests. Try it in pink as an alternative to the classic "pillbox." Arabacia is knit in fingering weight yarn for a lovely drape and fine finish.

There is romance in a name. Depth is given to items (and people) by association with the name(s) they have been assigned. Language is an art, painting pictures with words!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 4, 2011

It's the second day of the year of the rabbit and I was lucky....

1. To win $20.00 in the lottery - up from $5.00 in the year of the Tiger!

2. To find this link on my Facebook wall to a site that shows you how to take second hand sweaters and make them your own. The title of the post is Embellish Knit Month. Personally I think that February should be National Sweater Month partly because the World Wild Life Fund has declared February 17 as National Sweater Day and partly because February needs a project!

3. To have joined the FB site Learn Something New Every Day . Sorry you'll have to log into FB for this. But I also get to see what everyone else has learned too.  It starts in earnest Feb 8!

4. That some more awesome orders came in today!  They keep me going! I did have to make phone calls to get them; but they pay the rent!

5. To have read a review of a book on how to construct a sentence. It's grammar that the twitter generation might take to heart and it speaks to the former English teacher in me. How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish. It's reviewed here. Now can I afford the $22.99 to buy it?

6. That we had "take out" (bring in) pasta from the supermarket - perfect end to lucky Friday and tomorrow is the weekend!

Hope you had a Lucky Day too.

Lucky Day Diary Feb 3, 2011

The year of the Rabbit has to be a lucky one and this is the first day.......so I was lucky that I .....

1. Got out of the parking spot again - a little jockeying back and forth, because of the fresh snow, but I did it - and I may add with style.  This is becoming an art form - maybe not quite the level of a "Flying Camel" in figure skating - but definitely a practised maneuver!

2. Got some awesome orders in. Thank you!

3. Came up with a topical pattern presentation for Feb 3.

4. Bought the last Cranberry Orange scone at the Second Cup!

5. Maintained amazing self control during the four hours that I was trying to link a new slide show album to my weblog.

6. The 18-year-old actually remembered to bring home the "good" camera he borrowed. He didn't lose it and it didn't get stolen - What luck!

7. Fixed the door on my daughter's room so the cats wouldn't get in and make a mess. I did have to take off the little plate on the door jamb and bring it out about a quarter of an inch. It's amazing how many uses there are for a used Excel gum package.  It's probably right up there with 101 uses for a bottle opener - including prying open a frozen car door. Who needs expensive tools when you have ingenuity!

....and tomorrow is lucky Friday!!!

The Year of the Rabbit....

Bunny Hat from Woodsmoke Woolwork

Here are my offerings for the year of the Rabbit, to help you get a "jump" :) on sales. 

These are the amazing hats, mitts and socks from Woodsmoke Woolworks! Barb Telford of WW has 15 simply wonderful hats to which she has added mitts and socks.  

Well we don't have mitts and socks for all the hats but we do have them for some of the "best sellers!"

Shown here are Bunny Hat with Carrots and matching Bunny Mitts (separate pattern) and Bunny Socks (separate pattern) . 

Bunny and Carrot Mitts

Bunny and Carrot Socks

Barb's design signature is the whimsical "danglies" that hang from each garment. These patterns are sized from child to adult, for those among us who are still fascinated by childhood.

I have included the Sheep Hat pattern which also has separate patterns for socks and mitts and The Frog Hat pattern for some added "leaps" to the year of the Rabbit. Frog Hat also has matching patterns for mitts and socks!

Sheep Hat

Water Lilles and Frogs Hat

Lucky Day Diary Feb 2, 2011

Lucky groundhog Day.....

1. I can dream lucky and believe that because the groundhog didn't see his shadow, we will have just two more weeks of winter - wake me when it's over!

2. Fortunately, I was able to get to the bank today, in spite of the snow, and in the Random Acts of Kindness category, (February is Random Acts of Kindness Month) the receptionist at the bank saw me in line and brought over the cheques that I had ordered, so I didn't have to go through another line up! Very lucky!

3. I didn't pay for parking and luckily I didn't get a ticket - the snow was just too high to climb over, and yesterday the machine was broken anyway.  I'll pay twice the next time!

4. Fortunately, also a few years ago we handed the task of doing laundry over to the then 16-year-old. He's the fashion plate in the house and rather than have him complain about not having clothes washed, it suddenly became his resposibility to have them washed! He's a little erratic - but the laundry is done!

5. Also luckily the neighbour who decided to shovel his walk at 4:30am yesterday, decided to sleep in today and so could we! Sounds of the city.

Things will be picking up from now on - The year of the Rabbit starts tomorrow!!

Lucky Day Diary Feb 1, 2011

It's a new month and that always suggests a lucky start....

1. Fortunately, I was able to first, find my Groundhog mitten, then take a picture of it for my Feb 2 post on Groundhog Day.

2. There may actually be a snow day tomorrow, which will be lucky for my youngest, who is still in High School, but unlucky for the eldest who was supposed to go with his university art class to the medical school's cadaver lab to study anatomy first hand. It's hard to please everyone.

3. Dinner was stew that had been made on Sunday. Warming up is always luckier than having to start from scratch!

4. In the mood again for knitting, fortunately, so nearly finished the shawl.

5. Lucky too that I could stay at home tonight.  The snow has started.

Not bad for the first - let's see how lucky we will be tomorrow, Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog mitten from Infiknit

If the groundhog sees his shadow, the belief is there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow there will be only two more weeks of winter. We wish that there would only be six more weeks of winter! When you live in the North, Spring at the end of March is a blessing.

Various definitions suggest that Groundhog Day was a nod to Imbolc and Candlemas early festivals that celebrated the arrival of Spring, by observing the animals as they stirred out of hibernation.

I think that the best evolution so far is the chance to see Bill Murray again, and again, and again - in the movie Groundhog Day! I am a "Ghost Busters" groupie.

I set about a while ago to create some mittens that looked like field animals and I decided that I had to have a goundhog. Well, here he is!

Rabbit Mitten from Infiknit

Anyway, at this time of year, anything to cause a stir and seemingly hasten the arrival of Spring, is a diversion. We now have only 12 days to Valentine's Day and 15 days to Sweater Day on February 17. February is a short month, so we'll soon be into March - where has the time gone :)

White rabbits are always in a hurray!  Enjoy!

Lucky Day Diary Jan 31, 2011

It's another sunny day today and...

1. Luckily my son got his act together and submitted all that was needed for one program at Ryerson. We just have 4 more to do!

2. Fortunately also my daughter called at the appointed time (once a week from university) and discussed baseball with her Dad - a sure sign of Spring.

3. I remembered, luckily, that is was Februaury 1 tomorrow St Brigid's Day so I could post about the sweater St Brigid's Well by Alice Starmore.

4. Small roast chicken for dinner to night (they were on sale). So that meant mashed potatoes and gravy. Comfort foods on sale are lucky finds!

5. Picked up my new glasses today. I'm lucky that they took just 5 days, not 10 to be delivered. I can now read the fine print!

6. Fortunately, I remembered that I hadn't uploaded this post or I would have missed a day!

Bring on February!

St. Brigid's Well

Imbolc

February 1 is St. Brigid's Day or Imbolc - the Irish festival marking the beginning of Spring.  The other Irish festivals that follow the seasons are - Beltane (May 1), Lughnasadh (Aug. 1) and Samhain (Nov 1.) On these days, the ancient Irish believed that the water of the "otherworld" entered our world through the holy wells, scattered throughout Ireland, and gave us divine inspiration. Many believe that this still happens today. I think that it must for Goddess Knits. The pictures are of her divinely inspired shawls - awesome, ethereal offerings, touched by spirits from another world.

Beltain

Alice Starmore, another amazing artist, must have received some missive from the Otherworld before she created the beautiful cabled sweater entitled Brigid's Well. It has been knit many times by many people around the world. Here is the magical Brigid's Well. The book had just recently been re-published!

Lughnasadh

For those who wish to experience this magic first hand, there are apparently more than 3,000 sacred wells in Ireland.  Not only do people believe that you receive inspiration in these holy places, but, they also believe that you may be able to communicate with the souls of the Otherworld. This is especially true on Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is very thin and spirits may be seen in scared places. Here is a link to the holy wells of Ireland.

Samhain

I love days like Imbolc or the feast of St Brigid, however it was derived. It reminds me that there is this "otherworldliness," that so many artists seem to be connected to. (to which so many artists seem to be connected). I really do believe that there are times when we somehow feel that we have experienced another world. It's Deja Vu or "someone just walked on my grave" or you know the feeling.

And there are places in this world where this belief is firmly ensconced. Ireland is one. Newfoundland is another. Maybe it's just where the celts are. I love the way they have preserved the magic.  So often, we need an escape and they have kept the faith and provided us with one!

Brigid's Well by Alice Starmore

Happy St. Brigid's Day!