Awesome Thursday: August 30, 2012

It's almost the end of the work week, leading into a holiday weekend, and I couldn't be happier! This past week has been awesome, I can't wait to share.

• Work has been somewhat hilarious. Some of our customers are completely crazy (in a good way) and many of them have been in the past week. One of my favourites is a gentleman in his mid 60s. He comes in and gives me a "hard time" trying to confuse me asking for beers we don't sell, or wines or what have you. I tell him to smarten up, and he apologizes. Then he asks me if I know any "hot ladies" in their 60s, cause he's single and looking. Goofy things like that are what make me love my job even more.
• Rick made some awesome lentil soup the other day. It's super tasty, and really healthy. I've been eating lots of it.
• I got my blocking wires in the mail finally! I haven't used them, as I've been working a bunch, but I hope to use them soon. I have the space to stretch out items to be blocked, which is awesome.
• I got to see my friends Katie, Nick and Shane last Friday during my day in Windsor. I love seeing them, and to see all of them in one day was great.
• I have a couple days off coming up, which is a nice change from the nearly 3 weeks I had without one day off.

What sorts of awesome things are going on in your lives?

My Life Lately

1) I spent this past weekend at my parents house, so I could work in the beer tent at the local festival with them. We've been doing it for years, and I look forward to it at the start of every summer. We did really well, and on Saturday night, sold out of one of the three types of beer we have.

2) Friday was spent in Windsor for an appointment, lunch and dinner with friends. I had a few summery drinks that day, and just had an excellent time.

  a) The first drink was a Somersby hard cider. I don't know about elsewhere, but all the trendy hipster kids around here are drinking it. It's popular to the point that nearly all the liquor stores sell out within the first 24 hours of receiving it. I will say it's not bad, but I felt like I was drinking ever so slightly fizzy apple juice. It was served with ice, and I don't care for ice in my drinks, especially when the flavours aren't very strong to begin with.
  b) My second drink was a Mill St Lemon Tea beer. If you're in Ontario, this is a must try. It's not citrusy to the point where it's overwhelming. Plus, the lemon and tea actually taste like the real thing. It's not a fake tasting flavour like some of the lemon/lime/tea beers available now.
  c) Third drink of the day was a Magners hard cider. This is leaps and bounds better than the Somersby. It was refreshing, nicely carbonated, and actually tasted like cider, not juice. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be getting this again. I might go pick some up this week from the LCBO. (The LCBO is the only place in Ontario when one can buy spirits. The Beer Store is precisely that, a store to buy just beer)
3) Dinner was divine. The last two drinks I had were at Phog, which is my most favourite bar in the whole entire world. Phog has Phood, the most important ones being Phries and Poutine. I got a Phonion, which is a poutine made with onion rings instead of Phries. The gravy is vegetarian or vegan, I can't remember which, the cheese curds are phantastic (I had to) and the cook knows how much I like mushrooms, so he puts a bunch on there for me. If It wasn't for the health concerns associated with it, and the fact that I live a 40 minute drive away, I would eat this every day.

4) Saturday morning, the festival parade went right past my parents house. Growing up, it took a different route, so we had to walk a couple blocks to see it. I definitely appreciate the proximity now, more than I would have when I was little. The parade was about an hour long, which is what it usually is, but there were large gaps between some of the floats, which isn't how it usually is. I was busy catching candy with the granddaughters of my Mom's friend to take photos of the parade itself. I only managed to get this one shot of some of the fire trucks at the very end.

5) Sunday, I packed up all my stuff, and went to a surprise party for my aunt. My Mom and I stopped at The Beer Store to pick up some Twisted Tea. This stuff is super good. It's a malt-based cooler, and you truly don't notice the alcohol until you've had a few and try to stand up!
6) I've made some progress on all my knitting projects. I have three on the go currently, and they're coming along nicely. I have lots of plans for what to knit, as well as possibly re-opening my Etsy shop by September.
Overall, this weekend was great. It was a very nice little break from work, even though I worked just as hard at the beer tent.
How was your weekend?

Monday Magic: August 27, 2012

Happy Monday everyone! This past weekend was a busy one, so I haven't had a chance to blog. I'm going to attempt to post about it all tomorrow, if I can get Blogger to cooperate with me. I was having a rough time yesterday so I saved it as a draft, and I'll try again later.

First up for this week's Monday Magic, is a knitting pattern from Tiny Owl Knits. The creator, Stephanie, has some beautiful patterns, and Deer With Little Antlers is possibly my favourite. Actually scratch that, it's my second favourite, right after the BeeKeepers Quilt. I read her entire blog recently, and I really enjoyed it. She is incredibly inspiring, and just makes some gorgeous stuff. She's also a fantastic singer, and you can watch one of her videos here.

Next, we have another pattern. This one is called Springtime Bandit. I'm a sucker for a nice triangle shawl, as you might already know, and the patterning in this one is lovely. It matches a beret called Springtime in Philadelphia, which is also really pretty. I can definitely see this shawl looking awesome in a dark grey, or a bright blue. This pattern is free, so that definitely adds to its appeal.

Lastly, a gorgeous skein of hand dyed yarn. This skein is by CandySkein and is called Rainbow Fruit Chews. Normally, I don't go for highly variegated yarns, but this one is so out there, it's awesome. If I got a skein of this, I might consider knitting a pair of socks, or commission someone to make some for me, haha. I also think it would look great as a drop stitch scarf, such as this one.
I hope you enjoyed my selections this week! If you want one of your knitting related items included, feel free to leave a comment!

Monday Magic: August 20, 2012

It's Monday, and it's my "little" brother's birthday!! André is 19 today, and well over 6 feet tall, so really, I can't get away with saying little brother anymore. Today is also my cousin Jake's birthday. And my friends Steve and Colin are also celebrating their birthdays. Holy crap, most intense birthdate ever!

Anyway, I woke up just before 5 this morning, and I wasn't able to get back to sleep. So I finally rolled out of bed a little after 6, and I've been up since. I played some online games, and read a few blogs.

Here are some neat things I've come across this past week.

First up is the Abra Alba pattern. These wrist warmers are beautiful! I love the different coloured scallops. It's a free pattern, and it looks fairly easy. I've been gazing at the pictures of them imagining different colour combinations. The best one I've come up with is a greyscale version, and a close second is purples. But really, they would look great in nearly any colour. There is a small amount of crochet involved in this pattern, but I think I could figure it out well enough to do it.

Secondly is this beautiful purple and grey tweed yarn from GeckoYarns on Etsy. I came across this shop searching for yarn to make hexi-puffs (I'm thinking about making a Bee-Keepers Quilt), and I found some absolutely stunning yarns. I love the tweed look this yarn has, which happened due to the mixed content of the yarn. One strand is superwash, and the other two are not. So many pretty colours in this shop.

Last but not least, are the new Sunstruck wood interchangeable needles from KnitPicks. These are SO pretty. I wish they'd come out a couple months earlier, as I would have gotten them instead of the Harmony needles I purchased a little while ago. I love my needles, but there is something about the blonde wood that is just stunning. I think it would be easier to see the individual stitches on a solid coloured wood, rather than the different layers of colour. Regardless, I love my needles. If I ever need to buy another set, I will definitely be getting these ones, though.

I hope your Monday is going well!

Awesome Thursday: August 16, 2012

The work week is coming to a close for many of you, and I am past half way through my 17 day work stretch! Time to celebrate! Here are the awesome things going on in my life this past week:

• I worked at a different store on Sunday. Like I said last week, I was going to work in the next town over for a day, as they were short staffed. The two ladies I worked with were wonderful, it wasn't super busy, and I had fun!
• Last night, I worked with two women from other stores. It was nice working with women for a change. The two of them are super nice, and we worked really well together.
• My purse broke last night (which is a bummer, but I can probably get it fixed) so that means I will be buying a new one! I blogged about it here. I will be buying the same bag in a different colour. So affordable, durable (I put mine up to a LOT of abuse) and it's the perfect size.
• I went out for frozen yogurt last night on my break at work. A new independent ice cream/froyo place opened recently a 30 second walk from work, and I finally had the chance to check it out. Self serve, lots of toppings, and just all around pretty awesome! I will probably be going back tonight!

Well, that's just some of the great stuff going on this past week. I'm off to have a donut with Rick and his grandparents.

Monday Magic: August 13, 2012

I hope your work week is off to a great start! I'm in the middle of a 17+ day stretch of work, so it feels like an endless Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday cycle to me. I'm back with another exciting instalment of  Monday Magic, and I have some pretty interesting things to share this week.

The first is some beautiful hand dyed yarn by Jill Draper. I've looked through her shop a few times, and I keep coming back to the laceweight. This gorgeous Aquamarine colourway is one of my favourites. I love the slight colour change between sky blue and white. The yarn is a wool-silk blend, which is pretty much my favourite combination. I am definitely going to buy some of the yarn from this shop when my stash diet is over! There is also the option of sock yarn subscriptions, where you play on very reasonable price, and get a skein of hand dyed sock yarn shipped to you at the beginning of every month! That would be pretty awesome.

This is first time I've shared a knitting pattern as part of Monday Magic, which is kind of surprising, and this one is pretty sweet. You are probably aware that I am a big fan of triangle shawls, based on how many I've made, talked and tweeted about. This is a nice variation on that idea. The Shipshape Shawl is like a triangle with extra tails. It would look so nice draped around ones shoulders. I love the stripes, but I bet a solid colour would look just as nice. It's only $5, and that includes instructions for a shawl and shawlette. If I made this, it would probably be in a nice dark grey and burgundy, or a medium grey and bright pink. So many colour options. It would look great in beige and some neon colour, like all those hipster kids are wearing these days.

The last item for this week is a set of stitch markers. I usually just use a scrap of yarn to mark my stitches, but these are super cute, and I might have to get myself a set. I really enjoy some of the variations on Keep Calm and Carry On, my favourite being "Carry Yarn". They look just the right size to be readable, but not so large to get in the way, or affect stitch tension.

If you would like to see some of your knitting related items in a future edition of Monday Magic, feel free to leave a comment! 

Awesome... Saturday?

This week has been bonkers, work-wise, and I haven't had the energy after work to do much of anything. I know, excuses, excuses, but it's the truth! Here is a snippet of the awesome things going on in my life as of late:

• Chopped my hair! It's just past chin length now, with choppy layers, just like I like it. I will definitely go back to see the same stylist.
• I donated some hair for wig making! I didn't think it would be long enough, but it just barely made the cut. (Pun noted, and poor, but it was better than "it made it by a hair")
• I'm working at a different store tomorrow. The store in the next town over is short staffed, so they are borrowing me for the day. It will be nice to mix things up a bit.
• My hand isn't hurting anymore. About a week and a half ago, I hurt my hand, I'm assuming at work, and it's finally feeling back to normal. Not sure what I did, but I'm glad it's passed!
• I'm finally getting into the work groove. Before, I was completely beat after 8 hours, and I had no energy to do anything. I'm now able to actually stay awake for longer than an hour after work. And I'm knitting pretty much every day!

What sorts of awesome things are going on in your lives?

Monday Magic: August 6, 2012

I took a little time away from doing my Monday Magic posts because of work, and a bit of a disinterest in it. I am going to replace it with the improved version! I will showcase three yarn or yarn related items, such as patterns, tools or clothing/jewelry, that I have come across. I will usually stick to a colour scheme, or theme, but who knows how these will go! This is what I found this week in a turquoise colour scheme.

The first item this week is some Shadow Tonal Lace yarn from KnitPicks, in the Pacific colourway. I currently have nearly $200 worth of KnitPicks products in my cart, and this is one of the skeins I am coveting. I have a skein of this yarn in Summer Blooms that I received in my order a little while back, and I spent a while petting it when it came in the mail a little while back. This colour is gorgeous, and I really hope I can place my order soon!

Knitting needle bracelets are awesome! I definitely want to get myself a set. I've seen them all over Etsy, and I just think they are so neat. They would be an awesome way to show my knitterly pride, that's a little more subtle than, say, getting a knitting tattoo (which I plan on doing) or wearing a knitting t-shirt (which I wouldn't mind acquiring) I'm keeping my eyes open for these!

The last item for today is some yarn from Gynx yarns. This is called Oil Slick, and is so incredibly pretty. I've mentioned before how much I love Gynx yarns, and this one is definitely one of my favourites. I don't usually go for variegated yarns that aren't in the same colour family, I like a more blended, tonal look, but this one is super nice, and I would definitely make an exception for it. I want to knit myself a beret/slouch hat/whatever you want to call it, and I think this would look great knit up. The only problem is that it wouldn't match the other wintry knits I already have, which are mostly pinks and reds. Who knows what will happen, all I know for sure is that this yarn is damn pretty.

The Alpaca Cotton Candy Shawl, and Pictures of Me in a Dress

When I was working on this shawl, I didn't have a name for it, but now that it's finished, it reminds me of yummy blue cotton candy.
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in the Wonderland Heather colourway. I used the ENTIRE skein. I had less than 5 inches left after bind off.
Needles: size 7 or 8 Knit Picks Harmony interchangeable (I can't remember the size, unfortunately, and I'm not organized enough to remember to write things like this down)
Pattern: A combination of a couple different triangle shawl patterns I came across on Ravelry. I mostly winged it, after I got the basic shape down from the pattern.
Neither of these pictures really show off the shawl, but I really like them. I'm not in a dress often, so this is a change. They're from my cousin's wedding a few weeks ago. The tall dude in the suit is my "little" brother, André. He's almost 19, and too damn tall for my liking. He often uses me as an arm rest, now that he's well over 6 feet tall. Next to him is his lovely girlfriend, Katie. And next to me, in the orange, is Richard.
We clean up pretty nice.

Awesome Thursday: August 2, 2012

This past week has been quite awesome indeed. Studies have shown that showing gratitude can lead to a happier life. I'm not one for turning down potential happiness, so here goes!

• I've been making incredible progress on my knitting projects! They're all going very well.
• Rick and I went out for lunch to a wonderful restaurant called The Main Grill and Ale House, as I wrote about Here.
• We made a trip into Windsor for his dad, and I picked up a couple inexpensive balls of yarn from Michael's.
• We made a second trip into Windsor, and I got some fun new toys. Read about that Here.
• Work is still awesome. I'm getting lots of hours, but not so many that I feel overwhelmed.
• I made some pretty good quinoa the other day. It had mushrooms and thyme in it.

What sorts of awesome things have been going on in your lives?

Some New Toys

Yesterday, Rick and I made another trip into Windsor. This time, for me! I wanted to visit Knit One Sew Too again before the sale was over. Her ENTIRE inventory was at least 20% off for the past couple weeks, and I know I needed to take advantage of it again.
I've been wanting to get a ball winder and swift for quite a while now, and the sale seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. I picked up a Royal ball winder, and a KnitPicks swift, based on suggestions from a few knitters I know. Initially, I was just going to get the swift, but decided to get both in the end. I knew I could do without, but I just LOVE the way little yarn cakes look all lined up together. I was thinking about winding some of my commercial yarn into cakes just because they're so cute! Kind of a silly reason to spend another $50, but hey, another investment in myself and this business.
I am now officially on a stash diet, and I will have to reopen my Etsy shop soon to pay for my recent splurges. After my KnitPicks needles, and these two new toys, I think I'm set for a little while. The only thing left to get is blocking wires, which I will be getting for free (or very close to it, darn shipping costs!) from Amazon. I also have a couple new shops to knit for. One of them is pretty much a for sure, and the other is a maybe. We'll see how it goes!