~Happy Halloween~

Hmmm, been awhile since i've posted...busy as a bee here! Unfortunately not enough time knitting though, none of the projects I had been working on are yet finished? Maybe i'll get to sit & knit abit tomorrow (although the spooks will be out) This week i've worked loads & i've experienced my teens first heartbreak with her. Remember when you were in grade 11/12 and you and your first love split :S All I could do is hold her while she cried...BUT on a higher note, being a female I knew Zzzzactly what was called for....RETAIL THERAPY & A NEW HAIR DO...good as new & feeling like a million bucks $$$ *hurt my pocketbook, but soooo worth to see her smile*

In celebration of the season ('tis my favorite time of year...I LOVE ALL HALLOWS EVE) I bought a book at our new Indigo called "The Witch of Cologne". Although very graphic, is was FANTASTIC! Being a history buff the author really took me there...you know? I've not offered my Mum the book to read (we always share great books), i'm just not sure how to pass it over to her without blushing...not for the faint of heart...tehehe *wink*

Just finished listening to Lime-n-Violet and they are saying that Sheri over at The Loopy Ewe has got a MEGA stash of Cascade 220 now...I had to go & look...AMAZING, pages & pages...so for all you Cascade lovers you know where to go~

~Happy Halloween, Happy Samhain ~

~Sip-n-Knit~

This weekend three girls from Ravelry and myself managed to set a date and meet for a sip and knit, a good time had by all! Kelly aka: CelticCastOn, Heidi aka: Lilibeth's Garden and Areli aka:Knittypants all brought their knits, everyone knitting something different of course...and me...well I was just so excited to be out and talking to other people that love to knit (as I) that I hardly picked up my needles...and when I tried to knit...well, I had to unravel the whole thing as I lost my place. (note to self, next time bring something in stockinette)

After sitting for afew hours we walked across the street to visit with our local haunt, Cricket Cove, I picked a huge hunk of soap and a skein of Cascade 220(can you believe i've not knit with this before) Anywho, I've not knit it yet, but I did manage to get it into a ball straight away...now what to knit with it..maybe I should finish one or two of the 10 different things i've got on the needles first? Will see~

We are already planning our next get together, and even considering a road trip, Freddy and then Briggs possibly~Would be great fun to watch others spend their money with reckless abandon on yarn that they really DON'T need :P Does this sound vaguely familiar...Can you see it now, the four of us in the middle of the Briggs shop, cheering each other on..BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT...tehehe. Well, maybe not that extreme, but to have someone stand beside you that has the same kind of appreication as you for the artistry of yarn~

Well off to see the child out the door for school, then get back to knitting those socks that I unraveled!

~Celtic Colors~

I've left my heart in Cape Breton~ Seriously, we just got back from this years Celtic Colors Festival , it was amazing! I'm still looking over the photos of our trip, trying to keep the colors of the hills fresh...the photos don't really do justice. It actually took my breath away at times, to have soooo much color in every direction you looked. I'll never stop talking about it...a trip of a life time...and so close to home..WHO KNEW?


We got to see Ashley Macisaac , Mary Jane Lamond , as well as a few others at the night of "The Cutting Edge" concert played at the Inverness High School. It was an awesome show...YES, I am going back next year.


Of course I got to check out Baadeck Yarns ...FINALLY! We arrived on Saturday afternoon & I got a chance to talk with the owner for abit...she is a wonderful lady, very happy to offer any help she can and loads of knowledge about the knit :) I could have stayed all day & pondered if she would allow me to stay & work for yarn, but alas, my DH came & swept me away before I managed to ask...lol.



On the way home ( I was soooo sad to leave) I got DH to take me back to Baddeck, it was such a wonderful little place filled with loads of interesting shops. As we headed out of town I asked if we could just pop into Baaddeck Yarns just for fun :P They were closed, but as luck would have it the owners DH was outside doing yard work & advised that I could go in even though they weren't opened!!! The owner opened up & let me in, I managed to buy more yarn...Yeahhhhh! I'm still swooning over my purchases wondering what I'll do with them...I really happy that I managed to get a skein of Curlylocks in the Celtic Colors colorway...it's alll for meeeee! I'm going to the knit the Soft Shawl Wrap from Fleece Artist...the pattern is an older one & I had a terribly hard time finding it...but with some perseverance I managed to track it down...


I'm off to knit & dream about the Cape Breton Highlands , I'm booked for the same week next year as of yesterday, I just can't get enough of a good thing & this my friends was THE BEST<3

~Give Thanks~

Been knitting up a storm here in between trying to stay on top of the 'vote' and Thanksgiving~phew~glad it's over :)

I had my family over for Thanksgiving and everyone had a great time. My Dad had purchased a bottle of "Newfie Duck" wine on one of his travels to Newfoundland, it was great~ I'd been saving it but since I'm not much of a drinker and I had nothing else to offer in the house, we cracked it open....THANKS DAD<3

I stayed up until 2am this morning (had my fingers crossed that I wasn't going to get a call for work at like 530am this morning let me tell ya) I cannot believe that Canada just spent allll that money...for what??? So the conservatives won a few more votes...the liberals lost a few, NDP came up some as well..bottom line is...EVERYTHING IS AS IT WAS BEFORE! With North America on the verge of a recession could we have not found something better to spend our money on...it's infuriating! No wonder only about 60% of Canada got out to vote...



So, I finished my Clapotis...picture shown above, I really love this, and am going to have a hard time parting with it. It's going to be a Christmas gift for someone<3 I have just cast on the Airy Lace Wrap from Fitted Knits and am presently waiting on some feedback on the pattern on Raverly...Thank Goodness for Ravelry...HELPPPPP!



K..I'm out...making homemade turkey soup and doughboys for supper...YUM. I'm posting a copy of my Grandmothers recipe...it's a winner everytime!

Nanor's Doughboys<3

2cps flour
1tsp salt
3tsps banking powder
2tbsps shortening
1cp milk

Cook 10 to 12 minutes by dropping Tbps into soup/stew..NEVER LIFT THE COVER UNTIL DONE!

Enjoy<3

~Identity Crisis~

HELPPPPPP~

For the past 5 years I've been making purchases on Ebay, Etsy and loads of other places that offer yarn, knitting needles...anything to bulk up my stash. I've never had any problems to date, but all that has just changed!

On Monday, Oct 6th, I just happened to check my online banking and I found 10 charges to my account...YES>>>10 CHARGES! All for the same dollar amount of 26.45! That's 260.00 dollars my friend...with a 400.00 NSF fee added for good measure.UGH~ I couldn't imagine for the life of me what was going on! I immediately logged onto my Ebay account and there were no charges there, so I switched over to Ravelry, etc...nothing! I then thought PAYPAL...yep, there is was...10 charges of 26.45 going to a company called SKYPE...who the hell is SKYPE? I've never heard tell of this, so I called paypal right away. After several minutes on the phone, LONG DISTANCE by the way as they have no 800 number, I was advised that there was an email address on my account using my name with a hotmail address attached...I couldn't believe it! I don't have an email using my name with hotmail. I was dumbfounded. Also Paypal advised that they run on a automated system that will go back in for the money in three days if they don't get the money one the first try!!! WOW...to think that you can call a company and advise that you are being charged for something that you DID NOT purchase and they will go ahead and try to take the money twice~~~~I DON'T THINK SO!

This company claims to be the 'safest way to send money'...and here these charges were...staring me in the face. I immediately advised that this was a BIG case of fraud and wanted to dispute these false charges. The gentleman on the phone was quick to file a report for me and advised that even though I am telling them that I didn't make any kind of agreement with this 'phone service' (this is what SKYPE is) they have to wait up to 10 days for this company to respond...WTF?

I've called the bank, they have stopped any and all payments from paypal...so my online shopping is coming to a dead halt...I am sooo upset as I have always loved buying different yarns, etc that I've not tried before. I feel violated...like how people say they feel after someone has broken into your house...same deal.

I am soooo thankful for my bank helping with all of this...I don't know what I would have done without them. They returned the payments back to paypal and said "No, we will not pay this" as well as removed the NSF and blocked ALL future payments to paypal...now I've got about 4 people I have to reach out to and advise that I'll have to send them a money order for the items they have already been paid for..how embarrassing.

Anyone else had this problem...lemme know!

PS...>I have finished the Clapotis and it turned out beautifully, unfortunately I've been so preoccupied with all of this I haven't taken a photo...I'll get it on here in my next post...a happy post (fingers crossed)

~Comforting Knits~

I remember being a much younger girl and hearing my parents/grandparents, etc. saying "How the time flies". Funny, I thought the days were so long back then, almost as if time stood still( especially the school years). The time I wasted dreaming about being old enough to drive, wear make-up, buy my own clothes..the list could go on and on. Now, with the 40yr old mark looming up ahead I know exactly what they were talking about.

This past week I lost an Aunt...she'd been sick for awhile, and although she's in a better place, it still hurts to see her go. Her name was Joy, and it suited her so well. This is what she was to all of us...a joy! She always had a warm smile on her face, a shoulder to lean on, always made you feel special and if you had a problem it was the only thing that mattered to her at the moment. I am blessed to have known her.

At the memorial I looked around at this group of people that I call my family, each one of them very different from one another, but connected all the same. Some of us share the same height, or the same color hair, some of us older and some very young, but young and old we all sat together and listened to the Minister talk about "Our Joy". Nodding our heads in unison about all the things that we think of when we hear her name, laughing and crying at the same time. It was a wonderful way to remember her...all together in love for this amazing woman.

I imagine her in heaven now, looking down on us, and can't help but think that she must be so happy to have had this group of people to call her own...I know that I am...bursting with pride actually...I love each and every one of them! There were tears, but not of sadness FOR her, she fought a good fight, she was a wonderful Wife, Mother, Aunt, Sister and Friend and has certainly earned her spot in the heavens. What we cried for was ourselves, after so many years loving this person and then to have to let them go...well, it isn't easy.

I've spent alot of time at home in my rocking chair knitting on my Clapotis over the past few days, it always gives me great comfort. A hot cup of Tension Tamer Tea , my dog at my feet, and OH how it rained...like the heavens themselves were in mourning for my Auntie Joy. Rest in Peace beautiful lady, you were and forever will be loved.