Weekends are highly under-rated!

Did you all enjoy your weekend? I think weekends are highly under-rated, as are summer vacations, and winter breaks. Personally, I can’t wait for the day we have sanctioned 4-day workweeks and 3-day weekends! And yeah yeah, I know about the economical impact, and more importantly the impact on my own paycheque, but I just don’t care at the moment – I just want more lounging time in my own backyard oasis! I want time to doze in my lawn chair in the sleepy hot sun, time to visit with my neighbour’s over a long cool drink, time to have murmuring conversations with my girls about this and that and nothing in particular, and time to stare and admire the vibrant colors of my potted flowers and hanging baskets. And more time to knit and knit and knit! So could we all just agree that in the summers (which are short enough as it is here) we should have 4-day workweeks? Ok then. We’re good!

That being said, I did get some moments of lounging in over the weekend, and a bit of knitting. Yes, you guessed it, more Moda Dea Sassy Stripes socks – I am happily addicted to this simple portable self-striping pattern, and have successfully avoided second sock syndrome by always having two sets of the required needle size, casting on both socks at the same time and knitting each stage of each sock immediately after the other; 1st sock knit leg, 2nd sock knit leg, 1st sock turn heel, 2nd sock turn heel, etc. etc. It is a highly successful method for me and by the time I reach the 1st sock toe, it is gratifying to know I only have the 2nd sock toe to go and another pair is completed and off the needles.

And you’ll never believe what was in my e-mail box this morning: an lovely little note from Mary at Mary's Craft Supplies Inc., Finch, ON to say they had received more Sassy Stripes (should I be telling you this? Will you scoop it out from under me?). Well, now what am I going to do? I can’t possibly knit up what I just got that fast, but I desperately want the colors I’m missing and the new summer colors – they’re not even on the Moda Dea website yet! It’s so agonizing! However I’m headed to Prescott next weekend, and I’ll be taking sock knitting for sure, so maybe a quick stop could be worked in…… Can you say addict??

In other knitting news, I have taken up the Ruffles and Ridges shawl again, but as with most things set aside for any length of time (I was waiting on more yarn), I am lost in the pattern and have had to rip out the two rows I just knitted. Let’s hope for better results when I take another stab at it tomorrow. Once I’m back on track I’ll fly through the last of it I’m sure.

Tonight is the final Ottawa Knitting Guild meeting for the 2006-2007 season and fun is on the agenda! They’ll be food and lots of show and tell before the summer respite. Just the thing to inspire me to some summer knitting. Yeah, like I need more inspiration, ha! I’ll be showing the Taos Beret and Ruffled Scarf that I made from the mohair I purchased from the Hidden Touch Ranch Tour this spring (yes, I know, you want pictures – sigh – me too).

Oh, I almost forgot, my gadget arrived last week, thanks in no part to Canada Post who did everything possible to thwart its delivery, but in the end it was rescued by a Canada Post employee whose name was – yup –Kate! I knew at once it would be fine until I arrived to collect it. After all, we Kate’s look out for each other you know!

Have you seen this? http://www.bond-america.com/products/cool_corder.html . It’s a Cool Corder* from Bond America. I know, you’re like, what’s up with that (it’s a very funky sparkly pink!!)? Yes, it’s sort of for kids (but then again sometimes, no often, I’m a big kid too). Well now, I do have a grown up reason for ordering this strange gadget – you see I like the felting I did earlier this year with a messenger bag I knitted up, but wished I had some thin cording to felt and appliqué on to I and mayube some other things. But who wants to knit miles of I-cord in fingering weight yarns for thin feltable cording? When I saw the Cool Corder* I thought this might be just the ticket. And a quick test run with the yarn supplied in the kit on Friday shows great promise. I will try it with the slightly thicker Patons Merino Classic Wool this week, and with a little luck, instant cording! I’m not knocking knitting I-cord, but anything that can expedite the process for me is a plus. It’s my instant gratification nature coming through! And I’m thinking I can run a whole lot of my baby fingering weight yarns through it and come up with something cool, so stay tuned and Ill let you know how I make out.

Now I return you to your regularly scheduled lazy, hazy days of summer.

Knit on………..