Remembrance

It seems everywhere I went this week, I didn't have my camera with me so I'm going to see what I can come up with using other people's photos. I took photos with my cell phone but they came out really crappy and altho' I sent them from my phone to my e-mail, they never arrived. Argh. I need to remember to put my little camera in my purse and leave it there.

Of note, Skip and I went to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on Thursday. It was also Remembrance Day and shortly before 11am there was an observance complete with 2 mounted Toronto Police officers and their horses, Last Post and Reveille, a reciting of "In Flanders Fields" and the "Ode of Remembrance" taken from Laurence Binyon's poem "For the Fallen" by a WWII veteran, the singing of "O! Canada" by a 12 year old girl and 2 minutes of silence for us to reflect on the supreme sacrifice by those who gave their lives in our armed forces during various wars.

My great uncle Pvt. Carl K. Brown was wounded on April 9, 1917 at Vimy Ridge and died 3 days later. I learned this information only this year during my family tree search. Remembrance Day has a new meaning for me now. Even though we were at the Fair, I was very glad to have been able to attend the ceremony. "Lest We Forget".

After the service, we beetled over to the food concession area to eat before the onslaught of people seeking noon-time sustenance. I enjoyed a delicious chicken roti with a veggie samosa and Skip had a lamb burger and 2 samosas.

With my new interest in animal fibre, we spent some time looking at several breeds of sheep and the fleece display, alpacas and llamas and an angora bunny. We also looked at the mama sow and her piglets in the farrowing pen, lots of cattle, goats, horses and other livestock, many of which were being groomed in preparation for judging.

2010 Prize-winning Fleeces - photo Mary Keenan

I liked this sign beside the prize-winning fleece display extolling the merits of "Wonderful Wool".

Yesterday I taught the last class (of 2) on my Nordic mitten. We learned how to pick up the stitches for the thumb and do any duplicate stitching that might be needed to correct any errors. We had a nice time chatting and knitting and planning when I should teach the next class - Lucy Neatby's Sea Lettuce scarf. It will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at Myrtle Station Wool and Ferguson's Knitting in Myrtle Station, ON from 1pm to 3pm. The $6 pattern must be purchased ahead of time, downloaded, printed and brought to the class along with the appropriate needles and yarn that has been purchased from Myrtle Station Wool. Check out this link for more detail and information. The class fee is only $10! Call the shop to sign up. There's no homework ahead of time except to select your yarn and have your pattern ready.

Sea Lettuce scarf using fingering weight yarn

I plan to have a couple of Saturday classes on the Dianna shawl in April. It's a free, entrelac lace pattern with a leaf motif that is completely reversible. Yarns with big bands of colour (Noro, Zauberball, Fame Trend, Fame Rand, Regia Kaffe Fassett Hand-Dye Effect, etc.) create a very dramatic effect.

Dianna Shawl using one 100g ball of Noro Sekku yarn, colourway 8

Dianna Shawl - Noro Sekku yarn,  colourway 2

The cost will be $40; the dates in April TBA.

I'm about 1/3 done my Gail/Nightsongs shawl using Handmaiden Sea Silk Yarn that I purchased at Kniterary in the Pansy colourway. The only modification I'm doing is inserting a knit stitch between the two yarnovers in Row 33. I don't like the look of the big hole the double yarnover makes. It also serves as a centre spine stitch for this triangular shawl. The hand-painted yarn has the beautiful combination of sky blue, violet and soft green. It is my penultimate shawl in the "10 Shawls in 2010" challenge on Ravelry I involved myself in.

Handmaiden Fine Sea Silk - Pansy colourway