The sun is shining, the temps have plummeted once again, grrr. We just bought a new dining set to cheer us up!

It's been a pleasant day today...sunny and ?mild? I went out with B to his doc appointment and then to "The Brick" to buy a new table and new chairs for the dining room. A big sale. These will be delivered on Tuesday and because they are from "The Brick", all pieces need a coat or two of varnish before we use them.

I've been uploading (well trying to) photos to my Flickr account so I could post them on "Ravelry" - a site for knitters. I do like the feature on Ravelry that allows me to document my knitting projects and all the details I forget over time.

I completed a beret, a 4-day knit; I love fast projects. I knit this beret last year in a colour called "Fire", this colour is called "Shade" I believe, same yarn - "Freedom Spirit", a soft wool from the U.K. - and it's a nice mix of gray and mauve. I made the beret a bit bigger and slouchier, which I liked, but then it was a bit too big around the opening...so I tried felting it for 5 minutes in the washer...perfect!! The fabric is now nicely windproof and fits perfectly. But I think I've found a new passion - felting!! Boots or bags anyone?

Yesterday I craved a hamburg and fries! So I made some extra-lean little burgers that we have now named "little bugers". I had one with a few shoestring oven "fries", and my boy had 3 bacon - cheese bugers and a big plate of fries. It's all about compromise isn't it?

Aren't they too cute?

It's done....the slouchy cardigan...well almost, the hood or a neck finish is optional and I haven't decided on that yet. I'm happy with this sweater, it is cozy, soft and will be a good-all'round comfy sweater to pull on over anything.

I just love this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

check it out

Enough snow already!!!! This is NOT the snowbelt.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=289950

Yay...it's February and we're way past the half-way mark of winter. Before the next big snowfall, we're in the middle of a melt down. Looking at this wet garden, I'm thankful I don't have wee kids or dogs playing out there anymore!

I'm been knitting and knitting and knitting to get this "Slouchy Cardigan" done. I'm so slow but there are only so many nights I can sit, pop in a DVD and knit.

very slow

very lazy

snuggled up and knitting

that is my idea of heaven

and the way one should spend winter

with movies

"Away From Her"...I sobbed through the entire movie, the tender bits and the sad bits. Sarah Polley is brilliant. "Juno" ...I found funny and smart and very sparky. "Atonement" was visually beautiful in all respects - hair/makeup/fashion/set decoration/the gardens/the mansions - and a lovely broody movie. I want to rent "La Vie en Rose" and then I should be on my way and ready for the Oscars!

I was browsing on eBay and looking for a certain sweater pattern, as I often do. And today I found it! This is the first sweater I ever made and of course I copied my pal as she started the sweater before me. This was back in 1970-something, maybe 1975 or 1976? I still have my original sweater, in grey, a little small but I still like it.

I think the modern version of this very retro sweater would be this handknit beauty designed by Stella McCartney.And perhaps another modern version would be Anna's "Flicca"...a pattern I have purchased and still look at longingly...waiting for the right yarn to go on sale!

Anyway..............the point is............winter is the time to snuggle down and knit.

It's winter.

New "do" ......and check out that Pashmina...a gift from my pal....I love the colour. Hair seems to be the topic of late.

I don't really like my hair long, or short, dark or light...(I'm think'n sometimes headscarves aren't such a bad idea..ummm maybe too hot though) and so when I went to visit Katherine this week she finally could do whatever she wanted. I came to her without pictures or ideas just desires lol. She clapped her hands and voila. A haircut perfect for Africa, India, Costa Rica, You Get The Picture - no trouble "do" at all. Not much hair at all, really.

I'm knitting - socks; and I've picked up my "slouchy cardigan" again...I think I will love this sweater to wear over"p.j's" post-op. Yikes less than 2 months now. I have lists to make.

I saw "Attonement" last weekend and really enjoyed it...though provoking....quandering type of movie that was visually beautiful. I had not read the book and I knew that I would not have gotten through it. The movie was fantastic for me. I hope to see "Juno", and maybe even a bit of a slush-fluff like "P.S. I Love You". Why not?

I've been experimenting with recipes from my new Christmas cookbooks - Jamie's and Nigella's. Trying to adapt the wonderful flavours to something more ww-approved.

My Most favourite Christmas gift - from my Pal Leslie

First the original photo - that is me looking at the (off-season) deserted film set of "Random Passage" in Trinity, Newfoundland. I love Newfoundland.

And look what Leslie did with that photo.......I love them...my very own stamps.....The top portion -the big picture and one stamp will be framed once I find a frame..the stamps I will use but only to very special people of course. So, if you get some snail-mail from me...check the stamp.

First knitting project of the year - socks. I am determined this year to make socks that actually fit. I think I have it now - tiny needles, 2 mm. bamboo which are lovely to use, an ancient "BeeHive" sock pattern and "Trekking XXL" yarn. A few adjustments along the way and I have my own pattern.

The snow. I bought snowboots this year....for the past decade or so, my trusty Blundstones (with woolly socks) were sufficient for most of our winters. Not so this year...that pile of snow across the street is about 8' high and we have literally run out of places to put the snow! A melt-down is in the forecast though.

A set of wonderful "Cosmo" Glasses...the Eifel Tower! I love them!
Honourable Son #2 browsing for Boxing Day Sales.

The backyard tree...coated in ice.

Christmas 2007

A gift to Bryan...a collage of all the momentos I could find from our trip to Europe in 1974! I think he liked it!

Big beautiful tree

Stop snowing!!

Adam & Sab



The garden. There was a little bit of an avalanche on the globe cedar. Hope the wee birds survived...this is their favourite place to shelter...sometimes the birds poke their little heads up and the globe cedar looks like it is decorated with birds.

More decking of the halls

and some pics of our gift to ourselves...those beautiful wood floors!

Deck the halls.....

I'm dreaming...of India...the trip of a lifetime that I've always wanted to take. To Goa. Yoga. Tents. Beaches. Here is the place I dream of visiting one day. http://www.yogamagic.net/

So much work to be done....hardwood floors will be installed Tuesday in the living room and dining room. Both rooms have to be emptied, to the bare walls. Good time to purge and clean and clear out. Finding places to move the stuff to. Thankful for 2 boys to do the heave-hoing. Painting the new baseboards. Paint touch-ups on the walls. Finding lots of cobwebbs.

First 'bigger' snowfall of the season. Pretty isn't it? It will be gone in a few days and we'll back to the usual grey dark and damp November days.

Bright blue sky

Brilliant sparkly snow

Crisp fresh air

A quiet hush

In a few months I'll be cursing the weather.

I'm having knitting issues, frustrating knitting issues. These issues include lack of motivation to get something done, errors in my knitting, too many projects on the "go" and I can't settle down to finish anything. Sound familiar? And the biggest issue of all - FIT - this is such a challenge for me. And so I picked up a sock I started in the spring and abandoned for summer knitting and even this sock is not FITTING. Huge. Maybe I can gift it to someone with bigger feet than mine. Frrrrrrustrating sometimes. Even the orange hemp top I have been knitting forEVer is not working out. Here's a picture before I get out my ball winder and pull the whole darn thing apart - again!

First snowfall of the season and the progress of my "slouchy cardigan"

Today I spent some time outside putting the garden to bed....big empty spaces...bright little maple in the field - corkscrew hazel in front....fire and pumpkins.