Just another typical windy day in Calgary.

It's almost August. Let's knit socks

In a never ending attempt to increase my physical fitness, and to loose ten pounds, I have been walking. An extra 10,000 steps per day. Okay, I'll admit it, some days are closer to the 10,000 number than others but I'm trying.
While I'm out walking, my mind wanders and I contemplate buying resort property in Huatulco. I design lace patterns in my head. I renovate my kitchen. (that last one was a really bad one to get started on.) Today's thought was that we should have a sock exchange.

Crazy? Yes! but it's almost August and a time for crazy ideas. If you read this and want to take part, Send me your name, email address, shoe size and a secret code name. If you have any other colour likes or dislikes, or other preferences, include thoses as well. I'll pass that info along to the person knitting your sock. There are no guarantees. It's just fun to have someone else knit a pair of socks for me.

I'll be conning an unsuspecting member of my family to help me organise this so I can play too. You won't know who is knitting socks for you but you also won't know who you are knitting socks for.

There is a short deadline because I didn't think of this until today. Get your info to me by Friday. You already know if you want to participate or not so just send the email today. I'll get the sock requests to you by the end of next weekend and then we can start knitting.

Completion date for the socks will be Sept. 13. We can get together and drink wine and try on our socks in my new kitchen which hopefully will be done too.

my email?? yarndiva05athotmaildotcom or send me a message on ravelry.

I'd like to think that I'm not the only crazy knitter out there.

I'M GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!!

The following conversation occurred in our house, early Thursday morning when D was trying to get out of the house to make enough money for my crazy schemes....often the best time to have conversations.

M - I'm thinking of going to Rhinebeck.
D - Germany?
M - No, Maryland.(It's okay, I've got it figured out now) It's a Sheep and Wool Festival.
D - When? (said slowly with a great deal of trepidation)
M - October.
D - Sounds good. You go in October and I'll go the Grey Cup in November.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to which event is going to involve more wine drinking?...and shopping?....and fun?

BIG Weekend
Campers came from near and far for the fourth annual Bonar Invitational Golf Weekend. Many golfers drove into Silver Creek Golf course on Thursday and the weekend was off to a flying start. My team did not fare well in the final standings.But we had fun.
Perhaps someone should have told me earlier that Oven mitts do not necessary to achieve the longest drive.
I did have one perfect shot for the day. I took out my toaster-on-a-stick for the par 3, 85 yard drive. My teammates thought I had lost my mind as they had used their 5 woods. Mine was the only ball to land on the green and Mark easily made the 6 foot putt for the Birdie.

We didn't come in last.

Their reward for a hard day's work was to have someone suggest that they should take up a new sport.

Count for the weekend 28 Golfers, 6 campers who only came to visit, 1 photographer, 8 mice who decided that they needed to share our trailer, 4 new knitters!

Parade day Road Trip

The day dawned bright and sunny. It was the perfect day for a Parade. It was an even better day for a Road Trip. The group of intrepid knitters followed their Supreme Leader out to the wilderness that is known as Banff, with a few stops along the way.


We were stopped by some surly construction workers and Michelle took advantage of the time to knit a few stitches on her sock.



We fought the Wiley Muskox and came away with yarn. To protect the innocent and the guilty, pictures of the Stash will not be displayed.



Sandra enjoyed a different Road Trip.

This shawl is going to the Bad Knitting Basket

It's not that I haven't been enjoying knitting this shawl. The pattern has been easy and fun to knit. It's not that I don't like the yarn. It's soft and cozy and knits up nicely. It's not that I don't have the perfect beads for the edging. After three tries, I found the perfect beads.This stupid shawl does not want to be finished and has conspired in every way to make my knitting life miserable.

The first clue. What I thought were the perfect beads had too much yellow in them. I went to a different store and bought new beads...still too yellow. I dug through my stash and found some other beads that would have been perfect. I moved on to the second ball of yarn.

Second clue. Instead of winding nicely, I had Yarn Barf. It should have taken 5 minutes to wind the ball of yarn not 45. Same dye lot....different colour. Ironically, the second ball of yarn was more yellow so I was back to picking new beads. I knit on
Third clue As I was about to start the final set of charts, I thought I should count my stitches. The number was out - way out... not even close. Well past fudging. I checked previous charts and found my error. Way back. Near the beginning. This one will reside in the basket while I decide it's fate. I hate to admit defeat but some projects just don't want to be knit.


So now I can work on this stole. This is the second project from The Year of Lace. I love this stole. The colour is gorgeous and the pattern is so ingenious. Joan Schrouder is my hero. If I had to describe her, I would call her a "Thinking Knitter" She has designed this stole in a way that will use most if not all the yarn, and it looks amazing. The relatively simple patterns are combined in a way to make one in which all the elements just fit.

But of course even though I had on shawl that I was working on and another that I wanted to work on, I had to cast on a pair of socks. Spring forward in STR.

Sneak a Peak

Thursday night, before the parade and before the Stampede officially starts, we can go down to the grounds and get into the Calgary Stampede early. This is the event that is known to all as Sneak a Peak. To people who have entered articles into the Creative Arts and Crafts display, Thursday night is the night we go down to see who has won ribbons.
Yippee! Yahoo!
That Red Ribbon is for first place in lace knitted accessories. The Silver Medal beside it is for first place in knitting. While I may have knit the shawl, some of the credit has to go to the designer Sivia Harding and to the Claudia's Handpaints for dying the gorgeous yarn.

Congratulations Annie. Your Bison shawl is wonderful.

Congratulations Michelle. Your mom is lucky to receive such pretty socks....even if you did take back her Mother's day present.

There was another person who entered the Stampede. Amy will just have to make the trip down to the grounds.

Have you started your project for 2009 Stampede yet?

Three years = 1095 days

But only two months until we go on a road trip to visit!

And the first steps were taken in Canada!