ODDS 'n' SODS

- First of all, happy International Womens Day! Even Google changed its logo for the day... :) The premise, that women deserve the same rights and opportunities as men, seems like a no-brainer, but the truth is, it still ain't happenin' -- even right here in 'progressive' North America! So take a moment to reflect today .... yes, 'we've come a long way, baby,' but we're not there yet.

- I've always had a secret theory that West Coast living makes you younger, and here's the proof! (For non-locals, Saanich is a suburb of Victoria).

- I realized this morning that it's knitting day at the Rock Salt, and I still haven't showed you last week's pics! Here's Esther modelling the shawl she knit that my friend Grace designed for Elann.com:
... and Aiko had her dolls model the Noro dresses I knit for them:
... and Dona wanted to model my 'Christmas in January' shawl:
I also finished cowl #5 in the Great Cowl Knitalong:
This is a bit of a story! I never thought to look at the pattern requirements until two days before the start date, and I realized that I had neither any super-bulky-weight yarn nor a 16" 12mm circular needle! So I went searching for what I did have, and found this:

It's pin-drafted roving that I've had stashed for the day I decide to learn/practise spindle spinning, but, with size 10mm needles, it did the trick, and I was able to finish the cowl before the challenge deadline!

I have two other bits of news this morning. First of all, I'll be doing some writing for a little local bi-weekly news-advertiser paper. And -- I got another little job. I wasn't looking, but this sort of fell in my lap, and so far I'm loving it: I'm now Salt Spring Island's 'Welcome Wagon' lady! Hey, it pays pretty good, it's only a few hours a week, I can work my own hours (and there's no 'boss' hanging around), and I get to meet lots of interesting people .... works for me!

I've cast on another shawl, finally, and the final cowl. Pictures next time, my camera battery is charging. :)
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