musindigo

… yes, holidays all around and for some of us snow [*shudder*], but it’s that other time of year, too — it’s hockey time. And even though it makes for noisy knitting, especially when the Canucks are playing, I look forward to it.

Last week, in the local convenience store, those little packets of hockey cards started appearing on the counter. I can’t resist them. So I picked up a few packs for the ‘big’ boys (MrB included) and this year, I decided it was time for the little monster to start his collection. These are those little cheapy packs (20 cards for $1.99) so, I thought, why not. If he bashes them all to bits, so be it. Something new for him to fiddle around with for a small investment. There were a few valuable cards (it’s all subjective, of course) in his package which we set aside (an early Stevie Y card and a 1999 Gretzky) but otherwise, they are his to spread around the coffee table and peer at.

His favourite card is one of Manon Rheaume. (That’s a shot of the card we have - here’s more info about her). Whenever he comes across her card, he proclaims ‘mommy goalie, mommy goalie!’ and takes the card around the room to show everyone. When I tell him to find a ‘daddy goalie’ he picks up another card and says, ‘pirate?’ No idea. Kids…

So, since it is that time of year another sort of celebration is in order, as a result of it being November: Oceanwind Knits turns two this month. Which calls for a sale! Until Nov.30, everything in the retail shop is 10% off. :)

There are several new things available in the shop, as well -

Pattern for these:

I think I need another pair, this time in a more dramatic colour, no? I’m thinking blacks, charcoals, deep blues…

Sock Kits:
Terradance Socks Kits

These are pre-dyed, ready to ship. Each kit includes two 50g skeins Oceanwind Knits Sock Merino + printed Terradance Socks Pattern.

And…

some new yummy shawl yarn (wool/silk, mmmm).

It’s really really hard not to just keep these for myself. The base yarn is scrumptious and it knits like a dream, showing off lace patterns in all the right ways.

Also, coming in 2008 (yes, thinking wayyyyyyyyy ahead) I will have a new shawl design as part of the Wooly Wonka Change of Seasons Lace Club. I can’t wait to what each season is going to bring… I’m sure it’s going to be a delicious year. :)

Stay warm out there

Well, in my opinion, this is better to look at, anyways:

I’ve been waiting for my copy to arrive, and it’s finally here. I hadn’t done a felted design for a little while so this was a nice treat to put together. Here is the original posing with the book:

Lots of fun goodies inside, too, just in time for the holiday knitting frenzy. You can kind of get an overview for the book on Ravelry, but there aren’t too many photos posted yet.

Forgot to mention in the dorky hat post, as well, a few new yarn colourways are available, too.

…in general. It’s just a fact I deal with, and usually I just accept, when I’m working on a hat for myself, I am going to look either a little dorky or a lot dorky in it.

See what I mean?

yes I do smile occasionally … I’m trying to see the little window with astigmatism (tricky) and it makes me look quite cross lol.

This is a nice pattern [Foliage from Knitty], nice yarn [Lindenhoff], love them both.

But, it just looks, well, strange on my head (no fault of the knitting or the design). I will probably resort to either reducing the height of the hat (any opinions out there as to whether or not it would help?) or just find another pattern to try… or resort to snitching the kids’ or hubby’s toques whenever I head for the arena. I’m used to it. It’s boring, but, well, if they look dorky on me, at least it’s a commercial production and not something someone has spent special time making. ;)

This one, on the other hand, looks less dorky (IMO), if you disregard the usual weirdo expression I wear.

This is the Windmill Beret by Nancy Marchant. Is it not rather awesome?? Yarn is, again, from Lindenhoff.

Bi-colour brioche stitch… fun to knit, and it fits fairly well, I think.

Ah well… One out of two is better than the usual one out of ten I usually score. If it didn’t get so darn cold around here, I would just live in berets. However, they don’t quite cut it at -20C. ;)

In other, less dorky, news…
New pattern:

Yes, fairly simple, but with a few little details making them a little less ordinary than standard stockinette socks. Knit top-down. Here’s the link for more info: Terradance Socks.

And, with that, I’m off… seems like the week has gone by in a blink and I’m feeling just a little bit pressured to keep at it. Hope everyone enjoyed the ghoulies this week. We were out of town at a hospital where my hubby had an MRI at 11pm (yes, apparently 24/7 MRIs is becoming the norm)… a little creepy wandering about a darkened, virtually staff-less hospital at such an hour. It was rather amusing, however, watching the university students doing the Halloween cruise up and down the street in front of the hotel… many of them were sans pants (wearing hotpant shorts instead, male and female) and clunky platform-style shoes. I have no idea, lol. Apparently, it must have made the costume since it was quite a popular thing this year. ;) I must be getting old…