An Aussie Yarn

My longest-time friend, Freny, who lives in Australia, was scheduled to arrive at Toronto's Pearson Int'l Airport at 11pm on Tuesday night. There is no other non-family member on this earth that I am still in touch with that I've known longer than Freny.

We met in Grade 9 at Sarnia Collegiate I and TS - both having just arrived from foreign countries not knowing anyone in the school. We both started on our band instruments taking music with Mr. Don Jolley - she, the clarinet and I, the oboe. We attended the same music camp OYMC in Beaverton, ON after Grade 10 and traveled to Music Day at the CNE at the end of that summer where she performed in the Honour Band and I received the award for the 'most improved oboist'. That same summer, both our families moved to the north end of town and we both transferred to Sarnia Northern CI and VS where we were in the same homeroom and classes. Freny was a brilliant pianist and we spent many hours in her basement with her playing pop tunes and the both of us singing our lungs out, harmonizing to Mamas and Papas, Carpenters or Association tunes. We certainly had lots of fun together. After Grade 11 (1970) her family moved to Quebec and I didn't see her again until 1978 or so when she was in town doing vocals and keyboards in her rock band, Springwell at the Blind Pig at the Holiday Inn.  She moved to Australia in the 80s and the next time we met up was  in 2003, when she was in Sarnia visiting her family.

We had many adventures together but the most notable ones occurred on the same day and involved our getting to music camp (both of us for the first time) in July 1969 . My mom had driven us to Toronto and put us on the train to Beaverton with our sleeping bags, suitcases and instruments. When we approached Beaverton a couple of hours later, the conductor came to me and said it was only a 'whistle stop' and they would not actually be stopping the train but they would slow down and we would need to jump off. So I went first. Freny was rather reluctant but I yelled for her to do the same and she landed beyond the platform in knee-deep weeds at the same time our two suitcases were tossed off the baggage car. Once we had gathered our stuff, I thought we'd grab a taxi to the camp (hey - I was a 15 year-old city girl - what did I know?). However there was no one at the 'station' (it was more like a large outhouse in size) and it was in the middle of nowhere. For some reason, there was someone in a car nearby and they offered to take us into the town where we inquired about a taxi. 'The' taxi was otherwise occupied and someone else offered to take us to the camp. Once at the camp (by this time it must have been about 11pm) it was pitch black. However, we saw a pinpoint of light in the distance so we decided to walk towards it. It turned out to be a portable 14" black and white television with rabbit ears and about 100 kids sitting around it. They were watching Neil Armstrong prepare to take his first steps on the moon stating,  "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". But I digress...

Fast forward to the present ---

When I learned Freny was landing in Toronto, I offered to pick her up, bring her home with me to sleep and take her to Sarnia the next day where her sister and mother live. That night, I spent a couple of hours at Lorna's first and then headed to the airport, arriving at 11pm, only to find that the last leg of Freny's flight to Toronto was delayed and would not be arriving 'til 1:05am. Rather than sit there racking up astronomical parking fees at $3 per 20 min., I got back in the car and headed to a nearby 24 hour Tim Hortons and spent the next 1.5h happily listening to "A Thousand Splendid Suns" on my iPod whilst sipping full caf coffee and knitting the first sock for Aidan (more about that later).

I returned to Terminal 3 at 1pm to learn that there was an additional delay 'til 1:23am ('En Retard' below)

This would be the last flight into YYZ for the night (or shall I say, early morning). Finally, Freny came through the doors at about 2am and we got her and her suitcase loaded into the car and promptly began heading to the 401. That was easier said than done (as we found out) as summer nights between 10pm and 5am are peak times for road repair in the GTA. After a couple of failed attempts, we finally found a ramp onto the highway and as soon as I got into the express lanes had to promptly merge to the right and exit again due to all eastbound lanes of the highway being closed for an accident. So we found our way to a major east/west road and continued eastward for a few more km until I found another north/south road with a ramp to the highway. Thank goodness for the GPS.  I was grateful that there were no other idiots people on the road at that time in the morning. We arrived home by 3:15am and collapsed into bed.

The next morning (yesterday) we got on the road to Sarnia by 11am and after a lunch/comfort stop and another stop to top up the gas tank (I had forgotten to do so at the lunch stop) we arrived at Diana's (Freny's sister's place). We had a nice visit and then Diana and Freny went to the nursing home to visit their mom. As I had been invited for dinner, I relaxed and snoozed on the couch and did some more knitting.

After a lovely roasted pork loin dinner I set out for Valerie's for the night and this morning got on the road back home by 8:15 - arriving home at 11:15 with no stops along the way.

While I was visiting my 8 year-old friend, Aidan, last week, he asked me if I would knit him another pair of striped socks with his favourite colours: orange, yellow and green. When I got home I realized I had that skein of Corriedale wool I had hand painted in my dyeing workshop last fall that had those colours in it and decided to use it. It's a bit thicker than regular sock yarn - somewhere between fingering and sport weight. With all the waiting around and relaxing over the last couple of days I have this much done on the first sock:

I actually turned the heel whilst repeatedly walking up and down the entire length of Terminal 3 two nights ago.

Before leaving Sydney, Freny asked me if there was anything I wanted her to bring me. I quickly responded that some authentic Australian yarn would be awesome! I sent her specifics as to what weight would be good and how many metres would make a good-sized scarf or shawlette. I asked specifically for merino wool or a merino blend with anything but a synthetic yarn. As Freny is not a knitter, I googled a couple of yarn shops in or near Sydney and suggested she print my the e-mail with my yarn requirements and show it to the proprietor, that s/he would know exactly what to select for me. In very short order, her mission was accomplished. After one failed attempt (the yarn shop was closed - possibly for good), Freny found Morris and Sons  where they immediately showed her exactly what she was looking for.

Freny brought me 3 (!) balls of Morris (their own brand!) Empire Superwash Merino 2ply in three colourways (clockwise from the top), mineral green, russet and piper. There are 700m in a 50g ball. I could use a light mohair along with the yarn, or knit it with the yarn doubled or use it as is for a lovely light shawl, perhaps a 'wedding ring'-type shawl. The wedding ring shawl was traditionally a square measuring 6 feet (180cm) on each side and knit from yarn so fine that the finished shawl could be passed through a wedding ring.

She also brought me two 335m balls of white, machine washable Shepherd Baby Wool Merino 2ply yarn. I'm thinking it would be perfect to wind into a skein and hand paint.

Yay! Lucky me!

Presenting.... the Dianna Shawl

I finished this on Canada Day and got it blocked last night, running the blocking wires through the sides of the squares and at the halfway point of each square.

I was still in my jammies when I ran outside to photograph it in the morning light.

Then back inside for that 'draped over the sofa' shot.

and the 'hanging on a hanger shot'.

Final measurement? 54" x 25".  Not bad for 100g of cobweb weight yarn (Noro Sekku).There was a bit left over so I'm guessing I used less than 400 of the 420 metres in the ball.

I recommend you do an entrelac piece before you try this pattern - like Criminy Jickets' 'garterlac' washcloth. The Dianna pattern states that it does not explain entrelac technique and to use other sources for that. I found that especially true when I went to do the final row of triangles along the long edge before casting off. I also suggest you make the k2tog stitches on the edge quite loose as you are going to want to be able the stretch that edge quite a lot when you block it.

It was a bit tedious to knit but I so love the result, I'm all geeked up to do another one (erm, maybe I should finish the other one I have underway?). This pattern is perfect for any yarn that has big bands of colour, particularly ones that change gradually from one to the next, like any Noro yarn or Zauberball.

Canada Day

This year Skip and I went up to Port Perry for Canada Day. It's about 25km NNE of where we live and has a nice park that slopes down to Lake Scugog.

We had a hunk of birthday cake which had very thick icing.

What is more Canadian than funnel cakes (deep fried pancake batter) and deep fried Mars or Snickers bars? Good thing we have good health care - we need it after all that artery-clogging food.

Instead, Skip and I opted for a half dozen mini donuts.

A couple of my knitting friends were there with their spinning and weaving guild, demonstrating wheel spinning. I took my drop spindle along and joined them for a half an hour or so.

It was really windy so I had to make sure the roving was downwind from the spindle so everything didn't get all tangled up.

I enjoyed the YarnHarlot's Canada Day post where she opined about what Canadians are. 


I finished the Dianna shawl and need to get it blocked. Pictures will follow.


With the Dianna shawl done, I needed to start a new project (not that I don't have a bunch of UFOs to get at) so I knit another water bottle cozy for Skip. His golf buddies have been teasing him about the unsightly one I made him a couple of years ago so I decided to replace it with a handsome dark green one. I added a black golf hole and white flag. After I'm finished felting it, I'll stitch a yellow flag stick.  Here it is before felting.

And after the first felting.

There's still too much stitch definition so I'll have to run it through the wash a couple more times. Front loading washers aren't the most efficient for felting but with the 2000rpm (for real!) final spin cycle, they sure get a lot of the moisture out of the clothes - supposedly 25% more than top loading washers.

Dianna Update and a New Gadget

I continue to work away on the Dianna shawl. I'm almost finished the last tier before I do the triangle tier, then I'll be done!

 This pattern could be easily modified for any small lace pattern in the square and certainly any weight of yarn could be used. Normally a lace pattern would be lost using a yarn with so many colours but because there are little squares, each one has its own colour which actually brings out the lace pattern.

I'm also quite excited about my newest gadget.

It's a 3G 32GB iPod Touch!

My old Palm T3 hasn't been holding a charge that well so I've been deliberating when to replace it. I finally 'bit the bullet' and bought it the day after we returned from our NY state trip. 

I spent hours the other night trying to figure out how to transfer the 232 contacts from my  Palm so I wouldn't have to painstakingly do them all by hand. After doing several searches online, updating my iTunes and iPod software (a couple of times), changing settings, consulting with my tech support guru (my sister, Valerie) via msn Messenger, a lot of gnashing of teeth and exasperated sighing, I finally got the job done in the wee hours of the morning. Now I spend a lot of time looking for WiFi hot zones.

Earlier that day, I was able to make my first Skype call on it. And this morning, I was able to check my e-mail without having to even get out of bed!

I have uploaded a few free knitting apps and am now deciding which ones I might want to buy. Any suggestions?

The Distillery District

For years, I've looked at The Distillery District from the GO train and have wanted to explore this niche of The Big City so today Skip and I finally ventured there. We thought it would be a nice way to spend our anniversary of 15 years together and 12 years married.

Gooderham and Worts Distillery was started in the 1830s and operated continuously until the 1990s when a conglomerate bought the company and ceased the operations at this site. The area then found new life as the number one film location in Canada and the second largest film location outside of Hollywood. More than 1700 films have used this site.

About 10 years ago some 'visionary' developers took a derelict collection of Victorian Industrial buildings east of downtown Toronto that had been pronounced a national historic site and transformed it into a place that would excite and inspire the senses -- here people could experience new ideas, new foods, new designs and new ways of living and working.

One of the first things we saw was some art work displayed out on the sidewalk outside a studio.

On closer inspection I noted that it was made entirely of puzzle (Rubik's-like)  cubes!

I say 'Rubik's-like' because these cubes are a Chinese replica which not surprisingly are much less expensive but are indeed more durable. Rather than using stick-on squares of coloured paper used in the Rubik's cubes, the plastic in Chinese models are permanently coloured – meaning they won’t wear away or come off and ruin the amazing effect.


We ventured into the Cube Works
studio where there were many more similar artworks on display.

Wouldn't they be great to knit?

One of Cube Works' big claims to fame was their Guiness Book of World Records setting 'Sistine Chapel' which was constructed from over 250,000 cubes. It wasn't on display there but the details were featured on a poster.

Other interesting pieces were these mesh figures which, when lit properly, cast a very realistic shadow on the wall behind them.

They were even 'signed' by the artist with wire woven into the thigh.

I am always so fascinated by how artists conceptualize pieces and render them using different materials. CubeWorks is definitely a place to visit on any trip to this neighbourhood.

Being retirees, Skip and I can explore some of these downtown areas on weekdays thus avoiding a lot of crowds and traffic congestion. There is a big open area with tables and chairs.

The CN Tower can be seen in the distance from where we're enjoying a coffee before lunch.











This group of people was doing the Segway tour of The Distillery District as Segway Ontario is based there.

How fun! I think I'll put that on my 'bucket list'.











For lunch, we ate at Café Uno.

which very much reminded us of Zeste, a favourite restaurant of ours on South Padre Island. 

Here, I was eagerly awaiting my turkey meatloaf with sides of roasted sweet potato, penne alfredo and salad greens. Yum!



After lunch did some more wandering around, making note of some other eateries we'd like to try next time we visit the area.

 Soon it was time to start making our way back to Union Station. We found the Esplanade by going through a little park directly west of Mill Street. This easternmost part of the Esplanade was quiet and shady and had lots of places for dogs to run, children to play and grassy spots to sit.

What a nice way to spend the day together.

Happy anniversary, Honey. I'm sure glad we found each other. ♥

Circumnavigation

On Wednesday, Skip, Scooter and I headed out for the first day of our adventure which ultimately involved our circumnavigating Lake Ontario. Our first stop was Williamsville, NY where we often go to do some cross-border shopping at some of our favourite stores - Lockport Outdoor Store, Target, Rick Zurak's Golf Warehouse, Barnes and Noble, etc. and had a great Mexican dinner at La Tolteca Authentic Mexican Restaurant.

Thursday morning we picked up Skip's new driver he was having custom made and drove eastward to Henrietta, NY to attend the Wegman's LPGA Championship. This was be the third or fourth time we've attended this event. For Scooter especially, it really marks the beginning of the summer as his last exam just finished on Monday. It poured rain for about 20 minutes while we were at Hole 10 but fortunately we were just steps away from a concession booth with a big overhang so we were able to seek shelter until the worst of the rain came down. Once that was over, the skies cleared and the rest of the afternoon was breezy and warm and we had a very enjoyable time. The highlight of our evening was dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill - a favourite Italian restaurant of ours.

Friday morning, we again got up early and made our way to Baldwinsville, NY to meet up with our friends, MaryAnne, Aidan and James.

I first met MaryAnne in the early 90s when we were sailing on the SV Polynesia for a week in the Caribbean. 

My travelling companions, Leslie and Marsha (RIP), and I had purchased about a dozen 250 mL cans of beer on the pier in St. Maarten at 2 for $1 and designated ourselves to be the official welcoming committee while waiting to embark for our Windjammer Barefoot cruise. I met MaryAnne when I slapped a 'beerlet' into her hand when I learned she was waiting to sail on the same ship I was. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

After our hellos in Baldwinsville, Skip and Scooter went golfing for the day and my hosts and I made our way up to Oswego for the Festival of Sail where we saw three tall ships.

We got to see the Lynx leaving the dock for a sail out into the lake.

Aidan and I went on a treasure hunt where we had to find the answers to 8 questions pertaining to the tall ships and the little maritime museum on the pier. After Aidan collected his prizes, we posed with this very friendly pirate.

When we left there, we took a drive up to a higher vantage point and were able to get some better shots of the ships, even though we were quite far away.

Here is the Lynx under full sail beyond the Port of Oswego breakwater.

The Pride of Baltimore II is a reproduction of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper privateer.

The Tallship Unicorn is the only all-female crewed tall ship in the world with proven on-board leadership programs for teenage girls and women.

It was great being able to spend a day with my friends and have an opportunity to have a good visit with Aidan, now 8 years old, again since he was only 4 the last time Skip and I visited them when they lived in Georgia.

MaryAnne is also a knitter so we got to talk a little about knitting but know our next meet-up will be in Rhinebeck at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival next October.

MaryAnne also writes a blog, "She Who Is Queen". You can imagine how excited I was when I found this cross-stitch project last year.  I got it stitched up in no time then delayed finishing it.

It was this project that impelled me to learn how to stretch and frame my own cross-stitch projects a couple of weeks ago.. I had bought the frame a while back so all I needed to do was get going and finish the project so I could give it to MaryAnne this week.

Last night, all went out for a nice dinner and a walk along the Seneca river near the locks. Scooter got all nostalgic playing with the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards with Aidan and enjoyed playing games with him after dinner. It was so nice to get together with our long-time friends and just picking up where we left off the last time we were together four years ago.

Our drive home today was uneventful and we were very glad to not have to drive any where near Toronto where the G20 Summit is taking place with all that has gone on with it.

Sekku Shawl

I continue to work on the Dianna Shawl using Sekku cobweb weight yarn. I'm about half done and figure I have about 4 more tiers to go until I run out of yarn. This is a 2' by 2' foam tile so each leaf measures about 2.5" x 2.5" when blocked.

Here, the yellow leaf has a reverse stocking stitch background.

And here, the green leaf has a stocking stitch background.

The leaves themselves are done in garter stitch. I think it's great I'll only have two strands of yarn to weave in - at the beginning and at the end.

The yarn itself is lovely and soft. I think it will make a very lovely shawlette.