Going Domestic

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night

We're packing up the computer tonight! Will chat more in April! From Calgary! In my house!

shiny objects

  madeline loves sharp shiny objects 
  Originally uploaded by goingdomestic.

The waiting is over! I have been checking my mailbox every day since February 12th for my Knitpicks Options, and finally, they came today!  I am excited by the possibility of making things with needles in sizes other than US 7 or 8, which is all that I currently have in my collection! Whee!

I read a lot about these needles before placing an order. The cables are supposed to be memory-less (true, I'd say - they barely curl when hanging), heavy (huh?), and super-pointy (again, huh?). I spent some time worrying that they were going to be too heavy to use except for quick projects and so pointy that I'd be bleeding all over my swatches, but they're lighter than my Boye circulars and not any more pointy, either. I think we'll be friends.

The time it took for this package to arrive really disappointed me, though. Knitpicks says here on their website that their orders going to Canada are mailed at the border by Canada Post, so I'd assumed a fairly speedy delivery. Two weeks, maybe. Obviously, I waited over a month! They weren't here for my birthday! I kind of think that my package took an extended vacation at the border on it's way here. Not sure that I want to place another order with KnitPicks, even though their prices are mighty tempting.

Kind of ironically, all of my knitting stuff has been packed into a box with my scrapbook supplies. I figured that I could keep my fingers otherwise occupied by getting ready for our departure from St. John's next weekend, but I may have to leave my new needle set out so I can show them off at the Stitch 'n Bitch on Monday night ...

A Hat for Madeline

  Knitting Project #4: A Hat for Madeline 
  Originally uploaded by goingdomestic.

I finished a hat for Madeline (subtitled Knitting Project #4) just in time for her wear it for our final two weeks in St. John's. Lucky for her, it's still winter here :) What I love about this hat is the yarn - it's DK weight, and knitting two stands together gives it nice bulk, and I adore the colouring - the yarn is mossy green intertwined with rose, blue and grey.

Wouldn't you know it - now Chris wants a hat! I have the same yarn (Marble Yarn by James C Brett) in a different colourway that would look nice on him, but I don't think that I'll have enough time to finish another hat before we're back in Calgary, where a winter hat probably isn't necessary any more.

The spring issue of Knitty is out now, and I have a huge crush on ester. Maybe it's time to try something with cables ...

most auspicious day

Never have I ever been accused of being a convicted criminal on my birthday before, until today. I was at the Moter Vehicle building in Mount Pearl to get a new driver's license, and the clerk working at the service counter was very skeptical of my Alberta license. She questioned me on all of the codes and endorsements (I can only drive a motor vehicle with the usual number of axels, must wear corrective lenses, etc.), but was really stumped on a few of them, and annoyed that I didn't have the answer key for the codes. I was a little flabbergasted when she asked me, "Why did you take a driver's education class? Do you have a conviction that you're not telling me???" I responded that I took a class to learn to operate a vehicle and learn the rules of the road, which I thought was normal,  but the clerk seemed really suspicious. Maybe it's common here not to take driver education unless ordered to by a court; I really don't know ... In the end, I must have been deemed trustworthy enough as the clerk took my Alberta license away, asked for $100, and gave me a new piece of plastic so can legally drive around Newfoundland for another five years. We're probably only going to be here for another 3-4 weeks :)

I was really hoping that my Knitpicks Options that I ordered on February 11 would be waiting in my mailbox when we got home from the Motor Vehicles office, but they're still MIA. Instead, the (t)rusty mailbox held for me a copy of The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, Just Hats, and a few cool things from Etsy, like a set of lovely stitch markers and my very own Black Apple print. So, still some awesome mail, and I only bought one of those items myself :)

Duck in a Box

  Duck in a Box 
  Originally uploaded by goingdomestic.

Intriguing, huh?

I had been eyeing this product in the freezer section of Superstore (ahem ... Dominion in NL) since it came out in December. I love Peking Duck. At least, I think I do. I've only had the real thing once, but I remember loving how it was served for wrapping with lettuce, wrapping in a little yummy pancake, and then as soup. Yum.

We finally bought the Peking-Duck-in-a-box a couple of weeks ago, and I brought it out for dinner earlier this past week, when I didn't feel like actually cooking. The box contained two frozen pre-cooked duck legs (thigh and drumstick), and a package of yummy sauce. All I had to do was heat up the meat, and then pour the sauce over it. It was very far from an authentic Peking Duck experience, but it was still really tasty. If we buy it again (and I would), we'd have to get two packages, as our 2.5 year-old would probably eat an entire leg all on her own.

Warning: Wearing this may lead to puncture wounds

  WIP: Umbilical Cord Hat from SnB 
  Originally uploaded by goingdomestic.

I finished up the baby hat over the weekend. I really liked making it - it was quick to knit up, and the whole knitting-in-the-round thing is ingenious!

This is based on the Umbilical Cord hat pattern from SnB, and I struggled a bit with how to wrap the yarn around the needle for the i-cord that finished up the top of the hat, but it all worked out okay in the end.  My darling husband took me to the yarn store this past Saturday, and I've picked up some soft and earthy DK-weight yarn to use for future hats. Having made one, though, I am really interested in seeing how I can play around with this basic pattern ...

Also, I lurked in the Coffeeshop section at Knitty the other night for the first time, and I am blown away at all of the info there! Great resource, there.