I decided to challenge myself with some delicate lace. I’ve tried several times to do lace projects but without much success (i.e. I’ve given up quickly in absolute frustration). I was having trouble deciding on a lace pattern for a scarf until the new issue of MagKnits arrive in my inbox last week. It was decided – I would knit Ziggy with the beautiful cashmere/alpaca in my stash from Inca Gold. So before Friday I need to knit some swatches and decide on needle size. I’m torn however between the two colours, basically which to do first.

They’re both so gorgeous – frankly the picture doesn’t do them justice. The yarn has been languishing in my stash for over a year since I bought it at The Naked Sheep. To be honest, I was scared of trying to make something lacy with such beautiful yarn when I didn’t feel confident in my abilities with lace.

Go Team Canada – only 4 more days!

Aren’t they gorgeous? This is Aaron with his Auntie Heather in Curacao, deep in conversation. Aaron appears to be sharing a great story, I just wish I had been there to enjoy it.

Here’s another cover-worthy shot of the boy in question, engaged in a favourite activity of chewing on his hand. Fabulous darling!

Part of the fun of blogs is following the links from blog to blog. I regularly read the Conversational Reading blog. I followed a link from there to The Millions (a Blog about Books) and discovered this interesting article where notable authors recommend books for kids.

I love this quote from the article:
Another recommendation, is Kipling’s Just So Stories “for the wonderful rhythms and rhymes and the muscular strength of the language. You don’t understand everything as a child but you love the sound of it. Children respond very immediately to the musical rhythmic effects of language.”

I remember as a child enjoying the playfulness of language. Kids seem to find the sounds of certain words and phrases delightful – my neices and nephews seem to fixate on certain words and repeat them ad infinitum. It is this joy in language that seems to get lost through years of standardized learning and anything brings about its return is fine with me!

I’ve been fairly stressed lately, standard I guess when approaching a major change in your life. I took an eleven month contract to be able to return to my home community and that job is almost up – 27 days left!

I’ve been looking for work and apply for jobs as I find appropriate ones but still haven’t got a new one. This, of course, is causing a great deal of anxiety for me and many sleepless nights.

This is all to say I’ve been doing a lot knitting lately. I find the act of knitting very soothing and it seems to one of the only things that soothes my mind. My mind still wanders everywhere but seems to avoid the worries and instead I end up with random connections and imagery. It’s definitely time to pull out my copy of The Knitting Sutra by Susan Gordon Lyndon.

I’ve been making a lot of scarves the past few weeks. Part of my New Year’s resolution was to knit through my stash of sample yarns that I bought, thinking I could try out the yarn and make a scarf. I’ll have to borrow a digital camera soon and post some pictures.

I’m salivating! UCLA Announces Creation of New Rare book school but I think I’d rather attend the Rare book school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville – now to find the money to join the program. Thanks Bookworm for providing me with a new dream.

I had the fabulous fortune to read Gail Godwin’s 12th novel Queen of the Underworld this past October to review as part of the January Jury for Elle.com. Today when browsing BookSlut, I found an interview with her carried out by the Santa Monica Mirror. In it she discusses her journals, published this month at the same time as Queen of the Underworld, her life and the writing process.

I love this quote from Godwin, when discuss the act of keeping a journal:
“I didn’t start keeping a journal seriously, almost as a spiritual discipline, until I went abroad,” Godwin recalls. “That marks the start of keeping track consciously and responsibly, with a goal in mind that if I do this, I’m bound to not repeat some of my mistakes. And I’m bound to know myself a little better. It takes eons to get to that point where you have enough desire and enough leisure to take a moment and assess the day — as George Herbert the poet said, ‘to dress and undress the soul every day.’?”

I joined the 2006 Knitting Olympics organized by Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot. Of course, I joined Team Canada!

Cast on takes place during the opening ceremonies – February 10 – and the project has to be finished before the Olympic flame is extinguished – February 16.

Eligibility as defined by Stephanie: Any knitter who, embracing the “Citius, Alitius Fortius” ideal, would like to challenge themselves while embracing the Olympic spirit, and is just whacked enough to play along with me. Sixteen days of knitting.

Concept: You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics (Feb 10)- and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Feb 26). That’s 16 days.

Rules:
1. The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 16 days.
2. There are no rules about what a challenge would be. Like the real Olympics, there are many areas to compete in. If you are a new knitter, then a garter stitch baby sweater might do…If you are experienced, well. I’ve already considered Torino. Use your own conscience.
3. While this is intended to be somewhat difficult (like the Olympics) it is not intended to ruin your life. Don’t set yourself up for failure. (Olympic athletes may cry, but they do not whine pitifully, sob and threaten members of their family with pointed sticks because they haven’t slept in five days. ) This is intended to (like the Olympics) require some measure of sacrifice, and be difficult, but it should be possible to attain.
4. No casting on before the flame is lit.
5. Finish before the flame goes out.
6. You may swatch before the games. (I consider this “training.”)

It sounds like a blast! Now I have to figure out what my competition piece will be. Must go rummage in “The Stash.” It might be time to undertake a serious lace project with that beautiful cashmere bought at The Naked Sheep.

Now I just need to figure out how to put those cool buttons in my right hand bar like everyone else so I can proudly display my Team Canada colours to everyone!

A number of other BookCrossers have great blogs, some of which are listed in my sidebar. One whose book reviews I truly enjoy is Lotus Reads. Recently she commented on how she often uses descriptions of food to describe books. “Whenever I struggle to describe a reading experience, I find it helpful to compare it with food.”

I really like the categories she’s come up with, so I’m going to adopt them here to describe the books I read.

“Cool glass of lemonade” – a nice, quick and easy read that takes about a day or so
“Melted Chocolate” – books that go down smoothly, the experience is so pleasurable, you never want it to end
“Sunday Specials” – satisfying emotionally and fill you up, like Mom’s Sunday dinner of comfort foods
“Exotic Treats” – You have no clue how you are going to feel after you try it, but you can’t help yourself!
“Cereal” – convenient, crunchy, nutritious, but forgettable!
“liver & onions” – for those that you can only finish by holding your nose and choking it down (thanks Candy for this new category)

Thank you Lotus Reads for helping me find a great new way to describe my books.

I wrote last week that I had started a new scarf using Ticker Tape but I really wasn’t pleased with it. I think the problem was that I hadn’t picked large enough needles and the fabric was a lot denser than I wanted. So I dug through my stash and found the perfect yarn for a long, new cuddly scarf – Paton’s Mosaic in Bottle Green. I’m knitting this on 6 mm needles, making it a bit narrower than usual – only 12 sts wide. I have two balls so it’s going to be nice and long.

What I love about this yarn is the strand of nylon spun with the acrylic. The nylon has periodic tufts of polar fleece that make it very cozy feeling. The varigation is consistent but doesn’t appear too strippy when knit up.

I’m reading The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery right now. The review is due to HarperCollins for their First Look program on Feb. 3 so I’ll post it here soon. So far I am really enjoying this.

I’m just so depressed by the results I can’t even bear it. I think I’m going to bed and hope for different results when I get up tomorrow.

Our country just took a huge step backward. This Steven Harper is a scary man. If his personal views get implemented, women will lose the rights to control their own bodies. Tolerance will be a thing of the past. I’m worried – the only consolation is that it’s a minority government.