Much knitting will take place -- back Tuesday! :-)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
GOING OUT TO PLAY ... AGAIN
There's not a cloud in the sky, it's a long weekend, I survived the FibreFest, we have fuel in the boat tanks -- Albert Head, here we come!
Much knitting will take place -- back Tuesday! :-)
Much knitting will take place -- back Tuesday! :-)
Friday, June 27, 2008
MY BLOGOVERSARY
First of all, there's something wrong with that word -- as a writer, it doesn't sit right with me. It should be blogiversary, shouldn't it?
But whatever the word is, the definition of it is 'the anniversary of when you began blogging,' and my first blog entry was on July 5th, 2003. We were living in Nanaimo then, and I think all my blog entries were about two sentences long.
You may have noticed that it’s my five-year blogoversary in a week (check the sidebar…), but what you wouldn’t have known (unless you’re my sister) is that it’s also, at the end of this month (Monday, June 30th to be exact) ten years since we bought the Wind Walker and moved aboard. On June 30th, 1998, she slipped off the 'ways' (where she'd been surveyed for our purchase) into the water, and the previous owner put the keys in our hands. What a happy day that was!
So I have a few reasons to celebrate, and I thought it would be fun to have my very first contest!
So here’s the deal – the contest will run for 2 weeks, ending at midnight PST Thursday, July 10th, 2008. And here’s all the ways your name can be entered to win:
1. If you are blogless, and you leave a comment on my blog wishing me a happy anniversary (and either include your email or email me, so I'll have a way to contact you!)
2. If you tell people about it on *your* blog, and link to mine (and then let me know you've done that).
3. If someone you’ve told leaves a comment on my blog saying that you sent them.
4. If you answer these ten questions correctly, and email the answers to skipper at mvwindwalker dot com, you earn TWO entries (to do this you’ll have to read back through the archives on my blog, including back to the original blog).
Here's the questions:
- What was projected to happen at Blackberry Point when we did a kayak ‘mother-ship’ trip there?
- When were we sponsors of Nanaimo’s famous ‘Bathtub Race?’ and what did we have the privilege of doing for it?
- When did I pose the question … “if a web log is called a 'blog,' why isn't a Ship's Log called a 'slog?”
- Three years ago was the first time the Tall Ships came to Victoria …. which one did I watch arriving off Dallas Road?
- What did the Wind Walker win second prize for?
- When did I announce the start of my ‘most ambitious project ever’ – the ‘beach blanket’?
- When did we acquire a canoe – and what was my first lace project on the needles at the time? (I know, that’s really two questions…. I’m cheating on my own contest!)
- What item have I knit for two of my grandsons?
- Where do I want my ashes scattered when I die?
- What’s the name of the two sailboat races I’ve watched at Clover Point this spring?
On Friday, July 11th at 1:30 pm PST I’ll draw a name from the names I’ve entered (at my regular Friday Knit'n'Cafe, so I have witnesses)! If you win and you are a knitter, you’ll get a lovely knitterly gift basket in the mail; if you win and you are not a knitter, you’ll get a lovely snackerly/goodies gift basket in the mail.
And that’s that … enjoy!
But whatever the word is, the definition of it is 'the anniversary of when you began blogging,' and my first blog entry was on July 5th, 2003. We were living in Nanaimo then, and I think all my blog entries were about two sentences long.
You may have noticed that it’s my five-year blogoversary in a week (check the sidebar…), but what you wouldn’t have known (unless you’re my sister) is that it’s also, at the end of this month (Monday, June 30th to be exact) ten years since we bought the Wind Walker and moved aboard. On June 30th, 1998, she slipped off the 'ways' (where she'd been surveyed for our purchase) into the water, and the previous owner put the keys in our hands. What a happy day that was!
So I have a few reasons to celebrate, and I thought it would be fun to have my very first contest!
So here’s the deal – the contest will run for 2 weeks, ending at midnight PST Thursday, July 10th, 2008. And here’s all the ways your name can be entered to win:
1. If you are blogless, and you leave a comment on my blog wishing me a happy anniversary (and either include your email or email me, so I'll have a way to contact you!)
2. If you tell people about it on *your* blog, and link to mine (and then let me know you've done that).
3. If someone you’ve told leaves a comment on my blog saying that you sent them.
4. If you answer these ten questions correctly, and email the answers to skipper at mvwindwalker dot com, you earn TWO entries (to do this you’ll have to read back through the archives on my blog, including back to the original blog).
Here's the questions:
- What was projected to happen at Blackberry Point when we did a kayak ‘mother-ship’ trip there?
- When were we sponsors of Nanaimo’s famous ‘Bathtub Race?’ and what did we have the privilege of doing for it?
- When did I pose the question … “if a web log is called a 'blog,' why isn't a Ship's Log called a 'slog?”
- Three years ago was the first time the Tall Ships came to Victoria …. which one did I watch arriving off Dallas Road?
- What did the Wind Walker win second prize for?
- When did I announce the start of my ‘most ambitious project ever’ – the ‘beach blanket’?
- When did we acquire a canoe – and what was my first lace project on the needles at the time? (I know, that’s really two questions…. I’m cheating on my own contest!)
- What item have I knit for two of my grandsons?
- Where do I want my ashes scattered when I die?
- What’s the name of the two sailboat races I’ve watched at Clover Point this spring?
On Friday, July 11th at 1:30 pm PST I’ll draw a name from the names I’ve entered (at my regular Friday Knit'n'Cafe, so I have witnesses)! If you win and you are a knitter, you’ll get a lovely knitterly gift basket in the mail; if you win and you are not a knitter, you’ll get a lovely snackerly/goodies gift basket in the mail.
And that’s that … enjoy!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
IT'S A WRAP
... and a shawl and a stole and a .... well, lots of knitted things!
The 2008 Victoria FibreFest is officially over, and what a great one it was -- the best ever, in many ways.
The Festival started with Friday night's dinner and fashion show at Med Grill. Last year we sold 30 tickets, this year 64! Here's some of the highlights ...
I intended to upload several more photos, but Blogger is being really slow this morning and making me crazy, so maybe later!
Saturday's events included classes and a yarn crawl, and then Sivia's presentation in the evening.... her take on it is here.
The main event, Sunday's market, was awesome! The sun came out, the wind died down, and the folks started streaming in the gates at about 9:45 a.m. and never stopped until 4:00 pm. I don't have any pics yet, but a few other folks have blogged about it, so look here for now. :-)
I'm still dragging myself around here, not yet back to my usual energetic self, but each day is a bit better. Today the Tall Ships Festival starts, so I'll be out and about for that a bit later!
The 2008 Victoria FibreFest is officially over, and what a great one it was -- the best ever, in many ways.
The Festival started with Friday night's dinner and fashion show at Med Grill. Last year we sold 30 tickets, this year 64! Here's some of the highlights ...
I intended to upload several more photos, but Blogger is being really slow this morning and making me crazy, so maybe later!
Saturday's events included classes and a yarn crawl, and then Sivia's presentation in the evening.... her take on it is here.
The main event, Sunday's market, was awesome! The sun came out, the wind died down, and the folks started streaming in the gates at about 9:45 a.m. and never stopped until 4:00 pm. I don't have any pics yet, but a few other folks have blogged about it, so look here for now. :-)
I'm still dragging myself around here, not yet back to my usual energetic self, but each day is a bit better. Today the Tall Ships Festival starts, so I'll be out and about for that a bit later!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
SLOWWWWWWW MOTION....
Sorry, folks, still a bit brain dead from the AMAZING Victoria FibreFest weekend, and waiting for pictures, and sorting/optimizing of pictures. Meanwhile, look here for a pretty good overview until I return. (Thanks, Brenda!)
And keep checking back here regularly.... it's the Victoria Tall Ships Festival this weekend, so I'll be out and about for that lots (and have lots of pictures!) AND... more importantly, it's my 5th "BLOGIVERSARY" in less than two weeks, so I'll be holding my first-ever CONTEST!
Stay tuned..... :-)
And keep checking back here regularly.... it's the Victoria Tall Ships Festival this weekend, so I'll be out and about for that lots (and have lots of pictures!) AND... more importantly, it's my 5th "BLOGIVERSARY" in less than two weeks, so I'll be holding my first-ever CONTEST!
Stay tuned..... :-)
Monday, June 16, 2008
KNITTING IN PUBLIC
There were about 20 or so of us altogether, including two MEN who 'came out of the woodwork...'
And someone showed up in a Sivia shawl called Phoenix Rising from The Year of Lace:
And Raven even gave us a drop spindle demo (look to the left of her knees):
I hope you read Raven's blog entry about the FibreFest, too. I hadn't mentioned, here, that Shelley from Fun Knits can't come this weekend -- her booth will be there, but she won't -- and Raven has said exactly what I think (thanks, Raven!)
Anyway, back to Knitting in Public, I was a little disappointed with the turnout, but the day was lovely, and those of us who WERE there had lots of fun!
Oh, and by the way ... a few months ago you might remember that members of the Knit'n'Cafe came into a whole lot of raw fleece, and then gave most of it away... here's Judy's blog entry about what happened to some of it. Judy will be giving a 'Mindful Knitting' demo at the FibreFest this weekend, so come and meet her.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
CATCHING UP
... with you after several days away from blogging!
The time is flying by now until the FibreFest, with lots of little details to look after, so I may post only sporadically until after next weekend. But I have to tell you about my Wednesday adventure ...
One of the Guild members had a potluck lunch in her home an hour's drive away, and I had to go here, which was nearby -- so I dropped the gals who rode along with me at the potluck, and headed off into the countryside in search of Bella Cria. I realized that I hadn't had any breakfast so I stopped at a little country grocery store to get a muffin, and when I walked in I saw this...
And this...
And this...
Clearly, this was no ordinary country store! :-)
I lightened that basket by a few little skeins, and then my eyes fell on this...
I know the picture isn't great, but she's a needle-felted mermaid, complete with beads in her seaweed hair -- isn't that a perfect 'kitchen witch' for a fibre fan who lives on a boat??
I thought so too...
And I did manage to make it down to Clover Point yesterday after our regular Friday Knit'n'Cafe, and it was beautifully windy!
In knitterly news, Harbour Lights Too had a bit of a setback earlier in the week (I only had to rip back six rows ....groan) but is back on track now, and I'm still hopeful I'll be wearing it for the Fashion Show on Friday night.
The time is flying by now until the FibreFest, with lots of little details to look after, so I may post only sporadically until after next weekend. But I have to tell you about my Wednesday adventure ...
One of the Guild members had a potluck lunch in her home an hour's drive away, and I had to go here, which was nearby -- so I dropped the gals who rode along with me at the potluck, and headed off into the countryside in search of Bella Cria. I realized that I hadn't had any breakfast so I stopped at a little country grocery store to get a muffin, and when I walked in I saw this...
And this...
And this...
Clearly, this was no ordinary country store! :-)
I lightened that basket by a few little skeins, and then my eyes fell on this...
I know the picture isn't great, but she's a needle-felted mermaid, complete with beads in her seaweed hair -- isn't that a perfect 'kitchen witch' for a fibre fan who lives on a boat??
I thought so too...
And I did manage to make it down to Clover Point yesterday after our regular Friday Knit'n'Cafe, and it was beautifully windy!
In knitterly news, Harbour Lights Too had a bit of a setback earlier in the week (I only had to rip back six rows ....groan) but is back on track now, and I'm still hopeful I'll be wearing it for the Fashion Show on Friday night.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
OOPS
Does this tugboat look a little wonky to you? It should, because it's on the bottom! Quite often these tugs tie up at this abandoned jetty right next to our marina... to rest, or wait for the dude to come lift the bridge, or whatever. So yesterday, these guys tied up at about noon -- and the tide was still going out, out, out.
It was almost 6 pm before he had enough water underneath to re-float and take off.
And my 'personal' oops is that I'm late posting about getting my latest International Scarf Exchange parcel .... here it is, minus the chocolate (my hubby and grandson made short work of that!) and the little sheep magnets, which I forgot to put in the photo. My secret partner gets an 'A' for these TWO scarves ... one is a thick cabled neckwarmer (perfect for spring and fall dinghy rides!) and the other is a slim and light two-tone chevron-pattern. Both delightful, and much appreciated!
In knitterly news, I'm just finishing the final pattern repeat on my second Harbour Lights shawl, and should be able to start on the edging today. :-) Not much knitting -- or blogging -- time now, with FibreFest details taking up tons of time!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
IN WHICH I USE THE WORD AEOLIAN
So it was really windy on the Juan de Fuca yesterday when I arrived at Clover Point for my daily mindful knitting time (with a little storm-watching thrown in for good measure)!
In my usual parking spot was this ... do you blame me for mistaking it for a portable outhouse at first?
But no! It's an 'Aeolian Wind Harp and Harmonic Sanctuary,' if you please -- silly me. Available to book for weddings, etc. - who knew? Here's the lowdown...
Find out more about these amazing things here.
I think I'll just stick to my knitting ... :-)
In my usual parking spot was this ... do you blame me for mistaking it for a portable outhouse at first?
But no! It's an 'Aeolian Wind Harp and Harmonic Sanctuary,' if you please -- silly me. Available to book for weddings, etc. - who knew? Here's the lowdown...
Find out more about these amazing things here.
I think I'll just stick to my knitting ... :-)
Saturday, June 7, 2008
HARBOUR LIGHTS TOO
Yesterday I got down to Clover Point, once again, in time to see the tail end of a sailboat race -- I think they might be members of the Turkey Head Sailing Association out of the Oak Bay Marina.
They had a great evening for racing .... light winds, blue sky and sunshine.
... and I had a great evening for knitting, and I'm making serious progress on Harbour Lights #2:
You can't see the beads, and the light I had this morning was not great, so this picture doesn't do it justice -- I'll try to get a nice shot later, outside. :-) Not sure how much knitting time I'll have today -- FibreFest is less than two weeks away, and there's LOTS to do!
They had a great evening for racing .... light winds, blue sky and sunshine.
... and I had a great evening for knitting, and I'm making serious progress on Harbour Lights #2:
You can't see the beads, and the light I had this morning was not great, so this picture doesn't do it justice -- I'll try to get a nice shot later, outside. :-) Not sure how much knitting time I'll have today -- FibreFest is less than two weeks away, and there's LOTS to do!
Friday, June 6, 2008
GRANDSONS
On Wednesday morning, while I was at my Knitters Guild AGM, River's class was participating in a huge project at Clover Point ...
Here's what the small print says...
"Children from all over Greater Victoria gathered at Clover Point yesterday to form the image of a wild salmon, created by Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations artist Marianne Nicholson. Using a 42-metre by 61-metre grid, creatd by artist John Quigley, the children shaped the outline of a salmon and spelled out the words 'Oceans Alive.' The event was in celebration of Oceans Day, to be celebrated Sunday."
River said it was 'boring,' of course, but I think it was a great idea!
Then, kind of on a whim, Jason, Hailey, River and I drove up to Qualicum Beach to see our grandson Joshua's (Jason's son) final band concert of the year. It's about a two-hour drive with at least four yarn shops en route, so I was able to distribute FibreFest posters as well!
We met my sister Julie for dinner at our favorite Chinese food smorg place again, and then drove to the school. Joshua is 14 and in Grade 8, so it's his last year of 'Middle School', and he's been in the Band program for two years. It was a wonderful concert, and it's always nice to get cousins River and Joshua together - they adore each other, and don't get to see one another nearly often enough.
We didn't get home until after 11:00, so I let River sleep in yesterday morning (he spends two nights a week with us, and that was one of them) and then took him out for breakfast before taking him back to school. Well... that also meant that it was almost noon before *I* got anything done yesterday!
I did get Harbour Lights blocked, though...
... and I've talked to Sivia about either having a silent auction for it, or just doing a draw (in exchange for donations to charity knitting) at the FibreFest. It'll be 'up for grabs' somehow!
I've completed three (out of seven) repeats on the one I'm keeping for myself. :-)
Here's what the small print says...
"Children from all over Greater Victoria gathered at Clover Point yesterday to form the image of a wild salmon, created by Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations artist Marianne Nicholson. Using a 42-metre by 61-metre grid, creatd by artist John Quigley, the children shaped the outline of a salmon and spelled out the words 'Oceans Alive.' The event was in celebration of Oceans Day, to be celebrated Sunday."
River said it was 'boring,' of course, but I think it was a great idea!
Then, kind of on a whim, Jason, Hailey, River and I drove up to Qualicum Beach to see our grandson Joshua's (Jason's son) final band concert of the year. It's about a two-hour drive with at least four yarn shops en route, so I was able to distribute FibreFest posters as well!
We met my sister Julie for dinner at our favorite Chinese food smorg place again, and then drove to the school. Joshua is 14 and in Grade 8, so it's his last year of 'Middle School', and he's been in the Band program for two years. It was a wonderful concert, and it's always nice to get cousins River and Joshua together - they adore each other, and don't get to see one another nearly often enough.
We didn't get home until after 11:00, so I let River sleep in yesterday morning (he spends two nights a week with us, and that was one of them) and then took him out for breakfast before taking him back to school. Well... that also meant that it was almost noon before *I* got anything done yesterday!
I did get Harbour Lights blocked, though...
... and I've talked to Sivia about either having a silent auction for it, or just doing a draw (in exchange for donations to charity knitting) at the FibreFest. It'll be 'up for grabs' somehow!
I've completed three (out of seven) repeats on the one I'm keeping for myself. :-)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISCHA
In my haste to show off the Harbour Lights shawl yesterday, I completely forgot to pay tribute to my daughter Mischa, who turned 29. (I didn't forget her birthday, I just forgot to record it here!)
Mischa is the youngest of our three children, and she is smart and funny, stylish and funky, a dedicated Mom to Gibson and River, and a talented hairstylist. She's 'pulled herself up by the bootstraps' more times than I can count, and has a kind of determination I've seen rarely in anyone!
(No, the hair isn't natural ... I mentioned 'hairstylist' didn't I?) :-)
Hope you had a happy birthday, Mischa .... I love you and I'm proud of you!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
HARBOUR LIGHTS
Unwashed. Unblocked. Beautiful.
The Harbour Lights shawl was created by designer extra-ordinaire Sivia Harding in honor of the 2008 Victoria FibreFest, at which she is my special guest. The pattern is not available until then, but I can tell you this:
This one is knit in 100% cashmere, and the pattern only uses about 750 yards of fingering weight. The edging took almost as long as the body to knit, but it was not a difficult knit (if it was, I couldn't have done it! lol) Final measurements should be 60" wide and 30" long after blocking (which I'm hoping will happen later today -- I'll let you know)!
Here's what Sivia had to say about it ... "Sneak Peak".
I also asked Vancouver-based designer Uli to create a shawl pin for this design, and here it is!
Click on the image to see it bigger ... can you see the lighthouse and shell charms? It's perfect for the Harbour Lights shawl, and will also be available at the FibreFest in several colors. I'm getting pretty excited about this event now!
And just so you know how much I LOVE this pattern ... I've already started another one in a Hand Maiden silk/wool blend, with beads this time.
And I know I'm probably certifiable ... but I'm hoping to be wearing it at the FibreFest kick-off Fashion Show event (I'll be MC'ing it) on Friday, June 21st.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
SATURDAYS WITH RIVER
Since our grandson River was about 3, he's been spending a couple of nights a week with us, and Saturday is usually one of them. As it turns out, this very week River is studying early European contact/Hudson's Bay history in school, and chose for this project to research and learn about the SS BEAVER. Although he'd seen the (replica) boat lots of times at Fisherman's Wharf, he had no idea of its historical significance.
So we went on a bit of a historical field trip. First stop, Ross Bay, where the Beaver reportedly anchored the very first time it arrived here in 1835.
We got a little side-tracked watching this dude launch off the beach right beside us ...
Oh, and River is a bit of a rock-hound, too, so he had to fill his pockets with a few very carefully selected stones.
Then we drove along Dallas Road to re-trace the Beaver's first trip into the Inner Harbour ...
But then, as we rounded the bend at Ogden Point, we got distracted again, by this...
And River decided it would be a perfect opportunity to show how close we could actually get to a cruise ship, AND show off his Tae-Kwan-Do tournament medal at the same time!
And the answer to that question is .... about 30'!
Finally, River had to see if his new strength (from all that Tai-Kwan-Do) would help him hold up the ship, and sure enough...
To our delight, as we were walking back to the van after that cruise ship adventure, we stopped to look at a 'Commemorative' kiosk right beside the parking lot, and found this!
Onward we soldiered in search of the facts. Our journey led us next to Point Hope Shipyard, where the replica Beaver is getting some work done in preparation for its role in the 2010 Olympics.
And finally ... home to spend some time with 'Papa' before bed!
How lucky am I, huh?
In knitterly news, I was really hoping to be finished the edging on the test knit shawl today, but SS Beaver fact-finding missions are much more important, don't you think? Today looks a little more promising on the knitting front .... :)
So we went on a bit of a historical field trip. First stop, Ross Bay, where the Beaver reportedly anchored the very first time it arrived here in 1835.
We got a little side-tracked watching this dude launch off the beach right beside us ...
Oh, and River is a bit of a rock-hound, too, so he had to fill his pockets with a few very carefully selected stones.
Then we drove along Dallas Road to re-trace the Beaver's first trip into the Inner Harbour ...
But then, as we rounded the bend at Ogden Point, we got distracted again, by this...
And River decided it would be a perfect opportunity to show how close we could actually get to a cruise ship, AND show off his Tae-Kwan-Do tournament medal at the same time!
And the answer to that question is .... about 30'!
Finally, River had to see if his new strength (from all that Tai-Kwan-Do) would help him hold up the ship, and sure enough...
To our delight, as we were walking back to the van after that cruise ship adventure, we stopped to look at a 'Commemorative' kiosk right beside the parking lot, and found this!
Onward we soldiered in search of the facts. Our journey led us next to Point Hope Shipyard, where the replica Beaver is getting some work done in preparation for its role in the 2010 Olympics.
And finally ... home to spend some time with 'Papa' before bed!
How lucky am I, huh?
In knitterly news, I was really hoping to be finished the edging on the test knit shawl today, but SS Beaver fact-finding missions are much more important, don't you think? Today looks a little more promising on the knitting front .... :)
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