Really Random Thursday: Knitting, Friends, Swifts, and Hockey

SOoooo - it's been a long time since I had my blogging wits about me for a random Thursday but I'm happy to play Randomeer today!

1) I've been knitting socks like a madwoman over the summer and into the fall. Seriously.  There's been lots of knitting.  Two shawls as well.  And then a little project to deal with leftover sock yarn.

Pattern info clockwise from top left here, here, here, here and here.  Warning about the Honeycomb socks and the Skew socks - they are not really great for folks with high arches/insteps.  The reason that super-cool diagonal is not gracing my foot is because they don't fit my arch and I can't get them on.  Luckily, they fit a friend!

Why all the socks?  Well, the company that makes the only store-bought socks I really liked manufactured items in the factory that collapsed this spring in Bangladesh and then refused to sign any legally binding agreement that would help to make conditions better and safer the people who work there. Several petitions and activist emails later, they still haven't signed and I'm resigned to make my own socks until I can find an ethical mass-made version. 

2) Cindy - yes, THAT Cindy! :-)  sent me a great little bag for my sock-knitting shenanigans.  Look at the perfect fabric she chose... Look at the measuring tape drawstrings!! I heart her.

The socks in the bag are Tintern Abbey, but I'll say this about them, I haven't quite perfected the Sherman Toe/Heel and thankfully am past the heels though I had to reknit them many, many times... Lots of Grr-argh going on.  But it should be smooth sailing from here!

3) Sometimes in life, one's project-loving father retires after 46 years and begins to spend his days in the same house where one's mother has been spending her own relaxed retirement.  First - there's fancy party where one wears a dress and one does the "Snap the picture, already" fashion pose...

To keep him from knocking down walls, taking apart engines and calling out very early in the morning for people to get a move on and help out, or to stop one's mother from demanding he get a part time job because he's driving her crazy...., one comes up with a project and begs for a much needed yarn swift!!

Tada!! Totally collapsible, works like a charm, and no more using my feet and knees!

I use a bag clip to wind center-pull balls - works pretty slick and keeps the tail out of the way!

But no worries - there is no trouble on the M household front. My parents are still incredibly cute.  But now they can have date night any night of the week.  They're schmoopy like that.

4) And another reason for all the knitting is the most wonderful time of the year is upon us again - hockey season!! :-)  I knit while watching to keep from getting too yell-y/bouncy....

Surprisingly, I had never been to a live NHL game before.  I know that an exhibition game in town here doesn't exactly count but I got tickets for my birthday to the Jets/Bruins game here in Sept. It was awesome. The Bruins brought all their stars. We had great seats.  B's 5-0.

I'm on the home blue line - someone pinch me!!

5) And finally, it's really disappointing when the CBC can't spell in the Hockey Night in Canada app....

What's a transcation??

Linking up with the Randomeers at LiveAColorfulLife!  Thanks for hosting, Cindy!

Tutorial: Random Piecing

Hello!

I'm over at the Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild site today with a tutorial on random piecing.  It's more of a guide to a technique that falls between patten-based and improv-based piecing.  I've used it in a number of projects and think it's a great way to ensure your work is unique.  I'd love to know what you think and if you try it out, please let me know!

For the tutorial, just click here and you'll be taken to the SMQG site!  Enjoy!

Really Random Thursday

I'm going with a meme today.  Mostly because I'm feeling a little random.  And a bit like I need cheesecake....

This currently driving me crazy.

I know there's a software update but since I use the maps pretty intensely, I've refrained but that little red 1 in the corner is taunting me.  TAUNTING me!!
I had to bite the Reeder bullet. I'm almost caught up on the blog reading I've missed. I upgraded to Lion this summer not realizing that Mail - aka my RSS reader - dropped support for RSS reading.  I lost all my carefully preserved articles, posts, etc, and a list of certain feeds that I can't remember the addresses for. It's one of the reasons it took me so long to get back on the reading wagon.  It just seemed like too much to track down. Admittedly, I used my blogroll (and other people's blogrolls) as a 'reader' for most of them but there were others that I kept in the RSS reader that didn't fit with my theming.  It's taken me months to adjust to Reeder, which is the one I finally went with.  I don't hate it but I don't love it either. As I've been catching up, I've been adding every blog I pop-in on to it and turns out, there's a lot.  However, having them all in one place is making it far easier to keep up on reading. :-)

This is molasses.  The texture was completely amazing and I had to take a picture of it. However, I could not get around the enhanced reflective properties of molasses when viewed through a camera...

Fabric for Seester's quilt has begun arriving. Still waiting on one more envelope...

Fabric for a project I can't tell you much about other than there is a whole lotta strips going on...

A nearby store closing yielded 95% off Christmas ornaments, which worked out to $0.19/half dozen.  Score!  So I bought 3 dozen coppery glass balls for less than a twoonie.  In case you think I'm a crazy person and matched the ornaments to the cat, let me assure you that I'm actually crazier and choose the cat 14 years ago because he was orange.  True story.

Speaking of Christmas, Nephew MAY be getting Play-doh.  We MAY have tested it out first.  For safety reasons. Or something.  Remember when you were a kid and never wanted to go to sleep because you thought the adults would have fun without you and you'd miss it?  Turns out, they did.

This is me racing a giant turtle.  Got the opportunity to do a workshop with a friend on improv for a summer drama camp in Turtleford so we had to take pics with the turtle...

A pile of cut-up socks waiting to be interfaced.  I'm saving them up for a picnic blanket quilt.  I plan on calling it the Dirty Socks Picnic Blanket.  I need about thirty more pairs of socks to blow a hole in the toe or heel... :-)

And plain greek yogurt mixed with brown sugar for dipping fruit like nectarines is my current favourite snack.

That's my disjoined story for today!  I'll be linking up to Really Random at Live a Colorful Life, where Cindy started this whole Random movement. More power to ya, sister!