For The Birds!

I know I am a little bit late for Easter, but aren't these the cutest? I started making these little birds several months ago. At that time I only got a couple of them done and they still needed eyes and a beak. Last week I started sewing on some buttons for eyes. They looked so cute that I couldn't help myself. I started making more of them! I still can't stop! They are so addictive!

Spring?

I know this is going to be hard to believe! But some crocuses are actually blooming in front of my house - just a foot or so away from a gigantic 5-foot snow drift! They are like a breath of fresh air. I was very excited when I first saw them! Could it be that spring has actually arrived? Although we celebrated the spring equinox last Thursday, our weather forecaster feels that spring is still about six weeks away. Our daytime temperatures are barely above freezing and at night it is very much colder.
It will actually be a good thing if the snow takes another month or so to melt. If it melts too quickly we could get flooding and dangerous water conditions in our local streams and rivers. That would not be good! So for now I will enjoy my bright yellow crocuses - my little bursts of sunshine - and hope for the best - a quick, but safe spring!

Even if it's Winter Outside, I Can Still Have Spring Inside!

My sister brought me these lovely tulips and hyacinths when she came to visit me last week! Instead of looking outside, I can now look at them sitting on my coffee table. They make me forget how much snow is outside and they give me hope that it will all melt one day and spring will come!
The hyacinths are magnificent! They have a wonderful smell. I wish I had smellablog, so you could all smell how nice spring smells!
And these are the flowers on my Oleander! They are blooming away nicely in my solarium! The room is surrounded by windows, but these plants don't seem to care if they look out and see the snow! They are blooming as if summer is here already! Nice, eh?

More Snow!

Okay! Are you fed up with my snow photos yet? Here is one of our driveway. You can see how the snow piles are higher than our car. See how my DH has piled the snow from the driveway into just a small pile near the sidewalk? That is so that we can see pedestrians when we back out of the driveway. The pile on the other side of our driveway is even higher! That drives our neighbour crazy! He hates snow on his property! But there is nothing that can be done about that this year! This is the year of the big snow! I am sure we will set a record. I even think that we have set one already! We live near the Lake. Lake Ontario, that is. It is less than a kilometer from our place. And because of that we get more snow than the rest of Toronto. So we may have even surpassed that old 1939 record already! Oh, boy! I can hardly believe that I am hoping for more snow! This is crazy. Isn't this enough?

Are You Fed Up With the Snow Yet?

Another photo of our house with snow! This is the front lawn. Nothing has been piled up here, so you can see how deep the snow is. It is hard to believe that there is grass under all that white stuff! And that we will have to cut it in a couple of months - or maybe less!

More Photos

For some reason Blogger would not let me upload any more photos yesterday. When I tried again this morning, I still could not upload more than one at a time. So here they are, one at a time, especially for Winny! This is the front of our house. My DH has been trying to keep the snow piles around out driveway small, so that we can see when we back out onto the road. But it has not been easy. Luckily we life on a nice, quiet street with very little traffic and few children.

Is There an End to All of This?

I know it is already the first week of March. So where the heck is spring? The March Break began last Friday, just as we were getting another blast of winter! I don't ever remember so much snow on the ground at this time of year! My crocuses should be coming up by now, but they are nowhere in sight - even the ones close to the house are still buried in snow! Another 32cm of the white stuff fell on us this time. Since the beginning of this year's winter we have had 195cm. The record, set back in 1939, is 207.4cm. We could break that record this year, because more snow is on the way. It does look pretty though. Don't you think? Hopefully by July all this should be over!

A Black Hat!

Finally finished the black hat for my DS! It fits perfectly! And he loves it! It's made of synthetic yarn - Red Heart. I used a set of 5, size 5.5mm double-pointed needles.

Here are the directions.

Cast on: 120 sts.
Join stitches and place on 4 double-pointed needles, making sure not to twist stitches.

Round 1: K 2, p 2, to end of round.
Continue in this manner until the hat measures about 5 inches.

I did 50 rows for the black hat. There should be enough for turning up the edge of the hat.

Begin decrease rows:

Round 1: K 2, p2 tog. to end of round - 90 sts.
Round 2: K 2, p 1, to end of round
Round 3: K 2 tog. purl 1 to end of round -60 sts.
Round 3: K 1, p 1, to end of round
Round 4: K 2 tog. to end of round - 30 sts.
Round 5: K
Round 6: K 2 tog. to end of round - 15 sts.
Round 7: K
Round 8: K 2 tog. to last st. K 1 - 8 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a end of about 20cm.
Run end of yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.
Secure yarn and work end in.

That's all there is to it! My DS thinks I should make a few dozen of these and keep them around as Christmas gifts for the rest of my life! Hmm. Good idea, I guess. But I am tired of making hats. Right now I am working on other things. I found a darling little baby sweater on Oiyi's blog. (I will give you her blog later - Right now I can't figure out how to link someone else's blog to mine!) I made one in a day and then played around with the pattern to make another one, a little larger. I will post photos as soon as possible. I also have another hat with a kind of complex cable going on that I just can't seem to get around to finishing! Better do that too, before this 'hat phase' completely escapes me.

Oh, well. Back to work!

An Awards Ceremony for Academic Excellence!

I show you this photo with pride. My DS won a scholarship for his academic excellence at York University! They had the Awards Ceremony today and we all went. All of us, minus the furry felines, of course! It was kind of like another Family Day, but without the cats! There were only about 30 students who received awards - everything from writing essays to winning an entire scholarship. DS is doing his BS in Mathematics - so I am especially proud! When it comes to math, I know nothing, but my DS is very good at it! After the ceremony there were refreshments! And we had a chance to talk with the Dean and other important university people! I really enjoyed it.
For dinner we went to the Franklin Club. They were celebrating the Year of the Rat with foods from Singapore! Everything was delicious! I think you will agree with me that it was a great day!

Family Day Dinner!

A Family Portrait

Thanks to the current Premier of Ontario, we celebrated our first Family Day ever! It was nice to get an extra holiday in the middle of February. By this time of the year we are all feeling kind of fed up with winter. And in my case, I have 'cabin fever'! I only get out occasionally and then it is only for a short trip to the mall or grocery shopping or something similar!
But on Monday I had a wonderful day, my kids came over for dinner. My DH cooked everything! He made stuffing for the chicken and cooked some cranberry sauce from scratch! He peeled and cooked potatoes and made a delicious salad. He also steamed some green beans and carrots to perfection! The whole meal was fantastic and I didn't have to do a thing - just eat and enjoy it!
Even dessert was taken care of. I had planned to bake an apple pie in the morning, but it was not possible! When I told my kids that there would be no dessert, my DD jumped up and ran into to kitchen. She started peeling apples and quickly got an apple pie together. As soon as the chicken was done, she put it into the oven and we had the most wonderful apple pie, I have ever tasted, for dessert!
Too bad I forgot to take a photo of our happy get-together. But I did the next best thing! I drew a cartoon of our meal together! It's the first cartoon I have ever done! It took me two days to do it, mostly because I couldn't find my markers or pencil crayons. But once I had located them, in a nice safe place, I was off to the races! I like to think that my cartoon is better than a photo! What do you think?

A Few Hats!

Well, I knit some hats! The yarn is synthetic. The pattern is my own. I started with the off-white one and then made the others by changing the size of the needles and number of stitches. These hats were very easy to do. They took me from 1 to 3 days to make each one - a perfect project while I wait for the results from my latest MRI test. I am too anxious to do anything more complicated at the moment. But it is nice to be able to say that I finished something at least!
The blue and gray one is for my DH. The gray one with the cables is for my DS. The black ball with the needles stuck in it will also become a hat for my DS. He has expressly asked for a black one. The others don't have a home (head) yet. I may keep the multi-coloured one for myself. It was the most fun to make. I plan to make more of these to give to the school where my daughter works. They always have kids who forget or lose their hats. This way they will have something to keep them warm in our cold winter! I will also make some mittens for them too! Those are always needed. And maybe a few scarves - although I don't want anyone to get caught on the playground equipment, so I will not make them very long.

Contest Results - According to Mimi!

"Dish Cloth Comments" Contest Results - The Contest is Over!

Me: Hi Mimi! What are you up to?

Mimi: I am printing the names of the people who left their names on your blog so that I can pick a winner for the contest!

Me: But, it looks like you are just walking all over the papers!

Mimi: Yes! That's exactly what I am doing! I am stamping the names on papers and then putting them into a basket. Then I will pull out the winners!

Me: Okay. But those paw prints all look the same to me!

Mimi: That's because you are just a human and I am a cat! These paw prints are people's names! Now I am putting them into a basket! See?

Me: Okay, I see! But please don't walk on the furniture until that ink on your paws is dry.

Mimi: Huh? Oh, that. I'll just lick my paws clean! OMG!!! This stuff is delicious! I am getting high on this stuff! What a head rush! This stuff is great! Meow!

Me: Nooooo, Mimi don't do that! That ink might be poisonous or something! You might get sick!

Mimi: Poisonous! No way! Anything that tastes this good can't be bad for you!

Oscar: Can I help? Can I? Can I? Can I? And can I lick some ink too! I want to get high like Mimi!

Me: No Oscar! Don't you start!

Oscar: What does this stuff say anyway? I can't read it.
Me: I don't know! You'll have to ask Mimi. She seems to be the only one who can read paw prints!

Mimi: Me? What? Oh, yeah, read paw prints. Sorry, I have no idea! I can't think anymore! My brain is a bit mixed up at the moment! I can't pick a winner right now! So I will declare everyone a winner!

Me: No Mimi! You can't do that! You have to pick a winner!

Mimi: Meow! I can't! All of a sudden I don't feel so good! I think I will go and take a nap. Meow! My mind is feeling sort of fuzzy! Just send everyone a dish cloth! That should keep them all happy! I'm out of here!

Me: Well, you heard it folks! Everyone is a winner! Mimi, in her mind-altered state, has declared everyone who left a comment, a winner! So your dish cloths will be out to you as soon as I put them into the mail! Thanks Mimi! Did you hear me Mimi? I said "Thank you" for all your 'help'.

Mimi: ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Me: Goodnight Mimi! Oscar! Get out of that ink! One drugged cat in this house is enough!

Mimi Has an Idea!

It's my Turn! It's my Turn!

Okay, those silly 'brothers' of mine have been hogging this blogging thing all week! Now it is my turn! After all, I am Mimi! Meow! The Great Mimi! I have all the brains, all the humour and all the literacy skills. And... I am cute too! So here I go! This is going to be a contest! You can all win if you leave a comment on this post! I will put all of your names into a hat, or a cat dish or something, and pull a few out! Those that I pick will win a prize!
I am sure that you will all agree with me that cleanliness is next to catness! I am always licking myself clean! (My 'brothers' often neglect this step in their daily self care!) Humans like to wash too! They even like to use water! You can count me out for that!
Humans even like to wash dishes! What? Meow! They don't? What do you mean? I thought all humans liked to wash dishes!

Oh, well! Meow! My owner has been crocheting dishcloths in Valentine's Day colours! They turned out very nice. Don't you think? These are what she will give away! I think everyone will like to do dishes with one of these cloths! They are so pretty and made from cotton. They can be washed and used over and over! So leave a comment (or two) I will pick the winners on Valentine's Day! Good luck to everyone! Meow. Love, Mimi

Felix!

Hi Folks!

My name is Felix. If you thought my brother, Oscar was adorable, just take a look at me! I am the handsome one in the family! Meow! Also the smart one! I got all the brains! (Sorry Oscar!) I look after my owner and keep her safe! You will always find me, sleeping quietly beside her, either on her bed or right beside it. When she is relaxing in her chair, I like to sit on the arm rest and watch her crochet. Her fingers move like lightening! I imagine that I am chasing them, but I know that she would not like it if I bit her hand while she was working! See, what I mean by being smart! Meow! Her fingers move so fast, in fact, that she was able to finished another afghan. I love this one! I think it's my favourite! What do you think? It is black, gray and dark red! Very masculine! She made it especially for her DS! He has just moved into a new apartment and he is decorating his place. This afghan will look great on his black leather couch! Too bad, I was looking forward to sitting on it, but now his cat, Alpha, will be able to do so! I know Alpha will love it as much as I do! Talk to you all later! Meow! Love, Felix.

It's me, Oscar!

To All of My Blog-Reading Friends!

Meow! It's me, Oscar, here! Aren't I unbelievably adorable? Thank you all for being so patient while my owner gets her act together! I know that you are all waiting anxiously for another post from her. But it seems that she is having some medical problems or something. Her projects just sit here and aren't being finished! Oh, well, as long as my food dish stays filled and my littler box is cleaned daily, I don't have any complaints! I also like a little scratch behind my ears every once in awhile. Meow! And I heard her say that she is going to buy me some cat grass the next time she goes shopping. Gotta love that! So in appreciation I will write a blog or two in her absence. Talk to you later! Meow! Love, Oscar

I Have 'BLOCK' Today!

Sorry I haven't added much to my blog lately! I seem to have a case of writing block! Or is it blogging block? Just can't seem to think of anything to say. I am still working on writing up the pattern for the Amigurumi Santas. But it is not easy to write a pattern in English, based on Japanese symbols, with a few of my own symbols thrown in for good measure! So I seem to have pattern-writing block too!

And then there is knitting block! OMG! I have so many things started and nothing finished! I have 'second glove syndrome'. Got the first glove finished, but just can't seem to get around to working on the second glove! My crochet is also suffering! I have several afghans on the go at the moment, but no desire to work on any of them. So I guess I can say I have crochet block too! Went to Walmart yesterday and bought three huge balls of Red Heart yarn to make an afghan for my son. So far I have three rows done, but I already had the first two rows done prior to buying the new yarn! I hate 'block'!

And then there is quilter's block! Oh, wait a minute! Hmmmmm! Quilter's block is not a bad thing! Quilt blocks are great! Aren't they? And I have many of them. 68 of them completed! Almost enough to finish a 'couch' quilt! Only about 12 blocks to go! And then I can start putting them together. This is a 'quilt-as-you-go' project. They are already quilted, so when I have them sewn together, I'll be finished! Just the binding to put on.

Hmmmm. I wonder. Maybe having 'BLOCK' is not so bad after all! Wish me luck! Hope I can show you a finished quilt in a week or so!

Amigurumi Santas

I can finally post the photo of my Amigurumi Santas! I designed my own pattern for these guys. If I can find my notes, I will post the pattern later. Two of them were shipped to Japan as prizes for entering my blog comment contest. I took a photo of them all together, before I shipped those two out. I didn't want to post the photo until my winners had received their prizes in the mail. I didn't want to ruin the surprise for them.

The Train Quilt is Finished!!!!!!

I thought it would never happen! But, yes! It is done! There were many times when I thought that I would quit and never quilt again! The trains are cheater panels, but it was hard to go around each image with my machine. The whole thing is machine pieced and quilted. I think the little fellow who is getting this should like it. He loves trains!

Felix thought it was kind of cute too! He was right on top of it the minute I put it on the table to photograph it. He is not a good judge, though! He loves any quilt I make!
Now going to wrap it up. The party is this evening! I finished it just in time! Merry Christmas!

Socks and Cats

Felix: These are cool! Are they for me? Can I have them, please?

Me: No, Felix! I made these especially for me!
Felix: Awwww. Please, pretty please! Pretty please with catnip on it!
Me: I just finished them. They are from the monkey socks pattern. I made them a little wider because my feet are swollen at the moment. They wouldn't fit you, Felix! Sorry!
Felix: Darn!
Me: Darn them? No way! I haven't even worn them yet!!!
Felix: Oh, boy! Very funny! Everyone is a comedian!

The yarn is Regia, I think. I bought it such a long time ago, that I really can't remember. I bought it on sale - very cheap! I guess I got what I paid for because the colour of the dark brown changed to a light beige halfway through the first sock. It is really not that noticeable and since they are for me, I won't worry too much about it. I really liked the pattern though! Easy and just enough of a challenge to make them interesting! Now on to other projects. Still have lots of things to finish before Christmas.

Me: What do you think of the socks, Mimi?
Mimi: They won't fit me! If I can't eat them or sleep on them, I am not interested!

An Early Winter Snow Storm!

We got dumped on! A storm blew over our area from Saturday evening through Sunday evening. The temperature dropped to -10C! The wind blew in gusts up to 70km/hr! Heavy snow fell, creating blizzard conditions! I could not even see the houses across the street from us! We even had a bit of thunder and lightening! The storm blew in from the south east, dropping 30cm of snow and creating a 1m high snow drift outside our back door. We had to dig our way out! It took all day to shovel the driveway and find our car!
Today the storm is but a memory! We have beautiful blue skies and a few light flurries. The snow looks very pretty on the branches of trees and bushes. Everything is sparkly! But it is still very cold and dangerous for walking! Soooooo...... The question is: What do you do when life gives you snowstorms? Do what I do! QUILT!!!!