Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

I had to do it- the mosaic tool in flickr for the TeamKnit 2008 knits in review. To be honest, although I'm happy with my knits (most of the time), I think I could have knitted more this year. And there are some projects that really should have made it into the 2008 grouping that will have to wait until 2009, but such is life. I'm not usually one for resolutions, but I think I'm going to make one this year- I resolve to use me time more wisely. In 2009, I want to knit MORE, blog MORE, use my time BETTER and not waste it puttering around on the internet and watching tv (often at the same time, like right now, for example.... good thing it's still 2008 and have a few more hours of slacking off....) and somewhere in there... plan my wedding, and get married in August. ;)

Knitted Engagement Ring

Whew! Since the last post, we have moved, unpacked the new place, had my 30th birthday party, recovered from said party, drove to Sudbury for Christmas and back again..... and somewhere in there we found time to get engaged. And get this- he knitted me my engagement ring. I do wear it all the time. I'm wearing it right now, in fact. We knew that things were going this way (meaning, towards the alter), and we were thinking of designing our own engagement ring (I really like art deco style rings)and having it made. That is still the plan, but G didn't want to wait. I love that about him. I hope everyone had wonderful holidays!! I promise to blog more regularly from here on in. Knitting content coming soon!!

The Difficult Month

I can't believe that November has gone by with TeamKnit postless! Please forgive us, this has been a really hectic month for all sorts of non-knitting related business. First, I signed up for Nanowrimo. Tragically, it did not go very well- my crooked landlord, who has always been the kind of person you would typically cross the street to avoid, has been doing his best to get me to move out of my apartment (which I've only lived in for two years!) so he can raise the rent by hundreds of dollars when getting a new tenant in. In Ontario, Canada, this is completely illegal- there are fixed annual rent increases allowed, but when a tenant vacates, you are free to charge whatever you like when negotiating a new rental contract. It's been a really difficult situation, and the result was that I spent most of November looking for new digs. As I'm sure you either know first hand or can imagine, looking at the adverts, calling places up, staggering appointments with enough time apart so that I can get from one part of the city to the other, and then the amount of really awful places for rent in the city.... well, it's depressing. And time-sucking. And subsequently, not much writing or knitting has been taking place. I keep trying to remind myself that sometimes a big change feels like a crises but is actually for the better, and then when G and I signed the lease for our new place last week.... well, let's just say it makes all the nuttiness of November worth it. For one thing, I'll be moving out of a basement apartment and into a lovely second floor with big bay windows! Finally, some decent light for knitting photos. And yes, this was definitely something I was considering when checking out new places. Priorities, people! December is going to be filled with harried packing, because I actually move into the new place in the middle of the month! And of course, I have Christmas knitting to do....So, some pics of what I'm working on: first up, is the River Forest Gansey from Handknit Holidays, which I'm knitting for my dear friend Paul. And since it's absolutely huge, I've been doing a lot of reading while knitting it. Skrilla Knits suggested these handy little things, and I was happy to try my hand at them: Bookweights! Check out the great little pig fabric: I love it! it works really well, and is filled with popping corn kernels. It was a snap to make, and is now indispensable. And this, although currently nothing more than skeins of yarn, will be a bulky mini cardi for my friend Monica. She saw me wearing my black bulky cardi one night, and asked if I'd make her one. It's a pretty quick knit, so I'm hoping it'll knit itself in no time. And for reasons I can't explain, this hat is taking me forever:The pattern is a modified Marigold. I'm aiming to have a slouchy version a la Eliza's gorgeous version. And since it's been ages, since I posted, here's a shot of my darling kittens doing what they do best. Sleeping, and getting into trouble: