Wednesdays Are For Gratitude: August 21, 2013

It's been quite some time since I've posted a Wendesdays Are For Gratitude post, and a lot has happened lately. Lots of good, some not so good, but I'm here to talk about the former. Nobody likes a bum out blog post, am I right?
Here is what I am grateful for lately:
My brother (whose 20th birthday was yesterday!)  /  My yarn stash  /  New hair (more on this in a minute!)  /  Poutines  /  Old friends  /  New friends  /  Transit Windsor  /  The annual town festival this weekend  /  Finishing up three balls of yarn recently.

More about new hair! Yesterday, I went to see my friend Christine, where she worked her magic on my hairs, and I came out looking brand spanking new. I'm not as blonde as I'd like, I prefer it to be closer to a white blonde than a golden colour, but we're getting there! I got awesome feedback from the people I saw afterwards. I love being blonde!
In addition to all this fun hair stuff, I went all over Windsor yesterday, hence the thankfulness to Transit Windsor. I had an amazing breakfast poutine at The Twisted Apron, and a regular dinner poutine at Phog. Not the healthiest, especially when you add in all the beer I consumed. I think I deserved a fun day after all the junk I've been through lately. I ran into a few people I knew, and overall had an awesome day.
I have finished three balls of yarn lately. All on the same secret projects I've been on a bender for. I just have to sew the rest of them up, and I'll be done with them. Then, it's time to figure out a new project. I have a bunch of ideas of stuff to make, just a matter of figuring out which yarns to use. These three balls bring me to +54. I'm starting to get a little more realistic with my goal, and I don't know if I'll actually make it. But I will still keep track of everything.
What is going on in your lives lately? Are you trying to get as much summer fun in as possible, too?

My Week In Instagrams: February 8, 2013

I'm kind of a big grumpy pants today, but I'll try to not let that ruin this post. Work today was a bunch of crap. The car was frozen shut, so I had to take a cab to work, where it turns out they didn't even need me, so I could have stayed home. I wish they would have told me that, because I would have just gone back to bed. Okay, that's enough complaining!
-Rick and I made noodle bowls last Friday night for dinner. He did 90% of the prep work before hand. Chopping all the vegetables, cooking the shrimp and meat etc. I cooked the vermicelli in a strainer in the pot for easy removal. I then rinsed it to stop the cooking, and assembled the bowls. Clockwise from the top there was pickled cabbage (that Rick made), marinated beef strips, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot (also by Rick), marinated shrimp, lettuce, and pickled red onion (another by Rick) with a fried egg in the centre. I always add some hoisin sauce over top, and then I'm set to go. Just describing it right now has made my mouth water. I want more!! Each family member got their own bowl, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it.
-The order of my pictures is a bit off; the Laughing Cow cheese and the next photo are supposed to be after the craft show. Anyway, Laughing Cow is one of my favourite snacks. I've been eating this stuff since I was a little kid. I usually just spread it on a cracker and gobble it down. No exception this time around. We still have 3/4 of a package left. I'll probably go eat a couple once I'm done this post.
-Rick made more Asian inspired food the other day. We had udon, with stir fried bok choy and onion. Before Rick and I met, I only ate this kind of stuff when I went out to eat, which was very very rare. Now, we make it at home most of the time, and it's just as good, and sometimes better than going out to eat. Plus, there isn't a ridiculous amount of salt/MSG, and we save money! And, we can put exactly what we want in it, so I'm not stuck with a bunch of stir fried bell peppers, which I think are pretty icky. Definitely a win all around.
-Saturday was my craft show at Colasanti's. I didn't do too badly. I met my goal for total money made. I'm not the happiest with how I did, though. I only sold one knitted item, and the rest of my sales were earrings. I'm not complaining about having sold anything, I just wish I'd sold more knitwear. Knitting is what I am passionate about. The earrings are just something fun to do on the side. I didn't expect to sell a ton of knitted stuff, but I thought I'd sell at least 3 things. Oh well. My next two shows, I don't expect to sell much winter knitwear, if any. The shows are at the beginning and end of March, and by that time, most people are over the coldness, and ready for spring/summer to come in full force. For those, I'll definitely be bringing more earrings.
-Winston has been pretty cute lately. I have a photo of him like this that I took at our old apartment where he looks so much younger. Not that he looks old or anything, but he was definitely more of a puppy then. He's going to be three in just over a month. I can't believe we've had him almost three years! We got him in May of 2010.
-Wednesday night was the fundraiser show at Phog. Tracy and I split a Phonion not long after I got there. A Phonion is a Phog specialty. It's a poutine made with onion rings instead of fries. Now, in case you're unaware, poutine is one of my most favourite foods ever. It's usually piping hot french fries, with a bunch of white cheese curds over top, and some steaming hot gravy to slightly melt the curds. Wonderful! Phog's gravy is vegan, but you wouldn't know it unless someone told you. Later on in the night, I had some of my brother's friends poutine as well. I love that stuff. Every time I go to Phog I have to get one.
-Billy Raffoul played a couple sets, and did an absolutely amazing job. He is immensely talented. I would definitely go see him play again. I'll be keeping him in mind for future shows.
-A bunch of yarn was donated at the fund raiser, and I kept a small amount for myself. I added four skeins of cotton (likely for dish cloths) and four skeins of acrylic to my stash. The acrylic will probably turn into some manly accessories. I've used this yarn in the past, and it looks really nice knit up. It's a creamy white colour with flecks of grey, brown and black. This adds four skeins to my stash down count, which means I am at +11 for the year. I am going to have to crank out some stuff to get my number back down. I haven't had much knitting mojo lately, which has been a problem. I'll dig through my stash and get some more little balls and skeins of yarn used up. Even the tiniest of balls count! Once I start seeing the number go down, I will be more motivated to keep knitting.

Don't forget, the giveaway is still going on. There are over 415 entries the last I checked, and that number is climbing steadily. Get your entires in!
Rick is making some macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner tonight, and I'm looking forward to that.
How are all of you folks doing?

Awesome Thursday: September 20, 2012

The work week is almost through for most, whereas mine is pretty much just starting. This past week has been pretty great. Here are a few of the things that have made it so

• I signed up for an awesome craft show, happening not far from home. I'm really looking forward to it.
• The cooler weather has begun to set in, and I have started wearing sweaters. I love autumn weather.
• I watched this video about 4 times, and laughed even harder every single time.
• I picked up some awesome seasonal beer from the LCBO. Pumpkin ale? Yes please!!
• Phog Phest happened! This was one of the best days I've had recently. I got to hang out with my cousin, see loads of people I haven't seen in a long time, and watch a bunch of amazing bands. It was phantastic!
• I won a t-shirt, and a brewery voucher for a half case of beer at Phog Phest. I was super stoked for this. The beer is currently waiting in line to get into my fridge. Working at The Beer Store means I try loads of different beers, and a whole shelf is full of them. I think I'm up to 12 different kinds in the fridge right now.
• I continued listing some new items in the shop. I'm currently taking a short break, because I have a craft show this weekend. After it's done, I'll certainly add more stock to the shop.
• I packaged up some earrings. I'm starting to do more multi-packs for a slightly lowered price. The hardest part is deciding which colours look best together!
• I finished knitting a new style of neck warmer. I'm getting super excited about some of the projects I have in mind. I just need to knit faster so I can get them made, photographed, and listed before spring gets here!
• I started a giveaway! Lots of ways to enter, and three great prizes to be had!

This past week has been wonderful. How have things been for all of you?

Monday Magic: September 17, 2012

Hello Monday! Just a quick update today.
This past weekend was a fun one. I spent some time in Windsor, with my cousin Jake, going to Phog Phest. Saturday was a really enjoyable day, the weather was great, and the music was phenomenal. My favourite band of the day was Cobra & Vulture (formerly Nightwood) I've been a big fan of them for a while, and this is the first time I got to see them in their new incarnation. I also really loved New Country Rehab. I chatted with the guys before they played, and I bought their CD after. Overall, I really had a good time.

I came across Megan Ta Da recently. I'm loving her blog. Really cool photography, and she's super cute. You should definitely take a look. I've chosen this blog as my "read from the beginning" blog for the week.
I hope all of you are doing well! I have a craft show to prepare for. I can't wait!

What I've been up to!

Knitting, for sure! Really though, I have finished a scarf and a cowl in the past couple days, started another scarf and finished and started dishcloths.
I started downloading podcasts, mostly knitting, but also a few others, such as green living and vegetarian life. I am definitely looking for more, so if you podcast, or have a favourite that you'd like to recommend, please do so!
I am getting all of my stuff ready for a show on Sunday. The Made In Windsor Open-Air Crafter's Market is an every Sunday thing, from now until who knows when, it really depends on the weather I guess. I am going to try to do a few of these in the coming months, in addition to the two phog shows I already have in the works.
Nothing brought into rEvolution, yet. I am going to do at least one show before I bring anything in there. I want to make sure I have enough stock at the shows before I worry about stores.
Today, I go back to work. I've had a couple days off, and been quite productive. I think it's time to go back to the grind, so I can appreciate my days off a little more.

What have all of you been up to?

Not a whole lot to show

It's been two weeks since my last post. You'd think I would have a lot to show for it, but in reality, I didn't get much knitting done.
I did go to Niagara Falls and London with my boyfriend. We had a good time. I had the role of (bad) navigator. I got us all turned around on some back roads. We did eventually make it to the Falls. We left for London the following day.
I worked at Made In Windsor a whole lot. Sold a few of my things. I brought in some iPhone cases (finally) and sold one. It's quite simple, and I enjoy making them. Christine, the owner, told me the girl that bought it had been looking for one like it for some time. I am going to make another one in the same colour to replace it soon. This isn't the one that sold. It is the first one I made that I was completely happy with. I love that bright blue colour.
I made some of the hair bows that I was planning on making for a while. They're not all assembled, but there is a start to them. I need to find a hair clip to put them on that I really like.
I did a bit of experimenting with some knitted jewelry. I am unhappy with both versions that I have so far. I want to find a way to make them look nice, yet still remain simple enough where I will not get frustrated.
I went to Art In the Park and purchased a gift for my parents. I am going to give that to them sometime this week. It was unfortunately rained out on Sunday, so I'm not sure how well the vendors did.
Despite not having much to show for all of this, I did get some stuff done that I wanted to do. I am going to keep plugging away at all of them, and hopefully, by November, my art show at Phog will be a success!

The scarf is finished, among other things

I finished Rick's scarf the other day, it's been given to him, and he's worn it a couple times. He loves it. He said he'd take pictures once he's figured out a creative way to photograph it.

I bought 5 small skeins of Bernat Handicrafter cotton to make dishcloths for a Christmas gift. Not saying who they're for, just in case she happens to read this. These will have to wait a while before I start working on them. I do have a good reason for this, promise! (I'll tell you more about this at the end of the post)

I started working on a Thick and Quick scarf in Fig. I love this yarn, I know I've said it before, but it's true. I love the colours it is available in. I love the way it feels. I love how easy it is to knit with. I may start ordering this yarn wholesale, if my sales at Made In Windsor pick up a little.

The reason I have to wait on the dishcloths for Christmas, is because I have my first craft show of the year! I'm back at Iler Lodge (where I did my first show) on the first Saturday of November. This will be the first time I go back there since almost a year ago. Both of my maternal grandparents lived there, and it is an amazing place. The way this show works is that each vendor donate a portion of their proceeds instead of paying a table fee, and those funds go to the residents activities. I enjoy the way this works. If I don't sell anything, it costs me nothing. If I sell a whole bunch of stuff, I donate accordingly. The Fig scarf is for this show, as is the Lion Homespun hat I have started on the green Knifty Knitter loom. Oh, and the 5 or so other dishcloths I have made in as many days.

This is starting to become addictive again! I have started knitting on the city bus more and more. And when I go to Phog, I make sure to bring knitting with me, even if it isn't craft night!

A Good Reputation

Recently, I have been spending quite a bit of time at Phog. There are always new faces in there, as well as people who haven't been there in a while. One of the regulars and I had a couple drinks last night, and he knew nearly everyone that set foot in the door. As they made their rounds to say hello, he would stop them and chat for a short while. He would then introduce me as the Yarn Bomber.
Most people that frequent Phog are not subscribers to the Windsor Star, and therefore did not know who I was. Or, they knew my name from the WAMM article, but not my face.
I received several compliments from everyone, and generally enjoyed myself. It showed me how much certain people care about their city and what goes on in it.

It also showed me how much people love the tags and how I should really get back to knitting them and putting them up.

Knitting On CBC

Remember Phog? Well, we had Phog Phest last week, and I am in the video podcast. Knitting, of all things.

Knitted bicycle!

Well, sort of.
Darren, of Photo404 and Bike Windsor, has covered the frame of his bicycle in knitting.
I taught him how to knit at Broken City Lab and Craft Night At Phog over the past few weeks, and he ran with it. It looks even better up close.

The Knifty Knitter at Craft Night At Phog!

Like I mentioned in the Craft Night post, I worked on a hat on the largest of the Knifty Knitter looms. It is a beige-ish colour paired with a pale olive green.
I love my Knifty Knitters. They are a bit of a pain to use at times, especially if I have been at it for a while, my hands tend to cramp up.
Hats work up rather quickly on them. I've finished 3 of the second largest hats in one day before. I'm not as quick with them anymore, but I'm sure if I tried, I could probably get bac to that speed.
I started an other hat on the second largest size with some of the yarn that Victoria brought into CNAP the other night. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Craft Night and other things

I've been away from my barely-working computer for a few days, and haven't had time to update anything!
Darren always has amazing pictures of craft night, Broken City Lab and everything else. Here is one of the group.
I got quite a bit of knitting done on my Knifty Knitter, and we goofed around and had a couple drinks as always. I helped Darren with his knitting, and his progress from the start to the end of his future tag is amazing!
We had a few new people join us, as well as some familiar faces. I'm thinking of starting group crafts in the near future.

This week is flying by!

I can't believe it's Friday already, and I haven't posted at all this week!
I went out and did a little more yarn bombing, had craft night yesterday, and I've been having a good time all around.
This was taken by Darren's camera (timers are a wonderful thing!) after craft night. I headed home sort of early, it had been a long day.

Some yarn bombing news

There is good news and bad news in this post, a fair warning.

The good news first! The Phog Video was featured on one of my favourite knitting blogs on Monday. I was shocked when it came up in my Google Following list. I had a huge grin on my face right away, and then Twittered about it pretty much immediately. It's crazy how far the internet reaches.

Now for the bad news. The Cheetahs tag was taken down at some point. I expected this at some point, but not so soon. It was a very pretty tag, pink/red sparkly eye lash yarn, wrapped around the fence at the far end of the patio. For those who are not locals or who are not aware, Cheetahs is an Adult Entertainment venue, as it says on their sign. Once Sam and I have more tags up, I do plan on hitting them again. Perhaps something larger, yet less visible would be appropriate.

I am still working on a few tags here and there, but I have been alternating between them and some scarves. I just cast off the white Phentex scarf, and I'm starting on a grey/black one right now. It seems odd to be knitting scarves at the beginning of summer, but I like to think ahead.

Yarn Bombing

An important update!

I went back to the old way of feeds on Google Following. Which means you do not have to click through to the blog to read the entire post. I'm glad I got feedback, and sorry for the inconvenience!

In other news, I am starting a once monthly craft night, called Oh, C.N.A.P! (Craft Nights At Phog). WE will be meeting the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 and you are welcome to bring your craft of choice. Phog is a huge supporter of everything local, and as soon as I was ready to set this in motion, I approached Tom, and he was quite enthused. I will be knitting at the meetings, so you can expect to see some CNAP stuff here, as well!

The end of the Original T-Shirt Art Show

I finally picked up my scarves from Phog on Saturday. Tom had them in a couple small boxes in the back, and when I saw how few were there, I was happy. I sold nearly half of them, and made a good chunk of change, especially considering all I had to do was bring them in.
If you're ever in Windsor, you should really check out the bar. It's located at 157 University, not far from the bus station. Tom always has something going on.

Phog Lounge <3s Windsor Artists!

Like I said in a few posts, I have several scarves at Phog's Tshirt Art Show. Tom recently posted a video showing one of his shirts, and my scarves make an appearance in the last 2 seconds.
It's a super short video, and watching the entire thing is very much worth it.