needles, yarn and a big chunk of chocolate

Jack's 50th Birthday on Go Home Lak e

2009-09-08T11:04:00.002-04:00

We hosted a 50th birthday pig roast on the weekend.
Here is the birthday boy (left) and Julius (my DH) carrying dinner to the table

After dinner the band played

Back from my 3 week sailing holiday

2009-08-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

Am casting on the 2nd toe up sock of the Leybourn sock pattern.
I actually finished a pair of Loksins during this trip as well.

2009-06-10T09:16:00.005-04:00

I have been knitting the same socks over and over again. That's what happens when your brain is not capable of figuring out a new pattern. Oh well! I thought I'd share some photos since my life has been marching on since my last post in February.
I went to Barbados in March

Where I cooked a lot because we did a home exchange rather than stay in a hotel. Most nights we had fish that was caught only hours before.

In April my son learned how to ride a bike

In May I taught a cooking class for the Junior league.

and later in the month I took a baking class using a wood fired oven

2009-02-16T17:19:00.002-05:00

It's kind of a caramel crunch cake but not really. I didn't have a recipe so I just put it together with bits and pieces of my other recipes. I sent it over to my mother in law's for her birthday, I couldn't go because my son was home sick.
I hope that it tastes OK.

2009-02-10T16:24:00.004-05:00

The theory was that if I went to the cottage that I would get some knitting done. The theory didn't pan out but we did go skiing.

A little knitting!

2009-02-04T17:52:00.003-05:00

Finally a finished object. I thought that I was destined to make 09 the year of procrastination. This hat was frogged twice because they were the wrong size. This one is still slightly too large but Nicky, in his 8 year old charm, said 'mom it's fine'.
I love him.

Wrapping, Baking, Knitting

2008-12-19T12:47:00.003-05:00

I am alternating between these 3 activities. I'm baking some cakes for a catering job due tonight. I'm wrapping and I'm knitting 2 hats that are, of course, for Christmas.
Here's what we did yesterday.

2008-12-16T17:19:00.005-05:00

Look who won 'Not Guilty' a parenting book written by Debbie Travis.
My darling husband, who enters every contest under the sun, finally won something. I wonder if he's going to read the book?
Well no knitting in my house, it's just been work, work, work. It's always like this at Christmas time. Hopefully I'll get a little knitting done this weekend as I'm going away to the cottage and we're snowbound.

Halloween (again)

2008-11-03T17:45:00.003-05:00

Julius and I dressed up to welcome the little uns to our home on Halloween.

No new knitting

2008-10-27T17:14:00.003-04:00

but I thought that you might like to see these little cupcakes that we made for a dinner party on Saturday night.
This is an Espresso Brownie Cupcake with Baileys Buttercream
and this is a Lemon Cheesecake Cupcake with Lemon Curd and Candied Lemon

The rest of the menu is on my cooking blog.
We are still working on our basement renovation and I haven't had much time for knitting, I hope I can see you all on Tuesday at the SnB.

2008-10-06T17:24:00.002-04:00

The family went on a roadtrip to visit my girlfriend Ginny, her husband John and her son John Alex. We all had a terrific time.
The farm was built before the turn of the century.

The farm has a vineyard and the grapes were badly decimated by a late frost this year. Julius singlehandedly harvested the 2008 crop.

Of course the real attraction for me, after of course great friends and great food

were the sheep

Julius liked the wine making the best

and Nicholas liked the tractors!

I need a steeking lesson

2008-10-01T14:00:00.002-04:00

I got as far as I could on the Telemark sweater and I don't exactly understand the instructions on how to prepare to knit a steek so I'll have to wait until one of my SnBs to move forward. Maybe I'll have a chance to go to my Wednesday SnB.
Nicholas is feeling a little better but he's still under the weather.

A little progress on Telemark

2008-09-22T11:49:00.004-04:00

The sweater is knitting up nicely, I can almost do the pattern without looking! Woohoo.
I have had a bit of problem with tension, my regular style of tensioning (wrapped around my pinkie) is not working and I can't feed out the yarn so I've had to create a new tension style for this yarn. I've never really had this happen before but now I just lightly go through my fingers, not around, and it seems to be OK

What I'm workng on

2008-09-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

I have been working on the TeleMark Ski Sweater by knitpicks. I decided that since I figured out how to knit with one colour in each hand, I'd capitalize on the skill and knit another colourwork sweater. I also have no ski sweater, so I need to finish this sweater by January.
This will be my first sweater with steeks so I'll probably take a course. Looks like the Naked Sheep will be offering a steeking course.
I have also been working on my Loksins and someone will get these for Christmas.

I have also been working on Spring Forward and they'll coming along, this is the wool that my girlfriend's dog decided to tangle for me.

Fort York Birthday!

2008-09-14T09:56:00.007-04:00

I thought that you might like a trip to enjoy my son's 8th birthday at Fork York. The kids had a terrific time. They learned about the importance of music in the army and all tried their hand at drumming.

They practiced marching.

But the best part was the full drill and charging!

Then we marched home and had pizza and cake!

Birthday Cake Time!

2008-09-13T08:12:00.005-04:00

Nicholas turned 8 yesterday and his party is today at Fort York. Nicholas has had a 'thing' with the military, supported by his Uncle Doug who is in the California Army National Guard and is being deployed to Kosovo later this year. Nicholas asked for an army man cake and here is what he got.

He said that he was happy with it.

I can't say that it was my favourite cake to make, it was challenging making the camouflage colours but it's done now, the pizzas are baked and ready for re-heating, I just have to toss the salad and make a fruit plate. Off to Fort York!

Hail on the golf course

2008-08-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

Our wacky weather delivered hail on Friday. As you can see the hail stones were about the size of gumballs. What next?

Spring Forward, done before the end of summer!

2008-08-18T08:48:00.002-04:00

This wool is from my stash, a secret pal gave it to me and it was very soft and easy to work with, some kind of Merino for sure. I'm not in love with the pooling of the colours so it will become a Christmas gift for someone. Do any of my sisters like them? Spring Forward

Yay, I have phone service

2008-08-14T09:06:00.002-04:00

After almost 3 weeks with no home phone or internet we have finally repaired our decrepit line. At the cottage my girlfriend came up with her 2 daughters and her 2 dogs. Her daughters were delightful. Her dogs did this to the sock that I was working on.
I don't even know how to detangle it. I don't even know if there is any hope so I started another sock. I am working on Spring Forward and Loksins . I'll have at least one pair done today so I'll post photos tomorrow.

I worked hard in the kitchen but I never got to the knitting

2008-07-17T21:38:00.011-04:00

Always a treat to make food for a good party. We started off this morning by baking a chipotle cheesecake. Think dreamy, creamy, spicy cheesecake that eats like a dip and is served with little round tortillas.

then we move on to baked good. Where to start, how about with cookies, like triple chocolate, or oatmeal

Then we moved to some lemon squares. This picture doesn't do them justice, they have a shortbread crust and a zesty, tangy lemon filing.

The next baking feat was a 4 step bar. A cranberry streusel bar. First we made a shortbread crust.

then we made yummy filling of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk

then we spread it out nice and even.

then we pour a yummy cranberry and brown sugar mixture on it

We top it off with a pecan streusel mixture and bake it til it's golden brown. Mmmmmm!

As you see I didn't finish the coconut cream pies, the chicken shish kebabs or the empanadas but they are first on the agenda for Friday. Stay tuned!

Go Home Lake

2008-07-14T13:21:00.003-04:00

has lots of frogs. This is Jeremiah. He likes to sing and isn't camera shy.

Crocodile cake

2008-07-14T13:15:00.003-04:00

I made this cake last fall for my son's seventh birthday, I made it to feed about 15. To feed 25 people I had to add a couple of extra curves to the body. It's the easiest cake ever.

I even have finished objects

2008-07-07T22:11:00.002-04:00

but i can't show them to you. I finished my jaywalker socks for my DH. I can't show them to you because my modem died and it's going to take a couple of days for my ISP to ship me a new one. Then....they think that I'm going to pay for it. Well I don't think so, I've been a loyal customer for 13 years and quite frankly they should be sending me thank you cards for staying with them that long!!!
Anyways, my jaywalkers are done and I'm working on spring forward but I have to sit on the curb using 'free' wifi to post so definitely no photos for now.
I made a huge kid's crocodile cake today in the blistering heat and I do have photos but you'll have to wait.
TTFN Michelle

It's just not fair!

2008-06-15T15:51:00.002-04:00

that my husband tried on his jaywalker sock and it was too long, but not just a little too long it was like 2 inches too long! I mean, what happened! I swear I measured his foot! It must be the measuring tape. So I have to decide if I should knit the other one the same size and look for a size 12 or 13 (foot size) man to give them to or if I should rip sock number one back.
I need this like a hole in the head.

Breaking up floors, pouring cement, framing is done, plumbing rough in is done, drywall starts Tuesday. Yech.

Taking time away from termite central to knit

2008-06-03T14:17:00.002-04:00

Well things around my house have been interesting to say the least. We discovered a termite infestation that has led to the complete gutting and removal of our basement back to the brick walls and concrete floors.
It has been a dirty, dirty, dirty week. Did I mention that we hauled away 34 yards of waste?
I have done no knitting because I haven't had much time but all of a sudden today when my shop vac quit (I was vacuuming the basement again) and all of my bins were filled with excavation debris from our drain work I realized that I couldn't do anything in the basement and that I should take a break.
So for my break I'm doing laundry and knitting.
I was killed on Friday in sock wars so my Detonation socks are en route to the American midwest.
My socks were a beautiful colour but they are loose on my feet. The pattern was just too big, I mean 72 stitches? That's never going to fit a narrow foot.
I can't find my digital camera in this mess so no photos.
I have no vacuum cleaner since my central vac is out and the vacuum that I brought home from the cottage needs a new bag....so I can't clean.
I can't decide if that's good or bad but I'm going to knit and drink tea for a while.